Guyana_Chronicle_Epaper_01_29_2020

WEDNESDAY 29th January, 2020

No.105894

‘GECOM to certify OLE today’

…Alexander says list bloated with over 600,000 electors

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‘A dream come true’ -Former Lombard and Broad Streets squatters turn keys to own homes

Guyana prepared, equipped to deal with Coronavirus 2 PAGE

─Min. Lawrence, PAHO ‘Rep’ say chances of virus reaching here ‘very, very low’

Some 20 families received the keys for their houses at Prospect, on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) as part of a collaboration between the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) and Food for the Poor (FFTP) Guyana Inc. The families were former squatters at Broad and Lombard streets for many years (Adrian Narine photo)

Guyana renews bid for Category 15 One status PAGE

...ICAO audit finds no significant aviation safety concerns here

Fire destroys Giftland 13 nightclub PAGE

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Cabinet briefed on Guyana’s preparedness to deal with Coronavirus

CABINET was, on Tuesday, briefed by a team from the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) on Guyana’s preparedness to deal with any case of the Novel Coronavirus, which is centered in China.

The Ministry of Public Health’s team included Dr. Shamdeo Persaud – Chief Medical Officer; Dr. Karen Boyle-Campbell – Deputy Chief Medical Officer; Ms. Collette Adams – Permanent Secretary, MOPH; Dr. Fawcett Jeffrey – Director of Medical and Professional Services, Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and Dr. Tracey Bovell – Mass Casualty Specialist, GPHC. Dr. William Adu-Krow, PAHO-WHO’s Country Representative in Guyana, also

President David Granger and members of his Cabinet being briefed on Guyana’s preparedness to deal with any case of the Novel Coronavirus, which is centered in China

accompanied the team. The team of medical professionals provided an insight to the rise of the Novel Coronavirus and advised Cabinet that the Caribbean and Guyana were at a relatively low risk, but that it is important to be prepared for any eventualities.

The GPHC and the Diamond Diagnostic Centre have been identified as the two medical facilities where any arriving passenger suspected of having the Novel Coronavirus will be quarantined. Both facilities are being prepared and retrofitted accordingly.

The team briefed Cabinet that Port Health Authorities had begun screening Chinese nationals arriving at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) from Suriname and Asia. The Ministry

of Public Health is engaged also, in training officials at CJIA and the Eugene Correia International Airport and other ports of entry to deal with any suspected cases of the Coronavirus. Quarantine areas at the ports of entry are being identified.

President David Granger thanked the team for the briefing and the work that they and other agencies are doing to ensure that Guyana is prepared to handle an occurrence. President Granger said Guyana’s preparedness to deal with transnational diseases is at an optimum.

The Ministry of Public Health will commence a public education campaign soon to sensitise the public about the Coronavirus.

(Ministry of the Presidency)

Guyana prepared, equipped to deal with Coronavirus ─Min. Lawrence, PAHO ‘Rep’ say chances of virus reaching here ‘very, very low’

By Navendra Seoraj GUYANA continues to be on guard against the Coronavirus and is even wellequipped to deal with the virus if it reaches here.

“We are prepared and equipped with what is needed to handle a situation, should one arise,” said Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence during a joint press briefing between the Ministry of Public Health and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), on Tuesday.

According to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). The coronavirus outbreak originated in Wuhan, China.

Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, coughs, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases,

infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.

According to Minister Lawrence, government’s first approach to keeping the virus at bay, is to ensure that they “test, isolate and treat” any person, who enters Guyana and has a high index of suspicion. While every port is

being monitored, the minister said emphasis is being placed on the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and the Eugene F. Correia Airport.

“We have not moved to the second phase to check whether we do have cases... but what we are looking at is what it will take to expand services outside of Georgetown, especially if we have an

overflow… we know GPHC has a high occupancy rate, so we need another facility to house persons,” said the minister, noting that the ministry is examining other available facilities and looking at what needs to be purchased.

ADEQUATE MEDICATION So far, the ministry has

Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence; and Resident PAHO/WHO Representative, Dr. William Adu-Krow (Adrian Narine photo)

confirmed that, they have an adequate supply of medication to treat the respiratory and other symptoms of the disease. The ministry is expected to make a presentation to Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, who was made aware of the situation, when the minister and her team briefed Cabinet on Tuesday.

The team of medical professionals provided an insight to the rise of the Novel Coronavirus and advised Cabinet that the Caribbean and Guyana were at a relatively low risk, but that it is important to be prepared for any eventualities.

Cabinet was told that the GPHC and the Diamond Diagnostic Centre have been identified as the two medical facilities where any arriving passenger suspected of having the Novel Coronavirus will be quarantined. Both facilities are being prepared and retrofitted accordingly.

The team briefed Cabinet that Port Health Authorities had begun screening Chinese nationals arriving at the

Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) from Suriname and Asia. According to a press statement, President David Granger thanked the team for the briefing and the work that they and other agencies are doing to ensure that Guyana is prepared to handle an occurrence. President Granger said Guyana’s preparedness to deal with transnational diseases is at an optimum.

Resident PAHO/WHO Representative, Dr. William Adu Krow, during the press conference, said Guyana, although not having to deal some of the prevalent outbreaks in recent times, is experienced and prepared to deal with any disease. “As of now though, we are very, very, very low in terms of getting a condition like that… but we are prepared,” said Dr. Adu-Krow.

In emphasising his confidence in Guyana, he said: We went through Chikungunya, TURN TO PAGE 3

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, January 29, 2020

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‘GECOM to certify OLE today’ …Alexander says list bloated with over 600,000 electors

THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is set to certify an Official List of Electors (OLE) of 661,028 persons today for eligible voting in the March 2, General and Regional Elections.

The decision to finalise the OLE came following some 88,000 necessary address changes to the Revised List of Electors (RLE). However, Commissioner Vincent Alexander is convinced that the large number of persons on the list is evidence that it is bloated. “Clearly we are going forward with a bloated list because there’s no circumstance under which a population of 750,000 plus with a school population of approximately 200,000 can produce a voters list of 661, 000,” Commissioner Vincent Alexander said.

A breakdown provided showed that the National Register of Registrant (NRR) initially started off with 663,365 and 646, 625 were extracted for the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE). Of this number, the General Registrar’s Office (GRO) removed 6,094 deceased persons; there were 68 successful objections; 16, 642 new registrants from the house-to-house registration exercise and 4,258 from the claims and objections (C&O) exercise.

There were other omissions but the RLE eventually

came down to 661, 378 after which over 300 duplicates were identified and removed. “The OLE will be certified by tomorrow,” Commissioner, Robeson Benn had also confirmed on Tuesday.

However, the opposition-nominated commissioners are not pleased that they only received the list of changCommissioner Vincent Alexander

Commissioner Robeson Benn

es to address as of Tuesday. “From 91,000 the number has gone down to 88,876 and we have now been given that and the OLE is being certified tomorrow,” Commissioner Bibi Shadick stated. The commission was previously catering to some 91,000 changes of address coming from persons who participated in the house-to-house registration exercise. Benn had noted on Tuesday that deaths for November and December will not be removed by the GRO from the OLE. He also said that persons still to uplift their Identification (ID) Cards from years prior can do so and GECOM is making arrangement for new registrants to also receive their cards.

Guyana prepared, equipped... Coalition Government has Reg. 2 farmers at heart FROM PAGE 2 Ebola and so on, so I think we have gained enough experience, even though we did not have the cases, we have enough experience to deal with it…PAHO/WHO is also prepared to stand by the ministry to support in the event of the virus reaching Guyana.”

Guyana will also be able to access support from the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), which has been designated as a National Influenza Centre (NIC).

This means that the regional agency has the capacity to test everything that Guyana sends to them. Results will be returned in three days.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Shamdeo Persaud said, there is a six point plan that the ministry has established to tackle the virus, but the main focus is on detection.

There has, however, been no recommendation for any special protocols to deal with the virus. He said there is a protocol for several acute respiratory illnesses, so they are working with that.

“We are all the points of entry…we strengthened the surveillance activities and screening…we are screen persons from areas where there are cases,” said Dr. Persaud, adding that there will be sensitisation training and capacity building over the next few days.

The ministry has also deployed additional environmental health officers and medex to the various ports to strengthen the efforts. The increased presence at the ports is expected to last up to four months until the acute period of the virus blows over.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Karen Gordon-Boyle had said the Guyanese government is preparing counter-measures to prevent any outbreak of the coronavirus here.

So far, a questionnaire, which is being used as screening tool, has been developed to gather detailed information on the onset and natural course of illnesses of persons, suspected of having coronavirus. Dr. Gordon-Boyle said training programmes, targeting key staff, including port health officers, immigration officers and customs officers, will be conducted by the Ministry of Public Health in collaboration with PAHO/WHO. She said the Infection Control and Prevention Committee of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) will also ensure that the tertiary institution is in a state of readiness to care for any infected person. As a precaution, she said: “Any person experiencing fever or flu-like symptoms should visit the GPHC or the nearest Regional Hospital.”

While the incubation period for affected persons is still not known, it is advised that patients be isolated from the healthy population for some 10 to 14 days. Dr. Adu-Krow had confirmed that 14 countries apart from China, have confirmed cases. And as of Tuesday, there were 4,564 cases and 106 deaths.

─ says Agriculture Minister, Noel Holder

AGRICULTURE Minister, Noel Holder, on Thursday, told a large gathering of Essequibians that the APNU/ AFC Coalition government has invested millions of dollars towards improving agriculture infrastructure in Region Two. He was, at the time, delivering the feature address at the commissioning ceremony of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) regional office at Cotton Field.

Holder said since coming to power, the coalition government has placed focus on agriculture to boost village

The minister noted that the yields per acre have also moved from an average of 28 bags per acre to 37 bags or from 4.5 tonnes per hectare to 5.7 tonnes per hectare.

The Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), last year, conducted paddy bug control activities in Region Two, assisting farmers with the control of paddy bugs.

Last year, 657 farmers who cultivated 12,690 acres of rice also benefitted from assistance during the first crop.

During the second crop of 2019, dams and meres were sprayed to control the spread of paddy bugs. The GRDB

The pump at Three Friends in full operation during the last rainy season in 2019

Regional Executive Officer, Denis Jaikarran, reaching out to rice farmers

economies, particularly in Region Two. Coconut, plantain and pumpkin are among some of the major non-traditional crops being produced in Region Two. The National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NARIE) has been working with over 500 coconut farmers in Region Two, expanding cultivation by some 2,000 acres.

Inter-cropping was introduced on the estates and the first batch of passion fruit and turmeric was harvested in 2019. The ministry has also been encouraging farmers to utilise coconut waste to produce coir to be used as a soil ameliorant.

Region Two is the third largest rice-producing region in Guyana, producing 14 per cent of paddy production annually. In 2019, 2,400 farmers cultivated 63,812 acres over the two cropping seasons, producing 2.3M bags.

spent G$8.3M in the National Paddy Bug eradication programme in 2019.

“Under the decentralisation of the seed paddy production programme, 24 acres were sown to produce quality seed paddy by farmers. The project aimed at producing 840 bags of seed paddy. This is an important initiative as we aim for a more sustainable rice industry. The programme will save farmers $756,000 in transportation and handling cost,” the minister said.

Speaking about improved drainage and irrigation, Minister Holder said during 2019, the NDIA has invested over $418M in Region Two in projects such as mechanical cleaning of 110 miles of D&I channels, costing approximately $45M. These projects are geared at providing drainage to over 5,000 acres of residential and farm lands.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, January 29, 2020

In peace bid, Trump proposes Palestinian state with capital in eastern Jerusalem

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday proposed the creation of a Palestinian state with a capital in eastern Jerusalem, in an effort to achieve a peace breakthrough with

Israel that will be a tough sell for Palestinians.

Under Trump’s proposed Middle East peace plan announced at a White House ceremony attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the United States will recognize Israeli settlements on the occupied West Bank.

In exchange, Israel would agree to accept a four-year freeze on new settlement activity while Palestinian statehood were being negotiated. “Today, Israel has taken a giant step toward peace,” Trump said, adding that he had sent a letter about the proposal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

“This is a historic day,” Netanyahu said, comparing

Trump’s peace plan to former President Harry Truman’s 1948 recognition of the state of Israel. “On this day, you became the first world leader to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over areas in Judea and Samaria that are vital to our security and central to our heritage,” he added, using the Biblical names for the West Bank.

Palestinian leaders had rejected Trump’s long-delayed plan even before its official release, saying his administration was biased towards Israel. The absence of the Palestinians from Trump’s announcement is likely to fuel criticism that the plan tilts toward Israel’s needs rather than theirs. Israeli-Palestinian talks broke down in 2014, and it was far from clear that the Trump plan will resuscitate them.

Palestinians have refused to deal with the Trump administration in protest at such pro-Israeli policies as its moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, he east of which is sought by the Palestinians.

U.S. senior administration officials said they expected initial Palestinian skepticism over the plan but

hoped that over time they will agree to negotiate. It places high hurdles for the Palestinians to overcome to reach their long-sought goal of a state. “Strip away the domestic and Israeli political considerations that determined the timing of the plan’s release, and the message to the Palestinians, boiled down to its essence, is: You’ve lost, get over it,” said Robert Malley, president of International Crisis Group and a former U.S. National Security Council official.

It remains to be seen also how Israel responds, given the pressures its right-wing prime minister, Netanyahu, faces going into his third attempt at re-election in less than a year. Both Trump and Netanyahu face political challenges at home.

Trump was impeached in the House of Representatives last month and is on trial in the Senate on abuse of power charges.

On Tuesday, Netanyahu was formally indicted in court on corruption charges, after he withdrew his bid for parliamentary immunity from prosecution. Both men deny any wrongdoing.

Wednesday, January 29, 2020 - 05:00hrs~06:30hrs

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TWO-STATE MAP The U.S. plan represented the most dramatic and detailed attempt to break the historic deadlock between Israel and the Palestinians in several years, the result of a three-year effort by Trump senior advisers including his son-in-law Jared Kushner. Trump has endorsed a proposed map outlining the two states, U.S. officials said. The Palestinian state would be double the size of land that Palestinians currently control and would be connected by roads, bridges and tunnels, they said.

Trump briefed Netanyahu and his rival in Israel’s March 2 elections, Blue and White Party chief Benny Gantz, in talks on Monday.

Israeli leaders have agreed to negotiate on the basis of the Trump plan and agreed to the map, the officials said. Israel’s agreement on statehood for Palestinians is dependent on a security arrangement to protect Israelis, they said.

Israel will also take steps to ensure Muslim access to al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem and respect Jordan’s role regarding holy sites, the officials said. A U.S. official said the question for Palestinians is will they “come to the table and negotiate?”

If they agree to negotiate, there are some areas that can be compromised in

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the future, the official said without offering details. Palestinian statehood would be dependent on Palestinians taking steps for self-government, such as respect for human rights, freedom of the press and having transparent and credible institutions, the officials said.

Trump’s plan calls for Palestinians to be able to return to a future state of Palestine and creates a “generous compensation fund,” one of the officials said.

About Israel retaining the settlements, a U.S. official said: “The plan is based on a principle that people should not have to move to accomplish peace ... But it does stop future settlement expansion which we consider to be the most realistic approach.

Before the Trump announcement, thousands of Palestinians demonstrated in Gaza City and Israeli troops reinforced positions near a flashpoint site between the Palestinian city of Ramallah and the Jewish settlement of Beit El in the West Bank. On Monday, Palestinian leader Abbas said he would not agree to any deal that did not secure a two-state solution. That formula, the basis for many years of frustrated international peace efforts, envisages Israel co-existing with a Palestinian state.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Latin America, Caribbean experience slight increase in unemployment …ILO says situation can get worse this year 28 January 2020 (Lima, Peru) -- The labour markets of Latin America and the Caribbean are going through a moment of uncertainty, which can be seen in a slight rise in the regional unemployment rate and these signs of instability could get worse in 2020. These key findings were presented today during the launch of the 2019 Labour Overview of Latin America and the Caribbean “The labour market situation is complex,” said Mr Juan Hunt, Regional Director a.i. of the ILO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, while speaking during the report launch event in the Peruvian capital. The estimated average regional unemployment rate for the end of 2019 is 8.1 per cent, compared to the 8.0 per cent rate for 2018.

While the increase is small, it still means that more than 25 million people are actively looking for employment and they are not finding work.

This upward trend in unemployment could increase and reach 8.4 per cent in 2020 if the region continues to experience moderate economic growth. The latest Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) estimates place the average growth of 2019 at 0.1 per cent and forecast a low level for 2020 of 1.3 per cent.

The report emphasizes that there is an upward trend behind the regional average unemployment rate. The rise in unemployment was predominant in nine of 14 Latin American countries. In the English-speaking Caribbean, on the other hand, there was a decrease in unemployment by 0.7 percentage points.

The Labour Overview also

highlights the relevance of Brazil and Mexico in the regional average. It notes that without including these two countries, the average unemployment rate would register a more pronounced increase of 0.5 per cent, according to the data as of the third quarter of 2019. The report adds that despite the continuous increase in women’s labour participation, which reached 50.9 per cent in the third quarter of 2019, it is still more than 20 percentage points below that of men, which is 74.3 per cent.

In 2019, female unemployment rose 0.2 percentage points in the regional average, to 10.2 per cent, while that of men remained unchanged at 7.3 per cent. This indicates that the increase in regional unemployment disproportionately affected women. The situation of youth in the region is alarming. In the third quarter of 2019, the regional unemployment rate was 19.8 per cent, which implies that one in five young people in the labour force cannot find employment.

This is the highest level recorded of that rate in the last decade. “The lack of decent work opportunities for young people causes great concern because it is a source of discouragement and frustration.

This has been reflected in the front line of recent protests in the region, calling for changes to aim for a better future,” said Mr Hunt.

Social demands and instability The ILO Regional Director also emphasized that recent demonstrations in the region by citizens calling for better opportunities and greater equality are evidence of the persistence of decent work deficits.

“Opportunities to access

decent and productive employment, with fair wages, social inclusion, social protection and labour rights, are key to responding to social demands.

They also ensure that the benefits of growth reach everyone and guarantee good governance,” said Mr Hunt.

Speaking on the employment quality findings included in the report, Mr Hugo Ñopo, the ILO Regional Economist who coordinated the Labour Overview, explained that, “the dynamics of economic slowdown since mid-2018 have had an impact on the structure and quality of jobs.” Ñopo stressed that since 2018 there is a lower growth in salaried employment compared to self-employment, especially non-professional employment. He also emphasized that these are signs of “a relative instability of the jobs that are being created in Latin America and the Caribbean.”

The report also states that there is a tendency to increase in the indicators of under-occupation due to insufficient working time.

The percentage of employed people who work less than 35 hours and want to work more increased in 10 of the 11 countries with available data. Referring to the economic slowdown experienced by the region in the last year, Ñopo warned that “the impacts on the labour market are not yet fully reflected”, due to the lag in the demand for employment. The ILO specialist stated that the challenge for the countries of the region is clear: “integrate the more than 25 million unemployed and give decent employment to an even greater and diverse number of people who are hoping to benefit economically.”

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CARICOM mourns passing of former St. Vincent and Grenadines Governor General GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Jan 28, CMC – Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary General, Irwin LaRocque, says former St. Vincent and the Grenadines Governor General, Sir Frederick Ballantyne, will be remembered for his dedicated service to his country as he extended condolences on behalf of the 15-member regional grouping.

Sir Frederick, who served as head of state from 2002 to July 2019, died last Thursday at the age of 83. He will be buried on Wednesday.

In a message of condolences to St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister.

Dr Ralph Gonsalves, the CARICOM Secretary General said said the dignified manner in which Sir Frederick carried out his responsibilities and his dedication to his tasks during his 17-year tenure as Governor General endeared him to his fellow citizens and all with whom he interacted.

He said that Sir Frederick will be well remembered for his dedicated service to

his country as an outstanding medical practitioner, and that he also demonstrated his commitment to the development of his country by his business investments, including in the tourism sector.

“I offer sincere condolences on behalf of the Community,

board coffin. In decades past, breadfruit wood coffins were the default for poorer Vincentians, but and have since fallen out of use as funeral arrangements have become more “modernised” and provided by funeral parlours.

Sir-Frederick-Ballantyne

and on my own behalf to the family of Sir Frederick and the Government and people of St Vincent and the Grenadines,” Ambassador La Rocque said.

Prime Minister Gonsalves said on NBC Radio on Sunday that Sir Frederick, who died at his home, had expressed a wish to be buried in a breadfruit

Gonsalves said that Sir Frederick, the nation’s fifth and longest-serving head of state, was “a special man, a very distinguished national in all the areas which we have identified, and a person who was very humble. Sir Frederick was also a cardiologist and a former chief medical officer.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday January 29, 2020

Investment in Education

ONE of America’s founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, respected inventor, scientist, political theorist, author, politician, diplomat, and all-round thinker, said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” Nelson Mandela agreed; the celebrated South African activist, president, and statesman noted that, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Similar sentiments have been expressed in one form or another by men and women of all walks of life since the beginning of modern civilisation, and, is arguably an accepted truth with which there is universal agreement.

Education is the process of facilitating learning; acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and positive habits. The term ‘education’ is most frequently used to refer to a formal process that occurs in primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions. However, it has long been recognised that education has a wider, deeper meaning that encompasses all the means by which an individual gains knowledge, and learns to apply that knowledge to real-life situations in order to solve problems, improve the quality of life, and be a productive member of society. Education, therefore, is, or should be, a lif-long pursuit.

Experts tell us that education is not only the acquisition of knowledge that is contained in books, but includes too, the learning of practical skills, particularly those that relate to one’s own life and specific needs, as well as the requirements of one’s community, and, the refining of the ability to integrate that knowledge and those skills into everyday activities and endeavours. The experts say too, that education is not just learning how to read and write (literacy), since, the experts point out, even a robot can read and write, but an educated human being uses acquired knowledge wisely. It makes a human being much more than the sum of the knowledge with which he or she was provided. Importantly, education may be used not only for elevating oneself, but it can be used to improve other peoples’ lives. Evidently, any society that wants to improve itself must place the education of its citizens high on its agenda.

Guyana is fortunate to have a system of free formal

education — though admittedly imperfect. Our country has too, leaders who recognise the pivotal role that learning plays in the quest for personal fulfilment, individual achievement, community advancement, regional enhancement, and national development.

Just some four months after being elected to office, in October 2015, President David Granger observed that Guyana’s education system was in need of major improvements. Speaking at the national awards ceremony for students who had excelled at the Caribbean Secondary Certificate Examinations (CSEC), the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), as well as the Guyana Technical Education Examination, Carnegie School of Home Economics, the Cyril Potter College of Education and the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), the Head of State lamented the poor condition of the entire education system and spoke to the need for general improvement. His Excellency observed that, “There are problems in the educational sector.”

The president noted that every day five children drop out of secondary school; “What is to become of them”?

President Granger remarked.

His Excellency said that each year more than half of the students who undertake the NGSA fail, and that this means that Guyana’s secondary education system is not producing the desired results. “It means that half of the students who enter the secondary school system may not be qualified to be there,” the president noted.

President Granger referred to the fact that fewer than half of those who wrote English and Mathematics at the 2015 CSEC, examinations passed. The president mentioned that the Ministry of Education described the situation as unsatisfactory. “This is unacceptable in the knowledge-based world in which we live…Guyana simply cannot continue along this trajectory if it is to compete with our sisters in the Caribbean.”

Given the president’s evident concern, one is not surprised that the David Granger administration took immediate action to remedy the situation. In July 2015, one month after being sworn into office, President Granger launched the highly successful 5Bs programme.

The 5Bs stand for boats, buses, bicycles, breakfast and

books. The initiative was launched by the president after His Excellency visited the Pomeroon area. During his interactions with residents, the president learned that there was often a high cost of transportation for children to get to and from school; many families simply could not afford it. Additionally, because of widespread and extreme poverty, many parents could not afford to purchase the books needed by their children. Even more saddening, many children stayed home because their families could not afford proper meals. The president decided to take action. The resulting 5Bs programme has been remarkably successful.

Numerous initiatives have since been undertaken by government within the administration’s holistic education plan. Officials have repeatedly underscored the importance of a multi-faceted approach to education. The president has pointed out that education must encompass both tradition and transformation. Education, officials say, must include academics, vocational, technical, and apprenticeship programmes. Adults and adolescents who have dropped out of the system, and younger children, must be given the opportunity for self-fulfilment.

Programmes such as the Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) initiative aims to equip Guyanese to meet the challenges of the future.

“Guyana’s capacity to compete in global markets will rely on our ability to innovate. Innovation requires that greater emphasis be placed on education, particularly STEM education. The greatest innovation in the global economy is in the scientific and information technology fields. STEM education must be emphasised from an early age if we are to develop the skills and attitudes necessary to foster transformation,” the president said.

Government’s recognition that education is the key to development is the appropriate foundational premise upon which initiatives, programmes, and projects can be conceptualised and implemented.

Guyanese should welcome this comprehensive approach. And, as government works to provide the opportunities for personal advancement and social development, citizens should take advantage of the available options

Guyana off to South Korea for peace conference WITH the growing awareness among people throughout the world of the urgent need for innovative vision and bold leadership to resolve the critical issues of our time, a five-member Guyanese delegation is set to be amongst a highly selective group of several thousand delegates from around the world to attend the World Summit 2020, to be convened on February 3rd to the 9th, 2020 in Seoul, South Korea.

This World Summit will include current and former heads of states, parliamentari-

ans, religious leaders, women leaders and civil society leaders dedicated to dialogue and collaboration for the sake of peace and human development.

Representing Guyana on this world stage will be five Ambassadors for Peace.

The delegation will be headed by Haji Dr. Roshan Khan, National Chairman of the Universal Peace Federation, Guyana and Appointer of Peace Ambassadors; Rev. Dr. Ronald McGarrell, Church and Spiritual Leader and General Secretary of the Universal Peace Federation, Guyana

and includes Pastor Diego Alphonso of the Ministry of Social Protection, Pastor Mervin Marshall, and Sister Susan Agatha Harris Rijkaard, President of the women’s arm of the Universal Peace Federation, Guyana.

World Summit 2020 is sponsored by the Universal Peace Federation International as part of its long-standing and ongoing World Summit series which promotes interdependence, mutual prosperity and universal values.

Over the five-day period, the World

Summit 2020 will bring together world leaders, whose individual and collective experience, wisdom and insight are needed if we are to build a world of mutual understanding, sustainable peace and prosperity for all under the universal theme of “One human family under God.” Sincerely, Hajji Dr. Roshan Khan National Chairman, Universal Peace Federation,Guyana

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday January 29, 2020

It would be to our peril to forget the period of absolute state-sponsored lawlessness Dear Editor YOU as well as many citizens who are avid readers, politicians, students of Political Science et al would know that one of the best known and most influential political works of all time was written by Niccolo Machiavelli in 1532. In his classic, the Prince, Machiavelli, exalts power, success, image and efficiency above loyalty, faith and honesty. According to Machiavelli, lying is okay if it accomplishes a political end.

Obviously, the most casual observer would discern that the current leaders of the PPP/C are using Machiavellian techniques at their political rallies to woo voters with lots of lies and glad tidings to vote for the PPP/C at the General and Regional Elections that are around the proverbial corner.

A good case in point is the recently held political rally in Linden where executive member Juan Edghill in his address accused the APNU+AFC government of “closing down the Kara Kara Call Centre.” Contrary to popular belief, the prime ministerial candidate Mark Phillips said he was born in Linden; according to him, the PPP/C “pumped a lot of financial resources into Linden between 1992 and 2015,” among other lies. The General-Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo spoke about “the new housing scheme of Amelia’s Ward Block 22

which was constructed by the PPP/C, the building of a new hospital, among other lies. Remember the then President Jagdeo, sometime in 2013,had said that he had a tape in his possession to show that the PNC was involved in criminal activities at Buxton. Additionally, he opined that he knew the identities of those in the PNC and of the armed bandits who were involved in kidnapping, drug smuggling, murder and armed robbery and he would make the information public. After eight years, he is yet to make the information public. The presidential candidate Irfaan Ali said this government did not add a single new houselot, did not distribute land titles, or built no new health centres in Region 10 since 2015, among other lies.

However, the Guyana Chronicle dated January 20, 2020 page 11, “PPP holds rally in Linden” highlighted the evidence that gives the lie to Edghill, Phillips,Jagdeo and Ali’s false statements that the APNU+AFC Administration did nothing for Linden, but only the PPP/C did while in government for 23 years.

Without a doubt, only someone who is blind and deaf or who lives on a different planet; or someone who has a bias against this government would believe the PPP/C, as well as those Machiavellians who were in the closet prior to the on-confidence vote, when they uttered their wicked lies. In retrospect, the NCV

was the best bad thing to have happened on December 21, 2018.

Altogether, some politicians are wont to tell some sections of the population to forget the past; how could mothers forget the brutal repression and arbitrary arrest and detention of their teenage sons, forced disappearances, an administration that stole from the people and never cared about the country, only its benefits. Those of us who are unable to catalogue the atrocities that were committed during the troubles are doomed to a repetition of the same.

The past always has a way of returning. It would be at our peril to forget the period of absolute state-sponsored lawlessness and return the PPP/C to power with puppet Ali and his puppet master Jagdeo managing the affairs of this country for “20, 30, or 40 years,” according to Jagdeo. A puppet ruler is a person who has a title indicating possession of political power, but who in reality is controlled by outside force. Such outside power can be exercised by a foreign government, in which case the puppet ruler’s domain is called a puppet state. But the puppet ruler may also be controlled by internal forces.

Regards Julius Williams

PPP let us all down Dear Editor, DURING the reign of President Jagdeo, Guyana witnessed the horrors of mass killings which were blamed on ‘rival gangs.’

Under Jagdeo’s watch whole families were butchered at Lusignan, Bartica and at Lindo Creek.

When we remembered the Lusignan Massacre of 11 persons on

January 27, it was sad to hear Anil Nandlall, the PPP spokesman, blaming the army for guns that reached the hands of bandits.

Nandlall was an attorney general and he should know about criminal incitement. He should also know about the consequences of racial incitement. The fact of the matter is that the PPP government was incapable of protecting our

citizens, not even their own minister (Sawh) and his family who were gunned down in cold blood by murderers they have never brought to justice. The PPP should not ask anyone for a vote, as it has let us all down and left us to the mercies of killers.

Regards Rovin Singh

Promises are cheap; I hope no one is fooled by Mr Ali Dear Editor, THE PPP is on the loose, promising the moon and the stars in order to return to government. During a Bartica meeting, at which I am still trying to identify a couple of true Bartican faces, Mr Irfaan Ali promised to abolish:-

Corporate taxes, taxes on cellphones, tax on motor cars and heavy-duty mining trucks and dredges. Mr. Ali’s party (PPP) was in government for 23 years, and had increased taxes left, right and centre. I recall that it was the coalition government that reduced

the corporate tax from 40% to 25%, and slashed VAT from 16% to 14%.

But Mr. Ali did not stop there. He said when he could, he would increase old age pension (OAP) to $40,000 per month. When Mr. Ali left the Government OAP was

$7,500 per month, and it was the coalition that increased it to $20,500 per month. The coalition increased wages by 77 per cent. Promises are cheap, and I hope no one is fooled

by Mr. Ali. Yours sincerely, Cheryl Campbell

I applaud our government for this and similar works elsewhere.

Dear Editor,

I WELCOME the report in Kaieteur News on January 27 that the APNU + AFC Government has spent $645 million on sea defence works in Leguan.

Leguan is one of some 300 islands in the mighty Essequibo River, and is exposed to the rising sea levels in the same way as small-island states in the world. Leguan is an example to show that climate change is real and if left unattended, the rising sea levels could cause severe damage to the livelihoods of our people. I hope that our people take note of the efforts by our government to mitigate high tides. I applaud our government for this and similar works elsewhere.

Regards Shawn James

We must welcome our American partners Dear Editor, AS a Guyanese I am proud to know that the giant U.S. Citibank is coming to Guyana. This shows great confidence in our economy and in the management of it.

Citibank has been a partner with Guyana as a correspondent bank when many others have stayed clear as Guyana was trying to deal with money laundering, which flowed from dirty money when the marco-trade flourished under the previous government.

Today, many top U.S. companies want to do business in Guyana, just like American Airlines; there are some 18 other airlines that want to add Guyana to their international destinations.

We must welcome our American partners!

Regards Indawattie Hardatt

Shame on you Mr Rohee!

Dear Editor, I WAS appalled by the outburst from Clement Rohee, a former Foreign Minister and a PPP candidate at a recent public meeting.

He tried to use a female part of her body turning it into an object of vulgarity, as the symbol of the APNU + AFC Coalition. He pretended stupidness in asking the handful of persons at the meeting to pronounce PO plus KEY, as someone heckled “Ask yuh daughter.” He then said “men have something to put their hand on!”

Shame on you Rohee! Shame on you for your crude insult to our women! Shame on the PPP leaders who felt that women are sexual objects, and objects for backballing!

Mr. Rohee owes us an apology!

Yours sincerely, Christine Henry

8

Cyril Dabydeen wins prestigious literary prize CYRIL Dabydeen’s book, ‘How Far Do We Go?’ has won The Canute A. Brodhurst Prize for best short fiction.

Dabydeen’s recent books include ‘My Undiscovered Country’ (Mosaic Press), ‘God’s Spider/poetry’ (Peepal Tree Press, UK) and ‘My Multi-Ethnic Friends and Other Stories’ (Guernica Editions, Toronto). Previous books include ‘Jogging in Havana’ (1992), ‘Black Jesus and Other Stories’ (1996), ‘Berbice Crossing’ (1997), ‘My Brahmin Days’ (2000), ‘North of the Equator’ (2001), ‘Play a Song Somebody: New and Selected Short Stories’ (2003), ‘Imaginary Origins: New and Selected Poems’ (2005),and the novel ‘Drums of My Flesh’ (2007) won the Guyana Prize for best novel.

According to a release, the author has published in over 60 literary magazines and anthologies, eg Poetry/Chicago, The Critical Quarterly, Prairie Schooner, Canadian Literature, and in the Oxford, Penguin, and

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday January 29, 2020

Banks DIH E’bo rakes in G45.29M in profits for 2019

--earning Branch Manager Chairman’s Award two years in a row

By Indrawattie Natram

Cyril Dabydeen

Heinemann Books of Caribbean Poetry and Short Stories.

Dabydeen has also edited ‘Beyond Sangre Grande: Caribbean Writing Today’ (Mawenzi House, Toronto) and taught Creative Writing at the University of Ottawa for many years – a city where he was the official Poet Laureate (1984-87).

He has also been invited to be a guest writer/and lead a workshop at the International Short Story in English Conference (biennial) to be held at the University of Calabria, Italy, June 2020.

BANKS DIH Airy Hall on the Essequibo Coast has done it again, raking in a cool G$45.29M profit in sales alone, and earning its manager in the process the Chairman’s Award for the second year running.

Giving a breakdown of the branch’s performance for Financial Year 2018 - 2019 at the company’s 64th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Sunday, Company Chairman Clifford Reis told its scores of shareholders in the ‘Cinderella County’ that Banks DIH Airy Hall continues to do the company proud, having brought in a staggering $1.58B for Financial Year 2018-2019 when compared to the $1,54B it made the previous year.

Speaking on the number of units of products the branch has sold over the period at reference, Reis reported that for 2018 alone, physical sales amounted

to 952,967 units, while in 2019, that figure increased by 21,220 units, thanks to an increase in sales on such products as GT Beer, Malta Supreme, Vita Malt, Shandy, soft drinks, Tropical and Aqua Mist water, and bread.

In response to a shareholder’s question on the closure of Citizen Bank in the Region, Reis said that the company is currently looking for a plot of land to purchase, as it has every intention of reopening the Bank. He also used the opportunity to announce the planned opening of a Quik Serv restaurant in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) in the near future.

As to what he thought of the region’s agriculture sector, Reis said that from the little he has seen of it from the air, he is pleasantly surprised to see that persons are still interested in rice after the discovery of oil, to the extent that they are devoting even more land to

Branch Manager Premaul Ritney addressing the AGM on Sunday

Banks DIH Chairman Clifford Reis handing over the cheque for the C. V. Nunes Primary to one of its pupils

Guyana, Albania sign visa waiver agreement Banks DIH Essequibo shareholders and other invitees at the company’s AGM, which was held at its Airy Hall branch on Sunday

the cultivation of the grain.

Branch Manager Premaul Ritney took the opportunity to thank his hard-working staff for the support they’ve lent him since taking office close to two years ago, and to thank all their loyal customers and dealers for their unwavering commitment over the years.

The occasion was also used to make financial donations to the C. V. Nunes Primary and Cotton Field Nursery schools.

Five held for double-murder at 63 Beach Ambassador of Guyana to the United States, Dr. Riyad Insanally, and Ambassador of Albania to the United States, Floreta Faber, sign the MoU on behalf of their respective governments

THE Governments of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and the Republic of Albania, on Monday, signed an agreement to remove the visa requirement for Guyanese travelling to Albania.

The agreement, in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), paves the way for the Exemption of Visa Requirements for Holders of Diplomatic, Service and Ordinary Passports, at the Embassy of Albania, in Washington, DC Dr. Riyad Insanally, CCH, Ambassador of Guyana to the United States and Floreta Faber, Ambassador of Albania to the United States, signed on behalf of their respective governments.

Guyana and Albania established diplomatic relations on May 1, 1985, and it is hoped that the MoU will lead to the enhancement of relations between the two countries.

THE Guyana Police Force (GPF) has continued its impressive streak of solving high-profiled major crimes with another breakthrough in the double murder at the Number 63 Beach resort late last year.

In an investigation led by the Major Crimes Unit of the GPF, five persons were arrested over the weekend and one has allegedly confessed to playing a major role in the deaths of Vivekanand Narpatty, 68, a Canadian-based Guyanese and his employ-

ee, 58-year-old Harry Persaud Prashad, sometime between December 24th and 27th 2019.

While investigators are tight-lipped as the probe is very active, sources have disclosed that at least five men are in custody based on several evidence that point to their involvement in the crime. Articles belonging to Narpatty, including his cellphone and a water tank, were reportedly found in the possession of the main suspect. An unlicensed gun was also found in their possession at the

time of detention over the weekend.

In light of the confession, sleuths are now following up on other leads as they try to put the pieces together and look to institute charges. One of the suspects, in his early 20s, is said to be a known character and was living two villages away from where the crime took place.

The bodies of the two men were discovered at around 11:25hrs after a family friend went to the Lot 110, Number 63 Village property to check on the Can-

ada-based Guyanese who came for a vacation on December 19th.

The bodies of the elderly men were discovered on the second flat in the Balcony area. The body of Narpatty was found with two toes from his left foot severed while Prashad was found tied to a post with his hands behind his back. Speaking briefly with this publication, relatives of the deceased have since expressed satisfaction that the police have managed to make headway into the crime.

‘A dream come true’ 9

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday January 29, 2020

-former Lombard and Broad Streets squatters turn keys to own homes

By Navendra Seoraj

WITH tears of joy streaming down her face as she turned the key to her new house, Whitney John realised that the days of living in squalor on the corner of Broad and Lombard Streets are over.

John and her companion were among the twenty families who received their houses at Prospect, on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD), from the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) and Food for the Poor (FFTP) Guyana, after squatting at Broad and Lombard Streets for many years.

The process of shifting the informal settlers to “formal housing” started three years ago, after a private individual, whose land they were squatting on, filed a court action and was granted the right to remove them from the property. Added to the legal action, a fire, in March 2019, had destroyed some of the shanties in the “squatting community,” leaving 35 persons homeless. Some $43M was allocated by the CHPA, in 2017, to have 72 houses erected for the squatters.

“We had to find a solution for them, so in collaboration with our new partners (FFTP), we embarked on a project to transform the lives of the 20 families,” said Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CH&PA, Lelon Saul, during his remarks at the simple handing over ceremony, on Tuesday.

In phase one of a twophase project, CH&PA and FTTP constructed 20 houses at Prospect, said Saul, adding

that the total cost was $36M. The cost was shared by both organisations, with CH&PA contributing $23.6M and FFTP pitching in $12.3M. The units were all constructed by FFTP, said the CEO, noting that construction of the houses started in September, 2019.

“Within seven short months, we were able to deliver on this initiative, giving the squatters an opportunity to move from deplorable conditions,” said Saul.

The relocation, has given those families a chance to improve their livelihoods and create a better life for their children.

Children will not only be able to live in a formal community, but they will also be able to enjoy recreational activities at the new $8.5M recreational facility, which was also constructed in the area by the CH&PA. The facility will soon be outfitted with recreational amenities.

In talking about the significance of the community ground, Saul said: “it is all part of our effort to create sustainable, cohesive and empowered communities.”

He believes the commissioning of those houses was testimony to the authority’s ability to create such communities and tackle squatting.

“Although we have successfully shifted these families, the remaining Broad and Lombard Street informal settlers will be shifted in the second phase of the project which is slated for Cummings Lodge…we have solutions for everybody, there is no need

Minister within the Ministry of Housing, Annette Ferguson, CEO of the CH&PA, Lelon Saul, and CEO of FFP, Kent Vincent, assist a toddler in cutting the ceremonial ribbon to commission the new playground (Adrian Narine photo)

Whitney John and her companion receives the key to their new house from CEO of FFTP Guyana, Kent Vincent (Adrian Narine photo)

for squatting,” said the CEO, noting that access to adequate housing is a human right that is recognised universally and this includes access to water, roads electricity and other amenities.

Minister within the Ministry of Communities, with responsibility for Housing, Annette Ferguson, said the

authority’s effort is in keeping with President David Granger’s policy to abolish homelessness.

She said the transformation of the lives of the 20 families is line with President Granger’s “Four Rs” policy, which stands for reorientation, resources, regularisation and regionalisation.

“Government is one that cares for the wellbeing of the people…we did not neglect you…we stepped in at the appropriate time to render assistance…you did not just receive houses today, you hold titles to land…you are now a true land owner,” said the minister, adding that the families are now part of a “whole”.

PROMISE DELIVERED “Promise delivered! I had visited the squatting community and saw people who were distraught, who had lost hope, who were crying for help, but they did not have the financial resources to do better for themselves.

“It needed a government with a heart, to bring their people out of that kind of despair…those people were entitled to a good life and this is taking them on the path to a good life,” said Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture, Valerie Adams-Yearwood, who had initially started the process, while she served in Ferguson’s capacity prior to April 2019.

Minister Adams-Yearwood had visited the site with Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, who was Minister of Social Protection at the time. After observing the living conditions of the squatters, Adams-Yearwood took up the task to ensure they received a better life.

“We didn’t know where we were going to find the land and the money…we began to plan and look at suitable areas…We took a

little while, but I commend you for your patience…this is a new motivation to do better for yourself and families…I believe this activity and the act of giving you new homes will change and transform your lives,” said Minister Adams-Yearwood.

The minister’s sentiments were echoed by CEO of FFTP Guyana, Kent Vincent, who said the project will indeed impact the lives of those in need. “This project was in keeping with our mandate of brining relief to the poor and needy…this project is a special part of that work…wherever the cry of the poor is, we will be there,” said Vincent.

In ensuring that the needs of the Lombard Street squatters are met, FFTP had outfitted the 20 houses with indoor sanitary facilities and rain harvesting units. In addition, each family will receive two beds, a solar panel, tiles for the bathroom and dining tables. The furnishing of the house will cost approximately $2.7M. John was overwhelmed with elation, but managed to say that she is beyond happy for government’s contribution to their betterment. “I can’t wait to move in and we gone start a better life and achieve plenty goals because success don’t come over night,” said John, who will soon be giving birth to her first child.

She said the new house and community provides an opportunity for her to raise her child in conditions which are way better compared to her previous place of abode.

Treasurer blames Republic Bank for late-report submissions CITY Treasurer (ag), John Douglas, on Monday, said the new operations at Republic Bank Limited are ‘holding up’ work in his department, resulting in him submitting late reports to Town Clerk (ag), Sherry Jerrick.

It was at the fortnightly statutory meeting of the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) that Jerrick complained that unlike other department heads, Douglas was not submitting reports within the timeframe that is required.

While Douglas has put forward the excuse that the bank was taking long to send statements, Jerrick said she had asked him both verbally and in

writing to prove that he has taken action with the matter by writing to the bank.

Even if the bank statements are not forthcoming, Jerrick argued that just as an ordinary person can walk into the bank and uplift a statement, so could Douglas.

Douglas explained that since the bank changed operations, there have been challenges with them supplying information as usual. He said he did write to them explaining the hold up, and noted that he cannot prepare his reports if he does not receive the statements.

He asked for the council to show him consideration, as he noted that it is not his wish to be

disrespectful to the town clerk.

Councillor Patricia Chase-Green said this was the second time that she was hearing of the treasurer’s blatant refusal to follow instructions. “Is he bigger than the town clerk?

He’s answerable to her.

He cannot be sending back files to her and refusing to follow instructions.”

Mayor Ubraj Narine told Jerrick that as the town clerk, it is her duty to deal with her officers in the appropriate way.

Meanwhile, at the last statutory meeting, disciplinary action was announced against Douglas and a host of other officers for the respective roles they played in the controversial

issue surrounding money found in the former chief constable’s vehicle.

Douglas received one month’s suspension.

Because budget discussions have already started, the council moved a motion that the town clerk write to the Local Government Commission seeking to have the suspension deferred.

Jerrick will write asking the LGC to allow Douglas to proceed on his one month no-pay suspension in March, when all budget preparations are expected to be concluded.

A bag containing cash belonging to the M&CC was found inside the vehicle assigned to Chief Constable, Andrew

City Treasurer (ag), John Douglas at Monday’s statutory meeting

Foo, and the LGC was subsequently called in to launch an investigation.

The mayor had told the Guyana Chronicle that according to information he received, the money was being kept in the vehicle, PVV 1405, for quite some time. He could not state how much money was in the bag, or who found it

Councillor Patricia Chase-Green said the City Treasurer cannot refuse to follow instructions from the town clerk

and reported the matter.

According to him, the bag found was one that contains a ‘lock’ or M&CC seal. It is for this reason that it could be confirmed that the money belongs to the council.

10

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday January 29, 2020

‘Changing Guyana with ICT’

Min. Hughes says by 2025, every Guyanese will be tech-savvy

By Naomi Paris

THE Esplanade Park, in New Amsterdam, on Monday night came alive as President David Granger and the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change took their campaign to Berbice, gathering a

large crowd of supporters from the East Berbice Corentyne Region.

Speaking at the rally, Catherine Hughes, Minister of Public Telecommunications, underscored some of the coalition’s achievements in the region and across Guyana with the introduction of

Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

“When we talk about education, we are talking about ensuring that every child, regardless of whether you have money or you don’t have money, regardless of which region you come from, if you come from hinterland, where

that poor child has to walk school for two hours, I have met them, we go to those same places and put free Internet and gave teachers laptops…we have created smart classrooms, over 175 ICT hubs with free Internet access. Of the 175 hubs, 54 are right here in Regions Five and Six,” she stated.

Minister Hughes added that children across the country can utilise the said hubs to access the Internet, and access not some, but all the textbooks required for school digitally. “You can take your child or as an adult, you could go and use free Internet.

Your children go to a hub and there are all the textbooks from the Ministry of Education on those computers, so if you got five and six children you don’t have to buy some of the books… it allows your child to do their research, to do their homework, their school-based assessments.

You don’t have to go to any Internet place and pay for an half an hour, you are benefitting,” she stated.

The Glasgow and Smythfield community centres are prime examples of the development which has taken place in Region Six, where resources were invested to ensure that students in the areas where given the opportunity to access the materials required for school and self-development.

MODERNISING EDUCATION Minister Hughes noted that education has been modernised by the coalition government with the introduction of information technology in schools across Guyana, stimulating the minds of the youths and educating them of the evolving world of technology.

“When we say we bringing and changing education in a different way…we are doing STEM training, robotics training, ICT training, literacy training …when you have those opportunities and education, the sky is the limit and that’s why I am saying to each and every one of you, you make

the best of these opportunities because your children must be the next petroleum engineer, the next undersea welders and all the skills that this oil and gas industry and our agriculture industry would require ,” she stated.

The minister noted that the establishment of the Ministry of Public Telecommunications is part of President Granger’s initiative to create a digital state so that Guyanese are prepared for the evolving world of technology.

She further stated that Guyana was far behind but has since risen and by 2025 under the coalition government, every pupil, every student, every Guyanese will be technology-trained. “By 2025, 75 per cent of jobs in the world are going to require some kind of skills in information, communication technology, so we are going to train everybody and move everybody forward,” Minister Hughes pointed out.

ICT IN THE AGRICULTURE AND HEALTH SECTORS The minister noted that health centres and hospitals in remote areas across the country have been introduced to ICT, with smart televisions which allow doctors and nurses to correspond with each other to ensure that citizens are getting the best care they can.

Additionally, Minister Hughes noted that the coalition has set its eyes on a new technology plan to mobilise and market the products of young agro-processors and agri-entrepreneurs with a mobile application, which will create a market space for up-and-coming entrepreneurs to market their local products like plantain and cassava chips, to anywhere in the Caribbean Region.

RESTORING DIGNITY Meanwhile, boasting that the coalition government has restored dignity to Guyana, Minister Hughes said Guyanese have so much to be thankful for, as the APNU+AFC Government has undoubtedly restored pride to this country. “When last you heard of somebody sitting on a bench in Barbados or Trinidad? They

Catherine Hughes, Minister of Public Telecommunications

say the economy collapsing, but the IMF (International Monetary Fund) said we will grow at 87 per cent. NASDAQ said that the fastest growing economy in the world is Guyana. This year we have gone up spaces in the TPI (Transparency Index). We have things to be thankful for. This is your time Guyana, and we have to make sure that we do not stop the progress!” she told the crowd.

Minister Hughes said every Guyanese must make their mark in the coming elections; a defining moment for the country. “I am asking you to put your confidence in this palm and key,” she urged.

The progress under the leadership of His Excellency President David Granger is remarkable, she related, noting that never before in Guyana’s recent history has there been a leader that cares for all. As a Guyanese woman, Minister Hughes said she has had the pleasure of working with President Granger; a man rich in integrity, and has great respect for women. “We support good men. This is a boss man; boss all the way, a man with respect for women, a family man, and an honest man. A man that has more than 40 per cent of his cabinet women. I want to remind you, we have a serious choice to make come March 2.”

Minister Hughes took the opportunity to condemn firmly, utterances made by former Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee, last Saturday, where he was heard disrespecting women. “I don’t care where we come from; which race or region. We are not voting for men that disrespect us. Ladies of Regions Five and Six you know what you have to do,” the minister stated.

11

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday January 29, 2020

GECOM firm on removal of dual citizens from parties’ lists ALTHOUGH political candidates named for removal from their parties lists due to false declarations on Nomination Day have been writing the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to argue their case, GECOM’s decision to omit them remains final.

“There isn’t any way that any change could be made to the decisions that the commission made in respect of their removal,” Commissioner Robeson Benn said firmly on Tuesday, explaining: “They were dual citizens on the day that they handed in their declarations on Nomination Day.” Meanwhile Commissioner Vincent Alexander stated, “They have been writing trying to argue their case but, as it is, on the face of their matter, they’re not

eligible and their matters have been forwarded for the people who look after infringements to take a position on that.”

Last week Tuesday, GECOM Commissioners had told media operatives that Presidential Candidate of the United Republican Party (URP), Dr. Vishnu Bandhu; Presidential Candidate of the People’s Republic Party(PRP), Dr. Valerie Leung and Candidate of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), Lennox Shuman, would be struck from their party’s list for false declarations.

The three had signed Statutory Declaration Forms as candidates in contest of the upcoming General and Regional Elections, but possessed dual citizenship at time. To be signatory to the form while a dual citizen is in breach of Articles 53 and 155 of the

Appellate Court ruling on Felix, Scott…

Gov’t prepares to mount challenge at CCJ

ATTORNEY General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, will be moving to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to challenge the Court of Appeal’s decision to invalidate the appointment of the Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix and Minister of Labour, Keith Scott to sit in the National Assembly as technocrats, that is, as non-elected members.

Las t Th ur s d ay , th e Appellate Court upheld the 2016 decision of the High Court that the ministers could not have sat the National Assembly as non-elected members on the grounds that they were both elected as part of the coalition’s List of National Candidates, but did not form part of the list of 33 for the occupation of seats in the National Assembly.

In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, the AG said his chamber is awaiting the written ruling from the Appellate Court, but gave the assurance that the decision will be challenged at the level of the CCJ. In handing down the ruling, the Court of Appeal said that while the AG had challenged the High Court’s decision on the substantive matter, and the jurisdiction of the High Court to hear the matter, his arguments focused primarily on the issue of jurisdiction.

But the AG told the Guyana Chronicle that he submitted legal arguments supporting the appointment of the ministers, as well as arguments challenging the High Court to adjudicate the case.

In support of his case, the AG pointed to Article 103 (3) of the Constitution, which states: “Not more than four Ministers and two Parliamentary Secretaries

shall be appointed by the President from among persons who are qualified to be elected as members of the National Assembly. Minister Williams maintained that Felix and Scott could not have formed part of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) list of 33 candidates elected to the National Assembly as a result of the 2015 General and Regional Elections. However, he said they were appointed to the National Assembly in accordance with Article 103 (3).

The AG also made reference to Article 105 of the Constitution, which states: “A Minister who was not an elected member of the Assembly at the time of his or her appointment shall (unless he or she becomes such a member) be a member of the Assembly by virtue of holding the Office of Minister, but shall not vote in the Assembly.”

Added to that, he maintained that the case should have been brought by way of an Elections Petition in the High Court, as stipulated

by Article 163 and not by a Motion of Order.

The ruling has its origin in an objection by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) on the appointments of Felix and Scott. The party, through a challenge filed by PPP member Desmond Morian, had contended that, “Articles 103 (3) and 105 of the constitution of Guyana and laws pronouncing on the eligibility of appointment of technocratic ministers, do not confer technocratic status on these persons already sworn in by President David Granger as ministers.”

Constitution and makes a person liable to imprisonment for one year according to the Statutory Declaration Act, Chapter 5:09.

Questioned on how the individuals’ possession of dual citizenship came to the commission’s attention, Alexander said that Dr. Bandhu’s status came by virtue of him writing to the commission, while Dr. Leung and Shuman had been going around contending that they were in the process of renouncing their dual citizenship and this was picked up by the media.

Only on Sunday, Dr. Leung put forward the argument to the newspaper that, having signed the declaration renouncing her Canadian citizenship on January

8, 2020 – two days before Nomination Day – she was no longer a citizen of Canada as of that date. However, the renunciation of one’s Canadian citizenship follows a process and must be approved by the Canadian Embassy by means of a certificate of renunciation which Dr. Leung did not possess at the time.

Along with other legal arguments, she told the newspaper that should GECOM choose not to reinstate her as a candidate on her party’s list, she would take the matter to the court. “That’s a legal argument,” Alexander said.

“That’s for the law to decide.

As far as we’re concerned, we have a declaration in front of

Presidential Candidate of the United Republican Party (URP), Dr. Vishnu Bandhu; Presidential Candidate of the People’s Republic Party (PRP), Dr. Valerie Leung and Candidate of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), Lennox Shuman

us and based on that declaration there was no document coming from the people who had to renounce their citizenship saying it had been renounced.” Meanwhile, Com-

missioner Benn said, “that is what she says but the position remains the same; it still remains that she was a dual citizen on the date that the declaration was made.”

12

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, January 29, 2020

‘Double-up must done’ ─ Commuters call for end to Guyana’s ‘outrageous minibus culture’

By Naomi Parris RECENT incidents of gross misconduct on our minibuses, as depicted in several viral videos on social media have sparked a much-needed conversation to address what some would call ‘the outrageous minibus culture’ in Guyana.

Over the past few weeks, several videos were posted to one of the world’s most popu-

lar social networking websites, Facebook, showing several mini-bus operators behaving in a disorderly manner and endangering passengers’ lives.

In one of the most recent cases, a video surfaced of a Route 44 minibus operator putting children clad in their school uniforms out of the bus, while it was still in motion.

That apart, many mini-bus operators have been increasing fares during peak hours, and overloading their buses, exceeding the normal capacity

of 15 passengers per trip. Some operators have even taken it so far as to have passengers ‘doubling up,’ sitting on other passengers laps just to catch an extra $200.

The Guyana Chronicle spoke with several commuters who shared similar experiences of instances where mini-bus operators were either rude, or operated in a manner that endangered their lives.

Odessa Gillis, a primary school teacher recalled the time when she was involved

in a mini-bus accident; while there were no fatalities she noted that the traumatising experience has caused her to be more vigilant and vociferous when travelling. As such, she pointed out an instance when she got off a mini-bus before reaching her destination because she felt unsafe and was disrespected and decided to exit the mini-bus while on her way home.

“What I have observed, is that some passengers don’t mind the speeding ...if I object,

I remember objecting once to the speeding and the noise and other passengers looked at me as if I did something wrong or I said something wrong. I told the driver to turn it down and the driver turned up the music instead and I asked to come out at the next corner,” she stated.

She added that many young people appear to be okay with the mini-bus culture as it is and some even encourage it; however, she is one passenger that will not encourage the rotten culture.

“I’m not being old-fashioned, but sometimes you can’t take that loud banging in your ears along with bass after you

young millennial you already know.

Those are usually the buses you would find older folk ignoring when they pass by; the ones with loud music emanating from the sound systems; some can even be identified by their colourful exterior.

One of the most recent and disturbing incidents occurred when students were seen jumping from what can be considered as one the ‘regular buses’ while it was still moving, while some were seen watching in disbelief as the schoolchildren involved seemed to be having the thrill of their lives, laughing and heckling as they left

Schoolchildren entering a mini-bus at the Stabroek Market, following the Ministry of Education’s truancy campaign last week (Photo by Delano Williams)

come [out] of there; your head keeps hurting and worst yet if you had a hard day at work,” she stated.

Shelia Glasgow, a pensioner, when asked about the mini-bus culture, stated that it is a culture that needs fixing right away.

Ms. Glasgow noted that it is a culture that sees young people-- especially young men-- acting in an unscrupulous manner. She added that even the schoolchildren are involved, since she has travelled in several mini-buses in which schoolchildren were heard either singing along to explicit music, urging bus drivers to go faster and some even voluntarily sitting on each other’s lap.

Ms. Glasgow like many other folk uses a cane for support to manoeuvre, and because of this she stated many of the younger bus drivers and conductors who dominate the roads refuse to stop for her.

The ones who do stop tend to be very impatient, rude and they even try to rob her of her change when it is a “short drop.” While this is not always the case, she highlighted that mini-buses might soon be thrown off the scene if the current culture continues to grow as it is.

“However, this is not always the case; they are a few mini-bus drivers and conductors who are considerate and kind, realising that they too will get old one day…but if we keep condoning the ones who aren’t so good, it may get out of hand and the law may not be able to control them,” she stated.

Schoolchildren and the ‘Regular Bus’ Many of the older folk would question what a “regular” bus is, but if you’re a

the bus.

While there is still the extant issue of students loitering and bus-riding, the recent incident has taken the mini-bus culture to another level, which requires all the relevant authorities to act swiftly before the already deplorable culture reaches the point of being irreversible.

Recently, the Ministry of Education clamped down on students loitering at the bus parks during school hours; while the ministry’s truancy campaign was praised, it is believed that efforts to extricate schoolchildren from the minibus culture will need more than just the ministries initiative, but the entire community on deck, since ‘it takes a village to raise a child.’

Mini-bus operators should be trained Recently there have been some talks of the Ministry of Business and the United Minibus Union collaborating to host training to employ strategies aimed at curbing the ‘lawless practices’ of drivers, conductors and touts.

The President of the United Minibus Union, Eon Andrews, had told the Guyana Chronicle that the ministry has been able to train over 250 drivers in an effort to stamp out the ‘lawlessness’ and reduce the carnage on the roadways.

The training had begun in June 2019, just after the code of conduct for mini-buses was introduced.

The training, which is expected to be held soon, will address tyre safety, insurance, fire safety and hospitality. It will be held during the off-peak season for mini-bus operators and particularly during the school vacation periods.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, January 29, 2020

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Popular ‘chil -spot’ at Giftland Mall destroyed by fire

A FIRE suspected to be electrical in origin Tuesday destroyed the popular District Ultra Lounge nightclub at the Giftland Mall at Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara.

The nightclub was housed inside ‘The Strip’; proprietor of the mall, Roy Beepat, told reporters that the fire started sometime around 13:25hrs.

Shoppers and staff members were asked to evacuate

the mall. Several persons who were in the mall at the time recalled the scene as “confusing,” stating that they had never had such an experience there. They stated however that staff of the mall

in record time; so what happened is that we had a lot of smoke damage and that’s what caused the continuation of the problem,” said Beepat.

The fire started in the District Lounge and it would

well trained security staff.

He also stated that the mall carries out regular fire drills so in events such as this, the place is evacuated quickly; additionally, the gas and power are turned off imme-

here annually. I don’t want to make any speculations about what happened, we don’t know what happened; I was home and I got a call saying that the inside is on fire. I didn’t know to what extent

Part-owner of District Ultra Lounge, Sean Major

The remains of the nightclub.(Delano Williams photos)

Proprietor of Giftland Mall, Roy Beepat speaks to reporters after the fire

alerted them to what was happening and escorted them to the exits.

Proprietor of the mall, Roy Beepat, briefed members of the media on the situation, stating that after the flames were observed, alarms were raised and teams grabbed fire-fighting equipment and responded immediately.

“Everything was back to normal In record time; our team responded very quickly [after] the fire alarms went off and we put the fire out

appear that no one was inside there, so it would seem that there was an electrical problem of sorts.

Beepat stated that the mall is equipped with fire hoses , fire escapes, fire alarms and very alert and

diately by the power plant technicians.

Several fire tenders responded to the scene and Beepat said the firemen opened the roof of the building to ensure that the smoke escaped .

Part owner of the District Ultra Lounge, Sean Major, told reporters that he was at home when he received a call and when he arrived at the scene, he was shocked at the damage done to the hangout spot. He said nothing much could have been salvaged.

Major said, “We were actually closed at the time the fire started, we are closed Mondays to Wednesdays every week . Last night we hosted our staff party here with the staff from our other businesses which we host

or what magnitude but I came down as soon as I could and I was in total shock.”

Major stated that losses include , lighting and sound systems, furniture, freezers, fridges, kitchen equipment, décor and drinking glasses; he estimated total losses at $45M .

He explained that the business was not insured and stated that at this point he has to discuss with his business partner as well as the proprietor and management of the Giftland Mall a way forward as it relates to that business. He however stated that the other business owned by him, “Level,” which is also housed at the Giftland Mall, will continue to operate as per normal.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Greenidge says PPP punished New Amsterdam FOREIGN Secretary, Carl Greenidge, said that New Amsterdam has suffered greatly under the hand of the Jagdeo-Administration for being a coalition stronghold and he called on the residents there to reject the PPP at the upcoming polls.

Addressing a mammoth gathering at the Esplanade Ground, New Amsterdam, Greenidge – the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that over the last four and a half years, the coalition government has been working to reverse the poor treatment the township received under the PPP through a programme of development which include projects and initiatives which have already been benefitting residents. “We have, in the course of the last five years, made every attempt to reverse that treatment to ensure that our people are proud of the areas in which they live,” Greenidge told the gathering. “We have worked to ensure that everyone within the corners of Guyana is treated properly and respected, and their rights to have different opinions are also respected; they are not to be penalised for being different.”

He cited several developments implemented in the region under the coalition government including the establishment of Radio Orealla, and major developments in the region’s healthcare sector. Among these were the upgrade to the operating theatre and completion of the CT scan unit at the New Amster-

dam Hospital; rehabilitation of the East Bank Berbice road; installation of streetlights in several communities; strengthening of the sea defence, distribution of house lots; loans for farmers, better drainage; construction of several schools; enhanced security with the equipping of community policing groups and improved power generation with the commissioning of a 5.5

Foreign Secretary, Carl Greenidge

megawatt power plant, among others.

Greenidge advised the residents to judge what has been delivered and what is promised. “We have done a lot for Region Six and we will continue to develop every corner of this region and put in place, the things that you the people have identified so that all of Guyana can benefit.”

The Foreign Secretary advised those gathered that in selecting their future leaders they must look at a party’s track record and its plans for the country. He also said that unlike the PPP, the APNU+AFC is sure of the capabilities of its Presidential Candidate, President David Granger. “The party [the PPP] has a backseat driver. You have a presidential candidate and someone standing behind him feels that it is necessary to speak on his behalf. Now what kind of presidential candidate is that?” he questioned.

Highlighting several of the APNU+AFC candidates present, Greenidge encouraged New Amsterdam residents to ensure that on elections day, they vote for the party which is home to young and experienced leaders fit to represent them in the National Assembly. He also encouraged them to ensure that their names are on the Revised List of Electors and to be wary of false news aimed at robbing them of their democratic vote.

DPP orders deeper probe into Linden schoolgirl stabbing …victim’s condition improving, attacker released

THE 15-year-old Linden Foundation Secondary School (LFSS) student, who last Thursday, stabbed her school mate with a ‘Rambo’ knife, has been released from police custody following advice from the Director of Public Prosecution.

The DPP also advised the police to conduct further investigation into the matter.

The file was sent to the DPP on Monday. This was re-

layed by Commander of Region 10, Hugh Winter, who said the teen could no longer be held, since no charges were laid. He said no time frame was given for the investigation to be completed but the police will deal with same expeditiously.

Along with statements from witnesses, police took evidence from a video footage that captured the entire incident. The video showed

the victim and the suspect’s younger sister engaged in a physical fight. During the fight, the teen suspect took a ‘Rambo’ knife from her bag and stabbed the victim in the lower back. The spectators, consisting of mostly students, fled the scene as the victim, who was collapsing, sought assistance to go to the hospital.

Meanwhile, the teen remains warded at the Intensive

Care Unit (ICU) of the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) and her condition is improving according to LHC’s Public Relations Officer, Toshanna Allicock. Relatives have expressed satisfaction over the care and treatment she is receiving at the hospital and are optimistic she will make a full recovery.

The teen survived a fivehour surgery to remove the knife. Relatives are however,

hoping that justice prevails in the entire ordeal and the police complete the task given to them. The victim’s mother, Dane Lyte, a single parent of eight, told the media that she is hoping to receive justice for her daughter and even compensation, since the incident could have been avoided. “I need justice, I need compensation for the injury…I can’t take it anymore,” she said.

NGOs and public-spirited persons have come forward to give assistance to the distraught mother. The incident caused widespread

condemnation on the increase of violence in schools and last Friday, Minister of Education, Dr. Nicolette Henry and a technical team from the ministry’s welfare unit, visited the school and engaged students and teachers. It was made clear that violent, indiscipline behaviour will be not condoned in any school setting, and perpetrators of these acts will face the full penalty. The Ministry of Education is also providing counselling for students and teachers who witnessed the gruesome stabbing.

APNU+AFC concerned

about political harassment by purported PPP supporters

THE APNU+AFC Coalition notes, with serious concern, an incident that occurred on Monday January 27, 2020, at Non Pareil, East Coast Demerara.

APNU+AFC campaign organisers were harassed, threatened, bullied and intimidated by persons who purported to represent the opposition People’s Progressive Party, the coalition said in a release. The APNU+AFC said it finds the descension into violence wholly unacceptable.

“The APNU+AFC Coalition takes this opportunity to iterate that all Guyanese, regardless of race, colour, creed or political affiliation, have the same rights and freedoms under the law. With this in mind, we

call on all political parties and their supporters to campaign peacefully, with the understanding that while we may disagree, we must maintain a spirit of goodwill and calm. We must not let our differences, whatever they may be, cause us to descend into violence and intimidation,” the release added.

“The 2020 general and regional elections campaigns will end on March 2nd, and ours will be the task of building One Guyana. This will require all Guyanese, moving forward together, to create the future our children deserve and we must do so as one people and one nation with a shared destiny,” APNU+AFC said.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, January 29, 2020

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GCAA engages FAA on Category One status rating ...ICAO audit finds no significant aviation safety concerns here …TSA audit finds no shortcomings at CJIA/EFCIAA airports

Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Egbert Field (fourth left), addresses members of the media. He is flanked by other executives of the GCAA (Delano Williams photos)

WITH positive ratings from recent assessments by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the US Transportation Security Authority (TSA) under its belt, the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has commenced discussions with the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) on attaining the coveted Category One rating after a 17-year hiatus.

body in the process. “We are at the level that we can talk,” said Field, an experienced aviation management professional.

He cautioned, however, that the Category One rating would require the establishment of an airline, which wishes to establish itself with its headquarters here. He explained that after attaining the rating, it must be maintained and he noted that the FAA

Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Egbert Field (fourth left), addresses members of the media

Last week, following a safety oversight audit, the ICAO awarded the GCAA an impressive 76.9 per cent, a figure which Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Egbert Field, noted at a press briefing on Tuesday, is well above the global average of 65 per cent.

He was speaking during a press briefing at the GCAA headquarters on High Street in Kingston. “We are in the region of category one,” he said, regarding the FAA rating system which is similar in various ways to the ICAO rating system.

He said that the GCAA has commenced discussion with the FAA on the subject and he noted that the body has indicated that it is willing to assist the local umbrella

can revoke the rating within a 60 to 90-day period after issuance.

“You must have an airline in your country to use category one,” he said. This led to the subject of a national carrier, but Field told reporters that the GCAA is a regulatory body and as such, it is up to the public or business sector to establish such a venture.

He said there are intentions from individuals to start a national carrier and interest has been shown from certain areas, both formally and informally.

As regards the coveted FAA Category One rating, Field said that the FAA examines the procedures and systems of the country requesting the rating. He said the body specifically audits the operations which deals with personnel licensing, op-

erations of the civil aviation authority and airworthiness procedures in the country being audited.

Field also explained that the rating comes after an audit and he noted that any country under the ICAO banner can audit another’s systems. However, he added that the United States has more wherewithal as regards its capability to audit other nations.

Regarding the recent ICAO audit which was conducted between January 14 and 21, 2020, Field said that following the assessment of the GCAA systems, the ICAO team found that Guyana does not have any significant safety concerns.

He said the rating, which climbed 11 per cent from 65 per cent which was recorded in 2016, is an indication that Guyana is improving its safety standards and according to him, this gives airlines comfort to come into a “safe zone”. He elaborated that that it is an indication that the aviation industry is on the rise.

“With this result, Guyana now cements its position as number four in the CARICOM Region for effective implementation of ICAO SARPs, and well above the global standard of 65 per cent,” he said.

“The team worked hard,” Field said, as he commended his team of professionals, noting that it is the responsibility of the GCAA to move the industry forward and ultimately take aviation here to new heights.

He said the audit, termed the Coordinated Validation Mission (ICVM), was requested by Guyana and it focused on the application of various annexes of the ICAO as well as the application of that body’s standards and operating practices. “GCAA is on a right path and needs to continue,” he said.

On Tuesday, Field also spoke about another audit with the US Transportation

Security Authority which was undertaken two weeks ago at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) and the Eugene F Corriea International Airport at Ogle.

“There were no findings with reference to security oversight at the two airports,” Field told reporters. He said it is the second time TSA came to Guyana to assess the

country’s two international airports.

An upbeat Field said the year has started in a “fantastic manner” for the aviation sector here.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, January 29, 2020

‘Stay far from drugs, alcohol’

─urges recovering drug addict

By Gabriella Chapman THERE are many social ills that are plaguing society, and there are many organisations and members of society who make an effort to combat these ills.

However, there are some issues which are prevalent in society, of which emphasis on combating is lacking. One such issue is that of alcohol and drug addiction.

Many persons are of the opinion that addicts’ condi-

tions are self-inflicted and they often lose the support of family and friends, and much more the wider society.

But in an interview with a recovering addict at Salvation Army, it was explained that there are many underlying factors and several stages of progression which leads to misuse and dependency.

To maintain anonymity, we will refer to this individual as ‘Genesis’.

Genesis shared his story of how he ended up having

to live in a men’s centre, away from all his family and friends and enrolled in a Narcotics Anonymous programme.

He said he has been battling with addiction on and off for 30 years and it started out with just one cigarette.

Many persons in society, he said, think that persons just decide to become chemical dependents, and those who use minor substances believe that they can never graduate to the crack cocaine.

But Genesis said as long as a person is using a drug, that person becomes susceptible to trying other substances.

“There are people who have the willpower to stop, and some don’t. And from my experience, you would always tell yourself ‘that isn’t going to happen to me’. Kids don’t really be aware that when you get into this thing, in the beginning it will be nice, the feeling and everything will be nice, but after a while, it becomes hell. It becomes like you’re living in hell… I started out with cigarette, then alcohol, then marijuana, then cocaine. Once you hit cocaine is like you open a Pandora’s Box and no matter how hard you try to dress it down back to cigarette, it always end up back to crack. So even if you’re not yet on cocaine, but you are using, alcohol or marijuana, or even cigarette, at the end of the day you’re leaning on

a house, a family, a car, a wife, and then over a period of years, ends up eating from the garbage. That in its self can tell you that it is more than a choice. No one makes that as a conscious choice.

It’s such a powerful pull that it is very hard. When you get up every day trying to do the right thing and you can’t do it, it is torture. And it even came to a point when I tried to commit suicide because I couldn’t handle the things I was doing. That’s not who I am, that’s not what I was born as, but yet I couldn’t stop.”

On this note, he advises that persons, especially the youths, should stay away from using harmful and addictive substances.

“The first thing I would say is don’t let anybody start.

Cause when you start it becomes harder to stop. Abstinence, educating people prior to using is the more important

a book called ‘Just for Today’ and that goes along with the NA blue book. It is God centred but it’s a God of your understanding.

It’s not a religious thing.

Salvation Army is the institution that houses us, but the programme is not Salvation Army-based. It is a spiritually-based programme but not a religious-based programme.”

He said this programme has taught him self-control, focus and understanding.

“It is a very empowering thing knowing that I chose to be in this building, because that gate is open and I can walk out anytime I feel. But the first thing you get back is choice, you get back self-control, you get back power in your own life. You still have trials and tribulations in the location itself, because it’s humans you live amongst. But having that understanding that

The Salvation Army Men’s Social Centre at Kingston, Georgetown

a substance for your survival, to give you that ease and gratification; when God gave you natural highs, we don’t give ourselves the chance to tap into these things, we’re always using some outward source, and you end up losing,” he said.

ONE CIGARETTE He told the Guyana Chronicle that just because of that one cigarette he started out with, he climbed the ladder of progression and he is now divorced, and has not seen his son in over 16 years.

“Recovery is a lifelong process because you can relapse after 30 years. This is my fourth time here in this recovery centre; second time for the year. And I’m not stupid. Not putting myself on a pedestal or anything, but I went to Saints Stanislaus College. But that has nothing to do with willpower. Knowledge has nothing to do with willpower. So addiction is a disease,” Genesis lamented.

To further validate his stance, he said “no human being would choose to have

thing to advocate for. To not get into it because once they start to use, it becomes very challenging to stop,” he posited.

ALL IS NOT LOST There is still hope however, for those who are already chemical dependents. Genesis explained the programme that he is privileged to be enrolled in at Salvation Army, helps to keep him and other addicts, clean and sober.

“The programme is an NA based programme - Narcotics Anonymous. There is also AA - Alcohol Anonymous. It basically teaches us about our reasons for using, and it also makes us aware of the things we need to do, not to use anymore,” he said.

He added: The bigger part of the picture is that it is something internally that is going on with us that will cause us to use. Because people face the same issues we face in life, but they do not use. Somewhere in the NA literature it is written that ‘we are addicts before we even picked up’. There’s

God is in charge, gives you that solace. Even in what we might say are negative things, we still look to how we can grow or learn from it.

It makes you focus on life in a more positive way. Even with negativities coming at you. From my education while being here, even in the negatives, I’d find a lesson; I’d find something to grow.

In the end, even though you might not get the immediate impact, in the long run, you learn something,” he said.

G e n e s i s , h o w e v e r, stressed on educating the youths to deter them from using mood and mind-altering substances.

“Educating kids is the best option. With the music and the movies these days, they kinda promote these things, and they think it’s cool. There is this thing called ‘obsessive compulsion’ when you’re active, but at the end of the day, it becomes your own responsibility for your own life.

At some point, you have to become responsible,” he said.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, January 29, 2020

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Claims of empty houselots, blunder in addresses lack merit ─ GECOM says in response to PPP claims

WEEKS after alleging that many Guyanese on the Revised List of Electors do not exist or would have given false addresses, the accusers are yet to provide credible evidence; instead, what has been provided are fabricated documents intended to cause confusion, Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Public Relations Officer (PRO), Yolanda Ward, said on Tuesday.

In a Letter to the Editor published in the Guyana Times on January 22, 2020 under the title ‘Chairperson of GECOM should act decisively,” it was alleged that 18 empty lots were discovered at Sugar Cane Fields, Peters Hall, where registrants were listed as resident. Three days after, the Guyana Times, upon discovering that the lots were

not empty, published a report under the headline “Windsor Estate residents in uproar over GECOM’s blunder.”

The first paragraph of that article read: “Several residents living at Windsor Estate, Peters Hall, East Bank Demerara (EBD), are concerned about the flaws in GECOM’s Revised List of Electors (RLE), which lists their credentials allotted to addresses at empty lands.”

But in an interview with Guyana Chronicle, Ward made it clear that there was no “blunder” on the part of GECOM, explaining that the document referred to by the author of the letter (S. Baksh) and in the Guyana Times article, was fabricated, and as such, is of no merit.

In both the letter and the article, a four-column table

consisting 18 names and addresses were listed, and in the “remarks” section, the words “empty lot” appeared.

The table, Ward, maintained is fictitious.

Added to that, Ward said GECOM did not err when it identified the addresses of the 18 registrants as existing in ‘Sugar Cane Fields,’ Peters Hall, East Bank Demerara (EBD) and not Windsor Estate. “We could only use what is on the cadastral plan.

Windsor Estate is not gazzetted. It is not on the cadastral plan…We have to use what is on the cadastral plan, and on the plan, Sugar Cane Fields is listed,” Ward explained.

She also refuted the contention that the 18 persons, who had registered during the 2019 house-to-house registration cycle, were phantoms.

EU informs Guyana of UK withdrawal from the bloc Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the European Union, Mr. Philippe Coessens, on Monday, called on Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Karen Cummings.

Mr. Coessens formally presented to Dr. Cummings the Note Verbale, informing the Co-operative Republic of Guyana that the United Kingdom and Nothern Ireland will effectively leave the European Union and European Atomic Energy Committee next Friday, January 31.

A transitional period between February 1 and the end of 2020 will allow for negotiation of a new relationship between the United Kingdom and European Union.

Rubbishing the allegations, Ward explained that a majority of those listed had registered since 2012. At the time, scrutineers from the major political parties were on the ground and had verified the existence of the registrants.

explained.

At the March 2 General and Regional Elections, those residents, she posited, would be required to vote at the Peters Hall Primary School as they would have done over the years. According to her,

GECOM PRO Yolanda Ward

“These people were scrutinised; they were recognised from both political parties and they actually exist. But as it relates to their addresses, we can’t put Windsor Estate, we have to use what is gazzetted and is on the cadastral plan,” the PRO further

the residents listed, could rest-assured that their right to vote would not be violated.

On the grounds that 16,000 plus Guyanese had registered for the first time in 2019 during a legitimate process, and their existence and residency verified, the

Elections Commission took a decision to add them to the National Register of Registrants Database but this move has not received the support of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and its allies.

There has been a push for the 6,534 of those new registrants to be removed from the National Register of Registrants Database and by extension the Revised List of Electors for the upcoming general elections. In response, the Chairman of GECOM, Justice Claudette Singh, challenged them to provide evidence to support their contention that thousands of Guyanese, who had registered during the 2019 house-to-house registration are non-existent or do not live at the addresses listed.

To date, there has been no evidence to support the contention that the new registrants are phantoms and do not live at the addresses listed.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, January 29, 2020

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, January 29, 2020

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Court gives double-murder accused 24 hours to find lawyer …after refusal of yet another State-assigned one

JUSTICE Sandil Kissoon has given double murder accused Gavin Graham 24 hours to find a lawyer to

represent him during his trial, since he has again refused a state-assigned lawyer.

Graham, 53, is on remand for the indictment, which alleges that on January 2, 2015, at Lot 6036 ‘C’ Field, So-

phia, Greater Georgetown, he murdered Towobola Abrams, 38, and her stepfather Clifford Sampson, 68, by setting

their home afire.

Although spending the last five years behind bars, Graham made his first High

Gavin Graham

Court appearance in April, 2019, before Justice Navindra Singh, when he refused the services of four state- assigned lawyers.

Graham was then placed to await the next partial sitting of the Demerara Assizes.

Earlier this month, when the January Assizes was opened, Graham was called before Justice Kissoon; the court was again informed that Graham was again refusing the services of a new state-assigned attorney.

Justice Kissoon then told Graham that he was granted eight months to find a lawyer, which he failed to do.

Graham pleaded with the judge to grant him three months to find a lawyer, but the judge granted him 14 days.

As a condition, the judge told Graham that if he failed to find a lawyer within the period, a state lawyer will be assigned and trial will commence.

However, when the matter was recalled on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, Graham showed up with state-assigned lawyer Ravindra Mohabir.

Nevertheless, Graham refused to be represented by the attorney and requested additional time to find another lawyer.

The judge granted Graham 24 hours to find an attorney and ordered him to return Wednesday afternoon for trial.

During Tuesday’s hearing, the two murder charges were read to Graham and he refused to enter a plea.

Justice Kissoon therefore entered a not-guilty plea on Graham’s behalf.

The Guyana Chronicle had reported that Graham is the ex-lover of Towobola Abrams.

January 2, 2015, it is alleged that Graham set alight Abrams’s Sophia home and escaped.

Sampson was trapped in the home and was burnt alive, while Abrams died at the Georgetown Public Hospital while receiving treatment for burns.

Graham, who was reportedly seen by neighbours at the scene, was later arrested with minor burns about his arms and other parts of his body.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, January 29, 2020

GWI

conducts resistivity logging for new wells THE Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), on Sunday, fulfilled a promise to return to the community of Apoteri, Region Nine, some five hours outside of Lethem, to conduct resistivity logging exercises there.

The visiting team comprised GWI engineers and Managing Director, Dr. Richard Van-West Charles.

Approximately two weeks ago, the team visited the community to assess its water needs and a decision was made to drill another well to complement the existing one and serve residents living farther away.

The resistivity logging entails the search for water sources beneath the earth’s surface and through deep rock formation, a release said.

This activity helps to inform the decision-making process and identify where the well must be drilled. The engineers conducted resistivity logging in Rewa and Crashwater as well.

During the visit, the managing director met with the residents and explained that in the past, drillers would turn up to any given village and randomly drill a well with no findings to support.

However, after being equipped with new technology, the company is better able to determine where to drill and to what depth.

This has moved the company from taking months to drill a well to a matter of days.

Responding to a question posed by a resident living outside of the central part of the village, Dr. Van-West Charles noted that once a map of the village can be presented, this will assist GWI in the layout of the distribution network to ensure the pipelines reach their homes.

Meanwhile, during a meeting with residents of Sawariwau, last Friday, Dr. Van-West Charles posited that GWI is creating a paradigm shift as it relates to water access in Region Nine.

The drilling of 22 wells in 2019 and first-time potable water access to over 80,000 persons from 2015-2019, are evidence that significant progress is being made in the water sector.

He added that this momentum will continue, as government has seen the need to invest in two drilling rigs, which would see more wells being drilled within a short space of time.

He also met with residents of Moco Moco last Saturday and informed them that GWI has installed a pressure switch that would now allow them 24 hours access to water.

Recently, GWI commissioned a new water supply system at Moco Moco, installed showers for pensioners and employed two service men as full time staff to maintain the water system.

Executive Director of Hinterland Services, Ramchand Jailal, said GWI has completed the installation of the distribution network for a large section of the village and under the 2020 budget, the remainder of the community will benefit.

Water Resources Manager, Orin Browne, conducted one aspect of the resistivity logging while Dr. Richard Van-West Charles and other GWI officials look on

Dr. Richard Van-West Charles addresses residents of Apoteri

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Monessee Backdam murder accused acquitted

Sherlund Joseph and Lowell Hope

TWO men who were on trial for the 2011 murder of 19-year-old miner Kenny Creame were on Tuesday acquitted by High Court Judge Sandil Kissoon owing to lack of evidence.

Lowell Hope and Sherlund Joseph had pleaded not guilty for the murder of Creame, who was killed on August 9, 2011, at Monessee Backdam, Port Kaituma, North West District.

The men’s attorney, Maxwell McKay, made an application for the indictment against his clients to be squashed due to the absence of eye witnesses, forensic evidence or even circumstantial evidence by the prosecution.

The state prosecutor contended that the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) at the Magistrate’s Court concluded in 2017; that had resulted in the duo being committed to stand trial at the High Court.

During the PI at the Magistrate’s Court, some of the witnesses failed to attend court to testify.

Justice Kissoon commended the state prosecutor for bringing the matter to the attention of the court, which would have saved judicial time.

Citing that the two defendants were on remand for the period of 10 prison years, Justice Kissoon acquitted them of the indictment.

The Guyana Chronicle had reported that Creame and the two men were allegedly involved in an argument at the Monessee Backdam, which resulted in him being beaten to death with a piece of wood.

A post-mortem report had revealed that Creame died as a result of blunt trauma to his head.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, January 29, 2020

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Athletes from seven regions set to compete in Jubilee Relays

By Faizool Deo OVER $500 000 in cash and dozens of medals will be up for grabs when the Department of Social Cohesion, Culture, Youth and Sport and the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) host a Relay Meet to mark the country’s 50th year as a Republic.

At a simple briefing yesterday at the Conference Room of the ministry in Main Street, organisers noted that systems are falling into place for the February 16 event, which is scheduled for the National Track and Field Centre in Leonora.

Events Director Mark Scott said that sprinters from Regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 10 have been invited to field teams, but entries for the event close next Friday at 16:00hrs.

“Within the entries you can bring a squad and then on the day you choose your four members that are going to run…”

CASH PRIZES Overall, there will be 20 relays for three categories.

Of the lot, only the seniors will receive cash. A win in the senior category is valued at $35 000, while the second-place finisher will collect $25 000 and thirdplace $15 000. The U-20s and the U-16s will battle for special medals with the Golden Jubilee logo.

JUBILEE GAMES Festival Creative Director of the anniversary celebrations, Russell Lancaster, noted that the event would

transcend athletics and be the sporting event of the celebrations. “…We thought of having a track and field games to be the jubilee games that would allow people from Guyana to come together and to celebrate strong, healthy, physical bodies. I think that this is going to be one of the more popular events of the celebration.”

Lancaster noted that the organisers of the festivity understand the role that sport plays in Guyana and felt that it was integral to have it a part of the celebrations.

“What is critical about the sporting aspect is that it speaks to a healthy nation and it speaks to a nation, who is physically capable of dealing with building and restructuring where we are going as a country. So we want healthy people, strong healthy Guyanese; and sport speaks very clearly to this aspect of our self.”

First vice-president of the AAG, Assistant Superintendent of Police Amanda Hermonstine said that all IAAF protocols would be in place for the event.

“I want to assure you that the athletics association will ensure that this event is run under the guidelines of the IAAF and that all the officials will be certified and will

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be ready for the event.”

Overall, festival administrator Mrs Desiree Wyles-Ogle also briefed the media on the progress of the Republic celebrations. She noted that she was happy with the wide range of groups involved and singled out the AAG for its efficiency.

RELAY EVENTS The seniors and U-20 athletes will compete in 14 events, while the U-16s will battle in six events.

Seniors (males and females) will compete in the 4x100m, the 4x200m, while they will join forces (two males and two females) to compete in the 4x400m (mixed). The females will also compete in an 800m sprint medley, while the males will compete in a distance medley of 2400m (600m, 600m, 400m and 800m).

The U-20 males and females will also compete in the 4x100m, 4x200m and the 4x400m (mixed, which may also include U-16 athletes). The U-20 females will also compete in a sprint medley (800m) and the U20 males in a distance medley (1500m).

Meanwhile, the U-16 male and females will also run the 4x100m and the 4x200m, while the females will run an 800m sprint medley and the males a 1500m distance medley.

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BCB, Trophy Stall ink $500 000 deal as cricket development across Berbice continues

THE Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) was the beneficiary of a $500 000 grant as part of their ongoing development across the Ancient County, compliments of Trophy Stall’s Managing Director Ramesh Sunich.

Following the historic sponsorship deal which was inked recently, Trophy Stall will now provide trophies for 20 different tournaments, hosted by the BCB during calendar year 2020.

The trophies would be for the man-of-the-final, runner-up team and winners.

BCB president Hilbert Foster disclosed that the board has used over $600 000 over the last two years on trophies and this large amount of funds could have been used in other areas.

Foster further stated that with Mr Sunich’s assistance, BCB in 2020 would have more funding for its county-wide coaching programme and preparation of inter-county teams. The BCB head stated that the board is looking at avenues of cutting back on administrative cost and areas such as meals and refreshment for finals, internet, transportation and stationery.

Meanwhile, Sunich handed over $400 000 worth of cricket balls to the BCB on behalf of a medical doctor, who is an overseas-based Berbician. The balls would be shared to clubs participating in the ongoing BCB U-15 tournament and members of the board.

Foster had made it quite clear that only clubs who have junior teams would receive assistance from the BCB and his club, Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, in 2020. Two boxes of balls would be given to 14 clubs who have junior teams while the member-clubs of the BCB, who do not have a junior selection, would receive one box of balls.

Foster expressed gratitude to Sunich for his support and explained that under the sponsorship, all Berbice junior inter-county teams will be named after the Trophy Stall while the company will be promoted at all BCB matches.

Sunich, in brief remarks, congratulated the BCB on its works and stated that he was delighted to support the development of Berbice Cricket.

Trophy Stall, the popular businessman noted, is fully committed to the development of sports as it is a safe avenue for youths to stay away from social ills such as drugs and crime.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday January 29, 2020

Zimbabwe restrict Sri Lanka to 122 for 2 in reply to 406 HARARE, Zimbabwe (Reuters) - Donald Tiripano and Sikandar Raza took a wicket each as Zimbabwe reduced Sri Lanka to 122 for two in their first innings before bad light brought a premature end to the second day of the final Test at the Harare Sports Club yesterday.

Zimbabwe had posted 406 all out in their first in-

nings and lead by 284 runs on a wicket that is offering little encouragement to the seamers, but providing turn for the spin-bowlers, which is likely to be the key factor in the remainder of the Test.

Kusal Mendis (19 not out) and Angelo Mathews (four not out), who crafted an unbeaten double ton in the first Test, will resume on the third morning with

Zimbabwe the happier of the two camps.

The home side claimed the wickets of both Sri Lanka openers with their scores on 44. Captain Dimuth Karunaratne was trapped leg-before-wicket by off-spinner Raza before Oshada Fernando edged seamer Tiripano to wicketkeeper Regis

SCOREBOARD

ZIMBABWE 1st innings Prince Masvaure c Niroshan Dickwella b Lahiru Kumara 9 Kevin Kasuza b Suranga Lakmal 38 Craig Ervine c Oshada Fernando b Dhananjaya de Silva 12 Brendan Taylor lbw Suranga Lakmal 62 Sean Williams b Dhananjaya de Silva 107 Sikandar Raza c Angelo Mathews b Lasith Embuldeniya 72 Regis Chakabva c Niroshan Dickwella b Lasith Embuldeniya 31 Tinotenda Mutombodzi lbw Dhananjaya de Silva 33

Donald Tiripano c Suranga Lakmal b Lasith Embuldeniya 13 Carl Mumba not out 11 Victor Nyauchi c Dhananjaya de Silva b Lasith Embuldeniya 6 Extras: (b-8, lb-3, nb-1) 12 Total: (all out, 115.3 overs) 406 Fall of wickets: 1-21, 2-49, 3-114, 4-133, 5-292, 6-324, 7-362, 8-386, 9-394.

Bowling: Suranga Lakmal 22-9-37-2 (nb-1), Vishwa Fernando 14-1-45-0, Lahiru Kumara 20-5-60-1, Lasith Embuldeniya 42.38-182-4, Dhananjaya de Silva 17-1-71-3.

SRI LANKA 1st innings Dimuth Karunaratne lbw Sikandar Raza 44 Oshada Fernando c Regis Chakabva b Donald Tiripano 44 Kusal Mendis not out 19 Angelo Mathews not out 4 Extras: (b-2, lb-9) 11 Total: (two wkts, 54.0 overs) 122 Fall of wickets: 1-94, 2-104.

Bowling: Carl Mumba 9-1-23-0, Sikandar Raza 17- 4-39-1, Donald Tiripano 12-9-5-1, Victor Nyauchi 11-4-17-0, Tinotenda Mutombodzi 5-0-27-0.

ICC Under-19 World Cup

India win quarterfinal thriller against Australia

DEFENDING champions India have beaten Australia in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 World Cup in South Africa, at the Super League quarterfinals stage.

The first quarter-final at JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom, was a thrilling encounter, with India batting first.

While opener Yashasvi Jaiswal anchored the innings, top-scoring with 62, his partners kept tumbling - and at 114-5, Australia’s bowling attack was well on top.

However, crucial middle-order contributions kept the scoreline ticking over.

An unbeaten 55 from Atharva Ankolekar and a quick-fire 30 from Ravi Bishnoi helped India to a competitive 233-9 in their 50 overs.

A good start was crucial for Australia, but India’s bowlers had other ideas, blitzing their top order and leaving them tottering on 17-4.

Man-of-the-match Kartik Tyagi did most of the damage, getting the crucial wickets of captain Mackenzie Harvey, Lachlan Hearne and Oliver

Davies.

When Patrick Rowe was another Tyagi victim, the Australians were 68-5 and the match seemed as good as over.

However, opening batsman Sam Fanning was staying cool amongst the carnage, and his 81-run partnership with Liam Scott slowly brought the green-and-golds back into the game.

However, at 149-5 Scott was caught sharply by wicketkeeper Dhruv Chand Jurel for 35, and Fanning followed in the next over for a brave 75.

The Australian tail failed to wag further and they were all out for 159 - losing by 74 runs.

India, looking for their fifth Under-19 World Cup, proceed to the Super League semi-finals, where they will face Bangladesh or South Africa.

The highest Australia can now finish is fifth.

In other matches today, Zimbabwe were too strong for Canada in the Plate quarter-finals at Ibbies Oval, Potchefstroom.

Zimbabwe posted an impressive 271-7, with Emmanuel Bawa’s unbeaten 105 as the highlight.

Sean Williams

Chakabva.

Sean Williams topscored in the Zimbabwe first innings on Monday with a superb 107 from 137 balls.

With the hosts resuming day two on 352 for six, Sri Lankan left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya put a poor first day behind him as he claimed three of the final four wickets for figures of 4-182.

Zimbabwe will feel well ahead in the game if they can pick up key wickets in the first session today, having made it into the final hour on the fifth day of the first Test at the same venue earlier this month, only to lose by 10 wickets.

It was their return to the international arena having been briefly suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC last year because of government interference.

Kartik Tyagi picked up two wickets in the first over of the Australia innings. (ICC via Getty Images)

Canada were never in the running, bundled out for 176 - Zimbabwe now face Sri Lanka in the Plate semi-finals tomorrow.

Also in the Plate quarters, United Arab Emirates were bowled out by Scotland for 249 in 49 overs - Osama Hassan starred with the bat, scoring 81, while Daniel Cairns took an outstanding 4 for 32, including two wickets in one over.

Despite not having won a game in the tournament, Scotland were assured in their chase at the Witrand Oval.

Openers Uzzair Shah (71) and Ben Davidson (36) set the tone with a partnership of 90, with Tomas Mackintosh (57) and Angus Guy (43) driving them to 250-3 in 44.2 overs and a seven-wicket victory.

Scotland now face England in a mouth-watering Plate semi-final on Friday.

Today sees the second Super League quarter-final between West Indies and New Zealand.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday January 29, 2020

s t e s c i v o k o j D up Federer h t i w n w o d w o h s Raonic rout

By Ian Ransom

MELBOURNE, Australia (Reuters) - Defending champion Novak Djokovic set up a semi-final showdown with ‘Big Three’ rival Roger Federer at the Australian Open yesterday with a thumping 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(1) victory over Canada’s hapless Milos Raonic.

Federer saved seven match-points in a five-set thriller with American battler Tennys Sandgren only hours before, but there was no luck of a second successive belter for the Rod Laver Arena fans, with Djokovic at his ruthless best.

The crowd will hope for a better show tomorrow, when second seed Djokovic renews his Grand Slam rivalry with Federer, six months after fighting off match points to beat the Swiss in Wimbledon’s longest-ever final.

“I hope I get to at least one match point in a few days,” Djokovic, who hold a 26-23 edge over Federer, quipped on court after downing Raonic.

“Obviously (I have) tremendous respect for Roger, everything he has achieved in the sport - (he

is) definitely one of the alltime greats. Let the better player win.”

While 38-year-old Federer made heavy weather of world number 100 Sandgren and was hampered by a groin problem, Djokovic’s biggest trouble against Raonic was his contact lenses.

He winced in discomfort in the latter part of the match and took a medical timeout at 4-4 in the third set to fit a fresh pair passed on from his players’ box.

“I want to apologise to Milos once again,” he said.

“It was not intentional or tactical - it was just something that I had to do because those few games I could not really see much and I had to change my lenses.”

Even if blindfolded, Djokovic might still have beaten Raonic, a player he had never lost to in nine previous matches.

Although 32nd seed Raonic has long been one of the tour’s most vexing servers, his main weapon was redundant against his opponent’s brilliant returning.

It was mainly down to luck that the robotic Canadian hung in for a period, with Djokovic unable to convert

Bruce (left) and Nicko Vincent at the Imam Bacchus ground after a match.

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic celebrates after his match against Canada’s Milos Raonic at Melbourne Park, Australia (REUTERS/Issei Kato)

eight of nine break points in the first set, including three chances to win it.

The Serb, bidding for a record-extending eighth title at Melbourne Park, finally converted the fourth set point when Raonic clubbed wide in an 18-shot gunfight.

The booming Raonic forehand with its extravagant wind-up had cut a swath through the draw but Djokovic made it look decidedly foolish as he broke the Canadian in the fourth game and roared to a 4-1 lead.

The 16-time Grand Slam champion paused only briefly to mount a pair of dodgy line challenges before serving out the set.

His failing contact lenses took the polish off the third, however, and he barked at distractions in the crowd as Raonic saved four break points at 5-5.

That extended the Canadian’s Melbourne Park

LABA president presents basketball backboard, balls to Christianburg-Wismar Secondary PRESIDENT of the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA), Lawrence Simon, recently handed over a new Spalding regulation-size backboard to the Christianburg-Wismar Secondary School for use in an upcoming basketball programme which the association intends to roll out soon.

Mr Simon in an invited comment told Chronicle Sport: “It’s collaboration with LABA, Brusches Classic

Region One brothers already making a big impression in cricket on Essequibo Coast

and Think Green, basically to what we would have discussed before, to enhance basketball within the schools and also to support our clinic that we propose to launch soon, aimed at resuscitating female basketball in the secondary schools.”

The basketball equipment was handed over to assistant coach and teacher of the school, Mr Rono Stephens, in the presence of other staff and students of the school.

stay only briefly, with all resistance broken in the one-sided tiebreaker.

Djokovic later grew misty-eyed as he remembered NBA great Kobe Bryant, who was killed in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles on Sunday along with his 13-year-old daughter and seven others on board.

“Kobe was one of the greatest athletes of all-time and inspired me and many other people around the world,” said Djokovic, who had KB and a pink heart stitched into his green tracksuit top.

“I had that fortune to have a personal relationship with him over the last 10 years and when I needed some advice and some support he was there for me.

“He was my mentor, my friend and it’s just heart-breaking to see and hear what has happened to him and his daughter.”

LABA president Lawrence Simon (third from left) hands over backboard to Rono Stephens.

By Elroy Stephney TREMENDOUS potential is how you would describe these two teenagers from Waramuri in Region One. Bruce 13 and Nicko Vincent 15, of Amerindian descent, are genuine all-rounders and they have all the qualities to become international cricketers.

They both have tremendous pace and bat high in the order as well. In an exclusive interview with Chronicle Sport, the quiet-spoken brothers expressed delight at gaining the opportunity to play competitive cricket on the Essequibo Coast in Region Two. They have recently joined Bacchus Bulls Youth Club of Affiance and travel every weekend to play. They contended that they were forced to make the sacrifice to improve their game since there have very little scope in their region given limited resources.

‘There are no competitions for us and the pitch that we actually play on is not of a proper quality, hence we cannot strive in that way, they both admitted.

“We love cricket to the highest and our parents have decided that they would give us the support in a big way. We will make them proud since we have the talent to compete with anyone,” they stated with confidence.

At first glance, Nicko Vincent is top class with a smooth run-up, strong follow-through and releases

with genuine pace. He is slimly built but muscular and will create even more pace as he matures. His batting too is quite impressive with a good technique and power.

His brother Bruce, on the other hand, is similar in both departments and will now get the chance to impress the selectors in the upcoming Essequibo Cricket Board’s Under-15 trials in an effort to gain selection for the inter-county tournament.

Their presence in Essequibo has already raised eye-brows with theie amazing display in just a short period of time.

They both attend the Waramuri Secondary School with Nicko Vincent preparing to sit CXC in June, 2020.

They both admitted to being a sport-oriented family since their sister Annalisa Vincent in a National Under-20 footballer.

Their parents Marcel and Gregory Vincent are also sports enthusiasts and have been travelling with their sons wherever they play. It will be no surprise therefore to witness Bruce and Nicko Vincent in national colours in the near future as Nicko will also be vying for selection at the Under-17 level shortly.

They have since thanked Harrischan Ramballi, manager of Bacchus Bulls for providing an avenue to enhance their careers. They were honoured at the Club’s Awards ceremony held on Saturday at the Imam Bacchus ground in Affiance.

Inter-Ministry/Government Agency knockout dominoes competition set for Friday

The LABA official indicated, “This is the start, the first of many. As we get resources we will work along with the Ministry of Education to develop basketball within the school system.”

Simon said, “We gave them a Spalding complete, adjustable, regulation-size, all-weather backboard combo, which includes the stanchion, the ring the backboard etc. Also we gave them basketballs to start the (women’s) programme.”

SEVERAL ministries and government agencies have signed up for one of the biggest Inter-Ministry/Government Agency knockout dominoes competition, which is billed for this Friday from 16:30hrs at the Ministry of Agriculture canteen on Regent Street.

According to information from the organisers, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Communities, Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Association, Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, GGMC, GUYOIL, Supreme Court, Maritime Administration, PSM, Forestry Commission, National Drainage and Irrigation Authority, Supreme Court, BOG, Guyana Police Force, Guyana Fire Service and GNBS have already signed up to compete.

Coordinator James ‘Uprising’ Lewis (from Ministry of Foreign Affairs), noted that entries close today).

Along with trophies, there will be a prize for the bestdressed team.

For more information, Lewis can be contacted on 689-5109 or 628-1656.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday January 29, 2020

RHT NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour edge Albion by 3 runs to win Busta title … Crandon blasts 71 for RHT

ALL-ROUNDER Royston Crandon hit a match-winning 50, as Rose Hall Town (RHT) NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour held their nerves to clinch a narrow 3-wicket win over Albion, to claim the 16th annual Busta Champion of Champions 40-overs cricket title.

The venue was filled to capacity at the Port Mourant ground where RHT NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour pacer Keon Sinclair pulled off a heist to keep Albion to just 11 runs in the last over after requiring 15 for a victory.

National player Jonathan Foo refused a single off the first ball of the 40th over, while he scrambled two from the second ball. The third ball from the fiery Sinclair was smashed back over long-off for six, but Foo was then run-out next ball, attempting a second run.

Mahendra Chaitnarine then flicked Sinclair to

the fine-leg boundary for 4 before being run-out on the last ball of the match, much to the disappointment of the large Albion supporters.

Khemraj Mahadeo 14, Sinclair 16, Troy Mathieson 14 and Keith Simpson 10 not out, batted around man-of-the-match Crandon, the ex-Guyana/West Indies limited overs player who hammered 4 sixes in his 71 which took Rose Hall to 181 all out in 39.2 overs.

Albion left-arm spinner Gourav Ramesh grabbed 3-22 with support from the next best bowler Sarwan Chaitnarine, who grabbed 2-8.

Albion in reply ended on 178-8 when their 40 overs expired.

Sharaz Ramcharran (31) and David Latchaya (26) stood out amidst the failures which were triggered by good spells from the Rose Hall bowlers; namely skipper Hooper 2-28, Sinclair

2019 Busta 40 Overs champions RHT NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour team 2-40 and Crandon 2 -38.

Following the match, BCB president and Rose Hall Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster hailed the tournament as a resounding success while Guyana Beverage Company’s Berbice Manager Albert Budhoo further congratulated both teams on providing

fans with a thrilling final and expressed delight at the large turnout of fans, adding that the company will continue to support the BCB. The champions took home $100 000 for their winning efforts as well as the coveted Busta Trophy.

Barty beats Petra Kvitova to reach semi-finals … becomes first Australian woman in 36 years ASHLEIGH Barty became the first Australian woman to reach the semi-finals at her home Grand Slam for 36 years with victory over Petra Kvitova in an absorbing encounter in Melbourne.

The top seed made 2019 runner-up Kvitova pay for a host of missed chances in a 7-6 (8-6) 6-2 victory at the Australian Open.

French Open champion Barty will face American 14th seed Sofia Kenin next.

Kenin reached her first major semi after a 6-4, 6-4 win over Ons Jabeur.

The last Australian woman to reach the semi-finals in the singles at Melbourne Park was Wendy Turnbull in 1984, who was the most recent finalist from the home nation in 1980.

World number 78 Jabeur, the first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final, showed plenty of fighting spirit and saved five set points in the opening set before pushing Kenin hard in the second, but ultimately paid the price of 36 unforced errors.

Kenin saved three break points at 2-3 in the second set in a near 10-minute game and she said this had been key to the victory.

“After that I got my momentum and started playing better,” the 21-year-old said.

“I’m super excited. It was a tough match.”

than 10 minutes - having carved a 0-40 the sixth game but went on to seal victory lead with two blistering forehand returns with an ace.

- but eventually allowed the Australian to “It’s been absolutely incredible,” hold when she netted a forehand return. said Barty, who is seeking to become the She had a mini-break in the tie-break first Australian women’s singles winner but again enabled Barty to get herself back since Chris O’Neil in 1978.

“I knew I had to bring my best against in it when she netted after a fantastic rally where the Australian was at her defensive Petra. That first set was crucial and it was good to get a quick start in the second.” best and getting on the end of everything Sofia Kenin, who ended American the Czech threw at her. teenager Coco Gauff’s run in the preAnother netted forehand gave Barty vious round, put in an accomplished a mini-break and Kvitova handed her the performance against big-hitting Tuniset when she went long with a backhand. sian Ons Jabeur.

Kvitova, who was beaten in last year’s final

by Naomi Osaka, swiftly left the court at the end of the set but when she returned she could not find a BARTY CAPITALISES ON way back into the match as KVITOVA’S MISSES Eight squandered break points, one Barty raced to a 4-0 lead.

AFTER suffering defeats in two recent four-team tournaWhere the gripping missed set point and a lost tie-break lead ments, Regal Masters returned to winners’ row in emphatic tell the story of what went wrong for Kvi- first set lasted one hour fashion, registering a comprehensive nine-wicket defeat over and nine minutes, Barty tova against Barty in the first set.

Ariel in last Sunday’s final of another competition, played at The Czech held five break points at needed just 35 minutes in the Ogle Community Centre ground, East Coast Demerara. the second.

She was halted 3-3 in a gripping game that lasted more The tournament, sponsored by Trophy Stall and being used as only by a dropped serve in preparations for Orlando Cup 3 to be staged in March, saw Regal Masters make light work of Ariel Masters in a lop-sided final.

Set 103 for victory after limiting Ariel Masters to 102 all out in their allotted 20 overs, Regal Masters rushed to the required total in 10.4 overs with opener Uniss Yusuf and Mahesh Chunilall COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda leading the way with 41 and 40 not out respectively.

Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMan-of-the-match Yusuf spanked three fours and four MINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 sixes from 20 balls before he was dismissed with victory in Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: sight. Chunilall’s knock contained one four and three sixes.

225-6158) The other not-out batsman was Eon Abel (seven).

Answers to yesterday’s quiz: Earlier, after being inserted, Ariel Master lost wickets at reg(1)Jalal-ud-Din (PAK vs AUST, Hyderbaad, 1982) ular intervals with P. Gossai being the standout with a top score (2) Jerome Taylor (WI vs AUST, Mumbai, 2006) of 33 which included two fours and two sixes. Skipper Mahendra Hardyal was his team’s best bowler with three for 33 from his Today’s Quiz: four overs while there were two wickets each for Roy Persaud (1) Who is the first player to claim a T20 and Tyrone Sanasie for 17 and 24 runs respectively.

International hattrick?

The semi-final clash saw Regal Masters inflict a 10-wicket (2) Who is the first bowler to take four wickthrashing on Success Masters who could muster only 84 for ets with consecutive deliveries in a T20 Internanine in their allotted 20 overs. It was once more the Yusuf tional game? and Chunilall show as Regal Masters raced to 86 without loss in 8.3 overs, thereby winning by 10 wickets.

Answers in tomorrow’s issue The consistent Yusuf slammed two fours and six sixes in his

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Wednesday January 29, 2020)

Ash Barty at the Australian Open. (Photo by Chaz Niell/Getty Images)

Regal Masters cop Trophy Stall trophy after returning to winners’ row

Georgetown Softball Cricket League Inc. president Ian John hands over the man-of-the-match trophy to Uniss Yusuf. fine knock of 51 off 27 balls while Chunilall counted one four and three sixes in his 29 off 20 balls.

Success Masters were undermined by a masterful spell of five for seven in four overs from Khalid Haslim while Tyrone Sanasie took two for 21.

In the other semi-final Ariel Masters got the better of Fishermen. Batting first, Ariel reached a challenging 146 for seven in 20 overs with Mark Fung (51) and P. Gossai (30) leading the way.

Stanley Mohabir took four for 30.

Fishermen were restricted to 140 for nine off 20 overs with Mohabir returning to score 30. Alex Singh claimed two for 16.

Several other tournaments are planned in the coming weeks leading up to the eagerly anticipated Orlando Cup 3.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday January 29, 2020

Drakes among regional coaches for CWI forum ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) – Vasbert Drakes, controversially sacked last year as part of a shake-up of the West Indies men’s coaching staff, is one of several regional coaches down to participate in a Cricket West Indies (CWI) coaches forum starting here Tuesday.

The former West Indies all-rounder, along with head coach Richard Pybus and his backroom staff, were relieved of their positions last April ahead of the ICC 50-overs World Cup in England.

Barbadian Drakes subsequently pursued legal recourse against CWI for what his lawyer labelled as an “unlawful” dismissal.

The 50-year-old joins a group that includes current West Indies assistant coach Roddy Estwick and former interim West Indies head coach, Floyd Reifer, for the forum which CWI said Monday would be the ‘launchpad’ for its new

coaching education programme.

Australian Chris Brabazon, CWI’s recently-appointed coaching education manager, said the forum would be critical in helping to strengthen the regional network.

“There is no doubt that the role of the coach is vital at every level of the player’s pathway,” he said.

“These coach forums will be crucial to the creation of a coach development system that provides our coaches with the practical resources required to assist them to play their part in the player’s journey.”

Director of cricket, Jimmy Adams, echoed similar sentiments.

“I am pleased that CWI is putting resources behind player development through the strengthening of its coaching pathway,” said the former West Indies captain.

“We need to have all our coaches in the

Former West Indies assistant coach Vasbert Drakes

region playing a consistent and integrated role in player development and this forum will be a significant part of the process.”

Several other regional franchise coaches – Andre Coley, Nikita Miller, Emmerson Trotman, Fernix Thomas, Wilden Cornwall, Esaun Crandon, Stuart Williams, Andrew Richardson, David Williams and Pedro Collins – will also be part of the forum.

CWI president Ricky Skerritt said this assembly of the region’s coaching top brass was a realisation of the governing body’s policy regarding coaching development.

“Bringing cricket specialists together to learn from each other, to establish standards and plan strategy is a crucial component of CWI’s overall strategy. I am really pleased to see such a gathering taking place.”

Windies skipper Pollard signs for Northants with eye on World Cup

LONDON, England (CMC) – West Indies white-ball captain Kieron Pollard is poised to turn out for Northamptonshire in this year’s Vitality Blast, after signing up for several games with the East Midlands outfit.

The 32-year-old all-rounder is set to play eight matches starting from June 5 in the tournament, which runs from May 28 to September 5.

In addition to boosting Northamptonshire’s title chances, Pollard said he

would be using the campaign to further hone his preparation for the T20 World Cup in Australia starting in October.

“Now visa criteria permitting I see this as a wonderful opportunity to be back in England again playing in the action-packed Vitality Blast tournament. I want to thank Northants for welcoming me to their group of exciting players.” Pollard said.

“I know they have some amazing fans and I look

forward to entertaining them and bringing more success to the club.”

He added: “Of course as captain of the West Indies team and defending champions I have one eye on the ICC T20 World Cup later this year in Australia, but I can assure you my focus will be 100 per cent on winning games for Northants when I arrive in June.”

Pollard is one of the most sought-after T20 players, having played extensively in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for

Mumbai Indians, and also turned out in the Australian Big Bash and the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

Overall, he has played a record 499 Twenty20s and is just 34 runs shy of becoming only the second batsman to reach 10 000 runs in the format.

Head coach David Ripley said a player with Pollard’s all-round qualities would be an asset to Northamptonshire’s upcoming campaign.

“I’ve spoken to many people about Kieron and

West Indies ODI and T20 captain Kieron Pollard

the biggest factor you get from everyone is that he’s a winner. He’s got a fantastic record in winning T20 comps, just an absolute competitor.” Ripley said.

“It helps the teams he plays for that he can bowl the big overs, field in key positions and whack it out of any cricket ground in the

world.”

Added captain Josh Cobb: “It’s really exciting to have a player with the quality of Pollard joining the Steelbacks. His stats are unbelievable. I think it’s only Chris Gayle who has scored more runs in T20 cricket, so to have him with us is huge.” Veteram Gayle has amassed 13 296 runs from 404 matches.

Dr. Singh, BCB to continue relationship in 2020 BERBICE junior and female cricketers continue to benefit from the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) in partnership with overseas-based Dr. Puran Singh for the hosting of the 3rd annual national players scheme.

Dr. Singh started to sponsor the scheme in 2019 while the BCB used its own funds in 2018 to launch the ambitions project.

BCB president Hilbert Foster, whose idea it was to establish the scheme, hailed the renewal of the sponsorship as another red-letter day in the rapid development of Berbice Cricket.

The BCB, Foster stated, is very committed to making sure that all of its players have equal opportunities to develop their talents.

Under the scheme, players and team

officials would receive $10,000.00 each to assist them to prepare for the different tournaments.

Dr. Singh, who is based in Barbados and is the younger brother of BCB main sponsor, Dr. Tulsi Dyal Singh, last year contributed $300,000.00 and would be investing $320,000.00 in 2020.

The elder Dr. Singh, since 2018, has donated over $4M of his own funds to the BCB to sponsor county wide coaching, annual cricket academy, restoration of the BCB office, and the preparation of inter county teams.

Recently, Dr. Singh hosted the Guyana Senior Cricket team at his Barbados home and presented Berbicians, Kevin Sinclair and Nial Smith with bats.

Dr. Singh poses with Kevin Sinclair and Niall Smith after presenting them with bats.

Athletes from seven Regions set to compete in Jubilee Relays

BCB, Trophy Stall ink $500 000 deal as cricket development across Berbice continues 32 PAGE

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Festival organisers and relay organisers at the briefing yesterday. From left, Relays Events Director Mark Scott; First VP of the AAG, Assistant Superintendent Amanda Hermonstine; Creative Director of the anniversary celebrations, Russell Lancaster; Festival Administrator Mrs Desiree Wyles-Ogle and Director of Culture, Tamika Boatswain. (Faizool Deo photo)

BCB president Hilbert Foster (left) and Trophy Stall Managing Director Ramesh Sunich during the recent launch

Navratilova, McEnroe call for name change to Margaret Court Arena … Tennis Australia condemns protest as a breach of protocol

By Ian Ransom

Martina Navratilova produced the banner in her hotel room using canvas and pens from a local art shop, in an aboriginal style, to honour to Goolagong’s heritage.

MELBOURNE, Australia (Reuters) - Tennis greats Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe called for Margaret Court’s name to be stripped from the Australian Open’s second showcourt in a protest at the stadium that drew a frosty response from tournament organisers yesterday.

Court, who holds the all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles, has been heavily criticised for voicing her religious-based opposition to same-sex marriage and transgender athletes.

Navratilova and McEnroe unfurled a banner emblazoned with ‘Evonne Goolagong Arena’ - a call for the stadium to be renamed after Australia’s Aboriginal seven-time Grand Slam champion.

Navratilova, who is openly gay, climbed into a vacant umpire’s chair and tried to address a small crowd of spectators lingering after a doubles match, but the microphone was cut off soon after she began speaking.

Governing body Tennis Australia

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(TA), which organises the year’s first Grand Slam, condemned the protest as a breach of protocol.

“We embrace diversity, inclusion and the right for people to have a view, as well as their right to voice that view,” TA said in a statement.

“But the Australian Open has regulations and protocols with respect to how any fan, player or guest can use our facility, the event and the global stage it provides. This is to ensure the integrity of our event.

“Two high-profile guests have breached these protocols and we are working through this with them.”

Prior to Rafael Nadal’s fourth round win over Nick Kyrgios, Court was honoured in a low-key ceremony at Rod Laver Arena on Monday marking the 50th anniversary of her 1970 calendar Grand Slam.

TA president Jayne Hrdlicka said in November that removing Court’s name from the stadium was not on the governing body’s agenda.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2020