Guyana Chronicle E-paper 7-21-2019

21st July, 2019

THERE’S NO CRISIS No.105705

– President Granger assures gov’t acting constitutionally 03 … says opposition trying to create crisis, chaos PAGE

… cites operatives in Ministry of Communities for not complying with ministers’ instructions New 14 Full house at TT 12 registration investors outreach kicks off PAGE

PAGE

… GECOM reports ‘good first day’

… despite alleged intimidation of field staff by PPP supporters

The changing landscape 21 of the Rupununi PAGE

–– residents need to learn, adapt as they contend with more frequent fires

PPP stands to 18 lose 50,000 votes if list is sanitised PAGE

–– former member Malcolm Harripaul says

Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, addresses the packed Hyatt Regency conference room where the investors’ forum was held on Friday evening

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 21, 2019

THERE’S NO CRISIS 3

SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 21, 2019

– President Granger assures gov’t acting within confines of constitution … says opposition trying to create atmosphere of crisis, chaos … cites operatives in Ministry of Communities for not complying with ministers’ instructions

By Svetlana Marshall

AMID attempts to sabotage his government, and to create an atmosphere of chaos, President David Granger said his government continues to act within the confines of the Constitution, and remains committed to having elections held within the shortest time possible in adherence to the rulings and declarations of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

In an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Friday, President Granger said “unfortunately,” since the passage of the no-confidence motion in the National Assembly on December 21, 2018, there have been a lot of misrepresentations of the facts, suggesting that his government is illegal.

“There are some cases where some public officers do not comply with the instructions of the ministers, particularly in the Ministry of Communities, and these have led to, I would not say demoralisation, but they have led to, I would say sabotage of some governmental functions; and this I suppose could be seen as creating confusion in the minds of normal public servants, normal members of the public going about their day-to-day business,” the Head of State told this newspaper.

The President made it clear that there is no crisis. It was explained that while the no-confidence motion created some expectations, the opposition – the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) – in engineering the motion, failed to consider whether the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is capable of conducting elections within three months or 90 days.

Additionally, he said the opposition, in passing the motion, also failed to consider and understand the roles of the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary.

GECOM NOT READY From the onset, the Elections Commission indicated that it lacked the capacity to conduct General and Regional Elections within three months – an indication that the government and the opposition ought

President David Granger to have returned to the National Assembly to extend the period for the conduct of elections in accordance with the Constitution, but instead, the opposition boycotted the sittings of the National Assembly.

Now, that the Official List of Electors has expired, the Elections Commission has moved to conduct house-to-house registration, and according to its Attorney-at-Law, Stanley Marcus, it would be in a position to conduct elections after December 25, by which time, national registration would be completed.

The no-confidence motion also triggered a series of legal actions which resulted in the High Court upholding the no-confidence motion against the government on January 31, 2019 – a ruling that was later overturned by the Court of Appeal by a 2-1 margin on March

22. Less than three months after on June 18, the CCJ, Guyana’s final appellate court, upheld the no-confidence motion. However, in handing down its consequential orders on July 12, the CCJ said, “the filing of the court proceedings in January challenging the validity of the no-confidence vote effectively placed matters on pause, but this court rendered its decision on 18 June 2019.” It noted too that the government shall remain in office, though in an interim mode, until elections are held and a President is sworn in.

President Granger said his administration has carefully followed the rulings of the courts. He pointed that even before the CCJ handed down its decision, four of his Ministers – Joseph Harmon, Carl Greenidge, Dominic Gaskin and Rupert Roopnaraine – resigned from the Parliament of Guyana and ultimately as Ministers after the High Court, in its January 31 decision, ruled that it was unconstitutional for dual citizens to be Members of Parliament.

Now that the CCJ has ruled, the President said his government will continue to comply with the rulings of the court.

“So in every respect we have not been clinging to power illegally; we would like to see that the law is enforced. Everything that we do, will become part of the precedent, and the government today, and the government after the elections would always comply with the law,” he assured this newspaper.

IMPROVE EFFICIENCY OF GECOM Going forward, he said the government will improve the efficiency of the Elections Commission, and in addition, ensure the membership of the National Assembly is in total conformity with the Constitution.

“So there is no confusion, confusion is in the minds of the people who want to create an atmosphere of confusion,” President Granger posited.

Despite these attempts at causing chaos, the President is assuring the people of Guyana that his government will continue to function within the confines of the Constitution and

the declarations of the CCJ. “The government will not embark on any measure which is not in accordance with its status as an interim administration,” he assured this newspaper.

“I want to assure everyone that this government is interested, and will do everything possible to ensure credible elections are held at a short time as possible that is what we are aiming at,” he said, while pointing out that he and his team have met with the opposition six times in 15 days on the appointment of a GECOM Chairman.

A chairman needs to be appointed to the Elections Commission before elections could be held.

PROTEST ACTIONS Turning his attention to the series of protests that have occurred in recent times, the President noted that supporters of both the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Government, and the opposition have protested GECOM – the former, for the conduct of house-to-house registration ahead of elections, and the latter for elections to be held within three months.

These protests, the President noted, have been orderly and peaceful, and within the rights of individuals and organisations to protest.

“Once the protests are conducted in an orderly way, the government will have no problem,” he stated. He said while people may not feel unsafe, both the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defense Force are prepared to make sure that Law and Order continues to be maintained, that people’s lives are not jeopardised. However, he said the actions of the opposition come as no surprise to him but assured that government will continue to uphold the Constitution. “Well oppositions do what oppositions do, they oppose, even though there are no grounds for such opposition.

It is clear that the opposition is trying to create an atmosphere of crisis and chaos but these efforts would be proven to be futile. We will continue to work towards an orderly outcome,” the President said.

President travels to Cuba for scheduled evaluation by doctors PRESIDENT David Granger, on Saturday morning, departed Guyana for the Republic of Cuba for a scheduled evaluation by doctors of the Centro de Investigaciones Medico Quirurgicas (CIMEQ).

The Ministry of the Presidency’s Public Information and Press Services Unit, in

making the announcement on Saturday, noted that the President is accompanied by First Lady, Sandra Granger.

President Granger was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma last year after an intensive series of tests by specialist doctors at the CIMEQ. According to the Public Information and Press Services Unit, the

President is scheduled to return to Guyana next week.

In April 2019, President Granger completed his regime of radiotherapy in Cuba without any complication. That was done after he had successfully completed his regime of chemotherapy which formed part of his medical treatment for Non-Hodgkin

Lymphoma.

According to the American Cancer Society, Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (also known as non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, NHL, or sometimes just lymphoma) is a cancer that starts in the white blood cells called lymphocytes, which are part of the body’s immune system.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 21, 2019

Tanker seizure: Jeremy Hunt urges Iran to release Stena Impero (BBC) The foreign secretary has urged Iran to reverse its "illegal" seizure of a British-flagged tanker in the Gulf.

Jeremy Hunt said it "raises very serious questions" about the security of British and international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

It comes as Iran released new footage of the capture on Friday of the Stena Impero.

Tehran said the vessel was "violating international maritime rules".

Speaking after a phone call with his Iranian counterpart, Mr Hunt said Iran viewed this as a "tit-for-tat situation" following the detention of an Iranian tanker in Gibraltar.

But he said "nothing could be further from the truth".

The Stena Impero's owners said they wanted access at the port of Bandar Abbas to the 23 crew members, who they said are in good health.

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said it appears the Iranian Revolutionary Guard was "quite prepared to push this right up to the brink of a conflict, yet probably stopping just short of one".

WHAT HAPPENED? The Stena Impero was seized by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard on Friday in a key shipping route in the Gulf.

Footage emerged on Saturday appearing to show the moment the tanker was raided.

It was released by Iran's Revolutionary Guard-affiliated

Fars news agency.

It shows masked forces dropping down ropes onto the ship from a helicopter after it was surrounded by high-speed vessels.

A Royal Navy frigate, HMS Montrose, was alerted and raced to intervene, as it did - successfully - with another British-flagged tanker just over a week ago.

But this time it was too far away to stop the Stena Impero being seized - the tanker was already in Iranian waters.

Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said the tanker was captured after it collided with a fishing boat and failed to respond to calls from the smaller craft.

But Mr Hunt said it was seized in Omani waters in "clear contravention of international law" and then forced to sail into Iran.

The Stena Impero's Swedish owners, Stena Bulk, said it had been fully complying with regulations and had been in international waters at the time.

It said the crew members, who are Indian, Russian, Latvian

and Filipino, were in good health.

A second British-owned Liberian-flagged tanker, the MV Mesdar, was also boarded by armed guards on the same day but was released.

It came after Royal Marines helped seize Iranian tanker Grace 1 off Gibraltar earlier this month, because of evidence it was carrying oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions.

Iran described the incident as "piracy" but Mr Hunt said the Grace 1 was detained legally in Gibraltarian waters "totally within the law".

On Saturday, UK government ministers held an emergency meeting of Cobra and a senior Iranian diplomat was summoned to the Foreign Office in London.

Afterwards, Mr Hunt said MPs would be updated on Monday about what "further measures" the government would take, adding the threat level had been raised to the highest level of alert.

"Our priority continues to be to find a way to de-escalate the

situation," he said.

A UK government spokeswoman said earlier it had advised UK shipping to stay out of the area.

What does Iran say?

Iran's foreign minister Javad Zarif tweeted that the UK "must cease being an accessory to #EconomicTerrorism of the US".

He said it was Iran that guarantees the security of the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

"Unlike the piracy in the Strait of Gibraltar, our action in the Persian Gulf is to uphold international maritime rules," he said.

Abbasali Kadkhodaei, spokesman of the state watchdog the Guardian Council, said on Twitter that "the law of retaliation is a recognised concept in international law" shortly after the ship's seizure was announced.

What's the background to this?

The latest developments come amid a deterioration in relations between Iran and the UK and US.

Tensions between the US and Iran have risen sharply since April, when the US tightened sanctions it had reimposed on Iran after unilaterally withdrawing from a 2015 nuclear deal.

The US blamed Iran for attacks on tankers in the world's key shipping area since May Tehran denies all the accusations.

On Friday, the US claimed to have destroyed an Iranian drone in the Gulf.

Unlike the US, the UK government remains committed to the nuclear deal, which curbs Iran's nuclear activities in return for the lifting of sanctions tensions.

However, the UK's decision to help seize the Iranian tanker Grace 1 off Gibraltar earlier this month infuriated Iran.

On Friday, Gibraltar granted a 30-day extension to allow authorities to continue detaining the tanker, which was suspected of carrying oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions.

SUNDAY July 21, 2019 05:30hrs ~ 07:00hrs

Saturday July 20, 2019

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 21, 2019

Naparima MP: TT becoming Haiti daily (TRINIDAD NEWSDAY) THIS country, under Dr Rowley, is becoming more and more like Haiti daily, with no economic growth, spiralling crime, rising unemployment, poor health facilities, and increased nepotism and corruption, said Naparima MP Rodney Charles.

TT projects an embarrassing global image and a government with no plan to take the country forward, he claimed, speaking at the UNC’s pavement report meeting at ASJA Girls’ College in Barrackpore on Wednesday, Charles said the E-mailgate saga unmasked a tried and tested PNM formula

of making baseless accusations against UNC members, hoping some will stick, thereby disadvantaging the party in election campaigns.

He asked, “Who maliciously concocted those e-mails?

Why did it take so long to be resolved? What is the role of the Director of Public Prosecutions’ (DPP) office in all this?

Is the PNM blameless in all that has transpired? Are they proud of this E-mailgate saga? Has it enhanced our democracy?

The PNM, he said accuses people of some egregious act today and tomorrow and thereafter the subject would be tied up defending their integrity in

court at tremendous expense and personal trauma. The UNC leader, he said, had to fight an election with a cloud hanging over her head.

“That is the cold, hard PNM strategy,y which has many dimensions, as it could be a Baptist letter, or it could be a plant-like substance in your yard, to myriad corruption allegations. It’s limited only by the imagination and creativity of the PNM,” he said.

Charles questioned the “genealogy” of this version of the PNM. saying its front bench in Parliament is not reflective of the PNM’s rank and file. “It is recorded in Hansard dated Oc-

tober 19, 2018, Stuart Young told Senator Obika, and I quote, ‘Little boy, sit down nah,” he said, asking why Young would feel he could look at an educated fellow citizen and utter such disdainful rubbish.

“The party of Eric Williams would not have wickedly made GATE virtually inaccessible to tertiary students. The party of Williams, unlike this Keith Rowley version, would never have closed Petrotrin, putting thousands of families in jeopardy,” he said.

Charles listed a number of projects he said could have been completed with $167 million reportedly paid in rent to

Rodney Charles

the family of Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi.

“It could have provided 28,000 families with food cards for years. Twenty-three million could have employed 2,700 university grads for an entire year at $5,000 per month.

It could have finished the Reform Hindu School and Early Childhood Centres at Reform and Ben Lomond in the Naparima constituency,” he said.

He called on Al-Rawi to resign and for the PNM to call the general election now, as it had proven itself not fit to run the country.

T&T: 3 shooting/murder suspects among 7 held by police leaders or gang members and drug possession offences. The arrests took place in Port of Spain, Beetham and Sea Lots early this morning and on Friday night.

Port of Spain Division and Inter Agency Task Force officers began an anti-crime exercise from 2 am to 8 am today.

In the first arrest, at around 3.30 am, they went to the home of a man, believed to be a "priority offender", on Basilon Street, Port of Spain. He was detained in relation to several shootings in the area. A short distance away, police found and seized a Taurus revolver and three

Gun found by police in Port of Spain.

(TRINIDAD NEWSDAY) Investigations into a series of gun-related murders and shootings in Port of Spain and environs this past has led to the arrest of seven men.

Three of the suspects have been detained as "priority offenders" in connection to shootings and murders, while the others were held on suspicion of being gang

bullets. An hour later, police went to Main Street, Beetham where they held another murder/shooting suspect and a 21-year-old man.

More than hour later, around 8.40 am, police arrested a third murder/shooting suspect at the fisheries shed on Production Avenue, Sea Lots. Police also went to find two men, also in relation to shootings, at their homes but they were not there.

During the exercise, at about 7 am, police went to the home of a Sea Lots businessman who was detained for questioning in relation to gang activity. He had been previ-

ously detained and released on other police inquiries.

While in the area, police were confronted by a man who began cursing and was subdued and arrested when he continued after officers told him to stop.

He was taken to Port of Spain General Hospital for treatment for injuries sustained during the arrest. He is expected to be taken into police custody for questioning.

On Friday night, at 7.25 pm, Duncan Street police were on patrol in Nelson Street when they saw a man running along Buildings 51 and 53.

They stopped the man

and searched the area where they found a pistol with seven rounds of ammunition.

The 19-year-old man was arrested. Searches also led to the seizure of 49 grammes of cocaine.

These exercises took place one day after National Security Minister Stuart Young held a meeting with the heads of police divisions and defence force to discuss a strategy on how to deal with the upsurge in murders in and around Port of Spain.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 21, 2019

House-to-house registration

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ITH the commencement of the long-awaited procedure of house-tohouse registration on Saturday, duly announced by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), the key in ensuring the delivery of a National List of Electors has now been placed firmly in the procedural lock, that will open the door to a free, fair and transparent electoral process.

All Guyanese must, therefore, avail themselves of the opportunity to become registered for participation in the democratic process of choosing a government of their make.

However, there is a question that is current on the lips of Guyanese whose memories are nimble, fresh and current on matters that relate to the nation’s continuous political journey: where are those voices of principle that once sounded daily from the roof tops, on a matter of the deepest national interest, because it represented a matter that stood at the heart of national democracy? Where

are those honest citizens who, it must be recalled, lobbied internationally, and staged national protests for an issue which they vehemently argued was a right of the people because its absence denied them the right of a fair and proper choice? And where are those citizens, who were once outright in condemning undemocratic acts, in this nation? Surely, the absence of their voices is missing.

The holding of national elections that are free and fair is recognised as the fullest expression of the democratic credentials of any country since it is a constitutional exercise that gives every eligible citizen the opportunity and participation in the right to choose the government of their choice. But every national election is expected to be conducted in a manner that is above board, as well as transparent. This means that the results, when declared, must be accepted as credible, as well as without doubt or controversy. It must also be able to withstand scrutiny from all quarters.

In Guyana, where nation-

al and regional elections are constitutionally held every five years, it is well known that every such constitutional exercise is supported by a process of house-to-house registration, which allows for a sanitized/clean voters list; meaning a list of voters who are registered as being alive and present in Guyana at the time of this procedure, as well as allowing for the registration of those young voters who become entitled to take part in the national electoral process, because of attaining the age of eligibility.

This has been the national political mantra of the Jagan-led Peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), right on to the Bharat Jagdeo–led PPP/C, that had contested successive national elections, and which procedure it is currently objecting to, for reasons which can only be described as politically-expedient, anti-national and anti-democratic.

In fact, it is instructive to note that there has never been an objection from the now opposition PPP/C when it had the reins of government,

or from any of the individual member political parties of the current coalition, before they collectively became the government in 2015, prior to now, to the legal fact of house-to-house registration having to be done for the purposes of a national election, as it is in accordance with the National Registration Act, and has been done so many times before. In fact, the following years, from 1992 on to 2015, were indicative of election years when the PPP/C were known to demand and ensure that there was house-to-house registration. It was, as it still is, a national exercise which the government at that time would have been correct to uphold, as it was a legitimate requirement for such to take place before every election, for the issuing of a proper voters list; as well as being a legitimate expectation of the people.

It is well known what padded, corrupted or tainted voters list have caused in terms of social disorders in other jurisdictions. It can only be the devious minded

who would pretend not to be aware of such instances, and the degraded name that it has given to those countries in which such an electoral perfidy is allowed to occur.

Therefore, it would be an act of the gravest dereliction of constitutional and national duty if a government makes a proclamation for national elections without ensuring that the national electoral body, in Guyana’s case, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has not prepared a list which is accurate and a true reflection of the statistical total of eligible voters. And as a reminder, it is this constitutional body which is solely responsible for this important task, and which, on completion of same , must advise the government on a date for election. It is a constitutional fact, which Bharrat Jagdeo, when as president, sometime ago, reminded the nation, when he had announced a date for national and regional elections.

And so, it is fair that we ask: why now is this political party objecting to a necessary exercise which they had al-

ways supported and ensured it was done, when it had been the government? Is it fair, for reasons which are best known to this now opposition party, to object to an absolutely necessary process which had always been done? There can be no other reason, except for sinister purposes.

It is criminal for any political party, albeit the opposition, to attempt to hinder this key electoral, mainframe exercise of house-to-house registration. It amounts to desperation in efforts to stymie the democratic process while, at the same time, frustrating the will of the people.

It is the most glaring of the known examples of PPP/C hypocrisy. House-to- House registration lays the solid ground for national elections which are transparent and credible and acceptable to all Guyanese. The process has begun. There should not be any excuses not to register.

Independent investigations needed Dear Editor

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HE media recently reported that the Guyana Defence Force has launched an internal investigation into the “initiation beating of a number of new officers of the force who were recently commissioned. The initiation usually forms part of the ‘welcome into the Force’, but this year, senior officers expressed concerns that those involved in the incident went too far. A number of the new officers had to be taken to the hospital to seek medical attention for various injuries,

while a young doctor, who is a reserve officer, was likely to have undergone surgery due to injuries he sustained during training”.

In response to this issue, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan stated that if the allegations turned out to be true, they must be condemned.

Firstly, if this kind of physical abuse, which is what it is, has been part of initiation, then how come the Minister is not aware of it?

Secondly, if the allegations are true, is the Minister saying that condemnation would be a sufficient response?

Physical abuse as part of any army training is a ‘tradition’ of the past. Army regulations should be urgently updated to make it clear that any physical abuse of recruits or other army personnel is unacceptable and perpetrators would be penalized. In fact, in the US Army, trainers have to seek the permission of recruits to even touch them.

I know because a member of The Caribbean Voice undertook that training.

Also, it is well known that globally, armies have the highest rates of suicide, and that army personnel often suffer a range of mental

health issues resulting in many veterans never recovering and some often ending up in the streets. Thus this kind of physical abuse and the resultant trauma at the very beginning of their career can catalyze mental health issues even earlier than usual.

Incidentally, some years ago the GDF had reached out to TCV to help address suicide, but for whatever reason, subsequent follow up to formalize plans met with silence from army personnel who had contacted us. We sincerely hope that if such help was not sought elsewhere, then it should be

given urgent priority and that overall mental health should be part of the regular annual checkup of all army personnel.

On a final note, military and paramilitary entities globally have erected a ‘‘wall of silence’ to prevent their transgressions from being known by the public.

It is not inconceivable that the same situation exists in Guyana and whistle-blowers know that they are putting their lives at risk. Thus, any internal investigation will always be suspect and viewed with skepticism by the public. The Public

Security Minister should, therefore, get the government to set up independent investigation committees to handle issues like this as this would ensure that trust in the army (and police with respect to other situations such as the ongoing revelations in Berbice and the claims of police complicity in investigating sexual abuse) would not be eroded as well as to be able to weed out unsavory practices and personnel.

Regards The Caribbean Voice

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 21, 2019

Rod Henson's directness rattled some nerves Dear Editor

I

WAS surprised when I first saw that ExxonMobil’s Rod Henson had provided an interview to Stabroek News. Henson has been a quiet presence in Guyana, and usually the role of spokesperson falls elsewhere. I am not surprised, however, to see individuals popping up to criticise the statements made by the country manager.

To speak to civil society on the oil industry is to open oneself up for such vitriol.

Here I refer to the letters that have appeared in various papers in recent days. While I join the authors in their call for more information and dialogue from ExxonMobil, I am also disappointed in the harshly critical, and in some cases unfair, responses to Henson. One letter, for example, draws a comparison between Henson and the CEO of BP, Anthony Hayward, during the time of the oil spill. Henson may be a company man, but it is unfair to compare him to Anthony Hayward, an egotistical cor-

porate shill whose immense lack of respect for people and the environment was driven by both moral corruption and personal greed.

Another bemoans the lack of data provided by Henson in the interview. While I fully support the call for more information, we also know that this is one of the first such interviews Henson has provided, and it is likely that the Stabroek News did not carry all of the information he shared. Yes, we must press Exxon for more. But in its absence, we should

not simply assume that the figures perpetuated by the industry’s most vocal critics are correct. This author cites statements from Jan Mangal, but anyone who pauses to contemplate his figures will see that they are also badly in need of support. And by this, I do not mean “presentations decorated with bar charts, pie charts, and tables.”

I believe one critic gets right to the heart of the issue.

He says that he has no idea what Henson is referring to when he talks about Guyana’s “risk profile”. Undoubt-

edly, there are operational risks associated with deepsea operations. We should also realise that to international companies, dialogue of this sort also represents a “risk”. Rash public attacks and combativeness do not signal stability!

I implore all international investors to realise that these intense critics do not speak for all Guyanese.

The nature and intensity of their responses make it clear that they do not wish to engage in dialogue or to learn -- their minds

are made up. On the other hand, I implore my fellow Guyanese to maintain their skepticism and alertness, as no statements from foreign companies should be taken at face value. We must recognise the need for information and conversation if we are to take rational steps to alter, fix or grow our oil opportunities. Exxon and other companies finally seem ready to talk – what value is there in chasing them back into their shells?

Regards Gregory Lynch

Shop smart for your leaders Dear Editor

I

AM issuing a challenge to my dear fellow citizens for them to step out of their comfort zones and listen to the new voices seeking political leadership in Guyana. For 53+ years we have subjected ourselves to a two-party joust for power that has done little to unite us racially and economically.

Being a business owner in my mid-30s, I have grown up looking on as this macabre bipartisan dance played out over the years. Both the PPP and PNC/APNU in all of their incarnations as government have failed to apply the type of transformative leadership our country could have benefited from (and urgently needs now). As someone who voted for both of these parties before, I have been sorely disappointed by their respective approaches to government. They both

sell themselves as completely different from the other, pandering to traditional ethnic loyalties to stay relevant, but the reality is, they are both sides of the same coin.

Let’s say someone wants to purchase a new car; the smart consumer ensures he/ she takes in as much information about the various models before making a decision.

One would look at the features, benefits, performance record, price, reviews from persons who already acquired it and ask the seller many questions to ensure they are fully satisfied before spending his/her money and closing the sale. This gives them the best chance to derive maximum value from their purchase.

Applying the same anecdote above to our political situation, us Guyanese are the customers, the product we are subscribing for is efficient governance and our two traditional suppliers (PPP and

PNC/APNU) are selling defective, expired products that cost us a lot to maintain but have failed to give sustained value for our investment. If we want to be smart buyers, it’s time to start listening to the pitches of the new suppliers (emerging young leaders) on the scene. Rather than listening to the same tired speeches about progress, unity etc. that have been beaten to death over the years at elections time, let’s start listening to action plans and timelines for achievement.

We know what our national goals are, we’ve been chasing them for 53+ years.

I will close my message with a small story: I saw a comment by a young Guyanese woman on the Facebook page of one of the newly emerging political parties.

She asked a question: ‘How can a clean slate in Guyana be possible? I am losing faith after reading the news daily.’ The answer is: Voters

AMCHAM urges integrity and goodwill to sustain definitive CCJ ruling Dear Editor

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HE American Chamber of Commerce, Guyana, wishes to register its support along with the diplomatic community, civil society and other Private Sector Organizations for the strict adherence to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruling on July 12, 2019.

In maintaining Guyana’s democratic status, AMCHAM is urging all political actors to comply with the CCJ ruling

in an effort to bring an early resolution to the consequential orders in keeping with the Constitution of Guyana.

The Chamber anticipates that this process will be expeditious and mirrors democratic customs as was explicitly clear in the ruling of the court as mandated by the relevant provisions of Guyana’s Constitution, which in effect ensures the maintenance of the rule of law which is critical for continued investor confidence in Guyana. AMCHAM also notes the obligations of

the President of Guyana, the Leader of the Opposition and the Guyana Elections Commission to act with integrity and statesmanship in upholding the constitution and rule of law. It is an opportune time for goodwill to prevail to unite all the people of Guyana towards a sustainable and economically prosperous Guyana.

Regards Sarah Shaffie Executive Assistant AMCHAM Guyana Inc.

like you can make it possible by ensuring you invest your vote wisely. Vote for a group that speaks to the issues that affect you and those around you, and have presented a comprehensive plan that includes you as part of the

solution.

I look forward to seeing all Guyanese answer this challenge and conquer it.

Let’s remind our political leaders that they work for us, and from this election onward we will only hire

qualified, competent and results-oriented persons for the job.

Regards Shazaam Ally The Citizenship Initiative

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LIST, LIARS AND LIBEL I WANTED to write today about the full house from the Trinidad business sector who attended Friday evening’s Guyana Investor Outreach in Port-of-Spain, at which I was among a ministerial team. The over 200-stong attendees represented a “who’s who” in business in the twin-island republic.

The event itself was a powerful show of confidence in Guyana, even whilst a three-man opposition rump was on a picket line outside the Hyatt Hotel, protesting against houseto-house registration of electors and for fresh elections within 60 days.

Though the protest turned out to be a damp squib, the Trinidad-based, international journalist Mark Wilson wrote in Friday’s Daily Express that an election by September 18 “is going to be ultra-tight.”

Arrangements, he added, have to stretch to the remote interior. There is staff to train, ballots to print, and a 32day period from nominations to the poll.

LAST LIST LAPSED Wilson, who has been tracking events in Guyana, noted that GECOM has to decide what happens with the voters’ list, about which he said: “The last list lapsed at the end of April. It contains 633,156 names. The voting age population of Guyana is around 455,000. Perhaps 40 per cent of the list have died or migrated.”

He stated that while President Granger has been insistent that credible elections require a new list, the opposition is saying that the old list needs a fast-track clean-up.

“Two months is not a lot for even the fastest of fast-track clean-ups,” the journalist concluded.

It is clear that the campaign of the opposition PPP inside as well as outside Guyana, lacks credibility and support.

This explains the resort to insolent, crude and rude attacks against Caribbean governments and the Georgetown-based CARICOM Secretariat. There is a racist angle to this that I will take up at another time.

EXCITING RESPONSES As we saw at the Investor Outreach, there are instead some pretty exciting responses to the good news about Guyana’s climb up the ladder of possibilities and progress.

The event was buzzing with positive vibes over recent comments by Mr John Hess, CEO of Hess Corporation, that our oil deposits are in excess of 5.5 billion barrels, which was earlier reported.

Now that the Nasdaq Stock Exchange has described Guyana as the fastest growing economy in the world, with a projected growth rate of 16.3% during 2018-2021, most on-lookers discard the objection to new voter registration as a sham to hide the lust by the opposition to return to power at the cost of credible elections.

WHAT I SAID But I need to nail the nagging “lying” campaign against me by the proprietors of Linden Holding Inc. and the New GPC Inc. in relation to recent remarks that I had made at the opening of a new storage bond for government’s medical supplies.

The transcript of the relevant portions of what I said, is as follows:“…After we got into office in 2015 we were confronted with a situation where we had to find a bond, and find a bond quickly.

We were using at one of the locations, in fact, a bond belonging to the New GPC - a private outfit. And we were informed that the proprietors wanted their bond back -- and in a hurry. So I spoke to Dr Bobby Ramroop myself, and said, “please, we will be in a problem trying to find a location at short notice to store our pharmaceutical supplies and these have to be stored in very refined and specific conditions.” I pleaded with him to consider whether he could make available even a piece of his bond for use by government…

“Now I am telling you this because there is always a part of history that you must know: that it was out of necessity, absolute necessity when we were pushed against the wall, that we had to find a storage place for our medical supplies. We found a place, and there was a big controversy about what you now refer to as the Sussex Street Bond, more or less a house that was converted into a bond, because we had to store our supplies somewhere.

“So at that time when the newspapers started to hit at the government that we had gotten a bond that wasn’t fit to be a bond, and we got a 6 for a 9, we accepted that was what we could have settled for at short notice. It wasn’t

SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 21, 2019

the best of deals.”

WHO ARE THE LIARS? The businessman who rented the building to the government clearly misinterpreted what I had said, and launched a nasty, vicious, and defamatory media campaign against me.

Several full-page ads were published, with the libel repeated and republished that I had “personally benefitted” from his largesse. It was clear that the landlord was accusing me of taking bribes or kick-backs from his businesses, which I vehemently deny as untrue.

Then on July 14, the Guyana Times published a malicious and libellous article under the heading, “Moses Nagamootoo lied about pharmaceutical storage.” It quoted Dr Ranjisingh Ramroop, the CEO of New GPC Inc, who “emphatically denied that any such conversation with Nagamootoo had taken place.”

I re-affirm that I did speak, and at length, with Dr. Ramroop, and that I did receive from him a follow-up letter from New GPC, dated 19th July, 2016. It states, inter alia: “Further to your discussion with Dr Ramroop, kindly see attached details of New GPC’s warehouse facility at Ruimveldt, Georgetown.”

It was signed by R. Ravie Ramcharitar, General Manager.

I have never said that the Sussex Street building was not fit to be a bond. I was aware that WHO and PAHO are NOT certifying agencies and that they did not issue any clearance of the fitness of the premises at the time when a Cabinet Sub-Committee visited the facility.

When the drugs bond issue erupted in the National Assembly, a parliamentary delegation also inspected the facility. Their reports tell their own story, about which I now reserve further comments.

POLITICAL PUPPIES I have grown a thick skin as a politician.

I have endured many personal attacks, and I sometimes had felt that I should review my mantra that, as a revolutionary, I should not resolve problems or issues through litigation.

So far, I have ignored the yapping of petty political puppies at my heels. But I take issue with those who impute that I am a liar, and that I am corrupt.

It is evident that both of the proprietors of the Sussex Street Bond and New GPC Inc. have made false and damaging statements against me. They now have an opportunity of doing the right thing. Further I say not.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 21, 2019

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 21, 2019

Guyana can fully transition to renewable energy by 2040 –– with adequate financing and technical skills, says energy chief

By Svetlana Marshall

WITH adequate finances and a significant boost in technical and human resources, Guyana can achieve its aim of transitioning to almost 100 per cent renewable energy generation by 2040.

This will allow for a more reliable and stable grid and creation of a massive dent in the country’s fuel import bill, Guyana Energy Agency (GEA)’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Mahender Sharma has said.

Currently, approximately 18 per cent of the country’s primary energy supply is derived from renewable energy – predominantly in the form of bagasse, firewood and solar PV, while the remaining 82 per cent of primary energy supply is sourced from imported fossil fuel – primarily diesel, heavy fuel oil and gasoline.

On average, approximately 1,836,300 barrels of fossil fuel are used to generate electricity annually, and according to the GEA’s CEO, this translates to an estimated US$139.30 mil-

lion on a yearly basis, based on the average consumption between 2015 to 2018.

However, while Guyana’s energy demand, driven by population growth and economic development, is projected to increase, it is anticipated that as the country transitions to nearly 100 per cent of renewable energy by 2040 in keeping with its Green State Development Strategy: Vision2040 (GSDS: Vision2040), fewer financial resources would be expended on the importation of fossil fuel.

“The Government of Guyana, in pursuit of the Green State Development Strategy – Vision 2040, aims to accelerate progress towards sustainable, low-carbon and resilient development. The transition to renewable energy was identified in the strategy as a development objective critical to the transformation process. Therefore, the government is committed to achieving a transition to use of near-100 per cent renewable and clean energy sources for electricity generation sourced from the country’s

natural capital through a diversified renewable energy infrastructure, including solar, wind, hydropower and biomass. In addition, an Optimal Generation and Expansion was updated in 2018 and outline potential candidate projects for solar, wind, hydropower, bagasse-based cogeneration, wood waste and rick husk gasifiers as well as energy efficiency,” Dr. Sharma explained in an interview with Guyana Chronicle.

He said the country’s vision of utilising almost 100 per cent of renewable energy within the next 20 years could be achieved subject to the availability of adequate financial, technical and human resources.

However, he noted that much of that renewable energy depends on hydropower development, in addition to the increased use of solar, wind and biomass, which are also key sources in the short-medium term.

RELIABILITY “Reliability is a function of many things but renewable energy can con-

tribute to a more reliable and stable grid.

This renewable energy transition, in addition to GPL‘s grid modernisation plans to upgrade its grid infrastructure to accommodate the influx of new renewable energy generation, will contribute to a better electricity supply and, hopefully, attract self-producers to return to the grid,” Dr. Sharma explained.

The Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) is among private sector organisations that have long called for cheap and reliable sources of energy. On the regional platform, the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) through the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE), has been promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency investments, markets and industries in the Caribbean. It aims at improving access to modern, affordable and reliable energy services, energy security and mitigation of negative externalities of the energy system by promoting

renewable energy and energy efficiency.

With Guyana on the verge of becoming an oil-producing nation in 2020, the country’s vision is to optimise the use of indigenous energy resources – solar, wind, biomass, and hydropower.

“With the emergent oil and gas sector, there is also an opportunity to utiltise the associated gas from the oil production for electricity generation. As such, a combination of renewable energy and natural gas can be the primary energy sources to accommodate Guyana’s energy needs,” Dr. Sharma said.

He posited that future studies will provide more details on specific quantities to be used; however, he noted that a significant portion of the renewable energy target will have to be derived from hydropower, given Guyana’s considerable potential. As such, Dr. Sharma said the majority of needs would be met via natural gas and hydropower with smaller installation of solar PV farms, wind farms, cogeneration

Guyana Energy Agency CEO, Dr. Mahender Sharma plants and gasifiers.

According to GSDS: Vision 2040, Guyana is not only expected to transition to the use of near-100 per cent renewable and clean energy sources for electricity generation but also it is expected to mandate energy efficiency technologies and practices in existing and new buildings and by 2030, double the rate of improvement in energy efficiency.

UG youths raising awareness of climate change

By Vishani Ragobeer YOUNG people, who are part of the University of Guyana (UG)’s Eco-Trust Society, are seeking to increase awareness of the effects of climate change in Guyana and how citizens can adapt to these changes.

“Although we might have a small economy that does not generate large amounts of greenhouse gases, it is important for us to adapt to the effects of climate change

because these effects disproportionately affect society and different vulnerable groups,” head of the Eco-trust society, Michael Morson, said.

Member of the society, Tricia Braithwaite, explained that climate change is said to be responsible for some of the adverse weather phenomena Guyana has been experiencing in recent years.

She reminded that the dry spell experienced last year affected the country’s agricultural sector

and individual energy consumption since persons were forced to find ways of “keeping cool” during the exceptionally hot days.

Braithwaite also indicated that climate change also causes extreme rainfall, storm surges and increased wave action, which all places the low-lying coast of Guyana at risk of flooding.

While the country has to contend with the effects of climate change, she echoes Morson’s sentiments, saying that

each citizen must become more environmentally conscious.

“We can all make a change in many ways by being mindful of our carbon footprints,” the young woman said.

She highlighted that citizens can begin using more renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels (such as diesel and gasolene); reduce or outright stop using single-use plastics, which include black plastic bags, straws and plastic spoons; and build houses that allows

natural ventilation.

“The network believes that everyone has a role to play in promoting sustainable practices that will reduce the impacts of climate change,” the Eco-Trust member said.

To raise awareness on the matter of climate change, the society, which is part of the Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences at UG, will be organising a ‘climate walk’ and rally on Saturday, July 27.

“We’re doing the walk because we want to raise

awareness of the potential threats of climate change to our society, as well as its effect on our economic development,” Morson explained, adding that it is imperative for each citizen to understand their role in mitigating the harmful effects of climate change.

The group also hopes to engage Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) that share similar interests such as the private sector, government agencies and civil society.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 21, 2019

Understanding Energy

Ring-Fencing

THOUGH not a common term outside of accounting, ring-fencing is an important aspect of production contracts and activities and plays a role in how exploration and development costs are recuperated or recovered by oil companies.

Production Sharing Agreements allow oil companies to recoup the costs they incur from drilling the wells and building the infrastructure needed to extract resources. Depending on the terms of the production sharing agreement, the oil company recoups a portion of these costs from the initial production volumes (cost oil) prior to revenue splitting between the company and the government (profit oil). This basic cost recovery is a part of standard contracts.

The challenge comes with finding the right balance for how much of these costs are recovered from the initial production volumes and how. Specific cost recovery terms reflect the nature of the amount of risk in the exploration and development work the oil company is undertaking, as well as the projected pace of production and other complex factors.

A government negotiating a contract with companies normally has several competing priorities. Naturally, they want to maximize the amount of total revenue that the country receives. But they must also ensure that the contract creates incentives for companies to keep exploring and drilling wells. This balancing act makes cost recovery provisions one of the most delicate parts of a contract.

Depending on the country and contract, a company is allowed to get back the costs of developing a well through a share of production or by tax allowances. Some countries allow cost recovery to be extended to developing nearby wells under the same contract (called block wide ring fencing), which are technically separate projects but are being undertaken by the same company in an area.

In effect, this allows greater capital flexibility and coordination in development.

In this way, countries can encourage companies to explore larger areas and develop more wells, which ultimately leads to more revenue and more production. A country may lose some initial revenue that it otherwise

would have gained through taxes or production sharing, but the trade-off is increased exploration activity, production potential and higher government revenues in the long-run.

Some countries put restrictions on this accounting practice. These restrictions are called field level ring-fencing because they draw a metaphorical fence around a field and only allow companies to recoup expenses from development within that geographic ring. Any costs incurred on wells inside of the ring can be deducted from production at future wells inside the ring-fence if the wells are successful, but the costs can’t be deducted from any other existing or future production outside of the ring-fence.

Field level ring-fencing can slow down the overall pace of development because companies need to take higher risk that the cost of the exploration well won’t be recuperated, provide more money up front to keep developing wells and wait years longer for that investment to pay off, if that investment pays off at all. This increases risk and can discourage any exploration or development

work beyond the specific requirements of the contract for that area.

As the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), an international nonprofit dedicated to responsible management of resources, explained in a report about Ghana’s challenges with ring-fencing, “Despite widespread use, ring-fencing must be approached with caution. It has the potential to speed up the payment of corporate income tax, yet it may also deter further exploration and development, limiting the future tax base.”

As Guyana explores creating provisions related to ring-fencing to future oil and gas contracts, it’s important to consider the “double edged sword” aspect of ring-fencing that the NRGI is talking about. We naturally want to get as much revenue as possible. But getting more in the short term might not be worth sacrificing long term revenues and the overall pace of development.

It will be up to the government to listen to experts and find a balance that serves Guyana’s interests both now and in the future.

The next election will be the biggest test for tribal politics IT is often said that elections are difficult to predict because it involves humans.

Humans are not objects, they are not the best source for extracting data, they can easily skew that information.

Pollsters, psephologists and the elections monitoring chattering classes would be the first to tell you it is a tough business. The methodology of asking people who they intend to vote for before an election is fraught with much uncertainty since people are generally shy and are squeamish when asked to respond to this question. There is, of course, exit polling where pollsters encounter voters just after they leave the polling booth and enquire for whom they placed their vote; this also comes with uncertainty since voters are not honest for a myriad of reasons. It has been ac-

cepted that we know surprisingly little about the relative accuracy of experts and polls (Kernell, 2000). Be that as it may, there are general trends and large analytical contexts that can point to the general outcome of elections. Hereunder provides a perspective on the next Guyana elections which, for me, rests on a key question: Is there a large swathe of unthinking Guyanese who cannot break from tribal voting even with the weakest candidate ever presented to them?

There was a time when my friends and I completely gave up on Guyanese politics; it became bland and uneventful. It was straightforward when there were elections, the results were a foregone conclusion, the PPP had the numbers and, in a polarized context, this party would always win. This changed in 2011 and 2015

and suddenly, there was hope; the tribal beast seemed weak. The current list of electors contains 500,000 eligible Guyanese voters.

The population stands at 782,946-- Indo-Guyanese makes up 44%, Afro-Guyanese at 30%, the mixed population comprise 17% and the Indigenous people make up 9%. Candidates who seek to appeal to the base of their parties cannot win an election based on this data. If you carry your entire base, the other side has enough votes to work with to secure victory. Coalition politics and parties coming together on a national unity platform has to be the focus of smart political movement in Guyana.

It is an opportune time to consider whether Guyana is doomed to tribal voting.

Even if the answer is ‘yes’, this has to be the biggest

challenge the tribalists have ever faced in their history of voting on the side of the PPP. The candidate is weak, the process of selection was dubious; there are far more worthy candidates within the orbit who can mount a more formidable challenge and it is a clear case of a potential puppet Presidency in the making. This will certainly test the ethnological resolve of unthinking followers.

This will be a struggle of conscience which I believe will result in a disinterested base; this does not bode well for the PPP. Further, there is a large middle ground of voters who can break from the cycle of racial voting; and, insofar as they do exist, which political party would they gravitate towards? The centre does exist, they made their mark in the 2011 and 2015 elections, relegating the PPP to

a minority government and subsequently, to the opposition in 2015. It is reasonable to assume they will support the political movement that leans towards national unity.

It is my carefully considered view the strategy of the ‘30% base’ politics is dead.

The days of ‘we have the ethnic numbers are gone.

The metaphysical battle of PNC v PPP over decades has produced fatigue and voter apathy; those who recognize and accept this reality, are most likely to have success in Guyanese politics.

As noted above, predicting elections is a difficult task and there is no such thing as certainty in politics.

The results of the referendum on leaving the European Union in Britain and the success of Donald Trump at the US elections in 2016 laid this axiom bare.

However, this does not preclude observers from making anecdotal calls.

Based on the aforementioned, it is difficult to see the success of the PPP and its candidate at the next elections.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 21, 2019

Full house at TT investors outreach

AROUND 200 business leaders in Trinidad and Tobago on Friday evening attended an investment outreach conference hosted by the Guyana High Commissioner to Trinidad, Cammie Ramsaroop, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in that country.

Prime Minister, Moses

Nagamootoo; Ministers Amna Ally, Raphael Trotman and David Patterson, along with Director General Joseph Harmon and Georgetown Mayor Ubraj Narine, on Friday evening engaged with over 200 business leaders and investors at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Port of Spain, Trinidad and To-

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo interacts with business leaders at the conference bago. At the packed event, were discussed. Investors the Guyana team detailed expressed profound coninvestment opportunities fidence in the Guyanese here and outlined Guyana’s economy and the prospects ‘Green State Development for exponential growth and Strategy’ policy while ex- development in the coming tending a welcome to re- years. Trinidad and Tobago gional investors to Guyana. Minister of Energy, Hon. S e v e r a l p l a n s f o r Franklin Khan, who spoke high-level visits to Guy- at the event, praised the coana in the coming months alition government for the heavy emphasis on human development, particularly investment in educating

young people. “I want to compliment the Guyana Government for focusing on your human resources and educating the young people,” he said. Khan noted the impressive oil finds in Guyana’s deep waters and the phenomenal rate of discoveries, saying that it was at an unprecedented rate.

He said that Guyana has the highest per capita reserves in the world, higher that even Saudi Arabia.

Prime Minister Nagamootoo, in his address, noted that Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago are practically family and have had a close bond over many years.

Prime Minister Nagamootoo said that historically, Trinidadians have led the way in investing in Guyana and noted that there is already a solid group of Trinidadian core investors in Guyana’s economy.

For his part, Director General Harmon noted the decades of formal diplomatic relations and laid out the fundamentals of the ‘Green State Development Strategy’ as the foundation of Guyana’s

economic drive. He advised the potential investors of the investment-friendly tax measures and assured that the coalition government was keen to engage with them to discuss mutually beneficial partnerships. Minister Amna Ally introduced the Guyana delegation and reiterated that Guyana was open for business and urged the investors to visit the land of many waters. The event was chaired by Dr. Aubrey Armstrong and organised by the Guyana High Commissioner to Trinidad, Cammie Ramsaroop.

Following the formal programme, the investors engaged in one-on-one discussions with the prime minister, ministerial team, Director General Harmon and Georgetown Mayor, Urban Narine. Keen interest was expressed in investment in the oil and gas, hospitality, manufacturing, agriculture and other sectors.

A five minute video highlighting Guyana’s attractiveness as an investment destination was also unveiled at the event.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 21, 2019

The who’s who among investors at TT conference

A section of the large gathering at the conference

Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo interacts with TT investors

Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon, addresses the forum

Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally, addresses the gathering

Trinidad and Tobago Minister of Energy, Hon. Franklin Khan

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 21, 2019

New registration kicks off … GECOM reports ‘good first day’

… despite alleged intimidation of field staff by PPP supporters

By Navendra Seoraj DESPITE attempts by supporters of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) to intimidate enumerators, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) said its house-tohouse registration exercise got off to a good start on Saturday.

GECOM has said that the countrywide exercise is in keeping with a decision of the commission on February 19,

employees.

PPP OBSTRUCTION Of the 1,800 teams 1,056 teams were deployed on Saturday and there were 261 cluster offices. More teams will be added in the coming days to ensure that there is a full complement.

Workers were not obstructed by the rain, but according to Ward they faced a challenge which was created by supporters of the PPP/C. “We had a challenge in terms

Twenty-six-year-old Aeisha Forde and her baby (Delano Williams photo) 2019 and in accordance with Order No. 25 of 2019 dated June 11, 2019. “On the large scale we have had the support of a number of persons who have presented themselves to allow for registration,” said Public Relations Officer of GECOM, Yolanda Ward, during an invited comment on Saturday evening.

Although Ward could not provide a figure of how many registrations were completed, at that time, she said teams were deployed across the country to ensure that the process started on time.

Registration offices were opened and workers were out in the field from 9:00hrs to 16:00hrs, despite the inclement weather throughout the day.

Earlier in the year, she notified the newspaper that persons who were trained for the exercise are expected to amount to some 1,800 teams and over 4,000

of reports that purported supporters from the PPP have been following the teams and indicating to persons, in some areas, not to get registered because the process is not legal,” Ward lamented, adding that the alleged supporters claimed to be doing it because GECOM did not provide any political party scrutineers.

Ward could not say what system would be put in place to deal with the matter, but she said registration is a legal requirement by law and is stated in the National Registration Act, Chapter 19:08.

It is, therefore, mandatory and not optional. Persons in breach of registration can be fined and charged so she urged persons to adhere to the process of getting registered.

On the issue of scrutineers, the PPP/C had claimed that GECOM did not inform them of the need to have scrutineers tracking the activ-

ity although every transaction has a part where scrutineers would have to sign.

Ward, however, refuted that claim, noting that the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield had written to political parties, requesting that they provide scrutineers.

“We approached parties to let them appoint scrutineers… I cannot say what system will be put in place or whether the CEO will send follow-up reminders but they were notified, but because of the resistance there was non-compliance,” said Ward. Despite the odds, she said the exercise will continue today and GECOM will continue to monitor the process to see what is happening.

who would have since attained the age of 18 years, and are eligible to vote at elections, since the last list was compiled in 2012.

“Registration is a legal requirement according to the National Registration Act, Chapter 19:08, therefore, all eligible persons are mandated to register,” GECOM said.

Guyana Chronicle had reported that house-to-house registration is a new registration exercise and all eligible persons must register even if they were previously registered, the elections management body stated. Upon conclusion of this exercise, a new National Register of Registrants Database (NRRDB), which is reflective of the current Guyanese population, will be created. Subsequently, the Official List of Electors (OLE) will be extracted for the purpose of conducting General and Regional Elections.

Guyanese citizens by birth, descent, naturalisation or registration, 14 years and older by October 31, 2019 or a citizen of a Commonwealth country living in Guyana for a period of no less than one

exercise, each eligible person will only be registered where he/she resides. Residence includes dwelling places such as homes, residential institutions such as hospices and homes for youth and the elderly. Registration will not be done at GECOM Registration Offices.

While the commission is undertaking the registration exercise, concurrent operational activities for the preparations of General and Regional Elections are underway. A publication in the official gazette dated June 11, 2019 showed that an order was documented for the registration exercise to commence on July 20 and end on October 20, 2019. The document, which outlined a three-month period, was signed by former GECOM Chair, Justice (Rtd.) James Patterson.

The order, cited as the National Registration (Residents) Order 2019, stated: “Persons to whom this Order applies shall, in accordance with Section 6 of the Act, be registered under the process of house-to-house registration with reference to Octo-

PRO of GECOM, Yolanda Warde 2019, the court gave Consequential Orders that it had no authority to set a timeline or date for the holding of elections in Guyana. “The activity is done by a CEO of GECOM who has no legal basis to conduct this activity... He is using an order signed by the illegally-appointed Justice Patterson to conduct this activity; the order was overtaken by the judgment of the CCJ,” Jagdeo argued.

The PPP/C as such, will not be cooperating with the activity and will go to the

SATISFIED RESIDENTS Residents were satisfied with the process on the first day. A resident of Tucville, Carl Benjamin, said the process was good and the enumerators did a great job by explaining the process in great detail. He called on persons to participate in the process, since it is of national importance.

Twenty-six-year-old, Aeisha Forde, of Festival City also agreed that the process is important and persons should participate. Those sentiments were also shared by a 15-year-old who was registered for the first. The teenager, who preferred to be unnamed, said it is important for young people to get registered and participate in the process.

“I am in full support of the process of house-to-house A resident of Tucville, Carl Benjamin, being assisted by GECOM staff to get regregistration,” said a resident istered during the house-to-house registration process (Delano Williams photo) of the West Coast of Demerara (WCD), Ganesh Mahi- year, preceding the qualify- ber 31, 2019 and the regiscourt on Monday to seek an paul. ing date, are all eligible for tration shall begin on July injunction against the “illeMahipaul said he appreci- registration.

20, 2019 and end on October gal activity.” As GECOM ates the work of GECOM and Residents were urged to 20, 2019.” continues with its work, the believes that the process is have the relevant documents Leader of the OpposiPeople’s National Congress the best way to clean the Offi- required for registration tion, Bharrat Jagdeo, in a Reform (PNC/R) had urged cial List of Electors (OLE). It ready and be on the lookout video, which was posted on the PPP/C to desist from trywas reported that the process for GECOM’s registration his Facebook page, said the ing to interfere with the work would be necessary to create officials in their area. “These PPP/C believes that the activof GECOM. a new OLE for elections, documents include an origi- ity is in contravention of the “This dishonest besince the last voters list ex- nal Birth Certificate, a Valid order of the Caribbean Court haviour has included pired in April 2019.

Passport, Naturalisation Cer- of Justice (CCJ). threats and other forms of The current list is said to tificate, Certificate of RegisThe CCJ upheld the intimidation tactics against contain the names of thou- tration, Adoption Certificate no-confidence vote against the Chief Elections Officer sands of Guyanese who are and Deed Poll or Marriage the government and quashed and the elections commiseither deceased or have mi- Certificate (if applicable),” the appointment of Patterson sion,” said the PNC/R in a grated, while also disenfran- said GECOM. as Chairman of the commispress statement on Friday. chising younger Guyanese For the purpose of this sion. However, on July 12,

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 21, 2019

One contractor: Three bungled projects … the story of Dipcon Engineering Services

THE Trinidad construction firm, Dipcon Engineering Services, which is now embroiled in a court case and faces a $527M tax liability, has a long history of delayed and bungled projects in Guyana that have cost taxpayers millions and set back the country’s development.

Even the original 2003 Rosignol-Mahaica Road Rehabilitation Project, which is the centre of the US$2M judgement, was extensively delayed. Back in November 2003, then Minister of Transport and Hydraulics, Anthony Xavier, declared that he was not satisfied that the Trinidadian company had only completed 10% of the work as opposed to the 30% which should have been done by that stage.

That project was greatly delayed and had huge cost overruns.

EAST COAST WORKS “ABANDONED” This same pattern of delays continued with a US$5.9M contract awarded to Dipcon for a section of the East Coast road that was awarded to Dipcon in 2011 even as it was before the courts demanding payment for the Rosignol-Mahaica project.

By 2015, the Auditor-General, in reporting on Dipcon’s section - Lot 5- Triumph to Mon Repos “At the time of the physical verification, the works were incomplete. The contractor was not on site and the works appear to have been abandoned.” The AG stated: Findings: a) The contract completion date expired on 17th June, 2015, and at the time of our physical verification on 18 September, 2015, the works are incomplete and the site appears to have been abandoned. No equipment or personnel from the contractor were on site. b) The advance payment was not fully recovered at the time of the physical verification; however, the Advance Payment Bond is in force and remains valid until 12 December, 2015; and c) The Performance Bond no longer provides the required period of coverage for the works.

This Bond will expire in December 2015.”

The Ministry responded: The Head of Budget Agency explained that action will be taken to terminate the contract since the contractor has abandoned the site. In addition, the Insurance and Performance Bonds will be levied on to recover the outstanding advance payment. An advance payment of $98.677M was issued to the contractor. A total sum of $64.121M has been recovered, leaving an outstanding balance of $34.556M. Action will be taken as outlined above.”

In the end, China Railway First Group Limited was tasked with completing the entire stretch from Better Hope to Belfield.

The agreement was signed on November 23, 2016 and the project is close to completion.

EAST BANK FRUSTRATIONS Over on the East Bank, frustrations abound over the delays to Dipcon’s sec-

tion of the road expansion project with commuters fuming in endless traffic jams.

The project, which began in November 2011, was expected to take 18 months to complete at a cost of US$22M. But a report by the Auditor-General noted that Dipcon was subsequently granted three extensions on their Providence to Covent Garden US$8M section: from April 30th, 2013 to October 31st, 2013, then to June 28th, 2014, and then to December 28, 2014. The OAG report said that at August 2014, only 42% of the project had been completed. In the end, the Dipcon contract was terminated and transferred to Gaico Construction and BK International.

Meanwhile, former Auditor-General Anand Goolsarran had estimated that G$500 million was lost in respect of the East Coast Demerara and East Bank Demerara Road projects because performance bonds had expired.

HOPE(LESS) BRIDGE Finally, the Hope Bridge, which Dipcon was awarded with a bid of $349M, started in August 2011.

Again, there were two extensions, making the completion date nine months late. It was opened with much fanfare by the then President, Donald Ramotar, but within a few months, both the east and west approaches started sinking. This caused depressions at either end of the structure which meant commuters had to slow down causing extensive delays. This is one of numerous shoddy infrastructure projects constructed under the PPP/C administration that the present coalition government has been forced to rectify at great expense to the taxpayers.

DIPCON is currently pursuing Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, for US$2.2M owed by the State, but the company is in fact over US$2.5M in arrears in taxes to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and has been asked to “immediately” pay up. Recently, a Letter of Garnishment from GRA Commissioner- General, Godfrey Statia, was sent to Finance Secretary at the Ministry of Finance, Michael Joseph and Dipcon, disclosing the outstanding sum of G$527,846,657.

The letter, sent out by Statia indicated that the request for DIPCON to pay up its sum due is in keeping with Section 102 (1) of the Income Tax Act, Chapter 81:01. Section 102 (1) states: “When the Commissioner-General has knowledge or suspects that a person is or is about to become indebted or liable to make any payment to a person liable to make a payment of tax under this Act, he may, by registered letter or by letter served personally, require such first-mentioned person to pay the moneys otherwise payable to such second-mentioned person in whole or in part to him on account of the liability of the second mentioned person under this Act.” Meanwhile, the Act states that the receipt of the Commissioner-General for moneys paid as required under the Act shall, to the ex-

tent of the payment, be “a good and sufficient discharge of the original liability”. This goes for both the person who pays such moneys to the Commissioner-General to the person liable to make a payment under the Act and the person liable to make a payment of tax under the Act to the Commissioner-General.

Indicating that it is through this guidance that the GRA invokes its powers to garnish the sum, Statia stated: “Therefore, with immediate effect, you are required to pay over to the Revenue Authority the sum of $527,846,657 GYD due to the State by the Company. Please note that under Section 102 (2), the Revenue Authority will issue a

receipt for the sum collected.”

The GRA Head also reminded that according to the Income Tax Act, every person who has discharged any liability to a person liable to make payment of tax under the Act without complying with requirements under the section shall be liable to pay the Commissioner-General, as a debt due to the State, an amount equal to the liability discharged.

Otherwise, the Act stated that the person in question could also have to pay the amount which he was required under the Section of the Act to pay to the Commissioner-General, whichever is the less.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 21, 2019

African Business Roundtable defends track record –– reiterates aim to serve as an organised conduit to government, other stakeholders

THE African Business Roundtable (ABR) has defended its track record following reports in various sections of the media about the ABR and some of its current and former members.

The ABR is a grouping of Afro-Guyanese businessmen and women who are committed to achieving fair and equitable opportunities and treatment in an operational environment for businesses of Guyanese of African descent, through the use of innovative programmes and policies seeking to promote the sustainable economic and social development of Guyana.

According to a press statement from the ABR, the organisation was created to promote the sustainable economic and social development of Guyana by uplifting the economic profile and status of business enterprises in the country, and by increasing the participation and contribution of business enterprises owned and operated by Guyanese of African descent.

“We aim to serve as an organised conduit to Government and other stakeholders in society, to advocate and obtain support for policies and programmes that help to increase the participation and contribution of business enterprises of Guyanese of African descent,” said the ABR. The group works toward building links and alliances with international business and intergovernmental organisations, to support the growth and sustainable development of Guyanese businesses, particularly those owned and operated by Guyanese of African descent.

“Our efforts are also directed towards assisting businesses to assess risk and create or facilitate the creation of facilities or mechanisms that would help them to limit loss or damage from avoidable risks that could arise in the course of business,” said the group.

All businesses owned

by Guyanese of African descent are urged to join their efforts by applying

for membership at their Lot 9 Thomas Lands, Georgetown head office, or give them a call on telephone number 227-7868.

As Guyanese, the group believes that the resources of Guyana should be equally available to all Guyanese, regardless of any social, spiritual or economic description that could be attached to them.

“We are convinced that as a business chamber representative of the interests of Guyanese of African descent, we can network and support each other as we seek to participate positively and meaningfully in the building of the Guyanese economy,” said the ABR. This vision accords with their mission, which speaks to the creation of strong families and villages which can support various businesses as well.

The ABR is geared towards meeting the objectives of national development through the implementation of business initiatives that will help to grow the Guyanese economy using a variety

of strategies, including the development of business enterprises of all levels, owned and operated by Guyanese of African descent.

It is against this backdrop that the ABR reiterated that it will continue to represent any legitimate business interest of its members, inclusive of all business sectors, be it construction, aviation, telecommunication, agricultural or oil and gas among others.

A member of the ABR, Eric Phillips made the news headline following a claim by the Kaieteur News that he was one of the beneficial owners of a company, African Business Roundtable Oil and Gas Exploration (ABR O&G), which applied for oil blocks in 2016.

The claim was subsequently absorbed by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo and the People’s Progressive Party which he heads. The party subsequently latched on to the issue, claiming that Phillips’s presence at the agency and his being as-

sociated with the ABR O&G represents a conflict of interest.

Noting that there was much creative journalism in the matter, the former SARA executive reiterated that he was not actively involved in ABR Oil & Gas since 2016, but was President of the ABR until 2018.

He reasoned that the ABR is a business service organisation, similar to the Private Sector Commission or the Guyana Manufacturers Association or the Chinese Business Association.

Further, he stated, “The ABR Oil & Gas is a separate entity which applied, like many other groups, for one of the remaining blocks in 2016. I was not involved in the application process as there was a separate management team responsible for that company.

“This confusion in the media, between the dates and especially between the African Business Roundtable (ABR) and ABR Oil & Gas, the applicant in 2016, gives rise to the perception

Leon Roberts, Business Development & Liaison Officer, ABR of a conflict, therefore a conflict exists.

“The application for the block in 2016 was never responded to by the Government of Guyana (GoG) or the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) since 2016, although an award was made by the government in 2017 to Tullow for the Orinduik Block, therefore indicating the ABR Oil & Gas application was passed over,” Phillips added.

AG donates conference table to CFATF Secretariat

ATTORNEY General, Basil Williams last week donated a fully equipped conference table to the Secretariat of the Caribbean Action Task Force during a visit to the entity’s headquarters in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

Williams said the work of the secretariat in coordi-

nating efforts against money laundering and the financing of terrorism is critical to all states in the region and the conference table will help it during meetings and other activities. “CFATF is very important and given Guyana’s determined efforts to fight the scourge of money laundering it is a body that

we will continue to support and embrace, “Williams said during the handing over of the table.

Executive Director of CFATF, Dawn Spicer thanked Williams for the donation and assured him that the secretariat will take good care of the facility. Williams had committed to donating

the conference table during his tenure as chairman of the regional body.

The Caribbean Financial Action Task Force is an organisation of twenty-five states of the Caribbean Basin, Central and South America, which have agreed to implement common countermeasures to address money

laundering. It was established as a result of meetings convened in Aruba in May 1990 and Jamaica in November 1992. The main objective of the CFATF is to achieve effective implementation of, and compliance with, the FATF recommendations to prevent and control money laundering and to counter

Photographs show AG, Williams, Ms Spicer and other staff of the secretariat posing next to the table.

the financing of terrorism and proliferation of weapons.

The Secretariat has been established as a mechanism to monitor and encourage progress to ensure full implementation of the Kingston Ministerial Declaration and is presently hosted by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.

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Elections not a willy-nilly process

SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 21, 2019

…GTUC says GECOM needs time to be ready

… urges PPP to return to Parliament, extend date for polls THE Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), in urging respect for the Constitution, said this an opportune time for the government and the opposition to return to the National Assembly to extend the period for the conduct of General and Regional Elections, and in the interim, the government should be allowed to function.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the GTUC said there is no doubt that elections have to be held, but made it clear that it is not “a willy-nilly” process, but one with serious implications for all of Guyana.

Turning back the pages of history, the umbrella trade union body pointed to 2006 when the then President Bharrat Jagdeo, now opposition leader, was faced with an electoral process. In an address to the nation the then President said: “The law says that GECOM shall define the form of verification of the list or may decide on verification and will decide on what form it will take. Not the PPP, not the PNC, not any party, GECOM. That’s a constitutional body, independent just like the courts.”

Neither the Constitution nor elections laws have changed since then, the GTUC stated, while adding that is an act of serious concern when a different posture is taken – seeking to dictate and malign personnel, and the operations of GECOM -- is now being pursued with a bullhorn. It added too that there have been attempts at misrepresenting GECOM’s processes and the pathway to holding an election.

It also took note of the fact that the invalidation of the appointment of the Justice (Ret’d) James Patterson as Chairman of GECOM has left a void within the commission, and that vacancy must be filled in accordance with the Constitution.

Emphasising that a peaceful way forward is imperative, the GTUC warned that stirring up anger and inflaming passions as a means towards a political end have the potential for serious confrontation in the country.

“We should avoid this at all cause [sic], for there will be no victors, only losers. We also leave ourselves vulnerable to external forces. The

legal system is obviously working if we allow it to work, if we respect its ruling and if we allow a level of integrity and good will to guide our interpretations.

Both sides must exercise good faith and trust and put together agreed mechanisms how government must function in a caretaker mode.

Both sides must return to Parliament and execute their duty consistent with the Constitution. It is a demonstration of goodwill and willingness to work together to arrive at a mutually satisfying [solution],” it implored.

It emphasised too that the government and the opposition must operate in good faith, noting that such will better command respect and trust that they are capable of resolving the current impasse. “They must give leadership and guidance to get out of this political morass with all its potential hazards at this juncture of our growth. Equal onus is on the leader of the opposition to be responsible in his use of language and to desist from making misleading statements that will play to those who are vulnerable and easily influenced,” the labour body stated.

It expressed concern too about those who are seemingly interested in securing their individual and corporate interests at the expense of the working class. Regardless of their differences, former Presidents Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham had a genuine interest in the development of Guyana and its people. “We are yet to see 34 years after Burnham’s passing any vision, any development that matches his era. We are yet to see 22 years after Jagan’s passing, the willingness to sit and negotiate with his opponent across the table,” the union said.

Gov’t must be allowed to function The GTUC said the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), while validating the no-confidence motion against the government, ruled that Article 106 (6) and (7) of the Constitution should be upheld. Article 106 (6) states that “the Cabinet including the President shall resign if the Government is defeated by a vote of the majority” while Article 106 (7) adds that “notwithstanding its de-

feat, the Government shall remain in office…and shall resign after the President takes the oath of office following the election.”

The trade union, in noting that everyone should acquaint themselves and abide with the seven clauses of Article 106, said the government should be allowed to use its legal authority to conduct the business of the country.

“Anything outside of this is anarchy,” GTUC warned.

It also challenging the political parties in the National Assembly to return to the House, and extend the period for elections as the Constitution stipulates.

“Both opposition and government must go back to Parliament to address Article 106 in its entirety.

Respect for the CCJ’s ruling would see adherence to this…,” GTUC implored the political parties in the House.

The trade union body said it is well aware that returning to the National Assembly may appear as though one side is losing ground, but the situation should not be about losing ground, but rather about saving Guyana and utilising law and order.

It noted that outside of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), a constitutionally independent body, stating its readiness to hold elections, the extant clause requires activation by “resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of the votes of all the elected members of the National Assembly determine,” if the three-month timeframe cannot be met.

“Government and opposition must return to the Assembly to give effect to this clause,” the union urged, while questioning “why there is no effort to seek a constitutional resolution as instructed by the CCJ as opposed to a political one with the potential for conflict.”

According to the GTUC, Guyana can take the example of political patience and respect for the Rule of Law being faithfully exhausted in other societies. “Take the United States (U.S.) and United Kingdom (UK) for instance, they are utilising the judiciary and legislature to resolve serious differences with President Donald Trump’s administration, and leaving the European Union

as with the UK. As we watch and see the methodical and patient pursuit and execution of the law, why aren’t our politicians learning and adopting these best practices of resolution of conflict. This nation must not be torn apart every time there is political difference and the issue of election comes up,” it reasoned.

It opined that election seems to be an opportunity not just to pursue a particular

path of development, but also to drive wedges between the people of the country.

“It’s a shame our 21st century politics reflects the backwardness of the 19th century and anti-progressive societies.

Gut feelings and passions have their place, but we cannot depend on that in matters relating to governance, where the Rule of Law must take precedence,” it said.

General-Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress, Lincoln Lewis

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 21, 2019

PPP stands to lose 50,000 votes if list is sanitised –– former member Malcolm Harripaul estimates

FORMER Guyana Defence Force (GDF) officer and People’s Progressive Party (PPP) member, Malcolm Harripaul, believes the main opposition party is afraid of house-to-house registration because they will remain in opposition.

“They wouldn’t want a new voters list because if you have fresh house-tohouse registration, on which

a new voters list would be compiled, it means that all the dead persons will come off the voters list, also many of the persons who would have migrated will no longer be on the list, so they stand to lose like 50,000 names from the list.”

Harripaul, who now supports the APNU+AFC coalition, offered his view during a recent two-hour

interview on ‘Straight Up’, LIVE on Benschop Radio 107.1 FM. RIGGING OF 2011 ELECTIONS According to him, the PPP rigged the 2011 elections, using several methods, detailing four specifically.

“The first method that came to my attention on

Election Day was at a school at Timehri, and what they did, the school building was a large school building that housed about four polling places. In other words the building was divided into four polling places. Each polling place was supposed to only have one section of the list. Like A to D, E to K, etc. But at that building, each polling place had the

complete list. So they took a group of youths there, who went to each polling place, and voted. So those set of youths voted four times. Now people would say they had to get their fingers stained etc, etc. Yes, they got their fingers stained, but maybe they got the stain removed. But the fact of the matter is that the APNU polling agent reported that there was multiple voting there, and described in detail how they went about with the multiple voting,” he claimed.

He continued: “The other method is what I call the phantom voting. I was outside of West Dem Secondary School and this vehicle pulled up, the guys had a set of cartons with ID cards, and they also had a lot of cash with them. And then canter trucks and minibuses came with more youths.

And they were giving the youths the ID cards along with a piece of paper. And I thought it was proxy voting or something. But what I later learnt is that these ID cards belonged to people who died a long time ago and people who migrated a long time ago. And the PPP were moving people around in canter trucks, and using these ID cards and going to the polling places and voting. So I labelled that Phantom voting.”

Multiple voting and phantom voting were not all the underhand practices Harripaul told the live programme he has observed.

“The third thing I observed with the PPP in 2011 elections, when we went into places like Canal Number Two and Canal Number One, every single polling officer was a known PPP supporter. And they were the presiding officer, the assistant presiding officer, the polling clerk, etc, etc.

So they were in complete control of the local elections machinery at that level. So there were cases reported to me, where even if people did not go with their ID cards to vote, they would mark up the ballots. The coalition had polling agents there but they were not too properly trained. They did not really realise what was going on and they found a way of getting the polling agents out of the polling stations at certain times in the day, like lunch time or so, or some excuse to send them out the place, and they would do their skullduggery… but

Malcolm Harripaul what the PPP was careful about, they never exceeded the number of names on the list. For example, if a list had 200 names, they would make sure only 200 ballots were cast…”

There was a fourth skullduggery, Harripaul claimed occurred.

“The other thing PPP did was to fortify the statement of poll, and they had their officials at GECOM, at the headquarters, and they had very good coloured photocopy machines there. And they had a way of photocopying documents and still having people’s signature on documents and so on. So they produced fake statements of poll… At that level, they knew how many votes they needed, and how many votes they’d give the opposition, and how many votes they would give to small parties.

And that’s where the allocation took place,” Harripaul revealed.

NEVER A ‘YES’ MAN Though he was an active member of the PPP, Harripaul said in the interview that he was never a “yes man”.

“I was always an independent thinker and I was never afraid to express my views to the leadership of the PPP,” he said.

In fact, there were several occasions where he came forward and publicly spoke against the actions of the PPP. And in 2010, through a letter to the media, he spoke in full support of David Granger as President of Guyana. He even wrote about the rigged elections, in 2011.

“I always put my country first and I always looked to see who would be the best leader for Guyana.

And at that time, I saw David Granger as the best person to become the President of Guyana to exercise See page 19

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 21, 2019

Ambassador Hunte and wife reach out to the children of Soweto

By Clair Hunte

THE weather is changing as the Winter Season is approaching in Soweto, the home of Madiba, Winnie Mandela and Desmond Tutu.

There are 72 children in one small room, and they are beginning to feel cold. The caregivers indicated that they are very much in need of blankets to cover the children and a more comfortable place for them to sleep during the day. At present, the children are sleeping on the thinly covered carpeted concrete floor that is seemingly inadequate.

Given the time, skills and resources, I proceeded to visit various wholesale fabric and sponge stores for the best deals. I purchased fleece material to make twelve (12) “no-sew” blankets, 3 sponges (size of a double-bed) and vinyl to cover the sponge beds. These were delivered on May 31st. The caregivers then asked for 3 more sponge beds and more blankets. The sponges and more material were purchased for the additional beds and thirteen Ellias Motswoaledi Pre-

School and Day Care (13) more “no-sew” blankets, totalling twenty-five (25) blankets and six (6) sponge beds, were delivered on Friday, June 14th. Pictures tell the story.

Sponges are put into vinyl covers.

The goal was for this project to be a ‘teach and learn’ experience. By involving and teaching the staff at the residence how to make ‘no-sew’ fleece blankets (most do not have a sewing machine) it helps the children as well as the individuals who participated.

Having learned the skill, the Staff also made blankets for their relatives. This combined ‘community’ effort was welcomed and most appreciated by everyone.

The process involved matching 2 pieces of fleece, measuring and marking the material, cutting and looping the pieces together.

See pictures: It should be mentioned that June 16th1976 holds great significance in the history of South Africa. This day continues to be a day of commemoration and there is much sharing and learning. It is a day when South Africans pay tribute to Hector Pieterson who was shot and killed, and many other school

PPP stands to lose ...

From page 18

presidential powers, and to run a government that would look after the interests of all Guyanese.

I knew him from the army and I knew him as a neighbour in Kitty. So I knew him personally. I knew his qualities. Very good person at heart.

I had no qualms in coming out in full support of him in October of 2010,” Harripaul wrote.

NO SURPRISE Also in the interview, Harripaul told listeners that it came as no surprise that Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, chose Irfaan Ali as the PPP presidential candidate.

“Jagdeo cannot be President of Guyana if he chooses a good candidate. If he chooses a good candidate and PPP wins the election, eventually he will be ousted from the PPP, and will eventually become oblivion. Once he remains Leader of the Opposition, he remains general secretary of the PPP, he remains a powerhouse for the PPP; he remains the man running the show in the PPP. That’s what he likes. So therefore he would pick someone who would lose election, so he can remain opposition leader…. He wants to be opposition leader for life, and that’s his objective,” he said.

This decision, Harripaul further noted, leaves room for a possible split at the leadership level of the PPP. “The better presidential candidate for PPP would have been Frank Anthony, or Anil Nandlall. So right now the PPP is split.

They are a few who support Irfaan, yes. But many rally around Anil Nandlall and others around Frank Anthony. The people are not buying into Irfaan’s promises of 50,000 jobs and all of that….He’s not a good standup comedian. Guyanese people are not dumb people, they understand the politics. People understand the issues, they understand that he was a very dishonest minster of housing,

that he was a very corrupt person, so they have their own personal experience.

They knew how he treated them when he was in office,” Harripaul lamented.

INSTIGATING CHAOS On the issue of appointment of a new GECOM chair, Harripaul believes President Granger is looking for a better alternative and Jagdeo is not going to cooperate, but will rather use the opportunity to instigate chaos in the country.

“Going forward, I can see the President sticking to his guns that he would like some more credible names being proposed by the Leader of the Opposition. But I don’t see him (Jagdeo) cooperating. Because his whole objective in his mind, he is creating chaos in the country, he is creating tension; he is creating strife in the country. But it is all in his mind.

That is what he thinks he is doing… He wants a situation where there is always controversy, because the controversy in the eyes of his supporters, make the government look bad.

They’re misleading their supporters with their total fabrications in the headlines they use in papers and reports on television,” he posited.

He added: “They are misleading their supporters in the situation where they want to create some sort of strife in the country, where they will be some sort of violence and civil strife. Because traditionally, the PPP has always held their support base, whenever there is some sort of violence going on.

That’s when the support base rallies around them. So with them having a presidential candidate with fake degrees and 19 fraud charges, they really need something to happen, that will rally their supporters around them. So I think that’s really the objective of these people; to delay things and create a situation where there is some sort of violence down the road.”

The APNU/AFC Government, he said wants a credible and violence-free election.

Guyana Ambassador to South Africa, Kenrick Hunte and his wife, Mrs Clair Hunte give generously to the children of Soweto children were wounded after white police officers opened fire on their protest march in Orlando West, Soweto.

At this site, there is the Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum open to the public. In memory of this event, June 16th is celebrated as “Youth Day” and it is a public holiday.

This year, Monday, June 17th 2019, is the official public holiday.

The people of Guyana are a very generous people, having contributed to the dismantling of Apartheid and ending colonialism

in Southern Africa. Now that we have our Mission in Pretoria, we are transitioning to assisting disadvantaged communities as part of our Mission in Action. This project in Soweto started in 2018 when school supplies and toiletries were needed. Items were purchased and delivered to the Day Care.

The current teaching and learning ‘nosew’ fleece blanket project is a follow-up that provides the basic needs for these children during the cold months of June and July.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 21, 2019

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 21, 2019

The changing landscape of the Rupununi –– inhabitants need to learn, adapt as they contend with more frequent fires

By Vishani Ragobeer A DISORIENTED tamandua struggles to make its way through the ashen surface of what was once part of lush, green ‘bush island’.

Just about 15 feet ahead of medium-sized anteater, where the burnt vegetation greets the mostly intact grassland, small fires are still seen burning.

Three days of nonstop fire earlier this year, in April, ravaged acres of land at the Waikin Ranch which is located in the Rupununi, in Region Nine. Here, several animals were either injured or killed while their habitats were destroyed; the lush vegetation was replaced by burnt tree barks and ashes.

“We constantly survey the horizon for smoke or fire because we’ve become so conscious,” one of the owners of the ranch, Francesca Pires, told the Guyana Chronicle. “We’ve learnt to be conscious of wind direction and the terrain pathway for the fires.”

According to Pires, fires have become increasingly frequent in the Rupununi area, not just at Waikin.

These fires, she said, may be caused by changing weather and climate patterns, but they are also caused by uncontrolled burning practices by persons in the area.

The Rupununi is located in Guyana’s interior savannahs. According to an article written by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Guyana office in 2016, this area is home to tens of thousands of species of plants, animals, and invertebrates, including many that are globally endangered.

The expansive landscape is largely open grasslands, but also encompasses bush islands, which are isolated forest patches; waterways such as lakes, creeks, rivers; lowland and gallery forests; and rocky outcrops.

The WWF noted that the Rupununi is one of the most biodiverse areas in South America; it provides a habitat for 80 per cent of Guyana’s birds, 86 per cent of mammals, and 60 per cent of fish.

“All these organisms are adapted to the Rupununi’s challenging climatic regime: infertile soils and the cycle of excessive water and drought,” the WWF said.

And to sustain their livelihoods within this climatic regime, ‘Rupununians’ have learnt a myriad of practices over the years. One such practice is the use of fire.

“The first thing to recognise is that fire has been part

of the Rupununi landscape for centuries,” Former Executive Director of Conservation International Guyana, Dr. David Singh, told this newspaper. According to him, fires have traditionally been used, particularly by Indigenous persons, in a number of ways for a number of purposes.

Over the past few years, Professor of Geography at Royal Holloway University of London, Jay Mistry, has been conducting research in Guyana, Brazil and Venezuela on “Indigenous Fire Management”.

Speaking to the Guyana Chronicle, she related that Indigenous People have de-

veloped “sophisticated” ways of sustainably managing fires, particularly according to the time of year. An example of this is the “fire calendar” crafted by the Wapichan tribe.

Other stakeholders within the Rupununi region provided a bit more insight into the uses of fire.

OLD TRADITION Member of the Rupununi Livestock Producers’ Association (RLPA), Rebecca Faria, highlighted that fires are sometimes lit by either poachers or rustlers. “This is part of an old tradition of lighting fire

The disoriented tamandua makes its way across a section of the burnt Bush Island (Photo courtesy of Waikin Ranch)

in the savannah to just before the rainy season so the green grass will be regrown then,” Faria explained. The grass then becomes suitable for grazing or for use as forage.

Additionally, President of Visit Rupununi, Melanie McTurk, related that fires are generally used to manage the land; grass is burnt to create easier pathways or to get rid of dry grass.

Jay, while engaging in her research, was told by Indigenous leaders that fires have become uncontrollable.

She opined that this is, in part, attributed to the loss of “traditional knowledge” of burning.

When burning in the savannah, she related that the Indigenous Peoples would do several things to ensure that the fires could be controlled.

These included the use of forest or savannah boundaries when burning in the dry season; patch burning, which involves small areas being burnt overtime, thus producing a “mosaic landscape” which prevents catastrophic fires; and inter-community agreements on burning of savanna and sacred forest areas.

When these fires go ‘out of control’, the damage is quite extensive. The threeday fire at Waikin ravaged the bush island, which is a small forest patch that is home to a number of wildlife species the Rupununi.

Anteaters, turtles and snakes attempted to scamper

away from the burning vegetation, while spider monkeys sought higher ground to flee the fire. Soon enough, however, the trees would be burnt as well, destroying the habitat of itself and varieties of plant species.

On the wildlife front, Pires noted that wildlife is threatened with endangerment, and this is particularly worrying since the Rupununi is known as an abode for endangered animals. Added to that, she related the reproduction cycles of the animals are affected when they have to search for new habitats; this can negatively affect the population growth of animals, particularly those which are endangered.

Meanwhile, McTurk highlighted that the slower-growing species of plants, like the ‘hardwoods’ needed for construction are not able to re-grow if they are being burnt down so frequently.

Jay opined that it is important to reinforce those traditional fire knowledge and practices, so that fires are kept controlled.

“Portraying fire as ‘bad’ and people setting them as ‘wrong-doers’ doesn’t take into account the historical and cultural dimension of fire, and doesn’t help in managing it,” she said. “We need to have a better understanding of the changing context of fire, to be able to evaluate the potential impact on wildlife and people.”

Aside from reinforcing

Former Executive Director of Conservation International Guyana, Dr. David Singh the traditional knowledge and practices, the livelihoods of the Rupununians must be linked to better practices as well.

‘HONEY HUNTING’ In Karanambu, persons engage in ‘honey hunting’ by searching for wild hives in the forests and drive the bees out by burning or smoking them out, before burning the honey.

McTurk, who is also the manager of the Karanambu Lodge in the North Rupununi, indicated that fires in Karanambu were linked to this ‘honey hunting’ as well.

“There are a number of communities and a number of individuals within communities who this is a source See page 22

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The changing landscape ...

From page 21

of income for them, so what we have recognised is that you can’t just solve the problem by punishing people,” McTurk said.

Instead, she said the lodge will be partnering with the Rupununi Friendly Beekeepers to promote ‘FireFree’ honey, where persons are taught how to manage the hives in the wild, so we still have the richness and diversity of the Rupununi

honey, without burning.

CLIMATE CHANGE While people have been using fires in various ways to foster and sustain their livelihoods, fires are also just naturally caused by the effects of climate change. This phenomenon causes rapidly changing weather patterns and unpredictable weather conditions.

“When we have the dry

An aerial view of part of the Rupununi Savannah (WWF-Guyana Photo)

SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 21, 2019 season, we do have instances where the fires are created just from the heat. You have the dry grass, the dry weather and the dry conditions, so it is unfair to say that all the fires in the Rupununi are man-made,” McTurk underscored.

For Dr. Singh, the substantial impact of climate change is one which exacerbates the conditions that lead to fires in the Rupununi. The Rupununi has its dry season, which may cause droughts and its wet season which may sometimes lead to flooding. And this, according to Dr. Singh, demands greater attention be placed on managing the region.

“The savannah areas will increase as a result of drier climates in that part of the country and this means that we will have to step up our game in terms of having a far better early warning system and mechanisms in place to address forest fires when they do happen,” Dr. Singh explained.

Furthermore, he stressed that the drier the space becomes, naturally, the conditions would be more conducive for fires to spread and endure. El Niño is the name given to the severe dry season conditions.

In December 2017, President David Granger inked an agreement with the Brazilian government to help mitigate the ‘dry season’ and its stark effects. Through this agreement, wells are being drilled across the South Rupununi to provide relief when the dry season, particularly the El Niño season, comes.

Even with the wells, incidents do occur and will continue to occur, if not exacerbate and persons living in the Rupununi would need to adapt as well.

The Waikin Ranch is located about 30 minutes away from Lethem, which is the main hub of the Rupununi region. At Lethem, there is a fire tender which is currently manned by volunteers.

Mayor of Lethem, Carlton Beckles, related that this tender does not have a “huge capacity” and not much can be done for outlying regions,

especially if the tender has to traverse great distances to get more water (for example, going to a creek).

However, he did highlight that the construction of a fullfledged fire station is almost complete. With this, there would be more fire tenders and more persons would be trained into a permanent fire response team. This, he said, should be able to help mitigate fires in the region.

Whether through human practices, climate change or a bit of both, the incidents of fires in the Rupununi is one which affects the wildlife, the landscape and the people and their livelihoods.

“One of the things that is so wonderful about the Rupununi is that we have a series of microhabitats with each one of those microhabitats are harbouring a unique collection of life at every level,” McTurk related. It is for this reason she believes that due diligence must be taken.

In an attempt to salvage the rich ecosystem at Waikin, the Pires family has replanted the area with forest and fruit trees. Francesca also stated that planning for the dry season also now starts months in advance.

This planning now being done at the Waikin ranch is one which Dr. Singh said is needed throughout the Rupununi. According to him, this planning must incorporate early warning systems, as well as education and awareness systems so that people could understand the potential harm and how to mitigate this.

Climate resilient agriculture, which involves engaging in practices that would reduce the ‘climate stress’ on crops and livestock, is also needed.

All-in-all, however, Dr. Singh opined that fate of the tamanduas, and all the wildlife and forest resources, ultimately comes down to the devolution of decision-making down to the “local level”.

He explained that this devolution would enable the “rights holders” or the Rupununians to take greater responsibility for the resources there.

A section of the burnt Bush Island (Photo courtesy of Waikin Ranch)

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 21, 2019

12 researchers to benefit from training in Costa Rica THE National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) will include several innovative sustainable crop production projects aimed at further diversifying and greening the local agriculture sector in its 2020 budget.

According to a press release, the projects will be developed by a team comprising 12 research scientists, research assistants and extension officers, who will be attending a three-week training programme at the Tropical Agriculture Research and Higher Education Centre (CATIE), Costa Rica.

we are enhancing our biotechnology laboratory at NAREI, I advise you to take the opportunity to utilise the laboratory at CATIE,” Dr. Homenauth urged.

Dr. Homenauth encouraged the team to challenge their minds during the training programme. They were advised to observe and note innovative projects that could be implemented in Guyana to enhance the standard of NAREI and by extension the other crops sector.

“Each team member was carefully selected from research and extension services.

CEO of NAREI, Dr. Oudho Homenauth; Wilmot Garnett, Country Representative of IICA; NAREI DCEO (research), David Fredericks; NAREI’s Snr. Human Resources Officer, Sharon Blair, and the 12 beneficiaries The team will be departing Guyana on Sunday, July 21, 2019. The training costs approximately US$85,000 and is being funded by the Government of Guyana and the Inter-American Development Bank.

Dr. Oudho Homenauth, CEO of NAREI and Wilmott Garnett, Country Representative of Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), who jointly crafted the training modules briefed participants about the training programme. The crops of primary focus are cassava, cocoa, citrus and coconuts.

According to Dr. Homenauth, the general theme for the training will be sustainable crop production but based on specific interests. The participants’ internship will focus on cassava and citrus production, agro-forestry systems, farm management, monitoring and evaluation of performance for different production activities and biometrics, as well as on topics related to the use of participatory methods for research and learning as the Farmers Field School approach, among others.

“Of importance is the tissue culture and biotechnology in genetic improvement and massive multiplication in the field. Whilst

You are required to develop a project based on sustainable crop production for next year.

So, by September 30, 2019 there will be 12 solid projects,” he added.

Garnett, who is also a member of NAREI’s board of directors, believes that exposure to Costa Rica’s agri-business and CATIE’s planned theoretical and on-farm sessions will ignite the creative thinking NAREI requires for its agricultural projects.

“IICA’s staff will also be offering lectures on institutional development and examples of work being conducted with the Agriculture Development Bank in Costa Rica and to organise visits to specialised crop production systems. CATIE will organise visits to observe production for cassava and citrus as well as agro-forestry system,” he added.

All participants who fulfill the evaluation requirements will receive an Official Certificate issued by CATIE/IICA indicating satisfactory completion of the threeweek training on Sustainable Crop Production. Each participant must attend 90 per cent of the programmed activities and submit an internship report to be qualified to receive the internship certificate.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 21, 2019

27 young offenders before the Children’s Court

A total of 27 cases involving young offenders are before the Children’s Court at the Georgetown Magistrates’

Court. The matters are being heard in accordance with the rules and laws of the Juvenile Justice Act.

In October 2018, the Children’s Court was commissioned to provide reform rather punishment for young

offenders under the age of 17.

The cases that are presently before the court speak to young offenders in crimes

such as murder, manslaughter, attempted murder, discharging a loaded firearm and other petty crimes.

The cases are presided over by Magistrates Dylon Bess and Annette Singh.

the murder of a man identified as ‘Buckman’ who was stabbed at Leopold and Lombard Streets, Georgetown on November 17, 2018.

The police had reported that on November 17, about

An inside view of the juvenile court Both magistrates had received training in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States (US).

The offenders are placed into the custody of Juvenile Holding Centre at Sophia and the matters are held in camera away from the public. A probation officer and a child protection officer are attached to the court and are present at each hearing. The Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) is also involved in the pre-screening of juveniles.

One of the first murder cases being heard at the Children’s Court involves two fifteen-year-old boys who are accused of killing a 45-yearold drug addict.

The two teens are being tried by paper committal for

22:45 hours, “Buckman” and the three teens were involved in an argument because he stopped buying drugs from them.

One of the accused allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed the man several times before making good his escape. After the stabbing, the 45-year-old man was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Last week, a 17-year-old youth was charged with manslaughter before Magistrate Bess and was placed into custody at the Sophia holding Center.

It is alleged that the teen unlawfully killed his friend 21-year old Mervin Squires as a result of a $500 gambling debt.

Peeling a coconut the conventional way THERE is a conventional way of peeling a coconut if you live in the countryside.

For people living in the city and who do not have relatives residing in the countryside, nor, ever had the opportunity to visit, the sight of such a novelty is rare.

Peeling a coconut can either be done using a cutlass, or by using the sharpened edge of a crowbar that is stuck into the ground.

Both acts require a skill that is practised otherwise; the individual performing the an art can be seriously injured.

In this Samuel Maughn photo, Laluni farmer , Jiaram Balgobin, displays his skill in peeling a coconut to the `Pepperpot Magazine’ team.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 21, 2019

DDL to expand production line

–– farmers to benefit directly

By Navendra Seoraj

THE Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) plans to expand its production line over the next few years, Director of the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), Dr. Odhu Homenauth, said.

This plan will see farmers from across the country benefitting directly by being able to sell their produce and even expand production.

DDL’s intention is to expand production of juices. In doing so, the company will require millions of pounds of fruits on an annual basis for local use and for the export market.

Homenauth, in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, said the institute has started to work with farmers to ensure they can capitalise on the opportunity when it comes on stream.

He said DDL will be looking for fruits such as passion fruit, cherries and guava, among other things.

Famers have already started to innovate in order to get better yields.

Homenauth said farmers have been using inoculum, a bacterium, which when mixed with legumes, produces nitrogen in the soil.

He said the use of inoculum has become a popular practice with bora farmers in Parika Backdam.

“The crop lasts a longer time, the bora you get comes out even… it is important if you are exporting and you have an extended shelf life,” said Homenauth.

According to the direcNAREI Director, tor, NAREI has also seen Dr. Odhu Homenauth successes with watermelon in the Mahaica area, which is a watermelon producing area.

Prior to having good yields, farmers had to deal with a disease which lasted for two seasons. Dr. Homenauth said the institute was able to implement research projects to counter the disease.

This time around in the area, there were significant increases in production for the export market. Watermelon is exported to Barbados.

“Barbados was telling me that the number of rotten melons decreased,” said Dr Homenauth, adding that there have also been successes in the plantain industry.

Production of plantains has been ongoing, but the operationalisation of the two processing facilities at Parika and Leguan will further drive the industry.

The processing facilities are going to further enhance the development of the plantain industry across the country.

NAREI has also been working with coconut farmers since coconut continues to be a major non-traditional export earner.

“What we have seen is an increase in the demand for coconut water, a lot is going out to Trinidad but with that, there is an increase in demand for planting material,” said Dr. Homenauth.

Together with farmers at the Hope Estate, they were able to supply adequate quantities of planting material to supply the increasing demand.

The institute has also promoted inter-cropping because they want to maximise the returns from coconuts.

The coconut tree provides shade for crops such turmeric, passion fruit, plantains and black pepper to grow.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 21, 2019

FROM PAGE 38

Lady Jags down St Lucia 2-0 to stay undefeated

… Guyana to face Suriname tonight GOALS from Tiandi Smith and Nailah Rowe

on either side of the half were enough for Guyana to down St Lucia 2-0 to remain undefeated in Group A of the CONCACAF Women’s U20 Championship Qualifiers.

The Lady Jags, as they are more popularly known, will play Suriname today from 16:00hrs in their final game of the competition.

Playing at the Nation-

al Track and Field Centre, Smith, in front of her home crowd, scored a sensational goal in the 19th minute, while Rowe netted in the 73rd minute for Guyana to end St Lucia’s unbeaten run in Group A. The Lady Jags defeated Bermuda, Antigua and Barbuda, along with St Lucia; all by a 2-0 score line and two different scorers in each

win.

Guyana now sit atop Group A on nine points from three games and are the only team to not concede a goal so far.

Meanwhile Suriname won their first game of the competition with a 5-1 drubbing of Antigua and Barbuda.

Ortgea Riley scored all of her country’s goals while Tyanna Simon scored theirs in the 44th minute. (Rawle Toney)

Middle overs key against India - Thomas (CMC) – DEVON Thomas said controlling the middle overs against India-A had been key to West Indies-A’s first win of the five-match one-day series here Friday.

West Indies-A piled 298 for nine off their 50 overs – the highest total of the series – after being sent in at Coolidge Cricket Ground and then successfully defending it, to come away with a nervy five-run victory in the end.

They stumbled early losing Kjorn Ottley for one to the fifth ball of the innings with three runs on the board but Thomas, who struck 70 from 95 balls at number three, inspired two successive half-century stands to ensure there was no repeat of the bat-

ting woes which plagued the hosts in the first three matches.

“After we lost that wicket in the first over, I and (Sunil) Ambris knew we had to build a partnership. We had to watch the ball as closely as possible, assess the wicket and build from there,” Thomas said.

“Not looking back in the past but in the middle overs we tend to lose a lot of wickets so we tried to control those middle overs and see how far we could take it.”

Thomas put on 73 for the second wicket with Ambris (46) and a further 81 for the third wicket with captain Roston Chase, who top-scored with 84 off 100 deliveries.

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off off-spinner Washington Sundar, Chase ensured there was no collapse as he combined with Jonathan Carter (50) to post 97 for the fourth wicket.

In reply, India recovered from 160 for six in the 32nd over to put West Indies under pressure, and needed just nine to win off the last over.

However, medium pacer Rovman Powell bowled a brilliant last over to ensure victory for West Indies-A. Thomas, who also kept wicket, said he had urged the bowlers to keep the India-A batsmen from scoring freely in order to build pressure.

“We just tried to get the (required) run rate up to 12.

They played very well and they brought the game down to a very tight (situation),” Thomas pointed out.

“But it’s cricket so you never know what can happen. I enjoyed the victory more than the innings.”

The final match of the series is set for today at Coolidge.

QC finish 10th, Business ...

were competitive in most of their games.

“I think it was a creditable performance. They showed a lot of improvement from last year.”

According to the experienced coach, although the team should have won at least two more games in the tournament, the side stepped up.

“I think QC need to build on this performance.

With a bit more development and exposure, I think the team can become much better.”

SENSATIONAL ROSS In their final game, a battle for ninth position in the 17-team event, QC went down by three wickets to 360 Cricket Academy.

QC batted first and tallied 140-9 from their allotted 40 overs. Vickash Jaikaran led the attack with 37, while skipper Navindra Persaud added 22 and Idris Allen 17 not out.

In reply, left-arm orthodox bowler Gary Ross brought the Guyanese school back into the game after spinning his way to 6-24, but Cricket Academy were able to reach the required target in 38.1 overs.

Meanwhile the Business School ended on a high after they defeated Queen’s Park Club (T&T) by 17 runs in a low-scoring clash.

Business School batted first and reached 84 before they were bowled out in 26 overs.

Only Ushardeva Balgobin (17) and Tathesh Shivrattan (10) reached double figures.

In reply, Stephan Wilson finished with 4-20 while fellow spinner Shivrattan took 3-24 to bowl out the Trinidadian side for 67 in 28.5 overs.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Sunday July 21, 2019) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL- Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel-225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD- 83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 2256158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) England-397/6 (vs AFG) (2) Tom Latham-21 catches (NZ) Today’s Quiz: (1) Which fielder (non-wicketkeeper) took most catches in ICC World Cup 2019?

(2) How many century-partnerships were fashioned in ICC World Cup 2019?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 21, 2019

Australia on the verge of retaining Women’s Ashes an unnecessary single before Jones was caught at mid-off, as the opener tried to hit Molineux over the top.

The left-arm spinner then had a third victim as Sarah Taylor was adjudged lbw for five.

There was some stubborn resistance from Sciver, who brought up her first 50 in her fifth Test in a resolute sixth-wicket partnership of 55 with her housemate Katherine Brunt, who was bowled

by Ash Gardner for 15.

Yet, as they were forced into defensive mode after tea, scoring at less than two an over, the dynamics of the match shifted.

Beth Mooney drives elegantly through the off side. (Getty Images)

(BBC) - RUTHLESS Australia are on the verge of retaining the Women’s Ashes after the third day of the Test at Taunton.

After declaring on 4208 before lunch, they ripped through England’s middle order to leave them 199-6 at the close, trailing by 221 runs.

Only Amy Jones (64) and Nat Sciver with an unbeaten 60 held up the tourists’ charge but England require 72 more just to avoid the follow-on.

With one day to go, England’s hopes of winning the match have all but gone.

Today is the 38th anniversary of the famous men’s Ashes win at Headingley in 1981, but a triumph from this position with just one

day remaining would be even more remarkable than the heroics of Ian Botham and Bob Willis.

Leading 6-0 in this multi-format series, a draw would see Australia retain the Ashes with the three Twenty20 games still to play.

England need to reach 271 to avoid the follow-on and they will then have to declare immediately, even with a deficit of 149.

Then it will be a case of bowling Australia out in their second innings as quickly as possible before embarking upon an unlikely final-innings run chase.

If that happens, the excitement levels at Taunton this evening will echo what was witnessed at Lord’s in

the men’s World Cup final seven days before.

England began their first innings in an ominous position, 420 runs behind with just over five sessions left and knowing only a win would do; they had to bat well and, just as importantly, quickly.

There was hope after lunch when Jones and Heather Knight were at the crease, as they put on 79 for the second wicket at a good tempo, but the loss of the England captain lbw to Sophie Molineux for 28 was a setback from which they never recovered, as they lost four for 52 either side of tea.

Georgia Elwiss was runout by a direct hit from Nicole Bolton after taking on

Arjune, Sukhram lead after day one MUNAF Arjune and local female golf star Christine Sukhram braved the heavy early morning rains and steady showers throughout the day to finish the opening day of the two-day Lusignan Open Golf tournament in top positions.

While the greens were well prepared, the weather was not that good to the players. Over 65 golfers

started the day in fierce competition.

The tournament was played on the nine-hole course, with rivalry in the championship Flight (0-9 handicap), B Flight (1019), C Flight (19-28), and Ladies Flight.

At the end of the day’s proceedings, Arjune ended with a net 69, which was followed closely by Haresh Tiwari, 61 and Guillermo

Escarrda, 70.

The female category was also a close contest, but at the end of the day it was Sukhram, who stole the show. The 30-year-old, who was out of the sport for the past eight months, showcased her true talent and ended the day with a net 75.

The tournament concludes today.

AUSTRALIA SHOW NO SIGNS OF LETTING UP Australia have dominated this series right from the first one-day international at Leicester and are in no mood to stop.

For the third successive morning they came out to bat at Taunton, even if it was only a matter of time before a declaration came.

They added a further 79 runs off 22.4 overs, which included a maiden half-century for Beth Mooney before her dismissal for 51 finally prompted captain Meg Lanning to send England in.

Ellyse Perry bowled opener Tammy Beaumont for a duck with an absolute beauty before lunch then the spinners took over, wheeling away for 59 of the 83 overs bowled.

Molineux sent down 29 of them and was the pick, while fellow Test debutant Gardner chipped in with the late wicket of Brunt.

Australia have talked about playing positive cricket on this tour and will think there is no reason why they cannot take 14 English wickets on the final day to claim a Test victory.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 21, 2019

Dhoni to miss India tour of West Indies MS Dhoni has played 350 one-day internationals for India.

(BBC) - FORMER India captain MS Dhoni will miss a tour of the West Indies - to join up with his army regiment instead.

The wicketkeeper-batsman is an honorary lieutenant colonel of a reserve force called the Territorial Army in India.

Following increased speculation about his future, the 2011 World Cup

winner is now set to spend the majority of the next two months with his regiment.

“MS Dhoni is not retiring from cricket right now,” said a senior Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official.

“He has made himself unavailable for the tour of

the West Indies as he will be spending two months with his paramilitary regiment,” the official told PTI. The 38-year-old veteran of 350 one-day internationals struggled for form as India went out of the World Cup in the semi-finals.

He retired from Test

cricket in 2014.

It is reported that Dhoni revealed his decision to Indian cricket’s governing body before today’s selection committee meeting.

The upcoming tour begins on August 3.

Lowry takes four-shot lead into today’s final Open round

(BBC) - IRELAND’S Shane Lowry produced one of the great major championship rounds with a sensational eight-under-par 63 that saw him take a four-shot lead into today’s final round of The Open.

Lowry, who called it “one of the most incredible days of my life,” carded eight birdies to finish on 16-under overall at Royal Portrush.

England’s Tommy Fleetwood is Lowry’s closest rival on 12-under after a 66.

JB Holmes is third on 10-under, one head of Justin Rose and Brooks Koepka.

World number one Koepka, who won this year’s US PGA Championship and finished runner-up at the Masters and US Open, finished with successive birdies on the 17th and 18th holes to keep himself in contention to win a fifth major in his last 10 appearances.

But the day belonged to the 32-year-old Lowry, who started the day tied at the top of the leaderboard, alongside Holmes, and was in sensational form from the first hole until the last, hitting 17 of the 18 greens in regulation as he set a new course record.

A partisan crowd at the Northern Irish course cheered his every birdie.

The noise was so raucous that Fleetwood and playing partner Lee Westwood, who were in the group in front, had to wait to play their tee shots on the 18th.

There were incredible scenes scenes usually reserved for the final day of the championship. As Lowry walked down to the last hole, fans stood to applaud and cheer their man as he completed a memorable round of golf.

With adverse weather forecast for today, tee times have been brought forward with the first tee time at 07:32 BST, with leaders beginning their final round at 13:47 BST.

his pursuit of a first major success.

Even as Fleetwood climbed the leaderboard Lowry kept his cool, picking up a shot on the par-five fourth before taking the outright lead with another gain on the 12th before successive birdies on the 15th, 16th and 17th stretched his advantage to four.

Lowry knows as well as anyone that there is still a long way to go. Three years ago he went into the final round of the US Open with a four-shot lead only to let that tournament slip from his grasp with a final-round 76.

“I hope I’m going to be able to deal with it better,” said Lowry. “I know it’s going to be difficult and hard but hopefully I am ready for it.

“I have a tough 24 hours ahead of me, but there’s nowhere I would rather be. I have a four-shot lead in an Open in Ireland. Today is going to be incredible no matter what happens,” he mused.

‘NOWHERE I’D RATHER BE’ With home favourite Rory McIlroy - who shot a 61 on this course before two new holes were created on the Dunluce Links for The Open - missing Friday’s halfway cut, the fans put their support behind Lowry, and he rose to the occasion.

He came agonisingly close to matching Branden Grace’s major-championship record of 62, set at The Open two years ago at Birkdale, but his effort for birdie on the 18th missed by an inch.

Nevertheless, his 16-under overall total of 197 is the lowest after 54 holes in Open history and he has, so far, shown little signs of faltering in Shane Lowry

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 21, 2019

ExxonMobil Schools Football tournament

New Campbellville, East Ruimveldt Girls advance to final NEW Campbellville Secondary will face East Ruimveldt in the final of the female segment of the 2019 ExxonMobil Schools Football tournament.

During yesterday’s semi-finals, the two finalists took vastly different paths.

On pitch one it was a battle of skills when the eventual winners Campbellville stitched in the first goal, compliments of Breanna Solomon in the 17th minute.

Solomon returned in the 25th minute to make it two goals, leaving fans to believe that the game was over at that point.

However, Shania East in the 39th minute brought the game back to life with a stunning goal as the Charlestown side seemed to be

making a resurgence.

Shoiana Adams in the 45th quickly restored the two-goal advantage with New Campbellville’s third in the 45th minute before East narrowed the margin to one goal with a last-ditch 50th minute strike.

Charlestown could not register that equalising goal before the whistle went.

In the other game, it was easy sailing for East Ruimveldt who breezed by Tucville, 2-0.

Keasha Jones in the 15th and Shaqwana Wright, (46th) were the scorers in the match as the two teams prepare to meet next Saturday.

Meanwhile up to press time, there were no results for the male quarterfinals.

Action in the ExxonMobil Schools Football tournament Girls’ segment

Stage set for GMR&SC second National Race of Champions

The stage is set for today’s hosting of the second National Race of Champions, organised by the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC).

According to GMR&SC president Rameez Mohamed, all systems are in place for the event.

“We have washed the track because we know it was a bit dirty in some sections and we’ve also done some track preparation ahead of the event.”

“All the necessary safety procedures, including marshals and medical teams, have also been procured by the club for this event and I think we have dotted all our ‘i’s and crossed our ‘t’s.”

“We want to get going right off the bat with the MOTUL time attack. That’s new so fans are going to want to come early and ensure they see that.”

He noted that there are also some last- minute competitors who registered late into the night, putting the total to over 50 competitors.

Those include the return of the 125cc lightweight bikes as well as the larger more, defined superbikes.

Apart from that, the regular street and sport tuner classes along with groups one through four are expected.

Admission for children is $500 and adults $1 000.

The event will see support from E-Networks, Tropical Shipping, BM Soat Auto Sales, Mohamed’s Enterprise, Miracle Optical, Choke Gas Station, Special Auto, Prem’s Electrical, Nexus Machine Shop, Blue Spring Water, Motor Trend, Ramchand Auto Spares, Power Line Automotive, Motul Oil and KGM Security.

Race time is 09:00hrs with gates opening at 07:00hrs

GMR&SC National Race of Champions round two

… Persaud downplays Group three battle DRIVER Danny Persaud has played down the Group three battle that is expected to unfold today at the second round of the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club’s National Race of Champions.

Persaud, who pilots the blue ‘buy me auto sales’ Mazda Miata spoke to the media yesterday, saying, “I feel good, it’s been a long time since we haven’t had a late Saturday night running behind racecars.”

The car has been ready for a while now. All we needed to do is dust the cobwebs off, charge the batteries and we are ready to go racing.”

When asked about the battle looming today in the Group three class, the former Group three champion said, “Yeah, I know there are some pretty quick guys in my group, noteworthy Vishok Persaud and the Lotus but we aren’t worried. We have our ducks in a row and we have what it takes.”

He also thanked his sponsors “Racing this meet wouldn’t be possible without my sponsors ExxonMobil, STAG Beer and Buy Me Auto Sales, so I have to say a huge shout out to them.”

Today’s meet begins at 09:00hrs with the Motul Time attack.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 21, 2019

GTTA benefits from ITTF Equipment Grant THE Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) on Friday cleared from the Muneshwar’s wharf a quantity of table tennis equipment, which will aid in its developmental and decentralisation efforts.

The equipment was received from the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) as a part of ITTF’s global programme to assist with the development of the sport in Guyana.

The grant includes: Six Stag 1000 DX competition tables; six clip-on table tennis nets; six scorecards; 80 STAG Elite beginners racquets; 4.5 gross of STAG One Star plastic training balls and two gross of STAG and Three Star plastic competition balls.

The grant was provided, based on the GTTA proposal for development and

decentralisation of the sport in Guyana and active engagement of the ITTF programmes The grant will significantly impact the development efforts of the GTTA, allowing for the expansion of programmes in areas of athletic training, talent identification and selection, competition, club development coordinated national team training and other key areas.

In a release to the media, GTTA president Godfrey Munroe said; “This fits in with our strategic plan, which is to have programmes for all levels of players throughout the year; to provide equity and access to more players across Guyana and as a platform for sustainable development for the sport, in addition to assisting the association with its capitalisation efforts as we seek to grow the sport,

acquire a home for the sport as a key sustainable pillar.”.

“Further the grant positively impacts the decentralisation efforts of the association. Our strategic plan is to host and take national competitions and training camps to the rural areas as part of developing the sport.

(We want) to provide competition tables to Regions such as Berbice, Linden and Bartica with a vision of gradually building capacity in the regions so as to allow the Steering Committees in these areas to host domestic and national tournaments and training programmes”.

Munroe stated; “As GTTA president, and behalf of the Executive Committee, I wish to extend my appreciation to the efforts of ITTF Latin American Development Officer, Mr Carlos Esnard; ITTF Development

GTTA president Godfrey Munroe (left) ensures that the equipment safely leaves the wharf.

Officer Ramon Ortega Montes, LATTU and CRTTF for lobbying for Guyana to benefit from the grant, based on the GTTA advocacy”.

“The GTTA would

West Ruimveldt Primary move into windball final

West Ruimveldt Primary School windball team and officials after the semi-final victory

AFTER 14 years, West Ruimveldt Primary School will return to the final of the Allister Munroe-organised Al Sport and Tour Promotions/National Sports Commission/22nd End of School Year Edward Cobenna Memorial Primary Schools Windball Cricket Champions Trophy tournament.

The championship battle

against Winfer Gardens Primary is set for this evening at the National Gymnasium.

Action bowls off between St Pius Primary and Enterprise Primary in the third place battle at 17:30hrs.

In their semi-final battle against West Ruimveldt Primary, St Pius won the toss and opted to take first strike.

Led by Danesh Ramjeawan,

who clobbered seven sixes in a score of 46 and Jamal Williams who finished with 36, St Pius reached 106-1.

West Ruimveldt in reply stormed to 112-0, with Omarian Cummings exploding with 11 sixes in a top score of 70. Vikash Asram added 15.

Earlier in the week, Winfer Gardens won the toss against Enterprise and decid-

ed to bowl first in semi-final one.

Enterprise tallied 109, with Moses Cordis hitting five fours and eight sixes in an unbeaten 68, while Winfer Gardens replied with 113-2.

Shane Prince led the attack with 64.

Trophies will be presented to the top four teams this evening.

also like to extend gratitude to Minister within the Ministry of Education, Dr George Norton, for facilitating the tax waivers, and the staff of the Guyana

Revenue Authority (GRA) and Mr Gavin Lowe for expediting and assisting with the clearance of the table tennis equipment.”

QC finish 10th, Business School 15th in Sir Garfield Sobers Cricket

Gary Ross spun his way to 6-24 for Queen’s College in their last game.

Stephan Wilson finished with 4-20 for Business School in their 17-run victory.

A TOUGH final week of battle for Queen’s College and a win by Business School in their last match propelled the Guyanese schools to 10th and 15th positions respectively, when their campaign in the 2019 Sir Garfield Sobers International Schools Cricket competition concluded on Friday in Barbados.

Queen’s College, who looked solid after week one, with two wins and two no-results, lost four consecutive clashes, while Business

School won two games in their second week after failing to register a win in week one.

CREDITABLE PERFORMANCE QC coach Mark Harper was satisfied with his team’s performance.

The former national cricketer/coach said that despite the lack of turf preparation (due to rain), the boys TURN TO PAGE

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 21, 2019

Dozens benefit from youth table tennis camp in Linden FORTY-SIX youngsters benefitted from beginner and intermediate levels training when Ministry of Education, Unit of Allied Arts, Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) and Linden Table Tennis Committee held its fifth annual Table Tennis Summer Camp this month at the Mackenzie High School auditorium.

The two-week camp, which concluded on Friday, had targetted children between six years and 18 years old.

According to organiser Shavin Greene, the objective of the camp was to foster the development of the sport, by teaching the basic techniques to beginners and fine-tuning the techniques of intermediate players.

One such player was Ebo McNeil, who recently placed second at the National Pre-Cadet Championships.

The ITTF Level One coach and course conductor added that the participants, who were a mixture of Lindeners and youngsters from Georgetown on holiday, learnt about coordination, balancing, stance grip rules and numerous other technical elements of the game.

Players were given a chance to showcase their skills on the final day, by participating in a fun competition.

Of the 46, three of the participants were from Linden Special School, which is located in Mackenzie.

The camp, which was part sponsored by Roger Bishop, was consistent with the mandate of the GTTA of decentralising the sport.

Some of the youngsters who participated in the camp

Georgetown Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Championship Group Stage

Sparta Boss, Gold is Money victorious

By Michelangelo Jacobus FANS turned out in their numbers last night at the National Cultural Centre tarmac, despite overcast and intermittent rainfall, as the group stage of the Georgetown Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Championship commenced with eight thrilling encounters.

However, the highlights of the night were: Sparta Boss dismantling Alexander Village in the final game of the night, defending champions Gold is Money’s lastgasp win over John Street and an epic battle between the youthful LA Ballers and Broad Street, which had to be decided via a marathon penalty shootout.

Sparta Boss put six goals past a hapless Alexander Village team, who looked at sea for the greater part of their game. Ryan Hackett opened proceedings with a trademark power shot in the fourth minute to put Sparta 1-0 ahead.

There were no more goals in the first half.

With two minutes gone in the second half, Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson doubled Sparta’s lead before

veteran Shem Porter pulled one back for Alexander Village in the 15th minute. Within the closing three minutes of the game Sparta’s Dennis Edwards put the game to bed with two Guinness Goals (a goal scored in the final 3 minutes counts as two) in the 18th and 20th minutes to put the score line at 6-1.

Last year’s winner Gold is Money came up against tough

brilliantly but without reward; Gold is Money showed champions’ resolve and struck through their talismanic skipper Hubert Pedro in the 14th minute to spark celebrations in the crowd. They held on for the remainder of the match to walk away with maximum points.

Earlier in the night the youthful LA Ballers faced veteran street-ballers Broad

Sparta Boss’ Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson shields the ball from an Alexander Village player during their opening group stage match at the National Cultural Centrr tarmac.

newcomers John Street in the penultimate game of the night and were made to work for victory. John Street’s defence seemed impenetrable at times while they counterattacked

Street in an old school versus new school epic, which saw both sides fail to convert many chances in a tense affair. After regulation time ended scoreless, the winners

had to be decided by penalty kicks, which had both sides’ supporters on edge.

However, the youngsters on LA Ballers showed nerves of steel to score seven straight penalties while Broad Street faltered on their seventh kick to hand LA a 7-6 victory on sudden-death penalties.

Meanwhile the opening encounter, which pitted North East La Penitence against Rising Stars, also boiled down to penalty kicks after regulation time ended scoreless, North East came out 1-0 victors from the spot.

Continuing along the same vein Albouystown-B held Charlotte Street to a goalless draw at full time and eventually won 1-0 via penalties.

Leopold Street showed their credentials as potential title challengers with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Albouystown-A with Omallo Williams netting a brace in the 9th and 10th minutes respectively to send his team into the halftime break at 2-0.

After the second half resumed, Albouystown’s Akosi Jarvis struck almost immediately to halve the deficit but Darren Benjamin’s 14th min-

ute goal sealed the 3-1 victory for Leopold Street.

Future Stars suffered a setback as Tiger Bay needled them courtesy of a Solomon Austin strike in the 16th minute while Back Circle also lost their match against Sophia via a similar score line as Dwayne ‘Goofy’ Lowe netted in the 15th minute.

The group stage, which will last for three nights, will end on July 26. The top two finishers from each pool will advance to the quarterfinals and subsequent semifinals on July 27. The grand finale is set for August 3 at a venue to be announced.

The eight teams who fail to advance from the group round will contest the Guin-

ness Plate Championship.

Winners of the event will collect $500 000 and the championship trophy, with the second-, third- and fourthplace finishers copping $300 000, $200 000 and $100 000 respectively with the corresponding trophy.

They will also earn automatic berth in the National Championship in August.

To date Beacons (Bartica champions), Melanie-B (East Coast Demerara winners), Brothers United (West Demerara/East Bank Demerara winners), Trafalgar (Berbice champions) and High Rollers (Linden champions) have secured automatic berths to the national championship.

Lady Jags down St Lucia 2-0 to stay undefeated

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Guyana’s goalscorers Tiandi Smith (right) and Nailah Rowe

Part of the action between Guyana and St Lucia at the Leonora Track and Field Centre. (Delano Williams photo)

Arjune, Sukhram lead after day one PAGE

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Dhoni to miss India tour of West Indies

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GMR&SC National

Race of Champions

round two

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… Persaud downplays Group three battle Christine Sukhram

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SUNDAY, JULY 21, 2019