Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 7-31-2019

WEDNESDAY 31st JULY, 2019

No.105715

70,000 registered in 10 days SEE STORY ON PAGE 3►

…despite disinformation, attacks on GECOM staff by opposition elements

Linden passport office opens SEE STORY ON PAGE 9 ►

…residents applaud gov’t for decentralising critical services

The Linden Passport and Immigration Office opened its doors on Tuesday as government continues to decentralise critical services across the country

Fly Jamaica must prove mettle

Guyana will sell its own crude …Dr. Bynoe eyes cargo liftings every 10 days

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…GCAA says airline has to show reliability, operational competence

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Union gears up for grand Emancipation celebration PAGE

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 31, 2019

City Hall enforces order to block construction of chemical warehouse at Houston

THE Georgetown City Council, on Tuesday, deployed members of its team to stop ongoing work at the John Fernandes Ltd. warehouse at Houston and is adamant that the Council is prepared to take the necessary legal action against the company.

The City Council, in a press conference on Tuesday, told members of the media that the company has continued operations on warehouse even after the council, EPA and the City Engineer’s office have served the company with orders to cease operations.

The City Works Committee on July 22, 2019, issued the company with ‘cease letters’ in an effort to bring its operations to a halt. The committee stated that, following the cease order, John Fernandes has since failed to comply with the request of the committee.

The chairman of the City Works Committee remains unwavering in the commit-

tee’s belief that the petrochemical bond should not be erected within the perimeters of land the company owns, due to the environmental impact the chemicals could have on the surrounding vicinity. She stated that the bond will pose potential danger to the citizens and residents of the area.

Members of the council expressed that they were unaware that the company had received any permission from the central housing and planning authority to change the contract regarding land use from agricultural purposes to commercial or industrial purposes.

The warehouse facility at John Fernandes Ltd. Inland Terminal at Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, is set to be used by the oil and gas company Nalco Champions Guyana as a Chemical Warehouse. Nalco Champions had contacted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in relation to getting approval for an En-

(From right) Chairman of the City Works Committee Eketa Edwards, Town Clerk Sharon Harry-Munroe, Deputy Town Clerk Sherry Jerrick, and City Engineer Kenson Boston.

vironmental Authorization.

The city council has stated that all operations were to be suspended until the EPA had conducted an Environmental Impact Assessment.

The EIA follows a legal template which states that the public has a legal right to be informed of, and be a part of, the EIA process and as such the EPA informed the public of the application

via a notice published in the Stabroek News dated July 04, 2019.

In order for the public’s comments, concerns and recommendations to be captured in the EIA study, written submissions to the Agency should be done 28 days from the date of publication of the notice. On completion of the EIA a second notice will be posted, which would afford the public 60 days to give their comments and suggestions on the EIA. Once the EIA is completed and the risks assessed the EPA either approves or disapproves the request for the Environmental Authorization.

The council has informed John Fernandes ltd. that the timeframe for the completion of the EIA has not run its full course, so informing them that the process of getting approval to continue construction has not yet exhausted the stipulated time period, alerting them that they have

no legal ground for continuing works on their facility.

CEO of John Fernandes ltd. Phillip Fernandes in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle was adamant that there is no current work being conducted on the site.

He stated that per his business experience conducting unapproved work would be a waste of resources.

The company has also issued a statement through its secretary Zach Gonsalves, denying having not complied with the orders received from the City Council. It furthermore stated that it has gone through all appropriate channels in seeking approval for the project.

It further specified that the company had applied to the Central Housing and Planning Authority for the lands and property in Plantation Houston to be reconfigured as a container terminal, inclusive of storage of lumber and pipes and approval

was granted in October 2014.

According to the company in order to conduct the business of a container terminal, warehousing would need to be available, based on this requirement John Fernandes Ltd applied to the city engineer’s office in April 2018 for permission to erect the warehouse, permission is yet to be granted by the city engineers office.

The city council has also issued a second ‘cease order’, this one against the Houston Estate to cease work they are currently conducting on a navigation canal in the surrounding premises of the Houston estate. According to the council, the estate owners have approved the filling of the drains with sand and mud, and have yet to produce them or the city engineer with any plan regarding this action. The council is insistent that this project must be brought to a speedy halt as it could lead to several complications relating to the drainage of the city.

The council remains unyielding, stating that it expects business persons and persons in general to take the necessary steps in ensuring their plans are well within the legal parameters and that such could only be done when the plans are brought before the relevant authorities and approval has been granted. The council reminds the public to respect the council which has the authority to take legal action to ensure compliance with the relevant laws.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 31, 2019

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Marcus-to-Nandlall: ‘GECOM cannot go unrepresented’ …High Court to hear arguments on legality of House-to-House on Friday

Attorney General Basil Williams

SENIOR Counsel Stanley Marcus said it is hypocritical for Attorney-at-Law Anil Nandlall, through his client Christopher Ram, to file legal actions against the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), and then cry foul when Elections Commission hires an attorney to fight its case in the High Court in the absence of a Chairman.

“GECOM must get a chance to defend itself,” Senior Counsel Marcus told Guyana Chronicle, while standing on the corridors of the High Court on Tuesday, after attending a case management session with Chief Justice, Roxane George-Wiltshire and other parties in the matter.

GECOM, on Monday, in a Notice of Application, asked the High Court for Chief Justice George-Wiltshire to recuse herself from the House-to-House Registra-

tion case brought against the elections body by Ram. That matter, along with the Notice of Application filed by the Attorney General Basil Williams asking the High Court to strike out Ram’s case, would be heard on Friday, in addition to the substantive matters. In the substantive case, Ram is challenging the constitutionality of the on-going House-to-House Registration, on the grounds that it is in violation of Article 106 (6) and Article 106 (7) of the Constitution, and the letter and spirit of the Judgment and Consequential Orders of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in the consolidated appeals.

But ahead of the court hearing, Nandlall, in a statement on Monday, questioned who authorised Marcus to represent the Elections Commission. “I have consulted with at least three commissioners of GECOM and have been advised that a) GECOM has not met since 11th June, 2019; b) Mr. James Patterson officially demitted office on 24th June 2019; and c) the new Chairman is yet to Commission a meeting with the Commissioners. In the circumstances, I feel com-

pelled to ask, who retained and authorised Mr. Stanley Marcus to file this application? It certainly cannot be GECOM,” Nandlall said in the statement.

Attorney-at-Law Anil Nandlall

But on Tuesday, Senior Counsel Marcus said it is Nandlall who must be asked why he chose to file a legal challenge against GECOM when it did not have a chairman. GECOM’s Chairman, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh was appointed on Monday July 2019.

“Ask him why is it he sued GECOM when it didn’t have a chairman? What he expected them to do, sit down and let him get a default judgment? That is not how the legal system works. The legal system gives everybody

a chance to be heard, and if you file an action when they didn’t have a chairman you must anticipate that they will defend it with or without a chairman,” the Senior Counsel reasoned. He emphasised that in such matters with national implications, one cannot allow for a default judgment.

Like the Attorney General, Senior Counsel Marcus questioned the rationale behind challenging the constitutionality of House-to-House Registration when the CCJ has ruled that it cannot issue coercive orders directing the President, the National Assembly, and implicitly GECOM on how they should act.

“This matter went to the Caribbean Court of Justice, and the Caribbean Court of Justice was asked to name a date within three months of their judgment for elections to be held and to stop the House-to-House Registration, they got neither, and so they can’t say that GECOM was unsuccessful. GECOM was able to come back and resume its work,” the Senior Counsel told this newspaper.

The Attorney General, in his Notice of Application

Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George-Wiltshire Photos by Adrian Narine

Senior Counsel Stanley Marcus

filed on Monday, asked the Court not to exercise its jurisdiction to hear or grant the Orders sought in the Fixed Date Application (FDA) filed

by Ram. Alternatively, he has asked for an order striking out the FDA on the grounds that it is an abuse of the process of the Court.

Justifying his position, the Attorney General explained that Ram was party to the consolidated appeals heard in the Trinidad-based CCJ – Guyana’s final appellate court – for which all the matters relative to the No-Confidence Motion, Election, and GECOM’s ability to hold election were addressed. In particular, among the orders sought from the CCJ, was one intended to have the now expired official list of electors used in the pending elections but this was not granted.

Outside of the courtroom, the Attorney General, who also attended the case management session along with

a battery of lawyers, maintained his position on the FDAs brought before the Court by Ram. He reiterated that issues brought to the High Court

by Ram have been litigated at Guyana’s apex court – the CCJ, and it cannot be re-litigated. “To re-litigate a matter that was dealt with finality by the CCJ, obviously also would offend that rule,” Williams explained. He added: “We are satisfied that these matters that they are now raising again have been dealt by the CCJ.” The Attorney General was represented by the Solicitor General Nigel Hawke while Senior Counsel Marcus represented GECOM. Senior Counsel Neil Boston represented the Chief Elections Officer and the Commissioner of National Registration, Keith Lowenfield.

Inside the courtroom, Justice George-Wiltshire, in the case management session, set timelines for written submissions by parties in the matter. All submissions are required to be made by 11:30hrs on August 2, 2019. The consolidated cases would be later that day at 13:30hrs.

70,000 registered in 10 days

JUST over a week since the house-to-house registration has started over 69,547 have been registered, officials figures from the Guyana Elections Commission stated.

The success thus far comes even as GECOM has reported widespread attempts to sabotage the process with opposition activists setting dogs on enumerators and also calls by their leaders for citizens to boycott the national exercise.

Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield in updating the media on Monday disclosed that dogs have been set loose on enumerators in the fields, while others have come into contact with persons who are of the opinion that the process is illegal, and they (the enumerators) will not be paid.

“The House-to-House Registration process contin-

ues as scheduled…but we have had some challenges and we continue to face challenges, in operationalising the event. These challenges include, for example, where persons are told to register is an illegal activity…; we have incidents where dogs are let out on our enumerators in the field; we have scenarios in which enumerators are told, that is the staff working with us, that they will not be paid, and they should not participate in the process,” Lowenfield explained.

At the time, he was speaking to reporters on the sideline of the swearing in ceremony of the newly Chairman of the Elections Commission, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, S.C, CCH. He said the contentions are erroneous, and made it clear that House-to-House Registration is legal, and all enumerators would be paid. The national

registration exercised, he reminded, was budgeted for in the 2019 National Budget.

Asked whether the Secretariat would require more time, the CEO, in response, told reporters that all decisions relative to Houseto-House Registration and Elections would be made by the duly constituted Elections Commission. “I don’t want to go pass the first meeting of the Commission…I don’t want to go ahead of myself… the Commission shall meet, the Commission shall deliberate and the Commission will make all the necessary decisions going forward,” he told reporters.

The Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, and his party – the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) have called on their supporters to boycott House-to-House Registration on the basis that it is illegal but Lowenfield

has made it clear that the process is in keeping with a decision taken under the stewardship of former Chairman, Justice (Ret’d) James Patterson.

GECOM Commissioner Vincent Alexander said the Opposition does not understand the implications of calling on persons to boycott House-to-House Registration. “I don’t think the people who are talking about moving away from Houseto-House understand the processes which are involved. If we are to move away from House-to-House any other process itself would require a prep stage. And they seem not to know the time implications even if it is something else,” he told Guyana Chronicle.

Moving forward, Alexander expressed the hope that all Commissioners would uphold the standards of dem-

ocratic organisations, and not stage walk outs as was the case in the recent past.

“There are standard procedures that any institution should follow and those standard procedures include engagement in the discussions, a determination which may come down to a vote and acceptance of that determination. That is what democratic process requires. People who walk out, in fact, are trying to stymie what is a democratic process by not allowing the process to proceed,” Alexander explained.

He is hoping that the Commission can get down to business as soon as the newly appointed Chair familiarises herself with the business of the Commission and its Secretariat. More than 50,000 individuals nationwide have now been registered in the house-to-house registration exercise and are now eligible

to vote in the upcoming General and Regional Elections.

These individuals are also now eligible to receive the new Identification (ID) Cards which will be distributed by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) by the October 20, 2019 deadline.

While the over 1,200 teams deployed still have more ground to cover, many have also begun the process of revisiting residences where persons may not have been home at the time or may not have been in possession of their documents. 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.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 31, 2019

UK PM Johnson heads to Northern Ireland, Brexit’s toughest riddle BELFAST (Reuters) Britain’s new Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be confronted by the most intractable riddle of Brexit on Wednesday when he visits Northern Ireland on a nationwide tour to sell his plan to pull Britain out of the European Union with or without a deal.

A week after he took power, Johnson’s office made no mention of Brexit

in a statement overnight announcing plans for his visit

to the province, the only part of Britain to share a land border with the rest of

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures during a speech on domestic priorities at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, Britain July 27, 2019. (Rui Vieira/Pool via REUTERS)

the EU. Plans for the border have become the most contentious issue in Britain’s negotiations with the EU over the terms of its exit.

The bloc insists on a “backstop”, an insurance policy to prevent border controls by requiring Britain to obey some EU rules in case both sides fail to agree a later trade deal.

Johnson rejects that demand as “undemocratic” and says Britain will leave the EU with no deal at all unless the EU drops it. He says technology can ensure a friction-free border even if Britain adopts separate customs and regulatory rules.

Northern Ireland voted to stay in the European Union in 2006 when the rest of Britain voted to leave. A Northern Irish political party, the Democratic Unionists (DUP), props up the minority government of Johnson’s Conservative Party. A DUP source said Johnson arrived in Belfast on Tuesday eve-

ning and held a “political meeting” with party leader Arlene Foster, Nigel Dodds, the deputy leader, and another senior lawmaker Jeffrey Donaldson.

Johnson’s office said on Wednesday he will call for Northern Ireland’s suspended power-sharing executive, a critical part of the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement that ended 30 years of conflict, to be restored as soon as possible. The power-sharing administration was suspended two-anda-half years ago because of differences between the parties representing mainly Protestant pro-British unionists and mainly Catholic nationalists who favor a united Ireland.

“The people of Northern Ireland have now been without an executive and assembly for two years and six months – put simply this is much, much too long,” said Johnson, who will meet the leaders of the province’s

five major parties.

“Northern Ireland’s citizens need and deserve the Executive to get up and running again as soon as possible, so that locally-accountable politicians can take decisions on the issues that really matter to local people.” The Good Friday agreement dismantled all physical border infrastructure, guaranteeing that people and goods on either side can move freely. Johnson promised on Tuesday to lead Britain out of the European Union on Oct. 31 “no matter what”, after speaking to Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar.

That hardline message sent sterling tumbling as financial markets concerns of a disorderly no-deal Brexit grow. The Irish government repeated the EU’s stance that it would not reopen the divorce agreement and that no other alternative to the backstop had yet been identified.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 31, 2019

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Goldfieds rakes in 74,000 ounces of gold at half year THE Guyana Goldfields has announced that, effective July 31, 2019, Scott Caldwell will step down as the Company’s President, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and as a director of the company.

Allen Palmiere will now assume leadership of the company as Interim CEO. “The company has faced some challenges over the last year, and I am confident that the future will demonstrate the value of this asset and it is my pleasure to help in some small way until we complete our search for a permanent CEO,” stated Allen Palmiere, Independent Director in a release from the company on Tuesday.

Palmiere brings over 35 years of operational and financial experience in the mining industry as well as extensive experience in senior executive and leadership roles.

According to the company, of particular importance is Allen’s experience with mine production activities, having formerly held the position of CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of HudBay Minerals Inc.

Meanwhile, Caldwell joined the company as a director in 2012 and has been President and CEO since 2013.

He was instrumental in building the company’s Aurora Mine on time and on budget. “I want to thank the entire Guyana Goldfields’ team and the Board of Directors for their support as we developed the Aurora Gold Mine over the last few years. I look forward to supporting the company as a shareholder and remain confident in the long-term future of the Aurora Mine,” he stated.

Also giving remarks was Non-Executive Chair of the Board of Directors, René Marion.

“Allen Palmiere is an experienced and strong leader, who will lead the Company while the independent committee completes its search for a permanent CEO,” he said, adding: “Our focus remains on optimising the mine plan for the Aurora Gold Mine, maximising operational efficiencies, and continuing with the permitting and development of the under-

ground mine at Aurora.”

FINANCIAL RESULTS On Tuesday, the company also announced that it produced some 37,300 ounces of gold in the second quarter which brings the total production in the first half of 2019 to 74,000 ounces. The company stated that this is in line with the annual production guidance range of 145,000 to 160,000 ounces of gold. Additionally, the company noted that gold sales of 38,300 ounces at a total cash cost before royalty of US $746 per ounce of gold sold represented a 13 per cent reduction from the comparable quarter in 2018.

At the same time, cost of sales, including royalty and depreciation, were US $1,186 per ounce and allin sustaining costs were US$1,323 per ounce.

There was a record quarterly mill performance of 7,800 tonnes per day and a 10 per cent increase from the second quarter of 2018.

“Underground exploration decline construction was resumed and advanced 164 metres during the second

quarter. Over 2 million-person hours accumulated without a lost time injury,” the company’s release stated.

Meanwhile, it has updated that exploration drilling at Mad Kiss hole MKD 187 drilled into the central mineralised zone returned an average of 6.11 grams per tonne gold over a core interval of 301.4 metres starting from 14.1 metres downhole.

The release stated, “On July 2, 2019, the company had experienced a work stoppage at its Aurora Mine as a result of a portion of the workforce blocking delivery of ore to the mill. The work stoppage lasted three days, with employees agreeing to return to work on July 5, 2019. As a result of the operational days lost, the company estimates that approximately 22,500 tonnes

were not processed and will not affect the third quarter production guidance.”

Then, on April 30, 2019, the company elected to retire the principal balance outstanding of its US $35 million loan facility. The second quarter report shows that balance sheets stand at approximately US$38.9 million at June 30, 2019 and there was no outstanding debt.

Senior Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, Suresh Kalathil stated, “For the second half of the year, further operational efficiency initiatives are in the pipeline, however, realising the full benefit of these initiatives will not be immediate. Our entire team is focused on operational optimisation efforts to further reduce costs

Scott Caldwell and improve operating efficiencies. Additionally, gold production in the second half is expected to be back-end weighted with the fourth quarter accounting for approximately 60 per cent of the forecast ounces as the plan calls for approximately half of the mill feed to be sourced from stockpiles in the third quarter due to sequencing of the pit phases at Rory’s Knoll.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Call to Order: GECOM Chairperson Takes Office

A

FTER a hectic period of back and forth between the two political sides, there is now a GECOM Chairperson in place in the person of Justice Claudette Singh. She was sworn in on Monday in the presence of members and officials of the government and opposition along with other important State officials.

Also present were the other GECOM commissioners with whom the Chairperson would be working going forward.

For a moment, there were smiles and handshakes — a picture which is quite rare in our contentious political environment. Even if it does not immediately translate into universal assurance, it does, at the least, allow the country to catch its breath.

We say the above to reiterate the view that there are still significant hurdles to overcome as the country marches towards what promises to be a bruising elections campaign.

Many observers have already pointed to the enormous pressure that the GECOM chair is likely to face as the political sides position themselves to be the electoral victors. Others have already sought to give her public advice regarding pivotal issues such as the ongoing house-to-house registration which is likely to be the first major undertaking of the fully-constituted GECOM. The two delegations of commissioners have already shown that they hold diametrically opposed positions on

the merits of the exercise. One side has even questioned its legality. Towards this end, the matter is currently engaging the attention of the court. This publication is on record as supporting the exercise as a prerequisite for a clean Voters’ List which we believe is essential to ensuring the integrity of the elections. While we note the arguments of the other side, we hold the view that the constitutional imperatives of the no-confidence vote should be balanced with the imperatives of electoral integrity.

The new GECOM chair has sounded the correct tones in her first public utterances after being sworn in. She has laid down the line — she will not be guided by political arguments from the hustings, but by the law. In other words, she intends to be impartial and even-handed. That would indeed be the test of her tenure, as it was for previous chairpersons.

The spotlight on the chairperson, of course, arises from the fact that she would more likely than not be called to use her casting vote to break deadlocks on the commission.

One hopes that this would be more the exception than the rule, but past experience does not inspire much optimism in this regard.

The GECOM Chair would also be called upon to ensure order on the commission since the PPP commissioners have developed a penchant for disruption of the work of the body through the use of tactics such as unnecessary walkouts, boycotts and public chastisement of their colleagues. It

was encouraging to hear Justice Singh give early notice of her disapproval of such tactics. According to her: “I endeavour, I believe in inclusivity and I will speak to everybody and I do not believe in people walking out when they are in disagreement. I believe in sitting down and hammering out whatever is the problem; not the media will try our problems. We will have to determine our problems,” We endorse her intended approach and hope that the other commissioners heed her warning. While they were nominated by their respective parties, once they take the oath of office it is expected that they would act in accordance with the dictates of the commission which is in principle a non-partisan institution. The hallmark of a functional plural society is the willingness of political parties to observe the principle of non-interference in the work of autonomous institutions. It is also one of the stern tests of the parties’ commitment to service to country over narrow partisan interests.

So, as the chairperson calls the commission to order, Guyana would be watching with keen interest. The skills she developed as a legal practitioner both on and off the bench would be called upon as she navigates the murky waters. She would obviously be aware that her tenure would be the most important one since the Jimmy Carter brokered agreement in 1990. As she said, she knows that the job is a controversial one. We wish her well.

I believe we are in troubled waters Dear Editor,

I

wish to refer to a letter published in the media written by a Rayvonne P Bourne titled “ the Mayor should retract statement, and apologize to Chief Constable’’.

The matter relates to a bag containing cash found after several weeks in the vehicle assigned to the Chief Constable.

One could not help being impressed by the details contained in the letter.

As citizens we are all taken back- for a bag with M&CC money to be left in a vehicle for weeks, not a few hours or days but weeks is itself outrageous and worrisome.

Concerned, I discussed the matter with the Chief Constable and the Mayor- the Town Clerk was at a conference and was not available.

It’s not for me to comment on this incident, however, I learnt that this strongly worded letter placed before the public was written by a member of the City Constabularyamazing but true.

How could a Constable be so bold and have the audacity to have published such an admonition of the Mayor. I have been assured that this misconceived adventure by a Consta-

ble will be examined by the administration.

Suffice to note, first that we must uphold and cherish the right to speak out against wrong doings. These rights exercised in a variety of ways have shaped the world we live in today. However, these rights and opportunities need to be supported on a foundation of good order- rules accepted by society. In other words, a consensus of what is acceptable to secure the harmony within the nation’s state, if there is not to be bedlam or confusion.

These key elements have not always been applied and understood, hence an imperfect world.

Last week in a conversation with a group of young persons, they felt that politics was that nasty word. Happily they were good listeners as we exchanged views; I at all times respecting their views happily, agreed that there must be rules and agreed relationships, of every strata of society- in the home or family, the school, the mosque, the church, the temple, the sports club, the cricket field etc. This allowed me to remind them that happy revolution by mostly young people constitute the most dramatic and energetic developments in recent world history.

During the recent few centuries, we have witnessed swift and powerful change in the socioeconomic life of nation. In every instance, the changes were led by men and

women who were disciplined and guided by an ideology of promises. These all have a bearing on our history, successful ideological revolution. I believe that I convinced them that the great universal changes, whether it be Mohamed, Jesus or Bahaullah- were all revolutionaries or politicians in its purest and uncorrupted form.

I sighted:The Netherlands – 1585 England- 1642-49 USA -1776 British Guiana- 1763, 1823, 1953 Now the M&CC Constabulary just a few days ago celebrated its anniversary- the oldest disciplinary organization in our country. As such, we must preserve the character and utility of functional authority and not open the flood gates to lawlessness and worst ‘iconoclast’.

When a Constable, without going through his superiors, the union and Council, can upbraid the Mayor publicly- I believe we are in troubled water.

I expect this young man to retract this gumption on his part.

Regards Hamilton Green

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 31, 2019

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I support A Consensus Candidate: the ongoing The harbinger of a Good Life for Guyanese house-to-house T registration I Dear Editor

support the ongoing house to house registration as the best option for a more accurate list of electors.

The population census result of 2012 has shown that our population is in decline from 751,223 to 746,955 persons between 2002 and 2012, but at the same time we are seeing over the last two elections cycles that the number of voters are increasing and this can be attributed to the fact that long standing residents abroad are still on the list. For the 2011 elections there were 475,496 voters as against 570,708 voters in 2015. The population declined, but still the voters increased and continue to increase. The projection is that if the list remains as it is for the upcoming elections there will be in excess of 600,000 voters.

No other prominent person than the last Cheddi Jagan, founder of the People’s Progressive party commented and advocated strongly, years ago, that he expected the list of electors should not have more than one percent overseas resident on it. My estimate is that there are over 30,000 overseas residents on the old list, that is 20 per cent more than there should be, and this is extremely high, plus not good for a free and fair election and thus this grand democratic process we are on, here in Guyana, and the PPP/C conveniently seem to champion.

A resident Guyanese will be in the best position to vote based on being domiciled here and having seen the performance of the political parties and presidential candidates in contention. Hence, I support the house to house registration that is going on, and hope that it is completed in a accurate and timely manner for us to have the election that could determine our future socio economic development or retrogression, even as we expect the oil and gas industry to kick off soon.

Regards Ivelaw Henry

Dear Editor,

HE selection of Justice Claudette Singh as GECOM Chairwoman is an exceptionally good development for all Guyanese. The Government, Opposition and Civil Society should be proud of this achievement. But we should go further and ask our leaders to take the ultimate step towards unity by forming a national government to bridge the political and cultural divide.

This is a moral imperative to save the nation from its enemies, both within and on our borders. Those enemies are not only the nation states that want to seize our territory; they are also those who want to take our anticipated natural-resources wealth, including our petroleum wealth. The latter are the ones we need to carefully manage, and that can only be accomplished with Guyanese being united at home and in the Diaspora.

Guyanese are a rich people swimming in poverty, leaping from “the nigger yards of yesterday… the scorn of” ourselves, the political leverage, cultural hatred and all of the sins of humanity.

The question is: Can we accomplish a better life to bequeath to our children and grandchildren? Yes, we can. Justice Singh’s appointment is the light to illuminate the way forward. Now we must boldly take strategic actions to accomplish our motto: One People, One Nation, One Destiny.

Guyana needs a national government. The Government and the Opposition need to go back to negotiations with the aim of creating a national government. This is worthy of our heritage.

The Proposed Modality can be as follows: To achieve a national-unity government, President Granger should remain in office for a second term. The Opposition will have the Prime Minister position. This means that both President Granger and former President Jagdeo will have had two terms each. Both leaders must then ride off into the sunset of Guyanese politics after this new term. But before they leave, they must select six candidates for President and Prime Minister. These candidates should be groomed for the next generation of leadership, and should hold appointments and policy portfolios within the Office of the President and Prime Minister. The nuance can be worked out, including the need to rotate the Presidency.

As in the current milieu, everyone will be keeping their eyes on the wealth of the nation, and looking at which party gets what portfolio. The President must still be responsible for the sovereignty of the nation, Defence, Foreign Affairs and the protection and wellbeing of the Guyanese. His portfolio should include oil and natural resources, finance, infrastructure development, climate change and the environment.

The Prime Minister should be given his own portfolio, which should include economic development; business and entrepreneurship; agriculture, energy and renewable energy development and generation; electrification development and internal security.

The Cabinet and Ministerial portfolios can be divided equally,

Drugs shortage and theft in Essequibo Dear Editor,

T

he Guyana Times of Friday, 26th July, 2019 published a story on page 8 under the caption Lab Technician charged for sealing Medical Supplies from Suddie Hospital.

I read the entire article, some paragraph more than once, paused and asked myself if what was reported in paragraph seven (7) was real and I quote “He pleaded guilty to the charge and was then fined Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($25,000.) by Magistrate Ester Sam. Paragraph eight (8), and I quote ‘Khan’s theft of medical drugs and supplies comes at a time when the country continues to face a shortage at the Regional Hospitals and Health Facilities’.

Paragraph nine (9) and I quote “while the administrative staff of those affected health institutions blamed the Public Ministry for the failing to supply adequate and much needed medicines and drugs leading to sporadic and constant drugs shortages, authorities had also warned that persons who are working at these facilities were also responsible for the drug shortage.

Well one of the things in this region that we all agree on irrespective of which side of the political divide we stand is that for decades now, is there are times that much needed drugs and medical supplies are in short supply or not available but things have changed under this government improved to some extent.

A few months ago I spent fourteen days at the Suddie Public Hospital as a patient (surgical patient) twelve of which was at the Intensive Care Unit and some of the medical investigation that the Doctors ordered could not have been done at the laboratory because of various reasons including slides, strips that were not available. I had to get them done by the Private Laboratory, namely Sigma and Eureka, at a hefty cost that was borne by me. I am certain that the other patients would have shared the same experience. Not forgetting the many many Out Patients who drugs were prescribed for by the doctors there and had to purchase drugs at other pharmacy.

The administration of the Suddie Public Hospital, the Ministry of Health and the Government of the day, bear the blunt of the criticisms by most patients, while other greedy, heartless

and grossly dishonest persons, at the inside and outside of these medical institution go spotless. These persons can and must be described as thieves of no mean order, and that is also a mild description when one consider how many lives may have been lost because of the unavailability of the medical supplies at these public institutions and patient may have been ill afforded to acquire them elsewhere.

And while the Kaieteur News of Friday, 26th July, 2019 on Page 27 worded this story differently and use up less of is precious space, the bottom line is that the defendant pleaded guilty to the charge of simple larceny, the John and Jane public is of the view this man should at least be handed a sentence that would ensure he spends the Christmas holidays in jail.

I personally believe that people must have a fair and speedy trial for any offence committed, but this clearly is an opportunity missed for sending a signal to all and sundry that offences like this and that are similar, in any form or fashion, would be dealt with accordingly.

Regards Archie W. Cordis

or based on proportional representation between the main parties’ candidates, with deputies coming from the opposite party. Both the President and Prime Minister should be designated Cabinet co-chairmen, and their decisions should be based mainly on consensus.

The economic disparities between cultural groups must be addressed immediately in the areas of land, business opportunities and the creation of wealth. Affirmative action must be implemented immediately. Generally, all Guyanese must be given access to the natural-resource wealth in some form to eradicate poverty, create a safety net and to generally build generational wealth.

This should be an additional responsibility of the Ethnic Relations Commission. This Commission must also monitor the humility and civility of the nation’s discourse for the various cultures. In addition, the Ethnic Relations Commission must now ensure economic parity of the cultural groups, and that ethnic discrimination is eliminated in political and socio-economic spheres and monitor and evaluate milestones related to national unity.

Extremely competitive politics leads to conflict in Guyana.

Recent events show that the Guyanese politician cannot manage chaos. Sun Tsu, the Chinese military philosopher said, “It is better to take a country whole and intact” than to wage war, thus elections should be held to win the hearts and minds of Guyanese. Each party should compete to win seats in the National Assembly, and for the allocation of Cabinet portfolio positions.

While we will have many competing parties, their performance at the polls in our proportional representative system will give them a voice and a vote at the national and regional levels.

Regionally, local democracy must prevail, with people voting their conscience for their regional government. Decentralisation from the national government should be fully implemented.

Parliament can still be based on the party list, but decision and votes will be based on parliamentarians’ conscience for Cabinet Bill, Budget and Members’ Bills. The Judiciary must remain independent. Guyana must have an Attorney-General who will be responsible for the rule of law and protection of Guyanese and their national patrimony. We need a Solicitor-General to represent the Government.

The Integrity Commission should have the task of fighting corruption within the public and private sectors. Public and Private officials who fail to meet the integrity standards should be banned from doing business with the government for ten years.

Similarly, private businesses which collaborate with corrupt private business should also be banned from doing business with the government. Coordination and information sharing among the Attorney-General, the Judiciary, Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), State Asset Recovery Agency (SARA), Transparency Institute of Guyana TIG) and the Integrity Commission must cooperate and collaborate to protect the national wealth. Heading such coordination bodies should be the role of a minor party contesting the election. This group should be like Horatius at the Bridge, keeping the Barbarians away from our national wealth.

A National Government Commission should be established to monitor, evaluate and propose goals and objectives for national unity and the national government. This Commission should be made up of senior retired statesmen and women, including past presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers, with observer status given to the Ethnic Relations Commission, the Integrity Commission, Private Sector Commission, Transparency Institute and other ethnic entrepreneurial groups such as the African Business Round Table. This Commission must have subpoena power to bring people before them to report on progress towards national unity, and the protection of the national wealth and the wellbeing of our citizens.

The role of GECOM should be changed to become the body which determines who is a Guyanese citizen. They need to create a virtual citizen, i.e., a digital Avatar; a representational digital image for every natural citizen, and have the responsibility to maintain an accurate database of Guyanese citizens.

This is an “Accord for National Government and Good Governance in Guyana”. Burnham and Jagan started this process with the intention of implementing it in 1985. We have lost one generation of Guyanese to the “Getto Culture”.

We cannot afford to lose another. We cannot let this objective become as fleeting as the clouds; it is our national imperative. With first-oil and the International Court of Justice’s decision on the border dispute about to become a reality, let us as Guyanese stand up in unity to show the world we are one people, one nation with one destiny. Finally, the election ballot must have the question to evaluate the support of Guyanese for a national government. Let the show begin. Messrs President and Prime Minister, the ball is in your court. Give Guyanese a future. Bet on us, and we will win. Have faith and trust in us. We have great expectations.

Regards, Colin Westmoreland

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Guyanese ready for Emancipation celebrations

IT is safe to say that Guyana’s motto, “One People, One Nation, One Destiny” is being aptly manifested as people from various ethnicities are supporting and embracing the African culture during this time of the year.

As Guyana prepares to celebrate one of the most historical holidays of the year, scores of people have been in preparation mode over the past week or more, for the events that await them tomorrow.

August 1, every year, thousands of people embrace the African culture to commemorate the day that slavery was abolished in Guyana.

Recognising this, persons from the creative industry have been making the best of this opportunity, to market and sell their creations. For the past week, Main Street,

Georgetown, has been lined with several ‘pop-up’ shops which persons have been supporting to get ready for the Emancipation Festival.

owners shared sentiments of satisfaction at how well the people are coming out to support their businesses.

Not only are people buy-

Three ladies shopping for their African attire

When the Guyana Chronicle took a walk down the street, several of the shop

ing the items but they are also learning more about the culture of Africans since there

are also deep-rooted cultural people who are using the opportunity to share the old time stories of their African ancestors.

flocking every day to secure attire for themselves and their families and even co-workers for Emancipation.

What was also noted is

A customer getting her head wrapped

A lot of the shop owners said their items are almost sold out because people are

that the people who are coming out and buying these items are not just of African descent,

but people from all walks of life.

One woman told the Guyana Chronicle that Emancipation is her favourite time of the year since she has been setting-up her booth on Main Street every year with her African creations. Most of her items are sold out every year.

This, she said, is not just pleasing to her because it puts money in her pocket, but it pleases her to see that so many people deem it important to support and embrace the African culture.

Several of the buyers told this publication that they are very happy since around this time of the year they get the opportunity to dress up in their cultural wears for work and for the annual festival with their friends and families.

Five coast guards Local leaders support House-to-House Registration complete coxswain course ―criticize others for serving political interest over national interest

LOCAL leaders are speaking out against attempts by the opposition to stop a new and credible Voters’ List from being compiled, through GECOM’s Houseto-House Registration process. This, they say, is tantamount to suppression of the rights of young eligible voters.

Among them are the Mayors of Lethem and Mahdia, His Worship, Gifford Marshall and His Worship, David Adams.

“Over the past couple of days, we have taken to our communities, and as representatives of the people, we have listened to persons on the ground. We have spoken to our constituents and most of the people [want] Houseto-House Registration,” Mayor Marshall remarked.

He maintained that House-to-House Registration is the only means to ensuring credible elections are held.

Most of the Hinterland Municipal leaders condemned the actions of some of their colleagues who they said are serving personal and political interests over the interest of the needs of the Guyanese population.

Bartica’s Deputy-Mayor, Arita Embleton, said that young people are eager to get involved.

“Many of my pupils who are not on the list, they will be 18 years this year and if they are not given a chance to get registered and to be on the list, then we are not allowing our young people the right and the freedom to exercise their rights,” she said.

Region 7 Councillor, Kenneth Williams, said he is interested in the concerns of the residents of Bartica.

“Some are anxious that they might not be on a list of electors who are eligible to vote.

They fear that they will not get a chance to make decisions that could affect their future,” Williams explained.

Just last week, the High Court refused to grant a conservatory order to block the registration process from taking place. A well-known attorney drove the request to block the process. Although the order was not granted, the opposition continues to urge its supporters to boycott the House-to-House Registration process.

Councillor of the Lethem Town Council, Ubol Mc Donald

However, officials from the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) have pointed out that registration remains a legal requirement that is facilitated under the National Registration Act. Adding his voice in support of the registration process, Mayor Adams related that shortly after the last ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), citizens of Mahdia approached him expressing interest in the registration process.

“There was a] need for us to demonstrate in Mahdia since Mahdians wanted a new Voters’ List. We held a demonstration in front of the GECOM office… to let it be known, we were in solidarity of the holding of House-to-House Registration

by GECOM,” Mayor Adams added.

The young people in the community of Mahdia are keen on becoming involved

in the process, according to the Deputy-Mayor, especially since witnessing the level of development Region 8 has undergone in the last few years.

Sharing a similar view, Neisha Mendonza, Councillor of the Mabaruma Town Council said: “I think that House-to-House Registration will ensue our youths get the opportunity to cast their votes, so we can be involved in the development of our country.”

Also supporting the registration process as the correct move, Ubol Mc Donald Councillor, Lethem Town Council said: “I want to endorse the House-to-House Registration… because even though I’m here [Georgetown] I’ve been receiving several calls. My phone has been going off with people asking when [GECOM staff] will be coming to their constituency. They want to be registered!” she said.

It is a legal requirement once a person attains the age of 14, that they should register to be part of the National List of Registrants.

Persons are urged to have available the relevant documents required for registration and to be on the lookout for GECOM’s Registration Officials in their area.

These documents include an original Birth Certificate, a Valid Passport, Naturalisation Certificate, Certificate of Registration, Adoption Certificate and Deed Poll or Marriage Certificate.

GECOM currently has 29 registration offices throughout the country. All are in operational for the significant House-to-House Registration exercise. This exercise will ensure eligible voters are registered and, more importantly, for a clean list to be developed for General and Regional Elections whenever it is called. (DPI)

Lt Col Selwyn Austin (centre seated) flanked by other senior military officers (seated) with the graduates in the background

FIVE ranks of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard, who successfully completed the COXWAIN course, have graduated recently.

The course equips participants with the necessary skills to command, safely and efficiently, a commercial vessel of less than 12m and 500kW engaged in inshore operations.

The participants now have the knowledge to enable them to competently stand duties as a coxswain aboard any inshore patrol vessel and Second Officer of The Watch aboard any offshore patrol vessel.

Meanwhile, 13 persons, including two ranks from the Guyana Police Force and two others from the Guyana Prison Service, graduated from the Marine Diesel Engine Operator’s Course.

They are now equipped with the knowledge to efficiently maintain and conduct repairs to vessels, and to efficiently complement the engineering watch onboard a vessel under any condition.

Lieutenant Colonel Selwyn Austin, who delivered the closing remarks, urged

the graduating students to do their best.

“You are being trained at a time when the country is excited about the prospect of great financial wealth to be derived from the huge reserves of hydrocarbon that are in Guyana’s territorial waters. This will have an impact on the way you at Coast Guard conduct your business,” he said.

He continued: “You will be called upon to play a greater role in maritime security and maritime safety. While the planning and shaping of the operations picture would be done by your commanders, your role as a diesel mechanics will be critical to mission success.

In recent times, you would have heard of the many vessels, large and small, commercial and non-commercial, legal and illegal that transits our waters. It means that we must be prepared for any mission assigned by our leaders.”

Lt Col Austin further explained that the role and function of the unit is important for the protection of marine resources.

“While the roles of the

Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Fire Service may differ from the Coast Guard, they all are important in the Joint Services fight for a better and safer Guyana. Your training as marine diesel operator may appear small and insignificant to you, but it is not. I wish to say that as individuals and collectively, you have an important role to play in the overall support of the Coast Guard’s missions, and those of the police or fire service,” he said.

Lt Col Austin also told the officers that they would be faced with challenges but must be professional in all circumstances.

“You will certainly meet different challenges as the days go by, but don’t be afraid to consult with your operating or technical manuals, or another of your peers, since no one individual has the solution for us all. Build a reputation for yourself with your hard work, dedication and honesty. Tell your supervisors the truth about the engine/machine that you have been entrusted to repair. Your honesty may save lives,” he said.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 31, 2019

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Linden passport office officially opens its door

An elderly resident of Linden accessing the services of the Passport Office in Linden, Region 10

LINDENERS and by extension residents of Region 10 (Upper Demerara – Upper Berbice) would no longer have journey to the capital city – Georgetown – to source their passports, now that a $30M passport office has been opened in the heart of Linden.

The multimillion dollar

facility officially opened its doors on Monday for business, much to the satisfaction of residents. Already, many Lindeners have been able to access the services of the passport office at its Retrieve, Linden location. Notably, over the past two years, citizenry services were made available in Linden, except

for the application of new passports, however, with the office now being opened, all services are now accessible to the people of the region.

The building was constructed approximately one year ago, but its opening was delayed due to electrical issues.

Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix, during a recent visit to Linden, explained that the electrical outlets were installed incorrectly and equipment needed to make the building operable, were unable to work.

Passport services were formerly made available at a temporary office at the National Insurance Scheme, Linden branch, but Lindeners can now have their transactions done in the comfortable, spacious and modern 2,000 square foot office.

The new office, which was constructed by R Basoon and Sons Contracting Company, houses a spacious waiting room, interview rooms, offices, cashiers and washrooms.

Residents of Linden have applauded government’s efforts to decentralise these very pertinent services.

Application for new passports, renewal of passports,

12.81 kg of cannabis seized in 46 prison raids THE Guyana Prison Service (GPS) confiscated some 12.81 kilograms of cannabis in 46 raids last year, the National Anti-Narcotics Agency (NANA) has reported.

NANA, in its Guyana Drug Information Network (GUYDIN) Report 2019 data for 2018, indicated that of the total cannabis confiscated, 5.49kg was from internal operations while 7.32kg was from joint operations with the Guyana Police Force.

The raids conducted jointly resulted in immediate removal of narcotics by GPF for destruction. The GPS comprises of five prison locations: Georgetown Prison, New Amsterdam Prison, Mazaruni Prison, Lusignan Prison and the Timehri Prison. The GPS conducts regular raids within the prisons, be it internal or joint operation with the Guyana Police Force, to confiscate narcotics, cell phones, improvised weapons and alcohol, among other illegal items.

Acting Prisons Director,

– NANA report Gladwin Samuels, had issued several calls to prison warders and officers to desist from trafficking contraband in the prisons while asking those who are guilty to understand the consequences as the law will take its course. The prison director noted that getting rid of contraband in prison could not be a fight by a few, while noting the need for collective efforts.

The trafficking of contraband in the prison environment also put the perpetrators and warders at risk, Samuels said.

“Prison officers should not be putting their fellow officers at risk. What about our motto: ‘Together in Service?’

Trafficking in contraband at all locations is a matter of grave concern but at the Mazaruni Prison, which is a maximum security prison, it is worst because of the extent of the collusion that is needed for many contraband items to get into the prison.”

He said the prison’s mot-

to: “Together We Serve” is one in which officers swore to uphold and which is widely repeated during the annual anniversary where the celebrations of the high-risk job is observed.

The GPS is tasked with creating an environment where the focus on rehabilitation is done with passion.

Samuels explained that such actions on behalf of the warders only mold inmates to continue a life of crime and failure. Worse yet, he said, it was that the prison service was showing inmates that they were no better. The trade of contraband, while it may seem profitable initially, is bad for the prison environment.

“I do believe that while many prison officers are not directly involved in trafficking of contraband, they were aware of others who were. However, when you know your fellow officers are breaking the law and you remain silent, you are as guilty as they are,” he said.

- residents applaud gov’t for decentralising critical services

or replacements of lost or damaged passports as well as application of birth, death and marriage certificates are being done at the office.

Other forms of immigration services are also expected to be made available.

Constituency Representative for Retrieve, Deron Adams, expressed appre-

ciation to the government, particularly Minister Felix for ensuring this vision, saw fruition. “We are grateful to the government, particularly Minister Winston Felix for his vision in ensuring decentralisation of these services becomes a reality. Residents here in Region 10 will no longer have to travel 65 miles

to Georgetown for these services and it means more money will be in their pockets,” Adams said.

Adams’ elderly father was the first person to benefit from the services on Tuesday. Berbice’s Passport Office began testing and full services are expected to roll out within weeks.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Fly Jamaica must prove mettle …GCAA says airline has to show reliability, operational competence

FLY Jamaica Airways, which was taken over by new investors, would need to demonstrate reliability and operational competence before it is permitted to operate in Guyana.

It was reported that a team of investors, including Jamaican aviation veteran Glenn Logan, led by Yann LeProvost of the Frenchbased company W&Y SAS, has taken over the operations of the problem-plagued Fly Jamaica Airways.

The new owners, who took over the reins on Friday July 26, 2019 from Guyanese operators Paul and Roxanne Reece, have promised to address issues affecting the carrier, including the payment of salaries, ticket refunds, and the payment of outstanding debts.

“If the takeover materialises, as is reported, it would be up to the new owners if they would like to fly to Guyana…they would need to decide if Guyana is lucrative,” said Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Lt. Col. (Ret’d) Egbert Field, in an invited comment on Tuesday.

If the company decides that Guyana is lucrative and they decide to enter the market, they would have to resubmit the certification which they received from their home base in Jamaica.

According to Field, based on that approval, the GCAA will conduct a review or validation exercise then decide whether a permit should be granted. “They have to go through the process which the previous owners went through already…we will also need a guarantee or a bond,” said Field. He said although Fly Jamaica has been here already, it is still a young company so it will be subjected to a bond. Fly Jamaica Airways, which was based here in Georgetown, Guyana, started operating on February 14, 2013.

The carrier was grounded following an incident at the Ched-

di Jagan International Airport on November 9, 2018, when the 757 Boeing aircraft, destined for Toronto, Canada, encountered difficulties and made an emergency landing with more than 100 passengers on board.

In March, the airline made all staff redundant, with then Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Paul Reece, saying that the redundancy was due to the lack of planes to carry out operations, and the failure of the company to recover in the aftermath of the November emergency landing.

Logan, however, in an interview with the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) said plans a r e underway for

flights to resume in September.

“This is significant for many different reasons: To restore confidence in the Jamaican people, the flying public, and the tourism industry in Jamaica. I want to say that we are not just going to concentrate on the ethnic market, but also the tourism market. It is essential for the survival of the tourism market for us to concentrate on this. This is the key component for the survival of the airline,” he said.

Logan comes to Fly Jamaica with years of experience in the aviation industry, having worked with Air Jamaica, Air Canada,

and other airlines in Canada. He is also credited with starting the Canadian charter, Canada 3000 Inc., and establishing a small airline out of South Florida.

“This is why the investors have confidence in what I am doing,” Logan said, adding that the new Fly Jamaica, which will be headquartered in Kingston, will initially focus on destinations in North America.

“Toronto, New York,” he said, “will be the primary North American destinations, with plans to expand to Fort Lauderdale in the future. We are also working right now with some French tour operators, as well as operators in Germany and South America. It is imperative that we gear up as quickly as possible to meet the deadlines of the tour operators in Europe.”

According to Logan, plans are also underway to open an office and start departures out of Montego Bay, Jamaica.

“We have already had talks with personnel from the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB); they are excited to work with us,” he said, adding, “And within the next two weeks, there will be new posters; a new Fly Jamaica logo, and a complete rebrand of the airline.

Things will be different; we are looking at the operations of some very successful carriers, such as AirAsia and Sun Wing Vacations in Canada.”

Logan noted too that acclaimed Jamaican Attorney-at-Law, Michael Vaccianna, played an instrumental role in getting the deal done. “Things will be different with this airline,” the Jamaican businessman said. “This will be a lateral integration.

We will have Fly Jamaica vacations; we intend to have a hotel.

We will focus on ground handling. This will ensure that money circulates within the company.”

GGMC mulls hike in land reclamation fees …says over 44 acres of mined-out land reclaimed so far

Commissioner Head of the Environmenof GGMC, Newell tal Division of the GGMC, Dennison Carlos Todd, said miners have

THE Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) is considering a possible increase in the fees for reclamation of lands which have been mined-out.

According to the Mining Regulations of 2015, which applies to all categories of mining; large, medium and small; 225(1) “subject to 271 (3), every holder of a mining licence, prospecting permit or mining permit shall lodge an environmental bond in Form 19 in the schedule thereof in favour of the commission, for an amount to be determined by the commission.

If or when mining lands are abandoned, the GGMC would use the bond for mine reclamation.

to lodge a fee of $100,000 to the commission. This bond is used by the GGMC to repair (reclaim) the mined-out land, a task which miners should have taken up. “We know the bond is not enough at the moment and there are studies being done to come up with a suitable figure of what should be lodged as the reclamation bond,” said Todd during his remarks at GGMC’s stakeholder engagement on mainstreaming mines restoration in Guyana`s extractive sector, at Herdmanston Lodge on Tuesday.

Reclamation is done by to making land usable again by planting trees, refilling mining pits and clearing waterways which were blocked.

Commissioner of the GGMC, Newell Dennison, said so far sites at Linden, Mazaruni, Mahdia and other areas, totalling approximately 44 acres, have been reclaimed through the GGMC’s process.

“Expenditure has been roughly about $100 million over the last three years and the commission is committed as a priority to maintaining the thrust and energy of this activity,” said Dennison.

The whole idea of this project was to scientifically manage the aspects from the end of mining to the reclaiming of areas, mapping of same and creating a blueprint that could replicate the precious landscape. “I recall the huge task confronting the issue of reworking these places… the context at the time was why we should reclaim land when the chances are the area would be disturbed again by mining because of less than efficient process and of course when the economic viability to the area is returned persons would revisit,” said Dennison, adding that he applauds the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Board of GGMC for embracing the mainstreaming of reclamation efforts as a continuing priority.

Stakeholders who were present at the discussion on Tuesday

The reclamation activities which the commission has undertaken demonstrate the commitment of GGMC to give effect to the United Nations (UN) Convention to Combat Desertification and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. “We all together need to minimise and mitigate the impact on the environment for mining and invest in potential after mining value chain,” he said.

In addition, Dennison said while the commission continues with environmen-

tal education and awareness campaigns, they must not lose sight that reclamation is part of the law.

In the year 2016, the GGMC through the Ministry of Natural Resources, was given a clear directive to ensure the mainstreaming of land reclamation within Guyana`s extractive industries. The GGMC, with the oversight and approval of the Ministry of Natural Resources, has made notable progress in the mainstreaming process.

Land reclamation has since

been integrated into the agency’s annual work programme.

Working jointly, the GGMC, through the reclamation unit, has being keen on pursuing a harmonised and a multi-stakeholder approach towards environmental management, policy development and problem solving pertaining to land reclamation.

In advancing this directive, the GGMC through its reclamation unit, continues to focus on education as the main building block for stakeholders’ compliance.

Woman found guilty of assaulting inmate Mason remanded to prison for attempted murder ON Tuesday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, twenty-five-year-old Revelana Smith was sentenced to serve nine months’ imprisonment, after she was found guilty of assaulting another inmate.

Revelana Smith of William street kitty, Georgetown, and thirty-three-yearold Savita Persuad of station street kitty, Georgetown, who are both prisoners at the East La Penitence lock-up are charged with assaulting each other.

It is alleged that, on April 23, 2019, at the East La Penitence Station, Smith and

Persuad unlawfully assaulted each other.

In handing down the sentence, Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty, after going through the entire evidence, found Smith guilty and sentenced her to serve nine months behind bars.

Smith is currently before the court on an attempted murder charge, after she cut off a finger of a police woman and also dealt her several chops to her head and hand, during a brawl.

Persaud is also serving a 15-year sentence after she was found guilty of trafficking two Venezuelans for sex.

A thirty-four-year-old mason, was, on Tuesday, remanded to prison by Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty for attempted murder.

Travis Garrett, of Grove Squatting Area, East Bank Demerara, was not required to plead to the offence which stated that, on July 24, 2019, at East Bank Demerara, he dealt several chops to Ramchan Chunnilall.

Police prosecutor, Seon Blackman, strongly objected to bail being granted to Garrett, because of the seriousness of the charge and the penalty attached.

Blackman also told the court that, on the day in question, Garrett and the victim who are neighbours were involved in an argument and Garrett armed himself with a cutlass and dealt

the victim several chops to his neck.

The victim was rushed to the hospital, where he received treatment. The matter was reported, an investigation was carried out and Garrett was later arrested and charged.

“I would not be proceeding with the matter because his wife is sickly and she has small children to take care of, I would just like you to warn him because he is the breadwinner for his family and he has to take care of his sick wife” said the victim.

Magistrate Faith McGusty remanded Garrett to prison and transferred the matter to court 1 for August 5, 2019.

Garrett, who was unrepresented, cried throughout the court proceeding.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 31, 2019

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Construction of Reg 10 RDC multi-million dollar building commences THE construction of a modern edifice at Speightland, Mackenzie, Linden that will house the Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice) Regional Democratic Council (RDC) offices, has commenced. Work is now being done on the foundation and to the nearby drains and road.

This first phase is being done to the tune of $13M, but the overall cost has been estimated at $285M. The two-storey building will have a dimension of 260x60. The Regional Executive Officer (REO) Orrin Gordon said the building is expected to be completed by December 2020.

This capital project was part of the 2019 budgetary projects for the region. Gordon also related that all projects for 2019 have been tendered out.

While there was an earlier disagreement amongst regional officials about where the building should be located, it was finally decided that Speightland is the ideal location because it is central to Linden’s economic hub and easily accessible to the employees and the thousands of residents who would have to traverse the building to transact business on a daily basis. The site is in close proximity to the old aluminum plant. In addition, there

Two arrested in gun find at Melongy Landing TWO persons have been arrested after police, acting on information, conducted a search on a shop at Melongy Landing, Cuyuni River and found an unlicensed shotgun and two live cartridges on Tuesday. They were escorted to the Aranka Police Station as investigation continues.

The shotgun that was found

Body of boat operator surfaces in Pomeroon THE body of boat operator, Kendall Rodrigues, who went missing after his boat capsized in the Pomeroon River last Sunday, surfaced in the same river on Tuesday.

Reports indicate that prior to the incident, 42-year-old Joseph Thomas entered Rodriguez’s boat after leaving a wedding at Kabakaburi, Upper Pomeroon River.

Thomas, who was under the influence of alcohol, boarded Rodrigues 14-feet wooden Ballahoo which was powered by a 15-horsepower engine.

According to police, a few minutes into the trip, in the vicinity of Siriki, Rodrigues reportedly began to steer the boat from left to right, causing it to capsize.

Both men fell into the river and Thomas reportedly held onto the side of the boat but Rodrigues could not be seen.

Thomas was later rescued by persons in a passing boat and they immediately started searching for Rodrigues, but his body was only discovered on Tuesday. Rodrigues recently married and is also a miner.

are several schools, the new passport office, the National Library, the Linden Mayor and Town Council and the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission close by. The community of Speightland, which is a predominantly farming community, is also expected to develop because of the presence of the RDC building in the area.

The building that is housing the RDC is more than 50 years old and the number of staff members employed there has outgrown its capacity. The current building also has a number of safety and electrical hazards that continue to be of concern to councillors.

The foundation of the multimillion dollar RDC building being laid.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Linden top students credit MoE’s ‘gifted programme’ for their success

Minister Nicolette Henry; Regional Education Officer, Rabindra Singh and District Officer, Primary Shevon Brewster, with the top 10 students

THE top 10 students from Region 10, who were recently honoured and were recipients of bursaries from Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry, gave high credits to the gifted programme; a special initiative that targeted high performers, for their success.

The students were awarded bursaries, complements of Ansa McAL, as they prepare for a new life in Georgetown, for the September school term.

The students who hail from six different primary schools across Linden, related that the Ministry of Education’s programme, which was held on Saturdays, played an integral role in helping them to achieve their goals, and the assigned teachers, ensured that they not only learned, but had fun doing it. In that way, the reinforced concepts, were easier to remember.

The top students for Region 10; Jasmine Simpson from One Mile Primary and Ravi Rayman from Regma Primary, who both gained 523 marks, were awarded places at Queen’s College.

The other top 10 students are Taniya Spencer from Watooka Day Primary; Tashaunsia Alder from Royal Halls of Learning; Jarem Fraser from One Mile Primary; Erykah Roberts from Watooka Day Primary; Janae Bristol from Regma Primary; Ashanti Balgobin from Amelia’s Ward Primary; Shaquon Ross from Christianburg Primary and Yaneil Easton from Royal Halls of Learning.

Top student Jasmine Simpson, related that the programme was 100 per cent effective in reinforcing the topics and enabling her to understand them better. The overwhelmed and ecstatic Simpson said though she had lots of homework which caused sleepless nights, hard work and tiresome days, the sacrifice did pay off. Her encouragement to other upcoming pupils was, “no matter how hard the going gets, just keep going.”

Tying for the top spot as well is Ravi Raymond, who said that the programme was very effective since it was away from the formal classroom setting and reinforced the concepts in a more fun way. “We had fun learning, we had assistance with our homework and so on,” he said.

Regma Primary’s Janae Bristol, who gained 515

marks and was awarded a place at Bishop’s High related, “the programme was a very effective programme.

Some stuff that we did not do in Grades One to Five, they taught us, so that we could remember it,” In explaining her preparation experience, Bristol said, “I worked really hard but I had a lot of help from my very supportive teachers and my friends were there to help me along the way,” Her encouragement to other students is to create a balance and believe in yourself. “When you have the balance and the courage and strength, you can do it, all you have to do is believe in yourself. Don’t listen to what anybody else [Say], if you know that you can do it, then you can do it. You just have to find it in here and that you are strong above anything and you will succeed.”

The pupils were encouraged by Minister of Education, Dr. Nicolette Henry, who assured the pupils that the ministry is working overtime to ensure that all schools – whether on the coastland or on the hinterland – are positioned to deliver satisfactory results. “I want to assure you that every school in Guyana, we’re placing emphasis on, because what we want is to have a system whereby, irrespective of the school assigned to a child, that child should be able to meet his or her full potential based on what is being offered and delivered at the schools,” she noted.

This role is not only allotted to the ministry, she said, but to parents as well and urged them to collaborate with the teachers in ensuring that children, reap the success they have the ability to achieve. “I want to encourage you parents to play a larger role in the lives of your children, particularly when it comes to providing the supervision and the guidance that is needed,” she said.

Eight hundred forty nine students wrote NGSA in 2019 compared to 779 in 2018. Mathematics saw 58.8 per cent students passing, which represents a 4.8 per cent increase from 2018.

English saw 74.5 per cent pass rate which is a 3.6 per cent decrease from 2018.

Science saw a 60 per cent pass rate with a 3.1 per cent decrease and Social Studies saw a 56.5 per cent pass rate with a 9.5 per cent decrease compared to 2018.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 31, 2019

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Accident victim’s parents plead for help, justice Clestine Juan

PARENTS’ worst nightmare is the fear of something happening to their child, but for the Hall family, May 25, 2019, was that day when their 18-year-old son was left unconscious, due to him being injured in a hit-and-run accident along Regent Street and Avenue of the Republic, Georgetown.

On May 25, 2019, Bariel Hall was out at a J’ouvert party during the carnival season enjoying himself. On his way home in the wee hours of the morning, he was struck down by a silver-coloured motor car while crossing the road at the intersection of Regent Street and Avenue of the Republic.

Hall was thrown in the air and landed on the road surface, while the driver of the motor car failed to assist him. Public-spirited persons summoned the Guyana Fire Service ambulance and Hall was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital in an unconscious state. The teen sustained head injuries and a broken left leg.

According to Bariel’s father Barrington Hall, who spoke to this publication from his son’s bedside on Tuesday, after his son failed to come home that day he filed a missing person’s report on May 26, 2019, at the Sophia Police Station and was advised to check the

Bariel, now unresponsive in the hospital.

hospital.

“I go to the receptionist at the emergency unit and she told me that two males came in that morning as unknown and identified him.

I saw my son in the intensive care all hooked up with everything,” Mr. Hall said.

The driver of the vehicle involved in the accident was later arrested by the police after attempting to hide the damaged motor car in Grove, East Bank Demerara. He was taken into police custody and was released on $100,000 station bail with report condi-

tions, as the investigation into the matter is continuing.

The father explained that two months after the accident, his son is breathing with the aid of a tube in this throat, is unresponsive and showing little sign of improvement.

“That guy lying down there, if you call him by his name he cannot answer you, because he don’t know what’s going on around him. The only thing that he gives is an occasional movement, and according to the doctor, that is his reaction from his brains” the man said, as he pointed to his son.

The father explained that his son was discharged from the hospital twice, but he refused to take him home given his condition.

“You know what the worst fear is? It is night time, cause suppose something happens to him and we are not here because it is not visiting hours,” Mr Hall stressed.

The man explained that he was shocked at the hospital’s decision, since he and his wife had no experience of caring for someone in his son’s condition.

“This is not a sight to look at! It’s heart-wrenching,” Mr Hall said as he looked at his son. The father explained that whatever money he earns goes to care for his ailing son.

“The little that I am working for, is how we managing.”

The motor car that hit Hall down.

According to the teen’s father, neither the driver of the vehicle nor his relatives have contacted him or even visited his son in the hospital, to check on his condition. “ I know my son will get up and walk again, God is the last physician,” he declared, as he stressed that Bariel will get better.

The father explained that he is not hearing from the police on the progress of their investigation and is calling on the relevant authorities to look into his plea for justice and help.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Bank of Baroda, CCWU sign labour pact THE Bank of Baroda and the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU) have entered into a three-year agreement to improve the salary, allowances and overall working conditions of the bank’s workers.

The labour agreement was signed on Tuesday at the Department of Labour’s board room and was spearheaded by Chief Labour Officer, Charles Ogle.

Other representatives in attendance were CCWU President, Sherwood Clarke; Labour Officer, Candace West; Bank of Baroda Managing Director, Arun Gupta; Baroda Mon Repos Branch Manager, Dheeraj Kashyap; Chief Manager at the Georgetown Branch, Jayadev Perunthanath; Deputy Manager, Alexis Mickle and the bank’s workers representative, Naresh Persaud.

Workers from as high up the scale as supervisors to those rank-and-file will receive an eight per cent salary increase in 2019 and add-ons of some three per cent for the next two years.

Their salary will also increase yearly as each worker increases the amount of years they have been a part of the institution. The workers will also receive an increase in fringe benefits, effective from January 2019, which include transportation allowance, meal allowance, entertainment allowance, telephone allowance, cashier allowance and uniform maintenance allowance.

Then, at Christmas, they will receive a bonus of three months’ pay. Since April 2018 the Bank of Baroda had signalled its intention to close its operations in Guyana and moving on to another territory.

Chief Labour Officer, Charles Ogle (left) seals the three-year labour agreement in handshake with representative of the bank’s workers, Naresh Persaud (Samuel Maughn photo)

Gupta told the newspaper on Tuesday that the signing of the labour agreement and the banks pending sale of its Guyana-based subsidiary are separate issues.

He is hopeful that the bank’s decision will ultimately be to remain in Guyana.

Gupta expressed his pleasure in the cordial relations shared between all parties involved during the process leading up to the signing of the agreement. Delivering remarks on behalf of the workers, Persaud stated: “[The process] was very easy, nothing was too hard. They [the

workers] all had their trust in me and they allowed me to bargain on their behalf.”

Meanwhile, Ogle commended the union and the bank for maintaining a good relationship which required no conciliation from the department.

“It shows that there is collective bargaining,” he said. “Some negotiations [the Department of] Labour

has to intervene, sometimes we have to go to arbitration too. That is why I’m saying the relationship between you two is reasonable.”

He encouraged them to look at matters such as inflation and how oil will affect Guyana come 2021, therefore influencing how competitive the bank’s payments will need to be.

Speaking to the newspaper on the sidelines, the CCWU President said: “The workers felt that the bank is trying. They know that the bank is up for sale and the workers were concerned, trying to get international support from the Union International Network to help us to ensure that whoever is the new buyer also [takes on] the employees so that they can continue to have jobs.”

He thanked Ogle for pointing out a list of changes the union and the bank should consider in their next round of negotiation. The Bank of Baroda is an Indian multinational for public sector banking and a financial services company.

Man charged for possession of stolen property ON Tuesday July 30, 2019, Magistrate Faith McGusty granted $60,000 bail to a nineteen-yearold man who was charged with possession of stolen property.

Andrew Clarke of Rasville, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that, on July 22, 2019, at Rasville, George-

town, he had a motorcycle that was allegedly stolen.

Police prosecutor, Seon Blackmon, objected to bail and told the court that, on the day in question, Mr. Mohamad who is the virtual complainant (VC) had parked his motorcycle in his garage and went to sleep.

When Mohamad woke and checked for his motorcycle, it was gone. He made a report at the police

station. On July 25, 2019, the VC received information that his motorcycle was traded. The police suspected Clarke who was riding the red and black motorcycle. He was confronted and taken to the station and was charged.

Magistrate Faith McGusty granted Clarke $60,000 bail and transferred the matter to court 1 for August 5, 2019.

Mason remanded to prison for attempted murder

A thirty-four-year-old mason, was, on Tuesday, remanded to prison by Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty for attempted murder.

Travis Garrett, of Grove Squatting Area, East Bank Demerara, was not required to plead to the offence which stated that, on July 24, 2019, at East Bank Demerara, he dealt several chops to Ramchan Chunnilall.

Police prosecutor, Seon Blackman, strongly objected to bail being granted to Garrett, because of the se-

riousness of the charge and the penalty attached.

Blackman also told the court that, on the day in question, Garrett and the victim who are neighbours were involved in an argument and Garrett armed himself with a cutlass and dealt the victim several chops to his neck.

The victim was rushed to the hospital, where he received treatment. The matter was reported, an investigation was carried out and Garrett was later arrested and charged.

“I would not be proceeding with the matter because his wife is sickly and she has small children to take care of, I would just like you to warn him because he is the breadwinner for his family and he has to take care of his sick wife” said the victim.

Magistrate Faith McGusty remanded Garrett to prison and transferred the matter to court 1 for August 5, 2019. Garrett, who was unrepresented, cried throughout the court proceeding.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 31, 2019

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Entrepreneurs showcased readiness for export markets

By Vanessa Braithwaite

A TOTAL, over 50 businesses participated, over the weekend, during the Linden Exposition and Trade Fair which was held under the theme, “New Horizon, New Opportunities in 2019,” at the Egbert Benjamin Conference Centre, where scores of local producers took the opportunity to launch, showcase and market their products.

Linden manufacturers, particularly agro-processors, have scored major points for improving significantly in their branding and packaging of products, which according to the Chairman of the Linden Chamber of Industry, Development and Commerce (LCIDC), Victor Fernandes, shows their sincere desire to become ready for internal

that she forgot her business cards home but because she did this, customers were able to snap a photo of the label to store her information.

Executive Member of the LCIDC, Staydon Payne, related that for clients to expand their market base they need to understand marketing material and approach potential. These very high-quality

Pleasurable flavours ‘four pack special’ seasonings

about the excessive storage that four large bottles may require. Plowell related that

Packaged indulgence cupcakes

and external markets.

Some of the local businesses with products that received exceptional reviews include Pleasurable Flavours, Alternative Measures, Denise Institute of Catering, Chanzars, DeSouza’s Soaps and Oils, and Flavour Shore Coconut Oils. “I think it was impressive with our local producers. There is a vast improvement in their branding and marketing, I think they are ready for the national and international markets,” Fernandes said.

Pleasurable Flavours, which is now a household name in Linden, produces a wide array of peppers, seasonings and other culinary flavorings. Producer Dianna Plowell has made strides to improve on the packaging of her products, making them more convenient to purchase and easier to store. Her four main bottled products: green seasonings, all-purpose seasoning, pepper sauce and sweet pepper relish, are in smaller bottles and packaged together in what she calls the ‘four pack special’. Now customers can purchase all four products and not worry

the purpose of her exposition was to showcase her relish; which is a fairly new concept of flavour that can be used with locally produced snacks such as plantain chips and chicken foot, which she also produces and packages.

Entrepreneur Denise Gordon, of Denise Institute of Catering, showcased fruit preservatives, jams and jellies which generated a lot of attention, with its eye catching and unique packaging and labelling. She related that to ensure quality packaging, she sources her bottles from the United States and outsources a company in Georgetown to design the labels. Exemplary packaging, she said, is needed because her products are very unique and therefore something extra must be there to create that extra touch of interest from the customers. Her products are made from a wide array of local fruits: bananas, passion fruit, golden apple, watermelon and soursop. Describing her experience at the expo, Gordon said, “It was really good, I got unusual stuff and people were anxious to try it.

I only came back with a few

bottles.”

While local agro-products stole the show over the three days, other local products and services also received outstanding commendation for the standard presentation.

One of these was Indulgence Specialty Cupcakes and Indulgence Decor. The double company is run by Tanyael Williams and her aunt Annalisa Reynolds who created a stir with their colourful, creative and uniquely-designed cupcakes, which were also neatly packaged. Indulgence caters for all special events and Williams related that the expo was good exposure for the company and potential clients were able to see how much effort is invested into putting a personal touch to their products and service.

IT IS NOW TIME TO MARKET The next step after good packaging is good marketing.

Fernandes related that the chamber will now play an integral role in ensuring that these high-quality products receive the needed marketing. What the chambers will be doing for the rest of the year is hosting various training sessions on marketing strategies for these entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurs received some form of training before the expo, on how to utilise the same skills, to not only to be sold out after the three days, but also to create a lasting clientele and a sustainable market.

One very effective marketing strategy used by the entrepreneurs was to incorporate their contact information on their labels. Denise related

products cannot go to waste and the chambers will be doing all in its power to ensure this does not happen.

In addition to local entrepreneurs, the exposition also had an entry of national companies such as New GPC, Comfort Sleep, Gafoors and Silvie’s.

Denise Institute of Catering Mango Achar

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Exxon relinquishes portion of Canje Block IN accordance with its Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with Guyana,

Exxon Mobil has relinquished 20 per cent of the Canje Block.

This is due to the company’s inability to meet the outlines of a minimum work

programme within a given period under its Petroleum Prospecting Licence. The relinquishment was announced

by Department of Energy Director, Dr. Mark Bynoe, at a press conference on Monday.

There, he added that, even so, the department is not in a rush to head into another licensing round as several measures must first be put in place to safeguard the best deal for Guyana.

“In terms of relinquishment, that is part of what the department does; it is part of our responsibility. The first three years, for example, with the Canje Block, they had relinquished 20 per cent and that will continue to be how the sector is managed,” Dr. Bynoe stated.

Regarding reallocation of the same, he said the department is keen to cover important stages such as the legal revision of Guyana’s PSA before heading back into this direction. The department now has a revised best practice PSA template and is determined to ensure

that there is balance so that Guyana can increase its negotiating position.

“We’re not going back to market with a 1986 Petroleum Act. As we’ve been on record of indicating, that Act is fairly silent on mid and downstream activities.

We need to make it a lot more robust with regards to decommissioning as well as how it fits in with the local content we mentioned that we are elaborating. So, those pieces need to be in there before we go out to market,” stated Dr. Bynoe.

Meanwhile, the department is also recruiting a firm to complete a 2D/3D multi-client seismic survey which will enable Guyana to negotiate in the future based on the assets it be-

lieves it has. “That is in its latter stages of completion so that we are able to provide packages from a position of knowledge. That a 2D/3D multi-client seismic survey is likely to take an average of 11 months – shooting and processing of the data – so when those are completed, then we go back to market,” the department head explained.

He made it clear that there is still a “multiplicity” of sizeable blocks offshore Guyana which still require exploration. Dr. Bynoe therefore added: “So, is there an absolute need for us to go to another licensing round now? I would say no [but] it is important for us to have improvements as we move forward.”

GPTWU plans to discuss its long-standing concern with Minister Hughes Naomi Marshall The Guyana Postal and Telecommunication Workers’ Union (GPTWU) has made the decision to meet with the Minister of Public Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes, concerning the unresolved matter between the union and the government of Guyana, before taking the matter to court.

The union is hoping that when it meets with Hughes, the matter of the government’s indebtedness to the pensioners of the Guyana Telecommunications Corporation (GTC)/ Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) Pensioners’ Association, can finally come to a conclusion, that is favorable to the GPTWU. The meeting with the Minister has not yet been confirmed by Hughes, but the union is in high expectations.

During an interview with this newspaper, GPTWU President, Harold Shepherd, stated, “our intention is to take this matter to the court if good sense does not pre-

vail, but we are still hoping that since the information has been published, both by the print and electronic media, that someone within the government of Guyana will try the union to further discuss the issue.”

Shepherd noted that the union has not received any response from the Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, after the union’s attorney Nigel Hughes dispatched a letter, over a month ago, to the Ministry of Finance requesting that the matter be resolved.

GPTWU on June 18, 2019, announced at a press conference, that it will be taking legal action against the government if a response was not received in seven days. However, on July 30, 2019, Shepherd indicated that the matter was still not one for the court, since the union wished to give the government more time.

“We really thought that giving them some additional time would have facilitated the process, whereby, if not the Minister of Finance, another official who has an in-

terest in the issue could get involved, at least for good sense to prevail,” he said Following the press conference on June 18, there was an approval of a resolution by members of the GTC/GTT Pensioners’ Association. Prior to approval of the resolution, a petition was signed by 20 members of the association.

The resolution stated that retired employees of the GTC/ GTT Pensioners’ Association have authorised the GPTWU to explore all means necessary in an effort to bring closure to the payment of pensions owed to them; this would be in keeping with the agreement pertaining to GTC’s sale to ATN and the formation of GTT, a new entity.

The agreement stated that the service of all GTC employees who chose to continue with the ATN majority-owned GTT was continuous and they (the employees) would receive their pensions from the government, based on their final salaries at retirement.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 31, 2019

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Minister Hughes talks up widespread connectivity as part of hallmark achievements

Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes

THE provision of training, employment opportunities, widespread internet connectivity enabling technological advancement in the country, which were all done through transparency and accountability were all hallmark achievements of the Ministry of Telecommunications, according to Minister Catherine Hughes. She highlighted these achievements on the Hot Seat programme, on 94.1 FM recently.

The improvement and increase in the availability of internet connectivity throughout the length and breadth of Guyana are proof that there has been improved governance, over the last few years. What this has done is created several opportunities for training, employment and entrepreneurship in the areas of Information Communication Technology (ICT). “We have a very impressive ‘girls can code’ programme, we have trained young people in website design, in coding in a range of different gaming, in animation.... we have gone to Essequibo to Linden to Berbice ...we have trained adults, men women in the different areas,” Hughes related.

About 3,000 persons have been trained in these areas and training is expected to continue over the holiday.

These trainings have been made available in communities across the length and breadth of Guyana, where 174 ICT hubs have been established. She alluded to instances where persons have been trained and are already receiving contracts for businesses. In addition to the 174 ICT hubs across Guyana, the most being in Region Six, some 170 primary schools, 170 secondary school, 30 tertiary institutions and 120 government agencies including those in the hinterland districts, have been connected.

Vast entrepreneurial opportunities are now made available and one sector that will soon be reaping extensively is the agricultural sec-

tor, with the introduction of the farmer’s market GY Application. The App, which has already been launched is now in the pilot phase. In a few months it will be available to download.

“It puts any farmer that is producing crops whatever it is, livestock....to be able to go to a huge market place on the internet….”It puts buyers and sellers directly in contact with each other...for the first time the farmer will be able to produce for an existing market,” she said. Farmers would now be able to digitally market their products both locally, regionally and internationally, in real time. With such a wide demand for locally produced food, farmers will now be able to connect together to meet export orders.

The app will also see spin off sectors such as transportation and packaging benefiting.

The Ministry of Public Telecommunications has also been investing heavily in the business product outsourcing industry commonly known as Call centres. “This is a sector that is expanding and once we can provide a more secure internet connectivity, we already have people who want to connect to the market,” she said, adding that Guyana is strategically located and has a plethora of advantages in the industry such as being an English speaking country.

In Linden, some $60 M will be invested in refurbishing the Kara Kara Call Centre, which will see approximately 200 Lindeners gaining employment.

With these achievements, the Minister is confident that they have made a difference to Guyanese, especially by the many lives that have been transformed from the technological advancements made.

All of this was done under transparency and accountability, a situation in total contrast to the corruption that was practiced under the previous administration. She alluded to the fibre optic cable project that was under the stewardship of former President, Donald Ramotar’s son, Alexei Ramotar, which saw billions of tax payers’ money allegedly squandered.

While the opposition continues to paint a broad brush over the achievements and peddle misinformation, she said the Guyanese people will be left as the ultimate judge on what was the state of telecommunications then and what it is now.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Evidence gov’t closing the socio-economic gap – Ministers Ally and Sarabo-Halley

Minister of Social Protection, Hon. Amna Ally addressing the residents of Liberty, lower Pomeroon at a community meeting

IN the small riverine community of Liberty, in the Pomeroon, there is evidence of the government’s efforts to close the socio-economic gap between the coast and the hinterland communities. This was pointed out by Minister of Social Protection, Hon. Amna Ally and Minister of Public Service, Hon. Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, during their

engagement with residents at a community meeting.

The ministers were part of the larger team that visited the Pomeroon over the weekend.

Expressing her satisfaction with the newly-constructed river landing, Minister Ally noted that as the government continues to work to meet the needs of citizens, persons residing on

both the coast and hinterland will be exposed to the same level of service.

“You, the residents are recipients of improved health and educational facilities; the youths enjoyed the ease of travelling to school in the David G Boats. The time has come where persons from the riverine and coastal community are exposed to the same services and it will only get

better. We are showing you our commitment,” Minister Ally stated.

A resident, Michael Griffith, outlined how the government’s work has impacted his life and the community positively. “This community was only last year given a new primary school and a brand new landing, persons don’t have to walk in the mud when they come off the boat, our school is already wired and awaiting electricity. This is progress and we the residents know more is on the way.”

Liberty is mostly a farming community that generates income through the cultivation of ground provisions and coconuts. In her engagement with the residents, Minister Sarabo-Halley explained that while there is an expectation of revenue coming in from the imminent oil production, the country’s future also lies

in its agricultural sector. As such, her office is working to ensure there is a vibrant workforce in the sector.

“We want everyone, especially the youths, to be confident and take up farming, take up export. There is no need to import when you can grow your own food. We [Public Service Ministry] are now offering scholarships in Agriculture,” Minister Sarabo-Halley declared.

She encouraged the young people in the community to apply for the scholarships. She noted that since farming is the “main business” in Liberty the Agricultural scholarship will give them the necessary boost to take their trade to another level.

During the meeting, the issue of proper drainage was raised by a resident, Linden Semple, who asked that the

ministers relay the message to the relevant persons to have the matter addressed.

“Our land is for farming.

Some of us inherited these lands from our parents, and all we do is cultivate coconuts and ground provision.

However, for years we suffered from a poor drainage system and to have the ministers, and their teams here means there will be change,” Semple said.

On the matter of land titling, the residents were assured that issues would be raised with the Minister within the Ministry of Communities, with responsibility for Housing, Annette Ferguson.

Food for the Poor Guyana and the Ministry of Social Protection also jointly handed over agricultural tools and material, along with shoes for the children to the community. (DPI)

GUYSATT hosting seminar for UWI students

The Guyanese Students’ Association members at the St. Augustine, Trinidad Campus

THE Guyana Students’ Association of the University of the West Indies (GUYSATT) will be hosting an orientation seminar on Saturday for incoming, prospective, current and past students.

The event, which will be held at the Red Cross building on Barrack Street, Kingston from 12:30 hrs to 15:30 hrs, will help all students and interested persons to learn about campus life and the available opportunities for tertiary education at the main campuses – St. Augustine, Mona and Cave Hill.

According to Public Relations Officer of GUYSATT,

Hanan Lachmansingh, during the seminar, information regarding registration, immigration, financial aid, accommodation and how to adapt to a new culture, will be discussed by student representatives.

In addition to meeting the Guyanese present at the respective campuses, it will also be an opportunity to meet and network with other new students preparing to leave for the University of the West Indies.

Lachmansingh said the session will seek to provide insight, which will aid the transition for Guyanese to their campus of choice,

bridging the gap so that students are prepared for their new life in higher education without having to navigate alone.

The Guyana Students’ Association is a community space made up of tertiary-level Guyanese students.

Their aim is to foster strong social interaction, promote a cohesive network and create opportunities for empowerment and support, among Guyanese tertiary students at UWI. Interested persons are encouraged to call 659 5528 for more information and attend the event on Saturday.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 31, 2019

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Economic Watch: China’s new economy coming to the fore BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- At a residential community in Beijing on the western suburbs, several salespersons are touting their new services: with a click on their app, orders of fresh food will be delivered in as fast as 30 minutes from a neighboring warehouse.

The fresh food delivery service is the latest foray into the market made by Meituan Dianping, an online food delivery-to-ticketing services platform, as more and more Chinese tend to buy a growing basket of things online.

The company’s expanding app-based services are part of China’s burgeoning new economy, which features new industries and new forms and models of business that have become new growth drivers.

These new growth drivers contributed 16.1 percent to the country’s GDP last year, up 0.3 percentage points from one year earlier, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.

They grew 12.2 percent to 14.54 trillion yuan (about 2.11 trillion U.S. dollars)

in 2018, 2.5 percentage points higher than the GDP growth.

Those in the tertiary industry were the largest contributors to GDP with a share of 8.5 percent, followed by the secondary industry.

China has economy-of-scale advantages on the internet and digital services

thanks to its huge online population, with the service sector enjoying ample growth space, according to Lai Youwei, head of Meituan Research Institute.

Industrial data showed that China had about 829 million internet users by the end of 2018, with a penetration rate of 59.6 percent.

The new economy market players are growing fast. The latest Fortune China 500 list showed that revenue of the new economy sector including electronics and internet services expanded 29 percent year on year last year, outpacing the average growth of the listed firms.

The Mastercard Caixin BBD New Economy Index reading, which tracks activities of over 140 emerging sectors, rose to 30 percent in June thanks to increases of capital input, up 2 percentage points from May, the highest since December 2018. The State Council said earlier this month that China will foster new growth models of the platform economy, promote the development of the “internet plus service industry” and support social capital in going to sectors including medicare, education and tourism.

The business environment will be further optimized and the approval procedures for the establishment of new platform firms and their branches will be further streamlined, according to the State Council.

China-LatAm cooperation neither directed against, nor affected by third party: Chinese FM CHINA-Latin America cooperation is in line with the needs of both sides and is neither directed at third parties nor affected by third parties, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday.

While meeting with reporters in the company of his Brazilian counterpart Ernesto Araujo, Wang also said that China pursues all-round diplomacy and is willing to develop friendly and cooperative relations with all countries in the world.

Latin America is a continent full of vigor, and has great potential for cooperation with China. Latin American and Caribbean countries are all developing countries and emerging economies, and they have common interests with China, Wang said.

Wang added that although China and Latin America are far apart, they have carried out long-standing exchanges and maintained friendly relations.

He noted that in 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the first leaders’ meeting of China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Brazil. The two sides decided to establish a comprehensive cooperative partnership of equality, mutual benefit and common development, and announced the establishment of the China-CELAC Forum.

Over the years, with joint efforts by both sides, China-Latin America cooperation has continued to expand and deepen, maintaining a momentum of sound development, and is embarking on a new path of trans-regional cooperation that is in keeping with the trend of the times and meets the interests of all parties, he added.

Wang said the most distinctive feature of China-Latin America cooperation is

equality and respect. He said that China’s cooperation with Latin American friends is marked by treating each other as equals and caring for each other’s core interests, adheres to respecting each other’s choice of political system and development path, and insists on not interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, regardless of the size of the country, the similarities and differences between the systems.

Wang said the most substantial connotation of China-Latin America cooperation is common development. “We are willing to give full play to China’s advantages in the market, capital and industry, and help Latin America to break through the development bottleneck, enhance its independent development capability, and achieve sustainable growth,” he said.

China has signed cooperation agreements with 19 countries in Latin America

to jointly build the Belt and Road Initiative, and promote the optimization, upgrading, innovation and development of China-Latin America cooperation, he added. Wang said that overall trade between China and Latin America, which has exceeded 300 billion US dollars last year, is balanced and has increased by nearly 25 percent in the first half of this year.

Also, over 2,000 Chinese companies have invested in Latin America, accumulatively creating more than 1.8 million jobs for local people. The cooperation between both sides in the areas of energy, infrastructure construction, agricultural development, automobile manufacturing, and digital cooperation has effectively promoted local economic and social development, bringing visible and tangible benefits to Latin American people.

The most valuable characteristic of

China-Latin America cooperation is openness and inclusiveness. The essence of China-Latin America cooperation lies in South-South cooperation, the independent and voluntary choice of both sides, and mutual help, Wang said.

China has never had any geopolitical considerations in Latin America, and neither has it sought to build spheres of influence or participate in so-called strategic games. China-Latin America cooperation is in line with the needs of both parties and is neither directed at third parties nor affected by third parties, Wang said.

Latin American countries are sovereign independent countries. China is happy to see Latin American countries develop relations with other countries and respect the close ties forged in the history of this region, Wang said. “We believe that the cooperation between different parties and Latin America can be mutually reinforcing, complement each other and promote each other. We are also willing to carry out tripartite and multi-party cooperation on the basis of respecting the will of the countries in the region, and enlarge the area of interests to achieve win-win results,” Wang said.

Wang said that President Xi will visit Latin America for the fifth time in November, which Wang believed will inject new impetus into the development of China-Latin America relations. Wang said that Brazil is a big Latin American country with global influence. China attaches importance to and supports Brazil’s greater role in regional and international affairs. “We are also willing to work with Brazil to push for new developments in China-Latin America relations,” he added.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Guyana will sell its own crude …Dr Bynoe eyes cargo liftings every 10 days COME 2020, when Guyana begins oil production at the Liza Phase One development, the country will be selling its own share of exported crude with predictions of crude cargo liftings every eight to 10 days.

Crude is natural mineral oil not yet processed or refined, which is stored aboard a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel and then transferred to tankers and pipelines heading ashore. ExxonMobil’s first FPSO to Guyana, Liza Destiny, is expected to arrive here in the first week of September 2019, some two weeks ahead of the initial projections.

At a press conference on Monday, Director of the Department of Energy Dr Mark Bynoe said that, aware of the risk associated with not getting this right, industry-standard documents based on the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators Director, Department of Crude Liftment Agreement is being applied. “All Energy, Dr Mark Bynoe sales of crude oil from the FPSO where Guyana’s interests are concerned or Guyana’s entitlement will be via Free On Board. This means that the crude is sold to the buyer at the exit point of the FPSO and the buyer is responsible for shipping said crude. The crude will be sold in million barrel cargoes… and there will be crude cargo liftings every eight to 10 days; thus, it requires an efficient and smoothly run process. I am happy to report that the department has been working with its sister agencies and the operator to ensure that such a process is put in place so we can ensure that it is running as efficiently as possible from day one,” Dr Bynoe said.

He added that one lift is likely to take between 36-48 hours.

The department has hired a Commercial Specialist and a Crude Lifting and Marketing Specialist to build capacity and aid in the advancement of its mandate.

With both posts expected to be filled within three weeks, Dr Bynoe said the department continues to examine ways to source the relevant expertise, using the established tender process through the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), as well as receiving approval from the Cabinet. “The government will be selling its own share of exported crude lifts or crude and tender will be issued during quarter three or quarter four of 2019 for a fee-based marketing service to market the government’s share of crude oil,” he said.

“The crude liftment agreement is being finalised and government will be a signatory as a lifter of crude, along with the Stabroek co-ventures.”

During normal operations, there will be at least 80 persons living and working on board the FPSO vessel. A total of 24 operations and maintenance technicians, who are currently being trained in Canada, will return in 2020 to support work on the Liza Destiny.

There are numerous ways of exporting crude oil from a FPSO, as well as numerous avenues for accidents. However, risks of accidents can be somewhat controlled through passive and active measures.

“Industry-standard documents based on the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators Crude Liftment Agreement is being applied. This is a document that is used throughout the industry worldwide; it sets up a mechanism for allocating the schedule of crude cargo liftings, based upon volume entitlements which are calculated, taking into account the cost recovery rules of the Petroleum Agreement. It also lays out the strict procedures for efficient crude lifting with any delays causing value loss and risk shutting in production on the FPSO. The department continues to be aware of the risk associated with not getting this right,” Dr Bynoe stated.

The Liza Destiny FPSO vessel will have associated gas-treatment capacity of approximately 170 million cubic feet per day and water-injection capacity of around 200,000 barrels per day. It will be moored in water with a depth of 1,525 metres and will be able to store 1.6 million barrels of crude oil.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Union gears up for grand Emancipation celebration NATIONAL Emancipation celebrations will be held for the first time in East Berbice, Corentyne, at the Number 53 Sports complex Ground, Union, Number 53 Village.

Unlike last year when the village successfully hosted the regional celebrations, this year the organisers are catering for in excess of 9,000 people and over 60 booths. They have much more planned to showcase to the entire country their rich heritage.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, chairman of the Berbice African Association Group, Linden Murray, said the event is being organ-

ised in collaboration with 13 other related groups.

“Over the years, we used to have a mega event where we go to villages and keep our Emancipation; however, since last year, Number 53 was designated as the area for celebration. The President decided since it was a slave community that there is not a national Emancipation activity in the country.

What happens at the National Park with ACDA is not the national Emancipation activity, so the President decided to support us and instead of having this mega event, just a small village host, he decided to have the national Emancipation

The entrance to Union Number 53 Village

celebrations being held at 53,” Murray told the Guyana Chronicle.

In 2018, the event was

graced by the presence of President David Granger, members of Cabinet and was a massive success with a

Clean-up mode activated

rich cultural programme that included drumming, dramatic poetry, dance, songs, skits, food, fashion and historical information that left those in attendance in awe and wanting more.

However, the organisers have put their necks on the block and promised to make last year’s celebration look insignificant.

Murray explained to this publication that there will be a lot more booths, which means that there will be more cultural items, more food, more fashion, more educational materials, as well as much more drumming, dancing and music. It will be an event that will also showcase national cohesion. Additionally, a highly anticipated met-em-gee competition is among the day’s events.

“We are also trying to have this cohesion not only because we have African [sic] but through the revolution we had all the races can say we are free. So we want to include the tassa drumming and the Amerindians.

What we want to have that day is a drum fusion with the Afro-indigenous and Indian beats. People from as far as Baracara and Orealla will be participating,” he said.

He also noted that apart from craft and fashion, there

will be several local entrepreneurs showcasing their products and services, such as joinery and furniture. In addition, there will be lots of fresh produce from farmers in the community.

In order to pull off such a mega event requires lots of planning and infrastructural works and the team has been busy since last year putting the pieces together to make this possible.

When the Guyana Chronicle visited on Tuesday, the final touches were being made for the grand event on Thursday.

On Tuesday, residents were excited that the event will be held in their community once more. They are eagerly anticipating that President Granger will grace the occasion with his presence.

This year will mark 185 years since the abolition of slavery. Slavery was abolished on August 1, 1834.

Guyanese from all walks of life celebrate the event by dressing in African attire and participating in the many programmes held across the country. This year however, is the first time all roads will lead to Union, Corentyne, a small village that was purchased by freed slaves.

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Eco proud of financial performance WITH strong partners and a strong balance sheet for its financial year, Eco (Atlantic) Oil and Gas Ltd. anticipates success at the two wells it is to drill at the Orinduik block offshore Guyana and a stronger position to maximise shareholder value.

In a media report on Tuesday, the oil company produced a summary of the audited results for the year ended March, 31 2019 as well as a corporate and operational update. The results show that the company ended the financial year with a net profit of CAD $4.2M primarily from total’s farm-in on the Orinduik Block in Guyana in November 2018 pursuant to which Eco received CAD $16.6M. In the month, Eco had completed the Total farm-in deal and received the USD $12.5M and all necessary approvals and documentation to effect the 25 per cent interest transfer in the Orinduik Block to Total.

The working interests in the Orinduik Block then became; Tullow (Operator) 60 per cent, Total 25 per cent and Eco 15 per cent. Earlier in September 2018, Eco had announced an estimated 2.9 billion barrels of oil (equivalent) prospective resource in the Orinduik Block.

The information, coming out of a National Instrument 51-101 compliant resource report, does not take into account certain recent developments, including ExxonMobil’s Hammerhead-1 Tertiary discovery and additional Tertiary prospects.

In March 2019, the company’s prospective resource was increased to 3.981 BBOE P50 Best Estimate. In June 2019, Eco announced that the Stena Forth drillship – now in Guyana – will be

– upbeat about success at Orinduik wells used to spud the Jethro Lobe prospect offshore Guyana and the Joe prospect, located nearby, right after.

In the statement on Tuesday, it indicated that the net cost of the Jethro-Lobe prospect is expected to be approximately USD $7M and is estimated to hold 250mmbbl of gross prospective resources. Together, with its partners, it has approved the drilling budget for the Joe prospect on the Orinduik Block with a net cost of USD $3M expected.

It is estimated to hold 150mmbbl of gross prospective resources with the ‘Chance of Success’ estimated to be 43.2 per cent.

President and Chief Executive Officer of Eco Atlantic, Gil Holzman, has also welcomed the recent agreement between Qatar Petroleum and Total for a share of exploration and production rights in two blocks offshore Guyana.

Qatar Petroleum will now hold 40 per cent of Total’s existing 25 per cent participating interest in the Orinduik block and 40 per cent of Total’s existing 25 per cent participating interest in the neighboring Kanuku block.

“We are very pleased to welcome yet another very strong partner such as Qatar Petroleum into the block. We look forward to updating the market with the results from Jethro Lobe in the coming weeks, the spudding of Joe and the results from our second well thereafter. There is no doubt that a success on either of the two wells would be a transformational event for the company and would

Driver on $70,000 bail for dangerous driving MARVIN Jeffrey, 35, on Tuesday appeared before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Providence Magistrate’s Court charged with dangerous driving and pleaded not guilty.

The court was told that on July 26, 2019, Jeffrey drove his vehicle BWW 530 in the vicinity of Providence on the East Bank Demerara in such a manner as to cause injuries to the rider of a motor cycle in his path. The motorcyclist reportedly fell after swerving to avoid a collision with Jeffrey’s vehicle.

After he was granted bail in the sum of $70,000, Jeffrey informed the magistrate that he could not afford the bail, because he has children and a family to support; his plea, however, fell on deaf ears.

The Orinduik Block offshore Guyana

put Eco in an exceptionally strong position to maximise shareholder value,” Holzman

said. Companies involved are anticipating a 40 per cent chance of success for both

prospects which have been hailed as “potentially transformational wells”. There are plans to drill up to six additional wells on Orinduik across 15 prospects.

Meanwhile, the audited results for the year ended March, 31 2019 also show that Eco completed the financial year with cash and cash equivalents of CAD $25M with total assets of CAD $26.7M, total liabilities of CAD $1.6M and total equity of CAD $25.1M. In April 2019, the company completed the closing of a private placement pursuant to which it issued 16,159,695 common shares for gross proceeds of USD

$17M. Following the completion of the private placement, the company currently has CAD $39.7M in cash and cash equivalents.

In this regard, Holzman commented: “We completed our financial year with a strong balance sheet and very positive results for the period. Combined with the recent private placement, we now have CAD $39.7M in cash and cash equivalents, which allows us to drill our first two wells on the Orinduik Block offshore Guyana in 2019 plus up to an additional six wells. We spud the Jethro-Lobe at the beginning of July and expect to have results by mid- August. The drillship will then move immediately to drill the second well.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 31, 2019

New bridges, rehabilitated playgrounds for Constituency 13 WITH a grant in hand from the Ministry of Communities, Constituency 13 is currently able to undertake four projects simultaneously that would result in direct benefits to residents in those communities.

The constituency takes in the Laing Avenue, East Ruimveldt, West Ruimveldt and Towler Dam communities, and is represented by Councillor, Trichria Richards.

Just recently, a bridge was completed on Laing Avenue that connects Sideline Dam to Middle Road, La Penitence, and gives easy access to Bel Air and Albert Streets, in Albouystown.

The bridge was completed as part of a Communities Ministry grant

In an invited comment on Tuesday, Richards told Guyana Chronicle that the construction of another bridge called ‘Cartie Bridge’ will commence within a week or two, a few blocks down from Constituency 13 Councillor, Trichria Richards the one that was recently ting impedes the work of the done.

According to her, two City Council when it comes playgrounds in East and to getting certain drains and West Ruimveldt will also be canals cleaned, including the rehabilitated with the same one at Front Road. This, in grant from the Communities turn, contributes to flooding in the catchment area, he Ministry.

“I must thank the min- said.

“We don’t get to clean it istry. Once you reach out to them and they can help, the way we want to because they always do,” Richards of the heavy build-up of expressed. The ministry had vegetation and squatting on asked the councillor to sub- the reserves,” Kellman noted.

The government has said mit the projects, which were then sent to the Mayor and that it wants to be able to City Council before works provide accessible and affordable housing in sanitary commenced.

Last year, a $5M grant and safe communities, with went to providing more light- the necessities for wholeing in the constituency, and some and dignified living for Richards is hoping that this citizens in need.

A new bridge was completed recently on Laing Avenue

year’s $5M grant will go towards enhancing internal drainage. Flood prone areas will be given priority in this regard. The councillor noted that last year’s lighting project has seen a decrease in the number of robberies committed in the constituency.

Another major issue that Richards said she hopes to address is the one of the squatters along Front Road.

She plans to formally engage the Minister of Housing soon.

Assistant City Engineer, Rasheed Kellman, had told this publication that squat-

Squatting, however, was touted as one of the issues that affect such progress, since some people squat out of desperation, while others do it as a means of economic gain. In the latter case, those who manage to obtain land from government erect a structure, but then rent it out to others.

The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), over which the minister has oversight, is expected to continuously work with the relevant agencies to complete the process of homeownership.

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Children with disabilities benefit from five-day camp APPROXIMATELY 25 children with disabilities were able to benefit from a five-day camp that taught them, among other things, the value of self-esteem and helpful tips on sexual abuse.

The camp is an annual collaborative effort between the Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities, the Guyana Blind Cricket Association and Access Guyana.

This is the third year the camp is being held, and Executive Member of the Guyana Society for the Blind, Ganesh Singh, coordinated the events.

“The main objective is to equip the children with independent living skills that are needed to survive in everyday society. Over the years, we have observed that these children lack the skills to socialise; how they can be independent and build interpersonal skills,” Singh explained.

Some of the activities planned this year included swimming, blind cricket, indoor motivational sessions, and visits to various recreational facilities. “It is really to expose them to things they have not been exposed to; building their confidence, their mobility skills. We can’t do everything… but at least we’ll make a start,” Singh expressed.

United Women for Special Children; Chris and Amanda Singh from Re-vision Optical; Roshan Khan and RK Security, Fashion Square, Ronald Birchsmith, Gaitrie Shivsankar and family and the Ministries of Social Protection and Education.

He is hoping that with their continued support in 2020, along with support from others, the camp can be able to accommodate even more children next year.

Camp Coordinator, Ganesh Singh

Speaking about the effect the camp has had on the children, Singh had said: “We saw a difference with the kids last year. They seem a little more confident and some of the skills they were taught were incorporated into everyday living. It’s something that they look forward to because they started asking since April when we will have the camp.”

The camp is a yearly event that the children with disabilities look forward to with great anticipation. It exposes them to concepts, information and activities that leave a lifelong impression on their minds and provide the basis for lifestyle changes.

Singh thanked the President and members of the

Wed., July 31, 2019 04:00hrs.-05:30hrs./14:30hrs.-16:00hrs.

The camp seeks to equip the children with independent living skills that are needed to survive in everyday living

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 31, 2019

No vending on ‘Stabroek Wharf’ – M&CC again notifies vendors THE Mayor and City Council (M&CC) has again sent out notices to vendors who operate around the Stabroek Market area, indicating that absolutely no vending should be done on the dilapidated wharf.

Deputy Town Clerk Sherry Jerrick made the announcement at the City

Council’s most recent statutory meeting at City Hall.

Councillor Heston Bostwick offered that the M&CC ought to be more firm in treating with the issue. “If anything happens, I will go on the side of the protesters against M&CC,” he warned.

The councillor said the instructions should no longer

tell the sellers to vend at their own risk, but must direct them not to conduct any business there whatsoever.

The Georgetown City Council has expressed disappointment that some vendors have returned to the Stabroek Market Wharf to ply their trade, despite the fact that a ban has been imposed

Some months ago, the City Council had declared the area unfit for human habitation after an inspection by the City Engineer’s Department suggested that the vendors should not be allowed to operate in this area.

After several consultations with the vendors, the relocation to Russell Square was collectively decided.

The M&CC said it wanted to keep in line with the vision of President David Granger

that every vendor should be properly accommodated.

Further, a portion of the wharf was gutted by fire some months ago and this had contributed to further deterioration of the age-old facility.

The council invited the vendors to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which stated among other things: the stallholders will construct their own stalls in accordance with the specifications approved by the council; the council will be responsible for providing orderliness, bins and security lights; the stallholders will be responsible for installing and paying for their own electrical lights in their stall: a grace period of six weeks will be given after the completion of

each stall; all stalls are to be constructed within six weeks of signing of the agreement; the rental of spaces for each stall will be a monthly rent of $6,800 and the rights of the stallholders and the conditions of rental must be expressed in writing.

“The council wants to reiterate that the Stabroek Market Wharf in its current state is a health hazard and poses serious threat to life and limb. The council is warning citizens not to conduct business in this area and vendors should not occupy this area to do business. Therefore, should an accident occur, the council cannot be held liable or culpable for the loss of life and limb,” City Hall had said.

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Umpire Joel Wilson appointed to ICC Elite Panel ... England’s Michael Gough also named

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CMC) – Trinidadian official Joel Wilson has been appointed to the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires for the upcoming season.

The 52-year-old was yesterday named to the panel along with England’s Michael Gough, following the ICC’s annual review and selection process.

Both officials previously sat on the International Panel of Umpires but have now been elevated to replace Ian Gould, who has retired, and

Ravi Sundaram who was removed.

Adrian Griffith, ICC’s senior manager for umpires and referees, said both Wilson and Gough were “deserving additions” to the elite panel.

“Being an elite official is an extremely challenging job. Every decision is scrutinised by millions of fans and each match official is subject to rigorous ongoing performance assessments throughout the year,” said the Barbadian, who played 14 Tests and nine ODIs for

West Indies between 1996 and 2000.

“We are fortunate to have some fantastic officials who are able to withstand the pressures of the job and deliver consistently on the international stage.

“Michael and Joel are deserving additions to the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Umpires and I wish them all the best for the coming season and for the future.”

Wilson has stood in 13 Tests, 63 ODIs and 26 T20Is while Gough has officiated in nine Tests, 59 ODIs and

Allicock’s ‘chin held high’ after questionable Pan Am defeat GUYANA’S Keevin Allicock will keep his head high and move forward with his career despite his questionable loss to Uruguayan Lucas Fernandes at 18th Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.

Allicock, supported by a large local crowd, lost the three-round fight after the judges ruled in favour of the Uruguayan 3-2.

He told media officials there, “I really wanted to bring back the gold medal for my country (Guyana) but I can’t let this keep me down, I have to keep moving forward.”

“I feel bad but you can’t change it because the judges’

decision is final. Every round he (Fernandes) was getting hurt because I was pressuring him,” he added “My plan was to keep pressuring him and that is what I did and I thought it worked but the judges didn’t. Even the crowd thought I won I just got to put my best foot forward and keep at it,” Allicock further posited.

Meanwhile coach Terrence Poole MS recapped the fight, saying, “They (The judges) were probably in a different arena watching a different fight because Keevin clearly won the fight, from round one to three. He was holding onto

Keevin throughout the fight because he couldn’t keep up with the pressure.”

The result cannot be appealed because appeals will be in effect after world championship later this year in Russia.

Earlier in the day Guyana’s women’s squash team registered their first win in the tournament after sweeping local ladies Peru 3-0.

Meanwhile, Badminton duo Narayan and Priyana Ramdhani lost two hard-fought games as they both went down 2-0 in the women’s and men’s singles.

They also lost the mixed doubles to Cuba.

Semenya out of World Championships after Swiss court reverses reprieve CAPE TOWN, South Af- for the human rights of suspension of CAS awards rica (Reuters) - Double Olympic champion Caster Semenya will not defend her 800-metre title at the World Championships in September after the Swiss Federal Tribunal reversed a ruling that temporarily lifted the IAAF’s testosterone regulations imposed on her, a spokesman for the athlete said yesterday.

Semenya is appealing the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS) ruling that supported regulations introduced by the sport’s governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

These say that XY chromosome athletes with differences in sexual development (DSDs) can race in distances from 400m to a mile only if they take medication to reach a reduced testosterone level.

“I am very disappointed to be kept from defending my hard-earned title, but this will not deter me from continuing my fight

all of the female athletes concerned,” Semenya said in a statement from her representative.

CAS is based in Lausanne and comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland’s highest court.

The IAAF said they would only comment once they have read the full reasoning behind the judgement.

“We understand the Swiss Federal Tribunal will be publishing its full decision on this order tomorrow (today) and the IAAF will comment once the tribunal makes its reasoning public,” a spokeswoman told Reuters.

The South African had been given a reprieve last month by the Swiss court, which temporarily lifted the IAAF’s regulations from her until the final outcome of her appeal.

“The Supreme Court emphasised the strict req u i re m e n t s a n d h i g h thresholds for the interim

and found that these were not fulfilled,” the statement said.

Dorothee Schramm, the lawyer leading Semenya’s appeal, says they are still hopeful of a permanent lifting of the regulations.

“The judge’s procedural decision has no impact on the appeal itself. We will continue to pursue Caster’s appeal and fight for her fundamental human rights. A race is always decided at the finish line,” Schramm said.

Semenya ran the quickest ever 800 metres on United States soil at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League meeting on June 30 in a time of 1:55.70.

She told reporters afterwards that she would not compete at the World Championships in Doha if barred from running her preferred distance, having earlier hinted she could enter longer races in the future that are not covered by the regulations.

14 T20Is. Wilson’s debut Test came four years ago in Chattogram when he stood in the first Test between Bangla-

desh and South Africa.

He has gone on to stand in several high profile Tests including the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney last year.

Wilson officiated in five matches at the just-concluded ICC World Cup in England which was won by the hosts.

GFF issues invitation for feedback on draft ‘Prevention of Sexual Harassment Policy’

THE Guyana Football Federation (GFF) is inviting all stakeholders and the public to provide feedback to the draft ‘Prevention of Sexual Harassment Policy’ developed for the institution. The policy has been drafted by a consultant and, once finalised and approved, will become part of the Standing Operating Procedure of the GFF. The draft policy seeks to ensure a “harassment-free environment where all persons involved in football are treated with respect and dignity and all athletes, coaches and officials can contribute and participate fully”.

Wayne Forde, GFF president, said accountability is key and so is the public’s participation in this activity: “The GFF firmly believes that fans, civic society, corporate Guyana and the general public are important stakeholders. It is therefore necessary to give them an opportunity to contribute to the crafting of a policy that sets out to protect, educate and hold accountable, members of the fraternity.”

The draft policy can be found on the GFF’s website, via link https://www.gffonline. com/gffs-sexual-harassment-policy_draft/ and submissions should be sent to gff@networksgy.com or 17 Dadanawa Street, Section K, Campbelville labelled “Feedback: Draft Sexual Harassment Policy.”

Deadline for submission is Friday, August 17, 2019.

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Explainer - World Test Championship kicks off new era

By Sudipto Ganguly

MUMBAI, India (Reuters) Test cricket will cease to be just a bilateral affair from tomorrow when England host Australia in the opening Ashes contest at Edgbaston to kick off the widely-anticipated World Test Championship (WTC).

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has been determined to create a meaningful competition for the longest form of the game and the WTC is expected to provide the much-needed boost to Test, which is typically played over two-innings-a-side and up to five days.

The long-awaited Championship, involving the top nine Test nations competing in a league across two years, has been designed to give more meaning to Test series.

“The WTC will bring relevance and context to bilateral Test cricket over the next two years, creating a pinnacle event for the five-day format, just as the World Cups for men and women do in the ODI and T20I formats,” ICC General Manager Geoff Allardice said in a statement.

WHAT IS WTC? The nine top-ranked sides will play three series each at home and away over two years to determine the best Test team in the world. Points will be awarded for every single game and the two teams who top the points table will play in a oneoff World Test Championship Final in June 2021 at Lord’s.

The winners will be crowned World Test Champions. There will be a new winner in the format after every two-year cycle.

Each series will comprise a minimum of two and maximum of five Tests and matches can also be played outside the WTC. Only matches previously identified as part of the WTC will count towards the championship.

WHO ARE PLAYING? Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies will compete in the first cycle. Three remaining teams - Afghanistan, Ireland and Zimbabwe - can play Tests but those will not be part of the WTC. The second WTC cycle

is scheduled for June 2021 to April 2023.

POINTS? There will be 120 points

on offer for each series and will be distributed over the number of games. For example, a two-Test series will mean 60 points for each match

while a three-Test series will award 40 points each. The fiveTest Ashes series will award 24 points each. A tied match will be worth half the points available while a draw will fetch a third of the points.

TIED OR DRAWN FINAL? If the final ends in a tie or a draw, the two teams will be named joint champions. The first cycle of the WTC will consist of five-day matches and will include day-night matches.

Australia’s David Warner reacts after being dismissed v England - Investec Ashes Test Series Fifth Test - Kia Oval - 20/8/15 (Reuters/Philip Brown Livepic)

WHO SAID WHAT? India captain Virat Kohli We are awaiting the ICC World Test Championship with great enthusiasm as it adds context to the longest format of the game. Test cricket is very challenging and coming out on top in the traditional form is always highly satisfying. The Indian team have done really well in recent years and will be fancying their chances in the championship.

Australia captain Tim Paine - The World Test Championship is a fantastic initiative. We love playing Test cricket; it’s the pinnacle for us, remains hugely pop-

ular in Australia and we’re fortunate that it enjoys great support at home among players, the media and the public.

To wear the baggy green is the ultimate for all Australian cricketers and if the World Test Championship helps to ensure that all countries make Tests a high priority then that has to be good news for the game in general and the continuing health of the format in particular.

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis - For the last while we have longed to have something to play for that gives proper context to Test cricket. The stakes are high because every series matters. It’s refreshing and the players are looking forward to this new chapter of Test cricket.

England fast bowler James Anderson - Test cricket is the pinnacle of our sport. It is the very essence of cricket and the majority of players want to strive to play the purist form of the game.

The ICC World Test Championship is another brilliant initiative for the sport, adding context and relevance to every Test series.

Every Test matters, but even more so now.

India search for a coach good at man-management skills, planning American Racing Tips Saratoga Race 1 Joy of Treasure Race 2 She’s Not Bluffing Race 3 Risky Mischief Race 4 Niko’s Dream Race 5 Girlintheyellowtaxi Race 6 Figure Of Speech Race 7 Mascha Race 8 Citizen Matzo Race 9 Talk Veuve South Africa Racing Tips Greyville 08:25 hrs Arizona Sunset 09:00 hrs Veritas 09:35 hrs Luxemburg 10:10 hrs Collabro 10:45 hrs Silver Beauty English Racing Tips Goodwood 08:50 hrs Lil Rockerfeller 09:25 hrs Durston 10:00 hrs Maven 10:35 hrs Too darn Hot 11:10 hrs Flippa The Strippa 11:45 hrs Thimbleweed

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By Sudipto Ganguly MUMBAI, India (Reuters) - The Indian cricket board (BCCI) is looking for an efficient planner with strong man-management skills to guide the senior national team, a member of the panel entrusted with the task of selecting a new head coach told Reuters yesterday.

process.

The deadline for applications expires on Tuesday and the short-listed candidates will be interviewed by a Cricket Advisory Committee comprising cricket great Kapil Dev, former batsman and coach Anshuman Gaekwad and former women’s captain Shanta Rangaswamy.

“You have to be a good

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India head coach Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli during nets - Lord’s, London, Britain

(Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs/File photo) BCCI has invited applications for the position of head coach and support staff for the men’s side, with incumbent Ravi Shastri and his team given automatic entry in the recruitment

man-manager and a good planner,” Gaekwad told Reuters by phone. “These are the two aspects which are most important. There are so many other aspects which you have to take

into consideration.

“Technical knowledge is obviously important because without that you can’t plan.”

Applications have been invited for the positions of head coach, batting coach, bowling coach, fielding coach, physiotherapist, strength and conditioning coach as well as an administrative manager.

The contract of the current coaching staff was set to expire after the World Cup but they were handed an extension till the tour of the West Indies, starting August 3, where India play three Twenty20 internationals, three ODIs and two Tests.

Before departing for the tour, India captain Virat Kohli backed Shastri to continue in the job.

“With Ravi bhai (big brother) all of us have a great camaraderie, everyone in the team shares mutual respect,” Kohli told reporters on Monday. “And we have done really well together as a group.

“We’ll definitely be very happy if he continues as coach, but as I said it is upon the CAC to seek my advice or opinion if they want. Right now, I haven’t been contacted at all.”

Former Test all-rounder Shastri was appointed head coach in 2017, succeeding former captain Anil Kumble who stepped down after falling out with Kohli despite a successful run while in charge of the team.

Under Shastri, who also had a previous stint as India’s team director, India won a maiden Test series in Australia earlier this year and are ranked number one in the world in the format.

They also reached the semi-finals of the 50-over World Cup where they were beaten by runners-up New Zealand.

Asked if the panel would consult Kohli before picking the next coach, Gaekwad said it was not mandatory.

“We chose the women’s coach, we didn’t have any inputs from anyone,” he said.

“It’s not compulsory that we have to talk to them or not talk to them, either way.

“It all depends on the BCCI ... We haven’t had a dialogue still with the BCCI, we have just been intimated.

“It’s a big job appointing the head coach of the Indian men’s team and the other coaches.”

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 31, 2019

33

HACC maintain unbeaten run in SCA Elite League … Bim Bodhoo (97) narrowly misses century

By Frederick Halley

Commissioner of Police Leslie James receives the donation from detective, Sheryar Hussain, of the NYPD for the Force’s cricket team. Also present in photo are the other senior police officers

NYPD donates uniforms to GPF cricket team THE Guyana Police Force (GPF) received a donation of thirty sets of uniforms for the Force’s Cricket Team.

In a simple handing-over ceremony in the Commissioner’s Conference Room recently, Detective Sheryar Hussain of the New York Police Department (NYPD), on behalf of the Guyanese American Law-Enforcement Association/ Randolph Holder/ Star Sports, presented the items to Commissioner of Police Leslie James in the presence of Deputy Commissioners Paul Williams, Maxine Graham, and Nigel Hoppie, who is the current Chairman of the Police Cricket Section.

TORONTO, Canada – After eight rounds in the Scarborough Cricket Association (SCA) 2019 Elite League tournament, Hawaiian Arctic Cricket Club (HACC) have maintained their dominance at the top of the table with 75 points, their latest victory coming last Saturday against Knightly at the Ashtonbee Number One ground, Scarborough.

Occupying the second spot are rivals, Ambassadors, on 65 points from nine games while third-placed Highland Creek are on 50 from seven and Victoria Park 40 from eight.

HACC’s latest win in the 50-over tournament came via a six-wicket thrashing of lowly-placed Knightly following a brilliant 97 from opener Bim Bodhoo and 44 from former Guyana Under-19 player Harrinarine Chattergoon.

Set 211 for victory after restricting their opponents to 210 all out in 39.1 overs, HACC raced to 211 for four in 26.5 overs with Bodhoo narrowly missing out on a well-deserved century, smashing 10 sixes and four fours in the process.

The left-handed Bodhoo shared an opening stand of 58 with Chattergoon and later dominated a second-wicket partnership of 111 with Azhad Amidon whose contribution was 27.

Also present were Commander of ‘D’ Division-- Senior Superintendent Edmond Cooper-- and Personal Assistant to the Commissioner and Head of Staff, Superintendent Alistair Roberts.

The Guyana Police Force continues to enjoy unparalleled relations with regional and international organizations.

Mr. Hussain had made a similar donation of cricket gear to the Guyana Police Force in March of this year.

Commissioner James, on receiving the uniforms, expressed gratitude to the donors for the donation which, he said, will be utilised for the intended purpose.

Ramsammy re-elected as president of Whim National Cricket Club

BIM BODHOO after his impressive 97

Executives of Whim National Cricket Club: Karran Ramsammy (president) and his deputy Peppy Charran are seated in front

Earlier, Knightly were in dire straits at 82 for six before a blistering seventh-wicket partnership between Faisal Hasan (59) and Abdul Manan (40) brought some respectability to the score.

Hasan’s knock included a four and six sixes while Manan struck three fours and three sixes. Skipper Waqar Malik also hit a valuable 42 with three fours and six sixes as fast-medium bowler Jerome Jack jolted the top-order with the impressive figures of four for 48, bowling 10 overs non-stop at the start of the innings. Chattergoon supported with three for 41 from 7.1 overs.

In the previous encounter, played at the same venue, HACC defeated Ambassadors by 132 runs. Asked to take first strike, HACC reached an impressive 292 all out in 43.3 overs before restricting their opponents to 160 for nine in 50 overs.

Opener Anil Samuel led the way with a belligerent 72 with six sixes and four fours while consistent scores were recorded by Zaheer Allard (53: three fours and five sixes), Raja Pooran (49: four fours and four sixes) and skipper Krishnadat Ramoo (43: three fours and a six). Abhay Vashi took three for 51 and Neil Ramkissoon two for 26.

For Ambassadors, Abhay also scored 34 while there were two wickets each for Ramoo, Troy Gonsalves and Bodhoo for 13, 20 and 21 runs respectively.

HACC made light work of Bilal at Ashtonbee Number Two after dismissing them for 88 in 32. 4 overs, and reaching the required target in 18.4 overs. Bodhoo, who earlier claimed three for 16, was undefeated on 39. Allando Minott grabbed two for two and Ramoo two for 21.

Set 171 for victory at Terry Fox, HACC huffed and puffed to 173 for eight in 45.4 overs versus Janbaaz, with president Narchand ‘Archie’ Mohan requiring to battle towards the end with number nine Abdul Ramzan (15 not out) after playing with 10 players. Left-arm spinner Bodhoo was again among the wickets with four for 19 from 10 overs.

HACC and Victoria Park will clash in a return fixture at Ashtonbee Number Two on Sunday, August 11.

KARRAN Ramsammy was re-elected as president of the Whim National Cricket Club when members of the organisation held their elections in the upper flat of their pavilion.

Ramsammy defeated Peppy Charran, who was voted in as the lone vice-president.

Tony Dookraj would serve as secretary, Tameshwar Harrinarine as treasurer while Deven Venkiah is the assistant secretary/treasurer. The Committee members elected are Dennis Sookshine, Kundal Deonarine and Ravi Lawrence.

Ramsammy stated that he is prepared to lead by example to make Whim one of the best cricket clubs in Berbice. He unveiled several programmes that he has in mind including attracting new membership, repairing

the club’s pavilion, organising a massive fundraising drive and opening a bank account.

Ramsammy hailed the ef-

forts of Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) president Hilbert Foster in resolving several issues affecting the club and for restoring unity among members.

The president also announced that the Foster had fulfilled all of his commitment to the club.

Foster, in remarks, congratulated Ramsammy and his team on their election and committed himself to work along with them in every possible way.

He would be available at any time to meet with the club to resolve problems, to provide assistance and to offer advice. Foster promised a financial contribution from the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club to kick-start the club’s fundraising drive.

The BCB would also provide coaches to Whim National Cricket Club for several training sessions.

Foster spoke at length on the importance of club unity, discipline and the need for hard work to achieve success on the cricket field.

34

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 31, 2019

India’s Dhoni to pull guard duty in troubled Kashmir as honorary colonel

By Sanjeev Miglani NEW DELHI, India (Reuters) - Indian cricket star Mahendra Singh Dhoni starts patrol duties in conflict-torn Jammu and Kashmir from today to discharge his responsibilities as an honorary colonel in the army, the military said.

Dhoni is sitting out India’s tour of the West Indies that begins this week and there has been speculation he might retire after struggling in this month’s World Cup that saw India knocked out in the semi-finals.

The wicketkeeper-batsman who enjoys cult status in cricket-mad India is part of the Territorial Army, a reservist force that draws on civilians who can do short stints to assist the military.

He will do a 15-day stint with the Victor Force engaged in counter insurgency operations against militants

fighting Indian rule in the country’s only Muslim-majority region of Kashmir.

Making use of sports figures such as Dhoni, whose brand value is worth millions

India’s Dhoni to pull guard duty in troubled Kashmir as honorary colonel

“He will be taking on the duties of patrolling, guard and post duty and would be staying with troops,” the army said in a statement, adding that its headquarters had approved a schedule which incorporated Dhoni’s requests.

of dollars, helps the security forces raise their profile, particularly among young people who are their key pool of recruits.

More recently, he has played a role beyond hitting sixes and getting out batsmen though his glovework behind

the stumps.

In February, at Dhoni’s behest, Indian cricketers wore army camouflage-style caps during a match to show solidarity with paramilitary police killed in a militant attack in Kashmir by a Pakistan-based group.

During India’s opening match with South Africa at the World Cup, Dhoni stirred controversy with gloves that sported the Territorial Army’s dagger insignia.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) asked for the removal of the insignia, setting off a nationalistic furore in India.

Dhoni, who turned 38 this month, captained the side to the World Twenty20 title in 2007 and their second 50-over World Cup title in 2011 at home. Widely considered the best ‘finisher’ in contemporary cricket, he is a veteran of 350 one-dayers.

Imran Auto Works sponsors fastest reaction time THE driver with the best reaction time during the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC)’s International Drag Race will benefit from US$100.

West Coast business, Imran Auto Works, has put up the prize for the person with the fastest reaction time to the port-a-tree system.

A statement from the club indicated that, “Imran Auto Works has joined our sponsorship team for the upcoming international drag race event on August 25.”

“The company will sponsor US$100 for the driver or rider with the best reaction

time across all time brackets for the event,” the statement

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Wednesday, July 31, 2019)

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

Answers to yesterday’s quiz:

WI vs NZ, Auckland, 2006 SWhiv Chanderpaul & Stephen Fleming

Today’s Quiz:

Where and when did India first play a T20 International game?

Who were the captains involved?

ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

continued.

“We at the Guyana

Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) wish to thank Imran Auto Works for their support in this venture as well as looking forward to future partnerships.”

Meanwhile, the August 25 event is already gaining traction with competitors from Suriname and Trinidad indicating their interest in being a part of the quarter mile run.

As many as six competitors are in talks with the GMR&SC over shipping logistics for the event while Suriname has not indicated how many cars would be making the voyage.

Admission to the event for spectators has not been set with the club expected to release more details in the coming week.

However, several local giants are expected to take the strip including the team Mohamed’s Enterprise GTRs Godzilla and Goliath, Sean Persaud’s Toyota Caldina and the Transpacific Toyota Alteeza and Peter Daby’s Mazda RX7 (second generation).

Other sponsors include R. Kission Contracting, Deryck Jaisingh Trucking Service and Machinery Rentals, Mohamed’s Enterprise, BM Soat, Prem Electrical, E-Networks, Trans Pacific Auto Sales, Cyril’s Taxi, Blue Spring Water, Choke Gas Station, Miracle Optical, Tropical Shipping, DEL ICE CO and Hand-in-Hand.

Brazil police recommend no charges for Neymar in rape case

By Pablo Garcia

SAO PAULO, Brazil (Reuters) - Brazilian police said yesterday they had recommended no rape charges against soccer star Neymar, after a woman he met online said he flew her to Paris and assaulted her in a hotel there.

Brazil soccer star Neymar

Neymar had denied the accusations and released private chats and lurid photos they had exchanged.

That led to a separate police inquiry into whether he had committed a crime by posting intimate pictures online.

Sponsor Nike said it was concerned about the accusations and Mastercard called off an advertising campaign featuring the soccer player.

Brazil prosecutors now have 15 days to decide whether they will follow the police recommendations or file rape charges anyway, although they usually defer to police guidance.

An injury in the Copa America last month led Neymar to sit out the tournament, which Brazil won, and to miss pre-season training with his club Paris St Germain.

Neymar stoked speculation of a return to Spain’s Barcelona this month after sharing a video of himself on social media wearing a shirt from his former club.

Gayle hits whirlwind hundred to notch 22nd in T20s

TORONTO, Canada (CMC) – Veteran opener Chris Gayle slammed his 22nd Twenty20 hundred but rain had the final say as the Global T20 Canada contest between Vancouver Knights and Montreal Tigers ended in a no-result here Monday night.

Sent in at the CAA Centre, Knights piled up a record 276 for three off their 20 overs – the highest-ever franchise T20 total and the second highest T20 total overall.

The left-handed Gayle was the catalyst with a breathtaking unbeaten 122 off 54 deliveries with seven fours and a dozen sixes.

South African Rassie van der Dussen struck 56 from 25 deliveries while Dutchman Tobias Visee blasted a 19-ball 51, as Knights embarked on an astonishing run-spree.

Facing a record run chase, rain during the break then prevented Tigers from facing a single delivery, as the match was eventually called off due to bad weather.

By then, however, Gayle had treated spectators to a storm of his own. The 39-year-old started slowly and it was Visee who dominated the opening stand of 63 off 27 deliveries, lashing 11 fours and a six.

When Visee perished in the fifth over, Gayle had managed just 11 runs

from eight deliveries but he quickly took charge of the innings in a stunning display of power-hitting.

He raced to his half-century off 27 balls, reaching his landmark by clearing the ropes at mid-wicket with off-spinner Nikhil Dutta in the 12th over.

Chris Gayle slams his 22nd T20 century

Gayle then required only another 20 deliveries to reach triple figures, again bringing up the achievement in style when he deposited West Indies teammate, off-spinner Sunil Narine, over long on for six in the 17th over.

Along the way, Gayle added 67 for the second wicket with fellow Jamaican and Windies batsman, Chadwick Walton (29) and a further 139 for the third wicket with van der Dussen whose innings required three fours and five sixes.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, July 31, 2019

35

Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ National Championships set for Jubilee Park tarmac … G/town Quarter-finals, semis to be played on Friday

IN an effort to make the tournament more accessible to spectators, Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ National Championship will now be staged at the Jubilee Park tarmac.

This was revealed by Lee Baptiste, Guinness Brand Manager. The venue, which will make its maiden appearance, was selected due to its playing surface, size and overall accessibility by the general public.

He affirmed, “We anticipate a large crowd for the final and the venue has readily available parking and is accessible to various environs. It is very centralised and public transportation utilise routes that are accessible to its location, so it’s an overall good choice for staging of the national championship. The surface is also ideal for the players.”

The national championship will be staged on August

9 and 10 respectively. It will be contested in a knock-out format.

The venue will also be used for the Georgetown Championship final on Saturday. Meanwhile, the quarter-final and semi-final rounds of the Georgetown championship will take place on Friday (August 3) at the National Cultural

Centre tarmac.

The initial date of July 26 for the quarterfinals and semifinals was rescheduled after persistent rainfall rendered the playing area unfit for players and spectators.

According to tournament coordinator Three Peat Promotions, “All systems are in place for a thrilling night of action.

We anticipate a large crowd because of the quality of the teams who will be competing for a place in the final.

Six of the eight quarter-finalists have already lifted the coveted title, which adds to the quality that will be on show.”

The matches will remain in the original order, with Broad Street opposing Leop-

Action in the earlier group stage of the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Georgetown Championship

old Street at 19:00hrs and Albouystown-B battling Back Circle from 19:45hrs.

In the third and fourth quarter-final fixtures, Sparta Boss will tackle Sophia at 20:30hrs and defending champions Gold is Money face-off with Tiger Bay from 21:45hrs.

Victors of the aforesaid contests will advance to the semi-final round which will take place later in the evening. The final is scheduled for the Jubilee Park tarmac on August 3.

Winners of the event will collect $500 000 and the championship trophy, as well as automatic place in the National Championship.

The second-, third- and fourth-place finishers will collect $300 000, $200 000 and $100 000 respectively and corresponding trophy.

Meanwhile, the National Championship starts on August 9 at the Pouderoyen

tarmac. The two-day event, which features 15 teams, will end on August 10 at Jubilee Park.

The teams who have sealed automatic berths to the event are Gold is Money (National champions), 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 sealed automatic berths.

QUARTERFINAL FIXTURES: (1) Broad Street vs Leopold Street - 19:00hrs (2) Albouystown-B vs Back Circle - 19:45hrs (3) Sparta Boss vs Sophia - 20:30hrs (4) Gold is Money vs Tiger Bay - 21:15hrs Semifinal Matchups Winners (1) vs Winners (4) Winners (2) vs Winners (3)

India’s Shaw handed eight-month suspension for doping violation

Results of second round matches in CWI Under- 19 championship

(REUTERS) - India batsman Prithvi Shaw has been handed a back-dated eightmonth suspension for a doping violation after ingesting a prohibited substance Terbutaline, the country’s cricket board (BCCI) said yesterday.

The BCCI said Shaw, who made his Test debut last year, admitted to the Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) but the 19-year-old asserted that it was ‘inadvertent’, ingesting the substance when he had used an over-the-counter cough syrup.

“Prithvi Shaw, registered with Mumbai Cricket Association, has been suspended for doping violation,” BCCI said in a statement here. “Mr Shaw had inadvertently ingested a prohibited substance, which can be commonly found in cough syrups.

“Mr Shaw had provided a urine sample as part of the BCCI’s anti-doping testing programme during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match on February 22, 2019 in Indore. His sample was subsequently tested and found to contain Terbutaline.

“The BCCI is satisfied with Mr Shaw’s explanation that he had taken Terbutaline inadvertently to treat a respiratory tract infection and not as a performance-enhancing drug.”

The suspension has

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, (CMC) – Results of second matches in the CWI Under-19 Championship here Tuesday:

been backdated because Shaw admitted to taking the banned substance, in line with BCCI ADR Article 10.10.2, with the ban deemed to have started on March 16 and ending on

of medical ailments even if the medicine is available over the counter.”

Shaw last played for India in a Test match against West Indies in October last year and has not been picked in the squad for their tour of the Caribbean next month.

However, Shaw will be allowed to resume training with his state team after midnight on September 15.

The BCCI also said that two other domestic cricketers - Akshay Dullarwar (Vidarbha) and Divya Gajraj (Rajasthan) - were suspended for eight and six months, respectively, for similar inadvertent doping offences.

Prithvi Shaw will be allowed to resume training with his state team after midnight on September 15

Root returns to No.3 spot for Ashes opener

November 15.

Shaw released a statement later yesterday saying he accepted the punishment and hoped this example would deter other athletes from neglecting protocol when it came to taking medicines.

“I accept my fate with all sincerity,” Shaw said on Twitter. “I have to take this in my stride and hope it inspires others in our sports fraternity too in India.

“We, as athletes, need to be extremely careful in taking any medicine for the smallest

By Martyn Herman

LONDON, England (Reuters) - Skipper Joe Root looks certain to bat at number three in the first Ashes Test starting at Edgbaston tomorrow in the latest attempt to beef up England’s flimsy top order.

Root, widely-regarded as England’s best batsman, has been reluctant to bat at three, probably as a result of the unreliability of a succession of opening combinations.

Talking ahead of the opener yesterday, Ashes debutant Joe Denly confirmed that Root had phoned him this week and

SCORES: At Park Hill: T&T beat Jamaica by one run.

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 135 for seven off 23 overs (Leonardo Julien 56; Christopher Green 2-14) JAMAICA 134 for nine off 23 overs (Kirk McKenzie 41, Daniel Beckford 36, Zavier Burton 36; Jayden Seales 4-30) At Cumberland: Windwards beat Leewards by 47 runs.

WINDWARD ISLANDS 146 for eight off 24 overs (Teddy Bishop 41, Seandell Regis 32, Ackeem Auguste 28; Jaden Carmichael 3-11, Zawandi White 2-31, Akadianto Willett 2-34) LEEWARD ISLANDS 99 off 21.4 overs (Anderson Amurdan 30; Simeon Gerson 3-24, Tijourn Pope 2-23, Jamie Buddy 2-25) At Arnos Vale: Barbados beat Guyana by three wickets.

GUYANA 124 off 30.1 overs (Seon Glasgow 33, Sachin Singh 28; Matthew Forde 5-24) BARBADOS 125 for seven off 29.3 overs (Rivaldo Clarke 50, Antonio Morris 28; Kelvin Umroa 3-38, Leon Swamey 2-20, Ashmead Nedd 2-33)

said he wanted to bat at three, dropping Denly to

England Test captain Joe Root

fourth man in.

“I’m very excited,” the 33-year-old Kent batsman told Sky Sports. “I wasn’t too fussed really where I was batting; it’s just great to be in that starting eleven.

“I’ve batted at four before, playing for Kent and throughout my career, so for me it was not a big issue.

“I think Rooty just wants to get involved in the game and get up there and get out in the middle and hopefully make a lot of runs.

I don’t think there’s more to it than that.”

Denly batted at three in the one-off Test against Ireland last week, scoring 23

in the first innings in which England were dismissed for an embarrassing 85. He made 10 in the second innings after being run-out by Root.

Root has batted at three in 41 of his 149 Test innings, averaging 31 compared to 46 at number four. He has also opened the batting on a few occasions.

Rory Burns and one-day run machine Jason Roy are expected to open the batting against Australia’s fearsome pace attack tomorrow. They are England’s eighth different opening partnership in the past three years and the 16th since Andrew Strauss retired in 2012.

GBA gets support from COURTS Guyana Inc

GBA president Steve Ninvalle (left) receives a cheque for an undisclosed sum from COURTS Brand Manager, Odetta Aaron (Adrian Narine photo)

Semenya out of World

Championships after Swiss court reverses reprieve Page

31

Caster Semenya has been allowed to compete while awaiting the outcome of her appeal to a Swiss federal court

Page Page

35 26

Page

31

Englishman Michael Gough (left) and Trinidadian Joel Wilson have been named in ICC Elite Panel of Umpires

COURTS Guyana Inc., the country’s largest furniture and appliance store, yesterday became the latest corporate entity to align itself with the Guyana Boxing Association’s (GBA) 2019 Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors Boxing tournament.

The event, scheduled for August 16-18 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, should see participation from approximately 10 countries, with Trinidad and Tobago, Cayman Islands, Dominica, St Lucia and Barbados already confirming.

At a simple presentation at COURTS’ Main Street location, Brand Manager Odetta Aaron said the company sees its involvement in sports as an investment into the lives and careers of the country’s youths, and given the popularity of boxing, the entity is more than pleased to be associated.

Aaron also stressed that COURTS is no stranger to supporting boxing, and its contribution this year will only see the company building a longer relationship with the GBA. Steve Ninvalle, president of GBA, thanked Aaron and COURTS for continuing to be a loyal corporate partner of the association.

Umpire Joel Wilson appointed to ICC Elite Panel ... England’s Michael Gough also named

Allicock’s

‘chin held high’ after questionable Pan Am 31 defeat Page

Guyana’s Kevin Allicock lands blows against Uruguayan Lucas Fernandes at 18th Pan American games in Lima, Peru

Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ National Championships set for Jubilee Park tarmac

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, 2019