Guyana chronicle epaper 10 15 2016

No. 104705

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2016

Price: $80

(VAT Inclusive)

Barry Dataram, wife nabbed Page

ANJANIE BOODNARINE

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BARRY DATARAM

––Suriname police arrest Guyanese drug lord and spouse

Chancellor too powerful Page

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–– AG warns against ‘dictatorship’ in Judiciary

Ecstasy ‘vendor’ 5 caught at Stabroek Market Page

18 companies 9 eyeing oil & gas facility - Trotman Page

More money 14 for Opposition Leader’s Office Page

Spanish Opera singer Luis Llaneza enthralls a National Cultural Centre gathering during celebration of the National Day of Spain Friday evening (Delano Williams photo)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday October 15, 2016

BEST Bursary awards 2016 –recipients urged to embrace education

PRESIDENT David Granger has presented Bursary Awards to more than 50 students on behalf of the Burnham Education Scholarship Trust (BEST), and has appealed for long-term relations between the awardees and the trust.

The recipients have each received $50,000, along with books, pens, and presidential pins bearing the words “Every Child in School.”

In his address at this occasion, on Friday at the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) headquarters: Congress Place, at Sophia, Georgetown, President Granger charged the BEST Board to sustain a relationship with the awardees even unto the university level.

President David Granger sitting with BEST officials and the awardees

President Granger making a presentation to a student of President’s College “It’s something that I haven’t discussed with the board as yet, but I would like to appeal that once somebody enters (the) BEST family, that person (should) remain with the BEST family throughout his or her life,” President Granger said. He added, “And just as when you come in after National Grade Six Examination, we want to see you all the way through secondary school. When you leave secondary school, if you get access to the University of Guyana (UG), we are going to pay your first year at the University.”

The Head of State encouraged the students to take full advantage of the opportunity before them. “When you leave secondary school, don’t think of it as the end of your education. As long as you are a part of the BEST family, BEST will look after you. We are going to fulfill the promise that was made long ago by the then leader of the party to (give students) education from nursery to university,” he assured.

President Granger explained that BEST has been in operation for several years, and that the Trust was developed from an idea into an institution. “…they don’t get paid or receive any stipend, but they still put their all into it. Best is all about education,” he explained.

Stressing that education is the pathway and key to success, the President urged all students to remain in school. He cited statistics to highlight the number of school dropouts annually.

“We are proud of you (awardees). Many of the children in the hinterland regions could not pass mathematics. As a matter of fact, many of the children in Guyana did not pass mathematics in the NGSE…. In fact, some of them didn’t pass anything at all…it is very disturbing to me,” he lamented.

He said that without a good education, jobs cannot be secured. “Education is the key to employment,” President Granger declared, and noted that even if one is aiming to become self-employed, one must embrace education.

“We want more children to come on board…. BEST is about education, employment, equality. We would like to give each of you a laptop, but we cannot afford it this year; but I am very glad the board has been able to raise the bursary from $30,000 to $50,000,” he stated. (Crystal Stoll)

Barry Dataram, wife nabbed

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday October 15, 2016

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––Suriname police arrest Guyanese drug lord and spouse

By Alva Solomon GUYANESE self-confessed drug lord, Barry Dataram and his reputed wife, have been apprehended by the Surinamese authorities, Acting Police Commissioner, David Ramnarine confirmed on Friday afternoon.

And law-enforcement authorities are currently making arrangements to have Dataram and his reputed wife,Anjanie Boodnarine, brought back to Guyana as early as this weekend.

The burly Dataram, along with Boodnarine, called ‘Cindy’, are wanted by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) for possession of ammunition without licence, and possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.

Surinamese media reports are that the couple was arrested in the region of Latou, in South Paramaribo on Friday morning. The duo was arrested by the Arrestatie Team, a special law-enforcement squad.

Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, told this publication on Friday

afternoon that the authorities are making moves to transport Dataram to these shores.

“I have asked the Minister of Security and the police over there [Suriname] that he be brought back here as early as possible “, Ramjattan said.

He said that the process would be undertaken via the mutual legal assistance regime. “I requested him to be brought here as early as tomorrow [Saturday] “, he said.

Dataram and Boodnarine were charged, along with their friends Trevor Gouveia and Komal Charran, with having, on April 16, 2015, some 129.23kg of cocaine in their possession for the purpose of trafficking.

However, only Gouveia and Charran showed up to hear the ruling of Magistrate Judy Latchman recently.

Dataram and his wife were no-shows at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, but Magistrate Latchman fined the convicted drug lord $164.2M and sentenced him to 60 months imprisonment for being in possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

It was widely believed that Dataram had fled to

Suriname.

Late last month, President David Granger had urged members of the local law-enforcement community to work with their counterparts in neighbouring countries and to use every possible legitimate avenue to locate and transport the convicted Dataram back to Guyana.

In a Ministry of the Presidency release, President Granger had said that while he will not lay blame at the feet of any agency or individual, Dataram’s flight from Guyana was something which could have been avoided.

In the recording of the Ministry of the Presidency’s weekly television programme, ‘The Public Interest’, President Granger had told journalists that information suggests that Dataram is not a Guyanese and might have absconded using a passport not issued by the government of Guyana. The President assured the media that the police commissioner has been asked to make every effort to locate the suspect. “…so my information is

that he is not travelling on a Guyanese passport. So after his disappearance and we weren’t aware of his disappearance, we continued to work with our partners in the Caribbean to bring him to justice. If he is in Suriname as is suspected, the commissioner of police has been instructed to try to ascertain his whereabouts in neighbouring countries, but he is not using a Guyana passport, that much we know,” the Head of State said.

“Even though Mr Dataram might have a foreign passport, it might be a forged passport. I would urge all law-enforcement agencies to use every legitimate measure to bring him back into this jurisdiction so that he can serve his sentence,” the President said.

On April 16, 2015, at Dataram’s house located at 661 Silver Dam, Fourth Avenue, Diamond Housing Scheme, anti-narcotics agents found 33 parcels of cocaine in an upstairs bathroom, 180 pieces in a blue baby tub and 92 pieces in a black garbage bag in the downstairs dining room, and 142 pieces in a

‘No obligation’ -UWI says not obligated to report to Parliament how subvention was spent

By Ravin Singh in Jamaica THE University of the West Indies (UWI) on Wednesday issued a letter to Jamaica’s Public Administration and Appropriations Committee of Parliament (PAAC) stating that it is not answerable to the Parliament on how it spends Government subventions.

The parliamentary committee which met on Wednesday morning, had invited UWI Mona, the University of Technology and

the University Council of Jamaica to appear before the constitutional body that day.

T h e G l e a n e r, o n e o f Jamaica’s local newspapers,has reported that parliamentary rules have empowered the PAAC to summon any entity that receives a subvention from Jamaica’s national budget, and request of that entity to provide a report on its expenditure.

Jamaica will contribute JMD$8.3B (US$64.7M) of taxpayers’ money to UWI this year which accounts for approximately 20 per cent to the annual budget of the

university.

But during the sitting of the committee on Wednesday morning in the parliament chamber, UWI’s administration opted out and instead issued a letter to Permanent Secretary,Ministry of Education, Dr Maurice Smith to justify its refusal to reveal how funds from the public purse was spent.

The letter sought to suggest that the institution is a public, autonomous regional body to which Jamaica is only one contributor.

“The UWI is a public, autonomous regional edu-

cational institution which serves 17 countries in the Caribbean,” the letter stated.

As a result, the University’s Registrar, William Iton, in whose name the letter was issued, reasoned that UWI is not subjected to that provision of declaring its expenditure.

Dr. Smith, addressing the PAAC, said that the letter indicated that, “The university is neither a ministry’s department, it’s not a company, it’s not a public body, and as such, it does not regard itself as needing to participate in this process.”

freezer with shrimp in the outer yard area. The cocaine amounted to 129.230 kilograms, which is equivalent to 284 pounds.

Drug-enforcement authorities in the United States have been after Dataram for years, however, extradition proceedings never materialised. He is wanted by the U.S. government for cocaine-smuggling offences as far back as 2007 and successive provisional warrants in that regard had failed, at least four times.

Dataram’s brushes with the law started in December 2007 when his wife at the time and their three-year-old daughter were kidnapped by two Venezuelans from their Ruimzeight, West Coast Demerara (WCD) home. Later that day, high drama unfolded at Charity on the Essequibo Coast between the Venezuelans and the police and one of the foreign nationals was subsequently shot dead in the confrontation with police.

The kidnapping attempt was said to have been drug-related.

Shortly after, Dataram was arrested by police and

held beyond the 72 hours which the law allows a person to be held in custody before being charged.

His lawyers, Glen Hanoman and the late Vic Puran , subsequently approached the court with a habeas corpus writ, but police asked for an extension to conclude their investigation into the kidnapping, which they said was drug-related.

Ever since then, Dataram made multiple court appearances, having being freed on several occasions in the process. He surfaced again, at last April’s drug bust.

The heavy-set drug lord, during an exclusive interview with HGPTV’s Travis Chase in February this year,had admitted his own involvement in the drug trade, but added that he had never been convicted for a criminal offence.

He had levelled corruption allegations against members of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) at the time.

A one-man Commission of Inquiry, which was undertaken by Retired Brigadier Bruce Lovell, subsequently cleared CANU of the allegations.

This view was articulated in the letter based on a legal opinion UWI said was received from the Solicitor-General in 2007 that reportedly said the university was not a government entity or department.

UWI then went on to recommend in the letter that the PAAC source information on its expenditure from one of its parliamentary representatives on the committee responsible for examining finances at the institution. “(request information from) your representative on the Finance and General Purposes Committee.”

PAAC Chairman, Dr.

Wykeham McNeil, who read the letter to the committee also weighed in on the issue, calling for greater accountability across the board.

“We believe that there needs to be more accountability… Expenditure made out of public funds must have scrutiny,” the chairman said. Having been faced with this situation, the PAAC indicated its intention to write the Attorney General to seek her advice on the matter, after which a recommendation will be made to Parliament on the way forward.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, October 15, 2016

Trump faces new sex assault allegations

Two more women have come forward to accuse Donald Trump of sexual assault, in the latest such allegations against the embattled Republican nominee.

Former Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos said the businessman forced himself on her at a Los Angeles hotel and began “thrusting

his genitals”.

Kristin Anderson told the Washington Post he reached up her skirt and groped her in a New York club in the 1990s.

The Republican nominee branded the allegations as “lies and smears”.

Ms Anderson, now 46, said the property mogul

touched her through her underwear at a Manhattan nightspot when she was a waitress trying to make it as a model.

She said she was “very grossed out and weirded out”.

Ms Anderson said she turned round to find a man sitting on a red velvet couch whom she recognised instant-

ly as the celebrity property mogul.

“He was so distinctive looking,” she told the Washington Post, “with the hair and the eyebrows. I mean, nobody else has those eyebrows.”

She added: “It wasn’t a sexual come-on. I don’t know why he did it. It was like just to prove that he could do it, and nothing would happen.

“There was zero conversation. We didn’t even really

emotional news conference in Los Angeles that she met him in 2007 in a bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where the businessman greeted her by kissing her on the mouth.

She said he asked her to sit next to him on a sofa where he “grabbed my shoulder and began kissing me again very aggressively and placed his hand on my breast”.

Ms Zervos fought back

Trump.

His campaign said he “vaguely remembers” Ms Zervos, but insisted the meeting at the hotel never happened.

In a statement, he said: “The media is now creating a theatre of absurdity that threatens to tear our democratic process apart and poison the minds of the American public.”

Referring to another of his accusers during a rally

Kristin Anderson (L) says she instantly recognised Trump as her alleged groper look at each other. It was very random, very nonchalant on his part.”

The newspaper said it had approached Ms Anderson after learning of her story through a third party, and she had spent several days deciding whether to go public.

Mr Trump’s spokeswoman, Hope Hicks, said in a statement emailed to the Washington Post: “Mr Trump strongly denies this phony allegation by someone looking to get some free publicity. It is totally ridiculous.”

Meanwhile, Summer Zervos, a former contestant on season five of The Apprentice in 2006, said she was sexually assaulted by Mr Trump after she was invited by him to discuss job opportunities.

Ms Zervos, 41, told an

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tears as she said Mr Trump attempted to lead her into the bedroom and “began thrusting his genitals”, even as she fended off his advances.

She said Mr Trump then began talking to her as if she were a candidate for a job interview.

Ms Zervos, who described herself as a Republican, said she was subsequently offered a low-paid job at a Trump-owned golf course.

She was flanked during the press conference by wellknown lawyer Gloria Allred, who has previously represented alleged sexual assault victims of entertainer Bill Cosby.

At the time of the alleged assault, Mr Trump was recently married to his third and current wife, Melania

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in North Carolina, he said: “Believe me, she would not be my first choice that I can tell you.”

Ms Zervos said she was spurred to come forward after Mr Trump denied during last Sunday’s presidential debate ever having committed sexual assault.

He rebutted the suggestion on national television as he was asked about a leaked recording from 2005 in which he is heard bragging that he can force himself on women because he is a star.

Polls suggest Mr Trump is losing ground in some of the key battleground states against Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, with just 24 days until the election. (BBC News)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday October 15, 2016

Chancellor too powerful –– AG warns against ‘dictatorship’ in Judiciary

WHILE the High Court Amendment Bill of 2005 gives the Chancellor of the Judiciary ultimate authority over the local judiciary, Attorney General Basil Williams believes there is need to restore the balance of power within the system.

“My own belief is that for agreements to be reached under Article 127 of our Constitution in respect to our offices, you need to restore that balance. It is something worth fighting for in each office”, the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs said during a press briefing on Friday afternoon.

In a press statement read

by Williams, he said that, in 2005, the former People’s Progressive Party/Civic

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams (PPP/C) Administration had used its majority in the National Assembly to secure the passage of the High Court

(Amendment) Bill No. 15 of 2005. Former President Bharrat Jagdeo later assented to the amendment legislation, and it was passed into law.

According to the press statement, the move by the PPP/C government resulted in the removal of the division of the administrative powers which existed between the offices of the Chief Justice and the Chancellor, and subsequently consolidated all those powers in the office of the Chancellor.

“In effect, the PPP/C created the only dictatorship in the Judiciary in the Commonwealth Caribbean”, the statement said.

It said that the Chancellor would have absolute control of a matter -- from the Mag-

Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag.), Justice Carl Singh istrates’ Court to the Court of appeal; and the Chancellor could sit on a case in which he/she had influenced the ap-

pointment of the magistrate or judge. In addition, the Chancellor, as head of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), has influential and direct control in the appointment of magistrates and judges, except in regard to the Chief Justice.

Former Opposition Leader Robert Corbin had written to then President Jagdeo in July 2007 on the issue, deeming the passage of the legislation and resultant shifting of powers a crisis.

“Your next step was, in November 2005, to introduce the High Court (Amendments) Bill of 2005 without consultation with, or even notification of, either the opposition or the Guyana Bar Association”, Corbin said in the letter.

The PNC/R leader at the

time informed Jagdeo that the concerns expressed by the then President of the Guyana Bar Association to Corbin’s letters to Jagdeo, and the various public statements by the party and others on the subject, appeared to have been disregarded by the former President.

“Your single-minded determination to give all judicial and administrative powers to Justice Carl Singh, even across the divide between the High Court and the Court of Appeal, has created a terrible crisis of respect for the judiciary”, he had said.

Corbin had proposed consensus on the matter, but the Jagdeo Administration had turned a blind eye on the issue.

Ecstasy ‘vendor’ caught at Stabroek Market A YOUNG man was on Friday afternoon caught by ranks of the City Constabulary during a sting operation at the Stabroek Market area, after he was suspected to be in possession of illegal items.

The man had in his possession 20 small Ziplock bags of cannabis and several packets of ‘ecstasy’ (a psychotropic substance) in a larger bag he was carrying at his side.

Assistant Superinten-

dent of the City Constabulary, Gordon Langevine, told Guyana Chronicle that City Police were on an exercise when the narcotics were found at the Stabroek Market, two gates from the main entrance. The man, now in custody of the City Constabulary, had attempted to flee when he observed the officers approaching him, but was apprehended by a constable.

According to Lan gevine, “the elements” use the market to sell and

These small bags of cannabis and packets of ecstasy were found in the young man’s possession

smoke illegal substances.

He said, too, that relatives and friends of stall-holders within the market often commit criminal acts and pretend to be vendors of the market.

Town Clerk Royston King, in an invited comment, told Guyana Chronicle it is “a great responsibility” to ensure that the City and its environs are healthy and safe. He added: “All sections of the City must be properly organized to allow the

Mayor and City Council (M&CC) to carry out its function and stipulations; and to allow all the persons who are desirous of plying their trade to do so in a safe and healthy manner”.

He lauded the work of the City Constabulary, while noting that every effort is being made to remove similar characters from the environs of the market, so that all illicit activities there would cease.

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Editor-In-Chief

Nigel Williams Editor

Godfrey Wray

Editorial: 227-5216; 227-5204 guyanachronicle.com wnigel10@hotmail.com gnnleditorial@gmail.com

Editorial

The UK and Colombia

THE electorates’ rejection, via the ballot, of the positions held by their leaders for maintaining and improving human relations, though of dissimilar background, have striking similarities and serve as teachable moments.

In the instance of the United Kingdom (UK), it was seeking the support of the people in remaining in the European Union (EU). The issue of whether to remain or exit had in large part to do with reservations by sections of the society, including leading politicians, that the UK was losing its sovereignty as it were, and its citizens’ lives were being adversely impacted by a welcoming migration policy.

While then British Prime Minister David Cameron had supported the country remaining in the EU and having listened to the public’s outcry against it sought to have the matter resolved via the ballot, he probably felt secure that opinion polls kept showing the British were in favour of remaining. On Election Day (23rd June) it proved otherwise.

The vote found a divided UK, with Britain and Wales voting to leave, as Scotland and Ireland voted to remain.

This divided position prompted Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland to say that country would examine having a referendum to leave the UK, since the decision to exit did not have Scottish support. The resulting effect, though there exists some remorse by exit voters, saw the resignation of Cameron and the EU’s reaction in calling on Britain to proceed soonest under Article 50 of the Treaty to ensure its exit. The consequence of the action of some, in what evidently was influenced by some degree of ignorance of the implications of the vote and understanding of the issues that influenced their vote, time will tell the impact such will have on internal UK relations and its economy which enjoyed preferential treatment and access to commerce being in the union.

The fact that since the exit the pound sterling fell to its lowest since 1985 and market stocks plummeted not only signalled some measure of economic volatility in the British economy, but also uncertainty by investors as the future of the economy. Newly appointed Prime Minister Theresa May earlier this month said Britain has every intention of leaving the EU and will move ahead in accordance with established legal procedures.

On the other hand, in Colombia, President Juan Manuel Santos and Rodrigo Londoño aka “Timochenko,” leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) signing of a Peace Agreement on 26th September to move the country in a different direction and work together, was rejected by the electorate. As with Britain, opinion polls prior to the election showed significant support for the agreement.

On October 2, those who voted non-support for what is widely considered a historic deal between rivals of 52 years argued that the government was giving away too much to rebel FARC who they felt did unforgivable things to the people and society. Conversely, those who support the pact wept

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, October 15, 2016

New GPC has been a solid partner Dear Editor,

The primary sponsor of the Guyana Under-15 Basketball Team to Centrobasket was New GPC; that company donated $1.5M towards participation of the Guyana U15 Team in the tournament. The major media outlets: Stabroek News, Kaieteur News, Guyana Times and Guyana Chronicle, all received the GABF press release and published articles on Sunday, August 21, 2016 announcing Guyana’s participation in the CentroBasket U15 Championship, with at least two of the media outlets including the fact that New GPC was the flagship sponsor.

The Under-15 Centrobasket Championship came quickly on the heels of Guyana’s hosting of the CBC U16 Championships.

Without the New GPC’s sponsorship coming when it did, Guyana would not have participated in U15 Centrobasket.

After the Government of Guyana contributed $40M towards Guyana hosting the Caribbean Basketball Confederation U16 Cham-

pionships for Young Men and Young Women, Mr. Nigel Hinds, President of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation, took a firm stand that no outreach for donation should be made to the Government of Guyana for the U15 tour, as it would be asking for too much in such a short time.

I promised the president of the federation that funds would be sourced only from the private sector.

As Chairman of the Local Organising Committee for the Caribbean Basketball Confederation U16 Championships for Men and Women, hosted by Guyana in July, I had approached New GPC in June 2016 for basketball sponsorship. However, with the CPL taking place, the donation was deferred and a commitment of $1.5M was made by NGPC just prior to Guyana departing for Puerto Rico on August 21, 2016.

New GPC has, over the years, supported cricket and many other sport disciplines, including football, badminton and bodybuilding, to

name a few. So the financial support provided by New GPC was no surprise to me.

Also, I have a longstanding relationship with the principal of New GPC. The U15 Championships was the first time that a Guyana youth basketball team competed on United States’ soil, and represented a major move forward for basketball development and enthusiasm for Guyanese youths to play basketball. Twelve US visas were obtained for members of the touring party that participated in the CentroBasket games in Puerto Rico.

Finally, the initial communication received from the Vice-President of Caribbean Basketball Confederation was that airfare would be fully covered by FIBA for teams attending CentroBasket. Unfortunately, the reality was that participating teams had to source funds for airfare.

IN RESPONSE to a letter in the Sunday edition of the Stabroek News (9th October, 2016) captioned ‘Waiting in Vain for House Lots in Lethem’, wherein the writer has made some serious allegations against myself and my office, I wish to state, Mr. Editor, that this writer obviously decided to put pen to paper without gathering the required facts.

Please allow me to state what the truth is, and set the record straight on this important subject. I have never, neither has the office of the Lethem Town Council ever, received any invitation, written or verbal, in relation to land issue.

During the period this writer is referring to, which is around September 29,

2016, I was in Georgetown attending to some important matters. On Friday, I received a call from Regional Executive Officer Carl Parker (who at the time was also in Georgetown) asking me when I would be back in the Region, to which I told him that I projected that I should be back by Saturday, 11th September, 2016.

He then said that upon his return he would arrange a meeting with Stakeholders to discuss land for housing.

Mr. Editor, to date, I have not received any correspondence or word to the effect, nor am I aware of any meeting that has taken place.

Now, had this meeting been organized, or communication received, the Council would have nominated a representative to attend in the absence of the Mayor.

During the Local Gov-

ernment Elections campaign, we told residents that we would be advocating for larger house lots and for residents from the age of 18 years old being eligible to receive house lots. This still stands, as it was not a campaign gimmick but something I and my fellow councillors feel strongly about.

Mr. Editor, to date, I have spent, and will continue to use my own finances and vehicle, to get the work of the council done until alternative measures are put in place.

The Lethem Town is a new town, and our revenue base is small (Same can be confirmed by our records). I am not like those fat cats who sit on their fat salaries while indulging in corruption; I am as clean as a whistle, and this writer will continue to write as long as I am standing up

for what I believe in; which is honesty and principles.

I urge them to provide evidence that I was invited to this meeting, and I will bow.

The writer that claims to be a concerned citizen seems more bent on boosting my popularity to the negative than focusing on real issues which are affecting residents. I would advise him/her that the next time a situation like this arises, when they need any information, they should make contact with the Town Council between the hours of 8:00 and 4:30 from Monday to Friday, telephone 592-772-2028, to ascertain the facts instead of fabricating lies against this my office.

that such a move, which had the support of the United Nations, presented the possibility of improving relations and moving the country forward, was rejected.

Unlike Britain that has taken a decision to respect the referendum, inasmuch as there was a petition to have a referendum on the referen-

dum and the EU’s call on the country to proceed with the exit procedure, in Colombia Santos and Londoño even after the loss communicated their commitment to proceed with enacting the accord.

According to Londoño, who lamented the defeat, the Agreement was already dispatched to Geneva. This

demonstrated a conviction by the leaders that the people were supportive, or they were apparently blindsighted by predictions of the opinion polls. The scenarios give rise to the premium held in respecting the will of the people through the ballot, whether sufficient work was done prior to the referendum

to provide needed information,and address fears and concerns. Only time will tell what impact any decision moving forward in the two instances will have on the people, but what is does communicate in the final analysis is the importance of not taking the people for granted.

RECENT articles appearing in the Kaieteur News (August 28; October 8 and 9) suggest that the President of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF), Nigel Hinds, who is also Chairman of the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), leveraged his positions to obtain sponsorship for the Guyana U15 Basketball Team from New GPC Inc. in return for granting favours to the New GPC parent company, Queens Atlantic Investments Incorporated (QAII).

As Manager of the Guyana Under-15 Basketball Team, which recently participated in the Centrobasket U15 Championship for Men in Patillas, Puerto Rico from August 24-28, I wish to provide some context on the funding received by the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) for the team’s participation in the aforementioned championship.

Regards, ALEX GRAHAM Manager, Guyana U15 Team – 2016

I am as clean as a whistle Dear Editor,

Regards, CARLTON BECKLES (JP) Mayor of Lethem

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, October 15, 2016

Golden Jaguars in glorious exit Dear Editor,

IN THE real and developed world, when a senior national team is ousted from a premier championship/ tournament, moreso at a preliminary stage, based upon what the contract entails, the coaching/technical staff members submit their resignation without being told to do so.

But of course it’s only applicable providing are sides are equal. That is: encampment, training sessions, practice matches/friendly internationals, et al.

However, locally, in our beloved “Oh Beautiful Guyana, my lovely native land”, it’s extremely the opposite, whereby the absence/ no commencement of the 2016-2017 Elite League deprived approximately 200 footballers from eight clubs to meaningfully prepare for the nation’s premier football competition. That, by extension, would have enabled

them to vie competitively for selection ahead for national representation.

Within this context, can the coaching/technical staff and players be blamed for this sad predicament? Absolutely not!

Editor, given the fact that Bro. Shabbazz is associated with local national football for almost a decade, during which time the best ever FIFA ranking of 86 was achieved, almost six years ago; with a current placing of 118, it would only be prudent, after Jamaica’s match, which the visitors will win by two clear goals, that the g o o d l y Tr i n i d a d i a n should bow out gracefully with his head held high.

It must be taken into serious consideration that the nation’s administrators have failed the Golden Jaguars’ preparation this time around. That is apart from a lack of physical fitness, compliments of absolutely no domestic football, and

compounded by the presence of some of the overseas players, which brings me to the pertinent point: Does the GFF have within its database information pertaining to the overseas-based players’ weekly training, matches played as a starter/substitute, and the level of football? Can the latter be ascertained to be higher than the Elite League?

Is it prudent to invest scarce dollars to bring players -- airfare, internal transportation, accommodation, meals, stipends, etc -- and at the end of the day they are not fit?

In the final analysis, four (4) full time sessions could have never sufficed against Suriname and Jamaica, especially since the matches had to produce a winner, entailing 30 minutes of “extra time” and the possibility of penalty kicks. Thank the Heavenly Father it didn’t reach to that stage.

Until and unless a properly structured developmental four-year plan is in place at

the minimum, time wastage would continue to aid the sport’s own self-destruction.

Albeit, participating in a Gold Cup Tournament would remain an illusion to be pursued but never attained! It’s my sincere desire that with the acquisition of a new Technical Director, a new vision for development would be on the horizon.

Sadly, since the ousting of former GFF President Colin Klass at the behest of FIFA via a suspension, the other occupants of the presidential chair have to date not delivered the quality of leadership that would avert national embarrassments on the field of play and administratively.

The Elite League scenario is one of such, along with poor documentation for an overseas-born player and for overage. Additionally, players in their mid-thirties or thereabouts must call it a day in regard to national representation, along with

This academy attracted 20 students, my son included, with an age range of 8 – 16 years, many of whom were from poverty-stricken homes.

This programme was run free of cost to the participants.

Editor, this programme was run under the supervision of one Mr. Saywack, a stalwart in young people development. However,

the point I want to make concerns the lack of support from the police in these ventures. Mr. Saywack was using a ‘cricket net’ in his programme, and this net was stolen one night from under the eyes of the security at the Bush Lot Secondary School. A report was made to the Fort Wellington Police Station, and to date no action has been taken.

Further, a letter was sent

to the Commander, Mr. L Amsterdam, on this issue (see letter attached), yet no action was taken; hence my letter to you.

It is my hope that this letter would attract the attention of the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ramnarine, and then maybe some action will be taken.

Lack of police support Dear Editor, I WRITE to highlight a recent occurrence that happened in my community of Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice.

During the recent August holiday, a Cricket Academy (two weeks’ duration) was held by the Bush Lot United Sports Club/Bush Lot Rising Stars 1st Division Cricket Team.

PSC urges caution in invoking Acquisition Act Dear Editor, THE Private Sector Commission takes note of the Government’s intention to exercise its right under the Acquisition of Lands for Public Purposes Act to acquire private lands for public use.

Such moves by any government are always viewed with a high level of skepticism and reservation by investors globally. Whilst such acts may be legal, they dampen investor con-

fidence, as investors deem their right to own property to be insecure, and their investments to be under threat.

The Private Sector Commission calls on the Government of Guyana to be very cautious when invoking its right to acquire private property for public use; and to ensure that adequate transparency, forethought, public consultations and justifications are made to avoid unnecessary controversy

when such decisions are taken. The Private Sector Commission wishes to highlight to the President and the Cabinet that the current transaction being pursued has caused many owners of private properties to be in a state of trepidation. The Government needs to clarify its policy and position on this matter.

Regards, ELIZABETH ALLEYNE For Private Sector Commission

Regards, CONCERNED PARENT

the other members of the coaching staff who lack advanced certification in the relevant areas.

With this in mind, the GFF must leave no stone unturned for coaches to attend advanced courses overseas.

Brazil offers one such course that is FIFA-accredited, with the late Ashton Taylor being the only beneficiary to date.

This also occurred under the stewardship of former President Colin Klass.

From two matches resulting in 240 minutes of football, along with injury

time, what explanations can be offered for being pointless, winless; conceding seven goals and scoring four for a goal difference of minus three?

Editor, apparently no lesson was learnt from the previous 2-5 loss to Curacao in Round Two. Scientifically, our coaching staff is sadly lacking, and so, too, is the sport’s administration.

Regards, FOOTBALL FAN

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday October 15, 2016

Bartica reeling from constant blackouts –– residents want immediate action by Public Infrastructure Ministry

By Crystal Stoll RESIDENTS of Bartica are in distress and reeling from financial losses through constant power outages and load-shedding for about a week now.

Speaking with this publication, Mayor Gifford Marshall expressed annoyance over the situation in the mining town. “ We e x p e r i e n c e d constant blackouts and load-shedding for a period of six months earlier

in the year; however, the issue was resolved two weeks ago. Until recent, we have been receiving eight hours of power every day.”

Marshall further explained that the situation is a very uncomfortable one, and is causing much psychological and emotional distress for the town.

“We need the Ministry of Public Infrastructure to investigate this situation immediately; something must be done immediate-

ly to avoid it,” Marshall declared.

According to the mayor, a number of persons have suffered great losses in their businesses and concerns are stirring about whether Guyana Power and Light (GPL) will reimburse them.

Marshall said, “Despite complaints have been made to the GPL office, the company is giving little to no satisfaction to the residents. And they (GPL) have been carrying out daily operations with-

in the town as it relates to disconnection and removal of meters.”

The mayor explained that he was made to understand that the new generator which the town had recently received was not in operation.

“The generator in First Avenue was down for the week, they said that Macorp is supposed to check it at [the] earliest.”

Marshall said that the matter is very distressful and the residents are be-

coming quite impatient.

“The blackouts in Bartica have been ongoing for over a decade and it’s causing a major distress.

We are concerned about whether we will continue to experience blackout for the Christmas period as well. We are calling on the Ministry of Public Infrastructure to intervene immediately.”

On September 15, Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson announced that a generator set from the

Onverwagt power station in West Berbice was due to arrive in Bartica on September 17. This is expected to boost power generation in the Region Seven community.

Over time, the Bartica township has been plagued with frequent power outages due to damage caused to two of the three power engines serving the town and its environs, forcing the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) to conduct scheduled outages.

Pre-trial legal issues defer start of Bartica massacre murder trial THE high-profile Bartica massacre murder trial did not start on Friday, since Justice Roxane George, the five attorneys representing the five accused and the three state prosecutors had to address pre-trial legal issues.

The matter is now expected to commence on Tuesday when the 12-member jury will be empanelled.Justice George discharged the waiting panel of jurors after several legal issues arose and had to be ironed out in the High Court in the presence

of the accused quintet.

More than 30 witnesses are expected to testify in the much-anticipated trial which should end in late November.

The state is being represented by prosecutors Diana Kaulesar, Tuanna Hardy and Narissa Leander, while the

defence attorneys are Roger Yearwood, Madan Kissoon, Saphier Hussain, Maxwell McKay and Peter Hugh.

The five accused Mark Royden called ‘Durant Williams’, Dennis Williams aka ‘Anaconda’, Clebert Reece called ‘Chi-Chi’, Michael Caesar and Roger Simon allegedly murdered 12 men at Bartica on February 17, 2008.

The five are facing 12 counts of murder, one count

of terrorism, one count of unlawful wounding and three counts of break and enter and larceny.

During the February 17, 2008 rampage, nine civilians and three cops were gunned down by a group of heavily armed men who descended on Bartica at nightfall.

Those who lost their lives were Bartica residents Edwin Gilkes, Dexter Adrian and Irving Ferreira; policemen

stationed at the Bartica Police Station, Lance Corporal Zaheer Zakir, Constables Shane Fredericks and Ron Osborne; Deonarine Singh of Wakenaam; Ronald Gomes of Kuru Kururu; Ashraf Khan of Middlesex, Essequibo Coast; Abdool Yasseen; Errol Thomas of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo and Baldeo Singh of Montrose, East Coast Demerara.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday October 15, 2016

18 companies eyeing oil & gas facility - Trotman – Legislation being crafted

By Navendra Seoraj AMIDST the increasing focus on ExxonMobil’s oil find offshore Guyana, 18 local and international companies have signalled expressions of interest in developing offshore oil and gas facilities.

Making this disclosure was Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, during a media briefing yesterday at Cara Lodge.

The Guyana Chronicle had reported that the recent world-class off-shore oil discovery by ExxonMobil has firmly launched Guyana’s hydrocarbon industry.

Guyana’s potential rests on the discovery of the Liza-1 and Liza-2 wells, located approximately 120 miles off our shores in 5,500 feet of water. First oil is anticipated on or before the year 2020.

According to the minister, International companies from Dubai, the U.S., United Kingdom (UK) and

Asia, as well as locals such as Toolsie Persaud Ltd, John Fernandes Ltd and Muneshwer’s, will soon be presenting proposals to the ministry.

“Later this month we will be meeting with these companies which are interested in the establishment of an on-shore oil and gas facility…investors will be given an equal chance to present their proposals, given that we want to form a transparent private/public partnership,” iterated Trotman.

Potential partnerships, he said, will allow the Government to gain an equity, which will contribute to revenue earnings in a great way.

However, the Government is still in consultation with UK-based international affairs consultants, Chatham House to decide whether it would be feasible to establish a refinery.

He explained that they sought international as-

sistance and guidance as to whether they need one, because preliminary studies have shown that the demand might be low due to the country’s population density and also the gov-

preparing “seven-piece oil and gas legislation,” which will see the complete overhaul of the petroleum act as well as the establishment of a new petroleum commission.

Apart from that, they will also be addressing health, safety and the use of the revenue earned, so that they will have budget stabilisation, stressed the minister, while further indicating that they intend to take these

THE discovery of oil off the shore of Guyana by ExxonMobil has attracted and continues to attract the interest of both foreign and local investors, the latest being the expression of interest by 18 local and international companies to develop off-shore oil and gas facilities.

Making this disclosure was Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, during a media briefing yesterday at Cara Lodge. ernment’s commitment to renewable energy.

Thus, they intend to have a study completed and the report on its findings ready by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Government is in the process of

bills to Parliament by April, 2017.

“In the meantime, we

will be working to boost our human resource capacity in the oil and gas sector, by augmenting work with UG and UWI by giving financial support to the university to boost its oil and gas curriculum,” added the minister.

The ministry, he said, has also approached Repsol,and the Mexican and Chilean embassies to up the amount of scholarships offered to Guyanese.

In the interim, many Guyanese here and abroad have expressed their willingness to be engaged in the oil and gas sector, though they might not be able to receive pay at “first-rate prices.”

It was expressed that confidence is high in the success of the country’s oil and gas sector, given that professionals have declared 1.2 billion barrels of oil will generate US$72 billion. And based on the Production Sharing Agreement with ExxonMobil, 50 percent of revenue will be used by the company

to recoup its investment in the exploration, while the remaining half would be divided between the company

Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman and Guyana.

However, it was revealed that Exxon has been over the past few months faced with varying internal and external problems, hence the minister stressed that the company needs to find money fast and the earnings from Guyana would be ideal for their continued success.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday October 15, 2016

Best to head CoI into latest mining fatality ––Trotman

RETIRED Guyana Defence Force Chief of Staff Rear Admiral Gary Best has been named head of a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) which will be set up to investigate the death of Keon Wilson, a ‘jetman’ at a gold mining operation who was last Saturday buried alive during a mining pit collapse at Rock Creek, Mining District Three in Region Seven (Cuyuni/ Mazaruni).

The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNRE) had announced shortly after the death of the 33-year-old Wilson, a father of two and resident of Two Friends Village, East Coast Demerara

(ECD), that a CoI would be launched to uncover the circumstances surrounding his death. On Friday, Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, announced at a press conference that Best, who is also an advisor to the Government on matters involving the Environment, would head the commission, which will shortly be constituted.

Minister Trotman has said that although the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), the ministry he heads, and the Guyana Mining School have tried to instill healthy and safe practices in the industry, miners seem to still ignore

Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman instructions.

“The GGMC, the ministry and the mining school continue to be the very best we can. Miners, however, seem to want to not even

understand the basics of mining, or to take advice; and in some instances where cease orders have been given

by Mines Officers, they go back and they resume mining without authorization,” Minister Trotman declared.

“It hurts,” the minister said, noting that the latest mining fatality is “near and dear” to his ministry.

Extending deep condolences to the family of Wilson, Trotman told Guyana Chronicle that the CoI seeks to answer questions that may arise. “We have to find out what happened,” he declared, as he said that Government’s action is dependent on the CoI’s report.

Those who will testify at this CoI include fellow miners who had been present when the mining pit

collapsed, the claim holder, and the owner of the dredge.

The land dredge is owned by Everton Daly, another resident of Two Friends Village, ECD. The GGMC issued Daly an immediate cease-work order for unsafe mining practices immediately after Wilson’s death, and has said that Daly’s dredge was unregistered and unsafe for working, in accordance with Regulation 214 of the Mining Regulations.

Daly had obtained a mining privilege from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission on June 21, 2016 for a period of twelve months.

Should the dredge owner be found responsible for this accident, Minister Trotman said, “We would put

a cease-order…ensure that that dredge owner does no further work… We (would) ensure that compensation is offered to (Wilson’s) family and relatives.”

A mining pit accident in May 2015 had claimed the lives of 11 miners, while many others have died under similar circumstances across Regions Seven and Eight.

Since taking office, President David Granger has promised that every mining accident would be investigated, and has warned that defaulting mining operators would be placed before the courts if found to be in breach of safety standards.

“The lives of the men and women in this industry are more precious than the minerals they mine,” President Granger has declared.

GHRA weighs in on Whistleblower, Witness Protection Bills THE Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) has provided preliminary comments on the Protected Disclosures (Whistleblower) Bill 2016 and the Witness Protection Bill 2016 which includes key concerns relating to the drafting of the Bills, as part of the public consultations hosted by the Ministry of Legal Affairs.

The ministry began these consultations on October 10, inviting feedback from stakeholders on the Protected Disclosures (Whistleblower) Bill 2016 and the Witness Protection Bill 2016 before they are tabled in the National Assembly.

Commenting on the Protected Disclosures Bill, the GHRA in a press release stated that there needs to be some policy framework within which the legislation will operate, adding that they lack context. “The context for these Bills is the Government’s anti-corruption stance which has not been presented to the country in a coherent or integrated manner,” the release said. Barring context, the GHRA posited that commentary on the Bills will be severely curtailed.

“The focus of …the Bills is prosecution of offenders, thereby marginalising the importance of prevention strategies to foster greater integrity in public life,” the release said. The entity then made the recommendation that the process for the passage of legislation revert to previous parliamentary practice whereby new legislation was introduced via consultation, policy then legislation.

The Bills include several measures relating to the protection of persons who bring to the attention of authorities ‘improper conduct’, including criminal offences, and provide for the establishment of safe houses, provision of new identities if necessary and the establishment of a Witness Protection Programme, among other measures.

Referring to mechanisms such as a Protected Disclosures Commission, an Administrative Centre, an Investigative Agency and a Protective Agency which as “de-contextualized”, the GHRA instead, made observations on various aspects of the legislation, among which it highlighted the political significance of public morality. “The existing political context in which the new Guyanese legislation is intended to function -- having been shaped by an illegal constitution, an electoral system devoid of accountability and a widespread culture of public conformity and private dissent -- is not conducive to principled

civic action. Moreover, corrupt exploitation of this ramshackle political system has seen illicit accumulation of public assets on an unimaginable scale. Rehabilitating these features of personal and public life is the essence of the problem the Disclosures Bill is intended to address,” the release said.

Second, the GHRA noted that there is need for vigorous public vigilance rather than a commission. “Rather than vesting total confidence in individuals divulging information to a single commission to address improper conduct, the society needs a generalised rehabilitation of the culture of expressing opinions freely, demanding the provision of truthful information and holding people to account. Rather than disclosure of misconduct, therefore, the first step should be to identify a range of deterrents to misconduct in the form of vigilance mechanisms, made available at all levels of the public service and where appropriate, extended to private-sector institutions,” the release said.

Third, the GHRA highlighted the lack of capacity to enforce protection measures.

“Rather than routinely create a new commission to implement each new piece of legislation, other more imaginative approaches need to be considered,” the release said. The GHRA then suggested that commissions need to be amalgamated, with the rights commissions brought under one Human Rights and Equalities Commission, then separated into sub-commissions. Another approach, the release said, would be to create an Ombudsperson Commission with four or five commissioners, each charged with a specific area of Public Service complaints – employment, justice, police complaints,etc. “A new Anti-Corruption Commission could address SARU concerns, Protected Disclosures, and Whistleblower issues,” the release said.

Finally, the GHRA mentioned the challenge of small size for anonymity, stating that the Bills’ application to such a small society as Guyana in which anonymity is difficult to achieve. “Consideration of this point prompts the notion that more effective integration and cooperation within the CARICOM membership would assist in meeting such a challenge. More CARICOM co-operation on draft legislation would avoid the costly, not to say bizarre situation, in which all CARICOM members are individually producing the same range of new legislation,” the release said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday October 15, 2016

UK expert to assist Guyana’s anti-smuggling efforts -gold production surpasses 500,000 ounces

By Shauna Jemmott

AN INTERNATIONAL anti-smuggling expert from the United Kingdom (UK) will soon be in Guyana to assist Government with curbing gold smuggling, Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman has announced.

Over the years, the smuggling of the country’s most-sought-after mineral has been a big issue, and it has been reported that between 50 and 60 per cent of the gold produced here is smuggled out of the country.

The Natural Resources Minister had said in January that not all of the more-than-15,000 ounces of gold exported from Guyana weekly originated here.

According to the minister, it has been discovered that gold is being smuggled into Guyana from Colombia and Venezuela, while local gold smuggled out of Guyana reaches as far as the Middle East; hence the country is seeking international assistance to curb the

problem.

“We are seeing dents.

We have noticed recently some trends that suggest that there may be attempts to re-engage in some quarters, and therefore the Ministry has started, and hopefully will be concluding, arrangements to have an international law enforcement expert coming to Guyana to both advise and assist us with some interdictions,” Trotman told reporters on Friday during a press conference held at Cara Lodge, Georgetown.

He said the expert will be responsible for observing the general trends to see if there are abolitions or spikes. However, if need be, specific persons and companies will be investigated.

“I don’t think there are any specific targets now. What we’re going to probe is the incident of gold smuggling, and then see whether any of those give rise to the need to get deeper. The experts are not going after a particular person or persons, they’re

coming to look at how to curb smuggling…. You start at a macro level and then you distill and you come down… It would be wrong to come with a targeted approach without first assessing the magnitude of the issue,” Minister Trotman said.

He added that loopholes in the current system would also be addressed. Making specific reference to the presentation of “scrap gold” on the market, he said Government intends to clamp down on that.

“Scrap gold comes under a different definition than regular gold, so many people make jewelry, either wear it or break it in pieces, and then declare it as being scrap gold…it’s brand new but just broken; or, if it’s a chain, torn in half, and that does not attract the same regime as a gold band,” Minister Trotman said.

He has announced that gold production currently stands at 500,000 ounces, 55,000 short of the year’s target; and has said that as a result of the current pro-

duction level, a new target of 600,000 ounces of gold has been set.

He said that the industry continues to grow despite the challenges, but “tapering off” has been observed as year-end approaches.

He said the rise in gold production is attributed to a collaborative effort between miners and the Government. “We have crossed the five hundred thousand ounce mark and our goal is to get to 600,000 by the end of December… We are in an accelerated drive to get miners to declare and to work with Government to ensure that we make this historic mark,” said Trotman.

Small and medium-scale miners have been hailed for producing the bulk of the 500,000 ounces, and Minister Trotman said statistics will, within days, be posted on his Ministry’s website. “Across the board, the small miners are doing far better than they did last year. They are bringing the bulk of the gold in. The two (major mining) com-

panies -– Aurora Mining and Troy Resources -- are doing relatively well, with Aurora of course outpacing Troy Resources. But by and large, it is the medium and small scale miners who are the top producers,” he declared.

Since taking office in 2015, the minister said, Government has distributed some 240 mining land allocations to small miners who previously had no way of securing a spot on a large block to operate their equipment.

As miners continue to request lands, Government is moving toward adopting a system of accommodating mining syndicates to increase production in 2017.

He explained that Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes, has been tasked with organizing the formation of mining syndicates, a system which groups miners together so collective mining can be done.

A mining syndicate is a mining partnership formed to develop or operate a

mine, or explore for minerals, each member receiving share interests in proportion to the amount of their investment.

“The idea of grouping miners together so they could exploit the synergies, technologies, and be able to help each other is something that the ministry will be focusing on going into 2017, but certainly at the end of this year,” he explained.

He noted that while small miners have received mining blocks, “we are thinking now that if we give ten miners three blocks each, the accumulative effects of that is a thirty-block area where a syndicate could mine far better than if they try to do it individually…. The complementarities are evident, and we are going to work with small miners to achieve this,” he declared.

Together, they will share the burden of renting equipment and organizing groceries and other responsibilities, Minister Trotman told reporters.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday October 15, 2016

President Granger meets officials from Islamic Development Bank

PRESIDENT David Granger has met at the Ministry of the Presidency with officials from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) who are currently in Guyana on their first official visit since the country became a full member of the Bank in April.

The meeting included Finance Minister Winston Jordan and the IDB team comprising the Bank’s Director of Country Programmes Department and Special Advisor to the Vice- President, Mohammad Alsaati, Senior Country Programme Manager for Guyana, Saifullah Abid, and Manager for the Middle East, North Africa and Latin America (MENA and LatAm), Anisse Terai.

President Granger has said that Guyana’s decision

to become a full member of the IDB is long overdue. He noted that his administration has clear visions on how it wants to proceed, and the kind of development projects it would like to embark on through its partnership with the IDB. The President explained that Guyana is unique, given its pristine forests and tremendous untapped and undiscovered potential, and is a new frontier for development.

“We see ourselves as a bridge between the insular Caribbean and the continent…. We are strategically placed, but there is always a question about infrastructure.

We have not been able to develop highways to much of our hinterland communities, and it is in the hinterland that we have our richest resourc-

-bank to assess high-priority projects for 2017

From left: Senior Country Programme Manager for Guyana, Mr. Saifullah Abid; President David Granger; Director of Country Programmes Department and Special Advisor to the Vice-President, Mr. Mohammad Alsaati; Finance Minister Winston Jordan; and Manager for the Middle East, North Africa and Latin America (MENA and LatAm), Mr. Anisse Terai

President David Granger in conversation with the Islamic Development Bank’s Director of Country Programmes Department and Special Advisor to the Vice-President, Mr. Mohammad Alsaati

es,” the Head of State said.

President Granger spoke of major projects in which the IDB could be involved, including bridging the Essequibo River and establishing the Sovereign Wealth Fund.

Mr. Alsaati, for his part, said that the bank intends to work with the Ministry of Finance and other stakeholders in the public and private sectors to develop a medium-term (three-to-fiveyear) strategy to identify areas in which it can add value and make a positive impact.

He said the bank is specifically looking at areas such as capacity-building, transportation, energy, information technology, health care, agriculture and infrastructure.

He disclosed that, in the coming weeks, technical teams would be coming to Guyana to look at high-priority emergency projects which can commence in 2017.

The IDB was established in December 1973, and officially opened its doors for business on October 20,

1975. It is headquartered in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but also operates through regional offices in Kazakhstan, Senegal, Malaysia and the Kingdom of Morocco.

Guyana is the 57th country to become a member of the bank; which has one member country in Latin America, 27 in Africa, two in Europe, and 26 in Asia. Suriname is the only other CARICOM state that is also a member of the bank.

Digicel continues to support National Drama Festival

TELECOMMUNICATIONS giant Digicel has, for the fifth year, thrown its support behind the National Drama Festival; this one slated to begin on October 30, 2016 A Digicel Guyana statement issued on Thursday has said that the Drama Festival, organised by Department of Culture, Youth and Sport of the Ministry of Education and the National School of Theatre Arts and Drama, will see thousands of persons, including schoolchildren, participating.

“It gives us the opportunity to invest and maintain our mandate to foster youth and cultural development.

We are once again pleased to be associated with, and look forward to, (the festival being held) since drama can be a positive way in which youths can express themselves while at the same time develop their pas-

Digicel’s Sponsorship Executive Louanna Abrams (centre) handing over the company’s contribution to Director of Culture (ag) Tamika Boatswain (second left) in the presence of Administrator (ag) of the National School of Theatre, Arts and Drama, Margaret Lawrence (left); and Drama Coordinators of the Unit of Allied Arts, Loraine Barker-King (second right) and Lavon George sions,” said Digicel’s Sponsorship Executive Louanna Abrams.

Acting Director of Culture, Tamika Boatswain, has thanked Digicel for its

contribution to the Festival, and noted that the company’s decision to enhance the art speaks volumes.

The National Drama Festival will not be focused

only on participants from Georgetown and surrounding locations, but is also geared as attracting persons from across the hinterland regions.

Boatswain has said that

investments made by corporate Guyana are significant, and expressed hope that other companies would support the Festival in the future. The National Drama Festival has

thus far seen approximately 50 persons from Regions One, Two, Nine and 10 expressing interest in participating.

Efforts are being made to ensure that all regions are involved in this year’s Drama Festival. As such, there will be several outreaches across the country to heighten awareness on the Festival. Outreaches will also be held at St Cuthbert’s Mission and in New Amsterdam.

Entries for participation in the Drama Festival will be received up to October 21.

Preliminaries are slated to start on October 30, and will end on November 12. The Schools’ finals will begin on November 14 and end on November 18 at the Theatre Guild, while the finals for the adult competition will run from November 19 to 27 at the National Cultural Centre.

Admission to any event is free of charge.

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AG dismisses ‘untruthful’ land acquisition reports

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday October 15, 2016

By Alva Solomon THE PPP/C Administration had planned to construct an $85M facility on a plot of land belonging to Ambassador Clarissa Riehl and another belonging to the Beharry Group of Companies, both of which are situated next to each other on Carmichael Street, Georgetown, Attorney General Basil Williams has said.

Speaking at a press briefing at his Carmichael Street office on Friday, Williams

chided another publication for reporting what he called several “untruths” pertaining to the issue.

According to Williams, the land in question was being earmarked for an $85M structure, and the sum was questioned when the budget for the Ministry was being prepared because Finance Ministry officials had noted at the time that the sum was inadequate for a structure to be placed there.

Williams noted that the matter in question did not arrive at a compulsory ac-

quisition, which he stated is a last resort. Williams said he knows everything about the land, noting that he will not speak to any owner of lands unless he is operating in his ministerial portfolio and in accordance with the Acquisition for Public Purposes Act. “What is a minister going to tell somebody they wish to engage in negotiations to purchase their lands?” he asked, as he added: “As it is right now, under the Act, an order was issued to start certain procedures”.

He reiterated that he in-

herited the matter, and it was brought to his attention by staff when the budget was being prepared for the fiscal year.

Williams expressed displeasure at the article published on the issue in other sections of the media. “… that newspapers could be invading the sanctity of Cabinet and spreading palpable untruths about supposed undertaking of Cabinet to prepare a report,” he said.

“I was not at Cabinet when your newspaper reported that I was, and that I was mandat-

ed,” he said to members of the press.

The Private Sector Commission has meanwhile called on the Government to be cautious in land acquisition issues. The body also called on Government to clarify its position on the issue. According to the PSC, it made note of the Government’s intention to exercise its right under the Acquisition of Lands for Public Purposes Act to acquire private lands for public use.

“Such moves by any Government are always viewed with a high level of

skepticism and reservation by investors globally,” the body said.

It said that while such acts may be legal, they dampen investors’ confidence.

“The Private Sector Commission wishes to highlight to the President and the Cabinet that the current transaction being pursued has caused many owners of private property to be in a state of trepidation.

The Government needs to clarify their policy and position on this matter,” the Commission has said.

Municipal markets upgrade - City Council presents proposals to vendors

THE Mayor and City Council (M&CC), eager to fix the vending issue in the City, met with vendors on Thursday to discuss several proposals for the upgrade of some municipal markets.

Town Clerk Royston King has announced that, with the intent of creating more space for vending, the City Council is seeking to extend the northern side of Stabroek Market by constructing an upper storey which would accommodate more vendors.

The intention, he said, is not for the market to lose its architectural beauty and design, and as such work would be done on the side and back of the market, as opposed to its front.

In fact, City Mayor Patricia Chase-Green was adamant that relocating vendors to the Stabroek Market Square is non-negotiable.

But on Thursday, at City Hall, where vendors of the various markets were invited to give their opinions on the M&CC’s proposals, a businessman suggested that the Square be converted into a parking area. Should this be done, the businessman said, the market’s design would not be affected, and life would be made easier for tourists and shoppers.

Meanwhile, speaking of the ‘Bourda Green’ area, the Town Clerk said the M&CC’s intention is to construct a three-storey multi-complex shopping mall there, with on-site

parking at the bottom. In response to that proposal, a businessman suggested that a drive-through should also form part of the facility, as the current trend is that many people shop greens at the Bourda Market while driving slowly on the various streets where the market is located.

Additionally, the Town Clerk said, in relation to the New Vendors Mall on Water Street, the plan is to change the design of the market from being a flat one to one that would go up two storeys.

IMMEDIATE RELIEF But while welcoming discussions on the proposals, vendors called for immediate relief to some

of their problems. They noted that, as great as the plans are, they would come on stream only in approximately three years.

One Merriman Mall vendor, opining that vendors are not familiar with those who are to represent their interests, noted that representatives seldom meet with vendors to discuss the many issues affecting them.

“Where are your constables? They know of it; they see it; they are a part of it.

You might have to get rid of some of your own officers,” said one vendor when the issue of illegal activities in the market areas was raised.

Another vendor, Dr. Roxanne Padmore, who runs her father’s business

which commenced some 50 years ago in Bourda Market, said the number of homeless persons in and around the market is a bother to her.

“They are cooking on the pavements. Their bathroom and toilet are on the pavements. They are washing and hanging their clothes (there). It smells, it floods, it’s disgusting!” she remarked, as she noted that on one occasion when it rained, she observed four homeless persons bathing naked in the rain.

Dr. Padmore has said that had it not been for her father’s ‘loyal’ customers, her father’s business would have been closed. She also said that if she were not running her family’s business, she would not purchase

anything from the Bourda Market.

She recounted an incident when a chain belonging to one of her customers was snatched in front of her.

“I’m afraid (for) my safety every day. I have to be more conscious when I am walking in the market with my shoulder bag,” she declared.

Chairman of the Markets and Public Health Committee, Mr. Lionel Jaikarran, told vendors: “I would like to assure everyone here present that (I) and my entire markets’ committee are committed to ensuring that your needs and concerns are met in a prompt and holistic manner. We have your concerns at heart.”

(Telesha Ramnarine)

Vendors under Stabroek Market Canopy will not be removed –– City Mayor Patricia Chase-Green

GEORGETOWN Mayor Patricia Chase-Green has informed anxious vendors that she has no intention of removing them from operating under the canopy of the Stabroek Market.

“Let me correct something that was in the papers two days ago -- that I am removing the vendors from under the canopy,” Chase-Green said during a meeting with vendors from various municipal markets

on Thursday. Assuring that “box stalls” vendors will not be removed for now, Mayor Chase-Green disclosed that those vendors would be dealt with when the National Planning Commission comes on board. She also assured that the identified vendors would eventually be relocated, and noted that they would be notified of any changes.

“But the papers (Stabroek News) had it like if the very next day I coming with a

bulldozer or the Town Clerk coming with a bulldozer to move those vendors. That is not so,” she said.

“So I hope that we can clearly understand that we were talking about the passageways that are being encumbered by people loitering all day long while the market is open,” Chase-Green explained.

This meeting with the vendors was held to examine proposals for upgrades to

City Mayor, Patricia Chase-Green

facilities used by vendors.

Town Clerk Royston King had previously announced that the area which the vendors occupy needed to be sanitized.

Stabroek News reported on Tuesday that Chase-Green recommended that vending in the canopy section of the Stabroek Market be stopped.

That newspaper said the mayor made the recommendation at the City Council’s Statutory Meeting; but at that meeting, Chase-Green had said that a rifle was found “under the clock”, and Chief

Constable Andrew Foo had subsequently explained that there were innumerable complaints of illegal activities and narco-trafficking taking place under the canopy.

In fact, he had said that the canopy was being used as a haven for criminals.

Several operations are expected over the next few weeks to ensure that criminal activities in that area are halted. Additionally, the City Council is developing a comprehensive plan for the Christmas Season. (Telesha Ramnarine)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday October 15, 2016

More money for Opposition Leader’s Office –– some $11.3B proposed for constitutional agencies

SOME $29.5M has been proposed for the Office of the Leader of the Opposition in the 2017 Estimates for Constitutional Agencies, an increase from the $15.7M which was allocated last year.

The office of the Opposition Leader is grouped under the Parliament Office for which $1.5B has been recommended, with some $58M going towards meals and refreshments.

The estimates for the 15 constitutional agencies for 2017 total $11.3B with some $1.1B of this sum accounting for capital expenditure.

The constitutional agencies are the Parliament Office, the Office of the Auditor General, the Public/Police Service Commissions, the Teaching Service Commission, the Guyana Elections Commission, the Supreme Court of Judicature, the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Public Service

Appellate Tribunal, the Ethnic Relations Commission, the Judicial Service Commission, the Indigenous Peoples’ Commission, the Human Rights Commission, the Rights of the Child Commission and the Woman and Gender Equality Commission.

For the other constitutional agencies, some $738.4M has been proposed for the Audit Office; $90.5M for the Public/Police Service Commissions; $135.5M for the Teaching Service Commission; $5.3B for the Guyana Elections Commission; $1.7B for the Supreme Court of Judicature; $189.9M for the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions; $50.3M for the Office of the Ombudsman and $13.9M for the Public Service Appellate Tribunal.

In the estimates received by Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, some $119.4M has been proposed for the Ethnic Relations Commission.

According to the estimates, this increase in sum compared to previous years, is a result of the imminent appointments of chairman and commissioners and the anticipated employment of senior and other staff members for the functioning of the commission.

Some $15M has been proposed for the Judicial Service Commission; $32.9M for the Indigenous Peoples’ Commission; $64.9M for the Human Rights Commission; $96.6M for the Rights of the Child Commission; and $61.7M for the Women and Gender Equality Commission.

These agencies have been delinked from the normal budgetary allocations which were controlled by the Minister of Finance.

Even though the Constitution was amended in 2001 to extend independence to these agencies, the previous administration never changed the process to ensure that they were not forced to beg for finances.

The Alliance For Change (AFC) and the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) when in opposition had piloted amendments to the Constitution to add these agencies to the list of bodies that should get lumpsum allocations.

In 2013, APNU’s Carl Greenidge tabled a bill to add the agencies to a list for which monies should be given without direction from the Government. The PPP had voted against the move, and President Ramotar refused to give assent to the bill.

Saturday October 15th, 2016 - 14:30 hrs Sunday October 16th, 2016 - 05:00 hrs Monday October 17th, 2016 - 05:00 hrs

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Education and Sustainable Development GUYANA’S push toward sustainable development can be achieved through initiatives in conservation, technology and policy-making, but it is investment in human capital through the provision of quality education, which will help to condition the minds of future generations and lead to transformative development for the country.

Education sits at the very heart of an inter-connected plan toward the transformation of Guyana. Moreover, quality education is among the United Nations’ Development Programme’s Sustainable Development Goals, which serves as a global call to action to “end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.”

At the United Nations Summit on Sustainable Development held in New York in September last year, President Granger in his address, said that education serves as the mother of all goals, as it is the gateway to reduction of inequality. The president pledged that over the next five years, Guyana will make priority the provision of inclusive and equitable quality education and life-long learning opportunities for all Guyanese.

Investment in the human factor has been seen as the most important aspect of developing a nation. Where education is concerned, such investment can be seen with a $40.3 billion allocation, 17.5 percent of Guyana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), being plugged into education.

Education Month was observed this September under the theme “Each Child Matters: Stakeholders Unite for the Enhancement of Education.” At the launch of the month-long observances, Minister of Education, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine, said that a concerted effort is indeed needed to provide eq-

uitable and quality education for the country’s young people.

“I truly believe that if we are to inspire our children, if we are to provide them with the necessary energy and the necessary skills to make themselves productive and whole human beings, we have a lot of work to do, and this work is going to be best done, if we forge an active partnership between the schools and the homes,” he said.

The minister added that each stakeholder plays an important role in helping to mould the minds of our children, and further called on groups such as Parent Teachers’ Associations, Non-Governmental Organisations and other groups to come together and form active partnerships that will contribute to this goal.

FIVE BS Seeing the far-reaching impact on national development, education has been placed at the forefront of President Granger’s agenda, and this is illustrated by the simple but transformational initiatives that have been implemented within the last year. Chief among these is the President’s flagship Five Bs Initiative, which aims at providing boats, buses, bicycles, breakfast and books for schoolchildren across the country. The Initiative, which is coordinated by the Ministry of Social Cohesion, focuses on improving school attendance by solving the problem of transportation and the provision of resources and basic meals.

So far, 10 boats 12 buses and 450 bicycles have been donated to areas most in need, across the 10 administrative regions. The initiative is also testimony to a positive relationship between the private sector and the government as donations of the boats, buses and bicycles have been made possible through participation by cor-

porate citizens.

First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, has played an active role in the Five Bs Programme, and has also added another element of support with a donation of over 2,000 pairs of shoes to hinterland children under her “Shoes that Grow” Project. Other areas of focus that supplement the development of the education sector include the rehabilitation and maintenance of Guyana’s education facilities as well as the improvement of conditions and remuneration for teachers.

In fact, the focus on teachers forms part of the Government’s focus with regard to education, as they are tasked with imparting knowledge in the minds of our future generation in an information-driven age. Earlier this month, on the occasion of World Teacher’s Day, the President launched the One Laptop Per Teacher Initiative (OLPT). The OLPT is a revamp of the One Laptop Per Family Initiative launched under the previous administration. The idea for the OLPT has its genesis in 2011, when, during a visit

President Granger launched the One Laptop Per Teacher Initiative on World Teacher’s Day to the Rupununi, President Granger who was Opposition Leader at the time, presented a teacher with a laptop which impacted her efficiency as an educator.

Responsibility for the OLPT falls under the Public Telecommunications Ministry.

President Granger said that the future of education requires that teachers be equipped with

fuller knowledge of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). ICT also enables Guyana to be on par with international standards of learning and performance. “The world

President Granger believes that each child must have access to school, must attend school regularly, and aspire to the highest level of education possible

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The President said that Guyana will make priority the provision of inclusive and equitable quality education and life-long learning opportunities for all Guyanese has entered the ‘Information Age.’ Information, information technology and innovation are transforming almost every facet of human existence. ICT is revolutionising education. It is transforming the manner in which information is assembled, organised and disseminated. It is changing the way education is delivered in the classroom,” he said.

OLPT INITIATIVE Technical Advisor to the Minister of Education, Mr. Vincent Alexander, who spoke on behalf of Education Minister Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, said that this programme will greatly contribute to the improved delivery of education. “The laptops may be used for the purpose of accessing information, record-keeping and as a learning resource in the classroom. Any or all of these uses should impact the delivery and receipt of education and in so doing improve the quality of education,” he said.

Mr. Alexander said that the OLPT initiative exemplifies government’s commitment to providing quality education through technology.

Since its launch, the eGovernment Agency has expanded the distribution of laptops to other regions around the country. The eGovernment Agency’s Secondary School Internet Connectivity Project helps to achieve the goal for greater ICT in schools. As of September, 100 education institutions in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six were connected to the eGovernment network and

ucation at every tier of the ence also brought to light Earlier this year, the Head of State, and it is the education system. the important role of quality government made clear its need to bring about its reThe President said that assurance in tertiary educa- commitment to ensuring that duction and ultimate eradiGuyana and the Caribbean as tion to the development of a necessary infrastructural cation that drives the Presa whole, cannot compete in the Caribbean Single Market and and other improvements be ident’s vision to implement global market place unless its Economy (CSME). Minister made, so that the Universi- programmes and initiatives economies are populated by a Roopnaraine said that quality ty of Guyana can produce that aim to achieve this goal. sufficient number of qualified education and the services quality graduates. Of course, The recipe to achieve the graduates. ”Quality Assurance of an accreditation council, the President’s push to en- President’s vision is a simat all levels of our education sys- which assures that there is hance education does not go ple one: students must have tem, therefore, requires a fresh quality, are critical to the de- without acknowledging the access to school, must atapproach based on robust institu- velopment of the most import- social issues that affect school tend school regularly, must be provided with the nectional frameworks and vigorous ant asset of a nation: its human attendance. investigation and inspection. And resource and by extension The President has high- essary resources, and must institutional frameworks must the very development of the lighted that an average strive to attain the highest EDUCATIONAL be created in order to ensure society, which relies on the hu- of 4000 children drop out possible level of education.

TOURISM that standards are established in man resource to spearhead its of school each year and Investing in the country’s Part of the President’s which quality education delivery development. “The reason we of those who do complete future calls for investing in focus on education also lies in and performance can be mea- can’t afford to fail in education school, many do not ma- our children, and presenting educational tourism and stems sured,” the President said. is that if we fail in education, triculate or achieve enough our children with the gift of from Guyana’s vast potential everything else will fail. It is passes to make them em- education is the surest way in the area of biodiversity. QUALITY ASSURANCE that central and we take it that ployable. This occurrence is to achieve the goal of susPresident Granger believes The CANQATE confer- seriously,” he said. of major importance to our tainable development. that the Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development (Iwokrama) could serve as a centre for educational tourism for local and international students. Paired with the University of Guyana’s Centre for Biodiversity, the two institutions further bolster the educational push toward sustainable development.

Yet, even with these developmental initiatives in place, the goal is not only to ensure attendance, but to improve performance at all levels of school. At the Opening of the 13th Annual Conference of the Caribbean Area Network for Quality Assurance in Tertiary Education (CANQATE), President Granger explained that the creation of a large pool of highly qualified graduates So far, 10 boats 12 buses and 450 bicycles have been donated throughout the 10 administrative requires a strong framework regions under the President’s Five Bs Initiative of quality assurance in edprovided with internet access.

Plans to extend this network to communities in the hinterland have begun, and are expected to be executed next year. The eGovernment connectivity programme can be seen as a contribution to the implementation of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) which President Granger has said should be embedded in all levels of schools curricula.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, October 15, 2016

Everton midfielder Barkley must find consistency, says Leon Osman EVERTON midfielder Ross Barkley needs more ‘consistency’ under Ronald Koeman, according to former Toffee Leon Osman.

Barkley, 22, has played in all seven of Everton’s league games this season, managing one goal and one

assist.

But he was left out of the England squad by former boss Sam Allardyce for the match with Slovakia in October.

“Koeman, the way he is around the club, he won’t stand for inconsistency and

will make him a better player,” Osman told BBC Radio 5 live.

Preview: Manchester City v Everton Koeman, who succeeded Roberto Martinez at Goodison Park in the summer,

Yakubu paying for entry to National League side’s games

YAKUBU is paying for entry to Boreham Wood matches according to boss Luke Garrard, who is “trying his hardest” to sign the former Nigeria striker.

The 33-year-old ex-Everton forward has been training with the National League side since the summer.

The free agent has not signed a deal, but has been teaching younger players.

“Yak is courteous, he comes and watches the games, he pays entrance.

He’s fully on board with what I’m doing and what the club are doing,” Garrard said.

Garrard initially got in touch with Yakubu, who lives close to Wood’s Hertfordshire ground, through a mutual friend after the forward returned to England following a spell in the Turkish top flight with Kayserispor.

Yakubu played in a pre-season friendly for Boreham Wood against Reading this summer While Garrard has been as yet unable to convince him to sign, Yakubu has been giving advice to 21-year-old

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Morgan Ferrier - a striker who has scored seven goals in 13 matches this term.

“I’m trying my hardest to get him to sign a contract,” Garrard told BBC Three Counties Radio. “But as it stands I don’t know where he’s going or what he has planned.

“No disrespect to Morgan, Yak has been taking him under his wing the last three or four weeks and as long as he comes in and does that I’m happy to have Yak at the club.

“He teaches things I haven’t seen because he’s played at the highest level and in fairness to Morgan he’s all eyes and ears.”

(BBC Sports)

told Barkley to “look at yourself” following his most recent international omission.

“I think he’s found the transition of new managers tough,” added Osman, 35.

“It can be quite difficult if you play one way under a manager for three or four years and then a new one comes in with new ideas.”

Barkley has 22 caps for his country and has scored more Premier League goals - 17 - than former Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard had by the same age.

He has also contributed more assists than Chelsea legend Frank Lampard had

by the age of 22.

But he has not played a minute in any of England’s last eight matches, last appearing in a friendly win over Australia in May. Osman, who is now a free agent, added: “Consistency is decisions. The better decisions you make the more consistent you are.

“If you were designing a Premier League player it wouldn’t be far away from Ross Barkley. He has all the attributes in the world.”

Everton sit fifth in the Premier League and travel to leaders Manchester City today. (BBC Sports)

Barcelona’s Neymar responds to showboating criticism

: ‘I won’t change my way of playing’

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Neymar EVERY now and then (and now again) Barcelona superstar Neymar gets a huge amount of criticism for what people perceive as “showboating”, showing off skills without any real necessity to allegedly humiliate the opponent.

He’s been criticised by fans, opposing players, coaches and even some football legends.

But Neymar continues to do it time and time again, with the support of his Barça teammates and coach Luis Enrique.

They don’t want Neymar to be anything other than himself, and that’s exactly what the Brazilian thinks as well. Neymar will always be the same player, and he claims nothing will be able to change his way of playing football.

“I am not going to change, of course I won’t change.

People have to know that when you go on the pitch I have my way of playing and my way of playing is this, to dribble, to score goals, to help my teammates and I’m happy playing this way.

“If people aren’t, there’s nothing I can do. In football you give elbows and kicks, but not everyone can dribble.

I won’t change my way of playing.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, October 15, 2016

England Women crush WI Women in third ODI ... win by 112 runs and move ahead of Windies

By BRIJ PARASNATH ENGLAND Women produced a very professional performance and took a decisive 2-1 lead in the fivematch series when they crushed their West Indian counterparts by 112 runs in the third One-Day International encounter at Sabina Park, Jamaica, yesterday.

With this emphatic victory, the English Women leapfrogged West Indies Women in the ICC Championship race with two vital points that pushed them ahead to second spot on 21 points.

England need two more victories to clinch one of the four qualifying spots for the ICC World Cup which will be staged in England next year.

Reigning World Cup champions Australia already cemented their place to defend their global 50-overs crown. They head the points standings on 30 and are waiting to see who would be the challengers for world supremacy.

West Indies remained on

Deandra Dottin 20 points and dropped to third spot and must rebound quickly in the Fourth ODI which is carded for tomorrow at the same venue in Kingston.

England made 220 all out in 49.5 overs and skittled out West Indies for 108 off 35.4 overs to celebrate a convincing victory with 86 deliveries remaining of the one-sided contest.

England captain Heather Knight won the toss and decided that her team will bat first on a pitch that was

much harder and faster than the one at Trelawny Multiplex ground which was not conducive to fluent strokeplay.

But West Indies grabbed the initiative with two early wickets through the accuracy of Shamilia Connell and Deandra Dottin who together picked up a wicket each to leave the visitors 24 for 2 after 7.4 overs.

Connell removed the prolific Tammy Beaumont (4 runs off 16 balls) who was caught by StacyAnn King at square leg from a sweep shot while Dottin bowled Georgia Elwiss for three (6 balls).

Lauren Whitefield, when on three, enjoyed a major slice of luck when WI captain Stafanie Taylor, at first slip position, dropped her off the bowling of Connell whose away swinger glanced off the edge and through the hands and legs when the score was 10 without loss.

Whitefield buckled down and played responsibly. She did not offer another chance until she and Natalie Sciv-

struck Sciver between middle and leg, a decision that was turned down by umpire Nigel Duguid while Dottin also cannot believe that umpire Gregory Brathwaite thought otherwise when Sciver was once again playing across the line of a well-directed delivery that was slower and caught her straight on.

And to add further depressing energy, Afy Fletcher dropped Sciver who attempted a scoop shot when she was 38 and the score 155 for 3.

Dottin, however, kept Shemaine Campbelle charging in and she bowled Whitefield, behind her back; er had restored England’s for 79 (4x4, 111 balls) and hope of a very big total. took the catch to dismiss Together they posted a Sciver for 58 (1x6, 3x4, 72 match-winning 95 runs for balls) off the bowling of the third-wicket partnership Fletcher. Despite those wickand it broke the resolve of ets, there was no celebration the West Indian team. from Dottin because England During the frustrating were in the driver’s set at 185 period, Sciver survived two for 5 after 42.1 overs. very close shouts for lbw In their quest for quick at 144 for 3 and a dropped runs, England lost their last chance at 155 for three. five wickets for an addition of With an off-spinning 35 runs off 7.5 overs. At the delivery, Hayley Matend, it did not matter. thews seemed to have West Indies batters wilt-

ed under severe pressure from the controlled aggression and probing accuracy of England’s new-ball bowlers, who revelled in the conditions. Katherine Brunt (5-1-11-1) dismissed openers Hayley Matthews, lbw for 5 runs off 19 balls) and while Jenny Gunn scalped Shaquana Quintyne, caught

by Heather Knight for 21 (1x4 off 54 balls) and the score 35 for 2 in 13 overs.

Gunn then took the energy away from West Indies and any hope of revival for the team vanished when she bowled skipper Stafanie Taylor for nine (1x4, 19 balls) and left WI 47 for 3 after 16.2 overs.

Only Dottin and Shemaine Campbelle offered token resistance and finished with 20 (1x6, 2x4, 26 balls) and 18 runs (1x6, 27 balls) respectively, as the team folded up meekly for a paltry 108 in 35.4 overs.

Laura Marsh (2 for 31) and left-arm spinner Alexandra Hatley (2 for 25) were the other main wicket-takers.

PSG Ivory Coast man ‘saves life’ of Mali player

PA R I S S a i n t - G e r m a i n (PSG) and Ivory Coast defender Serge Aurier has been praised after “saving the life” of Mali forward Moussa Doumbia on Saturday.

After Doumbia was knocked unconscious in a challenge with Sunderland’s Lamine Kone, Aurier intervened to stop the Rostov player swallowing his tongue.

Mali’s manager Alain

Giresse added that he spoke to Aurier after the game to thank him for his “superb reactions”.

Ivory Coast went on to win the home 2018 World Cup qualifier 3-1 in Bouake.

“All the players realised that Doumbia was choking and was about to swallow his tongue,” Giresse told French radio station RMC. “That’s when Aurier,

Aurier (middle)reacted quickly after Doumbia (Mali’s number 12, on the right) collapsed following an aerial challenge. with one of our players, quickly put him on his side and pulled out his tongue,

because he was about to lose his life.”

However, Aurier later caused controversy by making a throat-slit ges-

ture towards the crowd after his side’s second goal. (BBC Sports)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, October 15, 2016

A fragile Tiger Woods taking his time to return to professional golf

THE COMEBACK is on hold, along with a sobering admission from Tiger Woods. His game is “vulnerable’’ and not yet ready for competition. And perhaps not for prime time viewing, either.

How much this has to do with Woods’ own insecurities about his game and how it might look are all part of the complex package you get when dealing with someone who was so stunningly good for so long and who is now faced with being far away from those dizzying heights of greatness.

“After a lot of soul-searching and honest reflection, I know that I am not yet ready to play on the PGA Tour or compete in Turkey,’’ Woods said on his website. “My health is good, and I feel strong, but my game is vulnerable and not where it needs to be.’’

That Woods, 40, would be so blunt as to his own deficiencies right now is jarring, even knowing that the 14time major winner has been through a significant amount of pain and a slow rehabilitation from two surgeries late in 2015.

It was Woods, after all, who opened up the door to this return, saying more than a month ago that he “hoped’’ to be back this week at the Safeway Open but also noting that he had a lot of work to do in that period to get ready.

Tiger Woods The Ryder Cup -- where he was a vice captain in Minnesota -- and Hurricane Matthew near his South Florida home didn’t help from a preparation standpoint.

Neither was a Tiger Woods Foundation event on Monday and Tuesday a couple of hours down the road at Pebble Beach, where he was the host of a big fundraiser.

And yet with all those distractions, Woods officially committed to the Safeway Open on Friday -- only to pull out three days later.

The timing is odd and has led to numerous conspiracy theories about his motives. It certainly is not helped by the lack of information about his rehabilitation, his practice routine or how much golf he has

played.

Notah Begay, Woods’ long-time friend who also works as an analyst for Golf Channel, said Monday that the golfer had only begun hitting drivers in earnest six weeks ago. And yet Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, said way back in April that Woods had worked that club back into his practice routine at that point.

He was hitting drivers during a clinic, a full-out practice session and a fivehole outing when he opened up his Bluejack National golf course design in Houston later that month, but the information about his practice pretty much dried up afterward. Woods said in June that he had yet to put multiple days of golf

together.

“There are no physical complications at all,’’ Steinberg said Monday. “I don’t know if it’s mental or just (his) golf game. He hasn’t played competitive golf in 14 months now. As he’s worked at his game of late, he just felt it wasn’t up to the quality necessary to compete right now.’’

Why Woods felt his game was OK on Friday but not on Monday is just another in a long line of mysteries surrounding the golfer, who has endured three back surgeries and four knee operations in a career that used to routinely see him rebound from layoffs, maladies and even arthroscopic procedures.

But the back surgeries

have been a different deal.

Throw in his well-documented chipping woes from early in 2015 and it shows just how many pieces have to be put back together.

Woods said that his first holes of golf came in April -- eight months after he had tied for 10th at the Wyndham Championship. Even there, Woods had swing issues that needed to be addressed, and they weren’t magically going to be cured when he first picked up a club again.

So there were the physical problems to overcome, a work-in-progress swing and short-game issues, just to start. Then came the ability to practice and play regularly.

Throw in the mental side of putting it all together and we have perhaps what has never been associated with Woods -- fragility.

Those seven days at the Ryder Cup didn’t help his preparation, but they certainly were a boost to his competitiveness.

“It gave him even more energy: ‘Man, I want to be back in the locker room,’’’ Steinberg said. “It lit even more of a fire for him. But when he realized that his game just wasn’t there, it was very frustrating.’’

Steinberg said Woods felt he didn’t believe it was “appropriate’’ to make his return at the Turkish Airlines Open, a European Tour event. It was out of

“respect for the PGA Tour’’ that he is skipping that tournament abroad next month, not some doom and gloom scenario that keeps him from being ready then.

Of course, there are other PGA Tour events after that and before the Hero World Challenge in December in the Bahamas, where Woods hosts the annual tournament for his foundation.

Perhaps he sees a softer opening for himself in the Bahamas. Woods has a home in the resort community of Albany on New Providence in The Bahamas and knows Albany Golf Course, one that is relatively benign. The tournament features just 18 players, but it was at the same event -- one he has won five times -- played in Orlando two years ago where he tied for last.

The good news is Woods now has another two months to prepare. He’ll have the various corporate and foundation duties that take up his time, but there should be plenty of room for repetitive rounds of golf, recovery and practice.

The next step then is tournament golf, ugly or not. At some point, Woods needs to jump back between the ropes, take a few hits and learn to cope with the game on a level he made look so easy for so long.

If not December, then when?

John Stones will face Everton today for the first time since his summer move to Manchester City PREMIER League leaders Manchester City host fifth-placed Everton today, with defender John Stones facing his former club for the first time since moving from Goodison Park in the summer.

Elsewhere in the Premier League, champions Leicester travel to Chelsea, while Arsenal and Tottenham are among the other teams in action today.

In the Championship, second-placed Norwich will go top of the table with a win against Rotherham as leaders

Huddersfield do not play until tomorrow.

Premier League and Championship matches: Premier League (15:00 BST unless stated) Chelsea v Leicester City (12:30 BST) Arsenal v Swansea City Bournemouth v Hull City Manchester City v Everton Stoke City v Sunderland West Bromwich Albion v Tottenham Hotspur Crystal Palace v West Ham United (17:30 BST)

John Stones will face Everton on today for the first time since his summer move to Manchester City form Goodison Park

Championship Barnsley v Fulham Blackburn Rovers v Ipswich Town Brighton and Hove Albion v Preston North End Derby County v Leeds United Newcastle United v Brentford Norwich City v Rotherham United Queens Park Rangers v Reading Wigan Athletic v Burton Albion Aston Villa v Wolverh a m p t o n Wa n d e r e r s (17:30 BST) (BBC Sports)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, October 15, 2016

Pakistan v West Indies, 1st Test, Dubai,

Azhar triple-century cements Pakistan’s dominance

Pakistan 579 for 3 dec (Azhar 302*, Aslam 90, Bishoo 2-125) by 510 runs.

West Indies 69 for 1 (Brathwaite 32*, Bravo 14*, Yasir 1-13) trail

CONFRONTED with bowling that was toothless at best and ragged at worst, Azhar Ali marched to 302 not out, becoming the fourth Pakistan player to score a Test triple-hundred.

Azhar’s marathon 469ball knock anchored Pakistan’s first-innings total of 579 for 3 declared, before West Indies moved to 69 for 1 in the 22 overs they had to face till stumps.

After having shared a 215run opening stand with Sami Aslam on the first day, Azhar was well supported on the second day too, first by Asad Shafiq and then by debutant Babar Azam, before Misbah-ulHaq played an attacking cameo leading into the declaration.

Pakistan scored at well over 4 runs an over on day two, adding 300 runs in 65.3 overs as West Indies progressively fell to pieces with the ball and in the field.

Resuming the day on 146, Azhar was solid and assured right from the outset and displayed more of the lovely drives and powerful cuts and pulls that lit up the first day.

He went into tea at 194, but got to his milestone within two balls of the resumption of play - a leg-side delivery from Shannon Gabriel was tucked fine for four, after which a wide one was cut past backward point for the four that took him past 200.

A salute and a set of nine push-ups followed. By that

Azhar Ali stage, West Indies fielders looked too ragged to follow suit. It took Azhar only a further 112 balls to bring up his triple-ton, powering his side towards a declaration that put West Indies out of their misery.

Azhar and Shafiq had added 73 runs to the overnight total of 279 for 1, taking their second-wicket partnership to 137. The pair built on their solid platform with relative

ease, facing little pressure either from West Indies bowlers or from a pink ball that did not do much in the air.

While Shafiq played the odd false shot, Azhar looked compact and sharp, quick to pounce on width and short balls. He greeted Roston Chase with successive lofted shots for four and six, and also played a number of assured sweep shots.

The partnership ended

when Shafiq drilled a return catch to Devendra Bishoo to depart for 67. That moment of success provided only fleeting relief for West Indies; Azam came in and settled down swiftly to provide capable support to Azhar. He glided his way to a half-century that seemed to come far too easily, before driving to cover to give West Indies their second and last breakthrough of the day.

Thereafter, Azhar and

Misbah added 62 off 76 in a partnership that wasn’t particularly graceful - with a number of skied miscues - but served Pakistan’s purpose.

Azhar brought up his triple-century in much the same manner as he had brought up his century, with a drive wide of mid-off for four. On that jubilant note, Pakistan declared.

West Indies had their moments, but were not able to capitalise on them. Bishoo found Azam’s outside edge early in his innings, only for the ball to fly to the right of slip. A few overs later, Chase got Azhar to nick to slip, where Jermaine Blackwood spilled a sharp chance that should have been taken.

A more judicious use of reviews would also have helped.

Gabriel, who clocked up impressive speeds in the first over of the day, seamed one back into Shafiq that clipped the top of his back pad on its way to the wicketkeeper.

The appeal, seemingly for a caught-behind, was turned down, but replays indicated that the ball would have gone on to hit enough of the top of middle for the batsman to overturn the not-out decision.

West Indies didn’t review.

The review West Indies did opt for left them redfaced. Jason Holder bowled an in-dipping low full toss at Azhar, went up in appeal for lbw and reviewed the not-out decision, believing the ball

had brushed pad before bat.

Replays, however, showed that the ball had gone nowhere near the pad and had been middled.

These errors paled in comparison with West Indies’ shoddy bowling and often-farcical fielding. Bishoo and Miguel Cummins released the early pressure that Gabriel and Holder had created.

While Bishoo bowled a number of short balls and half-volleys, Cummins repeatedly drifted onto the batsmen’s pads. Gabriel bowled a terrible spell after tea in which he struggled for line and length and bowled three big no-balls - and at least another three that were not called.

In the closing stages of the day, Pakistan bowlers provided a contrast to West Indies’ effort. Sohail Khan and Mohammad Amir bowled a fuller length and got good shape on the new ball, while Yasir Shah got more grip and turn than the West Indies spinners had managed at any stage. He was rewarded with the wicket of Leon Johnson, whom he trapped in front for 15.

But Kraigg Brathwaite and Darren Bravo then provided a reminder of how good the wicket still was, batting out the rest of the session in solid fashion.

With a mountain still to climb, West Indies require much more solidity in the days ahead.

Vishaul Singh, Cornwall headline West Indies dominance

VISHAUL SINGH, the left-hand batsman, struck a career-best 161, and Rahkeem Cornwall, the off-spinner, took his fourth five-wicket haul in as many matches to lead West Indies A’s 333-run rout of Sri Lanka A in the second fourday game at the Pallekele International Stadium.

With the win, West Indies levelled the three-match series.

A f t e r We s t I n d i e s were inserted by Dimuth Karunaratne (the home team captain), discarded Test opener Rajendra Chandrika,

who hasn’t gotten into double figures in his last four innings, roared back into form with 84. Chandrika pressed a strong claim by providing solidity at the top in both innings.

Chandrika had to retire hurt on 51, however, with West Indies on 103 for 1, and didn’t come back until the second day. But Vishaul and Jahmar Hamilton, who missed his fourth first-class century when he was runout on 99, powered them to 331 for 5 at the end of the opening day.

Chandrika joined

Vishaul, who resumed on 81, on the second morning, and added 54 more for the sixth wicket.

Vishaul batted on after the partnership ended, and was the ninth man dismissed, with West Indies having amassed 509, before Shamarh Brooks called the declaration.

Off-spinner Charith Asalanka took 4 for 104 for Sri Lanka.

In reply, Sri Lanka were reduced to 37 for 4. Dimuth Karunaratne (68) led a fightback through a fifth-wicket stand of 97 with Niroshan

Rahkeem Cornwall Dickwella, who top-scored with 88. But Asela Gunaratne (46) was the only other batsman who got into double figures as Sri Lanka

folded for 245. Cornwall finished with 6 for 91.

Having taken a 264run lead, West Indies raced away to 216 for 3 in 41 overs, courtesy of half-centuries from Chandrika (68), Brooks (53 not out) and Hamilton (56 not out).

Brooks slammed three fours and two sixes, and Hamilton slapped five fours and four sixes in his 30-ball knock as West Indies plundered their last 80 runs off 51 balls.

Sri Lanka lost both their openers with the score on seven, and thereafter slid

continuously. Leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay’s career-best 47 at No. 9 only delayed the inevitable as Sri Lanka were shot out for 147.

West Indies bowlers hunted in a pack. Delorn Johnson, Kemar Roach, Gudakesh Motie and Keon Joseph took two wickets each. Cornwall added one more to his first-innings six, and now has 52 wickets in his last 13 innings.

The final game begins on October 18 in Dambulla.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, October 15, 2016

Priyanna comes from a badminton family

Priyanna Ramdhani during a practice session at the National Gymnasium.

(Photos by Delano Williams)

THIS week’s Sports Pers o n a l i t y - o f - t h e - We e k is someone with a wellknown reputation in the sports arena in Guyana, and is no other than the distinguished 14-year-old badminton player, Priyanna Ramdhani, who attends Marian Academy.

Priyanna is quite an accomplished player and is by far the best female player that Guyana has produced over the years.

Priyanna comes from a family of badminton players. One cannot think of badminton in Guyana without thinking of the name Ramdhani, with nary a badminton-related activity not involving one family member. Priyanna is the daughter of Gokarn Ramdhani, badminton coach, and president of the Guyana Badminton Association.

Her brother, Narayan, is himself an authority in the sport locally, and has continually dominated over the years, which landed him a scholarship

Priyanna Ramdhani

for which he departed Guyana to pursue earlier this year.

Even Priyanna’s mom is a player in the sport, and with her entire family in badminton it was only natural that Priyanna would follow in their footsteps.

So it was at the tender age of five years that she took up the mantle – and racquet – to fulfil her calling.

What Priyanna cherishes most about her experience as a sports player are the opportunities provided to meet new friends and the ability to grow in the sport.

“Some of the most advantageous things that I have taken away from being a part of the sport are meeting new friends and growing and learning about the sport of badminton,” said the Marian Academy Fourth Form student.

Since she started in the sport, Priyanna has racked up quite a list of accolades, including capturing the national ‘Junior Sportswom-

an-of-the-Year’ title for the year 2011, and ending as runner-up for the 2012 title.

This followed Priyanna’s first big win on the regional scene, ending as a bronze medallist at the 2010 Pan American Championships in Jamaica and then returning to the competition in 2011 to capture another bronze when the event was held in the Dominican Republic.

Over the years Priyanna has advanced in her skills, and not a year passes without her medalling at one regional event or another.

For this year alone she captured one of the ‘Age Group Champion’ titles at the Suriname Easter International tournament, and most recently returned from the Caribbean Championships in Aruba with quite a lot.

With several competitions being held consecutively at the Championships, Priyanna par-

ticipated and medalled in almost all of them. In the Caribbean International Championships she won bronze, she had a silver in the Caribbean Team Championships, and two gold medals in the Caribbean Regional Championships. Whew!

Quite a take!

But it’s not just badminton that this ambitious young lady has excelled at; she has dabbled in table tennis at the national level, as well as representing her school in basketball and even chess. And when she doesn’t win, Priyanna doesn’t let it get to her.

One of her favourite quotes is ‘Don’t sweat the small stuff’.

Priyanna is now currently working on her preparations for the upcoming Inter-Guiana Games, where she is expected to represent Guyana against players from Suriname. (tgarnett_sports@ yahoo.com)

Azhar triple-century cements Pakistan’s dominance (See Story on page 30 )

Didier Drogba linked with shock loan move to Napoli

NAPOLI are lining up a loan move for Didier Drogba. (Getty Images) Napoli are considering a surprise move for Didier Drogba in the January transfer window, according to reports in Italy.

The Serie A club have lost their star striker Arkadiusz Milik to a cruciate ligament injury and the Poland international could now be sidelined for up to six months.

Fiorentina striker Nikola Kalinic and Simone Zaza, who is on loan at West Ham, are also being targeted by Napoli, who are poised to reach the knockout phase of the Champions League having won their opening two group games.

Drogba, who turned 38 this year, could be available Napoli are lining up a loan move for Didier Drogba. Napoli are on a loan deal during the considering a surprise move for Dider Drogba in the January transfer MLS winter break. (UK Metro) window, according to reports in Italy (Getty Images)

British soccer player found not guilty of rape CARDIFF, Wales (AP) A former English Premier League player was found not guilty of rape on Friday following a retrial, ending a five-year case.

Ched Evans, a Wales international who has played for Manchester City and Sheffield United, wept and hugged his fiancee after the verdict was given at Cardiff Crown Court.

The 27-year-old Evans admitted to having sex with a teenager in a hotel in north Wales in May 2011 but always insisted it was consensual. He was convicted of rape in April 2012 and released from prison after serving half of his five-year sentence.

The rape conviction was overturned in April following an appeal.

A jury of seven women and five men found Evans not guilty following three hours of deliberations after the eight-day trial.

Evans and his partner stood outside court with supporters as his solicitor read a statement on behalf of Evans.

“That incident did not involve the commission of a criminal offense,” the statement said, “and today I am overwhelmed with relief that the jury agreed.

“Thanks go, too, to my friends and family,” it added, “most notably my fiancee, Natasha, who chose, perhaps incredibly, to support me in my darkest hour. Whilst my innocence has now been established, I wish to make it clear that I wholeheartedly apologize to anyone who might have been affected by the events of the night in question.”

Evans plays for third-tier club Chesterfield, who signed him in June despite a public outcry when he attempted to return to professional soccer with other clubs while his appeal was being heard.

Two red cards and missed penalty in Borussia Dortmund draw

Aubameyang has scored six times in the German top-flight this season Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216.

BORUSSIA Dortmund were held to a draw by second-placed Hertha Berlin in a Bundesliga match featuring two red cards and a missed penalty.

Valentin Stocker opened the scoring for Hertha six minutes after the break.

Striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a penalty saved for the hosts, but then converted Ousmane Dembele’s cutback 10 minutes from time to earn a point.

Emre Mor was sent off for Dortmund after a push on Sebastian Langkamp, with goalscorer Stocker also dismissed.

The Swiss forward was sent off for a dangerous tackle in the final seconds.

The draw was a club-record 25th successive unbeaten home game for Dortmund, but the second game in a row they have failed to win after defeat by Bayer Leverkusen last time out.

Thomas Tuchel’s side are third behind Hertha and leaders Bayern Munich, who play Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday. (BBC Sports) SATURDAY OCTOBER 15, 2016