Guyana Chronicle_Epaper_04_05_2019

-FRIDAY 5th April, 2019

Underground mining way forward No.105598

– Goldfields 03 executives say hundreds of jobs to be created PAGE

Second Matthews Ridge

manganese miner dies 07 PAGE

… two more discharged from hospital

Felix warns Jagdeo 13

PM holds 02 talks with UN official PAGE

PAGE

about spreading rumours

… Chronicle admits system mix-up caused incorrect publication of naturalisation notices

Gov’t commissions

PAGE

09

new early childhood

centre at Ithaca

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo in light conversation with Luis Lopez-Calva, UNDP’s Director for Latin America and the Caribbean (DPI photo)

2

Prime Minister receives UN Assistant Secretary-General

PRIME Minister and First Vice-President, Moses Nagamootoo, on Wednesday evening received Dr. Luis Felipe Lopez-Calva, the United Nations Assistant Secre-

tary-General and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The prime minister,

who is performing the functions of the President, received the UN official at his official residence, the Department of Public Information See page 3

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

UNDP’s director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Luis Lopez-Calva pays courtesy visit on Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo (Photo credit : DPI)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

Prime Minister receives UN Assistant ...

3

Underground mining way forward –– Goldfields executives say hundreds of jobs to be created

By Lisa Hamilton

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo greets Luis Lopez-Calva, UNDP’s director for Latin America and the Caribbean (Photo Credit: DPI) From page 2 (DPI) said in a release.

The senior UN official, on a one-day visit to Guyana, was accompanied by the Guyana-born Regional Adviser, Kenroy Roach, and Officer-in-Charge of UNDP’s Guyana Office, Andrea Heath-London.

During the hour-long meeting, the UN envoy briefed the Prime Minister on several programmes in which UNDP is involved in Guyana, including drafting of the ‘Green’ State Development Strategy (GSDS). He expressed satisfaction with the level of collaboration between the UN agency and the Government of Guyana.

The prime minister, who holds ministerial responsibilities for Constitutional Reform and Parliamentary Affairs, explained the constructive role of UNDP in assisting to develop Guyana’s governance practices, and in sponsoring programmes that address some of the UN sustainable development goals. Dr. Lopez-Calva, a Mexican economist, has been a former senior World Bank adviser, and the lead author of the 2017 World Development Report on “Governance and the Law”. He has also been the Chairman of the Network on Inequality and Poverty in the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association.

Country Adviser, Kenroy Roach, has been coordinating youth employment programmes in some 60 countries. An economic development specialist, he is a PhD Fellow at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands.

Also at the meeting was Tondicka Austin, UNDP desk officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (DPI) 1st-lead-

GUYANA Goldfields Inc said the future of operations at the Aurora Gold Mine (AGM) is underground mining and it is now awaiting permission from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) to begin operations in this regard.

While underground mining has been conducted in Guyana in the past and is being conducted in the present, it has been noted that the intentions of the company far out-scales the past and present operations.

On February 20, 2019, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the Canada-based, mid-tier gold producer with a permit for the construction of the mine decline and has since made mine exploration decline submissions to the GGMC. On Thursday, Guyana Goldfields invited media operatives to its AGM operations in Cuyuni-Mazaruni (Region Seven) for a daytour where talks of the underground mining operation took the fore.

In a presentation, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Guyana Goldfields, Scott Caldwell, stated that the company believes that the future of the AGM is underground mining.

“I think the profitability of the underground mine is actually going to [be] better than the open pit because I think it’s a unique deposit,” Caldwell stated.

Meanwhile, a presentation from Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Suresh Kalathil, highlighted that the venture could become one of a kind in the Caribbean, utilising industry standard technology and expertise.

He stated the venture will guarantee sustained long-

2nd-lead-PM holds talks with UN official Pic save as front pic Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo in light conversation with Luis Lopez-Calva, UNDP’s Director for Latin America and the Caribbean (DPI photo) Sidebar Second Matthews Ridge manganese miner dies …two more discharged from hospital Felix warns Jagdeo about spreading rumours …Chronicle admits system mix-up caused incorrect publication of naturalisation notices Gov’t commissions new early childhood centre at Ithaca

The spot which is to become the portal to the underground mine at the Mad Kiss pit (Lisa Hamilton photo) term employment for Guyanese, continued revenue to the government, strengthened foreign exchange reserves, and opportunities for nationals to train and develop in the best industry practices and standards.

Later, standing at the Mad Kiss pit at the AGM, Kalathil pointed to an entrance which he stated will become the portal to the underground mine in the future.

Regarding the pending permits, GGMC Commissioner Newell Dennison, who was present on the trip, stated that the commission has received the necessary documents from the company and will soon report on whether the go-ahead can be granted.

“From what I am aware, they have submitted [the documents]. I am of the view that we are in good way to be conducting the examination to determine whether we need anything more.

To the extent that we ascertain that what is therein See page 5

Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Suresh Kalathil presents on the plans for underground mining (Lisa Hamilton photo)

4

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

Ethiopian crash report highlights sensors, software, leaves questions ADDIS ABABA/SEATTLE (Reuters) - Faulty sensor readings and multiple automatic commands to push down the nose of a Boeing plane contributed to last month’s fatal crash in Ethiopia, leaving the crew struggling to regain control, according to a preliminary accident report.

The first substantial account of the last minutes of Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 from Addis Ababa to Nairobi on March 10 described how the captain three times called out: “Pull up” and was acknowledged by the first officer, but to no avail.

Boeing’s top-selling aircraft, the 787 MAX, has been grounded worldwide since

the March 10 disaster, which killed 157 people and came just five months after a Lion Air crash in Indonesia that killed 189 in a plane of the same model.

Families of the victims, regulators and travelers around the world have been waiting for signs of whether the two crashes are linked, and the extent to which Boeing technology and the actions of the Ethiopian Airlines pilots played a role.

The doomed flight crashed six minutes after take-off from Addis Ababa in clear conditions. “Most of the wreckage was found buried in the ground,” said the report by the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority’s

Accident Prevention and Investigation Bureau published on Thursday. It recommended that Boeing review its flight-control systems and that regulators properly verify the review.

Advertisement Ethiopian Transport Minister Dagmawit Moges told a news conference in the Ethiopian capital the crew had performed all the procedures recommended by Boeing, but safety experts said this was likely to spark debate with U.S. regulators and Boeing. Boeing said its coming software fix for the anti-stall system that pushes down the plane’s nose would give pilots the authority to always override the system if activated by faulty sensor data.

“I’d like to reiterate our deepest sympathies are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives

in the accident,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and Chief Executive Kevin McAllister. “We will carefully review the AIB’s preliminary report, and will take any and all additional steps necessary to enhance the safety of our aircraft.”

QUESTIONS RAISED The report leaves unanswered questions, some experts said, such as why the plane’s trajectory did not respond to pilot and automatic commands including two final nose up commands from the pilots about 30 seconds before the plane crashed.

“Those should literally follow each other,” said one U.S.-based expert, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. “I think this is a more complex problem than what we initially thought.”

Questions have also been

raised over whether crew followed guidance not to restore power to a troublesome anti-stall system following the sensor damage, possibly caused by a bird strike.

The plane was also set to unusually high thrust, data suggested. A final report by Ethiopian authorities aided by air-safety experts from the United States and Europe is due to be published within a year.

Some pilots expressed disquiet that following Boeing’s checklist for the malfunction had not appeared to work. “If the preliminary report from the Ethiopian authorities is accurate, the pilots quickly identified the malfunction and applied the manufacturer’s checklist.

Following this checklist did not appear to allow the pilots to regain control of the aircraft,” said Captain Jason Goldberg, spokesman for Allied Pilots Association, which represents American Airlines pilots. The Federal Aviation Administration, which has come under fire over the way it decided to certify the plane and its socalled MCAS anti-stall software, cautioned the investigation had not yet concluded.

“We continue to work toward a full understanding of all aspects of this accident.

As we learn more about the accident and findings become available, we will take appropriate action,” the U.S. agency said in a statement.

Southwest Airlines Co and American Airlines Group Inc, the two largest U.S. operators of the MAX with 34 and 24 jets respectively and dozens more on order, each said on Thursday that they continued to await guidance from U.S. regulators and Boeing on when the MAX

03-04-2019 02 03 11 12 14 26

21

could resume flying. Ethiopian investigators did not blame anyone for the crash, stressing the importance of international rules requiring civil probes to focus on recommendations for safer flight.

Most accidents take months of analysis because of the need to trace backwards to find a root cause from tangled evidence.

“There is a big difference between having the data and knowing the cause,” a senior European investigator said.

Officials denied reports of tensions between Ethiopian officials and U.S. and other foreign investigators accredited to the probe. “We don’t have any reservations from different stakeholders who were engaged in the investigations,” chief investigator Amdye Ayalew Fanta said.

Following a previous Ethiopian Airlines accident off Beirut in 2010, Addis Ababa authorities rejected the conclusions of a Lebanese investigation citing pilot error and suggested the aircraft had exploded in a possible act of sabotage.

Aviation safety analyst Paul Hayes said deeper investigation would delve into the role played by software and how pilots were able to respond, and said he hoped scars from the 2010 dispute would not get in the way of a comprehensive investigation.

“Pilots shouldn’t have to cope with such an emergency situation. We need to understand what are the factors that meant these two crews were overcome,” said Hayes, safety director at UK-based consultancy Flight Ascend.

“It is unusual for there to be a single cause,” he added.

29-03-2019

A 01 03 06 18 21

4

1

7

1

3

2

05 09 12 13 17 03 06 08 10 13

5

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

Underground mining way ...

From page 3

is sufficient representation of what they plan to do and it is in keeping with our regulations and what we consider typical practices for these types of activities, we would then issue the permit,” Dennison said.

NO INTENTION TO DELAY He added that if there are any issues in this regard, the company will be notified and will likely work to rectify such even as he assured that the GGMC does not intend to delay the process.

Speaking to what underground mining could mean for the country, he commented: “It is not something that we hadn’t anticipated would happen because we know that most of the mining that has been happening [in Guyana] is alluvial… but I suppose it’s what you call maturing and becoming mature has a certain responsibility and the responsibilities that we’re expecting that we should have will dictate that we will have to grow with the situation that we are confronted with.”

The commissioner added that while there are other cases of underground mining currently being conducted in Guyana, they cannot be compared with what the Guyana Goldfields is pursuing.

From the third quarter of 2019 to 2021, the company intends to conduct both open-pit along with exploration and underground development activities in preparation for production in 2022 and onwards.

The exploration development phase will cost an estimated US$25M with an estimated US$100M to be spent on the production phase.

For a safe transition, during the first year of exploration development, an Underground Development and Mining Methods Training Centre will be established for workers and government

stakeholders to be trained in underground mining.

The expertise will be sourced from expatriates and other non-national specialists in underground mining.

One area of training to be covered includes emergency response and mine rescue.

Teaching methods will include practical skills training even as Guyanese will be trained in several other areas to replace foreign miners.

The training centre is to be located near the portal of the Mad Kiss pit for ease of access.

During the exploration and development period, the company will also test, build and enhance underground technology, ensure they are in keeping with international and national health and safety standards, revise mine development and production plans and more.

MORE WORKERS Caldwell told media operatives that in the next three years, some 300 additional workers will be needed for the functionality of the underground mining area the company currently has some 700 workers.

He stated that Guyana Goldfields’ staff consists of 96 per cent Guyanese and the company is working to eventually transform into a 100 per cent Guyanese company.

Visiting the storage site for drill core sampling from the Mad Kiss pit, media operatives were shown samples with visible gold seen as yellow specks on the majority of samples.

Exploration Geologist Boaz Wade stated that the samples represent a “really good upside” to the potential for underground mining at the pit.

Meanwhile, Junior Geologist Kumar

Employees at the Aurora Gold Mine (AGM) show evidence of gold in samples taken from the Mad Kiss pit (Lisa Hamilton photo) Persaud agreed, stating: “This deposit has been extremely favourable.”

With Guyana’s big on sustainability, the Guyana Goldfields heads were questioned on how underground mining would stand up in this regard.

However, the chief operating officer pointed out that the surface footprint of an open-pit mine is actually far more than that of an underground mine footprint.

He added that the AGM will be conducting “back-filling” in areas where the ore is extracted; a method used to fill voids during mining excavation.

Speaking to the challenges the com-

pany may face moving forward, Kalathil added: “One of our biggest challenges is that underground mining is new to Guyana, so we need to talk to people and make them understand that it’s not unsafe.”

Another challenge highlighted was the short timeframe in which locals must be trained to meet the new development, but he assured that when underground mining is done in a proper way, challenges can become opportunities.

The Guyana Goldfields has over 22 years of active presences in Guyana and contributes some US$300M in its operations locally.

6

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

Tackling underage drinking ACCORDING to media reports, Guyana Police Force (GPF) Commander ‘G’ Division (Essequibo coast and islands) Khali Pareshram, recently noted that underage drinking, particularly by teenagers, is a major problem in that division. The commander related that although there are virtually continuous sensitisation workshops at numerous schools and other institutions across the Pomeroon-Supenaam region that are intended to educate students about alcohol abuse and other matters, underage drinking persists. The senior officer pointed out that parents and guardians need to be aware that they have a role to play in curbing the dangerous trend; he said, “Like any other issue that has to be addressed where children are concerned, this needs a multi-stakeholder approach. Not just the police or other organisations but also families, neighbours, communities etc.

That’s the main way of curbing issues that affect our youths.”

While one agrees with the Commander, it must be said that the police have more work to do. It

is well known that numerous licenced and unlicenced rum shops openly sell alcohol to minors; more effort needs to be put into closing that loophole.

In any case, teenage alcohol abuse is an increasingly significant problem — not only in ‘G’ Division — but in many communities in every region. In April 2009, a two-day discussion on alcohol control was hosted in Georgetown by the health ministry and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO). It was found that alcohol is the number one drug of choice for [Guyanese] youths, and the Ministry of Public Health had said more recently that the situation has not changed. It was underscored in 2009 that abuse of the drug causes a frightening variety of physical, legal, economic, and social consequences for the young person and the communities in which they live.

It was noted, too, that the alcohol industry earns approximately $22 billion annually from underage drinkers, mostly from the sale of beers, while a total of $4.8 billion is spent by the industry on alcohol advertising, which aims to ‘normalise’

drinking. A more recent report by the Organisation of American States (OAS) and PAHO concluded that 51 per cent of Guyanese aged 15 and 16 use alcohol frequently.

Most research on alcohol abuse has been focused on alcohol and the effects on people in general, essentially relating to adults. Far fewer studies have been conducted relating to the abuse of alcohol by adolescents, and the consequences of drinking from a young age.

However, based on available data and observations, experts have identified many of the results of drinking alcohol at an early age. And none of those results are positive.

Evidently, this issue is one of national concern, as the consequences to the individuals involved, their families, the communities, and ultimately, the country are serious.

According to PAHO, young people who begin to drink before age 15 are four times more likely to become physically dependent on alcohol and two and a half times more likely to become lifetime abusers of the drug as compared with persons who have their first drink after age 21. PAHO said too that younger

drinkers tend to binge-drink to the point of drunkenness; that fact in itself is particularly worrying.

The immediate result of being drunk is well known. While vehicular accidents and related fatalities may be the most common results, falls, death by fire, homicide, drowning, and suicide are also effects caused by acute (immediate) intoxication. Long-term (chronic) effects include liver disease, pancreatitis, suicide, stroke, bowel dysfunction, brain disease, psychiatric disorders, cancers, and sexually transmitted diseases, among others.

Considering all of those factors, the WHO concludes that problem-drinking cuts 15 years from one’s life expectancy, compared with eight years for cigarette-smoking. Obviously, Guyana cannot afford to have its young citizens affected by those issues. Additionally, it is common knowledge that alcohol causes loss of inhibition which may directly produce irresponsible sexual behaviour leading to teenage pregnancy.

Commendably, the Government of Guyana, in collaboration with international agencies, con-

tinues to fight underage drinking with various initiatives and programmes. One such initiative is the Substance Misuse Programme which was unveiled by the Ministry of Public Health in May of last year. Specifically, the focus of the programme is on the physical and mental health challenges resulting from overuse and misuse of alcohol. The programme targets young people and aims to educate them on the dangers of substance abuse. However, the point made by Commander Khali Pareshram is worth emphasising; government alone cannot solve the problem. Parents, guardians, and other family members also have a responsibility to become involved in preventing young people from falling into the trap of substance abuse. Perhaps, more programmes are needed that target adults who are responsible for nurturing young persons. In any case, parents absolutely need to become more directly involved, after all, it is their children who are being hurt by alcohol.

New research out on HPV vaccine – it can save lives Dear Editor, I HAD reason to write a letter to the editor to inform the MoPH about damaging rumours being spread on social media about the HPV vaccine. Today I write to provide new research out this month on the effectiveness of the HPV vaccine in reducing morbidity and mortality of cervical cancer. This was published in the reputable British Medical Journal.

The research was conducted in Scotland where analysis of vaccination and screening records for 140,000 women who went for their

first cervical screen from 2008-2016. The data found that the HPV vaccine programme, which was started 10 years ago, has significantly reduced the incidence of cervical disease which covers the spectrum of atypical PAP smears to cervical cancer. To be more precise, the vaccines have resulted in a 90 per cent decrease in pre-cancerous cells, that is the cells that progress to cervical cancer.

The research further highlighted that the vaccine is "highly effective" and should greatly reduce the incidence of cervical cancer in the future. This is obvious since HPV is the main cause of

over 99 per cent of cervical cancer cases. Hence, reducing infections and pre-cancerous cell mutations would result in the reduction in cervical cancer morbidity and mortality.

The researchers then concluded and I will quote verbatim, “The findings will need to be considered by cervical cancer prevention programmes worldwide.” In essence, other countries now venturing into or conducting HPV vaccines need to review these positive findings to guide their programmes.

Mr. Editor, these are just data emanating out of Scotland. I am confident similar

data will soon come out of other countries. Also, this research only focused on cervical cancer. Similar research needs to be done on the HPV vaccine and headand-neck, vulvo-vaginal and anal cancers.

Mr. Editor on that very letter on HPV vaccines, I alluded to the dangers of misinforming the public on vaccines. I alluded to the misinformation on measles vaccine and autism. I alluded to how this misinformation has created a worldwide endemic of measles. I am sure the readers must have read about the most recent outbreak in the media, but I will

share it anyway to reinforce the point and dangers of spreading misinformation on vaccines. On the March 27, 2019, Rockland County, on the Hudson River north of New York City, had to declare a state of emergency following a severe outbreak of measles. Just try to imagine what damage such an outbreak could cause on a small economy like Guyana.

In concluding, I would wish to inform attention-seeking misinformed persons like Mark Jacobs et al that their actions do have consequences. If you wish to champion alternative medicine then provide the scientific evi-

dence and research underpinning it. Simply trying to destroy established medicine to champion your cause and get yourselves some media attention can cause loss of lives and hurt to families. As usual, I am looking forward for alternative views in this debate, if there is ever a need for one in this case.

Regards Dr. Mark Devonish MBBS MSc MRCP(UK) FRCP(Edin) Consultant Acute Medicine Nottingham University Hospital

7

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

Second Matthew’s Ridge manganese miner dies …two discharged from hospital

By Alva Solomon AS the health authorities continue to treat several manganese miners from a Matthews Ridge, North West District operation, one of the men who was diagnosed with leptospirosis passed away Wednesday night.

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) confirmed on Thursday that a Chinese national who was employed by the Guyana Manganese Inc (GWI), died at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) on Wednesday night while being treated for leptospirosis. One of the man’s colleagues died last weekend at Matthews Ridge

while undergoing treatment.

“We are saddened at the passing of another worker”, Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shamdeo Persaud said.

Another mining employee, who was also tested positive for leptospirosis, is in “critical but stable condition” an Internal Medicine specialist at the tertiary institution confirmed Thursday. Two weeks ago, while cleaning bat droppings from one of four tunnels at the mining site called “Rail Ends”, nine workers – eight Chinese nationals and one Guyanese-started experiencing pain, fever, headache and respiratory distress. To date, close to 20 employees of the company, most of them Chinese

labourers, have been treated after being infected with an infectious disease.

The MoPH disclosed on Thursday that the GPHC successfully treated and discharged two Chinese nationals who were among several taken there.

According to the ministry, the CMO reiterated that “all precautionary measures are still in place at the Matthews Ridge tunnel site and immediate surroundings and essential medical supplies are in stock to treat employees of the mining firm and residents of the area.” He added that”since last week’s outbreak, the area has been deemed a ‘Red Zone’ by Ministry of Public Health

(MoPH) authorities and “no one is allowed to enter the site.” On Thursday, residents of Matthew’s Ridge told this newspaper that another group of miners were taken to the Pakera District Hospital for treatment. However, according to the ministry, Regional Health Officer (RHO) Dr Vishal Ramjas said Thursday that another GMI employee was admitted at the Pakera Hospital and is undergoing treatment for “a respiratory tract infection”. The patient is also in a stable condition, Dr Ramjas said.

Persons close to the company told this publication that four Guyanese miners were sent home by the manganese company after they complained of experiencing similar symptoms as their colleagues.

This publication was also

informed that no one from the manganese company showed up at the GPHC to witness an autopsy, which was expected to be performed on the first miner who died last weekend.

The pathologist waited at the facility for more than three hours and the exercise was subsequently called off.

Company official, Major General (retired) Norman McLean told the Guyana Chronicle that he could not pronounce on the issue. He said officials of BOSAI, the company associated with GWI, would be able to speak on such matters. The Guyana Chronicle understands that there are approximately 100 Chinese nationals and 113 Guyanese nationals on the mining concession.

Last Saturday, several Chinese nationals were airdashed to Georgetown from

the Pakera District Hospital after falling ill. Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence told the Guyana Chronicle on Tuesday that cognisant of its responsibility to provide healthcare services to the people of Matthews Ridge and neighbouring communities in a safe environment, the Health Ministry took a decision to fully sanitise the Pakera District Hospital. It was closed temporarily but was reopened on Tuesday. Another team of medical personnel, however, will be working out of a community centre in the area to screen the employees of Guyana Manganese Inc., – a subsidiary of Bosai Minerals Group (Guyana) Incorporated as a precautionary measure, the Health Minister further detailed.

Not minister’s remit to issue mining licences and permits Dear Editor, AN April 3, 2019 Stabroek News letter to the editor headlined “Mining in Marudi area remains major problem, gov’t must take action,” has come to the attention of the Ministry of Natural Resources. The letter written by Chief Kokoi Tony James A.A, contains several imprecisions and relies on an obvious misunderstanding.

It highlights an issue of mining in the Marudi area and further states that permission for this mining has been given by the Minister of Natural Resources, and claims a disregard of the residents of the village of Aishalton during consultation. These

statements are furthest from the truth. The ministry kindly wishes to correct these inaccuracies and further reassure readers of the Government of Guyana’s commitment to processes of consultation and adherence of laws.

Firstly, contrary to the article, the Minister of Natural Resources, Hon. Raphael Trotman, did not give permission to any miner to conduct mining operations on Mazoa, which is in the concession of the Romanex Guyana Exploration Ltd. It should be noted though, that the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) is the regulator of the mining industry and so granted the Marudi Mining License (ML-

/2009) to Romanex in 2009.

However, due to several issues with the company, a suspension order was issued in 2014 but the company was reinstated in 2016. From the onset, several small miners organised under the Rupununi Miners Association (RMA) were operating illegally in the area and efforts to remove them proved futile.

With this, conflict ensued between the miners and Romanex. As such, the Minister of Natural Resources convened a mediation process resulting in the Marudi Mediation Agreement (MMA).

Throughout this mediation process the RMA, Romanex officials, and Toshaos of eight Southern Rupununi Vil-

lages were present and made inputs. Nowhere throughout, and after this process, did the minister authorise any additional persons, groups or companies to conduct mining operations outside of those involved in the mediation process. Further, it is not within the power of the minister, but that of the GGMC, to issue mining licenses and permits. Further, the article goes on to claim that there is no meaningful and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples when it comes to activities like mining.

Contrary to this belief, as mentioned above, the Toshaos of the eight villages were present throughout the mediation process and

did raise concerns only in relation to mercury use and turbidity of waters, to which the government instructed the company to conduct an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment which, in totality, would speak of mitigating measures. The ministry, and by extension the Government of Guyana, has a moral and constitutional responsibility to the Indigenous Peoples of Guyana and have always valued the relationship due to the significant role they play in their communities and in the sustainable management of Guyana’s natural patrimony. Moving forward, the ministry is respectful of the concerns

raised, though they may contain inaccuracies. Although we encourage persons to raise their concerns, it is pertinent that they ensure that they are not misinformed in order to not mislead persons when these concerns are raised.

We encourage all to take advantage of the ministry’s outreaches and other platforms to voice their concerns and have their matters discussed and resolved.

Regards, Stephon Gabriel Public Affairs Officer Ministry of Natural Resources

AFC voters did not give Charrandass the authority to vote the way he did Dear Editor I WAS following and continue to follow the different lesions of Charrandass Persaud ‘or’ The Charrandass Persaud scenario. I have seen the different quotations and the various legal chapters being written for and against the ‘Charrandass up session’. I am not legally qualified to indulge in the legalities that are penned on a daily basis by various letter writers.

I have decided here and now to give my version of ‘that affair’ unapologetically to anyone. This

is how I see it and this is how citizens see it.

Charrandass went into Parliament on an AFC ticket. He was elected to Parliament as a representative of the voters who supported the AFC on Election Day in May 2015. Charrandass Persaud did not enter Parliament as an individual, so when he said ‘yes’ and posited that it was his conscience speaking, he was violating the wishes of the electors who voted for the AFC. He was circumventing (legal term) the AFC voters who did not give him the authority to vote the way he

did. Again I repeat, as a representative of ‘people’, Charrandass’ personal feelings were not supposed to be ‘the issue’. I am not writing here as a representative of the coalition government, but as a veteran political activist who has been in the struggle for over 65 years.

I have seen most of it from the age of 15 years. I am not one speaking or writing as a member or supporter of a political party, but as a ‘street soldier’ and former bodyguard of Founder Leader, Peter Stanislaus D’Aguiar. One of the things

we were taught in the ‘V-7’ was to tell it as it is, without any fear or favour. What have been outlined here could be co-capitalised by the people that counts most – the man and woman in the streets. Your biased letter writers should not try to bluff the readers with your fancy and far away terms. Speak to our population in their language and do not try to throw them in ‘sawllawallah’. Had I been a lawyer, I would have entered pro bono for any AFC voter who wanted to take the legal course I have outlined. Let me

remind the coalition ministers and their members in Parliament that there is a saying that goes like this, “when lil boy say he gon pelt you, he already got a brick in he hand.” What does this mean, simply that when the PPP took the no-confidence vote to Parliament they already knew they had a coalition MP or maybe MPs to say yes, yes. How do we know that Charrandass was the only to ‘switch’.

Regards M. Williams

Don’t be lords and gods 8

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

–– govern in the interest of the people, Allicock tells toshaos

MINISTER of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock, has called Indigenous leaders to govern in the best interest of their respective villages and the people who elected them to serve.

The minister made the call when he addressed Toshaos during the Sixth North Pakaraima District Council (NPDC) meeting hosted by the Monkey Mountain Village Council in the Potaro/Siparuni Region on Wednesday.

According to the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Minister Allicock said villages

continue to raise concerns about their Toshaos as it relates to governance. “You were put there because the people look forward for your support, they didn’t put you there to become lords and gods and bosses and nobody can tell you anything. You become their servants, the servants of the people. You were placed there to give service to the people and not to abuse the power, but to use the power in a way that all will be satisfied and accountability must be priority in your communities,” the minister emphasised.

Focus, according to Minister Allicock, is the key to development “so that people will be happy and can benefit as villages”.

Allicock encouraged leaders to get into the business of developing industries whether it’s in agriculture or tourism sectors so that their respective economies can be transformed, thus improving the lives of the people. The minister highlighted efforts of three women in Annai in the Rupununi who started producing coconut, lemon grass and crabwood oils, and although it took years

A section of the gathering at the event. (MOIP photo)

before acquiring a real income, they remained committed. He said that today, with support, the women are producing the Rupununi Essence, a facial line that continues to make waves across the country.

He said that, at the village of Monkey Mountain, in the Potaro/Siparuni Region, residents will soon begin producing jewellery, from semi-precious stones, to meet international standards. He encouraged villagers to fully support the initiative since it was geared at ensuring economic and other improvements. Villagers from Monkey Mountain and neighbouring villages will supply the lapidary workshop with a variety of semi- precious stones, an income generation mechanism for their respective families. The building to house the lapidary workshop is 95 per cent completed and will soon be commissioned, which is the second step to guaranteeing the good life promised.

Ten persons from the village recently travelled to Boa Vista in neighbouring Brazil and successfully completed a Lapidary training course and they are now equipped to operate such a facility. During the minister ’s address, emphasis was also placed on developing the respective Village Improvement Plans (VIPs) which will serve as a guide for further development and leaders were encouraged to consult with villagers as soon as possible to get this plan on paper and into action.

“The VIP is to help you to be economically strong and take management and control into your own hands. You could be able to develop cottage industries that will bring in the money needed, so come up with your plans that will make you better off, now is the time to do that,” Minister Allicock challenged.

Indigenous lands have and will continue to be an issue but government is committed to addressing the many challenges faced. The minister point-

Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sydney Allicock as he addressed residents and village leaders.(MOIP photo) ed out that “indigenous lands will never go off the radar and we at the ministry are working towards establishing a unit to deal with land issues”.

He noted that, sadly, the Land Commission of Inquiry proposed by President David Granger did not receive the blessing of several organisations, including the National Toshaos’ Council and was subsequently put on hold “and we have not been able to move that process forward as we would have wished to, but I’m hoping that we could continue getting ourselves in order”.

LAND TITLING Updating Toshaos on the status of the Amerindian Land Titling Project, Minister Allicock said the ministry and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) had requested an extension for the project from Norway and were currently awaiting a response.

Toshaos were also updated on the current political situation following the no-confidence motion passed in the National Assembly last December and the recent ruling of the Court of Appeal that the motion was invalidly passed. “We would like each village to receive funding so that they can get on with their work and the happiness of their

people. This is your focus and your development and remember your people are looking up to you for doing the very best for them,” he assured.

They were also told about the resignation of four government ministers who hold dual citizenship status. The minister thanked the residents for their service and commitment to national development and expressed confidence that President Granger will make decisions that will be in the best interest of all Guyanese.

Moving forward, the NPDC will be looking to follow in the footsteps of other District Councils in Region Nine to have that body duly recognised and will be moving to have it gazetted and Minister Allicock has committed to assisting this process. According to Chairman of the Council, Clifton Perrieira, (Toshao of Kato Village) the Council will be working closely with the ministry as it relates to on-going consultations on the Amerindian Act. He said the NPDC has already submitted its proposal for the changes it would like to see made to the Act and is eagerly awaiting the conclusion of the consultation process and the changes ratified, so that the Indigenous People will have updated and flawless laws to govern well into the future.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

Gov’t commissions new early childhood centre at Ithaca

EARLY childhood education is an integral part of the agenda of the Government and will receive all the support necessary to ensure that pre-schoolers can better learn and retain the foundational skills and knowledge to help them succeed later in life.

This assurance was given by Minister of Education, Dr. Nicolette Henry, when she declared open the Early Childhood Centre at Ithaca, West Bank Berbice on Thursday.

She said that it is her profound belief and that of her Government that optimising the early years of children will give them a jump start into learning. “We believe that early education provides the best platform for academic practices and training; for honing the intelligence and the skills of pre-schoolers. It is the best investment we can make as a society to ensure the future success of their young and

9

brilliant minds,” Dr Henry said.

Working parents, including single parent mothers and fathers in the village of Ithaca, West Bank Berbice and its environs, are now being able to maximize their income and pursue skills training and education with the establishment of the day care service for infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers. The construction of the ECEC at Ithaca, to the tune of $36M, was financed by the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) from funds received from the Government of Guyana (GOG) and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

The Centre at Ithaca will be managed on a day-to-day basis by the Regional Administration of Region 5 (Mahaica/Berbice) in collaboration with the Child Care Unit of the Ministry of Social Protection (MoSP).

In addition to Minister Henry, the opening ceremony was attended by senior staffers of

Minister of Education Dr Nicolette Henry cuts the ribbon to commission the ECEC in the presence of others

The Early Childhood Centre at Ithaca

the Basic Needs Trust Fund, including Mr. Dikedemma Utoh, Project Manager; the Finance Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Michael Joseph; Member of Parliament for Region 5, Ms Jennifer Wade; Regional Executive Officer, Ovid Morrison; Deputy Regional Executive Officer, Mr Sherwyn Wellington; Regional Education Officer, Ms Deon Lewis and her senior staffers as well as parents of the children who have begun to get the service from the trained staff at the Centre.

The Centre caters for children between

three months and one year old, children between one and two years old, pre-schoolers between two and three years old. It also provides an after care service for children from nursery school who can be accommodated after their school day is over. The service is being offered at charges ranging from $1500 to $2500 per month and the Administration of the Region will be flexible in this regard whenever necessary, DREO Wellington said.

The ceremony was chaired by Ms Samantha Phagu-Singh, Nursery Education Officer of Region 5.

Indian Arrival Monument to be commissioned April 17

By Jeune Bailey Van Keric

MINISTER of Social Cohesion, Dr George Norton has announced that the Indian Arrival Monument at T Junction, Palmyra, Corentyne, Berbice will be commissioned on April 17.

The announcement was made during a site visit on Thursday.

The monument was built in commemoration of the arrival of East Indians from India to these shores in 1838.

The mounted bronze memorial consists of artistic sculpted metal, depicting the lives of the Indians in their routine everyday life.

Each figure carries something of importance -- a jahaji bhandal (ship bundle) loaded with food, spices, herbs, clothing, jewellery, their deities, religious texts and drum; a karahi (cooking

pan) tawa (flat circular metal for cooking roti); grass knives (scythe); a cutlass and rice plants. The figures are presented in a straightforward realism with the human factor ever present.

During his visit, Minister Norton observed that there were minor areas which need improvement but the general presentation of the site is excellent.

Public viewing of the monument will be allowed after April 17th and while an entry cost has not been decided on as yet, Chief Executive Officer of the National Trust of Guyana, Nirvana Persaud, who accompanied the minister, explained that such a fee may be discussed so as to allow for the maintenance of the site.

The US$150,000 project features six bronze statues depicting three men, two women and a child. The

Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton (in suit) along with Chief Executive Officer of the National Trust of Guyana, Nirvana Persaud (in green); Director of Culture, Tamika Boatswain (in blue); monument experts and officials of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure at the Indian Arrival Monument on Thursday

monument was designed by local sculptors, Winslow Craig and Philbert Gajadhar.

After the initial monument, which was constructed under the previous administration, crumbled, the Indian Government decided to lend financial support for its rebuilding. The process was spearheaded by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure.

Following the official opening, the monument will be handed over to the Ministry of the Presidency, Department of Social Cohesion, Culture, Youth and Sport.

On Wednesday, Dr Norton spearheaded an engagement with Indian High Commissioner, Venkatachalam Mahalingam to discuss the hosting of the opening ceremony.

The discussions held at the minister’s Main Street, Georgetown office, centred on the contents of the agenda

for the opening ceremony, including the proposed cultural items, prayer, and speeches.

The meeting also addressed concerns pertaining to the text and format of the monument’s commemoration plaque, as well as the hoisting of the Indian flag at the monument site.

On May 5, 2015, at an Indian Arrival Day pilgrimage at Plantation Highbury, East Bank Berbice, Ambassador Mahalingam announced the proposed erection of the monument and was greeted with loud applause from the gathering there.

Then, the diplomat noted that since his arrival to Guyana in September 2014, he had been working in collaboration with the local Ministry of Culture to establish an Indian Arrival Monument.

10

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

Education officials test Mabaruma’s readiness for upcoming NGSA

ACEO Primary, Ms. Carol Benn, offering words of encouragement to the Grade Six students

Chief Education Officer, Mr. Marcel Hutson, speaking to the Grade Six teachers of Mabaruma

CHIEF Education Officer, Marcel Hutson, and the Assistant Chief Education Officer (Primary), Ms. Carol Benn, met with the Grade Six teachers and pupils of Mabaruma, Region One, to check on their readiness for the National Grade Six Assessment to be held on April 17 and 18, 2019.

Both teachers and pupils were encouraged to work hard to ensure that there is improved performance, a release from the Ministry of Education said. The Chief Education Officer told teachers that their commitment, dedication and professional development are critical to the process.

He advised teachers to strive for excellence, while sharing strategies for

improved performance. He made it clear that the Ministry of Education was doing everything to close the gap in performance between schools in the hinterland and the coast.

Benn, for her part, said that the primary sector will continue to work vigorously to improve performance across the country, noting that emphasis will be placed on monitoring, supervision, and professional development.

The Regional Education Officer, Mr. Nigel Richards, also encouraged the teachers and lauded the efforts of the Ministry of Education for the interest shown in Region One through the execution of many projects.

Police closes case in murder PI of Bourda Market vendor POLICE Prosecutor, Neville Jeffers, on Thursday, April 04, 2019, closed his case in the preliminary inquiry into the murder of former Bourda Market vendor, Troy Ramalho.

Roy Sandford, 33, of Section “D” Sophia, Greater Georgetown; Akeem Morris, 26, of Sandy Babb Street, Kitty; and George Paton, 34, a taxi driver of Eccles, East Bank Demerara (EBD) are jointly charged for Ramalho’s murder.

Particulars of the charge alleged that the trio, on August 15, 2018, at Bourda, murdered Ramalho during the course, or furtherance, of a robbery.

The matter is presided over by the Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the

Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. The matter was adjourned until April 15, 2019 for closing submission.

According to reports, Ramalho, of North Road, Lacytown, Georgetown, was shot at around 23:00hrs on the day in question, after ‘he put up’ a fight during the course of a robbery.

The 45-year-old vendor, who was well known for selling cheese and eggs in front of Rambarran’s on Robb Street, in close proximity to Bourda Street, was plying his trade when the three bandits, one armed with a gun, ambushed him.

The police, acting on intelligence, arrested the taxi driver whose car the men hired in Buxton, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

Duo remanded for allegedly robbing traffic cop CHIEF Magistrate Ann McLennan, at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, April 04, 2019, remanded two men to prison for allegedly robbing a traffic officer.

Yullacie Price, 24, and Shaheed Hollingsworth, 19, denied that on March 31, 2019, at Longden Street, Georgetown, they robbed Orlando Persaud of a $50,000 cellphone and $3,000 cash, with the use of personal violence.

Police Prosecutor, Inspector Gordon Mansfield, told the court that, on the day in question, at about 20:15hrs, Persaud, who is a traffic rank, was walking along Longden Street when he was confronted by the two defendants.

It is alleged that Prince choked the officer while Hollingsworth ran through his pockets and took away his belongings.

The officer lost consciousness and later reported the matter to the police. Price

and Hollingsworth were later arrested by the police and placed on an identification parade. During the parade, the two accused were positively pointed out by Persaud.

Mansfield opposed bail being granted to the two defendants on the grounds of the seriousness and prevalence of the offence.

The Chief Magistrate ruled in favour of the prosecutor and remanded the duo to prison until April 12, 2019.

11

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

CARICHAM holds inaugural confab in Barbados GUYANA was represented when executive directors of 16 chambers of commerce across the Caribbean Region gathered at Accra Beach Resort and Spa, Barbados, for the first meeting of the Network of Chambers of Commerce (CARICHAM).

The official launch was held on April 1 and 2.

During the two-day meeting, history was created with the official signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing the network.

Signatories were

from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname.

Barbados Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Trade, Sandra Husbands, who opened the forum, spoke about the importance of trade policy in the Region and the ways in which the Network of Chambers of Commerce could contribute to shaping trade-policy agendas.

Executive directors of 16 chambers of commerce across the Caribbean Region

Soldiers given opportunity to own home

The formal meeting of the Network of Chambers was made possible through the support of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), the European Union (EU), the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management (CDEMA) and the Government of Barbados.

Presentations were delivered by the various chambers as well as regional and internation-

The houses that the soldiers will own TWO soldiers have been given the opportunity to own their own homes following the first draw of a raffle by the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Credit Union.

The construction of the homes is being done under a developer’s agreement, in collaboration with the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA).

The two soldiers, Lance Corporal Damion Thomas and Able Rating Warren Prince, of the 21 Artillery Company and Coast Guard, respectively were among a list of soldiers who met the criteria for selection and their

names were pulled at the raffle draw at Base Camp Stephenson, recently.

The soldiers had to qualify for homeownership under the regulations of the CHPA. The construction projects are being provided by the GDF Engineer Corps. Troops of the Construction Company of the Fourth Engineer Battalion, who possess a range of construction skills, have engaged in the actual erection of the buildings.

Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier West and a corps of senior officers visited the buildings.

Region 2 moves to minimise ‘touts’ TOUTING and unprofessional behaviour of policemen were some of the issues raised when ‘G’ Division cops and members of the Region Two Regional Democratic Council (RDC) met with hire car drivers at Supenaam on Tuesday.

The drivers are utilising the speed boat stelling which is currently under construction by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure.

In addressing the drivers at the Good Hope/Pomona Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), Regional Chairman, Devanand Ramdatt, called on them to co-operate with the police.

He said that with the new state-of-the-art facility, drivers must implement a system to avoid touting and confusion. Some of the issues raised were touting at the stelling, parking of private vehicles among hire cars,

unprofessional behaviour of some policemen and hire cars drivers not adhering to established rules.

Many of the drivers are soliciting passengers from the boat and most of them are passing the boundary line with their vehicles, the meeting heard.

They were advised to wait until the passengers disembark the boats and make their way around the gas station area. The issues that were raised were documented and will be forwarded for appropriate action to be taken.

Also present at the meeting were Regional Vice-Chairperson, Nandranie Coonjah; Vice-Chairman of the Good Hope NDC, Arnold Adams; Assistant Superintend, Graham Thomas; and Inspector Troy Griffith.

Region 2 moves to minimise ‘touts’ TOUTING and unprofessional behaviour of policemen were some of the issues raised when ‘G’ Division cops and members of the Region Two Regional Democratic Council (RDC) met with hire car drivers at Supenaam on Tuesday.

The drivers are utilising the speed boat stelling which is currently under construction by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure.

In addressing the drivers at the Good Hope/Pomona Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), Regional Chairman, Devanand Ramdatt, called on them to co-operate with the police.

He said that with the new state-of-the-art facility, drivers must implement a system to avoid touting and confusion. Some of the issues raised were touting at the stelling, parking of private vehicles among hire cars, unprofessional behaviour of some policemen and hire cars drivers not adhering to established rules.

Many of the drivers are soliciting passengers from the boat and most of them are passing the boundary line with their vehicles, the meeting heard.

They were advised to wait until the passengers disembark the boats and make their way around the gas station area. The issues that were raised were documented and will be forwarded for appropriate action to be taken.

Also present at the meeting were Regional Vice-Chairperson, Nandranie Coonjah; Vice-Chairman of the Good Hope NDC, Arnold Adams; Assistant Superintend, Graham Thomas; and Inspector Troy Griffith.

al stakeholders from the UNISDR, CDEMA, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, Caribbean Export Development Agency (CEDA), the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

Lizra Fabien, Executive Director of the Dominica Association of Industry and Commerce was

unanimously elected as CARICHAM’s first chairperson.

They also elected Trevor Fearon, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce as the vice-chair of CARICHAM. CARICHAM is a platform designed to represent the chambers and their members at the regional and international levels in order to foster constructive partnerships.

12

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

Sheriff Street/Mandela Avenue road project to be accelerated

THE Public Infrastructure Ministry, having expressed displeasure with the rate at which the Sheriff Street/Mandela Avenue road expansion project is progressing, has announced that the contracted company has now committed to investing additional resources toward the speeding up of the project.

This was relayed by Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson, on Wednesday.

He said the company, Sinohydro Corporation Limited, is expected to produce a revised programme in this regard by April 5, 2019.

The US$31M Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)-funded Sheriff Street/ Mandela Avenue road expansion project was contracted to the company in December 2017 and works commenced in August 2018, following surveying works.

The project is intended to improve road safety; simplify traffic movements; provide adequate drainage for the road corridor and interdependent communities; and extend the design life of the pavement and all roadway structures to a minimum of 20 years from the expected end of construction.

Drainage works are now being completed in some locations along Mandela Avenue, which includes the construction of the culverts.

However, Minister Patterson stated that

his ministry, displeased with the speed at which the project is progressing, sought an explanation from the company recently.

“The progress has been slow and somewhat disappointing. Last week, my ministry wrote to the principals of the company, Sinohydro, and asked them to send a senior representative down to us to explain the slothful progress because I am very mindful that the May/June rains [are approaching],” Patterson said.

As a result, the company sent its senior vice-president last Friday, who participated in an all-day meeting with representatives of the Ministries of Public Infrastructure, Finance and Foreign Affairs; the IDB; and the Chinese Embassy.

“We had frank discussions and they have committed to, by Friday, present us with a revised programme on how they intend to put additional resources to ensure that they can speed up the work and we’ve committed to reviewing that and, in three days’ time [after receipt of the programme], respond to them… Sinohydro has committed to putting additional resources in crew, money, to boost the work as fast as possible,” Patterson said.

This stretch of road will see the construction of a two-lane roadway with a concrete median portioning the two lanes along Sheriff Street, while Mandela Avenue will involve

Works being conducted on Mandela Avenue back in January 2019 (Adrian Narine photo) expansion of the roadway from a two-lane road to a four-lane road with a central concrete median and shared-use paths.

A roundabout will be constructed at the junction of Sheriff Street and David Street/ Railway Embankment Road, while the completed roadway will also be outfitted with

the requisite road safety amenities, including sidewalks, bicycle lanes and adequate parking spaces.

Bridges will also be upgraded; while in the vicinity of East Ruimveldt and North Ruimveldt Secondary schools, there will be a pedestrian overpass.

$120M in cocaine discovered on Spanish ship in Atlantic TRINIDADIAN Coast Guard members of the Organised Crime and Intelligence Unit (OCIU) and Point Fortin Police, led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ramphal, went to Atlantic, Point Fortin, to try to retrieve a “suspicious attachment” from a ship which docked at the port shortly after noon on Wednesday.

That attachment turned out to be several packages with an estimated $120M worth of cocaine.

The ship, believed to have come from Spain, was picked up on the radar with a rope tied to the attachment, dragging in the water.

The authorities were notified and reported to the scene, which is in close proximity to where the LNG tanks are located. The captain and crew were detained.

A senior officer attached to the South Western Division told Newsday that divers from the Coast Guard retrieved the cocaine. (Newsday)

The confiscated cocaine in bulk packages

13

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

System mix-up caused incorrect publication of naturalisation notices … Min. Felix slams Jagdeo for reckless comments A GLITCH in the computer system at the Advertising Department of the Guyana Chronicle was responsible for the incorrect names and photographs of persons seeking naturalisation status here, being published recently.

General Manager (ag) of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited (GNNL), Ms. Donna Todd, explained that the incorrect information published on the individuals seeking naturalisation in Guyana was corrected within the days immediately after they were first carried.

She reiterated that the errors were genuine mistakes which were corrected immediately. The issue surrounds two notices which were published during the months of February and March respectively.

On February 6 and 7, 2019, a notice in the form of an advertisement bearing the name of Daniel Garcia

Farres of Cemetery Road in Georgetown was published in the daily newspaper. That information was the CORRECT version of another advertisement which was published on February 4 and 5, 2019.

On the latter dates, the photograph of Mr. Farres was incorrectly placed next to the name Gabriel St Juste of Mahaicony. A similar mistake was made in March.

On March 29 and 30, 2019, another naturalisation notice in the name of Hajime Beltran Abreu of Owen Street, Kitty, Georgetown was published in the daily newspaper. That information was a CORRECTION of a similar advertisement which was published on March 27, 2019 when Mr. Abreu’s information appeared next to the name Rubesh Abdus of Tabatinga, Lethem. The management of the GNNL disputed comments made by the opposition this week

regarding the notices.

It was noted that although Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, has indicated that the party was researching the issue, the group failed to notice that the corrected copies of the persons seeking naturalisation status were published following the mistakes. The GNNL management also noted that steps were immediately taken to ensure that there is no recurrence of such mistakes.

Meanwhile, in a separate release, the Ministry of the Presidency, Department of Citizenship has refuted what it termed libellous claims made by Jagdeo, at his press conference on Wednesday April 3, which posited that the ministry is involved in fraudulent immigration practices owing to the mix-up with the notices. “The ministry would like to make it pellucid that all of the processes that the Department

GDF Special Squadron wins fitness competition THE 31 Special Force Squadron (A) team took top honours with a total of 774 points in the Force’s First Quarterly Fitness Competition for 2019, following two days of intense competition which concluded on Friday.

The competition was held at Base Camp Stephenson, Timehri.

According to the GDF, the Training Corps finished second among the male teams with a total of 703 points, while the Ensigns of the Standard Officer Course #50 placed third with 696 points.

The females of Base Camp Stephenson surpassed their counterparts with 548 points to gain first place.

The females of the Guyana People’s Militia placed second with 486 points, and the females currently undergoing training in the Reserve Officer Course #16 placed third with 368 points, and Base Camp Ayanganna, fourth with 323 points.

Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier West, congratulated the teams for a job well done and registered his satisfaction with the overall performance of the soldiers.

First to third place teams were presented with trophies and medals.

The participating teams were also awarded for outstanding performance in the various aspects of the competition.

Chief-of-Staff Brigadier West (Centre) flanked by soldiers who were given awards for the fitness competition

of Citizenship applies to applications for citizenship are enshrined in the Laws of Guyana – the Guyana Citizenship Act 1401.”

Explaining the procedure, Minister of Citizenship, Mr. Winston Felix said that it “requires the applicant for naturalisation to publish their applications for naturalisation in one of the daily newspapers. The department has nothing to do with what appears in the Newspapers. If an error occurs in the publication, that is a problem for the newspapers and the applicant.

They have to sort that out and clear up any error that may have occurred.” Felix

referred to this newspaper’s acknowledgment that it was an error on our part, which was later corrected.

Advertising Manager (Ag), Mr. Calvin Marks, also said that both applicants noted the mistake and the corrections were later made and published. “The ministry therefore takes umbrage to the opposition leader’s continuous spurious allegations and half-truths, and urges him to first make checks before rushing to judgement.

The ministry noted that at the same press conference, Mr. Jagdeo said that his approach to questionable reports was first

Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix to “verify it” and to “do your own research” before publicising, and as such, it strongly encourages him to utilise his own advice.

14

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

Early childhood workshop opened

EDUCATORS from all districts across Guyana are participating in a twoday workshop that seeks to raise awareness on the importance of providing quality education to children during the early stages of their lives.

The Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Guyana-Jamaica Friendship Association (New York) Inc. on Thursday opened the ‘National Early Childhood Education Conference’ at the Marriott Hotel in Kingston.

It is being held under the theme, “Investing in quality early childhood education, stimulation and early intervention.”

Participants include nursery field officers, special education officers, and selected head teachers and district ed-

–– to help educators provide quality education

ucation officers, along with two representatives from the Childcare and Protection Agency.

A number of seasoned professionals who have spent decades in the education sector are on hand to provide the training on topics such as how to identify and support children with developmental delays, best practices for building a strong foundation in young children, the importance of engaging men in schools, understanding exceptional children, and understanding how nutrition impacts the first thousand days of life and children’s learning.

The facilitators include Dr. Michelle Semple-McBean, Mrs. Savvie Hop-

A section of the gathering at the two-day workshop on Thursday (Samuel Maughn photo) kinson-Hamilton, Dr. Gloria Thompson, Dr. Carmen Bovell, Dr. Desiree DeFlorimonte, and Ms. Ninian Blair.

Deputy Chief Education Officer, Ingrid Trotman, was also present to chair the proceedings.

Assistant Chief Education Officer Samantha Williams, who has responsibility for nursery education, said the Ministry of Education recognises the importance of ensuring that its educators are current and modern in their approach to teaching and learning.

“If we are going to

achieve our said target and our objectives as a ministry, then we have to empower persons who will help us achieve our target,” she expressed, while giving an overview of the workshop.

According to her, the conference will raise awareness on how the educators can best suit the needs of young learners.

“The success of this conference will not be in the two-day exercise, but will be dependent on how much of the skills and knowledge learnt will be practised in all educational settings as the participants return to

their various workplaces,” she said.

Gloria Thompson, from the Guyana-Jamaica Friendship Association (New York) Inc., offered that her organisation is happy to be working along with caregivers, educators, and human service providers who are striving to support young children and their parents throughout Guyana.

The conference will seek to deepen the knowledge and skills of the educators regarding quality, early childhood education.

“What happens to and for young children during the first years of life has a lasting impact upon their ability to be productive members of society throughout their lives,” Thompson noted.

She said the workshop will provide plenty of opportunities for the participants to listen, learn and have dialogues with one another. She challenged each one of them to make a commitment to return to their places of work and implement at least one of the ideas learnt at the workshop.

Thompson encouraged the educators to pay attention to research about the brain, as it is during the early stages of a child’s life that educators can really make a difference.

“As a child grows, the brain continues to develop,” she observed.

Felix warns Jagdeo to stop spreading misinformation MINISTER of Citizenship, Winston Felix, has dismissed claims by Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, that his ministry is complicit in a people smuggling racket as “another attempt at rumor-mongering and clutching at straws”.

Jagdeo, at a recent press conference, said the Ministry of Citizenship is involved in a people smuggling racket, “with the bulk (people) of them being smuggled through Guyana.”

He said figures from COPA airlines from late October to March of this year indicate that hundreds of Haitians, Venezuelans and other persons from around the world are passing through Guyana.

Without any proof, Jagdeo offered several Chronicle newspaper advertisements purporting to show several

applicants applying for naturalisation status via the Ministry of Citizenship.

Asked to clarify the publication, Minister Felix said that it was clearly a mistake and pointed out that there are numerous safeguards to prevent any “fake applicants” from duplicating or forging attainment of naturalisation.

These include biometrics, finger-printing, background checks by local and international security agencies and more. Closer attention will be paid to advertisements in the future, the minister said, and contended that many of Jagdeo’s utterances have no basis in fact.

“It is amazing that someone who was a former President would continue to make rash, unfounded statements and try to hoodwink citizens,” Felix said.

15

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

Traffic heads tackle increase in fatal accidents COMMISSIONER of Police (ag), Nigel Hoppie, has congratulated senior and junior ranks for their “efforts to remain relevant in a changing and dynamic environment,” during a recent meeting with heads of the Traffic Departments.

He noted the importance of monitoring and evaluation as critical tools in remaining relevant, as well as effectively tracking the progress of any organisation or department whose focus is service-oriented.

He said it is not by mere chance that it is imperative to review the work of the Traffic Department every quarter, pointing out that one death is one too many.

The dynamics of traffic development, along with how they would affect the

to April 3, 2019, as compared to the corresponding period last year.

The department has been engaged in a massive education and sensitisation campaign on traffic safety which targets youths, students and minibus owners and operators.

Commissioner of Police (ag) Nigel Hoppie amount of vehicles on the roads and influence the demands of the Traffic Department, were also highlighted during the deputy commissioner’s address.

The Traffic Department is reporting a 20.8 per cent increase in fatal accidents for the period January 1

Two arrested in cocaine, cannabis bust in Lethem POLICE in ‘F’ Division (interior locations) arrested two persons after they seized 21 pounds of cocaine and 101 pounds of compressed cannabis during an intelligence-led operation at a location in Tabatinga, Lethem on Wednesday.

According to a release, when police arrived on the scene, a man was seen running from a partially-constructed house and a search therein unearthed 101 pounds of

The illicit drugs seized by police compressed cannabis and 21 pounds of cocaine.

Police said that the drugs were concealed in a total of 61 taped parcels. Two persons were subsequently arrested and are assisting with the investigation.

Reports indicate that the owner of the property and another person were arrested during the sting operation.

The second person attempted to bribe the lawmen with a sum of cash in order to have the drugs returned to him.

The police noted that the team that found the illicit substances was led by a superintendent.

16

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

17

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

Number 76 Village gets new health centre

By Navendra Seoraj RESIDENTS of Number 76 Village, Berbice, rejoiced as government commissioned a new $15 million health centre in their community.

For years, residents of Number 76 Village were forced to travel miles to access primary healthcare.

In an effort to remedy

health, men still fail to take their health seriously.

Minister Cummings implored men from the village to utilise the health facility.

The facility offers blood pressure testing, glucose testing, testing for chronic diseases and other services.

Residents were elated to finally have their own health centre, as they believe it will

Public Health Ministers Volda Lawrence and Dr Karen Cummings assist this child in cutting the ceremonial ribbon to declare open the health centre on Thursday (Delano Williams photo) the situation, government commissioned the new health centre which will serve over 4,000 residents from both Number 76 and 77 villages.

“The mandate in public health is to ensure we have healthy people and healthy communities,” said Junior Minister of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings, in her remarks at the commissioning of the health centre on Thursday.

The minister believes that it is necessary for government to provide quality healthcare which is equitable, accessible and patient-centred.

Commissioning of the health centre is a critical step in government’s effort to ensure every community is served.

“What we are trying to do in primary healthcare is to keep it to the preventative stage,” said Minister Cummings, noting that it is important for persons to utilise the services offered by the health centre.

She said while women pay more interest to their

help to save more lives and relieve them of some of their financial burdens.

Director of Regional Health Services for Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Jevaughn Stephen said the facility will reduce the number of patients who have to visit the regional hospitals.

The catchment area for the health centre has over 43,000 persons.

The region recognised the need for a health centre in the community after noticing the size of the population in the village and other nearby communities.

“Regional health services found it fit to ensure that it [ the health centre] was constructed in the heart of the village,” said Stephen.

The region, he said, wants every citizen to have access to primary healthcare and the new facility was testimony to that commitment.

Stephen believes that the region is pioneering President David Granger’s vision for healthcare locally.

Getting to where they are

required a lot of hard work, he said.

Regional Executive Officer of Region Six, Kim Stephens, said the region has been working hard to improve healthcare.

“The healthy body means healthy minds, developed region and development in Guyana,” she said.

The new health centre at Number 76 Village (Delano Williams photo)

18

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

Jasoda Ramlagan eyes Miss Princess of the World crown

By Samuel Maughn

G

UYANESE model Jasoda Ramlagan is among the eight super-finalists who will be taking to the stage at the Miss Princess of the World pageant, slated for May 25 in Genoa, Italy.

This prestigious international pageant caters for girls 16 to 26 years of age, and gives them an early opportunity at pageantry in a professional environment.

The 23-year-old beauty hails from a little rural village on the Essequibo Coast named Land of Plenty, and in a sitdown with ‘the Buzz’ she spoke at length of her overwhelming pride at being able to fly the Golden Arrowhead in Italy.

“Being among the eight shortlisted delegates for the finals is already an achievement, considering they were over 80 delegates representing countries from all across the globe,” she said.

A jury comprising of international directors, photographers and professionals from the fashion industry, stylist, communicators, models and producers, assisted in narrowing the number down to 25 models, who were selected based on several aspects of their personality, among them their brilliance, communication skills, and natural charm.

Eight finalists were selected out of the twenty-five shortlisted delegates, and they are all eagerly awaiting the final round.

The countries represented by the top eight beauties are, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Czech Republic, Guyana, Portugal, Slovakia and Ukraine.

Looking back at what may have given her an edge to be

selected, Jasoda said, “Without a portfolio, I would not have made the cut.”

She also stressed the importance of young models putting together a portfolio because it makes a difference in being a professional model.

Even though the young model aspires to become a medical professional, she still holds the runway in high esteem, and regards and hopes to make a career out of it. “Modeling is a real job,” she said.

However, her one major concern is the managing and structure of this type of industry in Guyana.

Ramlagan contended that there were times when opportunities presented itself, but, she was somewhat fearful to follow through with it, especially when it involved being away from loved ones.

The young woman feels that more modelling agencies are needed in the local market, notwithstanding the work Traits Model Management has done to date.

The Miss Princess of the World contestant is urging the general public to support by voting for her via the official Princess of the World website.

IT’S time for the weekend again people, and it’s time to keep you in the loop with what’s ‘buzzing’ in and around Guyana.

Today

Beers and Premier League? If that sounds like your type of fun then 704 Sports Bar is where you need to be. The Southampton vs Liverpool match is showing.

Head down to the Pegasus poolside, Ignite Bar and Grill every Friday and Saturday for fun, food, and entertainment!

The Vintage Wine Bar, Restaurant and Lounge presents “Latin Night”.

Get two Desperados Tequila Beers for $1000

Tomorrow

Start your weekend the right way and bring the good vibes only. Party the night away as Pulse Entertainment presents “Issa Vibe” at Palm Court.

It’s going to be lit with sizzling sounds by DJ Ryan, DJ Shizzle and DJ Ice. Everyone free before 10:00pm. Admission: $2000 It’s time to show off your talent. Aracari Resort presents Karaoke and Dance this and every Saturday. Enjoy karaoke, dance and dinner, featuring Reyaz Rafeek and Group Aura Sky Lounge presents Seductive Saturdays! Doors open at 8pm!

Sunday

Empowering to Lead with Confidence (ELC) presents its first annual Spring Fashion and Empowerment Tea Party, charity event at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre. Designed to promote collaboration, education and inspiration, all-inclusive event will include tea party, the panel discussion and fashion show. Admission The Vintage Wine Bar, Restaurant and Lounge presents “Dinner with 70s ad 80s music. Sundays were meant for 70’s & 80’s!

19

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

Nine finalists for Miss Earth Guyana 2019 sashed

The nine delegates in the Miss Earth Guyana 2019 pageant (Photo by Carl Croker)

T

HE nine young women vying for the 2019 Miss Earth Guyana pageant were officially revealed last Saturday at the Sashing Ceremony held at the Theatre Guild, at an event that saw performances by AW Lyrical, Mr. Guyana African Roots, Eon Peters, and former Miss Talented Teen Guyana, Tiffani Bonner.

The nine young ladies represented those who made the cut from the 42 applicants that initially applied to be a part of the event, and include two-time beauty queen Faydeha King, and former Miss Berbice First runner up, Cintiana Harry.

The feature address at the sashing was delivered by Director of Tourism, Donald Sinclair, while also in attendance was a representative from the Mayor and City Council, and franchise holder of the Miss World Guyana Pageant, Natasha Martindale.

The Miss Earth Guyana pageant is officially set to take place on June 16 at the National Cultural Centre where the girls will be competing for the crown, bragging rights and approximately $1.2M in cash and prizes.

The Miss Earth Guyana Organization (MEGO) is owned by

Guyana Premier, which is partnering with the Departments of Culture and Tourism and other sponsors, including Demerara Bakery Inc, Nand Persaud and Company Limited, and Precise Printing to ensure the pageant goes off flawlessly.

Last year, Guyana was represented at the international Miss Earth Pageant by Xameira Kippins who won the gold and silver medals in her category for her national costume and talent respectively.

The date and location has not yet been announced for this year’s hosting of the international pageant, however, over 100 countries have already confirmed they will be participating.

King, who was Miss Bartica Regatta 2013, and the 2018 Miss Black San Guyana queen, decided to try her hand at the Miss Earth Guyana pageant this year because of her love for her planet.

“I had chosen this pageant because of my determined spirit, my pageant experiences, and the way I’ve represent myself, my community and my country. I want to be Miss Earth Guyana 2019 because I believe that Mother Earth has so much to offer.

It just takes someone who has the guts to make a move and lead

our generation, to show how taking care and appreciating our environment can be beautiful,” the 26-year-old Berbician said.

This year, the pageant has quite a few delegates from the Ancient County, and one delegate from Essequibo. At 18, Phelicia Adams, who hails from the Cinderella County, is the youngest entrant. She’s in it to lead by example, by being the change she wants to see for her country.

“I believe in being the change. It would be an honour to recreate Guyana in a new picture, as well as to showcase to the world all the wonders that Guyana has to offer. I believe it’s my duty as a woman to love and care for the earth,” she said.

In the lead up to coronation night and final win in June, the delegates will be undergoing choreography, and model image training with JADA Consultancy, headed by former Miss Universe Guyana,Melissa Payne; and communication and public speaking training will be provided by Action Coach Guyana.

The girls will also partake in national beach clean-up activities at the Georgetown Seawall and the Number 63 Beach in Berbice, as well as a few ‘green’ fundraising activities.

Munga, Beenie Man and Shenseea for Linden Town Week

T

HE most trending female dancehall artiste, Shenseea, along with ‘Munga Honourable’, will be performing at the Linden Town Week International Night Concert, which will be held on Tuesday April 30 at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) Ground, in what is buzzing to be one of the most anticipated events on the eleven-day calendar of activities.

In addition, the ‘King of Dancehall’, Beenie Man, will be performing on Sunday April 21 at the same MSC Ground. This concert will be held after the official opening ceremony of LTW. The show, ‘Dancehall vs Soca’, will also see a number of DJs being booked in addition to ‘Stitchie One-Man Band’.

XTRA Beer is the promoter of the show, and according to Brand Manager Anthony White, thousands of persons are expected to be at the show and therefore both private and public security will be in place.

White said that with Munga and

Shenseea both being popular, the expecatation is that they will draw the crowd.

“Shenseea is all hype,” he said, adding, “First time coming to Linden, and Munga coming to Guyana after his official hit song, ‘Boy Like Me’. They are both hype; they already did their drop, notifying the public that will be here.”

Early-bird tickets are $2,000, regular $3,000, and stage-front $8,000. This is the third year that EXTRA BEER has been promoting the International Night Concert in Linden. Last year, Charlie Black and Voodoo Man were the performing artistes.

In addition to the two shows, Linden Town Week’s Calendar of Events has a host of other hype and signature parties that party fanatics can look forward to, such as the All White, All Black, Colour, L & L boat cruise, and Big Man Never Done.

LTW 2019 will be held under the theme, ‘Rekindling our Culture’, from Saturday April 20 to May 1.

20

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

Ebony Grenville: Creating waves L

with her artistic nail designs

INDEN nail technician and beautician E b o n y G re n v i l l e continues to take social media by storm, receiving overwhelming shares, likes and comments, even from international companies and members of the Diaspora, after posting her ‘over the top’ and unimaginable nail designs.

For the month of March, Ebony had her social media followers confused as to how a local nail technician can recreate edible packaging and a scenic view of an ocean with sharks that were literally swimming in a pristine blue ocean on the client’s nail bed.

Her choice of colours and artistry have succeeded in raising the bar of nail designing to now become 21st Century art. Demand for her skills has increased tremendously.

Ebony has so perfected

Ebony Grenville

her skill in 3D nail designs that the fingers of her clients literally come alive.

In a previous interview, Ebony described herself as a perfectionist; someone who

puts everything into getting every aspect of nail application perfectly done, so that when her clients step out of her salon, heads must be turning from afar.

Ebony has exerted a lot of time and energy on studying nail application and designing, and her motto is be nothing close to mediocre and so she goes above and beyond

to make her clients satisfied.

Since opening her nail salon at the Wismar Municipal Market in 2015, she has captured an overwhelming clientele, even

from the Diaspora.

“I am a perfectionist,” she said, “so the shape has to be perfect; the polishing has to perfect; the design has to be perfect; the colour coordination has to be perfect. Everything has to be perfect because I love, love what I do.”

What makes Ebony so different is that she puts a lot into being creative.

She studies nail artistry and applies it in her own way.

‘Trinity Sound’ takes Destination Badda Dan Guyana Clash title E ‘Trinity Sound’ takes Destination Badda Dan Guyana Clash title

Skinny Hype and Trinity Sound had the crowd going during their Tune-for-Tune battle against Slingerz Family

MPIRE Media Inc. has proven once again that they are the leaders in the sound clash industry in Guyana.

It was the night to decide who goes to Switzerland. The Sports Hall tarmac was filled with clash fans and supporters who came out to witness their favourite sound compete in the Destination Badda Dan Clash held last Saturday, March 30.

The competition sounded off at around 22:45hrs, with six of Guyana’s best sounds doing battle: Notorious International, Afrikan Vybz, Trinity, Slingerz Family, Platinum and Thunderbolt.

Tight competition in the five rounds of battle saw four sounds being eliminated at the end of the fourth round. Slingerz Family, led by DJ Keston and Selector Matic and Trinity, piloted by DJ Platinum and Skinny Hype, made it to the final round/tune-fortune. It was here that the battle got ‘sticky’.

The sound that wins the first five rounds wins the Clash. Slingerz Family blasted some good tunes, but failed to impress the crowd. It was Trinity, however, steered by DJ Platinum and Skinny Hype that went on the win the Round Five to zero. The final tune to win was “done dead already”.

Trinity Sound is now champion for the Destination Badda Dan Guyana Clash, and will move on to compete in the 123 Badda Dan Sound Clash to be held in Switzerland in November of this year.

Switzerland here we come! DJ Platinum and Skinny Hype were crowned champions of the Destination Badda Dan Guyana Clash

21

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

‘Live Life like We at Cricket!’

‘Romeo Mystic’ at a recent show overseas

--‘Mystic’ tackles racism in latest single

K Romeo ‘Mystic’ Nermal

NOWN for always keeping it positive and 100% Guyanese, the ‘Coolie boy dance’ singer from Black Bush Polder, Berbice, Romeo Nermal, who goes by the moniker, ‘Mystic’, is releasing a new single that tackles what he calls a “Man-made disaster”, which, in his opinion, can prevent Guyana from reaching its true potential.

In an interview with the Buzz, the humble rice farmer and international sensation said his new Reggae track titled, ‘Live like we at the cricket’ is expected to hit the local airwaves within the next two weeks. The track that is already completed was written

by Romeo Mystic and produced by Darrel Pugsley.

An avid fan and player of cricket himself, Romeo Mystic said he was inspired to write the song since he noticed that at sporting events, there is love, unity and harmony amongst everyone. and he wants to get the message out that we should all live together as one every day of lives; not only in the cricket ground. but everywhere.

“Whenever I go to a cricket match, I see the best in Guyanese: We lose together; we celebrate together; we have this bond and love for each other where race, gender or status does not matter.

And my new track wants that message to get out there, that this is how we are supposed to live at all times. Live like we at the cricket,” the Berbician noted.

A patriot and impassioned singer and songwriter, ‘Mystic’ is always keen about what each of his songs represents, and the influence it will have on the audience it was written for. In this case, this is one of the many he did for his love of the best country in the world.

He said that given the recent somewhat tense political climate, he felt he should weigh in before it is too late, and believes that through music, as with sports, he hopes his message can find its way to people.

“Racism is destroying Guyana,” he said, adding: “If we allow this to continue, the way things are going, we will always be a country that ALMOST made it. We are a rich country; we don’t

want to be a country that is almost or could. We don’t have any natural disasters; we are blessed with that. But guess what? We created our own natural disaster: Racism.”

As he went on to explain: “Some ‘big people’ keep playing the race card that seeks to destroy the country, while they are removed from the situation that ‘every-day people’ deal with, since their bread is well buttered.”

In light of this, he has several other tracks slated to be released soon along the same lines that promote unity, love and respect.

Being a versatile singer means he has other genres of music to release, but prefers to hold off until he completes a reggae album, which he describes as the beat of his heart.

“I sing across all genres, and do a little what I call ‘choka’ (a mix of chutney and soca) for fun. But Reggae beats in my heart, and I always use this genre to help spread positivity to the people.

So right now, especially with what is going on in the country, I don’t want the people them to get sucked up in no drama that seeks to divide our people. So I will focus on getting a few more Reggae tunes released that are already done, then we can look to the fun tunes so we can celebrate together.”

Apart from his new track, ‘Mystic’ is doing a lot of writing and recording, as well as touring, but despite this, whenever he returns home, he is in the mud in the rice fields toiling, since, his work and everyday interaction is where he draws his inspiration for his music.

He is currently working on some collaborations with a few international artistes. While not wanting to spill the beans, he confirmed to the Buzz that we can say one is an artiste from Europe, and another one of the biggest names in the Soca industry.

Out of respect for his privacy, we won’t release the names of the artistes for now, but we are buzzing with excitement and can’t wait to get the Buzz to you when they are done. In the meantime, keep your ears peeled for the release of ‘Live like we at the cricket’ from the man with the golden voice.

Personality of The Week: Renata Burnette

E

ntertainment comes in many forms, and this week’s personality brings entertainment to any audience, through the eloquent words that roll off her tongue.

Renata Burnette, 22, who hails from Better Hope East Coast Demerara, is a poet and activist, who says she possess the energy of a thousand Eartha Kitt.

She is widely known for her exceptional spoken word pieces, having performed at several forums across the country. She even held her own event a few weeks back, dubbed ‘Shea Butter’, and showcased her exceptional skillset.

Not only are people entertained by her talent, but the words she speaks impact lives and stirs positive change, because of its consciousness and relatability.

However, though known as a poet, Burnette said that her passion really is activism.

“Many people believe that poetry is my passion, but it really isn’t. Being an activist propelled my writing skills.

Fighting for what I believe in, like women empowerment, human rights, mental health, speaking against injustice and inequality. Poetry has given me a platform to stand up for what I believe in and by extension be a voice for the voiceless,” the young woman told ‘the Buzz Magazine’.

She said that her writing and activism are inspired by pain, injustice, and the need for someone who simply wants what is best for the future generation.

Her discovery for this passion she said was made some

years ago when she commanded the attention of a room filled with women after speaking about her absentee father.

“A pin could have dropped and it would have echoed.

They connected to my message and they related to my pain… Someone even said, “that’s what I didn’t know how to say. Thank you for sharing your pain with us, I understood every word”. And that gave me all the conformation I needed that not only did I like doing what I was doing, but I was breathing poetry and activism; I didn’t know how not to,” Burnette said.

Although she knows her passion, the young woman said she is not yet sure what she aspires to be. However, she knows that she wants to change the world through my poetry and the knowledge she will acquire over the years.

“But right now, I’m just aspiring to be the best version of myself,” she added.

Her message to young people is to strive to be themselves, and not anyone else, because emulating others will not create an impact.

“Everyone’s unique and that will always make us different. Don’t try to match your pain nor struggle to anyone else’s, that’s not how this work. Put in the time, sit in that feeling but don’t allow it to consume you…

Then you write what you feel. It doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to be you. And if the world can’t deal with it, that’s their business cause the truth is the truth even when we don’t want to hear it,” the activist said.

Renata Burnette

22

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

Freedom Family never disappoints’ --Says ‘Freedom Boss’

A

S we draw closer and closer to the month of May, the rush of excitement heightens in patrons who are anticipating the surfeit of events slated for the month.

It is no question that persons are going to have a tough time deciding which

event(s) to go to.

However, Freedom Family’s ‘FWB (Friends With Benefits)’ party, which is slated for May 24 at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) Ground on Lance Gibbs Street, Queenstown, seems to be one that is ‘buzzing’ all over social media.

Company CEO, Marlon Jacobs, better known as ‘Freedom Boss’, told the ‘The Buzz Magazine’ that this party is one that is about showing appreciation to supporters, since it’s a celebration of the company’s fifth anniversary.

As such, Jacobs said that they are putting their all into the event to ensure it is one that no one would want to miss.

“Over the past five years,” he said, “the Freedom Family’s events have never failed to deliver. Freedom Family never disappoints. And this one will be even bigger and better than all our previous events, because we want to show the people that we appreciate them; that we appreciate all the support that they have given us over the years. So you can imagine the amount of giveaways, and the extent to which we are going to ensure that everyone and their friends feel appreciated.”

He had previously told ‘The Buzz Magazine’ that the concept behind the name of the event stems from the whole appreciation concept of the party. All supporters can benefit from a pass that allows a plus-one.

The $2000 early-bird tickets are sold out, he added, but because of the demand, and because they want as many persons as possible to benefit, they have extended the early-bird deadline to April 20.

After that date, ticket prices will increase, so Jacobs is urging es persons to grab their tickets before the deadline.

Sharing some of the expectations persons should have of the event, ‘Freedom Boss’ said: “Patrons can expect a completely different lineup of DJs, great ambiance, and lots of new faces. We are putting in the extra to ensure our fans feel the appreciation we have for their continued support they give us. They will also benefit from the drinks specials we have: Buy one bottle of ‘Henny’, Ciroc, Black Label or Grey Goose and get a second bottle at half price. We have also added a cocktail bar for the ladies with an extensive menu. Cocktails such as ‘Married man, Uptop Boss, Man is Dawg, Red Ooman, are just a few we will have available.”

In addition, they have added paint and powder to create a J’Ouvert-like concept. Persons can also purchase the branded FWB t-shirts to attend the event.

‘Freedom Family’ made their debut in 2014, when they hosted a party dubbed ‘Freedom’ at club Monaco.

Since then, they have been contributing significantly to the entertainment fraternity and the night-life activities.

Marlon Jacobs

23

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

Guyanese designer to host Spring Fashion Empowerment Conference Sunday provide art & music supplies to underprivileged children and schools.

“We see a pressing need in many communities for the promotion of charitable donations of art and music supplies to support individuals, schools, and other nonprofit organizations serving youth and the arts. Core to our identity is the belief that all children, regardless of their financial circumstances, should have access to art education. As a public charity powered by volunteers, this belief drives all that we do,” Winter-Thomas said.

Research has shown that art education has a tremendous

Nadia Thomas-Winter (Right) during one of her recent fashion shows

B

RITISH Virgin Islands (BVI)-based Guyanese designer, Nadia Thomas-Winter will on Sunday host the first annual Spring Fashion Empowerment Conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre from 12:30hrs.

The event, which is being hosted under Thomas-Winter’s newly established Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Empowering to Lead with Confidence (ELC), will be the first of its kind in Guyana.

It will be an all-inclusive event with a tea party setting.

The event will also include a panel of international and local speakers, including Guyanese-born, US-based Sebrena Kelly, Global Ambassador, Speaker, TV & Radio Host; Guyanese-born, BVI- based Dacia Daniels-Louie, Stylist; Akola Thompson, Guyanese independent journalist; Ain Earle, Founder of The Fashion Arch in Trinidad and Lifetime Alopecia Awareness Advocate; and Krystal Tomlinson, Author, TV Host and Empowerment Speaker from Jamaica.

These empowered leaders will be speaking on the topic “The Creative Spark”.

“Our aim is to promote unity through networking, supporting, upliftment and inciting conversations that matter.

The audience will share stories over delicious food, enjoy and experience a fabulous Fashion Show presented by local and international designers and dance to fun music. Proceeds from our event will be used for the planning of upcoming events that will continue to empower persons within the community and our Dreaming Butterflies Program,” Winter-Thomas said.

The fashion show will feature works from Guyanese designers Quinton Pearson, Pamela Fox, Nadia Winter-Thomas, Rhoda Doxa, Vanda Allicock – Calistro and Habibah Atherly. Trinidadian designer Damian Moore and BVI Designer Markita Smith will also grace the runway with their designers.

Tickets for the event cost $6,000 and can be purchased at Tower Hotel and Rare Finez in Giftland Mall.

About ELC “Empowering to Lead with Confidence” ELC is a volunteer membership-based nonprofit organization started by a group of Professional Guyanese. The organization is about building leadership, encouraging everyone to walk boldly in their talents, focusing on community awareness, empowerment, health & wellness and professional development. The organisations strive to inspire all Guyanese to live a life of purpose so that it can build a generation of men and women who understand their worth, and who are unwilling to compromise their character and uniqueness for the appeasement of others.

Support for the arts ELC’s goals involve creating programs that will be beneficial to the growth of school-age students focusing on the Arts (Music, Visual Arts, Drama).

Encouraging children to embrace their individuality; to express themselves creatively, and follow their artistic dreams. Part of the proceeds of this event will help us to

impact on the developmental growth of every child and has proven to help level the learning field across socio-economic boundaries. Yet, all too often art, music and drama are the first areas affected by budget cuts, leaving children and young adults without the resources necessary to participate in these education enriching programs.

Their Aim is to provide art, music and drama materials free of charge to schools and community organizations.

The Dreaming Butterflies Program is instrumental in increasing access to the benefits of art, music and drama education for thousands of children across the country.

24

Head of the Office of Climate Change (OCC), Janelle Christian as she gave remarks during Saturday’s Earth hour event

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

Lighting of the ‘60+’ emblem

Brandon Harding during his performance

Linden observes ‘Earth Hour’ H

EAD of the Office of Climate Change (OCC), Janelle Christian, has called on Lindeners to be more circumspect about the environment.

“Give consideration to our environment and nature. We have to be cognisant of how our action is impacting on nature,” she urged last Saturday during the hosting of the Earth Hour concert in the mining town of Linden.

Noting that the action of each individual can add up significantly, Christian said it is therefore imperative that everyone tries to do their best to make that difference where the environment is concerned.

The first event of its kind to be held in Linden, the Earth Hour 2019 concert was held on the Courts’ tarmac on Republic Avenue, Mackenzie, under the theme, ‘Connect2Earth’, with the intention of building a mass awareness on the importance of nature and creating an unstoppable movement for nature.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Mayor of Linden, Waynewright Bethune said that climate change is a very important issue and it calls for the human race to change some of their basic practices in order to stop contributing to climate change, if not, “we are endangering our planet.”

He charged the residents to “pay keen attention to grasp some of the practices that we can inherent and some of that we can do from tonight hence forth to ensure that we have a clean environment and to ensure that we have a clean planet.”

According to Christian, the Office of Climate Change (OCC) within the Ministry of the Presidency is responsible for leading the government’s actions as it relates to policies, strategies and plans to adapt to the changing impacts that are evident as a result of climate change.

Christian noted that OCC also is responsible for the sustainable forest management and transitioning to renewable energy which is their way of contributing to the country’s advancement to mitigation ambition.

She added, “however, the important part of our work aside from doing policy type work is to educate the public and the average citizen as it relates to climate change, its impact and what you can do to make a contribution to this global crisis that we are experiencing today.”

The main event on Saturday was the “Lights Out” occasion. The night saw the switching off of non-essential lights from 20:30hrs to 21:30hrs, cultural pieces, performances by guest artistes such as Brandon Harding, and the symbolic lighting of the ‘60+’ emblem.

Commencing as a symbolic light out event in Sydney, Australia in 2007, Earth Hour is now the world’s primary grassroots movement for the environment, inspiring millions of people to take action for our planet and nature. It takes place annually at the end of March.

The first earth hour in Sydney accounted for a reduction of 10.2 percent in the consumption of energy across the city. It is the only event of the year when a maximum number of people around the world participate in a single movement and turn off the lights for an hour.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

25

26

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

27

GFF to sign MoU with UEFA, Denmark in June GUYANA Football Federation (GFF) and Denmark Football Association, along with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) are set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in June, according to president Wayne Forde.

At a press conference held at Pegasus Hotel yesterday, Forde revealed that the GFF “had scheduled an important activity for the development of football in Guyana, today. There was to be a signing of an MoU between the Guyana Football Federation and the Denmark Football Federation.

The only reason why we are not doing that signing today is because president Jesper Moller of Denmark, who is also an executive member of UEFA Council, has been called to an emergency meeting with UEFA that is actually taking place in Denmark.”

The GFF boss noted that the partnership centres on every area of football development and with Howard McIntosh, CONCACAF Senior Football Project manager, efforts are being made to finalise discussions on some of the immediate projects that Guyana and Denmark will be partnering with UEFA. “One category of the projects will be infrastructure. We visited one of the locations where we want to do a massive grassroots development pitch and we are also discussing some of the specific areas of coaching education that we want to put as the first item on the partnership agenda.

“The MoU will be signed in June at the FIFA Congress, which will be held in Paris between myself and president Moller. I was pleased to receive a phone call from the head of UEFA Assist yesterday indicating to us that while Moller had to postpone his visit because of the meeting that is taking place in Denmark, he has communicated through her that he would like Guyana to submit the first projects that we will want the support of Denmark,” said Forde.

Meanwhile, McIntosh said, CONCACAF has been working closely with GFF in the relationship with UEFA and Denmark, and the officials are happy to see that it has reached a point where the agreement will be signed.

McIntosh highlighted that with Forde, he will be making the trip to Paris, France to sign the MOU in the first week of June.

“That is another step in the right direction because without partnerships football cannot be successful or reach the optimal level of success that we all would like to see it become,” the Jamaican said.

28

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

Bowlers, Bairstow give Sunrisers third successive win POOR performance with the bat coupled with a few questionable decisions on the field gave Delhi Capitals their second loss in two games as Sunrisers Hyderabad continued their climb after losing their first game of the season.

Sunrisers put on a clinical display with the ball, picking up regular wickets at the Feroz Shah Kotla to deny any momentum to the home side and eventually to chase down the tricky total with nine balls to spare.

WHERE DID THE CAPITALS GO WRONG? Everywhere. On a spinning surface, the powerplay was possibly the best time to bat and get the maximum number of runs possible.

But Capitals lost both Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan in the first six overs.

While Shaw was bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar after he had hit the Sunrisers skipper for two fours in the opening over, Dhawan fell to a sweep shot against Mohammad Nabi.

And then there was Rish-

abh Pant. Having already fetched some criticism for not dragging Capitals over the line in their previous game against Kings XI Punjab, Pant failed to bat according to the situation once again.

one like Axar Patel who is used to batting on spinning surfaces, Capitals chose the aggressive route on a tough wicket.

Rahul Tewatia was promoted and lasted seven deliveries. Colin Ingram lasted for

Mohammad Nabi claimed two for 21 from his 4 overs.

He went through with a loft shot at a tricky situation and hardly put any power into it which led to his dismissal at the halfway mark, giving Nabi his second wicket.

THE WRONG PROMOTION Instead of sending in some-

eight and then Chris Morris scratched his way around for a 15-ball 17.

This shoddy display made Shreyas Iyer’s 41-ball 43 look all the more valuable.

And then came Axar Patel finally in the 17th over.

The result? An unbeaten 13-ball 23 that managed to

Kelly staying grounded about Grand National prospects

By Ellie Kelly LONDON, England (Reuters) The allure of becoming the first female jockey to win the Grand National would be the dream of many but British jockey Lizzie Kelly is determined that her initial goal is to simply cross the finish line of the showpiece race tomorrow.

I don’t want to get myself into that frame of mind - we have to jump the first, the second and the last,” Kelly, who will ride Tea for Two, told Reuters.

“What is fantastic is that I am riding in my mum’s colours (as owner of Tea for Two) on a horse I adore. If we just get around, that would be magic. My main goal is to stay on board and

Lizzie Kelly celebrates on Siruh Du Lac after winning the 4.10 Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate Handicap Chase at Cheltenham Racecourse, March 14, 2019.

(REUTERS/Eddie Keogh/File photo)

Kelly, regarded as one of the best female jump jockeys around, made history as the first woman to win a top level (Grade 1) race in 2017. She has also claimed victories at Cheltenham, but this will be her greatest challenge yet.

The 25-year-old will be content with making it around in one piece at Aintree, particularly as just five out of 17 female jockeys have finished the race.

“I don’t think I am there with dreaming I could win it.

finish together. But I am looking forward to it.”

Kelly and her horse have shared a remarkable journey since 2013 when she rode him to win his very first race. He was four, Kelly was 19 and studying at university while planning a corporate career, rather than the path of professional jockey.

Tea for Two then helped Kelly become the first female jockey to win a Grade 1 jump race in 2015. The pair entered

the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2017, Kelly being only the second woman to ride in it. A year later they finished a creditable seventh.

“He’s my horse of a lifetime.

I feel sorry for the great horses that come after because they will never be as special as he is to me.

I get very emotional with him because of what he has done for me,” she said.

“I couldn’t ask to do the Grand National on a better horse.”

FALLING DOWN Kelly, an ambassador for Great British Racing, has been unseated twice in high-profile races including last month at Cheltenham.

However, falling is part of the job in jump racing where a jockey might expect a tumble for every 16 rides and Kelly is relaxed about hitting the deck.

“When you’ve fallen at the second fence in the Gold Cup in front of millions of people you know not to get worked up about it,” she said.

“If he falls, he falls. The two times he has managed to get rid of me, has been due to miscommunication and he looks after himself. In fact he’s always managed to dump me and nimbly keep himself off the ground!”

Aintree has been happy hunting ground for Kelly and her horse, having won their second Grade 1 race together there in 2017, and she is not fazed by the occasion.

“This is just another race and I’m going to do what I am good at. If I make a mistake, who cares and if I don’t, I could win,” she said.

push the run rate over six finally as the Capitals finished at 129-8. Apart from this blunder, Capitals were also poor with the way they managed their bowling resources.

While Kagiso Rabada didn’t bowl at all in the first five overs, Ishant Sharma ended up bowling just one in which he picked up a solitary wicket. Decision-making on the field is certainly a key area where Capitals should be looking to make an improvement.

A COSTLY DROP No matter what the conditions are, confidence always does wonders. Jonny Bairstow was the prime example for that yesterday. And with David Warner finally having an off-colour day, Capitals could have made a big breakthrough had they sent back Bairstow very early in the chase. Axar did have an opportunity when the wicketkeeper-batsman hit one back at the bowler but the left-arm spinner dropped the straightforward chance.

In the end, Bairstow proved to be the differ-

ence-maker as he smashed a 28-ball 48. Bairstow clearly was a level above everyone else in the entire game as he appeared to be the only batsman in control. His pyrotechnics provided Sunrisers another great start as they cruised to 62 for no loss in the powerplay.

THE SCRATCHY FINISH With Warner and Bairstow doing a great job at the top this season, there was always talk around Sunrisers’ middle order that had been largely untested.

With just 68 needed from 14 overs with all ten wickets intact, it appeared as if the pattern would continue.

Instead, the home side did manage to put up a fightback and expose the nervy-looking Sunrisers middle-order.

Axar and Tewatia in particular looked in very good rhythm making the most out of the helpful surface. Vijay Shankar and Deepak Hooda didn’t help their side’s cause, by playing loose strokes to press the self-destruct button before Mohammad Nabi calmed the nerves with a few

boundaries to seal the chase.

With the Afghanistan all-rounder proving to be really handy with both bat and ball, regular skipper Kane Williamson might be ready to come back into the XI very soon.

A happy headache to follow a clinical performance!

WHERE THEY GO NEXT? Winning their third game on the trot,. Sunrisers will be fairly confident of making it four in four as they entertain Mumbai Indians next in a home game tomorrow.

Capitals, on the other hand, will be hoping for a reversal in their fortunes as they travel to Bangalore. Considering RCB’s current form, Capitals will fancy their chances to get back to winning ways.

Brief scores: Delhi Capitals 129-8 in 20 overs (Shreyas Iyer 43, Axar Patel 23*; Mohammad Nabi 2-21, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2-27) lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad 131-5 in 18.3 overs (Jonny Bairstow 48; Ishant Sharma 1-5, Rahul Tewatia 1-10) by five wickets. (Cricbuzz.com)

Hungry Warner still has ‘a lot to prove’

HYDERABAD Sunrisers coach, Tom Moody, credits mental resilience and preparation for star opening batsman’s flying start to IPL season.

far.

Tom Moody, the Western Australian all-rounder who was part of Australia’s World Cup winning sides in 1987 and 1999, said Warner

David Warner celebrates his century against Royal Challengers Bangalore. (BCCI photo) David Warner has been was as hungry for success hailed for his mental resil- as ever. ience after returning to the “He is in a very good IPL “with a lot to prove” place. He has come back full following the expiry of his of enthusiasm, full of deter12-month ban for orchestrat- mination and with a lot to ing Australia’s ball-tampering prove,” Moody said, ahead scandal. of Hyderabad’s next match, Warner has made a block- against the Ricky Pontingbuster start to the IPL season, coached Delhi Capitals last hitting 85, 69 and an unbeaten night.

100 in his three matches with “David Warner – and the Sunrisers Hyderabad so I think all top players are

the same – they have got an unquenchable thirst for the game and to have success in the game. That thirst certainly hasn’t been withdrawn by any means.

“He has always had a very positive mindset. He is a very determined and resilient individual.

“I think to endure what he and (Steve) Smith and (Cameron Bancroft) had to over 12 months, there has to be a lot of mental toughness.

“There has to be a lot of resilience. You could very easily find yourself down for long periods of time.”

Moody also hailed Warner’s preparation during his ban to enable him to make a seamless reintroduction to the highest level of cricket he’s played since being suspended.

“We’ve seen over his career what makes him unique as a player. Yes, he’s had to sit out of top-flight cricket, international cricket, for 12 months. But David Warner has been preparing for six months, too, for his comeback,” Moody said.

“He’s played a couple of franchise tournaments over that 12-month period. He has obviously played club cricket in Sydney as well. Okay, it’s not the same standard, but he’s been preparing more mentally and technically.

“His game technically is relatively sound, so it’s the case of getting him sorted mentally and he welcomed the start of this tournament and for him to get back on the horse, so to speak.”

29

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

South Africa close to knowing World Cup squad but doubts remain

By Nick Said

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (Reuters) - South Africa coach Ottis Gibson knows the players he wants to travel to England for the Cricket World Cup, but injuries and loss of form have complicated his 15-man selection.

South Africa, who are due to name their squad on April 18, have not lost a 50-over series in the last 12 months, winning home and away against Sri Lanka, in Australia, and at home to Pakistan and Zimbabwe.

Captain Faf du Plessis has previously described what they see as their blueprint for success - six specialist batsmen, an all-rounder at number seven, three fast bowlers and a spinner.

The bowling lineup picks itself with Imran Tahir providing his controlled leg-spin, and a seam attack of Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and one of veteran Dale Steyn or newcomer Anrich Nortje.

Ngidi (side strain) and Nortje (shoulder) are currently out with injuries though, missing the Indian

Premier League (IPL), and both have a history of breaking down in the recent past.

“I’ve had 15 (players in mind) for a while now, but we’ve got to sit with fingers crossed,” Gibson recently told reporters.

“We have a camp on May 12, and we want to make sure that there are no niggling injuries. We don’t want to be taking injuries into a World Cup, so hopefully that will take care of itself.”

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis (R) reacts next to the team’s coach Ottis Gibson after Sri Lanka beat them. (REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte/File photo)

“We’ve asked the guys who have gone off (to the IPL) to make sure that they still remember what the biggest picture is with regard to the Proteas setup.

Opening batsman Hashim Amla has been a stalwart at the top of the order for the last decade, but his form in all formats has been called into question in the past year.

In ODI cricket he has managed a single century in his previous 16 innings, dating back to the start of 2018, at an average of 35.26.

Counting in his favour though is an impressive average of 63.44 in England.

Those who have been given a run of games to contest his opening spot, Reeza Hendricks and Aiden Markram, have not grasped their opportunities despite hugely impressive domestic form.

There are also questions over the number three position, with the same duo also in contention for that along with the inexperienced, but in-form, Rassie van der Dussen.

Dussen made his debut less than three months ago but could be asked to play a pivotal role in one of the key batting positions in the lineup.

JP Duminy, who provides a second spin option as well as being a frontline batsman, is undergoing strength training on a troublesome shoulder.

South Africa open their World Cup against England at The Oval on May 30.

Pomeroon Oil Mill win George Alphonso Memorial 10/10 title

Pomeroon Oil Mill players and supporters celebrate their title.

POWERHOUSE Pomeroon Oil Mill drilled their way to winning the George Alphonso 10/10 memorial title last Sunday at Charity Community Centre ground.

Witnessed by a large crowd, the annual tournament featured four teams. In the first match, Black Scorpions stung Teneze Ferme to win by 6 runs. After batting first, the Scorpions made 120-7 from their 10 overs with an explosive 54 (5x4, 3x6) from Kaysh Rooplall. In reply, Teneze Ferme reached 114-6 from their 10 overs and fell agonisingly short despite fluent innings of 28 (4x4) from Wayne Narine and Barry Alphonso 27 (3x4).

In the other play-off Pomeroon Oil Mill comfortably won against Friendship Super Kings after registering 1253 in their 10 overs and restricted the Kings to 97-6 when their overs expired.

In the final, Pomeroon Oil Mill then posted 103-7 from their 10 overs with an attacking 42 (6x4, 2x6) from Aubrey Rodrigues and Ryan Tang making 18 (3x4). Medium fast bowler Kaysho Rooplall claimed 3-21 from 2 overs for Black

Scorpions.

In reply, Scorpions perished for 54 all out from 9 overs as steady bowling from Jamal Narine 3-19, Aubrey Rodrigues 2-12 and Gregory Benjamin 2-15 removed the sting from the Scorpions to record a 49-run victory for the champions.

At the presentation, Aubrey Rodrigues was adjudged Manof-the-match. The Most Valuable Prize went to Eric Gomes, while Ronald Kanhai received the best batsman prize with 71 runs in the competition, and Ronaldo Joseph the best bowler’s prize with 4 wickets.

The winning trophy and $60 000 went to Pomeroon Oil Mill while Black Scorpions received $30 000. Friendship Super Kings received $10 000 for placing third.

The competition is played annually in honour of the late George Alphonso who formerly represented the Pomeroon Cricket Committee as a player and later as an executive member.

Veteran sports coach Johnny ‘Overseas’ Barnwell to celebrate 73rd birth anniversary with month of activities THE name Johnny `Overseas’ Barnwell has over the years become a household name in the sporting fraternity and the man behind the name will be celebrating his 73rd birth anniversary on April 14 in a big way, with a month of activities.

Barnwell visited Chronicle offices and shared how he intends to celebrate.

This father of 18 biological children said the first activity kicks off on Saturday April 6 at 09.30hrs with a day of sports at GNS Sports Complex on Carifesta Avenue.

Veteran coach/sports organiser Johnny `Overseas’ Barnwell to celebrate his 73 rd birthday on April 14.

The games include seven-a-side football competitions between school teams and teams in the area. Some of the schools to participate will be: Chase Academy, Charlestown, Kingston, St John’s, Bishops’ High and East Ruimveldt.

A four-over tapeball cricket and a three-over softball cricket for girls are also planned. At stakes are trophies and medals donated by the National Sports Commission (NSC).

The PRO and sports organiser of the South Turkeyen Sports Committee said the fun continues next Saturday, April 13 with a joint venture between South Turkeyen Sports Committee and United Football Club, Mahaicony at the Mahaicony Community Centre ground where similar activities will be run off.

The participating teams will pay an entrance fee of $5 000 each. The teams will come from Mahaica to Number 5 Village. He said a fourover tapeball cricket competition between the Under-15 and Under-17 is also scheduled and the feature game pits

United Football Club against an undisclosed team.

The veteran coach, who believes he is the oldest active coach and sports organser in Guyana also has planned a dominoes competition involving teams from all Ministries to be held on April 11 and 12 at the Veterans Hall in Carifesta Avenue.

Admission for the Saturday 6th event is $200 while a small fee of $100 is being charged for the Saturday 13th event. All the proceeds, he said, will go to United Football Club which is in need of a lot of things.

Barnwell said the Ministry of Public Health has donated some of the trophies.

The activities are organised by Toney Sheldon and Johnny `Overseas’ Barnwell .

Barnwell said he has been involved in sports for over 40 years organising, coaching and teaching and he is happy to be 73 years and is still continuing in sports.

At present Barnwell works as Games master and physical exercise teacher at Queen’s College and he has been there for over 12 years.

He boasts of starting five-a-side football in Guyana with street teams. He has coached many national footballers and among some of schools he coached are President’s College, Bishops’ High, and St. George’s.

Barnwell says his love for sports keeps him going.

“I’ve been in it so long. If I see things going wrong I must always keep putting an input”.

Barnwell says he has a lot more activities up his sleeves such as a football competition for private schools and much more in the future.

He said he is inspired to work with youths in the depressed communities. “In those same areas we will find a Mike Tyson, a Usain Bolt, a Pele,” he said.

Barnwell said he acquired the name ‘Overseas’ because he used to travel a lot in his younger days.

Persons who wish to contribute to the activities can contact him on 666 2950 for the necessary information.

30

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

Genequip powers Bartica Easter Regatta 2019

AS the momentum continues to build ahead of what is anticipated to be the biggest and best Bartica Easter Regatta ever, the new Organising Committee, Town Council of Bartica, has been gradually attracting sponsorship to take care of its multi-million dollar budget.

Following last week’s first press briefing, the nine

contestants for the Miss Bartica Regatta Pageant were introduced at the Pegasus Hotel, Genequip took the opportunity to present its sponsorship to His Worship, Mayor Gifford Marshall.

Making the presentation was Accounts Manager of Genequip, Harold Babulall, who said that his company was very pleased to be associated

with the Easter spectacle which attracts thousands of Guyanese including hundreds from the Diaspora.

“Our contribution towards Regatta is to help develop the product and make it more successful as well as to see it expand even more.”

Mayor Marshall expressed gratitude on behalf of his Council and the people of Bartica to Babulall and Gen-

Accounts Manager, Harold Babulall, hands over sponsorship cheque to Mayor Gifford Marshall in the presence pf Regatta Committee Organising Secretary Ciana Persaud (2nd right) and some of the Pageant contestants.

equip.

“I wish to congratulate Genequip and the private sector for their continued support as we make Regatta 2019 a success. This Regatta, of course, will cost millions of dollars in investment and we’re very, very grateful for this support.”

Meanwhile, activities on the sports front are expected to get cracking at the Bartica Community Centre ground with cricket, dominoes and volleyball.

Dominoes would be contested at the Inter-Department level with a first place prize of $50 000 and second being $30 000. Cricket would be played at the inter-club level with prizes for first and second pegged at $100 000 and $50 000, respectively.

Some six teams will face off in the volleyball tournament, namely Impact, Under-19 Warriors, Almanac Kings, Rough Neck, Bartica Secondary and Three Miles Secondary.

At stake are prizes for the first- and second-placed teams of $75 000 & trophy and $50 000 & trophy respectively. The Most Valuable Player of the final would receive a trophy.

Former athletes planning Independence Day ‘Old School versus New School’ athletic championship

By Joe Chapman

COME Independence Day, May 26, two former track athletes from Mackenzie High School (MHS) and Christianburg/Wismar Secondary (Multi) are putting together what they term the inaugural ‘Old School/New School’ Track and Field Championship, which will be staged at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground.

The former athletes Shawn ‘Baldhead’ McNeil who attended MHS and Floyd Cameron who is a past student of Multi came up with the idea as they reminisced at the good old days when they were fierce competitors.

Speaking to Chronicle Sport, McNeil said, “We started at the Under-11s to compete against each other, then at secondary school and as such, over the years Floyd began giving back basically to Multi items such as running shoes and I did likewise, to get trophies for MHS athletes from time to

time. So we thought instead of doing things individually, he at Multi and I at MHS, we decided to do something to let both schools benefit.”

Floyd Cameron

It was from this aspect of donating to their alma mater that McNeil said, “We decided to host a championship in our names and pit the two schools against each other. We call it the “Old School, New School” track athletic championship.

Events for past athletes

will be the Over-20, Over40, Over-50 and the normal events for the athletes who are currently attending school.

Shawn McNeil

“Our plan is to give each school nothing less than $100 000 that will go towards their individual track and field programme. That is our plan and it is also our desire to feed the athletes on the day of the championship and not let that be the task of the schools.”

McNeil also hinted that while it is our plan to feed the athletes, we are looking to create a menu that is going to be beneficial for the athletes on that day.”

M c N e i l a d d e d , “ We also plan to recognise eight former athletes, two males and two females from each school. Instead of giving athletes a trophy we plan to give them a tablet and it is about six tablets which we have catered for in our budget.”

The former standout MHS track and field athlete further informed that they also intend to give the two schools one Smart flat screen television to help with the track and field programme.

They have already approached Multi Track Club and Ministry of Education, who are excited about the planned championship.

He said, “Both schools are on board and hopefully everything works out the way it is planned to have a successful championship.”

Two GCA finals set for this weekend TWO exciting competitions are expected to culminate this weekend in the capital city when the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) hosts back-to-back finals.

Everest Cricket Club (ECC) will play the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) tomorrow, starting at 14:30hrs in the New Building Society second-division 40-over cricket final.

The day-and-night clash will see the second innings under lights at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) ground.

Dwayne Adams will lead the Everest Cricket Club team in the 40-over final.

Devon Lord will captain GCC second-division side.

GCC had a tough battle against the Muslim Youth Organisation (MYO) in the second semi-final (one-wicket win) on Sunday evening, while the day before Everest had surprised Police Sports Club with a 56-run win.

In a junior battle, GCC will tackle DCC in the Noble House Seafoods U-19 Generation Next 50-over cricket final on Sunday from 09:30hrs at the GCC ground, Bourda.

Several junior West Indies cricketers and junior national cricketers will be in action.

Presentation ceremonies will be held after both games.

Meanwhile, Noble House Seafoods second division two-day cricket competition is scheduled to continue this weekend, with MYO hosting Ace Warriors from 11:00hrs.

American Racing Tips Keenland Race 1 Resurrection Road Race 2 Lady Pauline Race 3 Golden Curl Race 4 Oh My Race 5 Sergio Race 6 Del Mar May Race 7 Arklow Race 8 U S Navy Cross Race 8 The Black Album Arab Emirates Racing Tips Meydan 10:30 hrs Compliance 11:05 hrs Dolmen 11:40 hrs Riflescope 12:15 hrs Gundogdu 12:50 hrs Ajwad 13:25 hrs Iftitah 14:00 hrs Muqaatil Irish Racing Tips Wexford 10:35 hrs Halsafari 11:10 hrs Lethal Steps 11:45 hrs Edelpour 12:20 hrs Ask Nile 12:50 hrs Scotch Quay 13:20 hrs A Girl Like Me 13:50 hrs Crazyheart 14:20 hrs Valentina Lady

South Africa Racing Tips Greyville 11:15 hrs Ad Altisima 11:50 hrs Canadian Bolt 12:25 hrs Techno Captain 13:05 hrs Expresso Martini 13:40 hrs Banjo On My Knee 14:10 hrs Making Waves 14:45 hrs Leslies Pathofame English Racing Tips 15:15 hrs Spam Alert Aintree 08:45 hrs Espirit Du Large 09:20 hrs Aramon 09:50 hrs Topofthegame 10:25 hrs Waiting Patiently 11:05 hrs Kilcrea Vale 11:40 hrs Emitom 12:15 hrs Master Debonair Leicester 09:00 hrs Zulu Zander 09:30 hrs Mr Buttons 10:05 hrs Themaxwecan 10:40 hrs Natural History 11:15 hrs Kupa River 11:50 hrs Star Shield 12:25 hrs Oasis Prince 12:55 hrs Dashing Poet Sedgefield 09:10 hrs King’s Coinage 09:40 hrs Inessa 10:15 hrs Cashmir Du Clos 10:50 hrs Dead Right 12:00 hrs Shaiyzar 12:35 hrs Chanceanotherfive

31

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, April 5, 2019

Holder relishes English county stint with Northants LONDON, England (CMC) – West Indies captain Jason Holder said his upcoming stint with English county side Northamptonshire was a big opportunity that he welcomed with open arms.

The 27-year-old all-rounder was speaking following his arrival in England to play for Northants in their first two County Championship matches and six One-day Cup games before he is expected to lead the Windies into the 2019 ICC World Cup in England and Wales.

“I’m very thrilled,” said Holder. “It’s always been a childhood dream of mine to play in the County Championship, and now I’ve finally gotten the opportunity and the time span to see what it is all about.

“I’m really looking forward to the challenge and it will be a great task to play in foreign conditions. I’ve played in England before, but I’ve never played in the County Championship, and hopefully I can make a home of Northants.”

He added: “I just feel this is ideal for my preparation leading into the World Cup. It’s a perfect opportunity to get acclimatised to the conditions in England. I’ve heard so many things about County Cricket and it’s the perfect place to get ready for the World Cup. “I wanted to play in the Indian Premier League, but that did not materialise, so I had a secondary plan to play in the County Championship.

It’s something I have always

Jason Holder relishes his brief stint with Northamptonshire in the English County Championship.

wanted to do, I have finally gotten the opportunity, so hopefully I can make use of it and put in some good performances and win some games for Northants.”

Holder said he was well aware that he was following in the footsteps of some illustrious former Windies players such as Sir Curtly Ambrose, Winston Davis, Roger Harper and Eldine Baptiste.

He has also acknowledged the role that the En-

8th annual Baker’s Cycling Classic set for Sunday in Linden

THE Linden Bauxite Flyers Cycling Club will stage its second cycling activity for the year when the members collaborate with the Baker family to present the 8th Annual Bakers’ Memorial Classic on Sunday in Linden.

The race programme will see competition for male and

female cyclists in the juveniles, juniors, seniors and veterans categories. Racing cyclists and BMX categories are included in the day’s activities.

Entrance fee per cyclist is $2 500 which includes lunch. The main sponsors are the Baker Family, Terry Mohabir, Brian McRae, Spen-

cers Lumber Yard, Ramesh Raymond and Fresh from the West.

The cyclists will pedal off at 09:00hrs from the Telecoms bus stop in Retrieve Linden and journey for 60 miles on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway and back. (Joe Chapman)

glish County Championship played in the development of the international game in the Caribbean and hoped he too can benefit from the experience.

“I’ve seen the history and heritage of West Indians that have come through County programmes and it’s a pretty good feeling to be a part of it,” he adds.

“Hopefully I can help as much as I can at Northamptonshire and get a few wins in the dressing room.”

Northants open the season against Middlesex today on home soil campaign at Wantage Road.

GFF to sign MoU with UEFA, Denmark in June Justice of fair play now prevails following High Court ruling - Raphael

By Rajiv Bisnauth FORMER chairman of selectors of the Guyana Cricket Board, Claude Raphael, feels that Justice of fair play now prevails following the High Court ruling on Wednesday that the executives of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) are illegal and cannot hold themselves out to be office-bearers or to do anything as it relates to the operations of the GCB because their last elections were unlawful, illegal, null, void and to no legal effect.

The matter was brought before High Court Judge, Justice Fidela Corbin, by Attorney Arudranauth Gossai on behalf of Secretary of the Berbice Cricket Board, Rabindranauth Saywack, who claimed that the GCB was operating in contravention of the Guyana Cricket Administration Act established in 2014.

He also challenged the appointment of Stephen Lewis as Cricket Ombudsman, to which the High Court also ruled that the appointment was also declared unlawful, null, void and to no legal effect.

“Now that the court has ruled that the board was illegal I think Justice of fair play now prevails. We have been saying this for all the years and we were asking for free, fair and fresh elections, so I am very happy that eventually the court has made its ruling,” Raphael said, in an exclusive interview with Chronicle Sport at his Charlotte Street office.

Raphael, a former director of the regional board, added: “As long as you have free and fair elections, the people will sound their voices, so it certainly cannot operate within a field that is illegal.”

Under the Guyana Cricket Administration Act (GCAA), two ombudsmen are appointed, the first of which is a Cricket Ombudsman, whose sole responsibility was the verification of the Register of Clubs and performing the function of Returning Officer for the first election of the members of the GCB. “Thereafter the ombudsman will have no further part to play in respect to the holding of subsequent elections of the

Page

27

CONCACAF Senior Project manager Howard McIntosh (L) and GFF president Wayne Forde

GCB.” The GCB held elections in January 2018 without a Cricket Ombudsman being appointed. The Cricket Ombudsman is to be appointed

by Guyana’s Minister of Sport in concert with the president of the West Indies Cricket Board.

Lewis was only appointed Cricket Ombudsman on May 3, 2018, four months after the GCB elected its executive committee.

Claude Raphael In light of the improper appointment, Saywack also claimed that since the commencement of the GCAA in 2014, there has been no election of the GCB and currently there is no validly elected executive committee of the GCB. The GCB has not had a proper constituted or what many observers have labelled “free and fair” elections for the past ten years.

Staging of the GCB elections was faced with a major setback with the resignation of Guyana’s first-ever Cricket Ombudsman, Dr Winston McGowan.

Dr McGowan was appointed in 2005 by -then Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr Frank Anthony, and his appointment was subsequently approved by the-then Cabinet.

He was previously charged with overseeing the elections of the various county boards and the GCB, in accordance with the Cricket Administration Act which was successfully passed in the National Assembly by the previous government in May 2014, and assented to by then President Donald Ramotar in August of that year.

The GCB has not held elections since 2009 owing to the numerous court injunctions.

Denmark Football Association president Jesper Moller

Antigua & Barbuda win, Dominica lose in CONCACAF U-17 matches BRADENTON, Florida, (CMC) – Dillan Hadeed struck in stoppage time to spur Antigua & Barbuda to a 2-1 victory over Belize on the second day of matches in Group B of the CONCACAF Under-17 Championship qualifier on Wednesday.

After playing for over an hour with the scores level at 1-1, Hadeed scored in the seventh minute of injury time to earn the Antiguans a crucial three points.

Ratijah Davis gave the Benna Boys the lead in the 11th minute, but Henry David Palma equalised for Belize from the penalty spot in the 28th minute.

Both teams embarked on a wave of attacks on each other’s

Part of the action in the match between The Dominican Republic and Dominica.

goal until Hadeed broke through to leave the Antiguans on a high.

In the day’s other action, a strong performance powered The Dominican Republic past English-speaking Caribbean rival Dominica 3-0.

Goals from Juan Luis Crispin Mota in the 13th minute and Isaac Baez in the 30th made it 2-0 at the break.

Carlos Liriano sealed the deal for the Spanish-speaking side with a tally in the 87th minute.

Group B resumes action today, with Belize clashing with The Dominican Republic and Dominica taking on Antigua & Barbuda.

Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 2 2 6- 3243-9 (General); Editorial: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216. Fax:2 2 7- 5208

FRIDAY, APRIL 5, 2019