Guyana Chronicle_Epaper_04_07_2019

7th April, 2019

No.105600

‘Life-saving’ Manari Bypass commissioned

–– Minister Allicock hails development as ‘bridge to good life’

–– will significantly boost commerce in Lethem

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An aerial view of the Manari Bypass, Region Nine, which was commissioned on Saturday (DPI photo)

Investment 02 Abuser trying to 13 Education at UG opportunities in escape in police should be free 12 hydro, road links vehicle shot dead PAGE

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–– students on mission to push gov’t to remove tuition fees

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 7, 2019

Investment opportunities in hydro, road links –– Minister Jordan tells Islamic Development Bank

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U YA N A has asked the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) to consider investing in three mini-hydropower systems and road links in hinterland communities, Finance Minister Winston Jordan said in his address at the 44th Annual Meeting of the Islamic Bank Group in Marrakesh, Morocco.

The country has also made a pitch for the IsDB to invest in the construction of several potable water and sanitation systems, a reverse-linkage programme in halal ecosystems, and a reverse-linkage programme in technical and vocational training. The latter will place emphasis on addressing the critical needs of the emerging oil and gas sector.

Minister Jordan said the proposals have been made at a time when the IsDB is working with Guyana to develop an appropriate development agenda, as well as a plan of action and implementation.

“Guyana looks to the esteemed President of this august institution and his skilled and hard-working

staff to support our ambitious programmes, and we look to your respected Excellencies to formulate the policies to support the work of the IsDB among its member countries,” he said.

The finance minister noted that there are thousands of years of experience and tested technologies that exist in this Re-

verse linkage programme (funded by Malaysia (US$0.3M), the IsDB (US$0.28M) and Guyana (a matching amount)), to make the rice industry more resilient, productive and competitive.

Additionally, in 2018, Guyana received a programming mission to begin preparation for several new projects to respond

America and the Caribbean offers a convenient gateway for public and private sector partners to collaborate and invest, thereby expanding their market opportunities and access scarce resources. He said to realise its potential, it is imperative for the country to develop its climate-resilient infrastructure, and

the consequential reshaping of domestic regulations and the appropriation of indigenous knowledge for profit,” he said.

He said now the world begins to reap the whirlwind of a global marketplace that bypasses distributional justice with disruptions in geopolitical stability and defaults on agreements to govern the global commons.

“We see fragmentation, instead of collaboration and unity, and the rise of a chauvinistic brand of nationalism,” he stated.

Minister Jordan told the IsDB member states that it is clear that business as usual will not suffice. “We must applaud the vision of the President, who is steering the Islamic Bank Group on a path that recognises the importance of the environment, and to building partnerships and south-south relations towards the realisation of economies that are resilient, that champion trade with the awareness that people are central to all our policies, programmes and actions; and that address labour market failures by targeting job creation and Finance Minister Winston Jordan (centre) seated next to Ambassador, Dr. Shamir Ally, along with another global value chains.”

He added: “These proofficial at the Islamic Development Bank’s Annual General Meeting in Marrakesh, Morocco grammes and financial rine-port development to the current challenges food and energy security. instruments of the IsDB to improve shipping and that are rooted in insuffi- He said the country also will not deepen societal competitiveness,” the fi- cient national resources needs an empowered and divisions nor undermine nance minister said. and a diminishing pool of skilled labour force and domestic social bargains, multilateral and bilateral increased capacity for in the way that implemententrepreneurship, inno- ing current World Trade support.

TREMENDOUS Noting that Guyana vation and creativity.

Organisation (WTO) and SUPPORT banking rules seem to be Since Guyana became is open for business, the doing.”

INCONVENIENT a member of the IsDB in finance minister told the He urged the IsDB and TRUTHS 2016, the country has re- Islamic Bank Group that Meanwhile, on the its partners and member ceived tremendous sup- the country looks forward to its development part- global front, Minister states to find ways for port.

In 2018, three opera- ners, including the IsDB, Jordan told the world countries to leapfrog into tions were approved, en- to build on its regional leaders that since the last the 21st century and beA 16-year-old Fifth former of a secondary school on the abling Guyana to benefit comparative advantage in annual meeting, there yond with clear-sighted Essequibo Coast, who was missing for eight days, was from a grant to upgrade natural-resource endow- have been some “incon- and even prescient recfound by police at Onderneeming, Essequibo Coast and modernise the Palms; ment, including pristine venient truths” of glo- ognition of the necessity a US$20M installment forests, abundant fresh balisation’s free trade of adjusting to emerging on Saturday.

According to the aunt of the teen, the family received a sale operation to expand water, large arable agri- agreements, which have global imperatives and changes. call to visit the police station and when they reached there, and upgrade the electricity cultural lands and a wide become more evident.

The IsDB AGM com“The developed econtransmission and distribu- variety of flora, fauna and they were told that the teen has been found. mineral resources. menced on April 3 under omies have championed tion system, thereby leadThe aunt said the teen has returned home safely He noted that Guythe theme, “Transformatrade without attention to ing to improvement in the but is telling conflicting stories. She was taken to the ana’s strategic geo-phystion in a changing world: people; and trade arrangequality and reliability of Suddie Hospital for a medical check-up. the energy supply received ical and geo-political ments have been extended The road to SDGs.” It by customers; and a re- location within Latin into national borders, with ended on Saturday.

Missing Charity teen found at Onderneeming

gion, from which Guyana and other member states can benefit.

“In the pipeline are opportunities for a waqf investment programme to support our elder-care initiatives; highway construction to open thousands of hectares of agricultural land, while linking communities and markets; and ma-

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 7, 2019

‘Life-saving’ Manari Bypass commissioned –– Minister Allicock hails development as ‘bridge to good life’

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By Vanessa Braithwaite

N what has been deemed a life-saving piece of infrastructure, the Manari Bypass in Central Rupununi was on Saturday commissioned by several ministers of government and regional officials.

Residents of Lethem and the Rupununi praised the government for showing care and compassion for their lives, since the old road snatched the lives of many of their relatives and friends.

The Manari Bypass, which is a four-meter wide and one-kilometre-long carriageway with shoulders, was constructed by JR Ranch to the tune of $80 million.

It was constructed two meters above flood level, and according to Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson, it is the highest thoroughfare in Lethem.

The bypass will be part of the Linden-to-Lethem Highway and in the near future, is expected to bring a plethora of economic benefits to the town and region at large.

The project was a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Natural Resources and the

to Lethem.

“Far too many years, lives, limbs and property, have been lost at this very spot. The Government of Guyana has heard the cries of those hurt and affected and we were determined that we would respond,” Trotman said.

Roads do not only link places, but can also take lives and this government, he said, is committed to ensuring that road usage becomes safer, not only on the coastland, but in the hinterland regions as well.

Since taking office, this is a second dangerous turn the government would have made safer in Rupununi. Several lives were lost at the other as well.

“Minister Patterson and I are aware of the problems and we are working to fix them, one kilometre and one hectare at a time; we are working on giving you the good life that we promised,” Trotman affirmed ROAD TO GOOD LIFE Minister Allicock described the Manari Bypass as the ‘road to the good life’, which will open avenues for empowerment and economic development for Lethem and other villages in Central Rupununi.

Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock and junior Minister within his ministry Garrido-Lowe presenting two welfare officers with motorcycles Ministry of Public Infrastructure. Both Minister Patterson and Minister Raphael Trotman were present for the commissioning, along with Guyana Geology and Mines Commissioner, Newell Dennison. Present as well were Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin; Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Sidney Allicock and his junior minister, Valarie Garrido-Lowe. They were joined by Mayor of Lethem, John Macedo, and Regional Chairman, Bryan Allicock, along with other regional officials.

The former road was a very narrow stretch that led from a wooden bridge in a very peculiar angle. Road users, who are not familiar with the terrain, especially at nights, became victims to accidents, many of which were fatal.

Minister Trotman, in his brief address, stated that the commissioning of the road before the Lethem Rodeo was important, as hundreds of visitors are expected.

One life lost is far too many and hence, his government has ensured that it is safer to travel

“For those of us who feels it, knows it; and to have a road like this, means a better life… this means we are going to higher heights and that is all a way to a good life” he posited.

Allicock expressed appreciation to both Minister Patterson and Trotman, for listening to the calls and the cries of the residents. Allicock reassured the residents that with the emergence of the oil sector, asphalted roads will soon come to their communities and projects such as these are just a preparation of greater things in store.

He urged the residents to remain patient, as the government pushes forward to bring the good life to them.

“More roads will come, more trails will be developed into roads, more people will come, a better life will come and I would like to assure you, that as long as we are there, we are going to be a part of this development,” Allicock said PROJECTS IN STORE

This child cuts the ceremonial ribbon to officially open the Manari Bypass as Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman and Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson and others look on Minister David Patterson stressed on the continuous collaboration with projects between his ministry and the Ministry of Natural Resources in Region Nine, and said it is with pleasure he is associated with the project.

His government’s aim, he said, is to improve the livelihood of citizens, not only on the coastland but in the hinterland regions. Patterson related that there are several infrastructural projects ongoing and in store for Lethem in 2019.

The main carriage way in Lethem is currently being extended by JR Ranch, to the tune of $187M. It is 60 per cent complete. The project to pave the road and do the mediums has already been tendered and should be awarded next week. This project will be completed to the tune of $208M. The contract was already awarded for a concrete Manari bridge to the tune of $106M. “There is one thing you will know about my ministry and the Ministry of Natural Resources and this government, we build things to last, so we are building a concrete bridge. That contract has been awarded and signed, and the contrac-

tor will be mobilising quite shortly,” Patterson related.

Soon, he said, the advertisement for the installation of a 1.5 megawatt solar farm in Lethem, will be sent out. The project will cost the government just under US$1M. Zooming in on the highly-anticipated Linden-Lethem Road, Patterson said that the first 125 km has started.

A local consultancy firm is doing the design which is anticipated to be completed in three months. This will be followed by tendering in September 2019.

“So we are keeping a promise,” Patterson told the gathering.

While the contract has been awarded for the concrete Manari bridge, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure will be strengthening the current bridge in time for Rodeo.

The installation of road signage will also be done to better guide visitors. Ministers Garrido-Lowe and Allicock also presented two welfare officers with motorcycles to better assist them with their work in serving the region.

The audience and head-table at the commissioning ceremony

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, April 7, 2019

Israel PM vows to annex West Bank settlements if re-elected (BBC) Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will annex Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank if he is re-elected.

Israelis go to the polls on Tuesday and Mr Netanyahu is competing for votes with right-wing parties who support annexing part of the West Bank.

The settlements are illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.

Last month the US recognised the occupied Golan Heights, seized from Syria in 1967, as Israeli territory.

Israel has settled about 400,000 Jews in West Bank settlements, with another 200,000 living in East Jerusalem. There are about 2.5 million Palestinians living in the West Bank.

Palestinians want to establish a state in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem

and the Gaza Strip.

What happens to the settlements is one of the most contentious issues between Israel and the Palestinians Palestinians say the presence of settlements make a future independent state impossible.

Israel says the Palestinians are using the issue of settlements as a pretext to avoid direct peace talks. It says settlements are not a genuine obstacle to peace and are negotiable.

What exactly did Netanyahu say?

He was asked during an interview on Israeli TV why he had not extended Israeli sovereignty to large settlements in the West Bank.

"You are asking whether we are moving on to the next stage - the answer is yes, we will move to the next stage," he said.

"I am going to extend [Israeli] sovereignty and I don't distinguish between settlement blocs and the isolated settlements."

A spokesman for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas told Reuters: "Any measures and any announcements will not change the facts. Settlements are illegal and they will be removed."

"I am going to extend [Israeli] sovereignty and I don't distinguish between settlement blocs and the isolated settlements."

A spokesman for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas told Reuters: "Any measures and any announcements will not change the facts. Settlements are illegal and they will be removed."

Sunday, April 7, 2019 - 05:30hrs

Potentially explosive comments

By Sebastian Usher, BBC Arab affairs editor These comments by Benjamin Netanyahu are potentially explosive over an issue that has helped stall peace efforts for years.

They will resonate with several parties with which he'll try to form a coalition government if he wins the biggest share of votes.

But the very idea of annexation will rouse new Palestinian fury, as well as international condemnation.

Mr Netanyahu may have been emboldened by the Trump administration, which just last month recognised Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

What is the political background?

Mr Netanyahu's rightwing Likud party is in a tight race with the new centre-right Blue and White alliance.

However other parties, some of which support annexation, could end up being kingmakers when they try to form a governing coalition.

In Mr Netanyahu's own Likud party, 28 out of the 29 lawmakers running for re-election are on record as supporting this approach.

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Until now the prime minister was the only exception.

What is the situation of peace negotiations?

Mr Trump's administration is preparing to unveil a long-awaited Middle East peace plan, which US officials say will be fair.

However the Trump administration has carried out a series of actions that have inflamed Palestinian opinion and generally pleased Israel.

In 2017 Mr Trump announced that the US recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital, overturning decades of official US policy.

In response Mr Abbas cut off relations with the US, saying the US could no longer be a peace broker.

Last year the US stopped contributing to the UN Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa), which has been looking after Palestinian refugees since 1949.

Last month President Trump officially recognised Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights.

Peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians have been at a standstill since 2014, when a US-brokered attempt to reach a deal collapsed.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, April 7, 2019

'Air Cocaine' pilots sentenced to six years in drug smuggling trial (BBC) Two former air force pilots have been sentenced to six years in prison by a French court after 26 suitcases stashed with cocaine were found on board their plane in the Dominican Republic.

The Frenchmen, Pascal Fauret and Bruno Odos, fled the country following the raid and were rearrested in France.

A further five people have also been handed sentences for their involvement.

Ringleader Ali Bouchareb was given 18 years in prison. His accomplice Frank Colin was handed a 12-year sentence.

Two others were acquitted after the seven-week trial.

The case, dubbed "Air

Pascal Fauret (r) and Bruno Odos (c) fled the Dominican Republic after narcotics were found on their plane

Cocaine" was reported in March 2013 when police in the Dominican beach resort of Punta Cana opened suitcases on board a Falcon jet to find them stuffed with 680kg of cocaine.

The plane was grounded

as it was about to leave for Saint-Tropez in the south of France, and the two pilots and two passengers were arrested.

But while on bail, Fauret and Odos fled the country.

They were rearrested in No-

vember 2015 upon their return to the French mainland.

All four denied knowing that the suitcases were filled with narcotics. However a judge in the Dominican Republic ruled that they were responsible for what was on board their plane and sentenced them in absentia to 20 years in jail.

At the time of the arrest in France, the pilots' lawyer said they had returned to France "not to flee justice but to seek justice".

Five French magistrates deliberated the case for 11 hours before handing down their verdict on Friday.

Relatives of Fauret could be heard shouting "we will not leave you there Pascal", Le Monde reported.

Brazil textbooks 'to be revised to deny 1964 coup' (BBC) Brazil's Education Minister Ricardo Vélez says school textbooks will be revised so that children are taught "a wider version of history".

Mr Vélez denies that the 1964 military ousting of democratically elected President João Goulart was a coup.

He also refers to the 21 years of military rule which followed as "a democratic regime by force".

His comments come days after far-right President Jair Bolsonaro announced the coup's anniversary would be celebrated.

'Institutional shift' or coup Mr Vélez told news magazine Valor Económico that school textbooks should "rescue the vision" of the events in 1964 so children could develop a "true and real idea" of what happened.

"Brazilian history shows that what happened on 31 March 1964 was a sovereign decision by Brazilian society," he told Valor Económico [in Portuguese].

While President Goulart was deposed without blood being shed on the night of 31 March 1964, the 21 years of military rule which followed were marked by brutal repression and heavy censorship.

More than 400 people disappeared or were killed, and thousands more were detained and tortured before democracy was restored in 1985, according to the find-

Education Minister Ricardo Vélez denies the ousting of President Goulart was a coup

ings of a 2014 national truth commission.

Mr Vélez described military rule as "a democratic regime by force which was necessary at the time" and said the toppling of President Goulart was "an institutional shift, not a coup against the constitution at the time".

He said there would be a "progressive shift" in school textbooks to reflect "a wider version of history".

The president of the Bra-

zilian Association of Textbooks, Cândido Grangeiro, was critical of Mr Vélez's plan, saying that any changes to didactic material were as a rule based on wide academic research and not on opinions.

He said his organisation was "opposed to any type of revisionism based on opinions".

'Nazis were leftists' It is not the first time the government of President Bolsonaro has been accused of revisionism.

The president himself caused outrage earlier this week when he echoed comments made by his Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo, who described Nazism as a leftist movement.

Asked by reporters following a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and museum in Israel whether he agreed with Mr Araújo comments, Mr Bolsonaro answered "There is no doubt, right?"

He said that the name of

the Nazi party was National Socialist Party of Germany, implying that it had a socialist ideology.

His statement contradicted the information inside the museum he had just visited, which says that Nazism arose from radical right-wing groups in Germany angered by the rise of communism.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, April 7, 2019

The National Youth Corps THE future of any society is heavily dependent on the actions of its young people. In the case of Guyana — having geographically, politically, ethnically, and culturally diverse circumstances — government has a duty to ensure that the country’s youth have equitable opportunities to contribute to the development of their communities, regions, and ultimately, the nation. With this in mind, the launch of Guyana’s National Youth Corps (NYC)

by President David Granger on March 28 at the Kuru Kuru Training Centre, can be viewed as the result of government recognising that it has a duty to perform, and effectively discharging that duty through the implementation of a comprehensive programme designed to meet Guyana’s particular needs.

The idea of a National Youth Corps was first made a reality shortly after Guyana gained its independence; the first NYC was launched on January 1, 1968, by the government of that day. The idea was to implement a programme with the goal of addressing the challenges faced by youth, particularly, lack of educational opportunities, unemployment, and the consequent poverty caused by those issues. That original programme lasted for seven years, during which some 1,200 young Guyanese were trained in various areas of expertise, including industrial skills and agriculture. That programme was viewed as a massive success. The current initiative has objectives similar to the original 1968 one; however, it is obviously tailored to the country’s present realities, and reflects the administration’s commit-

ment to equitable, across-theboard, regional and national development.

The importance of youth to national development has, clearly, been recognised by the APNU+AFC administration. At the launch of the NYC, President Granger said, "We have a youthful population – Youth are our main resource, our richest resource. Half of our people are below the age of 24. One in every five Guyanese is between the ages of 15 and 24.”

His Excellency noted that, if Guyana is to fulfil its destiny as a land of opportunity and prosperity, the country must harness the potential of its majority – its young people.

The president said, "This country will falter if its youth flounders; it will remain poor and undeveloped as long as its youth remain undeveloped.”

President David Grang-

er’s remarks are most welcome, as they indicate the administration's clearly defined priorities. Guyanese will agree that young people are the ones who give effect to the ideas of the typically older leaders in politics, business and other sectors. We will also agree that youth are not only the leaders of tomorrow; they are also partners to the leaders of today. As such, arguably, youth play the widest role in nation-building. It is therefore necessary that youth be given the opportunities, skills, and tools to live productive lives, improve themselves, and elevate their standards and values, as they prepare to assume the role of the leaders and decision-makers of the future.

The present-day NYC, which was constructed within the framework of government’s National Youth Policy, has objectives and principles that

meet those criteria.

President Granger explained that the ‘Policy’ explains government’s vision as, "… a nation in which young people are united, educated, trained, safe, happy, healthy and integrally involved in the decision-making processes, while enjoying equality of opportunity and equal access to the resources of our country and are politically, economically and socially empowered.” His Excellency revealed that the NYC is built on four pillars.

Education, the first pillar, is, noted the president, the foundation of achievement and the bedrock of a good life. The other pillars being, equality, empowerment, and employment. The President remarked that the last pillar, employment, is, in fact, the greatest challenge faced by youth, and, this pillar is therefore the cornerstone of

the NYC. The NYC — which will initially accommodate some 1000 young people between the ages of 16 and 35 — is a concrete indication that the APNU+AFC government understands its role, is aware of its duties, and is prepared to discharge those duties. Further, the vision, objectives, and composition of the programme point to an administration that knows where the country should be developmentally, and has a plan to get there. Young people, the segment of the population with the most to gain or to lose, should take note of the opportunities being made available to them by the administration, and take full advantage of those options, for their own personal benefit, and that of their country.

Nandall’s claims of deregistration is a ruse to derail registration Dear Editor,

for it.

I will now expose the flaws in Nandlall’s I AM privy to an Opinion: House-to-House new position and then surmise as to why the Registration Unconstitutional, by Anil PPP is taking this new position.

Nandlall, which was published by De1. Nandlall claims that the Chairman of merara Waves on March 20th, 2019. This GECOM colludes with the PNC ‘so-called’ opinion has since morphed into the threat commissioners on every matter that they have of litigation against GECOM and its CEO. proposed. Not true! The chairman voted with It is most disingenuous for Mr. Nandlall the PPP commissioners to shoot down the to seek to label “Registration “de- regis- appointment of an applicant for the position tration,” when the exercise that GECOM of legal officer, who was the only shortlisted is preparing to undertake falls within its candidate; met all of the advertised requirejurisdiction as specified in articles 161 A ments; and whose recruitment was proposed and 162 of the Constitution of the Co-oper- by the ‘so-called’ PNC commissioners. ative Republic, and is no different from the 2. Nandlall argues that the house-to-house exercise done in 2008, when the PPP was in exercise is predicated on the removal of overgovernment and provided the resources for seas Guyanese. Whether there is that prediit; and from what GECOM decided that it cation or not, the fact is that house-to-house would do periodically, and specifically in registration does not provide for absentee 2019 based on its approved budget, which Guyanese to be registered. This has been the approval was supported by the PPP/C practice ever since overseas voting was abolparliamentarians. ished, mainly at the PPP’s behest, in 1992.

What is unfolding in relation to the PPP’s 3. Nandlall refers to the system for reanti-registration stance, now, clearly exposes moval of deceased persons from the list as if that the registration issue goes beyond delays registration since 1992 allows for overseas in holding the elections and is in itself the persons to be registered. While it might object of PPP rejection, although they had be true that a visiting Guyanese might be previously supported it and even advocated registered, house-to-house or office-based

registration caters only for Guyanese who are physically present in Guyana, so the issue is not house to house, it is registration period, except that house to house by its very nature is more stringent and less susceptible to fraudulent registration. It not only verifies who the registrant is, it also seeks to establish the place of residence, the physical presence of a registrant and the place of abode.

4. Nandlall describes the process ‘House to House’ as anachronistic. In Guyana’s circumstance I await his proposal for a modern system. But given his argument against house to house period, such a proposal may never be forthcoming, since it would fly in the face of his intended retention of the bloated list.

5. Nandlall seeks to establish his case by reference to constitutionality, and in so doing references Articles 59 and 159 of the Constitution. In reference to article 59, he snidely, does not mention 59 (2) C, which states that for persons to qualify to be registered, they must “satisfy such other qualifications as may be prescribed by or under the law.” It is the said Constitution that has provided for and legitimises residency as a basis for registration. House-to-house registration is therefore no deregistration of anyone. A new register

is being prepared and anyone meeting the requirement enshrined in Article 159 is entitled to be registered; and may I add, is available to be registered, since overseas registration is a thing of the past, courtesy of the PPP/C. This provision is no different to other provisions by which the Constitution confers an entitlement, but provides criteria and procedures for the realisation of that entitlement. This is patently so with citizenship where a born overseas Guyanese virtually has to be naturalised if he/ she is not recorded / registered as a Guyanese at the time of issuance of his or her birth certificate.

6. It should be noted that under the National Registration Act, that any Guyanese once present in Guyana can be registered or have his or her name included on the list through the process of a claim, hence registration does not deregister or disenfranchise anyone as Nandlall seeks to portray.

I can only surmise that this claim of deregistration is but a ruse and that there are ulterior motives in the PPP’s desire to derail registration.

Yours truly Vincent Alexander

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, April 7, 2019

Eusi Kwayana is a priceless gift to humanity Dear Editor, THIS past week, one of the architects of our relatively young nation, Eusi Kwayana, celebrated his 94th birthday. Kwayana, by any measure, is a rare human being—a priceless gift to humanity. I use this occasion to remind Guyana that we have given this remarkable gift to ourselves and the world. As a Caribbean civilisation, we are not known for powerful armies, rich economies and high skyscrapers, but our contribution to world civilisation has been mostly in the form of what another Caribbean treasure, Rex Nettleford, calls the creative intellect and creative imagination.

It says something beyond the ordinary that these former colonial outposts could in the fields of art, sports, political economy and academia produce men and women of the highest caliber, who sit and stand among the best of what humanity has produced.

Because of our smallness and newness as independent nations and our penchant for political implosions, we have not developed the habit

of recognising our own inherent genius. We see it in others, and we celebrate it.

We celebrate the leaders of our respective political tribes and denigrate those of the competing ones. And it is in that narrow exercise of belonging that we stifle and kill the genius of our collective being. But at some point, we must liberate ourselves from that curse.

Kwayana is not God—he is a human being who has made errors of judgement in the area of life that he chose to serve his country, region and world. But I can say without hesitation that if there is a public person in Guyana who comes closest to the embodiment of political morality, it is the “Sage of Buxton.” In my long four decades and more association with him and in my study of his much longer political activism, I can think of no political decision of his that was driven by personal consideration or partisan expediency.

That for me is the definition of political morality. It is no accident that Kwayana is the only major political leader in modern Guyana to have publicly admitted political errors.

Kwayana is an icon in his

village, his country, his Region and the world at large.

He is a giant in an era and in a Region and country which have produced giants. He has dedicated his entire life to the public service of his fellow human beings. He has in the process taken care of Guyana and Guyana must now take care of him. And one of the ways in which we can do that is to locate him at the centre of that which is most profoundly beautiful about our culture. Those of us who are familiar with his humility know that he would not be too excited about him being elevated to hero-status. But even heroes must be overruled at times. So, in saluting him on his birthday, I will beat his drum as loudly as I can. I will not in the process repeat his political biography.

As I said above, this missive is meant as a reminder to the nation of its own contribution to the world.

So, when Guyanese political activists think of themselves as political independents, we should know that Kwayana is the modern pioneer of that strand in our modern politics. From his membership of the early PPP and PNC through his

Black Power days and his leadership in the WPA, he has been both partisan and independent—the independent partisan or “insider-outsider” who has never been muzzled by the logic of partisanship.

When African Guyanese now give their children African names and Guyanese no longer make fun of those names, we must trace that back to Eusi Kwayana who through the African Society for Cultural Relations with Independent Africa (ASCRIA) launched the Cultural Revolution that introduced the level of Self-Love that African Guyanese now take for granted. When we celebrate Emancipation Day as part of the national norm in Guyana, we must know that, that celebration as an institution is the result of Kwayana’s cultural revolution. And we must remember that ASCRIA was the first Black Power-Pan Africanist organisation of the modern Caribbean Black Power Movement.

When PNC and PPP members gather for their Congresses and sing their parties’ songs, they must know that the author of those songs is Eusi Kwayana, who

Corriverton Town Council's construction blocks entrance to my home Dear Editor, Employees of the Corriverton Town Council are in the process of constructing 'something', in my street, which blocks the entrance to my home. They dug a huge square hole and planted steel rods in the shape of a post in it.

My home, which is now inaccessible to vehicles permanently, is located at the end of the street and that is the only entrance my family has been using for decades.

The small space which will remain after the construction will not be adequate for vehicles to pass freely. There is no substantive justification for the 'thing' which is being constructed. This may ultimately lead to unnecessary accidents and damage to vehicles/ properties.

This action by the Mayor

and Town Council is very reckless, insensitive and disrespectful. They just cannot assume that they are in a community with dumb persons who are ignorant of their rights as citizens of Guyana.

Apart from this new development, they are in the habit of discharging truckloads of sand and bricks in the street, on the opposite side of the road in Dukestown. At first, residents felt that they were upgrading the street. Then to everyone's dismay, they used a hymac and other heavy-duty vehicles to reload trucks and transport the loads elsewhere. This has been ongoing since 2017. No member of the Council experiences the dust pollution, as they are not my neighbour at the end of the street in Princ-

etown.

I am a law-abiding resident of Corriverton and I will continue to resist discrimination in any form. I am not indebted to the Mayor and Town Council and will not accept second-class citizenship. The records of the Corriverton Town Council will substantiate that rates and taxes for my property were settled for 2019 since January.

The mayor and his councillors should consider the impact this nonsensical action has on my family and if possible, imagine themselves in the situation they have forced upon us.

Hence, they should desist from making other people's lives uncomfortable.

Yours faithfully, Michelle Hooper

also wrote the WPA’s party song. And when party members see the Thunder, New Nation and Dayclean and Open Word, they must think of what Kwayana did to make those organs important mediums of political journalism. The independent media in Guyana owes a debt to Kwayana for helping to pave the way for that genre of journalism.

When we dare to discuss race and ethnicity in the open and debate shared governance, we must remember that it was Eusi Kwayana who first put that discourse on the post-independence agenda. We must also remember that it was Kwayana who introduced the notion of shared governance as a possible solution to the country’s ethno-racial problems-he is also a pioneer of the shared-governance school of thought in Guyana.

When we celebrate the Cooperative Movement as a national institution, we must know that Kwayana was one of its earliest proponents in that regard. We must know

that it was Kwayana who suggested the word “Cooperative” in our Cooperative Republic. And when we remember Guyana’s role in assisting the African Liberation Movement, we must know that Kwayana was one of the architects of that policy.

Finally, we Buxtonians know of Kwayana’s seminal role in molding our village as a free space. His leadership and activism in politics, art, education and culture are written boldly on the consciousness of generations of Buxtonians. I said the above about Bro Eusi not to take him out of the realm of the ordinary, but to show that ordinary people can throw up products that can accomplish extraordinary things.

I know I speak for tens of thousands when I say: We love You Brother Eusi; because of you many of us now have a chance to shine and be free people.

Regards David Hinds

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, April 7, 2019

KN article represents misinformed view of AG Chambers I REFER to an article featured in the Tuesday, April 2nd, 2019 edition of the Kaieteur News, titled: “AG’s Chambers lacks expertise to fine tune oil laws.” The Attorney General’s Chambers and Ministry of Legal Affairs is of the view that this headline and the contents of the article represent a misinformed view of the role of the Drafting Division of the Attorney General’s Chambers. However, not only is this view misinformed, but it seeks to diminish the work of a division, though short-staffed, drafts the laws of the land under immense pressure and time constraints. Therefore, permit the Chambers to clarify their important functions.

The persons who draft the laws of this country are lawyers admitted to practise in Guyana and because of their unique role, they are known as parliamentary counsel. These lawyers have various years of experience, ranging from over 30 years to one year.

Some possess the LLM in Legislative Drafting and others are currently engaged in post-graduate studies in legislative drafting. Further, all

staff of the Drafting Division have received training in other areas of the law: for example, anti-money laundering and countering terrorism financing and proliferation financing, nuclear and chemical weapons, cybercrime, Hague Conventions, intellectual property, anti-corruption, human rights and law revision.

The lawyers of the Drafting Division are responsible for translating the government’s policy into legislation.

Through the drafting of laws they give effect to the constitutional, political, social and economic goals and aspirations of the government.

Additionally, they ensure that the draft is constitutionally sound, complies with fundamental legal principles, does not repeal existing laws, is workable and effective and is in a form acceptable to Parliament. Further, when requested, they offer legal advice on laws, contracts and international agreements and contracts (e.g. IDB, UN and CARICOM). In essence, they are the government’s advisers with respect to legislation.

They also coordinate and facilitate consultations on draft bills, laws and nationwide

seminars on Anti-Corruption and Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism.

Particularly because of the nature of the job of the parliamentary counsel, the only expertise required is that of legislative drafting.

Therefore, they can draft any legislation that is required by the government and this is what they have been doing since the division was established. One can be an expert in a particular field of law, but if that person does not possess the skill to draft, then he/she is not suitable to be a legislative drafter. This is what distinguishes the parliamentary counsel from all other lawyers. It is impossible for the parliamentary counsel to be specialist in all the areas of law that the government will require legislation. However, what the lawyers of the Drafting Division do possess are the skills required to give effect to the government’s policies. These are the skills that another lawyer who has the expertise, for example in oil and gas law, does not possess, since drafting is a skill that is developed over time.

It must be stated that

drafts done by consultants/ experts are oftentimes not in a form fit for Parliament and the parliamentary counsel has to engage in a process of dismantling the draft and reworking it to ensure it is fit for purpose. This simply means that being an expert is not synonymous with being a drafter.

It is at this juncture that one can see the measure of the magnitude of our drafting expertise. The final product is always that of the Chambers as consultants are often too far removed from the realities of what is needed. Against this backdrop, persons should be careful about making disparaging and reckless remarks about the expertise that the Drafting Division possesses.

The author of our disparagement should be careful of his remarks. His arrangement in relation to oil and gas covers vast tracks of space and time, but he has committed an error by arrogating to himself, knowledge of which he is denuded. Perhaps it would be apt to mention the Constitutional Reform Commission Bill drafted by a consultant, guided by a Steering Committee and sent to this Chambers.

The Bill had to be salvaged by

the Chambers, because of a lack of knowledge by the consultant, and his failing to take into consideration certain key aspects of the laws of Guyana.

It is important to also note that drafters do not usurp the role of the government.

It is the government and the respective ministries and departments that should have the requisite specialisation in the policy area that requires legislation. Moreover, drafters do not work in a vacuum, but rather work along with the experts or consultants employed by the relevant ministry or department who is there to serve as the instructing officer.

Also, we have worked with oil and gas experts from the Commonwealth and in other areas of the law with experts from the International Senior Lawyers Project (ISLP).

Therefore, if the government wishes to have laws dealing with oil and gas, then it is the government who must ensure that they have the requisite experts to formulate what is known as drafting instructions. This expert is the one responsible for explaining the aims of the legislative proposal to the drafter, give the drafter the requisite infor-

mation to help the drafter to compose a product that is legally effective and responds to the policy, and make decisions on issues arising during the drafting. These instructions the drafters will use to guide them in drafting the law with clarity and precision, thus giving effect to the legislative aspirations of the government.

As noted by the late renowned legislative drafter, Professor V.C.R.A.C Crabbe, "Parliamentary Counsel must have some basic knowledge of indeed every subject matter. They supplement their basic knowledge with research. Their industry and discipline help them to ask the right questions. In the end, Parliamentary Counsel becomes Jacks of all trades and masters in legislative drafting."

In conclusion, there is no challenge that the Drafting Division cannot handle Attorney General's Chambers

Voting against party slate unconstitutional Dear Editor, DOES the Guyana Constitution permit Charandass Persaud to defect from the APNU+AFC coalition and vote with the PPP/Civic?

My answer: 1.2 million times no!

As the people’s trustee, Persaud had no other option but to vote with the APNU+AFC coalition government. This is evidenced in Guyana’s constitutional provisions of Article 57 Section(3) (a) (b) and (c) which make up Guyana’s anti-defection laws. He was required to declare in writing to the Speaker of the House that he will no longer support his party’s list. He could have freely joined the PPP/Civic after respecting the provisions of Article 57. He cannot have a valid vote if he is not representing his constituency.

This issue should be addressed on Friday, May 10, 2019 when the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) deliberates on the no-confidence motion. All three of these issues deserve consideration:

the question of an absolute majority, the validity of Charandass’ vote as a dual citizen, and also the validity of his vote as a defector from the governing APNU+AFC party. So far, we have not heard many arguments on the last issue, except for the voice of Senior Council Neil Boston appearing for private citizen Compton Reid. I agree with Boston’s argument that Persaud’s name was extracted from the APNU+AFC list of electors, so he could not have validly voted against the list from which his name was extracted, because there is no such thing as a “conscience vote” in law or the Constitution. My reasons are grounded on (1) The constitutional principle of sovereignty (2) The intent of our constitutional Founding Fathers, and (3) How and why other countries guard against switching political loyalty and have, as a result, introduced anti-defection laws.

Persaud, a practising attorney-at-law, had sworn to Guyana’s parliamentary oath to “honour, uphold, and preserve

the Constitution,” yet by his infamous vote last December 21st rubbished the very Constitution. Chapter 11 Section 9 of Guyana’s Constitution enshrines the principle that “Sovereignty belongs to the People.” It means, therefore, that the people have elected him as their Member of Parliament, delegate, or trustee to represent their interests and rights on this legislative body, having been drawn from the APNU+AFC list of electors.

By voting with the PPP/Civic, Persaud unilaterally jettisoned his responsibility to his constituency. Here, my opinion diverges from our learned chancellor’s, who used the analogy of a soccer match where Persaud scored in his own party and government.

After praising the work of the coalition government, the week prior in the budget debate, Persaud with his “30 pieces of silver”, (or was it gold), violated the constitution by voting with the opposition. Does the end justify the means? If a crime was committed, justice should be done.

It is this very act of

treachery our Founding Fathers had envisioned. After the Referendum of 1978, President L.F.S. Burnham and His Attorney General Dr. Mohammed Shahabudeen conceptualised and drafted the 1980 Constitution. This Constitution varied from the typical post-colonial Westminster-modelled Constitutions of sister Caribbean states, as it was a hybrid that still guaranteed property rights, but included social and economic rights, fostering local democratic organs, and preserving the environment. The recurring criticism of the Constitution by the Leader of The Opposition, Dr. Cheddi Jagan and from academic circles in such seminal works by Professor Harold Lutchman and the late Professor Rudy James, “ Law and The Political Environment in Guyana”, was that the Constitution guaranteed a President for life with too much power.

In the era leading up to the 1980 Constitution, President Burnham had to address the issues that placed a strangle-

hold on Guyana’s economy such as nationalisation, solvency of foreign exchange, and paying for essential goods and services, while internationally championing the causes of the Non-Aligned Movement and supporting the liberation struggles of Africa.

It is in this context and spirit that Article 57 was crafted with the financial penalty of Article 58(1) to serve as a deterrent to those thinking about defecting. This is the true spirit of our current anti-defection laws.

Safeguards against switching political loyalties and parties and anti-defection laws are not unique to Guyana. In 1985, political defections was a matter of national concern in India, so India’s parliament adopted the 52nd Amendment to their Constitution and made changes to Articles 101, 102, 190, and 191. Protecting parties with anti-defection provisions are found in Belize, Article 59; Namibia, Article 48; Singapore, Article 46; Nepal, Article 49; and Sierra Leone, Article 77 to

name a few. These countries were concerned that such instability would set back their development programmes.

Finally, we may have been blindsighted by Jagdeo’s strategy to call the no-confidence vote on December 22, 2018. Is he running scared by the justice coming with Roger Khan’s impending return? Is he so desperate to grease his palm from the first-oil expected late 2019 – early 2020, or is it just the reality that given a little time, the coalition will become stronger and unbeatable, especially after scrubbing the bloated voters list? Either way, he is being outplayed and out- manoeuvred by a true son of Guyana with integrity and character, whose creed is to serve not plot, plunder, and polarise our nation.

I am confident that the CCJ will uphold Guyana’s anti-defection constitutional provisions.

Respectfully, Max Wallerson

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 7, 2019

RESIGN, RENOUNCE AND RE-ENGAGE

T

HE announcement on Tuesday last that four APNU+AFC Coalition Government ministers had submitted their resignations to President Granger still occupies the news.

The focus is not per se on the resignations, but on the reason for them, that is, that the ministers hold dual citizenship.

I could find no previous instance in contemporary Guyanese political history when four ministers of government together voluntarily resigned.

The practice as I have known it, when the standing of ministers had been impugned, was for government to circle the wagons.

DUAL CITIZENSHIP The primary blast that triggered the resignations was the decision by both the Guyana High Court and the Court of Appeal that a person simultaneously holding Guyana and foreign citizenship is not qualified to be nominated for, nor be elected to hold, a seat in the National Assembly.

A cting Chief J us tice Roxanne George-Wiltshire ruled that anyone who holds dual citizenship, that is, of Guyana and of a foreign power or state, “should not and cannot be a Member of Parliament” under Article 155(1)(a) of the Guyana Constitution.

The chief justice ruled that the MP who supported an opposition motion in an attempt to remove the government, being a Canadian citizen, was disqualified from being nominated as a Member of Parliament and not qualified for election as an MP. However, the learned chief justice invoked procedural reasons for not invalidating the vote of the unruly MP, claiming that she had no jurisdiction to do so as the matter then at bar did not originate from an elections petition to disqualify the MP. She had no doubt, however, that what the MP did might be wrong or even immoral; and that he could even be seen as being disloyal, and that he violated the spirit and intent of the Constitution. The rogue MP has since returned to the haven of his foreign citizenship, but has left a discredited vote that remains, in law, valid.

The Court of Appeal has since ruled on other grounds that the no-confidence motion was not validly carried, and reversed the decision of the chief justice on this ground. On the limb of the vote by an MP holding dual citizenship, Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards and Justice of Appeal Madam Justice Dawn Gregory, additionally found that the chief justice had jurisdiction to deal with this matter as a constitutional issue, though they fell short of disturbing her decision .

NO JURISDICTIONAL BAR Chancellor Cummings-Edwards explained the findings of the majority

of appellate judges on the issue in these words: “I prefer to say that there being no jurisdictional bar, in this particular instance, and given the finding of the learned chief justice on the nomination issue alone, the court ought to uphold the Rule of Law and the Constitution.”

In accepting the resignations of his four “dual citizens” ministers, President Granger reaffirmed that his administration was showing respect for the courts’ decision, even though the issue is before the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) for final adjudication. The Guyana Government has taken the political and moral high ground that it is on the side of the Rule of Law and is obeying the Constitution. It is therefore before the CCJ with “clean hands.”

It appears that in football vernacular the “disqualified” government MP had kicked the ball in the opponent’s goalpost net, which was scored for the opponent.

But, not being qualified for nomination as an MP, he was ab initio not a player, due to his dual citizenship. He was rather a spectator whose goal could not be counted.

This seems to be the view of the government whose four MPs are due to submit their resignations to the Speaker of the National Assembly. Three of them have indicated that they would renounce their foreign citizenship, the fourth being a British citizen by birth.

There are additionally in the House three opposition MPs with dual citizenship, and media reports indicated that two of them would renounce also.

RESIGN AND RENOUNCE There is every indication that the ministers would be re-engaged in government service once they have purged themselves of any potential contempt of the decision of the court.

The politically correct thing in circumstances of collision with the Constitution is to resign, renounce and re-engage.

This has been a convention in government over many years. To hear Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo belly-aching about the use of taxpayers’ money to retain the services of highly qualified and experienced former ministers is hypocritical and disingenuous.

During the Jagdeo presidency, several former ministers were handed sinecure appointments -- with full pensions, perks and privileges. Except in the cases of Messrs. Ramotar and Gajraj -- I am not going to name names, out of respect for the former officials with whom I had served both in government and in the PPP’s leadership for many years -- and a few of whom I consider to be true patriots.

One such appointment that did not go down well was that of Ronald Gajraj, the late Minister of Home Affairs who resigned in 2005 in the wake of allegations of ties to the Phantom or death squad.

He was posted to India as Guyana’s High Commissioner. Disclosures made later, revealed that he was paid some US$8,000 monthly, twice the salary of “ordinary” envoys, and allowed four to eight first-class tickets for his annual travels.

AUGEAN STABLE I recall that he had sued the then outspoken Gail Teixiera who, upon being appointed the new Minister of Home Affairs, had discovered literally a filthy Augean Stable of racketeering, involving birth certificates, passports, visas and fake work permits. After she was quoted in Wikileaks, Gajraj sued Teixeira for $30 million for alleged

defamation of his character!

In the case of Donald Ramotar, he was appointed political adviser to President Jagdeo though he did not hold any previous ministerial portfolio. As a set-up to given him political exposure before the selection of a PPP presidential candidate in late 2010, the potential presidential proxy was taken on expensive overseas jaunts, including to the Middle East and India.

Now, it is funny that he should be lecturing anyone on the use of taxpayers’ money on retaining credible and qualified government advisers.

In Guyanese creolese, it is like de karahee telling pat that e battam black!

April 7, 2019.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 7, 2019

It is folly to be indifferent to politics

WESTERN thought and western literature have decreed that politics originated with the Greeks and the etymology is connected to the Greek word, ‘Polis,’ which means city-state.

The art of managing the city-state and its occupants has been bequeathed to modernity and now takes the

form of the management of a country’s affairs or any administrative enclave. It is this very art which sometimes attracts the wrath of the people. Politicians are often the recipients of the anti-establishment fervour of the masses, often caught in the stinging rapture of references such as ‘all politicians

are liars’, ‘politics is a dirty game’ and ‘never trust a politician.’ Those who manage the affairs of the state are often at the receiving end of some of the worst epithets.

It is paradoxical that some humans adopt an indifferent posture towards politics, which is tied to their peace and security, their laws, their

economic well-being and almost every aspect of their daily lives.

International peace and security Opining that ‘politics has nothing to do with me’ is a sad reflection of a mind that has not given due consideration to the human cause.

The inescapable relevance of politics is supremely exemplified in the maintenance of global international peace and security. It is political action that has given the world the comfort of not having a world war since 1945. From space warfare to the battle over worldly resources, when we sleep at nights, we are at the mercy of decisions being made by politicians.

I cannot see how any reasonable mind could scoff at this art.

POLITICS AND DAILY LIFE Politics oozes out every crevice of ordinary existence.

The often harried and mundane indulgence of having breakfast is enhanced or diminished, based on political action or inaction. If the legislators, the ministers and the technical persons responsible for the economy do not get it right, the size of your bread or the amount of sugar or milk you can apply to your tea can be traced to things political. As you proceed to work or stay at home

to apply for a job, it becomes clearer, there is not an activity executed by citizens that is insulated from what Harold Laswell describes as the art of ‘who gets what, when, how.’ From the grass in your yard to your antenna, dish or no form of technology, there is the need for management of these affairs. There has been no alternative to what is absolute necessity for the maintenance of civilisation.

If you fail to select the right people to lead, it could determine life or death.

Hence, it is folly to ignore or reject this indispensable aspect of human existence.

THE IMPORTANT CIVIL ACTIVITY By virtue of its sheer degree of difficulty and personal sacrifice, politics as a profession takes the crown over other civil activities.

The lawyer or doctor could enjoy a casual walk with his/her family and not be subject to an interrogation session on why problems are not being solved. The politician may embark on a

journey to the movie theatre and spend most of his time in discussions about national problems. When you put your name out there as a person within the political sphere, your life is never the same.

The public scrutiny is unstoppable, even when taking a casual stroll. Added to this, one has to learn the intractable art of studying and managing the most difficult species of them all -- humans. The management of human affairs to undoubtedly be the most important civil engagement one can be a part of. The nature of humans and all their concomitant complexities make the argument completely settled: politics is not only necessary, it is supreme among other civil engagements.

Those who baulk at politics and politicians must suggest a better way of managing the affairs of the state which cannot go unattended. It is for this reason and the other afore-mentioned considerations, that I am of the view that it is folly to be indifferent to politics.

Children explore job choices at GPF career fair

ABOUT 600 children from a number of youth groups explored and modeled the career field they hope to take up when they become adults, during the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Career Fair on Saturday.

Assistant Commissioner and Commander, ‘A’ Division of the GPF, Marlin Chapman, in declaring the event a success, said the career day was inclined to youths who are about to attain working age. It will allow them to see what is there to be offered by the entities represented.

“With the career day, they come and see what’s going on, see what is there to be offered and thereafter they make a choice,” he said.

Retired police Kernel Collin Weeks of the Good Success Craig Youth Group, related that the group has a vibrant youth group of over 50 children – ages

six to 16. The group, he said, has been part of the ‘A’ Division Youth Group of the GPF for the past three years and he is happy that the exercise is aimed at showing children what they can become.

“We are just there to show support and get the kids from off the street and make them good productive citizens,” he said. “Every kid in Guyana is vibrant and they should try to be all they can be so this here, we are helping them to see that it’s not only about living in the village or staying in the village and running around on the streets. They are careers that they can portray and be a part of,” he said.

Some of the 16 agencies on display were CARICOM, Massy Group of Companies, the Ministry of Public Health, and the Guyana Defence Force among others.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 7, 2019

Understanding Energy

New Numbers Reveal Full Impacts of Oil Development

T

HE early stages of oil development and production activities typically yield economic benefits even before first oil and revenues begin flowing.

These early impacts are beginning to manifest in Guyana, as indicated by the new figures that Dr. Mark Bynoe, Director of the Department of Energy, shared last week. According to Bynoe, Guyana has already taken in more than US $75 million from the emerging oil and gas sector in direct economic benefits.

That number comes before oil production has even started on the Stabroek Block, where 12 successful wells have found more than 5.5 billion barrels of oil. Most of it comes from the preparations for the Liza Phase One project.

The figure does not include associated demand “such as works in mechanics, electrical work, welding and technical warehousing,” Dr. Bynoe said.

It also does not include the additional indirect income that Guyana takes in when oil-industry workers or executives patronise local businesses or rent property.

These types of economic activities are often not considered when stake-

holders evaluate the impact of the industry. If counted, these indirect impacts would make the economic impact of the industry much larger.

Countries new to the energy industry typically place an emphasis on capturing the benefits of early development activities, primarily through local content opportunities. According to Dr. Bynoe’s speech, 54 per cent of people who were directly employed by the industry at the end of 2018 were Guyanese citizens – well above average for most oil-producing countries, even at the later stages of development.

It’s a promising sign that Guyana is already making strong progress and investments are clearly leading to job creation.

Dr. Bynoe did acknowledge that substantial challenges remain in filling the highly technical and specialised roles in the oil industry with Guyanese, and the skills for some positions are rare or nonexistent in the country.

Just last week, ExxonMobil – the company leading the consortium of oil producers in the Stabroek Block – sent an additional 24 Guyanese hires for 18 months of training in Canada. After the extensive training, they will serve as op-

erations and maintenance technicians on the Liza Destiny, a floating production offloading and storage (FPSO) vessel that will take in oil from wells on the ocean floor and process it for shipping.

More than 1000 Guyanese are already working on Liza Phase One preparations and exploration activities, according to Exxon.

Many companies in the oil industry, subsea pipe installation and offshore vessel support have also partnered with local entities like the University of Guyana and the Department of Energy to create new training initiatives to try and build that capacity.

Last week, the University’s Faculty of Engineering and Technology opened a geo-technical computer lab worth more than US $10 million, funded by oil services contractor Schlumberger, the Ministry of Natural Resources, and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission. The facility is designed specifically to educate students studying oil and gas.

More jobs are likely to be coming in the oil and offshore service sector as that industry ramps-up to serve the off-

shore developers. Just last week, Harvey Gulf, a marine logistics company that provides support vessels for deepwater operations in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, announced that it will open an office in Guyana, staffed by Guyanese.

The company told reporters that it will focus on building capacity, possibly training and employing as many as 125 people to operate and service ships servicing the oil industry. The company’s operations in Trinidad employ a workforce that is 70 per cent local and the company has publicly stated that it aims to achieve something similar here in Guyana.

Continued focus on capturing the early opportunities created by the energy sector and the willingness of new companies to hire from local communities, shows the wide economic reach that oil and gas development can have.

Investment and job creation are already taking place, though production is still a year away, and the impacts are already spreading down through the full supply and service chain to impact more and more Guyanese.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 7, 2019

Education at UG should be free

–– students on mission to push gov’t to remove tuition fees

By Vishani Ragobeer

DEVTA Ramroop is a final year biology student at the University of Guyana (UG). During the day, she attends her classes at school but during her spare time, she does a part-time job to make ends meet.

She does this to support her mother, a market vendor, who works every day of the week to maintain the household and to send Devta and her sister to UG. Ramroop is also the incumbent President of the University of Guyana Student Society (UGSS) which represents some 7,000 students across two distant campuses.

“Free UG is still something I would want because I hope to pursue my master’s degree at UG,” she explained. “It would mean that I wouldn’t have to pause my education [after completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology] to work and save tuition [for the Master’s Degree].”

She also indicated that if the university was free, she would be able to invest her money into other areas of her life that may need improvement (like transportation or housing).

“That is what I call youth development,” she said.

Recently, an informal group of young people have banded together into what is called the “Free University

President of the University of Guyana Student Society (UGSS), Devta Ramroop of Guyana Movement”.

“What the group is trying to do is basically bring UG into compliance with the Constitution,” a member of the movement and advocate for ‘Free UG’, Elson Lowe related.

Article 27 of the Constitution of Guyana states: “Every citizen has the right to a free education from nursery to university as well as at non-formal laces share opportunities are provided for education and training.”

This article falls in Chapter II, which connotes the principles and basis of the political, economic and social system. Also detailed in this section is every person’s right to sovereignty, the right to own personal property, the right to free

health and social care, inter alia. Guyana, under the People’s National Congress (PNC) Government, offered free education from nursery to university.

According to statistics provided by the Bureau of Statistics, only 2.3 per cent of Guyana’s population has a bachelor’s degree. For developed countries, that figure stands at about 30 per cent. That means, as explained by Lowe, that Guyana is more than 10 times behind where it needs to be.

“I think this is particularly relevant in our aims to diversify our economy and I think unless we get our numbers of people who have degrees sharply, I think we will struggle to diversify the economy because we don’t have the skills to do so,” he highlighted.

Lowe, who has a background in economics, opined: “It seems to me that the only way we can fill an increase or sharp increase in requirements for the oil and gas sector is through importation of individuals who have those requirements and those skills.”

“What is required right now is a substantial and strategic shift so that we don’t have long-term structural inequality – and one of the ways in doing that is making UG free and incentivising people to apply and remain in the university,” he said further.

For UG’s most recent valedictorian, Shakti Persaud, free university is good in theory, but she questioned how sustainable this could be.

BETTER FACILITIES NEEDED “We want better facilities – air conditioning, infrastructure, etc, and I don’t see these things happening unless the university makes money,” Shakti related.

Yearly, UG receives a subvention from Central Government to augment the

in English have to pay. In Norway and Denmark, tuition is free for citizens, as well as students from EU countries.”

In Germany, the news agency reported that higher education is free, except for semester fees that cover administrative costs. And in some states, only longterm students have to pay an extra fee.

“Public education is a worthy investment for state government, with immense social and economic benefits… Investing in public education is thus far more

Advocate for Free UG, Elson Lowe port this move or not, since it is something that has not been discussed at the level of Cabinet.

“I’m listening at this point in time [and] I’m doing my own research,” she indicated.

However, Lowe indicated that the group is hoping to conduct extensive polls to solicit the views of citizens on making the university free.

“To that end, we are conducting extensive polling relating to the University of Guyana being free and we intend to get to 20,000

The University of Guyana services it provides. In the 2019 National Budget, $3.1 billion was allocated for the university.

Making the university free, however, would incur the government a greater cost. Lowe however suggested that the incoming revenues from oil and gas can be used to make the university free.

In February 2019, it was reported that the oil and natural gas industry contributed more than US$2.2 billion to the general fund of New Mexico (an oil-producing state in the US) for the fiscal year 2018.

And according to a report released by the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association (NMOGA), more than half of the industry’s generated revenue supported K-12 public schools and higher-education institutions across the state.

Free public education at the tertiary level is not a new concept.

In fact, according to Germany’s public international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle, “...in France, students only have to pay a matriculation fee; Austria only collects fees from non-European Union (EU) foreign students, and in the Czech Republic, only those who want to study

cost-effective for the state than paying for the social and economic consequences of under-funded, low quality schools,” Associate Professor of Education at the Pennsylvania State University, Dana Mitra, PhD wrote in a 2011 study.

The government of Guyana has fostered the establishment of a Natural Resources Fund (NRF), which will cater for funds from oil production in 2020.

“Until we can reap the benefits [from the oil and gas industry] – as in actually see it benefiting each and every person, household and student – then we can consider free tertiary education,” Shakti said.

“I don’t see a problem in using oil revenues to fund tertiary education, but all citizens should benefit from that [money] first.”

SUPPORT Speaking to this publication, Minister of Education, Dr. Nicolette Henry indicated that she is aware of the movement of young people advocating for the government to make UG free.

She, however, underscored that she could not share whether the government is considering to sup-

people,” he shared.

“We’ll be conducting polling manually for up to 5000 people and the additional 15,000 polls will rely more on the online medium,” Lowe said, while explaining that “the average Guyanese” is being questioned through these polls.

And the reason why the group is conducting the first 5000 manually is so that they can mitigate any criticism about the data being falsified, according to Lowe. “The support for Article 27 remains strong in Guyana and that is something we want to make clear in Guyana,” he said.

“Of course [free university education] is a commitment because it is in the Constitution, but if we do not believe that it should be in the Constitution, or we do not agree with that – which I find to be a perfectly valid position – the appropriate action to take is for there to be a referendum or some parliamentary action to amend the Constitution,” Lowe shared. “It’s either you want free university or you want a referendum – there’s no such thing, as per Article 27 of the Constitution, that you can have paid university education.”

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 7, 2019

Abuser trying to escape in police vehicle shot dead

A MAN was killed yesterday morning by the police in ‘C’ Division as he attempted to drive out of the vigilance police station compound in a police vehicle.

Dead is 24-year-old Teon Maxwell, an unemployed father of a four-year-old girl.

The man was, at the time of his death, being investigated for abusive and threatening behaviour and damage to property.

According to the man’s mother, on Friday night, he allegedly attempted to murder his wife and she, the mother of the now dead man, encouraged her daughter-inlaw to file a police report.

However on Friday night, the police claimed to have had no vehicle to go in search of the young man.

The man allegedly sharpened a cutlass and two knives. Upon seeing this, the man’s mother called the police to come and pick up her son.

When the police arrived at the scene, the man was armed with a hammer, two knives and a cutlass and kept the police at bay by brandishing the offensive weapons.

The first party of police who responded to the report realised that they needed backup, given the behaviour of the man, and they requested same. Shortly after, two

on the rank, the suspect reportedly got into the same police pickup which was used to escort him to the police station and attempted to drive out of the vigilance police station compound.

Teon Maxwell other patrols arrived.

The man kept evading the police but they finally managed to subdue him and he was taken to the police station.

According to divisional commander, Calvin Brutus, while at the police station, the ranks were escorting the young man into the station and before he could have been placed on the bench, he attacked two of the policemen who were guiding him to the detention area. One reportedly received injuries with a knife to the hands and the other to abdomen.

We were told that the police failed to carry out a proper search on the man’s person before escorting him to the station and as a consequence, he was able to conceal one of the two knives he had in his possession at the time of his arrest.

After inflicting injuries

Remanded murder accused dies from beating AN inmate at the Lusignan Prison, who was charged with murder, received a fractured skull after being beaten by other inmates which resulted in his death at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation on Friday.

According to the police, around 22:58hrs on Thursday, remanded murder accused Shaheed Ali was in Bay one of the Lusignan Prison when he was allegedly beaten by several other prisoners.

The 30-year-old of Albouystown, Georgetown was escorted to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where he was examined by a doctor.

He was admitted as a patient in the Male Surgical Ward where he died about 20:50hrs on Friday night.

Police said the prisoner underwent surgery for a fractured skull.

His body is at the hospital mortuary awaiting an autopsy.

He however failed to properly navigate and collided with another police vehicle which was in the compound at the time. Police, by that time, opened fire in the direction of the vehicle and

the man was fatally struck.

Both the suspect and the injured policemen were escorted to the Georgetown Public Hospital where they were examined by doctors.

The suspect was pronounced

dead on arrival.

The matter is presently under investigation even as the police await a post-mortem examination to be performed on the remains of the deceased.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 7, 2019

Miss Earth Guyana contestants clean up Kingston beach

ARMED with rakes and gloves, Miss Earth Guyana (MEG) contestants participated in a ‘national beach clean-up alert’ exercise on the Kingston beach.

The nine delegates on Saturday afternoon combed the beach ridding it of unsightly items.

Uniformly attired in blue jeans and jerseys, the girls got down to work filling black garbage bags with waste collected.

Joined by other voluntary groups such as Dem-

Bake, Nand Persaud Group (Guyana), Massy Stores Guyana, Precise Printing & Stationery Supplies, Guyana Red Cross Society and the Mayor and City Council, the cleanup commenced at the Kingston Seawall, next to the bandstand and culminated behind the Pegasus Hotel.

Managing Director of the MEG organization, Omesh Balmacoon, in an invited comment, said that the event was meant to raise awareness about the harm done to the environment, and how

people can actually make a difference. “That is why we are coming out and fixing what we have done wrong,” he noted.

He noted that one of the philosophies of the Miss Earth Guyana competition is to protect and to preserve the environment.

The backbone of the pageant is the beauty for a cause concept, where the girls pick an environmental-related project and present it to the team so it can be presented to the International body.

Miss Earth Guyana (MEG) contestants participated in a ‘national beach clean-up alert’ exercise on the Kingston beach.

He said the pageant should not just be viewed as a Miss Earth pageant. “The pageant is not all about the looks but about being an ambassador, somebody with the brain and a passion for the environment,” he said.

Meanwhile Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), Brian Mullis, who was part of the exercise said, “I think when local people, community leaders, business owners and real estate owners get together to take care of public spaces, it makes for nicer places to

live, nicer places to visit and nicer places to do business… that’s why me and my family are here today.”

One of the delegates, Ameila Baksh, who said this is her first experience in a pageant, related that she came with the intention for a greater Guyana. She further added that she is looking for support from the public to help in keeping the environment clean.

“We are hoping for them (the public) to come out and support us as we try to clean the beach, because cleaning

the beach is very important for the marine life because plastics and so help to kill our sea creatures and I feel very enthusiastic to be here. I am happy to be here,” she said.

It is estimated that there are over five trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean today. Fish, sea turtles, birds, and many other marine animals mistake our trash for food and end up dying because they cannot digest the plastic.

The pageant is slated for June 15th at the National Cultural Centre.

Indonesian killed by falling tree AN Indonesian, who was a chainsaw operator, died on Friday at West Kurubaru Backdam in the Demerara River after being injured by a falling tree.

Dead is Daniel Sambara, 45, of Mabura Hill.

Reports indicate that the chainsaw operator was struck to his head by a root from another tree that was uprooted as a result of one he had chopped down.

He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Linden Hospital Complex and his body was later escorted to the Lyken Funeral Parlour.

Police have launched an investigation into the incident.

The tree that the chainsaw operator chopped down that caused his death

SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 7, 2019

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Expansion of Indigenous Residence nears completion –– Maternity Waiting Home providing comfort mothers need

By Svetlana Marshall

THE Indigenous Residence at Princes Street, Georgetown, continues to undergo massive transformation as the government, with support from its international partners, improves its service to the Indigenous community. In 2018, the transformation commenced with the commissioning of the rehabilitated Maternity Waiting Home.

Within days, the $27M expansion project at the Indigenous Residence, which also started in 2018, will be completed.

On Saturday, when the Guyana Chronicle visited the Indigenous Residence, the contracted team was applying the finishing touches to the multimillion-dollar building, which comprises five self-contained rooms for visiting toshaos, and offices for the medical and welfare teams.

Administrator of the Indigenous Resi-

The $27M extended wing of the Indigenous Residence that is under construction. It is scheduled to be completed within days dence, Claire Emmanuel, told the Guyana imately 190 persons at a time, the majority room…and they had to share beds, because Chronicle that the project is approximately of whom may be ill. She said having the we had limited space; and so you would have 98 per cent complete. According to her, it is medical and welfare offices on the lower flat two pregnant mothers sharing a bed and there likely to be fully completed by April 15. The of the two-storey building will prevent the were times when they were very uncomfortproject is part of the Ministry of Indigenous temporary residents, some of whom under- able,” Emmanuel explained.

Peoples’ Affairs 2018 Public Sector Invest- went surgery, from engaging in the painful She said now the high-risk mothers are ment Programme (PSIP). exercise of having to climb stairs to access resting in comfort. Emmanuel explained The lower flat of the building was de- the required personnel. that the Maternity Waiting Home is divided signed with offices for the nurses, as well as “So patients would be able to have easy into two sections – one section caters for the welfare officers who attend to persons at access to both nurses and welfare officers, the high-risk pregnant women, while the Administrator of the Indigenous the residence. Emmanuel explained that the and those who underwent surgeries, wouldn’t other section caters for the mothers and their Residence, Claire Emmanuel Amerindian Hostel accommodates approx- have to climb up the stairs for their dressing,” newborn. The first section has a total of 13 the facilitator said. beds, while the latter has approximately 20 Currently, nurses and welfare officers beds. The building is equipped with modare housed in a section of the older building ern amenities such as beds and cupboards, aback the new edifice. a television set, microwave and washroom However, when they are relocated to facilities. It allows pregnant women to travel the extended wing upon its completion, to Georgetown several weeks before delivery the older section will undergo further and await the onset of labour before being rehabilitation to extend the sleeping quar- transferred to the main referral hospital for ters for female occupants. Emmanuel said safe delivery. These women come mainly at any given time, there are more women from Region One (Barima-Waini), Region in the facility, and the Ministry of Indig- Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Region Eight enous Peoples’ Affairs has committed to (Potaro-Siparuni) and Region Nine (Upper financing the extension to provide greater Takutu-Upper Essequibo). comfort to the occupants.

Emmanuel said the transformation ongoing at the Indigenous Residence is remarkCOMFORT able. “The indigenous people are benefitting Emmanuel told this newspaper that tremendously from the improvements at the the multimillion-dollar Maternity Waiting Indigenous Residence, and we are grateful Home, which was built by the Ministry of for the improvements,” she said.

Public Health through funding from the Vice-president and Indigenous Peoples’ Inter-American Development Bank, has Affairs Minister, Sydney Allicock, said the brought much-needed comfort to the high- Maternity Waiting Home is a major plus risk pregnant mothers from the hinterland for expecting Indigenous mothers, parand other far-flung areas. It forms part of ticularly those who are high-risk. He said the government’s strategy to end maternal, the facility allows pregnant women to wait prenatal and neonatal deaths throughout comfortably until delivery, and provides Guyana. easier access to the country’s primary Emmanuel recalled that in the past, healthcare institution – the Georgetown more than 35 pregnant women and postnatal Public Hospital. “So that is given as a Indigenous mothers resting comfortably in a section of the Maternity Waiting mothers were cramped into a single room at great relief,” he told this newspaper on the residence. “All of them used to be in one Saturday.

Home (Photos by Delano Williams)

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, April 7, 2019

East La Penitence residents join Broomes to clean up surroundings ably,” Lloyd told this newspaper. The 34-year-old said that they will be pooling their resources to reconstruct the fence to prevent persons from traversing the compound.

Dwayne Brown, another resident who is responsible for maintaining the exercise, said he is thankful for the support given by Minister Broomes. Brown pledged to maintain a clean and healthy compound. “Going forward, we will try to give everyone an opportunity to live a better

life in a clean environment,” he told this newspaper. Delon Cox, who has been living in the area since 1993, said he was pleased with the turnout.

Euclid Hackett, chairman of the newly formed committee, told the Guyana Chronicle that he was pleased that the residents came together to clean up their environment.

“This is the first cleanup in a long time. Normally, people does come and do their own cleaning, mostly in front of their own house, but this is a general cleaning,” he

explained; he noted that they simply want to give the compound a cleaner and brighter look. He expressed gratitude to Minister Broomes and the government for the support given thus far.

The clean-up exercise took place one day after Minister Broomes and Minister with responsibility for Housing, Valerie Adams-Yearwood, held a meeting with them and committed to helping them acquire better housing.

TURN TO PAGE 17 ►

Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes, engaged in the clean-up exercise on Saturday at the East La Penitence housing compound.

COGNISANT that the conditions under which they live are less than desirable and pose a threat to their health and safety, residents of the East La Penitence housing compound joined forces with Minister Simona Broomes and staged a major clean-up exercise on Saturday.

The compound, which houses 15 families with approximately 70 persons, was littered with garbage.

The rundown and dilapidated buildings posed a safety threat and on Saturday, the residents took control of their environment with support from Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes. Some of the dilapidated buildings were dismantled, and overgrown trees trimmed and in some cases cut down. The garbage was raked up and burnt along with other debris.

Joel Lloyd, who has been

living in the compound for more than 21 years, admitted that they have been living in less than habitable conditions for more than two decades, but said the clean-up exercise would allow residents, particularly the children, to dwell in a clean environment until better can be done.

“This is not a one-off thing. We formed a committee and we will be cleaning the compound regularly, so persons can live comfort-

A resident burning debris found within the compound

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, April 7, 2019

EPA to visit Guyana Manganese Inc

By Svetlana Marshall EXECUTIVE Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Vincent Adams, said the EPA will be doing a site visit to the Guyana Manganese Inc (GMI) Matthews Ridge mines as part of the process for permitting resumption of operations.

On Saturday, Dr. Adams told the Guyana Chronicle that the site visit “is not to investigate the incident,” which has thus far led to the death of two Chinese workers and the hospitalisation of a number of persons after they were exposed to one of four tunnels at the mines in Matthews Ridge.

In Matthews Ridge on Saturday, residents attended a public meeting with the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Karen Campbell; the Regional Health Officer, Dr Vishal Ramjas, an EPA representative and other officials.

Based on information coming out of that meeting, the officials assured the residents that GMI’s operations will remain at a halt until there is approval by the Environmental Protection Agency.

They reiterated that only Chinese workers who worked in the tunnel became ill and samples have been taken from those hospitalised and sent to Trinidad and Tobago for further testing.

The patients are reportedly responding to anti-biotic and anti-fungal medicines.

Last Wednesday, one of two men who were diagnosed with leptospirosis died, bringing the death toll to two. In a statement on Thursday following the death of the second miner,

Residents of Matthews Ridge meeting with health, regional and EPA officials on Saturday (Photo Credit: Ridgetimes)

the Public Health Ministry said the second miner died while receiving treatment at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

The first miner died at Matthews Ridge while undergoing treatment. On Saturday, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, while confirming that post-mortems were done on the two bodies, could not indicate what had caused the men’s death.

He said the second miner who was tested positive for

leptospirosis remains in a critical condition.

Two weeks ago, while cleaning bat droppings from one of four tunnels at the mining site called “Rail Ends”, nine workers – eight Chinese and one Guyanese – started experiencing pain, fever, headaches 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 Public Health Min-

istry said the GPHC successfully treated and discharged two Chinese workers who were among several taken there.

The CMO in an earlier statement said 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. Over 200 employees attached to GMI’s Matthews Ridge operations are being

screened.

He added that since last week’s outbreak, the area has been deemed a ‘Red Zone’ by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) 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

Residents join Broomes to clean ...

DEEPLY INVOLVED On Saturday, Minister Broomes was seen ‘footto-foot’ with the residents during the clean-up exercise. The minister told this newspaper that she sprang into action after visiting the compound two Sundays ago and seeing the deplorable conditions under which the residents, particularly the children, were living. Minister Broomes said during the meeting on Friday a clean-up exercise was planned. “What is beautiful here now is not only that they will have this exercise today, but they have

this maintenance committee and every week they plan to maintain the ambience and health,” Minister Broomes said.

She said upon hearing of the conditions under which the residents live, Fabulous Homes opted to construct two sanitary blocks within the compound. “Fabulous Homes, they sent a contractor here this morning to look at it and they are going to support in setting up the lavatory facilities, toilet and bathroom; and I spoke with Van-West Charles and he will be here, ensuring that they have water

Head of CH&PA’s Relocation Resettlement Unit Roxanne Campbell, numbering one of the buildings in the compound

running to the lavatories,” Minister Broomes explained.

Even as the residents cleaned up their surroundings, a team from the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) was engaged in numbering the housing quarters in the compound. Head of CH&PA’s Relocation Resettlement Unit, Roxanne Campbell, said it was the first time an inventory of the number of persons settled in the company was being taken.

Campbell explained that the census would give the housing authority a clear idea of the number of persons living

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 had complained of experiencing similar symptoms as their colleagues.

FROM PAGE 16

in the compound and the number of housing quarters existing.

Most of the residents living in the compound are from households relocated from Tiger Bay over 20 years ago. On Friday, during the meeting with the two ministers, they spoke of feeling abandoned and forgotten by the previous People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) administration, which had told them that they were only being relocated for a temporary three months period when they were first moved to the compound.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 7, 2019

GuySuCo not involved in divestment –– says responsible only for sugar and related activities

By Navendra Seoraj THE Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) has distanced itself from the divestment of the sugar industry, noting that it is only responsible for sugar production and other activities related to sugar.

The National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) has control over the Skeldon, East Demerara, Rose Hall and Skeldon estates, which were closed and put up for privatisation and divestment by the government.

The Blairmont, Albion and Uitvlugt estates remain operational under GuySuCo. “Anything to do with the divestment of those estates falls under the Special Purposes Unit (SPU) of NICIL,” Communications Manager of GuySuCo, Audreyanna Thomas, said in an invited comment.

Thomas was responding to questions surrounding an estimated $3 billion in scrap metal which was up for disposal in 2017.

It was reported that with the scrap metal trade reopened, executives of the corporation had questioned whether the iron was sold.

“We had over $3 billion in scrap metal that was to be given to an individual, but that was put on hold because there was a ban. The ban has now been lifted and we don’t know what has happened with the scrap metal; but we know we have not received any money for it,” a senior GuySuCo executive told Stabroek News last week.

Thomas reiterated that the iron and other assets were handed over to the SPU when privatisation of the sugar industry started.

Finance Minister Winston Jordan had explained that the SPU, which would fall under NICIL, is specifically responsible for the privatisation of some areas of GuySuCo. In the initial stage, its primary function would be to lead the privatisation and divestment process for the Skeldon factory, Finance Minister Winston Jordan had disclosed, while noting that the unit would be required to hire an established accounting firm to assist with the process.

The functions of the unit would also include the process of valuation, marketing, advertising and the drafting of legal frameworks. As time progresses, the unit would assist GuySuCo in the identification of other properties to be privatised.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 7, 2019

Guyana gets US$20M grant to develop food sector ASSISTANT Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, Dr. Julio A. Berdegue, said that the FAO has pledged US$20M in grant aid to develop Guyana’s food sector.

At the time he was meeting with Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo. In assuring Prime Minister Nagamootoo of the FAO’s continued support for Guyana’s agricultural drive, Dr. Berdegue on Friday explained that the grant will help the country to develop what he described as “the tremendous untapped possibilities of Guyana in the food sector.”

He noted too that the FAO will strengthen its presence in Guyana, which is recognised as the agricultural reservoir of the entire Caribbean.

The top official, who has been the FAO’s Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean since 2017, took note of the great strides made by Guyana in literacy, with a 98 per cent level nationwide, and hence the use of technology in agriculture, aquaculture and apiculture.

Prime Minister Nagamootoo, who is performing the functions of the office of the President, outlined the ‘green’ agenda of the Coalition Government, and the fiscal rules governing use of anticipated wealth from the petroleum industry. He told the UN official that Guyana is determined to pursue a balanced and mixed

Man kills friend during drinking spree A drinking spree between two friends ended tragically at Glen Lors, Lower Pomeroon River, Region Two, when one stabbed the other during a heated argument on Saturday.

Dead is Micheal Chu, 48, called “Chuman” of Melville, Lower Pomeroon. Reports indicate the incident occurred around noon on Saturday. The cause of the argument was not disclosed.

This newspaper was told that following the stabbing, Chu was taken to the Charity Hospital where he was treated and admitted but was later transferred to the Suddie Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries at 17:58 hrs.

The suspect was arrested and is assisting police with their investigation.

economy, with emphasis on food security.

He pointed to the potential for apiculture, as he presented his distinguished guest with locally-produced and bottled honey.

The prime minister assured Dr. Berdegue that with help from his UN organisation and through partnership with the private sector, Guyana hopes to place emphasis on agro-processing.

The FAO has been supporting agricultural ventures that are linked to the school-feeding programme, under which the Ministry of Education provides fresh, hot meals to a number of schools.

The prime minister explained the revolutionary role of the government in opening radio communication with hinterland regions, and to the communities of Indigenous Peoples. In response, the official readily signaled the FAO’s willingness to partner with Guyana through their Communications for Development Programme, to advance communications in the hinterland regions.

In taking note of the communications infrastructure now in place, the FAO also offered to make available their early warning on drought system, which is aimed at making information available about weather conditions.

Dr. Berdegue was accompanied by the FAO Representative in Guyana, Mrs. Gillian Smith, and Mr. Jefferson Jaikissoon, Programme Associate, FAO Guyana.

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Princess Hotel staffers received customer service training

THE Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), in collaboration with the Caribbean Tourism Organisation, re-

cently concluded a ‘Delivering Quality Service’ staff training for the Ramada Princess Hotel, located at

Providence, East Bank Demerara.

The training focused on educating the members of the

Participants of the customer service training conducted by the Guyana Tourism Authority, at the Ramada Princess Hotel establishment in customer service excellence, visitor welcome, and hospitality best practices to ensure all guests receive a high quality experience that meets international standards.

Davina Layne and Deborah Celmentson of the Travel Industry Development and Operations Division within the GTA, carried out the training with 14 staffers from various departments within the Hotel.

In a press statement, GTA noted that the trainings were designed to raise awareness of the importance of the tourism sector in Guyana. It also created an understanding of the role each individual person and organization, within

the tourism industry, play in delivering quality service.

In addition, it stressed the importance of first impressions and meeting customer expectations, and the value of each individual’s personal brand, impact and attitude.

The GTA remains committed to elevating the tourism sector and will be hosting a series of training programmes throughout 2019 that were informed by a training needs assessment undertaken in May-June 2018. Persons interested in receiving training or becoming Master Trainers are encouraged to contact Ms. Davina Layne at 219-0091 or davina@guyanatourism.com for more information.

GTA is a semi-autonomous governmental organisation responsible for developing and promoting sustainable tourism in Guyana, through collaboration with sister agencies and the tourism private sector, in order to maximize local socio-economic and conservation outcomes and improve the visitors’ experience.

The organisation is focused on Guyana becoming recognized locally and internationally as a premier destination for protecting its natural and cultural heritage, providing authentic experiences, and maximizing local economic benefits.

Access points to ECD roadway to be upgraded PUBLIC Infrastructure Minister David Patterson has instructed contractors to upgrade all access points to roads connecting the East Coast Demerara highway which is being expanded.

He issued the order following complaints from motorists.

Patterson, via a social media post, said he had received several complaints about the difficulties being experienced by motorists who try to access the highway.

“The main challenge is that due to the increasing of the thickness of the highway, vehicles, mainly cars, have difficulties transiting to the higher road,” said Patterson.

According to the minister, the contract caters for the upgrade and paving of all connecting roads for a distance of 30 meters, inwards.

“Unfortunately, there are over 120 such connecting roads, so the total upgrade is anticipated to take six weeks; apologies for

any inconvenience caused or will be suffered during this period,” said the minister.

When completed, the four-lane section will have a median in the centre equipped with streetlights. Sidewalks will be built along populated villages, seven bridges and 12 culverts will be widened, and 11 traffic signals will be installed at busy intersections along the roadway.

The approximately eight-inch finished surface will comprise asphaltic concrete and have road-safety features, including warning signs, road markings and pedestrian crossings.

In 2016, the government and the People’s Republic of China signed a G$9.6 billion (US$45.5 million) concessional loan for completion of the widening of the road between Better Hope and Belfield.

Guyana has contributed $2.7 billion towards the project.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE April 7, 2019

Injured Reliance man succumbs

THE community of Reliance, Essequibo Coast was in a state of shock on Saturday after residents learnt of the death of Gowkarran Narine, 39, called “Pauline”.

According to information reaching Guyana Chronicle, the now deceased was chopping wood when, during the process, he sustained a wound to his neck. The incident occurred on April 5, between 13:00hrs and 16:00hrs.

The deceased wife, Shavon Joseph, still in a state of shock, said her husband was “axing” wood when she heard a strange sound coming from him.

She said when she checked, she saw a piece of wood stuck to his neck. At the time she was cooking

Dead: Gowkarran Narine dinner not far away from where the incident occurred.

“I went to see why he was keeping noise; when I check I saw blood was coming out from his neck; I took a sponge and just sop it up, then put he to lie down while I continue cooking,” a saddened Joseph said.

She said she continued cooking and would periodically check on him. On her last check, she found him in a motionless state and she panicked. She alerted neighbours who then called the police.

When detectives from the Anna Regina Police Station arrived, they saw a wound to the right side of Narine’s neck and escorted him to the Suddie Public Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.

The body was later transported to the Suddie Mortuary and is awaiting a post -mortem.

Narine, a father of three, was described as a good father, but according to his wife, he would consume alcohol on a regular basis.

NATI student suspended for assaulting colleagues THE New Amsterdam Technical Institute student, who was caught on video assaulting three other students with a belt, was suspended and is receiving counseling.

In a press statement, the Ministry of Education (MOE) noted that the student said that he had been a victim of bullying by his class and school mates.

The Ministry took the opportunity to reiterate its stance of non-tolerance to violence, at an assembly held with the entire student population.

The students were also reminded of their signed commitment, at the time of admission to the institute, to obey the rules of the institute by ensuring that matters are reported to the school as against taking same into their own hands.

In the statement, MOE also highlighted that the four students involved in the incident were interviewed in the presence of their parents/guardians, and they were

all receiving counseling coordinated by the Citizen’s Security Strengthening Programme (CSSP).

The NATI and CSSP have been conducting welfare and counselling sessions, conflict management and anger control and management, with all the students of NATI. Among the recommended actions are that the frequency of assemblies at the institution be increased and sections of the rules and procedures must be discussed at the assemblies. At the assemblies, students would be encouraged to report incidents and the procedure for doing so, must be explained.

To further address the issue of bullying on a larger scale, the institute will be launching an anti-bullying campaign to ensure that students are sensitised on the negative effects of bullying.

The institute is to be declared a ‘No-Bullying’ institution.

Non Pareil squatters giving GuySuCo headache THE Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) has expressed concern over persons squatting on the drainage reserve at Non Pareil, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

“This recent development will prevent the corporation from maintaining the drainage system to prevent flooding to Non Pareil, Strathspey and neighbouring villages,” the corporation said.

The drainage outfall located between Non Pareil and Strathspey villages and operated from three pumps at Strathspey at the old railway to the sea sluice cannot be de-silted and maintained with squatters on the eastern reserve.

The rainy season will commence in a few weeks and GuySuCo would not be able to

effectively operate the drainage pumps. If the pumps are inoperable, there could be severe flooding for prolonged periods.

The squatters’ buildings and pickets/rails are on the eastern embankment of the outfall channel, which is required for machine access and placement of sludge from the drainage canal. This is especially so between the East Coast Public Road and the Strathspey Sea sluice.

The corporation is appealing to all relevant authorities to take the necessary actions to clear the reserve before the MayJune rains begin, so as to prevent severe flooding of residential communities as well as lands being used for agricultural purposes, such as cash crops.

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Hamilton Green 9-a-side Linden Town Week Mayor’s Cup football set for quarterInter-Ward football final playoffs tonight kicks off today THE Hamilton Green Cup Inter-Ward/Village 9-a-side knockout football tournament starts today and will conclude on April 28 with the semifinals and final at the Den Amstel ground, venue for all the matches.

Action starts at 15:00hrs and coordinator Lennox Arthur, former National Football player and coach, is asking all teams to be at the venue by 14:00hrs to ensure all games start on time and proceedings are completed in a timely fashion.

The opening salvo of games, 16 of them, will see Vergenoegen vs Timehri, Soesdyke vs Jetty, De Kinderen vs Liliendaal, Kuru Kururu vs Stewartville, Charlestown vs Zeelugt, North East La Penitence vs Agricola, Sara Lodge vs Mocha, Goed Fortuin vs Back Street Kings, Bagotville vs Sophia, Wales vs Mahaica, Plaisance vs Belle West Stars, Kitty vs Sparta Family, Mahaicony vs Crane, Pouderoyen vs Vreed-en-Hoop, Uitvlugt vs Lima Dam and Den Amstel vs West Side Masters.

The teams will be battling for a chance to claim the John Fernandes $300 000 first prize and Prime Minister Trophy along with hampers from Ricks and Sari.

The second-placed team will take away the Courtney Benn-sponsored $100 000, third $60 000 put up by Techno Mills and fourth $40 000 donated by Ready Mix, along with the respective trophies. All the trophies have been sponsored by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo.

Also at stake are the indi-

Leroy Halley

Sheldon Toney

vidual rewards for the Most Goals/MVP who will take home a Dinette Chair from China Trading and a Lazy Boy chair from AH&L Kissoon, along with the Best Goalkeeper who will claim the Minister of Natural Resources Trophy.

Among the sponsors so far are Techno Mills, Ready Mix, Sataur Gafoor, EC Vieira, BEV Enterprises, BK International, IPA, Top Brandz, New Thriving, Ricks and Sari, E-Networks, Star Computers, NAMILCO, Cummings Electrical, National Sports Commission, Star Entertainment, Alfro Alphonso, the Guyana Police Force, Ministry of State, Prime Minister and Ministry of Legal Affairs.

Arthur has expressed gratitude to these businesses and entities and also thanked those who have promised and are expected to come forward officially in the coming week. He has been staging tournaments in recognition of former Mayor of Georgetown and Prime Minister of Guyana, Hamilton Green for a number of years now.

The defending champions of this tournament

are Charlestown who beat Uitvlugt to claim the $400 000 prize and Ministry of Citizenship Trophy last time around. Uitvlugt took the John Fernandes Trophy and $200 000 for their efforts back then.

With the involvement of the lead players emerging from the various areas and villages/wards, the event is playing its part in aiding Social Cohesion among the citizenry. The players on show today will include Sheldon Toney, Ruel Charter, Leroy Halley and Kenroy D’Aguiar.

Teams are reminded to be at the venue for 15:00hrs today. Four substitutions are permitted in this format which will see the games being run for 30 minutes, broken into halves. The tournament will be played in the knockout format, with winners advancing to the next round.

Sudden-death penalties will be used to separate the sides in the event of a draw at the end of full time. The no-offside rule is also in effect. All other rules will come under the dictates of FIFA.

SILVER Shattas eked out a 1-0 victory over Coomacka Mines while Topp XX prevailed 4-2 in penalty shootout to reach the quarter-finals of this year’s Linden Town Week inaugural Linden Mayor’s Cup football championship on Friday night at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground.

Tonight the tournament’s first set of quarter-finals will be contested as Topp XX will collide with Linden’s top club, Eagles United FC, out of Christianburg while the other game brings together Botofago FC and Capital FC in what should be a hotly-contested affair.

On Friday night the Shattas in their first game gained an early goal after Ronbin Adams was fouled just outside the 18-yard box on the left side and schemer Dexter Garraway planted a powerful shot that scored in the 4th minute to give them that decisive 1-0 advantage over the side from the Mines.

Shattas looked the more settled side in the first half after the early goal but found a very tough Coomaka team taking the game to them, especially in the second half where they had Shattas on the back foot for most of the encounter.

However, despite several good attempts by the Mines side to level the scores and stand a chance of making to the next stage, Shattas’ defence stood strong and Coomacka lost by a 1-0 score.

In the second game of the evening, it was a 2-2

Chennai Super Kings beat Kings XI Punjab by 22 runs

CHENNAI Super King (CSK) beat Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) by 22 runs in the first of two IPL 2019 matches yesterday.

CSK posted a total of 1603 in their stipulated 20 overs.

Their captain MS Dhoni won the toss and chose to bat first.

Openers Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis gave the home team a good start. How-

ever, KXIP spinners - with Ravichandran Ashwin being the destructor-in-chief bogged down the scoring rate in the middle overs.

MS Dhoni came up with a good finish at the end, however, as 44 runs were scored off the final three overs to get the score up to 160.

The KXIP innings got off to a rocky start, with Har-

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Dexter Garraway of Silver Shattas

draw between Topp XX and Milerock Select team, which did not include their Elite players. After play in regulation and overtime periods it had to be decided by penalty kicks and Topp XX team eventually won 4-2.

The game was a dingdong affair. Topp XX took the lead through Ryan Noel in the 10th minute but that was cancelled through an equaliser which was registered by Lennox Richards in the 21st minute for Milerock But Topp XX grabbed the lead just before halftime in the 43rd minute, when Chaka Hall netted for a 2-1 advantage when the first half ended.

However, Milerock Select side took the game to their opponents and were rewarded when Tyrese Lewis knotted the scores for the second time, with his shot in the 59th minute. They continued the offensive against Topp XX but were unable to get the winner.

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bhajan Singh capturing the wickets of Chris Gayle and Mayank Agarwal in the same over. KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan consolidated in the middle part of the innings but ran out of ideas as the spinners choked the scoring rate.

With this, CSK have 8 points from 5 matches and KXIP continue to have 6 points, also having played 5 matches. Harbhajan Singh dismissed Chris Gayle and Mayank Agarwal in his first over. (BCCI/IPL photo)

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, April 7, 2019

Lights to shine in Brampton on turf facilities … after years of persistence, dedication

By Frederick Halley TORONTO, Canada -Long-standing president of the Brampton Etobicoke & District Cricket League (BEDCL), Praim Persaud, is extremely confident that Brampton will once again be the leading city in responding to and providing substantial International Cricket Council (ICC) quality playing facilities.

In an interview with Chronicle Sport, the Guyanese-born Persaud, who has been at the helm of the BEDCL for almost three decades, paid glowing tributes to new mayor of Brampton, Patrick Brown, for his unstinted support for the future development of the game in the city.

According to Persaud, he and all the cricketers in Brampton are extremely thrilled with the anticipated changes which will include infrastructure as its top priority, boasting that after 30 plus years of persistence, lights will shine in Brampton on turf facilities.

Persaud disclosed that he’s extremely grateful for the commitment and support from Mayor Brown “for the proposed infrastructure improvements as well as making sure that the demands

BEDCL president Praimp Persaud (second from left) poses with councillor Michael Palleschi, Mayor Patrick Brown and councillor Gurpreet Singh Dhillon.

for facilities are kept in the vision of the city planners with appropriate funding and long-term concrete foundations being laid to achieve these goals.”

Persaud recently met with the mayor and according to him: “It was an amazing and extremely productive meeting with short- and long-term goals. Myself and all cricketers in Brampton will be thrilled when these long-awaited changes take effect. It has taken years of repeatedly asking for these improvements which are needed for our sport.”

An ardent cricket fan, Mayor Brown, also attended the annual general meet-

ing of the BEDCL, expressing delight at the positive developments of the league over the years.

Brown recognised the tremendous growth and demand for the sport of cricket and according to Persaud, “not since Mayor Susan Fennel in 2004 has there been a mayor who has stepped forward and kept promises and commitment in ensuring that cricket gets equal recognition and respect to build quality infrastructure.

An elated Persaud pointed out that “the future of our sports looks extremely good under his leadership, support and guidance.”

Following the meeting with the mayor, Persaud also met with Parks Maintenance & Recreation director Rob Gaspe, manager Jim Pitman and Communications director Gary Collings - a caucus which Persaud described as fantastic. Persaud was accompanied by Arsalan Baig.

The meeting, Persaud said, addressed the current facilities, new facilities on the immediate and longterm horizons, true natural turf pitches, grass cutting, project timelines, the mayor’s support for immediate change and visible benefits as well as additional maintenance.

Meanwhile, Persaud and his entire executive committee were given a huge vote of confidence at the AGM, with the incumbent president assuring that they will govern with the same passion, commitment, dedication, transparency and open governance as in the past.

The executive committee comprises: Praimp Persaud – president, Gokul Kamat - vice-president, Rumi Jasavala - treasurer, Arsalan Baig - umpire coordinator and Denny Eapen – statistician.

IPL not ideal yardstick, but little choice for India selectors

By Sudipto Ganguly MUMBAI, India (Reuters) - India captain Virat Kohli does not want performance at the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) to determine team composition for this year’s World Cup but selectors have little choice after a series of candidates failed to nail down the number four slot.

Twice 50-over champions India have an otherwise settled batting line-up with a formidable top order consisting of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Kohli himself.

The selectors, however, continue to fret over who should walk out to bat after the fall of the second wicket during the May 30-July 14 showpiece tournament in England and Wales.

Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Lokesh Rahul, Dinesh Karthik and Ambati

Rayudu have all been trialled for the number four spot and found wanting.

With the ongoing IPL the only form of cricket left before Kohli’s team embark on their World Cup campaign, the selectors may be forced to consider the form of the players in the T20 tournament before picking the squad ahead of the April 23 deadline.

“They have maintained that they won’t look at IPL but it’s going to be very hard,” former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar told Reuters in a recent interview.

“There are some borderline cases, like if they are looking at Dinesh Karthik, Ambati Rayudu and Vijay Shankar or a Manish Pandey or an Ajinkya Rahane. So all these people are there and thereabouts.

“And if somebody has a great IPL season, it will be hard to ignore him, but they

(selectors) should not actually get too carried away with what happens in the IPL.” Rayudu, 33, emerged as the most likely choice to fill the void but scores of 13, 18 and two in the first three matches of the recent home series against world champions Australia hurt his cause.

Pressure is only mounting on the selectors with Rayudu, who plays for IPL champions Chennai Super Kings, scoring 28, five, one and zero in the first four matches of the tournament.

Manjrekar felt India were back to square one with no more ODIs scheduled before the World Cup in England and Wales, where the team will be looking to add to their 1983 and 2011 triumphs.

India’s limited-overs vice-captain Rohit believes inputs from Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri should determine the selection of the final 15.

“With their inputs, the selectors will keep an eye on what is happening with those guys during the IPL,” Rohit, who leads the Mumbai Indians side in the IPL, told reporters at the launch of cricket.com website on Thursday.

“Although I feel IPL shouldn’t be the criterion for team selection. We have played enough international matches to see where each individual stands.

“You can’t select a 50-overs format team based on a 20-overs franchise competition. IPL is a different ball game. It’s franchise cricket.

“Yes, form matters a lot.

But in this last four years we have played enough ODI matches, we have played enough T20 internationals.

So that should be enough to understand that these are the players we want.”

Quadruple still on, as Jesus heads Man City into FA Cup final

Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva and Gabriel Jesus celebrate after the match. (REUTERS/David Klein)

By Martyn Herman LONDON, England (Reuters) - The “impossible” quadruple dream remains intact for Manchester City after an early headed goal from Gabriel Jesus sealed a scrappy 1-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion yesterday to put them into the FA Cup final.

Jesus launched himself into the air to connect decisively in the third minute but City never hit top gear and they rather laboured to victory in an instantly forgettable match.

Nevertheless, after bagging the League Cup, being locked in a titanic battle with Liverpool for the Premier League title and in the Champions League quarter-finals, Pep Guardiola’s side remain on course for an unprecedented clean sweep.

It was a tired-looking display against Premier League relegation battlers Brighton, though, and City will need to rediscover their spark ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg of their Champions League last-eight tie.

Guardiola was quick to play down the “Q” word.

“My opinion is that nobody has done it (won the quadruple) so why can we do it?” Guardiola said.

“It is almost impossible to achieve everything. That is the truth. Our fans will come, more than today, for the final, we are losing players every game but still we will try to do it.

“I am happy to be in the final, we extend our season by one more week and we are happy for that.”

Back at Wembley where they beat Chelsea on penalties to win the League Cup in February, City were huge favourites to get past a Brighton side with other things on their mind.

Whatever plan Brighton boss Chris Hughton had cooked up to stop a City side who had won 20 of their last 22 matches in all competitions was in tatters after only three minutes.

In one of the only fluid moves they put together all

afternoon at a less-than-full Wembley, Kevin de Bruyne whipped in a superb low cross and Jesus arrived at the far post to plant a diving header past Brighton keeper Matthew Ryan.

The Brighton fans, who greatly outnumbered City’s in the 71 000 crowd, must have feared the worst in the south coast’s club’s first FA Cup semi-final since 1983 when they beat Sheffield Wednesday before losing the final to Manchester United in a replay after the first game ended 2-2.

But the onslaught never arrived.

Had City fullback Kyle Walker been shown a red card during the first half after a clash with Alireza Jahanbakhsh the outcome could have been different.

REACTED ANGRILY Walker reacted angrily after being shoved in the back and as the players squared up face to face, he appeared to move his head into Jahanbakhsh forehead.

The incident went to the VAR, which is being used in the FA Cup, but referee Anthony Taylor was not required to send Walker off, although he was replaced at halftime by Danilo.

“I have seen it a few times and my opinion is it is a red card,” Hughton said. “If Alireza goes down clutching his head it would have been a different outcome.”

Brighton gradually grew in belief and but for a superb goal-line clearance by Aymeric Laporte they could have drawn level, the Frenchman hacking clear just when Glenn Murray seemed poised to equalise early in the second half.

Hughton’s side caused the occasional problem from set-pieces and with City unusually lethargic, the result was never in the bag until referee Anthony Taylor blew for fulltime.

City will face the winners of Watford and Wolverhampton Wanderers who meet in the second semi-final today.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, April 7, 2019

CWI set to revamp selection policy to choose best players for World Cup BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Cricket West Indies (CWI) is set to revamp its selection policy in an effort to rid the process of “politics or petty emotional situations” in a move geared towards having the best squad selected for the upcoming ICC World Cup. New president Ricky Skerritt said selection policy had come under heavy scrutiny ever since he and vice-president Dr Kishore Shallow assumed the reins of the regional governing body two weeks ago, and it was now hoped that the changes would result in a broadening of the selection pool.

“In the last two weeks, one of the most critical points that have been embedded as a selection policy is that if a player can still get selected for the team, he must be considered,” Skerritt told cricket website, Cricbuzz.

“There must be no reason for non-consideration other than cricket or medical or physical health. No administrative issues, politics or petty emotional situations must prohibit or prevent players from being considered for selection.”

He continued: “The last 10, 11 days since the election, we’ve been bringing in changes in terms of personnel and policies to make sure that we can reach out to everybody who wants to play for West Indies.

“The people responsible for selecting, managing and leading the squad to the World Cup have been reaching out to players who may be interested, to let them know that the policy has changed and to be clear whether they are available or not, so that when the group gets together next week to make their final decision on the squad, they have

New Cricket West Indies president, Ricky Skerritt.

as wide a slate to choose from as possible.”

Selection politics has remained a perennial issue in West Indies cricket but became a major talking point in recent years, as the relationship between senior players and the Dave Cameron-led CWI administration frayed.

Darren Sammy was inexplicably axed as captain and

dropped from the squad five months after guiding West Indies to the capture of the Twenty20 World Cup in India three years ago, with many believing the move was as a result of his controversial public criticism of Cameron and CWI’s handling of player issues in the lead-up to the tournament.

Similarly, recently-retired

Minister Norton impressed with ongoing works at the Linden Synthetic Track

By Vanessa Brathwaite MINISTER with responsibility for Sport, George Norton, has expressed satisfaction with ongoing works at the construction of the Linden Synthetic Track, after a site visit on Friday.

Norton, along with a technical team, inspected the ongoing works, which are currently at the third phase and said that he is very excited and hyped about what is in store for Linden, upon the completion of the track.

While he would have been inspecting both facilities, at Linden and New Amsterdam, Norton said he is particularly impressed with the construction at Linden.

“I know that we are not so close to finishing, but we are a far way from where we started.

I am impressed, particularly here in Linden, which is a little more than we have in New Amsterdam. I think we are meeting our deadlines.

I can see this happening,” the minister posited.

Not only is he impressed with the transformation of the Bayroc Community Centre ground where the track is currently being laid, but is satisfied with the quality of work being carried out by the contractors.

The contractors and workers on site are also answering clearly all questions asked by the minister and team. They have also not related any hiccups and are confident that they will meet the deadline.

Minister Norton said that Region Ten has always positively contributed to sporting development in Guyana and the athletes have always represented Guyana well at international competitions.

“Region Ten has been the foundation of sports and particularly track and field in Guyana without a synthetic track. Now that we are going to have one right here, with state-of-theart and quality I am expecting much more. He

Ongoing works at the Linden synthetic track

particularly spoke of the athletes who will be participating in the Junior CARIFTA Games in 2020.

Norton encouraged the residents of the surrounding communities to take pride in the facility and to keep a keen eye on the contractors to ensure that quality works are put out, since it will contribute to the improved aesthetics of the community.

The Linden sythethic track is being constructed by Builders Hardware and General Supplies, to the tune of $179M. This phase of the project includes groundwork, laying of necessary drainage pipes, curb work, asphalting and concreting where necessary.

The track will also have the necessary amenities for all field events and the middle will be developed into a world-class football field. Phase four includes the laying of the synthetic material of an eight-lane 400-metre track.

The development of the pavilion and the additional surrounding space is a project that will be scheduled for a later time. The project is expected to be completed at the end of the year.

all-rounder Dwayne Bravo was never picked again in a one-day squad after playing a key role in the contentious abandoned tour of India in 2014.

He was also sacked from the T20 squad in 2016 following the disastrous tour against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates which followed the firing of head coach Phil Simmons – a development subsequently criticised by Bravo.

Back in 2015, Simmons had famously criticised the selection process as suffering from “too much interference from outside”.

With the World Cup set to bowl off May 30, Skerritt said it was important to have proper selection policy in place so that the Windies squad would be an ideal mix of youth and experience. “… that’s a policy decision which was made even before we got into office but it

became effective immediately on us, getting into office, as we wanted it to be cemented before the World Cup,” he pointed out.

“The problem in the recent past we discovered was that it was more an informal policy that hovered over the selectors’ heads. And I suspect they erred on the side of political caution and at times made decisions that hurt the team from being strengthened.

“That led to the policy makers pointing fingers at the selectors for only picking young people but we know a successful cricket team needs a mix of seniority and young players.”

Only recently in the oneday series against England, veteran 39-year-old opener Chris Gayle returned to the side to plunder 424 runs at an average of 106, to be voted Player-of-the-Series.

Impressive Burnley fight back to beat Bournemouth 3-1

(REUTERS) - Burnley made a big step towards securing Premier League survival, after coming back from a goal down to beat Bournemouth 3-1 away as their striker Ashley Barnes scored at both ends in an action-packed contest yesterday.

The result lifted Burnley into 14th place on 36 points from 33 games, eight above the relegation zone with 18th-placed Cardiff on 28 points from 32 matches. Bournemouth are 13th on 38 points from 33 games.

Burnley manager Sean Dyche praised his side who overcame a jittery start at the Vitality stadium.

“So many parts of the performance were strong today,” Dyche told BBC. “There was no nervousness and we stayed clear-minded.

There was a real calmness to our play.

“Twenty-four points since Christmas is a very strong return. We kept playing, we kept probing; we kept doing all the diligent things that we do well.

“It puts us in a much healthier situation than we were two games ago.”

The home side took a fourth-minute lead after Barnes headed into his own net but Burnley came roaring back as Chris Wood levelled with an 18th-minute header before Ashley Westwood swept in a shot from 13 metres barely two minutes later.

Both goals resulted from sloppy Bournemouth defending, as their

keeper Asmir Begovic misjudged an inswinging corner for the equaliser before Chris Mepham’s poor clearance gave Westwood time and space to fire the visitors ahead.

Callum Wilson missed a giltedged chance to equalise midway the first half when he headed over the bar from close range before another Begovic howler allowed Barnes to score at the right end in the 57th minute.

Wood beat the indecisive Begovic to a deflected cross at the near post, as he turned swiftly and squared the ball back to his strike partner Barnes, who rifled it confidently into an empty net from eight metres.

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe was unhappy with his team’s bloodless performance which stretched their winless home run to four games, leaving them with only one win from their last nine league outings.

“There were lots of elements from our performance today which wasn’t great,” said Howe.

“I have always backed our goalkeepers. Mistakes happen in football.

Today we made numerous mistakes in areas we wouldn’t expect them to happen.

“We pride ourselves on our professionalism and our ability to never give up but it didn’t look like that today. We are on a difficult run and confidence is maybe a bit low but the season isn’t over yet.”

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, April 7, 2019

GCC crush Everest to lift NBS Trophy HALF-centuries from Winston Forrester and Timothy McAlmont propelled the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) to an emphatic 162run win over the Everest Cricket Club in the final of the New Building Society (NBS) Second-Division 40over tournament, which culminated last evening under lights at the DCC Ground.

The win was the fourth for GCC in the seven years of the Georgetown Cricket Association(GCA)- organised competition.

Although the stroke-play by the top order of GCC set the stage, it was the pace of Bernard Bailey early and Ronaldo Alimohamed later in the innings which carried the eventual winners home.

Scores in the day/ night game: GCC 260-9 from their

40-overs and Everest 98-9 from 27.3 overs. Due to an ailment, Javed Rasheed did not bat.

Forrester led the charge early for GCC, who won the toss and batted. He spanked nine fours for a 68-ball 62.

Fellow opener Martin Pestano-Belle added 32 (2x4s, 1x6) in the opening partnership of 83.

After the pair exited, both to excellent catching by Saheed Mohamed, who played with an injured finger, Daniel Seegobin and McAlmont took over the game.

McAlmont proved the aggressor early, but aggressive shots by the left-hand, righthand combination resulted in them building the innings of the match. They reached 100 runs off 88 balls with both batsmen dominating with an array of strokes. In total,

they added 107 runs, before the right-handed McAlmont fell for 65 from 53 balls in 61 minutes off the bowling of Amir Khan.

When Seegobin lost his wicket for 45 (51 balls, 5x4s, 1x6), GCC lost control.

Led by medium pacer Travis Mohamed, who took three wickets, Everest clawed their way back by picking off six wickets for 25 runs.

Despite giving themselves a chance, Everest could not get on top of the GCC bowlers when their turn in the middle came.

Ronaldo Renee (13) and skipper Dwayne Adams (18) added 24 for the opening partnership, but the fall of Renee brought a slide to the Everest batting, one which the side never recovered from.

After Bailey removed

Tiger Roll becomes first ...

It was a third National success for trainer Gordon Elliott, who as well as last year won with Silver Birch in 2007.

However, Willie Mullins-trained Up For Review suffered a fatal injury after it was brought down at the first fence, becoming the race’s

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Sunday April 07, 2019) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL- Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD- 83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1)

RCB (2009, 2011, 2016)

(2)

Rajasthan Royals (2008)

Today’s Quiz: (1) Who has the distinction of scoring the first century in IPL 2019?

(2) Who is the first player to be dismissed for a ‘golden duck’ in IPL 2019?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

first fatality since 2012.

Of the other fancied horses, Anibale Fly made a bad mistake towards the end of the first circuit but ran on to finish fifth, while 2017 winner One For Arthur came sixth.

TIGER ROLL THE HISTORY MAKER Not since the legendary Red Rum in 1974 has a horse successfully defended the Grand National.

Red Rum added a third in 1977 to become one of the all-time greats, and now Tiger Roll has sealed his place in Aintree folklore.

Tiger Roll was the overwhelming favourite and is the shortest-priced winner since Poethlyn (11-4) exactly 100 years ago.

Tiger Roll’s odds came despite carrying more weight than last year, although he had shown his wellbeing by winning his two most recent starts, firstly over hurdles and then in the Cross Country

three of the top four batsmen, including Amir Khan and Manjrekar Bhola (the two batting stars in the semi-finals), victory for Everest became slim to near impossible.

Sauid Drepaul, however, kept the Everest fans entertained by turning back the years with a barrage of shots.

The former national U19 captain, who returned to his club yesterday after almost two years away from cricket, finished with a top score of 48 after belting six fours and two sixes.

Seven of the Everest batsmen, however, failed to reach double figures, which resulted in the one-sided finish.

Bailey ended with 3-31 from eight overs, while Alimohamed took 3-26 from six overs.

FROM PAGE 32

Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

The nine-year-old’s chances were played down before the race by his owner, Ryanair tycoon Michael O’Leary.

And the smallest horse in the field did not feature at the front for the opening two thirds of the race, but timed his charge perfectly in the closing stages.

He looked the strongest over the final three fences and, after taking the last, Tiger Roll cruised clear to win by two-and-three-quarter lengths.

O’Leary said afterwards: “It’s unbelievable.

It’s a phenomenal training performance by Gordon.

It’s brilliant that he keeps bringing this horse back at Cheltenham better than ever and Aintree better than ever.

“And what a ride by Davy – fantastic! It’s unbelievable; to win two Grand Nationals is just incredible.”(BBC Sport)

Joseph’s record-breaking 6 for 12 routs Sunrisers Hyderabad ALZARRI JOSEPH made history on a sensational Indian Premier League (IPL) debut, leading Mumbai Indians to a convincing 40-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The West Indies paceman claimed the best bowling figures in IPL history as he picked up 6-12 from his 3.4 overs, surpassing Sohail Tanvir’s haul of 6-14 back in 2008.

The 22-year-old’s efforts were also the eighth-best in a Twenty20 game.

Kieron Pollard had earlier lifted Mumbai from 65-5 with an unbeaten 46 off just 26 balls, helping set the Sunrisers a target of 137.

Jonny Bairstow (16) and David Warner (15) got Hyderabad off to a solid start, but the hosts lost their final five wickets for just eight runs in an astonishing collapse.

Joseph sparked the incredible finale by removing Deepak Hooda (20) and he ended it with 14 balls remaining by drawing an outside edge from Siddarth Kaul (0) that was snaffled by wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock.

JOSEPH’S DREAM DEBUT There cannot be many bet-

ter ways to begin your first IPL appearance than by removing one of the competition’s leading run-scorers with your first delivery. That is precisely what Joseph did.

Warner – who sits fourth in the list of all-time IPL runs – attempted to play a huge shot to the boundary at the start of the fifth over but only edged Joseph back onto his stumps.

After the Windies quick removed Hooda and Rashid Khan off successive deliveries in the 16th over, Hyderabad wilted and Mumbai surged to an impressive victory.

POLLARD PUNISHES SUNRISERS Mumbai were sitting uncomfortably at 97-7 at the end of the 18th over, with Pollard making just nine off the first 13 balls he faced.

However, the 31-year-old plundered a trio of powerful maximums – one from a free hit – off the next set of six from Kaul.

The final over saw Pollard add another six and a pair of fours, with some sloppy fielding from Mohammad Nabi and Hooda proving key as the game turned on its head.

Ramdhani completes successful season at Kings University in Canada HAVING gone undefeated for the first two Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) badminton tournaments this season, Narayan Ramdhani has dominated his competition and closed his first season at Kings University in Canada as the third overall-ranked badminton player in the nation.

He easily secured a spot at the provincial championships in February and emerged from the tournament ranked first nationally. In the process, Narayan was awarded an ACAC All-Conference award.

In March, across the country at the CCAA National Championships, held at Dalhousie Agricultural Campus in Truro, NS, Narayan finished with a 3-2 record in his matches and a bronze medal around his neck, which meant he

was third overall in the country.

In a comment to the media, Ramdhani’s head coach, Naeem Haque, stated; “Narayan is a tall, fast, smart player. I’m very proud of what he’s accomplished.”

Meanwhile Kings’ president, Melanie Humphreys, noted; “I was talking to Narayan after he won his bronze medal.

He said, ‘Next year I’m getting a gold!’ I told him to celebrate this win; he was third in Canada, after all! It was very, very cool, and he’s ecstatic as well.”

Eagles Athletics badminton programme joined the ACAC in 2014.

Badminton athletes have represented Kings at nationals previously, but Ramdhani has the distinction of being Kings’ first badminton athlete to medal nationally.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, April 7, 2019

MYO take first innings lead against Ace Warriors in Noble House second-division clash HOME team, Muslim Youth Organisation (MYO), will chase an outright win against Ace Warriors when play continues today in the Noble House Seafoods second-division two-day cricket competition.

Fifteen of the 25 wickets that fell yesterday, on the opening day, belonged to the visitors.

OUTSTANDING TEENS Ace Warriors won the toss and opted to take first strike, but they were undone by the bowling of teenagers Joshua Gardner and Bryion Bowen, who restricted them to 89 in 23 overs.

Bowen with his pace destroyed the top order, while off-spinner Gardner spun his way around the middle- and lower-order batsmen.

A few of Ace Warriors’ lower order batsmen attempted the big shots, but Gardner had them in disarray, to finish with 6-36 from six overs.

Bowen, who also bowled two maidens, nabbed 4-33 from eight overs.

Junior Phillips, who struck four fours in a quick 18, led ace Warriors with the bat.

In reply, MYO reached 219 before they were bowled out in 39.1 overs. Skipper Khemraj Ramdeen led from

Davendra Lall took four wickets for Ace Warriors.

the front with a half-century.

Batting at six, Ramdeen was ultra-aggressive as he belted

MYO wicket-takers, from left, Bryion Bowen (four) Joshua Gardner (six) and Shaffiek Ishmael (four) in the second innings.

12 fours in a score of 59.

Earlier, openers Rudolph Singh 20 (3x4, 1x6) and

Mohan Ramdeen 37 (8x4) had played a few shots, but Phillips and Mortland Ward

Holder says unpredictable Windies could be a handful at ICC World Cup BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Captain Jason Holder believes West Indies’ unpredictability will make them a difficult prospect at the upcoming ICC World Cup in England.

The Caribbean side, twotime winners of the competition, are currently ranked ninth in the international rankings and are not among the favourites to win the title.

However, Holder said the Windies’ recent performances would have caught the attention of opponents, especially with the way they batted and bowled in drawn 2-2 series against England.

“A lot of the teams see us as a dangerous side because they are a bit unsure about what to expect.

“I just think what we have seen in the recent past has given us a lot of confidence and what we can achieve. It’s just a matter for us to go out there fearlessly and play.

“I think the beauty about what I have seen from our batsmen is that a lot of them are playing free. That’s the way we need everybody to play. That’s the way we get the best out of them. And our bowling, I think will get there as time rolls on; there is definitely room for improvement.

Captain Jason Holder believes West Indies could make their mark at the World Cup.

“There is no better place to make a mark than in the World Cup. The event is seen as a significant tournament and no doubt they will be looking to get it done.”

Owing to their poor ranking, West Indies missed out on automatic qualification for the May 30 to July 14 showpiece, and were forced into the alternative qualifiers in Zimbabwe last year.

While not at their best, the Windies reached the final to secure their World Cup berth, before going down to eventual winners Afghanistan.

Holder said once his side continue to play consistently, there was optimism of a positive

outcome at the World Cup. “I think the format of the tournament reminds me a bit of the World Cup qualifiers we played in Zimbabwe,” he pointed out.

“We were a little unsure about what to expect. We knew very little about most of the opposition. In this World Cup, we are the underdogs, and during the qualifiers, we were seen as the favourites. It’s less pressure on us and we will need to play fearlessly, express ourselves and play the best we can play to win the tournament.

“I still think we have what it takes to win the World Cup. It’s just a matter of us bringing it all

together on a consistent basis.

It will be really competitive, looking at the totals in England in recent times, it’s been quite high-scoring, so we expect a great contest.”

West Indies will have one final ODI tour prior to the World Cup when they engage Bangladesh and hosts Ireland in a Tri-Nations Series in early May, and Holder said it was important they use the outing to finalise their preparations.

“Leading into the World Cup, I am sure we will make use of the tour of Ireland that comes prior and I think it will be our last opportunity to get some really good team combinations and the players getting accustomed to similar conditions in Ireland,” he said.

“Hopefully, we can start the World Cup well. It is important that you start these tournaments well and ease some of the pressure on yourself as you get later down into the tournament.”

sent back the top order with left-arm spinner Davendra Lall doing the damage in the middle.

Lall, who opened the bowling, finished with 4-39 from 12.1 overs.

MYO were well-placed with a 130-run lead, but Rawl Enmore, who finished unbeaten on 60 (7x4, 4x6), fought back. The opener has had little support at the other end, with Shaffiek Ishmael spinning his way to four wickets.

At the close of play, Ace Warriors are on 97-5 from 17 overs. Ishmael has so far taken 4-15 from five overs.

Victoria Kings’ dressing room burgled

… Elite league continues tonight VICTORIA Kings FC conceded Match 12 in the Elite League football competition against GDF FC Friday night at the GDF ground, following an unfortunate incident where the team’s dressing room was ransacked and money stolen. The match ended 2-1.

The incident is now being investigated by the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and the Guyana Defence Force said mechanisms will be implemented to avoid a recurrence.

At halftime, after discovering the theft had taken place, the team registered their disinterest in continuing the match, but this was after GDF FC had registered two goals

by Darrel George and Delroy Fraser in the 16th and 38th minutes respectively. Victoria Kings’ Azumah Roberts netted their only goal in the 43rd minute.

Meanwhile, in the first match Western Tigers enjoyed a 3-0 win against Den Amstel FC with Andrew Murray registering a brace in the 40th and 44th minutes, complemented by one from Randolph Wagner in the 62nd minute.

The GFF Elite League continues tonight at the Police ground, Eve Leary, with Santos FC vs Buxton United at 18:00hrs and Guyana Police Force FC vs Milerock FC at 20:00hrs.

Admission fee to all matches is $500.

GCC crush Everest to lift NBS Trophy

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Four-time champions GCC pose with officials and sponsors after the game.

Joseph’s record-breaking 30 6 for 12 routs Sunrisers Hyderabad PAGE

ALZARRI JOSEPH made history on a sensational Indian Premier League (IPL) debut, leading Mumbai Indians to a convincing 40-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad.

The West Indies paceman claimed the best bowling figures in IPL history as he picked up 6-12 from his 3.4 overs, surpassing Sohail Tanvir’s haul of 6-14 back in 2008.

Alzarri Joseph wheels away in celebration after completing a five-for. (BCCI photo)

Tiger Roll becomes first back-to-back Grand National winner since Red Rum Jockey Davy Russell celebrates winning the Grand National with Tiger Roll. Photograph: Paul Childs/Action Images via Reuters

TIGER ROLL won a thrilling Grand National to become the first horse since Red Rum 45 years ago to win the Aintree race back-to-back.

The 4-1 favourite, ridden by Davy Russell, was level with Magic of Light (66-1) going over the last fence, but pulled clear to repeat last year’s win.

Ruby Walsh finished third on Rathvinden (8-1) with Walk in the Mill (25-1) fourth.

Russell said: “I can’t believe this has happened.”

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, the 39-year-old Irishman added: “Two Grand Nationals is a dream and beyond anything I thought I would ever achieve.

“I love Liverpool. They have the most spectacular sporting event. It touches the world - I’m just so happy to be involved.

“It’s brilliant news if this is the worst day for the bookies! If the taxi driver and the baker raise a glass to Tiger Roll, that is the beauty of it all.”

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SUNDAY, APRIL 7, 2019