Guyana_Chronicle_Epaper_08_30_2019

FRIDAY 30th AUGUST, 2019

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No.105745

Fake birth certificates surface in Lethem PAGE

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…holders alleged sourcing them from regional Freedom House …JP, GECOM scrutineers speak of non-nationals with national ID cards

First oil closer

GPL tackles blackouts in Region Three 11 PAGE

--new distribution line activated

Water ambulance for Moruca sub-region 13

– Liza Destiny arrives at Stabroek Block

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Bartica Magistrate’s Court nears completion

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See story on page 3

The Liza Destiny (centre) sailed into Guyana’s waters on Thursday as this country gears up for first oil (photo by ExxonMobil)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Friday, August 30, 2019

First oil closer

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Friday August 30, 2019

–– Liza Destiny arrives at Stabroek Block

DIRECTOR of the Department of Energy, Dr. Mark Bynoe, has announced that Guyana’s first oil production vessel, the Liza Destiny, has arrived in the Stabroek Block.

“This is a historic and momentous occasion for the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and all Guyanese.

The FPSO’s arrival means that we are no more just talking about first oil. First oil is on the horizon. The Liza Destiny’s arrival means that our timetable has moved forward and, as a policy-related body, we are also called upon to advance our timetable,” Dr. Bynoe said.

The Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel journeyed for 42 days and nearly 11 thousand miles from the Keppel Shipyard in Singapore.

The vessel took off on its

The Liza Destiny arrived in the Stabroek Block (ExxonMobil photo)

journey after First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, was named the ‘godmother’ of the vessel, at a ceremony hosted in June 2019 in Singapore.

The director of energy said the Liza Destiny’s arrival should engender a new spirit of nationalism, pride and expectation.

“As Guyanese, we should begin to recognise that it is a vessel that will be paid for by Guyanese, pumping Guyanese fuel which will be bringing in revenue for Guyanese to help our country to ultimately be transformed positively from an economic development perspective. It is imperative that as Guyanese we begin to appreciate that the direct and the indirect benefits that emanate from this sector goes far beyond anything that we have seen thus far,” Dr. Bynoe said.

After clearing customs, the vessel will be connected to the spread mooring before hook-up and installation be-

gins in preparation for production, storage and offloading of Guyana’s oil.

The Liza Destiny FPSO was converted from oil tanker, “Tina”, a 1999 Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC). The conversion included upgrading of the hull and integration of 14 topside processing modules, totalling 16 thousand metric tonnes, ExxonMobil Guyana said.

This FPSO is a significant component of the Liza Phase One development which involves four under-sea drill centres with 17 production wells. It has a production capacity of 120,000 barrels of oil per day and an overall storage volume of 1.6 million barrels.

During normal operations, there will be at least 80 persons living and working onboard the vessel.

ExxonMobil Guyana remains on target for first oil by early 2020. (Ministry of the Presidency)

Russia still to withdraw ‘military base’ statement MINISTER of Foreign Affairs, Dr Karen Cummings has debunked the recent claims by Russia that a British military base was being constructed on one of the Essequibo islands to train Venezuelan refugees.

The Foreign Affairs Minister was at the time speaking on the National Communications Network’s radio programme, 'INSIGHT'.

It has been reported that M. V. Zakharova, spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation, stated that the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland were constructing a military base on an island in the Essequibo.

There, they alleged, would be where “several dozens socalled ‘refugees’ from Venezuela would undergo training as part of reconnaissance and sabotage groups and then be dispatched to Venezuelan territory to destabilise the situation and carry out appropriate actions – from extremist to terrorist.

"That’s not so! We asked them to withdraw those allegations and have written extensively to say that it is false,” Minister Cummings underscored. Minister Cummings emphasised that Guyana continues to “abide by

the rule of law” and has no intention of threatening anyone, especially not our neighbours. She added that Guyana and Venezuela are still before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and expressed the government’s hope for a “peaceful resolution” to the border controversy.

She highlighted that over the years, Guyana has had significant accomplishments in terms of bilateral relations and multilateral associations.

Since assuming office, Minister Cummings had several bilateral engagements with the Ghanaian State visit ‘crowning it all'.

She related that several Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) were signed including the VISA waiver.

The visiting delegation also worked with the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest) in terms of investment and foreign trade, oil and gas.

“So, we have been working assiduously to build relations so that we can fulfil our mandate of socioeconomic cooperation,” she expressed.

Minister Cummings stated that she is cognisant that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the implementer of Guyana’s foreign policies and vowed to continue to

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Dr. Karen Cummings during her appearance on the National Communications Network’s programme, 'INSIGHT'.

fulfil the mission to protect the sovereignty and integrity of our country while, at the same time, maintaining bilateral relations and promoting socio-economic development for Guyana. The Foreign Affairs Minister explained that Guyana currently has over 20 missions in 15 countries across the globe. Minister Cummings expressed her intent to build on the policies implemented under her predecessors.

“These would have paved the way for me and I can build on their legacy and this just goes to show

that we can very prudently conceive and achieve these foreign policies in Guyana.”

The Foreign Affairs Minister said all of this will be done while “keeping in pursuit of Guyana’s green state development agenda.” She noted that it is her vision to ensure that the ministry maintains and protects the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Minister Cummings also expressed her hope that under her administration, there will continue to be “transformative changes across all sectors.” (DPI)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Friday, August 30, 2019

Next week ‘only opportunity’ to act on no-Brexit Next week could be MPs' "only opportunity" to challenge a no-deal Brexit, ex-minister David Gauke has said.

This follows the prime minister's decision to suspend Parliament in September and October.

A statement from opposition parties accused the PM of shutting down Parliament with

"the sole aim" of stopping MPs from preventing a no deal.

Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg said outrage at the plan was "phoney".

The government said the five-week suspension - known as prorogation - in September and October will still allow time to debate Brexit.

But government whip Lord Young has resigned in protest,

Hundreds of people protesting against the suspension of Parliament gathered outside Tory MP Alex Chalk's constituency office in Cheltenham on Thursday afternoon (BBC photo)

arguing the move risks "undermining the fundamental role of Parliament".

And a Scottish court hearing is under way which could block the suspension of Parliament.

Former justice secretary David Gauke told the BBC the public did not want a no-deal Brexit, but that the options of those opposed to such an exit have "now narrowed".

"That would suggest we need to move sooner rather than

30 August, 2019

later," he said.

And shadow chancellor John McDonnell said he believed that Parliament would be able to find a way to stop a no-deal Brexit but that nobody should "underestimate" how difficult it would be.

A video has emerged of Defence Secretary Ben Wallace discussing the PM's decision to suspend Parliament with the French defence minister Florence Parly.

He can be heard saying

that Parliament had been "very good at saying what it doesn't want, but… awful at saying what it wants".

Despite having little time, MPs still have options for trying to block a no-deal Brexit.

They could try to take control of the parliamentary timetable in order to pass legislation which would force the PM to request an extension to the Brexit deadline.

Another option would be to remove the current government through a vote of no confidence.Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said opposition MPs would take the first steps towards trying to pass a law blocking a no-deal Brexit when Parliament returns on Tuesday.

Asked whether they still had the time to pass such legislation, he replied: "We believe we can do it, otherwise we wouldn't be trying to do it."

He said tabling a no-confidence motion in the PM at an "appropriate moment" also remained an option.

It is also thought some MPs are exploring ways of ensuring Parliament can meet on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday before the planned suspension.

Conservative peer Lord Young of Cookham said in his resignation letter that the timing and length of the suspension "risks undermining the fundamental role of Parliament at a critical time in our history".

Meanwhile, Ruth Davidson has also confirmed she is quitting as leader of the Scottish Conservatives, citing personal and political reasons.

Ms Davidson - who backed Remain in the 2016 EU referendum - added she had never sought to hide the "conflict" she felt over Brexit, and urged Mr Johnson to get a Brexit deal.

WHAT WAS DECIDED? On Wednesday, Mr Johnson said a Queen's Speech would take place after the suspension, on 14 October, to outline his "very exciting agenda".

- 04:30hrs ~ 06:00hrs - 14:30hrs ~ 16:00hrs

Wednesday August 28, 2019

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August 24, 2019

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Friday, August 30, 2019

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Colombia ex-Farc rebel Iván Márquez issues call to arms A former commander in the Farc rebel group in Colombia, Iván Márquez, has called on his followers to take up arms less than three years after the rebels signed a peace agreement with the government.

Iván Márquez appeared in a video and announced that a "new phase of the armed struggle" was beginning.

He was one of the main negotiators of the peace deal in 2016.The Colombian government said it was "a very worrying announcement".

It shows Iván Márquez reading out a statement in front of a banner saying "While there is a will to fight, there'll be hope of winning". He is surrounded by about a dozen men and women dressed in camouflage. Among them are two other senior former Farc rebels, Jesús Santrich, and the man known as El Paisa.

In his 30-minute-long statement, Iván Márquez says that he called for a return to arms because the Colombian state had "betrayed" the peace agreement he helped negotiate.

"In two years, more than 500 social leaders have been killed and 150 guerrilla fighters are dead amidst the indifference and the indolence of the state," Iván Márquez says, referring to the high number of activists and former Farc members killed since President Iván Duque took up office.

In the recording, he also says that the new guerrilla group, which carries the old name, Farc-EP (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People's Army), will pursue different tactics.

He says that the group will only "respond to offensives" and that they will

Jesús Santrich was briefly a Congressman representing the Farc political party before he was arrested and later released (BBC photo)

not carry out kidnappings for ransom but instead "seek dialogue" with local landowners and business people to try and convince them to "contribute" to their cause.

The video ends with Jesús Santrich shouting "Long live the Farc-EP!" Iván Márquez is the nomde guerre of Luciano Marín Arango. He was the number two in the Farc rebel movement before the guerrilla group signed a peace deal with the Colombian government in 2016, after more than five decades of armed conflict. He was a key figure in the peace negotiation which led to the signing of a peace deal in November 2016, leading the Farc negotiating team for the four years the talks lasted.

As part of the peace process, the Farc turned into a

political party and was assigned a number of seats in Colombia's congress.

Iván Márquez was assigned one of the Farc's five seats in the senate. But days before he was due to take up his post in July 2018, he announced he would not do so in protest at the arrest of his Farc comrade, Jesús Santrich. He went into hiding shortly afterwards and his only public appearance was in a video released in January. In that video, he accused the Colombian government of failing to implement the agreements reached with the Farc and said he felt "disheartened". But at the time, he said he was still committed to peace. t has been clear since he gave up his senate seat and went into hiding last year that Iván Márquez's commit-

ment to the peace deal was wavering.

The same applies to Jesús Santrich, a former Farc rebel turned Congressman who failed to show up to court over drug smuggling charges in July. However, their announcement of a "new phase in the armed conflict" is much more dangerous than their previous "disillusionment" with the implementation of the peace process.

It is also likely to increase criticism of the transitional justice system created as part of the peace deal.

Those who have warned that the Farc could not be trusted and that their leaders should have been jailed will feel vindicated.

Many would argue it has never completely gone away.

While the group's leaders signed a peace deal and al-

most 7,000 of their fighters handed in their weapons, there have been groups of dissidents which never stood down.

The number of dissidents is hard to estimate, but the figure cited in a leaked military document earlier this year was 2,300.

Some of these dissidents never laid down their weapons, others have returned and yet others are new recruits. But so far, they have been scattered around the country in dozens of small groups.

Tuesday's video showing three former influential commanders could be a sign that these groups are joining forces and will again act as one rebel group.

In response, the Colom-

bian government's peace commissioner Miguel Ceballos told Colombia's Blu Radio: "There is no surprise for the national government.

Unfortunately, these people had already made clear, by their behaviour, that they turned their backs on the peace accord."

The Farc's former top commander, Rodrigo Londoño, who used to be Iván Márquez's boss before the group disarmed, said that the "great majority" of former guerrilla fighters remained committed to peace "despite all the difficulties and dangers". Rodrigo Londoño now leads the political party which formed after the Farc laid down arms.

Former president Álvaro Uribe, who has all along been one of the most outspoken critics of the peace deal, slammed the peace accord saying that "the country must be aware that there was no process of peace, but [there was] a pardon for some people responsible for atrocious crimes at a high institutional cost".

Humberto de la Calle, one of the chief negotiators on the government's side, called on "all Colombians to shield and protect the peace process". "We recognise that the vast majority of men and women of the Farc have complied with the agreement; and we invite them to continue with its process of reincorporation into civilian life that will pay off every day," he added. (BBC)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Friday, August 30, 2019

Voting is a sacred duty T

HE right to vote was fought for through blood, sweat and tears. It is a right that ought not to be taken for granted or ignored. It is a right that allows every eligible citizen the opportunity to vest privilege in a person and group he/she thinks can best represent and articulate his/her interest.

It is a right that carries tremendous power, through which the voter can hire a representative, fire that representative, and exercise the responsibility in ensuring that that representative accounts for the management of citizens’ affairs and the nation’s resources. Voting, therefore, is a sacred duty and must be cherished.

To cherish the vote is to turn out and vote, and thereafter remain vigilant in the political processes to ensure that promises made are kept; that involvement in the management and decision-making on matters that impact the well-being of self and community is guaranteed and respected. To not vote is to deny oneself the opportunity to influence the course of direction im-

pacting one’s life and community.

Man lives in a political association. By this it means decisions affecting one’s life have political implications from the womb to the tomb. It was a political decision that informs laws and policies with regard to the right to life, and where death occurs, the right for one’s earthly remains to be disposed of consistent with specific standards. Where death has occurred under questionable circumstances, the deceased is entitled, through the Coroner’s Act, to an inquest.

During one’s lifetime, political decisions will inform the making of laws, conceptualisation and execution of policies and programmes, which will impact on quality of life, inclusive of whether there is respect for fundamental rights and freedoms.

These include the right to freedom of association, freedom of speech and sharing of ideas and information, healthcare, education, ownership of property, the right to a safe and secure environment, work (jobs/economic opportunities), and protection from discrimination. Political decisions

inform quality and equitable infrastructural development and resource management, inclusive of the environment.

Where government, in our country, is representational when a citizen exercises the right to vote by casting a ballot, it becomes a corresponding right to question and propose ideas to elected officials, since they are acting on your behalf. This is one of the basic elements in the thrust towards realising good governance. Good governance requires that citizens stay engaged throughout the process, and elected officials responding to the desires of the community within the confines of the law.

When a voter gives up the right to vote, it is tantamount to relinquishing an important act in determining who ought to be the leaders in their country.

More so, the refusal to discharge this sacred duty bears the consequences of having to live under conditions and in circumstances not befitting of your desire. **A vote also places persons of choice in leadership positions to make and administer laws that can bring

about economic opportunities, bring about equality, improve infrastructure, security and the environment, and manage your towns and neighbourhoods free of corruption.

We live in a society that is still affected by poverty. Poverty not only negatively impacts the standard of living of the poor, but that of the entire society; it compromises the health and longevity of the entire society as a result of greater risk to infectious diseases, hunger, and the inability to pursue education, thereby robbing the nation of its most vital resource needed for development. In areas where poverty pervades, citizens’ rights are more likely to be transgressed and laws violated, given the limited or non-existent access to justice and the stigmatisation that comes with being poor. We saw manifestations of this type of behaviour during a previous dispensation, where citizens were beaten up and thrown in jail for protesting, and other laws being trampled upon. During that dispensation, in communities such as ‘Plastic City’, the Lombard Street area and Albouystown, people

were clothed in squalor.

In 2001, then President Bharrat Jagdeo and Leader of the Opposition Desmond Hoyte signed an Agreement committing to having Government address the depressed communities of Fyrish/ Gibraltar, Hogstye/Lancaster, Blueberry Hill/Victory Valley, West Watooka, Enterprise, Buxton, Meten-Meer-Zorg and De Kinderen. Nothing was done by way of national programmes to honour the commitment to the society. In the meantime, the State, under Jagdeo, facilitated the building of middle and upper- class housing developments such as the Professional Housing Scheme, Windsor Forest, and Pradoville I and II. To vote is to have a voice and the right to demand, thereafter, that the voice be heard and elected leaders act in accordance with the laws of the community and the desires of the people. Voting is a sacred duty, and all eligible voters are called upon to exercise it.

Cries for justice must not go unheeded Dear Editor,

T

HE issue of extra-judicial killings, and calls for their investigation, especially their intellectual authors to be brought to account and eventual justice, is back in the news. In fact, it is a subject that has ever so often been mentioned over the last two decades, because of the many lives that have been lost during a period of this nation’s existence that is still painful to the families of the numerous victims murdered, and the collective memory of the nation.

One must commend the Guyana Chronicle for its week-end pages highlighting these tragedies that have left much blood on our land.

Also, the group led by Sister

Penda Guyan, Friends and Families in White in Mourning is deserving of praise for reminding the public of this ghastly outrage, the ghosts of which are themselves still restive because justice has not yet been served on their behalf.

But Editor, the most recent account, as highlighted in your pages, though not in the category of an extra-judicial death, but one brought about by what seemed to have been related forces, details all the reasons as to why this country became the country it did prior to 2015. The brilliant political scientist/analyst Aubrey Norton’s insightful analysis, along with Penda Guyan’s thoughtful delivery on this issue on a recent newscast, has further illuminated the confluences of evil that were at play throughout the nation

at that specific time.

Without a doubt, the murder of the former top CANU officer, based on the accounts carried in your paper, sheds further light on the kind of country that Guyana had become during those unfortunate 23 yearsas a criminalised state. And reading the stressful accounts of the sister of the late top ‘narco’ sleuth who, it is said, worked closely with the DEA, and had both their trust and respect, underlined a very frightening aspect of the Guyana of the ‘Troubles’ era that not even such a senior law enforcement officer was safe from those with powerful State connections who were being pursued. The fact that such an officer was eliminated with extreme prejudice, and that it was done with the perpetrator(s) being very much

aware that they would be safe from investigation and prosecution says much for the impunity that featured in such a dangerous milieu. **This much can be gathered from the still grieving sister of the slain officer.

Extra judicial killings are blight on whatever nation in which they have taken place, for they hang like a mill stone around its spiritual neck. Moreover, they are a further source of division, particularly in a country so politically demarcated as Guyana. And for those with a blinkered perception that has branded the major vehicle as a hero for such atrocities, should emphatically be told that such deaths are unlawful, and a sickening violation of the human rights of those who were murdered/disappeared. In fact, human rights transcend race and ethnicity;

they are about every human whose person and well-being suffer any form of indignity as citizens of their respective jurisdiction, under its laws.

With the continuing revelations of this dark murderous midnight of Guyana’s past, the nation will continue to be more informed of the grisly details of such a murderous reign. They will serve as a reminder, why those responsible must be brought to justice, as any other citizen investigated and charged for such a grave criminality.

Regards, Earl Hamilton

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Friday, August 30, 2019

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Policemen can be charged for contravening Sexual Offences Act

Dear Editor,

T

HE Sexual Offences Act provides for police officers to be charged if they fail to institute charges against a suspect three months after a complaint was made, and if they delay in seeking advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions. What about victims who claim that instead of taking their complaints, police ridicule and insult them? In any case, why has no police been charged, as there are many cases of refusal to institute

charges or delaying them?

Also, it is widely reported in the media that if police do not take the complaints of victims of gender-based violence, such victims can report directly to a magistrate. However, no one has revealed any mechanism through which this would be facilitated, given that an individual cannot simply walk up to a magistrate. Magistrates and judges have gatekeepers, who are usually police officers. They would inquire of victims the reason they want to speak to the judiciary, and they would never allow anyone access to

a judge or magistrate if they are told that the person is a victim of abuse who wants to let the judge or magistrate know that the police refused to take complaints and/or to act on such complaints.

TCV is aware of many victims who have revealed the ridicule and insults they suffered at the hands of the police when they went to report abuse. In fact, we even know of situations where money changed hands (bribe-taking by police) so that police would do nothing.

It’s gotten so bad that many victims now refuse to go to

the police, but instead come directly to TCV or other stakeholders for help. So the question remains, how will these victims gain access to magistrates and judges.

Vinnetta Headley-James, the 44-year-old mother of eight recently murdered by her husband of 26 years, had been suffering years of abuse. In the media, a neighbour was quoted as ‘counseling her’. The Caribbean Voice and other stakeholders have emphasised over and over that only those who are professionally qualified and clinically experienced can

counsel. Anyone else who attempts to do so can cause greater harm. **We recall the case of a young lady earlier this year who ended up dying by suicide a couple of days after she started receiving counseling by one such quack. As well, we have also offered an expert to the government to help set up protocols to licence counselors, so quacks and make-believe counselors would face the full force of the law for their pretence. That offer is still open.

Finally, anyone who has lived with an abuser must

know that the abuser can easily be triggered to murder, and should therefore, as a matter of self-protection, desist from any such acts while still living with the abuser. One has to wonder, therefore, why did the victim dump the clothes of the abuser in the yard. Who would have ‘counseled’ her to do that?

Sincerely, The Caribbean Voice

We need a clean list Dear Editor,

O

NE Nutana Singh argues in a recent letter that since the Constitution protects the rights and interests of citizens’ resident abroad, this means that a citizen residing abroad permanently should qualify to vote in

Guyana’s elections.

Nutana’s erroneous views are contained in a SN letter (August 26). Article 31 says that the State has a duty to protect the JUST rights and interests of citizens resident abroad. This means that, through its Consulates, the State would intervene wherever a Guyanese citizen faces

any trouble or, in extreme cases, where the State evacuates Guyanese at times of disasters as happened when hurricane struck Dominica and Antigua, and Guyana sent planes to bring home those who wanted help.

This “duty” of the State does not extend to allowing overseas Guyanese or Guy-

anese nationals of a foreign country who live permanently overseas, to vote in elections if they were not registered to do so by a certain qualifying date.

Of course, a citizen has a right to vote, but that citizen has to be resident in Guyana, or is ordinarily domiciled in Guyana at

the time when verification of the voters list is being done. Once someone objects to the name being on the list because the person is no longer living in Guyana, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has a duty to remove that name from the list. The same is done with names of those

who have died. We need a clean list, and Nutana has said nothing to convince sensible people to believe that GECOM cannot remove fake names from the national register, or from a voters list.

Regards, Shawn James

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Friday, August 30, 2019

Removing the obstacles OP-ED …making education more reachable, especially for the most vulnerable

A SOLID education is priceless.

It creates opportunities for future successes. It may open doors of opportunities, add to one’s self confidence and can provide possibilities for easier breakthrough in life. At the same time the potential for jobs, better income and equity in life.

In countless ways the APNU+AFC coalition has stated that they regard education as a major tool, which would not only advance the cause of government, but also bring socio-economic liberation to the people. President Granger has emphasised the importance of education in various ways and at every opportune occasion.

COMMENCEMENT OF GOVERNMENT Since the start of the coalition government more nearly two hundred thousand scholarships have already been granted to Guyanese to pursue local and overseas training.

These include the University of the West Indies, University of Guyana Undergraduate and Postgraduate Scholarships, as well as the Guyana School of Agriculture. Out-ofschool students, public servants, youth and others all across Guyana are beneficiaries.

In case of the University of the West Indies, the government collaborated agreement with the school had expired due to the stand taken by the previous PPP administration. However, the coalition had to have a process of re-negotiating yet again, since that government had stopped payments of any economic

cost and had stopped giving scholarships. President Granger, who was at the time attending CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in Trinidad had to intervene.

ELABORATE LOCAL TRAINING Clearly, the government is pulling out every stop to ensure that Guyana becomes a well-educated nation. This seems to be the dream of President David Granger. Further, entrepreneurships are being encouraged by way of existing training offered to facilitate this.

This takes prominence on the agenda of the APNU+AFC government.

The training is extensive and includes areas of agriculture and agriculture science; business; engineering; mechanics, as well as heavy-duty equipment operation; welding and fabrication. In addition, much emphasis is also placed on training for persons more interested in making a name for themselves in catering and commercial food preparation, cake and pastry making, sewing, nutrition, information technology, ecotourism, elderly and child-care providers and other life skills.

President David Granger in his 2019 Independence Day address gave examples of how government is making every effort to help promote self-employment for young people – through education and training. He named the Sustainable Livelihoods and Entrepreneurial Development (SLED); the Hinterland Employment and Youth Service (HEYS); and the Youth Inno-

vation Project of Guyana (YIPoG) as just some of the initiatives the government is using to improve their lives.

The scholarships being offered

'Without the scholarship and stipend, pursuing further studies was out of our grasp' - Some of the students who received scholarships revealed comes in varying forms and without discrimination. Young people all over Guyana are now getting the opportunity to develop in skill and intellect. There is now scope to tap into the many resources the government has been making available to expand their knowledge-base.

Local scholarships were also awarded to institutions such as the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, Government Technical Institute, Ogle Aviation School, E.R. Burrowes School of Art, Air Services Limited Aeronautical Engineering School, Art Williams and Harry Went Aeronautical School, Carnegie School of Home Economics, Critchlow Labour College, Georgetown American University, Texila American University, Greenheart Medical University and the Nations University.

There are also training programmes such as the Board of Industrial Training (BIT), the Guy-

The boycott call is a cover --for a boycott of future elections

Dear Editor, I HAVE noted the Guyana Chronicle report on August 27 that 297,000 persons have been registered under the house-to-house exercise being done by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

This shows that the call by the Opposition for a boycott of house-to-house registration of citizens to create a new database for a voters list is a total failure.

All Guyanese want an up-to-

date National Register and a clean voters list that would include our voting-aged youths and all other eligible citizens.

The LOO should be renamed “Boycott Jagdeo”, not Bharrat Jagdeo. After the defeat of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) at the 2015 polls, he boycotted the National Assembly.

His party boycotted national events. It had embarked on a campaign of non-cooperation and civil disobedience, which also failed.

Guyanese are again ignoring his negative tactics. The Boycott Call is a cover for a boycott of future elections.

He is determined to exclude PPP supporters from the governance process in order to promote ethnic divisions out of spite that he can no longer hold political office.

Shame on him!

Regards, Rovin Singh

ana Radio and Electronic Company (GRECO), among others that is providing training in many regions across Guyana.

Extensive international studies With regards international scholarships, in addition to the University of the West Indies – Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Jamaica the government is continues to offer undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships to Cuba. These are mostly for medical programmes. Postgraduate and undergraduate scholarships are also on the list for Romania in a variety of specialties.

Scholarships are being offered through the collaborative efforts of the Government of Guyana and the High Commission of India; the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Brunei Darussalam; also the China Scholarship Council Scholarships. These are all at the Master’s level.

Additionally there is the Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships, which is by way of another collaborative arrangement with the Government of Guyana. Petroleum Engineering, Petroleum Geoscience are included as fields of study in this plan. There is also the Universities of Malaya (Malaysia), where scholarships are being offered to Guyanese.

In collaboration with the World Bank Graduate Scholarship Programme and the Asian Development Bank (ADB)/Japan Scholarship Programme, the Government of Guyana is offering postgraduate scholarships in Japan. These are up

to the Master’s and PhD levels. In case of the latter the scholarship is quite interestingly, for a PhD is Petroleum Engineering. Additionally, in another collaborative move by the GoG and the Organisation of American States (OAS), Guyanese are also offered undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships at the Degree, Master’s and PhD levels.

APNU+AFC deliberate strategy “The central aspiration of the independence generation was to secure a better future for their children and grandchildren. Young people, today, can look to a bright future with greater confidence, enthusiasm and hope knowing that their government is laying a stronger foundation for the good life for them and their children,” said President Granger.

The amount of Guyanese being granted scholarships locally and internationally continue to increase every year under the APNU+AFC coalition. It is for the benefit of the nation as well as its people. Thus, is not by accident, but through a deliberate plan of the Granger-led administration to ‘educate the nation’. These scholarships are awarded for the completion of certificates, diplomas, bachelor degrees, postgraduate degrees and doctorates (PhD’s).

Minister Norton extends condolences on passing of Johnny Braff The Honourable Minister of Social Cohesion, with Responsibility for Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. George Norton extends sincerest condolences to the relatives, friends and fans of renowned Guyanese singer, Johnny Critchlow Braithwaite.

Braithwaite, better known as ‘Johnny Braff’, passed away on Wednesday evening at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation following a brief illness. The 82-year-old musician was best known for his 1970s hit song, “It Burns Inside”.

Braithwaite was also the recipient of the prestigious Medal of

Service Award bestowed upon him by His Excellency, President David Granger.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 30, 2019

The truth is Charrandass Persaud is no hero

GUYANA operates with a List System.

This means that political parties contesting the General and Regional Elections are required by law to present their list of candidates to the electoral body (GECOM) which has the constitutional responsibility to manage and oversee the conduct of those elections in accordance with Article 162 of the Constitution, which states: ‘ Elections shall be independently supervised by the Elections Commission.’

This is to facilitate the nomination of candidates for the General and Regional elections. At the conclusion of those elections, the party’s Leader of the List (different from Leader of the Party) then extracts the names, dependent upon the number of seats won in the elections, and presents them to GECOM. In so doing, those persons will subsequently be sworn in as Parliamentarians, representing their respective parties, and by extension, the Legislative branch of the government.

In other words, they are now law makers

for the next five years, unless Parliament is ‘dissolved’ or ‘prorogued’ by the President.

With regards to the List System, I wish to remind folks that no one on the list is directly elected into office as an individual, except through his/her party.

And, having been selected by the Leader of the List, that individual is expected to carry out the mandate, objectives and agendas of that party at all times, regardless of personal political views, greed, or some other form of nefarious political agenda. So, it would be disingenuous for anyone to believe that he/ she was elected directly by the people. Thus invalidating the barefaced rubbish talk; ‘the people elected me to parliament.’ This brings me to the now infamous case of Charrandass Persaud, who charmed his way into the bosom of the Alliance For Change (AFC) with obviously one agenda. Hence, it would appear that he was obviously on an unholy political and desperate mission to seek personal gratification, without regards for the party and its

Straight Up

supporters who afforded him the opportunity to be sitting in such a prestigious position.

Mind you, a position that he could have never attained on his own accord in his lifetime.

In Hindi, there’s a word for being ungrateful, and that is ‘Adhan’yavadi’. Or, the more popular term ‘Namakaharama’. And like Judas, who knew beforehand that his main objective, if his way prevailed, would be to betray Christ, Charrandass (called Charran by his buddies from UG days, or Rat by his fellow villagers in Canje) was never interested in service to the people of Region Six or country, as he and his few friends and especially those who are out to score personal political points, would like us to believe. Thus, it would appear that he was lying patiently in wait, for the opportune time before he inflicted his final kiss of betrayal to the APNU/AFC government, and the people of Guyana, while pretending all along to be in full support of their policies. Charrandass continues to peddle the false notion that he has done Guyana a

with

Mark Benschop

good deed by shouting out, on December 21, ‘Yes, Yes, Yes’ where he joined with the PPP to bring the democratically-elected coalition government down, through a highly questionable no confidence motion. In essence, he has attempted to suffocate an entire nation for selfish reasons, and for that he should be remembered as a traitor to the people of Guyana. In conclusion, anyone who would have seen the dramatic and obviously staged event on that evening, with two well-known cantankerous opposition operatives sitting in close proximity, would most certainly agree with the perception that the ‘Yes, Yes, Yes’ vote in favour of the PPP, was a done deal, possibly finalised over some bush rum and cassareep stew on Robb Street.

So, the truth is, Charrandas Persaud is no hero, and history will not be too kind to him.

Look out for my next article, as I address many reasons why Anil Nandlall does not have the moral authority to pronounce on political matters.

Fake birth certificates surface in Lethem … holders allege sourcing them from regional Freedom House

… JP, GECOM scrutineers speak of non-nationals with national ID cards

By Vanessa Braithwaite DAMNING revelations of scores of persons residing in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) being in possession of fake birth certificates were made by Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) scrutineers during the ongoing house-to-house registration.

In addition, the scrutineers attached to the People’s National Congress Reform also unearthed several non-nationals in possession of National Identification Cards, but with no source documents to determine how these documents were legally obtained. When those in possession of these documents were asked where they got them, fingers were pointed to the Region Nine branch of Freedom House.

This was according to Wendella Franklin, PNCR Chairperson, Region Nine. “A lot of persons have been going there, and we have been getting some concerns that they were issuing birth certificates,” she said.

She related that the scrutineers brought the questionable documents to the office, since the GECOM H2H workers were schooled not to register persons with unofficial source documents. Such documents were sent to the Georgetown office for further

verification. Many fake birth certificates were unearthed in the North Rupununi district, in the villages of Annai and Rupertee. The scrutineers observed birth certificates with no official signature, without a birth certificate number and without the official seal. They also discovered tampered birth certificates, with incorrect names and other information that were corrected manually. Persons in possession of such documents allegedly related that they were able to obtain their ID Cards with the tampered documents, many years ago. “I think this whole birth certificate issue is a real sad situation in the region, because I know and a lot of people know that Freedom House has been giving out birth certificates for years. They were really in control of things,” Franklin said.

In fact, she also alleged that a former high-ranking PPP in Region Nine visited the Coalition office in search of a birth certificate. Franklin said when she questioned him about the allegations brought before her, he did not deny them, but said that of late, there seems to be a blockage in whatever system of processing was used. Franklin said she made it clear that the application being done at the ‘Coalition’ office requires the legal procedure and a waiting time is attached.

Corroborating Franklin’s story was

Terrence Boston, a Justice of Peace (JP) who operates in Region Nine. When contacted, the JP said that many persons came to transact business at his office with fake birth certificates, and also alleged that they sourced the document from Freedom House. Boston related that one woman approached him with a fake birth certificate, and after realising he was suspicious, said to him, “Mr. Boston, I know this is a fake birth certificate. Sorry about it.” The young lady then reportedly confessed that her mother obtained the document for her from Freedom House in Lethem. Boston said, “Well across the region I came across birth certificates that don’t have the stamp of the Registrar General’s Office. We try to question them, and they say they got help from Freedom House.”

The JP also related that he’s seen many persons who don’t have birth certificates but yet are in possession of ID Cards, even though they are not naturalised Guyanese either. Boston said this situation is prevalent in Region Nine, being it is so close to the Brazilian border.

NON-NATIONALS TRYING TO GET REGISTERED In addition to the fake documents

APNU Region 9 Chairperson, Wendella Franklin

allegations have also surfaced about busloads of non-nationals being transported into the township and other communities and presenting ID cards at homes they are not known to be resident of.

“Strange faces at various homes are claiming to reside there, and these claims are supported by other residents who are known occupants.” One scrutineer related that at one home, nine persons with ID cards presented themselves to be registered, but each of them had different surnames.

This newspaper has learnt that a similar situation occurred during the Local Government Election period, where nonresidents of Lethem were listed as residents and were able to vote in the elections, which allowed the PPP to garner six seats, while the APNU garnered four.

When this publication contacted GECOM’s PRO, Yolanda Ward, she said she is not aware of the allegation, but will investigate the report today.

The scrutineers are hoping that these matters will be dealt with thoroughly during the extensive claims and objections period that will commence after the closure of house-to-house registration on Sunday.

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Drug-related issues in focus LEADER of The Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, during a press conference on August 29, 2019, called out the APNU+AFC government saying that the coalition has long accused the PPP regime of creating a narco state but is yet to apprehend any major player in narcotics operation.

He accused the APNU+AFC coalition of falsely accusing his administration of facilitating the smuggling of drugs and allowing the laundering and circulation of drug money within the country.

Leader of The Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo (Adrian Narine Photo) “Not a single person has been charged for money laundering; remember how they used to rant and rave about oh the economy is filled with narco money and any building going up is funded from narco dollars, but what about now how many narco dealers and smugglers have they apprehended?”

He said that even though the government has made all these statements they have not yet made any substantive bust of any major drug operation within the country.

He further alluded to an issue relating to a member of the government’s parliament, whose sibling, allegedly, was caught with cocaine in a regional territory.

TACKLING NARCO TRAFFICKING Winston Felix, Minister of citizenship in a recent interview at the People’s National Congress weekly press briefing spoke on the Government’s actions against the Narcotics Operation within the country.

“The National Anti-Narcotics Agency (NANA) was established by the coalition government to tackle drug trafficking. As a result, we have seen an increase in narcotic seizures, with over 800kg of cocaine, 65,000kg of cannabis, 1,900kg of heroin seized in 2017 and 2018. Guyanese authorities initiated 503 prosecutions and convicted 227 individuals for narcotics trafficking during the same period,” Felix stated.

In the drug trafficking industry, Felix said convicting the “big fish” has proved difficult because, as in many other countries, the major players in the industry are well protected; however the country has seen much headway in the seizure of illegal drugs.

“On the issue of major convictions for big fish, that continues to be a work in progress. In no country the big fish is caught just like that… it calls for extensive work because of the manner in which big fishes are protected and organized,” he said.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 30, 2019

Caribbean countries reaffirm importance implementing 2030 Agenda

COUNTRIES of Latin America and the Caribbean reaffirmed on Thursday the importance of advancing towards modern planning with a long-term vision, citizen participation and the mainstreaming of gender equality and open government, with a view to implementing the 2030 Agenda, during the inauguration of the XVII Meeting of the Regional Council for Planning, which is being held through Friday, August 30 in Montevideo, Uruguay.

The biennial gathering was inaugurated by Álvaro García, Director of Uruguay’s Planning and Budget Office; Javier Abugattás, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Center for Strategic Planning (CEPLAN) of Peru; and Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

At the opening ceremony, Uruguay took over from Peru the presidency of the Regional Council for Planning (RCP), a position it will hold for the next two years. In his remarks, Álvaro García reaffirmed his country’s commitment to planning for sustainable development and indicated that Uruguay

assumes the RCP’s presidency “with joy and great commitment.”

He added that the challenge for the region is to move towards a type of planning that is tangible to citizens, so they can better take advantage of public policies with a sustainable development approach. Javier Abugattás, meanwhile, thanked ECLAC along with its Latin American and Caribbean Institute for Economic and Social Planning (ILPES) for the support provided to Peru over the last two years.

In addition, he sustained that the region must redouble its efforts so the 2030 Agenda can become a reality on the ground in the territories, and in people’s daily lives.

“This requires efforts and state policies that remain unaltered with changes in government. We must manage to institutionalize them,” he said.

ECLAC’s Executive Secretary, Alicia Bárcena, meanwhile, stressed that the quality of institutions, their processes and instruments is directly related to the possibility of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

“We need robust institutions with effective governmental

leadership so that, with the participation of all stakeholders, they can lead the processes of structural change needed for development with equality and sustainability,” she stated.

She recalled that, in the 21st century, planning has made a comeback in conjunction with global and regional consensuses that have given it the importance it is due, with new characteristics, in a new global, regional and national context. “Modern planning has new characteristics and challenges, including a longterm vision, cross-cutting focuses on gender equality and open government, citizen participation, policy evaluation, the importance of the territory where all the dimensions of inequality converge, and flexibility,” she indicated.

Bárcena underscored that Latin America and the Caribbean needs to further the creation of a new development model, with shared global and regional objectives. Furthermore, she noted that the strengthening of multilateralism in the region takes on great importance for its development given that the region’s countries are left out of the international cooperation system, due to their classification as middle

income, according to metrics and parameters that hide the poverty and inequality that subsist within them.

“We already sustained this at the BAPA + 40 Conference: the region needs a kind of cooperation that responds to national challenges without disregarding the repercussions in a multipolar and interconnected world. Latin America and the Caribbean needs international cooperation and not to be ‘graduated’ on the basis of traditional metrics that hide deep inequalities in our countries,” she stated.

In the framework of this meeting, ECLAC presented the position document Planning for sustainable territorial development in Latin America and the Caribbean, which analyzes 153 territorial policies from the region, their multiple approaches and thematic focuses, and proposes a working model to address them in a systemic fashion.

The Regional Council for Planning is the intergovernmental subsidiary body that guides the activities of ILPES. This event is being attended by officials from 24 countries in the region, seven of which are Caribbean nations.

Dredge owner, wife set alight in Toroparo Backdam

A 35-year-old dredge owner and his 30-year-old reputed Brazilian wife were almost burnt to death after a known suspect doused them with gasoline and set them alight at their camp in Toroparo Backdam, Cuyuni River, in the wee hours of Thursday morning.

Reports indicate that the couple received burns that cover approximately 80 per

cent of their bodies. They are currently patients at the Bartica Hospital.

The dredge owner was identified as a miner of Karrau Village, who previously lived at Jango Town, Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara.

When contacted, the police confirmed that the attempted murder occurred and they have launched an investigation.

Meanwhile, reports in-

dicate that the miner and his wife were at the Toroparo Landing at a function on Wednesday when they received information that the suspect was at their camp.

The couple then left the landing and headed to their camp where they confronted the suspect. There, an argument ensued and the dredge owner whipped out a cutlass and broadsided the suspect.

The suspect later returned in the wee hours of Thursday morning and saw the miner and his wife asleep on their mattress and doused them with gasoline before setting them alight and escaping on foot.

The pair rolled on the ground and managed to put out the flames on their bodies and later made contact with an associate to take them to the hospital.

Two popular entertainers trash PPP –– over unauthorised use of their images on Facebook flyer TWO popular entertainers and public figures have expressed anger over the People’s Progressive Party’s (PPP) use of their images on a Facebook flyer for political and promotional purposes.

Both 2019 Chutney monarch, Steven Ramphal and Stand-up Comedian-Actor Kirk “Chow Pow” Jardine, whose images appear on the Facebook flyer, took to their Facebook pages to clear the air on the issue.

‘Chow Pow’, in his condemnation of the act, said the image used in the flyer was taken during the Carib Soca Monarch 2019 final when he managed Brandon Harding to his second victory.

“That was the celebration upon hearing the margin was by one point,” Jardine said in his post, adding “That’s me on a flyer of a party that I do not support.”

As to the flyer calling for an end to the 2am curfew, Jardine went on to say, “I

also support the 2am lockdown, so they have got both wrong here.”

Questioning the legality of the PPP taking such liberties with his photograph, Jardine said, “I am using this post to ask them to kindly remove me from their material, and to please refrain from using such in the future.”

He opined that to use a person’s image, especially a very popular entertainer and public personality like myself and Stephen, on political ad-

verts without their permission is wrong.

He ended his comments by saying “So I will use this to say I strongly support the ‘Coalition’ APNU+AFC government the next time elections are held in Guyana, May Allah make it easy for us.”

Meanwhile, in a close to five-minute video post on Facebook, Ramphal said he is simply asking for the image posted on Facebook by the political party to be immediately removed.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 30, 2019

New Indian envoy meets PM Nagamootoo

PRIME Minister Moses Nagamootoo, on Thursday, received a courtesy visit from Dr. K. J. Srinivasa, newly-accredited High Commissioner of India to Guyana.

In welcoming the new High Commissioner to Guyana, Prime Minister Nagamootoo referred to several joint initiatives that underlined the historic ties and strategic partnership between these two democracies.

Noting that Dr. Srinivasa hails from Karnataka, the home state of Bangalore, which is India’s Silicone Valley, the prime minister said that he was pleased by statements from the high commissioner that India would offer training to Guyanese in information technology. He expressed our country’s gratitude for the Centre of Excellence in IT education, as a gift from India to Guyana.

High Commissioner Srinivasa reminded the prime minister of several projects

Prime Minister, Hon. Moses Nagamootoo and His Excellency, Dr. K. J. Srinivasa, newly-accredited High Commissioner of India to Guyana under Indian lines-of-credit stressed that the historic eth- and South Africa. A medical that are in the making that nic, cultural and blood bonds doctor by profession, he is would further strengthen between India and Guyana married to Ashwini Sirinivacooperation between our are unbreakable. sa and, together, they have countries.

Before his posting to two sons.

He expressed thanks to Guyana, High CommissionDuring the courtesy Guyana for its consistent er Srinivasa was previously call, he was accompanied support for India at sev- engaged with the Indian by Counsellors R.K. Pereral world fora, to which Foreign Service in various india and K. Vijayakumar.

Prime Minister Nagamootoo capacities in Spain, Peru (DPI)

GPL tackles blackouts in Region Three

–– new distribution line activated

THE Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) energised a new 13,800 Volts Express Feeder (distribution line) from Vriesland to the Vreeden-Hoop (VEH) Power Plant, a distance of over 16 kilometers on Wednesday.

This project was executed at a cost of $76,955,765 and will bring significant benefits to residents and businesses on the West Bank Demerara, a release from GPL said.

These benefits include, but are not limited to, reduced frequency and duration of service interruptions, improved voltage quality and reliable electricity supply.

Additionally, this project has commenced the utilisation of concrete pole structures for the first time within the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS). This new development is associated with multiple benefits which Installation of the 13.8kV Express Feeder in Region are to be accrued over time.

Three Prior to the installation of the feeder, power supply to the Garden-of-Eden (GOE) station of approximately 14 customers on the West Bank Power Plant via the Craig to MW, which is exported to the of Demerara was supported Vriesland submarine cable East Bank of Demerara. by the importation of ap- link. This is despite having The main reason for this proximately three MW from adequate capacity at the VEH was the inadequacy of having

a single feeder from the VEH power plant to Vriesland. This project will also add flexibility to the interconnected system whereby power can be exported from the West Bank Demerara to the East Bank Demerara via an alternative route provided by the new distribution line.

The release said the new distribution line will enable improved reliability of service, improved voltage quality, reduced reliance on imported power from East Bank Demerara and reduced system loss.

The project represents the first phase of a comprehensive programme to improve and expand power supply.

Subsequent phases related to this project will include the installation of capacitors and voltage regulators on both feeders in the short term and the construction of a new 69 kV substation at Wales with connecting 69 kV lines to VEH and GOE. These initiatives will bring further benefits to customers on the West Bank, as well as the wider DBIS.

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Trial of alleged drug trafficker to continue on September 2 COME September 2, 2019, Police Prosecutor, Inspector Neville Jeffers, is expected to make his closing submission in a drug trafficking case against a 39-year-old labourer.

Denish Nunes, of D’Urban Street, Lodge, was busted with 3.65 kilogrammes of cannabis on June 7, 2019, at this home, by ranks of the police narcotics branch He is currently on remand and is on trial before the Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court for drugtrafficking.

Nunes had already led his defence and called witnesses on his Denish Nunes behalf.

According to reports, on the day in question, a party of police officers went to Nunes’ Durban Street, Lodge apartment and conducted a search.

The cannabis was found in a barrel.

Upgrades to Zeelugt Nursery welcomed CHILDREN attending the Zeelugt Nursery School are now enjoying a child-friendly environment following several fundamental upgrades to the school.

Speaking at a recent community meeting held in the Zeelugt community, acting Headteacher, Shaundell Fresco, said the repairs were timely. She noted that children need a conducive learning environment to succeed.

The upgrades to the school stemmed from a previous meeting with Social Protection Minister, Amna Ally, when the state of the building was highlighted.

According to Fresco, before the infrastructural works, the floors were dusty which affected the health of both the children and teachers. She said having the floor tiled made a huge difference.

Another major addition to the school was 24-hour security.

“That is one of the major advancements that we have had because the school had been vandalised and broken into sev- Acting headteacher of eral times. We can sleep Zeelugt Nursery School, better at night knowing a Shaundell Fresco security guard is protecting the building,” Fresco underscored.

Repairs were also done to the lavatory facilities which now have the systems in perfect working conditions. Additionally, Fresco pointed out that the construction of the sheds at the two entrances of the school has been beneficial, especially when it rains. She explained that before whenever it rained, water entered the classroom and would sometimes destroy learning materials.

“Now we are in a more comfortable, more conducive learning environment… one that will produce children that are well-learned and capable of going forward,” the headteacher stated. (DPI)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Friday August 30, 2019

‘Quitting must not be an option’ – chief-of-staff urges cadets

CHIEF-OF-STAFF, Brigadier Patrick West, has urged cadets being trained on the Standard Officer Course (SOC) 52 to commit to facing all challenges head-on as they evolve into candidates for officership.

The brigadier made this disclosure on Thursday

during his address to the officer cadets at the Guyana Defence Force, headquarters.

“Learn how to strengthen your weak areas. Learn how to be better than you were last week. Consider where you went wrong and endeavour to make some mark of improvement during your

next attempt. Quitting must not be an option!" he said.

Brigadier West acknowledged the rigorousness of the course and emphasised that the candidates for officership must make the necessary adjustments of their bodies and minds if they needed to succeed.

Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier Patrick West addressing the gathering during Standard Officer Course 52

"You must overcome challenges of all kinds, be determined, since you are the authors of how your story will unfold," he challenged the cadets.

He continued, "Everything in this course is designed to make you better

and stronger individuals and worthy officers in service of the GDF and Guyana."

Twenty four cadets are participating in the SOC 52; these include two candidates from the Guyana Fire Service, one from the Guyana Prison Service,

two from the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force, two from the St Kitts and Nevis Defence Force, two from the Belize Defence Force, and two from the Belize Coast Guard.

Plastic City residents call for settlement of land issue RESIDENTS within the Vreed-en-Hoop/Plastic City community in Region Three are hoping to be able to own their land and home. While some residents are squatting in the community, others legally own their land.

However, it was been highlighted during a community meeting by a resident, Adrian (only name given) that himself and other residents are being bullied to leave the area.

According to Adrian, this stems from the claims of one individual who said he holds a land transport which will not only mean the removal of many residents, but also that of the Vreed-en-Hoop Secondary School and other businesses.

“How is [it] possible that you have a school in this location, and someone has [land] transport harassing businessmen in the community and residents and constantly pushing to take over this entire area?” Adrian questioned during a recent community meeting.

Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure,

Minister within Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Jaipaul Sharma

Jaipaul Sharma, who was also at the meeting, said this matter will need to be reviewed by Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams SC., for legal advice on the way forward.

“I do not think any citizen of this country should hold other residents and the local authority, local and central government at ransom. We have to verify this document and ensure that it is authentic,” Minister Sharma responded.

The minister stressed that persons will need to abide by the final ruling, but if the

document is not authentic, it will be challenged in court.

“There was a lot of things that were forged under the previous administration and that is fraud… so, if the document was indeed forged, we will take action,” he assured.

In the meantime, residents who are currently squatting requested assistance to obtain their land titles, which Minister Sharma promised to have addressed.

The minister was accompanied by his colleague, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Karen Cummings.

(Ministry of the Presidency)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Friday August 30, 2019

Water ambulance coming for Moruca sub-region

THE Moruca sub-region of Barima Waini is next in line to benefit from a river ambulance. This assurance was given by Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, who recently visited some villages in the sub-region.

Upon meeting with some residents and public health staff of Kumaka District Hospital (KDH), the minister heard of the difficulties to travel to access health facilities on the coast for emergency services.

It was noted that residents of Moruca are referred to the Suddie Regional Hospital since it is easier and cheaper to travel there instead of the Mabaruma Regional Hospital which is more time-consuming.

Minister Lawrence said before procuring the ambulance, specifications have to be taken into consideration.

“For us to move a patient from here (Kumaka) to Pomeroon, we don’t need

try’s recently-established procurement unit, Seewchan said, “The procurement of the ambulance is now at NPTAB [National Tender and Procurement Administration] at Ministry of Finance and hopefully in the next few months you will have an ambulance here.”

Minister Lawrence spearheaded a visit with a team from the MoPH to the Barima Waini region, starting with Moruca. She said this particular trip was covered by water transport which allowed the staff to see the

Public Health Minister, Volda Lawrence, greeting staff of the Kumaka District Hospital

just a boat, we need an ambulance that can manoeuvre through the waters… when I was coming in, I saw the challenges that might be encountered when taking an accident patient to Charity [wharf].”

Following inquiries from the staff of the KDH, the minister clarified that there

was a vessel being considered for the sub-region but procurement and standards department at the Health Ministry found that it would not have been suitable for the waterways heading in and out of the Moruca River from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pomeroon.

Manager of the minis-

Taxi driver charged with killing poultry farmer A 29-year-old hire car driver was on Wednesday remanded to prison for the murder of Nigel Lesley Matthews, 49, also called “Tubby”, of Lot 14 Springlands, Berbice.

The driver, Neshawn Williams called “Blacka” appeared at the Whim Magistrate's Court before Magistrate Renita Singh and was not required to plead. He was remanded to prison until September 19, 2019 and the case was transferred to the Springlands Magistrate's

Dead: Nigel Lesley Matthews

Court for report and fixture.

Nigel Lesley Matthews, a poultry farmer, was on August 26, 2019 found dead

with three stab wounds to his chest.

His body was found on the road in front of an abandoned house at Rampoor, Corriverton, Berbice.

An initial investigation has revealed that the deceased and four others were gambling, during which the now dead man accused the suspect of flipping a card, which resulted in a heated argument.

However, a few hours later his motionless body was discovered.

Conspiracy to commit murder PI adjourned

THE preliminary inquiry (PI) involving the owner of Mark Interior Communication Inc. and an alleged hit-man, who are charged for conspiring to execute a Lethem businessman, continued on Thursday, August 29, 2019.

The PI is presided over

by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and a total of nine witnesses are still to testify.

Mark Grimmond, 57, the owner of the communication service, and Mark’s Pool Side and Fun Park located at Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, was charged alongside Chatterpaul Singh called Kevin, 36.

The men are currently on remand for the charge which alleged that, between April 1, 2018, and June 7, 2019, at Georgetown, they conspired with persons known and unknown to murder Dwayne Grant.

On Thursday, police

Mark Grimmond

woman, constable Athnia Glen, who is attached to the firearm section of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) testified. Detective Clive Hazelwood was also cross-examined on evidence he had earlier given during the PI. The PI is adjourned until September 2, 2019.

According to reports, Grant, is a businessman who lives in Lethem and had received a ‘tip-off’ that Grimmond had hired someone to execute him.

The businessman became

Chatterpaul Singh called Kevin

fearful for his life and reported the matter to the police, who went to a Hotel in Lethem and found Singh with an illegal firearm in his possession.

The police is contending that Singh, while in custody, told the investigator that he was hired by Grimmond to kill Grant. Grimmond was arrested and the police found telephone records between the men.

difficulties encountered in transporting patients.

“I told my staff I want you to see what it takes for the staff in the hinterland to actually do their jobs… they can’t just walk outside and hire a bus or call a taxi. I wanted them to see.”

Most communities in the Moruca sub-region are accessible by water; hence, the need to have a water ambulance. The vessel is expected to be handed over to the region by October.

This will add to other water ambulances that have

been handed over to other regions where villages are only accessible by river. The Ministry of Public Health is pushing efforts to ensure riverine communities have access to specialised emergency services.

Minister Lawrence added that a road ambulance will be provided for the Kumaka District Hospital.

“This will be one of the landrovers that can handle the terrain,” she explained.

(Ministry of Presidency)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Friday August 30, 2019

Bartica Magistrate’s Court nears completion THE long-awaited Bartica Magistrate’s Court building is near completion and the people are expected to get easier access to the delivery of justice and other relevant services that were not accessible in the township.

The contract, which was awarded to M&P Investments to the tune of $173M, will benefit residents of Bartica and surrounding villages, and is expected to be completed

by November of this year.

At the welcoming of

the initiative, Mayor of the Town, Gifford Marshall had said that the project will greatly enhance Bartica’s landscape and add value to the community. He reflected on how Bartica moved from being seen as an interior “landing” to now being one of the capital towns of Guyana.

“It is a vision of His Excellency, President David Granger, to have Bartica transformed into the capital town of Region Seven, and a Model Green Town to the

entire world,” Marshall had said, adding: “It is therefore imperative that all the essential services be provided to the residents and this new magistrate’s court is one of such.”

One resident of Bartica told Guyana Chronicle that the people are excited for its completion, given that their travelling hassle for access to certain services will be eased.

“You know to travel to Georgetown for a simple document is really frustrating, especially for those who

cannot afford it. And though simple, I mean these things hold much importance, so it’s not like we could just ignore not having it. So with this court here, some of us will still have to travel yes, but the journey is much shorter and less expensive than going till to Georgetown or Essequibo,” the resident said.

Regional Chairman, Gordon Bradford, told this newspaper that the house of justice represents major progress for the entire region and not just Bartica.

The almost completed Bartica Magistrate’s Court (Photo by Highrise photography)

“Having our own court, we will be afforded the opportunity to have court every day and not have persons travelling up and down to get their matters heard. We will no longer have to travel out of our region for justice; persons wouldn’t have to go till to Essequibo to uplift bail money; all of that will be done right here and that is a great boost for the community,” Bradford said.

Time and money are the essence of life, he said, and noted that ready access to a

court in Bartica will be saving the residents both time and money.

Bradford also believes that persons charged by police will be on neutral ground and have fairness in their trials, since their cases would not be heard at the police station.

The L-shaped complex is expected to house a magistrate’s court, magistrate’s chambers, lawyers’ rooms, court registry, offices and living quarters.

CJIA executive to return to court on September 10 DEPUTY Chief Executive Officer (DCEO) of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Andre Kellman, on Thursday, August 29, 2019, made his second court appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

Kellman, 54, of Craig Street, Campbellville, was, on Friday, August 23, 2019, charged for kissing one of his female co-workers without her consent.

He is currently out on $70,000 bail.

On Thursday, Kellman appeared before the Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and had his matter transferred to Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty for September 10, 2019, for report and fixture.

The interdicted deputy CEO, denied that, on July 30, 2018, at the CJIA, Timehri, East Bank Demerara, he sexually assaulted a 34-year-old woman by kissing her without her consent.

Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Andre Kellman

According to reports, the incident allegedly occurred in Kellman’s office at CJIA where he held the woman, who is an employee at the airport, and kissed her on the mouth.

The matter was reported to the airport’s management and later to the police. Acting on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Kellman was charged.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Friday August 30, 2019

'I am here as a servant' – Min. Adams-Yearwood tells Sandvoort residents

RESIDENTS of Sandvoort Village, East Canje, Berbice, who are engaged in agricultural practices are now satisfied with the support they have received from junior Agriculture Minister, Valerie Adams-Yearwood.

Known mostly for farming and cattle rearing, Sandvoort is a village tucked away in the outskirts of New Amsterdam and has approximately 200 residents. Over the years, farmers within the village have sought solutions to several problems.

On Thursday, Minister Adams-Yearwood led a team to the ancient county, where she engaged the residents on matters that affected them and even those which fell outside of her sector.

Present at the meeting too was Member of Parliament (MP), Hon. Barbara

Pilgrim; Region Six Regional Executive Officer, Kim Williams-Stephen; Agricultural Officer, Deryck Collins; Councillors of the New Amsterdam Municipality, Kirk Fraser and Patricia Lynch; and Technical Officers from the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA).

Rice and cash crop farmer, Dian Leith-Hinds said that One-tenth Street, where she traverses to ply her trade, is in a deplorable state. The woman said in the next three weeks she will be cultivating rice and the current state of the path will hinder the tractor from gaining access.

Leith-Hinds believes that should the “burn brick” method be applied to the passageway, it will solve the issue.

Alden Sinclair, alluding to the same matter, noted that the “burn brick” technique,

Dian Leith-Hinds, a rice and cash crop farmer

if applied, would not be finished in time for harvest.

However, he suggested that an excavator can be used to clear a section of the street to facilitate the operation.

“I am going to commit to having an excavator come here before the ending of next week and commence work,”

Minister Adams-Yearwood enthusiastically responded.

Lack of adequate water for the rice fields is also another issue affecting Sandvoort farmers. Sinclair highlighted that while the GuySuCo sugar estate was operational, water used to be

pumped from the “Kalabash Creek” into the fields.

Addressing the water woes, a representative of NDIA explained that earlier this year the authority was given control over the area.

He said farmers would have to contact NDIA and the service will be provided. Also, a call for a water reservoir was made.

Additionally, Lynette Heywood, resident for 35 years, requested a donation of bicycles for four students who wrote the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) 2019.

Scores of farmers, who were present at the meeting held at the Sandvoort Nursery and Primary School with the minister, said the engagement was ‘timely and successful’.

Minister Adams-Yearwood stated that her visit was

in keeping with the mandate of the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) to promote the exercise in every community in Guyana. The minister also provided immediate opportunities for residents who are interested in apiculture to undergo training at no cost.

At the end of the meeting, she handed over several farming tools to boost the tillage work of the farmers. A wheelbarrow, shovels, forks, pickaxes and a rear-tine tiller, were among the many tokens received by the hard-working men and women, who toil daily in the scorching sun to make ends meet.

The minister has already indicated her preparedness to visit the village in the near future to examine works which are expected to commence next week. (DPI)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 30, 2019

Reg. 3 schools showing marked improvement –– thanks to President’s ‘No child left behind’ initiative

THE results continue to speak for themselves when it comes to the huge investments that the APNU-AFC government has made in the education sector since taking office in 2015.

It spoke volumes when in 2019, for the first time ever, Guyana saw the highest percentage of passes at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, which at 77 per cent surpassed its 2018 results by four per cent.

The country also recorded a 93 per cent pass rate at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).

And at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), there have been improvements in Mathematics, thanks in no small measure to the $48M the government injected into an emergency intervention to strengthen the teaching capacity of mathematics at the Grade Six level.

This particular initiative was ordered by President David Granger himself after Guyana recorded a Mathematics pass rate of 13.85 per cent in 2016. Since attaining

office in 2015, President Granger has made it clear that under his watch, the accent will be placed on education. True to his word, over the last few years, the education sector has been accounting for the highest percentage of the National Budget. In 2019, the $52.2B was a 15.6 per cent increase over the 2018 allocation.

“Spending in the education sector has moved from 14.8 per cent of the National Budget in 2014 to 17.0 per cent in 2017. Improvements, steady and sure, have been evident over the past four years,” President Granger was quoted as saying at the commissioning of a $186M Tertiary Students’ Dormitory for Hinterland Students at Liliendaal, on the lower East Coast Demerara.

In July 2015, mere weeks after being sworn into office , President Granger launched the highly-successful 5Bs programme, followed by more emphasis being placed on the Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programmes, and over 9000 students benefitting from

a breakfast feeding programme at schools across the country.

REAPING THE BENEFITS In Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), schools there have also been reaping the benefits, and producing commendable results.

For NGSA, the Region saw dramatic improvements in the percentage of students who gained 50 per cent or more in all subject areas at many of the 58 primary schools across the region.

At Eastern Leguan Primary, an amazing turnaround of results show that the pass rate was a depressing zero in 2016, but for 2019, the school experienced a 100 percent of students attaining 50 per cent and above. There were also very good performances at the Caria Caria and Lanaballi Primary Schools, both of which attained a 100 per cent pass rate last year, and were able to maintain it in 2019. The aforementioned schools are three of 12 across that Region that achieved 100 per cent pass

rates.

According to statistics provided by Regional Education Officer, Anesta Douglas, in 2016 only 31 of the 58 schools had at least one student who passed with at least 50 per cent in all subject areas. Of those 31 schools, 16 had single-digit pass rates. At both Stewartville and Parika-Salem Primary Schools, the rate was as low as three per cent.

In 2019, 53 out of the 58 schools had students passing, with all 53 experiencing double-digit pass rates; some 29 schools had over 50 per cent of the students passing. On the East Bank Essequibo, the Aliki Primary School saw perhaps one of the biggest improvement, after ‘flat-lining’ at zero from 2016 to 2018, at this year’s exam the school attained a 75 per cent pass rate.

And it’s not just at the primary school level. At the secondary school level, L’Adventure Secondary was the only secondary school that did not report an over 50 per cent pass rate from this year’s CSEC results.

With a pass rate of 96.10 per cent, Zeeburg

Secondary had the Region’s highest rate of students that attained Grades One to Three at CSEC, a 7.62 per cent increase from 2018. They were followed by the West Demerara Secondary School, which has a 94.95 per cent pass rate, a 5.01 per cent increase compared to last year.

MOST IMPROVED However, the most improved secondary school was, without a question, Vergenoegen Secondary, which improved its pass rate by a whopping 31.79 per cent, after recording a 77.12 per cent 2019 pass rate.

“What this analysis shows is that in 2019, there has been great improvement in our education results at both the NGSA and CSEC, and we at the Regional administration of Essequibo Islands-West Demerara wish to extend our gratitude to the government of Guyana for their policies, as it relates to education, which includes the remarkable investment both at the level of infrastructure and at the level of ensuring our teachers are

Regional Information Officer, Ganesh Mahipaul equipped with salary and a more conducive environment,” said Regional Information Officer, Ganesh Mahipaul.

Mahipaul noted that the government has been trying to do as much as possible to improve the supplies at the schools. “Government has invested significantly in Region Three and all across the country,” he said, adding: “Even the janitorial supplies the government is providing for the schools so that they can use their PTA funds to better deliver education to the students.

They no longer have to use their finances to purchase janitorial supplies; government gives them that.”

More Guyanese benefit from Chinese scholarships

CHINESE universities are increasingly well respected and they rank favourably among the world’s best universities as the knowledge and experience gained in China is an increasingly valuable asset for employers.

This is according to Deputy Chief of the Embassy of China, Chen Xilai, during his remarks at a farewell for outgoing and returning Guyanese students who received scholarships to study in China.

The event was held at the Chinese Embassy, Mandela Avenue, Georgetown.

According to Chen Xilai, China is an increasingly popular destination for students from around the world, with the number of international students in China doubling in the past 10 years.

He explained that China is striving to build more world-class universities, and investing heavily in

universities offer degree programmes taught in English so that persons can earn their degree in the language they are familiar with.

Permanent Secretary of the Department of Public Service, Karen Vansluytman-Corbin said China and Guyana have shared mutually beneficial and friendly relations which have grown over the years.

“Human capital can be

increased by education and the Department of Public Service remains grateful for the training and development opportunities provided by the Chinese,” the permanent secretary said.

She continued: “We believe that training is the essence of transformation and is essential for the development of Guyana’s human capital… public servants are required to serve professionally at

all levels, hence, training continues to be pivotal and necessary in order for [the] public to attain developmental objectives.”

Director of the Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Forbes July, said Guyana and China cooperation provides a broad scope for all aspects of development.

He advised the outgoing scholarship awardees

to strive for excellence in their respective areas of study.

“At all-time be conscious of your role as ambassadors of Guyana,” he said while noting that the experiences and lessons learned will be useful in their personal and professional development.

He also urged the returning graduates to use their skills to develop Guyana.

Deputy Chief, Embassy of China, Chen Xilai higher education.

Aside from China’s unique Chinese language, he said calligraphy, martial arts and other cultural subjects, Chinese degree programmes in majors such as engineering, science, medicine, economics and trade, MBA as well as finance are highly regarded.

As for those who do not know any Chinese, the Deputy Chief of the Embassy noted that many

China’s Ambassador to Guyana, Cui Jianchun (centre) next to student affairs official, Guyana embassy in China, Tanza McAlmond; Permanent Secretary Karen Vansluytman-Corbin; and Director of the Department of International Cooperation, Forbes July with outgoing and returning students who benefitted from scholarships to China (Adrian Narine photo)

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Friday, August 30, 2019

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UG students must think critically, have integrity – Dr. Mark Bynoe

UNIVERSITY of Guyana (UG) students should aim to have a high level of integrity and possess critical thinking skills as Guyana aims to service and benefit from the imminent oil and gas economy.

This was the charge of Department of Energy Director, Dr. Mark Bynoe, during a keynote address at the Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences (FEES), Turkeyen Campus on Thursday.

He said university students must not only read the newspapers, Facebook or simply accept what is related by lecturers.

“One of the things we have to ensure that we have is critical thinking. Critical thinking means that you have to be able to analyse for yourselves not what someone says, but what you have sat and deciphered, delineate and be able to come up with cogent arguments; it is not sufficient to say well I got it off of the Internet, because anyone can post something on the net,” Dr Bynoe told the gathering.

He noted that on too many occasions in Guyana, citizens are swayed not based on their own analysis but “based on what somebody said that somebody else said”.

Bynoe said university students must have a high level of integrity.

Noting that there is a topic on plagiarism which students will be exposed to, Dr. Bynoe said it is very easy to plagiarise but it is also very easy to get caught with scanning software available.

“Because if you start cheating at university, you will cheat later on in life; if you start being dishonest in

the classroom, it is difficult to see you becoming honest later on in life. I know we chase after who has gotten a distinction and who has gotten a credit, the important thing is that we are learning as we go along,” he said.

He said it is better to leave the university with not only a degree, but with the assimilation of knowledge that will lead to employment.

“If, as Guyanese, we will be populating the new and emerging oil and gas sector, it is important that we are grounded and have a common understanding in terms of what it needs,” he said.

MULTIPLICITY OF SKILLS Underscoring that many are interested in hearing about the oil and gas industry, Dr. Bynoe said there are a multiplicity of skills and range of expertise that will be required, such as environmental management specialists, Environmental Protection Agency representatives, financial analysis, lawyers, management specialists, among many other portfolios.

“Many of us are of the opinion that unless I am a geological engineer, unless I am a geologist, unless I am a mechanical engineer, I will not benefit from oil and gas, but I am saying that you will benefit once you make the sacrifice; make the investment today, because Guyana is not just about oil and gas, and oil and gas is not just about the wells, it’s not just about the drills, it’s also about the supplementary infrastructure that is needed,” he said He urged the students to think about their future since all aspects of develop-

UG students in the Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences paying keen attention to Dr Bynoe (Adrian Narine photo)

ment can be used within the oil and gas sector, directly or indirectly.

“I am saying this because many discussions have gone on around oil and gas and Guyana being able to embark on a new frontier, but it is also important for us to stop and ask ourselves, how are we going to benefit from these new resources that will be coming in?” he said.

Reflecting on his days as a UG student, Dr. Bynoe said like many others, he had butterflies in his stomach and had wanted to study geography and economics.

“I had absolutely no idea what a major and a minor meant at that time, but I thought if a major is good, then two majors must be better and if possible three majors best, so I opted for a double major, not knowing where I would end up, but as I started out I realised that there was a great complementarity between an economic degree and a geography degree,” Bynoe said.

He said this lent itself

Minister Norton mourns passing of Peter Kempadoo MINISTER of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton, has extended sincere condolences to the relatives, friends and admirers of overseas-based Guyanese writer, Peter Kempadoo.

Kempadoo succumbed to a heart ailment on August 24, while at his home in England. He was 92-years-old.

Kempadoo became the first Guyanese novelist of East Indian descent following the publication of his book, “Guyana Boy” in 1960.

Kempadoo migrated to the UK after marriage, and pursued a thriving career as a journalist for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). He also worked at the Central Office of Information in London.

Kempadoo’s work remains an integral part of the nation’s Indo-Guyanese history, as it set the stage for many great East Indian writers to follow. (Ministry of the Presidency)

Peter Kempadoo

to a multiplicity of areas in which he was able to explore his interest.

CONTINUOUSLY CHALLENGE YOURSELF “I am saying this because you may start out with one objective in mind, but as university students we have to be continuously challenging ourselves as technology evolves and new opportunities arise and as new areas are birthed before us to be able to say I want to go beyond where I am,” he explained.

Adding that UG is at a greater standard compared to when he attended, the Energy Department director implored students to be patient in their development.

“I am speaking from experience, not that I am trying to sell you something

that I myself have not gone through,” he said, while noting that he was paid US$75 a month on his first job and he survived. “But overtime it allowed me to acquire experience,” he told the gathering, pointing out that just graduating will not make them expert at anything.

He related that a degree does not make someone automatically employable, “because what we are seeing today is that we have persons going through from nursery right up to the master’s level and never worked one day in their lives, and the big question becomes, so how are we going to get the experience if no one employs us?.”

He told the UG students that one of the quickest ways to get experience is to volunteer their services.

Department of Energy Director, Dr. Mark Bynoe

“The problem we have is that the day we graduate, we want to ask, how much money are you being paid, and not wanting a low salary, but aiming for mid-range or even higher, and therein lies our problem, because overtime we will get there, but you cannot graduate tomorrow and expect that you are an expert the next day,” he said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 30, 2019

―Carifesta’s Island Beats Super Concert ends festival with a bang!

By Vishani Ragobeer

T

HE Island Beats Super concert of CARIFESTA XIV closed off the litany of cultural activities held during the 10-day festival with a big bang.

The concert was held last Saturday at the Queen’s Park Savannah, which is arguably the cultural melting pot of Trinidad and Tobago. Here, the hundreds of delegates from the participating countries came out to fête to some of the biggest artistes within the region, and even those who have established themselves outside of the region.

Getting off to a mellow start, the age-old Queen of Soca, Calypso Rose brought her undoubted charm to the stage as persons were still making their way in. She was soon followed by Ricardo Drue, the Antiguan ambassador who sought to show the crowd a bit of what they will experience next Carifesta, which will be held in Antigua and Barbuda.

By this time, the Savannah was definitely filled, and the drinks were going like hot cakes at a fair as persons who worked so hard to ‘rep’ their country during those 10 days finally made the time to fête in the Land of Soca.

The young bloods, Nailah Blackman and Voice, who are also Carifesta Ambassadors, gave short but compact performances. As a plus, the ‘Watermelon Gyal’, Nailah, who had only launched her EP, “the Reel” days before, was there to give the crowd a first-hand experience of what she

would be promoting over the next few months.

And, as is the norm, the sharply dressed Aaron St. Louis (Voice) showed the crowd why he continues to be ‘Far from Finished’. But the veteran herself, Allison Hinds was the one who came out and showed that her songs and vibes will always be timeless. The Hulk himself, Blaxx, came too, delivering a mix of the new power soca with some old groovy tunes, just to cater for everyone in the crowd.

After a string of Soca performances, Chutney Soca Monarchs Neval and Nishard M took the stage and delivered a few Chutney hits before Chutney Soca veteran, Rikki Jai decided to give them a good ‘schooling’. The duo returned after Jai to perform their winning Chutney Soca song, and made way for the beloved Zouk band, Kassav.

Now, Kassav was one of the three highlight performances for the night, and while many didn’t know the French words they were saying, they truly brought effervescent vibes and crisp dance moves that made you forgot they have been around for decades.

After approximately an hour of their performances, the stage was set for the final two performances: Dr. Mashup, Machel Montano, and Mr. ‘Boombastic’, Shaggy.

Machel, without a doubt, is the most energetic performer in the Caribbean, if not in the world. On the other hand, ‘Famalay’ is a power Soca that forces you to ‘get on bad’. When you put the two together and use it as Machel’s opening act, the result is a reenergised crowd at 2AM. And, that’s the way the crowd stayed as Machel went through hit after hit. There was no time to stop and catch your breath, or even take a sip if water, unless ‘Dr. Mashup’ decided what he wanted a ‘lil fine gyaff’.

Time would show that perhaps it was not a good idea to put the Reggae star after the Soca King, because hordes of people simply walked out after Machel’s performance. That didn’t stop Shaggy from putting on a good closing performance nevertheless.

The international star went through some of his old but well-loved hits, and carried the crowd until 04:00hrs, by which time persons were walking zombies.

Shaggy

Machel Montano performing his Famalay

Kassav performing

Nailah Blackman performing her Iron Love

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 30, 2019

Business looking good in Linden!

By Vanessa Braithwaite

OOKING back, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of New Generation Clothing (NGC), Joel Waldron, a young and upcoming Linden designer, does not regret sprinkling some bleach on his favourite black t-shirt and turning that ‘spoil’ into a style.

Four years later, he is on his way to building an empire with his NGC line of customised and uniquely-created clothing with bleach and other locally-sourced ingredients.

He started at home, and after building his clientele base, he registered his business, and established his first public location in the Wismar Market. After perfecting his skill and starting to utilise upgraded techniques with modern equipment, he created a storm in the local designing industry, and has

he was doing his laundry and mistakenly ‘bleached’ a black jersey. Using his artistic discernment, the spoilt jersey now looked fashionable and Joel took a gamble and wore it.

“I wore the jersey and a guy saw it and said that it looks good. So I went home back and decided to try the same thing, because I wasn’t working, but it didn’t come out exactly as the first one.

So I tried it on another jersey, and this time I did the design into the shape of a Batman, and I wore it and a guy saw it and bought the jersey off of me. I had to go home back with my vest,” Joel said.

The unemployed Joel decided to capitalise on his new-found skill and birthed NGC, which speaks of clothing for millennials.

With the craze for customized clothing, the young designer upped his game and moved from designing only

now he has moved to bring unemployed to employing persons. “I am very proud of myself, I now have my own registered business. I had to spend a lot, first when I started I only used my hands, but I have invested in machines and other stuff to give my clients better quality,” he said. “Now I have two locations, I have increased my line and I also have a hookah service that I added as well.”

NGC has made strides its clothing were modelled at several fashion shows and were also worn by local artistes and their dancers in their music videos. Joel even sponsored several artistes at the Soca Monarch Competition, in an effort to get his clothing line out there.

“I want New Generation Clothing to not only be a shop but a company; a brand that can be identified anywhere and will soon go

now opened a second shop in Vreed-en-Hoop, on the West Demerara, where he’s managed to also ramp up many clients.

This is just the beginning of greatness for the young designer. He sees himself steering this industry with his custom designs.

Let us take a walk back down memory lane at how it all began for Joel. One day

t-shirts to other clothing and accessories such as hats, undergarments, pants and even shoes. NGC is unique, and has a local twist to it that cannot be found anywhere else. He uses bleach, acid, fabric paint, and vinyl to customise his clothing for all occasions.

Social media advertising played a major role in him gaining clients and

international.”

The young designer is encouraging youths to take the baton of entrepreneurship as it is one of the main gateways to independence and financial stability.

“Stop waiting for things to happen for you, get up and hit the road, be whomever you want to be, follow your dream and don’t settle for less,” he said.

L

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 30, 2019

Licenced to sing and fly! ―‘Azariel’ finally gets his FAA mechanic licence K

R I S T O F F Azariel Sauns, who goes by the alias ‘Azariel’ or ‘Lwlss Boss’ is now a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified aircraft mechanic.

The 23-year-old is a popular Guyanese artiste, but music is not his sole area of interest.

In an exclusive interview with ‘the Buzz Magazine’, the young entertainer said he has always been a lover of music, and knew that one day he would be a valuable addition to the industry. But although music is his passion, Azariel knew the importance of education in his success, and strived to get an academic career as well.

He has so far been making significant achievements, as since January last year he received his aircraft maintenance licence from the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), which is the body that governs aviation in Guyana.

However, the dream chaser that Azariel is, he went for his international licence since the one issued by GCCA is only acknowledged here in Guyana. So the young entertainer went to the FAA, wrote their exam after months of studying, and on August 29 he received the official FAA licence.

“The FAA, they’re just like the GCAA, except, for the USA, you

have to go to the US to do their exam. I did that last month, but it takes a while to ship. I received it today (August 29). The FAA certificate simply means I’m capable of legally releasing any aircraft of American registration as airworthy. I spent a little over one week getting this certificate, and that’s just the exam process. The study period was a couple months; meanwhile I was still recording music,” he explained.

He said that he plans to keep doing both engineering and music, and seeing where it goes from there, because choosing one is a tough challenge.

“Because of work (aircraft

maintenance), I will be migrating, but I’ll still be doing music, and eventually I’ll return to Guyana.

Music sometimes takes a backseat, but I’ll never stop doing music; I love it,” he said.

All of Azariel’s music are available for download on GtRiddim.com, and his most trending songs right now are “Ambition” and “Solider”, which speak to his success in the Aviation field.

All his music so far were recorded and produced by Adrian Johnson, also known as AJ, owner of “AJRecords home of legends” at Meten-Meer-Zorg on the West Coast Demerara.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 30, 2019

Johnny Braff’s legacy lives on through his music

21

―as legendary singer-songwriter dies at 82

T

HE relatives, friends, and fans of renowned Guyanese-born singer Johnny Critchlow Braithwaite, well-known as ‘Johnny Braff’, has received a message of condolence from President David Granger following the singer’s death earlier this week.

Braithwaite died at the age of 82 at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation after a brief illness.

He is famous for his hit song, “It Burns Inside”, which he recorded back in the 1970s.

President Granger had bestowed the national award, the Medal of Service, on Braithwaite last May. Minister of Social Cohesion, with Responsibility for Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. George Norton, has also joined in extending condolences to Braithwaite’s relatives and friends.

Popular local venues for Braithwaite’s concerts in the 60s and 70s included Queens College and the Astor and Empire Cinemas (all now out of existence).

In an interview with this publication recently, Braithwaite had sad that he was proud of the fact that when he did a show in Barbados, he was the only singer to have a motorcade meet him at the airport there.

He has also performed in Europe and North America.

Braithwaite, who was born in Station Street, Kitty, had saved some of his mementoes, and had an album full of fliers showing his performances in places such the Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, and foreign newspaper articles singing his praises.

He loved travelling, and was even quoted once as saying he’d rather die first than to stop travelling.

Braithwaite was feted by the Ministry of Social Protection back in July when he turned 82, and a concert featuring the Yoruba Singers and others local artistes was held in his honour.

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

TODAY **Tonight, 704 Nightclub is the only place to be as BPM Guyana presents “Area Fifty One: The Invasion”, Guyana’s first inter-galactic rave. 704 nightclub will be transformed with only the best House, EDM, Trance, Electro and mixes from Mike Torres, DJ Tariq Dakhil, DJ Zaud and guest DJs. Doors open at 20hrs. Tickets: $2000. **6 Vibes presents “Colours Ignite: New Edition” at District Ultra Lounge.

Head out in your neon apparel and enjoy music by Guyana’s top DJs. Ladies free before 22:00hrs.

TOMORROW

**704 Sky Lounge presents Heineken’s Masquerade Party”.

Music by DJ Ana from Trinidad, alongside Guyana’s Gully Ras and DJ Diamond. Free mask and beads on entry. **The Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha presents “Naya Zamana 23: Zindagi Express” at the National Cultural Centre. It’s going to be an evening of spectacular theatricals, with dance and drama. Tickets: $2500, $3000, $3500. **District Ultra Lounge presents “Hush in Pink: Lay down fuh de owna”.

Ladies in pink get one free shot on entry. Music by DJ Country Boy and DJ Avalanche.

SUNDAY

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 30, 2019

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 30, 2019

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 30, 2019

Windies seek Sabina turnaround in wake of Antigua debacle KINGSTON, Jamaica, (CMC) – Six days after a heavy 318-run drubbing in the opening Test, West Indies will try to pick up the pieces and turn the tables on India when the critical second Test bowls off at Sabina Park here today.

Other than optimism, however, there is not much to suggest that West Indies can lift themselves and produce a performance worthy of beating India and levelling the two-match series.

In Antigua last week, their batting left a lot to be desired, folding for 222 and then embarrassingly for 100 – their sixth lowest total ever against the Indians.

And seamer Kemar Roach apart, the Windies attack lacked penetration and India’s second innings of 343 for seven declared was testament to the little threat the bowling carried.

But a composed captain Jason Holder assured reporters here Thursday there would be no hangover from the Antigua debacle.

“The guys are really up for it. We were obviously disappointed with the performance in the last game and this is just another opportunity for us to come and level the series,” he said.

“There is no point playing it tentatively or halfheartedly, we’ve got to come and put on a really good show. It’s something we’ve done well in the past, we tend to respond well when we’re under pressure.

“So I expect the guys to be up for this challenge and hope we can play a really good game of cricket.”

A major area of concern remains the Windies batting. Not a single batman managed a half-century in the opening Test, and Roston Chase’s 48 in the first innings was the best effort on show.

Key batsmen are also short of form. Opener and vice-captain Kraigg Brathwaite, the side’s leading scorer in recent past, averages 13 from his last eight Tests while the stylish Shai Hope, with two centuries in the second Test against England at Leeds two years ago, is averaging 18 also from his last eight Tests.

Experienced left-hander Darren Bravo must also be a major worry. He returned from a 28-month hiatus from the longest format for the England series earlier this year but his four Tests since have yielded an average of 11.

Holder said the batting group had addressed their issue following the first Test and he was expecting them to put more pressure on American Racing Tips Saratoga Race 1 Luna’s In Charge Race 2 Peter’s Project Race 3 Cape Courageous Race 4 Tiz He The One Race 5 Dream Passage Race 6 First Deputy Race 7 Sixth Street Race 8 Hit A Provisional Race 9 Tour De Force Canadian Racing Tips Woodbine Race 1 Onezy’s Dream Race 2 Invodkawetrust Race 3 Skygaze South Africa Racing Tips

India’s bowlers this time around.

“We had a really good meeting and it was really about guys just understanding how they’re going to compile an innings,” Holder explained.

“I think the starts have been very crucial for us.

We’ve been having guys get in and just get out so it’s just a manner for us to stay a little bit longer in our game plans, be a little bit more patient as well and wear the Indian bowlers down.

“We saw a little bit in the second innings that after a spell or two they tend to be a little jaded so we should try and keep them out in the field as long as possible.

Here in Jamaica tends to be very hot and humid and the longer we keep them in the field the better off we will be.”

He added: “I think we’ve got to be decisive. Decisive in our footwork, decisive in our shot selection – if you’re going to play or if you’re going to leave and that’s just standard cricket.

“We’ve just got to be more assertive about what we’re looking to do and back our defences, trust the preparation we’ve had … and just try to fight through the tough periods.”

While Roach was outstanding last week, he badly lacked support. Pacer Miguel Cummins, who came in for the injured fast-bowling all-rounder Keemo Paul, has been dropped after a lacklustre showing with the fit-again Paul restored to the squad.

The raging debate surrounds the inclusion of off-spinning all-rounder Rahkeem Cornwall who was spurned for the opening Test – a decision which from the outset appeared fraught with peril and was so proven.

Cornwall could now make his debut at Sabina – a venue where he also made his first class debut with a scintillating 94-ball 95 – though Holder hinted at the inclusion of Paul and retaining the four-pronged pace attack.

“That’s (pace) the backbone of the side. We’ve done well with our seamers who are now doing it for us,” Holder pointed out.

“Kemar Roach has been outstanding, Shannon Gabriel has been outstanding and I’ve also been very supportive in the bowling lineup. We’ve depended heavily on our pacers for the last couple years and it’s just a matter for them to continue the outstanding work they’ve been doing.

“Everytime I call on them they just come and give a massive effort and it’s always in a very good cause for the team. Hopefully we can continue to keep our pacers firing and hopefully get 20 wickets in this Test match.”

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Sandown 09:10 hrs Queenoftheclyde 09:40 hrs Delagate This Lord 10:15 hrs Discovery Island 10:50 hrs Marhaban

SQUADS: WEST INDIES – Jason Holder (captain), Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Darren Bravo, Shai Hope (wkp), Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Shamarh Brooks, Jahmar Hamilton (wkp), Rahkeem Cornwall, Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel, Keemo Paul.

INDIA – Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant (wkp) Wriddhiman Saha (wkp), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 30, 2019

Aussies reviewing DRS process after Headingley howler - Paine

Dhoni absent, Hardik back in India’s T20 squad for Proteas series (REUTERS) - Indian wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was a notable omission in the Twenty20 squad announced on Thursday by the country’s cricket board (BCCI) for next month’s three-match series against South Africa.

Australia’s Tim Paine looks dejected after losing the third Test (Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith)

(REUTERS) - Australia are reviewing the way they use cricket’s Decision Review System after blowing their last referral late in the Headingley cliffhanger against England, captain Tim Paine has said.

Paine wasted Australia’s last review on a leg-side lbw appeal against tailender Jack Leach, denying spinner Nathan Lyon a referral for a much stronger leg before shout soon after against Ben Stokes.

Stokes, who scored an unbeaten century, guided England to a rousing one-wicket win that levelled the series 1-1 ahead of the fourth test at Old Trafford.

Paine, who has worn plenty of criticism for his ambitious review, said the team were looking to come up with a better plan for the rest of the series.

“We’re trying our best to come up with a system that’s better,” he told Melbourne radio station SEN. “And we can, I suppose, gather information on what different people are seeing on the field at the time and in that 15 seconds try to make a better decision than what we have been doing, but it’s a little bit of trial and error.”

The wasted review was one of a slew of mishaps in the final hour as Australia gave up a seemingly impregnable position to allow England back into the series.

Paine said his team were “obviously really dejected” in the immediate aftermath at Headingley on Sunday but

he was proud at how they had banded together in the days since.

“Losses like that can wear groups down and break groups apart,” he said.

“Really proud of the fact we’ve moved on quickly. We certainly didn’t paper over the cracks.

“We know we made some pretty obvious mistakes particularly in that last hour. We’ve had some pretty honest chats about that.”

Stokes proved a game-changer at Headingley and Paine came in for criticism for his field positions as the all-rounder blasted Australia’s attack to all parts of the ground.

Paine said there was little he would have changed, though, barring asking his team to take their chances when offered. “(Stokes) can literally hit the ball anywhere he likes on the field, so when he’s in and going, he’s extremely hard to stop,” said Paine.

“In the last two Test matches alone, I think Nathan Lyon’s got him out about six or seven times. We’ve either dropped him or the lbws have been given not out and we haven’t referred them.

“So, Lyon’s always had some success against him.

We’ve just got to back him up and grab those chances or learn how to use the DRS a little better.”

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a notable omission from India’s T20 squad

Dhoni sat out India’s ongoing tour of the West Indies as he was set to discharge his responsibilities as an honor-

ary colonel in the army with patrol duties in conflict-torn Jammu and Kashmir.

There had been speculation he might retire after struggling in the recently concluded World Cup in England where India were knocked out in the semi-finals.

Except for the inclusion of all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who replaces fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the squad is unchanged from the team that won the T20 series 3-0 in the Caribbean.

India play South Africa in Dharamsala (Sept. 15), Mohali (Sept. 18) and Bengaluru (Sept. 22).

India’s squad: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar, Rahul Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini.

Starc presses for recall in Derbyshire tour match

Serena survives scare to reach U.S. Open third round

By Frank Pingue

NEW YORK (Reuters) Serena Williams survived a second-round scare at the U.S. Open on Wednesday with a 5-7 6-3 6-1 win over American wildcard Catherine McNally to keep alive her hopes of securing a record-tying 24th Grand Slam title.

World number eight Williams, who captured the first of her six U.S. Open titles two years before her 17-yearold opponent was born, spent the first half of the match trying to find her rhythm but when she did she was off to the races.

“She really came out and played really well, she showed no fear,” said Williams. “She had absolutely nothing to lose and she played like it.”

McNally, competing in only her sixth tour-level event of her career and against the highest-ranked player she has ever faced, used an old-school serveand-volley approach along with a lethal slice backhand to unsettle Williams.

So effective was McNal-

ly, who has tried to model parts of her game after Swiss great Roger Federer, that at one point in the match Williams screamed at her racquet “why are you missing?”.

lead before storming home and sealing the match when she broke to love.

“I survived tonight,” said Williams. “I am not too pleased with the way I played at all,” said Wil-

Serena Williams

But Williams, whose earliest U.S. Open exit came in her 1997 debut when she lost in the third round, turned the match around when she finally broke McNally’s serve and then consolidated in a tight service game for a 5-2 lead in the second set.

Williams looked more like herself in the decider both serving and returning better - as she went up a double break for a quick 3-0

liams, whose 28 unforced errors were two fewer than McNally.

“But it’s OK, I’m alive, I’m still here and happy to be on this court. I’ll do better. I promise.”

Williams dropped only one point through her first three service games but it took her some time to make any inroads on the McNally serve as the American was hitting her targets with pin-

point precision.

The match proved a far more gruelling affair for Williams than she had in her opener, where she dismantled Maria Sharapova with one of her most dominant performances since returning from maternity leave in 2018.

McNally said she did not feel intimated walking onto the biggest stage in tennis to face one of the game’s all-time best players and left the match feeling beyond proud of what she accomplished.

“I got a set off Serena Williams. Had her close in the second set, too. Had some chances,” said McNally.

“For me, it just gives me a lot of confidence, shows me that I can compete out on the biggest stages. Just keep my head down, I’m ready to go back to work.”

Up next for Williams will be either Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei or Czech Karolina Muchova, who were unable to get their match in earlier due to rainy conditions.

Three wickets in an over for Michell Starc // Getty AUSTRALIA pace bowler Mitchell Starc pressed his claim to play in the fourth Ashes Test against England with three wickets in an over on the first day of a tour match against Derbyshire.

Starc’s 3-46, along with 3-31 from Michael Neser, helped Australia dismiss the home side for 172.

The tourists then moved to 77-0, with Marcus Harris unbeaten on 55 and Usman Khawaja on 18 not out.

Steve Smith, making his return from a concussion, is set to bat today.

Smith missed Australia’s dramatic defeat in the third Test after being struck on the neck by England’s Jofra Archer during the second Test at Lord’s.

His only involvement on Thursday was to bowl one over with his leg-spin, with plenty of his team-mates getting valuable match practice.

In the early stages it looked like Neser could overshadow Starc by taking the first three wickets to fall, including two in two balls.

As Australia were held up by Leus du Plooy’s 86, left-armer Starc cut a frustrated figure, his bowling wayward.

That changed as soon as Matt Critchley gloved a short ball behind to wicketkeeper Alex Carey. From the next ball, Alfie Gleadall was bowled by a devastating yorker, with Tony Palladino suffering the same fate four deliveries later.

When Australia came to bat, Harris and Khawaja made comfortable progress on a sedate pitch against some gentle bowling.

The conditions look ideal for Smith to spend a long time at the crease. (BBC Sport)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 30, 2019

BCB pays tribute to its former president, D. Somwaru … Albion Open defeat Chesney by six wickets to lift Somwaru Tribute trophy

“SINCE I was elected president of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB), I have worked very hard to heal wounds, to build bridges of friendship and to create an atmosphere of unity in Berbice cricket.

Every one of us must sing from the same Hymnal and there must be “us” no “them”.

Mr. Somwaru has been an outstanding servant of Berbice cricket and today he has been honoured as such”. Those were the words of BCB president, Hilbert Foster, at a special presentation ceremony for his predecessor, Mr. D. Somwaru, at the Chesney Cricket ground.

Foster defeated Somwaru on the 18th February, 2018 by two votes at a High Court-ordered Election, to become president of the Board. Since then, Foster has reached out to the majority of those who had voted against him. Some of them are now actively involved in his administration while others are very cooperative in getting work of the Board done.

Foster had stated on numerous occasions that his Roman Catholic belief does not allow him to hold ill will against anyone and that he wanted to have all hands on deck to develop Berbice cricket.

He described the former BCB President as a close friend for close to three decades and despite a few moments of disagreements, that friendship is

still strong today.

The BCB president organised a Four-Team Tournament at Somwaru’s home ground, Chesney, as part of the Board’s tribute to Heroes Programme.

In the first round of matches, Chesney Cricket Club defeated Toopoo Cricket Club while Albion Open Cricket Club got passed Jai Hind Cricket Club by 3 runs.

The Final was played on

sized crowd, Chesney were restricted to 111 all out from their twenty overs, with Safraz Khan top scoring with 27 not out. Z. Zakeer was the chief destroyer with 5 for 10.

In reply, Albion Open reached 112 for 4 from 17.5 overs as Chesney Cricket Club bowled and fielded poorly. P. Baldeo stroked an aggressive 54, which included three sixes and four boundaries. Andy

Winners’ Trophy and a box of cricket balls, while both teams received a large amount of educational materials to be distributed to students in their villages.

Albion Open also benefitted from a donation of a five-gallon water pitcher.

The Berbice Cricket Board presented two special gifts to its former president along with a framed Certificate of

Mr. D. Somwaru poses with the winning Albion Open Cricket Team

Sunday last with Albion Open Cricket Club defeating the favourites, Chesney Cricket Club, by six wickets to win their first-ever BCB Tournament.

Playing in front of a fair-

Naidu supported with 24 as the pair added a crucial 75 runs for the second wicket.

Baldeo was named Man of the Final and received a special gift and trophy. Albion Open Cricket Club carried home the

Excellence. Foster called on Somwaru to share his vast experiences with the younger generation of cricket administrators and wished him good health in the future, Somwaru, in an invited

Former BCB president, D. Somwaru, hands over the Somwaru Tribute Trophy to the Albion Open Captain

comment, expressed his appreciation to the BCB and Foster for the welcome gesture. He wished the Board more successes in the future and joined Foster in urging all cricket leaders to work together as a

collective unit.

All of the trophies and prizes for the Tournament were sponsored by the Berbice Cricket Board and the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club.

French referee praised for stopping Santokie, De Grandhomme part of new-look St Lucia Zouks match over homophobic banners

PARIS (Reuters) - The coaches of Nice and Olympique Marseille and France’s equality minister have all praised the referee who interrupted the Ligue 1 match on Wednesday because of homophobic banners in the home crowd.

France’s equality minister Marlene Schiappa said the banners had sullied the stands while Nice coach Patrick Vieira said referee Clement Turpin had been left with “no choice.”

Play was stopped in the first half for around 10 minutes and players left the field over the banners displayed by Nice fans.

French media also reported homophobic chanting during the match which Marseille won 2-1.

One banner referred to Tuesday’s takeover of Nice

by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, who also owns the Team Ineos cycling team.

The banner used the word “pedale” which means “to pedal” but is also a derogatory term used to define gay people.

Another banner read: “More fans in the stands means a more gay stadium.”

“The referee was right to stop the match,” said Vieira,

the former Arsenal and France midfielder.

“These things are unacceptable. The message was clear, and the referee didn’t have a choice. He could have maybe given us a bit more time to go and see the supporters and to ask them to

Referee Clement Turpin gestures (Action Images via

Reuters/Carl Recine) remove the banner. But he explained things to me that I fully understand.

“I hope that this won’t happen again, in Nice or in any stadium.”

Vieira’s opposite number Andre Villas-Boas agreed

the referee made the “right decision”.

Schiappa said in a Tweet that Nice fans had ignored “several requests” to withdraw the banners.

“Football is passion, not hate,” she said.

The French league has promised to crack down on homophobic chanting this season which has already seen a second tier match between Nancy and Le Mans interrupted.

Homophobic chanting is deeply ingrained in some Latin American countries, especially when the visiting goalkeeper runs up to take a goal kick, and FIFA dealt with several dozen cases during the qualifying competition for the 2018 World Cup. Mexico were sanctioned 12 times — two warnings and 10 fines — while Chile were on three occasions ordered to play away from their National Stadium, although they simply moved the games to alternative arenas in Santiago.

However, there were no cases of matches being interrupted.

THE St Lucia Zouks have announced a number of changes to their playing roster for the upcoming Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season.

Right-arm fast bowler Lasith Malinga of Sri Lanka will be replaced by Krishmar Santokie of Jamaica for the first two games and by Colin de Grandhomme for the remaining matches.

Santokie has significant CPL experience, having played for the Guyana Amazon Warriors, Jamaica Tallawahs and St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in previous seasons. Santokie has 80 CPL wickets, the second-highest by any bowler.

De Grandhomme was a member of the New Zealand squad that made it to the final of the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup in England. Having scored 2873 runs and taken 65 wickets in his 178 T20 appearances, De Grandomme brings a huge amount of experience to the Zouks’ squad.

Thisara Perera and

Niroshan Dickwella have international commitments. Perera will miss the first two games and will be replaced by Afghanistan international Najibullah Zadran for those matches.

Beuran Hendricks has international commitments and is no longer available.

He will be replaced by Dominican all-rounder Kavem Hodge.

The 2019 CPL will be the seventh season of the

Colin de Grandhomme (left) and Krishmar Santokie

Dickwella will miss the whole tournament. He will be replaced by Cameron Delport for the first two games and Hardus Viljoen for the rest of the tournament.

South African bowler

domestic Twenty20 cricket league in the West Indies.

Matches will be played in six countries – Trinidad and Tobago, St Kitts and Nevis, Guyana, Barbados, Jamaica and St Lucia beginning September 4.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 30, 2019

Aaron Wan-Bissaka & Tyrone Mings earn England call-ups for Euro 2020 qualifiers MANCHESTER United fullback Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Aston Villa centre-back Tyrone Mings have won their first call-ups to the England senior squad.

Wan-Bissaka, who moved to Old Trafford from Crystal Palace this summer, was part of the Under-21 squad in June’s age-grade European Championships.

Mings, 26, has made an assured start to his career at Villa since joining, initially on loan, in January.

Defender Kyle Walker, winner of 48 caps, is left out.

Gareth Southgate’s side are preparing for Euro 2020 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Kosovo on 7 and 10 September respectively.

Of the two new faces, the England head coach said: “Tyrone’s an interesting case as he entered the game a bit later and hasn’t played as much as a centre-back.

“He had a big injury at Bournemouth but I really like his leadership qualities.

“He’s an outstanding ath-

lete and I see a lot of potential and time for growth given the number of games he’s played.

“Aaron adapted very well to a high-profile move with the intensity and pressure.”

Mings says he thought his England call-up was a prank when he first found out.

“I got a text when I came in from training from England’s player liaison and I text her back, thinking she was joking,” he said.

“She then called me and said she wasn’t joking and that’s how I found out. It was only when I spoke to her on the phone I realised it was serious.”

Chelsea playmaker Mason Mount and Liverpool winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are also in the 25-man squad.

Oxlade-Chamberlain’s last England appearance was in a 1-1 friendly draw against Italy in March 2018, a month before he damaged knee ligaments playing for his club.

Walker, 29, is a rightback but was deployed as a central defender during En-

Sri Lankan ‘mystery spinner’ endis retires (REUTERS) - Sri Lanka’s Ajantha Mendis, who burst on to the scene as world cricket’s mystery spinner a decade ago, has announced his retirement from all formats of the game at the age of 34, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Wednesday.

Ajantha Mendis has announced his retirement from all formats of the game

Mendis made his debut against West Indies in a one-dayer in April 2008 but it was his remarkable haul of

six for 13 against India in the Asia Cup final three months later that turned heads around the world.

His trademark “carrom balls” - a disguised legbreak produced by flicking the ball between the thumb and the middle finger - left batsmen befuddled in the age of video analysis.

Mendis claimed 26 wickets in his maiden Test series against India, a record for a three-match debut rubber, and also went on to become the fastest player to 50 ODI wickets, taking just 19 games.

Mendis took seven wickets in six matches at the 2011 50-overs World Cup but soon lost his spot in the Sri Lanka team as batsmen began to read his variations.

He last featured played international cricket in 2015 in a one-dayer against New Zealand in Christchurch.

He finished with 70 wickets in 19 tests, 152 in 87 ODIs and 66 in 39 Twenty20 internationals.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Friday, August 30, 2019)

COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL- Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD- 83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158)

ANSWERS TO YESTERDAY’S QUIZ:

(1) Rohan Kanhai-256 (Kolkatta, 1958-59) (2) 93 & 107 (Banguluru, 1974-75) (1)

TODAY’S QUIZ:

Put these in order beginning with the man who has taken most Test wickets against India: Michael Holding, Gary Sobers, Courtney Walsh, Lance Gibbs (2) Which player made his debut in the first Test of the current WI/IND series?

ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

gland’s run to the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2018.

His omission comes as

ing dropped for the Nations League finals.

Southgate said he want-

new club, while also looking closely at Wan-Bissaka and Liverpool right-back Trent

Wan-Bissaka and Mings both made permanent moves in the summer

Wan-Bissaka is called up and Atletico Madrid’s former Tottenham right-back Kieran Trippier is recalled after be-

ed to “reintegrate” Trippier back into the squad on the back of a big move and solid start to the season for his

Alexander Arnold.

“That’s the reason on this occasion that Kyle Walker isn’t with us,” he

said, adding that he had explained his decision to Walker.

“It’s not the case that he’s not playing well for Manchester City - it’s quite the opposite,” Southgate continued.

Leicester playmaker James Maddison could be in line to win his first cap.

Who is left out?

Tottenham pair Dele Alli and Eric Dier, Everton’s Fabian Delph and Manchester City defender John Stones have all been left out with injury problems.

Burnley striker Ashley Barnes, who has scored more goals than any other Englishman apart from Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling in the Premier League this season, has been overlooked.

The 29-year-old is eligible to play for Austria, who he represented at under-20 level, through his grandmother but has not been called up for their senior side after politicians questioned whether he was sufficiently Austrian to win a full cap. (BBC Sport)

Evans to face Federer, Konta also into third round DAN Evans set up another Grand Slam meeting with Roger Federer by beating French 25th seed Lucas Pouille in the US Open second round in New York.

The British men’s number two, 29, dug deep to overcome an out-of-sorts Pouille in a 6-4 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 win.

Meanwhile, Johanna Konta made an impressive statement as she swatted aside unseeded Russian Margarita Gasparyan in 54 minutes.

The British number one, 28, hit 24 winners in an emphatic 6-1 6-0 victory.

Konta will play China’s 33rd seed Zhang Shuai in the third round on Friday.

Evans said he has the belief he can push five-time US Open champion Federer, who beat him at Wimbledon in 2016 and at the Australian Open earlier this year.

“I hope to enjoy the occasion and not just be part of the show,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live of a match that will also be played on Friday.

“I know Roger’s game pretty well, but have to put to the side that I’m playing him.

It’s the third round of a major and I have the chance to reach the fourth round - I’m confident I can do it.”

Evans, now 58th in the world after being unranked last year, impressively punished Pouille in the opening two sets, then recovered well after losing his way in the third.

Evans was praised by Federer after the Briton pushed him in a 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 second-round defeat in Melbourne in January and has another opportunity to test him further in New York.

He has the benefit of an extra day off after playing his second-round victory under the Arthur Ashe Stadium roof on Wednesday, while Evans’ match against Pouille was pushed back to Thursday because of the rain which cancelled play on the outer courts.

There was little danger of more weather disruption as the sunshine returned to New York, with Evans using

Dan Evans also reached the US Open third round in 2013 and 2016 - but has never gone beyond that stage

The 38-year-old said it was like “playing in the mirror a little bit” and then went on to invite Evans to practice with him in Switzerland before the French Open.

Federer has made slow starts in his opening wins over Indian qualifier Sumit Nagal and Damir Dzumhur, looking a shadow of his usual self in poor first sets.

the favourable conditions at a sun-baked Flushing Meadows to his advantage.

With plenty of British backing on a packed court 12, Evans edged an entertaining first set, in which both players pushed the other on their service games, by taking his third set point.

Pouille reached the Australian Open semi-finals in

January, albeit being outclassed at that stage by eventual champion Novak Djokovic, but struggled to land a first serve as signs of his streakiness appeared.

Evans looked to be cruising towards victory when he went an early break up on the third, only to plant a volley for a 5-2 lead into the net, which looked like it could prove costly.

Like Evans, Konta’s victory was worth the long wait for the Briton after the rain chaos, although the three-time Grand Slam semi-finalist did actually make it on to court on Wednesday before going back off again without a ball being hit.

That error allowed Pouille to fight back and force a fourth set after the Frenchman finally found his service game to win a tie-break which Evans had led 3-0.

Evans put that disappointment behind him by breaking in the first game of the fourth and, after swapping breaks again, took his second match point to win in three hours and 10 minutes.

The Briton said: “It was a difficult match. I knew there would be tough points in the match. I came through pretty well in the end.” (BBC Sport)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, August 30, 2019

FIFA outfits 20 Indigenous teams at North Pakaraimas Football Tournament ― FIFA Instructor Lenny Lake Impressed with commitment and love displayed

WITH the aim of enhancing the level of play on and off the field among indigenous teams, world governing body for football, FIFA, recently partnered with the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) to outfit 20 teams.

Those benefitting are currently participating in the annual North Pakaraimas Football Tournament being played at the Kamana Blue Lions Sports Ground in the village of Kamana, Region 8.

This all became a reality following a visit to the region by Véron Mosengo-Omba, Director of Member Associations and Development for Africa and the Caribbean in 2018. He experienced first-hand what it takes for teams to travel to and fro and their love for the game.

Following discussions with GFF president, Wayne Forde and his traversing of the terrain and interaction with the people, Mosengo-Omba’s subsequent report to FIFA resulted in uniforms and other equipment being made available to the 20 teams.

Also part of the package was an Introductory Coaches Course as well as Referees Training. FIFA Coaching Instructor, Lenny Lake who made the trip to Kamana, Region 8 presented the equipment to the teams and was the facilitator for the Coaches training.

Lake was in awe in experiencing that part of Guyana

noting that the players and people have an unrivalled passion for living the game.

The experienced Coach and former St. Kitts and Nevis national player also said that he was knocked off of his feet in seeing the beauty of another part of Guyana, which he never knew existed.

“FIFA is very pleased to be able to contribute to the support and sustenance of these teams in the interior of Guyana. It is truly amazing

of Guyana for their continued partnership which allows for the players to be able to practice their trade even with so many challenges, including travelling.

“The donation of gear and other equipment will serve to encourage these players and teams and assure them that they too are important in the world of football and I am sure that many of these players will one day break into the national ranks, with sustained

you hear the stories and read about it but to actually live it, it’s unbelievable. Unbelievable in the sense that you saw persons who are living in a different world or what we say, in a different way and you recognize that even though they are living in a different way and they have their challenges; they appear to be happy and enjoy the company of each other.”

But what strikes me most is their passion for

FIFA’s Lenny Lake (centre) pose with representatives of the teams that received the FIFA donated equipment and other officials

to see their level of commitment and passion for the game, traveling days to play, travelling with their babies and camping out for so many days just to play is an amazing experience for me and I can assure you that FIFA is more than happy to be a part of this tremendous journey,” Lake said.

Lake commended the GFF and the Government

support of course, and even go on to get contracts out of Guyana. They are strong and disciplined and it is important for us to continue supporting them.”

Forde commented added that “the GFF continues to provide the hinterland communities with technical and material support.

We are seeing significant improvement in the quality

Match referee King impressed by Bermuda HAMILTON, Bermuda, (CMC) – Former West Indies fast bowler Reon King says he was impressed by Bermuda’s “tenacious” display at the ICC T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier, which saw the island twice upset the more fancied United States to advance to the next stage ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup in Australia.

King, who served as match referee at the weeklong round-robin tournament, which also included Canada and the Cayman Islands, said: “I think the resilience and tenacity of Bermuda stood out for me.”

Bermuda – boosted by the return of Sussex all-rounder Delray Rawlins, who scored a half-century and a 49 before missing the final game – finished second behind unbeaten Canada and advanced to the ICC T20 World Global Qualifier in the United Arab

of the young footballers emerging from the various regions, in fact, hinterland players are featured in almost all of our youth National teams. The love and passion for football among the hinterland peoples is unrivalled across the entire stretch of our 83 000 square miles.”

Lake also offered a comment on his experience of travelling to Region 8, adding “Wow! You hear about it and

Emirates in October and November at the expense of the US, who came third ahead of the winless Caymans.

“I think it was a wonderful tournament,” 43-year-old King added.

Reon King

“Canada and USA were obviously the powerhouses with their experience. USA had just been promoted to ODI status and Canada had a bone to pick with them, so you had good rivalry.

“Bermuda played very

well at home and Cayman Islands didn’t disgrace themselves, so I think it was a very good tournament for all four teams.

“Certainly there were a lot of positives. Obviously there’s some areas where the teams need to tighten up on, and with experience and more opportunities that will certainly happen.”

Guyanese King, who claimed 53 wickets in 19 Test appearances and a further 76 ODI wickets for the West Indies between 1998 and 2005,.was impressed by his first visit to Bermuda.

“It is a very beautiful, nice island,” he said. “Very small, very friendly people.

“We received a lot of support, especially from the umpiring fraternity that came and assisted us.

Very keen fellows in terms of some of the umpires that worked with us as fourth officials.”

football and that is quite surprising because, most of the times you see football, you see football in a structured way with big clubs or associations but these of Kamana and all these other communities around, even though they might not have that structure, have the passion, the pride to come out and play the game and play like they are competing for a World Cup. The attendance and atmosphere is unbelievable that something like this could be happening almost in a remote area and so many persons may not know that this is happening but it just thrills you and overwhelming to see what happens in the interior of Guyana.”

Representing Honourable Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs, Hon. Valerie Garrido-Lowe at the presentation was the Minister’s Personal Assistant, Mr. Orlando Shuman while Deputy Regional Executive Officer, Gavin Gounga was also present.

Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr George Norton, hands over the signed CPL host agreement to Guyana Amazon Warriors Operations Manager, Omar Khan. (Adrian Narine photos)

Guyana Amazon Warriors Team Operations Manager, Omar Khan (centre) and Ministry of Social Cohesion Permanent Secretary, Melissa Tucker (right) sign the host venue agreement for CPL 2019. At far left is Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr George Norton

Host Venue Agreement inked for CPL matches in Guyana ..Shimron Hetmyer appointed director of batting

GUYANA has officially signed the host agreement for the Amazon Warriors home matches despite tickets going on sale more than a week ago.

The document for the Guyana National Stadium at Providence was signed on Thursday in the Boardroom of the Ministry of Social Cohesion.

According to Minister with responsibility for sport, Dr. George Norton, who signed the deal on behalf of the government, the deal will bring joy to fans.

“Cricket is in the air and we know what cricket is to the Guyanese society and we certainly are glad to be a part of this annual tournament.”

When quizzed about the readiness of the stadium, Dr Norton responded by saying, “We have no reason to think contrary, the manager of the stadium is in constant contact with us and we have no reason to think that things are not in place.”

Guyana Amazon Warriors team Operations Manager, Omar Khan, contended that the 2019 signing has reinforced the commitment of the Government to the CPL. He added that the tournament has underscored the importance of youngsters, adding that, “For Guyanese young players, it’s a great opportunity and we have provided for them the greatest opportunity for their development as young cricketers.”

“When you can see young Sherfane Rutherford signing a deal with Mumbai Indians, the current IPL champions in India,

as one of their marquee players, that is a significant intent by the international cricket levels that our young Guyanese players are making it big for themselves.”

According to the GAW representative, “Guyana is the only franchise with eight National Players in their line up and we have deliberately done that because we want to ensure that young Guyanese players have a chance to make their name.”

CHANGES FOR BETTER OR…?

The GAW Camp will commence today, according to Khan, with players coming in yesterday and there will be several changes in the team.

“Part of our system and structure this year will be giving responsibility to the young players. For example, Shimron Hetymer will be appointed the director of batting.

Let him take responsibility in the squad. We are going to set up the squad as a business unit.”

Failing to win any of the six editions of the tournament after making four finals is a ‘glass half full rather than half empty approach, according to Khan. “[it shows] We have been consistent.” He said, adding “We have to be more mentally strong; it has been a challenge for us. Our players, as you know, are probably a little bit too lackluster when it comes to that fighting spirit in finals.

The camp will open today at the National Stadium, Prov-

idence.

“We have a planned programme at the stadium. We have some indoor sessions, some team-building sessions, personal development and professional sessions, we have a practice game carded for next Monday and Tuesday; we may play two games.”

The tournament kicks off on September 4 in Trinidad and Tobago with matches commencing in Guyana on September 5 with the Amazon Warriors playing the St. Lucia Zouks, while on Saturday, September 7, the Warriors’ play the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots.

On Sunday September 8, the Warriors will engage the Barbados Tridents.

Matches return on October 3rd and 4th with the Warriors against the Jamaica Tallawahs and the Trinbago Knight Riders respectively.

MATCHES TO BE PLAYED IN GUYANA Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) v Zouks: September 5 at 18.00hrs GAW v Patriots: September 7 at 20.00hrs GAW v Tridents: September 8 at 17.00hrs GAW vTallawahs: October 3 at 18.00hrs GAW v TKR: October 4 at 20.00hrs Sunday October 6 –(Guyana)_Two games--Eliminator and Qualifier One.

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 2019