Guyana Chronicle E-paper 7-7-2019

7th July, 2019

‘CCJ can’t set date for polls’ No.105691

… Gov’t tells court in proposal for consequential orders

… says CCJ role should be quite limited

… proposes that House extends time for elections

Route march marks 180th anniversary of Police Force

‘Spiteful’ 10 15 charge damaged our lives PAGE

PAGE

… former treason accused couple demands apology, compensation from PPP

President Granger brought ‘dignity’ back PAGE

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–– says WPA’s Dr. David Hinds

Sugar foremen to get better rates

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10 Scores of policemen and women on Saturday participated in the organisation’s 180th Anniversary route march. The march commenced at Police Headquarters, Eve Leary and culminated at D’Urban Park where Commissioner of Police, Leslie James, took the salute (Delano Williams photo)

… as GAWU, GuySuCo ink agreement for field staff

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 7, 2019

Public Service Minister visits Region Six NGSA top performers –– signals government support for their continuing education

MINISTER of Public Service Tabitha Sarabo-Halley on Friday visited the top performers in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) who tied for the top position at the National Grade Six Assessment.

Chitra Ramdihal, 11, and Pawan Kumar Etwaroo, 12, of Cropper and Cumberland Primary Schools respectively, emerged as the top performers in the region with both scoring 520 of a total of 536 marks and obtained places at Queen’s College.

At the home of Etwaroo’s, excitement filled the air as one of his wishes was fulfilled. The lad had

A surprised Chitra Ramdihal and Minister of Public Service, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley hoped for a computer and The minister said the govit was gifted to him by ernment has recognised Minister Sarabo-Halley, his success and extends who congratulated him congratulations to him for for his accomplishment. work well done. She noted

that he was able to succeed despite the challenges around him.

She noted that in light of his success, the government is willing to offer a scholarship for him to pursue his studies at Queen’s College. However, Etwaroo and his parents have decided for him to remain in the region to continue his education; he will attend Berbice High School.

The minister posited that once the family works out the necessary plans, the government intends to further assist him in ensuring that he fulfils his dream of becoming a doctor, irrespective of which school he attends. “I have spoken to his parents. I have a sense of what their current situation is and my hope is that the government will be able to assist moving forward in Etwaroo’s continued education. He has chosen to stay at Berbice High School instead of going to Georgetown; once he remains focused he will continue to do well here.”

In 2017, Anand Kumar Etwaroo lost his job at the

Pawan Etwaroo receives his gift from Minister Sarabo-Halley Rose Hall Canje Estate after Meanwhile at the home it was closed. During that of Chitra Ramdihal, her time he relied on severance, infectious smile made way but after it was used up to for a warm welcome for care for his family and pro- the minister. Ramdihal, vide a comfortable home, who hopes to become a he became worried after he lawyer, expressed apprecould not find a job. When ciation for the “timely” he learnt that his son topped gift, noting that she does the region, Mr Etwaroo not own a laptop and had became even more worried hoped for one. that he would not be able to The minister also ofprovide for his son’s educa- fered congratulations tional needs. He said now and pledged support to that he learnt of the support the family for Ramdihal he is thankful, but will still to continue her educacontinue to look for a job. tion.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 7, 2019

‘CCJ can’t set date for polls’ … gov’t tells court in proposal for consequential orders

… says CCJ role should be quite limited … proposes that House extends time for elections

By Svetlana Marshall ATTORNEY General Basil Williams, in his submission on the Consequential Orders that should stem from the validation of the no-confidence motion, invited the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to order that the President sets a date for elections after consultation with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), and until such elections are held, the government inclusive of the President and Cabinet remains in office.

He, however, made it clear that the court has no jurisdiction to set the date for General and Regional Elections or dissolve Parliament. Such powers are vested only in the President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

On June 18, the CCJ upheld the no-confidence motion against the government, triggering the need for early elections in accordance with Article 106 (6) and (7) of the Constitution. Since that landmark ruling, the CCJ has invited the parties in the consolidated case to make submissions on consequential orders that should follow the ruling.

The Attorney General filed his submissions on the post judgment relief with the CCJ

on July 1, 2019. In the court document seen by the Guyana Chronicle on Saturday, the Attorney General told the CCJ that the appropriate consequential orders should be quite limited. Before making submissions on appropriate relief, the Attorney General said it was apposite to describe what would be inappropriate relief.

It was on that note that Williams respectfully submitted to the CCJ that it has no jurisdiction to set the date for elections or dissolve parliament, maintaining that only the President has that exclusive right.

“Before setting a date for elections this court must ask and answer the following question: What is the best date for general and regional elections to be held in Guyana? Frankly, that question and the answer to it are political in nature and within the exclusive right and privilege of the President of Guyana. The courts of Guyana do not answer political questions. In like vein, it falls exclusively to the President to decide when to dissolve Parliament,” the Attorney General submitted.

He took note of the fact that Article 106 does not provide for the dissolution of the National Assembly in the event that a government is defeated

President of the CCJ, Justice Adrian Saunders on a motion of confidence. “It follows that notwithstanding such a defeat, the power of dissolution remains constitutionally vested with the President.

There is no evidence before this court that proves or suggests that the President will fail to discharge his constitutional duty,” he said.

Urging the court to stay above the politics, the Attorney General, in his submissions, reminded the court that the legal dispute on the validity of the motion has been settled, and it is not for the court to provide the political solution that the leader of the opposi-

tion desires.

He submitted that the reality of the situation is simple.

“The motion has been validly passed and elections must be held; elections can only be lawfully held if they are credible which requires the completion of the Official List of Electors by way of houseto-house visits; it is for the President, after consultation with GECOM, to determine when elections can be lawfully held; the President should seek an extension of the period for the holding of the elections from the National Assembly; and in any event, in light of the government’s defeat on the motion, the President and GECOM must take steps to hold the elections as soon as possible,” the Attorney General laid out.

He maintained that it is for the opposition leader to return to the Parliament to extend the period for the holding elections in accordance with the Constitution. “If, for whatever reason, Parliament does not discharge its constitutional function pursuant to Article 106 (7), then as this court has found that the government has lost the confidence of the National Assembly, it would fall to the President, as supreme executive authority, to resolve the constitutional imbroglio.

After consultation with a duly constituted GECOM, he would dissolve Parliament and set a date for elections,” Williams reasoned.

On those grounds, the Attorney General said it would be appropriate for the court to order that in the event the National Assembly does not pass a resolution to extend the period for the holding of elections, the President, after consultation with GECOM, shall dissolve the National Assembly and fix a date for elections in accordance with Articles 70 (2) and 61 of the Constitution.

Until those elections are held and a president is sworn in, the government, including the President, prime minister, ministers and Cabinet shall remain in office, the Attorney General submitted. It was noted that while Article 106 (6) indicated that Cabinet including the President must resign if a government is defeated on a vote of confidence, it is silent on when the resignation should take place. According to the Attorney General, Article 106 (7) details the intent of the framers of the Constitution.

That article explains that notwithstanding its defeat, government must remain in office and resign after the President takes the oath of office follow-

Attorney General Basil Williams ing the election.

The Attorney General, Belizean Senior Counsel, Eamon Courtenay, and Solicitor General, Nigel Hawke, are among signatories to the document. Anil Nandlall, the attorney representing the Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, also made submissions on the orders that should be granted along with other attorneys in the case.

On Friday, July 12, 2019, the CCJ is expected to make consequential orders based on the submissions made in the consolidated case on the no-confidence motion.

International Co-operatives Day celebrated in Region Two CHIEF Co-operative Development Officer of the Ministry of Social Protection and the Department of Co-operatives, Ms. Perlina Gifth, on Saturday underscored that cooperatives play an important role in creating decent jobs in the country and also aid in sustainable growth here.

She was at the time speaking at a rally and exhibition held in Region Two to observe International Co-operatives day. Speaking to union members from all 10 Administrative Regions, Ms. Gifth extended greetings on behalf of the Ministers of Social Protection, Amna Ally and Keith Scott, for the special day.

Co-operative Week, which concluded on Friday, was celebrated under the theme, “Co-ops 4 Decent work”The future of work in focus.

The Chief Co-operative

Development Officer said that the rally and exhibition held in Region Two was to raise awareness of the movement in Guyana and is a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Social Protection Department of Co-operative, the Guyana National Co-operatives Union Ltd., and Guyana Co-operatives Credit Union League Ltd. She said her department has received complaints on inequality and a high level of unemployment in Guyana and is addressing same.

“Co-operative day celebrate awareness and the contribution of the co-operative movement in Guyana, those who are members of such movement are very unique, inclusion is important and we must work in unity,” Gifth said.

She called on members to work together and for agencies or organisations

that fall under the co-operatives to work on creating jobs, outlining that in order for the movement to survive it is important to solve the issue of unemployment in Guyana by providing decent jobs for citizens under a decent work programme.

“There must be empowerment for the people through employment, when this happens it creates good assistance to the government,” Gifth further explained.

BRIGHT FUTURE Regional Executive Officer, Mr. Denis Jaikarran, during his address said that the Co-operative movement in Guyana was on its “dying bed” in 2014 before the current government took office.

He said that movement has seen a “brightness” in 2015 when the coalition

Officials at the front seat including Chief Co-operative Development Officer of the Ministry of Social Protection and the Department of Co-operatives, Ms. Perlina Gifth; Regional Executive Officer, Mr. Denis Jaikarran, and Donna Todd of the Guyana Public Service Co-operative Credit Union Ltd government took office, which is a testimony that co-operatives have striven over the years under the current administration. He said the smallest child in Guyana can talk about “School Shrift Society” a movement that has taught them to save.

He also thanked members

from the various regions for travelling to his region for the event.

Messages were delivered

by Directors and Representatives of the Essequibo/ Pomeroon Regional Co-operative Union Ltd (E/PRCUL), Guyana Co-operative Credit Union League (GC-

CUL), Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and Guyana Public Service Co-operative Credit Union Ltd (GPSCCUL).

Giving appreciation also was Mr. Ashworth Benn, the Interim Chairman of the (E/PRCUL).

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 7, 2019

Italy migrants: New charity ship docks despite ban (BBC) A charity boat carrying 41 rescued migrants defied a ban on docking at Italian ports, but hours after arriving, no-one has been allowed off.

As night fell in Lampedusa, the crew and passengers of the Alex remained aboard, watched by police.

Despite warnings, it sailed to the port on Saturday because of "intolerable hygienic conditions" aboard.

Matteo Salvini, Italy's in-

terior minister, has said again he will not allow migrants to disembark.

"I saw that the German government wrote me a letter today asking to reopen the ports and to let all the migrants disembark," he said on a Facebook live stream. "No, no, no, absolutely not."

Last year, he closed Italian ports to rescue ships and Italy has introduced fines for anyone sailing into its waters without permission.

The Alex is run by the Mediterranea charity, which tweeted that its exhausted crew were living through a "surreal situation", and prolonging the wait was "an unnecessary cruelty".

"It's an unbelievable situation," spokeswoman Alessandra Sciurba said at the quayside. "There are people at risk of fainting, the toilets are not working. It's as though we are kidnapped."

"Nothing is happening about disembarkation and nobody knows what will happen."

Meanwhile, another NGO ship, the Alan Kurdi - operated

by German charity Sea-Eye - is

afloat in international waters just outside Lampedusa, carrying another 65 people.

Why is Italy refusing permission to dock?

Italy has been one of the main destinations for migrants attempting to reach Europe via the North Africa route, mostly from Libya.

People smugglers often load inflatable dinghies and other craft unsuited to the journey with dozens of people, many of which end up adrift and in need of rescue. Mr Salvini, from the right-wing League party, takes a hardline stance against migrants and rescue ships - something that has seen both his and his party's popularity increase.

In February, it was reported that Italy had rejected a record 24,800 asylum applications between October 2018 and January.

And a poll published in the Italian newspaper Corriere

Sunday, July 7, 2019 - 08:00hrs - 09:30hrs

Della Sera on Saturday said 59% of Italians approved of Mr Salvini shutting Italy's ports off to NGO-run vessels.

Last month, new laws passed by his government by emergency decree created fines of up to €50,000 (£45,000; $56,000) for vessels that sail to Italian ports without permission.

Yet just a week ago, a different ship, the Sea-Watch 3, forced a landing on Lampedusa after being stranded at sea for two weeks. Its captain, Carola Rackete, was arrested and accused of endangering the lives of police and trying to sink their boat.

A judge ordered her freed, though she still faces separate charges of aiding people smugglers and resisting authorities.

The interior minister insists that such boats be intercepted instead by the Libyan coast guard, which has received EU funding to boost its capabilities.

However, the Italian judge in Ms Rackete's case ruled that neither Libya nor Tunisia were safe countries for migrants.

When the Alex announced its intention to land at Lampedusa on Saturday, Mr Salvini took to Twitter to declare law enforcement agencies "ready to intervene".

In an apparent reference to the court order which freed Ms Rackete, he added: "In a serious

country, arrests and seizure... would be immediate: what will the judges do this time?"

Why are ships heading to Italy specifically?

Italy is often the closest EU country when migrants are rescued off the coast of Libya.

Many rescue ships and organisations do not consider Libya a place of safety under applicable international law.

When the Alan Kurdi announced it was following the Alex to Lampedusa despite the risk, it tweeted: "We are not intimidated by a Minister of Interior but instead head towards the nearest port of safety."

"The law of the sea applies, even when some government representatives refuse to believe that."

Earlier this week, migrants being held in a detention centre - which is where many returned migrants end up - were killed in an attack which hit the building they were in.

Those who make the journey across the water are also at risk - with many boats sinking or ending up adrift.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that 681 people have died in the Mediterranean Sea so far in 2019 – 426 of them in the central region between Libya and Tunisia and Italy.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 7, 2019

T&T: 3,735 pupils have special needs (TRINIDAD NEWSDAY) SOME 3,735 school pupils have some sort of special needs, but only 1,756 of these have been referred to the Ministry of Education’s Student Support Services Division, revealed Glenda Jennings-Smith as she chaired Friday's sitting of Parliament’s Joint Select Committee (JSC) on Human Rights.

The sitting heard calls for more to be done to support such pupils, by way of initially diagnosing/assessing them and providing specialised classroom support.

The JSC met officials from the ministry, Ministry of Social Development, TTUTA, National Parent Teachers Association (NPTA) and the Consortium of Disability Organisation (CODO.) CODO’s Tracy Hutchinson-Wallace said much of what the ministry was saying about support for such pupils did not mesh with the anecdotal experi-

ences of parents.

Committee member Hazel Thompson-Ahye remarked that while the grass was growing the proverbial horse was starving, with some having died.

Chief Education Officer Harrilal Seecharan said many pupils are diagnosed late and so at the time of the SEA exam the ministry receives a host of requests.

Hutchinson-Wallace countered that some pupils have waited from five to nine years to be assessed before applying for SEA concessions.

Seecharan said all are treated equally and concessions are done on a case-by-case basis, and parents can pay professionals to do the assessment privately.

Hutchinson-Wallace later said a private assessment typically costs $10,000, and children should be screened for developmental issues at pre-school and primary school.

NPTA chairman Raffiena

NPTA president Raffiena Ali-Boodoosingh

Ali-Boodoosingh said her group has long lobbied for children to be screened much earlier than standards three and four.

“Students are referred from the infant group, but many leave the whole primary school system and have not been seen

by Student Support Services.”

She said that while each school principal has an assessment card along with an immunisation card for each pupil entering their school, the reality is the special-needs pupils continue to operate at a disadvantage while things just go along.

Ali-Boodoosingh complained that schools are neglecting their role of helping parents to get involved in their children’s schooling.

JSC member Esmond Forde lamented the news that since March 2018 to present, special needs pupils had not been getting their grant, while the Ministry of Social Development deputy permanent secretary Vijay Gangapersad said forms are now being printed for recipients to transition to a new type of grant. Forde read out a list of disability NGOs dissatisfied with the school system, including the Blind Welfare Association, Dyslexia Association and Downs Syndrome Association. He said in 2017 the Equal Opportunity

Commission had received 145 complaints about schools not catering for special needs pupils.

Leticia Rodrigues-Cupid, Special Education Services head at the Education Ministry, said the On the Job Training (OJT) programme has hired 300 people to help special-needs pupils in the classroom.

TTUTA general secretary Fitzroy Daniel urged an increase, saying, “Teachers say there are not enough teacher aides for special pupils.”

Hutchinson-Wallace, howeve,r said OJTs are not adequate for special-needs pupils, but that para-professionals are instead needed, in areas such as language processing and the use of technology.

She lamented that while TT has 18 registered occupational therapists, international benchmarks suggest this country’s population needs 250 practitioners.

Ali-Boodoosingh, however, said, “Why not train

our parents to be our special-needs helpers in the classroom?”

CODO’s Bhawani Persad urged that special-needs pupils be let into normal schools, and assessment should be done “from the cradle to the grave.”

While Thompson-Ahye also said special needs pupils should be in mainstream schools, as they must ultimately exist in the real world, Forde urged dedicated schools for them.

Seecharan said the ministry supported inclusive education, although the reality is not all schools can accommodate special-needs pupils. e real world, Forde urged dedicated schools for them. Seecharan said the ministry supported inclusive education, although the reality is not all schools can accommodate special needs pupils.

cient evidence against a female suspect who was released on orders from the DPP. Police are also continuing

investigations into Tobago’s first murder of 20-year-old Dwarika Moses of Les Coteaux. Moses was discovered

in a burnt car, with a gunshot wound to his head, on Mason Hall Link road on January 16.

Charles: Don’t turn a blind eye on TT crime (TRINIDAD NEWSDAY) Chief Secretary Kelvin Charles has said Tobago must take a serious stand against crime and not turn a blind eye to the increasing number of criminal activities.

His comments came after the murder of Akil Andrews on Friday night in Black Rock.

“As a community, we cannot and must never turn a blind eye to any criminal activity, small or large. We must send a signal to the world that Tobago and Tobagonians will not stand by and see our island become prey to these criminal elements so easily,” Charles, representative for Plymouth/ Black Rock, said on Saturday.

“I will never reach the point of being unaffected by any news of crime in Tobago.

It's just not the kind of island that we are seeking to cultivate. Whilst I don't have all the details surrounding this matter, persons must not feel that they are at will to carry out these acts on our island whenever they feel.”Andrews, 36, is originally from Mt Hope and moved into an apartment at Archer Circular Road, Black Rock last November to assist his sister with her retail business.

Newsday was told that at around 7 pm, an unmasked

Chief Secretary Kelvin Charles

gunman entered his apartment and fired five shots at Andrews in the presence of his 18-year-old girlfriend and another female friend. The gunman then walked out of the apartment and down the street.

Villagers told Newsday they heard several loud explosions and alerted the police.

They described Andrews as a happy person who had good relationship with many in the Black Rock/Plymouth community. One Black Rock resident said Tobagonians must do background checks on who they rent their apartments to. She said villagers must also start asking questions when strangers enter the community.

Andrews' sister declined to comment on his death when contacted by Newsday. An autopsy is scheduled for this week at the Scarborough mortuary.Andrews was Tobago’s sixth murder victim. In May, couple John Mills and Eulyn John were the fourth and fifth murder victims. Their hands and feet were bound, their mouths gagged and they were stabbed to death at their Cocrico Avenue home in Buccoo, hours after Mills celebrated his 70th birthday. They were discovered by their nephew around noon on May 2.

In March, the island went into shock over the third murder victim, prominent businessman and retired police sergeant, Donald Parks, who was shot dead at his Summer Hill, Plymouth Road home, as he got out of his panel van. He was discovered by his daughter Essie Parks. An autopsy revealed he died of a single gunshot wound to the head. A 23-year-old man was arrested and charged for the murder.

In February, the second murder victim, Anderson Baboonanan, of Trinidad was stabbed to death along the Claude Noel Highway during a domestic dispute. An autopsy revealed he died due to a stab wound to the neck. Police were unable to gather suffi-

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 7, 2019

Education and national development

LAST week we reported former Executive Director of Conservation International Guyana, Dr. David Singh, as saying that the Green State Development Strategy (GSDS): Vision 2040 should have some “legal standing” to ensure its longevity.

His view was premised on the fact that such an important policy initiative should not be subject to narrow political manoeuvrings. In fact, he stated: “A strategy that lasts only for a political cycle is far too short-sighted to actually get the commitment of State agencies.”

He related that State agencies are mandated to commit to long-term plans which guide their work, usually over increments of five or ten years. Then on Friday, the Ministry of the Presidency released a video of President David Granger speaking about his vision for the education sector in Guyana.

Among the things he stated is that he would like every Guyanese to be exposed to education, at the minimum, at the secondary level and has certainly made tremendous strides in ensuring this. If one were to objectively listen to the President’s message, it is difficult not to support his vision. And here it is where sound policy initiatives such as were espoused by the president perhaps ought to be underpinned by legislative

protection to ensure their longevity.

Education is key to the development of any nation that aspires to maximum socio-economic development.

In fact, reading about the rise of the great industrial nations, it will be found that their ascendancy to global power have been premised on an available quality educated workforce, that have been able to produce eminent personalities in the arts, sciences of all categories and varied technologies that have made for sustained growth and development.

It is because of this sustained level of educated citizens that are continuously facilitated and fed by a flow that commences from the early classrooms, the intermediary stage, and on to the tertiary level learning centres such as universities and colleges, that these nations have been able to rise to the level of global pre-eminence, holding sway for decades.

This explains why these nations have been able to continue to influence international affairs, particularly trade and economics. And even for those that have not attained that level, their renowned economic and financial structures have enabled them to become financial centres of the world, apart from providing domestic stability that ensures a comfortable life for its citizens. This is

testimony to their level of quality education. Singapore is a beacon of example of what quality education has done for its country and citizens, giving it the status of a first-world country.

This fact of quality education and its pivotal importance in the life of every nation was not lost on President David Granger and his coalition when they took over the reins of government. That they inherited a system that had been broken, inclusive of daily school dropouts, poor attendance, inadequate classrooms, and a lack of modern teaching methodologies, was without doubt contributory factors to these serious negatives which could only make for adverse social repercussions.

It is no coincidence, therefore, that the education sector has, since the inception of the President Granger-administration, continued to get the largest slice of budgetary allocation – with $33.8B for 2015; $43B for 2017; $49.1B for 2018; and $52.2B for 2019. These sums have been utilised for more primary, nursery and secondary schools, particularly with the aim of contributing to friendlier classroom environment, and a better quality of educators for an improved delivery of teaching content, especially for Mathematics, given what would have been the worrying trend of low

scores for both NGSA and CSEC examinations.

One, therefore, would agree that there are some areas of national development that ought not to be subject to Harold Lasswell’s definition of politics, which is ‘Who gets what, when and how.’ Key among those areas are those having to do with projects associated with education, infrastructure and cheap and reliable energy.

The rule of thumb should be that once a project is critical to a nation’s long-term development and it follows the law, it should not be subject to the caprices of an incoming government.

And this is where the courts can have a key role to play in terms of providing the necessary guidance and protection against this vagary.

Here in Guyana, the time is ripe for there to be legislative protection for national projects, given that one cannot effectively advance the long-term development of a nation while being restricted by five-year electoral cycles.

This consideration intensely comes to bear in relation to developing countries such as Guyana.

Scholarship has established that policy uncertainty and reduced investments occur close to electoral cycles (Canes-Wrone and Park 2012; Julio and Yook 2012).

Added to this is the sister risk: good, productive and

efficient national advancement programmes that are part of a sitting government’s vision, being cancelled while on a trajectory to benefit the country and people.

Regrettably, upon the ascension to office of a new government, these programmes could be shelved in one fell swoop. For example, why should the people be denied cheap and reliable energy that is enshrined in a government project, which is part of the vision of a government that goes beyond the electoral cycle? In the case of Guyana, the current administration is rapidly moving towards the implementation of a ‘Green State Development Strategy (GSDS), which is primarily about renewable energy. This vision, once realised, will definitely benefit the nation.

In democratic societies with intense competition rooted in tribal and ethnic considerations, it is difficult to see the level of political maturity that is required to ensure the national interest is put first. Be that as it may, there are countries that have found success by enshrining development goals in their constitutions. A case in point is Costa Rica, whose constitution stipulates that at least six per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) must be spent on education; another is that of Bhutan, which states: “The Government shall

ensure that, in order to conserve the country’s natural resources and to prevent degradation of the ecosystem, a minimum of 60 per cent of Bhutan’s total land shall be maintained under forest cover for all time.” Those nations at reference stand as model global exemplars for rapid ‘green’ development. And there is a direct correlation between their developmental gains and the rule of law. It, therefore, follows that national goals connected to cheap and reliable energy should be aided by the rule of law. Put another way, it means that in the case of Guyana, projects that are critical to national development should not be subject to the rigours of Guyanese politics. There are several caveats in this regard, in that those projects should meet a minimum fiduciary standard to receive judicial protection; and there should be clearly defined guidelines for what constitutes national projects that are crucial to national development.

The word ‘development’ should be banned from the Guyanese lexicon; that is, if successive governments come and go, and the party outside of power waits anxiously to chop a plan that teems with incontrovertible benefits for the nation’s long-term growth. But one would rather suspect that in the zero-sum game of politics, this is high idealism.

Here’s some helpful context when comparing Guyana and other oil producers

Dear Editor,

AS many Guyanese are aware, the Department of Energy announced this week that it plans to raise royalty rates for future contracts. This is an eminently sensible step given our streak of successful discoveries in the Stabroek block and clear international interest in Guyana.

Companies are queuing up for the show – they can pay

for entry!

I also note an advertisement in Kaieteur News comparing Guyana’s 2% royalty with 35 other countries which asks the question; “when will Guyana start demanding what it deserves?”

Perhaps a bit of context would be helpful when considering the Kaieteur News advertisement. Royalty rates are determined by a number of other factors in any contract, such as a country’s

share of profit oil, tax structures and project timelines.

Most importantly, royalty rates usually reflect how established a country is as a producer and the extent of proven reserves.

So why are all of these countries enjoying far higher royalty rates? Well, take a look at the table here, which examines the same countries: Guyana trails far behind every other nation on the list. Recall that when the 2%

royalty was agreed, we had just discovered oil and have still not produced a drop. So, we see that being a proven producer is key. Guyana’s exploration success certainly merits a raise in royalty rates, but I think we must proceed with the goal of establishing a track record as a reliable producer.

Think what we may about whether the original 2% royalty our government negotiated was appropriate, we Guy-

anese made a commitment in the eyes of the international business community. That commitment has spurred companies like ExxonMobil, Total, Tullow and Hess to invest heavily in further exploration which has driven our value ever higher.

Our officials and the Department of Energy have the leverage now – let us push them to drive a hard bargain on our future contracts. But let us

also be aware that reneging on our old contracts may serve to unravel our appeal to those same future investors. If that is the route we choose, then so be it. But we must consider context, not potentially misleading facts and figures.

Regards Donald Singh

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 7, 2019

The Forest Sector: The Jewel Standing Tall at the OP-ED Intersection of Guyana’s Green and Brown Economy Guyana now stands at the winners’ podium for its non-renewable natural resources. Its oil and gas reserves are causing a growth rate of 16.3% between 2018 and 2021, double that of Ethiopia the next fastest growing economy. Indeed, the country’s brown economic output is set to explode. In a few short years, we will become the top oil producing country per capita in the world, joining the club of oil-rich economies, producing fossil fuels that cause half of all the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.

So what does this mean for Guyana’s Green State aspirations? The oil and gas sector will dwarf the rest of the economy. For Guyana to maintain its interest to be a Green Economy, immediate, bipartisan and focused attention is required to support the growth of the Forest-based economic sector, as this sector lies at the intersection of Guyana’s brown economic development and its green economic ambition. The fact

is that massive brown economic development makes it hard to convince the international community of our continued commitment to a green economy unless we do something decisive and ground-breaking that balances out our winning position as the top oil producer per capita in the world, while matching our reputation as a world leader on conservation and sustainable use of our forests.

Emphasis on our Forest-based economic sector to counter our brown economic development and demonstrate our green commitment should not come as a surprise. For decades Guyana has burnished its sustainable Forest-based green economy credentials. Three decades ago, our country was headlined globally when we offered the world Iwokrama - a portion of our forests to demonstrate the possibilities of conserving and sustainably using our natural resources. A decade ago, our country was headlined globally when we championed the deployment

of our forest ecosystems as the least-cost, most-effective natural solution to the global climate crisis. This led to the largest per capita forests and climate change deal in the world through a $250M commitment from the Kingdom of Norway. In 2018, our country adopted a National Forest Policy and Plan that takes a holistic view of our forest ecosystems, building on the many decades of work to improve the way in which timber harvesting is done, and incorporating non-timber forest products and their services into the equation.

And Guyana operates a globally acclaimed system for monitoring, reporting, and verification of forest cover that provides important information that can be used to improve conservation, land allocation and management effectiveness.

We have political commitment and built the institutional capacity.

It is time to make the necessary financial commitment in favour of our Forests

through the substantial revenues from oil and gas.

The Green State Development Strategy: Vision 2040 sets out the framework under which a Green State may be realized. Enabling a strong, vibrant and sustainable Forest-based economic sector will be a hallmark of Guyana’s immediate success to achieve a Green State. That said, success in the forest sector cannot be achieved through government intervention only. The Private Sector looks forward to participating in any initiative that continues to drive sustainable forestry, and the development of the Forest-based economic sector as a whole, encompassing economic, environmental and social factors. It recognizes that it must take up its rightful seat at the table along with government and civil society and will stand ready to respond to government’s renewed commitment to the sector. Based on this partnership between all segments of society, the Private Sector will commit to

increasing its investments in the forest and wood product value chain and, through its respective parent associations, commit to thinking forward and championing the sector within the inclusive green economic framework.

As Guyanese we have prided ourselves in offering the world climate solutions.

In a few short years we will be part of the global climate problem, unless we do something decisive, significant, and innovative to show again to the world how a small developing country can grow a sustainable economy to solve two of the world’s greatest problems: the climate crisis, and human inequality.

Today it is our time to shine on the global platform as a successful economic powerhouse that demonstrates how to use the returns from the brown economic sector to develop a net low-carbon, green economy through the growth and development of the forest-based sector. The European Union suggests that nature will pro-

vide almost 40% of the global climate solutions between now and 2030. The UN estimates that fossil fuels contribute at least 50% of global greenhouse gases. As our global reputation of being the world’s fastest growing economy from fossil fuels is being settled in history, let us also write our own history by investing in our forests and make permanent our green economy status even as we accept the short-term benefits from exploitation of oil and gas.

(OP-ED written by DEONARINE RAMSAROOP, PRESIDENT OF THE FOREST PRODUCERS’ ASSOCIATION OF GUYANA; RAFEEK KHAN, CHAIR - FORESTRY & WOOD PRODUCTS SUBSECTOR, GUYANA MANUFACTURERS’ AND SERVICES ASSOCIATION; WITH DAVID SINGH, NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PRACTITIONER)

Jagdeo must choose either to be a diligent statesman or a power-hungry former president Dear Editor, WHILE my personal style has been to conduct my business and stay out of the limelight, it seems as if the limelight has decided to come to me uninvited. For the second time in as many weeks, my name has been mentioned by Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo during his press conferences.

Mr. Jagdeo’s argument, in summary, is that since I am ‘related’ to Mr. Saratu Phillips whom he accuses of being awarded state lands, and since Mr. Joseph Harmon, Director-General in the Ministry of the Presidency, is a tenant of one my properties, I must somehow be seen as a beneficiary of some corrupt transaction that he himself does not identify.

I believe that the image that Mr. Jagdeo tried to paint of me is one of some hustler trying to catch where I can under a favourable government. The truth of my story is that I was born to a successful artisanal miner from Bartica, a man who brought me into the family business when I was still in my mid-teens. From that early age, I had a first-hand perspective on the mining life, one in which you could be a millionaire one day, a beggar the next, and then a millionaire again. I was determined to build upon the successes of my father and to avoid the volatile nature of the pork-knocking life. When I took over fully after his passing, I decided to enter the hotel industry in Bartica and to further diversify from there. Today, my business concerns span real estate, aviation and security services even as I’ve successfully maintained the core business of mining. Indeed, it was because of my achievements in the mining business that I was nominated for and received a national award, the Arrow of Achievement, during Mr. Jagdeo’s

final year in office-- 2011.

And it is not that I didn’t know hardship. It was under Mr. Jagdeo’s administration that I had to watch as my father lost the battle against special interests, close to the then government, who coveted and took over land he had worked hard for. It was under Mr. Jagdeo’s toxic political environment, in which certain business interests became so untouchable, that when I spoke in defence of a small miner being bullied, similar to what happened with my father, I had to deal with my two Georgetown houses being riddled with bullets to send me a message to know my place.

Mr. Jagdeo claims that his intention in calling names had nothing to do with race, but what he claims to be ‘special interests’ connected to government. His record on racial discrimination, however, speaks for itself. From the proliferation of racist letters in the state media to his discriminatory policy of appointments on public boards and in diplomatic posts to his own public rhetoric on the campaign trail in 2015, it is clear where the prejudicial nature of Mr. Jagdeo lies. Even though I was awarded for my achievements in mining, under the PPP, there was a glass ceiling I dared not even attempt to break as an Afro-Guyanese, the coveted gold export licence.

Indeed, because this discriminatory policy had so infected the public and private financial infrastructure in Guyana, it took me tremendous effort under the current administration to gain a licence in 2018; at the time the only African-Guyanese to do so. I have documentation of precisely where the hurdles were, and what I had to do to overcome them.

Commissioner of Lands and Surveys, Mr. Trevor Benn has had to debunk Mr. Jagdeo’s claims, both general and some specific. Mr. Charles Ceres has had to hold a full press con-

ference deconstructing the claims against him made as well.

And all this comes just weeks after Commissioner-General of the Guyana Revenue Authority, Mr. Godfrey Statia, had to similarly debunk Mr. Jagdeo’s claims on another set of issues.

While I understand that the Leader of the Opposition has his political work to do, credibility and integrity should matter and there should be no justification for the level of misinformation he insists on putting out into the public domain. It appears to me that if someone does not fall into Mr. Jagdeo’s small cabal of business associates, you can easily become collateral damage in his relentless political campaign. A strong undercurrent of Mr. Jagdeo’s recent tirades is that of the resentment that there is clear empowerment of a people that he spent so long in marginalizing. Very bluntly, the demonstration of Afro-Guyanese capacity to undertake and manage significant, transformative investment is vexing to Mr. Jagdeo.

Someone once said that the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was to convince people that he did not exist.

Mr. Jagdeo cannot have it both ways: he can either be the diligent statesman committed to the public interest that he has been trying hard to sell himself as ever since he formally re-entered politics as Leader of the Opposition; or he can be the power-hungry former President, so greedy for another taste of power and access to our country’s newfound wealth that he does not care whose name he dirties in order to do so.

Regards Shawn Hopkinson, AA CEO, Hopkinson Mining

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 7, 2019

TO BE OR NOT TO BE

THE issue as to who would be the next Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) stirs in me a refrain from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “To be, or not to be”: That is the question. Ser o no ser – es la cuestion!

When the President and the Leader of the Opposition met last Thursday, the issue of who should be the chairman took centre-stage. It was agreed that the Leader of the Opposition would re-submit the 18 names on the three lists that have previously been deemed unacceptable, and which had resulted in the President appointing Justice James Patterson from outside those lists.

The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has ruled as flawed, the process by which the appointment was made.

Justice Patterson has since demitted office and the post is vacant.

FIT AND PROPER At the time of the submission by the Leader of the Opposition, each person on the Lists of 18 would have indicated willingness to be appointed GECOM’s Chairman.

Each of the nominees had wanted to be the chairman, and would have considered himself/herself as “fit and proper” within the meaning of the Constitution of Guyana.

However, it is possible that the consolidated list of 18 would be sanitised; that there might be nominees who are no longer interested in becoming the chairman. It is possible also that in view of the brouhaha over dual citizenship, that some persons who might be under allegiance to a foreign power or state may wish to withdraw for this or any other reason.

According to the CCJ, both the President and the Leader of the Opposition would together hammer out a list of names not unacceptable to the President. The CCJ sees this as a new approach that “gives the President a role in the identification of the six names.”

This is a good-faith process that could result in building trust between Government and Opposition, as no elections could be held, sooner or later, unless the Elections Commission has a chairman and is able to re-commence preparatory work for any such elections.

CART BEFORE DONKEY It was surprising therefore that whilst the new process to examine the reconstituted list has not gotten underway, that the Leader of the Opposition has chosen to lead a flock of party zealots in protest activity for elections to be held now, or within the next 70 days.

The Jagdeoites want the government to resign, and the President to announce a date for elections.

It is commonsense that there can be no elections without a proper GECOM. Calling for elections now is like putting the cart before the donkey.

President Granger was magnanimous and statesmanlike in accepting the proposition that the old names could again be placed on the table. His Excellency could have brushed aside the proposal as a political ploy or pure provocation.

But to demand resignation of the government and elections within 90 days of the recent CCJ (June 18) judgment is a calculated attempt at undermining the good- faith process.

Could it be that the PPP is trying to influence the CCJ ahead of its consequential orders on July 12, to prematurely and unilaterally fix a date for elections in contravention of the constitutional role of the Elections Commission and the Executive President? This cannot be within the contemplation of any reasonable or sensible person.

POLITICAL SCENARIO So I try to look for another political scenario that is being painted by an alienated rump of the PPP, that the Jagdeo faction of the PPP is going soft on the coalition government.

This, in party jargon, is tantamount to appeasing the enemy, especially after the Opposition Leader invited the President to informally recommend names of persons who could qualify to be GECOM’s Chairman.

For this clique, if the President and the Opposition Leader could see eye-to-eye on this issue, then the door could theoretically be opened for talks on the wider issue of governance and inclusivity which, I believe, Jagdeo wants.

The mere possibility of that would re-activate the racist bells within the party, which smells outright power at the next polls and would not at this time toy with any other idea, however feasible in the current situation. It is no wonder that Donald Ramotar, the former President and ousted party general secretary, yesterday launched a racist tirade against coalition’s leaders, whom he described as “vultures” and “scoundrels.” (Letter in GT July 6, 2019).

It is evident that disgruntled elements within the “Gang of 8”, are worried that the Granger-Jagdeo talks are going well, or could go well. This would be unlike the time when Ramotar had the process within his grasp, and he messed it up. Ramotar is a quintessential Stalinist, a dogmatist; and a vulgar, street-side political bully who once publicly called me an “intellectual jackass.”

He has once again, at a time that requires engagement not confrontation, put his putrid foot into his mouth!

UNIMAGINATIVE INFLEXIBILITY

Reflecting on the post-2011 scenario, the one-time influential PPP top brass and former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran, accused the Ramotar-led minority regime with “unimaginative inflexibility,” which was “true to the culture of securing dominance.”

That regime, he noted, did not even discuss internally the issue of a coalition arrangement with one or both of the opposition parties. That government, according to Ramkarran, “fell after three years of political turmoil.” (SN January 13, 2019).

It is again this “unimaginative inflexibility” that is being applied to force the Jagdeo-led PPP to make outlandish and impracticable demands. It has to push the notion of dominance by the newly baptised “all-weather party,” instead of constructive engagements that could bring about changes in government-opposition relations.

During 2003, after my unrelenting campaign, the PPP had adopted a declaration of “Building Trust and Confidence” under which government-opposition and PPP/ PNC party-to-party reproachment would be possible. But, as Ramkarran pointed out, “By design, the proposals in Building Trust and Confidence were never invoked, even after a PPP/C minority Government was elected in 2011.”

GAME CHANGER In my view, that it is still neither late nor impossible for the Government and the Opposition to arrive at consensus over the appointment of the GECOM Chairman “within days,” as President Granger has assured.

It is also possible that the Government and Opposition, by agreement, could settle on a realistic time-frame for fresh elections, even if this means going back to Parliament to extend the date that had kicked in when the CCJ ruled that the no-confidence motion was validly carried.

When the Opposition would have thrown its support for the motion for extension of the elections time-frame, it would be the first time in a marathon race that the two big blocs would have scaled with a two-thirds majority a major hurdle towards consensus politics in Guyana. That would release unimaginable possibilities for the realisation of other national goals by consensus.

The question is, for the parties involved, whether to be or not to be a game changer!

Major oil and gas seminar for Tuesday MARSH UK and its local affiliate, P&P Insurance Brokers, will on Tuesday host a major oil and gas seminar at Pegasus Hotel, Georgetown.

The three-day seminar is expected to attract some 60 delegates drawn from not only the local insurance industry, but also the offices of the Insurance Regulator, Department of

Energy, Ministry of Presidency and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

It will be led by senior executives from Marsh’s London energy practice and will cover such topics as An overview of Company Energies and Insurance Market, Risk Identification and Evaluation, Drilling Risk and Control of Well, Upstream and Downstream

Liabilities, Offshore Construction, Upstream Operational Insurance, Offshore Business Interruption (LOPI), Energy Policies Wordings and Claims, FPSO Insurance, Risk Management and Downstream Operational Insurance.

Marsh is the world’s leading provider of risk management and the risk transfer advice and their energy and power practice is the world’s leading

provider of risk management and risk transfer advice to energy companies worldwide.

The seminar itself is based on the Marsh/Chartered Insurance Institute accredited formal training programme for the oil and gas industry.

The CII is the leading insurance professional development organisation in the UK.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 7, 2019

Understanding Energy

Liza Destiny and FPSOs

ON June 22nd, the Liza Destiny was formally named at the Keppel Shipyard in Singapore. The Destiny is the first of the planned Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels that ExxonMobil and partners will be deploying in Guyanese waters.

First Lady Sandra Granger and Department of Energy Director, Dr. Mark Bynoe, were on hand for the ceremony in Singapore. It is a time-honored tradition in the industry to hold these “naming ceremonies” for recently finished ships before they begin their maiden voyage.

In many cases, vessels are also given a “godmother,” a ceremonial title awarded to an important female figure associated with the vessels planned operations. For example, a recently-completed Arctic condensate tanker, the Boris Sokolov, was given a similar sendoff from the Guangzhou Shipyard in December. A ceremony was held with Yuliya Zobova of PAO NOVATEK, a Russian natural gas producer, serving as the ceremonial

godmother and providing remarks during the celebration.

In this case, First Lady Sandra Granger did the honors, stating in her remarks that the Destiny “is a fitting name for our country because we are talking about destiny, we are talking long-term and we are talking what I believe is vision not only for production but the process behind it.”

Liam Mallon, President of ExxonMobil’s Upstream Oil and Gas Company, and Bruno Chabas, Chief Executive of SBM Offshore, were also present. Mallon noted that “Over 1000 Guyanese have worked on this project in various parts of the world.” The men and women involved in the project will continue to work on various aspects of ExxonMobil’s oil development in Guyana.

The launch of the Liza Destiny underlines the rapid pace of development in Guyana. The FPSO is a significant step in the planned 5-year timeline from discovery to first oil – an unprecedented achievement for the global energy in-

dustry. Meeting such a timeline requires significant up-front investment in order to outfit and mobilise the necessary equipment and infrastructure, like the Liza Destiny.

As Understanding Energy has written previously, an FPSO is essentially an enormous ship anchored to the seafloor and attached to the SURF (subsea umbilicals, risers and flowlines) systems that will take in the oil, process it, store it and offload it to tanker ships that can bring the oil to refineries and consumers. While the first FPSO wasn’t built until 1977, there are currently over 270 vessels deployed worldwide.

FPSOs are some of the largest and most technically complex ships ever built.

Many are larger than aircraft carriers and come equipped with helipads and rooms for hundreds of crewmembers, as well as sophisticated fire safety and leak detection systems.

They are also particularly effective in remote or deep-water locations as an affordable alternative to seabed pipelines.

Critically, FPSOs eliminate the need to lay expensive and time-consuming long-distance pipelines to an onshore terminal. Instead, tanker ships can offload oil directly from the FPSO where it is produced, reducing the risk of leaks or spills from underwater pipelines.

FPSOs can be built from scratch or converted from an existing oil tanker, both of which are massively expensive undertakings that require tremendous engineering and construction experience.

An existing oil tanker was used as the starting point in the case of the Liza Destiny.

The Liza Destiny can produce up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day and has a storage capacity of 1.6 million barrels.

Phase 2 of the Liza development is expected to start up in mid-2022, produce up to 220,000 barrels of oil per day, and develop approximately 600 million barrels of oil through a second FPSO, the ‘Liza Unity,’ which is now under construction.

The philosophy of Queen’s College or nothing

THERE are some in the Guyanese parental population who are wholeheartedly committed to the educational philosophy of Queen’s College or nothing.

This dogma entails a constant and tyrannical reminder to students from the minute they enter a primary school that their results from the National Grade Six Assessment must produce Queen’s College, or their world would cease to exist. This demanding posture needs to be put under the microscope for examination; it is dangerous parenting.

Years of excruciating demands from age six to 12 can produce test anxiety; this condition can manifest itself in the midst of writing a major exam. Test anxiety turns good-thinking students into nervous wrecks, who can forget their knowledge and focus more on the consequences of failure during an exam. Dr Kathleen Smith explained: ‘They may also have experienced poor test performance in the past and worry about the incident repeating.’

Test anxiety is real and entails cognitive, emotional and physical symptoms. The philosophy of Queen’s College or ‘bust’ certainly provides a worthy case study for the negative effects of test anxiety. What this demonstrates is that parents are actually doing a disservice to their kids by being supremely demanding; there has to be a delicate parental balancing act between demanding the best and reassuring love and support in times of the worst. Exerting pressure on

students to do well is nothing new and it is not restricted to the Guyana context: a study at John Hopkins University in California revealed that 92% of parents felt it was important for their children to excel in school, while 39% of students felt there was too much pressure on them.

The National Grade Six Assessment is completed by an average of 14,000 students vying for entrance into various secondary schools across Guyana with most under the duress of parental watch, laser-focused on QC. The policy of the Ministry of Education stipulates that once you are below 480 marks, you are placed according to your home address. This policy proceeds from the assumption that once you provide equal material and human resources to all secondary schools, they should all be on the same level and once students are placed at area schools, there should be no issues. Parents have completely rejected area placements and this policy feeds into the hot pursuit for Queen’s College and the possibility of getting Bishop’s High School, St. Stanislaus, St Rose’s High, St Joseph High or President’s College. This pursuance is fraught with emotional, psychological and physical sacrifice: late-night extra lessons for parents and students, spending wanton sums on education materials and more.

What drives this passion and fervour?

Queen’s College takes the priority cake due to its tradition of academic excellence, pro-

ducing Presidents and Guyanese scholars of international renown. When this institution was started by Bishop Austin in 1844, the name immediately carried an elitist echo; anything associated with the Queen was considered aristocratic. Over the years, this institution carried the tag of being a place for the Guyanese upper class, ironically, Forbes Burnham, Dr Cheddi Jagan and Dr Walter Rodney who attended QC sought to tear down class divisions and remain forever etched in our history as fighters for the poor and downtrodden. The point being made here is to document that the entire Guyanese society is responsible for the emergence of the philosophy of Queen’s College or nothing, not just the parents who always, innately,will request the best for their kids. There is visceral reaction of respect that emanates from the average Guyanese when the name Queen’s College is mentioned; employers are more likely to hire someone who has attended this institution and there is much prestige that surrounds reginae collegium. This feeds into the frenzy and gives sustenance to this philosophy.

The folly of this mad rush is laid bare when one considers the fact that there are numerous secondary schools that have produced some of Guyana’s most internationally recognised and prominent citizens such as Clive Lloyd, former West Indies captain and one of the Caribbean’s most exemplary leaders attended Chatham High School; Dr

Mohammed Shahabuddeen, who attended JC. Chandisingh Secondary School, rose to international jurisprudence eminence by serving on the World Court and becoming Vice-president of the Yugoslavia Tribunal and former President Hugh Desmond Hoyte, regarded as one of Guyana’s finest Presidents, attended Progressive High School.

Further, the National Grade Six Assessment is a two-day event; it is almost a one-shot opportunity for students who may be subject to a myriad of variables that may negatively affect their performance on that day; it cannot tell the complete aptitude story. Therefore, it is folly for parents and teachers to present a doomsday academic scenario to students who do not attain above 500 marks to attend QC. The aforementioned argumentation has not been submitted to denigrate the unparalleled achievements of one of Guyana’s premier institutions of learning; as a former student of Queen’s College, the writer cannot be accused of this.

This serves to highlight the wholly nonsensical basis for the philosophy of Queen’s College or nothing.

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‘Five brothers killed by the gun’ … Albouystown man arrested for gunning down Leon Hescott

AN Albouystown man was on Saturday arrested in connection with the execution-style killing of Leon Hescott, called ‘Dudu,’who was shot multiple times about his body at an abandoned building along Middle Road, La Penitence, Georgetown, Friday night.

The 36-year-old man is the fifth of the Hescott brothers to be shot and killed.

Reports indicate that while Hescott was sitting in a chair at the house, the gunman rode up on a bicycle. He then punched Hescott before pumping several shots into his body, before fleeing the scene.

One resident said that Hescott returned to Guyana from French Guiana recently and was supposed to return on Saturday, but the person whom he “violated” got to him first. Hescott was previously charged and remanded to prison for multiple robberies including a $90-million diamond heist.

In 2009, Leon’s brother, 19-year-old Ryan Hescott was shot and later succumbed. Ryan Hescott was before the court on charges of robbery under arms, possession of a firearm without a licence, and possession

Leon Hescott, called ‘Dudu’ of ammunition without a licence.

On April 17, 2007, another brother, Dave Hescott, was found dead in the Le Repentir cemetery with a gunshot wound to the head in what appears to be another execution-style killing.

In November 2006, yet another brother, Shawn Hescott, was gunned down a stone’s throw away from his home, as he sat on a horsedrawn cart chatting with his girlfriend and another woman.

In November 1996, Winston Hescott was shot and killed by police at Madewini on the Soesdyke/ Linden Highway.

Sugar foremen to get better rates … as GAWU, GuySuCo ink agreement for field staff

THE Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (GuySuCo) on Friday signed an agreement paving the way for certain increases to the Field Foremen/ Forewomen in the sugar industry.

The agreement followed a decision by the Corporation to restructure its agricultural department wherein the workers concerned were given additional responsibilities, GAWU said in a release.

In July last year, the Corporation took a decision to eliminate the posts of Field Chargehand and Field Supervisor and the responsibilities associated with those jobs be assigned to the Foremen/ Forewomen and the Field Superintendent. GuySuCo contended that the changes would streamline operations and promote greater accountability. Arising from the new responsibilities to the foremen/ forewomen – who are represented by the GAWU – a new job description was developed to take account of the new circumstances. The new job description was examined by the joint GAWU/GuySuCo Job Evaluation Committee in August 2018. That evaluation,

Route march marks 180th anniversary of Police Force

UNDER the theme “Serving and Protecting Our Nation Through Collaboration and Dedication,” members of the Police Force on Saturday displayed their marching skills in a route march which commenced at Tactical Services Unit Drill Square, Eve Leary.

The parade proceeded to Brickdam where Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjat-

SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 7, 2019

tan, took his salute in front of the Ministry of Public Security, and the parade culminated at D’Urban Park where the Commissioner of Police took his salute.

In neat rows of brown and blue, scores of policemen and women marched briskly through the streets of Georgetown in observance of the Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) 180th Anniversary.

The road march commenced from the TSU Drill Square

GuySuCo and GAWU officials signing the agreement which was conducted within the framework of the Hay Methodology, which the Corporation has been employing for some years now, recognized the need for the workers concerned to benefit from additional payments on account of their new responsibilities.

According to the union, for several months it has, through a number of correspondences, been seeking to have the Corporation implement the findings of the Job Evaluation Committee. Our many reminders eventually saw the Corporation engaging the Union last week. At that meeting, the GuySuCo proposed increasing the starting rate of foremen/ forewomen by three (3) per cent to $102,484 monthly.

GuySuCo, through its submission, proposed that those Field Charge hands, who were pro-

moted to foremen/forewomen following the elimination of that job, be paid a three (3) per cent increase once their extant salaries were below the new minimum pay level.

Those workers who were incumbent foremen/forewomen at the time of the changes will benefit from a four (4) per cent pay rise.

Having heard the Corporation, the Union engaged the workers concerned who agreed with the Corporation’s proposals. With the signing of the agreement, the workers will soon begin to benefit from the new rates-of-pay and will receive payments retroactive to July last year when the changes were made.

The workers expressed their appreciation to the GAWU for its efforts to ensure that they were compensated for

their new responsibilities.

According to the release, this is the first time since 2014 that the Union and the GuySuCo have approved an improvement in pay increases for sugar workers. “While heartened by this development, it did not escape our attention that for the thousands of sugar workers, their rates-of-pay have remained the same for the past five (5) years.

The GAWU cannot help but be dismayed by this situation especially recognising the hard work and dedicated efforts of the sugar workers who have continued to make a positive contribution to the industry. In the meantime, we continue to encourage the company and the authorities to address this shameful situation.”

Minister Khemraj Ramjattan receiving the salute during the route march in front of the Ministry of Public Security (Delano Williams Photo)

The Mounted Branch of the Police Force during the parade

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 7, 2019

Family of taxi driver Elderly Berbice couple killed in prison homeless following fire seeks answers

SAMANTHA Bacchan, wife of the deceased prisoner, Lallbacchan Bacchan, is still seeking justice and answers from relevant authorities regarding the death of her 39-year-old husband. Bacchan lost his life on July 1 while in the Suddie Police station lock-ups.

Although the post-mortem examination performed by government pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh, revealed that Bacchan died from a fractured larynx/asphyxiation, family members are still baffled as to how that may have happened while he was the lone prisoner in the Suddie Police Station lock-ups.

Bacchan was arrested on June 28 after two arrest warrants were issued for him to attend court to answer driving under the influence(DUI) charges.

The deceased’s family thus far has hosted a picketing exercise outside of the Suddie Police Station.

Hearing their cries for justice, former Attorney General Anil Nandalall has offered to represent the family pro bono.

Dead in prison: Nandalall, on Saturday, said he has filed for Lallbacchan Bacchan compensation and will be writing to the DPP requesting an inquest into the matter.

The attorney also signalled his interest in writing to the Commissioner of Police, Leslie James, requesting a full probe into the death of the taxi driver.

Nandalall said the Guyana Police Force (GPF) is answerable since it has the right to provide safety for those in custody. He intends to fight the case on several grounds, pointing out that family members were denied seeing the deceased while he was in the lock-ups.

He said Bacchan was only 39 years and could have lived longer to provide for his family financially. The attorney also stated that Bacchan was not supposed to be in the lock-ups for that extended period. The deceased was also denied medical attention although he sought same.

Bacchan’ wife said her husband’s life was brutally snatched away while in custody. She recalled that on June 12, he was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and was placed on $20,000 bail.

He was also told to attend the Suddie Magistrate’s Court on June 20 when he was given a date for June 28.

However, her husband did not attend, and as such, the police visited and dragged him into the van and took him to the lock-ups. That was very hurtful for Bacchan, a day she will never forget.

The deceased mother, Maharani, also known as “Data”, recalled that her son did not eat anything while he was in the lock-ups.

She also said that the deceased did not have any bruise on his skin and when she went to see him at the parlour, her son had bruises on his hands and a bump to his head.

The family is pleading with the relevant authorities for justice. The deceased has left to mourn his wife and four children.

Bacchan used to work as an ambulance driver at the Suddie Public Hospital, but in 2016, stopped and was working as a taxi driver.

TWO pensioners are now homeless after their home at Fort Ordinance, East Canje, was destroyed by fire on Thursday afternoon.

A bedridden Chandradat Ramkishun, age 63, was spared a fiery death as neighbours rushed to his assistance after they heard the

Sati Ramkishun

screams of his niece who was caring for him.

In tears, his wife, Sati Ramkishun, aged 60, pleaded with the public for help so that she can rebuild her home.

“Anything, I gon take.

Galvanize sheet, clothes. I have on the same clothes from yesterday, pampers for my husband, bed, anything,” she said in tears when she spoke to this newspaper.

Recalling the ordeal, she said after paying her bills and purchasing some essential items she was returning home in a car when the driver observed a house was on fire.

“I looked and saw fire billowing in the sky. I quickly paid the driver and exited the vehicle. It was my home which was on fire. We lived

The house which was gutted there for thirteen years. In a moment, I watched everything destroyed. My husband was so lucky to be alive. I thank God,” the teary-eyed pensioner said.

After enquiring what had transpired, she was told that her two grandchildren, ages six and three years, had taken toilet tissue, rolled it as a cigarette and had lit it. The object fell and the house

caught fire.

The elderly man’s niece heard the sounds of smoldering wood and on checking, she saw the blaze. Neighbours responded and lifted the elderly man to safety.

The man is a former broiler with the now defunct Rose Hall Sugar Estate.

Persons interested in assisting the family can contact them on 653-0807.

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President Granger brought ‘dignity’ back

SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 7, 2019

–– Says WPA’s Dr. David Hinds

… urges Buxton residents to support coalition gov’t again EXECUTIVE member of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Dr. David Hinds, has voiced the party’s support for President David Granger and the incumbent APNU+AFC coalition government at the

upcoming national elections.

Dr. Hinds, while speaking to a moderate gathering of persons at the Tipperary Hall in Buxton, noted that while in government, the coalition might not have been able to fulfill all promises but said,

“We’ve come to reason with you that despite that dissatisfaction, we’ve got to return our government to power and ensure that they do better than last time.”

According to him, however, the government has

made some notable strides that warrant supporting them at the next elections.

“The person who heads this government has brought back dignity to the office,” he said importantly. “If for nothing else, President David

Executive member of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Dr. David Hinds speaking to residents of Buxton [Adrian Narine photo] Granger should be why you in other areas such as infraput your [vote] next to the co- structure, and will allow for a alition for the next election.” more developed nation.

Hinds’ clear endorsement One central investment in for President Granger comes people would be conditional after the party would have cash transfers that could be indicated its support for the fostered with imminent oil return of President Granger revenues. as the Presidential candidate “The cash transfer is a for the APNU+AFC coalition. thing we are going to fight The WPA is one of sev- for,” Dr. Hinds said, higheral parties constituting the A lighting, “[The WPA will] Partnership for National Uni- fight like a tiger to ensure ty (APNU) coalition section that cash transfer is given to of the government other par- you once the oil money starts ties include the People’s Na- to flow.” tional Congress (PNC), NaIn Guyana’s Stabroek tional Front Alliance (NFA), block alone, there have been, Guyana Action Party (GAP) so far, 13 discoveries which and the Justice For All Party are expected to yield in excess (JFAP). APNU was formed of 5.5B barrels of recoverable in 2011, and the party joined oil. forces with the Alliance For This newspaper reported, Change (AFC) in 2015 to in March, that Guyana ‘raked’ contest elections that year. in over US$75 million in “He’s a very upright per- 2018, directly from local son, very principled. No one content in the oil and gas can point a finger at him in re- sector and this figure excludes lation to personal corruption, downstream impacts of the he’s really a model citizen, industry such as works in and we’ll be in support,” mechanics, electrical work, Working People’s Alliance welding and technical ware(WPA) executive member, housing, among others.

Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, had According to Dr. Hinds, said earlier this year. even if 25 per cent of the oil In addition to comment- revenues is used for Guyaing on President Granger’s nese, it would be enough to stature, Dr. Hinds further transform their lives and with posited that the government the cash transfer, he explained has distinguished itself by that eligible Guyanese would being the first one that did receive a cheque each month not imprison its opponents, to supplement their income. thereby removing fear from However, he told the Buxthe people. He also posited ton residents that the money that the government has been would come with certain an “ethnically fair” one. requirements that must be These broad accom- followed or else that arrangeplishments, Dr. Hinds ment would be discontinued. opined, should warrant the Requirements would include support of voters for the ensuring that children of parcoalition government when ents receiving the transfer it is time to head to the polls. maintain at least a 90 per cent school attendance, and FUTURE PLANS engaging in regular health Looking ahead beyond checkups. the next election, the WPA Hinds rubbished claims executive said that once that the cash transfers would the coalition is re-elected, be squandered, and instead there are certain key areas opined that people would of focus the WPA will be use it to ‘hustle’ to earn extra advocating for. income.

“Our leaders tend not to In addition to this, he begin with our people. When noted that the WPA will we think about policy, we start “pressing” the governsometimes think about for- ment to create a “people’s eign investors first [but] I am bank” so that people can suggesting that going forward get loans at a generous rate. we must begin with policy in This, he explained, is an the interest of people,” Dr. attempt to spur small busiHinds said, stressing: “We’ve nesses, since he believes that got to invest in people.” people can’t be encouraged Investing in people, he to start these businesses explained, will lead to better without being provided with use of the investments made tangible support.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 7, 2019

Exxon pegs spending on local content at US$24.4M for this year

EXXONMOBIL’S affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) has spent US$119.5M on the procurement of goods and services from local businesses since 2015 to now, according to Upstream Geoscience Manager at ExxonMobil Guyana, Doug McGeehee.

“Since 2015 to now, EEPGL has contributed to the growth and development of Guyanese suppliers and workforce,” Doug McGeehee highlighted at a recent private sector forum.

In so doing, he disclosed that US$119.5M on the procurement of goods and services from local businesses since 2015 till the first quarter of 2019 alone, which ended on March 31. According to him, total expenditure with Guyanese has increased greatly over the years since 2015.

Of this total US$119.5M

total, US$58M was recorded at December’s end, for 2018.

This amount was expended on 499 local suppliers. In 2015, this figure stood at a mere US$1.7M, spent on 90 local businesses while in subsequent years, it was $11.5M (2016), utilised on 177 businesses and US$23.8 (2017), utilised on 309 businesses.

And already for 2019, recorded up to March 31, EEPGL has utilised 321 Guyanese businesses, with expenditure totalling US$24.4M. Tallying up to the end of March as well, EEPGL’s operations in Guyana led to the recruitment of 1,183 Guyanese -- representing 49 per cent of the project’s total workforce. McGeehee also disclosed that this is a marked increase from the 43 Guyanese the subsidiary had in its operations in 2015. Recently, 25 Guyanese were recruited to work on the Floating Production Storage

and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, which would have about 100 to 150 persons on board.

An FPSO is basically a floating vessel that stores barrels of oil. The vessel is expected to meet Guyana’s shores later this year.

In addition to the oil company’s input on local content, Director of the Department of Energy, Dr Mark Bynoe, has said that Guyana has raked in over US$75 million in 2018 from local content in the oil and gas sector. This figure, according to Dr Bynoe, was derived “directly” from the emerging oil and gas sector and does not include downstream impacts of the industry such as works in mechanics, electrical work, welding and technical warehousing, among others. As such, Dr Bynoe contended that the value of this sector, when taken in totality, will be significantly greater.

Exxon’s McGeehee noted

City Council, GCCI hold talks on building codes, traffic management ISSUES relating to the payment of general rates by the business community, particularly those who are members of Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI); such as the need to manage the flow of traffic and building codes were among those raised during a recent meeting of officials of the GCCI and the Mayor and City Council.

It was the second discussion by the two sides, and representing the M&CC were Mayor Pandit Ubraj Narine, Deputy Mayor Alfred Mentore, Town Clerk Sharon HarryMunroe, and other senior officers of the council. Representing the GCCI were President Nicholas Deygoo-Boyer, Director Richard Rambarran and other members.

The meeting is a follow-up from the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Council and GCCI, with the aim of enhancing their relationship, issues relating to the development of the City of Georgetown, and the need to address the strengthening of security, particularly around the Stabroek Market and its immediate environ.

Mentore restated at the meeting, that

Council will be instituting a new system to improve the process as it relates to building plans, in an effort to minimise the waiting time by applicants for the such documents to be approved.

As it relates to the issue of market security, Chief Constable Andrew Foo disclosed that the City Constabulary is working with the Joint Services to improve the safety of the citizens. The restoration of City Hall is of importance as agreed on by both sides, and the need to preserve and restore this historic edifice is of paramount importance.

With the Council is in the process of launching a City Hall Restoration Fund, Director of Solid Waste Management Walter Narine emphasised the need for more participation from the business community/sector, in the Council’s monthly clean-up exercises.

Deygoo-Boyer pledged the commitment of the GCCI as being a part of the initiative.

It was agreed that the two sides will meet monthly to ensure that the plans and projects discussed are implemented, while the mayor reiterated that the Council must collaborate with other stakeholders to advance the interest of the city.

In discussion, officials of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI) and the Mayor & City Council (Photo courtesy of GCCI)

that the goods and services procured ranged from foodstuff to engineering. Oil production is slated to commence in Liza Phase One by the first quarter of 2020. It will produce up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day at peak rates utilising the Liza Destiny FPSO, which is expected to arrive offshore Guyana in the third quarter of 2019.

“When you look at Liza Phase One, the revenues that go to the Government of Guyana in the first five years will be about US$1.5B,” the Exxon manager said, adding that over its lifetime, this is set to rake in an estimated US$7B. Notably, Liza is part of the wider Stabroek Block offshore Guyana, which spans 6.6 million acres, or 26,800 square kilometres.

EEPGL holds 45 per cent interest in the Stabroek Block.

Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd holds 30 per cent interest and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, holds 25 per cent interest.

The current discovered recoverable resources are estimated at more than 5.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent. The 13 discoveries on the block to date have established the potential for at least five FPSO vessels producing more than 750,000 barrels of oil per day by 2025. What this means, is that there will be significant revenues going to the Government of Guyana for all Guyanese. And cognisant of all of this, McGeehee remarked, “This is a very, very exciting for ExxonMobil and a very exciting time for Guyana.”

The man also reminded the gathering of private sector stakeholders that Guyana has instituted a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF), which is known as the Natural Resources Fund.

The Natural Resources Fund Bill 2018 was passed on January 3, 2019, in the National Assembly without objections and was subsequently signed into law. The law includes provisions for public oversight; withdraw-

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Upstream Geoscience Manager at ExxonMobil Guyana, Doug McGeehee [Delano Williams photo] als, including parliamentary approval and amounts to be withdrawn; eligible investments for its resources; accounting, reporting and auditing of records; and codes of conduct for members of the Oversight and Investment Committee. Simply, this fund is expected to manage the wealth of Guyana to foster sustainable development.

“How that SWF is used, how those revenues are used is essential to Guyana’s development,” McGeehee said.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 7, 2019

‘Don’t be pulled and tugged’ …GCCI President urges colleagues to be 'rational thinkers'

THE private sector must function to keep the government “on track” particularly to safeguard against common pitfalls with the oil and gas sector, Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) President, Nicolas Deygoo-Boyer said. He also called on his colleagues to be rational thinkers and not allow themselves to be pulled and tugged by politicians.

Both the GCCI and the Private Sector Commission have been accused of pandering to the political opposition and

have been strident in their criticisms of the current government – something which was markedly absent during the PPP rule. Boyer himself was recently flayed for declaring that the probe into the giveaway of oil blocks by the PPP is a waste of time. The Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, and Presidential Candidate of the PPP, Irfaan Ali, have been tied to the giveaway of the oil blocks – a claim they have denied.

Boyer made these remarks on Friday night as the GCCI

Members of the Private Sector at the GCCI’s launch of their 2019 Business Guyana Magazine (Delano Williams photo) The GCCI’s 2019 Business Guyana Magazine unveiled

by President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Nicolas Deygoo-Boyer, and Director of Economics at the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Dr. Justin Ram (Delano Williams photo)

launched its 2019 edition of the Business Guyana magazine under the theme: "Guyana: Potential Unleashed". GCCI Executive Director and magazine editor, Richard Rambarran, said the magazine aims to be a

"one stop shop" for any businessperson seeking to invest in Guyana. \ According to Rambarran, this year, the magazine took a new and focused approach to providing information to

investors. What it encompasses now is various sections under broad thematic titles. These are: Investment – sectors, regime & policies; Investors roadmap; Private sector development; and general information on Guyana.

"This magazine has very diverse perspectives on our economy both to foreign and local business people,” Boyer said.

Underscoring that the magazine highlights both the investment climate of Guyana as well as the private sector's role in the country's development, Boyer provided the nexus to what this means for the business people present at the launch and for investors generally.

He remarked that Guyana has shown a fair amount of growth, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recording a 4.1 per cent growth in the country's real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for 2018. This growth was primarily led by the construction and service sectors.

In fact, Boyer remarked: "What has kept the growth rate alive has been the construction sector," and added that the growth in this sector has come from investment being made in preparation for 'first oil’ come 2020. But with the signs of growth in the economy being led by this sector, he said keen attention must be paid to the feared 'Dutch Disease'.

This curse or disease occurs when there is an increase in the economic development of a specific sector (like the oil and gas sector) and a decline in other sectors (for example, agriculture, mining, etc).

With indication of growth in the construction sector attributed to the oil and gas sector, Boyer urged all to be conscious of this.

He also said that with the significant revenues expected to flow as a result of the development of that industry, he said Guyana also runs the risk of inflation if it does not safeguard itself.

As a result of these possibilities, he posited that the GCCI needs to support and press for policies that support traditional sectors and renewable sector.

"We will continue to monitor it

and advocate for level-headed policies," he affirmed. This, he further explained, means that the chamber will continue its efforts to keep the countries politicians "on track". Speaking to his colleagues in the business realm, he opined that there is a "state of tension" that arises every five years – when it is time for Regional and General Elections to be held.

With the prospect of elections in less than one year's time, he also implored them to be "rational thinkers" and not allow themselves to be "tugged and pulled". Instead, he noted that they have a role to play in holding political parties accountable and reducing the tension faced every political cycle.

But even in spite of his warnings, the GCCI President noted that the country is still young – at only 53 years – and has a prosperous future ahead.

"When I talk about young certainty I talk about now. When I talk about potential unleashed, I talk about the future," the President stressed. He also reasoned: "Oil by itself is not what will get us to prosperity." Instead, he shared that it is only through collaborated support from all stakeholders, especially the private sector and within this sector, that prosperity can come to Guyana.

Director of Economics at the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Dr. Justin Ram, also giving remarks at the forum, shared with the private sector community that there are several policy priorities that can be implemented to safeguard Guyana’s petroleum sector and the economy at large. These include improving the ease of doing business, managing inflation, managing the exchange rate, engaging in sustainable expenditures, government saving for stabilisation and posterity and effectively managing the non-oil deficit to safeguard from the ‘Dutch Disease’.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 7, 2019

‘Spiteful’ charge damaged our lives … former treason accused couple demands apology, compensation from PPP

By Vanessa Braithwaite

ON December 23, 2010, ret’d Major Bruce Munroe and his wife, CarolAnn Munroe, who then was the head of her own private institution at Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara had no idea that their dreams of a blissful Christmas would be shattered.

And let alone, they would not only miss spending Christmas together with their children that year, but the following one as well.

It was on that evening while decorating their home and putting their two small children to bed, ages four and eight, that their home was searched and ransacked in the most arbitrary way.

They were separated from their kids and like convicted criminals, whisked away by a battery of police officers in dark clothes with large guns.

It is for this and other events that subsequently followed, allegedly under the direction of former Minister of Home Ex GDF Major Bruce Munroe and his Affairs, Clement Rohee, and other po- wife, Carol- Ann Munroe litical strong houses, that they believe time was Commandant Brig. Gary warrant an equally resounding public Bess, Chief of Staff, since as a major, apology as well as to be compensated he should have been treated with more for the plethora of damages caused as respect. a result of being wrongfully charged, INSTRUCTIONS arrested and imprisoned. The Munroes The officers told them that Bess as made this resoundingly clear on Mark well as his immediate boss at the Civil Benschop’s Radio programme, Straight Defence Commission (CDC) Col. Ret’d Talk, recently.

Chabilall Ramsarup was aware of what As they shared the horrific and damnwas transpiring and he cannot do anying anecdotes, revealing their inhumane thing about it because the instructions and vindictive treatment from the time they were approached by officers at their are from ‘higher up’.

At CID, they realised that former homes, to the last court ruling, both Carsoldier, Leonard Junior Wharton, and his ol- Ann and her husband, fought to hold wife, Fay Wharton, whom the Munroes back tears as they stepped a moment back rented a property from, had also been into memory lane. A lane that changed arrested for the same offence, one they their entire life, all for something they were completely oblivious as to what it vehemently say they are not guilty of and was.

After a while, they were then told was later exonerated by Chief Magistrate, they would be spending the night at sepPriya Sewnarine-Beharry. arate lock ups.

The men were taken to It all started when they peeped out Brickdam, while the women were taken their front window and saw their home surrounded by lights. Their worst fear to East La Penitence.

It was there, the real horror story startwas then confirmed; that they were sured.

“The prison was very rowdy, the place rounded by law enforcement officers. was stink, hot and wrenched with urine “It was alarming Mark, so many poand had a plunging smell... I can smell lice dressed in this dark uniform, heavily that smell, almost eight years later in my armed all around, they were just scattered head,” Wharton said. all over the place, they were in the street, “They were screaming, people have they were in the yard, they were everyto go down to the back, and Mrs Wharton where,” Carol- Ann related to host, Mark and I made our way down to the back, the Benschop. They then bolted their way concrete was filthy, we were sitting there into their home to illegally search it, as they did not present any legal search war- on the bare tiles, we were sitting opposite rant or even their names. After ransacking the toilet that was overflowing,” Carolthe entire home, they were then told they Ann related.

In that condition, they spent Christneeded to get someone to look after their mas.

Their parents, who got a lawyer, kids, who were tucked into bed, and to were not allowed to see them and it was head down to the Criminal Investigation at subsequent visits at CID, where the Department (CID), Eve Leary. ‘so-called’ investigation continued. They While she urged her husband to were told they were charged with treason. call his chief in the army, who at that

Treason is a capital offence, where one is accused of betraying their country, especially by attempting to kill or overthrow the sovereign or government. Carol Ann Munroe was the first woman to be charged with treason in the Caribbean and South America.

At this time, Bruce was told to listen to some recordings, which he said were conversations he had with people, some he recognised and some he didn’t, but nothing to implicate him in such a serious offence. The treason charged also stemmed from the July 2009 fire at the Ministry of Health which was initially blamed on a gang of convicts Colin Jones, Clayton Westford and Keith Ferrier.

Bruce said that when he heard he and his wife were being charged with treason, which he said can only result in two things: being free of the charge or placed on death row, his knees buckled.

WEAK “As much as my training did for me, I felt my knees went weak, and I could feel everything drain from me, my wife grabbed hold of me and she shook me and she said look at me, look at me, we know the Father that we serve and this too shall pass.

I think that those words of encouragement from my wife, something like it grabbed my knees and strengthened them back, I almost fell in a pile when I heard treason,” he said.

It was on December 28, 2010 that they made their first court appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court before Magistrate, Priya Beharry to answer to the charges of which they all answered, not guilty. They were represented by a battery of lawyers including Nigel Hughes and now Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon.

“To see myself who thought so highly of my country, that fateful morning of December 27 and 28, 2010, placed in shackles – hands and feet – and walked out of Brickdam as a senior army officer, not paraded by police officers, by junior ranks, which is unheard of in that profession, never once and equivalent rank came an escorted me, which was breaking all rules. I had to mourn and swallow my pride that morning and I walked through that court,” Ret’d Major, Munroe said while holding back tears.

As for Carol- Ann, she was given the most humiliating and degrading entry and was shackled by the feet and hands.

While her daughter Hannah and son Immanuel tried to grab them to kiss them, they were denied that privilege. Her parents walked with money in hopes she would be bailed but she knew that treason was an unbailable offence, it was worse

than murder.

She watched her daughter, who was asthmatic, cried for her dear mommy and fainted. She had to be rushed to the hospital immediately.

“It was traumatising all around,” she said, adding: “There were taking me from my son, there was nothing on my mind other than my son.”

Little Immanuel was born premature and had a lot of complications, including an incomplete oesophagus. Only days prior, he spent days in hospital for chronic asthma. “He didn’t know what it was to not have his mother there,” she said.

For the next 15 months, the husband and wife, along with Wharton were on remand at the Camp Street and New Amsterdam prisons.

Carol was placed in solitary confinement for 23 hours, another instruction, she said, allegedly from Clement Rohee.

The trio was given as much support from many persons, who knew, their arrest and charge, was nothing but a political gimmick. They were respectable and loving people, who served their country without fear or favour.

According to Bruce, he enlisted in the army in 1992 and after rapid elevation in rank, was given a chance to serve the U.S army who vowed to pay off all his debts to the Government of Guyana. He, however, opted to return home to serve his country, which was in keeping with his father’s footsteps, and this, he said, was his treatment for being patriotic.

The couple is demanding a public apology, particularly from Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, whom according to Mrs. Munroe, in a letter to the Editor, screamed on television every night, “We got three of them right now in prison charged with plotting to overthrow the government. He should be bold enough to apologise after all.”

Financially, she said her family suffered a lot from the ordeal. Both she and her husband worked since they were 16 and 17 years respectively to ensure their family’s foundation was set. That foundation dwindled within months.

“We have loss so much financially, emotionally and psychologically,” she said. The stigma attached to their name caused her husband to be turned down from job after job, after he chose to resign from the army.

Their business, a blooming private school, was shattered because persons did not want to be associated with a school of which the principal went to jail. Their children’s college fund was emptied on legal fees.

A plethora of their human and legal rights was denied and for human rights activists, Mr. Monroe is of the firm belief the PPP should do the humble thing and apologise.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 7, 2019

Benschop Radio: Broadcasting the views of every Guyanese

By Alva Solomon

IT was never an easy road but for social activist Mark Benschop, establishing his own radio station –Benschop Radio 107.1FM- was the realisation of a dream, the fruition of a passion, one which gives the

STRAIGHT UP The station has already gained the attention of Guyanese at home and abroad , with the “Straight Up” programme , which captures the opinions of politicians , social and other public figures in hard-hitting interviews.

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo is among a host of public figures who have been interviewed on the programme thus far. This week, popular newspaper columnist Frederick Kissoon and Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Annette Ferguson will be interviewed by Benchcop on the programme which airs locally between 2000hrs and 2100hrs.

Benschop Radio commenced operation approximately one month ago, and according to him, the family was “ecstatic” as he recalled that his application for a radio license was ig-

OBJECTIVE OF THE STATION He said that the objective of Benschop Radio 107.1FM is to ensure that Guyanese are given a platform to air their concerns about issues affecting them, whether political, social issues, or current affairs.

“Thus, with such a platform, we do believe that it would be used to put governments in check, and at the same time, serve to strengthen Guyana’s democracy, freedom of the press, freedom of expression,” he said.

In addition, he said that a part of the objective of the station is to introduce a wider audience to Guyana, and to sell the nation’s culture to the rest of the world. “As a starter, we have been broadcasting our talk show “Straight Up” which is broadcast not only on the ground, but throughout the world, with a nightly audience consisting of thousands of listeners,”

Proprietor of the station and host of “Straight Up” , Mark Benschop. populace an opportunity to freely express their views.

“Our objective is to broadcast the views of every Guyanese, irrespective of their political views, sexual orientation, etc. Thus far, we have demonstrated that by having guests on “Straight Up” from members of the government, main opposition party, and others. Hence, by doing so, we are hoping to allow Guyanese to debate on issues in a respectable manner, without resorting to a big cuss out, or being suspicious of each other,” Benschop told the Guyana Chronicle recently.

The station, which broadcasts from downtown Georgetown, is managed by its Chief Executive Officer, Ryan Benschop , Mark’s son. According to his father, the young man is managing the station “quite well.” He said Ryan is currently working on introducing additional quality programmes to the station’s audience and these include a morning show, and other shows that would be of great importance to the entire country.

Very soon, talented Guyanese singer Lisa Punch will start a mid-morning show addressing social issues affecting young people and joining the station is seen as a plus for its short time on air.

stations would be reluctant to do.”

As regards the application process for the license, the elder Benschop said it was not an easy process.”The process was not a swift, and the road was not always a smooth one,” he said.

He noted however, that after lengthy discussions, the company’s broadcast plans were submitted to the authorities and the broadcast license was finally approved.

FUTURE PLANS He said at the moment the focus is on the more positive things that would see 107.1 FM playing a major part in reshaping the radio industry here, and by extension, a better Guyana.

Benschop noted that the future plans are to expand throughout Guyana, and within a rather short space of time to become the number one radio station here. “We can safely say that within the short space of time since we’ve started, 107.1, is giving all the other stations a serious wake up call,” he said as he noted that his son Ryan is setting the groundwork for the station to keep a balance. He said the station welcomes persons who may have ideas for programming , including young and upcoming radio DJs, persons interested in becoming news reporters and marketing executives among others.

Listeners in the cyber world can tune in on the website www.benschopfm.com or listen to the stream live on Facebook at Benschop Radio 107.1FM. Contact can be with the station at benschopradio107.1fm@ gmail.com.

CEO of the radio station, Ryan Benschop (right) alongside Chairman of the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) Leslie Sobers moments after the station received its radio licence. nored under the former regime. “So, yes it is a great feeling to finally have our license approved, and to begin broadcasting to folks on the ground.

As many people would recall, the PPP government had locked me up for several nights on allegations of operating an ‘illegal’ radio station, and fortunately, the court dismissed the case. Hence, it wasn’t an easy road,” he said.

Mark said of his popular programme.

He said that the programmes on the radio “are most definitely going to be different in many ways from what Guyanese are accustom listening” even as he offered not to discredit the other radio stations currently on air.

However, he said Benschop Radio will be offering the populace programmes “that will leave them waiting and wanting more from 107.1 FM, and to inform them in ways that other

Karen Abrams, co-founder of STEM Guyana, prepares for an interview in the studios of the radio station.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 7, 2019

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE July 7, 2019

CARICOM mulls establishment of regional law reform commission –– as countries intensify efforts to implement CSME

THE Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has agreed to work with development partners to establish a Regional Law Reform Commission, which will comprise eminent legal brains from across the Caribbean.

As the 40th Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM drew to a close on Friday, heads of government decided that in order to advance the implementation of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), legislation is needed.

“Legislation is at the core of Governments and if we cannot prepare the policy and legislation necessary to bring about changes in the CSME, we will not see the level of progress which we are looking for,” said Chairperson of the Prime Minis-

terial Sub-Committee on the CSME and Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, during a press briefing on Friday.

In order to intensify implementation of the CSME, she said CARICOM member states have to build capacity.

As part of the effort, Associate Member of CARICOM, The Cayman Islands, has already agreed that its law reform commission will work with the community to develop the regional law reform body.

In addition to the law reform commission, several other issues regarding the CSME were aired during the course of the two-day conference.

The CSME is an arrangement among CARICOM states for the creation of a single enlarged economic

space, through the removal of restrictions resulting in the free movement of goods, services, people, capital and technology.

Chairman of CARICOM and Prime Minister of St. Lucia, Allen Chastanet, said the community urged that as a matter of priority, member states should take necessary action at the national level to complete the measures outlined in the CSME implementation plan.

“We acknowledge the importance of timely reporting on implementation actions and challenges…there is no doubt that we must enhance efforts, public education and outreaches,” said Chastanet, adding that other steps were also taken to improve implementation of the CSME. Among those other steps was the signing of the Multi-

lateral Air Travel Agreement, which will soon be operational. Secretary-General of CARICOM, Irwin LaRocque, said the agreement is going to allow for member states to have a right to fly into other member states.

“Caribbean-owned aircraft will be able to fly into other countries based on certain standards being met, because it is not a matter of taking an aircraft and going into another country, but it is going to be a right of access to air services,” said LaRocque.

He said CARICOM has been discussing the agreement for some time and it is now agreed upon and member states have officially signed onto it.

The agreement will be operational once it receives the requisite number of sig-

natures and ratifications. In addition to right of access, collaboration among countries -- even those outside of CARICOM -- will be easier as CAIRCOM established the African, Brazil and Caribbean Diaspora Commission. The commission will be chaired by Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves and will comprise two other members, including Prime Minister Mottley and the President of Suriname, Dési Bouterse.

“We have common interest and they need to be bridged in a way that reinforces the options for economies,” said Mottley, adding that they needed a strategic approach.

With all that was discussed and passed, the heads of government be-

Secretary-General of CARICOM, Irwin LaRocque lieve that CARICOM is finally getting to the core of the issues which are affecting the community.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 7, 2019

Horror in prison

By Vanessa Braithwaite FORMER treason accused, Carol Ann Munroe, has alleged that instructions for her to be placed in solitary confinement for 23 hrs a day, in a 10× 24 cell, with just a hole in the door to only see straight ahead, were given by former Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee.

In addition, Rohee, she said recently on Benschop’s Radio Programme, Straight Talk, also gave instructions that she be shackled by both hands and feet for court; an act, according to human rights, should not be meted

Former Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee

out to women.

Carol Ann's horror story of 15 months, five days behind bars was shared along with her husband's, Major (ret’d) Bruce Munroe, whose equal stint on remand, was done at the Camp Street Prison.

Protocols on how an army official must be treated in the case of arrest were not followed and Bruce was forced to live in a bug-infested dorm, among persons with tuberculosis and chickenpox.

He eventually contracted the latter.

In the harrowing revelations of their time on remand, Munroe related that she spent the first night at the prison in an open dorm, then she was told to pick up all her belongings the second night, as 'they were instructed that she must be by herself'.

This, she thought, would have been a good thing, until her worst fear as a claustrophobic individual became a reality.

"Twenty-three hours per day lock down, an hour for my bathing, to get something to eat, to sit outside and have some sun, not with anyone, no association, no TV, no newspaper, no nothing. I was in a fix 10 ×24," she said.

She was given two potties for excrement that were only emptied when she was let out and her vanity was two small boxes.

"I would not wish my circumstances on a dog, not a worse criminal." All of her documents were screened and even a page torn out of her Bible if she wanted to keep a journal. She was paraded

in an orange suit for any external visits such as the hospital while also shackled hands and feet. For this, even when she was sick, she

Former Treason Accused, Carol Munroe

kept to herself to save herself the embarrassment. Her treatment was so inhumane, that she was anxious to travel to Georgetown for court hearings, where she would stay at the East La Penitence lock-ups.

LESS WORST "I use to pray to come to Georgetown because I would rather come and sleep on the cold tile floor at La Penitence, where I can at least get some sunlight than to be in Berbice on a mattress, because there was no light, just a thin bulb outside," she related.

At the lock-ups, she related in a letter to the editor, "I slept on the tiles and concrete of a dirty lock-up floor, on a few sheets or newspaper, a couple pieces of clothing or my bath towel as a bed. To bathe with a two-litre bottle of water or cranberry juice bottle of water brought by my mother twice per day. To be kept in an area, built for a vault, a dim, maybe 20-watt bulb, which hardly provided any light to an area without any form of ventilation or natural lighting. In an environment where there was hardly any running water, and the toilets overflowed with filt and a floor where water had lodged and ringworm had found themselves a place to live."

It was prayers that kept her and her husband through this experience. During those long hours, that became days, then months, then a year, going to two, the Munroes prayed and prayed that this too shall pass, as she first reassured her husband, upon hearing of the charge of treason.

Carol was removed from the cell she was in after a visit in July to the Prison by members of an external organisation, who made it clear that her circumstances were inhumane. It was around that time she first got to see her two children as well.

At one of her court hearings, the magistrate also ordered that she does not re-

turn to court shackled like a condemned criminal, despite being told by officers of the political directorate.

Over at Camp Street,

…acquitted treason accused tells her story …says Rohee gave instruction for 23hrs of solitary confinement per day

Munroe's treatment was somewhat better, as he related, he was given the respect from junior GDF ranks who were stationed there. One of

those was Deputy Director of Prisons, Kevin Pilgrim.

After 15 months in prison, the Munroes, along with another accused friend of

theirs, Leonard Wharton, were all freed of the charge and praised God for his glory, freeing them from a life of horror.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 7, 2019

The real Serena finally shows up at Wimbledon

By Pritha Sarkar LONDON, England (Reuters) - A loud and brash Red Arrows flypast over Wimbledon’s Court One provided a timely distraction yesterday that allowed the real Serena Williams to finally show up at the All England Club this year.

Before the unexpected interruption, there definitely seemed to be something amiss.

The impostor who had turned up this week looked like Serena and sounded like Serena but she definitely did not play like a champion who owns 23 Grand Slam singles titles.

How else would one explain the American dropping a set against a 133rd-ranked qualifier in the second round or squandering three break points from 0-40 up against Germany’s Julia Goerges yesterday?

But once the plumes of smoke left behind by the Red Arrows had painted the overcast sky a patriotic red, white and blue, the seven-time Wimbledon champion’s competitive fires burned brightly and she screamed to a 6-3, 6-4 win over Goerges to reach the second week of Wimbledon for the 16th time.

“It’s been an arduous year for me so every match I’m hoping to improve. Every time I go out there I try,” said the 37-year old, whose build-up to the grasscourt major had been hampered by a knee injury.

“I’m getting a really late start (in all of my matches here so far, but) all that matters is that I am still here.”

And being in the fourth-

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round mix means that it is still game on for that record 24th Grand Slam title that has proved elusive over the past year - when final appearances at Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows both proved to be lost causes.

Life certainly should not have been so difficult for Williams against her first two opponents this week - 161st ranked Giulia Gatto-Monticone or Slovenia’s Kaja Juvan - considering they were both little-known qualifiers.

Against Goerges, she should have been confident of victory since the German had failed to take a set off Williams in four previous meetings - including last year’s semi-final here.

But when Goerges soaked up everything Williams could throw at her to fight back from 0-40 down to hold her serve in the second game of the opening set, it seemed this might be another long day.

But Williams could not really afford to dilly-dally around court too long yesterday considering this match was just a dress rehearsal for a more pressing engagement she had later in the day - to partner Britain’s most famous tennis son Andy Murray in the mixed doubles.

As if on cue, the Red Arrows shot through the sky just as Goerges was about to begin serving in the sixth game.

While the crowd looked skywards, Williams only had Goerges in her sights and cut the German down by immediately breaking for a 4-2 lead.

Meet records tumble at 4th AP Invitational … Durant snatches sprint double

By Rawle Toney SEVERAL meet records tumbled at the 4th installation of the Aliann Pompey Invitational, which was run off yesterday at the National Track and Field Centre at Leonora, despite some light showers and a brief delay due to power outage.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Kamaria Durant will head back to the Twin Island Republic a happy athlete, having won a ‘sprint double’; clocking 11.39 seconds to win the women’s 100m and crossing the line with a time of 20.75 seconds to win the women’s 200m.

Durant’s compatriot, Reyare Thomas, came second in both the 100m (11.53 secs) and 200m 23.82 secs), while Guyana’s Jasmine Abrams crossed the line in third place in both the 100m (11.62 secs) and 200m (23.95 secs).

Ghana’s Joseph Amoah ran 10.20 seconds to set a

new meet record, erasing Barbados’ Levi Cadogan 10.24 secs set in 2017.

Amoah held off Guyana’s Emmanuel Archibald (10.33 secs) who finished second, while Winston George (10.40 secs) was third.

However, George bounced back to take the 200m crown, running 20.75 secs to win ahead of Linden’s Daniel Williams (21.10 secs) and Berbician Leonel Marks (21.20 secs).

In the 400 metres, Arinze Chance’s sensational form this season continued when he ran an almost perfect race to cross the line in a time of 46.14 secs, beating Trinidad’s Deon Lendore (46.17 secs) and Brian Romain (48.53 secs).

In the women’s 800 metres, Joanna Archer’s continuous improvement in the distance was evident, as she set a new meet record, running two minutes 13.01 secs (2:13.01), removing her time

of 2:13.76s she set in 2018 at the event.

In the men’s 800 metres, Devaun Barrington ran one minute 50.95s (1:50.95s), beating Anfernee Headecker (1:52.40s) into second place and Samuel Lynch 1:55.13s) into third.

Chantoba Bright also set a new meet record in the women’s long jump 5.83 metres, to win the event ahead of former record holder Ruth Sanmoogan (5.82 metres) and Keliza Smith 5.74 metres.

Meanwhile, Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton bettered her 2017 meet record (56.83 secs) in the women’s 400m hurdles, and replaced it with 52.25 seconds as she crossed the line first yesterday, completely dominating the field.

Katrina Seymour from The Bahamas was second (59.37 secs) and Trinidad’s Janiel Bellille (1:01.50 secs) was third.

Other results will be published in a subsequent report.

Anthony claims 9th Annual Malta Supreme title YESTERDAY when cycling returned to the inner circuit of the National Park, Michael Anthony continued his excellent form by winning the feature 35-lap Schoolboys and Invitational race of the 9th Annual Malta Supreme 11race cycling meet.

Racing under brilliant sunshine, Anthony held off strong challenges from Briton John, Christopher ‘Chicken Legs’ Griffith and Walter Grant-Stuart to clinch first place in a time of one hour 20

minutes .55 seconds.

Anthony, along with John and Grant-Stuart, established an early lead which they held for the remainder of the race.

However, in the latter stages Anthony broke away from the peloton with John in tow.

Together the duo finished at least 20 metres ahead from the chasing pack with a close sprint down the back end, but it was Anthony who powered his way to an excellent victory.

In the process, Anthony collected three ‘primes’

while Deeraj Garbarran had two with Adealie Hodge, Grant-Stuart and Griffith claiming one apiece.

Griffith out-sprinted the remainder of the peloton to finish third while Grant-Stuart, Kemuel Moses and Alex Mendes closed out the top six spots in that order.

Action resumes next Saturday with the P&P Insurance Brokers 11-race cycling meet at the same venue from 09:30hrs.

10:50 hrs Choutte

QC, Business School wing out ...

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Ushardeva Bolgobin and off-spinner Ezekiel Wilson.

Best added that in the side there are also competent medium pace bowlers, including Joel Gilkes, who has been exciting to watch in the nets, Christopher Harry, Ariel Tilku and Jeffrey Blair.

The Business School will be led by former GCC cricketer Sunil Ramlall. Also included are a number of other batsmen - Andusuegga Rodriguez, Balgobin, Wayne McPherson, Akeem Critch-

Johanna

low and Jamal Michael.

Four of the 19 cricketers were invited by the school as guest players, while several of them are on scholarships (full and partial). The others are regular students.

Ramlall said that he likes his team’s chances, especially since most of the players are experienced all-rounders.

“I am confident that my final squad for the games will have an impact at this tournament because I understand my players’ abilities

FROM PAGE 29

and have knowledge of their A-game during matches. We will definitely do well at this tournament and I’m really enthused about our first match this coming Monday.”

Both teams will play their first match tomorrow. QC, who are in Zone A, will challenge the Lodge School from Barbados in their opener, while in Zone B the Business School will oppose St Catherine’s Juniors.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 7, 2019

Rohit hits fifth ton of World Cup as India crush Sri Lanka

By Amlan Chakraborty LEEDS, England (Reuters) - Rohit Sharma became the first player to make five centuries in a single World Cup match and his opening partner K. Rahul also struck a fluent century as India crushed Sri Lanka by seven wickets in their final group match at Headingley yesterday.

India had already qualified for the last four and will finish top of the standings if Australia lose to South Africa in their last group match.

Sri Lanka, who failed to reach the semi-finals, slumped to 55-4 in the 12th over before Angelo Mathews smashed his first century in nearly two years to help them to a respectable 264-7.

Rohit and Rahul made mincemeat of the Sri Lankan attack to add 189 runs, the highest opening stand at this

World Cup, which effectively settled the match.

Captain Virat Kohli made 34 not out as India romped home with 39 balls to spare for their seventh win in nine matches.

Sri Lanka pace spearhead Lasith Malinga completed figures of 1-82 in his final World Cup match.

Earlier, Dimuth Karunaratne won the toss and unsurprisingly elected to bat in a rematch of the 2011 final between the neighbours.

Jasprit Bumrah rocked the islanders early with a two-wicket burst and Mahendra Singh Dhoni was busy behind the stumps as Sri Lanka lost their top four batsmen soon after crossing the 50-mark.

Both Karunaratne and Kusal Perera fell caught behind off Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja did not have to wait for success in his first

India’s Rohit Sharma celebrates his century with team-mate K. Rahul. (David Davies/PA)

match at this year’s World Cup. The left-arm spinner lured Kusal Mendis out of the crease for Dhoni, who was involved in each of the first four dismissals, to effect a simple stumping.

Mathews and Lahiru Thirimanne (53) refused to throw in the towel, though, their defiant 124-run stand raising Sri Lankan hopes.

Dropped on 61

by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mathews went on to complete his third one-day century, including two sixes and 10 fours, before Bumrah dismissed him for 113 in the

penultimate over.

Sri Lanka toiled for 30 overs without success as Rohit and Rahul flayed their attack all around the ground.

Rohit smacked Dhananjaya de Silva for two sixes, the first one bringing up his 50, and reached his third successive hundred with a boundary off Kasun Rajitha.

The disdain they had for the Sri Lanka attack was best illustrated in the ramp shot Rahul played, bending back and lowering himself before guiding the ball over the wicketkeeper’s head to the boundary.

Rohit’s on-

Scoreboard SRI LANKA innings F. Karunaratne c Dhoni b Bumrah 10 M. Perera c Dhoni b Bumrah 18 W. Fernando c Dhoni b Pandya 20 B. Mendis stp. Dhoni b Jadeja 3 A. Mathews c Sharma b Bumrah 113 H. Thirimanne c Jadeja b Kuldeep Yadav 53 D, de Silva not out 29 N,.Perera c Pandya b Kumar 2 I. Udana not out 1 Extras: (b-4, lb-2, nb-1, w-8) 15 Total: (7 wickets, 50 overs) 264 Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-40, 3-53, 4-55, 5-179, 6-253, 7-260.

Bowling: B. Kumar 10-0-73-1, J. Bumrah 10-2-37-3, H. Pandya 10-0-50-1, R. Jadeja 10-0-40-1, Kuldeep Yadav 10-0-58-1.

INDIA innings K. Rahul c M. Perera b Malinga 111 R. Sharma c Mathews b Rajitha 103 V. Kohli (c) not out 34 R. Pant lbw b Udana 4 H. Pandya not out 7 Extras: (lb-1, w-5) 6 Total: (3 wickets, 43.3 overs) 265 Fall of wickets: 1-189, 2-244, 3-253.

Bowling: L. Malinga 10-1-82-1, C. Rajitha 8-0-47-1, I. Udana 9.3-0-50-1, N. Perera 10-0-34-0, D. de Silva 6-0-51-0.

slaught ended on 103 when he drove Rajitha to mid-off and Rahul’s 111 included 11 fours and a six.

‘Green Machine’ thrashed on Day One of Flying Dutchman Teunissen sprints RAN 7s Championship/Olympic Qualifiers to opening Tour de France stage win IT was not an easy opening day of the Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens Championship for Guyana, as the country’s ‘ruggers’, also known as the ‘Green Machine’, went down hard to Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and the Cayman Islands at the Bodden National Sports Complex.

In their opening game, Guyana went down to Trin-

idad and Tobago 7-19, and later narrowly lost to Cayman Islands 12-14.

Playing Jamaica in their final game of the day, Guyana, who lost to the ‘Reggae Ruggers’ in the 2017 and 2018 finals, went down hard to the men from the ‘Land of Wood and Water’ (42-7).

By virtue of finishing at the bottom of the table in Pool B, Guyana will have

to face the undefeated Canadians in the quarter-finals today.

The top team in the Men’s category of the tournament will qualify for the Olympics directly. The second- and third-placed teams will have another opportunity to qualify through the Repechage tournament in 2020.

Mexico and United States square off in CONCACAF Gold Cup final tonight CHICAGO, Illinois -- Mexico and the United States are set to square off in the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final this Sunday at Soldier Field in Chicago.

This will be the sixth time that the two nations have matched up in a Gold Cup Final, and the first since 2011.

Mexico has won four of the five prior meetings. The only U.S. win came in 2007, a final that was played at Soldier Field. The U.S. also defeated Panama in the 2013 Final at the same ground.

Mexico started this tour-

nament with a 7-0 win over Cuba at the Rose Bowl and a 3-1 win over Canada in Denver to jump atop Group A. Since then, however, it’s been far from easy. A 3-2 win over Martinique in Charlotte closed out the group stage before Mexico then needed penalties to get past Costa Rica in Houston, a 1-1 scoreline after 120 minutes.

Head Coach Gerardo Martino’s team then narrowly got by Haiti, 1-0, in a second consecutive match that went to extra-time.

The U.S. opened the

tournament with a 4-0 win over Guyana in Saint Paul, Minnesota and a 6-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago in Cleveland, before closing out Group D with a 1-0 win over Panama in Kansas City.

A tight 1-0 win over Curacao in the quarterfinals sent the U.S. from Philadelphia to a semifinal in Nashville, where they defeated Jamaica 3-1.

Tonight’s Gold Cup Final between Mexico and the United States will kick off at 9 PM ET.

By Martyn Herman BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters) - Dutchman Mike Teunissen was meant to be helping a team mate take the yellow jersey but ended up slipping it on himself after winning a thrilling bunch sprint at the end of stage one of the Tour de France yesterday.

With a crash involving 2018 Tour champion Geraint Thomas causing mayhem 1.7km from the end of the 194km opening stage, Team Jumbo Visna rider Teunissen seized his chance for glory.

A lung-busting bunch sprint just across from the iconic Atomium ended with Teunissen holding off sprint specialists Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Soudal) to become the first Dutchman to wear the yellow jersey for 30 years.

Thomas went down along with numerous other riders while his Team Ineos co-leader Egan Bernal was held up in the aftermath.

Because the race was inside the last 3km, however, they lost no time and Thomas, whose preparations were hampered by a crash at the Tour de Suisse, was okay.

“I’m fine. I gave myself enough space and avoided the actual crash,” the Briton said. “The main thing is that it didn’t do any damage - the bike took the hit and I just toppled over!”

The same could not be said of Astana’s Jakob Fuglsang, one of the big threats to Thomas, after he crashed 17km from the finish, his glasses cutting his eyebrow and leaving blood trickling down his face.

Initially it looked as though the 34-yearold Dane might lose touch but his team mates helped him recover and he worked his way back to finish safely in the peloton although he went straight to the medical area afterwards.

AUDACIOUS BREAKAWAY A relatively uneventful 194km opener around the Wallonia and Flanders countryside exploded into life after the bunch reeled in an audacious late breakaway from French debutant Stephane Rossetto as the race re-entered Brussels.

Teams were jostling to get their sprinters in prime position to strike when the pile-up occurred, taking down Dylan Groenewegen, one of the pre-stage favourites.

It left his lead-out man Teunissen without a job but he took matters into his own hands to claim the first yellow jersey of the 106th Tour de France.

“I can’t believe it; we’ve been working for months to bring Dylan to the victory and the jersey then it all disappears because he goes down in the crash,” Teunissen, 26, said.

“After that I thought, I’m still fresh and everyone was dying in the last metres, even Sagan, then I took him on the line.

“It’s crazy, I could never imagine myself in the yellow jersey, but no one will ever take it away from me. Hopefully when Dylan heard it was me who won he could still smile.”

Thousands of fans had descended on Brussels city centre decked in yellow earlier in the day for the first Grand Depart held in the Belgian capital since 1958.

This year is the 50th anniversary of Brussels native Eddy Merckx’s five Tour de France titles and the 74-year-old marked the occasion by sending the 176 riders on their way from the majestic Grand Place where fans chanted “Eddy Eddy”.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 7, 2019

Aussies lose to SA despite Warner heroics, set England semi-final date MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Prolific opener David Warner smashed a brilliant 122 but could not claim victory for Australia, as they slipped to a 10-run defeat to South Africa in their Cricket World Cup clash at Old Trafford yesterday, leaving them facing a semi-final against England.

The result allowed India to take over at the top of the round-robin table at the end of the first stage, meaning Australia will battle the host nation at Edgbaston on Thursday, while the Indians meet New Zealand at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

Already-eliminated South Africa chose to bat and a century from captain Faf du Plessis took them to 325 for six in their 50 overs, a total boosted by Rassie van der Dussen’s well-constructed 95.

Australia were in trouble early in their innings and a hamstring injury to number three batsman Usman Khawaja saw him retire hurt, and put the rest of his tournament in jeopardy, but they rallied magnif-

icently before being bowled out for 315 with one ball remaining.

“We would have liked to have got the win but there are some real positives from the game,” Australia captain Aaron Finch said at the postmatch presentation.

“We fought ourselves out of a bit of a hole with the bat and Davie Warner got a magnificent hundred.

Alex Carey also played a brilliant knock to get us close.

“It’s a bit frustrating but we can also learn from this as well. We still managed to get really close while not playing our best cricket.”

South Africa have been poor with the bat in the tournament but found form on an excellent wicket for stroke-making and posted their highest total of the World Cup. du Plessis followed up his unbeaten 96 against Sri Lanka last time out with another controlled innings of 100 from 94 balls.

He put on 151 for the third wicket with van der Dussen, who was caught on the boundary in the last delivery of the innings as he chased his maiden ODI ton.

David Warner

Australia lost Finch (3) in the third over of their reply and were in further trouble when Khawaja hobbled off with the score on 20.

Steve Smith (7) was trapped

leg-before-wicket by Dwaine Pretorius (2-27), before wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock effected a brilliant run-out of Marcus Stoinis (22) with a flick behind his back and then took a superb catch to remove Glenn Maxwell (12).

At that stage, Australia were reeling at 119 for four but Warner continued to score at a run a ball and got to his 17th ODI hundred with fours off successive deliveries.

He put on a brilliant 108 in 90 balls for the sixth wicket with the excellent Carey (85 from 69 balls) to keep Australia in the hunt but miscued a Pretorius delivery and was superbly caught by a diving Chris Morris at mid-on.

A hobbling Khawaja (18) returned to the wicket late in the innings but, with his movement restricted, was bowled by seamer Kagiso Rabada (3-56).

“What a game, it’s always a pleasure playing against Australia,” du Plessis said. “We wanted to at least go home with a small smile and today we got that as a team.”

SCOREBOARD SOUTH AFRICA innings A. Markram stp. Carey b Lyon 34 Q. de Kock c Starc b Lyon 52 F. du Plessis c Starc b Behrendorff 100 H. van der Dussen c Maxwell b Cummins 95 JP Duminy c Stoinis b Starc 14 D. Pretorius b Starc 2 A. Phehlukwayo not out 4 Extras: (b-1, lb-10, w-13) 24 Total: (6 wickets, 50 overs) 325 Fall of wickets: 1-79, 2-114, 3-265, 4-295, 5-317, 6-325.

Bowling: M. Starc 9-0-59-2, J. Behrendorff 8-0-55-1, N. Lyon 100-53-2, P. Cummins 9-0-66-1, S. Smith 1-0-5-0, M. Stoinis 3-0-19-0, G. Maxwell 10-0-57-0.

AUSTRALIA innings D. Warner c Morris b Pretorius 122 A. Finch c Markram b Imran Tahir 3 U. Khawaja b Rabada 18 S. Smith lbw b Pretorius 7 M. Stoinis run-out 22 G. Maxwell c de Kock b Rabadan 12 A. Carey c Markram b Morris 85 P. Cummins c Duminy b Phehlukwayo 9 M. Starc b Rabada 16 J. Behrendorff not out N. Lyon c Markram b Phehlukwayo 3 Extras: (lb-4, w-3) 7 Total: (all out, 49.5 overs) 315 Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-33, 3-95, 4-119, 5-227, 6-272, 7-275, 8-301, 9-306.

Bowling: Imran Tahir 9-0-59-1, K. Rabada 10-0-56-3, D. Pretorius 6-227-2, C. Morris 9-0-63-1, T. Shamsi 9-0-62-0, A. Phehlukwayo 2.5-0-222, JP Duminy 4-0-22-0.

QC, Business School wing out for Sir Garfield Sobers cricket tournament A STRONGER Queen’s College team and first-timers Business School left for Barbados yesterday to compete in the 33rd Annual Sir Garfield Sobers International Schools Cricket Tournament, which is scheduled from July 8-22 in St Michael.

The Guyanese schools, placed in different zones, are both looking to make their mark on the competition.

Both have also equipped themselves with competent coaches and managers.

Former Guyanese batsman and veteran coach Mark Harper takes charge of QC on the field, while QC’s Mechanical Engineering teacher Mohamad Nassir travelled as team manager.

UG cricketer Omesh Danram travelled as Business School’s team manager, while Malteenoes junior team coach Darien Best will shepherd the side.

IMPROVEMENT According to the twotime manager Nassir, QC players are as prepared as they can be. He said

that the inclement weather forced the cancellation of several practice games but the cricketers managed to get sessions in the nets.

are expected to open the batting and do the bulk of the scoring.

QC side also includes former national U-15 crick-

Some of the cricketers who will represent Business School in Barbados

He said that the idea was to improve the team’s bowling, which he saw as a weak link in 2018.

Bolstering the top school’s effort this year will be their skipper Navindra Persaud, who is expected to be key with the bat.

Persaud could not play for the side last year because he was a part of the Guyana U-17 cricket team.

This year, he and DCC batsman Brandon Jaikaran

eter Amos Sarwan and a few club cricketers.

Overall, both Nassir and Persaud are optimistic about their chances.

Persaud told Chronicle Sport yesterday afternoon from Barbados that he is ready to play his part.

“I just want to use all the experience that I gained over the years to bring out the best in the team. I want to contribute in every area: scor-

ing runs, taking wickets, fielding and captaincy.”

Persaud, who turned 17 in May, said that he hopes to mentor the younger play-

to play his part with the Business School. He has experience in the competition, given that he travelled with School of the Nations

likes his all-round team, but feels that bowling would be his team’s strength.

Leading the charge would be Tathesh Shivrat-

Queen’s College have bolstered their batting with the services of veteran coach Mark Harper.

ers to help them unleash their potential.”

Nassir is confident that the side would be able to click with Harper leading the charge.

The biggest difference that can improve our chances this year is the fact that we are travelling with Mark Harper as coach,” the manager said.

DECENT SQUAD Best is also expected

last year.

Business School has several club cricketers, including players from Malteenoes Sports Club, Everest Cricket Club, Georgetown Cricket Club, Transport Sports Club and Achievers Youth and Sports Club.

“I think we have a decent squad that could make the semis, or if not finish in the top 10.”

The coach said that he

tan, the off-spinner, who played for Nations last year and finished with a whopping 12 wickets.

“We are relying on our spinners from my experience last year. Bowling spin for the first over was lucrative.”

Also expected to spin will be left-armer Stephan Wilson, leg-spinner TURN TO PAGE 27 ►

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 7, 2019

Consistency, team selection and preparation hurt WI World Cup campaign, says Perreira

By Rajiv Bisnauth WEST Indies started their World Cup campaign in style, blowing Pakistan away to revive memories of their glory days of swashbuckling batting and fearsome fast bowling, but after that comprehensive seven-wicket win the two-time former champions had a familiar tale of poor performances, which effectively ended their hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals of the 50-over event.

World champions in 1975 and 1979, the Caribbean side finished the tournament on a high with a win over Afghanistan last Thursday. It was the Windies second taste of victory since their first match of the tournament back on May 31.

Windies were fancied by many to reach the semi-finals

of this World Cup before a ball was bowled but they crashed out with two group matches still to play.

It is a familiar scenario for West Indies sides and veteran broadcaster, Joseph ‘Reds’ Perreira believes team selection, preparation ahead of the tournament and consistency are the three reasons for their below-par showing in England and Wales.

“I thought initially there was a mistake in leaving Keemo Paul out, because he is a wicket-taking bowler ... he would have swung the ball in England, and the West Indies needed someone like him. I think we made a mistake by not getting our entire squad to the Ireland tour prior to the World Cup ... all other teams had got their players back from the India Premier League (IPL), except the

Keemo Paul

Joseph ‘Reds’ Perreira

West Indies,” ‘Reds’ Perreira reckoned during an exclusive interview yesterday.

‘Reds’, who was fortunate to cover 147 Test matches at all Test venues around the world except in Bangladesh continued, “The World Cup is once every four years and maybe some kind of IPL negotiation with Gayle (Chris)

and Russell (Andre) (should have taken place), where they could have joined the West Indies in Ireland, so they could have had a proper practice there then go to England and prepare.

The other players were hardly playing any IPL matches, so the likes of Oshane Thomas, Shimron Hetmyer, Evin Lewis and Nich-

Nadal, Federer progress to Wimbledon fourth round ROGER Federer and Rafael Nadal reached the fourth round at Wimbledon with straight-set victories over French opponents.

Spanish world number two Nadal - a two-time winner at SW19 - defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-2, 6-3, 6-2.

Eight-time Wimbledon

champion Federer beat Lucas Pouille 7-5, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4).

Nadal will play Portugal’s Joao Sousa - who beat Britain’s Dan Evans - in the next round while Federer will take on Italy’s Matteo Berrettini.

It was the first time Nadal had played Tsonga at the All England Club and their first

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Sunday July 07, 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) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1)

1992 & 1999

(2) Australia (1975), England (1979) & India (1983) Today’s Quiz: (1) How many World Cup matches the great Brian Lara played?

(2) Who is the first wicketkeeper to hit a hundred in a World Cup match?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

meeting since 2015.

“I’m very happy. I think I played a great match,” Nadal told BBC Sport.

“I was returning well, playing aggressively with the forehand and the backhand.

I think I did a lot of things well.

“Tsonga is someone you don’t want to face in the third round at Wimbledon.

“Every single day is a battle here. It is not a surface I play a lot of matches on during the year.”

Victory over Pouille saw Federer become the first player to achieve 350 Grand Slam singles match wins.

“It was tough. It was a hard-fought match, especially in the first set,” Federer said.

“I think going up two sets was key. The third was tough, it was very even.

“There is always a relief winning a third-set breaker because if it goes the wrong way, you might be here for a few more hours.”

Elsewhere, eighth seed Kei Nishikori beat American Steve Johnson 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.

Tennys Sandgren defeated Fabio Fognini 6-3, 7-6, (14-12), 6-3 and will play American compatriot Sam Querrey next after he beat John Millman in straight sets. (BBC Sport)

Seventy-five aspiring cricketers to attend Albion academy SEVENTY-FIVE young aspiring cricketers will, from tomorrow, commence a sixday cricket academy, organised by the Albion Community Centre Cricket Club.

The academy, now in its 19th year, will be held at Albion Community Development Centre ground in East Berbice, Corentyne.

It is expected that the participants will be exposed to various skill areas in the sport of cricket until it concludes on July 13.

The aim of the academy is to expose young cricketers to the rudiments of cricket, so as to enhance their development.

Sessions will start at 08:00hrs and conclude at 16:30hrs daily. The youngsters will be exposed to lectures on topics such as discipline, public speaking, importance of education, importance of fitness, and the laws of the game, among other topics, in addition to cricket coaching.

A number of current and former national players will be part of the coaching staff.

The academy is sponsored

by West Indies leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo.

olas Pooran could have all joined the West Indies setup.

What eventually happened prior to the World Cup? They had a four-day camp plus a few matches, so definitely preparation was not good enough to be in the best shape for the World Cup. Other teams had a month’s preparation where they had a team working together, building team spirit and at the same time gelling together.”

Reds, a former adviser to ex-Sport Minister Shirley Field-Ridley, who did his first Test commentary in 1971 when West Indies opposed India, acknowledged that consistency was another major problem throughout the tournament, adding that the Windies failed in every department of the game.

“The performance lacked consistency in just about

every department. We just could not build an innings, put on big scores while our bowlers were all over the place ... our quicks weren’t getting wickets at the top and for some strange reason they kept leaving out Kemar Roach which was a mystery.

I think too we had a few batsmen getting starts but not going on compared to the other teams,” he said.

While the Windies failed to understand English conditions and paid the price for their one-dimensional tactics, they can take heart from good individual batting performances from Pooran, Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Carlos Brathwaite, pacemen Thomas and Sheldon Cottrell - an indicatin of some talent.

Regional U-17 tournament

Guyana lose opening game to T&T GUYANA suffered a nine-wicket loss to hosts Trinidad & Tobago in their opening encounter in this year’s Regional Under-17 50-over tournament yesterday, at the National Cricket Centre (NCC) in Couva.

Batting first, the Guyanese were skittled out for just 91 in 38.3 overs with only Mavindra Dindyal, 46, putting up a fight.

It was a collective bowling effort from the hosts with Sion Hackett and Darren Samlal claiming 3-20 and 3-10 respectively. Chadeon Raymond and Isaiah Gomez took two wickets apiece.

In reply, the T&T openers Jeremiah Cruickshank (36), and an unbeaten 43 from Kyle Roopchand then made light work of the run chase with the Trinidadians reaching 92-1 in 19.5 overs.

The Guyanese will be in action again today against defending champions Barbados at the Brian Lara Stadium.

The Under-17 championship title is the only one that has eluded Guyana. The closest the Guyanese have come to winning the title was in 2016

Mavindra Dindyal

when Guyana placed second after their final game against the host nation, Trinidad and Tobago, was rained out.

In this 50-over tournament Guyana will face their five other regional counterparts – defending champions Barbados, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, hosts Trinidad & Tobago and the Windward Islands – in a round-robin format where each team will face the other once.

The team to accumulate the most points at the end of the five rounds will be crowned champions.

31

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, July 7, 2019

No ‘hasty political decisions’ on coaching post, assures Skerritt PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Recently-elected Cricket West Indies (CWI) chief, Ricky Skerritt, has given the assurance that interim head coach, Floyd Reifer, will remain in his post for the remainder of the year, and says there will be no “hasty political decisions” in the wake of the Caribbean side’s disastrous showing at the ICC World Cup. Speaking following West Indies’ final outing of the campaign on Thursday in Leeds, Skerritt praised Reifer as a coach with a “winning track record” and also rubbished suggestions that the change in management prior to the World Cup played a role in the team’s poor showing.

West Indies won two of nine group stage matches to finish ninth in the 10-team standings on five points, their worst-ever performance at a World Cup. “That is a whole joke in terms of continuity (of coaching staff for the World Cup). In six years, we’ve had seven coaches, including Floyd Reifer who was coach for a few matches before the politics-appointed (Richard) Pybus,” Skerritt told i95.5FM sports programme here.

Now people want Floyd Reifer to go and bring somebody else and then somebody else will go – that is not going to happen under my watch.

“We have already put it

West Indies head coach Floyd Reifer is under contract until the end of the year.

clearly out that by the end of this year a head coach would be hired for at least a three-year plan and that is to take us to the next ODI (World Cup) of 2023.”

He continued: “Floyd

National Mini-Cadet, Pre-Cadet TT Championships

Billingy cops MiniCadet gold medal JASMINE Billingy emerged as the 2019 Girls’ 11-year-andunder (Mini-Cadet) national champion, when she battled past all opponents yesterday, on the opening day of the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) National Mini- and Pre-Cadet TT Championships, at Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

Billingy a tenacious hardworking and exceptional talent was outstanding in the round-robin finals Titans Table Tennis Club players played between herself, Akira Watson, Samara Jasmine Billingy (left) and Samara Sukhai and Quavana Sukhai finished first and third yesterday.

Torrington.

The nine-year-old overcame the challenges of Watson, who finished second with an aggregate of one defeat and two wins, and Sukhai who won the bronze medal.

Billingy, who will be one of Guyana’s selected athletes to the ITTF World Hopes Table Tennis training camp, will also lead Guyana’s charge at the Caribbean Pre-Cadet Table Tennis Championships scheduled for July 11-19 and 20-27 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

In the Boys’ Pre-Cadet (13-year-and-under division), the key favourite to take the title, national 15-and-under and 18-and-under Boys champion, Jonathan Van Lange, navigated his way safely in the group stages of the competition.

Van Lange’s main rivals Krystian Sahadeo, Dhanesh Persaud and Colin Wong were also unbeaten in the group stage.

Action continues tomorrow in the Pre-Cadet (Boys and Girls) and the Mini-Cadet (Boys).

Tomorrow, the GTTA 15-and-under and 18-and-under Open Junior Challenge will serve off from 10:00hrs at the same venue.

Reifer has a temporary contract that was always going to be up until the end of this calendar year. If he wins the recruitment process, he will then continue; if he loses the recruitment to somebody else, he will continue in some other position for three months until his one-year contract expires.

“The new coach would start, if things go according to plan, somewhere early in 2020.”

Englishman Pybus was controversially thrust into the role of West Indies head coach last January on the eve of the England series, a decision that resulted in public acrimony among CWI board members who feuded over the manner of the appointment.

A former director of cricket, Pybus then oversaw a shock 2-1 win in the threeTest series and a 2-2 draw in the five-match ODI series.

After toppling three-term incumbent Dave Cameron in March, Skerritt and vice-president Dr Kishore Shallow then moved to install Reifer as interim head coach in a complete overhaul of the team management and selection panel.

Warning that the shambolic means by which Pybus was appointed would not be repeated, Skerritt said the recruitment for a permanent coach would not be rushed but would be allowed to go through the proper processes.

“The recruitment process will take whatever length

of time it takes to get the best coach in place,” Skerritt pointed out.

“Recruiting a coach involves money, involves time, involves certain administrative requirements and there are processes.

We’re going to go through a methodical process and get the best people in the best timing in the best places.

“We’re not panicking, we’re not going to make any hasty political decisions and repeat what has been done in the past. That’s not how we operate.”

Reifer’s next assignment will be India’s tour of the Caribbean for two Tests, three ODIs and three T20 Internationals from August 3 to September 3.

LA Ballers, John Street, Berlin through to G/town Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ C’ship OVER 40 teams collided in fast-paced action when the qualifiers for Georgetown Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ were played on Friday night on Burnham Court at Middle and Carmichael Streets.

All communities of Georgetown were well represented and the most notable teams to qualify on the night were LA Ballers, John Street from the Kitty area and Berlin.

With the qualification phase of the Championship now over, the ‘real deal’ will now take centre stage with fixtures set for Friday (July 12) and Saturday Action in the Georgetown Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ (July 13) evenings.

Championship qualifiers on the Burnham Court last Friday night Those two nights will see teams play in elimination Friday Fixtures - July 12 matches with the subsequent (1) Trap Squad vs LA Ballers winners advancing to the group stage. Thereafter the top (2) Upsetters vs Albouystown-A two teams in each group will progress to the quarter-fi(3) North Ruimveldt vs John Street nal stage while the losers will have a chance to win a (4) California Square vs Alexander Village cash prize in the ‘Plate’ section of the Championships.

(5) North East La Penitence vs Stabroek Ballers On Friday evening, proceedings got underway with (6) Norton Street vs Back Circle Trap Squad facing newly qualified LA Ballers while (7) Sparta Boss vs Judgment Yard Albouystown-A will face Upsetters immediately after.

(8) Gold is Money vs Globe Yard Newcomers John Street will square up against North Saturday Fixtures-July 13 Ruimveldt while California Square play Alexander (1) Rising Stars vs Good Over Evil Village, North East La Penitence will oppose Stabroek (2) Ol Skool Ballers vs Sophia Ballers and Norton Street will have a tall task of oppos(3) Albouystown-B vs Berlin ing powerhouse Back Circle.

(4) Kingston vs Broad Street Streetball juggernauts Sparta Boss will be in action (5) Bent Street vs Charlotte Street in the penultimate game of the night against Judgement (6) Future Stars vs Sophia United Yard. Defending champions ‘Gold is Money’ will close (7) Leopold Street vs Pike Street off the night with a match against Globe Yard.

(8) Queen St/Tiger Bay vs Smyth Street Fixtures are as follows:

Meet records tumble at 4th AP Invitational

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… Durant snatches sprint double

Trinidad and Tobago’s Kamaria Durant (third from left) crosses the finish line to win the women’s 100m at the 2019 AP Invitational.

Anthony claims 9th Annual Malta Supreme title 27 Page

Devaun Barrington (first from right) is in cruise control in the men’s 800 metres at the 2019 AP Invitational.

Michael Anthony collects his trophy and ‘primes’ from Malta Supreme Brand Manager, Clayton McKenzie.

‘Green Machine’ thrashed on Day One of RAN 7s Championship/Olympic Qualifiers Page

28

Captains from the participating countries at this year’s RAN 7s Championship in the Cayman Islands

Mexico and United States square off in CONCACAF Gold Cup final tonight Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 2 2 6- 3243-9 (General); Editorial: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216. Fax:2 2 7- 5208

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SUNDAY, JULY 7, 2019