Guyana Chronicle Epaper 04 24 2019

WEDNESDAY 24th April, 2019

New Gov’t MPs this week No.105617

… no new minister likely, but senior 03 appointments PAGE

A student of Bina Hill Institute and First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, inspect one of the shade houses at the institution (Ministry of the Presidency photo)

PPP in moves to disrupt gov’t outreach in 05 Region Three PAGE

–– PNCR executive says

Fire destroys 20 Essequibo sawmill PAGE

First Lady takes ICT training to 03 Bina Hill Institute PAGE

Young 15 father killed in Corentyne accident PAGE

Stanley Broone

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 24, 2019

New Gov’t MPs this week

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 24, 2019

…no new minister likely, but senior appointments

GOVERNMENT will, this week, announce the replacement Members of Parliament for the four dual-citizen ministers who have tendered their resignation, but no new minister is likely to be appointed, well-placed sources have told this newspaper.

According to reports reaching this newspaper, the portfolios of the four resigned ministers will be absorbed into that of current cabinet members. There will also be the announcements of some senior appointments likely to be filled by the resigned ministers. As a consequence of the challenge to the no confidence motion, both the High Court and the Court of Appeal have ruled against persons with dual citizenship sitting as members of Parliament. Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, Minister

of State, Joe Harmon, Minister of Public Service, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine and Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin have since resigned. Several MPs on the opposition also have dual citizenship. They have indicated that they will resign also in keeping with the court ruling.

Following the resignation of the ministers, President David Granger had explained that the replacement of MPs can be done only when those MPs submit their letters of resignation to the Speaker of the National Assembly as prescribed by the Constitution of Guyana. Article 156 (1) (A) of the Constitution states that “a member of the National Assembly shall vacate his or her seat therein – if he or she resigns it by writing under his or her own hand addressed to the Speaker or, if the Office of the Speaker is vacant or the

Speaker is absent from Guyana, to the Deputy Speaker.”

Another section of the Article stipulates that a MP ceases to be a member of the National Assembly if he or she declares in writing to the Speaker or to the Representative of the List from which his or her name was extracted, that he or she will not support the List from which his or her name was extracted. Once a resignation letter is submitted to the Speaker, by virtue of Article 156 (4), he will declare the seat of the Member of the National Assembly vacant.

Additionally, President Granger explained that the nomination of new MPs can be done only after the extraction of names from the National Top-Up list is approved by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

As such, the four ministers – Greenidge, Harmon, Gaskin

and Dr. Roopnaraine – will remain ministers until all the processes are completed. The President, moreover, has not approved replacements at this time. However, he noted that the resignation of the ministers is in keeping with the Constitution of Guyana as well as the March 22, 2019 ruling of the Court of Appeal relative to the validity of the no-confidence motion passed on December 21, 2018. On Tuesday, hours after the announcement was made, Cabinet said for the ensuing period, as is the usual practice, the ministerial portfolios, when they become vacant, would be held by sitting members of Cabinet who previously acted when those ministers were on leave or out of the jurisdiction.

The issue of MPs with dual citizenship status became a subject of discussion and

legal action last December after Charrandass Persaud, a then Government MP, used his seat in the National Assembly to vote in favour of the opposition-sponsored no-confidence motion, that was intended to topple the government. At the time, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr. Barton Scotland, had declared the motion passed by a majority of 33.

Subsequently, a farmer from New Amsterdam, Compton Reid, challenged the validity of the vote on the grounds that Persaud breached the Constitution when he sat in the house as a dual citizen.

Reid, through his attorneys, Senior Counsel Rex McKay and Neil Boston, argued that Persaud was not eligible for membership of the National Assembly and ought not to have been in the House on the night of December 21, 2018.

President David Granger While the courts have upheld the vote cast by Persaud, who has since been recalled from the National Assembly, they have indicated that it is unconstitutional to be a MP and hold dual citizenship at the same time.

First Lady takes ICT training to Bina Hill Institute –– first ever nationally-certified course offered at the institution

FIRST Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, on Tuesday said that she was pleased to launch the first-ever nationally certified programme, the Information and Communication Technology workshop, at the Bina Hill Institute Youth Learning Centre (YLC), Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo (Region Nine).

The First Lady urged the 34 participants to capitalise on the opportunity to learn and to use the skills that they will gain, to develop their community. “I always say I do not want to conduct a workshop where people get a piece of paper and at the end of it, to put in a drawer. The workshop must lead to the certification that leads to development and employment for the people who take part in it, and those people will be young people like yourselves or women [and] older people, who do the child care and senior care workshop,” Mrs. Granger said.

Meanwhile, Principal of the Institute, Dr. Laureen Pierre said that she too is pleased that the First Lady has brought the pro-

gramme to the institute. She noted that although the Institution has done well over the years and has produced qualified graduates, it has struggled with acquiring accreditation and attracting accredited programmes. “This training programme, as we are told, offers that. This is a new beginning for the YLC and I want to say thank you to the First Lady for taking the initiative of moving us along,” she said.

Dr. Pierre also noted that the institute receives a lot of support from the government, and that for 2019, it received a subvention of over $50M. Meanwhile, Regional Executive Officer (REO), Mr. Carl Parker, noted that the region has a track record of supporting education. “For the last four years we have spent in excess of $950M in education alone… We have a smart classroom … we have rehabilitated some schools; we have provided teachers’ quarters; we have also installed some secondary tops… that is to allow children who did not get a place at the dormitory [schools] to get some form of

First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger (seated, fourth from right), Principal of the Bina Hill Institute, Dr. Laureen Pierre (seated, fifth from right), Regional Executive Officer, Mr. Carl Parker (seated third from left) along with the facilitators of the BIT-ICT training. The participants are pictured standing. secondary education,” he said, adding that he is looking forward to good results from the cohort enrolled in the ICT course.

The three-week-long workshop, which is being conducted in collaboration with

the Ministry of Social Protection’s Board of Industrial Training (BIT), will also include tuition on STEM Robotics and Microenterprise. (Ministry of the Presidency)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday April 24, 2019

IS claims Sri Lanka blasts, as government says probe making progress COLOMBO (Reuters) - Islamic State claimed responsibility on Tuesday for the bomb attacks in Sri Lanka that killed 321 people in what officials believe was retaliation for assaults on mosques in New Zealand.

The claim, issued through the group’s AMAQ news agency, was made after Sri Lanka said two domestic Islamist groups with suspected links to foreign militants were suspected to have been behind the attacks at three churches and four hotels.

About 500 people were also wounded in the bombings.

Three sources told Reuters that Sri Lankan intelligence officials had been warned hours earlier by India that attacks by Islamists were imminent. It was not clear what action, if any, was taken.

President Maithripala Sirisena said he would change the heads of the defense forces following their failure to act on the intelligence. “I will completely restructure the police and security forces in the coming weeks. I expect to change the heads of defense establishments within the next 24 hours,” Sirisena said in an address to the nation.

Wednesday, 24 April 2019 5:00hrs. - 06:30hrs.

“The security officials who got the intelligence report from a foreign nation did not share it with me. I have decided to take stern action against these officials.”

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told a news conference investigators were making progress in identifying the perpetrators. “We will be following up on IS claims, we believe there may be some links,” he said. The government has said at least seven suicide bombers were involved.

In a statement, Islamic State named what it said were the seven attackers who carried out the attacks. It gave no further evidence to support its claim of responsibility.

The hardline militant group, who have lost the territory they once held in Syria and Iraq to Western-backed forces, later released a video on Amaq showing eight assailants, seven of whom were masked, pledging allegiance to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Reuters could not independently verify the claim and authorities did not officially identify the assailants.

Advertisement Earlier, junior minister for defense Ruwan Wijewardene told parliament two Sri Lankan Islamist groups - the National Thawheed Jama’ut and Jammiyathul Millathu

Ibrahim - were responsible for the blasts, which detonated during Easter services and as hotels served breakfast.

The first six bombs - on three churches and three luxury hotels - exploded within 20 minutes of each other. Two more explosions - at a downmarket hotel and a house in a suburb of the capital, Colombo - took place in the early afternoon. Wickremesinghe said the militants had tried to attack another hotel but had failed. Sri Lankan government and military sources said a Syrian had been detained among 40 people being questioned over the bombs. Most of the dead and wounded were Sri Lankans, although government officials said 38 foreigners were killed.

That included British, U.S., Australian, Turkish, Indian, Chinese, Danish, Dutch and Portuguese nationals.

The U.N. Children’s Fund said 45 children were among the dead.

Footage on CNN showed what it said was one of the bombers wearing a heavy backpack. The man patted a child on the head before entering the Gothic-style St. Sebastian church in Katuwapitiya, north of Colombo.

Dozens were killed there.

‘RETALIATION’ Wijewardene said investigators believed revenge for

the March 15 killing of 50 people at two mosques during Friday prayers in the New Zealand city of Christchurch was the motive.

“The initial investigation has revealed that this was in retaliation for the New Zealand mosque attack,” he said. He did not elaborate on why authorities believed there was a link to the New Zealand bloodshed, unleashed by a lone gunman. The bombs brought a shattering end to a relative calm that had existed in Buddhist-majority country since a civil war against mostly Hindu, ethnic Tamil separatists ended 10 years ago, and raised fears of a return to sectarian violence.

Sri Lanka’s 22 million people include minority Christians, Muslims and Hindus. Until now, Christians had largely managed to avoid the worst of the island’s conflict and communal tensions.

Pressure is likely to mount on the government over why effective action had not been taken in response to warnings from India about a possible attack on churches by the little-known National Thawheed Jama’ut group.

Advertisement Indian intelligence officers contacted their Sri Lankan counterparts two hours before the first attack to warn of a specific threat on churches, one Sri Lankan defense source and an Indian government source said. Another Sri Lankan defense source said a warning came “hours before” the first strike.

Sri Lanka’s presidency and the Indian foreign ministry both did not respond to requests for comment on the warnings. A government minister had said on Monday that Wickremesinghe had not been informed about a warning and had been shut

out of top security meetings because of a feud with President Maithripala Sirisena.

Wickremesinghe dismissed any suggestion that the rift with the president had hampered coordination on security, saying although they had had differences they had been thrashed out. Sirisena fired Wickremesinghe last year only to be forced to reinstate him under pressure from the Supreme Court.

FEARS OVER FUNERALS Tuesday was a day of mourning and more than 1,000 mourners gathered for a mass funeral at St. Sebastian church in the coastal city of Negombo, just north of the capital, Colombo, where more than 100 parishioners were killed on Sunday.

The ceremony began with prayers and singing under a tent put up in the courtyard of the church, which had most of its roof torn away by the blast. Pall-bearers wearing white carried in wooden coffins one by one, followed by distraught relatives. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the Archbishop of Sri Lanka who led the service, urged other churches to delay memorials amid fears that more bombers may be at large.

Security forces were on alert for more attack and the government imposed emergency rule giving police extensive powers to detain and interrogate suspects. An overnight curfew has also been in place since Sunday. The government also said it had blocked online messaging services to stop the spread of inflammatory rumors that it feared could incite communal clashes. The FBI is assisting Sri Lankan authorities with their investigation.

Saturday 20, April, 2019

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday April 24, 2019

PPP in moves to disrupt Gov’t outreach in Region Three

THE Opposition, People’s Progressive Party is said to be mobilising its supporters to stage protest actions against the government outreach, scheduled for Sunday, at the Leonora Track and Field Centre.

Ganesh Mahipaul, Information Officer of the Region Three (Essequibo Islands/ West Demerara) Regional Democratic Council told the Guyana Chronicle on Tuesday that they have received “credible information that the PPP is planning to disrupt the outreach.”

Mahipaul said he was informed that the party’s Presidential Candidate, Irfaan Ali who is also a resident of West Coast Demerara, was given a mandate to mobilise a strong group of protesters. “So we have the information because after the dismal showing of their protest in Berbice they are now trying to regroup and Ali was given that mandate to gather up some sort of support,”

Ganesh Mahipaul, Information Officer of Region Three

Mahipaul said.

As one of the coordinators of the outreach, Mahipaul said they have put all systems in place, including alerting the police about the alleged plan by the opposition.

He said, too, that they received information that, as part of the protest, the PPP will be planting persons in the group dressed in the coalition colours. “These persons will be there to stir up trouble and prevent persons from accessing the services that will be on offer at the outreach,” Mahipaul said.

A Central Executive Member of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Mahipaul described the alleged planned action by the PPP as undemocratic. “This is what that party is known for over the years.

People are now seeing it.”

Last week at the Berbice outreach held at the University of Guyana, Tain Campus, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, reiterated the government’s position on pushing

– PNCR executive says

for the decentralisation of services and the empowerment of local authorities. Harmon and several other government ministers had booths of their respective ministries set up so as to give persons a chance of meeting one-on-one with them and other public officials and air their concerns. Harmon reminded his audience that the day’s event was all about taking the government to the people. “This exercise is part of us taking public services from the office to the place where people reside,” he said, adding: “And this has been on our programme since we came into office [in 2015]. We have actually decentralised several government offices.”

He said that “with the introduction of the new township, we have decentralised government services, and where we cannot establish offices, we bring offices from Georgetown to them. So that’s what we are doing here.”

Trinidad authorities step up surveillance of criminals from Venezuela

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Apr 23, CMC – The Trinidad and Tobago law enforcement authorities have strengthened their relationship with the International Police (INTERPOL) in a bid to identify criminal gang members from Venezuela fleeing the South American country and entering the country either legally or otherwise.

Acting National Security Minister, retired Major General Edmund Dillon told Parliament Tuesday that the cooperation with INTERPOL is part of a coordinated effort to ensure that criminals and other undesirables do not enter Trinidad and Tobago while fleeing the economic and political situation in Venezuela. “The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service has in fact put a number of measures in place to deal with the illegal entrance of Venezuelans and others coming into Trinidad and

Tobago.

“We have strengthened liaison with INTERPOL to identify criminals who are on the INTERPOL database coming into Trinidad and Tobago. We have also strengthened the liaison the local intelligence units… to monitor the movement of Venezuelans illegally and legally into Trinidad and Tobago,” Dillon said as he responded to an opposition question seeking to determine what the law enforcement agencies were doing with regards to criminals, especially those from the Delta Amacuro region in Venezuela arriving here.

“We are also monitoring the connection between Venezuelan criminals who have been identified in Trinidad and Tobago and the local gangs. So a number of monitoring and intelligence gatherings taking place right now,” Dillon told legislators.

Dillon said that he was

not in a position to disclose whether or not 25 Venezuelan nationals, who entered the country illegally last weekend, had been deported, saying that the police were continuing their probe into that matter. Earlier this month, Police Commissioner Gary Griffith said that there were a number of Venezuelan nationals being recruited by local gangs for involvement in criminal activities here. “This is seriously going to hurt the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service in trying to maintain law and order and trying to deal with security in this country,” Griffith said, telling reporters “from what we have pinpointed through our intelligence, many of these individuals

are entering here illegally, they do not know where they are going to work so they are being easily manipulated and lured by gang leaders to work for them”.

The government had earlier this month announced that it had agreed to open a two-week registration for Venezuelans to allow then an initial stay of six months in which they can also work in the twin island republic. Venezuelans, who arrive here legally or illegally, will benefit from the process and National Security Minister Stuart Young said then that five registration centres will be set up with interpreters for the registration process. He said the Venezuelans would

undergo medical examinations and at the end of the six months, will have their

situations evaluated before another six-month period becomes available to them.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday April 24, 2019

A fully professional police force NOTWITHSTANDING the many criticisms about the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the most recent from its Commissioner of Police Leslie James who spoke about removing “corrupt’’ elements from within its ranks, while threatening punitive measures against members of the public, those who attempt to bribe his policemen/women – the Force has undergone qualitative changes since 2015, which augurs well for a better functioning organisation that is being gradually positioned to function professionally. For these efforts, it must be lauded, as its reforming efforts are bearing good fruit.

We hasten to add, the fact the Commissioner has publicly revisited a sore point of the GPF’s function-

ing over the years, underlines the seriousness with which raising the Force’s professional standards is being taken, especially given President’s David Granger’s admonition that he expects the current leadership of the GPF to implement the British-funded Security Sector Reform Programme(SSRP).

It is undeniable that the GPF, as a State institution, would not have been affected by the descent of Guyana into the abyss of bad governance, as exemplified by the former PPP/C administration, out of which the criminal State emerged as its darkest example. That kind of government definitely does/did not manage a State along the lines of the Rule of Law; strict accountability; and professionalism in the daily functions of State organs.

Therefore, in that kind of socio-economic-political environment, which had been the grim experience of this nation during the PPP/C’s tenure of office – the norm of political interference in the decision- making process of State institutions, inclusive of the police force, became the established fact of State bureaucratic behaviour.

One has to appreciate the nature of an institution such as a law enforcement agency, to comprehend its operational functions and eventual success in waging successful crime fighting can only occur by its adherence to its Standard Operating Procedures, which means upholding the highest traditions of law enforcement professional standards. Inherent in this very important practice will be, first, the Force’s ability to carry out its command

functions without any interference or intrusion from the State; and second, its right to confront or deal with any citizen, regardless of status, race, or political affiliation, once there is just cause.

It must also be a reminder to citizens that the functions of the GPF, as of any other constituted law enforcement body, is not only to prosecute common criminals, but also to be concerned with those persons within the society who have the proclivity of making statements that are designed to subvert the national peace for the purpose of inciting or fomenting hostilities. There can be no argument that the latter, if ignored, can have very dire consequences for the particular society where it occurs, given Guyana’s specific socio-political challenges. Thus, no police force

that understands its broader national responsibility for the maintenance of law and order will fail to inquire, in whatever way it considers necessary, by interviewing the source(s) of such a threat.

Certainly, given the new trajectory of the GPF, which it has, since the current administration has taken the helm, been undergoing the transitional experience of non-interference in its professional functions; it fully understands that it has the full authority to interview the Leader of the Parliamentary Opposition, or any other citizen, concerning inflammatory statements, or any related activity, made during the party’s commemoration event at Babu Jaan last March.

It would be another of this leader’s well-known attempts at misleading the

nation into believing that he was not aware that his dangerously reckless statements at Port Mourant are the type that would certainly attract the attention of the police, for which it would need no prompt, order, or instruction from the coalition government, or any of its constituent parts, as he contends. He is subjected to the laws, as any other citizen, and should answer for any of its infringement.

Since 2015, our police force is much more of a respected institution; that is. not asking any within the executive, how high any of its commanders has “to jump, “as boastfully said in the media years ago. It executes it functions in an entirely professional manner, designed for results that are wholly in keeping with the welfare of the nation.

Professor Griffith talks up improvements at UG Dear Editor,

FOR some time now I have been silent, as misinformation, outright fabrications, and innuendo have been published as journalism products and facilitated as Letters to the Editor, all designed to malign and hurt me and the image of the University, and to impede the progress we are making by doing tangible things to improve the service to students and staff.

Allow me to revisit some of the recent improvements. Readers may recall the newly-commissioned US$665,000 Jay and Sylvia Sobhraj Centre for Behavioural Sciences and Research; the launch of the School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation

(SEBI) in 2017, and the launch this year of new degree programs in Petroleum Engineering, Food Science, Youth Work, Clinical Psychology, and in Nursing and Civil Engineering in Berbice. Thanks, too, to the support of the Ministry of Natural Resources, GGMC, and Schlumberger, we now have a G$2B geotechnical lab for students studying petroleum and mining engineering.

We also regained the accreditation of our School of Medicine in 2017. That is a special point of pride.

We also made significant improvements in the library at Turkeyen and in Berbice, built a brand new building for Facilities Maintenance, and will see the completion of the new Math and Science Classroom building

soon. We also constructed a Student Social Complex, costing over G$56M. Work also will begin later this year on a new building to house the Personnel Department and the Bursary. As well, the George Walcott Lecture Theatre (GWLT) and the Small Lecture Theatre are now fully air-conditioned, and there are new bathrooms in the GWLT. The Faculties of Agriculture and Forestry and Health Sciences and the Biodiversity Centre are among places with upgrades, and a new generator costing almost $22M was purchased. A new parking lot was created, the Cheddi Jagan Lecture Hall has been refurbished at a cost of G$16M, and the UG Road has been resurfaced.

During just this academic

year, over 400 students participated in undergraduate research conferences at UG and in Georgia, Florida, and Aruba, and seven will be going to Germany shortly.

Moreover, in 2017, staff received salary increases of six and eight per cent, and in 2018, the increases were three and four per cent, taxfree. Also noteworthy is that every time the base salary increases, the sum of the housing allowance, which is 20 per cent of the base salary, also increases by the percentage of the base salary increase.

Despite the abbreviated list of improvements above, my silence in the face of pernicious attacks has run the risk that readers who are not privy to all the facts would believe what they read, with

the result that my reputation and that of the university would, indeed, be damaged.

My silence was and is guided by my desire to avoid an information tit-for-tat, and to foster an environment of positive dialogue. However, some recent egregious misinformation suggests the need to end the silence about things published and the journalism used.

Take the Kaieteur News story entitled, ‘No toilet paper and soap for staff, but UG spent over $400,000 to cater dinner for eight’ published on April 22, 2019. Not only is it patently inaccurate to assert that there is no toilet paper and soap at UG, but the claim that $400,000 was spent on a dinner for eight individuals is patently false! I say this without fear

of contradiction. I fully appreciate that there are editorial limitations in relation to Letters to the Editor, but the public and your profession are ill-served by some of what we have been witnessing, and not just the factual inexactitudes.

Also very troubling is the practice of regurgitating, verbatim, assertions from individuals and the unions without a modicum of verification. As a former journalist myself, I know this is an indictment on journalistic professionalism. At the very least, the writers of the stories should have checked with someone at the university for a comment, or seek evidence of the assertion about the dinner.

TURN TO PAGE 7

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday April 24, 2019

Though the two ministers passed the non-participation conflict-of-interest test, the legislation needs to be tightened

Dear Editor,

THE media reporting and public debate on the two recent cases of alleged conflict of interest (COI) should be allowed to continue without the chilling effect of lawsuits. For both cases raise several challenging issues, the resolution of which can only help to further good governance.

These issues relate to (i) the fundamental objective of conflict of interest policy and law, (ii) the most suitable legal definition of the term itself, and (iii) how we in a small society should attempt to manage such conflicts where personal, familial, community, political, ethnic and other ties are hard to always avoid. These issues remain alive, even though the two ministers are innocent of any misconduct or legal violation.

Within the confines of the current debate, let’s remind

ourselves that the objective of minimising conflict of interest (COI) is to build and maintain the trust of the people in their public officials and public institutions. This objective demands several country-specific elements in COI policy and law. One concerns the definition of conflict of interest. The second concerns the point of balance between restricting COI and, on the other hand, respecting the private rights of public officials and their families; not dissuading persons (such as business owners) from entering the public service and not ending up with an expensive bureaucracy to fight COI. Minister Hughes, in her defense, enlightened us that the revised Code of Conduct in the Integrity Commission Act defines COI as arising “where a public official makes or participates in the making of decision in the execution of his or her office and at the same time knows

or ought to have reasonably have known, that the making of that decision, there is material beneficial opportunity either directly or indirectly to further his or her private interest or that of a member of his or her family or any other person or entity.” This definition, along with others such as in Canada’s Conflict of Interest Act (COI arises when a public office holder “exercises an official power, duty or function that provides an opportunity to further his or her private interests.”), limits COI to personal involvement and an intentional act by a minister. In stark contrast, in many European nations, COI is situational. It exists by the mere presence of factors that could lead to COI. This is the definition those in Guyana with a political axe to grind gladly favor.

In the European view, the mere presence of COI is not misconduct unless the official resolves the conflict against the public interest.

The Guyana and Canadian definitions of COI, therefore, really define abuse of office or corruption.

For a small society such as ours, the participation-based definition is better suited. However, supporting procedures and systems need to be strengthened in several ways to win more public trust. For one, notwithstanding the fact that Minister Adams-Yearwood did not participate in the CHPA decision, the Code of Conduct should include additional wording such as in the Canadian COI legislation, that no minister “shall permit the public sector entity for which he or she is responsible, or to which he or she is assigned, to enter into a contract or employment relationship with his or her spouse, common-law partner, child, sibling or parent.”

Secondly, not only must all business and other private interests be declared to the Integrity Commission,

Professor Griffith talks...

FROM PAGE 6

The same concerns relate to another recent story, titled, ‘UG executives tripled their salaries in five years’. The public and the profession of journalism would have been better served, had someone verified the accuracy of the assertion by checking with the Personnel Officer or the Bursar for a comment, and securing the appropriate information and explanations. This reprehensible lapse in journalistic standards is corrosive, and a threat to the very free and fair society that we all desire.

It is well known that the union leaders behind these stories have their agendas against the Administration, and me, in particular, and with my current contract ending soon, they have stepped up their campaign to force me out. Please know that I have expressed interest in renewing my contract to continue the work of rebuilding and rebranding our University. Part of the effort now is to sour the public space, and stoke discontent in advance of the Council meeting, and the audit that the Administration told the unions and the university community, beginning in January of this year, that we would gladly

accommodate.

Why not await the results of the audit? Incidentally, the unions were told the reasons why a forensic audit being demanded was not possible; there is no evidence of fraud. Why not wait for the results of the audit? What credible institutional or public value is to be achieved by this maligning?

Is this the sort of leadership that will catapult the university and Guyana into a better place? Is this the best we can do? This Administration and I are committed to improving standards and addressing all relevant issues at UG. We cannot do it alone, though.

We need the cooperation and goodfaith actions of all shareholders, including the unions and the free press.

Interestingly, these are the very union leaders that have ignored our request for information that would facilitate transparency and accountability of the organisations they lead. We asked them for items every credible union should have: Their Articles of Association, Certificates of Recognition from the Trades Union Recognition and Certification Board, and recent Statements of Income and Expenditure. We also asked when

last they had elections, who are their official leaders, and for their recent audited statements. One wonders what is there to hide.

In sum, this missive is a plea for rationality, and for you and colleagues to elevate the practices of journalism in Guyana. As a nation, we are at a critical moment in our national development, and, partisan and personal agendas aside, Guyana and the Guyanese people have nothing to gain when important journalistic institutions such as yours facilitate the unquestioned dissemination of the kind of misinformation we have witnessed.

Please know that I, as well as other university officials, would be happy to offer interviews to provide the appropriate contextual and factual information that can be used in your reporting on the matters that are of critical importance to our national university and our nation.

Regards, Professor Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith, PhD, C.C.H. Principal and Vice-Chancellor

but all actions taken caseby-case to remedy actual and potential COI situations must be reported. So, for example, each time a minister withdraws from a Cabinet meeting to avoid a COI, he or she should file a report to the Commission with the necessary details behind that decision. Likewise, should a ministry drop a contractor from bid awards because of his family ties there, a similar report should also be filed.

The Integrity Commission must make all these reports public.

Lastly, SN’s editorial of Monday, April 22, raised a significant argument that “No sitting government minister’s company should be making money off of government contracts… as the appearance of a conflict of interest would be insurmountable.” The editorial, in recognising that the ministers had passed the legally-defined non-participation test, introduced this appearance

or perception test. Whilst appearance is also critical, I can find no COI legislation from other jurisdictions that absolutely forbids a minister’s company making money off a government contract. In fact, this is allowed in at least three situations: When (i) the minister withdraws from the particular administrative decision-making process, (ii) the minister establishes a blind trust to mange his or her companies, and (iii) the entities owned by the minister benefit as part of a larger general group of companies.

But it all comes back to what we in Guyana believe is required to build public confidence in our public officials and agencies. If most of us believe, for instance, as SN does, that some appearances of conflict of interest are insurmountable, let’s discuss and amend the legislation accordingly.

Regards Sherwood Lowe

We are subject to thick concrete dust and noise all day Dear Sir, WE are sending you this letter to highlight the plight of us residents of Meadow Brook, moreso, residents of Takuba Road.

We are experiencing a serious health problem. There is a well-established block- making business taking place on the parapet on the opposite road.

It is our understanding that this area is not zoned for commercial business.

We are extremely disappointed and saddened, because our peaceful quality of life within our once quiet neighbourhood has been compromised by the many issues we are facing. We are subject to thick concrete dust, the constant noise of concrete ransoms and metal spades scraping the road all day into evening. We do not deserve this way of living, and we are asking

the relevant authorities to bring an end to these unpleasant living conditions in Meadow Brook.

Further, we have repeatedly called for a change of direction of our two roads, Takuba Road and the road opposite (where the block-making business is taking place) making them one-way streets. The issues we are having are the high volume of traffic, traffic jams, traffic accidents, vehicles travelling at high speed etc.

Please be informed that this issue affects mainly residents of Takuba Road, because the opposite road is 98% unused. We are pleading with you to implement this change immediately to ensure an effective flow of traffic, and to safeguard commuters who utilise this road.

Regards, Residents of Takuba Road, Meadow Brook

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Speed up constitutional reform … PM urges bi-partisan parliamentary committee to get to work

PRIME Minister Moses Nagamootoo has called for a speeding up of the process towards constitutional reform as the country heads into oil production in 2020.

He made the call in his My Turn column on Sunday, even as he noted that other sectors in the country have also begun to show clear signs of improvement. “With good news from the oil and other developmental sectors, there is a need to further align our political system and economic institutions to work constructively and cohesively for the prosperity, rather than the poverty, of our nation,” the prime minster began, adding: “Towards this end, we must take seriously the process of constitutional reform. The all-party, bi-partisan parliamentary

committee must promptly get to work on finalising legislation to set up a Constitutional Reform Commission, as both government and opposition have a shared responsibility to build stronger systems and institutions to ensure our nation’s prosperity.”

Guyana’s Constitution is an arrangement of fundamental principles that govern the state. Constitutional reform seeks to modify some fundamental structures of these principles.

The 1980 Constitution was reformed and the changes enshrined in the revised supreme law in 2001.

Upon entering office, Nagamootoo immediately set up a steering committee which produced a report.

Subsequently a Constitutional Reform Commission was established in Parliament comprising Attorney

General and Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams, SC who is the Chairman; Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan; Minister of Education, Dr. Nicolette Henry; Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman- and Minister of Public Service, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine.

Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) on the commission include Anil Nandlall, Priya Manickchand, Dr. Frank Anthony and Adrian Anamayah.

However, reform requires the support of at least two-thirds of the House and while the government is willing, Nagamootoo says that the opposition has been ambivalent with the process. Just in December 2018, a meeting called by Williams was only attended by the government MPs.

He stated at the time that the opposition continues to stall the work of the committee which has only met five times since being constituted.

Seeking to advance constitutional reform in September 2018, the Prime Minister’s Office, in partnership with the United Nations Children Fund (UNCEF) Guyana, released a joint report on the ‘Review of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic in Relation to the Rights of the Children.’

Nagamootoo had expressed optimism that it will become a base document to be shared with the constitutional commissioners.

Doing its part in other areas, the government has since set up or reconstituted several constitutional bodies such as

Solid waste director comes under intense questioning SOLID Waste Management Director, Walter Narine, cursed when he came under fire Tuesday afternoon when it was found that he could not explain to councillors why the number of sanitation workers keep fluctuating month after month.

Councillor Heston Bostwick raised the issue at the Council’s statutory meeting when he pointed out how the number of sanitation workers and street orderlies decreased significantly, as can be seen when comparing March and April reports.

Bostwick wanted to know just where the individuals are, and said he found it baffling that Narine could not explain the difference in numbers. He said this is another attempt to “sweep this matter under the carpet” as he has asked about the matter several times in the past.

Bostwick said he does not understand where those staff members are since the only department with the authority to hire and fire is the Human Resources Department, headed by Paulette Braithwaite.

He argued that since councillors are expected to be transparent and held

Acting City Treasurer John Douglas accountable, officers of the municipality must likewise exhibit the same qualities.

Councillor Tricia Richards stood up to say that she was not in agreement with Narine’s behaviour, and that she too felt that hiring and firing falls under the Human Resources Department.

Councillor Oscar Clarke pointed out that the Human Resource Department needs to have knowledge of who is being fired. He said since the questions posed by Bostwick are relevant, there must be proper responses to the observations made. “Don’t let us fool around. Somebody

Human Resource Manager Paulette Braithwaite has to tell us.”

Mayor Ubraj Narine said the situation is triangular in that the Human Resources Department and the City Treasury’s Department, headed by John Douglas, also must have knowledge of who is being paid by the City Council.

Councillor David Allicock said he could not sit there and hear Narine using expletives to acting Town Clerk Sharon Harry, when he was called to offer an explanation to her. Allicock called on Narine to apologise and Narine did.

Solid Waste Management Director, Walter Narine He said his actions were as a result of frustration and sought to explain that there were really no changes in the two reports that were being questioned.

Harry said this is a very serious allegation. “If the report is being padded, it means that the payroll is also being padded,” she observed.

She said a report of who have been employed over the past three years will have to be done, and that this will be presented to the Council at its next statutory meeting.

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo the Public Procurement Commission; the Local Government Commission; the Public Service

Appellate Tribunal; the Integrity Commission and Ethnic Relations Commission.

Miner gets three years for illegal gun, ‘ammo’ OZARIO DeSantos, a 27-year-old miner of Princeville, Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), was Monday, April 23, 2019, jailed for two years by Chief Magistrate Ann Mc Lennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court for possession of an illegal firearm and ammunition.

DeSantos had pleaded guilty to the charges, the particulars of which stated that on April 20, 2019, at Garraway Stream, Potaro, he had a .32 pistol along with six matching rounds of ammunition, knowing he was not a licensed firearm holder.

According to Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield, on the day in question, ranks from the Mahdia Police Station acted upon information and went to DeSantos’s residence. When they arrived, a search was conducted on the defendant which revealed the loaded firearm.

“I use the firearm for protection”! he told the magistrate.

However, the prosecutor stated that DeSantos was arrested for a similar offence in 2017 at Linden. He added that the defendant was released on bail, but did not show up for trial.

DeSantos was tried in absentia, was convicted and sentenced to three years imprisonment. The prosecutor also told the court that although an arrest warrant was issued for DeSantos, he was not apprehended.

After listening to the prosecutor, the magistrate sentenced DeSantos to two years imprisonment and fined him $50,000 on each charge. The defendant will also have to serve the three-year sentence for the other charge.

The sentences will run concurrently.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Roger Khan denied early release … petitions court for redress

THE United States District Court of the Southern District of Florida has ordered the Bureau of Prison to justify why convicted drug lord Shaheed Roger Khan should not be awarded his ‘additional good time credits.’

If the petition is granted, the convicted drug lord could be released from the Federal Correctional Institution (prison) before July, 2019. Representing himself in the case he brought against Warden Bryan Dobbs, Khan petitioned the court for an early release on the grounds that his detention is unlawful. According to him, he is entitled to additional good time credits pursuant to the newly-enacted First Step Act of 2018 but the Bureau of Prison has withheld them.

Khan is now seeking an order from the Court directing the Bureau of Prison to award him the credits.

In a court document dated

April 16, 2019, Judge Lisette M. Reid called on the Bureau of Prison to justify its position against Khan. “On or before April 30, 2019, the Respondent shall file a memorandum of fact and law to show cause why this petition should not be granted and shall file therewith all supporting documentation necessary for the resolution of this petition,” Judge Reid instructed. It was further instructed that the response ought to be captioned “Response” and not a “Motion to dismiss”. The counsel for the respondent is also required to notify the Court of the name of the Assistant United States Attorney to whom the case is assigned.

“Given the nature of the claims raised and the allegation that the Bureau of Prison has indicated that it will not consider such requests, a shortened period for the response is being provided in this case. No motions for

extensions of time will be granted except under the most extraordinary circumstances which may require a show cause hearing,” the Judge stated from the initial stage.

On March 13, 2019, Khan filed an “Emergency Petition for a Writ of Habeas Corpus” pursuant to Title 28, United States Code. In his petition, Khan is challenging the Bureau of Prison’s failure to properly calculate and award his good-conduct credit.

Whether Khan is released earlier or not, he will be deported to Guyana, where he will be investigated for crimes committed locally.

Vice President and Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan has said there is nothing to fear. Khan, a drug lord, was fingered not only in the trafficking of drugs but also in gun smuggling, murders and extra-judicial killings. Minister Ramjattan

Shaheed Roger Khan said Khan is not deserving of a reduced sentence.

President David Granger has referred to the Roger Khan-era as the “Troubles”; a period presided over by the Bharrat Jagdeo administration. The President said it was the “darkest hour” that was characterised by drug-driven chaos and bloodshed. Jagdeo was President of Guyana from August 11, 1999 to December 3, 2011, during which there were three massacres: Lusignan, where 11 people were killed; Bartica, where another 12

were killed, and Lindo Creek, where seven miners were slaughtered. Besides, there were countless extra-judicial killings – with some activists estimating that around 400 Afro Guyanese males were gunned down.

Back in 2003-2006, Khan had set up a criminal network here including active policemen and a number of former ranks, ostensibly to go after criminals, but at the same time, protecting his narco-trafficking interests. Although the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government had sought to distance itself from Khan, the drug-trafficker had stated publicly, in an advertisement in local newspapers, that he had been fighting crime on behalf of the Bharrat Jagdeo-led government. Khan had also implicated former Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy in his escapades, and documents bearing the then minister’s signature authorising the purchase of a sophisticated wire-tapping device, were produced in the U.S. courts during Khan’s

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trial.

But in recent times, Jagdeo, now opposition leader, has been washing his hands clean of the crimes committed by Khan, contending that his government had nothing to do with the drug lord. “The PPP had absolutely nothing to do with Roger Khan,” he once declared. Jagdeo said once there is supporting evidence the State should take the necessary steps to bring Khan to justice.

Although evidence submitted in a US court had linked his minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy to Khan, the opposition leader has denied any connection, saying: “That has never been proven with official testimony. That has never been proven. Leslie Ramsammy said he never did.”

Khan was captured in Suriname on June 15th 2006 while fleeing local police and was later handed over to U.S authorities. He was allegedly linked to Colombian narco traffickers, terrorism, murders and other high-profile cases.

GCAA hosts training for implementation of carbon offsetting programme THE Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has begun preparatory works for the implementation of the Pilot Phase of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), with the hosting of a two-day capacity-building workshop for the aviation industry.

In a press release, GCAA noted that the training was held from April 15 to 16, 2019 at its head office. At the opening, Director General of the GCAA, Lt. Col. (Ret’d) Egbert Field, said that Guyana has made a bold step by participating in the programme. “You are a part of what is considered an important occasion, where Guyana is among the many countries that will be able to share their experiences from this programme, and help shape the future of aviation globally,” Col. Field said. He encouraged the participants to share the knowledge gained from the workshop to their colleagues at their various agencies. He also reminded the participants that the initiative is aligned with the government’s ‘Green’ State

GCAA Director General, Lt. Col. (Ret’d) Egbert Field Development Strategy, contributing to Guyana’s national goals and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) goals simultaneously.

Director of Air Transport and Economic Regulations at the GCAA, Saheed Sulaman, noted that Guyana is among the first set of countries to have developed regulations for the CORSIA programme.

Reflecting briefly, Sulaman said the GCAA reached out

to ICAO in March 2019, indicating an interest in capacity building.

ICAO, in turn, facilitated Guyana’s request and provided capacity-building assistance from Italy in the CORSIA Buddy Partnership programme. ICAO provided a technical environment expert and consultant, Caesar Velarde, who facilitated the training, as part of ICAO’s Assistance, Capacity building and Training for CORSIA (ACT-CORSIA) programme.

The training was centered on providing information on how to establish a Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system to monitor the level of Co2 emissions from our international aviation operations and report same to ICAO to create the baseline in the years 2019 and 2020.

CORSIA is a market-based measure (MBM) adopted by ICAO as part of a broad set of measures to help ICAO decrease the carbon footprint of international civil aviation.

A market-based measure (MBM) is a policy tool that is designed to achieve envi-

ronmental goals at a lower cost and in a more flexible manner than traditional regulatory measures. Examples of MBMs include levies, emissions trading systems, and carbon offsetting – CORSIA will take the form of carbon offsetting.

CORSIA will have three implementation phases: the Pilot Phase from 2021-2023, the First Phase from 20242026, and the Second Phase from 2027-2035.

Participating in CORSIA’s Pilot Phase will cata-

pult Guyana’s aviation industry directly to the forefront of the fight against climate change. As a voluntary State, Guyana will also have the opportunity to share the experiences of developing States in implementing CORSIA. Airlines engaged in international operations will develop and furnish an Emissions Monitoring Plan to the State for approval. After approval, the operator will be required to monitor their emissions throughout the year in accordance with the Plan.

Their subsequent report to the State will be in the form of an Annual Emissions Report.

Guyana will be required to provide a summarised State Report on total emissions to ICAO. Agencies that benefitted from the training include the Environmental Protection Agency, the Office for Climate Change, the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, the Caribbean Safety and Security Oversight System (CASSOS) and domestic airline operators.

Participants of the Pilot Phase of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) training programme

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 24, 2019

GECOM prepared to challenge lawsuit against house-to-house registration GUYANA Elections Commission (GECOM) government-nominated Commissioner Vincent Alexander is confident that GECOM can defend itself against the recent court action aimed at putting a halt to house-tohouse registration.

Alexander also believes that the proceedings, filed in the name of private citizen and pensioner Bibi Zeenatoun, are nothing but “political manoeuvrings” to thwart the work of the Commission.

Last week, in a press release, Zeenatoun stated that she will be absent from Guyana for a period of five months commencing at the end of May 2019 which means that she will miss the conduct of house-to-house registration. The countrywide registration is likely to commence in late May or early June, 2019 while training for such is currently ongoing.

Zeenatoun wants the exercise; the creation of a new Official List of Electors and the exclusion of existing qualified registrants to be deemed by the High Court “illegal, null, void”.

Advised by her law firm, A. Nandlall & Associates, she also says that the Commission ought to engage in continuous registration as she insisted that no law requires proof of residency in Guyana as being an element of qualification for registration.

The pensioner also asked the court to grant a writ of prohibition; an injunction and a Conservatory Order to prevent GECOM and its affiliates from conducting the exercise. A letter in this regard was sent to Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield and copied to the GECOM Chair on April 2, 2019 while Lowenfield has since been served the relating court documents.

Asked on Tuesday whether he believes the Commission can stand as faultless against the positions of Zeenatoun, Alexander said: “I certainly feel so, personally, that the Commission can defend itself.”

At the time of his remarks, he was coming out of a short-lived statutory meeting of the Commission. He maintained the position shared by his colleagues that “registration is a legitimate activity”.

“It is very, very strange that people who have, in the past, made and passed laws about registration; [people] who have voted for allocations of money in parliament for registration are now saying it’s unconstitutional,” the Commissioner observed.

“It seems very opportunistic that that is being done. But, for me, it is nothing more than another political manoeuver to stymie the work of GECOM.” Alexander also told the media that the Constitutional law regarding houseto-house registration, which has been adhered to for years, is not an act of exclusion.

“Registration is a Constitutional mandate of GECOM and the argument that

GECOM government-nominated Commissioner Vincent Alexander (Samuel Maughn photo) house-to-house registration will deny people the right to vote is not solid in so far as all Guyanese who are present at the time of registration, as has been the case in the past, will be allowed to register.

Instances where one is not present at the time of registration, if one is present at the time of Claims and Objections, which comes after registration, one is again allowed to be registered. So, the act is not one of exclusion. It’s merely an indication that one wants to build a new register of registrants given that there are substantial numbers of people on the register who cannot be accounted for,” Alexander said.

The Government-nominated Commissioners have long stated that the current voter’s list is highly bloated with names of dead persons and persons who now reside overseas.

Alexander added that the National Registration Act, Section 40, provides for the CEO to exclude persons from the list who have been absent from the country for three months following advice from the Chief Immigration Officer. These persons can also make a claim, if they’re in the country at the time, to get back on the list.

At Tuesday’s statutory meeting a proposal by Opposition-nominated Commissioner, Bibi Shadick, was ‘shot down’ by the majority on the Commission leading to the walkout of the meeting by Shadick and her colleagues.

“Commissioner Shadick [proposed] that it was her intention not to attend meetings where registration was prominent on the agenda and suggested that we should adjourn all meetings until such time as the CCJ has made a decision,” Alexander recounted.

“That was not agreed to…so we effectively, once again, had a walk out from the meeting. On this occasion the Chairman declared that the meeting had come to an end.”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Man executed on Kuribrong Trail had confrontation with dredge owner

“Pak had allegedly discharged some rounds in his direction,” the police source noted.

It is alleged that on the fatal day Bobb was killed, “Pak” and some of his workers left their camp on Sunday with a Model ‘M’ truck, heading to Georgetown.

When police visited the scene, Bobb’s body was found slumped over the steering wheel of the pickup, with what appears to be a bullet wound over the right side of his chest.

The body was taken to the Bartica Public Hospital mortuary where it is awaiting a post-mortem examination.

Bobb’s mother, Jacqueline, is calling on the police to bring her son’s killer to justice.

POLICE are investigating the alleged execution of a father of one in a pick-up on Sunday at Kuribrong trail, Potaro River, Region Eight.

Dead is Pieron Nicholas Bobb, 34, called “Redman”, a driver and mechanic of Lot 23 Caribease Hill, Bartica, Essequibo River.

Reports indicate that Bobb was transporting dredging equipment from Kuribrong Trail to Kuribrong Backdam along with the owner, a 60-year-old miner of Kuribrong.

It is alleged that during the journey along the Kuribrong trail, Bobb observed a green model ‘M’ truck proceeding in the opposite direction at a slow rate, and as a result, he stopped the pick-up on the left side of the trail for the truck to pass.

However, when the Model ‘M’ truck was several feet away, the 60-year-old miner heard two explosions and he jumped out the pickup and laid face down on the ground.

The miner reportedly told police that he then heard a strange voice which ordered him to jump into the truck.

The minder complied and entered the tray of the lorry

Minister Norton gifts guitar to Paruima Village MINISTER of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton, on Thursday last, gifted a brand new guitar with the accompanying protective case and cleaning materials to the village of Paruima in the Upper Mazaruni, Region Seven.

Minister Norton, who also holds the Responsibility

Minister Norton presenting the brand new guitar to Mr. Ishmael Abrams, a Councillor attached to the Regional Democratic Council of Region Seven for Culture, Youth and Sport, presented the instrument to Mr. Ishmael Abrams, a Regional Councillor attached to the Regional Democratic Council of Region Seven. The official handing over was done during a brief engagement at Minister Norton’s Main Street office. The request for the guitar was made via the Department of Youth.

“We wrote to the Youth Department asking if it could assist with providing the guitar for our youth music group, and Minister Norton promised that he would get it for us.

Today, I am very happy that we are finally receiving it,” Mr. Abrams said.

He explained that the instrument will go a far way in promoting music as an extracurricular activity among the community’s youths, while strengthening the capacity of the existing music groups in the village.

“As simple as it may seem, this is genuinely a tremendous gift to the community and we are very grateful that the minister was able to deliver on his promise and fulfill our request.

We are thankful,” Abrams said. Minister Norton encouraged that the item be used to enhance the community’s participation at national forums.

Pieron Nicholas Bobb called “Redman” where he saw about eight men. He was then ordered to lay face down.

Approximately 15 minutes into the journey, the miner managed to jump off the lorry and escaped into the bushes.

The terrified miner then returned the scene where he had left the pick-up with his supplies. There he realised that Bobb was dead due to a gunshot wound to the chest.

According to police source, investigators working to ascertain the motive for the murder found that Bobb was in a recent confrontation with a dredge owner called “Pak”, and some of his workers.

The pick-up Bobb was driving when he was killed

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Berbice women march against domestic violence

THE Guyanese Women in Development (GUYWID) on Thursday afternoon staged a walk to raise awareness of domestic violence in East Berbice, Corentyne and the country at large.

The group, which has always been an advocate for women’s rights in the East

Berbice area, said the walk was organised following the recent gruesome murder of Omawattie Gill, a victim of domestic violence.

The aim was to help raise awareness, especially among victims of domestic abuse, with the aim to get them help.

The walk commenced at Dr. Tulsi Street, Williams-

burg, from where Gill was ran over by a car and brutally stabbed and chopped by her husband. The walk ended in front of the Spready’s Supermarket, Port Mourant, where a few victims shared their stories.

Among those who spoke was the mother of Gill, Tejwattie Jhinkoo, who advised

Marchers bearing placards with messages against domestic violence

Mother of Omwattie Gill, Tejwattie Jhinkoo and close relatives at the walk

women to “let the first incident be the last one”.

In an emotional plea, she appealed to women to not make the same mistake her daughter made by keeping quiet.

“Let the first incident be

the last one. Don’t give them another chance because they would become more brave and want to do it again and again, and each time it would be worse until they kill you.

Walk away from the first day they hit you or insult because there won’t be another chance,” she told the Guyana Chronicle.

GUYWID member Babita Sohan said the walk was not to point fingers as men, women and children have all lost their lives due to senseless actions of abusers.

She noted that the organization, for the past 20 years, has been advocating and fighting for victims but it appears the situation is

getting worse.

Sohan said GUYWID intends to host several other walks in different communities. The aim is to network with various individuals and help form groups in each community that they can work with to help weed out domestic violence.

Among those who joined the walk were several youth groups, staff of the Port Mourant Hospital, members from the religious community, residents and the family of Gill.

Some members carried placards with messages calling for an end to domestic violence and other forms of abuse.

Family of murdered prisoner stages protest FAMILY and friends of 30-year-old Shaheed Alli, a prisoner who was reportedly beaten to death by other inmates of the Lusignan Prison yesterday, Monday, April 23, 2019, gathered in front of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court seeking justice for their loved one.

Alli, who resided at Barr Street, Albouystown, was on April 2, 2019 remanded to prison by Magistrate Ann McLennan, after he was arraigned for the murder of Sumrita Dinool, a 65-year-old businesswoman. The now deceased suspect, along with another suspect reportedly tied the woman to a bed and strangled her.

While in prison, Alli was attacked by other inmates who brutally beat him while he was resting in one the cells in the facility. He was subsequently taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital to undergo surgery and succumbed hours after being taken back to the prison.

His father told reporters that he is pleading with the relevant authorities to look into the matter, since family members are not satisfied with the way the matter is being handled.

“How could this have happened under police watch?” the distraught father asked.

Earlier reports from the family state that when the father went to visit Alli the day after he was imprisoned, he was looking sick and beaten up. However, they weren’t informed by the authorities that Alli had been attacked or even taken to the hospital until after his return.

The family is contending that despite the fact that Alli was a prisoner, he was still human and deserves justice.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Minister Patterson clears up issues surrounding CJIA project

MINISTER of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, has stated that the high cost of sand filling incurred from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) expansion project is as the result of poor planning by People’s Progressive Party (PPP).

He had cause to clear the air on the matter as he noted that misinformation has been circulating in the media for some time, which the PPP are seeking to capitalise on. The Public Infrastructure Minister primarily called out the Kaieteur Newspaper as a culprit of spreading misinformation on the topic.

He noted that it is unfortunate that the newspaper, though provided with exclusive access to all areas of the project and all possible documentation, still arrives at “strange conclusions”.

As such, in a recent release, he provided a summary of the great financial challenge the government encountered in 2015, when it took up the CJIA expansion project from the PPP. At that time, almost 35 per cent of the monies were already expended and the contractor, China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), had claims for over US$44M. If successful, it would have meant that the government would have paid US$90M for less than seven per cent of the actual work.

The contract for the extension of CJIA was signed on

November 11, 2011 between the former the Ministry of Public Works and Communications and CHEC. Patterson reminded that at the time of the contract signing, there were no feasibility studies; soil investigations; site surveys; preliminary reports or detailed studies conducted. And, despite the absence of these crucial documents, a contract sum and the general scope of works were agreed to.

Patterson said that actual construction works on site did not commence until January 16, 2013 – an entire 15 months gap between commencement and the signing of the contract.

He added: “Note that the Supervising Consultants MMM group Limited in association with CEMCO did not commence their supervision until July 1, 2014, which meant that CHEC worked for over 18 months without independent supervision.”

The contract signed by the then government also allowed for the provision of sand, free of cost, to the contractor within a 12km radius of the project. It also bounded the government to paying US$3.115 per cubic metre for the “exploit and transportation of sand” for the project.

“Soon after commencement of the works in 2013 the soil conditions in the proposed North East runway was found to be unsuitable; something that could have been discovered if studies

were executed before the signing of the contract,” the minster began, adding: “The decision to also extend the runway in the South West direction was taken by the then PPP Government since 2013. This decision resulted in additional excavation and sand filling.”

By 2018, with almost 35 per cent of the monies for the project already expended, the government was presented with a narrow set of options.

These included abandoning the project therefore losing all investment and risking a possible court case; allocating approximately US$35M more to project to make up for poor preliminary planning and execution or complete the project within the allocated contract sum.

Following Cabinet deliberations, the government opted for the latter.

Moving forward, the government ensured that it stuck to the guidelines that the contract sum would remain at the same level; the runway would be completed to international specifications; terminal buildings would adequately accommodate the projected passenger increases and no unnecessary residents of Timehri North would be removed.

According to Patterson, the PPP had planned to move over 2000 residents as part of the expansion program.

“Despite the accusations of KN, the decision to allow extra sand filling plus the cost payable for the sand was

M&CC to deal sternly with ‘litter bugs’ DIRECTOR of Solid Waste Management of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council, Walter Narine, has expressed disappointment at the way citizens indiscriminately dispose of solid waste in Georgetown.

Narine’s comments come in light of the non-utilisation of litter bins provided for citizens and vendors for the annual kite-flying activities on the Georgetown Seawall on Monday, April 22, 2019.

The solid waste director said that much more needs to be done through enforcement of the bye-laws. Accordingly, the city is moving to enforce fines for “litter bugs”; one can be fined $25,000 or a maximum of $100,000 for the offence.

Narine was keen to point out that the M&CC’s Solid Waste Department is not only about the collection and disposal of waste:

“It’s about finding alternatives for the waste that we throw out. They’re all value-added products. Everything that we throw out daily, we can find value for them if you have the appropriate technology and know-how.”

The department is on a mission to show the possibilities of converting the different facets of waste into value-added commodities.

Narine made the point that unless there is the adoption of litter- free practices by citizens and enforcement of the anti-littering laws by the council, the problem is likely to continue and escalate.

Previously, there have been efforts by the City Council and particularly the Solid Waste Department, to rid the city of unsightly garbage; and there is indication of stringent measures being put in place to deal with defaulters .

all taken by the PPP government – thus the volume of sand filling required moved from 4.4M cubic metres to 10.1M cubic metres – this is due to the fact that the South West section is at a lower elevation than the North East.

The cost per cubic metre was also determined by my predecessor,” Patterson said.

He chastised the Kaieteur

Newspaper for its publication of “erroneous articles” which have since created confusion in the minds of Guyanese.

The minister also affirmed that his team has worked hard to salvage the airport expansion project within the existing constraints and is proud of the outcome and the benefits for the country.

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Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson (Adrian Narine photo)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Packed programme for Guyana Independence celebrations in New York

THE Guyana Independence Celebration Committee (New York) will host the New York celebration of Guyana’s 53rd Anniversary of Independence on Sunday, June 2, 2019 in Brooklyn.

This year’s celebration will be held under the theme, “Fan the Flame of Guyanese Patriotism.”

The New York Celebration is Guyana’s largest independence commemoration outside of Guyana. Thousands of Guyanese from the New York City tristate area and throughout North America flock Brooklyn annually for the independence festivities, organisers said in a release. This outpouring of support has grown the event into the second largest Caribbean celebration in New York City, after the Labour Day Parade. The organisation’s website, celebrateGuyanainnyc.com has received over five million visits since 2016.

The commemoration will commence with the Consul General’s interfaith service at York College on May 19, followed by the Consul General’s official ceremony on May 24. The Independence Committee will host a youth symposium on May 27, at Medgar Evers College under the theme “Our Youth: Moving Guyana Forward.” The main celebration will take place on Sunday, June 2, 2019. It comprises the annual Guyanese Independence Parade on Church Avenue in Brooklyn, followed by the Flag-Raising Ceremony and after-parade unity concert at a venue to be announced.

The parade will be led by members of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and Guyanese-Americans in US law enforcement and the US Military. The joint military and law enforcement officers will also conduct the Flag-Raising ceremony. Ten GDF officers and two Police officers will travel to New York to represent the Joint Services of Guyana at the celebration.

Officials of the Government of Guyana who have been invited include Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo; Minister of Health, Volda Lawrence; Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson; Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes; Minister of Public Affairs, Dawn Hastings-Williams; Georgetown Mayor, Ubraj Narine; and Director of Sports, Christopher Jones.

Artistes who are scheduled to perform include Guyana’s reigning calypso king, Mighty Believer Kenroy Fraser; Guyanese-American hip-hop artiste, Lia Givenchy; Stichy the One-Man Band; Carib Soca Monarch, Brandon Harding; Chutney Monarch and runner-up Soca Monarch, Steven Ramphal; third place Soca Monarch runner-up, Vintage; chutney legend, Terry Gadraj; former two-time Calypso Monarch, Diana Chapman; Guyanese-American rapper, Kelsy More; gospel artistes, Saiku and Jeremiah; dancer, Jonnel Shury; reggae artiste, Omaje; dancehall artiste, Jory; artistes Blaze Anthonio, Trevon VibeZ and Adrian Dutchin. They will be accompanied by Angel Caribbean and Band DJ Mix Master Tony.

There will also be surprise guest artistes.

The event will be hosted by radio personality, Malcolm Ferreira, Dr. Rose October and comedian Trey Sancho.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Young father killed in Corentyne accident

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–– driver in hit-and-run apprehended in high-speed chase

A HIGH-speed car chase Tuesday morning led by an off-duty police officer and public-spirited citizens resulted in the detention of a driver involved in a hitand-run accident which left a father of two dead.

The dead man has been identified as Stanley Broone called “Kishan”, 33, of Number 11 Village, East Coast Berbice. He was at the time waiting to cross the road when he was struck down by a Toyota

side of the road waiting to cross over to the northern side where he lives when he was struck down.

The eyewitness further stated that no vehicle was parked on that side of the road at the time of the accident.

LOUD IMPACT Another eyewitness, Quacy Paul related that he was sitting under a house with some friends when he heard a loud impact and saw a car dragging something for almost 200 feet.

He said the vehicle continued driving and he heard shouts from the shop that his friend Stanley, who left moments ago to purchase something for them, was struck down.

“After me hear the knock I watch up and see the car dragging something, same time them man from the other over start holler that Stanley get knock The distraught wife of Stanley down. So me rush out Broone with her two-month-old and after me realise the car man just slow baby down and start speed off again, I flag down a Allion bearing registration car and tell the driver to drive number PTT 8022. The acci- after the car,” Paul related. dent occurred at around 10:45 It so happened that the hrs. car that he stopped was drivAccording to police, the en by an off-duty police offimotor car PTT 8022 was pro- cer who made contact with

The car that struck down Broone ceeding west along the southern carriageway when the pedestrian reportedly emerged from behind a parked lorry on the northern side.

The pedestrian was crossing the road from north to south. The driver stated that he swerved south to avoid a collision and, in doing so, the right front of the vehicle collided with the pedestrian on the southern side of the road.

As a result of the impact, the pedestrian fell onto the front windscreen and then onto the road.

Meanwhile, contrary to a police report, an eyewitness who requested anonymity told Guyana Chronicle that Broone was on the southern

the road block at the Berbice Bridge to be on alert for the car but when they swung the Palmyra turn, the car had passed the bridge entrance and headed towards New Amsterdam.

BLOCKED Paul continued that as they reached Number Two Village, East Canje, several miles away, a red fielder wagon overtook the car being chased and stopped in front of it, blocking it from moving forward.

The police then drove up from behind; blocking the rear and the driver was apprehended after traffic ranks arrived shortly.

At the scene, the injured Broone, a father of a sevenmonth-old infant and a yearand-a-half-old toddler was picked up in bloodied state and rushed to the New Amsterdam hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

He had left home to purchase an item from a shop on the other side of the road and was planning to have a holiday drink with his friends before they returned to work tomorrow.

Broone was a fisherman by trade and was not home often

except on holidays.

When Guyana chronicle arrived on the scene, the village was in an uproar.

Moments before the police left with the driver who was taken back to the scene, he claimed he was forced to drive away because he was chased by cutlass-wielding residents.

“We want justice for my son, he has two little babies left and now the driver like he got some connections because he show up with the police without handcuffs and said ‘them boys chase he with cut-

lass’. Is Lie! Bare lies! He nah stop, he just hit down me son and drive away, he nah even stop to see what he hit if is a dog, cat or wah and he drive away was bare speed!” Tejkumarie Broone, the mother of the victim told this publication.

Police markings on the road indicated that the victim was stuck at the corner of the road and residents and friends maintained that he was not drunk at the time.

Broone leaves to mourn his 24-year-old wife, two children, parents and two younger sib-

Killed: Stanley Broone lings. The driver of the vehicle who hails from Block X Diamond, Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, remains in police custody.

A breathalyser test conducted on him gave a negative reading.

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Red Carpet pre-show to add spice to Mother and Daughter Pageant

THIS year, the annual Mother and Daughter Pageant is taking pageantry to a whole new level with a grand live Red Carpet pre-show geared at immersing attendees in the full gala experience.

The 28th production of the pageant will be held on

May 11, 2019 at the National Cultural Centre (NCC) under the theme “The Superpower of Love”. This year will see 22 mother and daughter pairs competing in the senior, middle and junior categories.

While it is normal for the pageant to commence promptly at 20:00hrs, in

order to facilitate the Red Carpet event, it will begin at 18:00hrs sharp. It will feature an actual red carpet and will allow those attending to mingle with the contestants, take photos, and soak up the entire experience prior the show.

The live segment will be

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Seated from left are: Assistant Branch Manager at Multi-Cinemas Guyana, Kirly Bacchus; Dr. Sulan Fung-Browne; Mrs. Ingrid Fung and Marketing Personnel New Nigel’s Supermarket, Kendra Massiah (Samuel Maughn photo) hosted by radio personality, Feliz Robertson, and media operative, Gordon Moseley. MovieTowne Guyana will be sponsoring the Red Carpet experience and the entertainment company is proud to be involved in its first mother and daughter pageant in Guyana since its March launching.

“When you think of MovieTowne it’s all about family. There are so many things for the family to do at MovieTowne and the Mother and Daughter pageant is the pageant where the mother and daughters will go, but it’s not all about them; it’s where the family goes to support,” Assistant Branch Manager at Multi-Cinemas Guyana, Kirly Bacchus, said.

The pageant’s other major partner is the New Nigel’s Supermarket which will be supporting the senior category. “New Nigel’s is very proud to be a part of this collaboration…we just want to show the country and the economy that we appreciate mothers,” said Marketing Personnel New Nigel’s Supermarket, Kendra Massiah.

She noted that there will be the opportunity for persons to win special prizes on the night of the pageant, should they purchase their tickets at the supermarket on Robb & Light streets.

Meanwhile, the Middle Category will be sponsored

by Always and the junior category by Igloo Ice Cream and Sterling Products.

These sponsors form part of many others which have been consistently loyal to the pageant over the years.

Managing and producing the pageant is Mrs. Ingrid Fung, who is one of the founders of the pageant and now produces it along with her daughter Dr. Sulan Fung-Browne.

Dr. Fung-Browne said that the event’s theme was chosen in the spirit of projecting mothers as superheroes, as the general idea of superheroes has a global fan base. She said: “Even though these superheroes have their own strengths, if you demonstrate love, it will be the best strength ever demonstrated.

So ‘the superpower of love’ is definitely the thing that we want to celebrate this year.”

The patron of the show is First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, who has made it a habit of attending the show with her family. The 22 beauties will be revealed later in the week and, apart from the crowns, they stand to win a number of big prizes including trophies, hampers and trips to several local and overseas destinations.

T h e p a g e a n t ’s w i n ners last year in the senior segment were Germaine Jacques and her daughter Kia Jacques, who stole the hearts of the crowd without prior experience in pageantry.

The winners of the Junior Category, Marcia Abrams and Nomarra, ticked all the boxes of the judges’ grading criteria when they took to the stage.

Meanwhile, Middle Category winners, Shonette Vyphuis and Saniyah, were perhaps the most creative with their transformative dresses which changed from one color to the next by the end of their performance.

Tickets for the pageant on May 11, 2019 cost $3,500, $3,000 and $2,500 for the auditorium front, auditorium rear and the balcony respectively.

They can be picked up at the NCC and from the locations of all other sponsors and promoters.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Belt and Road construction facilitates a faster world CHONGQING, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Building Budapest into one of the largest logistics centers in eastern Europe is a shared goal of Nemeth Miklos Ivan, consul of Hungary in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality, and Qi Dan. Q i i s t h e h e a d o f Yu x i n o u (Chongqing) Logistics Co., Ltd, who explored the rail route between Chongqing and Duisburg in Germany in 2011, the start of the China-Europe cargo train service.

Chongqing, as an important location of China’s western development strategy, is situated on the “connecting point” of the Belt and Road and the Yangtze River Economic Belt, playing a unique role in China’s regional development and opening up.

It is connected to the eastern seaboard thanks to the Yangtze, China’s longest river, making it a transfer hub for commodities from the western areas to be sold across the world and for

goods from around the globe to reach China’s far west.

Boosted by the Belt and Road construction, the international train service has been expanding fast in the city over the past eight years. The service of Yuxinou now takes about 12 days from Chongqing to Europe, about one-third of the traditional ocean shipping time. A total of 1,442 freight trains traveled between Chongqing and European countries last year, compared with only 100 in 2014.

“Yuxinou has made China and European countries closer with shorter freight transportation time and stronger cash flow,” said Hungarian businessman Akos Kovacs. “If we build a distribution center in Budapest, commodities from the Chinese market can also reach to six other countries including the Czech Republic and Romania, and vice versa,” Kovacs said.

Southeast Asian countries also enjoy the dividends of the China-Eu-

rope freight trains, especially after Chongqing launched the China-Singapore rail-sea transit route in 2017.

The New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor is a trade and logistics passage under the framework of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity.

With Chongqing as the transportation hub, the new corridor uses ports in Guangxi’s Beibu Gulf to reach ports in Singapore and other ASEAN countries and links China-Europe freight trains launched from many western Chinese cities before heading for Central Asia, South Asia and Europe.

By the end of last year, freight trains had made 805 trips via the corridor, which links 155 ports in 71 countries and regions worldwide.

Besides Chongqing, a total of 48 Chinese cities have launched 65 cargo train routes, reaching 14 countries

and more than 40 cities in Europe in 2018. Over 13,000 trips have been conducted by the China-Europe trains as of February.

Freight transportation is an epitome of a faster world driven by China-proposed Belt and Road construction. As companies in China and Belt and Road countries seek better partners and turn to the Internet for new retail markets, cross-border e-commerce platforms, like Osell, are mushrooming to meet their needs.

So far, Osell has set up local service offices and experience centers in cities including Moscow, Warsaw and Dubai to expand their bridge connecting China and the world.

“We aim to promote the successful e-commerce experience of Chinese companies to countries along the Belt and Road, help companies look for opportunities and realize cooperation,” said Zhu Fuxing, vice president of Osell Group.

BRI crucial for generations to come: President of Swiss Confederation BERN, Switzerland, April 21 (Xinhua) -- China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a fundamental task crucial for generations to come, which, when implemented smoothly, will bring many benefits to both the economic development and the well-being of the people worldwide, President Ueli Maurer of the Swiss Confederation has said.

In a joint interview with Chinese media, Maurer said BRI has created a new dimension for the development of world economy, which as such a long-term strategic plan is rarely seen so far.

As some landmark projects for sustainable development will be launched in the near future, the positive results of these projects could dispel doubts from certain sideliners, thus laying the foundation for a better global development in the future, Maurer said.

The Swiss president held that globalization is the key to success

of the global development, and to achieve globalization, infrastructure construction at various levels would be indispensable. In this sense, he said, the BRI is a future-oriented project that will contribute to globalization, in which everyone can benefit from improving and upgrading infrastructure.

China and the West have differences in terms of concept, development history and political system, and it is important to strengthen dialogue between the two sides during the implementation of the BRI, Maurer said.

Many Westerners may have been concerned about China’s rapid development for it’s beyond their expectations, but they should respect China’s great achievements, Maurer said, as only in this way can the two sides have a good basis for dialogue. Any attempt to close the door of conversation would be wrong, he added.

Talking of his country’s role in

the BRI, Maurer said that Switzerland is a neutral and developed economy that can serve as a bridge for cooperation between countries in Europe and Asia.

He assured that Switzerland is an open economy dedicated for a business-friendly environment, whether for finance, investment or insurance, while at the same time the location where many international organizations are based, another unique competitiveness for Switzerland.

Despite a huge difference in size, Switzerland and China have many things in common and have also maintained a very friendly relationship, Maurer said.

According to him, Swiss-Chinese mutual trust has laid a good foundation for bilateral cooperation, which can be further strengthened in the fields of finance, research and development, as well as in insurance.

Maurer has visited China for

many times. Talking about the impression of China, he said that it’s a great country with a unique history and whose economic achievements during recent years have been quite exceptional in human history.

The Swiss president said that he deeply admires the great achievements China has made, and that the Chinese people have left him a very good impression every time he visited the country. The peoples of Switzerland and China have many things in common, as they are both very humble, hardworking and intelligent, he said.

High-level exchanges between Switzerland and China have been frequent in recent years.

“In the process of exchanges between the two governments, we have signed many agreements and hold many rounds of formal dialogues. I feel that as long as we shake hands, we can agree to make something to happen,” he said.

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‘West-siders’ favour Joe Vieira Park –– to end long Easter weekend

By Vishani Ragobeer HUNDREDS of residents living on the West Demerara descended on the Joe Vieira Park, just over the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) on the West Bank Demerara (WBD) to enjoy their Easter Monday and bring the long holiday weekend to an end.

Specks could have been seen in the sky from the

“Since I know myself, I been coming here [ the Joe Vieira Park] and I am 34 now,” he shared. Since he is a resident of the ‘West Side’ this area has always been convenient for him to come and fly his kites, and so this is a tradition he has now maintained with his own children.

Farther behind Colin was Zaheer (only name given) trying to raise his five-foot tall star-point

Colin Christie and his children time you began crossing ‘the Bridge’ from Georgetown. And by the time you were about halfway across, the loud sounds of the music emanating from the Park competed with the well-known clanking of the metal panels of the bridge.

Just off ‘the bridge’, you couldn’t miss the Park.

There were the kites, the music…there were cars and police officers everywhere trying to maneuver the mammoth crowd heading in and out of the large field.

Colin Christie walked inside with his four children. He moved beyond the very many games and food stalls that were set up to a clearing where he could focus on getting the kites in the air while keeping an eye on his children.

kite into the air with the help of his young son.

The breeze was minimal, and so the large kite, which was one of the larger ones in the ground, kept falling down. But what was important was the quality time the father and son were spending together.

“Mostly, each year, we just spend time together here and fly the kites and picnic and so,” the man, who also resides on the WBD’ said.

Aside from the hundreds of ‘West-siders’ flying their kites or picnicking, there were also some persons who came out to cash in on the economic opportunities presented.

Winston Harding was one who came out with his tent, grill and his friends (to ‘pitch in’) to make a quick dollar on Easter day.

“This is first year I’m out here doing this sort of business,” Harding said.

“Everybody looking for an lil extra something and I live on the West Bank so I do this.”

Harding however indicated that Easter time has always been a favourite time of the year for him.

“Christ raising on the third day is important- as much as we enjoying and have fun,” he shared.

Zaheer’s son with his five-foot-tall kite (Photos by Vishani Ragobeer)

Winston Harding and his friends at the stall they set up to sell food on Easter Monday

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Fire destroys Essequibo sawmill

A FIRE of unknown origin on Monday has completely destroyed the saw mill of Rupan Ramotar aka ‘Fowlcock’ at Spring Garden, Region Two. The incident occurred at around 17:30hrs. According to information received, a labourer, Khemraj Dass, was in the vicinity when he noticed a fire coming from inside the sawmill. He immediately raised an alarm and residents responded by forming a bucket brigade in an attempt to put out the

blaze. This however, proved unsuccessful.

The Guyana Fire Service was informed at around 18:30hrs but by the time the firemen arrived, everything

was completely gutted.

Ramotar, when contacted, said he has confidence in the Anna Regina Fire Station and he is awaiting their findings.

Bourda cheese vendor murder…

The sawmill engulfed in flames

Magistrate to rule today on prima facie case CHIEF Magistrate Ann Mc Lenann is set to rule today at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court whether a prima facie case has been made out against three men who are charged with the murder of Troy Ramalho, a 45-year-old cheese vendor at the Bourda Market.

The men charged with the murder are Akeem Morris, a 26-year-old miner of Sandy Babb Street, Kitty; George Peyton, a 34-year-old taxi driver of Eccles, East Bank Demerara and Roy Stanford, 33, of Section ‘D’ Sophia.

to Bourda where they set out to rob the vendor.

Reports are that he was instructed to park some distance away at Alexander Street, Georgetown. He soon heard gunshots and saw them running back towards the car. In his attempt to escape, he got into an accident at the Camp Street and North Road junction. One of the men subsequently fell out of the vehicle, while he sped off with the other two. After the incident, he took the car to the West Bank of Demerara and received $30, 000. In earlier court pro-

Deceased: Troy Ramalho

Murder accused: George Peyton

Murder accused: Roy Stanford It is alleged that the trio on August 15, 2018, at Bourda, Georgetown, murdered Ramalho during a robbery.

According to reports, on the day in question, Ramalho was conducting his trade when the three bandits attacked and shot him as he put up resistance. During investigations, evidence led to the arrest of Peyton, the taxi driver whose car the other two men hired in Buxton, East Coast Demerara.

Peyton told the police he was not involved in the murder; however, he was asked to pick the men the men up at the Stabroek Market and take them

Murder accused: Akeem Morris ceedings, Peyton had told the magistrate that he was fearful for his life due to the other two defendants threatening him.

On April 23, 2019, Prosecutor Neville Jeffers told the court that he believes there is sufficient evidence for a prima facie case to be made out against the defendants.

The magistrate, after listening to the submissions made by the prosecution, adjourned the matter until April 24, 2019.

On this date she is expected to rule on whether the men will be called upon by the court to lead their defence.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 24, 2019

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Atlanta charity takes Linden kids kite-flying

Member of Parliament Jermaine Figueira taking part in a massive kite distribution in communities in Linden

–– for the Easter holidays HUNDREDS of children from across communities in Region Ten were the recipients of kites to they could enjoy their Easter holidays.

The kites were distributed by Member of Parliament Jermaine Figueira under the auspices of Caring for Others (CFO), an Atlanta-based charitable organisation. The kites were distributed in the Wismar communities of Wisroc, Block 22, Silvertown and Victory Valley.

The distributions follow a string of other distributions

by CFO, as Figueira and other members would have carried out immense charitable works in Linden over the last three years. While taking part in the kite distributions, MP Figueira said that the communities were chosen because of the realisation that many parents residing there cannot afford to purchase kites for their children.

He believes that every child should equally enjoy the Eas-

ter holidays, notwithstanding their circumstances. “It is all in the spirit of giving, Jesus gave his life for us and as we celebrate this sacred holiday we should use whatever resources we have to help the less fortunate and those in need, more than us. We have distributed hundreds of kites and this would not have been possible without the assistance of Miss Eslene Shockley, philanthropist and CEO of Caring for Others and we are grateful for the continuous support for CFO,” he said.

Figueira said that the donation was also a reflection of the caring government he represents. Several government ministers have been donating kites in various communities across Guyana.

On Sunday, Minister within the Ministry of Public Health Dr Karen Cummings distributed kites in the Region Ten community of Ituni.

Police probe abuse claims at Parika station THE Guyana Police Force said it is investigating a report of alleged abuse meted out to a woman by a rank at the Parika Police Station, East Bank Essequibo.

In a statement, police said through the Commander of ‘D’ Division, Senior Superintendent Edmond Cooper, an investigation has been launched following an article published in Tuesday’s Edition of the Kaieteur News under the caption “Woman alleges physical abuse by rank at Parika Police Station – claims rank instructed her to spank his buttocks”.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday April 24, 2019

FROM BACK PAGE

Coach Edmonds hails Guyana’s ‘outstanding performance’ at 48th CARIFTA Games

By Rawle Toney

JULIAN Edmonds, head coach of Guyana’s CARIFTA Games team, showered the athletes with praises for what he called an “outstanding performance” at the 48th edition of the event, held over the Easter weekend in the Cayman Islands.

Guyana finished with a record 10 medals – four gold, two silver and four bronze – and according to Edmonds, the result should be celebrated, given the fact that “CARIFTA Games is a very tough competition where every country bring their ‘A game’. We finished 4th out of 27 countries ahead of powerhouse Barbados, Bermuda and Grenada and had an equal four gold medals as Trinidad; they finished 3rd but had more silver medals.”

Claudrice McKoy, who won gold in the Women’s U-20 1500 metres and bronze in the women’s 3000 metres Open, along with Chantoba Bright (gold in Women’s U-20 long jump and silver in the women’s U-20 triple jump) are hanging up their cleats after some stellar years at the CARIFTA Games, and will now transition to competing at the senior level for Guyana.

McKoy, in 2017, won gold in the 3 000 metres open, and bronze in the 1500 metres. She missed the 2018 Championships due to an injury.

Bright, on the other hand, at the 2016 CARIFTA Games won silver in the triple and the long jump. In 2017 she won gold in the long jump and bronze in the triple jump. In 2018, she won gold in the long jump, bronze in the triple jump

Julian Edmonds

and silver in the 4x400 relay. “Chantoba (Bright) is a CARIFTA legend and will be missed by team Guyana who wish her well at the senior level. Claudrice (McKoy) has contributed well for Guyana at this level and

will also be missed,” said Edmonds.

Both McKoy and Bright compete at the collegiate level in the USA. Meanwhile, Matthew Gordon (gold in the Boys U-17 3000 metres) and Anisha Gibbons (gold in the Girls U-17 javelin) were the debutants who found themselves atop the podium and Edmonds believes that the newcomers at the CARIFTA Games impressed enough to make him a believer that Guyana’s rise at the regional showpiece is not by luck.

“Matthew is a wonderful young man. He rebounded from the 1500 metres after being bumped on and nearly fell in a race we thought he would have won - to win a well-planned 3000 metres.

He will serve Guyana well in the future,” the coach opined.

Edmonds further added

GUYANA CARIFTA GAMES MEDAL BREAKDOWN Claudrice McKoy – Gold (Women’s U-20 1500 metres), Bronze (3000 metres Open) Chantoba Bright – Gold (Women’s U-0 Long Jump) Silver (U-20 Triple Jump) Anisha Gibbons – Gold (Girls’ U-17 Javelin) Matthew Gordon – Gold (Boys’ U-17 3000 metres) Joanna Archer – Silver (Women’s U-20 800 metres) Audriel Austin – Bronze (Girls’ U-17 800 metres) Shaquka Tyrell – Bronze (Girls’ U-17 1500 metres) Princess Browne – Bronze (Girls’ U-17 Triple Jump) that “Anisha is the real deal!

She missed the Games record by three metres. These athletes showed maturity beyond their age. We also had Loneil Marks, Keliza Smith and Brianna Charles, debutants making it to sprint finals

which is a good achievement that will give them experience going forward”.

This year, Guyana sent a 21-man contingent to the games – the largest in the country’s history at the championships.

FROM BACK PAGE

Guyana finish ahead of Antigua, Aruba and Curacao in CARIFTA chess GUYANA settled for fifth position in the eighth team battle at the CARIFTA Junior Chess Championship, which concluded on Monday evening in Curacao.

Although our young-

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sters, in total points calculation finished behind the likes of Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname and Barbados, Guyana did finish ahead of Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba and Curacao.

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Although on total points, Barbados and Suriname finished in front of Team Guyana, we were able to draw our games with players from those countries.

In total, our 14-member team finished with 36.5 points. Of the lot, Arysh Raghunauth (win and a draw in the last two rounds), Jaden Taylor (a draw and a defeat in the last two rounds) and Jarrell Troyer (a win and a

loss last two rounds), led the attack with 3.5 points each, which equated to a 50% win ratio. Ghansham Allijohn (a draw last two rounds), Samirah Gobin (no points over the last two rounds), Milan Ramautarsing (no points over the last two rounds) and Savir Gookul (a draw over the last two rounds), were right behind on three points each.

All the Guyanese play-

ers managed to score points at the event. According to coach Wendell Meusa, it was a dramatic improvement from last year.

“Even though we took a larger team this year, we saw a great improvement in overall performance. We tallied 36.5 points, which is 250% more than last year’s total. Regardless of outside issues, such as food poisoning, one of our players tak-

ing ill with his asthma and being moved from Hilton to an inferior hotel, my players were able to mentally adjust and overcome these challenges.

“Our experienced players did step up early on in the event, but failed to finish strongly, while our young and inexperienced players fought hard to gain some valuable points for the team.”

Skerritt lauds Sir Alister’s contribution to WI cricket ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) – Cricket West Indies president Ricky Skerritt has lauded the contribution of the late Sir Alister McIntyre to the development of the game in the region, especially in the area of governance reform.

Sir Alister, a leading regional academic and a former CARICOM secretary general, died last weekend in Jamaica at age 87.

“Sir Alister was one of three leading Caribbean personalities that formed the

committee, set up 12 years ago by the West Indies Cricket Board, now CWI, to review the governance of West Indies cricket,” Skerritt said in a statement.

“The committee was chaired by former Jamaica Prime Minister P.J Patterson and also included Guyanese business executive and author Ian McDonald. They presented a seminal work which still reverberates to this day and has helped to shape some of the governance and operational poli-

cies of the organisation.

“Only last week, we announced that Jamaica senator Don Wehby will lead a task force to continue that work of reviewing the corporate governance of CWI and will use the report produced by that committee as the basis to understand how far the organisation has progressed and how much further it needs to go.” Skerritt, a former St Kitts and Nevis cabinet minister, also hailed Sir Alister’s “sharp mind” along with his dignity and character.

FROM BACK PAGE “Sir Alister matched his extraordinary record of accomplishment in the field of academia and economics with grace and honour off it,” he said. “The Caribbean has truly lost one of its leading academics and statesmen, whose sharp mind and deep analysis of the challenges facing the region will be truly missed.”

Sir was also Vice Chancellor Emeritus of the University of West Indies.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday April 24, 2019

Sportswear donated to Cotton Field Secondary A QUANTITY of cricket shirts and pants were donated by overseas-based Guyanese Alistair Saigo to Cotton Field Secondary School.

The simple ceremony was held in the school’s auditorium in the presence of several students and teachers. The donation was presented by Roy Gonsalves on behalf of his brother-in-law and it was done in recognition of the late Courtney Gonsalves, former senior national fast bowler who hailed from Essequibo.

In an invited comment Roy Gonsalves stated “Alistair wanted to make this little contribution to the school since he is of the belief that sports play a vi-

tal role in the development of youths and in particular cricket’.

He further added that “the school has a rich pool of talented cricketers and the outfit will serve them well in competitions”.

Senior Master Marvin Pearson who received the clothing on behalf of the school thanked the donor while assuring him that the beneficiaries will make optimum use of the gifts by wearing them with honour and pride.

Courtney Gonsalves died in 2009 and was a former coach who touched the lives of many including those players from the Cotton Field Secondary School.

WDCA/Beacon Café 50-over tournament

Dhanpaul spurs Zeeburg to crushing victory

Jamal Gomes and Yutesh Dhanpaul took three wickets each for Zeeburg.

AN all-round effort from Yutesh Dhanpaul spurred Zeeburg Sports Club to an easy eight-wicket win over the All Youths ‘B’ team, when action in the Beacon Café 50-over cricket tournament continued on Sunday at the Zeeburg ground.

All Youths ‘B’ won the toss and decided to bat on a hard and flat wicket, but they were pegged back by a strong home team’s bowling attack, which eventually wrecked them for 97 all out in 23 overs.

Medium pacer Jamal Gomes and off-spinner Dhanpaul led the charge.

Gomes finished with 3-29, while Dhanpaul ended his spell with 3-21. Left-arm spinner Ricardo Adams supported with 2-36.

Mark Prahalall finished with 20, while A. Haniff added 17.

In reply, Dhanpaul blasted four sixes and five fours off 16 balls for a top score of 48. Ronaldo Renee supported with 31 not out (4x4, 1x6).

Cotton Field $econdary School cricketers attired in their new outfit.

At left is Roy Gonsalves with Senior Master Marvin Pearson (right).

Champions League qualification in Arsenal’s hands, says Emery (REUTERS) - Arsenal’s hopes of finishing in the Premier League’s top four and qualifying for the Champions League are still in their own hands despite losing ground over the weekend, manager Unai Emery said yesterday.

Arsenal, who were looking to move up to third over the weekend, now find themselves fifth in the table after Crystal Palace’s 3-2 win at Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

With four games to go this season, Emery’s side are a point behind thirdplaced Tottenham Hotspur and fourth-placed Chelsea, although the latter have played a game more.

“We have it in our hands,” Emery told report-

ers ahead of Wednesday’s (today) trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers. “At the beginning of the season, after winter, we struggled in the table. We were in a worse position than we are now.

Our way is not changing. We are in our way at the end of the season with a big possibility to take our target. I’m still proud of our season, knowing that the key moments are now. Tomorrow is a big moment, match and challenge for us.”

Emery brushed aside suggestions that mid-table Wolves, who have nothing to play for this season, might take their foot off the pedal. The newly-promoted side have an impressive record against the top six teams, picking up 13 points so far.

Arsenal manager Unai Emery (REUTERS/Eddie Keogh)

“They’re going to push a lot tomorrow,” Emery said.

“I worked one thing here very quickly, we are playing against all of the teams and they want to battle us, fighting and playing with a big motivation.

“One is the motivation in the table for each player and one is the motivation against Arsenal. Every team wants to battle us because they respect us and also because it’s important to try to win against us.”

Emery also refused to comment on whether midfielder Granit Xhaka would return from a hip injury but confirmed Aaron Ramsey (hamstring) and Barcelona loanee Denis Suarez (groin) would not be available.

“I want to keep all the information we can have for tomorrow,” he said when asked about Xhaka’s possible return. “Sorry. It’s because I think it’s better for us.

“You know Aaron Ramsey cannot play, Denis Suarez cannot play.”

ECB/Banks DIH to stage 15/15 softball competition ESSEQUIBO Cricket Board (ECB) and Banks DIH Limited will partner to host a 15/15 softball knock-out competition for teams across the Essequibo Coast.

The tournament will be played from April 28 to May 12 with the main venues being Reliance, Queenstown, Affiance, Pomona and Walton Hall grounds. The

semi-finals and final will be held under lights and teams are required to contact coordinator Autto Christiani on telephone number 604-8148 to be registered.

Some 32 teams are expected to compete for top prizes. The winners will collect $150 000 and trophy, runners-up $100 000 and trophy, third- placers $75 000 plus trophy and fourth-plac-

ers $25 000 plus trophy.

Teams are required to purchase three cases of Banks Beer in order to enter the competition and also include at least one female player in their starting lineup. All participating players must be 18 years and over.

Meanwhile some of the best softball players will be in action including Patrick Rooplall, Latchman Rohit,

Ganesh Mangal, Ramesh Narine, Brian Mangar, Vishwanauth Lall, Neiland Cadogan, Narendra Mandolall and Sugrim Ahiram among others.

All matches start at 10:00hrs with the officials calling play being Shannon Crawford, Wazeer Dhanraj, Deva Dass, Dinesh Joseph, Basil Persaud, Anthony Persaud and Jageshwar Latchman.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday April 24, 2019

CSK leave it late after Watson’s brutal 96 to go top of IPL table

CHENNAI Super Kings (CSK) left it until late to defeat the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) despite a blazing knock from Shane Watson at the top of the order in an IPL 2019 match in Chennai yesterday.

Watson (96*) hit 9 fours and 6 sixes during his stay at the crease. His departure led to the match going into the final over but the result never looked in doubt CSK got off to a poor start, scoring just 3 runs from the first 2 overs. The pressure eventually led to Watson and Faf du Plessis going for a quick single that led to Deepak Hooda running out the South African.

Suresh Raina was the next man in and while he started in a circumspect manner, he eventually found his rhythm. He smashed Sandeep Sharma for 22 runs in the bowler’s first over and that was the impetus the home side needed to kick on in the chase.

Watson followed suit and began to attack the bowlers, even getting into a staring match with Rashid Khan after smashing the leg-spinner for a boundary in his first over.

Raina eventually departed for a well-made 38 but Watson continued to plunder runs at will, with new man Ambati Rayudu playing a

more cautious innings.

The opener eventually departed 4 short of a century, but by then had done enough to ensure the home side would end up on top.

The runs did dry up towards the end of the innings and a close finish looked on the cards. CSK needed 9 off the final over and Kedhar Jadhav hit a six on the second ball of the over to calm the nerves. Rayudu was out on the next ball, holing out to Vijay Shankar at mid-off but a scrambled single did the job for the home side.

Earlier, after being put in to bat, half-centuries from David Warner and Manish Pandey helped propel SRH

to 175-3 in their 20 overs.

Warner (57) and Pandey (83*) led the way with the bat even as CSK successfully managed to strangle the flow of runs towards the end of the innings.

CSK got the big wicket of Jonny Bairstow early, with Harbhajan Singh getting him to edge one behind the stumps to MS Dhoni.

However, Warner played a gritty innings that complemented Pandey’s free-flowing knock as the two put on a 115-run stand for the second wicket.

Pandey had been in poor form since the previous season but finally came good, playing an innings that con-

Shane Watson slammed nine fours and six sixes in his robust 96.

sisted of both good cricket shots and aggressive strokeplay.

His time at the crease saw him hit 7 boundaries and 3 sixes, his return to form a timely one since Bairstow will be joining up with the England team soon.

Warner was eventually stumped by Dhoni off Har-

bhajan’s bowling but Vijay Shankar joined Pandey in the middle and the two put together a 47-run stand.

They could have taken SRH to a bigger total but some good bowling by CSK eventually saw Shankar depart too and the runs dried up as the innings drew to a close.

Ex-cricketer Lewis on long Works ongoing at LBI Community Centre walk back from disgrace BASINGSTOKE, United Kingdom (AFP) – Chris Lewis’s journey from opening the bowling for England in the 1992 World Cup final to contemplating suicide and being convicted of drug smuggling has him feeling as ambitious as when he was a teenager, he has told AFP .

The 51-year-old – who represented England over 80 times in Tests and one-day internationals – said it was fear over being penniless that drove him to smuggle £140 000 ($183 000) of cocaine in cans of fruit into England from St Lucia in 2008.

He stood to earn £50 000 from the deal – instead he ended up serving six and a half years of a 13-year prison term.

The engaging and lithe former all-rounder is presently touring with the play written

by Dougie Blaxland (the pen name of former cricketer James Graham-Brown) about his life called The Long Walk Back.

“Do you know, the funny thing is, I would suggest I am more ambitious and more optimistic than I have ever been in my life,” Lewis told AFP in an interview conducted at the Haymarket Theatre in Basingstoke.

“This is a stage of my life I should have gone through in my 20s with a whole set of new experiences.

“It is a place I have not been since I was a teenager ... a place when that teenage boy was

Chris Lewis represented England over 80 times in Tests and ODIs.

dreaming of being a cricketer.”

The play, directed by Australian husband and wife Shane Morgan and Moira Hunt of the Bristol-based Roughhouse Theatre, has helped relight the fire within him.

“It (the play) all comes together from an idea of how we have reached here when less than a decade ago I was sat in a prison cell and my life was more than over,” Lewis said.

It is a far cry from when Lewis, whose long-term girlfriend Patricia stayed loyal despite him putting her ‘through the wars’, and contemplated taking his own life on the first night he was incarcerated after his arrest.

“You cannot get over the prospect of facing a sentence of 15 years,” he said. “If you have not been in jail it seems an unimaginable amount of time.

“The question of ‘if this goes

the wrong way what will you do’ and (suicide) was certainly something on the table.”

Lewis, whose morale was greatly helped by former Surrey team-mate Jason Ratcliffe, who offered him help from the start, largely kept himself to himself in prison.

“A strange thing that happened was sitting on my bed the night after the sentence had been passed and I cried and it got a lot of emotions out,” he said.

“In terms of the cell ... let us say if you like the fragrance of someone else – the toilet is right next to the bed – there are some people who may put up with that because they want company.

“I was more the other way. I wanted to be on my own, having some control of one’s environment and keep your room a certain way.”

There were certain rules that Lewis imposed on himself from the start of his jail term – neither listening to music nor telling his adored grandmother Eunice Joseph back in Guyana about his fall from grace.

In the play, Lewis takes part in a question-and-answer session with the audience, fielding sometimes awkward enquiries.

He says he is pleased by the play – which has included two prisons on its tour – because it explores the emotional side of his story and the battle he had to accept who was to blame for his predicament.

Crush and run gravel is being applied onto the wicket base.

(Photo from Anand Sanasi facebook post)

DESPITE being without an executive body, Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has continued its major rehabilitation works on the LBI Community Centre ground.

At present crush and run gravel is being applied onto the wicket base. The fence and pavilion have been completed.

The upgrading of the facility became a reality after GCB secured the lease from the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc. (GUYSUCO), last year January. This has paved

the way for the board to invest approximately $600M in the next few years towards the general upgrading of the facility to benefit the cricketing community.

GCB had already invested close to $75M a few years ago to construct the existing hostel, the Chetram Singh Centre of Excellence, at that location and over the years the Board has saved a lot of accommodation expenses with the use of this hostel to house its players.

In addition to the

facilities for the accommodation of teams preparing for local and regional tournaments, the Centre comprises indoor nets, a gym and a lecture room, all designed to turn out more rounded players, who are prepared to meet the challenges of the modern game.

The multi-million dollar structure was officially opened in 2010.

It is expected that the bulk of the funding will come from the board through the funds from the franchise league

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday April 24, 2019

Lamb’s final-day record underscores Jamaica superiority at 48th CARIFTA Games

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands (CMC) – Deshaun Lamb’s record-breaking run in the Under-17 Boys sprint hurdles underlined Jamaica’s dominance as the perennial powerhouse once again showcased their superiority on the final day of the 48th CARIFTA Games here Easter Monday.

Jamaica swept all four sprint hurdles and relay finals early in the evening session before returning to put an exclamation mark on proceedings by also winning all four distance relays, at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex.

In fact, the Jamaicans won 17 of the 21 events in the final session to finish the championship with 85 medals overall – 36 gold, 33 silver and 16 bronze.

Lamb’s performance epitomised his country’s swagger as he raced to a new time of 13.54 seconds, eclipsing countryman

Vashaun Vascianna’s 13.60 set last year in The Bahamas.

Running out of lane four, Lamb was pushed all the way by teammate Niel-Matthew Sutherland, and crossed the line only narrowly ahead.

Sutherland took silver in 13.61 while Matthew Sophia of Curacao grabbed bronze in 13.64. Rasheed Broadbell also led a Jamaica one-two in the Under-20 Boys sprint hurdles when he won in 13.26 – just outside of Wilhem Belocian’s five-yearold record of 13.23.

Running out of lane three, Broadbell started well, stumbled slightly when he crashed hurdle number three but stayed composed enough to recover and reach the line ahead of Vascianna in 13.32.

Kay-Lagay Clarke ensured another Jamaican sweep of the top two spots in the Under-17 Girls when she stopped the clock in 13.68 to win gold ahead of teammate Crystal Shaw (13.72).

Ackera Nugent, who

Kemba Nelson, who ran the anchor leg, celebrates Jamaica’s capture of the Under-20 Girls sprint relay.

claimed silver last year in the Under-17s, grabbed gold in the Under-20 Girls, winning in a time of 13.24.

Jamaica also lived up to their high billing in the sprint relays. The team of Shaw, Clarke, Brianna Lyston and Glacian Loutin combined to open the account with victory in the Under-17 Girls age group, winning in a time of 45.63.

They were not without a challenge, however, as

Trinidad and Tobago pushed them all the way, especially on the anchor leg where Taejha Badal produced a searing run but just missed out.

There was no such drama in the corresponding Boys final as Christopher Scott, on the third leg, got the stick to anchor Bouwajhie Nkrumie first, leaving the last 80 metres as a straightforward affair.

Double sprint champion, Brianna Williams, then set

in train her eventual capture of the Austin Sealy Award for the second straight year when she produced a fluent first leg in the Under-20 Girls final, as Jamaica took another uncomplicated victory in 44.25.

Trinidad and Tobago were a distant second in 45.11 with Barbados holding on to bronze in 45.52.

Jamaica faced their stiffest competition in the Boys Under-20s with Ryiem Robertson forced to chase down Bahamian Joel Johnson before catching him on the line, to win a thriller in 39.46, which was just outside of the CARIFTA record.

The contest on the backstretch seemed between Jamaica and Trinidad until Adrian Curry Jr produced a blistering third leg for The Bahamas to bring them into contention.

They were forced to settle for silver in 39.49 while Barbados held bronze in 40.18.

For the second straight year, Kevroy Venson of Jamaica took gold in the gruelling Boys 5 000 metres but made it look easy, producing a trademark kick over the last 100 metres to cross the line in 15 minutes 21.30 seconds.

The field events were not spared Jamaica’s wrath either. Rajuan Ricketts conjured up success in the Boys Under-17 triple jump when he measured 14.26 metres while Cobe Graham sustained the dominance with a throw of 18.62m to win the Under-20 Boys shot put.

In the Girls Under-17 discus, Cedricka Williams measured 47.94m to lead a Jamaica one-two, with Damali Williams grabbing silver with 40.87m.

Jamaica also swept the top two spots in the corresponding Boys event as Cobe Lawrence threw 53.32 for gold while Christopher Young took silver in 51.34.

Registration ongoing for Long scores fastest Premier League goal but Saints held at Watford GMR&SC Endurance Round 2

Adrian Fernandes (left) and Team Ramchand Wreckers’ owner Anand Ramchand during the 2018 prize-giving ceremony. Wreckers are the defending Endurance champions (GTRidez photo)

REGISTRATION for the upcoming second round of Endurance racing under the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) is ongoing.

According to the club, only five competitors have registered for competition so far. The club sought to remind competitors that early registration ensures that there is no hassle on race day.

During round one, Team Wreckers’ Adrian Fernandes inched Sean Bacchus for the overall title.

2018 overall champion Fernandes narrowly defeated Bacchus who finished 77 laps, both in 1600cc and overall brackets in the two-hour long drive.

During round one action, the unlimited class was won by Romeo Singh (72 laps) but Motilall Deodass (59 laps) surprisingly finished second ahead of Seejatan. Deodass’ Motor Trend-sponsored Starlet encountered problems from the start of the race so he had to race at a decelerated pace throughout the race.

Mohamed Ali (33 laps) was the best driver in the 2000cc class while Roshan Ali (20 laps) finished second followed

by Rafeek Khan in third with 19 laps.

In the 1500cc class, Narendra Mangar (73 laps) won, followed by Richard Hamid (70) in second place and Mark Wong (69) in third.

(REUTERS) - Southampton striker Shane Long struck the fastest goal in Premier League history, inside seven seconds, but his team conceded a last-minute equaliser as they drew 1-1 at Watford yesterday.

The draw leaves the Saints still with work to do to guarantee their Premier League survival. Southampton are on 37 points, six ahead of 18th-placed Cardiff City, who occupy the final relegation slot, with three games remaining. It should be enough for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, especially after 17thplaced Brighton lost 1-0 at Tottenham yesterday, to fall three points behind Southampton.

But the reaction of the Saints players, who fell to the floor at the final whistle, reflected the bitter blow of conceding an Andre Gray goal in the 90th minute.

Irish striker Long wrote his name in the record books when he charged down a Craig Cathcart clearance before running through on goal and lobbing the ball calmly over goalkeeper Ben Foster.

Long snatched the record

Southampton’s Shane Long scores their first goal.

(Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers)

from former Tottenham defender Ledley King, who scored after 9.9 seconds against Bradford in 2000.

Southampton could have had a second before the break when Nathan Redmond struck the post after breaking into the box on the right. Watford keeper Ben Foster also produced a fine save to keep out a James Ward-Prowse free-kick aimed at the bottom corner and keep the lead to a single goal.

But Watford striker Gray, who had gone close twice only

to be foiled by Saints keeper Angus Gunn, pounced on a loose ball to find the target from close range in the final minute of normal time.

Watford moved above Everton into seventh place to keep up their hopes of qualifying for the Europa League. The Hornets are also in the FA Cup final against Manchester City.

Southampton’s remaining fixtures are at home to Bournemouth, away to West Ham United and at home to already-relegated Huddersfield.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday April 24, 2019

Melanie ‘B’ crowned champions again … Belfield Warriors win Plate final

WITH a clear game plan to keep Paradise ‘A’ talisman Quincy Adams shackled at all times, Melanie ‘B’ executed to perfection to grab their second title in the East Coast Zone of the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ competition which concluded in front of a record crowd at the Haslington Market tarmac.

The former champions, whose first taste of success in the street competition came in 2017, were the epitome of discipline as they stuck inflexibly to the game plan, nullifying every offensive threat attempted by the pre-game favourite Paradise.

Paradise seemed surprised by the strategy and looked second best in offence, while Adams was left pondering whether to go forward in attack or remain part of the defensive shape.

It was evident that the

counter-attacks by Melanie ‘B’ were a bother to the Paradise team so much so that they failed to orchestrate any serious threat on the opposition’s goal.

The half came with no team managing to enter the scoresheet and the thousands of spectators who seemed even in their support for each team anticipated a riveting final period and while the scoreline remained unchanged, Melanie ‘B’ always seemed the more likely to score.

In the end, the final whistle sounded to send the encounter into penalty shootout.

This scenario also proved to be on a knife’s edge as both teams missed their opening kicks, before sudden-death was ordered and Melanie ‘B’ held their nerves to capture the title and $400 000, trophy and

a spot in the national final, while Paradise took home $150 000 and a trophy.

The third place playoff between Victoria Church Yard and Liliendaal Hustlers followed a similar route, finishing goalless, before the former prevailed in the sudden-death shootout to earn $100 000, while Hustlers were rewarded with $75 000.

Earlier in semi-final action, Melanie ‘B’ had sounded a stern warning when they hammered Victoria Church Yard 4-0 through a brace from Odell Gulliver, while Ryan Seales added a Guinness Goal.

Paradise then outlasted Liliendaal Hustlers in sudden-death penalty shootout after their clash ended 1-1.

In the Plate final, Belfield Warriors beat home team Haslington Hypers 1-0 to carry off the winner-take-

Triple Crown Final Leg

Valentina gallops with cash bonus

Valentina (leading) gets away from Is He Perfect.

WHEN the dust settled over the weekend at the Port Mourant Turf Club, two horses stole the show with fantastic performances to provide the perfect ending to the Triple Crown horse race meet.

Both animals of the Jumbo Jet Racing Stables (JJRS) ensured that over $2M returned home.

In the feature race of the day, the JJRS finished onetwo with USA-bred ‘Don’t

Over Look’ stormed the field ahead of ‘Vera’s Finally’ for the $1M top prize.

Star finished third while TNT finished fourth in the 7¾ furlongs feature race.

In an added bit there was a $500 000 bonus for any horse that completed three consecutive victories and this is where Valentina really produced the goods.

The three-year-old Guyana-bred, won the race comfortably to earn a total of

$900 000 for her owners.

Earlier in the day, ‘Ready to Romance’ swept the ‘I’ Class race ahead of Miss Olympic who could place only second.

The L-Class Open was easy pickings for ‘Gold Again’ and ‘Touch The Cash’, with the horses finishing one-two. Keep on Swinging It (first) and Red Rocket (second) out of Trinidad and Tobago, were the top horses in the H Class event.

The fifth race, a J Class race event saw Miss Olympic cross the finish line first with Red Region (second), Gold (third) and Mary Ann (fourth) all trailing.

Signing off the day, was the Non-Earner 1300m event, that saw First Prince of Hyper Active Racing Stables and Upfront finish as the top two horses, while Silver Charm came in third position.

The event was sponsored by Jumbo-Jet Auto Sales, Banks DIH Ltd, Randi Persaud Racing Stable (USA), Kris Jagdeo Racing Stables, Trophy Stall, Beesham Singh and Abdul Latiff.

Guinness representative Evlon Hendy hands over the first prize and winning trophy to Melanie ‘B’ captain Ryan Seales in the presence of teammates, referees and Guinness Brand Manager Lee Baptiste (right) during the presentation ceremony.

all $60 000 prize.

Guinness Brand Manager Lee Baptiste, who was among those present, told the media he was completely satisfied with the team’s

performance, while he also acknowledged the support of the fans.

According to Baptiste, the tournament is here to stay and the management

will continue to seek ways to improve it.

The next stop is Linden where game commences tonight in the Mining Town.

Key Windies players find touch ahead of Tri-Nations Series BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Stroke-maker Darren Bravo and all-rounder Raymon Reifer both gathered half-centuries while speedsters Shannon Gabriel and Sheldon Cottrell snatched three-wicket hauls, as they all warmed up for the Tri-Nations Series starting in Ireland next week, with strong performances.

Playing in a practice game against a Barbados Cricket Association XI at 3W’s Oval, UWI Cave Hill Campus yesterday, Bravo top-scored with 64 and fellow left-hander Reifer carved out 62, as the West Indies XI tallied 326 for seven off 50 overs.

Roston Chase struck 36 while Sunil Ambris Left-hander Darren Bravo and Jonathan Carter both goes on the attack during his chipped in with 33 apiece. half-century yesterday.

Left-hander John (Photo courtesy CWI Media) Campbell, who made his one-day debut earlier this space of nine balls, Bravo year against England, struck stepped up to anchor two 28 off 31 balls in a 49-run stands – adding 77 for the opening stand with the un- third wicket with Chase and capped Shane Dowrich (12). a further 57 for the fourth When both fell in the wicket with Carter.

All told, Bravo faced 76 balls and lashed three fours and four sixes.

Reifer then controlled the latter stages of the innings, punching four fours and three sixes in an exciting 41-ball knock as he put on 41 for the sixth wicket with Ambris and 76 for the seventh wicket with Ashley Nurse (26).

Twenty-one year-old Barbados fast bowler Chemar Holder picked up three for 50.

In reply, Barbados first class wicketkeeper Tevyn Walcott topscored with 69 of 78 balls while Barbados captain Shamarh Brooks chimed in with 31.

The innings was slumping at 91 for five in the 23rd over when Walcott put on 52 for the sixth wicket with Brooks and a further 68 for the eighth wicket with Chaim Holder (30).

However, left-armer Cottrell (3-41) and Gabriel (3-45) crippled the innings, sending the BCA XI tumbling for 234 in the final over, to lose by 92 runs.

Coach Edmonds hails Guyana’s ‘outstanding performance’ at 48th CARIFTA Games See Page 27

Chantoba Bright and Claudrice McKoy carry the ‘Golden Arrowhead’ and lead some members of Guyana’s contingent of athletes at the opening of the 48th CARIFTA Games in the Cayman Islands. (Track Alerts photo)

Guyana finish ahead of Antigua, Aruba and Curacao in CARIFTA chess

See Page 27

Skerritt lauds Sir Alister’s contribution to WI cricket See Page 27

Team Guyana improved dramatically from last year at the CARIFTA Junior Chess Championship.

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

Sir Alister McIntyre died last weekend at the age 87.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019