Guyana Chronicle E-paper 9-28-2019

SATURDAY 28th SEPTEMBER, 2019

' No.105774

Beware of

…Min. Cummings tells NY meeting internal, external forces seeking to stymie Guyana’s progress

‘dark forces’

SEE STORY ON PAGE 03

…says economy will be significantly accelerated when oil begins to flow

Cash-jet pilot gets 13 years

…for drug trafficking, money laundering

PAGE

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Youth must ready 11 themselves for oil sector PAGE

Scotiabank focuses on long-term solution 20 PAGE

…after BoG blocks Republic Bank takeover

-- Department of Energy director Attendees at the Department of Energy forum on ‘Guyana’s Future in Oil and Gas’ at the National Culture Centre on Friday (Delano Williams photo)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, September 28, 2019

Every person on PLE must approach GECOM to verify their records THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has announced that the period of Claims and Objections (C&O) for the upcoming elections will commence on October 1, 2019 and end on November 18, 2019.

However, citizens have until November 11, 2019 to make claims to be included on the list if they are a Guyanese citizen by birth, descent, naturalisation or registration, 18 years or older, or will attain the age of 18 by 31st December, 2019. The same goes for a citizen of a Commonwealth country living in Guyana for a period of no less than one year preceding 31st December, 2019.

According to the commission, the exercise provides eligible electors the opportunity to gain entry to

the List of electors or make transfers, changes or objections to particulars in the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE). It is to be conducted following publication of the PLE at the registration offices/sub-office.

GECOM highlighted: “During this exercise, every person whose name appears on the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE) must visit the registration office in their respective area with their National Identification Card to verify their registration record in order to be included in the Official List of Electors (OLE).”

At the same time, persons who require changes or corrections to their particulars and transfers in relation to their addresses are asked to do same when verifying their registration.

GECOM Chair (Ret’d) Justice Claudette Singh

Meanwhile, objections against the inclusion of names on the PLE can be tendered to the registration officer of the Registration

Area from October 1 to November 18. “Over the next few days, the commission will set up temporary offices and mobiles countrywide to aid the efficient conduct of the exercise and will publish the full list of those offices to ensure applicants or registrants can access the office within close proximity to them to have their transaction done,” the commission informed the public. The commission continues with the training of polling day staff. So far, the agency has trained over 6,000 persons from 86 locations within sections of Georgetown, the East Coast and East Bank and Regions One, Two, Five and 10. The commission will be moving to the East Berbice-Corentyne region over the weekend where some 2,400 persons from

25 locations, are expected to be trained.

MISINFORMATION OF GECOM SECRETARIAT Meanwhile, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) nominated Commissioners are contending that a “mischievous” act of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Secretariat is working to extend the period of Claims and Objections for new elections. At a press conference on Friday at the Leader of the Opposition’s office, Commissioners Sase Gunraj and Robeson Benn called for an investigation to be launched into the matter and, if needs be, for sanctions to come against individual players within the secretariat. Prior to the press conference, the secre-

tariat had sent out a media release which indicated that Claims and Objections would commence on October 1, 2019 and will conclude on November, 18 2019 – a total of 49 days.

However, the PPP-nominated commissioners contested that the commission last agreed to a period of 35 days. Furthermore, Gunraj stated that when he brought this information to GECOM Chair (Ret’d) Justice Claudette Singh, she allegedly seemed surprised and unaware that the change was made.

The commissioner told media practitioners that the chair stated that she would hold a meeting with the secretariat to receive clarification on the issue.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, September 28, 2019

Beware of ‘dark forces’

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…Min. Cummings tells NY meeting internal, external forces seeking to stymie Guyana’s progress …says economy will be significantly accelerated when oil begins to flow

MINISTER of Foreign Affairs, the Honorable Dr. Karen Cummings, has warned against the rising number of internal and external forces that are seeking to prevent progress in Guyana.

Addressing a sizeable crowd of overseas-based Guyanese on the sidelines of the 74th Session the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York Thursday evening, Minister Cummings said the oil boom about to flood Guyana is causing many internal and external forces to become “envious and sceptical of the country’s progress and prospects.”

“When you see local and international actors behaving in a particular way, you must

understand what is inspiring them. In return, as never before, we must be strong in our defence of Guyana. Be informed. Avoid fake news.

Be vigilant, be involved. We must be patriots as never before. Don’t give way to scepticism, or tribalism, but rise above these challenges that would detract from the journey of destiny on which we embark,” Minister Cummings told the diaspora at the Medgar Evers College, in Brooklyn.

She said the transformation that has been sweeping across Guyana since the coalition took office, will be significantly accelerated as the nation benefits from the lucrative rewards of the vast natural resources. Since taking office in 2015, the

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Karen Cummings

coalition administration has overseen 16 world-class oil deposits by US oil and

gas major ExxonMobil and most recently United Kingdom-based, Tullow Oil. The minister said Guyana is on the rise, and for the nation to achieve its full potential, it must have leadership that is accountable, fair, transparent and responsible. “With great prosperity comes great responsibility.

It is imperative that astute political leadership firmly rooted in integrity, the ruleof-law, good governance and accountability prevails.” She said Guyanese will witness a new and prosperous Guyana – one where their children and grandchildren will enjoy into the future. In that vein, she urged the diaspora to “continue your strong and unwavering support of the APNU/AFC coalition and

Guyana commits to joining global effort to combat Climate Change --Minister Cummings

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Karen Cummings at the UN General Assembly meeting

MINISTER of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Karen Cummings, today reiterated the commitment of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana to combating climate change particularly through its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDCs) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

She delivered remarks at a high-level breakfast meeting on Pathways and Partnerships to Leverage the Energy Transition for Climate Resilience and Sustainable

Development Co-Benefits in Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

The meeting was organised on the margins of the 74th United Nations General Assembly in New York by the Joint International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN OHRLLS), Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and the Republic of Palau.

“The Government of Guyana is committed to reviewing its NDCs

in 2020 and introducing clear, measurable & realistic targets following baseline assessment,” Minister Cummings said.

After ratifying the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) in 1994, Guyana began developing its national environmental strategy and, in 2009, launched the Low Carbon Development Strategy.

Presently, the government’s efforts are focused on the Green State Development Strategy: Vision 2040.

The Government of Guyana, through the Department of the Environment, has been an active participant in regional and international meetings in the lead-up to the midterm review of the SAMOA Pathway. These engagements included the regional meeting of progress in Belize (2018), focal points meeting in Samoa and the recently-concluded meeting in Cabo Verde on localising the Samoa Pathway in SIDS. The Third International Conference on Small Islands Developing States was held in 2014 and resulted in the adoption of the Small Island Developing States Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA Pathway). The SAMOA Pathway outlined 16 priority areas of action to be executed from 2014 – 2024. (DPI)

let prosperity, development, unity and harmony continue.”

Minister Cummings reminded that the coalition stands ready to contest the next general and regional elections after a “clean list” is established. The Guyanese people, she said will be the judge after all that has taken place over the last four years under the leadership of His Excellency, President David Granger. She told the diaspora that they have an important role to play. “As Guyanese living here in the US, many of you have a great interest in what is taking place in Guyana. I recognise that all of you want to see Guyana live up to its potential so that your relatives back home can enjoy the good life.”

She said the Guyanese

diaspora around the world is motivated by several factors. She saluted their unfailing efforts to give back to the country they once called home. “We will continue to focus on ways to strategically engage the Guyanese diaspora, to leverage development finance through remittances, foreign direct investments, and even philanthropy. The minister addressed a host of concerns raised by the diaspora, including registration, cash transfer from the oil-wealth fund, the Guyana/Venezuela border controversy among others.

(DPI)

Cash-jet pilot gets 13 years

…for drug trafficking, money laundering Khamraj Lall, 52, of Ringwood, New Jersey, was found guilty in October 2018 by a federal jury in Trenton on multiple charges connected to cocaine distribution and money laundering.

A man who owned a charter airline and maintenance company based in Gainesville and serving Ocala was sentenced Friday to 13 years in federal prison for trafficking hundreds of kilos of cocaine into the New Jersey-New York area and laundering more than $10.2 million, federal officials announced.

Khamraj Lall, 52, of Ringwood, New Jersey, was found guilty in October 2018 by a federal jury in Trenton on multiple charges, including conspiracy to distribute cocaine, money laundering, structuring monetary instruments and conspiracy to commit money laundering. U.S. District Judge Anne E. Thompson imposed the sentence Friday in Trenton federal court, according to a news release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey.

From April 2011 through November 2014, Lall, a private pilot, smuggled hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Guyana to New Jersey and New York on his privately owned jet aircraft and then laundered the proceeds. Lall owned a private jet charter business called Exec Jet Club based in Gainesville and

Khamraj Lall was found guilty for drug trafficking and money laundering

used the proceeds of his cocaine empire to buy jet planes, houses and cars, the news release said.

He paid more than $2 million in cash stuffed into suitcases to a Florida contractor to build an airplane hangar in Guyana.

Over a 3½-year period, Lall also made, or had others make, 1,287 cash deposits totaling roughly $7.5 million into more than 20 different bank accounts in New Jersey and New York, much of it in $20 bills. To avoid detection and skirt bank reporting laws, all 1,287 deposits were for amounts less than $10,000, federal officials said. (Gainesville Sun)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday September 28, 2019

Nigerian ‘torture house’: Hundreds freed in Kaduna police raid (BBC) Nearly 500 men and boys have been rescued from a building in the northern city of Kaduna, where the detainees were allegedly sexually abused and tortured, Nigerian police said.

Children as young as five were among those in chains at what was thought to be an Islamic school, officers said.

Kaduna police chief Ali Janga told the BBC the building was raided after a tip-off about suspicious activity.

He described it as a “house of torture” and a place of human slavery.

Eight suspects, most of them teachers, were arrested.

The police chief said the detainees - some with injuries Some of the detainees had visible injuries

and starved of food - were overjoyed to be freed. The detainees said they had been tortured, sexually abused, starved and prevented from leaving - in some cases for

Some captives were as young as five years old, police said

several years.

“I have spent three months here with chains on my legs,” Bell Hamza reportedly told Nigerian media.

28 September, 2019 - 04:00hrs ~ 05:30hrs

“This is supposed to be an Islamic centre, but trying to run away from here attracts severe punishment; they tie people and hang them to the ceiling for that.”

Some of the children told police that their relatives had taken them there, believing the building to be a Koranic school. Two of the children freed by police said their parents had sent them

from Burkina Faso. Police believe the rest are mostly from northern Nigeria.

Islamic schools are popular in the region but there have long been allegations of abuse in some schools, and of pupils forced to beg for money on the streets.

One parent told Reuters news agency that they did not know their children would face “this kind of harsh condition”.

The captives are sheltering at a camp where their families are arriving to identify them. Hafsat Muhammad Baba of the Kaduna state government told the BBC the government will continue to provide medical care for the men and boys.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday September 28, 2019

Venezuela crisis: UN to investigate alleged human rights violations (BBC) The UN Human Rights Council will investigate alleged human rights violations in Venezuela, including executions, disappearances and torture.

The forum approved sending a fact-finding mission after a resolution was put forward

by Venezuela’s neighbours and backed by European countries.

Many of the 6,000 deaths in security raids since January 2018 could have been extrajudicial executions, it said.

Venezuela’s envoy said the “hostile” text was part of a US-led campaign.

The country is suffering a severe economic and political crisis, and a quarter of its 30 million population need aid, according to the UN. Some four million people have fled in recent years.

President Nicolás Maduro has accused Washington of waging an “economic war”

The UN condemned operations including those carried out by Venezuela’s special Faes force

against his country and orchestrating a coup to oust him.

The Geneva-based council adopted the resolution brought by countries including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia

and Peru, which are hosting millions of Venezuelan refugees.

These nations, part of the Lima Group, are among the 50 countries that have given their

backing to Juan Guaidó, head of Venezuela’s National Assembly, who declared himself president in January saying Mr Maduro’s re-election last year was fraudulent.

The resolution condemned “widespread targeted repression and persecution” through what it called the excessive use of force by security agents against peaceful anti-government protesters, the closing down of media and the erosion of the rule of law.

It also condemned arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances carried out by security agencies, including the special force known as Faes, and pro-government civilian armed groups, called colectivos. The text was adopted by the 47-member council with 19 votes in favour, seven against and 21 abstentions.

“It must be clear to all at this council that when violations of this gravity and scale are reported to us, we must respond in an equally serious manner,” said UK Ambassador Julian Braithwaite, whose country backed the resolution.

In a report in July, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet accused the Venezuelan security forces of sending death squads to murder young men and staging the scenes to make it look like the victims resisted arrest. Venezuelan Ambassador Jorge Valero slammed the resolution as a “hostile initiative” and said his country had no intention to co-operate with the mission.

“This small group follows to a tee instruments handed to them by the American empire, these are shameful subjects of administration of President [Donald] Trump,” he said.

A report is expected to be delivered in a year. Even if Venezuela refuses access to the investigators, they will take testimony from victims and witnesses inside and outside the country, as they have done with Syria and Myanmar.

Brazil environment: Vast oil spill hits dozens of beaches (BBC) Brazilian officials are investigating the source of a vast oil spill that has hit dozens of beaches along the country’s north-eastern coast.

Analysis showed the oil found was of a type not produced in Brazil, the environmental agency Ibama said.

There is no evidence that fish and shellfish have been contaminated but at least six sea turtles and a seabird have been found dead.

A clean-up operation is under way in the areas affected.

The spill, first detected on 2 September, spans over 1,500km (932 miles) and has been detected in 105 locations in eight states, affecting wildlife and popular beaches including Praia do Futuro in Ceará, and Maragogi, in Alagoas.

Molecular analysis of the oil by Brazil’s state-run company Petrobras showed the crude oil spilled did not originate in the country, Ibama said in a statement (in Portuguese).

The test also determined the oil came from a single source which has not yet been identified.

Crude oil is tested before being exported to make sure it follows the standards of the refinery it is being sent to, and can be identified by its chemical elements, Reuters news agency reports.

Authorities believe the spill could have been caused by a tanker transporting oil

Oil puddles have been found on beaches across Brazil’s north-eastern coast

far from the coast. Two oil barrels have been found on two beaches off Sergipe state, local authorities said.

Beachgoers and fishermen have been urged to avoid the material.

Two sea turtles rescued alive were returned to the sea by beachgoers while another was sent to a rehabilitation centre.

The situation was said to be stable in the most-af-

fected state, Rio Grande do Norte, while efforts were now being focused on Maranhão - part of the Amazon rainforest region - where new spills were being reported.

“We’ve never had an accident like this in Brazil... It’s the first time we’re seeing an accident with an undetermined source affecting so many states,” Ibama co-ordinator Fernanda Piril-

lo was quoted by Agência Brasil news agency as saying.

Petrobras said it would deploy some 100 employees in the clean-up effort despite not being involved in the spill. Anna Carolina Lobo, a co-ordinator of the marine programme at WWF conservation group in Brazil, said the case exposed how fragile the country’s surveillance system was.

“Brazil has few boats and analysts to follow what happens in our waters,” Ms Lobo was quoted by Associated Press as saying.

She said state support for such surveillance was receding even further under the government of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.

The president, who came to office in January, has repeatedly criticised the work of non-govern-

mental groups and activists, and slashed the budget of environmental agencies, including Ibama.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday September 28, 2019

Science our best bet at survival

--until proven otherwise THERE is an international tussle between believers and non-believers of science, which could pose setbacks when the latter hold positions on influence decision-making.

The Science Council’s relatable definition says, “Science is the pursuit and application of knowledge and understanding of the natural and social world, following a systematic methodology based on evidence.”

There is no denying that scientific approaches in understanding events are not always correct. People can readily highlight opinion polls that ran afoul in predicting, meteorologists getting the weather wrong, and so forth. However, these are insufficient evidence of science’s failures, falling

within the element of human error, methodology used, or marginal errors as allowed in data analyses. In spite of inherent and evidential deficiencies in science, its application in guiding decision-making pays dividends.

For instance, population censuses, which follow scientific methodology, present frameworks for Government and other stakeholders to plan development, based on demography, interests, needs and so forth. The application reduces haphazard approaches to planning, minimizes and eliminates wastage, makes best use of limited resources, and reaches the targeted groups.

People having evolved, thanks to science, they no longer view the earth as flat and posing a danger of fall-

ing off should they travel to the end. This evident discovery has enhanced human interaction, travel, trade and development, although all have not been to the mutual benefit of those involved.

Scientific understanding of the universe, including the environment, has not only empowered Man to engage in space exploration, but also to improve our air, water and land travels. Research/studies have made once life-threatening diseases curable or treatable, thereby adding value to life and living. Understanding of the human make-up, food choices, and their nutritional values add benefit to the quality of life we can enjoy.

If science is appreciated for aiding better understanding of the world, increasing opportunities and comfort derived from its knowledge; science should not have to

fight for its relevancy in forewarning us that the planet is under threat, and requires behavioural changes to ensure survival, health and longevity. To disregard the warning in the presence of unpredictable weather patterns, extinction of animals, and disappearance of the glaciers, flora and fauna is befuddling. The 2016 United Nations’ Climate Change Agreement was not arrived at because world leaders wanted to congregate, agree to modify developmental approaches, or more developed countries wanting to throw support behind the lesser developed ones in achieving carbon credits; it came through scientific work done over extended periods, that included capturing environmental trends.

Science is not stupid in forewarning that increasing carbon emissions will dis-

rupt the ecosystem, and by extension Man’s well-being.

At the most basic, since early childhood schooling, the inter-relationship between Man and the environment was established.

Man’s dependency on plants for oxygen and plants on Man for carbon dioxide formed part of elementary learning, to be built on as science evolves, not discharged in single-minded pursuit of employment and economic opportunities.

For behind such pursuit, quality of life depreciates, as in the instance of underground coal mining where pollution adversely impacts the respiratory, nervous and cardiovascular systems.

Though science has found signs of life on other planets, none has been found to allow Man easy transfer to live.

Disregarding years of work by scientists and ac-

cumulated body of knowledge which withstood intense scrutiny and continues to so do, is deigned to make the world a less habitable place for Man’s existence. Science’s evidence is not a hoax, fluke or similar dismissive ascription; it is real and ought to inform and guide decision-making. The UN Climate Agreement remains vital to environmental protection and Man’s survival. Data acquired through scientific bodies aided the work of the internationally recognised Environmental Protection Agency which played a vital role in concretising the Agreement.

The work of such institutions remains critical in guiding other important global decisions, and until science proves otherwise, the adage ‘leave well alone’ remains applicable.

Contributions of Guyana’s First Peoples Dear Editor, WE are coming to the end of September, which is designated as Indigenous Heritage Month, and as such emphasis must be placed on the contributions made by the First Peoples, or the Indigenous Peoples, of this country. It has been several years since Amerindians countrywide take pride in showcasing their rich culture in the form of dance, song, language, historical background, craft and exhibition, with the Indigenous Peoples Ministry organising each year an opening celebration at the Sophia National Exhibition Complex. But what I wish to highlight is that a lot of people in Guyana fail to under-

stand that Amerindian people contributed towards Guyana’s development, since I was following a heavy debate on social media, particularly Facebook, on what are the contributions of Guyana’s Indigenous Peoples.

Editor, first of all, Indigenous Peoples, according to history, crossed the Bering Strait and entered the Americas during the Ice Ages in search of food, and followed herds of animals from one feeding ground to another in search of a place called home. Amerindians have contributed towards Guyana in various fields, such as art, craft, culture, dishes, medicine, and most importantly, the preservation of the environment which many would term as the ‘jungle’.

The word Guyana is an Amerindian word of the Arawak tribe, which means ‘Land of Many Waters’, in which today’s society is the host of a blend of six beautiful races with a range of cultural traditions and religion etc. The popular cassava bread and pepperpot is a national dish that is consumed by Guyanese in this country regardless of race or religion. I was at Victoria recently, which is located on the East Coast, and was amazed to see my fellow African Guyanese brothers and sisters enjoying the pepperpot, which was so delightful.

We must take pride in pinpointing our first former Amerindian Member of Parliament Stephen Campbell, which today and as history will tell, places the Amer-

indian people in the spotlight that great things can be accomplished, once our goals and aspirations are met. The late Dr. Desrey Fox, one of our foremost anthropologists and academics, and Dianne Ferreira-James, the first female international football referee, are just a few examples of Amerindians in academia.

Editor, Amerindians, from time immemorial, have lived and blended within the environment, and preserved the rainforest, which is vital, since the world today is experiencing Climate Change and Global Warming, with Norway just recently releasing US$50M to Guyana, having reached its low deforestation targets. They practice shifting culti-

vation and subsistence farming, and have learnt and shared their knowledge on the medicinal use of plants in the environment to cure illnesses such as malaria, typhoid etc. Even up to today, this practice is still prevalent among the masses of Guyanese in this country, and as such highlights a few contributions that the Amerindian Peoples have contributed to Guyana.

Regards, Robin Joseph Councillor, Waramuri Village Council

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday September 28, 2019

Minibus passengers demand better service for elderly, disabled

IF you are a regular commuter on the roadways in Guyana you probably have travelled in a minibus, where a conductor or driver hurried an elderly or disabled person to either get in or off a bus. Some may have even refused to pick them up.

Eletha Ainsworth, an elderly woman of Cove and John who depends primarily on public transportation to get about her monthly errands, expressed displeasure with the treatment she receives while travelling.

Mrs Ainsworth uses a cane for support as she has a bad knee, she says: “Whenever they [conductors] see me with my stick, they don’t stop for me.”

The few that do stop are often impatient and rude, “Always rushing, they never wait for us to have a seat, they just drive off, which result in us being jilted back and forth causing pain and when it’s time for us to get off at our destination, they are always saying push ya body granny,” she explained.

She also complained about the loud and vulgar music that is often blasting through the speakers of the minibuses.

Shelia Glasgow an 85-yearold woman of Belfield, recalled the days when she was younger and would travel in the comfort of big buses. She said that a system should be implemented to provide transportation not only for the el-

derly, but also for disabled persons.

“However, this is not always the case; they are a few minibus drivers and conductors who are considerate and kind, realising that they too will get old one day,” she stated.

Several other elderly persons have complained about the speeding and overloading of the minibuses. Many of them prefer to stay home because of the unsafe feeling while travelling.

In the early 1960s, big buses were the most popular method of transportation throughout Guyana.

However, today modern minibuses such as ‘Pit bulls’ and ‘R-Zs’ dominate local roadways. Many of these are privately owned and are

operated by young men, who have little to no respect for passengers, especially the elderly and disabled.

This newspaper was able to interview a few elderly persons, who recalled the time when they would travel in the comfort of big buses and would welcome the re-introduction of these buses for their transportation.

The Guyana Chronicle spoke with President of the Minibus Association, Eon Andrews, who stressed that a system should be implemented to provide the disabled and elderly with transportation. Andrews added that he has had several complaints from citizens, but the introduction of big buses will pose a threat to the minibus association.

He added that Guyanese first have to eradicate the culture of having inexperienced and unlicensed drivers on the roadways.

However, the minibus association, along with the Ministry of Business, has been hosting road safety workshops and training sessions to produce better drivers on the roads of Guyana. He noted that persons who attended the training sessions are expected to graduate in October of this year.

Mr Andrews also noted that minibus drivers and conductors are expected to be respectable and display patience, not only to the elderly or disabled, but to every passenger who enters their buses.

Coherence between principles and action is necessary to advance climate justice

Dear Editor, AS thousands gather for the Climate Summit at the United Nations, we are confronted with the basic question of what is needed to make lasting progress on Climate Change. Views on this may vary, but one thing seems clear: Coherence between principles and action is necessary to advance climate justice and environmental protection.

Rhetoric articulating appreciation for the environment, concern for future generations, and well-being for all rings hollow when unmatched by ethical behaviour and policy.

Achieving such coherence requires more than science and logic; it requires courage and sacrifice.

If steps in these directions are not taken, it is too easy to fall back into the well-trodden paths that have brought us to this point. Compromises allow an unjust and unsustainable system to endure; expediency becomes valued over the needs of the most vulnerable, and the inertia of the status quo drives humanity to the limits of the earth’s resources. Given the degree of transformation required, we must not wait for more tragedy before taking the courageous steps necessary.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has noted that setting humanity on a sustainable path would require “rapid, far-reaching, and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society.”

This includes transformations to technological, industrial, agricultural, and scientific systems, which, in turn, require unprecedented change in values, assumptions, standards, and patterns of thought and behaviour.

The current economic order has promoted unsustainable patterns of consumption in pursuit of financial return.

Its messaging has equated the status and value of the human being with the accumulation of wealth and luxury. And its logic of unlimited individual gain has enriched a privileged few, while degrading the natural world and impoverishing masses of humanity. To varying degrees, far from advancing our highest values, the

system before us rewards dishonesty, encourages corruption, and treats truth as a negotiable commodity.

A global order based on different understandings of human nature can be created. The proposition that human beings thrive when we cooperate, find fulfillment through harmonious and friendly relationships, and have transcendental longings that no stockpile of possessions can satisfy, can be the foundation for serious and effective social systems. But efforts toward that end must draw on the very qualities they seek to promote. Noble aims must be sought through noble means. Changing entrenched habits requires a host of qualities pertaining

to character, especially from those who are benefiting most from the current system. Among them are the capacity to sacrifice one’s own privilege and comfort for the well-being of others; the humility to admit errors; the courage to make difficult yet important decisions; the discipline to overcome familiar yet destructive patterns of behavior; and the daily commitment to value every human life as sacred.

The climate crisis; one of the most pronounced symptoms of our ailing global order, requires genuine transformative change. Its various physical manifestations are an expression of the inaccuracy and insufficiency of our views of ourselves and the world. We must find

unity, solidarity, and even opportunity in the common struggle increasingly faced in every corner of the world; we must draw on the insights of science and the universal values of the world’s great religions to inform our next steps, and to guide our current trajectory. For religion without science becomes pure superstition, and science without religion becomes the instrument of materialism. Transformation will result from the insights gleaned when both systems of knowledge are judiciously applied to the crises humanity faces, climate foremost among them.

Regards, Rooplall Dudhnath

The President was clear when he announced the election date Dear Editor, PRESIDENT Granger is a man of few words; at least when it comes to Bharrat Jagdeo. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same for the loquacious Opposition Leader. I would bet both my kidneys and pancreas that he suffers from somniloquy. Anyway, this missive is not about Mr. Exxon; it’s about the President and his announcement of the election date.

So, two days ago, H.E President Granger announced, after consultation with the never-aging Lady Judge Singh, SC, that the earliest date for election is March

2, 2020. Those in the PPP and their cohorts were all up in arms. They were all crying, like a woman in labour, that the President, who is beyond reproach, is trying to trick them. Seriously! Why this mass paranoia? As a result, the President was politely asked by journalists to clarify it. The President, perennially calm, said that he has said what he has said, and it is self-explanatory, March 2, 2020 is Election Day, with or without the opposition support in Parliament.

The question is whether the President was clear when he announced the election date on the 25th September. I would argue

that he was, and I will now explain why I believe so. Mr. Editor, do you remember what the President kept repeating whenever he was asked about elections? Yes you do!

He said at least one million times, “Credible election at the earliest time.”

Let’s look at syllogisms. Syllogism is a form of reasoning in which a conclusion is drawn from two given propositions. I’ll give you an example. Proposition 1: All present and former students of Queen’s College are clever.

Proposition 2: H.E President David Granger is a former student of Queen’s College.

Conclusion: H.E President David Granger is clever.

In essence, the two propositions inform the conclusion. Get that PPP and their cohorts!

Now let’s look and examine what the President said about election on the 25th September and over the past nine months.

Proposition 1: Credible election at the earliest time.

Proposition 2: Earliest time for credible election is March 2, 2020.

Conclusion: Credible election on March 2, 2020.

So, the question I need to ask the PPP and their oil-thirsty cohorts is: What was so hard about

comprehending that? The President has been consistent and as clear as the raindrops. Having President Granger repeating himself was a waste of his and the journalists’ time. Frankly, if the PPP and their cohorts are struggling to understand this simple concept that a child with severe cerebral palsy would, then I would humbly suggest that reciting the alphabet may be the level appropriate for you and not running an oil-producing country.

Regards, Dr. Mark Devonish MBBS MSc Med

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, September 28, 2019

Three new schools for Reg. 10

--a first in over two decades THE construction of a nursery and two primary schools are just three of the capital projects on the agenda for Region Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice)'s education sector.

The construction of the Bamia Nursery School has already commenced, and the demolition of the Christianburg Primary School has been completed.

Construction of the latter facility is expected to start in a matter of weeks, while the procurement process for the construction of the Bamia Primary School has begun with the advertisement for a consultant.

This is the first time in over two decades that three new schools will be constructed in the Region.

ANSWERED PRAYERS The coming of a primary as well as a secondary school to Bamia, which facilities are expected to serve pupils and students residing in the developing housing schemes in Amelia's Ward, is like the answer to a prayer for Bamia Primary’s headmistress Denise Piggot, as well as the many teachers who serve under her.

For many years, what passes for school in the community has been held in a multi-purpose centre, and under some very trying conditions.

As Piggot explained, the present building lacks such basic amenities as a reading room, computer room, library, adequate classroom space and other necessary facilities needed in a school.

These inadequacies, she said, often cause teachers to have difficulty presenting their

lessons, due largely to the lack of privacy, as well as sound-proofing mechanisms.

What is however, encouraging, she said, is that despite the many challenges, the school has, for the first time in the 17 years she has been there, achieved 100 % passes at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) this year, with top student Priya Ramnana securing a place at St. Roses High.

The call for a new school in Christianburg has also been answered, with construction slated to begin just as soon as the old building has been demolished.

A decision was made to rebuild the school at its current location. The school has been closed for some time, and students are presently accommodated at the St. Aiden's Primary School. Parents pleaded with Ministry of Education officials to have the school reopened, since it was a burden on them to provide the additional transportation cost.

The new school will be a one-storey building catering for approximately 100 students residing in the Christianburg community.

TVET BOOST Technical and vocational education in the region will not only benefit students residing in Linden, but those in the outlying and riverine communities as well. Construction of the Linden Technical Institute's dorm is in its second phase, and is expected to be completed by 2021.

The multi-million- dollar state-of-the-art complex will consist of four dormitories, a study hall, and an administrative building.

The Ministry of Education is of the belief that a dorm is better suited to the needs of the region, after learning of the plight children residing in these outlying communities face so they might continue their education after secondary school.

Due to financial constraints, many of them are forced to return to their communities with little or no hope of ever pursuing a tertiary education. Students residing in Rock Stone, Kwakwani, Ituni, Riversview and riverine communities in the Upper Berbice and Demerara Rivers will benefit from accommodation at the dorm.

With the advent of the oil-and-gas industry, the provision of resources for vocational studies is paramount to the APNU-AFC Coalition, so that youths can become equipped with the requisite skills they need to become employable. These resources will not only be available in Georgetown, but throughout the country’s ten administrative regions.

At Linden's Freedom Fest Celebration, Director-General of the Ministry of the Presidency Joseph Harmon revealed that one of the 11 modern vocational centres that will be built across Guyana will be constructed in Linden. These centres will cater for youths who are not academically inclined, and have not completed secondary school. They will be used as an intervention mechanism to enable those students to get another shot at acquiring an education.

Linden students are also now better exposed to vocational studies, with the

establishment of vocational CAPE courses at the Christianburg-Wismar Secondary School. At its inaugural sitting, the school recorded a 92% pass rate. The first batch of 11 students are now pursuing UNIT 11 of those subjects, which include electricity and electronics, integrated mathematics, environmental science, Caribbean Studies and Communication Studies.

SPORTS DEVELOPMENT Teachers, students and regional officials have welcomed these developments, which no doubt project better academic performances in the upcoming years. What has been more welcoming, however, is the move by the government to ensure that students are not only blooming academically, but at extra-curricular activities as well. It’s no secret that a well-rounded student contributes more significantly to society. Tangible evidence of the government's care for students’ progression, particularly in sports, which forms part of the schools' curriculum, is the construction of the state-of-the-art synthetic track. The $179M eight-lane track, located at the Bayroc Community Centre Ground, is currently in its third phase of construction, and will have all the necessary amenities for all the field events, while the middle will be developed into a world-class football field.

ENHANCEMENT PROJECTS For 2019, existing nursery, primary and secondary schools have been rehabilitated and enhanced. And, for the first time, purified water systems have been installed at the Mackenzie High School and the Watooka Day Prima-

ry School. Nursery schools in riverine areas such as the Kwakwani Waterfront were enhanced with playgrounds.

The teacher shortage that was affecting the sub-region district has also been significantly improved, with adequate teachers now being posted to those schools.

These developments have manifested excellent performance from both students and teachers, as seen at this year's NGSA and CSEC results. For the first time in history, schools that were deemed low-performing, secured places in the region's top ten for CSEC. Linden Foundation Secondary School's (LFSS) top student Isaiah Farrell secured seven Grade Ones, three Grade Twos, and one Grade Three. The Agriculture student said he felt elated that he was able to bring recognition to his school, knowing the negative stigma that was attached to it for so long.

Taliyah Gill, the top student of the New Silver City Secondary School (NSSS), also brought recognition to the school with her record-breaking performance of seven Grade Ones, two Grade Twos and one Grade Three. Knowing that her school normally does not produce such outstanding performances to secure a spot in the region's top ten, her results came as a surprise, but then she reminisced on how hard she worked, and was therefore filled with enthusiasm to push on to do even better in future.

While her results brought her individual gratification, it was raising the school's name that mattered most to her. “I feel really great about bringing the school's name into the top ten. You know, there is always this stigma attached to it; that it is not such a good

school, and to know this is the first time it did so well, I feel really great," Taliyah said. The high- acheiver gave extra credit to Head of the school’s Business Department Ms Keisha Garraway, for pushing the students extra hard, and helping them to realise their true potential. “She was a very optimistic person,” Taliyah said, adding: “She really pushed us, especially with our SBAs, which were packed with words.

Even if we didn’t understand something, she took the time and made us understand. The teachers really pushed us; we had lessons day and night.

We had to go in to school for six in the morning.”

What can also be credited for the school’s improved performance is the Public Education Transportation System (PETS) and the President's 5Bs initiative.

Since the project was first implemented, Region Ten benefited from three buses, three boats, bicycles and the breakfast programmes.

With the return of the APNU-AFC Coalition to office, education will continue to be placed first on its list.

President David Granger recently posited that during the 2020-2029 Decade of Development, education will be given priority.

“Education is the gateway to equality, and this Decade of Development, when you are educated… what matters is that you are a citizen; you have the knowledge and the skills and the talent to transform your lives and the lives of your family and also your country,” he said to residents of Port Kaituma. The Coalition's plan to provide free university education to qualified students will also be realised in 2020.

Two dead, stabbed to death

TWO young men stabbed each other to death on Friday night at around 21:50hrs at Cummings Street, Albertown, Georgetown.

The two men were reportedly engaged in a heated argument that led to a fight which ended in a fatal stabbing.

When this newspaper arrived at the scene,

one of the men was being taken away as he was still breathing but he died before reaching the hospital. The lifeless body of the other was on the roadside awaiting examination by investigators.

According to sources around the crime scene, the men were seen cleaning the drains earlier

in the day. Later in the evening, they appeared to have a disagreement and both were armed with knives. Both bodies had a knife in each of their hands.

The names of the men have not been disclosed up to press time.

Police are investigating the incident.

One of the lifeless bodies at the crime scene

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, September 28, 2019

FAO fosters partnerships with private sector

Ministerial team to engage Rupununi residents

MINISTERS of Government are currently in Region Nine (Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo) to hold a series of meetings in various communities of South-Central, South and North Rupununi.

Residents in those communities will have the opportunity of presenting their issues and raising concerns at the community meetings scheduled for today and tomorrow and have them addressed accordingly.

The ministerial team is headed by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, and will meet with the residents at Annai, Apoteri, Crash Water and Semonie among other

villages. Ministers will also address the concerns of residents in Kumu, Potarinau, Yupukari, Shulinab, Lethem and Parishara among other villages.

The Rupununi meetings come a few months after similar exercises were held in the very region. Those meetings at the start of this year brought significant relief to residents, as the host of issues which were raised were addressed.

Among the successes then were the commissioning of several schools and smart-classrooms and a Legal Aid Clinic for Lethem.

Other communities also had their concerns addressed by

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo the 19-memberministerial team.

The government intends to continue to focus on the needs of all Guyanese, ensuring a ‘good life for all’. (DPI)

ESTABLISHING a new business model based on science, data, transparency and accountability and conducive to strong partnerships with the private sector is a major focus for FAO, the organisation’s Director-General Qu Dongyu told private sector representatives at a meeting on the margins of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly.

“The world needs a strong, efficient and dynamic FAO. And FAO needs strong reliable partnerships with you,” said the FAO chief.

The meeting provided a platform to discuss and strengthen partnerships for realizing the much-needed transformation in food systems, and mobilizing all available technologies, innovations, knowledge and expertise to achieve positive impact at scale in the agriculture sectors.

FAO presented the new Hand-in-Hand Initiative to representatives of the private sector and foundations, including the Bill

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and Melinda Gates Foundation and Danone, as well as UN entities and other institutions, with the aim of garnering support and feedback.

The initiative looks at bringing countries with the highest poverty and hunger rates together with developed countries to support development efforts in the Least Landlocked Developing Countries, Least Developed Small Island Developing States, and countries affected by food crises.

In its next phase, the initiative will support highly-populated, less developed countries.

Overall, FAO works to make private sector investments compliant with the Sustainable Development Goals across the agricultural value chain.

For example, FAO’s AgrInvest is a program being implemented in Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Niger, and Burkina Faso that leverages development funding to unlock private investments for the agri-food sector.

FAO maximising partnerships for greater impacts HAVING Member States’ support and buy-in is paramount to FAO successfully rolling out new initiatives, such as the new Hand-in-Hand Initiative, to help accelerate achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals - especially ending poverty and hunger - and not leaving anyone behind.

This was FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu’s message to the UN agency’s Member States at an event on the margins of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday aimed at enabling discussions to shape a new vision for a more dynamic and innovative FAO, and strengthening North-South partnerships.

The Hand-in-Hand Initiative, presented at the event, aims to enable “matchmaking” – bringing countries with the highest poverty and hunger rates together with developed countries – to support development efforts in the Least Developed Landlocked Countries, Least Developed Small Island Developing States, and

countries affected by food crises. Looking ahead, the initiative will then seek to support highly-populated, less developed countries.

This will be done in close coordination and partnership with multilateral development banks and other UN agencies, with FAO identifying opportunities at national level for all priority countries, as well as bottlenecks and investment gaps, and developing a detailed monitoring and evaluation framework with clear targets for 2030.

Qu Dongyu reiterated that the new measures also aim to strengthen a digital, integrated and cooperative FAO that is worthy of Member States’ trust, and highlighted his approach geared towards partnerships, transparency and an opendoor policy.

“Let us forge a true partnership, built on mutual respect and trust, and strengthened by our joint goal of reaching the SDGs and creating a world free of hunger,” he said.

Syrian farmers supported by FAO and Italian farmers come together to share experiences and skills. Pictured: at an Italian farm producing Robiola cheese

FAO Director-General at the meeting with representatives of the private sector

Woman found with cocaine remanded

A 41-year-old woman was, on Friday, September 27, 2019, remanded to prison by Senior Magistrate Leron Daly for possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

Samantha Hubbard appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and denied the charge when it was read to her.

Particulars of the charge stated that, on September 22, 2019, at Charlotte Street, she had 142 kilograms of cocaine in her possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Attorney-at-law, Dexter Todd, who represented Hubbard, told the court that the bag was found in a common place and more than five persons were living there.

Todd also told the court that, when the police arrived and asked to conduct a search, his client was the only one there, and she did not deny ownership of the bag when they asked her about it, because she knew she had nothing to hide.

Police prosecutor Sanj Singh objected to bail and told the court that, on the day in question, ranks from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary, acting on information received, went to

Samantha Hubbard the Charlotte Street address.

Singh also told the court that, at the address mentioned, the ranks made contact with Hubbard and asked her to allow them to conduct a search. During the search, a red bag was found, and inside the bag was a black plastic bag in which the suspected cocaine was found.

Magistrate Daly, after listening to the prosecutor, denied bail and Hubbard was remanded to prison until October 21, 2019.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, September 28, 2019

DoE head challenges youth to ready themselves for oil sector THE Department of Energy (DoE) within the Ministry of The Presidency, on September 27, 2019, hosted an oil and gas forum at the National Culture Centre, under the theme ‘Guyana’s Future in Oil’.

The programme was facilitated to engage youths from various schools across Regions Three and Four, equipping them with the knowledge on the current status of the oil and gas sector and the trajectory of the sector in the near future.

Director at the Department of Energy, Dr. Mark Bynoe, at the event said that

enforcement of the requisite regulatory frameworks, increased human capacity built and sustained for the oil and gas and other sectors and for robust standards, procedures and instituted to maximise the benefits of the oil process,” said Dr. Bynoe.

He further went on to say that with over 1300 Guyanese already employed in the oil and gas sector and an additional 25 currently being trained to take up positions on the Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, Liza Destiny, the oil and gas sector is set to be one of the largest fields for em-

Dr. Mark Bynoe, Director, Department of Energy at the Ministry of the Presidency (Delano Williams Photo)

Cultural presentations at the Department of Energy’s ‘Guyana’s Future in Oil and Gas’ forum

Attendees at the Department of Energy’s ‘Guyana’s Future in Oil and Gas’ forum

this is a very historic moment in Guyana’s existence in that the country is now poised to see a shift in not only the way the it deals with its resources, but also of the country and it’s socioeconomic status.

“The Cooperative Republic of Guyana as a new and emerging energy producer, finds itself in a crucial and unprecedented position in the country’s history for sustained economic growth and development that can benefit both current and future generations.

“However to take advantage of this opportunity, optimisation of the net benefits from the national patrimony is essential [and] fostered inter alia, by the creation and

ployment within the society.

He however reminded the attendees that, they must broaden their horizons and not just focus on holding certain jobs within the newly-growing sector. He told them that they have the tool at their disposal that they could use to ensure that they learn and grasp all that they can to take up positions in the sector.

“As students, as young adults, as persons who are interested in the sector, seek to research as wide a field as possible. Keep yourself fully abreast, of developments… training and competency building, and certification standards enhancements.”

“It is not about how bright you are. It is important that

as people in this country we stop thinking just about what oil and gas can bring for me and start thinking about how I can contribute toward the economic development and welfare of this country.

We must be able to foster greater infrastructural development and have a collective vision of where we want to go as a nation we should allow for a greater proportion of Guyanese benefitting directly and indirectly form the oil and gas sector, the revenues derived there from,” Dr. Bynoe said.

He admonished that citizens have to come together to ensure continued sustainability of the oil and gas sector, to ensure that nothing divides

them as they try to foster a way for Guyana to finally achieve its potential, not just for the benefit of themselves, but for the benefit of every Guyanese person.

“You are in a pristine position but you will not just get there just because you are Guyanese, you will not just get there because you are entitled, you will get there based on what investments are made today for the future. But all of this will pale in significance unless we appreciate and live together as a nation, not judging each other or distributing the proceeds from the oil and gas based on the colour of our skin, the texture of our hair, or our political affiliation, but based on the fact that we are all Guyanese,” he said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, September 28, 2019

Man who committed a series of offences sentenced and fined

MAGISTRATE Delon Bess on Friday, September 27, 2019, sentenced a 28-yearold labourer, who committed a series of offences, to three years’ imprisonment and fined him $40,000.

Seon Lampkin of ‘D’ Field, Sophia, appeared at

the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and was found guilty at the conclusion of the trial.

The first charge stated that, on April 16, 2019, at Main Street, Georgetown, Lampkin robbed Janay DaSantos of a $5,000 handbag, along with $8,000 in cash.

The second charge alleged that Lampkin attempted to rob Uris Alleyne during the same incident.

It is alleged that, on the same day, at High Street, Georgetown, Lampkin, while being in police custody, unlawfully assaulted

Seon Lampkin

police officers Wilson and Keron.

It is also alleged that, while being escorted to the Diamond/Grove Police Station lockups in a police vehicle, Lampkin attempted to escape on High Street, Georgetown.

Magistrate Bess ruled and sentenced Lampkin to three years on the robbery charge, 18 months on the attempt to

commit a felony charge, six months on the attempt at escaping police custody charge and ordered that the sentences run concurrently.

Magistrate also fined Lampkin $20,000 on each of the assault charges and told him that, if he fails to pay the fines, he will serve three months’ imprisonment on the assault charges.

Fraud accused granted bail MAGISTRATE Leron Daly on Friday, September 27, 2019, granted $100,000 bail to a 31-year-old man who allegedly committed a series of criminal offenses.

Jamal Gilbert of East Coast Demerara appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and denied the five charges when they were read to him.

Particulars of the first charge stated that, between January 1, 2019 and March 5, 2019, at Middle Street, Georgetown, Gilbert, with intent to defraud, forged an auditor’s report in favour of Total Medical Supplies Inc. purporting to show that it was signed by Drubahadur and issued by D. Bahadur, knowing same to be forged.

The second charge stated that, between January 1, 2019 and March 5, 2019, at Middle Street, Georgetown, Gilbert, with intent to defraud, forged an auditor’s report in favour of Midtown Hotel Restaurant and bar purporting to show that it was signed by Drubahadur and issued by D. Bahadur, knowing same to be forged.

The third charge stated that, on March 5, 2019, at the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Camp Street, Georgetown, Gilbert, with intent to defraud, uttered to Reon Sobers, a clerk at GRA a forged document, an auditor’s report in favour of Total Medical Supplies Inc. purporting to show that it was signed by Drubahadur and issued by D. Bahadur, knowing same to be forged.

It is alleged that, on March 5, 2019 at the Guyana Revenue Authority, Camp Street, Georgetown, Gilbert, with intent to defraud, uttered to Reon Sobers, a clerk at GRA, a forged document, an auditor’s report in favour of Midtown Hotel Restaurant and bar purporting to show that it was signed by Drubahadur and issued by D. Bahadur, knowing same to be forged.

The last charge stated that, on March 29, at the Criminal Investigation Department, Gilbert give Police Lance Corporal Prince, a Public Officer, information orally and in writing which he knew to be false, thereby causing the said officer to

use his lawful power to the annoyance of the person arrested.

Gilbert was represented by attorney-at-law Leslie Sobers.

According to reports, Drubahadur lodged a complaint at the Criminal Investigation Department Headquarters, that he was in receipt of two audit reports which were signed by him and issued by his business and he had no knowledge of such documents.

As a result, an investigation was conducted and Gilbert was arrested. He told the police that D. Bahadur had given him the documents. D. Bahadur was subsequently arrested.

D. Bahadur denied giving Gilbert such documents.

Gilbert then told the police that he did not receive the documents from D. Bahadur.

It was further revealed that it was Gilbert who forged the signatures.

Gilbert was arrested and charged.

Magistrate Daly granted Gilbert $100,000 bail.

Guyana now a global partner to internal audit body GUYANA’S internal audit sector has been elevated to global standing after joining more than 170 countries which fall under the umbrella of the International Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA).

According to a release, the Guyana Chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors, which was established in April 2000, was a member of the North American Chapter for 19 years. In July this year, the body gained membership from the IIA. The local body stated that over the past 19 years, the Guyana Chapter has been recognised by the IIA for its

continuing development and contribution to the internal auditing profession. In this context, the profession has been benefitting from training seminars and workshops, strategic alignment of the chapter’s activities, as well as the promotion of outreach programs in both the private and public sector entities on the current best practices of the internal auditing profession.

It said that the board of governors, the executive committee, ad hoc committees, as well as stakeholders in the private and public sectors, contributed to the successful growth of the local

chapter. The local chapter said that it has been making its contributions towards the development and growth of “this esteemed internal audit profession.”

It noted that its volunteers, officers and governors are committed to providing appropriate services to its members and non-member audit practitioners, as well as to uphold the integrity of the profession, and to properly represent the IIA in its affairs.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, September 28, 2019

Anns Grove youths do community proud --Min. Norton encourages continuance of initiative to honour village’s high achievers THE Ministry of the Presidency, Department of Social Cohesion, in collaboration with Douchfour Greenfield Harmony Group, held an award ceremony to honour the students who produced outstanding results in academics and sports in Ann’s Grove and the neighbouring communities.

In his feature address at the award ceremony held at Punter’s Place Ann’s Grove, East Coast of Demerara, The Minister of Social Cohesion, Culture Youth and Sport, Dr.

to ensure that its citizens are well educated, properly trained, fully qualified and capable of creating a more prosperous life for themselves and their families and to ensure that no child is deprived of a sound education regardless of what their financial background is.

The Government of Guyana wants to make sure that the nation’s children are given a fair opportunity to develop themselves.

Hence the President crafted the public education and transportation service

Minister of Social Cohesion, Culture Youth and Sport Dr. George Norton addressing the award ceremony

The children who were awarded for doing well at the NGSA

A choir doing a musical rendition at the function

George Norton, expressed immense pleasure with the performances of the students who were awarded at the ceremony.

“His Excellency, President David Granger, recently said that ‘education is the surest path to empowering and listing persons out of poverty and marginalisation’.

Taking in to consideration the accuracy of those words, I do believe that today is a day to celebrate and I’m most happy to be joining you in this celebration of the accomplishments of some of our nation’s children and young adults. Over the last year, the students and youths of Anns Grove and its surrounding communities have worked hard to ensure successes in various fields including academics, music and sports. I am pleased that the Douchfour Greenfield Community Harmony Group has taken this initiative for the third time to reward these high achievers,” he said.

The minister further explained that one of the main aims of the government is

known as the Five-Bs programme, which provides the necessities to ensure that the country’s children are properly equipped to focus on their education, he added.

The said programme provides children with schoolbooks, book bags, breakfast and transportation in the form of buses, boats and bicycles.

Minister Norton congratulated the Douchfour Greenfield Harmony Community Group and encouraged them to continue to work hard to further the development of themselves and the country.

“I want to encourage you all to work and let us all join hands to pave the way for these students to have a bright future filled with all sorts of flattering possibilities. I want to remind the parents, the guardians and elders of that saying, which says it takes a community to build a child. For this reason this particular community must be congratulated and must be encouraged to follow through with what they have initiated and the Douchfour

Greenfield Harmony Community Group, the pace setter we hope that would be emulated by other communities to do the same that you’re doing for your community,” he said.

The minister also encouraged the students to not only focus on academics but also invest in sports, “As the minister with the remit of sports, music and other forms of cultural activities, I beg that you, along with your academic achievements, do not forget the area of sports and culture” he stated.

Eleven students were awarded for their performances at the recent National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), eight students received awards for their performances at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination, and two students received awards for their Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) and five other students received awards for their performances in sports and music.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, September 28, 2019

President will dissolve Parliament at the right time – PNCR

WHILE President, David Granger has announced a date for the holding of new elections, he will not, at this stage, dissolve Parliament since the law states that an election of members of the National Assembly shall be held within three months after the dissolution of Parliament.

Even as the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) has refused to return to the National Assembly to grant the Constitutional extension for the holding of elections on March 2, 2020, People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Executive Member, Aubrey Norton said, on Friday, that, “Parliament will be dissolved at the right time”.

At the party’s press conference, he quoted Article 61 of the Constitution which states: “An election of members of the National Assembly under article 60 (2) shall be held on such day within three months after every dissolution of Parliament as the President shall appoint by Proclamation.”

The same was highlighted even as Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, claims the government wants the ex-

tension for reason for legal coverage for “all the criminal acts” committed during the period of the passing of the no-confidence motion to the naming of an elections date.

However, on Friday, Norton slammed the PPP for utilising a pretence respect for Guyana’s Constitution as a campaign ploy. “The PNCR is aware that the PPP as a government did not honour our Constitution when it refused to have the then Prime Minister perform the constitutional function as Leader of Government’s business in the National Assembly and to place the lotto funds into the Consolidated Fund, inter alia. We have brought that lawless period to an end,” Norton said, reading a statement on behalf the party.

The PNCR Executive said that the days of trampling the rights of the Guyanese people are over and citizens can expect that, despite the opposition’s uncooperative position, President David Granger will pave the way for credible elections in the country.

Furthermore, he stated that the PNCR is ready and well equipped to defeat

Guyana Youth and Student Movement (GYSM) Chairman, Ryan Belgrave and People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Executive Member, Aubrey Norton the PPP again in the coming elections.

He stated, “We are prepared and will defeat the PPP, whose shameful record of lawlessness, dishonesty, arbitrary use of power against anyone who disagreed with them, contempt for the people of Guyana, collaborating with drug traffickers, enrichment of their friends and families and the destruction of our law enforcement agencies,

so that the lawless can dominate our society, will not appeal to the people of Guyana.”

The PNCR now urges all Guyanese to participate in the upcoming claims and objection period towards the creation of a clean the list free of the “many phantoms that have been placed there during PPP misrule of Guyana.”

CANU fires corrupt officer

THE Customs Anti Narcotic Unit (CANU) has fired one of its ranks, who recently breached Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) by attempting a ‘skullduggery’ on an outgoing passenger at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.

The officer was identified as Osafa Matherson. It is alleged that he attempted to plant narcotics on a woman who videoed his actions after realising that he wanted to search her a second time.

Reports indicate that Matherson used his training to profile passengers who appear weak or intimidated by the many security positions at the airport.

Matherson has been with CANU for six months.

CANU’s Deputy Head, Leslie Ramlall was apprised of a video circulating on social media displaying law enforcement officers conducting themselves in an unprofessional manner.

He said investigations have confirmed that one

of the law enforcement officers is an employee of CANU. Based on investigations, there was a serious breach of CANU’s Standard Operating Procedures.

Consequent to the findings of the aforementioned investigation, Ramlall noted that recommendations for the immediate dismissal of the officer were forwarded to the Ministry of Public Security.

“CANU strives at all times to operate professionally with a high level of integrity and all officers are afforded the necessary training to perform their duties in accordance with the unit’s SOPs and are encouraged to maintain the expected standard of integrity. Therefore, any officer found with conduct inimical to the unit’s policies, will be dealt with condignly,” the deputy head explained.

He continued, “It should be noted that this officer’s conduct does not reflect what the unit stands for and should not be used as an indicator of the conduct of

CANU’s Deputy Head, Leslie Ramlall the many hardworking and professional officers of the unit who daily perform their duties with a high level of integrity. CANU regrets this unfortunate incident and wishes to assure the public that no acts of indiscipline and unprofessionalism will be condoned.”

He reminded the public that CANU welcomes feedback and contact can be made on telephone numbers 227-3507 or 2260431.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, September 28, 2019

IDB remains development giant – finance minister

THE Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) remains a development giant in uncertain times and must ensure its undergirding policies are sound.

This perspective was shared by Finance Minister, Winston Jordon, on Thursday during his address to IDB President, Luis Alberto Moreno, in Washington DC at the bank’s 60th anniversary.

He said the IDB’s development effectiveness framework is robust and information on success stories demonstrating tangible results is widely distributed.

However, Minister Jordon noted that the bank

needs to further revise policies and instruments related to disaster response.

In light of the devastating impacts of climate change, Minister Jordon questioned the aid accessibility given to smaller, poorer and more vulnerable member countries of the IDB. He said as an institution with intraregional integration as a cornerstone of its work, it is time to consider regional instruments.

“As the fourth industrial revolution transpires, regional challenges are reinforced. Whilst technology offers much-required solutions, it deepens concerns

about resources to equip a country’s human capital to thrive in this emerging environment and the agility of poorer countries to adjust and adapt at a rapid pace, whilst dealing with other competing and pressing development matters,” Jordon said.

The finance minister said it may be time to consider a different approach to financing operations that underpin the fundamentals and strategic focus of the bank.

“I acknowledge and salute the many achievements of the bank in assisting governments across the region in building climate resilient infrastructure, establishing robust fiscal frameworks, mobilising resources to meet developmental objectives, providing financing for pri-

vate sector development and growth, creating safe spaces for innovation and promoting human and social development,” he said.

Nevertheless, he noted that the bank must assist countries in their quest to digitalise their economies, participate on global markets, and become competitive in key industries.

However, on the other hand, Minister Jordon said it is critical for the bank to remain sincere to its mantra of improving lives by ensuring that the region’s most poor and vulnerable populations are reached and adequately catered to through its operations.

“To remain relevant, the bank must undergo pragmatic reforms that would further align its strategies, policies and offerings to the require-

Finance Minister, Winston Jordon, making remarks at the IDB anniversary celebration ments of non-Borrowing gratulating the bank on Member Countries and the its achievements over the needs of its Borrowing Con- past 60 years, saying “I look forward to its lonstituents,” Jordon said.

He concluded by con- gevity.”

‘Jerk Hut’ operating without council’s permission THE Mayor and City Council (M&CC) heard last Monday that from 2016 to present, no approval from the council has ever been granted to the owner of the popular ‘Jerk Hut’ on Cummings Street for the business to operate there.

The Engineer’s Department recently called for the removal of this business which is located at the Merrimans Mall, facing Cummings Street, and for all operations to be ceased there immediately.

But the owner subsequently visited Mayor Ubraj Narine’s office, who in turn, wanted clarity from the council. He raised the issue at the most recent statutory meeting.

Acting Town Clerk, Sherry Jerrick, offered that there has not been a council decision permitting the business to operate at this location.

According to her, the business owner, who visited

noted that the owner of the business was to cease his operation and meet with the City Council. This decision

The Jerk Hut had no permission to operate since 2016 her office, told her that it was not the council who was after him, but a particular councillor instead.

Deputy City Engineer, Kenson Boston, according to Jerrick, pointed the business owner to the councillor, and then to her.

Councillor Oscar Clarke said Boston’s operation in this matter has been nothing short of unprofessional. “The entire council is replete with

unprofessional staff,” Clarke charged, adding that he has been able to recognise such behaviour on many occasions.

He reasoned that no matter what low class a person comes from, he should make an effort to improve himself.

He found Boston’s calling of a councillor’s name in this manner to be very unprofessional.

Councillor Denroy Tudor

The Jerk Hut on Cummings Street.

was not implemented, he observed.

He said he found it troubling when the business

owner approached him personally about the matter, owing to Boston’s pointing him out.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, September 28, 2019

Diplomats, private sector welcome announcement of elections date

THE United States of America Ambassador to Guyana, Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch, United Kingdom High Commissioner to Guyana, H.E. Greg Quinn and the Head of Delegation of the European Union to Guyana, H.E. Ambassador Fernando Ponz Cantó have all hailed the announcement of the date for elections by President David Granger.

In a terse statement the diplomats said it is now essential to ensure free and fair elections which we are pleased to support with

elections assistance and monitoring along with other colleagues in the international community.

For their part the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association Limited also welcomes the announcement by President Granger of the date for the holding of the elections. “In this vein we take the opportunity to acknowledge the support of the Opposition Leader of the date. We now look forward to an incident free process toward the holding of a free, transparent and credible

President David Granger speaking to reporters at CPCE’s Turkeyen Campus on Thursday (Delano Williams’ photo) elections,” the GMSA. The Private Sector Commission also congratulated the President on announcing a firm date for the holding of National and Regional elections on March 2, 2020. “The PSC is pleased that the Leader of the Opposition has accepted this date. We look forward now to all of our political parties contesting free, fair and peaceful elections.”

President Granger, on Thursday, confirmed that General and Regional Elections will be held on Monday March 2, 2020. In his address to the nation on Wednesday, the Head of State said based on discussions with the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh and his Cabinet, the earliest possible date for the conduct of elections would be March 2, 2019. Moments later, former Attorney General and People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Executive Member, Anil Nandlall, said the President fell short of proclaiming a date for elections, and merely informed the nation of the earliest possible date. But President Granger, on the sideline of an event at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) on Thursday, removed all doubts. “Elections will be held on the 2nd March, that was the advice I received,” he told reporters.

The President explained that he did not use “more definitive terms” on the basis that both the Government and the Opposition would be required, under the Constitution, to return to the National Assembly for an extension of the timeline for elections. Article 106 (7) mandates that elections be held within three months of a No-Confidence Motion, or within an extended period approved by twothirds of the National Assembly.

As a consequence, the government will return to the National Assembly when it reconvenes in October to ask for an extension. But President Granger made it clear that failure by the Opposition to endorse such a motion will not affect the conduct of the General and Regional Elections. “If the Opposition doesn’t go to parliament, we will abide by what I said last night, elections will be held on the 2nd March; that is as definitive as I can get,” President Granger said.

The President noted that he was guarded in his remarks, so as to allow for GECOM to publicise its work schedule. “It is not my duty or my intention to micromanage the process or to say things which the Commission could

implement,” he posited.

Nonetheless, President Granger said he is satisfied with the assurance given particularly for the production or extraction of a credible list of electors. “I am satisfied that the Commission is confident that the extended claims and objections period would allow all of the electors to indicate whether there are any claims and objections.

I am satisfied, that is the assurance I have been given by the Chairman of the Commission,” he said.

35 DAYS FOR C&O Last Tuesday, GECOM took a decision to commence Claims and Objections from October 1, 2019 for a period of 35 days.

It will also solicit help from the US and Commonwealth for the provision of advisers for the elections, so as to allow for free, fair and credible elections. It is expected that GECOM will be fully prepared for elections by the end of February, 2020, in keeping with the advice given to President Granger by its Chairman, Justice Singh. Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, on Thursday, said though he is not entirely satisfied with the February 2020 timeframe given by GECOM or the March 2 elections date proclaimed by the President, his party-- the People’s Progressive Party-- is prepared to work with those timelines.

Early elections in Guyana were triggered when, on December 21, 2018, the Parliamentary Opposition – the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) – secured a one-seat majority in the House to defeat the government on a Motion of No-Confidence. Now recalled Member of Parliament, Charrandass Persaud, had used his vote in the House to support the Motion, thereby giving the Opposition an edge over the government in the 65 Member National Assembly.

The No-Confidence Motion was upheld by the High Court on January 31, 2019 but on March 22, 2019, the Court of Appeal, by a 2-1 majority, invalidated the motion on the basis that an absolute majority was not acquired although the Opposition had secured an extra vote to defeat the government. It was not until June 18, 2019 that the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) – Guyana’s final appellate court – validated the No- Confidence Motion.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, September 28, 2019

Tree of Life Daycare hosts mini-exhibition

IN observance of Education Month, Tree of Life Daycare, Playgroup and Nursery School has been hosting a mini-exhibition at its Tucville premises.

The exhibition comprises of unique teaching aids and craft pieces used by the teachers of the school to deliver education to the children.

Headteacher of the school, Carol Melville, told the Guyana Chronicle that they take education delivery very seriously at their school and always think of the most creative ways to ensure children have fun while learning.

She explained that the school houses a daycare, playgroup, and nursery school and deliver educa-

Headteacher of Tree of Life School, Carol Melville tional content at all stages.

“You have to start the education foundation from this level because children learn things for life from birth to eight years old. So

we have to ensure that whatever we teach them is the correct things because it is easy to get them to learn the correct things and it is difficult to get them to unlearn the wrong things,” Melville said.

She further explained that education is not just about academics, and as such, the daycare seeks to provide a more holistic approach to ensure children are groomed to be great additions to society.

“We try as far as possible to not only teach them (the children) academics but we try to produce all-rounders.

We teach music, dance, religious education, every Tuesday we have children church, and we take them on tours too. Just recently we went to

Nothing unusual about Dora students’ strange behaviour, psychiatrist finds –– says it may have been triggered by mass hysteria

THE strange behaviour of the 20 Dora Secondary School children that were rushed to the Linden Hospital Complex on Wednesday has been diagnosed as being symptomatic with mass hysteria.

The students, all girls, were rushed to the LHC on Wednesday. Eighteen of them were observed and sent away, while the remaining two were admitted but released on Thursday.

According to a relative of the first girl that was rushed to the health centre in Dora, all they knew was that she fainted, but nothing seemed to be amiss at the time, since she normally experiences such spells from time to time.

It was, however, after batches of girls from the school came swarming into the

health centre that a decision was made to take them all to the hospital.

This newspaper understands that they were all displaying symptoms of someone who is mentally unstable.

After she would have evaluated them, Dr. Sandra Glasgow, a psychiatrist attached to the LHC, declared that the girls may very well have been suffering from mass hysteria.

According to the medical authorities, mass hysteria is a condition affecting a group of persons, and is characterised by excitement or anxiety, irrational behaviour or beliefs, or inexplicable symptoms of illness.

Health workers in the community are continuing to monitor the situation.

Children enjoying a puppet show by the teachers New Amsterdam. What we aim for is when they leave Tree of Life and go into the wider community, they will be well rounded,” Melville noted The children from as young as one year, six months, do Language, Social Studies, Science, Mathematics, Health and Family Life Education (HFLE), and Spanish.

The headteacher said at

the mini-exhibition, thus far, a lot of parents have been visiting. This, she said, was a great thing since it was also a way of edifying parents and equipping them with creative ways on how to continue at home with educational materials.

“So what we explained to them is how some of the things were made and they asked questions. From the

activities, parents learned a lot, and it was a learning experience for the parents as well, because we found that some parents came here and they learnt something new as well.

We’ve even been visited by our neighbouring schools, who too said that the materials and things on display are very edifying,” Melville said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, September 28, 2019

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, September 28, 2019

Agriculture Month to focus heavily on ‘climate-smart’ interventions –– observations slated to begin tomorrow

THE Agricultural sector plays a strategic role in the process of the economic development of Guyana and is a significant contributor to Guyana’s domestic food and nutrition.

The Government of Guyana will continue to promote and support the development of agriculture in the country, whether it is through a shift from substantive farming to market-led farming; through livelihood and income-generating opportunities; and/or the delivery of quality agricultural produce, products and services of local consumption.

Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder gave this assurance while noting that Guyana is poised to be an oil-producing state in 2020, as he apprised media operatives of upcoming activities to be held in observance of Agriculture Month, which will be observed this year under the theme, “Sustainable Agriculture for ensuring Food Safety and a Green Economy”.

With Minister Holder was Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture with responsibility for Rural Affairs, Valerie Adams-Yearwood. Also in attendance were Deputy Permanent Secretary Aretha Henry, and representatives of departments, agencies and organisations affiliated to the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), including the Fisheries Department, National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA), the Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Control Board (PTCCB), Mahaica, Mahaicony, Abary-Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ ADA), the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA),and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), among other agencies.

The month-long activities will begin on Sunday, with an Interfaith Service at the Agriculture Ministry’s Regent Street head office, and conclude on October 26, when ten events would be held at different venues and differing times.

Bringing down the curtain on the exercise will be hosting of Essequibo Night at Anna Regina, in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).

Minister Holder specifically highlighted the launch of a Climate-Smart Agriculture Project’ (CSAP), with the initial event slated to be held in Regions One (Barima- Waini) at 09:00 hours on October 1, 2019.

Similar events will also take place in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara); Four (Demerara-Mahaica); Five (Mahaica-Berbice); Six (East Berbice-Corentyne); Nine (Upper-Takutu-Upper Essequibo); and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) on varying dates.

CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) is an approach to managing agricultural systems to respond to climate change, and is one of the sustainable agricultural approaches for a ‘Green’ Economy.

The CSAP is a joint initiative involving the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), and the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) of the Ministry of Finance, that will provide opportunities for farmers and community groups to establish new, or to scale up existing, shade houses, Minister Holder stated.

He said that agriculture contributes 16.2 per cent to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP); that the relative share nationally of persons employed in agriculture is 17.8 per cent; and that approximately 26 per cent of Guyana’s export earnings comes from agriculture.

He said, too, that the ministry has been pursuing interventions to ensure food security for all, specifically access to safe food throughout the country, with a view to maintaining a healthy and productive population.

FOOD SAFETY AUTHORITY And, with legislation now in place for Food Safety and Animal Welfare, the focus of the Agriculture Ministry is on the oversight required to regulate the food ecosystem.

As such, they have embarked on the operational of the Food Safety Authority (FSA).

The FSA will assist in the prevention of food-borne diseases through the control of production, preparation, handling, storage and transportation of food, as well as coordinate and regulate the fragmented system for food safety in Guyana.

To give life to this vision, and by enduring food safety through monitoring the use, patterns and practices of chemicals by examining pesticide residues in agriculture produce, the Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Control Board (PTCCB) will commission its new Pesticides Laboratory on October 24, 2019.

In addition, the Hydrometeorological Service will, on October 23, 2019, commission its Water Quality Laboratory that will facilitate the testing of water samples gathered from both ground and surface water sources, to ascertain their quality, for instance if it is safe, and to establish a database for national water quality. The ‘lab’ will also support and inform environmental protection, infrastructural development and agriculture among other things.

Other noteworthy events for Agriculture Month include the commissioning of an Automatic Weather Station at St. Cuthbert’s Mission on October 9 by the ‘Hydromet’ Department; the handing over of the Management Plan for the Artisanal Sector 2019-2024 to the Fisheries Department by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) on October 14, 2019; and the commissioning of the GRDB’s new head office at the Agriculture Complex, La Bonne Intention (LBI), East Coast Demerara on October 25.

OTHER ACTIVITIES Other annual activities that have become synonymous with Agriculture Month and will again be held, include the National Tree Day on October 11; World Food Day on October 16; Open Days at the Rice Research Station at Burma, West Coast Berbice on October 10 2019; at the Mon Repos Agricultural Complex on October 18, 2019; and at the MMA/ADA on October 25, 2019.

So, too will be NAREI’s Annual Research Conference; the Ministry of Agriculture’s Fitness Walk, the Health Fair and Healthy Cook-Off Competition; the Guyana Livestock Development Authority

(GLDA) Ambulatory and Community Outreaches across the regions; NAREI’s Farmers’ Career Day and the GMC Farmers and Agro-Processors’ Market Day among others.

Meanwhile, for the first time ever, two events targeting the elderly and the disabled have also been added to the Agriculture Month calendar of events, Minister Patterson-Yearwood announced.

The first Agri-cursion Field School, as the events are titled, will both be held at the Guyana School of Agriculture, Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara.

On October 1, designated also as the International Day for Older Persons, a field school will be held where the elderly from Region Five, Six and 10

will be exposed farming techniques.

According to the minister, the MoA is of the view that the targeted persons, even though they are elderly, they can still participate in maintaining kitchen gardens at home.

During the visit they will learn how to do container agriculture, observe the drip irrigation system, learn about composting and be the recipients of seedlings, compliments of the MoA, so they too can engage in their own tree-planting exercise.

A similar field exercise at the same venue, will be held on October 9, 2019 targeting persons with disabilities from Regions Three, Four, Five, Six and 10, Minister Patterson-Yearwood added.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, September 28, 2019

Scotiabank focuses on long-term solution … as BoG blocks Republic Bank takeover

IN light of the central bank’s move to block its sale to Republic Financial Holdings Limited (RFHL), Scotiabank says it will continue to deliver business as usual and focus “on the best long-term solution” for its customers and employees.

In a brief statement on Friday, the bank said that its sale to RFHL will not move forward at this time.

Central Bank Governor, Dr. Gobin Ganga, told the Guyana Chronicle earlier this week that both banks were informed of the decision to block the takeover.

He said the denial of the application for the takeover

by RFHL, branded as Republic Bank, was due largely to the high level of concentration of the banking system, noting that “it would lead to systemic issues” which would

have affected the financial system here.

On Thursday, Republic Bank expressed disappointment at the move by the central bank.

“While this development is disappointing, we do not dwell on disappointment,” said President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of RFHL, Nigel Baptiste, adding

that the company remains fully engaged and committed to supporting Guyana through its operations.

The company also plans on ensuring the success of all activities for which it has received the requisite regulatory approvals, under the proposed BNS acquisition.

“We appreciate the Bank of Guyana’s acknowledge-

ment of the value of our longstanding role in the development of Guyana’s financial landscape and our continued contribution to the financial sector,” said Baptiste.

Dr. Ganga explained earlier this week that the move would have led to lower cost efficiency, adding that it would have stymied competition in the local sector. He said Republic Bank would have had over 50 per cent assets and deposits in the local sector, which would have raised “major concerns” such as impact on competition.

Both banks have done very well in Guyana, Dr. Ganga said. He said the Republic Bank has played a very good role in Guyana and this is why they would have wanted to advance their footprint.

However, he reiterated that the planned move would have

had an adverse impact on the banking system.

He said Scotiabank is free to sell their operations and with the evolving oil and gas industry here, it can take advantage of the opportunities which lay ahead.

In November 2018, the Bank of Nova Scotia, which trades as Scotiabank, reported that fourth-quarter earnings were marginally below expectations and said it planned to exit nine countries in the Caribbean as part of a shakeup of that business.

Scotiabank said it planned to sell its banking operations in Anguilla, Antigua, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Maarten, St Vincent & the Grenadines to Republic Financial Holdings.

In a statement subsequent to the announcement, Guyana’s Ministry of Finance frowned on the move. It said Republic Bank currently held

35.4 per cent of the banking systems assets and 36.8 per cent of deposits in Guyana and the acquisition of Scotiabank would up this to 51 per cent of both assets and deposits.

“This too will have an impact on competition and the potential for Republic Bank to have too much influence on pricing of banking products and rates. The sale will also have an impact on issues related to correspondent banking options and the loss of jobs with Republic Bank likely to consolidate branches,” the Finance Ministry said.

Earlier this month, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), in consultation with the ECCB Monetary Council, approved the application for the transfer of the assets and liabilities of the Bank of Nova Scotia to the Republic Financial Holdings Limited in several regional territories.

Isa Islamic School holds career day for the very first time THE primary and nursery levels of Isa Islamic School held their career day on Thursday, in observance of education month.

This activity came as the first of its kind at the school, since its 18 years in existence.

As per every career day, the pupils dressed as what they would like to be when they grow up. The children were all dressed up as chefs, engineers, detectives, doctors, pilots and more.

However, the school added a different aspect to their career day. They invited persons from various professions to talk to the children about what it’s like in their profession.

Nurses, doctors, police officers, army ranks, journalists, and more, were present at the school, sharing their individual stories in effort to give the children a better understanding in choosing their careers.

Head of Department for the Primary level, Maelanie DeFreitas, said that the school

decided to give the children more opportunities and exposure to help them determine what they want in their adult life.

“This year we decided to do it because it gives children a chance to really think deeper into what they want to be as adults and having this here, with professionals sharing experiences, will have them determine if what they had in mind, is what they really want.

Because we always have changes along the path, and even after the story sharing, we had some little ones changing their minds about who they want to be,” DeFreitas said.

It was evident that the children were having a great time since they were all enthusiastic about what the professionals had to say.

They engaged and asked several questions to better understand the individual careers.

DeFreitas also said that it is her hope that the children would have grasped what was taught, and start focusing on the path they want to go.

The children enthusiastic to know more about the nurse’s profession

The secondary level will have their chance next month to dress in attire depicting their career choice, and like

the primary and nursery, they will also benefit from the engagements with the professionals.

Some of the children at Isa Islamic School dressed for career day

The chef showing off his cake decorating skills

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, September 28, 2019

Coconut vendors giving City Hall headache COCONUT vendors in Georgetown are placing a heavy burden on the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) where the disposal of their waste material is concerned.

At the City Council’s most recent statutory meeting at City Hall, councillors agreed that a meeting will have to be called with these vendors to see how they can better assist the municipality with the disposal of their coconut shells in particular.

Solid Waste Management Director, Walter Narine, told this publication recently that the volume of waste generated by this group of vendors is “tremendous and it is placing a lot of burden on the department.”

According to him, the vendors pay a regular spot rental fee, but the coconut shells alone account for 48 tonnes of garbage daily.

Some time back, Narine had said that the local government body was in the process of exploring the option of having all coconut vendors stationed at one point in the City, from where their services can be accessed.

This decision came at a time when City Hall, supported by volunteers and

Solid Waste Director Walter Narine at the council’s most recent statutory meeting

vendors, had been making tremendous efforts to restore Georgetown to the traditional “Garden City.”

While no definite decision was taken, the proposal was discussed with the coconut vendors and Narine had said that they were all receptive to the new initiative.

Besides relocation, Narine had spoken of the possibility of having these vendors wear uniforms. This idea, he said, was to push a culture of uniformity at a time when efforts were being made to

reorganise the socio-economic orientation of Georgetown.

He noted that a fee was to be implemented for coconut vendors to have their shells disposed of after a day’s work. “Those shells are huge, and sometimes the shavings and even the whole shell are left on the road or in drains. So we will be seeking to implement a system for them [the vendors] to pay a fee which will be used to provide disposal services,” Narine had explained.

Low-lying areas alerted to possible flooding PERSONS residing along the banks of rivers and in low-lying coastal areas are urged to take all necessary precautions against flooding during the spring tide period which began on Thursday and is due to end on October 2.

Chief Sea and River Defence Officer in the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Kevin Samad, issued the high-tide alert on Friday.

The highest tides are expected on Sunday at 4:38pm at a height of 3.36 metres, and on Monday at 5:18pm at a height of 3.32 metres, the notice stated.

The Sea and River Defence Department says it considers the Pomeroon River banks; Sans Souci to Sarah and Maria’s Pleasure to Meerzorg, Wakenaam Island; Cane Field/ Amsterdam, Endeavour/Blenheim, Cane Garden on Leguan Island; Windsor Forest to De Willem, West Coast Demerara; the Parika market area and Salem to Sparta, East Bank Essequibo; Water Street, Georgetown; Helena Number One and Two, Mahaica; Fairfield / Dantzig, Mahaicony; and Wellington Park/ Tarlogie on the Corentyne, to be particularly susceptible to possible flooding as a result of storm surges which may induce overtopping of sea and river defence structures.

In addition to those locations, all persons residing along the banks of rivers and

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low-lying coastal areas are advised to take all the necessary precautions against possible flooding.

Mariners, including those operating fishing vessels and larger vessels, are warned to be cautious. The ministry has also advised that beaches and foreshore areas should not be used for recreational purposes during this period.

Meanwhile, in the event of an emergency, contact can be made on telephone numbers 225-9868, 226-1070, 226-4368, 654-4226, 654-4227 or 632-1161.

Dennis Ramsingh, District Engineer, Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), who was at Parika monitoring the situation, said he and other Sea and River Defence officials in the other regions are in alert mode, in the event of emergencies. Such a situation will continue until the spring tide period ends on October 2.

He said a minimum amount of water was seeping from below the Parika stelling, due to its low elevation, and there were other minor overflows. There is nothing to cause alarm however, as the drains have been taking off the excess water.

Ramsingh, however, reminded of the two highest tides that will occur on Sunday and Monday.

Rape accused remanded

MAGISTRATE Sherdel Marcus-Isaacs on Friday, September 27, 2019, remanded a man who allegedly raped a 14-year-old boy.

Wazeer Potter of Garden of Eden appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and was not required to plead to the charge.

Particulars of the charge stated that, on August 8, 2018, at Garden of Eden, Potter engaged in sexual penetration with a child under the age of sixteen.

Reports stated that, on the day in

question, the young boy was playing in the yard when Potter snatched him and took him to a house where he committed the act.

The child made a complaint to his grandmother about what Potter had done to him. The matter was reported and Potter went into hiding.

Recently, Potter was caught, arrested and charged for the offense.

Magistrate Marcus-Isaacs remanded Potter to prison and adjourned the matter until October 1, 2019.

Life Reform equipping students to make informed decisions LIFE Reform Chairman Philip Drayton said teenagers, if empowered with the tools necessary to make assertive decisions, can effect real transformation.

Drayton made the comment at the commencement of the Secondary School Drug Education and Prevention Programme (SSDEPP) in the Georgetown district.

He said the SSDEPP is a systematic approach to tackle the use and misuse of drugs and alcohol, specifically among youths.

Life Reform has made several attempts over the years to address these problems.

However, they found that their previous strategy was not working, since mood and mind-altering substances are still ravaging the youths in the education system.

“So we implemented a much more Chairman of Life Reform Philip Drayton systematic approach, dealing with it from different levels – the PTA, then teachers, they also looked at the causal factors of the then the prefects -- who are like the police students using drugs, and noted that based for the schools -- and then the students. The on their findings, the leading causes are programme sets out to highlight attitudes, social problems.

“The risk factors at home are crazy. It’s knowledge and coping life and refusal something that stems from the community skills, which is very vital,” Drayton said.

An alarming number of youths under aspect of things, and these students use age 17 are using illicit drugs. Drayton cited these drugs because of that instant gratitwo cases: one where a 15-year-old over- fication they feel. Wanting to feel it is not dosed on ecstasy and was later hospitalised the problem, it’s the methods in which inand two, a young man was found with nar- dividuals are choosing to do such is. So we just need to equip them with the right tools cotics in school.

Drayton said as part of their strategy, necessary,” Drayton pointed out.

He added: “There are various ways that persons can feel blissed out. You don’t need any external chemicals to be put within the system to make this a reality. One of the most fundamental stuff that persons have employed is dancing. Dancing is a great way for members of society to express both thoughts and emotions, so that they don’t have to pick up any mood and mind-altering substances to do such. Poetry, singing, sports, these are appropriate life and coping skills that persons could implement, that youths need to utilise.”

There is also the issue where parents are users. This poses a challenge for the organisation.

“What persons need to recognise and understand is that the human system cannot differentiate if the mood and mind-altering substances are being used for recreational purposes, medicinal purposes or spiritual purposes. What the system does is simple: just consume and it shows you consequences, especially in the bodies of our youths,” Drayton emphasised.

He added: “What we must ensure is that our youths are one step better than us in many ways, and the most fundamental tool to make this a reality is that they need the opportunity to conduct life more cognitively, more consciously. And if elders are turning a blind eye to what is happening as

it relates to narcotics within our educational institutions, we are going to put them at a disadvantage. And in Life Reform’s humble opinion, this is a crime against humanity.

This must not happen, so Life Reform has taken up this initiative to see how best we can transform lives here in Guyana. And our youths are the most vulnerable group and they are our future,” he further stated.

The organisation has received permission from the Ministry of Education to go to all schools in Guyana. They have started with the Georgetown district which comprises 32 schools, and so far the programme is being implemented in St Joseph High School, St John’s College, Christ Church Secondary, Richard Ishmael Secondary and Tutorial High School. They have also visited a few out-of-town schools and youth groups to do outreach work and spread awareness.

“Most of these schools we have done interventions from the PTA aspect of things.

How freely we get to work on the timetable will determine how fast we will finish at a school. But we already did interventions with all the head teachers in Georgetown and they have recognised and understand how to spot substance users and misusers within their schools… our goal is to curb the percentage of this misuse,” Drayton said.

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Blossom Inc. ups awareness campaign against child sexual abuse

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, September 28, 2019

… communication between child, parent essential for healthy healing process

IN commemoration of Child Protection Week, the Blossom Incorporated, on Tuesday, held a parenting education session on child

sexual abuse at its Nandy Park, East Bank Demerara location.

Dr. Astell Collins, who delivered the keynote ad-

dress, said abuse is not just psychical or sexual. “Sexual abuse has its own connotation of stain and it’s very damaging beyond that verbal

Dr. Astell Collins addressing the parents and children on Wednesday (Photo by Delano Williams) abuse is prominent in child and parent relationships,” Dr. Collins explained.

He added that parents should examine how they communicate with their children. “The world out there is harsh, it’s rough, it’s tough and it beats us down, so when we get home we want to let go and we usually let go on the people we love.”

Dr. Collins also highlighted the importance of father’s involvement in a child’s life, noting that their absence has become an epidemic in Guyana as they are too many ‘daddy-less daughters’ and ‘father-less sons’.

“If there is building with no windows or doors, the building would not be condemned; if the roof is leaking, the building would not be condemned but if there is a crack in the foundation, the building will be condemned and that is what the father represents, the foundation for the family,” he stated.

He noted that at Blossom Inc., parents and others are given the opportunity

to create and mold citizens to make a contribution to Guyana.

The Blossom Inc. was created in late 2014 to assist the Guyana Police Force and Childcare & Protection Agency with sensitive cases of child abuse.

Ayo Dalgety-Dean, a family therapist and Managing Director of Blossom Inc., who also spoke at the gathering, said the organisation specialises in forensic interview and therapeutic counselling so that children who have suffered from trauma can begin a healthy healing process.

Dalgety-Dean explained that the organisation offers outreach sessions where staff members would go around the country and hold education sessions on child sexual abuse and violence, where they would educate persons on what are the signs and symptoms to look for and how to respond to a child who made a report.

Blossom Inc. Managing Director, Ayo Dalgety-Dean

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, September 28, 2019

Afghanistan appoint Lance Klusener as head coach AFGHANISTAN have appointed former South Africa all-rounder Lance Klusener as the team's new head coach.

Klusener has previously been a batting coach for South Africa and Zimbabwe.

He replaces Trinidadian Phil Simmons, who stepped down after Afghanistan failed to win a match at the World Cup in July, where they finished

last.

Klusener, 48, said: "I am extremely excited and honoured to be given the opportunity to work with some of the best talent in world cricket."

He added: "Everyone knows the fearless brand of cricket Afghanistan play. I am confident that with some hard work we can become one of the best sides in the world.

"I am really looking forward to

World Athletics Championships Sharp out of 800m; Coleman fastest in 100m BRITON Lynsey Sharp was left in disbelief as she went out of the women’s 800m on the opening day of the World Athletics Championships.

Sharp, ranked fourth in the world of those competing in Doha, ran out of steam in the home straight as she finished fourth in her heat.

The 29-year-old Scot’s time of two minutes 03.57 seconds was not good enough for a fastest loser’s spot.

Shelayna Oskan-Clarke and Alexandra Bell progressed to the semi-finals.

Elsewhere, Christian Coleman, defending champion Justin Gatlin and Britons Zharnel Hughes and Adam Gemili reached the men’s 100m semi-finals, but European champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen was disqualified from the men’s 5 000m.

With South Africa’s Olympic and world champion Caster Semenya absent, along with fellow Rio 2016 medallists Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi and Margaret Wambui of Kenya, Sharp was

tipped to challenge for a medal in the women’s 800m.

Semenya is not competing in Doha after governing body IAAF introduced a rule that athletes with differences of sexual development (DSD) must either take testosterone-reducing medication in order to compete in track events from 400m to the mile or change to another distance.

Despite being among the pack in the home straight, Sharp failed to find the burst of speed needed to finish in a top-three spot, which would have earned automatic qualification.

She sat on the track in shock watching the replay of the final stages of her heat.

World indoor bronze medallist Oskan-Clarke produced a brilliant sprint to take second in her heat in 2:02.09 while fellow Briton Bell, fifth at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, battled her way to third, clocking 2:03.34.

Coleman underlined his status as favourite for the men’s 100m as he cruised to victory in his heat in 9.98 seconds.

The 23-year-old American is competing in Doha after the US Anti-Doping Agency charged him with missing three drugs tests in 12 months, before withdrawing the claim. A technicality regarding the date of one of the tests resulted in the London 2017 silver medallist being free to compete.

All three Britons progressed to the semi-finals with European champion Hughes, 24, the most impressive as he recovered from a poor start to win his heat in 10.08.

Hughes, who represented Anguilla as a youth, spoke about the air-conditioning inside the stadium as he told BBC Sport: “It’s different coming from the heat to the cool inside here but I’m happy, I got through easily.

“I have to be aware of the block settings; they are different to what I am using so it wasn’t the best start. I won’t let it hamper me.”

Gemili, 25, has been hampered by a hamstring problem in recent seasons but finished third in his heat in 10.19 behind the USA’s 37-year-old Gatlin (10.16), who has twice been banned for doping offences.

British champion Ojie Edoburun squeezed into today’s semi-finals as a fastest loser having run 10.23 in the first heat.

South Africa’s Akani Simbine, fifth at the last Olympics, went through as the second fastest qualifier in 10.01 and Jamaican 2011 champion Yohan Blake is also into the semi-finals, which take place at 16:45hrs BST today with the final at 20:15hrs.

Lance Klusener was part of the South Africa side to reach the 1999 World Cup semi-finals.

working with the Afghanistan team and helping them take their cricket to the next level."

Afghanistan Cricket Board chief Lutfullah Stanikzai added: "Lance Klusener is a renowned name in the cricketing world. It will be great to see our players benefit from his vast experience both as a player and a coach."

Klusener appeared in 417 internationals between 1996 and 2004 and was part of the South Africa side to reach the 1999 World Cup semi-finals.

Afghanistan will contest three T20 and One Day International matches against West Indies in November. (BBC Sport)

No medals, but Dabo wins admiration for sportsmanship

By Steve Keating DOHA, Qatar (Reuters) - Guinea-Bissau’s Braima Dabo will not win any medals at the world championships but he won the admiration of the crowd yesterday by helping exhausted Aruban Johnathan Busby across the 5 000 metres finish line in an astonishing display of sportsmanship.

It was an agonising and heartwarming end to the opening heat of the men’s 5 000m as a distressed Busby, near collapse, was rescued on the final lap by Dabo and helped home, with

the two men crossing the line to a rousing ovation at Khalifa Stadium.

“The main objective was to represent my country as well as possible and I’m happy I could help the other guy,” Portuguese-speaking Dabo told Reuters. “I saw he was not running in the right way, he was leaning, I realised he wasn’t going to finish.

“I knew I wasn’t going to beat my personal record, so when I realised that, it was better to go for the main aim, which was to finish the race. My thoughts were to help him finish, that

is the point of the race.”

Despite the searing temperatures in Doha, the race was run in pleasant spring-like conditions thanks to the innovative air-conditioning system at the Khalifa stadium.

The heat was won

by Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega in a time of 13 minutes 24.69 seconds but it was the heroic effort unfolding behind the winner that brought the crowd to its feet.

As the pair crossed the finish line nearly five minutes later, Dabo held Busby until emergency personnel appeared, with the Aruban put in a wheelchair and

taken from the track.

There was no immediate word on 33-yearold Busby’s condition.

“He thanked me and he was suffering, he couldn’t really speak ... in any case, we don’t speak the same language so our conversation was never going to be very long,” said Dabo.

Asked about the crowd’s reaction to his gesture of sportsmanship a humble Dabo, 26, said nothing had changed.

“I continue being the same as before - I’m proud to be here representing my country.”

Archibald out of Long Jump, Quamel Prince to compete in 400m today

By Rawle Toney

GUYANA’S Emanuel Archibald failed to make it to final of the men’s Long Jump at the IAAF World Athletics Championships, which got on the way yesterday in Doha, Qatar.

Archibald, who entered the championship with a Personal Best of 8.12 metres, finished 23rd out of 26 competitors, with a best leap yesterday of 7.56 metres.

Meanwhile, Quamel Prince, the 25-year-old US-born and based athlete, will begin his quest to hand Guyana their first IAAF World Athletics Championships medal, when he competes in the men’s 800 metres today. Prince will be in Heat 5 of 6 and will be in Lane 7.

Prince, whose Personal Best of one minute, 45.58 seconds (1:45.58), at the time when it was clocked (May 17), was one of the

top times in the world this year.

President of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) Aubrey Hutson, in an exclusive interview, had told Chronicle Sport that given Prince’s current form, “with the right athletes and competition around him, especially at this stage, you can never tell what could happen because he has the ability and potential to run faster.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, September 28, 2019

BCB launches Let’s Bet Sports 100 Balls tournament THE Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) last Sunday launched four different Let’s Bet Sports competitions across Berbice as it continues its 80th anniversary celebrations.

BCB president Hilbert Foster, along with Let’s Bet Sports Brand Manager Ian De Barros and Brand Ambassador Rawle Toney, launched the tournaments at the Area ‘H’ Ground.

Foster stated that BCB would be hosting four tournaments at the 100 Balls levels for teams in West Berbice, New Amsterdam/Canje, Lower Corentyne and Upper Corentyne.

Each Zone would produce its own champion and then the four champions would play another tournament to decide the overall winner. The BCB boss hailed the $1M investment by Let’s Bet Sports Company as a blessing for the Ancient County.

Toney expressed delight at the start of the tournaments after a long delay due to the rainy season. The company, Toney stated, was committed to a long-term investment into Berbice cricket and called on teams to play within the spirit of the game.

The visiting, sponsored delegation witnessed the entire opening game and saw Rose Hall Town Bakewell cruise

past UG Elites by ten wickets.

Scores in the games played: At Tain ground: Rose Hall Town Tigers defeated Tain Block 4 by 17 runs.

Rose Hall Town Tigers scored 160 for 3 from 100 Balls. Balchan Baldeo 40, Delbert Hicks 68, Khemraj Mahadeo 26 not out. Tain Block 4 scored 143 all out. G. Budhoo 30, T. Tallip 32, L. Singh 29; Khemraj Mahadeo 3 for 30, T. Jagdeo 3 for 20.

At Blairmont Com Centre ground - Blairmont Community Centre defeated Bath CC by 4 wickets.

Bath CC scored 132 for 7 from 100 balls. C. Arandram 36, Chetram Sanaecs 31; Javed Karrim 4 for 26, R. Somwaru 2 for 13. Blairmont Com Centre CC scored 135 for 6 off 93 balls. Govindharaj Khan 50 not out, Javed Karim 24; G. Gossai 2 for 26.

Rose Hall Canje CC defeated Kendall’s Union Sports Stars by 8 wickets.

Kendall’s Union Sports Stars 58 all out in 13.2 overs S. Totaram 10; Roy Jafferally 2 for 6, Michael Campbelle 2 for 6 and Raymond Vankenic 2 for 6. Rose Hall Canje CC 61 for 3 from 8.2 overs. David Lubernauth 40 not out.

Rose Hall Town Bakewell defeated UG Elites by nine wickets.

UG Elites scored 96 all out

in 15.3 overs. Romeo Lynch 20, Samuel Panchan 10; Keith Simpson 2 for 8, Junior Sinclair 2 for 6. Rose Hall Town Bakewell 97 without loss off 6 overs. Kevin Sinclair 47 not out, Junior Sinclair 43 not out.

Gooniah 59 not out. Sachin Ramrattan 29 not out. R. Jamaladen 1 for 9, S. Rashid 1 for 24. Scottsburg United CC 104 for 9 from 100 balls. A. Jamaladin 17, N. Ceres 20, S. Rashid 28. Viendra Gooniah

Let’s Bet Sports Brand Manager Ian De Barros, and Brand Ambassador Rawle Toney pose with RHT Bakewell Team.

Crabwood Creek CC beat No. 52 Survival CC by nine wickets.

No. 52 Survival 74 all out in 16.4 overs - A. Jeffrey 22, M. Kendall 28; L. Tamasar 2 for 17, J. Singh 2 for 22 off 4.2 overs. G. Sugrim 2 for 6 off 3 overs. Crabwood Creek Sports Club 79 without loss from 7 overs - B. Sukram 13, N. Deo 59.

No. 69 Vikings defeated Scottsburg United CC by 29 runs. No. 69 Vikings CC 133 for 5 from 100 balls. Viendra

2 for 12, Tuleshwar Narsingh 2 for 13.

No. 70 MYO CC defeated All Family CC by 8 wickets.

All Family CC 90 all out in 15.4 overs. Seepersaud Persaud 15, Zaheer Mohamed 15.

Jameel Asad 4 for 10 from 4.2 overs - Mohamed Khan 3 for 28 from 3.2 overs. No. 70 MYO 92 from 11.5 overs - Ahmad Khan 22, Mohamed Khan 25 not out, Alim Khan 30 not out.

Dukestown Warriors defeated No. 68 Darkeners CC by 68 runs. Dukestown War-

BCB/STAG Beer First division cricket

Hicks’ unbeaten 106 highlights latest round

VETERAN batsman Delbert Hicks struck a composed unbeaten 106 as Rose Hall Town Thunderbolt Flour whipped Young Warriors Cricket Club by six wickets when play in the BCB/STAG Beer 50 overs first division tournament continued in Berbice.

Hicks and his skipper Eon Hooper added 152 for the fifth-wicket after coming together at 18-4 in pursuit of 170 for victory. Hooper, who was leading the team in the temporary absence of regular captain Shawn Pereira ended on 35 not out. In other matches played, Tucber Park defeated Blairmont Community Centre at the Cotton Tree ground.

Skeldon Titans breezed past Port Mourant, Upper Corentyne created a major upset against powerhouse Albion Community Centre while Police played well as a unit to arrest Rose Hall Canje.

See summarised scores: At the Area ‘H’ Ground:

Young Warriors Cricket Club won the toss and batted first.

Young Warriors scored 168 all out in 48 overs. - Linden Austin 25, Alex Algoo 23, Kassim Khan 34; Keith Simpson 3-31, Junior Sinclair 2 for 28 and Eon Hooper 2 for 25.

RHT Thunderbolt Flour scored 170 for 4 in 30 overs. Delbert Hicks 106 not out (8x4, 3x6).

Eon Hooper 35 not out;. Trevlon Stanislaus 4 for 24.

At the Cotton Tree ground, Tucber Park Cricket Club on the back of a brilliant all-round performance from Damien Vantull defeated Blairmont Community Centre by four wickets.

Blairmont Community Centre 143 all out in 30.5 overs. Marvin Prashad 26, Nigel Deodat 16, W. Inshan 27, Kevin Jahawir 31; Nial Smith 2 for 24, Leon Swammy 2 for 23, Kwesi Mickle 2 for 36 and Damien Vantull 3 for 13.

Tucber Park 146 for 6 in 24 overs. Maxi De Jonge 38, C. Lindie 35, Damien Vantull 30 not out; Nigel Deodat 3 for 43,

riors 143 for 9 from 16.4 overs - Clavern Beresford 21, Jermaine Reid 29, Kevin Clark 15, Vandem Narine 21; Kumar Latchminarine 3 for 23, Tavi Pariag 2 for 14. No. 68 Darkeners CC 75 all out in

Delbert Hicks

Seon Glasgow 3 for 38.

At the Crabwood Creek ground, Skeldon defeated Port Mourant by 7 wickets.

Port Mourant Cricket Club 151 all out in 36 overs - Tristan Ramsarran 52 not out, M. Ranato 20, Mahendra Boodram 17; Wayne Garnette 5 for 28, Zeikel Gordon 2 for 20, Kevin Clarke 2 for 45.

Skeldon Titans 156 for 3 in 16.2 overs - Trishan Ramdass 38, Kevin Clarke 38, Errington Seegobin 57

not out. Arif Chan, S. Khan and Rampersaud Ramnauth took a wicket apiece each for Port Mourant.

At the No. 69 ground: Upper Corentyne created a major upset with a victory over Albion Community Centre by 15 runs - Upper Corentyne 111 all out in 28 overs, Lakeram Latchman 30.

Albion Community Centre scored 96 all out in 19 overs.

Gudakesh Motie 20; Virendra Gooniah 3 for 20. Stephen Embrack 4 for 15.

At Canje ground: Police Sports Club got the better of Rose Hall Community Centre Cricket Club by 2 wickets - Rose Hall CC scored 194 all out in 37 overs - M. Veersammy 43, Ameer Rahaman 22; J. Wartman 3 for 28, Grisean Grant 3 for 7.

Police Sports Club 195 for 8 from 29 overs - Z. Hussain 2 for 34, Isaiah Thorne 2 for 49 and B. Ramsarran 2 for 23.

14.1 overs - Doloram Persaud 10, Vekinand Deowraj 10; Vandam Narine 2 for 14 from 3 overs, Clavern Beresford 4 for 7, Wayne Garnett 4 for 13.

No. 64 Fighting Marines defeated Radha Krishna Academy by 63 runs. No. 64 Fighting Marines scored 167 for 8 in 16.4 overs. Charles France 46, Jason Itwaru 32, Leonard Sandy 17; Khemraj Dhup 2 for 18. Deolall Deochand and Darsharand Jairam had one wicket apiece. Radha Krishna Academy 105 for 6 off 16.4 overs. Khemraj Dhup 20, Nankumar Chatterpaul 33; Trishan Heera 14 not out.

Ramson Subhan 3 for 16, Vadanand Sugrim 2 for 18.

No. 68 Turn Team defeated No. 71 Sports Club by 4 runs. No. 68 Turn Team 137 for 7 from 16.4 overs - A. Pourjohdan 20, Jason Hulosce 37, A. Seecharran 42; N. Ali 3 for 24, N. Mohamed 2 for

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19. No. 71 Sports Club 133 from 16.4 overs. N. Ali 28, N. Vincent 20, R. Persaud 30; Jason Hulosce 4 for 21, A. Jones 3 for 21.

No. 70 Young Blood CC defeated Skeldon Titans by 1 wicket.

Skeldon Titans CC 131 for 8 from 16.4 overs - Anthony Seeraj 19, Gajendra Ramnarine 19, Harish Sahadeo 25. No. 70 Young Blood CC 139 for 9 from 16.4 overs. D. Ramersaud 44, F. Ally 23, F. Khan 15; Gajendra Nauth 5 for 40, Amzan Appalsamy 2 for 33.

Achievers CC defeated Bush Lot United CC by 8 wickets.

Bush Lot United CC 102 for 7 off 16.4 overs - Asgar Matabeek 32, H. Darsan 18, J. Dichand 16; Andrew Dutchin 3 for 19 from 4.2 overs, Darius Nedd 3 for 10 (2 overs). H. Darsan 1 for 28 off 3 overs. R. Tajurran 1 for 14 from 2.4 overs.

East Bank Blazers CC defeated Tucber Park CC by 4 wickets.

Tucber Park 111 all out in 15.5 overs - Martin Singh 16, Orlando Tanner 24, Luke Wilson 3 for 12, Devon Lewis 2 for 12. East Bank Blazers CC 112 for 6 in 14.1 overs.

Philbert Wilburg 67, Carl Campbelle 18. Nial Smith 4 for 10.

At Fyrish ground: Fyrish CC defeated Kildonan CC by two wickets - Kildonan CC 155 for 7 off 100 balls. C. McKenzie 38, J. Seelall 39, R. De Cumha 32; Troy Mathieson 3 for 29. Y. Chinapen 2 for 38, K. Rengasammy 2 for 33.

Fyrish CC 156 for 8 in 14.3 overs. Chandradat Roopnarine 23, Troy Mathieson 31, Timothy McDonald 18. A. Williams 2 for 44, M. Rabindranauth 2 for 20.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday September 28, 2019

Khan beats Nathoo to stay perfect after four rounds of Gaico Construction chess … Kids Chess Challenge set for this weekend

CANDIDATE Master (CM) Taffin Khan remains flawless heading into the last three rounds of the Gaico Constructionsponsored Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) Fiderated seven-round Swiss tournament, which will conclude this weekend at the National Racquet Centre in Woodford Avenue, Georgetown.

After four rounds, Khan, who had been a dominant force at both the junior and senior levels, remains on top with four points. In his latest clash, on Wednesday afternoon, he defeated the previously unbeaten Loris Nathoo.

Last weekend, the CM had

Taffin Khan (left) is in the lead on four points.

beaten Chelsea Juma and Justino

DaSilva and gained a walkover victory

from National

former Schools

champion Saeed Ali. Also unbeaten are CM Wendell Meusa and Glenford Corlette with 3.5 points each. Both players won last Saturday and then on Sunday morning, but they drew their game on Sunday afternoon.

On Wednesday afternoon, Corlette got the better of Errol Tiwari, while Meusa defeated youngster Samirah Gobin.

Of the 27 players, several are on three points, including Nathoo, Adrian Roopnarine (who has returned to competitive chess in Guyana after many years), DaSilva and Davion Mars.

Ethan Lee and Shiv Nandalall are on 2.5 points each.

Meanwhile, GCF will be

hosting a Beacon Cafésponsored, two-day, sevenround Swiss competition, dubbed ‘Kids Chess Challenge’ at the same venue over the weekend.

The event, which has a time control of one hour plus 15 seconds per player, attracts $500 per participant and is open to all persons born in 1999 or after.

Players desirous of registration can contact Rashad Hussain 681-6000 or Davion Mars 6103345 for further information.

According to Secretary of the GFC, Aneesa Maryam Hussain, a number of the junior players have opted out of the remaining rounds of the

Gaico tournament to play in the children’s competition.

She said that as a result, the final three rounds of the Open tournament is expected to be more competitive.

“We are also expecting at least five players to have an international partial rating upon conclusion of this tournament due to them already defeating an internationally rated player in this tournament. Standout is Roopnarine who has already won 3 of his first four rated games.”

The senior tournament is the first of four Grand Prix competitions, this year, scheduled by the new GCF executive.

FIFA disappointed by ‘unfair, misleading’ reports over The Best Awards FIFA has hit out at “unfair and misleading” reports about votes not being counted towards ‘The Best Awards’.

Nominations for Mohamed Salah from Egypt’s captain and coach were not included, while Nicaragua captain Juan Barrera claimed on Twitter he did not vote although his name is listed on FIFA’s official documentation.

FIFA said this week in a statement released to Omnisport that Egypt’s votes were not counted as they seemed

“not valid” due to signatures in capital letters and world football’s governing body has again moved to clarify the issue. “FIFA has been disappointed to see a number of reports in the media questioning the integrity of the voting process for The Best FIFA Football Awards,” said a statement yesterday. “These reports are unfair and misleading.

“The voting procedure for each of the awards is supervised and monitored by an independent observer, in this

case PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Switzerland. “FIFA and PwC follow the Rules of Allocation and relevant standard control procedures. As per these procedures, FIFA requested all member associations to submit their voting forms both electronically and in writing.

“The written documents must also be signed by the responsible persons of the association as well as by the persons authorised to vote. Therefore in order for a vote to be valid it must

include the respective signatures and the member association’s stamp.

“Both FIFA and the independent observer can demonstrate that all the votes submitted in accordance with the rules and within the deadlines were taken into account. Consequently, there is no doubt whatsoever as to the authenticity of the result.

“Should there have been any case of wrongdoing, and even if this did not affect the result of the vote, FIFA will investigate and apply sanctions where

Williams pulls out of Worlds citing `long trip to Doha’ KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC) – Sprint sensation Briana Williams has withdrawn from Jamaica’s team for the IAAF World Championships starting in Doha, Friday, citing insufficient preparation time after escaping serious punishment on Thursday for a doping violation.

The 17-year-old tested positive for a banned substance last June but a disciplinary panel ruled this week the action had not been deliberate and

opted to reprimand her with “no period of ineligibility”, clearing her to join the national team already in Qatar.

However, hours after the decision was handed down, the reigning double sprint World Junior champion announced she would not participate in the September 27 to October 6 games. “I have decided to forego competing at the World Championships considering the long trip to Doha and that the team has already started

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Saturday September 28, 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) Obed McKoy dismissed Nicholas Pooran (Zouks vs Warriors, Providence) (2) 8 matches (2015) Today’s Quiz: (1) Who is the first Tallawahs player to win the Man of the Match Award in CPL 2019?

(2) Who were the captains involved when the Zouks and the Tridents contested a CPL game against each other for the first time?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

Briana Williams has pulled out of the World Championships.

training for the relays,” Williams said.

“I am just relieved and thankful after what has been a very emotional summer.

I would like to once again express my gratitude to everyone right across Jamaica who reached out to show support.”

Williams’ coach, former Olympic star Ato Boldon, had indicated Thursday she would be down to run the 100 metres. However, the preliminaries of the marquee event are scheduled to get underway at 16:30hrs today (08:30hrs, today Eastern Caribbean time), leaving

Williams with a race against time. Williams, who has in successive years won triple gold in the sprints at the CARIFTA Championships in 2018 and 2019, said her focus was now on the Olympics in Tokyo next year.

“I look forward to returning to the track for the 2020 season,” she said. “Hopefully, I still have a chance to make the trip to Doha to watch Jamaica compete. I would like to wish all our athletes and coaches the very best.”

Jonielle Smith, 23, who won the 100 metres at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Colombia last year, has replaced Williams in the sprints. Williams found herself at the centre of controversy when she tested positive for the banned diuretic hydrochlorothiazide at the National Championships.

She subsequently pleaded guilty and following a twoday hearing this week, the Independent Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel said “the athlete has established no significant fault or negligence as she was given tablets by her guardian and had no intention to cheat in her In-Competition sprint event on June 21, 2019.”

necessary.”

Salah appeared to be upset when FIFA’s full list of voting was released without his country’s selections, reportedly removing a reference to Egypt from his Twitter bio.

He also posted a cryptic message that read: “Whatever they do to try to change my love for Egypt, they will not succeed.” (Yahoo Sport)

England’s Taylor quits international cricket over anxiety issues

(REUTERS) - England Women’s wicketkeeperbatsman Sarah Taylor has retired from international cricket because of her ongoing battle with anxiety, the England and Wales Cricket Board said yesterday.

Taylor, 30, made her England debut as a 17-year-old in 2006, and went on to make 226 appearances. She scored 6 533 international runs to finish second on England women’s all-time list of run-scorers, behind her long-term captain, Charlotte Edwards.

“This has been a tough decision but I know it’s the right one, for me and for my health moving forward,” Taylor said in a statement.

“I can’t thank my team mates enough, both past and present, and the ECB for being supporters and friends along my journey.

“Playing for England and getting to wear the shirt for so long has been a dream come true and I have been blessed with so many great moments throughout my career.”

Taylor’s 232 dismissals across all three formats is a record for women’s internationals.

She was part of England’s

England Women’s wicketkeeper-batsman Sarah Taylor has retired.

World Cup-winning team of 2017, scoring 396 runs in the tournament at an average of 49.50.

“Sarah can be immensely proud of everything she has achieved in an England shirt, and of everything she has done for the women’s game,” Clare Connor, managing director of England women’s cricket, said.

“She is someone that young people can look up to, for her achievements and talent on the pitch – but also for her bravery and resilience off it. She has come through significant adversity and performed on the world stage for her country.”

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Saturday September 28, 2019

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15th Hand-in-Hand cycling set for October 5 at National Park COMPETITIVE cycling will take centre stage on the inner circuit of the National Park next Saturday, October 5, when national cycling coach Hassan Mohamed stages the annual 11race programme, exclusively sponsored by Hand-in-Hand Mutual Fire and Life Insurance Companies.

Guyana’s oldest insurance agency is sponsoring the event for the 15th consecutive year, and Mohamed is once again excited to have the company on board.

The partnership was renewed yesterday morning when Mohamed received the sponsorship cheque from Marketing Coordinator Shafeena Juman at Hand-in-Hand’s Lot 1-4 Avenue of the Republic headquarters in Georgetown.

Marketing Coordinator of Hand-in-Hand Mutual Fire and Life Insurance Companies, Shafeena Juman (right), presents the sponsorship cheque to coordinator Hassan Mohamed.

“Sponsorship is very important to not just cycling, but sports in general, so it’s always good to have this kind of commitment from

companies like Handin-Hand,” Mohamed, the long-serving cycling administrator, said.

Hand-in-Hand has been a firm supporter of sports

development in Guyana, and this collaboration with cycling is just another demonstration of that commitment.

“The Hand-in-Hand Fire Insurance Company is happy to be able to sponsor this annual event for its 15th year and we anticipate that this year will be bigger and better. We will continue to remain committed to our youth’s development through sporting events, such as cycling, while fulfilling our corporate and social responsibility,” the company said in a statement.

The event, which pedals off at 09:00hrs, will be headlined by the 35lap Schoolboys and Invitational race, with Michael Anthony of Linden looking to defend his title, having won last year’s event in a time of

Australia’s 2020 Test tour of Bangladesh confirmed AUSTRALIA’S next overseas Test tour has been confirmed, with Bangladesh announcing they will host two games to be played for World Test Championship (WTC) points next year.

After the Tigers pulled off a famous victory to secure a series draw against a Steve Smith-led side in 2017, Australia will head back to the cricket-mad nation in June-July 2020, Bangladesh Cricket Board confirmed this week.

Bangladesh also announced a three-match T20 series against Australia – which was initially scheduled to be played next month – will instead take place in 2021 in the lead-in to the T20 World Cup in India.

“We were supposed to host two Tests in February, but now the Test series will be played in June-July 2020,” Bangladesh’s cricket operations chief Akram Khan has been quoted by local media this week.

“Initially, we were expecting to host Australia for a twomatch Twenty20 International series in October, but now they have agreed to play three T20 internationals and it will be played ahead of the World T20 in India, though we are yet to finalise the date.”

Next year’s Tests could prove crucial in Australia’s

Shakib al-Hasan took 10 wickets and struck 84 in Bangladesh’s 2017 win over Australia. (Getty)

bid to take out the inaugural WTC, which kicked off with this year’s Ashes tour and culminates in a final against the two top-placed sides in mid-2021. Cricket Australia’s head of cricket operations, Peter Roach, was pleased with the reschedule of what will be just Australia’s third Test tour to the country.

“We are delighted to be touring Bangladesh in June 2020,” said Roach. “The two boards felt this was a more beneficial timing for the two Test series than the original date. It should be a terrific series.”

The Aussies, who play two Tests against Pakistan and three against New Zealand at home this summer, currently sit fourth on the WTC standings after drawing the Ashes against England 2-2.

Bangladesh will play their first WTC matches away to current leaders India in November.

Their one-off Test defeat to Afghanistan earlier this month was not played for WTC points.

Australia also have limitedover tours to India, South Africa and New Zealand (in addition to ODIs at home

against the Kiwis in March) during the opening months of 2020, before a three-ODI, three-T20 tour of England scheduled in July.

The International Cricket Council’s Future Tours Programme also has Australia set for a three-ODI tour of Zimbabwe next year, though the status of that series is unknown following the African nation’s suspension from the ICC over political interference.

Once viewed as minnows in world cricket, Bangladesh have become a legitimate threat at major international limited-overs tournaments and a force in Test cricket on their home turf.

The Tigers have won Tests over England and Australia in recent years and, in Shakib alHasan, boast one of the finest all-rounders in the history of the game.

The left-arm spinner took 10 wickets and struck a vital 84 in his side’s first-ever Test victory over Australia in Dhaka two years ago.

David Warner compiled terrific centuries on turning pitches in both Tests of that campaign, while Nathan Lyon took a record 22 wickets for the series.

one hour, 19 minutes, 14.36s.

Other winners from 2018 were Adelie Hodge (10lap Juveniles), Ozia McAulay (Mountain Bikes), Jude Bentley (Veterans Under-50) and Jaheme Henry (12-14 Boys and Girls).

As has been the case over the last 14 years, representatives of Handin-Hand Mutual Fire and Life Insurance Companies will be on hand to witness the riders in action and later assist in the distribution of prizes.

Guinea-Bissau’s Braima Suncar Dabo helps Aruba’s Jonathan Busby to finish the race. (REUTERS/Dylan Martinez)

No medals, but Dabo wins admiration for sportsmanship

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36 Guyana’s Emanuel Archibald failed to make it to the Long Jump final at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar.

World Athletics Championships

Sharp out of 800m; Coleman fastest in 100m 36 PAGE

Archibald out of Long Jump, Quamel Prince to compete in 36 400m today PAGE

It was an action-packed start to the World Athletics Championships in Doha where Christian Coleman sent an early warning to his 100m rivals.

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Quamel Prince will be in action at the IAAF World Athletics Championships when he takes to the track in the 800 metres.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2019