Guyana Chronicle E-paper 9-23-2019

MONDAY 23rd September, 2019

Elections date soon No.105769

... President says key cabinet meeting this week could help arrive at elections date

Education the answer to poverty

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Thankful!!

A second family of five arrived in Guyana on Sunday night from the hurricane-ravaged Abaco Islands in The Bahamas.

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–– President tel s Afro-Guyanese forum Two dead, millions in losses as fire guts Vreed-en-Hoop 15 buildings PAGE

Arriving were Guyanese mother Vanessa Taite; her Bahamian husband, Stevie Cooper Snr and their children Stevie, Steven and Steve. The family touched down at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) around 22:00hrs and were warmly welcomed

by Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, September 23, 2019

Education the answer to poverty –– President tells Afro-Guyanese forum

By Lisa Hamilton

TO date, people of African descent across the world continue to face hurdles to equal treatment and opportunities but these individuals, including Afro-Guyanese, must collectively pursue education for the protection of their rights.

This was the message of President David Granger at the Second Annual General Meeting of the International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly- Guyana (IDPADA-G) hosted at the Guyana Industrial Training Centre (GITC) on Sunday.

“Education has been one of the outstanding contributions of African-Guyanese to the nation. Education, next to

economic liberation, was the greatest gift of emancipation. African-Guyanese embraced education as a means of providing a better life for themselves, their families and future generations… the African-Guyanese contribution to education played an important part in national integration and should be sustained, not supplanted,” the President said.

He made these remarks in the presence of Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally; Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection with responsibility for Labour, Keith Scott; representatives of member organisations of the local Assembly and other specially invited guests.

The International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024) was proclaimed by the United Nations (UN) as it recognised the need to strengthen cooperation for the full enjoyment of economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights by people of African descent.

The President stated that IDPADA-G presents an important opportunity for Guyanese to be educated about their past.

Over 200 million Africans reside in the Caribbean and the Americas but many of them are still affected by racism, the President said.

“People of African descent still face barriers as a result of social biases and discrimination present in public-pri-

Several representatives of member organisations of the local General Assembly attended the body’s Second Annual General Meeting (Carl Croker photo)

vate institutions. We must remember that some of the authors of that crime against humanity have never apologised; have never paid reparations…for the crime they committed for 400 years,” he said.

Nonetheless, the Head of State said groups such as IDPADA-G are charged with ensuring that the importance of the preservation of African culture is understood. “The clock is ticking and we are half way through the decade,” the President reminded.

“The Decade is a unique opportunity for African-Guyanese to concentrate their collective experiences and energies, so that we could bequeath to our children and grandchildren a better Guyana than we inherited,” he added.

While listing what he considers as the five movements of development in Guyana--the emancipation movement, the village movement, the political movement, the labour movement and the cultural movement--President Granger noted that the latter created the foundation on which Guyana was built.

The Head of State told the gathering that he is proud of the work that IDPADA-G has been doing to promote the study of Guyanese history in schools, and is confident that it will do its best to preserve the legacy of education in Guyana. “IDPADA-G has a mission, an obligation, a duty to conduct this sort of education, because you cannot solve a problem if you do not know the nature of the problem,” he said.

“The international decade was conceived and planned to remedy the legacy of discrimination, of disempowerment and dispossession… but the international decade, I iterate, identified education as an important vehicle for empowering

President David Granger addresses members of the International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly- Guyana (IDPADA-G) on Sunday (Carl Croker photo) persons of African descent. We change in their communities cannot move forward without and in various interest groups arming ourselves, equipping for greater impact. ourselves with these educationMeanwhile, a presentation al tools,” he added. of the General Assembly’s President David Grang- annual report by Chief Exer, himself, launched the ecutive Officer (CEO) Olive local General Assembly in Sampson showed that mem2015 prior to taking office, bership of the General Aswhile Guyana’s Parliament sembly has grown by five new approved a subvention of groups since the last year. She $100M for IDPADA-G in thanked the President and his 2019. ministers for the provision of When he spoke, IDPA- an annual subvention, which DA-G Chairman Vincent enables the General Assembly Alexander congratulated the to continue its work and welGeneral Assembly’s members comed a continuance of the for staying the course over the partnerships shared with variyears, and encouraged them ous ministries during projects. to recommit themselves to IDPADA-G is also in service. He stated that one of the process of setting up a IDPADA-G’s key roles is in- credit union for individuals teraction with the state for the and small- business owners purpose of introducing policies, working in collaboration with programmes and projects which the UN IDPAD. Some 500 influence various sectors, social persons have completed the issues and education. application process thus far, Alexander reminded the while applicants continue attendees that they are also to be processed daily at IDresponsible for doing their PADA-G’s Secretariat for a individual parts to effect 2020 official launch.

IDPADA-G has afforded persons the opportunity to learn African languages; it largely influenced the visit of Ghanaian President Nana Akufo Addo to the Square of the Revolution; collaborated with the National School of Music for preservation of the drumming culture in schools; hosted an oil and gas forum, business conferences for small farmers and leadership and captivity building camps; has examined the loss of African heritage and ancestral lands and more.

Meanwhile, before the end of the function, IDPADA-G’s Draft 2020-2024 IDPADA-G Chairman, Vincent Alexander,chats Strategic Plan was presentwith Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally (Carl ed and new elections were conducted.

Croker photo)

Elections date soon

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, September 23, 2019

... President says key cabinet meeting this week could help arrive at elections date

By Lisa Hamilton

PRESIDENT David Granger said he will announce a date for General and Regional Elections soon, noting that a meeting with his Cabinet this week is critical to the process.

On Sunday, while delivering the keynote address at the Second Annual General Meeting of the International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly-Guyana (IDPADA-G), President Granger said naming a date for the much-anticipated elections remains a top priority for him.

He has committed to proclaiming a date for elections following his discussions with Cabinet, which comprises members of the six-party coalition. Thus far, all ministers within the Cabinet have not been able to meet with the President as this newspaper was able to confirm that at least two ministers were out of the jurisdiction when the President held his first meeting last Thursday.

“When I left Pegasus Hotel, I went straight into Cabinet meeting. Some Ministers were travelling, so we have had the first Cabinet meeting.

President David Granger Regardless of what other misinformed media outlets [are saying], we have had the first meeting and it will be coming up again,” he stated.

“Prime Minister was there; Minister of Public Security was there; the two ministers who were affected by the hooliganism were there; but the fuller cabinet will meet again on Tuesday…this is urgent,” the Head of State added.

The Guyana Chronicle also confirmed that whenever a consensus is arrived at, the President will make an

announcement.

Last Thursday, September 19, Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), (Ret’d) Justice Claudette Singh informed President Granger that the Elections Secretariat would be in a position to facilitate elections by end of February 2020. “…Given all the objective factors, in addition to the deliberations of the Commission and my most recent consultations with our Secretariat, I have concluded, and take this opportunity to officially inform you, that the Guyana Elections Commission will be able to deliver credible elections by the end of February 2020,” Singh said in her letter to the Head of State.

At a function later that day, the President told the media that he will discuss the letter with his Cabinet. Those discussions are still ongoing.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, has accepted the February 2020 timeline for new elections and has called on his supporters to “get registered” during the upcoming Claims and Objections period.

During his tirade, he

Chairman of GECOM, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh spoke highly of Justice Singh but criticised her decision regarding the February 2020 timeline. “Whilst we’re disappointed with the date -- we believe that elections should have been held before the end of the year --- we are going to work to ensure that they’re held, hopefully at the end of February…we will continue to prepare for elections from the PPP side by ensuring people get registered when the Claims and Objections come

about. I want to urge everyone to get registered in that period because that will be a legal and a constitutional process,” he said during a press conference on Thursday.

Even though he made those remarks, earlier in the day, he led a protest action demanding early elections and the removal of the government. According to him, the government is now illegal.

Unmoved by the protest, President Granger made it clear that his government has not defied the court nor has it breached the Constitution of Guyana. “My government has complied with the orders of the courts at all times. It has acted correctly, in good faith, and in accordance with the guidelines laid down by constitutional conventions,” the Head of State said.

He added: “Political stability through adherence to constitutional rule, respect for the law, the presence of strong institutions and the pursuit of democratic governance are essential conditions for economic expansion.”

On GECOM’s end, the Secretariat has been actively training polling day staff

countrywide with training outstanding in the hinterland and in other parts of Georgetown. This is to be expected completed by October.

GECOM has assured that the data from the recent house-to-house registration exercise will be used in the coming elections and that additional funding to facilitate its new timeline, when approved, will come from the government.

This newspaper has been made aware that the first batch of data, encoded into the National Register of Registrants Database from the just concluded Houseto-House, will be sent to GECOM’s service providers in the United States of America (USA) to be crossmatched today.

These progressions take the Commission one step closer to being fully prepared for the holding of new General and Regional Elections in Guyana.

Hours after she informed President Granger of GECOM’s readiness, Justice Singh met with her electoral staff and urged them to work “honestly and diligently” to complete all tasks on time.

Port Kaituma residents, councillors Kronoco, GNRSC stage Road Safety Awareness March call for general audit of NDC –– allege development being stymied to suit political agenda THE APNU councillors attached to the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) of Port Kaituma are calling on the Local Government Commission (LGC), Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan and other relevant authorities to intervene in a situation felt to be beyond their control.

The PPP/C-controlled NDC, they have alleged, is intentionally stymieing development in the constituencies to create the impression that central government does not care about the people’s welfare.

The residents listed several projects that were successfully completed by central government and even at the

regional level. However, what is lacking is development within the constituencies, all under the purview of the NDC. The first solution to the matter, they opined, is to summon a general audit of the NDC’s finances.

The main means of garnering funds is through the toll station. APNU councillor Tiffnie Daniels related that the toll garnered enables the council to rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars per day.

In addition to tolls, garbage collection is another means of garnering revenue. “The toll is very high, look for instance an excavator is $75, 000, truck is $12, 000; it’s high and persons are paying those [tolls] and the internal roads need to be done; the NDC

suppose to do those things.

We have the airstrip road, they are not doing anything and they are blaming the government, but government has nothing to do with that, we are the Local Democratic Council,” she said.

Since the opposition holds the majority on the Council, the four seats taken up by APNU out of the 12 are not enough to make decisions and push for development.

Daniels said that for 2019, one statutory meeting was held and the other meetings should just be deemed as discussions, since the NDC’s overseer was not present.

Since the new council was sworn in, she said, no public meeting or consultation was held with residents in the

various constituencies.

While central government has completed main access roads, it is within the purview of the council to complete internal roads; this is not being done. She maintains that it is for a political agenda, to make the government look bad. “The coalition councillors don’t really know what is going on, they are not telling us, we are not having statutory,” she said.

Regional MP Richard Alleyne reiterated calls for the LGC to intervene and have a general audit by an independent agency to investigate the finances of the NDC. When the audit is completed, if irregularities are unearthed, immediate sanctions must be placed on those responsible.

Alleyne said that in 2016 an audit was conducted and it was discovered that within six months, the NDC was short of $25 M. No one was sanctioned for this.

CONCERNED about the carnage on the country’s roadways, Kronoco Safety Solutions in collaboration with the Guyana National Road Safety Council (GNRSC) held a Road Safety Awareness Walk on Sunday.

The event was also supported by the Ministry of Education; Schlumberger; ExxonMobil; the Guyana Logistics and Support Services Inc.; Professional Guard Service; and family and friends of victims of road accidents.

“It was critical for us to choose road safety because it’s a national issue and, being a safety company with international accreditation, we have a responsibility to improve where we operate. That being said, it was critical for us to find something that was as crucial and as significant as road safety because we’re seeing a lot of increase that’s unnecessary,” Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and co-founder of Kronoco Safety Solutions, Latoya Jack said.

Apart from Sunday’s activity, Kronoco Safety Solutions, a health and safety training company, will host a Road Scape 2019 conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) today; public talks in several regions in October and November; and an intersection Safety Demonstration in December.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, September 23, 2019

Climate change: Impacts ‘accelerating’ as leaders gather for UN talks

(BBC) The signs and impacts of global heating are speeding up, the latest science on climate change, published ahead of key UN talks in New York, says.

The data, compiled by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), says the five-year period from 2014 to 2019 is the warmest on record.

Sea-level rise has accelerated significantly over the same period, as CO2 emissions have hit new highs.

The WMO says carbon-cutting efforts have to be intensified immediately.

The climate statement is a pull-together of the latest science on the causes and growing impacts of unprecedented levels of warming seen in recent years.

Recognising that global temperatures have risen by 1.1 degrees C since 1850, the paper notes they have gone up by 0.2C between 2011 and 2015.

This is as a result of burgeoning emissions of carbon, with the amount of the gas going into the atmosphere between 2015 and 2019

growing by 20% compared with the previous five years.

Perhaps most worrying of all is the data on sea-level rise.

The average rate of rise since 1993 until now is 3.2mm per year. However, from May 2014 to 2019 the rise has increased to 5mm per year. The 10-year period from 2007-2016 saw an average of about 4mm per year.

“Sea-level rise has accelerated and we are concerned that an abrupt decline in the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, which will exacerbate future rise,” said WMO secretary general Petteri Taalas.

“As we have seen this year with tragic effect in the Bahamas and Mozambique, sea-level rise and intense tropical storms led to humanitarian and economic catastrophes.”

The report also highlights the threats to the oceans, with more than 90% of the excess heat caused by climate change ending up in the waters. The WMO analysis says 2018 had the highest ocean heat content values on record.

The study underlines the fact that wherever you look on the planet right now, the story is the same: human-induced warming is impacting the scale and intensity of extreme weather events such as heatwaves and wildfires.

“Climate change due to us is accelerating and on a very dangerous course,” said Prof Brian Hoskins, chair of the Grantham Institute, Imperial College London, and professor of meteorology, University of Reading.

“We should listen to the loud cry coming from the schoolchildren. There is an emergency - one for action in both rapidly reducing our greenhouse gas emissions towards zero and adapting to the inevitable changes in climate.”

‘NO FANCY SPEECHES’ The WMO report is meant to inform the special UN summit on climate change taking place in New York on Monday.

A range of political leaders will attend the one-day event, which is designed to be about action and not words, according to UN secretary general António Guterres.

“I told leaders not to come with fancy speeches, but with concrete commitments,” he said ahead of the meeting.

“People want solutions, commitments and action. I expect there will be an announcement and unveiling of a number of meaningful plans on dramatically reducing emissions during the next decade, and on reaching carbon neutrality by 2050.”

Greta Thunberg and other youth activists,

fresh from marching on the streets of New York on Friday, will speak at the opening of the meeting.

About 60 heads of state are expected to follow, with countries expected to announce new actions to limit the causes of warming or to speak on initiatives developed by a coalition of nations.

While China, India, France, Germany and the UK will speak at the meeting, there is no place on the podium for Japan or Australia.

Mr Guterres has asked that as well as committing to net-zero emissions by 2050, countries should reduce subsidies for fossil fuels and stop building new coal-fired power stations. The question of coal has led to the barring of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Australia’s Scott Morrison.

The US, Brazil and Saudi Arabia will also not be taking part.

The success of the special summit remains in the balance - what isn’t in question is the urgency of action and the fact that delay means more difficult decisions down the line.

“It is highly important that we reduce greenhouse gas emissions, notably from energy production, industry and transport. This is critical if we are to mitigate climate change and meet the targets set out in the Paris Agreement,” said Petteri Taalas from the WMO. “To stop a global temperature increase of more than 2 degrees C above pre-industrial levels, the level of ambition needs to be tripled. And to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees, it needs to be multiplied by five,” he said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, September 23, 2019

Rio violence: Protests as girl, eight, ‘killed by police’ (BBC) Protests have erupted in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro after an eight-year-old girl was allegedly killed by police, as the number of victims in operations by security forces continues to rise. Ágatha Vitória Sales Félix was with her mother in a van when she was shot in the back in a poor area on Friday. Residents said officers had targeted a motorcyclist when she was hit. Police said they had responded to an attack.

A record 1,249 people have died in such raids in Rio from January to August. Ágatha is the fifth child to die as a result of violence blamed on the police this year.

Critics say the hard-line approach of Governor Wilson Witzel, who came to office in January, is behind the growing number of victims in the city’s poorest areas - favelas - many of them controlled by powerful drug gangs. Ágatha was going back home with her mother on Friday night in a van when she was shot in the back in Alemão, one of Rio’s largest favelas. She was sent to a hospital but died.

In a statement, police said officers had responded to attacks from criminals, which led to a confrontation.

An investigation has been launched.

But Ágatha’s family disputed this, saying officers had targeted a motorcyclist that was passing nearby when she was hit, and there was no gunfight happening at the time. Governor Witzel has promised to fight violence with violence, a policy that has been tried in the past and has largely failed in achieving any lasting results. As more and more people die he has insisted he is on the right track and, outside the poorest districts, many see it as the price to be paid in an effort to reduce crime.

On Saturday, hundreds of residents protested, some carrying placards saying “Lives in the favelas matter” and “Stop killing us”. Other protests were held on Sunday hours before Ágatha’s burial.

Campaigners, politicians and social media users condemned the governor’s policies. Mr Witzel has not commented on Ágatha’s case but his office said it “profoundly regretted” her death.

Mr Witzel, a conservative former judge and marine, has adopted what many describe as a policy of confrontation, employing heavily armed officers and even helicopters with snipers to fight gangsters

in densely populated favelas.

Last year, he said the authorities would “dig graves” to bury criminals if necessary, and vowed to “slaughter” any armed suspect.Opposition parliamentarian Renata Souza, who heads the Human Rights Commission at Rio State Assembly, told the BBC: “The governor [has given] the security forces a licence to kill... The state can’t act as a terrorist.”

Earlier this year, she called on the United Nations to investigate the police operations and, this month, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet raised concerns about the rise in killings by the police. Mr Witzel - who has expressed his plans to run for the presidency - has often cited a drop in homicides and other crimes as proof that his policies are working. But experts say it is not clear if this is a direct result of his approach.

Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who also defends the use of force against suspects, has repeatedly said that “a good criminal is a dead criminal”. He and Mr Witzel have supported changes in the legislation that would protect officers from prosecution if they kill suspects.

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Tropical storm warning discontinued (TRINIDAD NEWSDAY) THE Met Office has discontinued its tropical storm warning which it first issued at 5 am after a tropical waved strengthened into Tropical Storm Karen.

According to the TT Met Office, the centre of KAren was moving into the southeastern Caribbean Sea and as of 2 pm, its centre was located near 12.7 degrees north and 62.3 degrees west or about 95 km north of Grenada, moving west-north-

west at 20 km per hour.

In discontinuing the tropical storm warning for TT, the Met Office said that a tropical storm warning was in effect for Grenada and its dependencies and St Vincent and the Grenadines; while a tropical storm watch was in effect for the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico including Vieques and Culebra and the British Virgin Islands.

Even as the tropical storm warning was discontinued, the Met Office had

instituted a Riverine Flood Warning Red Alert for Trinidad. The alert was instituted at 3 pm today and will run until 4 pm tomorrow.

A riverine flooding is a significant threat for areas near major river courses and tributaries. River levels, the Met Office said, are near threshold and further rain is expected. It said that properties in areas prone to flooding may become inundated and people have been advised to make preparations.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, September 23, 2019

Equal access to education

THE coalition has always emphasised that every Guyanese should have equal access to all government services regardless of who they are, or, where they live. This admirable ideal of equitable opportunities, of course, includes access to education and government, to its credit, is delivering on that promise.

Sadly, the previous People’s Progressive Party (PPP) regime had always callously neglected the needs of hinterland residents.

Residents were regarded as “bush people,” and relegated to the status of second-class citizens. Fortunately, after the election of the David Granger government, all of that changed. The peoples of the hinterland, comprising some 100,000 residents were finally given the recognition, attention, and respect that they deserve. Importantly, they were afforded the opportunity to educate themselves, thereby giving them the chance to obtain high-quality, sustainable jobs.

President David Granger at the launch of Heritage Month 2019, said, “Measurable progress is evident in the field of education.

Plans are on stream to continue improving hinterland education over the next 10 years in what I have dubbed the ‘Decade of development’, from 2020 to 2029.”

The Head of State in his address underscored that, “Education is the cornerstone of government’s plans to ensure greater equality between the hinterland and the coastland, to reduce poverty, and to provide greater economic opportunities for indigenous communities and peoples.”

The education policy aims at ensuring that every child has access to a well-equipped school, said the president. President Granger reminded his audience that his government

inherited a dysfunctional education system.

He said some hinterland schools and dormitories were in deplorable state, while adding that substance abuse had penetrated some schools, while there were allegations of physical violence and sexual abuse. He reminded the audience that some students had lost their lives.

He pointed to the incidents which occurred at the Port Kaituma Secondary School in March 2010, when students had to be sent home because no food was available under the PPP. In the case of the Three-Mile Secondary School, in September 2009, 11 students were rushed to the Bartica Regional Hospital suffering from suspected food poisoning; at Aishalton Secondary School, in September 2011, the Ministry of Education was forced to launch an inquiry into allegations of sexual molestation of students; at the Waramadong Secondary School, in August 2008, three pre-teen girls perished in a fire which destroyed their dormitory; and in November 2008, there were reports of substance abuse by students.

President Granger also mentioned the death of a nine-year-old girl who fell into the defective pit latrine of her school in September 2008; as well of the students of the Kato Primary School, in May 2014, being forced to fetch logs to cook meals, to name a few incidents. He said hinterland education is still far from perfect, but has come a long way from “those grim, grisly days” as he noted that “We are making progress.” He said parents and residents no longer need to protest against the conditions at hinterland dormitories and schools. Students, the President said, now feel safer and are more comfortable because of the interventions and

improvements which have been made over the past 50 months.

“Investments in infrastructure and information technology, the expansion of the school-feeding scheme and the provision of transportation and scholarships have helped to reduce the number of hinterland school dropouts from 10 primary school students per week in 2014 to an average of three students per week in 2017. An average of 17 secondary school students dropped out weekly from hinterland schools in 2014; this has declined to an average of five per week in 2017,” President Granger said.

Hinterland students are benefitting from access to information and communication technology (ICT); ICT hubs have been established in 171 communities. Additionally, learning resource centres have been established at numerous communities. The Head of State noted too, that access to accommodation for students is being improved and expanded through the provision of residential services for 2,240 secondary school students in the four hinterland regions.

The hinterland schools feeding programme has also been expanded. More than 20,000 students now benefit from some form of school-feeding in 216 hinterland nursery and primary schools. President Granger noted too, that access to schools for hinterland students has been improved through the Public Education Transportation Service (PETS).

This initiative has provided buses, boats and bicycles to help children to attend school.

Boats are transporting children to school, free of cost and PETS has distributed 4,000 free bicycles. The Head of State said too, that hinterland students continue to benefit from government scholarships. “Education will

be a cornerstone of the ‘Decade’ which will continue the task of repositioning education which commenced four years ago. Education is now moving on the correct path. More than G$170 Billion has been expended on education over the past four years.”

President Granger explained that the Decade of Development will also protect citizens’ right to universal primary, secondary and tertiary education. “Guyana’s petroleum profits will be deployed, in part, to improve education, including and especially hinterland education. He emphasised that free education is mandated by the Constitution of Guyana at Article 27, which states: “Every citizen has the right to free education from nursery to university, as well as at non-formal places where opportunities are provided for education and training.”

The President gave the assurance that indigenous people will not be left behind when petroleum production commences next year; the national, natural resources wealth will be developed in a manner to ensure greater equality between the hinterland and the coastland, and there will be adequate provision to strengthen hinterland development, particularly through greater investment in education, interventions and improvements.

“Education is the great equaliser. It is the key to reversing hinterland underdevelopment. It will unlock opportunities for all and help to provide the skills for development,” President Granger concluded, while adding that hinterland education is on the right path. Clearly, the administration continues to advance its vision for an ‘education nation, while, in contrast, the PPP did nothing. Can Guyanese ever trust the PPP to govern again?

Robin Singh was disrespectful to a woman Dear Editor THE Parika-Mora Mining Syndicate condemns Mr Robin Singh’s remark that he said about Ms Cheryl Williams, the Chairperson of the National Mining Syndicate and must apologise to her because he does not know her.

He is very disrespectful to women in Guyana and the Parika-Mora Mining Syndicate is calling on all women in Guyana

to condemn him. First of all, Ms Williams sacrificed her business in the Paruini to help small miners, which Mr Robin Singh would never do without any money.

Right now thousands of small miners, including miners in the Parika area, have started benefitting from Ms Williams’ good work in the syndicate; for example, thousands of acres of mining lands received by small miners through mining syndicates, improvement of roads leading

to mining areas and education in good mining practices and safety.

The Parika-Mora Mining Syndicate would like to give good thanks and praise to Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman, who is always willing to help small miners and poor Guyanese people to ensure that they achieve a good life and again, God bless Minister Trotman. And I want Mr Robin Singh to know that mining syndicates

are dreams of small miners and the government makes those dreams come true. The mining syndicate was founded by the Honourable Minister Simona Broomes, Mr Shawn Hopkinson and Arthur Thorne of Parika and the syndicates are her to stay.

Regards Arthur Thorne Parika-Mora Syndicate

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, September 23, 2019

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Democracy is alive and well in Guyana!!

Dear Editor,

I REFER to a letter published in the Kaieteur News dated September 21, 2019, titled, “The crown of dictatorship will not be allowed to rest easily on Granger’s head,” in which it was stated, “As experienced with Burnham’s goon squads of the past.”

Robin Singh, your puerile attempt to rewrite history would have been laughable if the situation were not so serious, since in the nottoo-distant past under the PPP/C’s reign: Donna McKinnon was shot from a bullet allegedly emanating from Freedom House; the police shot nurses for protesting for better wages and conditions of work; the sugar workers from Wales Estate were teargassed and shot with rubber bullets; Mark Benschop was jailed on a trumped-up treason charge; Oliver Hinckson was also jailed for speaking about what Bharrat Jagdeo felt was dissent against his government; a young man was locked up for two weeks for displaying his middle finger at Bharrat Jagdeo’s motorcade; protesters in

Linden were teargassed and gunned down, James Bond, an attorney-at-law, Brigadier Edward Collins together with other protesters were shot in their backs while protesting; others were badly beaten and hauled to the Brickdam lockups....do you need more reminders? The list is long and bloodied and this is but just a small sample of the human rights violations meted out to Guyanese whenever they exercised their democratic right to protest.

Additionally, permission had to be applied for when any group or person wanted to peacefully picket or protest and the use of a white armband had to be worn, declaring that it was a peaceful picketing exercise.

Pray tell Robin Singh, where were the voices of reason asking for respect for citizens’ democratic right to protest, asking for the powers that be to respect the right to life in the prevalence of extra-judicial killings, when even speaking out for your rights could land you in jail under the PPP/C, or you could end up dead like Courtney Crum-Ewing.

For all the likes of you

who have found your voice after 2015, LET ME HELP YOU TO REMOVE YOUR PARTISAN BLINKERS, for your edification and those that you may influence with your lies and propaganda.

The word dictator according to Google search; Wikipedia and Microsoft Word Smart Look Up reveals that: 1) A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. 2) A ruler with total power over a country, typically one who has obtained control by force, respectively.

Based on the above definitions, democracy is alive and well in Guyana, since David Arthur Granger was democratically elected in the general and regional elections and was duly sworn in 2015 as the President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

After the power-grabbing no-confidence motion in December 2018 and the legal challenges which ensued, both the local courts and the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) utilised by both the government and opposition,

the 90 days within which elections should be held, lapsed on March 21, 2019. At the end of appeals, the CCJ upheld on June 18, 2019, that the no-confidence motion was validly passed, but it did not order any mandatory period within which elections should be held. The CCJ did not, and could not write into the Guyana Constitution a second 90 days within which elections should be held. If it did, then the new election date should be on or before September 18.

There is no second 90 days. September 18 is a fiction, a figment of the infertile imagination of the political opposition. Hence it stands to reason that President David Granger remains the president until after elections and will remain so until the gen-

eral and regional elections are held and a new president is sworn in.

The civil liberties which were restored since the APNU+AFC government assumed office were on display during the opposition PPP/ C protest outside the Pegasus on September 19. No one was beaten or shot or hauled off to the Brickdam lockups, even in the clearly hostile situation where Minister Karen Cummings was held hostage in her car for 30 minutes, while protesters beat the car and one leader of the protest said, … “we can do whatever we want(to the car) because it’s taxpayers’ money…”

Perhaps Mr Singh you might want to review that footage and rethink what constitutes a peaceful protest

and it would serve democracy and all of Guyana well if you can advise the leader of the opposition to sit with the President and discuss, as the CCJ advised, on the way forward for a political solution, to go back to parliament and agree on a two-thirds majority to set a date for elections!!!

I am below 25 years and I can only reason from my experiences. I need a future for my children and family to live in peace, unity, stability and prosperity, because all Guyanese need to benefit from the oil resources which will soon result in untold wealth and which will belong to all Guyanese and if we are united, we can all prosper.

Regards Ceion Rollox

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, September 23, 2019

Guyana Government should call on UNGA for int’l corporate accountability for climate crisis Dear Editor OUR national-level response to the climate crisis is ambivalent. As individuals, we watch each mega-storm with episodic dread, then get on with daily our lives without much thought about the climate, until the next one. As a society we have a similar response: on one hand we make big gestures: create Iwokrama; protect forests under the REDD+programme;and place two million hectares of land under protected areas, but on a daily basis, routinely ignore the consequences of violations of building codes, use of pesticides and garbage disposal.

While most countries appear to operate on a similar stop-start approach to the environmental crisis, there is some indication that a tipping-point has been reached. The unprecedented global demonstrations of the ClimateStrike, along with the UN Climate Summit scheduled to begin on Monday, September 23rd and sustained attention from the major global media networks, will hopefully replace the episodic dread with sustained climate action.

A key to converting episodic dread into sustained attention is a clearer understanding of what has caused the crisis. We are encouraged to believe thoughtless or careless behaviour has got us into this mess -- that we weren’t paying attention to the consequences of growing too rich and materialistic. While this is true, the fundamental reason is more structured and calculated.

The climate crisis is a network of inter-connected threats to all forms of life rooted in an economic system driven by the aim of removing all legal, regulatory and tax restraints at both national and international levels towards the accumulation of private wealth. Vast areas of the world, particularly in tropical regions, have been ravaged by extractive exploitation and industrialised agriculture which have fuelled mass- migration movements and aggravated social and economic inequalities of all descriptions to the benefit of fewer and fewer people.

Taken together, the climate crisis is an accumulation of discrimination, exploitation and corporate abuse on a grand scale. To this extent, the climate crisis is best appreciated as an accumulation of thousands of specific

human rights abuses to health, labour, to clean water, to land that have materialised since ‘globalisation’ got into its stride over the past 50 years. A similar catalogue of abuse of the rights of animals and the natural world can also be sourced to the unrelenting exploitation and toxic poisoning of rivers, forests, mountains, oceans and soils.

The former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, endorsed this analysis when referring to the Sustainable Development Goals “…levels of want, fear, discrimination, exploitation, injustice and environmental folly at all levels are not accidents of nature or the results of phenomena beyond our control.”

Indeed, the UN development reports frequently and accurately identify private sector environmental accountability as essential to achieving the SDGs, but, unfortunately, does not mention the imperative of ensuring that such corporate accountability is legally binding to institutions of democratic governance.

Put more bluntly, private sector corporations must be subject to the rule of law. Neither climate justice, nor development justice can be attained as long as global corporations remain

free to use their power to actively undermine a just, sustainable and equitable development model. It is important that the UN Climate Summit move towards redressing this imbalance and ensure accountability.

Linking the climate crisis to the development process and the range of human rights violations is especially pertinent to the multitudes of peoples worldwide whose lives have been and continue to be devastated by the extractive development model.

The Guyana Human Rights Association is calling on the Government of Guyana to use this opportunity of the Climate Summit to press the United Nations to highlight the destructive role of international corporations, which to date has not been sufficiently acknowledged. We further call on the Government of Guyana to ensure that no activity is permitted in our own extractive sectors, particularly mining and petroleum, over which the government is incapable of exercising effective levels of accountability.

Regards Executive Committee Guyana Human Rights Association

Guyanese people are happy that “real democracy” is back in Guyana, Dear Editor THERE is seemingly a natural expectation of certain individuals within society who are dubbed leaders. These are people who have the eye of the public on them and their actions and their utterances, be it in writing or spoken words, carry a different weight than other citizens, because of the position/s they hold.

This also goes for established and recognised organisations as well. The activities that were organised and planned on Thursday, the 18th of September, 2019 by two organisations with prominence and prominent individuals, provided opportunities for public analysis which has started already and rightly so. One of the planned activities to which the President was invited, was the catalyst for the other.

The President, when in the conference, was greeted with the PPP/C’s version of “democracy” which exhibited a lewd, aggressive hooliganism and thug-like behaviour by individuals who are expected to display some form of civility and decorum. But then again, it’s the new leadership of the PPP and it’s very small “C”.

The aggressively confrontational demonstration, the loudness of some members of the audience and more so, that most distinctly annoying voice of that “man of the cloth,” the clergy politician,” leaves much to be desired.

Despite all the efforts of what seemed to have been a coordinated effort of two organisers,

“the host and the aggressors” the President maintained his usual composure of character and decorum. This speaks volumes, it showed a man in control, a man who is not easily distracted, or fearful. The President’s stance in this well-orchestrated plot, reminds me of an African proverb that says, “A lion does not turn around when a small dog barks.” His Excellency was unfazed by the attempts to distract the message he brought to the forum, which he subsequently delivered after the dollhouse party invaders came to their senses.

Mr Editor, it must be noted that the plan of the opposition leader and his supporting cast is to distract the people of Guyana by trying to control the narrative. They want us not to focus on all the good and improvements in every sector this administration has done for all Guyanese, from the young to the pensioners; they want the Guyanese people not to focus on the consistent improvement of our country’s economy and the potential of the oil discoveries. Moreover, they want the Guyanese people to forget their many atrocities and discriminatory practices; they want us to forget that Guyana was a crime haven and narco state, where criminals and some members of the government and police force were involved in much illegal and nefarious activities.

They want us to believe that it is the President who is responsible for the elections, even though it’s the constitutional agency, GECOM.Jagdeo’s PPP wants the people of Guyana to think that the government is

afraid of elections but we are not, we’ve never been. What we want and is demanding is a credible list of electors, so we can have credible elections.

With a credible list, we are aware and the PPP/C knows we will beat them bad and we will do so with an absolute majority of five or more seats. The Guyanese people are not fools as the PPP want us to believe. They (PPP) believe their supporters are foolish and will not make comparisons with what they had experienced under their leadership and the coalition leadership. They need to accept that everyone wants the good life, even communities including those in the hinterland need the same benefits as those on the coastline that this administration has started to do with great emphasis. Every pensioner on both sides are happy with their increases and they know it is who gave it to them. The Guyanese people are happy that crime is under control and that the judiciary is independent. They are happy that a phone call by a criminal or a party affiliate will not finish a particular matter.

The Guyanese people are happy that “real democracy” is back in Guyana, that protesters are no longer killed, shot at or placed in jail on trumped-up charges. Guyanese are happy that little boys are not jailed because of the showing of a preferred finger to a President, or is threatened by another to be slapped or their genitals burnt by law- enforcement officers sworn to protect them.

Guyanese all over the world are proud to

say they are Guyanese and many are coming back home to serve their country with pride. Caribbean territories that were once hostile and unfriendly to Guyanese are now treating us as brothers. International respect and broken friendships are being restored to this country.

Our border issue is on the verge for finally coming to a favourable end for us, thanks to the fight His Excellency took. Our infrastructure is improving in all 10 administrative regions, education is rapidly improving and the President’s 5Bs initiative and the importance he has given to this sector is certainly gaining results. Our indigenous peoples are getting their land titles and the respect that no other administration has provided to them.

The first time we have gotten four indigenous ministers of government. The first indigenous vice-president, the first Minister of State, and the first indigenous First Lady, who has lifted the bar for First Ladies my generation has ever seen.

Guyana is going to be a new Guyana and the David Granger-led Coalition Government is better equipped to continue serving this nation for the benefit of all Guyanese. We must never allow ourselves to forget that most evil, wicked and corrupt PPP administration.

Regards Jermaine Figueira Member of Parliament Region 10.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, September 23, 2019

OP-ED

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Getting Guyana ready for a fast-changing economy

– as the country prepares for the fourth industrial revolution

BY MARGARET BURKE “IT is not beyond our power to create a world in which all children have access to a good education.

Those who do not believe this have small imaginations.” President Nelson Mandela A SMALL imagination is therefore not what President David Granger has, for he has big plans based on a big dream of an educated nation.

And not only has he been dreaming and planning big, but the president has been making reality of the education policies by ensuring that they are implemented in every possible way.

In fact, since the APNU+AFC coalition’s election to office in 2015, Guyana has been moving in the right direction in terms of policy, and a strong structured education system is no exception. Under the President’s guidance, the coalition government has been creating thousands of jobs, while stressing the importance of improved skills and education in general. Maintaining record numbers of infrastructures– roads, bridges, buildings, hinterland radio stations and improving standards in our hospitals and clinics are among some of the maj0r infrastructural works.

Additionally, cleaning the streets of our capital city, working towards reducing what was once the high rate of suicide; cracking down on crime, and uniting our people through social cohesion are among the many endeavours of the APNU+AFC coalition government.

As president, he is convinced that education would positively change the nation, removing barriers and bring about a more equitable society.

His concern too is that the economic and social gaps between the coastland and hinterland be closed, and that education is the only remedy. $1M STEM education endowment From December 2015, just a few months after taking office, President Granger in his quest to

support education programmes, highlighted the importance of designing curricula where the focus is rich on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

In fact, just a few days ago, President Granger handed over $1 million to the New Amsterdam Multilateral School to boost STEM subjects, which was received

by Headteacher Ms Vanessa Jacobs, as a contribution to the National Endowment for Science and Technology’s (NEST). He told the students that regional education is an investment in children’s future, which will equip them with the necessary knowledge, skills, values and attitudes that are necessary, not only to secure employment, but also to help them provide for their families. “… It can produce a corps of scientists: agronomists, architects, biologists, botanists, chemists, doctors, epidemiologists, engineers, environmentalists, geneticists, geologists, hydrologists, physicists, software developers and zoologists, which are needed to ensure economically strong regions…to revive and drive village industries, especially micro, small and medium-sized enterprises,” President Granger posited.

The Head of State pledged $1 million to support the education programmes that are being undertaken by the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG).

He pledged another $1 million to boost the Berbice High School’s (BHS) science department. Later, he handed over $1M to the Saraswati Vidya Niketan (SVN) Hindu School at their 12th graduation ceremony.

Additionally, President Granger presented $1M to President’s College at its 26th graduation exercise.

This was in an effort to boost the school’s science and technology facilities.

Yet another $1M cheque was handed over to the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) for emphasis to be placed on the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects, even as the principal of the college vowed to ensure that the approaches to

these subjects are reviewed to ensure maximum results.

Over at the North-West Secondary school, President Granger also donated $1M, which was received by the school’s Headmistress Ms. Carlotta Joseph at the Mabaruma airstrip. The money was given to boost the institution’s science and technology facilities and in his address to the students and teachers, he told them that a science-based education is key to development of the region and, by extension, the country.

Jermaine Joseph, representing a very thankful school for the gift of the $1M that was given to them (at the North-West Secondary School) by President Granger, wrote and read this poem: “It is not often that you find a heart that palpitates for mankind. For us, your interest is nothing shy of the best, for we have seen that you are one so keen – for you act on thought that most keep at bay. With hearts of genuflection we acknowledge your kindness, a man of sustained interest, none can claim rejection.”

“Our government is going to help any school that is prepared to help themselves and if you put this money to good use, next year Christmas, you will get another million dollars,” President Granger promised.

RELEVANCE OF FOURTH REVOLUTION Both President Granger and First Lady Mrs Granger continue to urge students to embrace of subjects of the fourth industrial revolution.

“Guyana is becoming a digital state” and will not be left behind in [the] digital revolution, which has been causing global transformation, while creating countless opportunities to expand the delivery of public services, President Granger said.

In commissioning a $313M Centre for Excellence in Information Technology (CEIT) on the Turkeyen campus of the University of Guyana recently, President Granger stated, “The digital state can deploy ICT effectively

to promote productivity and competitiveness. It is an implementation of technology which will foster innovation and, consequently, economic growth.”

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) have now become some of the major subjects necessary at this time. It is not that the others are not essential as well.

However, as President Granger stated, “The country needs biologists, botanists and zoologists to document and study its rich biodiversity; engineers to erect infrastructure in its hinterland and to install hydroelectric, wind, solar and biomass energy plants and information and communication technologists to extend communications services; geologists and gemologists to provide services for the sustainable management of our extractive sectors and agriculturists, chemists, physicists and physicians to promote food security and enhance human health and well-being.”

RELEVANT EDUCATION – FIRST LADY Meanwhile, First Lady Mrs Sandra Granger continues to travel throughout Guyana encouraging young people to pursue pathways in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Robotics.

In her visits to schools in every region, young people’s groups, as well as more wide-ranging interest groups, she has been stressing the importance of students and others getting more involved in STEM subjects at this time. Mrs Granger has even been encouraging young girls and women to pay more attention to these subjects and related fields.

Her message is straightforward and constant, as she urges the different audiences to ‘embrace’ STEM in this period of the ‘fourth industrial revolution’ where these subjects are becoming increasingly essential operational tools.

At the Youth Summit in

July, Mrs Granger said that it is her belief that education must also be “relevant.” She added, “I stress relevant because you are blessed to be living in what has been described as the ‘fourth industrial revolution’ and the age of technology. You are the generation of the World Wide Web, online shopping, social media, smart phones, think pads, drones and artificial intelligence.”

She therefore urged that STEM, Robotics and related programmes must be incorporated in the teaching and learning environment.

WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), “In its scale, scope, and complexity, the transformation will be unlike anything humankind has experienced before…The First Industrial Revolution used water and steam power to mechanise production.

The Second used electrical power to create mass production. The Third used electronics and information technology to automate production. Now a Fourth Industrial Revolution is building on the third, the digital revolution that has been occurring since the middle of the last century.”

Studies have also confirmed that with the coming of the fourth industrial (or technological) revolution, the way people live, work, and relate to one another will be profoundly transformed. And an understanding of this is what propels the government of the APNU+AFC coalition to work hard at encouraging students in schools and other institutions of education to pay more attention to the studies of STEM, Robotics and other related programmes.

President Granger iterated that Guyana will not be left behind in the industrial revolution that is moving across the globe.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, September 23, 2019

Why do we have Child Protection Week ?

INSTEAD of enjoying the sense of achievement which comes along with passing five subjects at CXC, 16-year-old Davina walks around as if she has the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Davina was taken into care when she was 12 years old because of child molestation; since then, her mother has moved on with a new relationship and now has two more children.

Attempts by the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) officers to reintegrate Davina with her family have so far proved futile. Davina and her mother do not see eye to eye. Her mother seems unable to give Davina the love, attention and security that she craves whenever she visits the home and does not understand why the girl is rude and quick-tempered. Neither party realises that the main reason Davina appears to be rude and quick-tempered, is that she cannot get the love, attention and security she craves.

If the three siblings who live in formal care could be adopted into a loving family, it would help them immensely. Currently, their only sense of family is their devotion to each other and (maybe) a vague memory of the woman who bore them. These children

would benefit from a family with whom they can bond and build a lasting, trusting relationship. Although they strive and make social, intellectual and academic progress in their setting, their present existence cannot be compared to the developmental strides they could make if they had the consistent support, love and guidance of a family.

It was a vigilant aunty who noticed something was wrong while bathing her niece. She questioned the child about her ‘condition’ and then rang her sister (the child’s mother) to ask about her latest man, thus launching an investigation into child sexual abuse. During the investigation, the six-year-old attended a forensic interviewing session, where a trained officer spoke to her asking specific child-appropriate questions. In return, the girl was able to give a step-by-step account of her ordeal. This was video-recorded with a trained police officer and a third person in an adjoining room, taking account of the interview.

The work carried out by the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) is vast, and at times it can be risky and convoluted. Nevertheless, it aims to touch and make a positive difference to the lives of the many children

who need help across Guyana. This week is Child Protection week; (22-28 September), an annual event held for the past 15 years in Guyana --- and at different times in over 120 countries around the world.

During this week the CPA aims to increase the public’s awareness and understanding about the prevention of child abuse.

Protecting children should be everyone’s concern, not just those who work at the CPA. Therefore, communities, religious organisations, various groups and individuals will be encouraged to take action to ensure that children are protected and their rights are not violated.

These resounding messages and their objectives will be highlighted by CPA officers across the different regions of Guyana as they conduct their public awareness drives to highlight messages, such as, the need for children to live in communities where they are free from harm; and where they are supported by adults who can help them develop and grow to reach their best potential.

These statements may sound obvious and mundane to many, but they need to be shared with the public because, strange as it may seem, some adults do not know how to treat children. Due to this lack of knowledge or understanding, children are suffering real pain: and if they do not receive help promptly, they could be damaged for life.

It is therefore a global undertaking by various bodies to set aside a week to educate

members of their societies, using appropriate information and guidance. It is hoped that adults everywhere will understand the active roles that they can have in preventing child abuse. The theme for Child Protection Week this year is, ‘Promoting social change to stop the violation of children.’ Children will always need trustworthy grown-ups to speak up on their behalf; grown-ups who care enough to advocate for their rights and their protection.

A march titled ‘Breaking the Silence on Child Sexual Abuse’ will take place on Wednesday, September 25, at 2 pm (14.00hrs) and culminate at the Vreed-en-Hoop Car Park, W.C.D. for a 3 pm (15.00hrs) rally. We invite you to attend our rally where esteemed guests such as the Minister of Social Protection, the Honourable, Amna Ally; guest speakers from the region and other invitees will share the spotlight with artistes and performers on the day.

As is customary, Child Protection Week concludes with a Family Fun Day and Mini-Concert on Saturday, September 28, commencing at 2 pm (14:00hrs) in the Botanical Gardens. Do come and join in the fun.

If you are concerned about the welfare of a child call the CPA hotline on 227 0979 or write to us at childcaregy@gmail.com A MESSAGE FROM THE CHILDCARE AND PROTECTION AGENCY, MINISTRY OF SOCIAL PROTECTION

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, September 23, 2019

Residents laud govt’s efforts at developing Port Kaituma –– concrete roads, potable water, improved education system now available

By Vanessa Braithwaite

FOR the first time in history, Port Kaituma, located in the Matarkai Sub-Region, Barima-Waini (Region One), has not just one but a number of concrete road networks linking the community to Mathew’s Ridge and other villages.

The development of roads in the community is

sore issue.

Tiffnie Daniels, a resident of Port Kaituma, told Guyana Chronicle that the construction of the road networks is a major plus for the community. “One of the most positive development is the road; it was taken over with mud, most of the times when the rain fall, the place muddy, when the sun shine the place dusty; but this road

Region One’s Member of Parliament, Richard Alleyne a hallmark achievement for the Coalition Government, residents told Guyana Chronicle, explaining that it not only transformed the image of Port Kaituma, but has created a positive domino effect in the community’s economy, education and health sectors, among other key areas.

Prior to the construction of the road networks, for decades, Port Kaituma only had mud dams for roads which added to its dusty and gloomy appearance.

These roads lacked drains and, during the rainy season, residents experienced tremendous flooding, which caused significant losses to businesses. The ‘roads’ were also riddled with craters and potholes and, as a result, transportation was a

is really good because they have children coming from Four Mile and these places,” she said.

The region’s Member of Parliament, Richard Alleyne, said the development of the roads in Port Kaituma has had positive impacts on the business community. In the past, many businesses were forced to close their doors due to the challenge of transporting goods from the capital city – Georgetown – to Port Kaituma, and the excessive dust in the area, including Alleyne’s clothing store, but today, he said the ‘tide is turning.’

“Now, I can put up my clothes and it won’t full up with dust; when it rained, nobody came up there because it was filled with mud, but now I can open back my business,” the Parliamentar-

Tiffanie Daniels ian said.

Similar sentiments were expressed by other business owners in the ‘Water-Front’ area, where clothes, groceries, food and haberdashery businesses line the new concrete road. They said, in the past, businesses were tremendously affected by the state of the road but their calls for betterment fell on deaf ears.

No more overnighting on the trail In addition to the construction of the roads, residents said the rehabilitation of the road network that connects Port Kaituma to other communities such as Matthew’s Ridge, Baramita, Arakaka and Takatu has significantly reduced the travel time to those areas. As a result, drivers are saving thousands of dollars in fuel, spare parts and maintenance.

“The road is very good with the state that it is in now; kudos to the government, because with the previous administration, a truck used to take a whole day but now the truck making two trips to Baramita; cars going to Baramita, cars going to Takatu and those places, that is development...,” Malcolm Peters, a resident, told this newspaper.

According to MP Alleyne, the local mining sector was severely affected due to the poor state of the roads in Port Kaituma and other villages within the sub-region. In 2016, the road networks underwent

Malcolm Peters massive reconstruction and today, remain in good condition. “To date, that road is standing up; we don’t have a problem where persons were made to stay two and three days on the road travelling from here to Matthew’s Ridge. We had to travel in a convoy, so we can push out each other. If you go alone, that means you had to sit down at certain spots and wait,” Alleyne explained.

Life and limb were at risk and the accident rate was high, he said. Today, the travel time to these communities is shorter, and fewer accidents are reported. “In the line of costing, it saved business persons millions of dollars. It will save persons travel time, now you can get in a vehicle here and you can get to Mathew’s Ridge in an hour and half, you

can get to Baramita in three hours...previously it took 12 hours,” he said.

Potable water and electricity reaching residents Residents also related that for the first time, potable water is now available in the taps of those living in remote areas. Electrification is also being extended to villages that were previously neglected, they said.

“People that never saw water in their taps, they have potable water, electricity is being extended,” Peters said. “These are tangible evidence of the coalition’s efforts to transform lives.

The president said that if someone is getting water on the coast, the same must be the case for those in the hinterland,” he added.

Students excelling, particularly at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) is also evidence of the government’s input into the education sector in the hinterland region. Region One continues to benefit from the Public Education Transportation System (PETS) and the Five B’s initiative. Schools are also now equipped with internet access. All of the schools in the sub-region, except for the Port Kaituma Secondary School, are benefiting from the hot meal programme. “Educa-

tion wise, I am very much amazed about it, because back then, you getting the education, but now you’re seeing the progress in the education system presently because a lot of students are now excelling,” Daniels said. She is, however, calling for the establishment of a library and an ICT hub in the community.

Acknowledging that Matarkai has been neglected for decades, she said, “this government has opened the previous government’s eye and they cannot stand that, because we were way behind.”

President David Granger, on Friday, told residents of Port Kaituma that it is just the tip of the iceberg and with the oil wealth, Region One will be on the top of his priority list. He referred to the district as the number one region.

“People call it Region Number One, but I call it the Number One Region, it should be number one in mining, number one in agriculture, number one in eco-tourism. So this is my message to you today, do not believe that you are bush, do not believe that you are in the back dam; believe that like every other Guyanese, you have a say in this great country,” he said.

A section of the internal road network in Port Kaituma

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, September 23, 2019

SDA Pathfinders celebrate 65 years in Guyana

Master-guides, Pathfinders and Adventurers parade through the streets of Georgetown (Samuel Maughn photo) SOME 5,000 members of the Seventh-Day Adventists (SDA) church over the weekend celebrated the 65th Anniversary of Pathfinding in Guyana.

The celebration saw members countrywide gathering at the National Park on Saturday where over 3,000 Master-guides, Pathfinders and Adventurers were invested. The investiture programme was aimed at recognising those who have completed their pathfinder classwork; inspire others to become involved and to inform the church and community what the Pathfinder Club is all about.

Then, on Sunday, youths who moved one rank higher in their respective clubs marched through the streets of Georgetown in celebration of the milestone, bearing the theme ‘Created with a Purpose.’

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle on Sunday, Youth Director Pastor Marvyn Smith, stated that the adventure, pathfinder and master-guide clubs of the church form a crucial part of youth development. “[The] Pathfinder Club is a club that seeks to develop and to promote balanced development in young people,” Pastor Smith explained.

“For the last 65 years we have been impacting communities, interacting with young people, training them and we have seen the product of this investment in youth. We moved from numbers like 100 and 200 at our large gatherings and investitures and yesterday [Saturday], we invested 3,015 young people and that is exponential growth in my estimate,” he further explained.

Pastor Smith said one of the biggest pillars of pathfinding is service, which enables youths to be involved in community outreaches, clean-up exercises, food distribution and other community-related interactions.

Meanwhile, the many honours displayed on the sashes of the youths were designed to give them exposure to vocational skills in areas such as health, science, computer science and technology, aviation, music, the bible and the environment. “[It’s organised so that] young people get an idea as to their liking and skills from very early and the intent is to align them in a career path,” Pastor Smith explained.

Following Sunday’s parade, the youths all reassembled at the National Park where they participated in drill displays.

Speaking to the theme of the celebration, President of the Guyana Conference of SDA, Pastor Exton Clarke stated: “Purpose determines how people live in society; how they respond to needs; how they respond to challenges and what influences their actions and activities.

We are of the conviction that our young people, as long as they are connected with God, he plants that purpose in their lives…the pathfinder programme helps to inspire young people to realise that purpose.”

There are over four million Adventist youths across the world involved in pathfinding with the first club on record beginning in the 1920s in North America.

Over 3,000 youths were invested at the National Park on Saturday (Cark Croker photo )

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, September 23, 2019

Former murder accused stabbed to death following drinking spree

FORMER murder accused, Delroy James called Slanty, aged 33, died early Sunday morning, moments after he allegedly attempted to snatch a gold band from a 53-year- old mechanic, as he was walking along Main Street, New Amsterdam.

His mother, Carol James, speaking from her Patrick Dam, Angoys Avenue residence, told Guyana Chronicle that she was asleep, but awoke after hearing someone call, “Aunty Carol!

Aunty Carol! Slanty get juck up.”

As a result, she went to the New Amsterdam Hospital

Dead: Delroy James

where she saw the lifeless remains of her son with a deep wound to his chest.

According to an eyewitness who spoke under the condition

of anonymity, the deceased was in the company of Nizam Balgobin-- a mechanic, and Anthony Carter-- a mason, imbibing beverages at the popular bar.

According to the source, Balgobin and Carter left just before 04:00hrs and were walking along Main Street, in the vicinity of the Metro Office Supplies store and the Lutheran Evangelical Church. Moments thereafter, it is alleged that James, being accompanied by another, punched Balgobin to his eye before attempts were made to remove a gold band which adorned the victim’s left hand.

IDPADA-G credit union awaiting approval THE registration documents of a credit union, which was launched by the International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly- Guyana (IDPADA-G) last July, are currently being processed.

The credit union is intended to provide credit and financial support to individuals and businesspersons of African descent throughout the country.

This is according to Chairman of IDPADA-G, Vincent Alexander, who, during a recent press conference, provided an update on the organisation’s achievements and plans.

Alexander told reporters that all of the groundwork, including the establishment of a management committee and the enrollment

of members, as required by the regulators, has been completed. He said IDPADA-G is now awaiting approval from the Ministry of Social Protection, Department of Co-operatives.

The creation of a Cooperative Credit Union Society is in accordance with the theme of the International Decade, “People of African descent: recognition, justice and development”, and a mandate given by President David Granger to the IDPADA-G, during his address at the Annual Cuffy 250 Forum in August 2017.

At the launch of the member-owned cooperative in July, Alexander had said that development becomes difficult without the requisite financial resources, and the credit union is

It was during the attack that James received three injuries.

Two to his back and another to his left side chest.

As a result, the injured man was taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital where a doctor verified his death.

Consequently, Balgobin of Victoria Street and Anthony Carter of Main Street, both East Canje areas, reported the incident at Central Police Station.

Thereafter, they were arrested pending further investigations.

James had been charged with the 2011 New Year’s Day murder of Sean Craig, but the charge was discharged by

Magistrate Adela Nagamootoo after a no-case submission was upheld.

James was accused of killing Craig, a washbay attendant, who had gone to the Mars Gas Station /Variety Store/ Snackette/Beer Garden in Stanleytown, Berbice to have a drink, mere minutes into the New Year.

The Guyana Police Force said, in a press release on Sunday, that they are currently conducting investigations into the alleged murder of Delroy James, a labourer of Patrick Dam, Angoys Avenue, New Amsterdam, Berbice on Sun-

intended to respond to the financial and development needs of persons of African descent.

He said, too, that for far too long persons of African descent have been starved of the financial resources to develop and expand businesses or even provide advanced education to their children, while adding, “We have been under-recognised if not derecognised. We have been treated unfairly and we have been underdeveloped,” he told the scores of persons who had turned up to get registered.

Alexander said the opening of the IDPADA-G secretariat at 121 Regent Street, Bourda, made possible through a $68M subvention from the government and provided for in the 2018 Budget.

The organisation’s operational plan is streamlined under four headings: Policy, Programme, Projects and Special Projects with four sub-heads: Employment, Economy, Education and Equality/Expiation. It also seeks

day, September 22, 2019, about 03:45hrs, at Main Street, New Amsterdam.

“Delroy James was found unresponsive with wounds to his lower back. He was taken to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Initial investigations have revealed that the deceased and the suspects were imbibing and subsequently engaged in an argument which resulted in a scuffle,” the police release said.

It said, too, that the suspects are currently in police custody assisting with investigations.

to influence the direction of the government in those areas, as well as foster African Guyanese community self-activism around these issues.

IDPADA-G has also established a COMPACT among African Guyanese organisations, under which it has been making representation on behalf of African Guyanese individuals and organisations requiring urgent representation to address wrong-doings and injustices which have befallen them.

Additionally, the organisation has hosted certified workshops which agencies such as the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), the Small Business Bureau, Central Housing and Planning Authority, Ministry of Citizenship (passport and birth certificates), Ministries of Public Health, Education, Social Protection, and New Guyana Marketing Corporation, among others, were on hand to assist members of the public with first-hand information and access to free services such as health care and housing.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, September 23, 2019

Big changes at Port Kaituma ... PM says community transformed from shanty town to modern neighbourhood

PRIME Minister Moses Nagamootoo has asserted that Port Kaituma is being transformed from a rustic, shanty town into a modern settlement. He recounted that he landed on an expanded, asphalted runway, and travelled along freshly graded roads, parts of which were solid concrete pavements.

In his recent column, My Turn, the prime minister recalled visiting Port Kaituma as a minister in a previous government, when it was a “cluster of shacks running on both sides of what used to be a red-looking, muddied dam.”

President David Granger last Friday visited this hinterland mining settlement, which is located in the Barima-Waini (Region One), that borders Venezuela on the west. He received a big welcome from residents, who waved Guyana flags and held up posters with slogans in support of his government.

President Granger took his message of the great changes under his government in far-off, hinterland communities, and gave assurances that much more would be done during the ‘decade of development’ (2020-2029).

Again, he gave the assurance of free education

from nursery to university, and equitable distribution of oil revenues to benefit indigenous peoples and other hinterland communities.

In his column, Prime Minister Nagamootoo said that there are some 270 schools that are spread across the vast hinterland regions - 116 nursery, 141 primary, and 13 secondary. In these communities, there are also some 151 health centres and health posts.

Writing about changes in what used to be called the “North-West District,” Prime Minister Nagamootoo gave credit to the APNU+AFC Coalition Government for

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo greeting teachers and other residents during his recent visit to Port Kaituma

A section of the gathering during government’s recent outreach in Port Kaituma the reintroduction of reliable along with several ministers cased during this September ferry service between Bari- including indigenous leaders, Indigenous Heritage Month, ma-Waini and Georgetown. Vice-president Sydney Alli- including a high-profile InSoon, he said, residents will cock; Ministers Dawn Hast- digenous Heritage Pageant. get improved potable water ing-Williams and Valerie The prime minister noted and electricity services.

Garrido-Lowe and Raymond that there is much to celeRecently, 79 titles to James, Toshao of Sebai. brate, including the establand were distributed in MatAccording to the 2012 lishment under the coalithew’s Ridge, and 25 houses census, Indigenous peoples tion government of four new handed out to residents of make up 10.51 per cent of towns: Bartica, Mabaruma, Sebai, an indigenous village Guyana’s population, and Mahdia and Lethem, and sevin the Matarkai sub-region. they populate some 13 per eral radio stations at Lethem, “Similar changes have cent of the country’s territo- Mahdia, Aishalton, Mabarurecently taken place at the ry. They comprise about six ma, Paiwomak, Orealla and Moruca sub-region, notably per cent of voters.

Bartica. the completion of the BemiThe indigenous populaBetween 2015 and 2018, chi airstrip, a modern bridge tion consists of the Akawaio, the coalition government at Moruca, and a cassava Arekuna, Arawak, Macushi, invested $48 billion on exflour factory at Kwebanna,” Wapichan, Patamona, Wai panding, maintaining and the prime minister noted.

Wai, Warrau and the Carib constructing roads and The prime minister’s nations, who are organised bridges in the hinterland; comments were made after under 116 village councils. an additional $38.5 billion he attended a government Their customs and culture was approved to continue outreach in Port Kaituma are presently being show- this process this year.

Infrastructure Strategic Plan for early 2020

A FIVE-YEAR strategic plan for infrastructural development in Guyana, which will take into account the needs of the country as an oil-producing nation, is expected to be completed by early January 2020.

The Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MoPI) said the plan will also take into consideration Guyana’s Green State Development Strategy (GSDS) which aims to transform the country into a state that achieves balanced sustainable development.

It will identify the MoPI’s main areas of focus and set a roadmap for the execution of functions over the next five years, based on current and future opportunities and challenges.

Thus far, contracted consultant Hilton McDavid, has completed and submitted his first deliverable, the plan’s Inception Report which outlines the project’s work plan; identifies key stakeholders to be engaged and indicates a proposed outline for the final report.

“The consultant reminded us that all the agencies under the ministry must have an input in the strategy, since this strategy will be covering and also linking all the agencies under the ministry via this strategy,” Chief Works Officer Geoffrey Vaughn told the Guyana Chronicle.

He said that no challenges have been experienced thus far.

The efforts began on July 9, 2019,

with an expected January 9, 2020 completion.

Other deliverables of the project will see the holding of a one-day strategic planning workshop for key agency personnel of the ministry; submission of a draft strategic plan; presentation of the assignment’s main outputs at a second workshop and, finally, the presentation of a final strategic plan.

The consultant must also develop a results-based Monitoring and Evaluation Framework and a comprehensive monitoring plan.

McDavid works closely with the Central Transport Planning Unit of the ministry and reports to the chief transport planning officer.

Chief Works Officer, Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Geoffrey Maughn

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, September 23, 2019

Two dead, millions in losses as fire guts Vreed-en-Hoop buildings

By Jared Liddell

TWO nationals of China perished and millions of dollars have been lost in a fire that completely destroyed a number of commercial buildings at the Vreed-en-Hoop junction, West Coast Demerara, just after midnight on Sunday.

The identities of the Chinese males remained unknown up to press time. The fire completely destroyed three buildings which comprised a total of seven businesses.

Persons residing in proximity to the commercial buildings said they were awakened by the loud and constant barking of dogs in the area and the blaring siren of a fire tender.

Jagash Mangal told reporters that he was prompted to look outside due to the non-stop barking of his dogs. “I checked the cameras to see what happened but I didn’t see anything until I look out and see the thick, thick smoke,” Mangal told reporters.

Upon realising that a building was on fire, Mangal wasted no time in calling the emergency line – 911.

“I dialled 911 right away but the phone keep ringing out, so I called La Grange Station, then I called the fire service and GPL, because I was concerned that the fire might catch the electricity wires,” he related. That was around 1:30hrs on Sunday.

Another resident told reporters that she was awakened by the sound of the siren in the area. “When I got up, the firefighters were trying to control the fire but it was too big for them. I got so scared that I grabbed up all my important documents and woke my children and ran out the house,” the woman said. With two buildings already in flames, the resident was concerned that her house would have been affected.

Fire Chief Marlon Gentle told the Guyana Chronicle that upon receiving the call, the Guyana Fire Service quickly dispatched fire tenders to the area.

“We got a call at 1:56am.

Units were mobilised from La Grange, West Ruimveldt and West Demerara and the first two areas to get there

Remains of the buildings that were destroyed by fire were La Grange and West Ruimveldt; they immediately went into action. Total fire control took about 40-45 minutes to really establish control of the fire and prevent it from spreading, because on their arrival two buildings were already engulfed and a third was just beginning to ignite, which was the building east and west of the supermarket,” the fire chief explained. .

He said that evidence suggests that the fire started in the supermarket, which was housed in one of the three buildings. He explained that based on the initial investigation, the owner of the supermarket and an electrician, on Saturday, were attempting to repair a faulty appliance.

“There is evidence showing [that] the fire started in the supermarket. There’s indication that it started from a walk-in freezer in the supermarket.

Somewhere in that area the fire started,” he said.

It is believed that the two Chinese men resided in the supermarket.

Gentle told this newspaper that the firefighters worked expeditiously to ensure that the fire was contained and controlled in the shortest possible time.

Their efforts, he said, were successful, notwithstanding the challenges faced as a result of the materials and chemicals that were stored in the two buildings which had the potential of creating a more hostile environment when mixed with water.

He noted too, the number of businesses that occupied the small space was also a contributing factor to the magnitude of the fire. Gentle confirmed that the three buildings housed a total of seven different businesses.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, September 23, 2019

49 Berbice entrepreneurs graduate from First Lady’s ‘Success in Business’ workshop

THE Office of the First Lady, in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Protection, on Friday, completed its second Self- Reliance and Success in Business workshop for 2019.

Forty-nine residents of New Amsterdam, East Berbice-Corentyne (Region Six) and surrounding communities participated. The final class and a simple graduation ceremony were held

at the Regional Democratic Council boardroom, New Amsterdam. Guest speaker, Regional Executive Officer, Mrs. Kim Williams-Stephen urged the graduates to be determined individuals and to use their certificates to become self-sufficient. She iterated to the graduates that they are now in a position to acquire small loans to open businesses or to expand an existing one.

“I urge you to make use of the knowledge that you have gained …with the skills that you have acquired here, you are on the road to success and as you step out into your communities that transformation will take place,” she said.

Additionally, Mr. Yohann Sanjay Pooran, facilitator at Interweave Solutions (Guyana) Incorporated, in a brief overview, outlined Mayor of New Amsterdam, Her Worship, Winifred Heywood (seated, second from right), Chairperson of the event, Lieutenant Colonel Yvonne Smith (seated from first right), Facilitator of the Self- Reliance and Success in Business Workshop, Mr. Yohann Sanjay Pooran (third from right), Elder, Gordon Wynter (seated first from left), Member of Parliament, Mrs. Barbara Pilgrim (seated second from left) and Regional Executive Officer, East – Berbice Corentyne (Region Six), Mrs. Kim Williams-Stephen (seated third from left) among special guests and some of the participants in the workshop. the areas covered during the workshop. He advised the participants to use the certificates and the knowledge that they would have gained to contribute to the development of the Region. Meanwhile, Mayor of New Amsterdam, Her Worship, Winifred Heywood expressed gratitude to First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, for hosting the workshop in the township. She urged the graduates to make good use of their newly acquired knowledge, for their personal growth and the development of their respective communities.

Several participants expressed their appreciation for the experience and conveyed their gratitude to

the First Lady for spearheading the programme.

Participant Ms. Sybil Bobb said she was eager to apply the skills in her daily life.

“The workshop has empowered me and given me more confidence to open my own business and I am more motivated to become self-reliant,” she said.

Equipping women with business certificates that are recognized by banking institutions is the primary focus of the workshop.

Several men have also benefited from the initiative. The workshops have also resulted in the establishment of several successful businesses. (Ministry of the Presidency)

Reinstated McBean among four senior officers promoted FOUR officers of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) were, on Thursday, promoted by the Police Service Commission (PSC), paving the way for the retirement of other senior ranks in the force, PSC Commissioner Clinton

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Simon McBean

Conway has confirmed.

Those promoted to the rank of assistant commissioners of police were recently-reinstated Assistant Commissioner of Police, Kevin Adonis

See page 17

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, September 23, 2019

All UN agencies in Guyana to be housed under one roof BY the end of this year, if not all, most of the United Nations agencies stationed in Guyana will be housed in one compound, as part of a reform agenda of the UN Development System to “Deliver as One” and to achieve coherence and efficiency in their business operations.

This is being made possible by the Government of Guyana, who earlier on Friday, signed a Memorandum of Agreement on the UN House initiative, for continued strengthening of the partnership between the country and the UN agencies, its funds and programmes.

Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Dr. Karen Cummings, signed on behalf of the government. “We look forward to the continued partnership as development assistance from UN agencies, funds and programmes continue under the Country Implementation Plan as part of the Multi-country Sustainable Development Framework in the Caribbean for 2017-2021,” Minister Cummings stated.

Adding that the government and people of Guyana are pleased that the UN House advances the UN Development System reform agenda, “Guyana is fortunate to be one of the four CARICOM countries of the Caribbean in which a UNDP country office is located. We will ensure that the United Nations in Guyana is adequately equipped to carry out its work

and to even grow and expand its presence while enhancing its efficiency,” the foreign affairs Minister noted.

Through this partnership of a UN House, the government provided a common space for the UN Country Team to work closer together, and this, in turn, will foster an even faster response to national priorities. Initial relocation began on May 2019 and according to local UNDP Officer in Charge, Navindra Persaud, agencies were progressively moving into their new space.

“We would like to thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the finalisation of this Memorandum of Agreement. The UN Country Team is grateful to the Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana for the provision of the premises. Our thanks also extend to the National Assembly for its role in the budgetary allocations under MoPI to cater for the lease/rental of this as part of the national budget that was approved on 15 December,” Persaud stated.

“The signing of the MoA puts our [government’s] word into to deed.” remarked Minister Cummings, who also noted that Guyana has been fully involved in the design of the new system and the restructuring of the Resident Coordinator and UN Country Team systems in order to better meet the specific needs of CARICOM Member States. (DPI)

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Dr. Karen Cummings and UNDP Officer in Charge, Guyana, Navindra Persaud

Reinstated McBean among four senior ...

From page 16 Superintendent, Simon McBean and ‘F’ Division Commander, Senior Superintendent, Kevin Adonis.

The two other officers promoted by the PSC were Head of Immigration Superintendent, Ewart Wray, who is promoted to senior superintendent and former Best Cop, Cadet Officer, Jermaine

Dufu, who is now an assistant superintendent.

In June 2019, 10 years after he was wrongfully dismissed from the GPF, Simon McBean was reinstated by the PSC. McBean was a police superintendent when he was dismissed for travelling abroad to pursue a master’s degree programme without

Senior Superintendent, Ewart Wray receiving authorisation.

The dismissal case made its way through the courts and last year, the Appeal Court unanimously ruled that the dismissal was wrong.

Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Dr. Karen Cummings, signs MoA for the continued strengthening of partnership between Guyana and UN agencies

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, September 23, 2019

ERC resolved 18 out of 48 complaints received

THE Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) has stated that as at the end of June 2019 it dealt with 48 complaints - the majority of which were religious and racial discrimination, political issues and economic marginalization – resolving 18 of them.

In a press release issued on Friday, the ERC said 50 percent of the complaints came from African Guyanese, 34 percent from Indian Guyanese, six percent Portuguese, six percent Amerindian and four percent ethnicity unknown.

The release said 58 percent of the complaints re-

ceived were from Region 4, while those from social media platforms specifically Facebook and WhatsApp accounted for 18 percent.

It said too that 34 percent of the complaints were made against the two major ethnic groups (African and East Indian); 25 percent against Government Agencies inclusive of Regional Democratic Councils and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils while 21 percent were leveled against private agencies.

It said that males submitted 56 percent of the complaints.

The ERC said that through diligent efforts, the Investiga-

tive Department resolved a total of 18 complaints by June 30, 2019 inclusive of complaints that Members of Parliament made.

“Chiefly, the Commission has taken this step to inform the public that anyone found guilty under the Racial Hostility Act, Chapter 23:01 (as amended in the Racial Hostility (Amendment Act) of 2002), shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine of $250,000.00 and imprisonment for three (3) years,” the ERC said.

The release stated further that anyone found guilty under the Representation of the Peoples (Amendment) Act,

Chapter 1:03 “shall be liable to conviction on indictment to a fine of $100,000.00 together with imprisonment for two (2) years.” It said in this regard, the Commission has enlisted a Legal Officer to handle the legal requirements in all cases.

The Commission said it will continue to work assiduously for amicable resolutions in keeping with its mandate of ‘Promoting harmony and good relations’.

The ERC is a constitutional body established by agreement from all Political Parties in the National Assembly on March 8, 2002. “After the collapse of

the first Commission, due to the Commissioners’ decline in numbers leading to non-performance, the new Commission was appointed on February 22, 2018 and became operational on April 24, 2018,” the ERC said in its release.

It said that under Article 212D of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic

of Guyana, the ERC has 24 functions – one of which is a mandate to investigate complaints from citizens across the country where acts of alleged ethnic discrimination have been committed.

Also, the Commission is mandated to enforce the Racial Hostility Act and the Representation of the Peoples (Amendment) Act.

Monday, September 23, 2019 - 13:00 hrs

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, September 23, 2019

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FROM BACK PAGE

Amazon warriors remain unbeaten GUYANA Amazon Warriors opened a three-point lead at the top of the 2019 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) table as they extended their perfect start to the season to six matches and guaranteed a playoff spot with a rain-affected victory over Barbados Tridents at the Kensington Oval.

The Warriors dismissed the Tridents for just 138 with Chris Green taking the last four wickets to fall and conceding just 14 runs in his 3.2 overs; they then reached 77/2 after 10 overs of the run-chase when heavy rain held up play for an hour.

When play resumed, the Warriors’ target of 62 from the last 60 balls had been reduced to 20 from 24.

They added four in the 11th over before the rain returned again to finish things off with the Warriors 81/2 and still comfortably clear of a DLS par score of 69.

The one over possible after the initial rain delay did at least allow Brandon King to complete a fine half-century, having been left stranded on 49 not out when the players had first left the field.

He and Chandrapaul Hemraj had been watchful at the start of the Warriors’ initial pursuit of 139 for victory but still took the score past 50 in the Powerplay as King, in particular, began to cut loose.

King took Ashley Nurse for 10 in two balls as the spinner’s first over leaked 15 runs, while King smashed his second Hero Maximum from the final ball of the sixth over as Jason Holder

dropped short.

That took the total and partnership to 52 before Nurse’s problems continued in the field as he put down a simple chance offered by King on 30. Two balls later, King planted his third six of the night over midwicket.

There was some respite for the Tridents when Hemraj chipped a return catch to Sandeep Lamichhane for 20 and Shimron Hetmyer was very smartly caught and bowled by JP Duminy for just 2 but by then the required rate was already down to just a run a ball.

King continued to impress, taking Lamichhane for back-to-back boundaries to end the tenth over and, as it turned out, the contest, as initial drizzle turned quickly into something more substantial.

With 77/2 on the board, the Warriors were 16 ahead of the DLS par score of 61, with the only minor disappointment for them being King left stranded one short of a half-century on 49* from 30 balls. Something he rectified when they returned to the field.

Earlier, The Tridents lost regular wickets throughout a rather frenetic innings, which meant even when the run-rate was healthy – 63 runs came in the six-over Powerplay at the top of the innings – their position was always fragile.

Unsurprisingly, the runrate slowed as the hosts were forced to keep one eye on

Brandon King of Guyana Amazon Warriors hits a 6 during match 19 of the Hero Caribbean Premier League between Barbados Tridents and Guyana Amazon Warriors at Kensington Oval on September 22, 2019 in Bridgetown, Barbados. (Photo by Randy Brooks - CPL T20/Getty Images)

their wickets in hand.

And even that approach didn’t work out in the end; Green taking the last four wickets of the innings to leave the Tridents well short.

The tone was set in the very first over, a slightly wild effort from Keemo Paul that brought 17 runs, but also the crucial wicket of Johnson Charles as he sliced a wide ball all the way to Imran Tahir at third-man.

Justin Greaves, so impressive on debut, got a couple of good-looking boundaries away but holed out off Romario Shepherd for 11. That too was a recurring theme. Alex Hales looked good for his 24 before picking out deep midwicket from the first ball of Tahir’s second over, while Jason Holder, Leniko Boucher, Raymon

Reifer and Lamichhane all fell going for big shots early in their innings.

Even Duminy, who held the whole thing together with a 32-ball 38 featuring two fours and two Hero Maximums, was caught in the deep attempting to pull Green over square-leg.

Jonathan Carter was undone by a fine leg-break from Tahir, lbw after a lengthy deliberation from the umpire, while Nurse was smartly stumped by Nicholas Pooran to help Green on his way to figures of 4/14.

That represented the second-best bowling return of the 2019 Hero CPL – only Green’s team-mate Shepherd has done better, with 4/13 against these same opponents in Match Six.

Liverpool maintain BPL lead (BBC) - LIVERPOOL boss Jurgen Klopp says his side do not have to compete with Manchester City’s style as the two clubs battle at the top of the Premier League.

The Reds were not at their attacking best at Chelsea on Sunday but earned a 2-1 win to maintain their five-point lead over City at the top.

Pep Guardiola’s side, meanwhile, swept aside Watford 8-0 on Saturday. “This type of football not a lot of teams can play,” said Klopp. “But we play in our way, we try to win football games. “In the end we need to get the points, there

is no competition in technical things, it is about the points.”

Klopp’s title pace-setters looked on course to win in comfort as Trent Alexander-Arnold’s magnificent free-kick and Roberto Firmino’s header gave them complete control at the interval.

Chelsea, who had been denied an equaliser when Cesar Azpilicueta’s closerange effort was ruled out for offside by VAR, were in no mood to capitulate and made Liverpool fight every inch of the way to maintain that perfect record.

Tammy Abraham had chances to increase his tally

of seven goals this season, particularly when he was denied by Liverpool keeper Adrian when clean through in the first half, but it was left to N’Golo Kante to set up a grandstand finish with a superb strike with 19 minutes to play.

Liverpool, however, held on, surviving missed chances from Michy Batshuayi and Mason Mount, to take the three points. “It’s a difficult place to come, it’s a while ago that we won here.

It’s a big win,” Klopp added.

“The boys did really well, they fought really hard. I don’t think there is any other way to win here.

It’s a big win.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, September 23, 2019

South Africa draws series with nine-level win (ESPNCRICINFO) TESTING left-arm seam from Beuran Hendricks,

making his first appearance of the series, and a breezy half-century from Quin-

ton de Kock led South Africa to a series-levelling nine-wicket win at the M

put bowlers off their lengths and exploit the Powerplay restrictions.

It was most evident in the sixth over, against the left-arm wristspin of Tabraiz Shamsi. Mid-on was initially inside the circle, and Dhawan stepped out and hit a six over that fielder.

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Chinnaswamy Stadium.

The victory was emphatic, arriving with 4.1 overs still left to play, but South Africa’s cause was aided by India’s strategy, which was drawn up with one eye on next year’s T20 World Cup. No team had ever chosen to bat first in six previous T20Is at this ground, but India did so. They did so, Virat Kohli said, because they wanted to improve on their weaker suit - setting targets and defending them. “Come the World Cup,” he said, “toss is not in your control.”

On an evening where conditions changed significantly at the innings break, the toss turned out to be quite significant. Dew came into play particularly during the second innings, and batting became easier.

Even so, de Kock was in terrific form, and there was little India’s bowlers could do to stop him. All the trademark shots - the pull, the flatbat slaps over the covers, the pick-up shot over backward square leg - were in evidence as he ran to an unbeaten 79 off 52 balls, with Reeza Hendricks and Temba Bavuma slipping neatly into his slipstream in partnerships of 76 and 64 (unbroken) for the first two wickets.

India could have had de Kock when he missed a sweep off Washington Sundar’s offspin on 28, and had a confident lbw appeal turned

down by umpire Nitin Menon.

Ball-tracking suggested that the ball would have gone on to hit a good chunk of leg stump, but India had wasted their review in the previous over, when a Deepak Chahar hit Reeza’s front pad with a delivery that would definitely have missed leg stump.

That appeal apart, India didn’t seem to have any real ideas to dismiss de Kock or even tie him down.

Two of India’s less experienced bowlers, Navdeep Saini and Krunal Pandya, had off-days, going for a combined 65 in 5.5 overs, and Hardik Pandya - who took the only wicket - went for 23 in two overs as de Kock punished anything remotely short.

In the past, India have often adopted a conservative, ODI-inflected approach that has hurt them against teams with more hitting depth.

In this series, their selection has emphasised batting depth, with three spin-bowling all-rounders at Nos. 7, 8 and 9. With this cushion below them, the top order seemed to be under instructions to go after the bowling and not worry too much about preserving wickets.

The new approach helped them get off to an excellent start, with Shikhar Dhawan looking full of purpose, moving around the crease or stepping out of it, to try and

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, September 23, 2019

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Hussain takes Silica Sandport Inc. Golf Extravaganza ON the heels of a win two weeks ago in the Odyssey Sightseeing Tours Guyana Inc. tournament, Lusignan Golf Club President Aleem Hussain took advantage to emerge champion in the Silica Sandport Inc. (SSI) 3rd annual Golf Extravaganza on Saturday.

A few years ago, Hussain stated that he would be in contention at a Guyana Open and it seems as if he is living up to that promise for the upcoming October 2019 Guyana Open International Golf Invitational.

Under excellent golfing weather conditions and with a course in pristine condition, the highly competitive golfers continue showing great improvement in their performances. SSI tournament host, Haresh Tewari, again excelled in his Flight, and this time graciously refused the honour of the win, allowing other golfers to benefit from his tournament

reaching the green in one.

Former Guyana Open Ladies Champion, Shanella London, was in top form as she bested Dr. Joaan Deo in the Ladies category as they prepare for the Suriname Open in two weeks.

Ascending to the top position in their respective flights were Rommel Bhagwandin and William Walker; with Walker winning from Robin Tiwari on a countback to secure the first place.

Silica Sandport Inc. produces white sand, screening and washing of Silica in a state-of-the-art sand washing facility that obtains sand from part of an extensive silica sand vein that has verifiable reserves in excess of 500 million tons thus enabling SSI to confidently supply washed and graded sand in quantities that fulfil particular needs.

In addition to their washed sand product, SSI has the capacity to supply

sponsorship.

Playing injured, 9-time Guyana Open Champion, Avinash Persaud, still turned in a great score and excelled by winning yet another long drive prize, this time almost

a nematode free, unwashed sand product for use in various manufacturing, construction, landscape and beach applications.

The Tiwari family committed to hosting future tour-

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER

(Monday September 23, 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. Elvin Lewis (Patriots) 2. Ledl Simmons (TKR) & amp; Sheldon Cottrell (Patriots) Today’s Quiz: 1. Who were the finalists in the first ever CPL? 2. Who was declared Man of the Match?

Answers in tomorrow’s

Winners pose with members of the Tewari family. From left, Avinda Kishore, Avinash Persaud, William Walker, Brian Hackett, Mahendra Bhagwandin, President Aleem Hussain, Dr Joaan Deo, Satrohan Tiwari, Kayshav Tewari (son of pandit Haresh), Mrs Tewari and Haresh Tewari.

naments and promised that the next one would be even better than the first three.

Speaking for the family, Kayshav said that both him and his sister were extremely proud of their dad and their involvement with the game

in the Lusignan Village would continue for years to come. President of the LGC, Aleem Hussain, thanked the sponsor who had recently donated loads of special sand for the greens and said that was a contributing factor to his win since the course was in the best condition ever due to the hard work by the staff members-- Avinash, Barney and Danai, and assistance from the Lusignan Prison Service.

“With the course playing so easy, we will see better performances from all our players as we ramp up for the Suriname and Guyana Opens”, adding that this will be an incredible field of top golfers who are coming from the USA, Canada, Colombia, Trinidad, Suriname and several other countries.

26

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, September 23, 2019

John rides to victory in Macedo Memorial Cycle Road Race NATIONAL cyclist Jamual John topped Briton John in the 17th Victor Macedo Memorial Cycle Road Race which took them and several other top cyclists 30 laps around the outer circuit of the National Park yesterday in Georgetown.

The duo, who travelled to Mexico earlier this year for the Pan American U-23 Elite Road Cycling Championships, paired off after lap one and stuck together until the final lap in what was virtually a two-man race. Although Briton was ahead on the turn from Thomas Road into Vlissengen Road, the eventual winner was able to accelerate down the stretch before the finish line.

The Team Coco’s cyclist, who stayed with Briton while he replaced two flat tires, said that the race was no easy task, “Overall it was tough because the weather changed.”

Despite the challenges, the duo was still good enough to lap the entire field.

Ajay Gopilall was the top junior cyclist.

They lapped the main group in the penultimate round of the race.

Briton finished with five prime prizes, while Jamual copped three.

Defending champion,

Curtis Dey, settled for third place while Andrew Hicks and Andre Greene placed fourth and fifth respectively.

The 2018 National Schools’ Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field

Championships 40Km winner, Ajay Gopilall, was the first junior to cross the finish line. He was followed by Justin Thom and Jonathan Ramsuchit.

Junior Niles proved the

Jamaul John was the first to cross the finish line.

strongest of the veterans.

He finished ahead of Alex Mendes and Kwame Rid-

ley. Some 39 cyclists started the Flying Star Cycling Club-organised event.

GFF hosts financial planning workshop FOLLOWING a decision at the Extraordinary Congress held in August 2019, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), yesterday, hosted a financial planning workshop to inform the 2020 budget.

The session, held at the Guyana Pegasus, with select members, sought to give members of the GFF an opportunity to play a hands-on role in the financial planning

exercise.

GFF’s President, Wayne Forde, in brief remarks at the opening of the session, said the new model of having members review and inform the budget is unprecedented: “This new financial planning model allows the GFF members to correlate investment priorities with the GFF’s strategic plan 2017-2021.”

He added, “Unless some-

The members of the financial planning workshop

A Section of the planning workshop during yesterday’s session

one here knows otherwise, I do not know of a situation where we would have had all the members peer over the actual figures of our finances and I believe that it is only

when we reveal ourselves to this extent to you that you get a clear appreciation for the work that we are doing and what informs some of the decisions that we have to

make from time to time.”

The composition of the group was reflective of persons with the skillset and expertise to address budgetary issues.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday, September 23, 2019

27

Mahdia storm to 10-wicket victory in Heritage Games tapeball final

MAHDIA stamped their authority in the final of the tapeball competition of the 2019 Heritage Games by registering a 10-wicket victory against Region One yesterday afternoon at the Everest Cricket Club ground.

After winning the toss, Mahdia elected to field. The Region Eight team looked solid early, although their opponents scored the occasional boundary; it was not until Michael Sutton came to the crease that he sent the Region One fans into a frenzy.

The number five batsman stuck five sixes, four of which were scored from Richardo Poloram’s second over.

In the end, Sutton was left not out on 40. Orison Sealy, who scored a four and a six, had the next best score (16), which propelled the team to 85-5 in 10 overs.

Ershaad Ali finished with 2-14 from his two overs.

The all-rounder then turned his attention to batting. The University of Guyana cricketer, who slammed a half century on Saturday against Region Two, continued his dominant performance with 47 unbeaten runs for the eventual winners.

His quickfire innings included six sixes and two fours.

When Ali went, he went with a fury.

He punished Sutton in his second over by firing three consecutive sixes, while Sealy also had a taste of Ali’s hitting in his lone over, after the opener also scored three straight sixes.

Ali’s opening partner Andrew Gibson was also in the thick of things with 35 unbeaten runs. His innings included three fours and two sixes, one of which ended the game at 91-0 in 4.5 overs.

Mahdia cricketers with Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Valerie Garrido-Lowe.

Defending male and female Region One win softball title at Heritage Games champions bow out in Heritage Games football semis REGION ONE are champions of the 2019 Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Heritage Games softball competition after defeating Swan (Region Four) by six wickets in the grand finale yesterday afternoon at the Everest Cricket Club ground.

Region One won the toss and opted to bowl first.

Led by Temica Wilson, Swan, who had defeated defending champions, St. Cuthbert’s Mission, in the previous round, were able to muscle their way to 88-4 before their 10 overs ex-

Dwayne Rebeiro (left) and Alanzo Abraham scored for Moruca.

MORUCA and Paiwomak knocked out defending male champions, Guyana Rush Saints, and 2018 female champions, Pariuma in the semi-finals of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Heritage Games football competition, respectively, yesterday at the Everest Cricket Club ground.

Moruca won via a 2-1 scoreline, while Paiwomak triumphed via penalties after full-time had left the game at 1-1.

Last night, Region One (Moruca) and Region Seven (Kako) were set to battle in the male championship clash, while the Paiwomak ladies were expected to play against Kamarang

in the female final.

Kako had emerged victorious in their semi-finals after penalty kicks against Sipurata on Saturday night at the same venue.

In the second male semi-finals yesterday, Alanzo Abraham had given Moruca the lead in the opening half after he fired in a shot from the top of the 18-yard box.

Seasoned footballer, Franklyn Parks, managed to head a shot through the uprights to equal the score by the half-time whistle, but in the second period, Dwayne Rebeiro produced a header of his own to seal the game.

pired.

Wilson finished with 37 runs after she smashed two sixes and three fours.

Abigail Scott, who has also batted well, supported with 14.

Candacy Benjamin was the pick of the bowlers with two wickets, while Shenell Wilson and Annalisa Vincent nabbed one wicket each. The multi-talented Wilson, who bowled and caught Letisha Jordon in the third over of the game, has been outstanding in the field, during the 2019 competition.

In reply, Moruca reached their target in 7.4 overs after Marva Benjamin struck seven fours in a top score of 45.

Although the opener lost four teammates, she played her shots to ensure a Moruca victory.

Wilson, who blasted two sixes, finished on 12, while Vincent finished on 11 after hitting a four and a six. Candacy, who played a supporting role, ended with nine singles.

Wendy Leacock was the pick of the Swan bowlers with 2-20.

Bermuda crowned Caribbean Rugby champions CMC – BERMUDA have been crowned Caribbean champions for the first time in seven years after beating Guadeloupe 33-10 in the Rugby Americas North Championship final at the National Sports Centre’s North Field here on Saturday.

Bermuda led 14-0 at the break but then came under pressure as Guadeloupe reduced the deficit to four points with a penalty and a converted try before the home side forged clear again.

Alex Brown, who opened the scoring

in the first minute, and Jamie Baum each scored two tries for Bermuda, who were also awarded a second-half penalty try.

Dan Cole converted four of the tries as Bermuda regained the title they last won when they beat Guyana 18-0 here in 2012.

Yann Guenec opened Guadeloupe’s account with a 52nd-minute penalty and Alexandre Dagorn scored a try after stealing the ball on the halfway line; Guenec converted to reduce Bermuda’s lead to a slender four points.

Chris Green (L) of Guyana Amazon Warriors celebrates the dismissal of Jean Paul Duminy (R) of Barbados Tridents during match 19 of the Hero Caribbean Premier League between Barbados Tridents and Guyana Amazon Warriors at Kensington Oval on September 22, 2019 in Bridgetown, Barbados. (Photo by Randy Brooks - CPL T20/Getty Images)

Amazon

warriors

remain unbeaten See Page 23

Mahdia storm to 10-wicket victory in Heritage Games tapeball final See Page 27

Mahdia’s Ershaad Ali dominated with the bat.

Region One win softball title at Heritage Games

The 2019 Heritage Games Softball Champions Region One.

See Page 27

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2019