Guyana Chronicle E-paper 6-5-2019

WEDNESDAY 5th JUNE, 2019

No.105659

$7.4B well spent

... GuySuCo says funds used to repair factories, pay wages ... denies withholding information from NICIL-SPU

03 & 14â–ş

Participants getting ready for an oil spill demonstration exercise held last week by ExxonMobil Guyana at Waini Point, Shell Beach Protected Area, Region One (Barima-Waini)

President pardons two NOC students

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Ministries assessing damage to Aishalton access road

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Procurement bottlenecks hold up house-to-house registration 15 PAGE

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Guyanese living in NY applaud changes in remigrant policy

– eager to take advantage of incentives it offers

By Vanessa Braithwaite GUYANESE living in the US who are interested in coming back home can now do so, safe in the knowlege that they can at least bring

in a vehicle or two, as well as some household items and tools of their trade, particularly those tools having to do with agriculture or mining, all duty-free.

The foregoing provisions

are all enshrined in a new remigrant policy crafted by the Coalition Government, and shared with Guyanese living in the Tri-State area during a town hall meeting on Monday evening in New

York by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo.

Several of those present at the meeting immediately perked up on hearing the good news, and expressed an interest in either coming back

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo addressing the audience at the town hall meeting in New York

Phyllis Montague-Paul

or investing in Guyana in some way or the other, a decision the prime minister not only applauded, but assured his enthusiastic audience that the government would welcome with open arms.

He also told them that it was for the very reasons they articulated that the policy was amended in the first place, so as to better meet their needs and make the process easier for them. “This thing has been looked at, examined and reexamined over a period of time, and I think we have come to some compromise with persons in the Diaspora who want to go home. And this is an incentive they can enjoy,” he said.

He encouraged his compatriots to take a keen interest in the affairs of their country and help where they can, and in whatever way possible.

“You can come to Guyana; claim your inheritance; claim your spot where your navel string bury. Convert it into capital; work the land; show that we are worthy of the freedom we celebrate... Join us back home and make your

Trenton Hamidan

Consul-General to New York, Barbara Atherly at the town hall meeting in New York

contribution,” he urged.

He also announced that the government is in the process of opening new avenues for more airlines to operate out of Guyana, which will, in due course, see airfares being lowered significantly, which news was met with resounding applause.

Consul-General to New York, Barbara Atherly, who was also at the meeting, TURN TO PAGE 3

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 5, 2019

$7.4B well spent

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... GuySuCo says funds used to repair factories, pay wages

By Svetlana Marshall GUYANA Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) does not to have explain in detail, to the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), its use of the $30B bond, the Sugar Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Harold Davis told the Guyana Chronicle.

On Monday, NICIL’s Head (ag), Colvin Heath-London, said while GuySuCo has received $7.4B from the $30B bond intended to revitalise its operations, the sugar corporation has not accounted for the monies received thus far but has requested an additional $1B. But on Tuesday, Dr. Davis, while noting that NICIL was furnished with a summary of its expenditure, said “we are not accountable to NICIL.” According to Heath-London, GuySuCo, in requesting financial support, provided broad overviews, outlining their intention, however, the sugar corporation has not submitted to date, a detailed financial report on each of the nine disbursements. He told reporters at his Camp Street Office that the bondholders and trustees are unhappy that NICIL is unable to furnish them with detailed information of the spending as a result of GuySuCo’s reluctance.

But Dr. Davis said that the trustees have not communicated this concern to GuySuCo, however, a summary of the expenditure was

submitted, in addition to an account of the capital purchase made. “That is the information that any normal financial company, that we have had money from before, would want. If they wanted more details we would have also invited them to check our management account but we give them a summary of the information,” Dr. Davis told this newspaper. To request additional information, would be to meddle in the internal affairs of GuySuCo, and according to him, that is what NICIL has been doing.

“What NICIL has been asking us, we consider it an intrusion into our business.

They are too intrusive but we have provided NICIL with information which we think is perfectly adequate for that purpose, that is our position but we will respond in time,” the GuySuCo CEO said. On July 13, 2018, GuySuCo received $880.7M while on August 10, 2018, another $1B was disbursed. On October 11, 2018, $1.2B was given to GuySuCo; on November 9, 2018, $907.7B; on January 8, 2019, $414M; January 10, 2019, $486M; January 15, 2019, $520M; January 18, 2019, $500M; and April 5, 2019, $1.4B – a total of $7.420B. According to the Trust Deed signed on May 24, 2018 between NICIL and the Hand in Hand Trust Corporation Inc., “ the net proceeds from the issue of the Bonds shall be applied exclusively by the Company towards financing of the Guyana Sugar

Corporation’s long-term project and capital expenditure to acquire two co-generation plants, to upgrade existing factories to produce plantation white sugar, to build storage and packing facilities, as well as to contribute for two years towards general ongoing operational costs.”

However, thus far, GuySuCo has reportedly requested monies to cover operational expenses, such as payment of salaries.

GuySuCo CEO confirmed that a percentage of the monies received was used for the payment of wages and salaries but made it clear that a large part was also used to fund repairs to the factories and other infrastructure at the remaining three estates – Albion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt – in addition to the purchase of tractors and other equipment. According to Dr. Davis, those are GuySuCo’s priorities.

“It makes to no sense to build brand new white elephants when your production capacity is weak. We have to fix our factories, restore our production capacity to a reasonable level. Co-generation of course is one of our plans but we can’t look into those new things unless we address these issues,” Dr. Davis told this newspaper.

He noted that GuySuCo had not received any significant investment since 2006, and as such, it is important to effect necessary repairs and rehabilitation before it launches into massive expansion projects such

A table showing the number of disbursements made to GuySuCo by NICIL with monies from the $30B bond.

as the establishment of two co-generation plants. With the lines apparently blurred with respect to NICIL and its relationship with GuySuCo in the disbursement of the monies from the bond, Dr. Davis reiterated that the sugar corporation is not answerable to NICIL. “NICIL is in no position to dictate to GuySuCo what its priorities are. GuySuCo has a strategic plan that outlines what we should be doing when, and the phasing of that operation. So they can’t take what should be coming in at year five and put it to year one. GuySuCo is responsible to a board of directors and not accountable to NICIL,” Dr. Davis made

clear.

He posited that the Special Purpose Unit (SPU) was established under the purview of NICIL to aid in the sale of three of GuySuCo’s estates – Skeldon, Rose Hall and Enmore; the monies from which would be used to revitalise the operations of the Sugar Corporation. With no property sold today, Dr. Davis said even the monies requested from the bond has been problematic. It was explained that there are often delays when requests are made.

“We have even requested for tractors and there are several projects, which we are doing…projects have to do with infrastructure, roads,

dams, factory equipment, factory repairs, tractors and that type of thing. We have several projects that we have to do to repair our infrastructure and maintain our production capacity,” he explained.

Although not entirely satisfied with GuySuCo’s handling of the funds, NICIL’s Head said NICIL will nonetheless continue in good faith. Heath-London said given the meeting with President David Granger and the Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, and Agriculture Minister, Noel Holder, he is optimistic that there will be a change in the situation. He admitted that this is not in keeping with international best practices.

FROM PAGE 2

Guyanese living in NY applaud changes... seized the opportunity to encourage her fellow Guyanese to take advantage of the amended policy, and in so doing contribute positively to the development of Guyana. She said that making positive contribution does not necessarily mean uprooting themselves and coming back for good, but sifting out those niche areas that can do with some assistance and expertise and taking it from there.

She suggested that they can either lend their skills set to whatever cause they choose during their vacation time, or by making other tangible contributions to the education, medical or other sectors.

She said that persons

have already been giving of their time while on vacation by helping out with training at the Cyril Potter College of Education, as well as to medical missions that perform outreaches in Guyana.

“For persons who want to invest,” she said, “I say now is the opportune time, because different opportunities are opening up now, and they don’t want to wait until other persons, especially foreigners take full advantage of the opportunities.”

One organisation that has been giving of their time and resources during vacation periods, and has been contributing tangibly in the education sector is the Lin-

den Fund USA. Annually, they would host workshops to train teachers to become better administrators and guidance counsellors. The last workshop was held in April in Linden. The Linden Fund USA also hosts competitions such as Spelling Bees and debates, also in Linden.

EAGER TO INVEST Many Guyanese living in New York have expressed confidence in the APNU-AFC Coalition Government in setting the stage for investment, and are eager to do so. One such person is Phyllis Montague-Paul, who told the Guyana Chronicle: “This is the time! Every-

body-else is running into Guyana; why shouldn’t Guyanese! This is not only investing for yourself, but for your children and grandchildren.”

Trenton Hamidan has gone one step further and secured a few acres of land at Loo Creek, on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, which he said is his way of demontrating faith in the country and the administration. “I have already begun investing on the land,” Hamidan said, adding: “Right now, I am looking to meet with a team of people from Guyana to set up a masterplan for the development of 700 acres of land they got from the gov-

ernment several years ago.”

Hamidan said he will continue to lobby persons living in the Diaspora to invest in Guyana, particularly now that oil is in the picture.

He, however, believes that while the government is putting things in place to make the process of investing and remigrating less complicated, there is need for a change in mentality by officers working at the various agencies involved in the remigration process. “It can be very frustrating for us who are accustommed to things moving a little faster.

And you go there and there is this backlog,” he said. “I believe things need to move a

lot more expeditiously.”

Ms Montague-Paul, on the other hand, would like to encourage persons to have a little a patience, as everything takes time. “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” she said.

Foreign investors have been calling out the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission (GLSC) for its sloth in allocating land for investment purposes. President of the Linden Chamber of Commerce, Victor Fernandes has been calling on the Ministry of Business to allocate industrial lands to the group, and place directly under that agency, so as to allow for the process to be expedited.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Trump praises ‘extraordinary’ US-UK alliance US President Donald Trump has said the US and UK have the “greatest alliance the world has ever known”.

In a news conference with Theresa May, he promised a “phenomenal” trade deal after the UK leaves the European Union, but added that “everything is on the table” - including the NHS. May said the scope of trade talks had to be agreed by both countries. Trump also said he turned down a meeting with Jeremy Corbyn, who addressed protesters in Westminster.

The US president met Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage at the US ambassador’s residence, Winfield House.

Farage tweeted that it was a “good meeting” and Trump “really believes in Brexit”.

Protesters gathered in central London and other

cities - including Glasgow, Edinburgh and Sheffield to voice their opposition to President Trump’s visit.

Corbyn - who boycotted Monday evening’s state dinner - was joined at the rally by members of other political parties, including the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party.

The Labour leader had proposed talks with Trump, with a spokesman saying he was ready to engage with the US president on issues such as climate change, threats to peace and the refugee crisis but these were refused.

“I want to be able to have that dialogue to bring about the better and more peaceful world that we all want to live in,” Mr Corbyn told the crowd of protesters.

When asked about the Labour leader, the US president said he did “not know him, never met him, never

The president and first lady welcomed Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall for a banquet at Winfield House (BBC photo)

spoke to him”, adding: “He wanted to meet today or tomorrow and I decided I

would not do that.”

Describing Mr Corbyn as a “negative force”, Trump said: “I really don’t like critics as much as I like and respect people who get things done.”

The whistling and whooping ramps up as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn takes to the stage in Whitehall.

The rainy streets are now packed with cagoule-clad protesters holding aloft umbrellas and placards saying “Dump Trump”. Some have their faces covered with #trumpstinks masks, others wear badges saying “another nasty woman against Trump”.

There are mums with small children in buggies who have given up a day in the park to make their young voices heard, alongside seasoned protesters and US expats.

A little further up the street, police officers are dealing with a disturbance by the English Defence League.

The rain’s holding off for the moment but Corbyn has a message for the visiting president. “Think on, please, about a world that is aiming for peace and disarmament, that defeats racism and misogyny.”

The crowd roars cheers of support Trump also suggested the NHS would be included in post-Brexit trade talks between the US and the UK. The US president said “everything is on the table” in future discussions between the countries, adding that a “phenomenal” trade deal would be reached.

But Health Secretary Matt Hancock was among several Conservative leadership candidates who said they would not allow the NHS to become part of any trade talks. “Not on my watch,” he tweeted.

Mrs May said any trade agreement would follow talks about “what should or should not be in that trade deal for the future”.

After speaking of the US and UK’s “special relationship”, she also said the leaders had “openly” discussed their differences, such as on climate change, Iran and China.

At the end of a day of meetings with the prime minister and a visit to the Churchill War Rooms, Trump welcomed guests for a banquet at the US ambassador’s residence in Regent’s Park.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall attended on behalf of the Queen, along with the prime minister and some members of her cabinet.

During his visit, the US president is expected to meet Tory leadership hopefuls Michael Gove and Jeremy Hunt. He had a phone conversation with Boris Johnson, another candidate. He also met former Cabinet ministers and Brexiteers Iain Duncan Smith and Owen Paterson.

On Monday, Trump was welcomed by the Queen and had lunch at Buckingham Palace with senior royals.

He also visited Westminster Abbey and had tea at Clarence House with the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. He attended a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in the evening, during which Trump praised the “eternal friendship” between the UK and US. The Queen said the countries were celebrating an alliance which had ensured the “safety and prosperity of both our peoples for decades”.

The president’s visit coincides with the commemorations for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, which the Queen, Trump and other heads of state will attend at Portsmouth on Wednesday.

(BBC)

Saturday 1, June 2019

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3, 12, 26, 18, 02

8, 8, 9

7, 2, 7

03, 04, 08, 11, 15

31, May, 2019

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 5, 2019

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Diasporan youths warn of dire consequences – if peers here disenfranchised at upcoming elections

By Vanessa Braithwaite MOVE on Guyana (MoG), a youth group launched Monday in New York, has a few words of advice for those here in Guyana trying to frustrate the electoral process.

And that message is that every youth has the right to vote in the upcoming and future elections, and anyone found to be working against this process will he held accountable.

Speaking at the launch on Monday, which saw among those in attendance Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and his wife, Mrs Sita Nagamootoo; Guyana’s Consul-General to New York, Mrs Barbara Atherly; and Guyana’s Ambassador to the United Nation, Mr Michael Ten Pow, MoG Chairman Rickford Burke said that while there are several youth groups in existence in both Guyana and the Diaspora, theirs is one with a difference, as its goal is to engender change, particularly where youth involvement in governance is concerned, by way of engagements with top government and diplomatic officials, whereby policies to create avenues for youths to recognise their potential will be negotiated.

Top on the group’s agenda, Burke said, has to do with the current political situation here, whereby there are moves afoot to prevent

youths from voting by not advocating for the renewal of the voters’ list.

And to counter this, Burke said, there is an aggressive campaigning in train to ensure that democracy prevails, even as we await the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)’s ruling on the no-confidence motion. Said he: “That’s a big, big problem! That’s a silent giant that has not yet awakened. And if people block these young people from voting, ‘Move on Guyana’ has plans to start a campaign; a campaign titled ‘Register every Youth’.”

“We are going to shake the place up in Guyana!”

Burke promised. “Our young people must be registered to vote! Nowhere in the world would you find any politician campaigning to stop people from voting,” he warned.

“We are going to fight them in Guyana as well,” Burke said, to loud applause.

He said that in the early stages of the founding of MoG, surveys were done and youths from all across Guyana expressed their desire to vote. He reasoned that with 56% of Guyana’s population being below 40, that means that the electorate is mostly youths, and any attempt to keep them unregistered is “anti-democratic”.

He said too that with democracy having been restored with the advent of the Coalition Government, and the worst thing to do is to allow

MoG executive members with Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo at the organisation’s launch in New York on Monday. At left is MoG President, Dr. Vishal Joseph; second right is MoG Chairman Rickford Burke

regression. Voting, he said, is the first stage of engendering a paradigm shift amongst youths to be more integrated in the nation’s governance, and this will be pushed at all levels. “We will be pushing young people at every level of governance; every level of the private sector; every level of society in our policy,” Burke said. “We are going to shake things up,” he reiterated.

A REBIRTH OF NATIONAL PRIDE He also spoke at length of what he referred to as “a noticeable rebirth of national pride post-2015,” saying that not only was that fire awoken in youths here in Guyana but those in the Disapora as well, and was further strengthened by the expectation of the immense wealth to be derived from the petroleum industry,

which will bring with it real economic and social transformation. It is the expectation also that the 28% of youth employment will be increased incrementally after first oil, and MoG will be preparing youths for this great transformation.

Burke said that with this in mind, a number of proposals have been tabled to top government officials, including the PM, which proposals, if implemented, will see youths benefiting in an astronomical way from the revenues of oil.

Among those proposals, he said, is the amendment of the law to enable youths to purchase property from the age of 18 instead of 21. “We have qualified, solid young people who are capable of taking out loans and purchasing their own homes, and so we are asking to change the law, and

that the cost to purchase the land be intergrated into the mortgage,” Burke said.

MoG is also pushing for an economic programme which will allow for a nation-

al income threshold, whereby youths falling below it will be integrated into social services, whereby they will be given financial assistance to put them on par. There is a catch, however, and that is that such youths must be either enrolled in a training programme, or pursuing tertiary education, so as to enable them to become better qualified for a higher-paying job.

Once this is done, they will leave the programme, thus creating space for others to join.

In closing, Burke encouraged the politicians in their midst at the function to move away from selfish politics; to bury the devisiveness of the past, and to advocate for unity amongst not only youths, but all Guyanese.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Healthy Living T

HERE is an aspect to our lifestyles whereby eating and drinking carry a sense of merriment, without much thought given to what is consumed, the quantity, health/nutritional value, the impact on our bodies and ultimately, overall health and longevity. Once it tastes good or makes one feels good, that is all that matters. Physical activity is also not generally seen as important and vital to sustaining healthy lifestyles. Such outlook carries consequences.

In 2015, the World Health Organisation (WHO) sounded a warning about the “health epidemic” facing Caribbean countries and urged governments to take urgent action to meet global targets to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). According to the WHO, NCDs, also known as chronic diseases, are not passed from person to person. NCDs are of long duration and are generally slow in progression, resulting in 82 per cent of premature deaths (i.e. before 70 years) due to four main types: cardiovascular diseases (such as heart attacks and stroke), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructed pulmonary disease and asthma), and diabetes NCDs are prevalent in low and middle- income countries, the category Guyana falls in, and this in part has to do with poverty, lifestyle choices and access to quality healthcare.

Where people are seen as pivotal to development and development is hinged on the environment (personal and external) within which the people operate, the WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan, in launching the “Global status report on

non-communicable diseases 2014” called for global efforts to tackle and change the course of NCDs epidemic.

In 2011, Guyana along with 189 countries committed to global mechanisms to reduce the avoidable NCDs burden, including a global action plan for the prevention and control of NCDs 2013-2020. In 2013, the Ministry of Health prepared Guyana’s Strategic Plan, which is a public document. This document includes areas of risk factors, NCDs progress indicators; framework for action; surveillance; public policy, advocacy and communication; project management and results log frame. The responsibility for achieving these goals requires collaborative efforts and commitment. For whereas the WHO 2014 report states that premature NCD deaths can be significantly reduced through government policies reducing tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity, and delivering universal healthcare – such success is reliant on the people’s involvement and support It is important to recognise that management of this epidemic requires proper planning that factor in the efficient and effective use of resources. To this end, fighting NCDs has to be holistic and inclusive of reliance on statistical evidence of pre-disposition to certain diseases among specific demographics (age, race, income, locale, etc.). Government and corporate policies can take into consideration the establishment of health and wellness centres at the workplace, where in addition to educating the workforce on healthy lifestyle practices, the facilitation of opportunities/ incentive for engaging in physical fitness and

Education Ministry making notable strides with education delivery in the hinterland regions

Dear Editor,

WISH to be afforded some space in your publication to point out, and in some way proffer an analysis of a posture taken by the Ministry of Education.

Editor, I can recall during her 2019 budget presentation in the National Assembly, the Minister of Education promised in a passionate speech that under her watch, she will significantly close the education gap that exists between the coast and hinterland.

Editor, at the time of that revelation I thought, “I hope this materialises”. Not long after, I realised that the Education Ministry was all action in its quest to achieve this objective.

Editor, I am sure you can recall when teacher training was only done at the CPCE Turkeyen Campus. So training for hinterland teachers was not what it should have been because of the nation’s unique geography.

Editor the establishment of a teachers’ training college in Paramakatoi last year now ensures that teachers in that area no longer have to journey to the city for such a service; an indication of the decentralisation of critical services to benefit the hinterland region.

On the Information Communication Technology (ICT) front, I read in the press recently that the MoE is working with its sister ministry, the Ministry of Public Telecommunications, to install Internet connection at schools in the hinterland region.

Already the Ministry of Education has opened smart classrooms in Regions Eight, One and Nine.

As you know Editor, our children are now part of an era where the Internet and ICT play a critical role in their learning process. Interventions such as these demonstrate again, the

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Ministry of Education’s intent in ensuring an equitable education for all, in spite of where these children are located.

Editor, often times when we as citizens provide our own interpretation of what is before us, sometimes the argument is advanced that you are aligned a certain way. But if one were to be honest, it is clear that this Education Ministry is taking clear steps to bridge the gap that existed for years between the coast and the hinterland with regards to public education.

It must be noted also that the ministry has been ramping up the construction of new schools in hinterland regions to ensure that children there can access a better quality of education.

In closing, I wish to bring to your attention to another intervention that I think surely validates my position. Just recently, I read in the Stabroek News that on May 24, Guyana signed a technical assistance co-operation agreement with the Organisation of American States and the ProFuturo Foundation for a digital learning platform agreement to bridge the technological gap between the coastal and the hinterland regions of Guyana.

Editor according to the Education Ministry, the agreement will be focused on digital education in Guyana, where 5,435 primary school students and 449 teachers in the country will have access to interactive content and materials to improve their learning experiences.

Finally Editor, as citizens, it is important that we look at issues through an unbiased lens and if we do that in this instant, it will be difficult to escape the fact that the Education Ministry is making notable strides with education delivery in the hinterland regions.

Regards Elizabeth Williams

screening for NCDs can also be done. If we are talking human wellness as a prerequisite for development, it is cheaper to invest in preventive care (education, changed lifestyles, consult and testing services) rather than on sick care.

Where poverty is prevalent in our society, the State has to invest in healthcare centres, community centres, recreational facilities and so forth. This responsibility can also be shared through community and corporate citizenship. Healthy dietary practices also go a far way in ensuring preventive care. This requires education to recognise and appreciate the nutritional value of food (including beverages). For instance, less sodium (salt) intake reduces/prevents high blood pressure, consumption of alcohol to liver disease, fat (oil) for high cholesterol and so forth.

Some societies have laws and policies whereby the restaurant/ fast food industry empowers customers on nutritional value as part of the menu card/board. This allows the customer to make informed choices. There are also instances of control (ban, reduction) of ingredients in publicly prepared food. In the instance of tobacco, it has moved from health warnings on the packets, to being banned in certain public spaces, given that users and bystanders are susceptible to lung cancer. Lifestyle changes are not easy.

It requires will, commitment and determination, but ours is the collective duty and responsibility through public awareness, education and other forms of empowerment that would ensure Guyana plays its role in meeting the 2020 goal.

A message from the PPP on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr

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id-ul-Fitr marks the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan during which Muslims across the globe made tremendous sacrifices for spiritual advancement. The dedication and self-discipline they continue to demonstrate, especially during Ramadan, are exemplary lessons of humility, contentment, restraint and love for mankind. The Zakat, or charity, associated with Eid-ul-Fitr is another example of Muslims here in Guyana and across the world contributing to the upliftment of all and for the removal of societal barriers. These selfless acts of giving continue to be vital in strengthening the bonds of brotherhood in a world where humanity faces many challenges. On this auspicious occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) joins with all Guyanese in extending greetings to our brothers and sisters in the Muslim community, both at home and overseas.

All of our religious observances in our country have universal lessons for mankind. As customary on these occasions, our Party would like to urge that we all reflect on the pertinent messages this occasion brings and which have positive influences for humanity. Our Party would also like to take this opportunity to commend all those who made the sacrifice of observing fast during the month of Ramadan and extend best wishes for their success in the future.

Eid Mubarak!

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Ivor English responds to UG unions’ claims Dear Editor,

MUST categorically state that I was never approached by any of the UG union representatives for support on any issue at the University of Guyana since I was attending council meetings as the GTUC representative. I noted with concern that there were repeated calls for my removal from council by the UG Unions. However, I was not allowed or granted the opportunity to meet with the unions’ representatives and the TUC to listen to, or address their concerns and possibly arrive at a position.

I was called by Mr. Freddie Kissson who requested that I resign from the council for the union leaders feel I am not supporting their views.

In this context, I was surprised that every issue raised at council was in the public domain and the minutes of the meetings shared with any person. It was my view that at the level of the operations of any board requires confidentiality. It appears as though UG Council meetings should be treated like town meetings.

Since my appointment to the UG Council, I was actively involved in the Appointments Committee and the Finance and General Purpose Committee. I was a member of several interviewing panels as requested by the Appointments Committee.

Very often I made a special effort to attend, even at great sacrifices. I have always sought to adopt an objective posture. I was never briefed by the TUC that I was required to agree with every statement or position by the unions at UG. My knowledge of the operations of University’s Board is that the board influences policy, and ensures effective and efficient

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governance of the university.

The obvious struggle between the unions and the University Administration is predicated on the lack of a structured approach relative to addressing the myriad issues which are often tabled by the two parties.

Below represents the list of complaints the UG unions submitted to the TUC leadership which was forwarded to me for a response.

Complaint #1. In circumstances where the Government of Guyana had only months earlier bailed to the University out of debt. Mr. English voted in favour of a proposal to purchase a brand new, latest edition of an expensive SUV for use by the incoming VC, notwithstanding the availability of a perfectly good and relatively new executive car that had been used by the previous VC. Response – The decision for the purchase of a new vehicle for the new Vice-Chancellor in 2016 emanated from the UG’s Administration. It was posited that there was a need for an appropriate vehicle for the VC since the existing vehicle was fully depreciated. This received the general support of council except for the opposing vote of the union representative. I am aware that certain protocols are necessary for certain offices. In this context the office of VC fits the bill. I never knew the VC personally.

I saw him for the first tie when he came to UG. Therefore, I have no personal agenda where he is concerned. I responded to the issue at hand and not the person.

Complaint #2. Mr. English also supported the university’s hosting of the Education Resource Ambassadors conference between July 23-25, 2016 – an enormously expensive undertaking which was held at the

Marriott Hotel and for which the incoming Vice-Chancellor had committed the university to pay for the accommodation of over 40 ‘ambassadors’ from the diaspora at the Marriott.

Response – If the university is to rightly position itself there must be stakeholder engagements and effective marketing. Business experience advises the way one presents or sell him or herself and their business will determine the level of responsiveness of others to their cause. The hosting of receptions for guests who travelled at their own expense to support your institution could be regarded as the very least the institution could do. In a general context this is a historical norm for an organisation to host its guests.

Complaint #3. In November 2016, Mr. English supported the revision of rates for allowances payable to university officials on local and overseas travel. These rates were copied from rates paid to President of Guyana and the Ministers of Government, and included business class travel for officials identified as ‘Category A’ - the VC, his cabinet and members of council.

Response- I am not aware of this claim or issue. This unfortunately is dishonest. I do not recall voting on any issue of this nature. I cannot discuss unless the tape is provided.

However, based on my experience in the public service, I know that allowances were pegged to the rates stipulated by the United Nations based on the particular country that was being visited.

Complaint #4. Mr. English, in April 2017, supported the VC’s proposal for the vanity project of a downtown campus to house the new School of Entrepreneurship and Business

Innovation.

Response – I supported the setting up of the new School for Entrepreneurship and Businesses Innovation, and for there to be an off campus facility subjected to the working out of the requisite modalities, given that UG operates in a competitive environment and business strategies must cater to the myriad changes that are taking place on a daily basis in the society. It is known in the culture of organisations, that if you continue to use the same methods of operating from year to year, you would have the same results unless there is a miracle.

I felt that UG needed to modify it approaches to doing business and become more relevant as a contemporary institution of higher learning.

Complaint #5. Incredibly, notwithstanding the 2016 SUV purchase, during the 2018 budget discussions, the administration proposed buying another luxury vehicle.

Response – I supported the purchase of a double cab 4x4 vehicle to transport staff and materials/equipment between the Berbice Campus and the Turkeyen Campus as against a car because of its appropriateness, for safety reasons and its suitability. This type of vehicle is used by all of the government ministries for out of town trips.

It is unfortunate that the unions’ representatives are unaware of this. In a general context, the purchase of a car as against a double cab 4x4 vehicle will not materially change UG’s financial position. The reality is that there is an over-dependence on government subventions. UG needs to adopt a business-oriented approach to engender its sustainability.

Complaint #6. More recently, in February 2019, Mr. English was appointed by the

SARA should proceed full speed with probe into the award of oil blocks

J

OURNALIST and business consultant, Wesley Kirton, made an interesting point in a letter in the newspapers, arguing that SARA should wait until it wraps up its investigations into the award of oil blocks by the PPP government before it makes a public shout.

On this specific point, I wish to concede that Mr. Kirton has a point, especially as it relates to SARA’s investigations and business/investor confidence in Guyana. But on the wider point about whether malfeasance was afoot when the PPP gave out our oil blocks to two companies with no established history in oil and gas, I wish to contend that SARA is on to something.

As I understand it, the two companies with close PPP ties but with no financial record, previous stints in oil and no proven ability to develop an oil field, were given the concessions just a few days before the 2015 elections. Despite what Mr. Ramotar may say, this kind of behavior and approach to national rather than PPP assets are very familiar to Guyana and Guyanese as a whole. It is the classic operating modus of the PPP so I urge the experts at SARA to investigate.

The scandal here Mr. Editor, is that the two blocks – Canje and Kaieteur – are in what we are told are ultra-deep waters, beyond where Exxon and its partners are working. Exxon is a huge multinational firm with billions at its disposal and is one of the few big oil firms able to work in such waters. So the question is, does the companies which received the licences have the ability to work in such deep waters or was it just another route by the PPP and its high officials to create wealth for themselves through cronies and surrogates?

My humble contention is that SARA should proceed full speed ahead with its probe into the award of the blocks, but in the future should restrain from official pronouncements that might, in fact, create some doubts in the minds of investors about how things work in our beloved Guyana. And as the Kaieteur News puts it today, “how did 4.8 acres of offshore Guyana end up in the hands of four companies with no track record in the oil industry?”

Regards Peter Joseph Roy Mason Nazeema Mohamed

Pro-Chancellor to chair a council intervention into the dispute between the administration and the Unions over 2018 wages and salaries negotiations.

During the meeting, he displayed such hostility towards the unions and workers of the university that we were forced to request that he be removed as chairperson.

Response – This is misleading, unfortunate and dishonest. The Unions’ representatives were visibly upset because I suggested that there should be a Collective Bargaining Agreement between the unions and the University’s Administration. This I felt would remove a number of the issues from the agenda that are brought to council that could be resolved through the said agreement. Their objections were on personal grounds and this was confirmed by the letter of the unions in the mainstream newspaper on Thursday May 30 which stated that they were seeking my removal from council. In this regard, there was no due process since I was not given the opportunity to respond. Consequently, I have decided to respond since it was placed in the media.

Complaint #7.The final instance mentioned here will be the one already alluded to in our first email. The GTUC’s nominee voted to enable the Vice-Chancellor to be paid in lieu of leave and so not proceed on leave.

Response – Paying a person for leave is not a recent phenomenon. A person is paid for leave, based on “exigencies of the service” and it is guided by functionality rather than rank, status or tenure. Perhaps the unions could use this to foster their own claims for similar considerations for staff based

on the exigencies of the service for which precedence exists at UG and elsewhere.

It is obvious that the unions’ representatives do not have a full grasp relative to the roles of management as against those of Council of UG. I noted that even in instances where a policy issue is obviously beneficial to the institution the union representative abstains.

I do not wish to be sucked into the very contemptuous engagements that union representative on council pursues with the VC. I think my role is to support policy formulation and not to slavishly and blindly support a position by a union without that position being meticulously assessed for appropriateness and relevance.

In 2016, the sum of $500,000,000 was given by Central Government as a provisional sum to help in the addressing of critical needs at the UG. The unions argued that all of the money should go to pay for salary increases.

I advised that there should be consideration given to the issue of sustainability of that provision from government, for once salaries are raised, they cannot be arbitrarily reduced going forward. I do not see how this constitutes an anti-working class stance. My fear is that the unrelenting public spats between the UG’s Unions and the Administration would not only tarnish the image of the university internationally, but also diminish public confidence in the institution nationally.

Regards Ivor B. English GTUC RepresentativeUniversity of Guyana Council

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 5, 2019

PM orders reinstatement of Duncan …board chair, other directors resign in protest

PRIME MINISTER, Moses Nagamootoo and subject minister of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited has instructed the rescinding of a letter to dismiss Sherod Duncan as General Manager of the company, citing procedural defects and a lack of due process.

The chairman of the board and two other directors have since tendered their resignations in protest over the decision of the PM. The Board of Directors of the Guyana Chronicle had taken a majority decision to dismiss Duncan back in April after an audit report found over 20 transactions that did not follow financial regulations. As a result of the Prime Minister’s instructions board members: Chairman Geeta Chandan-Edmond, Mervyn

Williams and Mr Hilbert Foster have since tendered their resignation.

A copy of the Prime Minister’s letter dated the 31st of May, 2019 to the Chairman of the Board, Attorney-at-Law Geeta Chandan-Edmond stated “I have received information from Directors of GNNL, that there was no vote put to the meeting by the Chair, and any statement to the contrary is wholly false.”

Prime Minister Nagamootoo in his statement noted that there is now a glaring irregularity in arriving at the decision to terminate the services of Duncan. “It must be clear that asking members of the Board their views on a situation does not amount to a vote.”

The Prime Minister said

Former Magistrate Geeta Chandan-Edmond

that Duncan was unilaterally terminated and it was arbitrary, capricious, unlawful and in excess of the jurisdiction of the Board. “I am concerned that you have

Hilbert Foster

misled the office of the Prime Minister with the erroneous claim that the Board of Directors came to this decision.

It is clear that you deliberately sought to terminate Mr. Duncan which did not accord with due process and procedural fairness, and I instruct that that decision be rescinded,” the Prime Minister stated in his letter.

Meanwhile, Chandan-Edmond in her response dated 4th of June, 2019 to the Prime Minister stated “when I accepted the position of Chair of the Board of Directors of GNNL, it was with the understanding that my professionalism and integrity would not be unfairly assailed. I find that your letter not only calls into question my professionalism but the professionalism of fellow members of the Board of GNNL. In light of this, I hereby submit my resignation

Member of Parliament Mervyn Williams

as Chairman of the Board of Directors, with immediate effect…” Further Mrs. Chandan-Edmond stated that on the special statutory meeting, which was held on the 2nd of April, 2019, following a call of vote on the matter of termination of Duncan’s services, three directors voted against termination of services and three directors in favour of termination.

“I exercised my right to execute a casting vote, in keeping with provision 94 as was recorded in and verified in the minutes of the proceedings. Additionally, I wish to state that I rely on my report to you into this matter and reiterate, that the process was fair and transparent, there was due process and all principles of natural justices were adhered to,” the Former Chairperson stated in her letter.

Director Foster in his letter of resignation on Tuesday stated his action is in accordance with a principled position as one of the directors, who voted to dismiss Duncan. “I cannot in good faith continue to be a member of the GNNL Board after reading your letter dated 31st May, 2019 to the Chairperson Mrs. Geeta Chandan-Edmond. I was present at the meeting and I am fully aware that the Board voted to dismiss Mr. Duncan,” Foster stated.

Director Mervyn Williams in his resignation letter on Tuesday stated “in my respectful view, the Duncan matter was handled professionally and he benefitted from due process, fairness and transparency. In that regard I believe I did my duty conscientiously and further that decision which was openly treated with remain unchallenged by any member of the Board until now.” He added: “I respectfully submit that there was a free, fair and open vote taken by members individually. At the conclusion of the process the chairman summarised the proceedings and sought confirmation as to the final outcome from each member individually. There was no dissenting view neither was there any objections regarding either the process or outcome.”

President preaches peace, cohesion in Eid-ul-Fitr message EID-UL-FITR is a joyous occasion for the entire world. It is a sacred observance for individual devotees, for the Islamic community and for the nation, President David Granger said in a message to mark the occasion.

He noted that Eid marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, during which Muslims strengthen their faith through acts of fasting, prayer and charity, and commemorates the glorious revelation of the Quran to the Holy Prophet Muhammad.

According to Presi-

President David Granger

dent Granger, Eid’s significance is evident in the attendance of congregations in Masjids and

Jamaats, the assembly of families and friends to strengthen human ties and to help the poor and needy. Islam, in this way, is an integral and indispensable element of Guyana’s cultural character.

Eid-ul-Fitr should encourage all Guyanese to continue to work to ensure a cohesive and peaceful society – one characterised by greater compassion towards the poor, understanding and tolerance. “I extend greetings to all Muslims and to every Guyanese on the occasion of the festival of Eid-ul-Fitr.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Four youths to face trial for professor’s murder

Region 2 outreach was a resounding success Dear Editor,

T

Andre Benjamin

Timithy Paul Chance

FOLLOWING the guilty plea of 18-year-old Naomi Adams, four other youths were called before Justice Navindra Singh on Tuesday at the Demerara High Court, in relation to the same charge as Adams.

The indictable charge reads that on May 12, 2016, the five-member teen group murdered Pairadeau Mars called ‘Perry’, in the furtherance of robbery.

According to the police report, Nikisha Dover, Timothy Paul Chance, Orin Mc Crae and Andre Benjammin, along with Adams, invaded the PrashadNagar home of the retired Professor, robbed him, and stran-

Nikisha Dover

Orin Mc Crae

gled him to death.

The youths were jointly charged; however, Adams took a guilty plea and is awaiting sentencing, while the other four youngsters are awaiting trial.

Chance is being represented by attorney Nigel Hughes, while Adrian Thompson is representing Mc Crae and Benjamin. The trial was delayed to give Dover time to secure counsel.

On June 17 the attorneys will meet with the presiding judge to set a date for commencement of trial.

HE recent ministerial outreach in Region Two (Pomeroon–Supenaam) at Damon Square can be termed a resounding success so far, and I say so far because there are some issues that were addressed almost immediately, but of course others would take some time.

The crowd, which was more than what most of us expected, was very orderly and the system of having one’s concerns aired was well thought out, for which the organisers – particularly the Regional Executive Officer (REO), Mr. Dennis Jaikaran – must be commended.

It was good to see our Prime Minister, the honourable Mr. Moses Nagamootoo, assisting his staff by talking to the people and making notes of their issues and concerns, the same can be said of other ministers.

The public security area, as expected, had lots of people but there was a noticeable presence of the top brass of the Guyana Police Force. The Commissioner of Police, Mr. James; The Crime Chief and Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Alves; and Deputy Commissioner, Ms. Graham, with other Senior Superintendents and Superintendent of Police, our Commander of ‘G’ Division, Mr. Khali Pareshram, was on hand as expected and was providing immediate answers and solutions in many cases.

The ministers, after that part of the visit was concluded, went to various locations where a lot of announcements were made pertaining to developments that are in the pipeline. I was taken aback when I saw a group of persons or known People’s Progressive Party (PPP) supporters picketing not far away from where the ministers and staff were engaging the public. I was wondering if their time would not have been more beneficially occupied if they had engaged the subject ministers to have discussions with a view of having their concerns addressed.

Regards Archie W. Cordis

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Expansion of Co-op movement can mitigate unemployment - Min. Scott stresses

Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, Keith Scott

EMPLOYMENT is finite and the expansion of cooperative movements is one of the areas which is crucial to the mitigation of unemployment.

This is according to Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, Keith Scott who continues to encourage communities and groups to form cooperatives.

Minister Scott explained that the co-op movement can absorb thousands of people,

including young people. He added that Call Centres including Qualfon and Teleperformance, mining companies, government agencies, or other private sector companies cannot employ the thousands of people leaving schools or the university every year. Therefore, co-ops play an integral role in creating employment for the growing population.

“Jobs can only be created with new industries and industrial growth. Guyana is on

the cusp of economic wealth and so hundreds of contractors and business owners are asking to come into the country and do business. Even though there is the perception that young people cannot get jobs, we know that we have these processes that are on stream. But in the interim we have been encouraging the co-op movement to expand because each co-op group creates employment. We are encouraging communities and

even the school thrift societies to get on board,” Minister Scott explained.

According to Minister Scott, the farmers co-op at Baracara on the Berbice River is thriving and has seen many persons, including young people, gain employment. Currently, through the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), residents in Baracara are learning boat building techniques so that they can build boats to better market their produce.

The marketing will be done through a marketing co-op, Minister Scott noted.

In an effort to revitalise co-ops as the third pillar of economic development, the government has been supporting the development of co-operatives and the Ministry of Social Protection has been pioneering this revival, and has since revitalised several societies across Guyana.

Mocha, Beterverwagting/ Triumph, Buxton, and Ithaca

villages have formed co-ops and have employed many persons in their communities.

An effective part of the programme is its integration with the Sustainable Livelihood Development (SLED) project, which is an avenue to assist community groups in creating profitable start-up businesses. SLED continues to provide micro-financing assistance to over 20 co-operatives across the country.

CARICOM and Indonesia strengthen ties

CARICOM SG welcomes Indonesia’s new Ambassador to CARICOM H.E. Julang Pujianto

A new chapter in the growing friendship between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Indonesia was opened on Friday last as CARICOM Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, accredited a new envoy of the Southeast Asian country.

Secretary-General LaRocque accepted the letters of credence of His Excellency Julang Pujianto, in a simple ceremony at the Headquarters of the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana, the Caricom Secretariat said in a release. The ceremony highlighted opportunities for deeper collaboration in trade, sustainable development, technical assistance, and cooperation in multilateral systems such as the United Nations and the G20.

Secretary-General LaRocque requested Indonesia’s advocacy in the G20 on a range of issues, but in particular on blacklisting, which he said has been causing CARICOM jurisdictions “major reputational damage and disruptive controls” on financial transactions.

The withdrawal of crucial

correspondent banking relationships due to the “de-risking” strategies employed by international banks, have had a negative impact on the financial operations of CARICOM economies, the SG told the Indonesia envoy. Noting that his accreditation was a “valuable opportunity to nurture cooperation between CARICOM and Indonesia,” Mr Pujianto extended an invitation for businesses to participate in Trade Expo Indonesia from 16-20 October in Jakarta. Prior to that event, he said Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry will organise the Indonesia-Latin American and Caribbean (Ina-Latamcar) Business Forum from 13-15 October 2019, in which businesses are also welcomed to participate.

The new envoy said Indonesia has offered no less than 20 programmes for technical assistance and capacity building for the South American and Caribbean regions. 45 participants from eight CARICOM Member States have benefited, but he indicated his government’s desire for this number to increase. Mr Pujianto told

the Secretary-General of some of the successes of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which offers a market worth in excess of US$2.6 trillion. In view of this, he noted that CARICOM and ASEAN have fertile ground to explore cooperation in trade and economic affairs.

Secretary-General LaRocque told Mr Pujianto that CARICOM viewed links with Indonesia as important.

He said CARICOM looked forward to co-operating in international fora on issues such as Financing for Development, Climate Change and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with particular emphasis on the provision of adequate financing for developing countries to attain them. He added that the Region has been advocating for international policies that allow for a balanced approach in the provision of financing for Small-Island and low-lying coastal Developing States (SIDS) to build economic and environmental resilience.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 5, 2019

11

New Grade Two curriculum described as ‘inclusive’

THE new Grade Two curriculum for Guyana’s primary school pupils is currently undergoing a review process, and already, Ministry of Education officers have described it as being ‘inclusive’ – a vast improvement from what currently exists.

On Monday and Tuesday at the Cyril Potter College of Education, the Education Ministry’s Subject Specific Committee reviewed the first offering of what will be the new Grade Two curriculum.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Education Ministry explained that the curriculum review process comes under the Guyana Education Sector Improvement Project (GESIP) which is being coordinated by Quenita Walrond-Lewis.

According to Walrond-Lewis, the grade-two curriculum has been written by a team of primary writers. It was explained that the primary writers are classroom teachers, officers from the National Centre for Educational Resource Development, the University of Guyana and the Cyril Potter College of Education.

“So it’s a Guyanese curriculum written by Guyanese and they are working with the team of consultants. On the consultancy, we have subject specialists that have a wealth of experience and knowledge in curriculum writing as well as classroom practice in the core content areas,” Walrond-Lewis noted.

GSEIP Coordinator, Quenita Walrond-Lewis

She said that the Subject Specific Committee comprises persons from within the Ministry of Education who have particular subject matter expertise in the four core areas to review what the writers have done; considering matters such as cultural relevance and content relevance.

Moreover, the Project Coordinator noted that since it is a revision of a curriculum for a particular grade, the final product will be more holistic and inclusive as against reviewing a specific subject area.

The review process targets the four core subject areas: Science, Mathematics, Social Studies and Language Arts. However, among the subject matter specialists that participated in the two-day review process were education officers representing Special Education Needs (SEN), Technical Vocational Education and Training

21-yr-old charged with miner’s murder CLINTON Allen, a 21-year-old resident of Kamarang, Upper Mazaruni, has been charged with the gruesome murder of a gold miner over a two-year-old feud.

Allen, a porter, appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Sherdel I Isaacs-Marcus at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and was not required to plead to the capital charge when it was read to him Particulars of the charge state that between May 30, 2019, and May 31, 2019, at Kamarang Landing, he murdered Cordel Joseph, According to police prosecutor Shellon Daniels, two years ago there was a

fight between Allen and Joseph, which left the accused with a scar to his face.

It is alleged that on May 30, 2019, Allen saw Joseph when he was at a bar consuming alcohol. Allen waited until Joseph left the bar and attacked him with a broken beer bottle. The next day, Joseph’s body was discovered by a resident at Kamarang Landing with injuries to his neck and head. Allen, who was on the run, was arrested and confessed to killing Joseph as pay-back.

Allen was remanded to prison and the matter was transferred to the Kamarang Magistrate’s Court for June 17, 2019.

(TVET), Literacy and the Allied and Expressive Arts.

Moving forward, Walrond-Lewis said that the next step is to collate the feedback and make that submission to the consultants who will make the necessary adjustments. Following this level of tweaking, the curriculum will be released to a Core Technical Committee which is the final layer of review before the curriculum is used as a pilot starting in the new school year.

Meanwhile Assistant Chief Education Officer (Nursery) Samantha Williams said that the Ministry of Education is very excited about the curriculum review process because it has been decades since Guyana had reviewed its curriculum.

Being a language arts specialist, Williams said that one of the very noticeable components in the new Grade Two curriculum is that it is very inclusive. She said that the ministry has always been working with teachers to bridge the gap from the children’s home language to Standard English.

“We are seeing a lot of emphasis is placed on guiding our children through that process, moving them from being native speakers and then getting them to be speakers of the standard English. So I am very excited about that,” she said.

The Ministry of Education’s National SEN Offi-

- Pilot programme to begin in the new school year

Member of the Subject Specific Committee reviewing the Grade Two Curriculum

cer, Savvie Hopkinson said that the curriculum review process is very important because it allows for special education needs to become inclusive in the entire curriculum process.

She said that the involvement of SEN helps to ensure that the process takes into consideration the right resources, technologies and assistive technologies that are needed and that they are multi-sensory approaches which can help in the various multiple intelligences and learning styles that will cater to the needs of all categories of children.

The grade-two curriculum has also been credited as having a greater practical approach to learning, according to Coordinator of the Secondary Competency Certificate Programme (SCCP), Stacey Osborne.

“I am very happy about most of what was included because it is not just theoretical but it allows for practical learning for children to be participating in activities which will accompany the theoretical aspect,” she said.

Osborne noted that the new curriculum will cater to teachers having to expose children to the physical en-

vironment outside of the classroom. “There are pupils that can tell you something but they cannot identify it because they were never exposed to the identification of it and that is what I am applauding now,” she posited.

There has not been a review of the National Curriculum since 1976. The Ministry of Education intends to review the curriculum for nursery, primary and lower secondary levels to improve student performance and to modernise the quality of education that is offered to the nation’s children.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Ministries assessing damage to Aishalton access road THE Ministry of Public Infrastructure said it is working alongside the Ministry of Natural Resources to assess the damage to the Aishalton main access road.

Heavy and persistent rainfall has resulted in a section of the main access road in Aishalton being washed away; cutting off vehicular traffic to the key Deep-South Rupununi village.

“Residents of Aishalton are asked to remain patient as the Ministry of Public Infrastructure and the Ministry of Natural Resources work assiduously to assess and evaluate the damage caused by the flash flood in the area,” the Public Infrastructure Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

It said the ministries’ regional engineers are on the ground, and are currently in consultations with the Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) Regional Executive Officer (REO), Carl Parker, on the way forward for a timely

resolution.

“The Ministry of Public Infrastructure along with the Ministry of Natural Resources understand the importance of this access road to the livelihood of the residents in and around Aishalton and jointly, the ministries will ensure that the road becomes passable in a short while,” the Public Infrastructure Ministry said.

According to the ministry, it deeply regrets any inconveniences caused by this unforeseen event. Toshao of Aishalton, Michael Thomas, on Monday, told the Guyana Chronicle that the rains have been pouring in the area over the past several weeks, rendering parts of it flooded. He said the flooding was initially severe, as much as to cause some degree of damage to the road, but things worsened last week.

Thomas said it got so bad that a culvert buckled under the pressure of the water, and the road was consequently washed away. The area is still

inundated, the village leader said, and the situation with the road has been compounded by the weight of trucks which

Embassy has announced.

In making the announcement on Tuesday, the U.S

Embassy said the Peace Corps trainees will commence their 27-months of service to the

pass through Aishalton on their way to the mining areas in the ‘Deep-South’.

It was explained that while

there are hundreds of culverts along the roadway between Aishalton and Lethem, the area that has been washed away lies

The washed away section of the roadway which connects the Deep-South Rupununi village of Aishalton with the border town of Lethem. The Ministries of Public Infrastructure and Natural Resources are currently assessing the situation (Michael Thomas photos)

along a long stretch which is surrounded by swamp water.

There is, however, an alternative route which some villagers have been using to get to and from Aishalton, and that roadway connects the village with Awaranauwau. The one problem, however, Thomas said, is that going that route entails some 40 miles of travel, which means an additional four to five hours compared to what usually obtains along the original route.

Heavy and persistent rainfall has been the cause of flooding in many hinterland areas in recent weeks.

Recently, flash floods in Mahdia forced residents living in low-lying areas to relocate as many counted their losses.

The town council is working to relocate as many as 14 families to higher ground.

Last week, the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) had stated that it was monitoring the situation at both Mahdia and Aishalton.

New Peace Corps Volunteers arrive

THIRTY Peace Corps trainees arrived in Guyana on Tuesday Morning, the U.S

people of Guyana.

“The new trainees make up the 32nd group of Peace Corps Volunteers to serve in Guyana since 1995; representing 19 out of the 50 United States, with ages ranging from 21 to 54, and coming from diverse ethnic backgrounds,” the U.S Embassy detailed.

It said for the next 10 weeks of pre-service training, the trainees will live with host families who will teach them the Guyanese way of life as they learn how to prepare local food, negotiate in the market place, and participate in community activities.

In addition, their pre-service training will consist of a

strong technical component within the health, education and environmental sectors where trainees will be engaged in field practicums within our new local model school program.

Combined, these efforts enhance their abilities to meet the needs of the nine communities in which they will serve, the embassy said.

It noted that the group is expected to be officially sworn in as Peace Corps Volunteers on Wednesday, August 7, 2019.

In March 1961, President John F. Kennedy created the Peace Corps to provide human resource and technical assistance to developing countries that requested sup-

port. The Peace Corps was first active in Guyana from 1966-1971. The agency later returned in 1995 upon the re-invitation of President, Dr. Cheddi Jagan. Since its establishment, more than 900 American volunteers have supported numerous communities throughout Guyana, the U.S Embassy detailed.

“The Peace Corps welcomes the opportunity to work with the people of Guyana and extends its gratitude to the Government and people of Guyana for their hospitality and for the possibility they offer the volunteers in working together to advance Guyana’s development aspirations,” the embassy said.

President pardons two NOC students PRESIDENT David Granger has granted presidential pardon to two students of the New Opportunity Corps (NOC), the Ministry of the Presidency announced on Tuesday.

President Granger granted the presidential pardon by virtue of the powers vested in him under Article 188 (1) (a) and 188 (2) of the Constitution of Guyana.

According to the Ministry of the Presidency, the two students were serving sentences for simple larceny.

“Article 188 (1) (a) of the Constitution of Guyana states that the President has the power to grant any person concerned in, or convicted of, any offence under the laws of Guyana, a pardon, either free or subject to lawful condition,” the ministry pointed out.

It said as such, with effect from May 26, 2019, the President ordered the release of the two students so that they can be re-integrated into their families.

Also with effect from May 26, the president pardoned two female prisoners. The pardons of Bibi Parjohn, age 40, and Unique Hope, age 30, took effect as the country observed its 53rd Independence anniversary.

Both women served a portion of their prison sentences at the New Amsterdam Prison. Parjohn served time for larceny while Hope was imprisoned for forgery. Since taking office, President Granger has pardoned a number of prisoners.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday, June 5, 2019

German support for 21-yr-old gets eight Caribbean Biodiversity Fund years for manslaughter

AT the start of the new session of the Demerara Assizes on Tuesday, Justice Navindra Singh sentenced Linden Williams called ‘Surpy,’ to eight years imprisonment for manslaughter.

The 21-year-old was charged with the murder of his friend Sydney Errol Campbell, called ‘Bakey.’

The indictment read to the court states that on January 1, 2015 in the county of Demerara, Williams murdered Campbell. When the indictment was read to Williams, he pleaded not guilty to murder, but guilty to manslaughter. As such, no trial was necessary.

According to the details of the charge, on the day in question, Campbell was walking with his sister in Ann’s Grove, East Coast Demerara, when two persons approached them on a bicycle and attacked Campbell. One of the persons on the bicycle was Williams.

It was reported that Williams threw a brick at Campbell which hit him to his right leg.

He was armed with another brick, but did not throw it, instead, he ran away.

However, Campbell also had stab wounds about his

body, but the facts did not state that Williams was responsible for the stabbing.

To aid in mitigating his sentence, Williams’ counsel, attorney Dexter Todd, told

Linden Williams called ‘Surpy’

the judge that his client was just 17 years old at the time of the incident, he belonged to a broken family, and did not do much academically. However, persons from his community and his relatives described him as a very friendly and loving young man, who is not known to cause any disruption.

Todd also pointed out that Williams made well of his time spent behind bars, as he is now a certified welder, and welds for the prison.

Additionally, he is also one of the seven members of the prison steel band, and is said to be the best player. This has resulted in him and the band representing the prison at a number of activities.

Family members of the deceased were present in court and Williams took the opportunity to apologise to them. He stood in the prisoner’s box, turned to the grieving family, and expressed how sorry he was for what he had done.

He said “I’m so sorry for your loss. I didn’t know it would end that way. Please accept my apology for my actions.”

The mother of the deceased stood with tears streaming down her face, and nodded her head in the affirmative at Williams.

Justice Singh said that as he went through the file, he can only conclude that it was a really stupid incident, and given that Williams was only

17 at that time, it was the age where stupid behaviour is prevalent.

The judge pointed out that Williams hadn’t done anything to cause severe injury. He also said that the court will take into account that Williams was a teenager, and that he had made good use of his time in prison.

“I do not want to keep a youth that has evidently changed his life and wants to add to society, behind bars,” Justice Singh said.

As such, he sentenced the prisoner to eight years, and ordered that the prison deduct the time already spent .

Justice Singh encouraged Williams to continue down the path he is on and prepare himself upon his release, to become a useful member of the society.

After the prison makes the deduction, the judge said Williams should be back in society sometime next year.

The state was represented by Teriq Mohamed, Tiana Hardy and Sarah Martin.

Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Ambassador Irwin LaRocque and Germany’s Ambassador to the Community His Excellency Holger Michael exchanged Letters of Agreement in respect of a financial contribution of 25,500,000 euros from the German Development Bank (KfW) to the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF).

The exchange took place at the CARICOM Secretariat’s, Georgetown, Guyana Headquarters on Tuesday during Ambassador Michael’s farewell call on the Secretary-General. The CBF is dedicated to providing a sustainable flow of resources to support activities that contribute substantially to the conservation, protection and maintenance of biodiversity in the Caribbean. The project for which the financial contribution is earmarked is “Regional Integration for Marine Protection”.

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GuySuCo denies withholding information from NICIL GUYANA Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Harold Davis Jr, said the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited’s Special Purpose Unit was provided with all information necessary for the privatisation of the three sugar estates.

On Monday, Head of the Special Purpose Unit (SPU), Colvin Heath-London, and PricewaterhouseCoopers (Jamaica) Managing Director, Wilfred Baghaloo, told reporters that critical information on the factories at the Rose Hall, Skeldon and Enmore Estates was requested but to date, it has not been submitted but Dr. Davis said this is far from the truth.

Stating that he has seen the “emails and correspondence” between GuySuCo and the SPU, Dr. Davis, on Tuesday, told the Guyana Chronicle that GuySuCo submitted asset registers for each of the estates between 2017 and 2018.

Head of the Special Purpose Unit (SPU), Colvin Heath-London

“All the estates and all the properties have separate detailed asset registers, and those were submitted in full in 2017 and again in 2018.

All the information they asked for was submitted to the SPU,” Dr. Davis insisted.

At a press conference held at the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited’s (NICIL’s) Camp Street Office, Baghaloo said, though he has not been in contact with GuySuCo but rather the SPU for the

information, he wrote Cabinet complaining about the lack of information, which has proven to be a challenge.

Baghaloo explained that while negotiation for the sale of the Rose Hall Estate is in the advanced stage, the information is necessary to foster discussions on the sale of the Skeldon and Enmore Estates, which, for a large part, would require information on the value of the assets.

“The challenges that we have augur primarily around

GuySuCo CEO, Dr. Harold Davis

information that we need from GuySuCo, financial information for each of the estate; to date I have not received that. I have received the audited account for GuySuCo, that’s one thing; I need information for each of the estates, the valuators need information on major equipment, who are the suppliers, the last time the equipment were maintained,” the PricewaterhouseCoopers Managing Director detailed.

In the case of Skeldon, he said, several companies have expressed their interest; how-

ever, they require information on the factory, and the equipment therein.

“With Skeldon, the challenge is proper information on Skeldon, the age of the equipment, the manufacturer of the equipment; we are still struggling to get information on the co-generation (plant), particularly the historical performance of it,” he pointed out.

But GuySuCo’s CEO is maintaining that the statements uttered by Heath-London and Baghaloo are misleading, since the required

documents are with the SPU. “We submitted the asset register for each factory, and the asset register has all the information, and those statements are misleading,” Dr. Davis insisted.

Dr. Davis said GuySuCo would respond in full at an appropriate time but assured this newspaper that the SPU was provided with all the necessary information. According to him, the Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder and the Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, are fully aware.

Amid the contraction of the Sugar Industry, the David Granger Administration placed the Rose Hall, Enmore and Skeldon estates up for privatisation between 2017 and 2018.

Already, there is major interest in the Rose Hall Estate, and according to PricewaterhouseCoopers, negotiations with an Indian-Ghanaian-Guyanese consortium is likely to wrap up in July, 2019.

Ex-cons charged with ‘White Boy’ murder

By Clestine Juan KEVIN Rose, 22, and Shemar Moore, 23, appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Sherdell Isaacs-Marcus at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, jointly charged with the murder of Patrick Matthew Fraser, called ‘White Boy.’ AFTER being released from prison two months ago, two ex-convicts were on Tuesday jointly charged for the murder of 21-year-old Patrick Matthew Fraser, called ‘White boy.’

They were not required to plead to the capital charge.

Rose, a labourer of Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara and Moore, a fish vendor of Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara, were released from prison only two months

Kevin Rose

ago.

Particulars of the charge state that on Thursday, May 9, 2019, at Norton Street, Bagotstown, East Bank Demerara, the men while being in the company of each other, murdered Fraser during the course or furtherance of a robbery.

The duo, who were both

Shekar Moore

unrepresented, told the court that they were released from prison after being incarcerated for a period of time.

Rose informed the acting chief magistrate that she was released from prison on April 1,2019, after serving a fouryear sentence for narcotics trafficking.

Moore, told the court that on April 3,2019, he was also released from prison after serving a nine-month sen-

Patrick Fraser, called ‘White Boy’

tence for robbery under arms.

The Guyana Chronicle was informed that Rose and Moore are known to each other, since they had served a sentence together for escaping from the Providence Police station lockups years ago. They were remanded to prison until July 19,2019.

Patrick Fraser, called ‘White Boy,’ was gunned down at Norton Street, Bagotstown, East Bank Demerara 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 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 blood-stained Polo hat.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 5, 2019

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Procurement bottlenecks hold up house-to-house registration THE delay in the commencement of house-tohouse registration is being attributed to a current “bottleneck” at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) regarding the procurement of key registration equipment.

Last week Tuesday, Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Public Relations Officer (PRO), Yolanda Ward, told the newspaper that the registration process was expected to commence mid-June, 2019 following procurement challenges.

The commission had initially planned for a June 1, 2019 commencement.

On Tuesday, June 4, 2019, GECOM Commissioner Charles Corbin relayed to the media that the challenge had not yet been resolved.

“The process is still being frustrated at the level of the Tender Board, outside of GECOM,” Corbin said.

“All we know is that the process seems to have been frozen at that level…we’re still lacking materials and we understand that the process of the acquisition, the procurement, is encountering a serious bottle neck at the level of the Tender Board.”

Last week it was also reported that training for enumerators and other staff for the impending registration had officially been completed.

Already, some 200 cluster offices country-wide have been identified which are to serve as meeting bases for the verification of information gathered by enumerators.

However, with the current challenge, enumerators are lacking the necessary equipment to begin to carry out their duties.

“The enumerators have to get materials to work with and the full complement of those materials are dependent on the suppliers and, in order to complete that process, we need the Tender Board to clear it,” Corbin said.

Meanwhile, the Commissioners also continued deliberations on the Ethnic Relation Commission’s (ERC’s) report which disagreed that there is racial bias influencing GECOM’s hiring practice.

The report came following the request of Opposition-nominated Commissioners for the ERC to conduct an investigation into GECOM’s employment practices from an ethnic perspective in relation of the decision against the hiring of Vishnu Persaud.

Back in 2018, Persaud and current Deputy Chief Election Officer (DCEO), Roxanne Myers were contending for the position Myers now holds.

Although Persaud scored higher marks at the interview, Myers was ultimately granted the position.

Shopkeeper arraigned for Kuribrong murder ACTING Chief Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus on Tuesday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court remanded 46-year-old shopkeeper Troy Wharton to prison for the murder of gold miner Mark Jacobus.

Wharton, called ‘Strongy,’ is alleged to have murdered the 27-year-old Jacobus on May 31, 2019, at Kuribrong Landing, Potaro River, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni). Wharton was not required to plead to the capital charge.

According to particulars of the offence presented by Police Prosecutor Shellon Daniels, on the day in question, Jacobus was imbibing

alcohol at the shop which Wharton operated. Jacobus had asked Wharton for credit, which request Wharton denied. This reportedly annoyed Jacobus who then drew a gun and confronted Wharton, who armed himself with a cutlass and dealt Jacobus several chops about his body. According to the prosecutor, Jacobus was rushed to the Troy Resources Medical Centre, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Wharton, who is unrepresented by counsel, was remanded to prison and the matter was transferred to the Bartica Magistrate’s court for June 14, 2019.

The ERC’s report indicated that GECOM’s Chair, Justice (Ret’d) James Patterson, gave “work-related performances and questionable integrity” as critical factors which informed the decision.

On Tuesday the Commissioners were split evenly on whether the matter should be sent to a sub-committee or be addressed at the level of the plenary.

Corbin stated that he had advocated that the matter be addressed utilising the latter option since it had already commenced in this regard.

The Commissioner stated: “The discussion, in respect of the ERC Report, has already gone a significant way at the level of the plenary. The essence of that discussion is that the Commission took on board the

main conclusions in relation to the remit of the ERC in respect of the allegations which it was required to investigate.

It has already been concluded that, in relation to those allegations, the ERC concluded that no evidence was adduced to support them.”

He also disagreed that there is therefore need for a change in the hiring practices of the Commis-

GECOM Commissioner Charles Corbin

sion as the report found no race-related concerns.

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Interview: “China a threat to liberal international order” a losing argument BEIJING, June 3 (Xinhua) -- China seeks to safeguard and enhance the liberal international order, not threaten it, a think tank expert told Xinhua, refuting the view of some American politicians.

Wang Huiyao, president of the Center for China and Globalization, said the remarks labeling China a menace to the liberal international order was untenable.

China has been a beneficiary, contributor and opportunity creator of the liberal international order, he noted.

He said after joining the World Trade Organization, China’s gross domestic product has rocketed from 11 trillion yuan (about 1.59 trillion dollars) in 2001 to over 90 trillion yuan in 2018, lifting 800 million Chinese people out of poverty.

Over the process, China has also contributed to the world prosperity by becoming a powerful growth engine of the world economy and the largest trade partner of 130-strong countries and regions, Wang noted.

Moreover, China is the second-largest donor to the United Nations and the UN peacekeeping projects. In addition, China has contributed more than 70 percent to the global poverty reduction rate and China is committed to the Paris Agreement while Washington has backed off.

On May 9, Wang and his debate partner Kishore Mahbubani, a public policy professor of the National University of Singapore, won the Munk Debates about “Is China a threat to the liberal international order.”

During the debates, Wang and his partner managed to have some audience change their negative attitude toward China when it comes to the country’s relations with the liberal international order.

In an interview with Xinhua, Wang said China has created enormous opportunities for other countries’ development. The United States, for instance, has founded more than 70,000 companies in China by the end of 2018 with sales revenue reaching 700 billion U.S. dollars, far above the so-called U.S. trade deficit with China.

Citing a World Bank report, he said the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed

by China is expected to help lower global trade costs by 1.1 percent to 2.2 percent once all the BRI transport infrastructure

projects are completed.

Wang said the “threat” argument was created intentionally by Washington as an excuse to suppress China’s development.

“Stuck in the Thucydides’ trap mentality, some American politicians are trying to hamper China’s development, hoping to maintain its competitive edge and monopoly position on technology,” he said.

“The United States itself is becoming the threat to the liberal international order,” he said.

On the contrary, China acts as the defender, facilitator and active advocator of the liberal international order.

China’s peaceful development is in line with the interests of all countries, Wang noted.

China does not want but is not afraid of a trade war: white paper BEIJING, June 2 (Xinhua) -- The China-US commercial relationship serves as both the ballast and the propeller of the overall bilateral relationship. At stake are the fundamental interests of the two peoples, and the prosperity and stability of the world, according to a white paper released Sunday by the State Council Information Office.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the US, bilateral trade and economic relations have come a long way, with expanding fields of cooperation at higher levels. A mutually beneficial and win-win relationship with strong complementarity and interlinked interests has been forged, benefiting not only the two countries but also the entire world,

according to the white paper titled China’s Position on the China-US Economic and Trade Consultations.

Given the differences in stage of development and economic system, it is inevitable that the two countries will experience differences and friction in their commercial cooperation. The history of China-US trade and economic relations has seen twists and turns and difficult situations. By adopting a rational and cooperative attitude, the two countries have managed to resolve previous conflicts, bridge differences, and render the bilateral commercial relationship more mature through dialogue and consultation.

Since it took office in 2017, the new US administration has threatened additional tariffs and other measures and provoked

frequent economic and trade friction with its major trading partners. In response to the economic and trade friction unilaterally initiated by the US since March 2018, China has had to take forceful measures to defend the interests of the nation and its people, the white paper noted.

At the same time, committed to resolving disputes through dialogue and consultation, China has engaged in multiple rounds of economic and trade consultations with the US in an effort to stabilize the bilateral commercial relationship. China’s position has been consistent and clear - that cooperation serves the interests of the two countries, that conflict can only hurt both, and that cooperation is the only correct choice for both sides, it said.

Concerning their differences and frictions on the economic and trade front, China is willing to work together with the US to find solutions, and to reach a mutually beneficial and win-win agreement. However, cooperation has to be based on principles.

There are bottom lines in consultations. China will not compromise on major issues of principle. China does not want a trade war, but it is not afraid of one and it will fight one if necessary. China’s position on this has never changed, the white paper pointed out.

The white paper was issued by the Chinese government to provide a comprehensive picture of the China-US economic and trade consultations, and present China’s policy position on these consultations.

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Persons participating in the Oil Spill demonstration exercise

Over 100 participate in Oil Spill demonstration exercise OVER 100 persons participated in an Oil Spill demonstration exercise recently facilitated by ExxonMobil Guyana at Waini Point, Shell Beach Protected Area in Region One (Barima-Waini).

Those participating were representatives from the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), coastal Village councils and other key agencies, according to a release received.

The demonstration exercise was done with support from the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), the RDC, the Protected Areas Commission (PAC), the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD).

Addressing the individuals on the beach side on Friday May 31, 2019, Country Manager Rod Henson stated: “Because we want to ensure that yours and other communities remain beautiful and untouched, ExxonMobil Guyana, is committed to safe and environmentally responsible operations. This commitment is highlighted in our Corporate Environment

Policy; Protect Tomorrow.

Today.”

According to Henson, it is Exxon’s fundamental goal to ensure that, in every location it operates, there are no environmental incidents.

“Not only do we comply with all applicable environmental laws and regulations, but we seek to go beyond these where practical and apply international standards where laws and regulations do not exist. Already, we have partnered with key agencies over the years and even here in Region One to ensure that the natural beauty of coastal communities and life beyond the shores remain intact,” he added.

Meanwhile, Regional Chairman, Brentnol Ashley, stated that the administration is pleased that coastal communities are now better able to protect themselves from an oil spill, should one occur.

“This exercise while it may seem very simple, it is very important and significant to the development of this new found wealth in our country in which as a people, at the local level, we will be empowered to know what needs to be done if

ExxonMobil Guyana Country Manager, Rod Henson

there should be an oil spill,” Ashley said.

Similarly, CDC Capt.

Salim October stated that while the existing concerns of citizens cannot be ignored, it is an important part of the country’s overall preparedness to respond to a potential oil spill. “Engaging in this exercise no doubt is considered proactive and to some extent it is considered preventative,” he expressed.

The Oil Spill demonstration exercise is one in a series of drills and workshops planned by ExxonMobil Guyana in Coastal communities across the country.

Trio on trial for unlicensed arms, ammo …were allegedly en route to rob supermarket THE trial of Jason Hunte, 32, and Terrence Frank, 33, continued on Tuesday before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Providence Magistrate‘s Court .

The charges against the men state that on September 6, 2018, at Samatta Point Public Road,Grove, East Bank Demerara, the trio had a 9mm Ruger pistol and a .45 Colt pistol in their possession without being holders of firearm licences. It is also alleged that on the same date, the trio had six rounds of live 9mm ammunition, along

with four rounds of live .45 ammunition.

Hunte and Frank are being represented by attorney-at-law Patrice Henry, who applied for bail on the grounds that no firearm was found in their possession.

Defence counsel contended that his clients were passengers in the vehicle which was stopped and searched by the police, who found the firearms and ammunition inside.

On September 6, 2018, around 09:30hrs during an intelligence-led operation, the police intercepted motor car PSS 4118 along the Sa-

matta Point Public Road with five men inside.

Simons noted that both Vanderstoop and Hunte were in the back seat, while Frank was in the front passenger seat. The two other occupants in the vehicle are now witnesses for the prosecution in the case.

The prosecution noted that Hunte, along with the two other defendants were en route to rob a supermarket in the area;Hunte was said to be the mastermind behind the plot.

The trial will continue on Friday,June 7,2019.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Brave cops to be honoured POLICE Commissioner, Leslie James, said the policeman injured in last Thursday’s shootout at Norton Street, Lodge, Georgetown, will be publicly commended by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) for his bravery.

The policeman, Corporal Clive Clarke, was shot in the right leg during a shootout with three bandits, who were eventually killed.

At a press conference on Monday, the commissioner said the policeman’s bravery

will be commended along with another policeman who has also exhibited bravery in similar circumstances.

James said the policeman was moved from the Georgetown Public Hospital and is recuperating at the St Joseph Mercy Hospital. The GPF welfare officers are looking into his well-being.

Reflecting on what occurred at the crime scene, the top cop said the three bandits went into a house to commit a crime and the matter was reported to the police. The

The injured Clarke recuperating at the St Joseph Mercy Hospital

police responded and a man and his son were rescued.

He said the robbers decided to engage in a confrontation with the police, shots were fired and the perpetrators were killed.

According to Divisional Commander, Assistant Commissioner Marlon Chapman, the three bandits who were involved in the shootout were rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, where a doctor on duty pronounced them dead on arrival.

“None of the bandits sur-

rendered,” he said.

When questioned on if the police force has a trained negotiator to accompany the ranks who engage the bandits, James said, “we do have persons who are trained in negotiation and when you have such operations, that person goes along with the team, but almost all situations the negotiations are not necessary for them to engage”.

In the future, the police force is seeking to have ambulances on site in an effort to avoid using police vans to take persons to the hospital.

On Thursday, three bandits had set out to rob construction worker, Neville Lesley, moments after he had put his five-year-old son to bed.

According to reports, at about 20:00hrs, while Lesley was closing the doors to his Lot 46 Norton and Victor Streets home, he saw someone scaling his fence but by the time he reacted, he was

Commissioner of Police, Leslie James

held at gunpoint.

The gunman demanded gold and cash and within minutes, two other gunmen also made their way into his home, each carrying a handgun.

After the bandits realised police were at the scene, they decided to take action to defend themselves and Lesley, with the aid of the police, managed to escape with his son through a window. In the process, there was a shootout between the bandits and police and the bandits were killed while a policeman was injured.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 5, 2019

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Taxi drivers educated on road safety THE Guyana Police Force (GPF) traffic headquarters has recently hosted a traffic education lecture with the drivers of Patrick’s Taxi Service located at Cowan Street, Georgetown.

The seminar was conducted by Inspector Raun Clarke, along with Lance Corporal Tiffani Lawrence of Traffic Headquarters, Parade Street, Georgetown.

Inspector Clarke, who is the traffic education officer, also has oversight of the

Traffic Education Unit.

The purpose of the lecture was to educate the drivers about issues that are the leading cause of accidents and ways they can help curb such instances.

Inspector Clarke discussed several topics of road safety awareness including drinking and driving, speeding, issues affecting drivers and pedestrians, proper usage of the road and defensive driving.

In closing, Inspector

$40,000 fine for abusive language EPHRAIM Blackett of 518 Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, appeared before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Providence Magistrate’s Court on Monday, charged with using abusive language.

According to the prosecution, Alli and Blackett reside at the same address, 518 Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara. The two

were involved in a long-running dispute, which culminated in an altercation between them on Monday, May 27, 2019; during the altercation, Blackett used abusive language to Alli. The matter was reported to the police and Blackett was subsequently arrested and charged.

Blackett, who had pleaded not guilty, was nevertheless found guilty and fined $40 000.

Inspector Raun Clarke addressing the taxi drivers at the road safety seminar held at Traffic Headquarters, Parade Street, Georgetown

Clarke reminded those present that, as service providers, they are responsible for ensuring the safety of their customers and other road users.

Clarke also urged the drivers to insist that passengers use the seat-belts provided for their safety before starting on any journey.

The initiative was well received by the drivers who also voiced their concerns with the ranks as it relates to issues affecting them.

Fifteen drivers attended the seminar.

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Wed., June 05, 2019 05:00hrs.-06:30hrs./11:00hrs.-11:30hrs.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, June 5, 2019

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Golden Jaguars to face Bermuda tomorrow THE Golden Jaguars, Guyana’s senior men’s national team, will face Bermuda tomorrow in a lead-up to the country’s debut at the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Coach Michael Johnson and his troop arrived on the British Overseas Territory this week as part of their camp and preparation for Guyana’s opening game against the USA on June 18 in Minneapolis.

A release from the Guyana Football Federation

(GFF) stated that the 23-man squad arrived in Bermuda and had their first training session together on Monday.

Under the watchful eyes of coach Johnson and his technical staff, the session was held during the mid-afternoon period at the Bermuda’s National Sports Center.

Johnson said that there is a lot of excitement in the camp and in the first day of training one always has to be careful since players might tend to overdo it so it is their

job to calm them down, noting that it is natural.

“Players want to impress and also stamp their authority on the training session on the opening day but obviously that would calm down as they get to know each other and learn more of the technical and tactical of what we expect them to do in and out of possession,” the former Jamaican International defender stated.

Johnson alluded to the fact that the Gold Cup is a big tournament for Guy-

ana and one of historical proportions, reminding that this will be the country’s debut at the highest level in the Confederation.

Tomorrow’s friendly against Bermuda, Johnson posited, is well-timed and would certainly have technical folks from Panama, USA and Trinidad and Tobago observing the match for clues on Guyana, be it style of play or personnel, which means that he and team would have to be smart in their approach to this match

as well as the Haiti game in Costa Rica, next week.

“So with that in mind, for me it’s not about the result as such, it’s about principles that we want to see, players trying their best, working hard, enjoying possession of the football rather than the technical and tactical side of things which would come in time for the US game.”

Following tomorrow’s encounter against Bermuda, Guyana will travel to Costa Rica where they will face Haiti on June 11.

GFF, Denmark FA hold talks of collaboration at FIFA Congress

FIRST vice-president of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), Brigadier (Ret’d) Bruce Lovell, met yesterday with the president of the Denmark Football Association, Jesper Moller, in Paris, France on the side-lines of the 69th

FIFA Congress, to discuss areas of cooperation between the two football bodies.

The discussions centred on Denmark providing assistance to the GFF in the areas of coaching and refereeing education, infrastructure de-

velopment, governance and football administration, and girls and women development, and will lead to the establishment of a Memorandum of Understanding for which the Danish president will visit Guyana in October this year to sign.

The meeting was done within the framework of UEFA Assist programme, which was launched in 2017, where UEFA member associations provide assistance to other confederations and member associations to develop and strengthen football

across the globe.

At the FIFA Congress Brigadier (Ret’d) Lovell is representing GFF president Wayne Forde, who remained in Guyana to streamline the National team’s preparation for their Gold Cup debut.

ExxonMobil U-14 league shifted to next weekend THE commencement of the much anticipated ExxonMobil U-14 schools football tournament will be delayed.

The event, which was scheduled to begin this weekend, has been shifted to the following Saturday on account of the inclement weather.

Organiser Petra, through

its representative Mark Alleyne, confirmed the news yesterday during a tournament brief.

“We want to thank all the teams for coming down; we are sorry again for the shift but the weather has forced us.”

Meanwhile, teams were

briefed on the tournament while those who require special assistance from the Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF) technical staff made their requests.

The teams also received a quantity of balls to bolster their training regimen.

During last week’s launch,

the title sponsor’s representative Deadre Moe contended that they are more than willing to support youth development.

She stated that this tournament represents that, adding that the Petra Organisation has found a way to bridge the gap between

Pee Wee and the old group.

ExxonMobil, she said, is looking for ways in which they can help other sporting disciplines to develop.

The tournament fixtures will be released shortly with the event expected to begin with a march past of school teams at 10:00hrs.

Tests against South Africa and Bangladesh in India’s 2019-20 home season FIVE Test matches, three against South Africa and two against Bangladesh, will be the highlight of a packed home season for the Indian team - the top-ranked Test team - one in which they will host five teams.

The season kicks off with South Africa’s tour in September-October 2019, in which the teams will face off in three Tests - to be played in Visakhapatnam, Ranchi and Pune - and three T20Is. That will be followed by a visit from Bangladesh in November, with the teams playing three T20Is and two Tests, in Indore and Kolkata.

The five Tests will be a part of the ICC’s new Test Championship.

West Indies visit next, for a series of three T20Is and three ODIs, all in December, and in January there will be three T20Is against Zimbabwe and three ODIs against Australia. South Africa complete their tour with a three-ODI series in March.

COMPLETE FIXTURES: ■ SOUTH AFRICA TOUR OF INDIA September 15: 1st T20I in Dharamsala September 18: 2nd T20I in Mohali September 22: 3rd T20I in Bengaluru October 2-6: 1st Test in Visakhapatnam October 10-14: 2nd Test in Ranchi October 19-23: 3rd Test in Pune ■ BANGLADESH TOUR OF INDIA November 3: 1st T20I in Delhi

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November 7: 2nd T20I in Rajkot November 10: 3rd T20I in Nagpur November 14-18: 1st Test in Indore November 22-26: 2nd Test in Kolkata

■ WEST INDIES TOUR OF INDIA December 6: 1st T20I in Mumbai December 8: 2nd T20I in Thiruvananthapuram December 11: 3rd T20I in Hyderabad December 15: 1st ODI in Chennai December 18: 2nd ODI in Visakhapatnam December 22: 3rd ODI in Cuttack ■ ZIMBABWE TOUR OF INDIA January 5: 1st T20I in Guwahati January 7: 2nd T20I in Indore January 10: 3rd T20I in Pune ■ AUSTRALIA TOUR OF INDIA January 14: 1st ODI in Mumbai January 17: 2nd ODI in Rajkot January 19: 3rd ODI in Bengaluru ■ SOUTH AFRICA TOUR OF INDIA March 12: 1st ODI in Dharamsala March 15: 2nd ODI in Lucknow March 18: 3rd ODI in Kolkata 09:05 hrs Front And Centre 09:45 hrs Hawwaam 10:25 hrs Protea Paradise 11:00 hrs Priceless Ruler Irish Racing Tips Navan 08:35 hrs Karakhan 09:10 hrs Inscribe 09:45 hrs Zuenoon 10:20 hrs Imposing Supreme 10:55 hrs Pacific Ocean English Racing Tips Epsom

09:00 hrs The Trader 09:35 hrs Anna Nerium 10:10 hrs Zaaki 10:45 hrs Hathiq 11:30 hrs Telecaster 12:15 hrs Sextant 12:50 hrs Lake Volta Musselburgh 09:15 hrs Furzig 09:50 hrs Aplomb 10:25 hrs Gravitas 11:00 hrs Cava 11:55 hrs Makanah 12:30 hrs Sebastian’s Wish

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Paiwomak Warriors draw first blood in Rupununi FA Champions League semi-finals

PAIWOMAK Warriors male and female teams registered wins against Titans United and Strikers FC in the first leg of their semi-final clashes in the Rupununi Football Association Champions League on Sunday in Annai.

On Saturday, Guyana Rush Saints also claimed a double victory, when their male and female teams got past the Kanuku Harpies (3-0) and Flash FC (1-0) respectively.

The eight teams will now play the return leg of the semi-finals this weekend with

Football Club in the final four).

In the 67th minute Ben Realize tied the game at 2-2, but a plethora of goals in the last quarter of the clash, including an own goal by the Warriors’ Almer Daniels in the 87th minute resulted in a 5-3 final score.

Goalscorers for the Paiwomak Warriors: Samantha Roberts (right) along with Julio Sipio and Dalia Jacobs

(John Abraham photos)

Von Harding (right) fired in a hat-trick for the Warriors.

Stephen Glasgow and Garville Daniels also scored for the winners

the aggregate winners advancing to the male and female finals.

HARDING’S HAT-TRICK In Sunday’s clashes, Von Harding fired in a hat-trick to lead the Warriors’ male team over Titans United. Harding scored in the 6th, 57th and

74th minutes.

Stephen Glasgow in the 71st minute and Garville Daniels in the 87th minute also found the back of the net for the winners.

Regis James opened the scoring in the 65th minute for Titans (who replaced banned defending champion Tabatinga

FEMALE DOMINANCE Paiwomak Warriors female team, led by a brace from Samantha Roberts, eased to a commanding 4-1 win over Strikers FC. Julio Sipio opened the scoring in the 10th minute, which remained at 1-0 until the break. In the second half, Roberts scored her first goal in the 52nd minute before Fiona Francis pulled one back for Strikers in the 58th minute. Dalia Jacobs made it 3-1 in the 71st minute of play then Roberts sealed the win two minutes later.

Botofago win 3-1 on penalties to cop GFF/KFC U-20 championship in Linden

BOTOFAGO FC won the Linden Zone of the Guyana Football Federation/KFC Independence Under-20 football championship 3-1 on penalties over Amelia’s Ward Panthers after their clash in the final ended 1-1 in regulation play Sunday night, at Mackenzie Sports Club ground.

That result of the tournament which was organised by the Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA) means that Botofago and Amelia’s Ward Panthers are the representative clubs who will play in the nationwide championship.

It was Botofago who first scored late in the first half from a shot by Marlon Duke just inside the 18-yard box in the 15th minute. However, Panthers soon equalised 10 minutes later in the 25th minute and that levelled things 1-1 which was the score at halftime.

The second period remained a tussle between the two finalists and at the final whistle after 90 minutes it was locked 1-1.

As penalties were ordered, Botofago FC prevailed. They showed more nerves against Panthers and won 3-2. In the supporting game the West and East played to a 1-1 stalemate. (Joe Chapman)

Konta first British woman to make French Open semis since 1983

By Ossian Shine PARIS, France (Reuters) Jo Konta cantered into the semi-finals of the French Open yesterday, blitzing American Sloane Stephens 6-1, 6-4 to become the first British woman into the last four in Paris since 1983.

It was a brutal performance, but one that left her feeling light of spirit: “I think happy more than anything,” she smiled.

“I feel just really happy. Yeah, happy, I think, is the main word, main feeling. I feel really pleased with just how I dealt with the conditions out there and just how I gave myself space to play. I thought I played the game, which I was just really pleased with. Just happy.”

Swinging freely, the 28-year-old pummelled

groundstrokes past her opponent to secure the victory in a little over an hour.

Konta, who had never won a match here before this year, will face either Petra Martic or Marketa Vondrousova for a spot in

Britain’s Johanna Konta greets the crowd after winning her quarterfinal match against Sloane Stephens of the U.S.

(REUTERS/Charles Platiau)

the final.

“I’ve always said that whenever I step out onto the court, I’m always going to have a chance,” Konta said.

“I’m always going to have a shot. I don’t think any player on tour can go on court against me and feel like they’ve definitely got it.

“I definitely back myself and my ability that way.”

The last British woman to reach the final in Paris was Sue Barker, who lifted the trophy in 1976.

Stephens refused to rule Konta out as a champion.

“I think any of the people left in the tournament can win the tournament. I think she played really well today. Obviously it only gets tougher from here. Yeah, I think anyone that’s left can win the tournament,” she said.

29

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday, June 5, 2019

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 kicks off on Friday

FRANCE will host the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time when the tournament kicks off on Friday, June 7.

England and Scotland are among the 24 teams taking part with the final in Lyon on July 7. The tournament will be hosted in nine cities and played in nine different venues.

The competition runs for a month, until July 7. Hosts France get the competition under way with their opening group match against South Korea in Paris.

Scotland, who are making their first appearance at the World Cup, will meet England in Nice on June 9 - the opening game for both countries.

Holders the United States will begin the defence of their title against Thailand, who are ranked 29th in the world, on June 11 in Reims.

The semi-finals and final are being held in Lyon and will take place from July 2.

Last month, FIFA revealed that more than 720 000 tickets have already been sold for the tournament - exceeding the number sold at this stage for the World Cup in Canada

in 2015.

The opening match, along with the semi-finals and final, were sold out within 48 hours of going on sale.

of the venues will host at least three group games.

The semi-finals and final will be held at the P a rc O l y m p i q u e Ly -

Alex Morgan (left) and Carli Lloyd won the World Cup with the USA in 2015 and were runners-up in 2011

WOMEN’S WORLD CUP GROUPS: Group A: France, South Korea, Norway, Nigeria Group B: Germany, China, Spain, South Africa Group C: Australia, Italy, Brazil, Jamaica Group D: England, Scotland, Argentina, Japan Group E: Canada, Cameroon, New Zealand, Netherlands Group F: USA, Thailand, Chile, Sweden

There are nine venues in total, including the Parc des Princes - home of Paris St-Germain.

The opening match will take place there, while seven

onnais, also known as Groupama Stadium. It has the largest capacity of the venues being used and will hold up to 59 186 fans.

The stadium, which hosted last year’s Europa League final, will also be one of the venues for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

WHO ARE THE FAVOURITES? Defending champions United States are seeking a fourth title and are ranked number one in the world.

Hosts France have never gone beyond the semi-finals of the World Cup and have only reached the last eight at the European Championship. However, they are ranked fourth in the world and are hoping to replicate the success of the men’s team, who won in Russia last year.

Olympic champions Germany are also a threat.

The side were knocked out in the semi-finals in 2015 and in the quarter-finals of the European Championship in 2017 - but remain number two in the world.

World number seven Japan were World Cup winners in 2011 and runners-up in 2015, while European champions the Netherlands could also challenge for the title.

(BBC Sport)

Rajendra Chandrika

By Frederick Halley

HACC start SCA 2019 Elite League on resounding note

TORONTO, Canada - Defending champions Hawaiian Arctic Cricket Club (HACC) have signalled their intentions to continue their dominance in the Elite League, following three impressive victories in the opening rounds of the Scarborough Cricket Association (SCA) 2019 season here.

HACC’s latest win came via a eight-wicket thrashing of last year’s finalists Victoria Park Cricket Club (VPCC) at the Ashtonbee Number Two ground in Scarborough on Sunday, following their opening-round triumph against Highland Creek at Lamoreaux and a resounding six-wicket win versus newcomers United, also at Ashtonbee last Saturday. Their highly anticipated clash against Ambassadors suffered a washout.

Allard backed up with two for 28 while Allando Minnot grabbed the last two scalps for four runs.

In last Saturday’s encounter United’s Swanil Pandey’s rearguard fightback saw his team dismissed for a challenging 177. Batting at number nine, Pandey shored up the innings with a quick-fire 70.

Left-arm spinner Bhim Bodhoo ended with the amazing figures of three for nine from 10 overs, four of which were maidens while Jerome Jack (two for 26), Abdil Parrsram (two for 35) and Raja Pooran (two for 37) were also among the wickets.

Consistent knocks of 38 not out from Pooran (two fours and three sixes), 32 undefeated from Anil Samuel (two sixes), 30 from Ramoo and 23 from teenager Arjuna Sukhu took HACC to a comfortable 178 for four in the 33rd over.

Azhad Amidon

Rodrigo Thomas

Led by a superb unbeaten 63 from opener Azhad Amidon, HACC reached 143 for two in 41 overs after bowling out VPCC for 142 in 40.4 overs.

Playing in his first game of the season, Amidon started very sedately before blossoming out, striking two fours and four sixes in his fine knock and was there at the end when victory was achieved. He shared a 84run third-wicket partnership with former Guyana and West Indies opener Rajendra Chandrika whose 44 included three fours and an equal number of sixes.

Earlier, VPCC were well placed at 120 for three in the 26th over but flattered to deceive, losing seven wickets for 22 runs as Crandon (three for 17 from 10 overs) and recently-appointed skipper Krishnadat Ramoo (two for 27 from 10) ran through the middle- and lower-order. Fast-medium bowler

Set a modest 136 for victory after restricting Highland Creek to 135 all out in their allotted 50 overs, HACC raced to 136 for five in 26.2 overs on the sluggish Lamoreaux outfield, with Canadian national opener Rodrigo Thomas plundering eight sixes in a pugnacious 67.

Former Guyana and West Indies One-day player Royston Crandon chipped in with 20 (two sixes). Left-arm spinner Maaaz Pasha took two for 38 in six overs while Canadian middle-order batsman Ruvindu Gunasekera’s 33 (two fours) was the lone shining light for Highland Creek as left-arm spinner Parsram (three for 22), Allard (two for 13), Crandon (two for 22) and Jack (two for 30) were the main destroyers.

HACC will take on newcomers Janbaaz Cricket Club in their next game, set for Sunday, June 16, at Terry Fox.

Federer to face Nadal in French Open semi-finals

ROGER Federer set up a French Open semi-final against defending champion Rafael Nadal by overcoming fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka in four sets.

Shortly before Federer won, Nadal completed a 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 win over Kei Nishikori in the quarter-finals.

But 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer endured an energy-sapping three hours and 17 minutes on Court Suzanne Lenglen to win 7-6(7-4), 4-6, 7-6(7-5), 6-4.

“The complete dream would be to win the tournament,” said Federer, 37.

“Other players won’t agree. It will be difficult, but I believe it anyway.”

Both quarter-finals were interrupted by a thunderstorm in Paris.

Federer is playing at Roland Garros for the first time in four years, having missed the 2016 event with a back injury and skipped the past two clay-court swings to preserve his body.

He faced the toughest test of his clay comeback so far against Wawrinka, the

2015 champion, who had progressed beyond the second round of a Grand Slam for the first time since losing in the 2017 French Open final.

Federer, who is into the last four of the competition for the first time since 2012.

“I had to break his rhythm because he’s so powerful. I

Rafael Nadal (left) vs Roger Federer semi-final

Federer, the third seed, dropped his first set of the tournament and only converted two of his 18 break points, although the second of those - in the ninth game of the fourth set - proved decisive.

“Stan has had some tough years with injuries,” added

took some risks and they came off but I was pretty lucky at the end.”

Nadal, 33, is into his 12th semi-final at Roland Garros and has won the tournament on all of the 11 previous occasions he has reached this stage.

He cruised through in one

hour and 51 minutes against Japanese seventh seed Nishikori, who had been taken to five sets in his previous two matches.

“For me, the main thing is being in the semi-final,” said Nadal. “The way that I have been playing is, being honest, very positive. I have been playing well, very solid.

“Having Roger in front in the semi-finals is an extra thing.

We shared the most important moments of our careers together on court facing each other.

“So it is another episode of this, and happy for that and excited, no? Will be a special moment, and let’s try to be ready for it.”

He will now meet Federer, who won his only title at Roland Garros a decade ago, for the 39th time on Friday, having won all of their previous five meetings at the tournament, including the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2011 finals.

Nadal also boasts a 23-15 head-to-head record against the Swiss, but it is Federer who has been victorious in their past five matches.

(BBC Sport)

30

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan in low-scoring thriller CARDIFF, Wales (Reuters) - Sri Lanka survived a woeful batting collapse to beat Afghanistan by 34 runs in a rain-shortened World Cup thriller yesterday.

ship of 64 by Najibullah Zadran and captain Gulbadin Naib gave them hope.

But fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep grabbed two quick wickets before Na-

Sri Lanka’s batsmen had also lost their way as they fell from 144-1 to 201 all out.

Mohammad Nabi sparked the collapse when he grabbed three wickets in the space of five deliveries by producing a brilliant spell of spin bowling in the 22nd over. He finished with four wickets for 30 runs.

Sri Lanka slid steadily to 182-8 before play was paused due to rain.

Some big hits by the tailenders carried Sri Lanka over the 200-run mark after

play resumed. Wicketkeeper-batsman Kusal Perera top-scored with 78 runs off 81 balls, including eight boundaries.

But he ran out of partners at the other end and holed out in desperation.

The win over Afghanistan handed Sri Lanka their first win of the tournament after they were beaten by South Africa in their opener. Afghanistan are rooted at the bottom of the 10-team standings having lost both of their matches.

SCORECARD

Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Pradeep and team mates celebrate the wicket of Afghanistan’s Hashmatullah Shahidi

(Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge) The 1996 World Cup jibullah was run-out by Dichampions limped to 201 muth Karunaratne for 43. all out in the 37th over as That set up a tense finale Afghanistan grabbed nine as the last two batsmen needwickets for 57 runs to give ed to score another 42 runs themselves a chance of pull- to hand Afghanistan their ing off a shock win. first World Cup win against Afghanistan needed a a Test-playing nation. rain-revised target of just But Sri Lanka made 187 from 41 overs but they sure that victory did not failed to gain any momen- come at their expense as tum in their run chase and Lasith Malinga bowled Hacompletely lost their way mid Hassan with a yorker after opener Mohammad four balls later.

Shahzad’s dismissal in the Pradeep was the pick fifth over led them to los- of the Sri Lankan bowlers ing five wickets for just 23 as he claimed a career-best runs. four wickets for 31 runs as After Afghanistan were Afghanistan were bowled reduced to 57-5, a partner- out for 152 in the 33rd over.

SRI LANKA innings (41 overs maximum) F. Karunaratne (c) c Najibullah Zadran b Mohammad Nabi 30 M. Perera c Mohammad Shahzad b Rashid Khan 78 H. Thirimanne b Mohammad Nabi 25 B. Mendis c Rahmat Shah b Mohammad Nabi

2 A. Mathews c Rahmat Shah b Mohammad Nabi 0 D. de Silva c †Mohammad Shahzad b Hamid Hassan 0 N. Perera run-out (Hashmatullah Shahidi/Mohammad Shahzad) 2 I. Udana b Dawlat Zadran

10 R. Lakmal not out

15 L. Malinga b Dawlat Zadran 4 N Pradeep b Rashid Khan

0 EXTRAS: (lb-10, nb-3, w-22)

35 TOTAL: (all out, 36.5 overs) 201 Bowling: Dawlat Zadran 6-34-2, Hamid Hassan 7-53-1, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 3-19-0, Mohammad Nabi 9-30-4, Gulbadin Naib 4-38-0, Rashid Khan 7.5-17-2.

AFGHANISTAN innings (target: 187 runs from 41 overs) Mohammad Shahzad c Karunaratne b Malinga 7 Hazratullah Zazai c Perera b Pradeep 30 Rahmat Shah c Mathews b Udana

2 Hashmatullah Shahidi c Perera b Pradeep 4 Mohammad Nabi b Perera

11 Gulbadin Naib (c) lbw b Pradeep

23 Najibullah Zadran run-out (Karunaratne) 43 Rashid Khan b Pradeep 2 Dawlat Zadran b Malinga

6 Hamid Hassan b Malinga 6 Mujeeb Ur Rahman not out

1 EXTRAS: (b-1, nb-1, w-15)

17 TOTAL: (all out, 32.4 overs)

152 Bowling: Malinga 6.4-39-3, Lakmal 6-27-0, Udan 6-28-1, Pradeep 9-31-4, Perera 4-19-1, de Silva 1-7-0.

Kohli says South Africa not to be taken lightly SOUTHAMPTON, England (Reuters) - India are banking on their experience in their World Cup opener against South Africa and cannot take the opposition’s depleted bowling attack lightly, captain Virat Kohli said yesterday, insisting the Proteas can call upon quality replacements.

Kohli’s India are ranked second in the world and will be firm favourites as they begin their quest for a third World Cup triumph against a South African side that face an uphill struggle after the loss of strike bowlers Dale Steyn and Lungi Ngidi.

“We need to bring all our experience to the play tomorrow to be able to make right decisions in pressure situations,” Kohli

told reporters during a training session ahead of today’s match in Southampton.

“So we never take anyone lightly, and whether a few key players get injured

South African pacer Dale Steyn has been ruled out of the World Cup

or not, if a youngster is stepping in and he has the right mindset, he can really perform on the day ... we need to maintain respect for that and focus on our strength and what we can do as a side.”

Kohli, who is captaining the Indian side for the first time in a World Cup, said his team’s late start to the tournament allows them to learn from previous games and match conditions.

“From that point of view, we would say that we have a lot of positives that we can take out of starting after everyone else.”

India have won the World Cup in 1983 and 2011, while South Africa have never won the 50-over edition, but Kohli said this

year’s tournament presents a different challenge.

Kohli said the unique format of the 2019 tournament, in which every nation will play nine matches over more than a month, means that teams must adapt very quickly and that experienced teams will have an edge.

“The errors you would make when you are not that aware of game situations, they will slowly start to taper off as you play more and more cricket.”

“When you have experienced people in your team who have also grown with you as cricketers, eventually you all start making good decisions, you have discussions, you think of the right thing, sometimes instinctively.”

Road to 2022 World Cup begins in Mongolia

By Mark Gleeson (REUTERS) - The long road to the 2022 World Cup finals begins in the footballing backwaters of Mongolia tomorrow, as the first games that count towards qualification for Qatar are hosted in Asia.

Mongolia, who have only ever won a single World Cup qualifying match, host Brunei Darussalam in the first of six first-round qualifiers across Asia, which also serve as early round eliminators for the next Asian Cup in 2023.

The match takes place at the Mongolian Football Federation stadium in Ulan Bator at 0900 GMT, before other games in Laos, Macau, Cambodia and Bhutan and one on Friday in Malaysia. The arena, built from FIFA funding, has a 5,000-capacity and an artificial pitch against the backdrop of the Mongolian steppes.

It is the second time in a row Mongolia, 187th in the FIFA rankings, are involved in the first game of a World Cup qualifying campaign. They were beaten 4-1 away by Timor-Leste in the Russia 2018 preliminaries but the result was later expunged when it was discovered the home team was packed with Brazilians.

Previous World Cup qualifying campaigns have kicked off on side-by-side pitches in Samoa (for South Africa 2010) and in front of 100 spectators on neutral turf in Trinidad and Tobago when hosts Montserrat lost 5-2 to Belize for Brazil 2014.

FIFA decided this year to break with tradition by not holding a qualifying round draw ceremony in the upcoming host nation.

“Given the fact that the 2022 World Cup will take place in November-December and that each confederation plans a different timeline for their qualifiers to the tournament, it has been agreed that a preliminary draw will be held separately for each one of them,” a FIFA spokesman told Reuters yesterday.

“The Asian Football Confederation has already started the qualifying competition and a second draw is scheduled to take place in July.

“Discussions involving the other confederations and the draws for their preliminary competitions are currently ongoing and further details will follow in due course.”

Fourth edition of Albert Rose Memorial road race set for this weekend

THE Linden Bauxite Flyers Cycling Club will once again collaborate with the Rose Family to organise the 4th Annual Albert Rose Memorial road race this Sunday.

Cyclists will be undertaking the daring 90-mile event.

They will face a loop start and will finish at the Georgetown/Linden Bus Park, Republic Avenue in Linden, after cycling to Silver Hill on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway.

The event will comprise categories such as Seniors, Juniors (3 laps); Veterans U-45 (2 laps); Veterans O-45, Females and Juveniles (1 lap).

The race will serve as a warm-up to the National Cycling Championship scheduled for later this month end.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Wednesday, June 5, 2019)

COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL- Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD- 83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) (1) (2)

ANSWERS TO YESTERDAY’S QUIZ: 7 matches 4 matches

TODAY’S QUIZ: Who were the first openers used by the WI in a World Cup game?

(2) Who is the current leading wicket-taker in World Cup cricket?

(1)

ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

31

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Hetmyer, Hope search for a place in history

By Ben Gardner for the ICC, June 3, 2019 IN Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope, West Indies possess two batting talents that have the potential to light up the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. Nevertheless, beware of the easy categorisation. Hetmyer is a left-hander seemingly set in the exuberant Guyanese tradition of Clive Lloyd and Rohan Kanhai. He has a midwicket flick to die for and dances down the track regardless of the format, without a care in the world.

According to CricViz, he plays attacking shots almost twice as often as is the norm in Test cricket. But when you ask him if he sees his role as to take the game to the opposition, he disagrees.

“At times I can pick up the scoring,” he tells the ICC. “But I don’t really see myself as an attacking batsman. I see myself as a batsman who could pick up the scoring whenever he wants I guess. For me, it is mainly on feelings. I would say I would mainly do that when I am starting to feel a little more comfortable in a match situation or when I am feeling comfortable about myself.”

Hetmyer, 22 years old, 16 ODIs young, and four tons to his name already, is just one of a crop of fast-scoring young Caribbean batsmen ready to light up this Men’s Cricket World Cup, with captain Jason Holder also citing Evin Lewis and Nicholas Pooran as potential

match-winners.

But though he’s only 25, and, with six hundreds since the start of October, possibly the most in-form batsman in the world, Hope doesn’t quite fit in their mould. In many ways he’s already a senior player acting as the foil for his more destructive team-mates.

Again however, while Hope admits he’s become his team’s “anchor”, he insists it’s due to necessity rather than nature.

toned-up paradigm of responsibility, the top-most fastener staying firmly in place even when carving out an unbeaten 123 in a tie against India in the Visag heat.

And in stark contrast is Hetmyer, the floppy-hatted free spirit, his headgear sending Twitter into a flurry of heart eyes emojis whenever he puts it on. He’s well aware of his fan club, but insists the sartorial choice originally

From left: West Indies players Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer and Clive Lloyd

“It’s probably more my role to keep the innings together and give us that impetus going into the back of the innings, but it’s about playing the situation of the game,” he says. “I see myself as a guy who can adapt.

Regardless of the situation, I think I can play whatever role is required. I’m more of a stroke-maker who plays classical shots.”

Still the symbolism is so good you’d almost wince were it written into a sports film.

First there’s Hope, the but-

came about due to function, not form.

“It was something that I picked up mainly in the nets.

In the Caribbean the sun is pretty hot so one day I just stepped out, I was batting against spin, and I said, ‘Well because of how hot the sun is I will just try out a floppy and just see how it feels’.

“For a little bit it was feeling a bit uncomfortable because it wasn’t something I was accustomed to. The first game I used it was a tour match when Bangladesh came

to the Caribbean just before the Test series and I actually scored a hundred and from then on I just kept on using it.”

The look of the headgear, as well as the luck, soon grew on him.

“It is mainly for the sun,” he insists. “But I do like how it looks actually. I actually had a photo of me wearing it as the wallpaper on my phone the other day.”

The reaction from fans around the world is worth exploring, because, as good as Hetmyer looks, there’s something else at play; the adoration is as much about the great West Indian batsmen who have gone before as it is about the potential one right in front of them.

“Looking at some of the older cricket matches and some of the older guys from the past I have seen that most of them use the floppy hat,” says Hetmyer. “Me, using it now, it is actually bringing back something from the old days for the people of the Caribbean and for the people of the international cricket world. I think that is probably another reason why most people, they go towards looking at it that much.”

Dealing with the weight of that expectation of playing in the shadow of the side in the 70s and 80s that won the first two men’s World Cups and went 29 Test series without defeat is tough, especially as a young player trying to make his way, but also part of the job.

“Everyone continuously tells me that I am a young person coming up in the

Mohamed’s Enterprise committed to developing motorsport locally

By Stephan Sookram

WITH the second instalment of the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) Drag Racing championship, billed for later this month, Mohamed’s Enterprise has expressed its commitment to the sport.

hamed, in an invited comment said, “We are committed to seeing motorsport grow in Guyana. I, personally have a love for the sport here.”

The team, home to the local quarter-mile record holder, the Nissan GTR nicknamed Goliath, have made major contributions to the sport locally.

eral contributions but it’s in the interest of developing motorsport here. I hope that other entities, private persons and even companies can follow suit in this regard because our team alone cannot develop the sport to where it needs to be. I think it’s no secret that drag racing here is growing,” he added.

Part of the rehabilitation works undertaken by Team Mohamed’s Enterprise

The company, which also owns and operates the Team Mohamed’s Enterprise racing camp, has been a platinum sponsor of motorsport here.

Team owner Azruddin Mo-

Before round one earlier this year, the team had extended the drag strip from 1000ft to 1320ft, an unheard-of feat prior to its announcement.

“Yes, we have made sev-

Apart from the extension of the strip, the team has refurbished the entire strip fencing, to ensure spectator safety and crowd control.

Add their unwavering sup-

port to the actual logistics of the event and their input in the newly constructed Launchpad and other accessories then one would realise the company’s commitment is no secret.

Apart from Goliath, the team have acquired the former world record-holding Ekanoo racing/Mangus GTR which had mechanical issues at round one.

The team is working to have it ready for round two.

Meanwhile GMR&SC president Rameez Mohamed said, “We are really blessed to have guys like Team Mohamed’s guys on board with us.”

“Words cannot explain how fantastic these guys have been for motorsport locally.

What they have done would have taken us a while to do.”

But it is now for others to take note. Companies, sponsors and others need to stand up. What Team Mohamed’s have done is set the ball rolling and we need to keep it.”

The second round of the GMR&SC Drag Racing championship is set for June 23.

team so I just try as much as possible to just be here and be in the moment and to gain as much experience as I can whatever way possible,” says Hetmyer. “You have to remember you are one person and you can’t be someone else and it is all about you just being yourself playing the cricket you know and love.”

“You must be proud, growing up as a West Indian and seeing what they’ve done in the past, knowing that you could be a part of it and even contribute to some of those things,” adds Hope. “I’m sure any West Indies cricketer can say the same; seeing those guys on TV, hearing them on the radio, and having the opportunity to do those things that they did, means a lot.

But times change and things evolve. So you need to balance knowing the history and then playing for your own history.” finest hour as an international cricketer to date came at Headingley in 2017, in a Test against England which the Windies came into on the back of an innings-and-209 run thumping, and left resurgent, the Bajan’s twin tons underscoring a famous victory.

“That was years ago,” he says. “That’s how I feel about it. It’s a good memory to have in your bank, but it’s long gone. I have to create more moments, more memories.”

Now, West Indies and Hope have the chance to. It wasn’t long ago they were on the brink of not even qualifying for the Men’s Cricket

World Cup, having to come through a Qualifier fraught with danger.

Since then, the reintegration of some of their more experienced players and the blossoming of a crop of youngsters – aside from the batsmen, canny left-armer Sheldon Cottrell and right-arm speedster Oshane Thomas give their bowling attack variety and firepower – have made them many pundits’ dark horses for the tournament.

February’s 2-2 series draw with England – the only time in 11 bilateral series the tournament hosts and favourites had failed to win outright – underlined their intent. The pieces might just be falling into place for the West Indies to secure a first title since 1979.

“It would mean everything,” says Hope. “Especially coming through the qualifiers.

You lose two games and you’re out, so we had to work so hard.

There were some instances in the back of our head that if we did muck up, we’d be watching on TV. We knew if we had two bad games, that was it; it was a do-or-die situation.

To come from there and see ourselves at Lord’s lifting the trophy would mean the world.

Especially to me; I always wanted to play in a World Cup for the West Indies. It would be achieving a lifelong goal.”

Childhood dreams achieved, and on their own terms, neither ignoring nor beholden to the past. It would be some story, and thrillingly, it’s in West Indies’ own hands.

IAAF to seek swift reversion of Swiss court’s Semenya ruling (REUTERS) - The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said it will seek a swift reversion of Monday’s Swiss court ruling in favour of double Olympic champion Caster Semenya.

Semenya has appealed a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decision that supported the IAAF’s rule that XY chromosome athletes with differences in sexual development (DSDs), like Semenya, can only race in distances from 400m to a mile if they take medication to lower their testosterone levels.

The Swiss Federal Tribunal (SFT) ruled Semenya will be able to run in her favoured 800 metres event without taking medication until her appeal has been ruled on.

In response to that decision the IAAF said in a statement that it would seek a “swift reversion of the superprovisional order... to avoid serious confusion amongst athletes and event organisers and to protect the integrity of the sport.”

It added that the suspen-

sion of regulations applied only to Semenya and will be in effect until June 25.

“The SFT’s decision was “ex parte”, meaning that it was requested and issued without the IAAF’s knowledge,” athletics’ governing body said.

“The IAAF did not receive appellant’s filings or the order until today, so has not had the chance to explain why the DSD Regulations should remain in force and applicable to all affected athletes while the appeal is pending.”

Reuters has contacted Semenya’s representatives for comment.

In defence of its rules, the IAAF said it was committed to the full participation of women in athletics and would continue to fight for equal rights and opportunities for all women.

“The IAAF fully respects each individual’s personal dignity and supports the social movement to have people accepted in society, based on their chosen legal sex and/or gender identity,” the IAAF statement added.

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to face Bermuda tomorrow

The Golden Jaguars during their first training session in Bermuda on Monday, June 3.

(Photo compliments GFF)

GFF, Denmark FA hold talks of ExxonMobil U-14 league collaboration at FIFA Congress shifted to next weekend Page

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GFF First vice-president Brigadier (Ret’d) Bruce Lovell presents gift to Denmark Football Association president Jesper Moller, in Paris, France

The various schools that will be participating in the ExxonMobil U-14 schools football tournament were handed balls for their preparation

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