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The Guyanese motorcade

â€“ Still Shining in an era of modernity P.2

Celebrating Diwali No. 104720

SUNDAY OCTOBER 30, 2016

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Moblissa accidentâ€Ś

Truck driver in custody P.3

US$3M grant to help First shipment in mercury-free of natural gas gold mining here on Nov. 11

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 30, 2016

The Guyanese motorcade – still shining in an era of modernity By Subraj Singh CAN you see it? You’re walking along Campbell Avenue, Campbellville,Georgetown and there is no moon in sight. Even if there were a moon, you would not be bothered enough to look at it. Too many other things abound. It is 7 PM and it is Diwali, or the night before Diwali, if some sections of society are to be listened to. So, you are walking along Campbell Avenue and there is no moon and it is Diwali, the darkest night of

the year. People loitering in groups along the street, decked out in Indian wear, chatting, laughing. The atmosphere is as festive as Christmas morning, except that it occurs in the blackness of the night. But then, the darkness does not last for very long. The first float in the motorcade has begun to make its way down the street. And as it moves towards Middleton Street, on its way to Sandy Babb Street, the float brings with it enough light to illuminate the faces of everyone gazing up at it, as

they watch it move slowly, yet surely and powerfully illuminating the way. It is the first of several floats and from that moment on, the night is no longer dark. While the motorcade as a part of the festivities that mark Diwali, the Hindu festival of light, which celebrates the triumph of good over evil (light over darkness) and is connected to the Hindu beliefs pertaining to the deities Lakshmi and Rama, it is important to be able to fully understand and appreciate the importance of the Guyanese motorcade.

Often, it is quite an overlooked aspect of Diwali, with many other Guyanese festivities occupying a more prominent space in the Guyanese mindset when it comes to the various aspects of our many holidays. Then there is the real threat of cultural imperialism and the importation of holidays from first world countries – a good example being Halloween, which does present the real possibility of being able to eclipse the Festival of Lights in the future. However, despite all of this, the motorcades contin-

ue to endure because of the various mandirs, companies, schools and families who work for weeks on end to celebrate their religion and showcase their culture. Guyana has lost so many traditions and festivals over the years – such as the Ramlila and the Tadjah celebrations. The fact that motorcades continue to survive highlights the adaptability of such a tradition, and this does explain why they have survived when so much has already been lost. While the main features of the motorcades remain

the same (actors/dancers/ models representing deities are placed on a vehicle decorated with lights and are transported along the streets and roadways), it is astounding to see the ways in which the floats have morphed and evolved through the years. The vehicle itself which, once upon a time in our history, was as simple as a horse-drawn cart has grown into cars, vans, buses and trucks. And artists have now begun to experiment with alternative ways of transportation in an effort to impress and to stand out. The Balesar family, for example, who are experienced in building and showcasing their own private motorcades each year, sought to represent the goddess Lakshmi and her husband, Vishnu, as they stand within the coils of the many-headed serpent, Shesha. The unique thing about this particular float is the way in which some of the individuals within the float actually have to pedal, using their feet, to move the float from one place to the next. This lack of engine and the use of manpower might suggest that the age of the engine in the motorcades is not necessarily over, but that it is time for other alternatives to be looked into in Turn to centre ►

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 30, 2016

Moblissa accident…

Truck driver in custody THE driver of the log truck involved in Friday night’s fatal accident at Moblissa is in police custody as an investigation continues. A No.72 minibus, which plies the Georgetown to Mahdia route, crashed into the back of the truck; some reports are that the truck was parked while others suggest it was moving. According to Commander of the Division, Senior Superintendent Karim Baksh, the driver is assisting with the investigation and both the mangled minibus and the truck have been impounded. The minibus, BVV 3782, was travelling to George-

The mangled minibus

Dead: Bridget Alleyne

Dead: Royston Holder

town from the Takuba Lodge, Konawaruk mining district and had four occupants. One of the passengers died on the spot and another died at the Linden Hospital Complex while receiving

treatment. The dead persons have been identified as miner Royston Holder and Bridget Alleyne, 59, wife of the driver, Peter Alleyne. Apart from her husband, the wom-

The lumber truck

an leaves to mourn her eight children and grandchildren. The driver, fondly known as Brother Peter, and another occupant, a Brazilian national, were transferred to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre where they remain in stable condition. According to Commander Karim Baksh, the hauler truck - GMM 6461- was also moving in a westerly direction at the time of the collision. This was, however, refuted by several eye witnesses and the driver of the bus. Eye witnesses revealed that the truck, loaded with huge logs which extended some 15 feet from its tray, was parked in the middle of the bridge sometime around 20:00 hrs when the accident occurred. Reports reaching this newspaper indicated that the truck’s radiator had overheated and the truck stopped moving. Asa result, the driver was not able to pull to the side of the road.

The driver was attempting to restart the engine when the accident occurred. Daughter of the late Bridget Alleyne, Rubyanna Alleyne, told the Guyana Chronicle that her father related to her that he was driving at a pace of 60 kilometres per hour when he collided with the truck. He related that there were no reflector lights or anything to enhance his visuals and the truck was not visible to his naked eyes. It was not until he had almost collided with the truck that he realised a lumber truck was parked in front of him. She related that when she arrived on the scene, police officers were trying to get the truck to move as it was still shut down. “My father told me that the driver of the truck did not even come out to assist, because he was busy trying to get the truck to move,” she said. The grieving daughter

said that her father is a careful driver who had plied the route for the last 28 years. This is the fifth fatality that has occurred on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway for 2016. Region 10 officials are calling for lumber trucks to stop traversing the highway and to have the logs sail down the Demerara River as was done in the past. Regional Chairman Renis Morian on a recent visit to the highway blamed the heavy-duty trucks and vehicles for damage to the road. In addition to this, Regional Councillors have made calls to the relevant authorities to have the highway equipped with lights and road markings. The dark thoroughfare was described as a death trap while driving at nights as visibility is extremely difficult, especially when there is fog. Most of the accidents that occur on the highway happen at nights.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 30, 2016

Clinton enjoys solid lead in early voting: Reuters/Ipsos poll

(Reuters) With 11 days to go before the U.S. presidential election, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton leads Republican Donald Trump by 15 percentage points among early voters surveyed in the past two weeks, according to the Reuters/Ipsos States of

the Nation project. Though data is not available for all early voting states, Clinton enjoys an edge in swing states such as Ohio and Arizona and in Republican Party strongholds such as Georgia and Texas. An estimated 19 million

Americans have voted so far in the election, according to the University of Florida’s United States Election Project, accounting for as much as 20 percent of the electorate. Overall, Clinton remained on track to win a majority of votes in the Electoral College, the Reuters/Ipsos survey showed. Having so many ballots locked down before the Nov. 8 election is good news for the Clinton campaign. On Friday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced that it is examining newly discovered emails belonging to Clinton’s close aide, Huma Abedin. Those emails were found on a computer belonging to Anthony Weiner, Abedin’s estranged husband, during an unrelated investigation into illicit messages he is alleged to have sent to a teenage girl. The Reuters/ Ipsos survey was conducted before the news emerged Friday afternoon.

It remains unclear whether the FBI inquiry will upset the balance in the race. The bureau disclosed nothing about the Abedin emails, including whether any of the messages were sent by or to Clinton. Over the summer, the FBI said it was closing its investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email system while secretary of state. Until Friday, her campaign seemed to have weathered the initial FBI email probe. Clinton has held a lead averaging four to seven percentage points in polls in recent weeks as the Trump campaign wrestled with accusations by women of groping and other sexual advances. Trump has said none of the accusations are true. He also struggled in the recent presidential debates and faced questions about his taxes. As of Thursday, Clinton’s odds of receiving the 270 Electoral College votes needed to

win the presidency remained at greater than 95 percent, according to State of the Nation polling results released Saturday. The project estimated she would win by 320 votes to 218, with 278 votes solidly for the Democrat. Clinton’s lead among early voters is similar to the lead enjoyed by President Barack Obama over Republican Mitt Romney at this point of the 2012 race, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll taken at the time. Obama won the election by 332 electoral votes to Romney’s 206. But even before the latest email news, it had been a difficult week for Clinton. News coverage of Trump’s accusers had diminished, while Clinton confronted the almost daily release by WikiLeaks of emails purportedly hacked from her campaign manager’s account. This week’s leaked messages raised questions about former President Bill Clinton’s finances. And her lead in the States of the Nation project fell slightly from last week. Though the projected Electoral College votes hardly moved, the number of states solidly for Clinton slid from 25 to 20 this week. Trump didn’t see any additional states tilt solidly to him, but he did see some gains: The swing states of Pennsylvania, Colorado, Iowa and Nevada all

U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton held an unscheduled news conference to talk about FBI inquiries into her emails after a campaign rally in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. October 28, 2016. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/ File Photo

moved from leaning to Clinton to being too close to call. Still, Trump’s path to a victory is narrow, and any realistic chance rests on his winning Ohio, North Carolina and Florida. As of Thursday, Ohio remained a toss-up. Florida and North Carolina were still tilting toward Clinton, according to the States of the Nation results. Early voting data for Florida and North Carolina was not yet available this week. In Ohio, Clinton led Trump by double digits among early voters. The project’s broader polling suggests the state is deadlocked between the two candidates.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 30, 2016

Harmon: Ministers not meeting public at Congress Place MINISTER of State Joseph Harmon says he is unaware of plans for ministers of the government to meet with members of the public at the headquarters of the PNCR at Congress Place, Sophia, from Friday November 4. The minister, who is a member of that party, was at the time responding to ques-

tions posed at a post- Cabinet press briefing hosted by him on Friday. “There was no discussion at Cabinet about a statement put out by [a] political party about ministers going to meet with the public, so I am not aware of it at this point in time, but I am sure we are going to examine it.” “I deal with government

and I would ask that you address those party matters to the political parties who made those statements,” Harmon stated. Minister Harmon assured the media that “as a government we never discussed that at Cabinet.” It was Harmon’s press officer Malika Ramsey who posted on Facebook that a

minister of the Government will be at Congress Place, starting with Harmon, on Friday November 4, to meet with citizens. It was stated that a minister would be at Congress Place every Friday between the hours of 10:00am and 2:00pm to address issues and matters of concern to the people.

Those already scheduled were Dr George Norton, Dr Karen Cummings, Volda Lawrence, Winston Jordan, Amna Ally, Ronald Bulkan, Carl Greenidge, Basil Williams, Joseph Harmon, Winston Felix, Valerie Patterson and Annette Ferguson will be participating in the meet-the- public activity.

Minister Joseph Harmon

Brazil not expecting another big wave of Zika with onset of summer (Reuters) Brazilian health officials say they do not expect a second wave of widespread Zika infections similar to that of a year ago, despite warming temperatures causing a rebound in reproduction of the mosquito responsible for transmitting the virus. Zika, which has spread to almost 60 countries around the world, continues to infect people across Brazil, where more than 200,000 diagnoses have been reported since the beginning of the year. But prior infection – starting as early as 2015, before local physicians had recognized Zika’s arrival in Latin America – may now have led to a greater degree of immunity in areas like Brazil’s northeast, where the outbreak was first detected and is believed to have been most severe. Coupled with sustained efforts to combat spikes in the mosquito population, authorities say that greater immunity should prevent another intense epidemic of the sort that rattled Brazil from late 2015, particularly after Zika was linked to a surge in birth defects and other neurological complications. “We are expecting a decrease,” said Eduardo Hage, the director of epidemiology for Brazil’s health ministry, in a telephone interview on Thursday. Still, Hage warned that the virus is so little understood and difficult to track in epidemiological terms that a full comparison with last year, let alone a definitive prediction for the months ahead, is impossible.

Of the 2,063 confirmed cases reported so far in Brazil of microcephaly, a birth defect marked by smaller-than-usual head size that can lead to developmental

Genetically modified male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are pictured at Oxitec factory in Piracicaba, Brazil, October 26, 2016. REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker

For one, Brazil does not know exactly how many people may have contracted Zika, a virus that does not even cause symptoms in a majority of those who get it, or where. Government researchers guess that as many as 1.5 million may have been infected before authorities even began counting diagnoses. Rio de Janeiro, where a dense urban population and a blistering summer create conditions favorable to the Aedes aegypti mosquito, is believed by some researchers to have had a big outbreak, possibly before the northeast, but doctors at the time were not yet tracking Zika. And now, with summer approaching in populous southern states, doctors and public health officials admit they could face more of a challenge than expected if weather gets excessively hot or humid, making it harder to fight the mosquitoes, which also carry viruses that cause dengue and other tropical

illnesses. “It’s likely that we’ll see less infection but there are too many variables to know for sure,” says Pedro Vasconcelos, director of the Evandro Chagas Institute, a research facility for tropical diseases in the northern city of Belem. He and other scientists say that despite greater immunity in parts of the country, people could remain susceptible in areas like São Paulo, Brazil’s biggest city, that are not believed to have been exposed as much as Rio and the northeast. “Even if overall there is increased exposure, you could still get new clusters,” says Mauricio Lacerda Nogueira, a virologist at the São Jose de Rio Preto medical school, near São Paulo. Meanwhile, scientists in Brazil and beyond continue to grapple with one enduring mystery – the concentration in the northeast of birth defects among children of mothers who were infected while pregnant.

problems, more than twothirds of the cases are in the northeast. In Rio and other areas where Zika caused big outbreaks, the proportion of

microcephaly cases is much lower, leading scientists to theorize that local variables, like other pathogens or environmental factors, worsened the complications in the northeast.

Editor-In-Chief

Nigel Williams Sunday Editor

Neil Marks

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

Editorial President’s address to Parliament PRESIDENT David Granger, in bringing his message to the Parliament, did something good for the nation’s political growth and development. This constitutional provision allows citizens to hear their President articulate positions on the issues guiding the Executive and its parliamentary agenda. Such addresses also make it easier for them to be apprised of the Government’s agenda, make known their views, and participate in the required processes to bring it about. In the President’s 13th October address, several issues pertinent to the nation and people’s wellbeing were addressed; and irrespective of political and other diversity, it is to our collective benefit to have these achieved. Where crime continues to pose threats to the nation’s security and the citizens’ peace of mind, no Guyanese should seek political mileage from another’s misery. Regardless of our politics, we all want to feel and be safe; and together we must work to achieve it. Commitments given by the President that “Government intends to make Guyana safe for this and future generations, [and] we will do so not only by combating crime and criminals, but in uprooting the causes of crime and its links with transnational crime” are deserving of support and participation to ensure realisation. The establishment of a National Security Committee and proposed new National Anti-Narcotics Agency (NANA) to address narco-trafficking, and a new National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) to beef up surveillance of our borders and coasts would help in crime reduction. Augmentations of the Police Mounted and Marine branches have also being promised, where the former would aid traffic laws’ enforcement and the latter battle piracy. Reaching out to the United Kingdom (UK) with “a view to restoring the aborted Security Sector Reform Action Plan (SSRAP)” is a necessary component in crime-fighting. Though it was a plan it had helped conceive, the PPP/C government had rejected the SSRAP implementation on the argument that the role the UK wanted to play violated Guyana’s sovereignty. It therefore behoves the Government, out of caution, to examine this perception and publicly address it before implementation of the SSRAP, to avoid political uproar and rejection. At the same time, its needs to be said that, abominable as it is, opportunities must be created for legitimate forms of income-earning for those who would have relied on crime for an income. It would not help if the narco-trade goes underground, given that it presently

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 30, 2016

Gov’t must listen to the people, then act Dear Editor, GOVERNANCE is about the people and their business. Any decision, including laws, being made on the people’s behalf must factor in the culture of the society. It is being observed that the APNU+AFC government continues to walk in the path of the Bharrat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar governments in making decisions absent of positive feedback/support from the people. In doing so there will come a time when the barometer for judging performance will be who is the lesser of the two evils, rather than which government is better than the other. In fact, the judgement will be on negativity rather than positive growth in governance. The time has come for leaders who are addressing the people’s business to begin to listen to the people and act in concert with the people’s opinions within the confines of laws, international conventions, charters and time-honoured principles. Too often this government has been making decisions that places it in a defensive position, and on many occasions these can be avoided. Nearly half of the electorate voted for the PPP/C. In the run up to the 2015 General and Regional Elections, the PPP/C campaign accused APNU+AFC presidential candidate David Granger of all sorts of ugly things and advised the society that should he be elected he

will militarise the business of the state. The Government of Guyana is elected by the people which makes it a civilian government. In the most recent issue that disappoints people is the government’s decision to hold its Cabinet meetings in the Guyana Defence Force compound. This issue can be looked at from three angles. First, this could be considered a non-issue, but in our politics where the PPP/C campaigned and sensitised the society that a Granger administration would result in militarisation of government, the administration should have avoided fuelling the perception and giving their opponent political ammunition. Secondly, previous PNC and PPP/C governments held cabinet meetings in various locations, which this government could have reviewed and learned from those experiences. Thirdly, this is a security risk, for it helps any group in the military to carry out a coup by easily being afforded the opportunity to arrest all the members of the cabinet. The outcry that has emerged from the public on holding Cabinet meetings in Camp Ayanganna needs to be addressed not with emotion, but a high level of objectivity. Another issue is where the laws of this land continue to be violated by the Government or companies, we the people must stoutly reject such acts of violation. Though it is noticed that the constitutional Public Procurement

operates in broad daylight, because it would be harder to root out, and would make life more dangerous for those who can provide intelligence or want to remove themselves from criminal activity. The President has outlined the Executive’s legislative agenda, which include presenting bills on Industrial Relations Tribunal, Witness Protection, Protected Disclosure, Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation, and Immigration; and amendments to the Integrity Act, Cheddi Jagan International Airport Corporation Act, Marriage Act, and Road Act. This is quite an agenda for the Executive, and would likely ensure there would be more sittings to deliberate the people’s business, as they have being asking for. A proactive opposition can also bring bills to the National Assembly, given that the constitution allows any member of parliament to do so. Ours is a Parliament that allows the Opposition and Government sides to not only oppose each other, but also cooperate in the national good. This presents opportunity for Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, who is Leader of the Government Business, and Bharrat Jagdeo, as Leader of the Opposition, to craft a common parliamentary agenda. Inspirations and reliance can be drawn from their 2015 manifestos. Working together would see both parties being able to achieve what they promised their constituents on the campaign trail, and more likely would make the House more

Commission has been established, the other constitutional bodies must too be put in place. Laws are not meant to be honoured in the breach or when a government, institution or person feels like honouring them. That is not how the law operates, because such will lead to widespread chaos and mayhem. The continued failure by the Government of Guyana to respect and enforce the laws in their entirety threatens the orderliness of the society, and the development and security of the people. Out of any living president, David Granger, based on his military background is expected to be more aware of the threats to sovereignty and territorial integrity when the laws of a country, including its constitution, are being disrespected and undermined by locals, much less foreign nationals. No Guyanese can go into Russia, establish a business, and refuse to obey that country’s laws. The Russian government’s intolerance to such disrespect would be consistent with preserving that nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Granger/Nagamootoo government is making too many avoidable mistakes. It is being suggested that more time be spent in analysing issues before decisions are made, which will avoid valuable time being spent in defending what should never have occurred. LINCOLN LEWIS

deliberative and less acrimonious. Not to be forgotten, such collaboration would be in keeping with inclusionary democracy, which the Guyana Constitution prescribes as the nation’s principal political objective, and the President’s statement of pursuing “public policy” which is “committed to good governance.” In addressing the Green Economy, the nation was promised a “comprehensive, multi-sectorial development programme…aimed at improving the pace of economic development by removing bottlenecks to the implementation of infrastructural projects.” This is much anticipated, given the potential for economic and employment opportunities in the presence of pervasive poverty and high unemployment. Building Guyana requires Guyanese being engaged in productivity and productive endeavours. The commitment made to invest in the public service through capacity building and institutional strengthening would aid in restoring professionalism. It should be said that public servants also look forward to the implementation of recommendations flowing from the commission of inquiry into the service, given that both approaches are important in ensuring qualitative delivery of service. President Granger noted the capability of both sides of the House in finding common ground in the pursuit of the common good. Guyanese want their leaders to work together for the good of the collective, and this moment is ours to seize for the good of self, our fellowman, and country.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 30, 2016

Speaker hosts Independence ‘reflection and celebration’ event - PPP stays away

PRESIDENT David Granger and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, were among the main guests Friday evening when Speaker of the National Assembly played host to an “An Afternoon of Reflection and Celebration of Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary.” Notably, the opposition PPP stayed away from the event. In a letter to the Speaker, the PPP stated that it was boycotting the event because of what it said was the lack of inclusivity of younger parlia-

chestra. In addition, there were fine displays of talent by budding young artistes, including colourful dance sequences by the National Dance Company, folk songs by the Circle of Love and prolific choral speaking by Keon Heywood. And asserting a dominant presence was Guyana’s celebrated Woodside Choir, warming the hearts of the appreciative audience with its choral renditions of “My Native Land” and “Guyana the Free.” Emcee was Public Relations Officer,Parliament

Office, Mrs Onieka Alphonso, while Clerk of the National Assembly Mr. Sherlock Isaacs at the outset of the programme, delivered a solemn roll call of the members of the First and Second Parliaments, the majority of whom are now extinct. Meanwhile, the highlight of the evening’s performances was the nostalgic re-enactment of the handing-over of the instruments of Independence to Forbes Burnham, Premier of British Guiana, later Prime Minister of Guyana, by the Duke of Kent.

The re-enactment of the presentation of the instruments of Independence by the National School of Drama and Theatre Arts mentarians, female parliamentarians and ethnically diverse parliamentarians. The event, held in the forecourt of Parliament Buildings in downtown G e o rg e t o w n , w a s e uphoric and delightfully heart-warming. It was a classy two-anda-half-hour programme, characterised by elegance and a nostalgic sense of pride and belonging. Travelling all the way from the USA to be part of the celebration was former politician Mr. Moses Bhagwan, who through the years had worked closely with the National Assembly. The programme began with performances by the Guyana Police Force Band and the National Steel Or-

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo engages President David Granger and Speaker Dr Barton Scotland at the event The National School of Drama and Theatre Arts did a fantastic job of re-enacting the handing over of the instruments of Independence, and painting a vivid picture of the House of the National Assembly evolving from the former Legislative Chamber as it was at that time. And cruising down memory lane for a while, were three iconic members of the National Assembly of the First Parliament of Guyana, who shared reflections of Parliament down through the years.

The distinguished Parliamentarians were Mr. Oscar Clarke, C.C.H., Member of the National Assembly of the First Parliament of Guyana; Mr. Llewelyn John, C.C.H., Member of the National Assembly of the First Parliament of Guyana; and Mr. Frank Narain, C.C.H., Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly of the First Parliament of Guyana. Moderator of that segment of the programme was Dr. Grantley Walrond. Meanwhile, in his brief remarks to the gathering,

Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr. Barton Scotland (third from left), with honorees, from left are Mr. Oscar Clarke; former Prime Minister and Mayor of Georgetown, Mr. Hamilton Green; Mr. Llewelyn John, Mr. Frank Narain, and Mr. Jeffrey Thomas

Speaker of the House , Dr. Barton Scotland, the author of the programme, reflected on the team spirit that prevailed as, together with the staff of the National Assembly, the organising team sought to get about the task of energetically organising and galvanising to bring the programme to fruition. But his over-arching concern, he said, “was that we should present a programme which would do justice to the name of the National Assembly.” In summing up, Dr. Scotland affirmed: “It is my opinion that we have done an excellent job in presenting this programme.” He thanked the members, as well as the invitees for joining them in a most elegant evening of “Reflection and Celebration of Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary.” To wrap up the event, six honorees were presented with tokens for having served the National Assembly with distinction throughout the years. Those awardees were former Prime Minister and Mayor of Georgetown Hamilton Green; Mr. Oscar Clarke; Dr. Barton Scotland, Mr. L l e w e l y n J o h n , M r. Frank Narain, and Mr. Jeffrey Thomas.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 30, 2016

Social media and political activism education

GUYANESE who bother to pay attention to politics tend to be so wrapped up in our local politics that we have collectively become oblivious to what is happening in the rest of the world, particularly in our Caribbean. I make this observation with the awareness that, thanks to the domination of local TV stations by American programing, there seems to be a little more awareness of what is happening in that country — at least at the political surface. However, I think that in the long run, our nation is less informed about the rest of the Caribbean and the world at large. This is quite a departure from what obtained a generation ago, when, ironically, there was no television, there were fewer radio stations, and there was no Internet. Yet there was more of a consciousness of our country as part of the Caribbean beyond carnival and dancehall music. Today we have the overpowering presence of social media — they are in our faces around the clock. Participation is not confined to any single race, class, gender, ethnicity or nationality; it’s universal. But are social media really empowering? Have they expanded space for social and political action? Are they an effective medium of political and public education? Some have argued in the affirmative --that these social media have increased political activism and consciousness. In fact, some activists, especially youth activists, have confined their activism to social media, and swear by its ef-

fectiveness. They point to the fact that they are able to meet more people, especially young people, through these media. But does that actually translate into real empowerment and expanded space? I have always cautioned against the over-reliance on social media for mobilization and activism. My contention is that, despite the pervasiveness of social media, they have not expanded space for political participation and activism in Guyana. I say this as someone who uses social media as part of public scholarship and political education, and who observes the behaviour of Guyanese on these media. There is a way in which poor people of all ages, for example, are locked out of those media for economic reasons — it costs money to subscribe to Internet plans, obtain Wi-Fi, and buy computers; so there are class limitations to social media, which in turn limits their effectiveness as mobilization tools. What flows from that is that most people, especially poor people, do not use social media as sources of public education and information-gathering. Most participants seem to be more drawn to social posts and events of a non-political nature. They simply do not go to social media for hard news and political analysis and education. Perhaps because most of them are part-time users (for economic reasons), they tend to prioritize what they read and post. So while there is a core group of readers who engage in serious discourse, the wider social media population does not participate. I have observed, for example, that while there is a huge population on Facebook, the percentage of participants who actually read news and commentaries and engage in discussion is extremely small. There is a very small group of readers and posters who make the rounds on the Guyanese pages. On Facebook, for example, a story may generate a high volume of “likes”, but few people actually

read the story. Others read the headlines and post comments without bothering to read the actual content of the stories. The second observation is that interest tends to be very parochial, with almost every issue that grabs the attention of Guyanese people having to do with Guyana. The small exception tends to be American politics, which largely has to do with the large Guyanese diaspora in that country and the prevalence of American TV in Guyana. My posts, for example, about Caribbean news and discourses are often ignored, even by the regulars. This is very frightening for us as a Caribbean people, primarily because our futures are invariably tied up with our Caribbean integration. The third observation about social media and public education is the tendency for sensationalism and partisan and ethnic intolerance. Maybe this has an impact on the very low participation on the part of many young people on social media. Government supporters are extremely aggressive in this regard. They push back against any criticism of the Government is total, and posts about Jagdeo tend to excite increased readership and commentary, much of which is very unreasonable and hateful. On the other side, there is a persistent and equally distasteful barrage by PPP supporters. Social media therefore become an extension of the political and ethnic fear and hate that have dogged Guyana for so long. Am I making a case against social media? Absolutely not! I am cautioning against overplaying their significance as political and social activism, and against seeing them as a substitute for face to face grassroots activism in communities. My preliminary thought is that social media are more supplementary to the latter rather than substitutes. In the long run, we still have to address the issues of greater political participation, and mass education of the citizenry about Guyana, the Caribbean and the world at large. Democracy withers when the population is less informed and mass participation beyond voting decreases. I have always been amazed at how political parties, in their quest for office, wittingly and unwittingly suppress political participation. Many people, particularly young people, believe that social media are the answer to this suppression. I have my doubts. More of Dr. Hinds ‘writings and commentaries can be found on his YouTube Channel Hinds’ Sight: Dr. David Hinds’ Guyana-Caribbean Politics and on his website www.guyanacaribbeanpolitics.com. Send comments to dhinds6106@aol.com

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 30, 2016

Bulkan lauds FFTP US$3M grant to help in mercury-free gold mining housing scheme in West Berbice, pledges support

Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan with some of the beneficiaries of the FFTP housing project

BENEFICIARIES of the 43 houses provided for needy persons at Onderneeming, West Coast Berbice by Food For The Poor (FFTP), have been assured of central government’s support in expediting the provision of water and electricity so that they can enjoy these basic amenities as soon as possible after gaining occupancy. “I can appreciate how difficult it is to live without water and electricity. The central government will strive to allow for the provision of those services in a timely manner,” Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan told the families during a fact- finding visit to the site Saturday. Forty-three families are to benefit from the FFTP scheme of two-bedroom houses on land provided by the Hopetown Multipurpose Coop Society. The housing scheme will also be fitted with a recreational facility and playground. Minister Bulkan praised the FFTP for undertaking the project, which he described as a humanitarian and “noble gesture.” He noted that the buildings were constructed to admirable standards. Meanwhile, Chief Ex-

ecutive Officer (CEO) of the FFTP, Kent Vincent, disclosed that financing for the houses was donated by philanthropist, Joseph Roetheli, a United States citizen. “He has financed the construction of a number of houses on the Essequibo. He is acquainted with Guyana. He loves the country. It is in celebration of his 43rd wedding anniversary that he decided to build 43 houses for 43 families to benefit. We are happy to have been able to benefit from his generosity,” Vincent said. Forty three of 70 applicants recommended by social and religious organisations were approved by the FFTP for occupation of the houses provided at a cost of $200,000 each. The FFTP paid $100,000 of that sum for each beneficiary. Senior Projects Officer of the FFTP, Andrea Benjamin, said, “These are very poor people. They could not come up with the $100,000 down payment on their own, so we decided to pay that for them and then give them a year to come up with the remaining $100,000.” Benjamin said that FFTP wants to hand over the houses at Onderneeming on November 29, 2016 and the

contractors are working with this date in mind. Meanwhile, Vice-Chairman of the RDC of Region Five, Rion Peters, commended the FFTP for the initiative, noting that since the project began a number of people from communities across the region, who are in dire need of housing, have approached the RDC about the possibility of getting similar housing assistance from FFTP. The RDC had informed FFTP accordingly and he hopes that the charitable body may find it possible to assist other needy persons in the region.

GUYANA, through the Global Environment Facility (GEF), will benefit from a US$3M grant to assist the country in reducing its mercury use in the artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector. The GEF Council, on Tuesday last, approved a global programmatic approach to address the use of mercury in the sector. The programme, titled “Global Opportunities for Long-term Development of ASGM Sector - GEF GOLD”, aims to reduce the use of mercury in the mining sector in participating countries, including Guyana. The Guyana project is expected to help artisanal and small-scale gold miners to introduce low and non-mercury technologies and techniques. With Guyana being one of eight countries selected to participate in the programme, the funds wouldl also help to establish a financial mechanism for capital investments in mercury-free technologies, establish markets for branded mercury-free gold from Guyana, and develop national policies and incentives for mercury-free gold. The Guyana component of the programme, which has six components and is expected to be executed over a five-year period, is being implemented by Conservation International. The small and medium scale gold mining (ASGM) sector in Guyana plays an important role in the national as well as local economies. It generates approximately

50% of all of the country’s foreign exchange, and has extensive backward and forward linkages to the retail and services sectors. It is also the main source of employment and revenue-generation for hinterland communities, including indigenous communities; and provides direct employment for more than 20,000 coastland residents. Unlike ASGM in other countries, Guyana’s miners have been regularized and have operated legally since the inception of the industry in the 1880s. There are approximately 3,081 enterprises producing gold, 70% of which are small miners, with the rest being medium scale miners. Gold in Guyana is produced primarily by hydraulic dredging and sluices. Mercury is used at the final amalgam stage to extract gold. The toxic health effects of both inorganic and organic mercury are well known, and have spurred the Minamata Convention. Small and medium-scale gold mining is the main source of direct exposure to mercury, and discharge to the environment through direct usage in the amalgamation process; and forest clearing for gold mining releases mercury stored in soils into the aquatic food chain. Already, levels higher than World Health Organization (WHO) safe limits have been found in indigenous and hinterland populations, as well as in workers in the industry. The artisanal and small scale miners are least

equipped to understand and adopt the policies, technologies, and environmentally-friendly practices that are critical to a responsible gold mining sector. The high startup costs required to employ new technology have also been identified as a barrier. As such, this project proposes to focus on artisanal and smaller-scale operators, to fill an important gap in current initiatives. This includes support for bottom-up approaches that are grounded by the practical priorities and challenges faced by miners, which would lead to viable business propositions that can access financing for the ASGM sector to eliminate mercury use and adopt mercury-free technologies suitable to Guyana’s context. Additionally, the project would address the harmful impacts of mercury use caused primarily by ASGM and medium-scale gold mining in Guyana. It is expected to yield reductions in mercury use of about 15 metric tons, and emissions, thus protecting terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity and ecosystems. Moreover, by addressing the impacts of mining through a sustainable development approach and incentives based on community needs, chances of success are much greater than past efforts, which relied too heavily on “top down” approaches or technological “fixes” that inadequately considered the needs of miners and communities.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 30, 2016

Towards a Good Life in a Green Economy

Some sustainability threats and Guyana’s green economy By Rear Admiral (Rtd.) Gary A. R. Best Presidential Advisor on the Environment IN this article, I shall identify some sustainability challenges to Greening Guyana’s Economy. We must therefore be mindful of overcoming them as we pursue a green economy pathway. Sustainability requires development for the present without compromising development in the future. It is characterised by the interdependence of social, economic, ecological, environmental, scientific, biodiversity and inter-generational factors (Our Common Future, Sutherland; Pfahl; McMichael, Robinson). Equally significant to sustainability, are other factors such as multinational financing, deliberative democracy, enhancement of justice, technology transfer, intellectual property, land rights, and knowledge transfer (Sneddon et al; UNFCCC; KPMG; Hale et anor; Kerkhoff). FORESTS, DEVELOPMENT AND THE ENVIRONMENT Guyana’s National Forestry Action Plan allows for selective and reduced-impact logging, which together result in minimal collateral damage and natural regeneration of the species. In addition, Guyana’s harvesting rate is less than the allowable international rate, because of its unique soil structure, which is an additional plus to sustainable harvesting of the forest. In fact, many environmental specialists from the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development have posited that many companies are unable to harvest the allowable 10 trees per hectare, which results in forest-gap reductions and natural regeneration. The major actor in Guyana’s forests is the bi-lateral payment for ecosystems services agreement Guyana enjoys with Norway, which

Mr. Gary A. R. Best is a retired Rear Admiral and former Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force. He is an Attorney at Law and is the Presidential Advisor on the Environment. He is a PhD. candidate at the University of the West Indies. He holds a BSc in Nautical Science (Brazil) and Masters Degrees from the University of the West Indies and the University of London. He is also an alumnus of the National Defence University and the Harvard Kennedy School. His research areas include climate change governance, climate change finance, international relations and environmental law.

is tied to maintaining a specific forest cover, failing which a regime of financial disincentives will obtain in a reducing manner until a zero incentive return for Guyana, assuming Guyana’s deforestation rate continuously slides into the negative. Accordingly, Guyana’s ultimate benchmark for its regenerative capacity is its deforestation rate’. Once this rate is kept to a minimum, regeneration will be successful. A key instrument in maintaining a low deforestation rate is the successful implementation of the REDD+ mechanism, a global initiative whose key element is the ability of Guyana to monitor, report and verify carbon emissions in order to maintain an agreed-to forest cover and environmental footprint without inhibiting its ability to harvest the forest sustainably. However, traditional slash-and-burn techniques rob the soil of its nutrients which lengthens the regenerative process and, though popular, should be discontinued in the interest of positive regenerative capacity. Linking development to environmental issues presents a significant challenge to the sustainable development of Guyana’s natural capital. Diversifying its economy in this context is problem-specific. On the one hand, we can argue that the recent passage of the protected

areas legislation was an extremely important sign that Guyana was serious about linking environment to economic development, thereby putting our forests first. While, on the other hand, linking environment to development appears to be merely ‘formal’, since linking has to be followed through with implementation. Whereas this seems to be the case within the forest sector, however, when it comes to mining it appears that ‘economic development’ is placed over environmental issues, thereby putting our forests last. Mining is the most pervasive form of forest deforestation and forest degradation in the pursuit of rich minerals such as bauxite and gold. With this in mind, reforestation ought be a critical part of environmental responsibility. One cannot mine without deforesting and degrading and the environment cannot be protected without mandatory reforestation. Linking the environment to development has to move beyond forest activities to the wider green economy pathway anchored, for the most part, on a low-emissions trajectory. In that context, Guyana’s green economy should embrace environmental measures throughout Guyana, meaning towns, villages, districts and rural areas, removing any doubt that the government is genuinely concerned about the environment and not simply exploiting an economic initiative that the environment offers. LAND TITLING Most agree that land-titling is an important feature in reducing emissions from forest degradation.

Importantly, ownership of land is essential to arrangements that have to do with benefit-sharing and titling also limits conflicts involving boundaries and resource competition. A title ‘links the land owner with a regulatory agency’, and this mechanism allow the regulatory agency to dictate the proper use of the land, such as determining the amount of carbon emissions allowed. This is a critical issue, since several miners who purchased mining claims and, some of whom are actually mining, have been informed that some of the lands being mined belong to some indigenous communities, highlighting the importance of titling. Successful land-titling could also allow for indigenous communities commercialising their forests on a payment for ecosystems services such as the Guyana Norway Agreement. However, titling should go beyond indigenous lands. Communal land titling is an outstanding obligation by the government under the Independence agreement of 1965. There can be no doubt that an ‘ integrated management’ process of all land-tenure matters and, not specifically Amerindian lands, is necessary for any success in linking environment to development. Even as we pursue strong land tenure, care should be taken to balance the extent to which non-forested lands, such as wetlands, which form a rich biodiversity that also stores carbon, are converted into agricultural lands TECHNOLOGY Technology also impacts sus-

tainability. There has been some technology transfer but not in high-technology areas. These technology transfer areas included geographical information service skills and codes of conduct for forest management. Technology transfer is a requirement for developed countries to pass on to developing countries. In many instances, technology transfer was possible through commercial and government-to-government transfers as opposed to the promised transfer under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Among the few geoscientists in Guyana, all agreed that new technologies exist which can recover over 90% of gold harvested, creating more incomes and greater possibilities to pursue reforestation. Therefore, technology transfer and technological innovation remain constant priorities in advancing sustainability concepts. Further, technology is important in a wider sense in the context of greening Guyana’s economy. In particular, the energy sector is now advocating energy conservation, energy efficiency, solar, wind and alternative energy as green-economy actions. These are high- intensive technological markets for which Guyana will need international assistance to acquire and manage successfully. Further, our best bet for longterm, cheaper power is hydro, a high-technology driven activity. Linking development to the environment through the practice of equitable land-titling, technology transfer and innovation and low-emissions management across all sectors presents opportunities for greening rather than risks to greening Guyana’s economy. In this manner, we can preserve our environment and provide a good life for all. (Comments can be sent to towardsagoodlife@gmail.com)

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 30, 2016

Benefiting from the environment in a Green Economy (cont’d) IT is reiterated that the Green Economy is a macro policy. It has its own body of knowledge guiding its conceptualisation, development and implementation. In referring to it, the green is never placed in single quotes, which is derisive of a policy built on evidence that encapsulates the Environment, Sustainable Development and Labour Policies, with the main objective of eliminating poverty as man lives in harmony with his surroundings. Any of my writings on this policy, where the green is placed in single quotes, such is the doing of the newspaper. Last week the environment was addressed from the standpoint of disposal and recycling of solid and liquid waste in the push for a green economy and Guyana being in compliance with the Cartagena Convention the Government had ratified in July 2010. This week’s focus is on the management of our physical and natural resources to bring about sustainable development that the nation aims for. Our pristine forest means much to us and must see every measure put in place to protect it. We rely on it for our livelihoods, shelter, water, food and fuel security. The forest is necessary for the air we need to live, the prevention of soil erosion, and alleviating climate change. The animals living in the forest, outside of finding some delicacies, play

important roles in protecting our ecosystem. Our minerals are found primarily in the forest. As the nation pursues the protecting of the environment, it is expected that as a matter of national policy a decision will be made as to whether we will continue to encourage the exploitation of the forest by chainsaw operators and loggers in a manner that is absent of a replanting programme. Similarly, the extraction of gold, bauxite and other precious metals through the open-cast mining system, where trees are removed, holes are dug, and craters left unattended should be examined. In addressing the environment it will be expected that where trees are removed and holes dug, a programme must follow where the holes are refilled and the land returned in a manner similar to its natural form. While in some cases original trees cannot be replaced, it may be strategic as we pursue this new form of development, that consideration be given to a replanting process which involves cashew, from which its fruit can be utilised in various forms, which can jump-start new industries, jobs, and economic opportunities. Our coastland is below sea level and our protection from the Atlantic is dependent on the seawall and mangrove trees. Mangrove and other trees are important to our safety and economic activities. The bearing and multiplying of plants require pollinating at various times and bees play a very important

role in the germination and production processes. It may be necessary to ensure the bee industry be structured in a manner where its importance to our mangroves and agriculture industry is recognised. With international, growing appreciation for and pursuit of organic food, honey can be a new grooming industry when taking into consideration our vast forest, agriculture and coastal plain. Guyana can develop niche markets and specialised taste in honey as derived from bees grown in the mangroves area, which taste will be different from those reared in the Mazaruni or Linden. The honey industry and its value-added products can earn us needed foreign exchange. The issue of chemical fertiliser used in the rice and sugar industries affect aquaculture life and impact significantly on the natural rearing of fish. When the chemicals that flow from the land enter the canal where fishes are grown, these fishes are no longer genetically raised. There’s also concern of local foods being genetically modified, where chemicals are used to ripen them. We also have a situation where the spill-over of the chemicals in waterways that farmers use for watering crops, outside of the ones they purchase, also have implications for the food we eat. These practices carry dire consequences for our health and the ecosystem. While in a green economy the aforesaid

needs to be tackled, it may be opportune for us to start with the cash-crop industry, which includes tomatoes, bora, callaloo, ochro. Here is where the nation can commence a significant programme of producing organic foods by complementing the solid and liquid waste industry, which will provide the needed fertiliser for growth, and creating another niche market. Many may see realising of the green economy as our children’s task. It must be said however that this economy is dependent on putting systems in place now, supported by a massive public sensitisation and education programme. In order for citizens to accept and participate in the new economy, they must have inputs and understand its importance to our survival, growth and development, how it is to be pursued, the benefits to them, and the required investment such as skills training, research and development to make it a reality. The government can succeed in implementing this policy. This is providing the planners and executors accept the wisdom of the philosophy behind it and deliver leadership to the society that obviously will break with some long-held customs and practices, including programmes and laws, which are critical to realisation. Next week, labour policies will be examined.

MMA/ADA to increase land rates THE Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Mahaica/Mahaicony/ Abary Agriculture Development Authority (MMA/ ADA), Dr. Ken Sealey, has noted that the agency would soon have to increase the land rates paid by farmers if it is to provide the quality of services required. Addressing farmers at the MMA/ADA Open Day and Exhibition held at Onverwagt, West Coast Berbice on Friday last in observance of Agriculture Month, Dr. Sealey, in making the disclosure, did not elaborate on how much the rates would be increased by, but said

the increase does appear inevitable, given the current circumstances of the organization in relation to its ability to carry out its mandate. The Ministry of Agriculture disclosed last August that the MMA/ADA rates had remained unchanged for years, and had been outstripped by inflation. Agriculture Minister Noel Holder described the rates being paid by rice farmers for the services provided by the agricultural scheme as archaic, and said they should be adjusted upwards if the scheme is to be expanded. “There has been no attempt to keep the rates of land rent and the cost of

drainage and irrigation, or the pay for the cost of drainage and irrigation, in line with inflation. The result of that is: where MMA used to be a source of income to the Government, it is now taking money out of the Government to survive -$237M out of the budget for this year. We have to look at raising rates to the proper levels,” the Minister had told the Government Information Agency. The Open Day mentioned above featured displays of agricultural products and related inputs by several agencies operating within Region Five. The exhibitors in-

cluded the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo); the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA); the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB); the Guyana Livestock Development Agency (GLDA); and the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI). Those who participated in this event were given fruit plants free of charge for cultivation in their farms or kitchen gardens. The Authority also distributed 73 fifty-year leases for land in Region Five to farmers, including 90–year-old Alice Elfrida Solomon of Cottage, Mahaicony, ECD.

90-year-old Alice Elfrida Solomon was given a 50-year lease by the Mahaica/Mahaicony/Abary Agriculture Development Authority

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 30, 2016

CoI into death of Keon Wilson …

Evidence collected from mining pit

THE Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the death of gold miner Keon Wilson visited the scene of the accident at Rock Creek, Puruni, Region 7 on Friday last, and samples of the soil and tailings’ materials were collected as evidence. As mandated by Pres-

the 33-year-old miner, who had resided at Ann’s Grove, East Coast Demerara. Chandan said the composition of tailings’ materials is difficult to determine, since most of the time it appears to be sand; but in the mixture of the sand lies blocks of clay particles which can

in the case it is higher than the recommended maximum height, then one should build benches of 20 feet each on the mine’s face. The CoI was informed that while Daly’s mining pit had complied with the advice given, the miners who were working at the time of the accident had

CoI at the spot where Keon Wilson’s body was found ident David Granger, the Commission is tasked with investigating and examining the circumstances which led to the collapse of a mining pit that resulted in the death of Wilson on October 8. Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Gary Best is leading the CoI. Testifying on Friday, Senior Mining Engineer Dharampaul Chandan of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) surmised that Wilson’s death may have resulted from the miner being too close to the “mine face.” He explained that the area for the tailings was not strong enough, causing the pit to collapse and result in the death of

add weight to the face of the mine, causing it to collapse. Best inquired whether the mining pit, which is owned by Eventon Daly, was made in accordance with the specifications of GGMC. In response, Chandan noted that while the GGMC does not have a regulation relating to the height of a mining pit, the body provides recommendations for miners. It was noted that miners are advised to be a good distance away from the face of a pit. As an example, it was explained that if a pit is ten feet high, a miner should be 15 feet away from the face of the pit. Miners are also told that no pit wall should be higher than 20 feet, but

jetted out the face of the mine, which caused the collapse. This newspaper had reported that the pit caved in while Wilson was working on the tailings. Daly had been issued a cease-work order by the GGMC for unsafe mining practices, but he did not heed the order. His dredge was unregistered and deemed unsafe for working in accordance with regulation 214 of the mining regulations. The Guyana Chronicle understands that George Alphonso is the owner of the property, and Daly had obtained a mining privilege from the GGMC on June 21, 2016 for a period of 12 months. According to statements made by oth-

er workers on the land dredge and seen by Guyana Chronicle, jetting was

taking place on both sides of the pit when the accident occurred.

The CoI continues on Monday at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 30, 2016

Foreign Ministry staff urged to be attuned to sustainable development

PERSONS operating within the realm of foreign affairs must be equipped to effectively deal with the challenges facing Guyana, Second Vice President and

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, said as he addressed staff of Guyana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs during the opening ceremony of a Sustainable

Development Workshop which opened on Friday and wrapped up today at the Palm Spring Hotel in Bartica. Held under the theme

“Aiding in the Promotion of the Green Economy and the Sustainable Development Goals”, the workshop attracted representatives from the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Ministry of the Presidency, Conservation International Guyana, the Unite Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, and the United Nations Development Programme. The Executive Director of the Department of Trade, Investment and International Cooperation, Ambassador Rawle Lucas; Director of the Foreign Service Institute, Ambassador Ronald Austin; and Region Seven Chairman Gordon Bradford were among the officials present. In delivering the feature address, Minister Greenidge said the workshop was being held in keeping with a commitment to enhance the capacity of staffers, while acquiring the tools needed to build a Foreign Affairs Ministry that is appropriately equipped to deal with the challenges that face the country. Those challenges, he pointed out, range from protecting the country’s sovereignty to the effects of global warming and climate change; and encompass development issues and environmental and social problems. The Foreign Affairs Ministry, he reminded, is the face of the country in the international arena, and plays a critical part in the information and decision-making processes. “It is especially important for you to recognize your responsibility within the Ministry: to ensure that you are receptive to the information flow, and (are) capable of receiving and analyzing the process of learning, of reading,

and familiarizing yourself with current issues,” Minister Greenidge explained. Alluding to issues relating to development, Minister Greenidge said that while economic growth is important, it must not be acquired by putting the human capital and the environment at risk. Development, he emphasized, must be sustained, benefiting not only the present generation, but the future as well. He said that man initially transformed the physical environment in order to make it livable; but as technology developed, that transformation has gone beyond merely modifying the physical environment for the purpose of safety, but for economic gains. However, he warned that this type of transformation has consequences. The use of carbon-based products for the generation of energy, mining and other industrial activities continues to take a toll on the environment; and, as such, when policies are being made, the environment and its people must be taken into serious consideration, he said. “(There must be) recognition that economic and industrial activities have an impact on the physical environment, and insofar as we fashion policies, we have to take that into account; otherwise the economic development that you are pursuing, and the social equity that you may be pursuing in terms of economic and social policies, may give rise to a better state, a better wellbeing at a particular time, but they can’t guarantee for your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren even perhaps a space in which they can live acceptably, if at

all,” he said. With the environment and sustainable development in mind, the APNU+AFC Administration decided to pursue a green economy under the leadership of President David Granger. And the Government is making every effort to gradually transit from the use of fossil fuel to renewable energy. Major emphasis is now being placed on the capitalization of wind, solar and hydropower. Additionally, emphasis is being placed on effective waste management. Bartica has been identified by President Granger to become the country’s first green town. In offering brief remarks, Ambassador Austin said that in pursuing sustainable development, serious consideration must be given to the ongoing border controversy between Guyana and Venezuela, and even Guyana and Suriname. Quoting Guyana’s first Executive President, the late Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, Ambassador Austin said: “If you don’t have a country to develop, you will not have any development, sustainable or otherwise.” He said the physical environment and sustainable development must not be delinked from the particular circumstances of the country. “If we are going to have sustainable development,” he said, “we would need to have the requisite institutions” and programmes in place. Concepts underpinning sustainable development, strategies for achieving sustainable development, and the green economy and its link to sustainable development were among the areas covered during the two-day workshop.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 30, 2016

Deepavali is all embracing â€“Message from Dr. Vindhya Persaud: President, Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha

FESTIVALS are an integral part of Hinduism. Each of our festivals is associated with several legends and our scripture. Deepavali is primarily Lakshmi puja, when homage is paid to the Goddess Maha Lakshmi, whom the Vedas describe as the eternal source of fortune and abundance. The intention in Lakshmi puja is not merely to seek material benefits, but equally spiritual exaltation. We must worship Lakshmi Ma to strengthen our spiritual power, which will make us triumph against all obstacles. Negative actions are the road to ruin. A wise and intelligent approach will bear the fruit of eternal success. Deepavali, in its many dimensions, addresses questions which are not only philosophical, but also economical and social. Deepavali, as such, is all embracing in its significance. Socially, not only is the whole family involved in its observance; rather, the entire community participates in a spirit of visible cordiality and joy, illustrating the refreshing content of the festival. Deepavali is celebrated close to the gravest, and at a time when, historically, the commercial community closes its

A participant in the Diwali motorcade (photo by Amanda Richards)

books and opens new accounts. Apart from these facets, Deepavali threatens darkness in all its names and forms; and influences the emergence of an illuminated society in which there exist understanding, respect, love and cordiality. Societies are built and sustained on foundations such as these. Deepavali serves to rekindle hope and expectation, and influences society in a positive direction. It revitalizes and renews the spirit of optimism, from which a new beginning can be constructed, based on equity and noble intentions. Observed on Amawasya (New moon, the darkest night or the 15th day of the Hindu month of Kartik), the word Deepavali literally means a cluster of lights. The festival is deeper in significance than the word suggests. It is my fervent hope that love and fraternity, which permeate this lovely festival, can be nurtured and developed to extend beyond the festive 5-day period, which concludes on November 1st with Bhai Dhuj, and imposes a lasting influence on minds and hearts. Deepavali ka shubh kamnayea! A happy Deepavali!

Celebrating Diwali 16

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 30, 2016

The Guyanese... torcades remain interesting and surprising, as seen with the way the Balesars chose to move through the streets this year. Of course, being the Festival of Lights, it is part of the norm to expect each float within the motorcade to be brightly lit and decorated with hundreds or (sometimes) thousands of lights of varying colours, in all shapes and sizes. But now, there are whole pagodas built to move on vehicles and they are embellished with an astounding array of items that have never before been worked on or presented in such detail. In one case, the float was complete with a fog machine and a bubble-spraying mechanism. The De Willem Hindu Temple built and utilised a large elephant sculpture that was placed at the front of the float (representing the Hindu god, Ganesh, who was often associated with the goddess of lights, Lakshmi) and the way it was placed and designed ensured that it

made quite an impact on the onlookers who were greeted with the sight of this great elephant approaching them. The elephant was made with foam and plywood and with this example we can see how, as with the Balesars’ Shesha, which required portions of it to be welded in order to be built, the Guyanese artists who create these floats are unafraid to experiment and are willing to move away from traditional sources of materials and traditional techniques that have always been used to build the floats. Floats have also now become even more multifunctional than before. While it is known that businesses do create and use floats during the motorcade celebrations to promote and advertise the businesses, there was an interesting development when the Edward B. Beharry & Co. Ltd. utilised their float to also spread a message about breast cancer awareness. Does this mark the beginning of a new trend at the Diwali motorcade festivities? Can

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slogans and movements and activism (without exploiting or insulting the religion upon which the festival is based) use motorcades as a method of bringing awareness to a cause? Can domestic violence (especially with the strong depiction of goddesses in the Hindu religion) or LGBT rights become issues that are addressed, even as we celebrate? Surely, bringing the light into the darkness that is abuse and homophobia (and everything else that can be addressed this way) by using the motorcades as an artistic avenue for expression and spreading awareness is something that definitely needs to come out more in conversation, particularly with regard to the ways in which religion can be used to aid marginalised sections of society – putting some light into the lives of those people, if you will. Dance is another integral part of Indian culture and, therefore, it should not come as a surprise that dancers

often appear on the motorcades, dancing to Hindu bhajans as the procession moves along the road. However, one group this year, the Golden Om Dharmic Youth Organisation from Berbice took it one step further by using dance in an almost theatrical manner to relay the story of the “churning of the ocean”, which forms part of the main story

of the goddess Lakshmi, and by presenting the battle of the gods and demons from the same story. Considering that all of this is happening on a moving vehicle, it is quite a feat to pull off and their efforts, building on the traditional and yet presenting something unique, must be commended. If you did not make it to the motorcades this

year (perhaps because of the issues regarding the actual date of Diwali) then there is always next year when, hopefully, the floats will continue to light the way down our streets and roads and the creativity of the artists who make those masterpieces will continue to express themselves in even more creative and ingenious ways.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 30, 2016

First shipment of natural gas here on Nov. 11 –– Over 60 trained to kickoff DDL pilot project to use natural gas to generate electricity

EVEN as ICON LNG prepares to bring the first-ever shipment of Liquid Natural Gas to Guyana, the Caribbean-based company has successfully trained close to 50 Guyanese in the emerging sector. ICON LNG is set to become the Caribbean Region’s leading supplier of Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) to private electricity generators by liquefying natural gas in Trinidad and Colombia and transporting it by ship to regional customers, using the company’s proprietary cryogenic containers. Here in Guyana, the company is partnering with Demerara Distillers Limited to facilitate a pilot project that

would see the use of LNG to generate electricity here. Speaking at the DDL Training Centre on the East Bank of Demerara, Founder of ICON LNG Eric Schubert explained that the company will connect one of its generators to DDL’s grid to supply electricity using LNG. Recognising that there is a potential market here in Guyana, Schubert said subsequent to his visit two years ago, his team developed an efficient logistical system to bring liquid natural gas here. “We call it the virtual pipeline,” he posited. The first shipment of Liquid Natural Gas is expected to arrive in Guyana on November 11 to kick off the six-month pilot

project with DDL at the Diamond location. With natural gas being more environmentally friendly when compared to fossil fuel, the Caribbean-based company eyes the possibility of expanding its operations here to include the transportation and mining sectors. “Natural Gas is much more environmentally friend-

Ministry of Finance Jaipaul Sharma; and DDL Director of Technical Services, Sharon Suehang Bask. Minister Gaskin, in delivering remarks, said projects such as the pilot project being undertaken by ICON LNG and DDL provide useful information, thereby increasing the business community’s understanding of various options that are available to

turing industry usually speaks of the lack of affordable and reliable energy as one of the main causes,” the Business Minister added. He said it is good to see that action is being taken by one of the country’s manufacturing companies to explore a new option for addressing this very “vexing” problem. Minister Gaskin also applauded DDL for taking safe-

During the closing ceremony on Friday, another batch of 12 participants was presented with similar certificates. The participants were drawn from first-responder groups – the Guyana Fire Service (Headquarters & Grove) and the Guyana Police Force, as well as the Guyana Energy Agency, Environmental Protection Agency, MACORP, the Martime

Minister of Business and Tourism, Dominic Gaskin, and Minister within the Ministry of Finance, Jaipaul Sharma, pose with participants and facilitators of the ICON LNG 4-Day Training Programme on Friday ly, but it is also about being able to get it to the customer, quickly, efficiently and safely,” Schubert posited. At the time, Schubert was speaking during the closing ceremony for ICON LNG 4-Day Training Course, in the presence of Minister of Business and Tourism, Dominic Gaskin; Minister within the

address some of the needs. “In this case we are looking at the need for reliable, affordable and clean energy,” he said, while alluding to the current challenges facing Guyana due its inability to competitively produce for the global market. “Our failure so far to develop a competitive manufac-

ty into serious consideration. On Thursday, 32 participants were presented within certificates for participating in a comprehensive three-day course that covered all Operating and Maintenance procedures, Emergency Procedures, General Safety Rules and handling of all materials related to Liquid Natural Gas.

Administration Department, the Civil Defence Commission and other groups. The course was conducted by Daniel Wright and Nate Lesperance of HAZMAT Education and Training, a company based in Detroit, USA. They are both active firefighters with over 20 years experience.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 30, 2016

Design flaws in Brickdam lock-up, forensic lab being addressed –– Minister Ramjattan

PUBLIC Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan has said that Government is moving to address inherited “design flaws” which have led to poor ventilation of the Brickdam lockups and the Police Forensic Laboratory. He said Government is disappointed with rehabilitation works done on the Forensic Lab, and is preparing to do additional rehabilitation works to allow the building to serve its purpose. “We have to do a major piece of rehabilitation there, because you have to have an equivalent tem-

perature all over that building for purposes of keeping samples and a whole set of things,” Ramjattan told reporters at an AFC-hosted press conference on Friday. Acting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine had earlier expressed concern about the sordid state of the Brickdam lockups, a key detention facility whose condition, he said, is of grave concern to law enforcement officials. He had called for works on the facility to be expedited so that the facility can adequately serve the needs of ‘A’ Division. “The burden of shifting

Sunday October 30th, 2016 - 14:30 hrs Monday October 31th, 2016 - 05:00 hrs

serious crimes’ suspects to other lockups on a daily basis is one we have been bearing with tremendous patience over the years. I wish to take this opportunity to urge the officials concerned to spare no effort to realize this much-needed facility in the capital city of Georgetown,” Ramnarine had said. He had cited the need for an increase in the number of holding cells, improvement in accommodation, and human rights’ considerations in the construction of the facility. Ramjattan told reporters that the contractor who had worked on the lockups had said he has built according to the architectural design which he was given

to work with. Ramjattan called the lockups project “troublesome.” Sums of money have been allotted in the 2016 national budget towards extension and repair of the lockups, and the project was up for tender earlier this year. “The Brickdam lockups have been troublesome for a number of years now. We got corrective measures to be done under this year’s budget, and after we got the allocation in the 2016 budget, we immediately put it up to tender, and three persons tendered. Then it went to the National Tender Board… Then it had to come back to the evaluation committee.” Faults were found in the tendering processes

and all three bidders were asked to re-tender. “These are some of the impediments and difficulties and challenges we would have… Our Minister of Finance has indicated that the public sector investment program has had its problem. We did a lot of allocations in this 2016 budget, but somehow…the public tendering processes are causing huge problems, to the extent that it is delaying and stifling the process for spending the (sums of) money.” He said Finance Minister Winston Jordan recently asked ministry officials to get a hands-on approach and ensure that sums of money are being spent correctly. A significant

percentage of allocations on public infrastructure projects remains unspent. The Brickdam lockup is one capital project which has been “hung up” for several years. The Minister said the construction must allow for more ventilation. “In a prison system, you have to have a perfect design that will aerate if you’re not going to make it air conditioned; and there was some problem with that initially in the design. The contractor told us that with the money that he had to complete the (project), he did it exactly as done to specifications. But… we can’t put prisoners in there!” Ramjattan explained.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 30, 2016

GBA/Terrence Alli National Open Championships

Fighting for freedom, fame and fortune, Republican boxers set to make impression OVER the years, the government of Guyana has given amnesty to Boxers of the Republican boxing Gym (Guyana Prison Service) who have represented Guyana with distinction at Regional and international levels and this year is no different as inmates of the Guyana Prison system showcased their talent on the opening night of the Guyana Boxing Associa-

tion’s (GBA)/Terrence Alli National Open Championships which got underway at the National Gymnasium on Friday evening. Fielding 10 boxers in six of the weight divisions, the prison inmates won six of their bouts and was expected to increase that number last evening and eventually wrest the championship title from the hands of long time repeat champions, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) who has had a stranglehold on the title for a number of years. The Republicans got off to a flying start in their quest to take control of the championship when Kevin Allicock recorded a unanimous points decision win over GDF’s Teusimar Peters in their flyweight quarter final contest. Anandfan Dharamraj then made it two wins for the Republicans as he also pounded out a unanimous points decision win over Jemal Brisport (GDF) in their lightweight quarter final clash. Clifton Graham then scored a Technical Knock Out win at two minutes 52 seconds of the first round in his welterweight fight against

GDF’s Linden Daniels. Fighting in the same weight division, Republican’s Joshua Joseph scored a unanimous points decision win against Lorex Cummings (GDF). Republican’s final victory for the evening saw Jason Backer securing a walk over victory over GDF’s Rewnaldo Niles. The soldiers for their part registered a TKO win when Aquancy Harvey caused the referee to stop his junior welterweight contest against Quami Cumberbatch (Rep.) in the second round. Desmond Amsterdam (GDF) then recorded a unanimous points decision win against Kevin Rodney (Forgotten Youth Foundation Gym) in their middleweight contest. The soldiers then recorded two victories in the super heavyweight division as Floyd Cato scored a unanimous points decision win against Oswald Yaw (Rep) and Renee Lewis secured a split decision win against Derlon Gordon (Rep). The action was slated to continue last evening at the same venue and will conclude tonight.

CONCACAF appoints Wayne Forde to Governance Committee GUYANA’s football Chief, Wayne Forde has been appointed to serve on the Governance Committee of CONCACAF for the next four years. The appointment was confirmed following his nomination to the Committee on October 18th and after eligibility and background checks were carried out in accordance with the statutes of the Confederation. The letter of appointment which was sent by the Confederation’s General Secretary, Phillipe Maggio,was received last Friday by the GFF head and it stated that CONCACAF is committed to finding the best strategies toward further expanding the development of football in our Region, guided by precepts of Integrity and Transparency. “We trust your contribution on this Committee will be key to our success and thank you for your participation,”it stated. Forde,in gracefully accepting the appointment,hinted at his desire to assist in bringing back some respectability to the sport in the Region. “This is a proud moment for Guyana’s Football and I am humbled and honoured to represent the Fraternity at what is considered the highest forum within the Confederation. “I will advance policies and programmes that will restore the reputation of the Sport throughout the Region, the Confederation and Guyana. I am prepared to serve at any level of world football,” the head of Guyana’s football stated. Forde is scheduled to attend his first meeting of Concacaf’s Standing-committee on November 18th in Miami. (Ras Wadada)

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 30, 2016

Perera hits maiden Test century as Sri Lanka score 317 on opening day (REUTERS)- Kusal Perera scored a maiden Test century but partner Kaushal Silva fell six runs short of a ton as an injury-ravaged Sri Lanka racked up 317 for four against Zimbabwe on the first day of the first Test yesterday. The 26-year-old Perera, in his eighth Test appearance, hit 110 off 121 balls, having twice been dropped by the home side, as Sri Lanka dominated the home bowling at the Harare Sports Club in Zimbabwe’s 100th Test. Silva was well set to be the first to a century but lost his wicket just after tea when he chopped to mid-on and was caught by Sean Williams off the bowling of Malcolm Waller for 94. Silva and Dimuth Karunaratne opened with a 123-run stand for the first

wicket before Karunaratne (56) was caught off the spin bowling of captain Graeme

Cremer. Cremer also took the wicket of Kusal Mendis (34)

with a leg break that was edged and caught behind by wicketkeeper Peter Moor in

the last session. Upul Tharanga (13 not out) and Dhanbanjaya da Silva (10 not out) will resume on Sunday in a bid to build up a large score that might preclude Sri Lanka from having to bat again. Sri Lanka, who thrashed top-ranked Australia 3-0 in their last series at home in July and August, went into the game without injured captain

Angelo Matthews and his deputy Dinesh Chandimal, plus several key bowlers, leaving the 38-year-old spinner Rangana Herath to skipper the side for the first time. The match is the first of a two-Test series and marks Zimbabwe’s 100th test since they first played India in 1992. They have won 11 Tests in that almost 25-year period.

SCOREBOARD

Kusal Perera lofts one down the ground in his innings of 110 on the opening day in Harare.

SRI LANKA 1st innings D. Karunaratne c Mawoyo b Cremer 56 K. Silva c Williams b Waller 94 K. Perera c Waller b Cremer 110 K. Mendis c Moor b Cremer 34 U. Tharanga not out 13 D. de Silva not out 10 Extras 0 Total (for 4 wickets, 90 overs) 317 Fall of wickets: 1-123 D. Karunaratne,2-198 K. Silva,3-282 K. Mendis,4-307 K. Perera To bat: A. Gunaratne, D. Perera, R. Herath, S. Lakmal, L. Kumara Bowling: C. Mpofu 20 - 5 - 62 – 0, C. Mumba 15 - 2 - 65 – 0, D. Tiripano 14 - 4 - 37 – 0, G. Cremer 21 - 2 - 82 – 3, H. Masakadza 6 - 2 - 22 – 0, S. Williams 8 - 0 - 24 – 0, M. Waller 6 - 0 - 25 – 1.

Let us strive for balance

I have watched over the past few weeks as current president of the Guyana Olympic Association,K Juman-Yassin,was being battered in the Kaieteur News. Let me make it clear that I am no defender of Mr. Yassin or the Guyana Olympic Association,but I believe in balanced and fair reporting. I find it worrying that

only one out of our four daily newspapers would go after this administrator. I also find it worrying that during this election season,only this one newspaper has found it prudent to have two of its most senior sport reporters form a tagteam and beat up on Yassin. Sir, the state of our sport should not and cannot solely rest at the feet of the GOA or its current

administration which is headed by Yassin. Absence of sports policy? Private sector involvement? Government involvement? While we all get excited during election and want our side to win,we have a duty to remain balanced. Yours sincerely R. Pilgrim

Mishra bags five as India destroy Kiwis to win ODI series SCOREBOARD

(REUTERS)-Leg-spinner Amit Mishra picked up his second five-wicket haul in one-day internationals as India skittled New Zealand for 79 to win the final match by 190 runs in Visakhapatnam yesterday for a 3-2 series victory. Half-centuries from opener Rohit Sharma and the in-form Virat Kohli took India to 269 for six in their 50 overs after captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat. Only three New Zealand batsmen could reach double figures with the visiting captain Kane Williamson top-scoring with 27 as his side were bundled out in just 23.1 overs for their lowest ODI score against India. Williamson’s dismissal to Axar Patel, who took two wickets for nine, triggered a collapse which

India celebrate as they lift the series trophy in the 5th ODI in Visakhapatnam saw New Zealand lose their last seven wickets for 16 runs with Mishra bagging five of them. The 33-year-old fooled the batsmen with his flight and sharp turn and also extracted some extra bounce on the surface during his six overs. Mishra (5-18) was adjudged man- of- the- match and also the player of the series for picking up 15

wickets in the five matches. Earlier, Rohit and Kohli gave India the momentum with a 79-run stand for the second wicket before the former was out on 70 in the 22nd over. Kohli, who had already scored 85 not out and an unbeaten 154 in the series, kept India’s innings moving briskly with a 71-run stand with Dhoni but his dismissal for 65 triggered a

mini-collapse for the hosts. Dhoni and Manish Pandey were also soon back in the pavilion and India were reduced from 190-2 to 2205 in quick time. Kedar Jadhav’s unbeaten 39 and Patel’s 24 gave India, who also blanked New Zealand 3-0 in the tests, the late surge with a sixth-wicket partnership of 46.

INDIA Innings A. Rahane c Latham b Neesham 20 Ro. Sharma c Neesham b Boult 70 V. Kohli c Guptill b Sodhi 65 M. Dhoni lbw b Santner 41 M. Pandey c Boult b Sodhi 0 K. Jadhav not out 39 A. Patel b Boult 24 J. Yadav not out 1 Extras (b-1 lb-1 w-7) 9 Total (for 6 wickets, 50 overs) 269 Fall of wickets: 1-40 A. Rahane,2-119 Ro. Sharma,3-190 M. Dhoni,4-195 M. Pandey,5-220 V. Kohli,6-266 A. Patel Did not bat: A. Mishra, U. Yadav, J. Bumrah Bowling: T. Southee 10 - 0 - 56 - 0(w-1,T. Boult 10 - 0 - 52 - 2(w-5), J. Neesham 6 - 0 - 30 - 1(w-1),M. Santner 10 - 0 - 36 – 1, I. Sodhi 10 - 0 - 66 – 2,C. Anderson 4 - 0 - 27 – 0. NEW ZEALAND Innings M. Guptill b U. Yadav 0 T. Latham c Yadav b Bumrah 19 K. Williamson c Jadhav b A. Patel 27 R. Taylor c Dhoni b Mishra 19 J. Neesham b Mishra 3 B. Watling b Mishra 0 C. Anderson lbw b Yadav 0 M. Santner b A. Patel 4 T. Southee st Dhoni b Mishra 0 I. Sodhi c Rahane b Mishra 0 T. Boult not out 1 Extras (w-6) 6 Total (all out, 23.1 overs) 79 Fall of wickets: 1-0 M. Guptill,2-28 T. Latham,3-63 K. Williamson,4-66 R. Taylor,5-66 B. Watling,6-74 C. Anderson,7-74 J. Neesham,8-74 T. Southee,9-76 I. Sodhi,10-79 M. Santner Bowling: U. Yadav 4 - 0 - 28 - 1(w-1),J. Bumrah 5 - 0 - 16 - 1 A. Patel 4.1 - 0 - 9 – 2, A. Mishra 6 - 2 - 18 - 5(w-5), J. Yadav 4 - 0 - 8 – 1.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 30, 2016

Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool hit four as Mourinho suffers (REUTERS)-Manchester City won 4-0 at West Bromwich Albion to end Pep Guardiola’s worst run as a manager and stay on top of the Premier League table yesterday. Yet his old rival Jose Mourinho’s woes continued as Manchester United’s manager was sent to the stands and Ander Herrera shown the red card in a goalless draw with Burnley at Old Trafford. Toothless United, with one goal in four games and a solitary win in seven, were left to see the other big guns with title aspirations pull away as City, Arsenal and Liverpool all struck four goals away from home. There were also doubles all round at the top as Sergio Aguero and Ilkay Gundogan scored twice each for City while Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud also struck braces for Arsenal, 4-1 winners at Sunderland. Liverpool maintained their challenge with a thrilling 4-2 win at Crystal Pal-

ace, which meant the three teams that started the day on top remain locked on 23 points, with City leading on goal difference ahead of second-placed Arsenal.

key striker whose future at City had been questioned after he was dropped for City’s Champions League game at Barcelona. “We need Sergio. We

images for himself in this club. He is one of the best.” Mourinho’s relief after United’s midweek League Cup derby win over City was short-lived as he began

his team who failed to score in 37 attempts, 11 of which were saved by the excellent Tom Heaton.

TELLING SUBSTITUTION Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was delighted with his team’s victory at winless Sunderland, who, having gleaned only two points all season, are experiencing the worst start in Premier League history after 10 games. The match turned on the introduction of Giroud, who scored with his first two touches as Arsenal netted three times in seven second-half minutes. Asked whether he deManchester City’s Aleksandar Kolarov and John Stones celebrate after the match served credit for the deciAction Images via Reuters / Andrew Boyers. sion to bring on his fellow Frenchman, Wenger said: The trio opened a three- know how important he is the second half behind the “The manager gets easy point lead over Tottenham for us when he can con- dug-out before being moved credit when he has quality Hotspur, who lost ground vince us how good he is and to the directors’ box. players on the bench. You do The Portuguese had been not need to be a special manafter their 1-1 draw with how important he is for this club,” Guardiola said. incensed by the failure of ager to make that decision.” champions Leicester City. “He is part of the his- referee Mark Clattenburg to Guardiola was all Some of Liverpool’s smiles after his first win in tory for this club. I would punish Jon Flanagan for a most dazzling football was seven games and was full like to help him. Still he foul on Matteo Darmian but on display again as goals of praise for Aguero, the can write the most brilliant will be equally unhappy with from Emre Can, Dejan

Lovren, Joel Matip and Roberto Firmino earned them a superb win at Selhurst Park but so was some poor defending that allowed James McArthur to strike back twice for Palace. I’m not sure we’ve very often played better offensive-wise,” Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said. Leicester earned their first away point this season as Ahmed Musa equalised in the 48th minute after Vincent Janssen’s first Premier League goal, from the penalty spot, had put Spurs ahead just before the break. A superb solo goal from Gaston Ramirez helped Middlesbrough to get their first home league win of the season, 2-0 over Bournemouth. Picking up the ball inside his own half, the Uruguayan forced his way into the Bournemouth area before cutting back inside a defender and scoring. Hull City remain in the relegation zone after Michael Dawson conceded a late own goal to see the visitors lose 1-0 at Watford.

England face battle to save second Test (REUTERS)-Bangladesh opener Imrul Kayes hit an unbeaten half-century as the hosts took a lead of 128 with seven second-innings wickets remaining against England on the second day of the second and final Test yesterday. Kayes was on 59 as the hosts reached 152 for three in their second innings at stumps. Mahmudullah was bowled out to debutant spinner Zafar Ansari (2-33) on the last ball of another eventful day at the Shere Bangla National Stadium after adding 86 for the third wicket with Kayes. Bangladesh got a brisk start from first-innings centurion Tamim Iqbal, who hit a 47-ball 40, and Kayes who put on 65 for the opening partnership before the former became Ansari’s first Test wicket. E a r l i e r, B a n g l a desh off-spinner Mehedi Hasan picked up his second five-wicket haul of the series but a ninth-wicket stand of 99 gave England a first

innings lead of 24. England, who lead the series 1-0 and resumed on 50-3, were reduced to 144 for eight in the first session but the partnership between

stand. Left-armer Taijul Islam (3-65) took his third wicket in the following over to dismiss England for 244 and bring up tea on the second

Mehedi Hasan picked up his second five-wicket haul of the series. Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid put paid to Bangladeshi hopes of a first-innings lead. The second new ball finally bore fruit for the hosts as 19-yearold Mehedi (6-82) dismissed Woakes for 46 to break the dogged

day, leaving Rashid 44 not out. Thirteen wickets had fallen on the opening day and it did not take long yesterday for Mehedi, who also picked up six wickets in Chittagong on debut, to send back Moeen Ali for 10 and Ben Stokes to fall for a duck

off a bat-pad catch. That left England struggling at 69 for five and the tourists were grateful to Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow for digging them out of a hole with a 45-run stand for the sixth wicket. Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim turned to Mehedi to break the partnership and the youngster duly delivered, dismissing Bairstow leg before for 24 with the first delivery of his spell. Root, who was dropped on 19 at slip off Taijul, showed great determination and nimble footwork to bring up his 23rd half-century in tests and built another stand with debutant Zafar Ansari before the latter became Mehedi’s fifth victim for 13. Taijul finally picked up the big wicket of Root for 56 with a leg before after the batsman misjudged the length and was hit on the back foot off a straight delivery. Taijul thought he had his third when Woakes was given out caught behind but the batsman success-

fully reviewed to overturn the umpire’s decision with replays confirming there was no edge. Wo a k e s w a s a l s o caught on 38 off a high,

full toss from part-time leg-spinner Sabbir Rahman but the delivery was adjudged to be above waist height by the television umpire.

SCOREBOARD BANGLADESH 1st innings 220 (T. Iqbal 104, M. Haque 66; M. Ali 5-57) England 1st innings (Overnight: 50-3) A. Cook lbw b M. Hasan 14 B. Duckett c Rahim b Al Hasan 7 J. Root lbw b T. Islam 56 G. Ballance c Rahim b M. Hasan 9 M. Ali b M. Hasan 10 B. Stokes c M. Haque b T. Islam 0 J. Bairstow lbw b M. Hasan 24 Z. Ansari c Hom b M. Hasan 13 C. Woakes c Hom b M. Hasan 46 A. Rashid not out 44 S. Finn c Rahim b T. Islam 0 Extras (b-13 lb-7 nb-1) 21 Total (all out, 81.3 overs) 244 Fall of wickets: 1-10 B. Duckett,2-24 A. Cook,3-42 G. Ballance,4-64 M. Ali,5-69 B. Stokes,6-114 J. Bairstow,7-140 Z. Ansari,8-144 J. Root,9243 C. Woakes,10-244 S. Finn Bowling: M. Hasan 28 - 2 - 82 – 6, S. Al Hasan 16 - 5 - 41 – 1,T. Islam 25.3 - 3 - 65 – 3, K. Rabbi 3 - 0 - 16 – 0, S. Hom 4 - 0 - 8 – 0, Sa. Rahman 5 - 0 - 12 - 0(nb-1) BANGLADESH 2nd innings T. Iqbal c Cook b Ansari 40 I. Kayes not out 59 M. Haque c Cook b Stokes 1 Mahmudullah b Ansari 47 Extras (b-1 lb-2 nb-1 w-1) 5 Total (for 3 wickets, 31 overs) 152 Fall of wickets: 1-65 T. Iqbal,2-66 M. Haque,3-152 Mahmudullah To bat: M. Rahim, S. Al Hasan, S. Rahman, S. Hom, M. Hasan, T. Islam, K. Rabbi Bowling: S. Finn 3 - 0 - 18 – 0,M. Ali 8 - 0 - 34 – 0, Z. Ansari 8 - 0 - 33 – 2, B. Stokes 5 - 1 - 20 - 1(nb-1 w-1), A. Rashid 5 - 0 - 30 – 0,C. Woakes 2 - 0 - 14 – 0.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 30, 2016

GFF president insists no breach of contract with Elite clubs By: Ras Wadada THE accusation by some Elite Clubs that the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has breached contractual arrangement has been dismissed by the head of the Federation, Wayne Forde. “The primary concern that our members raised in their objections had to do

with the existence of a contract, and as I had stated earlier in a Press Conference, similar to this one, that I could only assume that the members were referring to the Rules and Regulations for the first season of the Stag Elite League…and in fact that is what they were referring to…and when I stated that the Rules and the

... chides former NC Chairman for remarks

Regulations, in my opinion and in my own experience as a football Administrator, was never considered to be a contract because of precedence we have seen throughout world football, where even at the FIFA level, tournaments will be

disrupted, rules would be adjusted, based on the challenges that a tournament might be experiencing…I wanted to ensure that that position was sound so we reached out to CONCACAF and FIFA and we received guidance that the Rules and Regulations of a Tournament is not a contract. “The information that we got simply said that the Regulations are issued on the sole authority of the Executive Committee based on the powers conferred by the statutes…that being said, the GFF Executive has the authority to modify the competition’s Regulations and would be entitled to add additional clubs with a purely sporting objective”,stated Guyana’s football President, Wayne Forde,as he addressed the Media last Friday on the contentious issue presented by some Elite Clubs. The football Chief also took the opportunity to chastise the former Chairman of the FIFA-installed Normalisation Committee (NC) Clinton Urling , who had stated that under his Chairmanship,when the Elite League was established,a contract was indeed signed. “It also gives me an opportunity to address some of the pronouncements that were made by the former Chairman of the NC where he emphatically stated that there was a contract. “ I am concerned with those statements that were made, but we felt at the time it was best to exhaust the consultation process before responding. “My response to the NC Chairman’s engaging in the process or the conversation would be that, perhaps it would have been best to contact the ‘Ex-Co’ or myself directly and get a more balanced perspective as to what was going on and how the matter was unfolding. I gather from his comments that he had information that essentially was supplied from one side of the argument, and I think that is unfortunate. I could only assume, however, that his firm belief that the Rules and Reg-

ulations of a Tournament is a contract,could be attributed to his lack of specific football experience and knowledge”, Forde advised. Another bone of contention by some of the Elite teams for the new season is the change in the management of the League which

Former Normalisation Committee chairman Clinton Urling was done in the inaugural season by a private organization who, according to a reliable source,was paid millions of dollars for their services. The new arrangement by the GFF is for the clubs to take up this mantle. “The other objection that we had was the management of the League being allocated to the clubs…some of our members felt that it was going to disrupt the smooth flow of the League and we would not have the level of professionalism. “The Executive Committee would like to make it clear that the decision to allocate the management of the game day activity of the League is grounded in the fact that we have a mandate and an obligation to empower our members financially… and all, but one of our members, who are venue owners have indicated a willingness and the capacity to manage the ‘Game Day’ event which would include, marking of the ground, putting up the branding, preparation of the venue and all the other activ-

ities that go along with gameday planning and organising. “This is an opportunity for us to make a financial contribution to our members…revenues of course generated from the GameDay management, we are hoping will go into the development of their youth football programs and other development initiatives that clubs might want to pursue. I think it is a very smart and practical decision and I am looking forward to clubs making full use of that opportunity,” Forde informed the Media.” The GFF Boss also dismissed the myth that was being spread by some of the Clubs that the addition of two teams will increase the number of games, “In the inaugural competition,teams played a total of 28 games in the four rounds of competition, but the upcoming season will see teams playing a total of 18 games over two rounds of competition,where at the end the Champion will be declared and $6M will be earned.” Meanwhile, when quizzed by the Media on a correspondence that was circulated to the Media last Thursday from four Elite Clubs seeking mediation through arbitration to resolve the impasse, the President declared that “there is no need for us to engage in any mediation.” We are guided by the constitution of the GFF Incorporated and our actions does not breach any Constitution or breached any material contract that exists’. Forde added that while he does not anticipate any club refusing to participate,he further stated that should any team refuse to play then the GFF will have to refer to the measures within the Constitution to deal with any elevation of the situation that may result from the decision to go forward. The second edition of the GFF-Stag Elite League which is 75 percent funded by the Federation,is set to start on November 13th at the Demerara Cricket Club in Queenstown.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 30, 2016

‘CPL can co-exist with new English T20 league’ - O’Donohue

DAMIEN O’Donohoe, the chief executive of the Caribbean Premier League(CPL), believes there is space in the cricket calendar for the CPL and the new English T20 league, set to start in 2020, to co-exist and eventually benefit each other. The 2016 CPL was staged from June 29 to August 7, which is likely to be the timeframe the ECB will try to exploit with the new T20 league that is causing much angst in the county game. The ECB is keen to make use of the school summer holidays, which run from mid-July through August, to try to attract a new, younger fan base to the sport. But the fact that English cricket is only now looking to revamp its domestic T20 competition - and is still three years from having the new venture ready to launch - means other T20 leagues are well ahead in their development. While the ECB has managed to find a way of accommodating the IPL, allowing players who wish to compete to take part in the tournament, and in some

cases actively encouraging participation in the Big Bash League, which has no impact on the English summer, the direct competition from the CPL could cause problems. There may be an indication of the impact during the 2017 English season when the NatWest Blast returns to a block in later summer after three seasons of being played largely on Friday nights from midMay until late July. In those three years, the CPL has forged its position as an attractive proposition for overseas cricketers. Staging the NatWest Blast at the same time might mean missing out on the West Indian T20 stars - some of the more attractive signings in the game - who will already be in action for their CPL teams. “It probably will be a similar window but we work quite closely with the ECB and at the end of the day there will be room for both leagues,” O’Donohoe told ESPNcricinfo. “The ECB has their own challenges, and I really wouldn’t envy their job, but they are real

professionals who will make it a success. What we’d love in time is that we get the English stars in the CPL and they get some of ours.” But there is no denying that English cricket is playing catch-up with the format of the game they launched in 2003. “They have much bigger challenges in terms of the politics of the game than anybody else,” O’Donohoe said. “Of course, they created this form so they should be leaders in this space, but they are not. But they have huge plans…so there will be great things to come.” Of more immediate interest to O’Donohoe is the continued growth of the CPL. He was speaking in London on Thursday when St Lucia Zouks became the last of the six sides to become a privately-owned franchise after its acquisition by Jignesh Pandya, the founder of the Rohan Group of companies, who currently serves as the Chairman of Global Sports Ventures and Royal Sports Club. Global Sports Ventures was recently announced as having signed a $70million deal with USACA. The CPL staged six matches in the USA during

The CPL staged six matches in the USA during the 2016 season, and Damien O’Donohue, the league’s chief executive, hopes that the tournament could one day have two US-based franchises © Peter Della Pe the 2016 season and its plans for expansion in the country are well documented. O’Donohoe hopes that “in the not too distant future” there will be two franchises based in the US. He is also determined, though, that the CPL, which he believes stands second to the IPL among the various T20 leagues, needs to continue to play to its own strengths. “When we speak to the guys at the Big Bash, which we do on a daily basis, they have a very different idea of what they are trying to do, trying to bring a whole new audience to the game.

5th Annual Payless variety Store 11-race programme

Abandoned or cancelled? but Cyclists still receive prizes THE Fifth Annual Payless variety Store 11-Race cycle programme was staged yesterday in the National Park,and while the undercard was held without questions, the feature 35lap event which was opened to school boys, novices and invitational riders,came in for quite a lot of criticisms. That event had 35 cyclists facing the starter, but at the completion of the 19th lap, Jamal John and Raul Leal were able to overtake the leaders,which included Marlon `Fishy’ Williams and a host of other riders who were subsequently ordered by race director Joseph Britton to drop out of the race,which they all refused to do. At this point, Britton took it on his own and walked away from the finish line while the riders continued their journey unsupervised.In the end, Britton stated that he had abandoned the race since he gave instructions for the cy-

clists who were overtaken by John and Leal to desist from continuing the race but they ignored him. “I tell them to drop out or back(off) because they

Raul Leal have been lapped and they refused,so I decided to abandon the race. However, when questioned by Chronicle Sport

as to the reason for the race being abandoned by Britton, Mohamed said the event was not abondoned, rather it was called off. Later at the presentation ceremony, John and Leal were announced joint winners of the feature event, while Paul Cho-Wee-Nam, Raynauth Jeffrey, Orville Hinds and Junior Niles were all rewarded for their efforts in placing third, fourth, fifth and sixth respectively. When asked how come the race was abandoned and yet prizes were distributed, race director Britton said it was part of the rules of the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF), while Mohamed said the race was not abandoned, “it was cancelled.”These two answers left much to be desired and are indeed difficult to comprehend. Meanwhile, in other results from the day’s activity, Alexander Leung won the BMX race for both boys

and Girls 6-9 years old two-lap race ahead of Jaren Barrington and Jessica Mohabir, respectively. Terhan Garebarran won the three-lap BMX race for boys 12-14 years ahead of Marvin Knights and Sherwin Sampson respectively.However,Sampson won the BMX boys’ 9-12 years old two-lap race unchallenged. Jaikaran Sukhai was the winner of the five-lap race for veterans under 50 years of age. Second was Junior Niles and third was Eon Jackson. The five-lap race for veterans over 50 years of age was won by Kennard Lovell. Second was Linden Blackman. Julio Melville was the winner of the three-lap mountain bike event. Second was Stephon Gobin, while Lennox Dick placed third. Nigel Dugid won the juveniles’ 10-lap race ahead of Andrew Hicks and Raphael Leung respectively.

Some of their games get 80,000 people, which we could never do in the Caribbean, but from an international point of view we have 80 million TV viewers in India, are the first professional league to go into America and have our six franchises sold and hopefully in the not too distant future we can have two franchises in the US. “Our single-biggest issue with the CPL has always been time zones and when we play our games. We have

a huge international audience but if we play games during the day it doesn’t fit with our product, we are a local product and can’t fit it just for an international audience. The great thing about the east coast would be the time zone. Los Angeles would be fantastic so would San Francisco and Silicon Valley. We would love to go there in time, but the east coast will be our focus initially. New York would be No. 1 on our list. But we have a lot of work to do.”

Guyana Softball Cup 6 to bowl off this weekend

THE sixth edition of the Guyana Floodlight Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA) annual International Softball tournament is set to bowl off this weekend:November 4, 5 & 6. The three- day competition will seed teams from Canada, New York, Florida and Guyana who will all be competing for cricketing supremacy in the Americas. The tournament will be played in the Open and Masters categories with action starting on Friday from 9.00 hrs,with 12 games being played simultaneously at GDF, Police, Malteenoes, DCC and Ghandi Youth grounds . The Second round of the 12 games starts at 13:00hrs at the same grounds, while the final 12 preliminary games will be played on November 5 at 9:00hs. At 13:00hrs, two semi- finals will be played simultaneously at the police ground while at the DCC ground, a semi-final will start at 13:00hrs and at 17:00hrs respectively. At the DCC ground on November 6, there will be the Masters and Open Finals along with three exhibition 10/10 female games. The female teams include Mikes Wellwoman, Trophy Stall Angels, 4R Lioness and Blue Divas. The day’s event will start at 10:00hrs. Over $2M in cash and other incentives are up for grabs. Tickets cost $1,000 and will be sold at the gate. Prizes are up for grabs and spectators are asked to keep their half ticket in order to be eligible. Four persons can win a trip for themselves and partner to Baganara (1 night), Kaieteur/Orinduik Falls (1day), Arrowpoint (1 night), and Aruwai Resort White H20 (1 night) with all expenses paid return ticket in addition to the ten hampers up for grabs. The tournament is sponsored by STAG, Rubis Guyana, Trophy Stall, Survival Group of Business, Steve’s Jewellery, Clear Waters, Busta Soft Drinks, Rohan Auto Spares, A&R Jewanram Printery, W.J Enterprise and Mike’s Pharmacy.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 30, 2016

Development still ahead for Guyana’s swimmers By Daniel Haynes AT the recentlyl held Inter Guiana Games (IGG), Guyana’s Swim team was overwhelmed by Suriname, when the visitors once again dominated the IGG Swimming event at the National Aquatic Centre. The Suriname team, boosted by a number of CARIFTA swimmers, won both the male and female categories despite creditable performances from our local swimmers. In the aftermath of the performances, there have been criticisms that swimming in Guyana is stag-

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nated,since our local talent was outperformed with the exception of the George sisters, Danielle and Jadyn,as well as Olympic competitor

GASA President Ivan Persaud Hannibal Gaskin. However, Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) President,Ivan Persaud,answered those critics by stating that it is unfair to judge a sport that only recently begun a comprehensive program. “Relatively,our children did well and you have to

take into account that all of Suriname’s swimmers were CARIFTA swimmers while we in Guyana have never won a CARIFTA medal.The one person who won a CARIFTA medal for Guyana never trained in Guyana,”stated Persaud. Persaud was of the view that the Association should be judged after the fouryear Olympic cycle program instituted comes to an end when Guyana hosts the Goodwill games next year. “We are developing and we have a group of children who we are looking to for the future of swimming in Guyana,” added Persaud. He said that presently there are 9 and 10 year-old swimmers who have broken the 30 second barrier and are swimming below 30 seconds;something that only happened with 13 and 15 year-olds. “We’ve never had a swimming program implemented in schools;swimming has only been done at the club level

and once everything goes accordingly,swimming in school will start next year,” stated Persaud. The GASA president was quick to point out that some of those swimmers,including Leon Seaton, Raekwon Noel, Jadyn and Danielle George and Alika Persaud,are currently part of the Olympic programme. With the GASA elections held yesterday at Olympic House, it will be interesting to see what happens next for Guyana’s swimming. The rest of the year for swimming competitions is bright,with the first event being the Joint Services swimming competition slated for today from 10hrs. Following this will be the GASA official clinic which runs from November 12-16,when a FINA coach will be present to conduct the clinic. Swimming will also see action in the National Schools Championships on November 21 with the GASA Nationals coming the weekend after.

A Hat-trick and missed penalty for Ronaldo in Real Madrid win CRISTIANO Ronaldo scored a hat-trick and missed a penalty as Real Madrid beat Alaves to increase their lead at the top of La Liga. Deyverson gave Alaves an early lead but conceded a penalty which was converted by Portugal forward Ronaldo. Ronaldo added a second before the break with a deflected shot but had a second spot-kick saved by Alaves goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco 10 minutes from time. Alvaro Morata scored Real’s third before Ronaldo completed his treble. Zinedine Zidane’s side are two points above Barcelona, who beat Granada 1-0 later on Saturday. Real are three clear of city rivals Atletico Madrid - 4-2 winners over Malaga - and Sevilla, who dropped from sec-

ond to fourth with a 1-1 draw at Sporting Gijon. Alaves were unbeaten at home in La Liga before

Deyverson was deemed to have handled, then his long-range effort sailed into the top corner.

Cibulkova to face Kerber in WTA finals DEBUTANTE Dominika Cibulkova will meet world number one Angelique Kerber in today’s final at the WTA Finals in Singapore. The Slovak showed great determination to beat Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 1-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-4. Kerber, the Australian Open and US Open winner, was too strong for defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska. The German dominated for a 6-2 6-1 victory over the Pole to make it six wins apiece in their head-to-heads. “It’s just amazing to be here,’’ said Kerber, who is playing in the event for the fourth time. “It’s been an incredible 12 months. I’ve been really working at being focused, being calm and being positive on court and this is the biggest improvement I’ve made.” After a disappointing first set, in which Cibulkova trailed 4-1 after being broken twice in her first three service games, the world number eight showed far more intensity in the second set. She improved her first-serve percentage dramatically from 42% to 79% with Kuznetsova, who was in superb form in the opening set, happy to sit back and wait for any opportunities. Cibulkova, making her first appearance at the elite eight-player event, squandered chances to secure the second set while serving at 5-4 and 6-5 but in the tie-break she recovered quickly to set up four set points and level the match.(BBC Sport)

Persaud remains president of GASA THE Guyana Amateur Swimming Association will remain under the presidency of Ivan Persaud following its elections held yesterday at Olympic House on High Street. Persaud was in a three-way race; running against Owen Vewey of GO-Invest and Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) Vice President Karen Pilgrim. However, both Vewey and Pilgrim pulled out of the race. Pilgrim cited her new responsibilities as Guyana’s representative for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as a reason for her pulling out. Dewey has not given any reason for his decision. There are some changes with Nadira Jaikaran from Swim Academy being elected secretary. The other committee members include Dave Ramnarine and Elke Rodrigues as the Association’s Vice Presidents. Joanne Lowe Is Treasurer while Leon Seaton is the Assistant Secretary/Treasurer.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Sunday October 30, 2016) Cristiano Ronaldo has now scored a hat-trick against 20 different clubs for Real Madrid, this match, but once again Ronaldo’s impact on the game was decisive. The 31-year-old confidently sent Pacheco the wrong away from the penalty spot to equalise after Brazilian forward

Pacheco dived low to his low to save Ronaldo’s second penalty, but Real’s record goalscorer completed his hat-trick after exchanging passes with Marcelo inside the area. (BBC Sport)

COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & AUDREY’S TASTY SNACKETTE-176 Charlotte Street, Georgetown (Tel: 226-4512)

Answers to yesterday’s quiz:

(1)England (54); Australia (32); India (30); Pakistan (15) (2) 29

Today’s Quiz:

(1) Name the four Pakistani Test-playing Mohammad brothers. (2) Who was declared Man of the Match at the end of the second WI/PAK Test of the current series?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

SUNDAY CHRONICLE October 30, 2016

Joint Services athletics championships to start today

BOTH the Guyana Police Force and defending champions, the Guyana Defence Force are upbeat about their chances when the annual Inter-Services Annual Athletics Championships (ISAAC) starts today and ends Friday, October 4. Today’s events start this morning with the road races, and concludes with the swimming which begins at 11.00hrs at the National Aquatic Centre in Liliendaal. The anticipated track and field competition of the Championships will take place at the National Track and Field Centre in Leonora, starting from Tuesday. It continues on Wednesday and concludes on Friday. Though the swimming will add some valuable points to the final score,it is really the track and field competition that will separate the men from the boys. While GPF are the defending champions in swimming,the GDF are the defending champions overall as well as in track and field competition. As usual,the two longtime rivals are expected to dominate the competition, where the Guyana Prison Service (GPS),the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), and City Constabulary are also expected to participate. Chronicle Sport caught up with the coaches of the GDF and GPF athletics team, who were in their usual upbeat spirits as they prepared for the week ahead. On the GDF side, coach Robert Chisholm said his team made

WICB seeks to strengthen ties with media HAVANA, Cuba – The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has reached out to Caribbean media groups through the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) to develop stronger partnerships for a wider range of cricket programming and programmes. The relationship, according to WICB, will also include, training and technical development of production personnel to ensure broadcast is of the highest quality for all categories of cricket. This impassioned plea was made at the 47th Annual General Assembly of the CBU on Wednesday (October 26) in Havana, Cuba. Manager of Marketing and Communications, WICB, Carole Beckford, who made the presentation shared information regarding the ratio of content in other jurisdictions, but made the case for more cricket stories and features to be produced outside of live cricket. The WICB boasts a rich archive of cricket material and Commercial Manager, Nelecia Yeates, told the delegates at the conference “the WICB is ready to share the information with our regional media partners, for creative programme ideas to advance the cricket story.” Yeates also noted “there is so much more than live cricket and if we are to encourage the next generation to tune in to the sport, we must have programmes which are able to grab their attention.” One of the recommendations from the floor included a “working group which will seek to look where the gaps are to identify the areas of greatest need.” The CBU has offered to support. The WICB is now preparing for the start of the Digicel SportsMax Regional 4 Day Tournament which bowls of Friday, November 11. This tournament will feature day/night matches and the use of the pink ball. Digicel SportsMax is the official title and broadcast sponsor.

Flashback! The GDF team celebrating their win last year maximum use of the favourable weather and was able to prepare to the fullest. “The athletes are just anxious to compete to bring home this title. I feel we have a good chance of taking the title for the third time, because I feel my athletes are ready for the competition. Preparation was very good, the weather was very cooperative (and)we had enough chance to prepare,” Chisholm commented. As Chisholm goes into the competition, he says he will be focusing on getting maximum participation and garnering not just wins but getting as much points as possible. “It’s all about points and not about wins.The athletes, all of them will play a role in getting points;it will be shared between all of them.” Chisholm said. Police coach Lyndon Wilson said preparation for his team also went well and he thinks he has good odds of perhaps finally taking another title, after having the title

elude them since 2013. “Preparation is good, our chances are good. We always try to go there with a positive mindset and the results will be on how the athletes perform. The athletes are prepared mentally and physically.” Wilson says it was the field events and female team that were some of the areas where the team fell down last year and has tried since to work on that. “What we did is look at what went wrong and try our best to work on that. The field events, especially in the female area,let us down last year.” Wilson explained. With regards to the female side, this year the Police team will see the return of sprinter Alita Moore, while Wilson sees Jevina Sampson and Kezia Bess as being two others who will put in leading performances. On the male side, 2016 Rio Olympics quarter miler Winston George will return, where he is expected to participate in the sprints, in addition to the 400m.

AAG set to name South American squad THE Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) is expected to name, by tomorrow, the Guyana team to the upcoming South American Youth Championships that is slated for next weekend, running November 4 – 6, in Concordia, Argentina. According to president of the AAG,Aubrey Hudson,the Association is looking to send “four to five” athletes, a coach and team manager, , with the team expected to depart by this Thursday. The team manager will be Mayfield Taylor Trim,and the selected coach is Johnny Greavesande.While jumper Chantoba Bright is one of the confirmed athletes, the AAG is still to name the other athletes.

DANIEL WILLIAMS Hudson said that the Association had already submitted a shortlisted team of ten athletes which includes Bright, Avon Samuels, Ken-

isha Phillips, Claudrice Mckoy(girls), while Tyrell Peters, and Daniel Williams were among the boys being considered. Hudson said that several factors were looked at in selecting the team, in particular the Association was looking to further the experience of some of the athletes who performed at the CARIFTA Games earlier this year, and showed continual improvement since. Argentina’s climate was also considered,and this was somewhat of a deterrent in the decision to select any long distance athletes. “There are many, many components that were being (looked at). We were considering all the Un-

der-18 athletes that went to CARIFTA, then we started extracting those who had an injury or had poor performances at CARIFTA and since coming back, and then we looked at the climatic and geographical conditions.So the decision was taken that we shouldn’t send long distance athletes, anyone doing above 800m.” Hudson explained. Commenting on the possible performance that can be expected from the team, Hudson said it largely depends on the attitude of the athletes. “If every athlete that we select goes there with the right attitude,everyone can come home with medals. They’re all experienced athletes,” Hudson commented.

CONCACAF appoints Wayne Forde to Governance Committee See story on page 25

GBA/Terrence Alli National Open Championships

Fighting for freedom, fame and fortune, Republican boxers set to make impression

See story on page 25

Joel Williamson (left) of the Rose Hall Jammers Gym connects to the head of Triston Brown (GDF) in their lightweight contest at the National Gymnasium on Friday evening.

GDF’s Floyd Cato brushes the head of Republican’s Oswald Yaw in their super heavyweight fight on Friday night (Cullen Best-Nelson photos).

Petra/Courts Pee Wee U-11 football competition

St Angela’s drub Mae’s primary

THE round of sixteen action in the Petra organised under-11 COURTS Pee Wee Football tournament commenced yesterday at the Banks DIH Thirst Park ground. Playing in game-five of the day and registering the highest goal count of the round so far, St Angela’s seemed to signal their intentions early in the tournament with a 5-0 win over Mae’s Primary school Seon Cato’s hat trick i (8th, 16th and 24th) coupled with Antwoine Vincent’s brace (18th and 28th) were the highlights of a day when many close games were played. In the first game of the day, Marian Academy won 1-0 against Winfer Gardens,thanks to Nicholas Alphonso in the 20,th while game two saw the same score line as St Stephens beat Tucville 1-0 through Jequan Cole in the 10th. Games three, four, six and seven each ended one nil as well, with F.E. One of three goals scored when West Ruimveldt played St Gabriel (Adrian Narine Photo) Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216.

Pollard beating Stella Marris through Jonathan Dos Santos (32nd) and St. Pius scoring in the 9th minute through Tyler Lyle to beat Redeemer. Shilo Adams 31 st minute strike helped North Georgetown to register a win against St Margaret’s while St Agnes also had David Xavier on target in the 19th minute as they beat South Ruimveldt. West Ruimveldt had another good outing against St Gabriel,as Tyrese Payne (6th), Tyrese Jeffrey (19th) and Trevor Bendt (21st),each netted once for West’s victory. Teams for the Round of 16 were chosen based on the points accumulated during the round robin places, with the first and second places gaining automatic entries. The final four spots were awarded based on the four best third place finishers. The various winners of yesterday’s matches will move on to play for positions 1-8 while the losers will vie for positions 9 to 16. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2016