Prisons under control No. 104537
SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2016
Price: $80
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‒ Ramjattan declares, says prisoners with ‘new spunks’ can be handled
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Vendors protest 5 removal to allow for Stabroek restoration P.
Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan engages peeved Stabroek Market vendors outside City Hall yesterday afternoon
Gov’t will not Several injured as interfere in work bandits invade of the media Ramada Casino – President Granger 4
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GTT receives approval for 4G service 20
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, April 30, 2016
Reopen investigation into 2012 gold heist ‒ Investigators did sloppy work, say forensic auditors FORENSIC auditors have recommended that investigations into the 2012 Curacao gold heist be re-activated here. Based on their findings, local authorities had lazily pursued the multi-million-dollar heist. Following their inspection of the books of the Guyana Gold Board (GGB), the forensic auditors made the foregoing recommendation, and added that regional and international assistance should be procured in new investigations into the heist. Done by accounting firm Ram & McRae, the forensic audit was completed in March this year, and was forwarded to Finance Minister Winston Jordan for his perusal.
On November 30, 2012, the Guyana-registered boat ‘Summer Bliss’ was attacked by gunmen shortly after it moored on the Dutch-speaking island of Curacao, and 476 pounds of gold were carted off from the vessel. Authorities on the island suspected that the metal had been smuggled, but, years later, the case remains unsolved. According to the auditors, a team from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) had visited Curacao during the month following the attack after reports persisted that the gold may have originated from Guyana. According to the auditors, the Curacao authorities reported receiv-
ing electronic documentation from the authorities here on the intended shipment of gold. Investigators in Guyana determined that the vessel was registered at Port Georgetown as a cargo vessel in the name of Deosarran Shivpaul, whose address was Lot 23, Tenze Firme, Canal #1, West Bank Demerara. However, police were unable to trace this person at the address, after investigators found it was an empty plot of land. According to the auditors, then Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud, had received a report following the visit of the two GGMC officials to
the Dutch-speaking island. However, the audit team noted in its findings that the secretary of the GGB reported that no evidence exists that Persaud even received the report. In that report, the two GGMC officials had pointed to their report being inconclusive, but they observed weaknesses in the maritime system and recommended closer collaboration among the relevant agencies. And as if to complicate matters, the Curacao authorities had informed that they would provide relevant information on the matter only if a request were made by local public prosecutors to their counterparts on that island.
Gold Board records over $10B in losses from 2012-2014 A FORENSIC audit conducted into the Guyana Gold Board has revealed that the agency recorded losses amounting to over $10B from 2012-2014. The audit was conducted by Ram and McRae. After the APNU+AFC government assumed office last year, it immediately embarked on forensic audits of over 40 state agencies and institutions. According to the report, over the three years the board made losses totalling $10.077B. Of this
amount, the board recorded a gross loss of $9.71B (96.4%) in 2013 compared with a gross loss of $281M in 2012 and $79M in 2014. The auditors revealed that because of the significance of the loss in 2013, they carried out an extensive month-by-month analysis for the year, in an effort to identify the source of the year’s loss. Matters taken into account included opening and closing inventory, purchases and sales of gold and price movements.
And what this revealed was that losses, as a result of the fall in gold prices, amounted to $9.9B, while other stock losses and exchange gains totalled $345M and $624M respectively - a net position of $9.7B. The auditors reasoned that the difference could be due to a number of factors, including rounding and was therefore not further investigated. The other stock losses reported are a result of averaging of purity factors used in purchasing. “From our inquiries, the board seemed uncertain how to respond to changing market conditions and continued to hold large quantities of gold, even as the price declined further” the report stated. As of May of last year, the Gold Board had owed the Ministry of Finance some $8.7B for advances received
in September 2012. At the same date, the balance on the Gold Board’s current account with the Bank of Guyana was an overdraft of $8.8B, making a total of $17.5B. Further, it was noted that at the same date, the Gold Board had gold valued at weighted average cost of $7.7B which exceeded market value by approximately $72M. “It does not seem that the Gold Board would be able in the foreseeable future to discharge its obligations to the Ministry of Finance or to liquidate its overdraft with the Bank of Guyana. Moreover, the Gold Board Act is silent on how permanent losses are to be dealt with and consideration needs to be given to re-capitalisation of the Gold Board,” the report stated. (Ravin Singh)
In November 2015, the auditors did not receive any response from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in Georgetown to decipher whether the matter was in their hands. “…and it appears that recommended actions were not pursued, reducing the chances of identifying and prosecuting the shipper”, the auditors noted. The auditors are reportedly of the opinion that the occasion had provided opportunity for the Gold Board and the police to carry out visits to the business places of the larger gold dealers in Guyana. “We are surprised that this was not done by any of the regulatory or enforcement
agencies”, the auditors went on to say. The auditors noted that further pursuit of the issue would bring the matter to a conclusion, ascertain how it was perpetrated, as well as punish the wrongdoers and put safeguards in place to avoid any recurrence. On November 30, 2012, several gunmen disguised as police officers raided the Summer Bliss, a fishing vessel moored at the port in Willemstad, Curacao. The heist appeared well-planned, since the gunmen, using three cars to escape, beat the Guyanese captain and held his three countrymen at bay with guns, before making good their escape.
Four years jail for taxi driver who stole high-powered weapons THIRTY-THREE-YEAROLD Nabadaningi Gobin, of 1049 Aubrey Barker Road, South Ruimveldt, was found guilty of break and enter and simple larceny on Friday by Magistrate Judy Latchman, following an eight-month trial. Gobin, a former taxi driver, was convicted for breaking into James Samuels’s dwelling house at Relief, East Bank Demerara, on July 4, 2015. The court heard that Gobin broke into the house and carted off a quantity of firearms and ammunition. It was further stated that Gobin stole one Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun, a Glock pistol, 14 9mm rounds, 58 shotgun cartridges and other items, all totalling $17.2 M. The magistrate in her ruling considered the seriousness of the offence and the need to prohibit others from contemplating such offences. As such, the father of one was sentenced to four years imprisonment for each
Convicted Nabadaningi Gobin
charge along with a fine of $60,000. The sentences will run concurrently. Meanwhile, Nabadaningi is currently on trial before City Magistrate Fabayo Azore along with co-accused Edward Skeete also known as “Pretty Boy” for the murder of Ryan Clementson, who was shot at Turning Point, Tucville, between July 14 and 24,2015.
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Prisons under control GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, April 30, 2016
‒ Ramjattan declares, says prisoners with ‘new spunks’ can be handled PUBLIC Security Min- as part of our intelligence police and the army,” the ister Khemraj Ramjat- to deal with the situation; minister stated. tan has declared that the and we are dealing with it,” Ramjattan admitted that country’s prisons are un- Ramjattan is quoted by the “the very bad attitude” of der control, and there is Government Information prisoners, who are doing no threat to national secu- Agency (GINA) as saying. “a number of reprehensible rity, although he suggestHe said that while the things” to prison wardens, ed that the situation at situation at the Georgetown has “kind of damaged the the Georgetown Prison is Prison is abnormal, the sit- morale of certain prison abnormal, officers.” with prisonHowever, There is no national security threat, in ers displayhe said most my opinion; and based on all the ing “new of the prisinformation we have gotten (from the spunks.” on officers “Indeed, have indiDirector of Prisons and other senior things are officers from the prison), there is nothing c a t e d t h a t not normal what they (at George- that would not be controlled and contained f a c e a r e by the Ministry and also the police and the “about nortown Prison)…and of mal threats army,” the Minister stated. course the that you prisoners have gotten ‘new uation is under control. would have every day.” spunks.’ They now have “There is no national “We have to win back cellphones, and they are security threat, in my opin- that kind of morale in the dealing directly with cer- ion; and based on all the prison wards. We are doing tain opposition members, information we have gotten that at present by virtue of with certain newspaper (from the Director of Pris- having the support of both reporters. ons and other senior offi- army officers outside and “ W e h a v e t o u t i l i s e cers from the prison), there policemen inside,” the minwhatever messaging (infor- is nothing that would not ister disclosed. mation) we are getting from be controlled and contained A number of prison ofall of this, and to use that by the Ministry and also the ficers recently took medical
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Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan
leave, and officers from the Mazaruni Prison were transferred to the Camp Street facility to manage the prison population there. Minister Ramjattan said he can understand prison wardens speaking to the media about the situation, but he cautioned that the press has a responsibility to not distort the reality, as he claimed the Guyana Chronicle did yesterday with a
US$5M GTT shares still outstanding – NICIL maintains THE National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) says it is still owed US$5M for government shares in GTT. The Chinese company, Datang Telecom Technology and Industry Group, had purchased government’s 20 percent shares in the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company Limited (GTT) in 2012. The shares were sold at US$30M, but the company had paid only US$25M. NICIL‘s position contradicts that of the government; the latter stated that the sum was paid and that it was finding it difficult to pinpoint who had collected the outstanding amount owed to NICIL. Minister of State Joseph Harmon and NICIL’s in-house attorney, Natalia Seepersaud, visited China several weeks ago and engaged in discussions pertaining to the outstanding US$5M owed for the purchase of the 20 per cent shares in GTT.
It was discovered by virtue of documentation that the outstanding US$5M was paid over to the NICIL. However, NIICIL is standing by its position that the sum was not paid. The government holding company in a press release recently, stated that on August 24, 2012, it executed a Share Sale and Purchase Agreement (SSPA) with Hong Kong Golden Telecom Company Limited (HKGT) for the sale of the entity’s 20% shareholding in GT&T. The sale was approved by the former Cabinet. The Asian firm is yet to honour its agreement to pay the balance which has passed an agreed timeline by two (2) years. According to the statement, the agreement provided for the purchase price of US$30M to be paid within stipulated timelines. This included US$25M to be paid on the closing date and the balance of US$5M to be paid on the completion
date. That date is defined as the second anniversary of the closing date, or such other date as agreed between the Vendor and the Purchaser. NICIL noted that HKGT was the contractural party to the SSPA. It said the company is a subsidiary of Datang Telecom International Technology (Hong Kong) Company Limited, which is wholly owned by its parent company Datang Telecom International Technology Co. Ltd China. On the 8th November, 2012, the sum of US$25M was wired to NICIL’s account, which utilizes US currency, held at Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited. The balance of US$5M became due and payable to NICIL on October 22, 2014, according to the agreement. “Despite several written requests by NICIL, HKGT has still failed to pay the balance of the Purchase Price”, NICIL said. The company went on to state that in an attempt to avoid costly and lengthy adjudication of the matter in the English Courts, it request-
ed the assistance of the Government of Guyana to encourage HKGT through diplomatic channels, to honour its contractural obligations. Subsequently, NICIL noted that after a series of communications with the Former Guyana Ambassador to China, HKGT was assured that they were not required to pay the balance of US$5M. This is against the backdrop that the company not been granted the same minority protection rights enjoyed by NICIL. On this note, NICIL said the Chinese company alleged that instead of one, it was promised two representatives on the Board of Directors of GT&T. In addition, HKGT also alleged that the decision to waive the US$5M was contained in a side agreement. NICIL said that it has not been able to verify the accuracy of HKGT’s claim of a waiver. It has requested the government’s assistance to verify the validity of HKGT’s assertion and the documents they produced to support same.
story entitled “National Security Threat”. “The press has a role to play, but if the press, in its opinion, would like to carry headlines of that nature, they must be responsible enough to understand that it could have far-reaching effects, and I thought that at least there should be some responsibility in relation to headlines,” Ramjattan told GINA. An inquiry is currently underway to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the deaths of 17 prisoners at the Camp Street jail in early March this year. A number of measures have been taken to bring back normalcy to the prison since the riots that led to the deaths, the minister noted. These include having the army guard the outside parameters of the prison and the Tactical Services Unit (TSU) of the Guyana Police Force (GPS) guard the inside. The decision was also taken to separate those prisoners who were identified as being instigators of the situation by sending them to other prisons. In addition, steps are being taken to move long-term, high profile prisoners from the
Georgetown Prison to the Mazaruni Prison, as part of the solution of reduce overcrowding in Georgetown. Minister Ramjattan told GINA that as recent as yesterday, the Director of Prisons, accompanied by a staff member of the Ministry, visited the Mazaruni (Region Seven) prison on another fact-finding mission. “They have gone there to do what is called the groundwork as to the factual situation, as to where and when we can start ensuring some infrastructure work for the accommodation of both prison officers and the prisoners themselves,” the Minister said. The plan is to move, at the minimum, 120 prisoners from the Georgetown Prison to Mazaruni. “It will be more or less a medium-term kind of infrastructure rehabilitation of Mazaruni for purposes of getting the prisoners out from a Georgetown scenario,” the minister explained. He reiterated that increasing the capacity of the Mazaruni Prison is the best short-term measure, as the administration looks at having a more permanent solution to the problem.
Cabinet appoints members to Poor Law Commission CABINET has granted its approval for the appointment of nine members to the Poor law Commission. The members of the Commission are: Dr. Holly Alexander, Chairman, Ms. Simone Blair, Mr. Glen King, Ms. Hazel Pindar, Mr. Oswald Young, Ms. Sandra Roman, Ms. Simone Poole, Ms. Kathy Smith and Ms. Alana Da Silva. A release from the Ministry of the Presidency noted that the Commission was established in keeping with the Poor Relief Act which speaks to provisions for the poor.
It encompasses areas such as the alms houses, order for person requiring relief to be placed in alms house, provisions as to property of an inmate of an alms house, payment of expenses of poor relief, accounts, register of paupers, persons entitled to relief, settlement of relief list and remittances of amount required for poor relief to local boards among others. The members of the Commission will serve for a period of two years with effect from April 1, 2016 through March 2018.
Several injured as bandits invade Ramada Casino
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By Navendra Seoraj
IN what was deemed as chaotic and frightful, several persons were left injured early yesterday morning when bandits invaded the Hotel Ramada Casino, Providence, East Bank Demerara. “It was pure confusion, with blood and ransacked gaming areas, frightened persons and a whole load of other chaotic scenes,” a
GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, April 30, 2016
-pure chaos and fright, says employee
female employee, who did not want her name published, told the Guyana Chronicle. Persons screamed, ducked and hid, the employee stated. She said that prior to that, around 03:20 hrs, the place was silent, when suddenly someone ran into a section of the Casino and yelled “Gun! Gun! Y’all run and hide!” The anxiety grew, as four armed men began to order
Persons were barred from entering the Ramada casino as investigations continued yesterday into a brazen attack by bandits Three patrons, Melissa The police release inpatrons, employees and even everything unfold, told this Ferguson, Jermaine Mason dicated that police ranks and Roshel Fraser were also responded to a report and security guards to get on the newspaper. floor. According to a release assaulted by the men during confronted the perpetrators at the hotel where there was The employee said that from the police, four of the the incident. It was reported that a an exchange of gunfire which the bandits opened fire loose- five persons who were inly, hitting at least five per- jured are employees Eon security guard was held hos- resulted in police Lance Corsons. Garraway, James Gregory, tage as the bandits made their poral Andrew Richardson of “They were walking all Orlando Knights and Udairan way to the cashier, where Impact Base, Brickdam, beover the place, hitting per- Sookraj, who received in- they took away an unknown ing shot to his abdomen. He sons and doing all sorts of juries to their left hand, left sum of foreign and local cur- has been admitted to hospital. So far, according to reother unpleasant things,” the foot, left hand and right hand, rencies. The Guyana Chronemployee, who managed to respectively. They have been icle understands that persons ports, one of the gunmen who were present were also was caught, and arrested, remain hidden and watched admitted to hospital. relieved of their belongings and a firearm that was takduring the ordeal. en away from the security The police were called guard was recovered. His in,responded promptly and three accomplices managed a gun battle ensued once the to escape. Investigations men were out of the facility. are in progress.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, April 30, 2016
Vendors protest removal to allow for Stabroek restoration By Alva Solomon
SEVERAL Stabroek Market vendors yesterday protested their imminent relocation to the old Royal Castle location near the Linden bus park in downtown Georgetown. This relocation exercise will commence on Tuesday, and will affect vendors who sell phone cards, bread, DVDs and fruits among other items on the outskirts of the Stabroek Market Bazaar. Routes 41, 45 and 46 minibuses which operate at the bus park located in the immediate vicinity of the Stabroek Market Bazaar will also be relocated. The move, which is temporary, is part of City Council’s plans to restore and preserve the richness of the iconic Stabroek Market Square. The vendors’ protest comes one day after they met with the Council at City Hall, and both parties are said to have verbally agreed to the relocation. The vendors are contending that the new location, identified at the old Royal Castle site, is unhealthy, insecure, and away from the busy parts of the market area. Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan told the vendors that he would report their concerns to the Council. He said the Council agreed that the area would be prepared for the vendors over the weekend. Duncan is performing the functions of mayor as Mayor Patricia Chase-Green is out of the jurisdiction. He said the Council plans to reorganise the area. At about 15:00 hrs yesterday, Duncan left City Hall’s chambers to meet with the peeved vendors, who walked from the lawns outside the Ministry of the Presidency to City Hall to vent their concerns. “We agreed…that we are going to prepare a certain section for you. It will be prepared; we are not going to send you into any unhealthy area,” Duncan told the vendors. He said that at the meeting on Thursday, both parties agreed that 24-hour security would be in place at the old Royal Castle site. “You are coming with something else now, and so I want to be able to go back to the Council, the people who were elected by you for your interests, and then we will see
selling at the market for decades. She said that in the lead-up to the Cricket World Cup in 2007, City Hall had decided that vendors must clean the area on the outskirts of the Stabroek Market Bazaar and maintain it at a standard, and the vendors had complied. “I cannot afford to move now Mr Deputy,” the woman declared. Another vendor told Duncan that the area earmarked for relocation is unsightly, since many “junkies” and prostitutes frequent the site. The vendors noted that several persons were also robbed of their personal belongings there, while another recounted the murder of Linden minibus driver Alvin Lorrimer, who was shot and killed by two men last Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan engages peeved Stabroek Market month at the Linden bus park. vendors outside City Hall yesterday afternoon The vendors expressed willingness to remove from the area for several days so that the Council can undertake its works to recap the street outside the market. One vendor suggested that if he were told of relocation plans before last month’s Local Government Elections, his support would have gone elsewhere. “Mr Deputy, I have five children. I bought a set of Guyana flags along with the 50th stamp on it. I decorated my stand to welcome our anniversary and visitors,” a female vendor told the Deputy Mayor, as she vehemently maintained she would not relocate from the area. Last Thursday, Town Clerk Royston King addressed a The vendors gathered outside City Hall’s entrance on Regent Street, well-attended meeting of stakeholders on the lawns of City where they engaged Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan what happens,” the Deputy Clerk executes those deciMayor noted. sions. However, the vendors He told vendors that the maintained that they will not Council makes the decisions remove from the area. for the city’s upkeep and One vendor told the Depdevelopment, and the Town uty Mayor that she has been
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Hall, and informed them of the relocation plans. King outlined that the meeting was aimed at strengthening the Council’s partnership with the vendors and minibus operators who play their trade on the periphery of the iconic municipal market. King said the buses plying the Number 41, 45, 46 and 48 routes would revert to parking at their old parking locations, including along Avenue of the Republic and opposite the Victoria Law Courts, known as the Supreme High Court. “The plan is that we will clean that particular area and reorganize it to allow for the richness of the city to emerge. It is an iconic area and has a lot of history, and we need to reorganize it to allow for a new set of energies to emerge,” King told the gathering, as he pointed to this year’s Golden Jubilee celebrations being themed with the move to improve the environs of the market. The Town Clerk explained that the shifting of the vendors and minibus operatives to the locations identified will initially be on a temporary basis, until Council is able to work out a permanent arrangement for the vendors.
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Editor-In-Chief
Nigel Williams Editor
Godfrey Wray
Editorial: 227-5216; 227-5204 guyanachronicle.com wnigel10@hotmail.com gnnleditorial@gmail.com
Editorial
The Public Procurement Commission LAWS are necessary for the growth, development, and peaceful coexistence of society and its people. This is a universal belief held in esteem. According to the Organization of America States’ (OAS) online extrapolation on “What is the Law”, subsection ‘Why we need it’ says, “If we did not live in a structured society with other people, laws would not be necessary. We would simply do as we please, with little regard for others. But ever since individuals began to associate with other people -- to live in society --laws have been the glue that has kept society together.” Thus, in the instance of the Public Procurement Commission (PPC), enshrined in the Guyana Constitution, it is reasonable to expect that this institution would have been established. Where the PPC has responsibility to ensure proper management of public goods and services, its non-functioning is one of concern. This is even more so given that its placement in the constitution came during the 2001 reform, and was never established. The public was last advised that names were being submitted. The National Assembly, and more particularly the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which has responsibility for getting the PPC going, should treat with this issue as a matter of national importance and urgency. Understandably, the public has grown skeptical of the handling of the awarding of Government contracts. Past instances of awarding contracts not based on ability, but on friendship have caused billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money to be wasted on badly constructed infrastructure; and the pharmaceuticals’ scandals of single sourcing, overpricing, and acquisition of supplies the shelf life of which was close to the various expiration dates will not easily erase skepticism. Recent announcements that billions have been awarded to source goods and services on behalf of the people raise eyebrows in the absence of the PPC. Given the past, there is little, if any, appetite
GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, April 30, 2016
That particular photo image Dear Editor, BEING a private collector of historic British Guiana and Guyana items over the years, I just stumbled on one and only one photo image of “Youth Week”. It’s a historic event
wherein schools would participate in road marches around the city, and take the salute at the Square of the Revolution. Another similar historic event would be ‘Mass Games.’
In the face of Guyana’s impending 50th Anniversary Jubilee celebrations, in the month of May which begins very soon, I thought I should share the photo image as an educational tool and a reminder that
the abovementioned events would have fallen within the 50 years since Independence celebrations. Yours faithfully, T.PEMBERTON (old man in the sea.)
Does this signify development? Dear Sir, TO THE best of my knowledge, the coordination of inter-association football has been ongoing for over two (2) decades, perhaps longer, at the behest of the nation’s governing authority, the Guyana Football Association (then), and the Guyana Football Federation (now)! However, the current administration is, for whatever reason, continuing with this outdated and non-productive mode of play, which isn’t conducive for development, and leaves much to be desired. Moreover, it must be taken into serious consideration that, within its employ, the GFF has a “Technical Development Officer.” Editor, almost ten (10) years ago, in a private discussion with the TDO, I implored: “Guyana may be the only country in the world which plays football at the inter-association level, albeit, inter-constituency,
parish, state etc”. How can this format seriously develop the nation’s football, when some associations have clubs that are devoid of a well-structured nursery programme! Further, selecting an inter-association squad to pursue training creates room for “skullduggery”, since the appointed coach, due to time constraints for preparation, would be more comfortable coaching the nucleus of the squad from his club, and would likely be paying more attention to his club, which may be pursuing championship honours in another competition! In the final analysis, if the powers that be are seriously committed to meaningful development, then it must be compulsory that each association submit its “Calendar of Activities”, documenting general council meetings, workshops, seminars and competitions (various divisions) for submission within a specific
for continued malpractices. And this is not to say that there is no trust in any leader. The reservation is understandably borne out of the lack of trust in politicians, and perceptions -- rightly or wrongly -- that they generally seek office for self-serving reasons. In that the present opposition, who chairs the PAC, when in government did not establish the PPC, and is seemingly now lethargic to so do, coupled with a record of allegations of corrupt practices, it is feared that there may be efforts; nay, it be said on both sides, to disregard this important public sector institution. Transparency International (TI) ranks Guyana highly corrupt on its Perception Index. The absence of the PPC will aid the perception, making it more difficult to remove the stain, which should be of concern to all. TI notes, “Corruption impacts societies in a multitude of ways. In the worst cases, it costs lives. Short of this, it costs people their freedom, health or money. The cost of corruption can be divided into four main categories: political, economic, social and environmental.”
time-frame. Thereafter, the onus is upon the GFF to coordinate the relevant competitions at all divisions (age limits). National club championships must always take precedence over inter-association football competitions, and the winner and runner-up from each of the eight (8) associations must be able to participate in a round-robin/knockout format. Apart from attracting sixteen (16) participants, in excess of six (6) to eight (8) weeks of uninterrupted preparation for a competition is more meaningful. Additionally, in excess of two hundred (200) players will be vying for selection within the squad, while, within the eight (8) associations’ structure, one (1) month of preparation may well be problematic, along with less players being exposed for selection. Travelling by some players would be significantly curtailed, i.e. Maichony-Plaisance,
in pursuit of training with the respective Associations’ squad. It would be more prudent to stage inter-regional bi-annual games featuring various sports disciplines under the auspices of the NSC, and have the GFF coordinate the football activities. Editor, with an under-17 inter- association tournament scheduled to commence on May 07, how many associations would have played any under-17 competition domestically for the year? Besides, the traditional May-June rainfall is seemingly already upon us, coming earlier than anticipated! Therefore, preparations would be significantly curtailed, owing to the nature of poor drainage for grounds. To whose foresight, or lack thereof, should May be credited to start the tournament anyhow? Respectfully yours, LESTER SEALEY
All are affected by the non-adherence to laws. While ordinary citizens are deprived of an improved quality of life, such as in social services, and wages/ salaries and essential commodities remain out of reach, given their pricing; the well-connected and well off are ensnared as well. Corruption robs the society of the security that comes with everyone having similar opportunities, the presence of a clean environment, quality education and healthcare, etc. These deprivations hinder development, personal and national. Criminality also thrives in such an environment, making none safe. These regressive factors need not be ignored. In fact, they should be the reason to propel the PAC to act, and the people should see to it that they do. The names of nominees should be presented to the National Assembly for a vote, which would set in train the process for the PPC to be established. Where one side or committee of the House fails to act, the other side and committees must push for action.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, April 30, 2016
Gov’t will not interfere in work of the media – President Granger
PRESIDENT David Granger, speaking at a workshop to train local journalists and other media practitioners in reporting on suicides, yesterday laid out his government’s policy on the media, declaring that the executive will not meddle in the affairs of the private or state media, and reiterating that the state media has responsibility to offer a voice to the opposition and others in society. “The Government of Guyana is committed to the promotion of a high degree of media professionalism. The administration will not undermine the professionalism of state media workers by subjecting them to political direction or interference in their work,” the President said. The workshop was organised by the Guyana Press Association (GPA), the local office of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the Ministry of Public Telecommunications with responsibility for tourism. “Independent media act as watchdogs of Government. They promote transparency by ensuring that information is provided to the public on the work of Government. They are a source of valuable feedback on the effectiveness of the efforts of the Government. There is no good reason for the state to interfere in the work of the private media,” the President declared. The President indicated that the Government has no immediate intention to discard state media, which now consist of the Guyana Chronicle newspaper and the National Communications Network (NCN), which broadcasts via radio and television. He said the state is obliged to preserve, protect and promote citizens’ right to freedom of expression, and the state does that by enforcing constitutional and legal guarantees, and by providing those citizens with access to information. “Free access to information is an inalienable right of every citizen, and an indispensable condition of democratic society,” President
Granger said. He said that citizens’ access to information is a democratic right, and information is necessary for citizens’ informed participation in society. “Restrictions on the flow of information deny citizens the opportunity to participate fully in decision-making, and thereby impair democracy,” the President affirmed. The President noted that Article 146 of the Constitution provides: “Except with his consent, no person shall be hindered in the enjoyment of his freedom of expression; that is to say, freedom to hold opinions without interference, freedom to receive ideas without interference, freedom to communicate ideas and information without interference and freedom from interference with his communication.” As such, the President said, Article 146 is “an unambiguous and unclouded statement of our supreme law, and an assurance of every citizen’s right to freedom of expression.” The President said his administration recognises the roles of, and respects the separation of powers among, three branches of government – the Legislature, the Executive, and the Judiciary. AS such, he said, the state media has a duty to report accurately and without bias on all three arms of the state, and the state media is obliged to report the views of all parties in the National Assembly in the course of public business. Further, he said the state media has a duty to ensure that the opinions of those on the margins of society are heard, and that the media should serve the interests of all the people of Guyana, and not only the Government. The President said the state will continue to have a presence in the media. He noted that this is necessary because private media are located largely on the coastland, and they do not possess sufficient resources to provide public information to all citizens, especially those in hinterland and rural regions. “State media therefore
President David Granger greeting members of the executive of the Guyana Press Association: (from right) Fareeza Haniff, Nazima Raghubir; and President of the Association, Neil Marks are not intended to compete for, or to dominate, the information space. The state is committed to protect citizens’ constitutional right to communicate ideas and to receive information. State media will continue to provide this service in a dispassionate and professional manner. “State media have a duty to report on national development and projects, since such information is often not sensational enough to be given attention by the private media,” the President declared. Further, the President said the state media has an obligation to inform the people about community development projects, and the people are entitled to know the details of those projects. “State media also can play an important role in disseminating economic, environmental, health and climate advisories, and provide information about public services.” He said the administration’s policy is to develop ten strong regions administered by ten “capital towns.” “It is our expectation that, in the not-too-distant future, each ‘capital town’ could contribute to closing the communications gap with its citizens by establishing its own media -- newspapers, radio and television, along with facilitating the prevalent social media.”
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, April 30, 2016
GCCI, IAC bemoan crime situation THE Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has expressed concern about the escalation in armed robberies and violent crimes being perpetrated on members of the business community and the country as a whole. The Chamber has said in a release that it would like to implore the Government and the Disciplined Forces that the need to address this issue is even more urgent as celebration of the Golden Jubilee fast approaches. The Government has been asking tourists and Guyanese abroad to come back to visit, celebrate, and moreover invest in Guyana. “It is extremely disturbing that all the support, over the years, from both local
and international agencies seems to have done very little to improve the overall effectiveness of the Guyana Police Force in securing the nation. Clearly, there is an urgent need for a national discussion on the long-term capacity of the Force to address the level of crime in Guyana, starting with an increase in foot patrols. “Robberies such as those committed on the Princess Casino; the murder of the two prominent rice farmers, both burnt to death, and numerous other businesses across the country continue to be documented in our daily newspapers (and) are regularly viewed by our intended overseas guests. These incidents will loom like a large cloud over our parades and related activ-
ities, deter visitors from coming to participate in our celebrations, and can place a damper on lucrative future investment,” the GCCI has said. UNCOMFORTABLE The Indian Action Committee (IAC), in a separate statement, also bemoaned the crime situation. “The Indian Action Committee (IAC), like all Guyanese, is horrified at the deaths of the elderly East Bank Essequibo couple, seventy-five-year-old Mohammed Munir, and his wife, sixty-nine-year-old Jamila Munir, who perished after their home was allegedly set ablaze,” the non-governmental organisation said. “The IAC understands that the unsuspecting
rice-farming couple was attacked by bandits just before their home was set on fire. Reports suggest that the home was deliberately set ablaze by bandits. This horrific incident is yet another example of heinous crimes that continue to be meted out to innocent Guyanese at the hands of merciless bandits. These incidents, which seemingly appear unabated, continue to drive fear into the hearts of Guyanese,” the IAC contended. OTHER INCIDENTS The IAC is also reportedly horrified over the killing of businessman Mahendra Persaud, 26, of Wakenaam, Essequibo, who lost his life on April 19, 2016 in Georgetown after being attacked and robbed by an armed
bandit; the recent killing of a security guard on the East Coast of Demerara; the robbery at the Ramada Princess Hotel earlier the morning, and other “frightful incidents” of crime. According to the IAC, it cannot help noticing that these attacks, some of which result in deaths, are perpetrated largely against Indo-Guyanese. The organisation is also of the view that it would not be unreasonable to suggest that Indo-Guyanese appear to be targeted by heartless criminals. In forthrightly condemning these latest incidents, the IAC called on the authorities to immediately implement effective security measures to curb these attacks on Guyanese.
The IAC is also urging the authorities to ensure that the security of the populace is given utmost priority, as promised, and noted that the fear that continues to be instilled into the hearts of the citizenry can no longer be tolerated. “The IAC, having expressed these sentiments in the past, can only hope, like all Guyanese, that counter-measures would be implemented as swiftly as possible, so as to cease the haemorrhaging of innocent lives. “The IAC takes this opportunity to express its deepest condolences to the immediate family (members) and relatives of the victims, and calls on civil society to join in its call”, the statement concluded.
G/t Mayor sounds warning to city councillors GEORGETOWN Mayor Patricia Chase-Green has reiterated that city councillors cannot make decisions individually, but should first consult with the entire City Council before approval can be granted for a project. “Councillors are not allowed to make decisions on their own. I don’t want councillors going out there and if people ask them to build a bridge or something, they say ‘yes, go ahead and build it’. It has to be a Council decision,” she told the Guyana
Chronicle recently. In fact, she is hoping that this forms part of the code of conduct that will soon be established, once the Legal Affairs Committee meets to discuss it. The code is expected to come into effect by May, Mayor Chase-Green revealed. “We have to have a proper dress code to come into Council and Council meetings. We have to know how to approach staff. It will be wide, because we have so many areas to deal with,”
she observed. She told this newspaper that when the recommendations are approved by Council, the code of conduct will immediately take effect. Just recently, the 30 new councillors who were elected following the March 18 elections had an opportunity to be trained through a Councillors’ Orientation Workshop and Retreat. The project, a brainchild of Town Clerk Royston King, was born out of a need to improve governance
and management systems at City Hall, so as to ensure better delivery of services to citizens. It was also aimed to help councillors become familiar with their duties and responsibilities to the City of Georgetown. The orientation session and retreat served as an opportune entrance point for commencing efforts to revamp the Council’s operations, and revitalize local democracy after a long two-decade breakdown. Councillors were given a preview of the municipality’s ongoing projects and those that are still in the pipeline, and were enlightened on the roles they would likely play to ensure
Georgetown Mayor, Patricia Chase-Green
successful execution of those projects. Among further objectives of the workshop were to create a space where new
councillors and administrative Council staff could engage and share ideas for improving Council’s functioning, and to examine ways of incorporating lessons learnt from the previous Council. Adopting international best practices in improving project execution and project outcomes was also included. The Ministry of Communities is charged with the responsibility of overseeing the functioning of local government organs, and acts as a direct link to central government. This ministry oversees the activities of all the regional democratic councils, municipalities, and neighbourhood democratic councils.
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Linden Mayor reprimands Town Clerk for tardiness
LINDEN Mayor Carwyn Holland has accused Town Clerk Jenella Bowen of being apathetic in informing him and the councillors, in a timely manner, of correspondences concerning the council that she is in receipt of. At the first statutory meeting of the new council, held on Wednesday, the mayor reprimanded the Town Clerk on her alleged tardiness, and the two became embroiled in a heated exchange of words, as the Town Clerk defended herself against the allegation. Describing the town clerk’s behaviour as disrespectful to the council, the mayor made it clear that he would not be accepting the lackadaisical and mediocre behaviour being displayed by the town clerk, whom he sanctioned by way of written correspondence. He described her attitude as impertinent, and said it stymied the work of the council, which at the earliest opportunity should be made aware of matters of which it should be concerned. The mayor also instruct-
ed the town clerk to bring to his attention matters concerning the council, so that he would be more knowledgeable of what is taking place in the council. In her defence, the town clerk said that as administrative head of the council, she is tasked with sharing with the councillors, at committee and statutory meetings, correspondences filtered to her. She claimed that the mayor’s allegations against her are based on his mixing up her roles and responsibilities with his. “It is clear that there is some mix-up or cross-over between the responsibilities of the policy maker, who is the head citizen of this town, and administration….I believe there is a mix up,” she posited. She based her defence on sections of the Municipal and District Councils Act, Chapter 28:01. The mayor rubbished the town clerk’s response, saying that, at the earliest opportunity, the Mayor’s Office should be made aware of matters concerning the council, and he also
Mayor of Linden, Carwyn Holland
referred to the Municipal and District Councils Act, Chapter 28:01. “There is so much going on in this council that we need to be made aware… if they are matters of this council, they need to be brought to the fore…. “I will not tolerate mediocre or lackadaisical behaviour within our municipality; be reminded that all matters within the purview of the councillors must be referred to the councillors, therefore it is improper for you to be in receipt of pertinent information of the council without relaying same,” affirmed the mayor, as he
read the correspondence he had penned to the town clerk on the issue. He also accused the town clerk of failing to meet with him when he requested her presence at a particular meeting; not getting her attention to discuss important issues; and not furnishing the council with documents such as minutes of meetings in a timely manner. “I’m saying if this is the way this council is being run -- we have no knowledge…it has to stop,” the mayor affirmed. Councillor Lenox Gas-
per, Chairman of the Administration and Legal Affairs Committee of the Linden Town Council, commenting on the issue, quoted Chapter 28:01 and said the council, like the mayor, should also reprimand the town clerk on matters of negligence. He, however, urged the two officials to respect each other’s office, so that the council can move forward. “We have to be able to keep the wheel turning in this council, and as councillors…admin, we have to (be able) to work together cohesively. And if the
admin is the (grease) that keeps the wheel turning and the councillors (are) the driving force that gets the municipality to places it needs to go, then we have to at least respect each other’s office; we may not respect the person, but we have to respect their office,” Councillor Gasper stressed. Councillor Rawl Friday eventually moved a motion that all pertinent correspondences be forwarded to the mayor on a daily basis. That motion was embraced by all councillors, except Councillor Lennox Gasper.
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Immigration facilities at ports of entry should be upgraded ‒ Forensic audit report By Alva Solomon IMMIGRATION facilities at the Ogle International Airport (OIA), where there is an increase in passenger traffic, should be upgraded to handle the growth
in movement, specifically arrivals. This was among several recommendations made regarding the country’s ports of entry by accounting firm Maurice Solomon & Co. in its forensic report dated
March 16 and forwarded to the authorities. The audit, undertaken for the period January 2012 to May 2015, was carried out at a time when the Department of Citizenship was newly formed, and its duties and functions absorbed those that had fallen under the purview of the Ministry of The Ogle International Airport (OIA)
Home Affairs. According to the auditing firm, considering the increase in passenger arrivals at the national ports of entry: the Ogle International Airport (OIA), the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), and at Moleson Creek on the Corentyne, there is need for reviewing the facilities at these locations. The report specifically singled out the immigration booths at the OIA, stating that priority should be given to upgrading departure and arrival areas at the OIA with state-of-the-art facilities for relevant services, including baggage handling, customs inspection, and speedy immigration procedures, with additional immigration booths being installed for improved service. OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS In other recommendations, the audit firm called for a review of citizenship
and immigration legislation. The auditing firm noted that there exists three pieces of legislation which govern citizenship and immigration matters. These are the Guyana Citizenship Act 14 of 1967, Chapter 14:01; Immigration Act 42 of 1947, Chapter 14:02; and the Aliens/Immigration and Registration Act 37 of 1947, Chapter 14:03. The auditing firm said these pieces of legislation should be reviewed and revised as necessary, citing as example areas wherein examinations are usually given in other jurisdictions to foreign applicants in their attempts to gain citizenship. The audit firm also recommended measures for the effective functioning of the Ministry of Citizenship, stating that that ministry, with all its divisions and administrative personnel, should be located in one building; or, alternatively,
a combination of buildings in one compound, which it noted would facilitate good communication and easy access to key players, especially at critical times when necessary. As regards enhanced services, the auditing firm recommended intense training of the staff under the ministry’s portfolio. According to the report, in tandem with the decentralization of services, and to ensure that the functions of each division are competently performed, effective training of all staff should be carefully crafted to meet the needs of staff at different levels, and should be carried out over time. The recommendation is that training programmes can include items relevant to procedure manuals for processes and activities which are considered key to the successful functioning of each section or division.
Shamice breaks into the ‘men’s club’ By Michel Outridge
Shamice Narine: Technician/Technical Administrator at Starr Computers
THE petite but determined Shamice Narine has broken into the “men’s club” and is now the technician/technical administrator at Starr Computers on Brickdam. Believe it or not, she can build a computer from scratch and she chose that career because she knew what she wanted from an early age and worked towards it. Consequently, she enjoys a great deal of workplace satisfaction, performing in a job in which she has become accomplished over the past three years. Shamice is an upbeat young woman whose dream was to become a technician and this has been realised through hard work and dedication. She told the Guyana Chronicle that at no time did she feel discouraged because she chose a career primarily dominated by men. She now works side by side with five males but she is proficient enough to assemble and build a computer from scratch as well as handle repairs, loading software, logging and allocating repairs, doing admin reports, organising workstations and Turn to page 13 ►
GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, April 30, 2016
120 servicemen awarded for outstanding service ONE hundred and twenty servicemen of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) were awarded Thursday by President David Granger for their outstanding performances. President Granger pinned 60 members of the GDF with the Military Efficiency Medal and the Border Defence Medal, while 60 members of the GPF were pinned with the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal and the Border Defence Medal. A release from the Ministry of the Presidency noted that the Military Efficiency Medal is awarded to serving members of the GDF, who have completed 10 years of continuous service with good conduct, and are approved by the Chief of Staff, following recommendations by the Medal Awards Committee. On the obverse of the Medal is the Cacique Crown (an Amerindian head dress) in the centre, which is encircled by the inscription of Guyana’s motto, ”One People, One Nation, One Destiny Guyana,” while the re-
verse has two crossed swords and the words ‘Military Efficiency Medal’ inscribed. The Border Defence Medal is awarded to serving members of the army and the police force, who have had cumulative service on a border location in excess of one year, and are approved by the Chief of Staff and Commissioner of Police, following recommendations by the Medal Awards Committee. On the obverse of that Medal is the Cacique Crown in the centre, which is encircled also by an inscription of Guyana’s national motto. On the reverse, there is a circular image of Mount Ayanganna on which is planted the Golden Arrowhead, while at the base of Mount Ayanganna are bushes and water. The Long Service and Good Conduct medal is awarded to serving members of the Disciplined Services, who have accumulated 15 years of continuous service with good conduct, and are approved by the Commissioner of Police, also following recommendations by the
Medal Awards Committee. On the obverse of the Medal is the Cacique Crown in the cente, and is similarly inscribed with Guyana’s national motto, as are the Military Efficiency and Border Defence medals. On the reverse there is a key, a baton and an axe and the words “For Long Service and Good Conduct” inscribed. The medals are all made of nickel, are circular in shape and measure 35 millimetres in diameter. Among those in attendance at the event were Prime Minister Mr. Moses Nagamootoo, accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Sita Nagamootoo; First lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger; Minister of State, Mr. Joseph Harmon; Minister of Public Security, Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan; Minister of Social Cohesion, Ms. Amna Ally; Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Noel Holder; and Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Ms. Annette Ferguson, as well as numerous representatives of the diplomatic corps.
President David Granger, who is also Commander in Chief of the Armed forces, pins a medal on an officer of the Guyana Police Force
A serviceman from the Guyana Defence Force stands tall as President David Granger pins a medal on his pocket
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GNBA prepares to challenge Jagdeo-issued radio licences
By Ravin Singh
LEGAL challenge or the possibility of legislative overhaul is impending as the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) seeks to challenge the award of radio licences by former President Bharrat Jagdeo during the last year of his second term in office. In 2011, Jagdeo had granted 11 licences under the colonial Post and Telegraph Act just before the November 2011 General and Regional elections, a move that saw widespread criticism from the public. Prior to this, in 2001, as a result of the dialogue between Jagdeo and then Opposition Leader, the late Desmond Hoyte, it was agreed that no new licences for either radio or television would be issued until an impartial and autonomous Broadcast Authority was
established. Subsequently, in 2003, a communique between then Opposition Leader Robert Corbin and Jagdeo ratified this arrangement that no licences would be issued until the Broadcast Authority was formed. Between 2001 and 2011, this provision was used by the then PPP government to deny anyone a TV or radio licence. Even existing stations were denied expansion since it would have meant granting them additions to their licences. However, in 2001, Jagdeo breached this long-standing agreement, awarding the licences to several known affiliates and supporters of the then PPP government. Among the persons granted licences by the previous government were former PPP Minister Robert Persaud, the Little Rock Television Station (Berbice), Hits and
Chairman of GNBA Board, Leonard Craig (centre), flanked by board members at a press conference
Jams, Maxwell Thom, Alfro Alphonso, Haslyn Graham, Anand Persaud and Dr Bobby Ramroop – a known personal friend of Jagdeo. The PPP was even issued a licence by him under the Mirror media group and is currently the only political party that operates a radio station. And with these stations still operational, the new GNBA board, at its first press conference Friday, said it is preparing to challenge this move by Jagdeo, either through arbitration or legisla-
tive reform. Director of the Board, Abiola Wong-Inniss, who is also an Attorney -at-Law, explained that given the manner in which these licences had been issued and the persons involved, they were subject and vulnerable to challenge from that moment. “There are options available to us, least of which is the option of litigation. There is also the option of going to the legislature and correcting the problem that exists,” she said, adding that the question now is which method would be the most appropriate. Wong-Inniss contended that a difficult situation arises because at the time the licences were issued, there were applications already existing. Chairman of the GNBA board, Leonard Craig, also weighed in, offering that the board has discussed the issue and decided that the licences appear to have been issued
contrary to and in violation of good administrative practices. He explained that the board was fully cognisant that the issue regarding licences issued by the former President has attracted the greatest interest relative to the board’s function to date. “The said licences appeared to have been arbitrarily issued to persons and entities with close ties to the decision-maker and without regard to prior existing applications,” Craig said. Further, he noted that the decision would have preempted the application of the Broadcasting Act which was already assented to, but was awaiting a date to come into operation, which was also solely in the authority of Jagdeo at the time. “The issues relating to the said licences pose difficult questions which ought only to be determined after deliberate consideration of the
legal options available which includes, but is not limited to, litigation,” he said. As it relates to the existence of a PPP radio station, Director on the GNBA Board and former Broadcaster Anthony Vieira, who sold his TV station to Jagdeo’s friend, said the board was totally against political parties owning broadcasting licences. This, according to the Director, sets a precedent whereby all political parties are able to apply for radio licences, and if same is not granted, claims of discrimination are likely to be made. Further, he pointed out that the board could not support such a move, given the limited space available in broadcasting. Additionally, it was noted that if those licences were to be granted, it would only pave the way for more resources to be diverted towards monitoring over a 24-hour period.
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CoI into Camp Street Prison riot…
Prison officer claims he collapsed due to long working hours By Shauna Jemmott
PETER Barker, Chief Prison Officer at the Georgetown Prisons, yesterday said the pressure of working long hours -- night and day -- under certain circumstances in the Camp Street prison compound caused him to collapse in the jail yard recently. He was on medical leave for a while, but returned to the job to again face the challenges. He described it as tough for a prison officer to deal with the level of blatant disorder displayed by prisoners. He said that while smoking narcotics, prisoners would brazenly approach officers, and would even blow mar-
ijuana smoke in officers’ faces. “As prisoners, walking around with two juckers in their waist and rolling up marijuana, smoking a big joint; and they walking in front of you and blowing smoke in your face; temptations (rise) sir,” Barker told the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the Georgetown Prison riots on Friday. The prison officer said he has managed to control himself by holding on to something he learnt from former Director of Prisons (DoP) Dale Erskine, who is also a commissioner on the panel. “My previous boss always told me to ‘think before you act’,” Barker said. On March 3, the day 17
inmates were burnt to death during the riot, Barker said he reported to work at about 7:55 hours, and at about 10:25 hours, he and other ranks were instructed to take inmates out of the new Capital block in groups of five. He testified that another officer, Owen Charles, tried opening the door, but it was suspected that the door was jammed. Officer-in-Charge at Georgetown Prisons, Kevin Pilgrim, approached the door and pleaded with prisoners to release the door. Shortly after, Charles opened the door, the CoI was told. He said inmate Steve Allicock was extracted, and Shaka McKenzie had, up to a point, quietly complied with orders. According to the
Shamice breaks into... managing customer services. Shamice said that there are a lot of misconceptions about ICT, one being it is a man’s job, but this is not so since she feels quite comfortable in her line of work. She describes her job satisfaction as an ‘adrenalin rush’ and picked such a career because
it is the fastest-changing industry in the world with ICT in every industry. Shanice is an only child and hails from West Ruimveldt Housing Scheme; she thanked her parents for supporting her so much that she has become an “all-rounder” in her field. She likes inter-
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acting with customers and lending support as a team player at Starr Computers which has about 22 employees and a branch in Miami, United States. She strives to become better every day by spending time researching, so as to develop herself.
prison officer, it was when Collis Collison was being extracted by the prison task force that McKenzie began behaving badly. Barker said that after a while he heard the breaking of the wall separating Capitals ‘A’ and ‘B’. He said he was downstairs at the back of the building when he observed thick smoke emanating from the Capital ‘A’ dormitory and heard prisoners crying for help. “I heard some voices hollering ‘Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!’
I coulda hear the prisoners hollering ‘Help! Fire!’” Barker said he and other officers who were strategically placed to ensure other prisoners were secured also ran with the hose, trying to get water to extinguish the fire. He said he remained at the back of the building for security reasons - to ensure that prisoners did not break out of other divisions. The officer testified that when he returned to the front of the building, he saw the “horrible scene” of a lifeless
inmate lying on the corridor of Capital ‘A’. “I did not go up to see anybody because ah couldn’t take it,” Barker said. Noting that the keys were new and were not faulty, Barker said prisoners had jammed the door a second time, and were not cooperative in helping the officers in their attempts to open the Capital ‘A’ door during the riot. “It’s not the first time they (Capital ‘A’ inmates) did it…we asking them to open the door, release whatever it is that you put behind the door so that it could be opened,” Barker said.
Public Assistance, pensions payable Wednesday The Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) has announced that payments of Public Assistance and Pensions on behalf of the Ministry of Social Protection and the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) will commence at 08:30hrs on Wednes-
day May 4, 2016. According to a release, pensioners who wish to encash their NIS vouchers prior to the aforementioned date may do so at any NIS office on Tuesday, May 3, 2016.
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Revised Dietary Guidelines launched
Dr Pauline Samuda, FAO Regional Consultant, addressing the gathering. Seated, from left, are: FAO Representative Reuben Robertson; Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr Karen Cummings; Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shamdeo Persaud; and Ninian Blair, Director (Ag), Food Policy Division
Some of the participants at the workshop THE Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health, on Monday declared open a two-day multi-sectoral task force workshop during which the revised Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) project was launched. Held at the Cara Lodge in Quamina Street, Georgetown, the project was launched by Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr Karen Cummings, and the FAO Representative in Guyana, Reuben Robertson. Chairperson of the proceedings was Dr Shamdeo Persaud, Chief Medical Officer in the Ministry of Public Health. This second Food-Based Dietary Guidelines multi-sectoral task force workshop sought to present the findings of a recent evaluation of the existing FBDGs for Guyana, and to engage key stakeholders in identifying and determining priority issues
to be addressed through the revision of these guidelines. At the opening session, FAO Regional Consultant, Dr Pauline Samuda, gave a brief overview of the FBDG revision exercise, a workshop overview, and stated the objectives/expected outcomes of the workshop. Other areas explored on day one included: Eating patterns among Guyanese, and findings from the evaluation of the existing FBDGs. Wednesday’s session addressed, among other things: Trade agreements/imports and legislation for Guyana – implications and proposed strategies. The workshop sought to present the health and nutrition situation of Guyana; to present the findings from the evaluation of the existing FoodBased Dietary Guidelines (FBGs); to determine priority issues to be addressed through the revision of the FBDGs; and to establish a national FBDG Task Force.
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D&I, better paddy prices, cheaper fertiliser
DRAINAGE and irrigation, better prices for paddy, and the cost of fertiliser were some of the issues raised by Region Six rice farmers in a meeting with Agriculture Minister Noel Holder on Friday. The meeting was organised by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo’s Special Assistant to the region, Gobin Harbajan, and was held at the Skeldon Estate Training Centre. It was attended by about 120 farmers, who, for the greater part of the meeting, maintained their cool, but took a swipe at the Rice Producers Association (RPA) for not supporting them as that body should. Some also complained that millers are paying a flat price for paddy, irrespective of the grade. Minister Holder assured the gathering of Government’s commitment to addressing the problems in the rice industry and wanting to see the industry succeed. Guyana is currently in talks with several nations, including Mexico, to secure new markets for farmers. On the issue of fertiliser cost, the minister explained that the Ministry had intended to provide fertiliser at $6000 per bag, and to allow farmers to import their own, which would have brought the price down to $4500. However, before that could have happened, the private importers dropped their prices to $4000 to increase competition. The minister also urged the farmers to work together to facilitate better water management. He said, “If all farmers plant together, this will aid in water management, rather than one planting now and another next week.”
--Region Six farmers tell Holder their problems
Agriculture Minister Noel Holder interacting with rice farmers after the meeting at the Skeldon Estate Training Centre According to the Government Information Agency (GINA), the farmers expressed disappointment at not being given tax exemptions on vehicles, equipment and materials, and the Agriculture Minister explained that if the Customs officers request a letter from the Ministry, it may be part of their operating protocol. This, he said, is not necessary in all cases. However, “In the case of a tractor, it can be used for many purposes, so Customs may need proof that you are really a farmer.” Financing was also discussed, and Minister Holder pointed out that the Ministry of Finance has engaged the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) on the re-establishment of an agricultural bank. The farmers were also given opportunity to provide sugges-
Saturday, April 30, 2016 - 11:00 hrs
tions on measures to reduce the cost of production. Among suggestions provided were the need for better farm roads and more lands for cultivation.
The meeting also had in attendance representatives from the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), the RPA and top ministry officials.
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Dry weather caused GuySuCo’s production shortfall -- Chief Executive Officer By Navendra Seoraj
THE recent harsh dry spell (El Niño) is being blamed as the main contributing factor for the Guyana Sugar Corporation’s (GuySuCo) shortfall in production in the first sugar crop of 2016. With an initial target of 80,500 tonnes of sugar for the first crop, GuySuCo fell short by 23,000 tonnes due to the dry season, which has affected farmers across the country. GuySuCo’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Errol Hanoman told the Guyana Chronicle that “the drought has been our main problem, resulting in us having a shortfall.” The weather has also led to a drop in production from the rice industry as well as cash crop farmers. Thus, the agriculture industry is expected to get back on its feet with
GuySuCo’s CEO, Errol Hanoman the change of weather which is taking place. Hanoman also made it clear that the recent strikes proved to have minimal impact on sugar production. “We have lots of cane in the ground to make up back for the loss, so once workers continue to co-operate with us, we’ll get back on track.”
GuySuCo was hit by a number of strikes organised by the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) to press for wage negotiations,the Annual Performance Incentives (API) and to fight the announced closure of Wales Estate. Last year, the corporation had missed its first-crop production target of 86,201, finishing the crop late with a little over 3000 tonnes less. Nevertheless, it surpassed its 227, 443 tonnes target, and closed its production at 231, 1450 tonnes, while in 2014 the corporation surpassed its target of 75,000 tonnes by 5000 tonnes. The overall target for this year has been fixed at 240,000 tonnes. Due to the harsh weather, almost all of the estates have missed their targets, while some of them are
continuing to work to reach their marks. Three of those estates are Blairmont, Rose Hall and Albion. On the other hand, Enmore, Wales and Uitvlugt have closed their production. Uitvlugt has made modest attempts to achieve its target. The estate missed its target of 8,200 tonnes, finishing its crop with 7,900. The Wales Estate brought in 5,600 tonnes, which is a shortfall from its projected 8,500 tonnes. In March, Finance Director Paul Bhim had publicised production at 11,243 tonnes. At that time, Bhim had indicated that the industry was battling its way against the unfavourable weather conditions, while production was encouraging. It was reported that the corporation was controlling water supply.
GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, April 30, 2016
GTT receives approval for 4G service
GTT CEO Justin Nedd THE Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) customers will now have the opportunity to do more with faster speeds as the company has received approval from the Government to roll out its 4G service. “Finally, we will bring you 4G. I know that you’ve waited a long time and I am as happy as you to say that we have received approval from the Government,” said GTT Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Justin Nedd “Our 4G mobile network will enable you to connect to the Internet much faster than ever before whether to browse, watch videos or movies, download music or
shop online. All Smart phones sold by GTT are ready to experience the faster speeds,” he added. Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes, has been visionary and forthright in acknowledging GTT’s ability to Do More for their customers. “We are happy to announce that in close cooperation with GTT we are able to provide high-speed, broadband services. This is the way for our country and it underlines that GTT is ready to “Do More” for Guyana and for their customers,” she said. According to a release, the service will be available to mobile customers with active data plans in Georgetown and additional areas will soon be activated to offer more customers this new experience. “GTT takes this opportunity to thank its loyal customers, for their business and we welcome new customers to experience 4G,” the telephone giant said in a release.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, April 30, 2016
Professor Narine to receive Trent’s Distinguished Research Award
ONE of the world’s foremost authorities and leading scientists in the groundbreaking field of biomaterials, Dr Suresh Narine -- Trent University alumnus, Professor of Physics, Astronomy and Chemistry, and Director of the Trent Centre for Biomaterials Research (TCBR) -- has been announced recipient of the 2016 Distinguished Research Award, one of the university’s top honours. “We congratulate Prof. Narine on this award and the incredible biomaterials research his team is conducting, which not only makes an impact at local, national and global levels, but also pivotally contributes to Trent’s standing as a leading research university,” said Dr Neil Emery, vice president, Research and International at Trent University. “I am deeply honoured to receive this award, first and foremost because it’s an honour to join the stellar ranks of colleagues, mentors and former professors of mine who are laureates,” said Prof. Narine, speaking of the award. “Additionally, Trent University is an institution which has a deep seated place in my identity, as it has played an immensely important formative role in my early academic life, and continues to be pivotal in my professional career as a professor and researcher. “Recognition from one’s “home” is the sweetest fruit of one’s labours. This award also is a recognition of the contributions of students, research associates, technicians and collaborators with whom I have had the privilege of working over the past 15 years; and I am pleased to share the honour with them,” Dr Narine has said. Professor Narine has had notable success since starting at Trent University in 2009. In February 2010, he was awarded a $1.25 million Ontario Research Chair in Green Chemistry and Engineering from the Council of Ontario Universities, in collaboration with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. In November of that same year, he was awarded a $3 million Senior Industrial Research Chair in biomaterials from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) in partnership with Elevance Renewable Sciences Inc and
ing sight of the importance of serving the community”, and was recognised for his work as a member of the Trent University community, Peterborough community, and his commitment to his home country, Guyana. A talented teacher, Professor Narine has also won
Professor Suresh Narine the Grain Farmers of Ontario, which was recently renewed for a third consecutive term. Since the creation of the TCBR, the centre has filed 24 patents, published nearly 90 publications in peer reviewed journals, and has trained six PhD graduates and five MSc. graduates. Under Professor Narine’s directorship, the TCBR has also developed collaborative research agreements with the Mahatma Ghandi University in Kerala, India; The Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel; University of the West Indies in Cave Hill, Barbados; and the Universidade Estadual Paulista in Botucatu, Brazil. Professor Narine has also developed the National Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST) in Guyana. Speaking of Professor Narine’s accomplishments, one nominator said: “This scientist is eminently accomplished, is on the cutting-edge of his field; and possesses the business acumen, collaborative experience, and engaging approach necessary to translate his science into technology. Suresh Narine is a worldclass leading scientist, mentor, innovator, businessman, statesperson, husband, and father.” Professor Narine’s nomination for the award included references from globally-recognised scholars and dignitaries. Nominators called him “an accomplished researcher with an international profile, who has demonstrated a capacity to work with business and government partners to translate science into technology.” Professor Narine was also applauded for “not los-
numerous teaching awards, including the Students Union Award for Leadership in Undergraduate Teaching from the University of Alberta; an award from the former President of Guyana, Bharrat Jagdeo, for his contributions to Science and Technology in Canada, and for his contribu-
tions in this field towards the development of Guyana; and, more recently, he was named laureate for the Anthony N. Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence in the Science and Technology category. Established in 1986, the Distinguished Research Award is given annually to
a member of Trent’s faculty in recognition of outstanding achievement in research and scholarship. Professor Narine will be presented with the award at Trent University’s Convocation ceremony on Tuesday, June 7, at 10:00 hrs.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, April 30, 2016
‘I stumbled on her semi-nude body’ --father of murdered Mocha schoolgirl tells court
By George Barclay TESTIFYING via Skype at the Demerara Assizes on Friday, Eric Stoby, father of murdered nine-year-old Sade Stoby, explained how he stumbled on the body of Sade in Mocha backdam, one day in November 2007, while searching for her.
He said that he and a search party had begun looking for the girl after she left her Mocha home for school that Friday morning and failed to return by afternoon. It was not until the afternoon of the second day that he found her swollen body on a muddy dam with little water not far from an aqueduct.
The dead girl was partly naked, and her feet were spread apart, said Eric Stoby, who now resides overseas. Presiding Judge, Justice Jo-Ann Barlow, heard the father tell the jury, the prosecution and defence lawyers how he had proceeded to report the discovery to the police. The police subsequently
picked up suspects Jevon Wharton, who was then 16, and Charles Collin Cush, who was then 14. Following the investigations, during which the accused had allegedly made caution statements admitting to the crime, both young men were indicted with murder. This is their second trial after the first ended with a
hung jury. The prosecutors are Shonette Austin and Siand Dhurjon, and the defence attorneys are Maxwell Mc Kay and D. Kissoon. Among the witnesses who testified yesterday were Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh, who gave an explanation about his examination of the body, and chief investigator, Assistant Police Commissioner Elston Baird. Dr Singh told the jury about the condition of the body of the young girl, which revealed that she might have been sexually assaulted. He said she had an injury to her vagina which gave the impression that she might have been assaulted. She also had an injury to the head, and another injury at the back of the neck which gave the impres-
sion that she had received a blow on that spot. During cross-examination by the attorney McKay, the pathologist said the injury to the girl’s head was consistent with her sustaining a fall and hitting her head on an uneven surface. Baird, in his evidence, had testified that the accused Wharton had told him that he had sexual intercourse with the girl and afterwards she fell and struck her head. He left her after the fall, but had returned the next day, when he realized that she had died. The prosecution is expected to call another witness before closing its case. The trial will continue on Tuesday morning at 9:00am. It is expected that the defence will make nocase submissions.
Two charged with attempt to smuggle birds TWO persons appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan yesterday, charged with attempting to smuggle protected birds out of Guyana without a legal permit to do so. Danwattie Persaud pleaded guilty to the offence, which stated that on April 27, at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), without obtaining the necessary permit, attempted to smuggle out of Guyana several Towa-Towa birds along with other species without being the holder of an export/ import licence. According to the facts, Persaud was an outgoing passenger on a flight destined for JFK International Airport, New York. Police ranks stationed at the airport searched her handbag and found the birds concealed in hair curlers. The unrepresented woman explained in court that she was given the birds by someone to take to the United States. Magistrate McLennan imposed a fine of $140,000 and in default, Persaud will serve six months imprisonment. Meanwhile, 52-year-old Kayum Mohammed of Lot 12 Enterprise, Leguan, was also charged with the same offence. Mohammed also pleaded guilty and was fined $140,000. The court heard that on April 28 at CJIA, without obtaining the necessary permit, he attempted to smuggle out of Guyana several species of birds without being the holder of an export/ import licence. The court heard that he is a Canadian citizen who resides in Toronto. On April 28, Mohammed was an outgoing passenger of a Fly Jamaica flight destined for Canada, when officers found the birds hidden in his suitcase.
GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, April 30, 2016
Wakenaam rice farmers welcome rain By Telesha Ramnarine RICE farmers of Region Three (Essequibo Islands/ West Demerara), especially those on the islands of Leguan and Wakenaam, are making full use of the rainy weather to get back on their feet for the next crop. However, Regional Chairman Julius Faerber said they are still awaiting word from the Ministry of Agriculture as to whether the Government will assist the farmers financially, following massive losses recently. Some of the farmers are trying to resume work with their own finances, Faerber observed, but many of the poorer ones are hoping that the Government will assist them in some way. According to him in an invited comment to the Guyana Chronicle, the region wrote the Agriculture Ministry following a meeting with regional officials last month. Faerber had told this publication that many of the rice farmers are in a dilemma to repay bank loans following their extensive losses. The El Nino phenomenon has, for months, taken a toll on the farmers, most of whom depend solely on rice for their livelihoods. “We are only hoping that the Ministry of Agriculture, ultimately the Government, would assist farmers so they can get back on their feet for the next crop,” Faerber had said. “There has been extensive loss in the region, particularly in Leguan and Wakenaam. It is very disheartening to know of the situation in those two islands. This situation has been ongoing for a couple of months now,” he stated. The Chairman noted that a request has been made of Government for a high-level team to visit the affected areas to see the amount of losses that have been suffered. CAN ASSIST “The Government can assist the farmers with soft loans and other financial compensation. In excess of 300 acres of rice were planted in Wakenaam, while about 150 acres were planted in Leguan. Almost all of that has been damaged,” Faerber disclosed. President David Granger had met with key ministers and stakeholders to facilitate increased ministerial collaboration for the scaling-up of plans to prepare for future cycles of dry weather. At that meeting, President Granger had instructed that a ministerial task force be set up under the leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture, to be responsible for the creation of an action plan that focuses on immediate relief for affected
Region Three Chairman Julius Faerber communities. Within the ministries, all of the key agencies with responsibility for various aspects of tackling the El Niño impact were to participate in the work of the task force. LITTLE LOSSES Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture in a statement on Thursday said despite extreme dry weather experienced over the past few months, Guyana’s rice industry did not suffer tremendous losses as was expected. The National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) and the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI),have worked assiduously in conjunction with farmers and other agricultural agencies such as the Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary Agriculture Development Authority (MMA/ADA) to bring relief to both rice and cash-crop farmers. The ministry said even with extremely harsh conditions, Guyana recorded very low losses in rice. Based on figures collected by the GRDB, 76,717 hectares of rice was planted, and of this amount, farmers recorded only a 4.3 per cent loss. “Cash crops were also affected, but export data received showed a positive during the period. NDIA continued to work around the clock to ensure farmers were getting adequate water supplies for their crops. They were able to supply GuySuCo with seven pumps which were strategically placed at Kamuni, Blairmont, Sandaka, Brotherson and Albion, with the two other pumps being placed within the Enmore Estate. The NDIA also provided four 120-cusec pumps for irrigation at Dawa, Region Two and installed and operated two pumps at Maduni to pump water into the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC).” The NDIA has also installed and operated a pump to supply the Guyana Water Inc (GWI) with sufficient water via the EDWC.
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Glorious summer in sight for Leicester WIPA cannot take City after many winters of discontent disciplinary ... By Michael Holden
LEICESTER, England (Reuters) - When King Richard III was reinterred in Leicester in March last year 500 years after his death, fans of the
August, if ‘the Foxes’ win at Manchester United tomorrow the title will be theirs with two games still to go. “Everybody’s buzzing. If they do it on Sunday (tomorr0w), it will be an
is unbelievable. All the planets just seem to have aligned.”
ALL GONE MAD The highest Leicester have previously finished was second, way back in
A Leicester city fan holds a flag as he celebrates after his team scores against Swansea City while watching the game on a big screen, in Bangkok, Thailand, April 24, 2016. (Reuters/Athit Perawongmetha) English city’s unheralded football club might have thought it too was dead and buried. Richard’s remains had been found beneath a municipal car park. Leicester City were also at a low point, bottom of the Premier League table having won just six games all season. Then they embarked on an incredible run, winning seven of their last nine matches to comfortably avoid relegation. Now they are on the brink of becoming league champions for the first time in their 132-year history, with just three defeats all season. Their exploits have thrust the provincial city into the global spotlight once again. “It’s a remarkable coincidence,” Wayne Harding, a season ticket holder for 34 years, said of the link between Richard’s reburial and Leicester’s meteoric rise. Rated 5000-1, long shots by bookmakers last
absolutely banging day,” said Harding, 53, standing by a new statue of King Richard outside the city’s cathedral. Leicester, about 100 miles (160 km) north of London, has become a sea of blue and white, the team’s colours. Buntings with the club crest flutter from poles in the main shopping thoroughfares and shop windows are adorned with huge Leicester flags and blue and white balloons. “It’s had a massive impact; everyone’s talking about it whether you’re a fan or not,” said Ian Derry, 51, who went to his first game in 1969. In a league dominated for the last 25 years by a select few rich, glamour clubs such as Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal, neutrals and supporters from other clubs are also rooting for Leicester, said shop-worker Derry. “The great escape surprised us all and then to push on to the top and possibly, possibly win it,
1928-9. The club has also been FA Cup runner-up four times but never triumphed, although it has won the less prestigious League Cup three times. Just eight years ago, it was languishing in the third tier of English football. “I’ve worked in Leicester for 10 years and never heard a word about Leicester football club until this year,” said Phil Wiley, 52, who hails from northeast England. “Now everyone is banging on about them. They’ve all gone mad.” Billboards for the Leicester Mercury newspaper read “Biggest Game in Club’s History” and “Pubs Set For Big City Party”. Bars and restaurants are offering blue-themed food and drinks, a butcher is selling sausages named after Italian manager Claudio Ranieri, and pubs are pouring beer named in honour of top scorer Jamie Vardy. O n e re s t a u r a n t i s planning to give away 1 000 free curries to season-ticket holders if Leicester win the title.
WHERE IS LEICESTER? Like its football team, Leicester itself has rarely found itself in the headlines. The city, which dates back to Roman times some 2000 years ago, is one of Britain’s most ethnically diverse areas, with about half its 330 000 citizens non-white British, according to a 2011 census. The tourist office’s list of famous residents past and present has few household names, featuring the likes of psychedelic rock band Gaye Bykers On Acid and crooner Engelbert Humperdinck. “It’s not a high-profile city. We’re not really on the tourist map. When we went abroad and said we’re from Leicester, they didn’t know where it was,” said Bev Danson, 56, who has lived in Leicester all her life. The discovery and reburial of Richard’s body was estimated to have brought an extra £59 million ($86 million) to the local economy, attracting an extra 600 000 visitors to the city. Residents believe the club’s success will have a far greater impact, with English football avidly followed by millions of fans across the globe and the team certain to play in Europe’s most prestigious competition, the Champions League. “It seems as though all eyes are on Leicester,” said Pratik Master, managing director for Lilu Restaurant which is serving up dishes renamed after the team’s manager, who came in for a meal last week, and players. The fact that the club has a Thai owner, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, and a Japanese striker, Shinji Okazaki, has also ensured an eager following in Asia. “We’ve had a great 18 months in Leicester with Richard III but now with the Foxes it’s brought the world even closer,” Master said.
From back page hoped. “We play cricket for the Caribbean people,” Marlon Samuels had said so with his padded feet lying on the table at the media-conference. The winning players removed their shirts and few of them threw them at the stands. “Removing one’s shirt in public is really not against our culture. However, a number of players, the ones who did it in particular are aware of the Indian culture as they have played often enough to know the culture and maybe should have known better,” Lewis signed off. For the record: Saurav Ganguly did so at Lord’s (July 2002) but his similar request to other players was politely turned down by Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. Players are believed to have public-support and hence no disciplinary action is likely by the board, one of the affiliate board member said.
ENGLISH RACING TIPS Goodwood 08:45 hrs Sweet Celection 09:15 hrs Bateel 09:50 hrs Solar Flair 10:25 hrs Intense Style 11:00 hrs Blond Me 11:45 hrs Destroyer 12:10 hrs captain Peacock NEWMARKET 09:00 hrs Arthenus 09:30 hrs Profitable 10:05 hrs Simple Verse 10:45 hrs Air Force Blue 11:20 hrs Venturous 11:55 hrs Tathqeef 12:30 hrs Tawakol THIRSK 09:10 hrs Wheneverwecan 09:45 hrs Castlebridge 10:20 hrs Sunnyside Bob 10:55 hrs Glenalmond 11:30 hrs Tumblewind 12:05 hrs High Bridge 12:40 hrs Rita’s Boy
IRISH RACING TIPS Punchestown 09:35 hrs Cantlow 10:10 hrs Fletchers Flyer 10:50 hrs Limini 11:25 hrs Apple’s Jade 12:00 hrs Potters Cross 12:35 hrs Desoto Country 13:10 hrs Joy’s Gift SOUTH AFRICA RACING TIPS Turffontein 08:25 hrs Trophy Wife 09:10 hrs Juxtapose 09:45 hrs Carry On Alice 10:25 hrs Abashiri 11:05 hrs Legal Eagle AMERICAN RACING TIPS Belmont Race 1 Dea Race 2 castaway Race 3 Corinna Race 4 Super Allison Race 5 Gran the Man Race 6 Vandalize Race 7 Bellamy Way Race 8 Green Mask Race 9 Gee Pea Ess
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, April 30, 2016
Umpire Dar’s ‘Scottish sons’ cause Kilmarnock CC to be expelled ALEEM Dar, the Pakistani umpire who recently officiated in his 100th Test, has been drawn into a row involving one of Britain’s oldest cricket clubs, after his sons lied about being Scottish. Kilmarnock Cricket Club were this week thrown out of the first division of the Western District Cricket Union in Scotland after it emerged that Ali and Hassan Dar had circumvented eligibility rules by falsely claiming to have been born in Glasgow.
The pair registered under the pseudonyms Umer Mustafa and Saleh Mustafa to compete for Kilmarnock in a number of fixtures in the 2015 season, one of which - against Stenhousemuir in August - was watched by Dar himself. The umpire’s trip to watch that contest came after England’s three-day victory over Australia in the third Test at Edgbaston, which had left him with a rare spare weekend. According to a report in The National, he
had arrived at Stenhousemuir’s Tryst ground to watch a “cousin and nephew” in action. Now, however, Kilmarnock have been relegated
breaches of league rules and our investigation proved this to be the case. “It was found that two players were registered with improper details and one, or
which the two illegally registered players participated. “Kilmarnock have therefore been deducted 49 points and are now relegated.”
ENGLAND TOUR …
Pakistan, Sri Lanka agree in principle to points system THE Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has joined Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) in agreeing in principle to a proposal from the England & Wales Cricket Board to implement a points system for their tours of England later this summer. The PCB has given its blessing to the same suggestion that was put to SLC earlier this month, ahead of its own tour of England in May and June. The idea comes in the wake of the successful implementation of a similar system for the last three Women’s Ashes contests. Pakistan are due to play four Tests, five ODIs and a one-off T20I on their two-month tour from July to September, with the suggestion being that four points should be available for each Test victory and two points for the limited-overs contests. That would tally with the weighting given in last summer’s Women’s Ashes, which Australia won by 10 points to six. Initially six points had been on offer for the one-off Test match in the Women’s Ashes, but that figure was reduced to four after the 2013-14 series in Australia, in which England retained the Ashes after winning the Perth Test despite losing both of the limited-overs series 2-1. With a possible 28 points to be made available over the course of the ten fixtures in Pakistan’s tour, but with the Tests due to be played first, a 4-0 clean sweep for either team would be enough to secure 16 points and, with it, the series. The proposal has met with a mixed response from England’s cricketers, particularly those who might expect to play a part in all three formats. “Whatever it is, it’s going to make it extremely competitive and it might bring all three formats together a little bit more,” said Joe Root during an Investec golf day last week. However, his teammate Ben Stokes was less enamoured particularly by the suggestion that the idea might eventually be rolled out to the men’s Ashes. “I think it would be rubbish,” he said. “They’ve changed a lot of things, but Ashes is Ashes, it’s a massive series for England and Australia and I don’t see why it should get changed. “People who watch the game and follow the game, especially in the Ashes, would get a little bit like ‘why are we doing this?’ and I’d probably be in the same boat.” An ECB spokesman confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that the prospect of a points system was taking shape. “We have received an agreement in principle from the board of both Sri Lanka and Pakistan and will release further details of the proposal in due course.” (ESPN Cricinfo)
Umpire Aleem Dar’s sons have caused trouble for their cricket club © to the second tier of the Western District Cricket Union, after it emerged that ‘Umer’ and ‘Saleh’ had actually been born in Pakistan. A Western Union official declared: “We received information regarding possible
both, participated in a number of matches during the 2015 season. “The CMC (Cricket Management Committee) has decided to follow precedent by deducting all the points gained by Kilmarnock in the matches in
In a statement posted to the club’s website, Kilmarnock accepted the punishment, but insisted it had been misled by “the fraudulent actions of a single committee member”. “The club denies in the strongest terms that we
knowingly provided false and misleading information in the registration of the two players,” the statement continued. “While this has been a hugely stressful and ultimately disappointing period in the history of the club, we have fought back from fire, flood and countless other setbacks since 1852. “The strength of any club is its members, and whilst it is galling that the fate of the club and its members has been influenced by the misguided efforts of a few, we as a club can push on again if everyone sticks together.” Kilmarnock, who won the league on seven occasions between 1949 and 1970, have been replaced in the top flight by St Michael’s, who had previously been relegated at the end of the 2015 season. I ro n i c a l l y, K i l m a rnock’s regular club captain is Muhammad Azeem Dar, a Scotland Under-19 player and a genuine nephew of Aleem Dar. However, he was not playing on the day of his uncle’s visit. (ESPN Cricinfo)
GCB/Hand-in-Hand U-19 cricket…
Third round and final rescheduled until further notice THE Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) yesterday in a release stated that the third round and tomorrow’s final of the Hand-in-Hand Insurance Company-sponsored Under-19 one-day tournament have been rescheduled until further notice. Both third-round fixtures were washed out yesterday without a ball bowled due to heavy rain and waterlogged outfields. For yesterday’s fixture, Demerara were expected to play the Under-17s at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) while Berbice and Essequibo were to do battle at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC). However, Demerara, Essequibo and the Select Under-17s have all
The waterlogged Georgetown Cricket Club ground recorded one victory each to date. Teams are rewarded eight points for a win, two points for no result, 0.3 point for every fast bowl-
ing wicket; in addition, one point is awarded for bowling out a team under 40 overs. Based on the allocation, Demerara top the
standings after the first two rounds with 13.04 points, followed by the Select Under-17s, 11.03, Essequibo 10.05 and Berbice 4.00.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, April 30, 2016
BCB, BCC launch Independence Cup THE Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) and the Berbice Chamber of Commerce recently launched the fourth annual edition of the Independence T20 Cup. The cricket extravaganza
Independence Anniversary. At the simple ceremony members of the organising committee spoke of the plans for the event. President of the Chamber, Rajnauth Ramroop said the
and two charitable organisations. Ramroop continued by saying that the BCCDA recognises the importance of sports in nation-building. Secretary of the BCB,
000 are: Upper Corentyne, Port Mourant, Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, Albion Community Centre, Young Warriors Cricket Club, Tucber Park, Blairmont, Police and West Berbice.
Williamson confirmed as Kiwis Test captain KANE Williamson has officially been confirmed as New Zealand’s captain in all three formats, and later this year he is set to become the 29th man to lead the country in Test cricket. Wi l l i a m s o n w a s i n charge at the World Twen-
within the team for a long time now and has already shown himself to be an extremely capable captain,” David White, the New Zealand Cricket CEO, said. “He’s respected by his peers and the wider cricket community for his profes-
Members of the organising committee at the launching is billed for Sunday May 29 at the Rose Hall Community Centre ground. The family event will form part of the calendar of events of the region to celebrate Guyana’s 50th
entity is once again happy to be part of the mega event. He said that funds raised from the event will be donated to the Bal Nivas of Babu John, Port Mourant, orphanages, schools
Angela Haniff, said that the tournament will be a fiveover aside affair, and will involve the top first division teams in Berbice. The teams expected to vie for prizes of over $200
Meanwhile, tournament treasurer Chris Hicks announced that the winning team will pocket $100 000, the runners-up $50 000, while the man-of-the-match will collect $10 000.
Top sports tribunal to decide Platini’s fate within 10 days By Brian Homewood LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) - UEFA president Michel Platini arrives for a hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in an appeal against FIFA’s ethics committee’s ban, in Lausanne, Switzerland, yesterday. Suspended UEFA president Michel Platini said he was more optimistic of having his six-year ban from football overturned, after
his appeal hearing at sport’s highest tribunal yesterday, with a decision due within 10 days. However, the Frenchman, one of the finest players of his generation and also a former coach of his country’s national side, said he recognised that his long, illustrious career in the game would be over if the decision went against him. Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who like Platini has been banned for six
years for ethics violations, was among the three people who gave evidence at the eight-hour hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne. CAS secretary general Matthieu Reeb said a decision would be announced by May 9 “at the latest” by its panel of three judges. “I am even more optimistic after (this hearing) because, sincerely the team that came, and you saw
BCB/NYBG two-day U-19 cricket
Kempadoo’s century leads Port Mourant to innings win AN elegant century from Ezekiel Kempadoo helped his team Port Mourant Cricket Club to a massive innings and 205-run victory over neighbours Whim in the New York Business Group (NYB) two-innings Under-19 cricket competition. Batting first after winning the toss at the Whim ground, Port Mourant amassed 270-7 wickets declared with Kempadoo scoring an unbeaten 102. He got support from Veramootoo Senwasane with 44, Jamar Lancaster 31 and
Vivekanand Jagjit 29. Bowling for Whim, M. Charran took 3-122. In reply, the hosts were bundled out for an embarrassing 65 with only Charran and N. Deonarine offering any resistance with 25 and 23 respectively. Bowling for Port Mourant, Kevin Latiff took 3-14 and Emanuel Seecharran 2-24. Forced to follow-on, Whim failed to begin their second innings, thus forfeiting the game.
that we were numerous, was very good,” Platini, who arrived and left in a taxi, told reporters outside CAS headquarters.
Kane Williamson will be the 29th captain to lead New Zealand in Tests. ty20 in India earlier this year and has led New Zealand in 36 matches across ODI and T20 cricket. His appointment as Test captain was a mere formality after the retirement of Brendon McCullum in February, and at a press conference in Auckland on Thursday it was confirmed that he would lead New Zealand in all three forms. “Kane has been a leader
FIFA ethics panel bans Bahamas’ Haven for five years (REUTERS) - FIFA’s ethics watchdog yesterday banned former Caribbean Football Union (CFU) executive Lionel Haven from football for five years for failing to disclose information related to cash payments at a CFU event in 2011. The adjudicatory chamber of world football body’s independent Ethics Committee imposed the ban and fined Haven, from the Bahamas, 3000 Swiss francs (2137.86 pounds), it said in a statement. In an unusual move, it made the ban public without having contacted Haven, whom it said it was not able to reach at his last known postal address. Enmeshed in the worst corruption scandal in its his-
LIONEL HAVEN tory, FIFA has been cracking down on wrongdoing. Over 40 individuals and entities, including many former FIFA officials, have been charged with graft-related offences in the United States.
sional approach both on and off the field, and has a superb cricket brain. “His drive to see the team succeed and his passion for the game are what you look for in a leader. He’s ready for the role and will only continue to grow.” New Zealand’s next international tour is to Africa in July-August, when they are set to play Tests in both Zimbabwe and South Africa. At 25, Williamson is expected to become the third-youngest man to captain New Zealand in Test cricket, behind Stephen Fleming and John Parker. “It’s certainly an honour. I’ve really enjoyed my time spent as captain and believe this team can achieve a lot,” Williamson, who is currently in India for the IPL, said. “I’m lucky to have a number of experienced players around me for support and will certainly look to utilise this. We’re all striving for the same thing and that’s to represent New Zealand with pride and win cricket games.” “I’ve certainly learnt a lot from Brendon, as has everyone who has played with him. The culture that he and Mike (Hesson, the coach) have cultivated has been a huge part of this team’s success in recent times. We not only have good players, but good people too and that certainly makes any captain’s job easier.” (ESPN Cricinfo)
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, April 30, 2016
Lions seal dramatic win as Smith century in vain GUJARAT Lions got over the line with a dramatic last-ball three-wicket victory as Steve Smith’s maiden Twenty20 century was in vain for Rising Pune Supergiants. The Supergiants have
batting options. However, Australia captain Steve Smith made light of their absence with a brilliant 54-ball 101 to steer the Supergiants to an excellent 195-3. It appeared as though
But a flurry of late wickets ensured a nervy ending before James Faulkner (9 not out) helped the visitors creep over the line in Pune. Steve Smith survived a scare when bowled by Supergiants debutant Shivil
Steven Smith goes inside-out through covers in his maiden IPL century in Pune, yesterday. (BCCI) struggled in their maiden Indian Premier League season and the loss of Kevin Pietersen (calf) and Faf du Plessis (finger) - which led to the signing of Usman Khawaja - has hindered their
a wonderful 93-opening stand from the sensational Dwayne Smith (63) and Brendon McCullum (43) would help IPL leaders - the Lions - chase down the target with ease.
Kaushik’s bizarre left-arm chinaman technique - only for the 20-year-old to have overstepped the mark. A huge six off a free hit from the next ball followed, and Steven Smith continued
to make them pay. The pick of his century was a stunning flick between the legs for four off Praveen Kumar. It was a tough total for the Lions, but Dwayne Smith and McCullum lived up to their billing as big hitters with an electric start to the chase. McCullum went after Albie Morkel in an expensive third over that went for 24 runs, including a massive six launched over midwicket. Dwayne Smith quickly got in the act himself, whacking Rajat Bhatia over long-on. McCullum was undone with a top-edge off Bhatia to short fine leg, but from the next ball Dwayne Smith brought up the fifty with a swipe through midwicket. A brilliant yorker from Thisara Perera snared his wicket, but Dinesh Karthik (33) and Suresh Raina then put on a helpful 51. Four wickets fell in the last two overs to set up the nervy end, but Faulkner just helped the Lions survive the wobble. (OMNI Sport)
One fight is enough for Hamilton By Alan Baldwin SOCHI, Russia (Reuters) - Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton has one big fight on his hands already this season and he is not spoiling for another, not even for charity and against the man with the broadest smile in Formula One. The Mercedes driver, 36 points behind teammate Nico Rosberg after three races won by the German, was asked at the Russian Grand Prix about Australian Daniel Ricciardo’s invitation to take part in a charity boxing bout. “Seems I’m not the only one throwing hands these days. Charity match?” the smiling Red Bull driver said on Twitter earlier in the year with a photo of himself strapping his fists for a gym workout.
Hamilton had added boxing training to his winter workouts pre-season. Ricciardo then posted a video on Instagram this week showing more sparring with the comment: “Trying to improve my skills before a hopeful charity match at the end of the year. (I’ve asked Lewis hopefully he can be
convinced).” The Briton was clear that would not be happening. “I quite like my face the way it is. Fighting someone you don’t like is easy. I like Daniel, so there’s no reason to fight him,” he said. “I’d rather just give the money to charity. Why the hell am I going to risk this,
man?,” he added, pointing to his face. To m o r r o w ’ s r a c e around Sochi’s Olympic Park circuit will be another matter, with Hamilton chasing a hat-trick of Russian wins to end Rosberg’s run of six straight victories - three of them at the end of last season.
Mercedes Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain drives during the Chinese Grand Prix. (Reuters/Aly Song)
Volleyball finals set for today THE Demerara Volleyball Association will today crown a Schools Champion as it runs off the county finals of their first schools tournament for the new administration. This is the first tournament in a decade. The tournament serves off at 10.00hrs today at the National Gymnasium. The top teams from West Demerara, Georgetown and Linden will do battle to bring pride to their respective zones in the one-day round-robin finals. In the preliminary leg Patentia Secondary won the West Demerara leg and St. Rose’s High and Linden Foundation Secondary won the Georgetown and Linden legs respectively. Today’s tournament will see the crowning of an overall Demerara Schools Champion. The tournament’s runners-up Leonora Secondary from the West Coast Demerara, Christianburg/Wismar Secondary from Linden and Queen’s College and Marian Academy from Georgetown will also play today. The response of the schools in this tournament has excited president of the DVA, Trevor Williams, to the extent that he plans to hold another tournament later in the year. This follows the Association’s eagerness to develop youth volleyball. Williams stated that outstanding players from this tournament will get an immediate opportunity to further develop themselves. A male and female school team will begin preparation to represent Demerara at county championships, scheduled for May 7 at the National Gymnasium. The Guyana Volleyball Federation (GVF) will also be selecting male and female teams from the schools championships to represent the country at the upcoming U-19 and U-23 South American Championships scheduled for Colombia in June. The tournament was sponsored by INDESCO, the primary sponsor for the Georgetown leg; Angcam Marine Supplies who sponsored the West Demerara leg; Talk is Cheap Travel Agency, the primary sponsor for the Linden leg, DIGICEL and the Guyana Volleyball Federation.
Russia tops WADA’s 2014 doping blacklist (REUTERS)-Russia was the leading doping offender in global sport during 2014, followed by Italy and India, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said Thursday. Russia, whose participation in the Rio Olympics’ athletics programme is in doubt due to a doping scandal, accounted for 148 of the 1,693 failed tests recorded, according to WADA’s 2014 Anti-Doping Rule Violations Report. Italy (123), India (96), Belgium (91), France (91), Turkey (73), Australia (49), China (49), Brazil (46) and South Korea (43) rounded out the top 10 spots on the list that illustrates doping offences committed in global sport. The total number of failed tests globally fell 13 percent from the 1,953 recorded in the previous year. Athletics and bodybuilding had the most violations with 248 and 225, respectively, followed by cycling, weightlifting, powerlifting, football, wrestling, boxing, rugby union and aquatics. The WADA report marks the final year of statistics under the 2009 World Anti-Doping Code. The 2015 report, which will be issued in 2017, will reflect results of current anti-doping efforts under the 2015 Code. Russia, second behind the United States in the athletics medal table at the 2012 Olympics, is banned from all athletics after an independent WADA commission revealed widespread state-sponsored doping. The country now has to convince the IAAF that it has made enough progress in reforming its anti-doping operation to be re-instated to the sport in time for the Aug. 5-21 Rio Olympics.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, April 30, 2016
Mocha Champs upset Agricola Red Triangle 5-2 MOCHA Champs upset Agricola Red Triangle 5-2 when the two teams collided on Sunday afternoon at the Grove Playfield as the STAG-sponsored East Bank Football Association (EBFA) Senior League continued. The opening match did not come off as Diamond United gifted a walkover to Soesdyke Falcons who move into third place on 9 points with their third win, trailing leaders Grove Hi Tech (12) and Herstelling Raiders (10), all completing five matches in the seven-team/one round league. By the end of the first half, Mocha were well on their way to upsetting Agricola with three goals already in the back of the net. Tyshawn Forris, after the first half-hour, saw neck and neck exchanges, and broke the deadlock in the 35th minute. This was the exact opening that the Mocha boys were waiting for, as one minute after taking
the lead; they doubled the score, Forris again doing the honours of rocking the
dication of what was to come when he scored Mocha’s third goal in the 40th minute.
Goal scorers Andel Anthony (left) and Tyshawn Forris net to complete his double. Before the break, Andel Anthony gave Agricola an in-
Picking up from where they left off in the first half, Mocha were back into
goal-scoring stride in the 52nd minute when Anthony found the back of the nets for his second strike to make it 4-0 in favour of Mocha. Ten minutes later the score read Mocha 5 Agricola 0, Anthony completing his hat-trick. Agricola, who lost their previous match to Herstelling, looked a shadow of themselves and had not fully recovered from the Herstelling loss. However, they were able to pull back a couple of goals during a late surge and even missed a penalty which could have further reduced the deficit. Brian Prince in the 66th and Egbert Nedd one minute later were the only players to score for Agricola as Mocha walked away with full points in a 5-2 win. Matches will continue tomorrow at the same venue when Diamond open against Kuru Kururu Warriors at 13:30hrs. The second game pits Agricola against Soesdyke Falcons.
Jamaica international Burton set to retire JAMAICA international Deon Burton is set to hang up his playing boots at the end of this season, bringing to an end a career that has spanned over 20-years. The 39-year-old’s final game is expected to come this weekend for Vanarama National League North
club Worcester City who will take on AFC Fylde. Burton, whose career began at Portsmouth in 1994, has plied his trade for a host of clubs at all levels of English football, among them Cardiff, Derby Barnsley Stoke, Walsall, Swindon Town, Brentford, Rotherham,
CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Saturday April 30, 2016) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & AUDREY’S TASTY SNACKETTE-176 Charlotte Street, Georgetown (Tel: 226-4512)
Answers to yesterday’s quiz:
(1) Adam Gilchrist (DC) (2) Chennai Super Kings & Mumbai Indians
Today’s Quiz:
(1) Who was crowned ‘Player of the Tournament’ in IPL 2009? (2) Who is the first WI to face a ball in IPL cricket?
Answers in tomorrow’s issue
DEON BURTON Sheffield Wednesday and Charlton. For Jamaica Burton, a hero of the country’s
1998 World Cup qualifying campaign, went on to score 12 goals in 56 appearances. For Worchester, Burton, who also serves as a coach, has scored five goals in 19 appearances. Worcester manager Carl Heeley confirmed the player was set to call it quits. “Deon will be hanging up his boots after Saturday’s game,” Heeley said. “It is an honour personally that I have had an opportunity to work with such a great lad as Deon and a super professional who has had a wonderful career. “He has played in a World Cup and he is finishing off his career playing for Worcester City and we should respect that and congratulate him,” he added. (Sportsmax.com)
Jamaica Tallawahs welcome Steyn as Malinga is ruled out of CPL … SA fast bowler “proud and delighted” to sign up for the biggest party in sport THE Jamaica Tallawahs have moved quickly to replace the injured Lasith Malinga in their HERO Caribbean Premier League (CPL) squad by adding South Africa’s Dale Steyn to their ranks for the coming season. A former number-one ranked Test bowler, Proteas favourite Steyn is one of the leading stars of the world game and will feature in his inaugural CPL campaign for the Tallawahs. In 42 T20 Internationals to date, the 32-yearold has claimed 58 wickets, with an economy rate of 6.71, which is a fraction above (6.68 runs per over) overall career figures in 20-over cricket where he has taken 178 wickets in 165 games to date. A c o n s i s t e n t p e rformer across all three formats, Steyn is also currently ranked fourth in the Test bowling rankings, having previously held the top position from March 2009 to December 2015, and is ranked sixth in One-Day Internationals. Sri Lanka star Malinga, 32, who also featured in the Guyana Amazon DALE STEYN Warriors attack in 2013, is awaiting further tests on a knee injury sustained during the West Indies series back in November 2015. Despite featuring briefly in the Asia Cup, he has been unavailable since then and missed out on the ICC World T20 2016. Commenting on the news, Dale Steyn said: “It is a great privilege to feature in the CPL for the first time and I am proud and delighted to sign up for the Jamaica Tallawahs for the forthcoming CPL season. The CPL is one of the strongest Twenty20 leagues in the world game and it’s a tournament that’s on the rise. There are some outstanding world-class players signed up across all six teams and I’m looking forward to playing against some of my great friends and teammates, amongst them Hashim Amla, AB (de Villiers), Faf (du Plessis), David Miller and Morne (Morkel) this summer. It will certainly add a nice bit of spice to the mix! “I have seen CPL grow over the last few years and it is always a great experience playing in the Caribbean. The crowds and the atmosphere are always special and the fans really get behind their team. Now that there will also be six games in Central Broward Stadium in Florida, I can’t wait to join up with the team in June and step out in Tallawahs colours in a full Sabina Park.” Mohammad Khan, general manager - Jamaica Tallawahs, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Dale to the Tallawahs family. Dale is the best fast bowler in the world and a modern great. We believe he’s going to be an excellent addition to an already solid team.”
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, April 30, 2016
GABF receives $20M from Government THE Government of Guyana on Thursday committed $20M to the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) for hosting the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Under-16 Championships in July of this year. The last time the Championships were held in Guyana was 1999 almost 20 years ago. The money was donated in response to CBC Executive Evaluation Commission’s need to see commitment from Guyana’s government as well as an assurance of Guyana’s capacity to host the Championships. Present on Thursday were CBC president Glynce Clarke and vice-president
(L-R) Permanent Secretary, Alfred King, GABF President, Nigel Hinds, GABF Patrick Haynes, Glyne Clarke, Minister of Education, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, Minister Nicolette Henry, Kenrick Thomas, Director of Sport, Christopher Jones. Patrick Haynes. GABF vice-president Michael Singh commented on the donation stating
that the donations will go towards the purchasing of new equipment and backboards.
“This is a good investment, because the same U-16 team can be moulded and kept together for the
U-19, U-23 and ultimately senior national team,” Singh answered when asked about developing
the team. He was of the opinion that the donation also improves the infrastructure of basketball and Guyanese would be able to see the standards other countries have. The Inter Guiana Games basketball coach Willon Cameron also gave his thoughts on the donation in a comment to Chronicle Sport.. “I believe it’s a good investment for the future of basketball.” The National Sports Commission (NSC) is also to contribute to the GABF. With all the added attention basketball is receiving it is hoped that the game will develop and athletes will come up to suitable standards.
Walton, Wynter named UWI sports personalities of 2015 CRICKETER Chadwick Walton and badminton player Katherine Wynter, both from Jamaica, were named as the inaugural UWI (University of the West Indies) Vice Chancellor’s Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year
2015, at a ceremony on Wednesday evening at the UWI St Augustine Campus. Walton, a student of the UWI Cave Hill Campus in Barbados, got the nod ahead of Fallon Forde of Cave Hill (athletics),
Ravmon Powell of Mona Campus in Jamaica (cricket) and Edson Breedy of St Augustine (taekwondo) while Wynter defeated the challenges of Open Campus students Nerissa Augustin and Abigail Fedee (both netball) and Avoni Seymor
you put your mind to it, you will achieve.” He added, “you should also take the opportunity that the University has created to get an education because the way sports is going, it’s not just about talent, it’s about (how you) think on your feet.
than females. Little things like that I feel should be changed.” Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chancellor of UWI, who delivered the feature address, revealed, “we have decided after consultations that we will
ICC biased towards India - Richards WEST Indies legend Sir Viv Richards has accused the International Cricket Council (ICC) of having an inherent bias towards India. Richards’ comments come on the heels of the West Indies players coming in for severe criticism from the ICC, who deemed some the behaviour following their triumph in the ICC World T20 tournament to have been “inappropriate”. In fact the body maintained that it had seriously considered sanctions for the regional team and skipper Darren Sammy, who criticised the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) in his post-game interview. Richards, himself a former West Indies skipper has accused the body of unevenness and of ignoring infringements by India, due to the fact that the Asian body is one of the game’s powerbrokers. “There are rules in the one-day game under the auspices of the ICC, for instance the system where you go back to the third umpire and things like that,” Richards said to the Antigua Observer. “So, if you are the sole governing body of world cricket, then everyone should be coming under the same umbrella. The Indians do not play certain things the ICC may have in its rules. They totally ignore that and they have been getting away with it for years,” Richards said. (Sportsmax.com)
Chadwick Walton, (left) receives his Sportsman of the Year award from UWI Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles at the Daaga Auditorium at The UWI St Augustine campus. Sports Minister Darryl Smith (right) looks on. (First Published In The Trinidad & Tobago Newsday). of St Augustine (volleyball). The 30-year-old Walton, who has played two Tests, five One Day Internationals and two T20 Internationals for the West Indies, spoke on the issue of time management as a professional player. “It’s difficult but I’ve done it,” he said. “It’s a very difficult task but once
Sports is an integral part of the region.” Wynter, who was unable to attend the function since she was competing in an event in Brazil, said in a video message, “I want to be the best big thing.” She stated, “females have come a far way (in sports) but I still feel we have a long way to go because males get more prize money
pursue the establishment of a Faculty of Sport in UWI.” Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Clement Sankat, principal of the UWI St Augustine Campus, commented, “excellence in sports ignites passion in our regional communities, and participants have the possibilities of reaching an international audience.
“It is important that the UWI embraces our athletes and nurture them sufficiently, so they may achieve regional and international prominence,” he continued. “This will, in itself, extend our global reach and recognition, in keeping with our strategic direction to be an internationally well-recognised university.” Former Trinidad and Tobago cricket captain and West Indies opening batsman Daren Ganga, who spoke on the topic “Reflection on the Life of a Student Athlete and Beyond”, pointed out, “I recall vividly in my second tour to South Africa (in 2003-2004), I had a hard time playing Test cricket and trying to retain content and law cases from my module. “It takes persistence and a strong desire to keep focus to your goals to rise to the top,” added the 37-yearold, who is currently the Senior Manager, Sport and Recreation at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT). Also speaking at the event was Darryl White, managing director of RBC Royal Bank (Trinidad and Tobago) Limited, who noted, “we talk about sports in the Caribbean but it could be a mega business earner. We cannot leave excellence to chance.”
GABF receives $20M from Government See story on page 39
Team Guyana pack for CMRC Leg 1
TEAM Guyana for the first leg of the Seaboard Marine Caribbean Motor Racing Championship yesterday loaded their machines ahead of the May 21 meet. The team includes defending CMRC group 4 champion Kristian Jeffrey’s Mitsubishi Evolution 9, along with his father Kevin’s Evolution, which was loaded yesterday at the John Fernandes Terminal on Mandela Avenue.. Mohan Rangasammy (Mazda Rx7) and Danny Persaud (Mazda Miata) who will compete in both groups three and four were also loaded along with Rameez Mohammed (Honda Civic) and Nazim Gafoor (Mazda Miata). Mohammed and Gafoor will compete in both Groups 2 and 3. Group 4 driver Andrew King (Mazda Rx-7) is expected to load on Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, on the two-wheel end of things, defending champion Elliot Vieira will lead a team, comprising his cousin Stephen as well as Paul Yearwood and Leroy Cort, on the tour of the Jamwest Raceway.
RADO bans Alanzo Greaves for 12 months THE Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Agency (RADO) has banned Guyanese cyclist Alanzo Greaves for 12 months following Adverse Analytical Findings during an in-competition Test on November 1, 2015. The twelve-month period of ineligibility started on November 1, 2015 and ends on November 1, 2016. The RADO Disciplinary Panel decided also that Greaves shall be disqualified in respect of the Tour of Guyana Five-Stage Cycle Race and any prize money and ranking points obtained therein shall be forfeited. He is also ineligible to participate in any capacity in any event or activity or competition authorised, organised or sanctioned by the Guyana Olympic Association for a period of twelve months. He is ineligible to participate in any capacity in any national, regional or international sport activity for a ALANZO GREAVES period of twelve months On November 1, 2015, ten cyclists were identified for In-Competition testing at the end of the Five-Stage cycling race. On November 27, 2015 Alanzo Greaves was informed of the Adverse Analytical Finding of Testosterone in his urine sample, via a ‘Notice of Charge and Provisional Suspension’ issued by the Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Organisation (RADO). He responded to the RADO Notice, by letter of December 7, 2015. His case then underwent ‘Results Management’ by the RADO Disciplinary Panel. The Disciplinary Panel noted that Mr Greaves admitted to the charge, but stated that the infraction was not intentional, that this is a first violation and he waived his right to have the ‘B’ sample analysed.
Defending Group 4 champion Kristian Jeffrey’s Evolution 9 being loaded into the container.
WIPA cannot take disciplinary action against Darren Sammy’s men - Lewis
Darren Sammy’s West Indies celebrate after their World T20 victory THE International Cricket Council (ICC) may have reprimanded the victorious Darren Sammy and his men for their actions and comments against their employers (West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). However, no action is likely to be taken against them, either by the parent body or the players’ association. “We cannot take any disciplinary action against them as most of the T20 team-players (male) are not the members of the association,” Wayne Lewis, the
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former batsman, who played 32 First Class matches, said exclusively over telephone from Jamaica on Thursday morning (India time). Lewis is a secretary of the West Indies Players Association (WIPA). Captain Sammy’s criticism at the presentation was echoed by his teammate Dwayne Bravo, who went on to describe his board as the “most unprofessional” body in the world. “All female players are members of the WIPA. However, only two players of
the current Limited Overs men team are our members”, Lewis added. “Guess they are unhappy with the new MoU (Memorandum of Understanding)/CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) signed between the WICB and WIPA. Well, I guess they cannot be forced to join a union (under clause). We have all the first class players as members, so they might return in due course,” the secretary
See page 34 SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2016