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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, November 16, 2017 Page 13
Six new radio broadcasters approved
No. 105098
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017
Price: $80 (VAT Inclusive)
‘Guyana fit to fight’ Page 3
... President assures Guyana is well positioned to combat financial crimes
Mugabe under house arrest
…as Zimbabwe’s army seizes power
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‘Garbage is killing me’-- cries Page 14
Georgetown mayor
Two businesses destroyed in Berbice fire All suspects in teacher’s death released
Attorney General, Basil Williams escorts President David Granger into the conference hall at the opening ceremony of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) 46th Plenary and Working Group Meeting held at the Marriott Hotel (Adrian Narine photo)
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, November 16, 2017
Six new radio broadcasters approved The Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) has approved six new radio broadcasters for the year 2018, chairman of the entity, Leslie Sobers told Guyana Chronicle Wednesday night. The six broadcasters will be the first set of new licensees under the amended broadcasting legislation. Sobers told Guyana Chronicle that it would be inappropriate to disclose the identities of the new licensees but noted that the six names were submitted as being compliant with all requirements. “Radio licences are likely to be distribut-
ed to those persons who applied for the first time; never had a licence yet,” said Sobers who noted that the selection of the persons was done prior
to Wednesday’s meeting of the board. The six persons have since paid their fees and have fulfilled all other requirements, said Sobers. “The six have
Chairman GNBA, Leslie Sobers
satisfied all requirements and they were presented to the board and the board accepted and ratified- these will move ahead as first set of new broadcasters- they will be licensed for 2018,” he said noting that between now and when the licence are issued, the selected persons will be “putting themselves in order.” However, notwithstanding their selection for the licences, Sobers noted that the GNBA will continue to peruse their documentation to ensure nothing is left out. “We have to run the paper work again to make sure they have fully completed everything,” he
stated. Guyana Chronicle understands that the licences will be issued sometime next week. The GNBA earlier this month had issued radio licences to five companies which were deemed “fully compliant” for 2016. Among the companies that received radio licences were the National Television Network (NTN), I Radio Incorporated, the National Communications Network (NCN), Wireless Connections and Radio Guyana Incorporated. While other companies which had complied were yet to receive their licences at the time Sobers said they have distributed the five
licences to “kick start” and regularise the distribution process. “These licences reflect the period ending December 2016,” Sobers told reporters at the distribution ceremony. During the transition of the board of the GNBA in 2015, he said licensing was not done, so they are trying to ensure that the system is returned to normalcy, so that they can move forward with some level of order for 2017 and 2018. The chairman said they have started with radio licences and intend to distribute television and cable licences for 2016 very soon.
Data collection key for Guyana in 4th round evaluation-CFATF By Svetlana Marshall
THE significant progress made in addressing the deficiencies in Guyana’s Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) regime continues to be acknowledged but the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) said the country must now place emphasis on data collection ahead of the 4TH Round of Mutual Evaluation in 2022. “The important starting point is the fact that Guyana in a very short space of time passed a suite of legislation which resulted in them being taken off the FATF list and also being reviewed by the CFATF, and that was a commendable achievement for the Government and people of Guyana, led by your Attorney General, who is the Deputy Chair of the CFATF--the honourable Basil Williams,” CFATF Executive Director, Calvin Wilson, told Guyana Chronicle. In May 2014, CFATF had handed over Guyana to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) due to the country’s failure at the time to meet the agreed timelines in its Action Plan. However, starting from 2015, the country was able to make significant progress, resulting in it being removed from FATF’s watch list in October 2016. Currently, Guyana has an Anti-Money
Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Act in place, along with other related legislation governing supervisory bodies, financial institutions, law enforcement, and foreign affairs.
Head of Jamaica’s Delegation Robin Sykes speaking to Guyana Chronicle and DPI on the side line of the XLVI Plenary and Working Group Meetings at the Guyana Marriott
In speaking to this newspaper on the sidelines of the XLVI Plenary and Working Group Meetings at the Guyana Marriott where over 200 delegates are in attendance, Wilson said the country should swiftly move into action, explaining that during the 4TH Round of Mutual Evaluation, the country’s effectiveness in addressing the deficiencies will be tested. The 3RD Round of Mutual Evaluation deals with the legal and regulato-
ry framework of a country with respect to its AML/ CFT regime. Ahead of the country’s assessment in 2022 for the 4th Round of Mutual Evaluation, the CFATF Executive Director said the country should swiftly put the requisite systems in place to ensure that its effectiveness is documented. Already, Guyana, under the stewardship of its Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, has conducted a National Risk Assessment (NRA) from which the highest risks were identified. “If there is more work to be done in terms of coming into compliance legislatively with the 40 recommendations, you make those changes now, you collate the data because you know the fourth round is based on effectiveness, and so there is need for data to underpin what the country says in terms of how effective their regime is functioning,” Wilson said. However, he took note of the fact that the collection of data within the region remains a challenge. “We found that the data-capturing mechanisms not only in the region but around the world and in other big countries there are challenges there, so Guyana needs to pay particular attention to their data-capturing mechanisms and also educating all stakeholders, right across the board both private and public, in terms
of the requirement of the 40 recommendations,” he further added. The CFATF Executive Director said based on the commitment demonstrated by the Attorney General, the country could rest assured that it will receive high ratings during the assessment of the 4th Round of Mutual Evaluation.
lemma” because it focuses on effectiveness. “So it goes a bit more than the passage of laws that has been a challenge because of capacity issues with a number of jurisdictions,” Sykes posited while pointing out that the regime for CFATF is broad based. “It also involves a lot of players outside of the
CFATF Executive Director Calvin Wilson
“I know that he is taking lots of steps internationally to educate all stakeholders and that is admirable, and that the advice from the CFATF would be for that to continue,” the CFATF Executive Director said. Weighing in on the issue, Head of Jamaica’s Delegation for the CFATF Plenary, Robin Sykes, said the countries in the 4TH Round of Mutual Evaluation face an “interesting di-
normal law enforcement regime, so we are talking about people like non-profit organizations, lawyers, accountants, all of these persons that have a role to play in anti-money laundering. So it is quite an effort to bring all of these new partners on board, and that is something that a lot of dialogue has to take place within a jurisdiction to have people committed to the fight against money laundering,” he posited
He said though Jamaica has completed its evaluation, it has quite a lot more work to do, like many other jurisdictions. Citing Jamaica as an example, he said the island was faced with resistance from its lawyers who were opting not to be covered under the AML/ CFT obligations until the court ruled in favour of the Government. “The point is that jurisdictions have to fight on a number of fronts to get this message across and in an environment such as Jamaica that does have a significant crime problem, it has often had to bring across the importance of (fighting) financial crime and money laundering… The reality is a lot of crime is generated by profit and therefore if you can reduce profit motive out of crime that should be a significant deterrent and the overall levels of crime,” he posited. CFATF Executive Director and the Head of the Jamaican Delegation are currently in Guyana with more than 200 delegates from 26 member countries participating in CFATF XLVI Plenary and Working Group Meetings. Though the meetings commenced on Sunday, they were officially opened yesterday (Wednesday) November 15 by President David Granger and the Attorney General, one day before it is expected to come to an end.
‘Guyana fit to fight’ 3
GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, November 16, 2017
... President assures Guyana is well positioned to combat financial crimes By Ariana Gordon
THE integrity of the Caribbean’s financial sector was placed under the microscope on Wednesday by President David Granger when he addressed the opening ceremony of the 46th Plenary and Working Group Meeting for the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF), being held at the Marriott Hotel. In his address to the gathering which included Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and other ministers of government, President Granger noted that the Caribbean is fighting a war against financial ‘privateers’ to preserve the integrity of its institutions and to counter money-laundering and the financing of terrorism. In this light, he said “Guyana is fit to fight” while noting that this country has embarked on the path of passing robust regulations and legislation to protect its financial system from financing unlawful activities 17 years ago. Over the years, Guyana has passed the Money-Laundering (Prevention) Act 2000; Anti-Money Laundering and the Countering of the Financing of Terrorism Act 2009; Anti-Money Laundering and the Countering the Financing of Terrorism (Amendment) Act 2010; Anti-Money Laundering and the Countering the Financing of Terrorism (Amendment) Act 2015; and the Anti-Money Laundering and the Countering the Financing of Terrorism (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2015. The aforementioned legislation he told the Region’s legal minds, has progressively corrected deficiencies in the AML-CFT regime and allowed the improvement of compliance within the Task Force’s standards. “The appropriate agencies – the Bank of Guyana (BOG), the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) – have been empowered with the authority and autonomy and equipped with the technical and institutional means to discharge their functions under our anti-money laundering and countering of the financing of terrorism legislation,” the President stated. Additionally, the President noted that the Caribbean yearns to be a zone of concord and peace after half a millennium of conquest, conflict and chaos. He noted too that given its location, the Region can be used for narcotics trafficking, while adding that the Caribbean, with its fragmented jurisdictions scattered over 2,
754 million km² of sea-space, with countless cays, coves and islets, has become an attractive destination – a ‘paradise’ – for money-launderers, tax-evaders and assorted transnational criminal cartels. ”These crimes have the potential of disrupting our economies, corrupting officials, subverting our institutions, perverting our youth and spawning frightening levels of
crime and violence in society,” he said, stressing that the Task Force’s recommendations are necessary to insulate the Region’s financial sector from the crimes of money-laundering and the financing of terrorism. Those recommendations he stated, can assist to insulate the Region’s economies from contamination by ‘dirty money’ and by protecting the
Attorney General and Deputy Chair of CFATF Basil Williams S.C. addressing participants of the 46th Plenary and Working Group Meetings of CFATF on Wednesday
integrity of the Region’s financial sector from the risks associated with ill-gotten gains. The President stressed too that the Task Force’s recommendations will also help to cultivate a stable financial sector that will allow for the facilitation of international trade and investment and enhance the interconnectedness between the Region’s financial
sector and the global banking system, so as to prevent our banks from being blacklisted. The head-of-state said too that the presence of many attorneys-general, ministers and other officials at the meeting which began on Sunday is testimony to the importance placed on the Task Force’s core responsibility for the peer review process of the mutual
President David Granger speaks at the opening ceremony of the 46th Plenary and Working Group Meetings of the CFATF on Wednesday at the Marriott Hotel
Participants of the 46th Plenary and Working Group Meetings of CFATF on Wednesday. Also present (centre) were Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Speaker of the National Assembly Dr Barton Scotland, and Ministers of government, including the ministers of Business, Health, Public Infrastructure and Agriculture, as well as members of the diplomatic corps.
Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo greets Attorney General Basil Williams on Wednesday during the opening ceremony of the 46th Plenary and Working Group Meetings of CFATF
evaluation programme. “The work to be done during this meeting is a necessity for guaranteeing the integrity of the Region’s financial sector and, particularly, for preventing money-laundering and the financing of terrorism. We are confident that the Task Force’s work will improve the security and prosperity of this Region and the safety and happiness of its people,” said the Guyanese leader who also outlined Guyana and the Region’s familiarity with terrorism when he cited the Cubana air disaster of 1976, and the European arrival in The Bahamas in 1492. TRANSNATIONAL CRIME Similarly, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams, who has assumed the chairmanship of CFATF, said if left unchecked, transnational criminal organisations and terrorist financing networks can impact in a significant way the peace, tranquility and security of the Region. “So constant vigilance by all of us is critical and for all of us gathered here…this means effective implementation and the highest levels of compliance with the FATF recommendations,” said Williams. He pointed too to the placing of emphasis on the identification, assessment and understanding the extent of national money laundering and terrorist financial risk and taking the necessary action to prevent and or mitigate those risks by allocating sufficient resources, and implementing policies to curb same. The 46th Plenary and Working Group Meetings of the CFATF will conclude today.
Dancers from the ‘Free Soul’ dance group perform during the opening ceremony of the 46th Plenary and Working Group Meetings of CFATF on Wednesday (Adrian Narine photos)
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, November 16, 2017
Zimbabwe’s army seizes power …places Mugabe under house arrest Zimbabwe’s military seized power on Wednesday saying it was holding President Robert Mugabe and his family safe while targeting “criminals” in the entourage of the only ruler the country has known in its 37 years of independence. However the BBC reported that the military has placed President Mugabe under house arrest in the capital Harare, according to South African President Jacob Zuma. Mr Mugabe told Mr Zuma in
a phone call that he was fine, the South African leader’s office said. Soldiers seized the state broadcaster and a general appeared on television to announce the takeover. Armored vehicles blocked roads to the main government offices, parliament and the courts in central Harare, while taxis ferried commuters to work nearby. The atmosphere in the capital remained calm. In his first contact with the outside world since the takeover, Mugabe spoke by telephone to the president of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, and told him he was confined to his home but fine, the South African presidency said in a statement. It was not clear whether the apparent military coup would bring a formal end to the 93-year-old Mugabe’s rule; the main goal of the generals appeared to be preventing Mugabe’s wife Grace, 41 years his junior, from succeeding him.
But whether or not he remains in office, it is likely to mark the end of the total dominance of the country by Mugabe, the last of Africa’s generation of anti-colonial state founders still in power and one of the continent’s most polarizing figures. Mugabe, still seen by many Africans as an anti-colonial hero, is reviled in the West as a despot whose disastrous handling of the economy and willingness to resort to violence to maintain power destroyed one of Africa’s most promising states. He plunged Zimbabwe into a fresh political crisis last week by firing his vice president and presumed successor. The generals believed that move was aimed at clearing a path for Grace Mugabe to take over and announced on Monday they were prepared to “step in” if purges of their allies did not end. “We are only targeting criminals around him (Mugabe) who are
committing crimes that are causing social and economic suffering in the country in order to bring them to justice,” Major General SB Moyo, Chief of Staff Logistics, said on television. “As soon as we have accomplished our mission, we expect that the situation will return to normalcy.” Western countries mostly called for calm. “We cannot tell how developments in Zimbabwe will play out in the days ahead and we do not know whether this marks the downfall of Mugabe or not,” British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson told parliament. “We will do all we can, with our international partners, to ensure this provides a genuine opportunity for all Zimbabweans to decide their future.” Finance Minister Ignatius Chombo, a leading member of the ruling party’s ‘G40’ faction, led by Grace Mugabe, had been detained by the military, a government source said. CAREENING OFF A
CLIFF By Wednesday afternoon it was business as usual in Harare’s suburbs while there was less traffic than normal in the city center. Soldiers continued to man armored cars but had relaxed searches on vehicles on some checkpoints. Residents spoke in awe of events that had previously seemed unthinkable. “I don’t support the army but I am happy to see Mugabe gone, maybe this country can start to develop again,” said Rumbi Katepfu, preparing to shut her mobile phone shop early in downtown Harare. “I did not think this would ever happen... We used to think Mugabe and Grace were invincible.” Mugabe supporters seemed disinclined to fight to defend him. Tinashe Murisi, washing a car emblazoned with a picture of Mugabe in the poor township of Mbare a few minutes from the city center, said: “All I need is peace in the country and the rest we don’t have to get involved in that what does not concern us.” Whatever the final outcome, the events could signal a once-in-a-generation change for the southern African nation, once a regional bread-basket, reduced to poverty by an economic crisis
Mugabe’s opponents have long blamed on him. Even many of Mugabe’s most loyal supporters over the decades had come to oppose the rise of his wife, who courted the powerful youth wing of the ruling party but alienated the military, led by Mugabe’s former guerrilla comrades from the 1970s independence struggle. “This is a correction of a state that was careening off the cliff,” Chris Mutsvangwa, the leader of the liberation war veterans, told Reuters. “It’s the end of a very painful and sad chapter in the history of a young nation, in which a dictator, as he became old, surrendered his court to a gang of thieves around his wife.” The opposition Movement for Democratic Change called for a peaceful return to constitutional democracy, adding it hoped the military intervention would lead to the “establishment of a stable, democratic and progressive nation state”. Zuma - speaking on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) - expressed hope there would be no unconstitutional changes, and urged Zimbabwe’s government and the military “to resolve the political impasse amicably”. (Reuters)
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, November 16, 2017
Gov’t plans to hike stipends for honorary consuls
…knocks KN for ‘sensational stories’ FOREIGN Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge on Wednesday told reporters that Guyana’s Honorary Consuls globally are not being paid by government. The minister made this disclosure following publications by Kaieteur News about what has been deemed unsavory stories of the services offered by Miami’s Honorary Consul, Ramzan Roshanali. Greenidge explained that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs work abroad is normally undertaken by Ambassadors
and Consuls General who are full time employees of the Government. However, due to financial constraints most countries also utilise Honorary Consuls, he told reporters at a press conference. “The work of these Consulates relate to matters such as visas and passport processing, assisting Guyanese with interfacing with the host Governments and their agencies such as the police, hospitals, notarising documents, helping stranded Guyanese, among other things. It is at times very
demanding work and when account is taken of the fact that it is unpaid, can prove to be too much for even the most enthusiastic and nationalistic of persons,” said the Foreign Affairs Minister. He said it is not unusual for Guyanese within the Diaspora and particularly in the United States to complain about the consulates, honorary and otherwise. In fact, he noted that many have requested similar jobs but when told these were voluntary, changed their minds.
The Minister noted too that there are stipulated criteria for a person becoming an Honorary Consul. “Whilst not doubting the validity of these concerns, it is also the case that many complainants labour under the misapprehension that this is a lucrative undertaking and therefore there is often some resentment about being excluded,” said Greenidge. Describing the two publications by Kaieteur News on Wednesday and Tuesday as “sensational” the Minister
Two businesses destroyed in Berbice fire Three buildings, including two which housed businesses, went up in flames at Number 70 Village, East Berbice Corentyne, Wednesday night, leaving millions of dollars in losses. According to reports, the fire started around 19:00hrs in a bond and quickly spread to a house and liquor restaurant nearby. Eyewitnesses said they saw a small fire at the lower flat of the two-story concrete bond and within minutes, the fire spread to the upper flat before engulfing the building and two other buildings nearby. Guyana Chronicle understands that the owner of the
The house next to the two businesses that were destroyed by fire Wednesday night
bond, Ramesh Khemraj, had left for Suriname earlier in the day to conduct business. His brother Deodat Khem-
raj, 57, who manages the liquor restaurant, popularly known as “Quarter Rum Shop”, recalled seeing the fire in the bond and
quickly closed the doors to his business to render assistance. “The bar was still open and when I see the fire from my brother’s place, we closed up and tried to help, but as it get bigger we decide to move some stuff out and before we know, the fire start catch on the roof of my house.” The bottom flat of the house was occupied by Deodat and his wife while the upper flat was occupied by his father. He was able to save stocks from the bond, but nothing substantial. When this newspaper arrived at the scene a little after 22:00 hrs, firefighters were desperately battling to contain the raging blaze.
said there is clear confusion and misunderstanding on the issue. “The Honorary Consul, for example, has no say in the number of Consulates and their inconvenient placement. Additionally, they are not employees of the state and there is no obligation to adhere to rules about employment. We for example use private business persons or persons in professions in order to minimise or to capitalise on overheads such as office space and clerical staff who can carry out consular work at no additional cost to the firm. Guyana therefore does not have to pay for such services,” Greenidge declared. Additionally, he disclosed that while the Honorary Consuls do not receive a salary from government, they do receive an honorarium or
stipend of approximately US$500 monthly which is paid towards inconvenience. “Whatever name is used the payment is intended to cover the costs incurred in carrying out the work of the Government at the Consulate. Labour therefore is not really paid. This should be taken into account when criticisms are being made,” said Greenidge. There are 29 Honorary Consuls whose stipends are nominal when compared to what Ambassadors, who are employed by the government, receive. There is however a plan to increase the amount of stipend the Honorary Consuls receive monthly and over time some of the said Honorary Consuls will be replaced while others will join the team of honorary consuls. “Honorary consuls will be replaced in a phased manner,” said Greenidge.
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Editorial
GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, November 16, 2017
Stop the sensationalism and let the court decide
THERE is no doubt, for various reasons, some would rather not see Justice James Patterson be appointed the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission. Some think his appointment by President David Granger was inconsistent with Article 161 of the Guyana Constitution. Others think the appointment was unilateral and/or undemocratic, and some have posited though it is constitutional, the manner within which it was done bears adverse political consequences. Another school of argument is his age and President Granger not honouring the requirements he set to be considered for appointment. Last month the High Court was asked by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament, Zulfikar Mustapha, to deem the appointment unconstitutional and the Chairman not qualified to be appointed under the Article. Last week the nation was advised by Attorney General Basil Williams via Solicitor-General Kim Kyte, who filed the Government’s response, asking the court to dismiss the case, citing its reasons for. Going to the court for a determination, and hopefully resolution, makes sense given the foundation from which the appointment was made and the contentious interpretation of the Article. Several views by groups and organisations, notably the inconsistencies and making up of reasons as persons go along, why the Chairman is not fit and proper, the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) has taken a surprising, dare it be said alarming, take on this perception. In a release on Wednesday the organisation is questioning whether Justice Patterson is fit and proper to serve. Its question has nothing to do with the requirement of being a judge, a qualifying condition consistent with the Constitution. Its question is that of the criterion ‘fit and proper’ determined to be akin to characteristics of ability and integrity expected
to be befitting someone in the legal fraternity. If Justice Patterson was disrobed from the bar or engaged in any criminal or civil misconduct and found guilty by the Court, the ‘fit and proper’ would have carried expressed meaning. That this has not been the case, the matter raised by the GHRA, an organisation at which society looks to be amongst the most reasonable and impartial in our chaotic environment, is not synchronising. Justice Patterson, whether seen as privileged or not, having served as Chief Justice, acting or confirmed, in Grenada, be it under a government that has the support of the United States (U.S) which in 1983 invaded the country and overthrew the Maurice Bishop Government, does not make him unfit. Even though the Bishop government was overthrown, something the Forbes Burnham Government condemned with the full support of Opposition Leader Cheddie Jagan, Grenada did not stop being a state. To propose that Justice Patterson served during this checkered period as that country’s Chief Justice, when its Constitution was suspended and for argument sake a pseudo territory of the U.S where he presided over the trial of the alleged seventeen (17) ringleaders for the death of Bishop and others, does not disqualify him to serve as Chairman. Grenada did not fall off the map nor were Grenadians considered primitive, living in a land of no structure, rules and laws. There is no argument what the U.S did was wrong, but this does not reconcile with the thinking that the service any rendered during this time would make them unfit and improper. The GHRA in raising questions about Justice Patterson being fit and proper for the job, is relying on an alleged sworn Affidavit by a Ramsay Clark that was made reportedly to the Michigan Court for access to records by the U.S Army and other U.S Government Agencies which would
Impressive flight with Fly Jamaica Dear Editor, IN December 2016, my desire was to visit Guyana through the services of Fly Jamaica but reluctantly, through the urgings of my wife, was forced to abandon the idea. I however vowed that my next trip, with or without her, that Fly Jamaica will be my first and only choice. So when the opportunity came faster than I anticipated or planned, I grabbed the chance to use the services of Fly Jamaica to witness the seventh edition of the Guyana Softball Cup, organised by the Guyana Floodlights Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA) during the first week of November. It was indeed a mem-
orable and unforgettable experience going to Guyana from the Lester Pearson International airport, Toronto, to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Guyana and vice versa. Special kudos are extended to Station Assistant Edward van Luien and staff who are based at Fly Jamaica’s office, Toronto, for the efficient, orderly and timely manner they handled the boarding arrangements and the warm greetings accorded by senior cabin crew supervisor Ms Corbin. It was truly a breath of fresh air. On complimenting Mr van Luien for the smooth running of affairs, his modest response was “it’s a team effort and the airline’s motto is “One team, one dream.”
Captain Neil “Butch” Savory, a veteran in the industry, greeted all with aplomb and his frequent announcements pertaining to the various destinations were also very educational while the landing was incident-free. My return journey was no less impressive, this time under the command of Captain Lippi and cabin crew supervisor Ms Lauressa Lewis. One thing that however left an indelible mark on my mind was the compassion and love shown by a member of the cabin crew to a mother who was travelling with a child, who was just about nine months to a year. As the plane landed at Lester Pearson, the cabin crew member was ob-
served holding and comforting the toddler as the mother attended to her luggage. Before I forgot, the meals were not only excellent, but the quantity was also pleasing as compared to another airline which plies the same route and offers one free suitcase, whereas with Fly Jamaica you are assured of two free baggages plus a carry-on. Despite some hiccups along the way, Fly Jamaica has certainly come a long way since its inaugural flight in February, 2013 and I urge fellow Guyanese to support the entity wholeheartedly. Regards Frederick Halley Toronto
have released information of “disturbing facts.” Readers are only to be disappointed when the GHRA made known that while a “U.S-based academic, Dr. Richard Gibson, filed a Freedom of Information request for access to a wide range of documents related to the trials…[to their] knowledge not a single document of the nine-month trial itself has ever been released.” Readers are left to deem credible what was written in some book titled “A Travesty Of Justice: The case of the Grenada 17” fully aware that not everything written is gospel, especially in this case where documents pertaining to the trial were not released. There is no disputing the OAS Inter-American Human Rights Commission would have questioned the manner in which the trial was conducted, including respecting the rights of the accused. This is normal occurrence in the pursuit and dispensation of justice. Even if the rights of the seventeen were not upheld during the trial, worst case scenario can result in mistrial and/ or compensation awarded. This too form part of the judicial undertaking, and insulates not even the best of judges or most talented member of the legal fraternity. With all due respect to the GHRA, this is sensationalism gone amok. The court has been asked to decide and it makes sense to await its judgement. As the GHRA feels the rights were denied, it is hoped it doesn’t want to be accused of doing the same to Justice Patterson.
Need for traffic regulations around the Sophia ‘Red Shop’ Dear Editor, ONE of the things that remain a mind-boggling nightmare for most civil Guyanese is the frequent, unconstrained, unbridled level of lawlessness in this country. There is flagrant disregard for law and order by some individuals who seem to thrive on chaos and confusion. When such individuals are allowed to perpetuate their lawlessness within an earshot or a stone’s throw of institutions that represent law and order, or are seemingly ignored by those who should maintain law and order, it clearly reveals the great mess we find ourselves in as a nation. The Turkeyen Police Station, on the easternmost boundary of Georgetown, sits about 100 feet from the junction of upper Dennis Street,
D-Field Road and the University of Guyana access road in South Turkeyen. That junction sees the convergence of motorists primarily from southern and eastern Georgetown, and is an active bypass for some East Coast motorists heading into the city or unto the East Bank. It also routes persons to the nearby Forensic Laboratory, UG, CPCE, CARICOM Secretariat and the Giftland Mall. However, there are no traffic lights at that junction. There is invariably no (Traffic) Police presence too, particularly at peak hours. Route 48 minibuses plying the D-Field Sophia/ Cummings Lodge communities make that junction a playfield for their competitive hounding of passengers. They routinely stop directly at, on, and around the junction, often Turm to Page 7
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, November 16, 2017
Bringing back co-operatives Editor
TWO happenings have prompted this brief correspondence on what could now be considered a relatively quaint issue, once of national significance - the Co-operative Movement. First, I was approached to consider ideas to promote interest in and indeed the rejuvenation of Co-operative Societies throughout Guyana. (Poor me, I had the feeling that “Co-ops” hardly still existed in our society. Despite the fact that our Republic is still officially “the Co-operative Republic of Guyana.”) Secondly, I’ve just read a piece on “The Socialist Revolution” penned by a former Speaker of our Parliament who was also a former top PPP player who would be President.
I must note too that the same introductory section to our Constitution which describes the country’s official title also reminds that Guyana is a “… democratic sovereign State in the course of transition from Capitalism to Socialism.” Of course, it is quite understandable if most of our Guyanese citizens today wouldn’t grasp the “Capitalism-to-Socialism” constitutional aspiration. Personally, I am of the view that whilst Socialism as a socio-economic ideal is not completely deceased, the overwhelming principles and behaviours of Capitalism (in terms of the production of assets, markets, wealth etc.) prevail. But why do I link any consideration of the Co-operative Movement to or with Socialism? Perhaps because various socio-eco-
nomic systems have set out to achieve very similar objectives – like creating and distributing wealth equitably after the elimination of exploitation and poverty. Alas, how the best of intentions fall woefully short. Co-ops, however, are managed by the small members who are all owners of the business enterprises. The State of Israel utilised the Co-op Society system to kick-start economic development and I once visited a giant Agricultural Co-op in faraway Uzbekistan. Our own early Co-op Movement boasted numerous success stories, especially in land development, consumer enterprises and thrift societies. This prompted Forbes Burnham to insert “Co-operative” in the country’s official name and to declare that, along with the government and the private
GAWU has no intention of frustrating GuySuCO Dear Editor,
OUR union was not surprised to read the comments of GuySuCo’s Senior Communications Officer Ms Audreyanna Thomas, which were contained in an article titled “Despite low attendance, GuySuCo says on target for second crop” that appeared in the November 13, 2017 Stabroek News. The GuySuCo officer is quoted to have said that our union is seeking to “frustrate the company.” For some weeks now, our union has been pointing out that the corporation had begun to set the stage to lay blame at the workers and the GAWU for their inability to achieve their target. This strategy we opined was a sordid attempt to give the corporation’s hierarchy cover for what will be the
poorest production since 1990. On this matter of workers’ protest, Ms Thomas should edify us as to how many of the workers actions were as a result of price disputes or resulted from unilateral changes to long-standing work practices. Most, if not all, of the work stoppages, could be grouped into the two (2) aforementioned categories. The fact remains, as clearly evidenced by Ms Thomas’s comments, that the corporation is seeking to ride roughshod over the workers, disregarding their interests, concerns and apprehensions. From GuySuCo’s recently admitted perspective, it seems, the workers must meekly stand in silence as their rights, benefits and conditions are unconscionably taken away.
Need for traffic regulations... creating traffic chaos. Those chaotic minibuses are complimented by the double-parking and obstructive taxis from a nearby Taxi base and wash bay located on Dennis Street, two buildings west of the junction. All of this is taking place daily within 100 feet of the Turkeyen Police Station. That junction is made popular too by the famous “Red Shop”. The Red Shop sits directly on the junction at the eastern end of Dennis Street. When open, the Operator of that Red Shop places seats and
tables on the roadway to accommodate his patrons, adding to the congestion and chaos, particularly on weekends. Again, all of this takes place within 100 feet of the Turkeyen Police Station, where any police rank can stand at its gate and shout to the operator of the Red Shop to order some beverages or meals. This is just one of the places in Georgetown, Guyana, where two years after its citizens elected new National and Local representatives that chaos continues. Per-
We wish to advise Ms Thomas, once again, and the GuySuCo top brass, that our union has no intention of frustrating the corporation’s objectives but, at the same time, we have a responsibility to protect and advance the cause of the workers. We wish to advise that we will not shirk from that responsibility and no amount of ‘propaganda’ concoctions will force or cause us to change our position. In closing, we were indeed heartened to learn from Ms Thomas that the company would achieve its set target. Is it the 198,000 tonne target or the 174,000 tonne target or the more recent 162,000 tonne target? Regards Seepaul Narine General-Secretary GAWU
From Page 6 haps those representatives should consider taking tours of that section of the city at varying hours to observe for themselves the realities on the ground. I trust too, that anticipated changes within the Guyana Police Force will result in the type of capacity building, awareness, and action on their part to tackle the abovementioned public disorder and traffic situation. Regards Orette Cutting
sectors, Co-ops would be the third vehicle to travel the road of national economic development. I wonder: did Co-ops die with Forbes Burnham? Not really, but it seems that “the small man” has turned to IPED, Small Business Bureau and other facilities to develop small businesses. There is nothing to prevent Co-operative Societies, well-organised
and managed, to utilise those facilities as well. Fifty-two years ago, as a young teacher in training, it was compulsory for me to do a “Course in Co-operation.” Perhaps elements of such a programme should be brought back. The Guyana National Co-operative Union Limited (GNCUL) is about to launch its Co-operatives
Education and Management Programme. Interested citizens should contact the union at 178 Waterloo Street, South Cummingsburg, Georgetown. Telephone numbers: 227-0672, 226-9587, Email: guynatcoopunionltd@gmail. com Regards Allan .A. Fenty
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, November 16, 2017
Students told of 4th ‘Industrial Revolution’ TECHNOLOGY giant STARR Computer has partnered with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Guyana to educate stakeholders on the Fourth Industrial Revolution currently in progress. The Guyanese youth STEM Team in 2017 were placed 10th on the world stage among 100 other countries around the world in the World Robotics Competition. The technology company has been hosting seminars for students at their company’s head office, Brickdam, Georgetown all week, which continues today. According to President of Starr Computer, Michael Mohan, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is the current period of change driven by unprecedented technological developments. Mohan said by 2022, over
20 million current jobs will be discontinued and five million new jobs will be created from changes that will occur in the Fourth Revolution. “And, as time goes by, we will likely see the extreme high skilled/high pay jobs, low pay/low skilled jobs, and an unemployment ‘donut’ in the centre unless government starts planning a solution. However, humans have always proven to be resilient for survival and I think just as we survived the last three Industrial Revolutions, a new solution will be created,” he explained. Adding that government and businesses will be faced with new challenges as the revolution matures, Mohan said procedures and processes will need to be overhauled to adapt to new changes – faster, secured and more connected. “This means software
Man shot, robbed of cellphone
A 28-year-old North Ruimveldt, Georgetown man was shot and robbed of his cellphone at Last Entrance, North Ruimveldt on Wednesday. Reports indicate that the victim was standing while talking to a female when the armed gunman approached him from behind, pushed his hand into the victim’s pocket and took out his cellphone. When the man turned around, the gunman discharged a round, hitting him on the left hand. The suspect then made good his escape on foot, heading north into Last Entrance. The injured man was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he received medical attention. Persons in the area were reluctant in saying anything as police investigation continues.
IAC launches Christmas Toy Drive
THE Indian Action Committee (IAC) has launched its Annual Christmas Toy Drive for the less fortunate children which will end on Friday, December 15, 2017. The IAC, in partnership with Gafoors Houston Complex, Ashmins Trading, De Sinco Trading and Nirva Distributors, will have one marked box at each location where persons can place donated toys, a release from the organization said. Persons desirous of making donations can also do so at the IAC office located at 1762 Railway Embankment Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara, from 8 am to 4 pm, Monday to Friday, or contact the IAC on Tel: 222-5163 for further details. These toys will be distributed at the IAC’s annual Children’s Christmas Party, which will be held on Sunday, December 17, 2017. The IAC, during the last decade, has brought joy and happiness to thousands of less fortunate children from all ethnic and religious backgrounds at its previous Christmas Parties. The IAC calls upon donours to give generously towards this worthy cause.
application must be smarter, adaptable to changes and cloud ready. Hardware will be driven by the software to execute the manual process. However, data will need to be better encrypted, regularly backed-up with consistent
password updates,” he said. Most importantly, he said repetitious processes will need to be replaced with software and hardware automation. “Cybercrime via system hijack, ransomware, and ad-
ware will be some of the biggest challenges to all. So far Symantec amongst others have been a good defense from intrusion. Businesses in Guyana need to focus its energy on innovation and productivity to compete. We
President of Starr Computer, Michael Mohan, addressing students from Charlestown Secondary during one of the many seminars held for students during this week
don’t and international companies will jump into that space and dominate,” Mohan explained. Underscoring that banks will need to encourage more encrypted debit and credit cards issuance to customers so as to help move away from the “cash based” society, Mohan said government may be better off continuing with infrastructure and utilities, development and vocational schools, along with incentivising private entities to promote this new initiative for the betterment of Guyanese. “Changes in the new direction of the Fourth Industrial Revolution are here to stay, and early adapters will be the winners of tomorrow. Persons can visit Starr Computer for a free demonstration on 3D printers, robotic products, drone and others,” he said.
Patterson inspects road works in Berbice …briefs residents, officials on ongoing projects
MINISTRY of Public Infrastructure David Patterson on Wednesday led a team to New Amsterdam to review ongoing works being executed by the ministry following reports of unnecessary downtime. Along with the Permanent Secretary Kenneth Jordan and Coordinator/Chief Works Officer of the Work Services Group Geoffrey Vaughn, Minister Patterson turned out early in the morning to inspect the progress of works being undertaken on Main and Republic Streets in New Amsterdam. In a release, the MPI said the visit came on the heels of reports to the ministry of slothfulness in the execution of the project, which has caused inconveniences to the residents of the community. During the visit, Minister Patterson met with a number of officials, including the ministry’s Region #6 Regional Engineer; the contractor, Associated Contractor Company; and a representative from the Community Oversight Committee to ascertain the reasons behind the delay and determine the way forward. As a result of the visit, a number of solutions were determined, including the reopening of one lane of the road to vehicular traffic to reduce the level of inconvenience experienced by the residents. Nonetheless, it was emphasised that all necessary steps, such as the testing of materials, must be taken to ensure that the work will stand the test of time, despite the delays these steps may cause. “We don’t want to do something that’s just fast; we want to do something that is correct,” Minister Patterson stressed. He also emphasised that any internal conflicts must be put aside, since
the residents were ultimately the ones being affected. The works, which include scarification, asphalting, and deep-patching of failed sections, are now expected to conclude by mid-December. Works have also been stalled on Republic Street and the visit to this site saw Minister Patterson urging remobilisation of the contractor to ensure that the project progresses as planned. “These are main streets in New Amsterdam and residents should not have to go through this; we cannot do this to people,” Minister Patterson emphasised to the engineer. Meanwhile, the team from the ministry also visited the East Bank Berbice road, the second such trip to the project in recent months. Just three weeks ago, Minister Patterson led a team to the project site for a first-hand look at the progress of works to date. He also met with officials from Berbice to discuss infrastructural works being undertaken in the region. ONGOING PROJECTS Meanwhile, Patterson on Tuesday met with officials from Berbice to discuss infrastructural works being undertaken in the region, including the East Bank Berbice road project. Minister Patterson provided an update on a number of projects when he met with Regional Chairman, Mr. David Armogan and his regional councillors; Regional Executive Officer (REO), Mrs. Kim Williams-Stephens; representatives from the Community Oversight Committee (COC); and engineers from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure who are overseeing works within the region. Minister Patterson explained
that the meeting was facilitated to primarily provide an update on the East Bank of Berbice road project, which has seen some delays. He apologised on behalf of the ministry for the inconveniences caused and further said that he wanted feedback from the officials as well as to share the progress of works on other Berbice projects and areas of focus in 2018. EAST BANK BERBICE ROAD After going through the progress of about a dozen projects already under way within the region, the focus turned to the East Bank Berbice road. Resident Engineer, Mr. Joel Tucker, explained that the current delays are due to ongoing relocation of utilities as well as the sourcing of materials. Nonetheless, he said, the ministry’s team is working around the clock to get the project rolling. He added that the issue of dust pollution is being addressed through the wetting of the roadway, but these efforts will be doubled by the introduction of another water tender. The main concern going ahead, he added, is the relocation of the road’s alignment. He noted that, as part of the project, a revision of the road’s alignment is necessary to maximise the functionality and safety of the roadway. Currently, large trucks are forced to manoeuvre around sharp turns in some areas, with blind-spots placing road users at risk. However, Mr. Tucker said, the alignment will most likely require the re-acquisition of land gazetted as the Government of Guyana’s. In some areas, residents reside on these lands.
In response, Minister Patterson said that the government is focused on minimising the inconvenience residents may face. “We will only take what is needed; if we can avoid homes in the realignment, we will,” Minister Patterson emphasised. He added that residents are being kept in the loop through the COC representatives and will be sensitised on the possible acquisition process. After the meeting, Minister Patterson visited the roadway to get a first-hand look at the challenges being experienced. He also visited works being executed by the ministry in New Amsterdam on Main, Strand, and Republic Streets and the communities of Canje and Belvedere Housing Scheme. During the community visits, Minister Patterson met with residents and received feedback from the residents, who expressed satisfaction with ongoing road works but requested the installation of speed bumps. According to the residents, the roads are being used as “race courses,” a situation they would like to be rectified to improve safety. The $1.2B East Bank Berbice Road Project will feature the upgrade of nearly 5km of roadway and will include improved roadway lighting and markings; traffic signs; and the reconstruction of two bridges and two culverts. MPi1 Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson inspecting road works with residents of New Amsterdam MP2 Major road and other infrastructural works are ongoing in Berbice.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, November 16, 2017
Sir Byron plugs digital recording to address backlog in court THE sluggishness within the local legal system can be reduced significantly if digital recording of court proceedings are used within the judiciary, says President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Sir Dennis Byron. Speaking at the 37th Annual Bar dinner held on Saturday at the Pegasus Hotel, Georgetown, Justice Byron noted that reducing delay and improving court efficiency is often thought to be an expensive process. He said there are techniques that can challenge such a perception while pointing to the area of trial management here. “One of the problem areas of trial management in Guyana is that the official court transcript is mostly managed manually by or under the supervision of the trial judge or magistrate.” As such, Justice Byron said “moving to a digital transcript which is automatically recorded at the pace of the proceedings will not only improve the accuracy and fairness of the record and
provide the litigant with improved access to it, but it will speed up the proceedings about three times.” Additionally, the learned judge said making the court record available to the public, litigants and judges is important for open and fair justice for all. “If one takes it to its logical conclusion, a relatively inexpensive process such as making the digital record the official transcript of the court, would have the same effect as hiring three times as many judges, and building, furnishing and equipping three times as many court rooms,” said the CCJ President who disclosed that the CCJ has set the example in this regard. Guyana has begun that process through the Modernisation of the Justice Administration System project. Under that project, several courts have since been refurbished and new features, including digital recording, have been installed primarily in the Court of Appeal, Chief Justice’s court and the Commercial Courts.
Meanwhile, Justice Byron pointed to the plethora of complaints leveled at the feet of the judiciary. He said the most common amongst the complaints are the inordinate delays, low performance and efficiency, high costs of court
President of the CCJ, Sir Dennis Byron
operations and low levels of public confidence. “Discussions on judicial independence usually concentrate on the tensions between the executive and the judiciary. But let us recall the definition of judicial independence as the guarantor
Commanders visit injured ranks
From right, standing: Acting Welfare Officer, Assistant Superintendent Jewel Sullivan; Public Relations Officer, Superintendent Jairam Ramlakhan; Divisional Commander, Assistant Commissioner Marlon Chapman and Police Association Inspector Chairman Mohan Khan, interacting with injured Police Constable Wilfred France
POLICE ‘A’ and ‘D’ division commanders accompanied by ranks of their divisions on Wednesday visited the Georgetown Public Hospital to check up on their colleagues who were recently injured in the line of duty. Commander of ‘A’ Division, Assistant Commissioner Marlon Chapman visited Police Constable 22770 Wilfred France to enquire of his well-being and have an update on the state of his recovery from a gunshot wound he sustained. Constable France was injured on Tuesday while trying to apprehend a robbery suspect at Leopold and Breda
Streets, Charlestown, Georgetown. While chasing the robber, his colleague, who was in pursuit, stumbled onto the ground, resulting in his M70 rifle firing off a round which hit Constable France in the arm. Assistant Commissioner Chapman said the visit was to ensure that the rank was receiving the best medical care and that he was responding to treatment. Commander Leslie James visited Woman Constable 23464 Shanice Fraser who was shot several times about the body by her lover, Police Constable 22834 Clement
of the right of the citizen to a fair and timely trial. If the trial process fails to provide this, should the judges and the legal profession look at their influence on judicial independence? I want to introduce some ideas that have
Cockfield, who went berserk at the La Grange Police Station. Constable Cockfield later turned the gun on himself. Assistant Commissioner James said a church service was held Wednesday in the compound of the La Grange Police Station where the incident occurred. He said Pastor Derek Anderson of the Cops and Faith Network, along with other police ranks after the conclusion of the service, paid a visit to the Georgetown Public Hospital where they met and offered words of comfort to Constable Fraser.
influenced our operations at the CCJ.” He said the concept of a court of excellence would augur well for the local judiciary while noting that the notion does not define excellence as a state that is achieved, but as the process
of continuous improvement. “So that the best courts are those that are continuously assessing where they are, developing plans to deal with weaknesses, implementing those plans, evaluating the effects of what they did, and then starting over,” said Justice Byron. Accordingly, he said the International Framework for Court Excellence (IFCE) can be used as a quality management system. It is designed to help courts to improve their performance. The framework, he added, is particularly useful to judicial policymakers and practitioners, and it prescribes a set of focused, clear and actionable core court performance measures that deconstruct the ultimate question: “How are we performing?” by addressing two enabling questions: What should we measure? How should we measure it?” This framework, he also added, makes it clear that the court’s pathway to excellence will be enhanced only through open communication as it relates to strategies,
policies and procedures with those who are part of and utilise the system. “The Framework stresses the imperative for courts to be open and transparent about their performance, strategies and their processes to ensure public respect and confidence in the judicial system and to publish details of what actions they are taking to address problems within the court system. This goes hand in hand with strategic planning,” he told the legal fraternity Saturday. The CCJ President said too that one of the advantages of strategic planning is that the stakeholders--the Bar being the most critical--get an opportunity to contribute to the development of the strategies which will guide judicial performance. “At the CCJ we also embraced this concept and now we are at the end of the first plan from 2012-2017. We are currently in the process of developing the new plan for 2018 – 2023. I recommend a similar process for the courts here,” he stated.
FIU combing through over 200 suspicious financial reports The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) is combing through a rising number of reports of financial improprieties, as it continues to work together with the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU). This is according to head of the FIU, Matthew Langevine, who told the Department of Public Information (DPI) on Tuesday, that suspicious reports from banks and money transfer agencies along with other categories of reporting entities have risen to over 200. “We have looked into a number of them and we have forwarded to the Special Organised Crime Unit; in excess of ten intelligent reports over the last twelve months,” Langevine told DPI on the sidelines of the 46th Plenary and Working Group Meetings of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) being held in Guyana at the Marriot. The FIU’s primary mandate under the AML/CFT Act of 2009 is to receive,
analyse and disseminate intelligence received from reporting agencies in terms of intelligence reports to the agency responsible for investigating money laundering and terrorist financing activities. According to Langevine, over the last year, the FIU sought to focus on ensuring that all reporting agencies are aware of their responsibilities and begin taking steps to provide information required under the law. “We have had some challenges putting that into effect. It requires a lot of training, a lot of outreaches with these entities, but I think we have done a commendable job over the last year in bringing on board several different categories of reporting entities.” These include betting shops, credit unions, security agencies and more recently, real estate agencies and car dealers,” Langevine said. He further said while the receipt of information has been boosted over the last year, the next phase in the process is to try to in-
crease the level of analytical work that the entity is required to carry out. Though created in 2003, the FIU was severely understaffed and ineffective, resulting in no one being identified or prosecuted for the crime of money laundering and related activities in Guyana, in more than 13 years of its operation. However, symbolic of the government’s commitment to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, in accordance with the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) standards, in June 2016, a new director of the FIU was appointed and the functional capacity of the unit was enhanced. Further, whereas the last head of the FIU was recruited solely by the last Government, under this new administration, the FIU head, deputy head, accountant and other key personnels were recruited through a parliamentary process that involved the Opposition. (DPI)
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, November 16, 2017
Gospel singer robbed at gunpoint in his yard
LOCAL gospel singer Kester Deane was robbed at gunpoint early Wednesday morning in his yard. Police said Deane, 45, of 141 Upper Hadfield Street, D’urban Backlands, Georgetown, was robbed of $13,000 in cash, two cell phones valued at $160,000, two gold rings valued $120,000, two external hard drives valued $60,000, a black laptop valued at $350,000,and one blue and grey haversack valued at $15,000. The suspect is being sought and an investigation is in progress, police say. Meanwhile, Deane, who was still shaken from the incident, said via his Facebook page that he had just completed his Tuesday night live radio programme “Gospel Rocks Radio” on HJ 94.1FM which started at 10:30hrs. He related that he had just parked his car in his yard and was about to open his front door when he was alerted by the consistent barking of his dog; and then he spotted a
man with a gun. Deane said that the man came up to him with his face covered with a red and white rag and demanded that he hand over all his money.
Traumatised: Gospel singer Kester Deane.
The gospel singer related that he pleaded with the bandit, saying that he did
not have any money and all he had was his computer, which had all his gospel music stored and two cellular phones. He was relieved of those items and was also asked to take off his wedding band and a silver ring which had the initials “KD” engraved on it. Not satisfied, the gunman told Deane to empty his pockets and while doing so, his teenage son came out to see what was happening. The tenants upstairs also ventured outside, but the duo were ordered to ‘get inside’ after the robber pointed the gun at them. The bandit then exited the yard with the stolen items. Deane said, “I give God praise and thanks, because it could have been tragic. I still have life, and my family is safe.” However, it was later confirmed by Deane that the laptop was left in the bushes near his home by the bandit.
Remanded for having 1 cartridge A BRAZILIAN was on Wednesday refused bail when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, charged with unlawful possession of ammunition. It is alleged that on November 7 at Back Street Ghetto, Tabatinga, Lethem, Joao Figerio had a 20-gauge shotgun cartridge in his possession when he was not a licensed firearm
holder. With the help of an interpreter, the defendant pleaded not guilty. The 23-year-old construction worker explained to the court that he came to Guyana to visit his mother in Lethem. The unrepresented man was remanded until December 5th when his matter will be called again at the Lethem Magistrate’s Court.
Joao Figerio
Clothes thief didn’t waste the court’s time A 53-year-old man was on Wednesday sentenced to 6 months’ jail on a simple larceny charge by City Magistrate Fabayo Azore. Rendrick Gary of Leopold Street confessed that on August 6 at Sussex Street, Charlestown, together with another, he stole a quantity of ladies and gents clothing valued $176,000 from Barbara Nedd. “The other man get away with more things than me... all I get was boots, shirt and a pants” Gary told the court. According to the facts read in court by Police prosecutor Simone Payne, on the day in question, Gary and his accomplice went into the woman’s store to buy
Rendrick Gary
clothes. While tending to the defendant’s needs, the other man was putting items into a bag. The woman then left and went into her storeroom and, upon her return, she saw
the men running away, and getting into a car with the clothing. The Magistrate, after considering that Gary did not waste the court’s time, sentenced him to 6 months’ imprisonment.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, November 16, 2017
Guyana and Suriname represented at border seminar in Brazil GUYANESE academic Dr. Mark Kirton has called for the Guiana Shield to become a zone of peace with the countries of the region committing themselves to the sanctity and inviolability of borders and the de-escalation of controversies, as well as the establishment of higher levels of economic, technical and social collaboration. Dr. Kirton gave the keynote presentation at the opening of the first International Seminar on Border Studies of the Guianas hosted by the Federal University of Amapa (UNIFAP) in Macapa, Brazil, on Thursday last. At the seminar organised by Professor Paulo Gustavo Correa, Vice Rector of UNIFAP. Dr. Kirton presented on the theme, “Integration in the Guianas as a tool for development.” Dr. Kirton indicated that for too long, a sense of separateness had characterised relations among the Guiana Shield states and has constrained the emergence of strong linkages. He also posited that colonial bilateralism, differences in culture and language, as well as differing levels of economic development and resource endowment had combined to limit collaboration. Further, Dr. Kirton presented the view that the common economic and security challenges being faced by the Guiana Shield states must bring about a
unified approach as the states grapple with issues, including drug trafficking, transnational crime networks, and frequent and intense climate change events. He also indicated that given the porous borders, limited human and financial resources and increasing trans-border criminal networks, consideration must be given to the widening of the Amazonian Surveillance System (SIVAM) currently oper-
and State officials including the Secretary of the State of Amapa, for Science and Technology, and several officials of the Federal University of Amapa. As part of the seminar’s programme, Dr. Ruben Martoredjo from Suriname delivered a presentation on Suriname’s Social Policy Discourse, highlighting the challenges of small countries in addressing social security policy, and proposed actions and strate-
Dr. Mark Kirton
ating in Brazil to include the smaller states of the Guiana Shield such as Guyana and Suriname, in a unified effort to facilitate greater security in those countries. Dr. Kirton also recommended the establishment of a Business Forum of the Guiana Shield to spearhead the development of higher levels of trade and commercial activities among the countries. The session was attended by academics, Brazilian Federal
gies which could be adopted, taking into account the opportunities which regional and bilateral cooperation among the Guiana Shield countries could provide. He added that through the years, the government of Suriname had encountered challenges in the implementation of social security and social protection, which included marked geographical differences between the coastal region and the interior
districts, population density, limitations to infrastructure and linguistic differences. Further, Dr. Martoredjo posited that there is a critical need to create employment opportunities for the growing working-age population in the current phase of a significant demographic shift in Suriname. Dr. Martoredjo also proposed an increase in Suriname’s engagement with regional organisations such as UNASUR, which can provide knowledge and support on social development issues. Dr. Martoredjo also recommended that Suriname develop stronger efforts at cooperation in social development with countries such as Brazil, which is internationally recognised for its social programmes, including the Bolsa Familia Programme. Dr. Martoredjo also participated in a panel which discussed Suriname’s integration in South America. During his presentation Dr. Martoredjo drew attention to the position of Suriname as a small state and recommended that due to its limitations of financial and human resources, the country should prioritise its engagement in the regionalisation process and he proposed joint representation by small states in the activities of regional organisations.
DR women fined for overstaying in Guyana
TWO Dominican Republic women who told the court that they worked at the “Rio Night Club’ on Wednesday appeared before City Magistrate Fabayo Azore charged with overstaying in Guyana.
Rosanna Luciano
Arelis Encarnacion, 37 and Rosanna Luciano, 22, were arrested on November 12, 2017, during a raid conducted at the Rio Night Club. It is alleged that Encarnacion, between April 27, 2017 and November 12, 2017, at Georgetown, failed to comply to conditions under which she was allowed to stay in Guyana from March 22 to April 26. The charge against Luciano alleged that she overstayed in Guyana from April 8, 2017 to November 7, 2017 at Georgetown after being permitted to stay from March 8 to April 7. Both women pleaded guilty to the charge and were each fined $30,000 or 3 months imprisonment According to reports, these matters came to light after the women presented their documents and checks were made with the Guyana immigration authorities, subsequent to the Police raid at the city nightclub.
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Motorcycle bandits on rampage
A MOTHER was robbed by two CG motorcycle bandits after dropping off her son at a playschool in Enachu Street, Section ‘K’ Campbellville, Georgetown, on Tuesday. The armed pillion rider gun-butted her in the head before fleeing with her valuables. Reports indicate that the 30-year-old woman was robbed of her red handbag which contained $200,000 cash, jewellery, a cell phone, a Scotia Bank Card, a St Vincent ID card and driver’s licence. The armed bandit then hopped onto a waiting black CG motorcycle before fleeing the scene south on Bel Air road. The mother received medical attention as the police reviewed the CCTV cameras in the area. Meanwhile, on the same
A CG motorcycle which is widely used by armed bandits to pounce on unsuspecting victims
day, two salespersons were robbed in Lamaha Park, Georgetown, by two armed bandits who rode up on a black CG motorcycle.
The salespersons were robbed of their valuables while taking orders from a grocery shop Reports indicate that the
pillion rider on this occasion remained on the motorcycle while the armed rider approached the two men with his gun and relieved them of their wallets, cell phones, cash and bank cards. Police said no rounds were discharged and no one was injured. Investigations are continuing. Sunday last, two men on a CG motorcycle robbed two Cubans who were walking along Chalmers Place, Stabroek, Georgetown. The armed pillion rider hopped off the motorcycle, hitting one of the Cubans to the ground while rustling through the pockets of the scared men. After taking their cash and other valuables, the robbers jumped onto the CG motorcycle, making good their escape.
‘Don’t fleece the pensioners’
..Min Ally warns social workers SOCIAL workers were warned by Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally, of the consequences of defrauding seniors of their annuity, as pension book distribution is slated for November 20. During a workshop on Wednesday at the Guyana Police Force Training Centre, social workers were briefed on the next distribution exercise of pension books. Minister Ally in her remarks advised social workers not to attempt to
convert the pensions for personal use. The minister warned that once persons are caught in the act, she will not hesitate to have charges filed, followed by subsequent dismissal. “We will not condone that. Regardless if it is one book, ten books, a hundred books; you are to do what you are supposed to do” the Minister reiterated. She also sternly cautioned, “This Minister is a little different, I am not dealing with suspension, I
am dealing with dismissal.” According to Minister Ally, several persons who were caught attempting to defraud pensioners are currently suspended. “That is why we called you here this morning, to remind you and to tell you what is expected of you so that you will be prepared and you will know that if you go outside of the rules, anything could happen,” she remarked. Additionally, social workers were also re-
A section of the social workers during the workshop
minded to be vigilant of persons who may try to illegally cash more than three pension books. Only toshaos are exempt from this rule. They were also asked by the Minister to be more aware of pensioners holding Guyanese citizenship but opt to collect their pension whilst residing overseas. Minister Ally said Guyana has limited resources and “the people who live here must be able to benefit.” The distribution of pension books will be carried out for a period of three weeks. (DPI)
GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, November 16, 2017
Suspects in teacher’s death released THE three suspects who were being questioned regarding the death of Kescia Branche, 22, have been released as the investigation into the suspected murder continues, police have confirmed. The father of Branche’s three-year-old son was released Tuesday on station bail along with the two police constables. The two policemen were placed under open arrest and will be working out of the Tactical Services Unit (TSU). Police are still seeking to contact a taxi driver whose cellphone number appeared repeatedly on Kescia Branche’s mobile device. Police related that the taxi driver’s car was impounded at the Brickdam Police Station and it is suspected that he left the country after Branche was found with a broken leg
Dead: Kescia Branche
and in an unconscious state on November 5. Investigators are of the opinion that the driver may have been the last person to see the teacher alive. The Richard Ishmael Secondary School teacher died at the Georgetown Public Hospital two days after being found battered in the City. A post-mortem indicated that she died as a result of brain haemorrhage
13-year-old missing – easily misled, says mother Roxanne Benjamin, a mother of six needs the assistance of the public in locating her 13-year-old son who has been missing since November 11. The single parent recalled that her son, Aaron Roberts, a pupil of South Ruimveldt Secondary School, left home on Saturday after asking her for money to go to visit his father who resides at Friendship, East Bank Demerara. The woman said that her son did go to his father, but only on Sunday when he collected his clothes and left. That was the last time he was seen. She related that he was staying at the location for three weeks and had left some of his belongings there and he wanted to retrieve them. Benjamin said it was after breakfast that she left their Lot 580 ‘B’ Field, South Sophia home to run some errands. Benjamin stated that on Saturday she left home at about 09:00hrs and there has been no word of her son’s whereabouts since and she is worried something is not right. She has since made a report to the Turkeyen Police Station. She can be contacted on telephone 219-5100 as regards the whereabouts of the boy. Benjamin disclosed that her son, who is the last of
Missing: Aaron Roberts.
six children, left home two months ago and went swimming in the Lamaha Conservancy, better known as the “Blacka” with a friend and she took him home. She said that she made checks for him since Saturday and failed in her bid to locate him so far, and feels he has gone off with friends again or maybe hiding out somewhere. Benjamin is baffled about one thing her son told her recently and she is of the opinion he is being led astray by bad company. She said, “Aaron told me that he wants to go to China and study and if he send fuh me if I gon come, but I didn’t take it for nothing and now that he is missing, I am wondering.” The mother told the Guyana Chronicle that her son was not a wayward child but is easily misled when he is with friends.
A united front
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, November 16, 2017
…CFATF top brass plugs collaboration to combat financial crimes
By Lisa Hamilton TOP officials of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) said that unity on the agenda of crime and security is crucial to the body fulfilling its mandate in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing. This point was emphasised at a news conference held at the Marriott Hotel immediately following the formal opening of the CFATF conference. Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams, who has taken over chairmanship of the body, told the news conference that he recognises his imminent obligations and the tremendous collaboration which will be needed in the work of the grouping. Also present at the conference was outgoing Chairperson of CFATF and Attorney General (AG) of the Turks and Caicos Islands Rhondalee BrathwaiteKnowles; Executive-Director of CFATF, Calvin Wilson; in-coming Deputy Chair and AG of Barbados, Adriel Brathwaite and the AG of Trinidad and Tobago, Faris Al-Rawi. Williams said that CFATF is a large organisation which, under his leadership, must be able to represent its members, contribute to the narrative in FATF and be proactive in implementing policies that will guide them. Based on the active support re-
(From Left) AG of Trinidad and Tobago, Faris Al-Rawi; Attorney General (AG) of Guyana, Basil Williams, Chairperson of CFATF; Attorney General (AG) of the Turks and Caicos Islands, Rhondalee Brathwaite-Knowles, AG of Barbados, Adriel Brathwaite and Executive-Director of CFATF, Mr. Calvin Wilson
ceived thus from the outgoing Chair, Rhondalee Brathwaite-Knowles and the other members, Williams believes that the Region is very capable of doing so. Now at the Fourth Round of Mutual Evaluation, Guyana will be especially tested on the effectiveness of its laws established to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism. AG of Trinidad and Tobago, Faris Al-Rawi, said that much of the work of CFATF coincides with the very work that Guyana is hoping to accomplish. “...this work impacts upon crime;
this work seeks to take the profit out of crime; this work seeks to deal with the threat of foreign terrorist fighters; the financing of terrorism and the Caribbean...is not immune to this phenomenon. Trinidad and Tobago has been treating with this issue and we have...forged a relationship that can reset the purpose of this entity,” commented Al-Rawi. In recent years, the twin-island republic has been in the international spotlight for its role in the contribution of Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs) to ISIL. Since then, the country has taken
judicial action against these operations through the implementation of Anti-terrorism Laws. And, as Guyana emerges as a major frontier market in the oil industry, Al-Rawi cautioned the country and other Caribbean member states to take the threat of terrorism seriously. “Bear in mind that the example that you see in Trinidad is one which can easily find itself in other jurisdictions. We must be eternally vigilant and proactive and there must be no room for tolerance of terrorism…Guyana is well on the track to taking
this seriously and your attorney general, in particular, as the person driving that charge, is taking the matter seriously as well.” Unity on the agenda of crime and security is a matter that the incoming Deputy Chair, Adriel Brathwaite, AG of Barbados is surprised that the Region has not pooled efforts and resources towards alleviating. Brathwaite believes that CFATF also serves the agenda and working together as Caribbean countries on the issue would guarantee unified progress. “If we don’t get this right at CFATF, it can affect your
way of life, if we don’t get it right in terms of the crime and security agenda, the kind of violence that you see...perpetrated on our own citizens by our citizens...can have a really negative impact on you and I,” Brathwaite stressed. Brathwaite-Knowles, however, related that resources happen to be one of the biggest challenges that members of CFATF face. “We need trained prosecutors, we need trained police officers, we need judges, [we need] the court systems to work effectively, we need to be able to freeze assets and we need to confiscate... we need to effectively carry out the various things that are set out for the legislative framework. So all of our jurisdictions are grappling with issues regarding efficiency of resources, scarce resources...all of these issues come down to resources,” the outgoing chair said. She agreed with the Barbados AG, stating that regional cooperation and coordination through bodies such as CARICOM, is essential to correcting this. She further advised that it was the Region, as a whole, that would either benefit or suffer as a result of their collaboration. Executive-Director of CFATF, Mr. Calvin Wilson, along with the rest of the dignitaries present congratulated Williams on his assumption of the chairmanship and pledged their support in all things to come.
More can be done for Partial Scope Agreement- Minister Greenidge Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge said Guyana can do much more in the area of trade with neighbouring country Brazil, as the two South American nations continue with the Partial Scope Agreement. Minister Greenidge was speaking to the me-
dia on Wednesday when he noted that Guyana needs to widen its range of products that can be exported competitively. “That is part of the reality. If you look around the range of products that are exported, they are far too limited and that is where the major constraint arises,” Minister Greenidge
said. While the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has no responsibility in that regard, it is, in fact, responsible for dialogue and works toward systems that can bolster investment in the country. “You have to diversify, you have to find new products, you have to move
up the value chain. You just can’t be producing paddy and rice and selling it abroad. So, work has to be done in the agriculture sector and in processing to find products that command higher prices and in which wider margins are associated,” the Minister said. He said both the
Governments and Private Sectors of Guyana and Brazil have been engaged in dialogue, seeking to widen the range of products that could be sold to Brazil under the arrangement. Under the Partial Scope Agreement, Guyana can sell among other things, red peppers, bot-
tled rum, copra fruits and vegetables, calcined bauxite, PVC pipes, corrugated cardboard, and alu-zinc sheets. Brazil is welcomed to sell machinery parts, building materials, agro-based products, pastas noodles jams, jellies, rum and spirits, and pharmaceuticals.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, November 16, 2017
CCJ nixes Govt’s bid to appeal Dipcon ruling THE Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on Wednesday dismissed an appeal by the Attorney General (AG) of Guyana in the $446M contractual dispute between the government and Dipcon Engineering Limited. Back in March, the AG filed a Notice of Appeal to the Court of Appeal of Guyana requesting leave to appeal the decision of Justice Rishi Persaud at the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in the case of Attorney General of Guyana and Dipcon Engineering. Justice Persaud had ruled that Dipcon recover from the Government of Guyana the sum of US$665,032.17 as monies due to the engineering company for road-building and construction works undertaken for and at the request of the government, along with the sum of US$1,563,368.50 for increased costs incurred by Dipcon at the request of the government in the course of undertaking the aforementioned work. The engineering company also requested a six per cent per annum interest from February 10, 2009 to October 21,
2015 and thereafter at a rate of four per cent per annum until fully paid. It was also ordered that the government pay Dipcon costs to the tune of $1,200,000 along with a stay of execution for six weeks from the date of the ruling. Dipcon took the government to court in 2009, while the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) was in government. However, judgment was handed down in October 2015. The AG had sought a stay of execution of the judgment of Justice Persaud pending the determination of the appeal and any other order that the Court may deem necessary, including costs. In his affidavit in support of the application for leave to appeal to the CCJ, Williams said that he was unaware that the previous attorney general had laid over a court order for payment of $400M with the Minister of Finance in January 2016. However, the CCJ in its ruling dismissed the appeal against the refusal of the Court of Appeal to enlarge the time and costs that were awarded to the respondent at a rate agreed by the parties of basic costs. It was also
determined by the court that the application for a stay of enforcement of the judgment that had been made in the Court of Appeal fell away and the judgment which had been delivered more than two years ago could be enforced. The Court of Appeal had refused an application made by the AG to extend the time within which to appeal a judgment of the High Court, which was made after more than six months had elapsed after the time prescribed by statute. It was after that refusal by the Court of Appeal that the AG sought and was granted leave to appeal to the CCJ as of right under section 6(a) of the Caribbean Court of Justice Act, Cap. 3:07. That as-of-right appeal to the CCJ was on the grounds that the Court of Appeal improperly exercised its discretion in not finding that there were good and substantial reasons for its delay in filing the appeal, and the court did not properly weigh the length of time and reasons for the delay against the potential merits of the appeal. However, the CCJ has ruled that the appeal touches and concerns a procedural
issue and does not fall within the ambit of Section 6 of the CCJ Act. In fact, the Court said Section 6 does not give a right of appeal against the Court of Appeal’s refusal to enlarge time for appealing and that the appropriate recourse in such a situation is to apply to the CCJ for special leave to appeal pursuant to section 8 of the CCJ Act. “No such application was made in this case,” a summary of the judgment stated. Additionally, the court noted that the AG would also need to apply for an extension of time to apply for special leave, since Rule 10.12 of the CCJ (Appellate Jurisdiction) Rules 2017 requires an application for special leave to be made within 42 days of the date of the judgment from which leave to appeal is sought. “In the absence of acceptable justification for failing to file these applications, the Court concluded that it had no jurisdiction to allow the State to appeal against the Court of Appeal’s refusal to grant an extension of time,” the summary stated. Notwithstanding that, the Court acknowledged that it may, in a proper case, grant
‘Garbage is killing me’ By Telesha Ramnarine
MAYOR Patricia ChaseGreen on Tuesday declared that the City is in a garbage crisis and head of Solid Waste Management, Walter Narine, was not presenting her with an accurate description of the situation on the ground. “The garbage is killing me. Narine can’t tell me there’s a red carpet out there. There is garbage everywhere. We are in a crisis. He is not directing me right,” Chase-Green lamented at Tuesday’s extraordinary statutory meeting at City Hall. Chase-Green said Narine reports one thing to the City Council but a different situation exists in the City. “I gotta get it under control. Christmas coming. I going to government to beg for this bailout to bring this City back in order,” the mayor said. Her ‘begging’ comment came in response to Town Clerk Royston King’s statement at the meeting when he said depending on a government bailout dilutes the authority and autonomy of the City Council. The mayor begged to differ. Chairman of the Finance Committee, Councillor Oscar Clarke, proposed that a onemonth amnesty be granted for defaulting ratepayers so that some revenue can be garnered. The proposal was supported by the majority of councillors present, and hence, a 100 per cent amnesty on interest was approved for the period November
15 to December 15, 2017. The mayor noted that the amnesty is needed as the municipality is in crisis mode. She observed that the Council’s revenue base has not been able
he noted.
TOTALLY AGAINST Councillor James Samuels was totally against the granting of any amnesty and pointed out
benefit from a bonus and Christmas social. Mentore pointed out that an increase in rates and taxes, the re-evaluation of properties in the City, and a raise in stallholders’
A majority of City councillors approved a one-month period in which a 100 per cent amnesty on interest will be granted
to adequately look after the Council since from as far back as 1992 when the PPP came to power. Speaking about Deputy Mayor Lionel Jaikaran’s move to persuade a delinquent taxpayer to come forward with $7M, although he had built up $19M in interest, Councillor Welton Clarke offered that although it was a good gesture, it was not necessarily a good example of how the Council ought to be run. “We have to be careful how we stamp our authority,”
that the municipality ought to be run as a business. “Let’s get down and do business,” he urged, while pointing out how the delinquent taxpayer in question made millions of dollars at the expense of other taxpayers. Councillor Alfred Mentore supported the granting of an amnesty and proposed that the 100 per cent only apply to the first two weeks of the month. In this way, he reasoned that people will pour in to pay their rates and City Hall might even
rents, will have to be pursued as revenue-earning options. Furthermore, the town clerk noted that the ticketing system for persons found littering has to be implemented and funds garnered from littering at the moment ought to be given to the City Council, as opposed to going into the Consolidated Fund. Chase-Green recalled that the Guyana Lottery was the brainchild of the former Council, but is now one of government’s leading sources of income.
an extension of time to comply with the rules to avert a clear miscarriage of justice. “It was a serious question in this case whether, as a matter of justice, the Court may or should consider granting an extension of time when there was no out-of-time application for special leave before it.” The AG contended that the reason for failing to appeal in time the High Court’s decision was due to the fact that private counsel had conducted the case under the previous administration, but when the government changed in May 2015, the new AG and staff were unaware of the case of the judgment. The AG in his appeal to the CCJ alleged that the Court of Appeal did not properly consider the reasons for the delay in filing the appeal and the potential merits of the case. “The Court observed that, in all the circumstances, the State had failed to satisfy the most basic standard of care in dealing with the case and its reasons for failing to appeal in time were unacceptable,” the summary stated. As a result, the Court stated that on an applica-
tion for extension of time to make an application for special leave, an applicant must show more than a realistic prospect of success; it must show that there would be a miscarriage of justice if the appeal were not heard. “In this case, the appellant’s arguments as to the merits were that the judge failed to give proper weight to various aspects of the evidence. The case concerned the respondent’s entitlement to be paid two sums of money; one for extra works and the other for escalations in the price of the materials for doing the work,” the court said, noting that the underlying issue was whether the terms of the contract entitled the respondent to recover the sums it claimed on these accounts and which the trial judge awarded. The court, presided over by President of the CCJ, Sir Dennis Byron, and Justices David Hayton, and Denys Barrow noted that the apparent miscarriage of justice must clearly appear and must not be speculative and as such the AG’s contention failed to meet this standard.
-- cries Georgetown mayor NO BENEFIT The fund was stopped by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government, but was reinstated six months later at no benefit to the City Council. When individuals litter by throwing the tickets on the streets, the City Council gets nothing but is expected to clean up the mess. Meanwhile, earlier this week, Narine told the Chronicle that both Cevons and Puran Brothers are expected to come back on board before Christmas. “Both of them are coming back, but not with the same luxuries that they had before. We will take back the markets from them and we are going to do high-producing areas like commercial, Albouystown, Charlestown.” These are the areas that produce the most garbage which results in great costs to the City, Narine
explained. But Cevons Waste Management, in a press release, has since claimed that the company has not been engaged by City Hall with regard to the resumption of garbage disposal, nor is it part of any understanding with regard to a time frame for such resumption. “Accordingly, we state categorically that the assertion attributed to Mr. Walter Narine is entirely false. We make this clear only because we are concerned that the citizenry not be misled on the important issue of urban sanitation with all of its public health implications. That being said, our commitment to an efficient and effective garbage-collection regime in Georgetown and its environs remains undiminished,” the statement said.
Bandit robs police at Stabroek Market A 26-year-old police constable stationed at the Turkeyen Police Station was robbed of his valuables by an armed bandit Tuesday night at Stabroek Market Square, Georgetown, in the vicinity of the Digicel Booth. Reports indicate that the policeman was robbed of over $50,000. Investigations revealed that he was walking south, through the Stabroek Square when the robber, who was standing between two vehicles blocked his way, demanding he hands over his valuables. The suspect then took out a weapon from his waist, pointed it at the victim and relieved him of the cash. In the process, he dealt the victim a lash to his left ear and made good his escape along Water Street; no shot was fired. Police are continuing their investigations.
GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, November 16, 2017
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ICC investigating approach during Windies, Zimbabwe series LONDON, England (CMC) – Cricket’s world governing body, the ICC, is investigating an approach made to Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer to fix parts of the recent two-Test series against West Indies. Media reports yesterday said that Cremer had rejected
the approach, allegedly from a former Zimbabwe Cricket board member prior to the first Test on October 21, and reported the incident to head coach Heath Streak. The matter was referred to Zimbabwe Cricket and then to the ICC who has since confirmed that its An-
ti-Corruption Unit was investigating. “The ICC can confirm that there is an ACU ongoing investigation in Zimbabwe and because there is an ongoing investigation, I cannot share any further details,” an ICC spokesperson said was quoted as saying.
The Test, played at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, saw West Indies win by an innings and 17 runs inside four days. Zimbabwe, however, hung on for a draw in the second Test at the same venue, leaving the Caribbean side with a 1-0 series win.
Police, Grove Hi-Tech secure wins in Turbo football By Stephan Sookram POLICE and Kuru Kuru FC are into the semi-finals of this year’s Turbo knockout football tournament, following contrasting wins in the quarterfinals last evening. At the Ministry of Education ground on Carifesta Avenue there were many surprises in store for the spec-
tators. The Police side, although they were the better team on the night, struggled to find the back of the net, due to some excellent goalkeeping. Raul Haynes 40th-minute goal for Police was the only one scored in the clash, but the game could have easily gone into extra time if the Kuru Kuru side had scored a penalty awarded to them.
Nonetheless, the boys in blue move into the next round and can now relax until next week. On the other hand, the Grove Hi-Tech guys were conducting steady raids on the goal of their Georgetown opponents Pele FC. Domini Garrett was the chief in this regard, scoring first in the 7th minute before Denzil Crawford sent the
From back page
Holder strikes, but... Aubrey David, Nathaniel Garcia, Neveal Hackshaw, Nathan Lewis, Levi Garcia, Neil Benjamin Jr, and Jamille Boatswain. The Soca Warriors, according to the report, tried to move the ball quickly around the back four in the hope that the opposing full-back had failed to stay close to either of the Trinidad and Tobago wingers. Holder, who plays for
Morvant Caledonia United in the TT Pro League, played the ball wide for Kadel Daniel and then beat Bateau to the cross to head past Warriors custodian Marvin Phillips. It was Guyana, up 1 – 0 against a Soca Warriors as they search for their first victory in Trinidad since their 4 – 2 win on August 20, 1978. Meanwhile, in the 30th minute, Nathaniel had a
strike from distance ricochet off the outside of an upright but it was not until the second half that Trinidad and Tobago really asked questions of the “Golden Jaguars.” Benjamin should have equalised in the 46th minute but he failed to hit the target after a cross from Levi—who had returned to the flank with the introduction of Shahdon Winchester at half-time. Winchester pull the hosts
Grove side 2-0 up. Garrett returned to add his second on the resumption in the 59th minute, nailing the coffin shut on a dismal performance by the Pele side. Matches continue tonight with Camptown FC against Silver Shattas and Pouderoyen against Mahaica Determinators. Matches commence at 18:30hrs. level in the 60th minute with a good left-footed finish from the edge of the area, after a pass from Benjamin, his former W Connection teammate. It was his first goal under Lawrence and his fifth in 2017, which made him the highest scorer for Trinidad and Tobago in this calendar year. Guyana’s Welshman had a chance to give Guyana the victory, but, Phillip pulled off a superb late reflex save to preserve the draw.
Cost of watching Premier League football falling - BBC
LONDON (Reuters) - The cost of watching Premier League football has fallen, according to a BBC study, which found 80 percent of ticket prices for this season have been cut or frozen. The BBC’s Price of Football study also found that average season ticket prices in England’s top flight had dropped to their lowest levels since 2013 after falling for the second straight year.
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The average cheapest season ticket price is now 464 pounds, down from 472.75 last year. The average cost of the cheapest matchday ticket, however, has increased slightly from 29.05 pounds to 29.30 pounds. The fall in ticket prices comes as clubs enjoy the benefits of the record-breaking 2016-19 broadcasting revenue deal, which secured a 50 percent rise to 8.3
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billion pounds. “This season, more than half of all Premier League tickets will cost 30 pounds or less,” the Premier League said in a statement. “The hard work of clubs to make Premier League football available to a range of supporters, combined with the impressive commit-
ment of match-going fans, has resulted in record stadium occupancy of more than 96 percent for three consecutive seasons.” In a separate BBC poll of 1,000 18 to 24-year-old fans, 82 percent said the cost of tickets was an obstacle to them going to more matches.
CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Thursday November 16, 2017)
COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) 312 (2) 181 Today’s Quiz: (1) How many players have captained the WI in Test cricket to date? (2) How many players have captained the WI in ODI cricket to date? Answers in tomorrow’s issue
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Italy federation sacks coach Ventura after World Cup failure ITALY has sacked coach Giampiero Ventura after the four-time champions failed to reach the World Cup for the first time since 1958. The Azzurri lost a play-off with Sweden 1-0 on aggregate to spell the end of 69-year-old Ventura’s 17-month tenure. Ventura said his record was “one of the best of the last 40 years”. “I lost only two games in two years,” he told Italian television show Le Iene before the Italian Football Federation fired him yesterday. Ventura replaced Antonio Conte in June 2016, and was described as a “master of football” by Italian football federation president Carlo Tavecchio. However, Italy took one point out of
a possible six against Spain in qualifying and also drew at home to Macedonia. “I can only apologise to the Italians, not for the will or effort but for the result, which as I know is the main thing,” said former Napoli and Sampdoria boss Ventura after Italy’s World Cup hopes were ended. When he was appointed he was given a two-year deal which would have taken him to the end of the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia. At the time, Tavecchio called Ventura an “innovative” coach with “limitless experience” who had helped many players reach the national side. Once Ventura’s pay-out is sorted the search for a new manager will begin. Car-
Marian Academy badminton tourney concludes
Secondary Boys’ singles winner Vikash Mootoo and second-place finisher Matthew Beharry
ACTION in the Marian Academy Primary/ Secondary Schools badminton tournament concluded last Tuesday in the school’s auditorium, with titles for Ruel Rambiriche, Vikash Mootoo and Reba Ramlall. Rambiriche prevailed in the primary Boys’ category, where he defeated Nikhil Sookraj, 11-6 in the final. The final followed Rambiriche’s wins against Tejasvarun Kandavel (11-3) in the semi and Jared Bird (11-6) in the quarterfinal. In the Boys’ secondary schools category, Mootoo ruled the roost, after securing a 21-18 victory against Matthew Beharry in the final. Beharry had earlier beaten out Shemroy Holder 21-10 for his place in the final, while Mootoo had
disposed of Pumshotam Balgobin 21-5. Both Balgobin and Holder faced close matches in their quarter-final battles, barely clinching their spots in the semi-finals. For Holder it was a close 22-20 against Shaquain Sawh. Balgobin clinched a 21-18 win against Rasheed January. The secondary schools Girls’ singles belonged to Ramlall who turned back the challenge from Sacha Parmanand claiming a 2115 win. Just prior to ousting Parmanand, Ramlall battled it out in her semi-final match against Amelia Balram, where she had an easy 21-6 margin. Parmanand also had an easy time in her semis where she trounced Elesa Sangster 21-8.
lo Ancelotti is available and it seems like the right time in his career for this job. The three remaining members of Italy’s 2006 World Cup success, Gianluigi Buffon, De Rossi and Andrea Barzagli, all announced their international retirement on Monday. Giorgio Chiellini wants more time to decide. He believes Italian football needs to take a step back in order to move forward and there is a sense this represents an opportunity to push the reset button. Of course the same was said after Italy’s group stage exit from the last World Cup when Cesare Prandelli resigned and Tavecchio’s predecessor Giancarlo Abete followed. Little has changed. (BBC Sport)
Giampiero Ventura took over from Antonio Conte after Euro 2016.
Bairstow hurt as Woakes shines for England
JONNY Bairstow suffered an injury scare as Chris Woakes starred on the first day of England’s final tour match before the Ashes. A suspected finger injury saw Bairstow briefly leave the field in the second session of England’s clash against a Cricket Australia XI at Tony Ireland Stadium in Townsville yesterday. Bairstow suffered the injury diving to his right to take a delivery that kept low. However, the wicketkeeper returned shortly after as the hosts – who won the toss and elected to bat – finished the day at 249-9.
Chris Woakes
Woakes was the star for England, grabbing 6-54 in an impressive display.
Veteran paceman James Anderson was rested, while Moeen Ali (0-39) featured
for the first time on tour after a side strain. England’s inconsistent lines allowed the CA XI to put on 66 for the first wicket, but the tourists fought back. Craig Overton (2-32) did his first Test chances no harm and got some reward, while Stuart Broad finished with 1-33. CA XI captain Matthew Short (51) top-scored on a warm day in Queensland. But as question marks remain over England’s batting ahead of the first Test at the Gabba starting November 23, their top six will get a chance to find some form today.
Maradona wants another go at coaching Argentina
Diego Maradona managed Argentina at the 2010 World Cup.
(REUTERS) - Diego Maradona criticised the faltering Argentina team yesterday and appealed for another chance at managing the national side. A day after they lost 4-2 to Nigeria in a friendly in Russia, Maradona, who last managed Argentina at the 2010 World Cup, hit out the current setup in a short Instagram message. “I am angry because they have thrown away our prestige, but it’s not the fault of the lads,” he said. “I WANT TO COME BACK!!!” Maradona, who is currently coach of United Arab Emirates side Al Fujairah, posted statistics of 11 recent Argentina managers that showed his success rate was 75 per cent, greater even than that of Cesar Luis Menotti,
who won the World Cup in 1978, and Carlos Bilardo, who lifted the trophy in 1986 when Maradona was at his brilliant playing best. “Who won most?” Maradona wrote. “We draw our own conclusions.” The former Boca Juniors and Napoli striker led Argentina to the quarter-finals in Germany, where they were knocked out by the host nation. Current Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli has had an inconsistent start to his tenure since taking charge in June, winning four of his first eight games, but only one of four competitive fixtures. The Argentines only qualified for next year’s World Cup finals thanks to a hat-trick from Lionel Messi in their last game against Ecuador.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE, November Thursday 16, 2017
Tulsi Kumar ‘umpires’ his last match THE local cricket fraternity is mourning the loss of former Guyana international umpire Tulsi Ranjit Kumar who umpired his last match last Friday in New York. The Groenveldt Pasture, Leonora Estate-born Kumar, also known as Umpire Kumar or TR, bowed out at the age of 86 following a brief illness. Prior to migrating to New York with his family in 1977, Kumar was a household name in Guyana for his services as an outstanding umpire both in local and regional matches. He was more well-known
and regarded for his service to local and national cricket in Guyana, to which he dedicated a greater part of his social and community life. Kumar represented Leonora for many years and also promoted and organised cricket in the West Demerara area and other parts of Guyana. He was instrumental in the 1960s in developing the West Demerara Cavaliers cricket team and promoting cricket tours to a few Caribbean islands. The late Kumar also served as a cricket umpire for many years in Leonora and West Demerara, before
emerging on the national scene as a top-class official, standing in several regional matches. He also trained several umpires in West Demerara. In 2001, he was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his Distinguished Contribution in the field of Cricket and Umpiring by the Leonora Reunion Committee in New York. Kumar worked in the Guyana Civil Service for many years, most of which were in the Ministry of Labour as a Senior Labour Officer. There he was also part of a group that provided
He’s out! Umpire Tulsi Kumar raises his finger and the batsman is about to walk.
relief supplies frequently to families affected by floods, mainly in the Mahaica,
Mahaicony and Pomeroon riverine areas. Kumar, who was born in
a well-known Arya Samaj family in Leonora, was the son of the late Rajkumar, formerly the Head Bookkeeper of Leonora Estate and Tori (Missy). He was the husband of the late Joyce Kumar, brother of the late Joyce Paul of Leonora Parafield and Hardat Kumar of Houston, Texas, and father of Naresh Kumar, Vidya Balkishun, Devika Dasani Una Kumar; grandfather of Jonathan, Adesh, Alex and Grace. The Chronicle Sports Desk extends sincere condolences to the family and friends of the late Tulsi Kumar.
Banks DIH, Coca Cola partner with Houston Secondary School
Communications Manager Troy Peters presents some of the basketballs to a teacher of the school while colleagues and students look on approvingly.
BANKS DIH Limited and the Coca Cola Company are partnering to promote healthy lifestyles in schools through physical activities. Through this initiative Houston Secondary School on the East Bank of Demerara has benefited from rehabilitation of its basketball backboard and donations of basketballs and jump (skipping) ropes. Communications Manager Troy Peters, who made the presentation during a simple ceremony at the school, disclosed that the company has worked closely with Houston Secondary and is extremely pleased to be helping to promote physical education and healthy lifestyles at the institution. “This initiative is part of the Banks DIH Limited’s Corporate Social Responsibility programme
which fosters positive social impact in schools. In addition, we are working closely with Coca Cola to encourage physical activities and healthy lifestyles among youths,” he disclosed. Houston Secondary is one of the schools earmarked to compete in the 2018 National Jump Rope competition, sponsored by Coca Cola and organised by the Ministry of Education. Physical Education teacher Edmond Johnson expressed appreciation to the company for the assistance. He said the school will start preparations for the School Jump Rope championships next year, while plans are in place to participate competitively in schools’ basketball tournaments soon.
Blairmont Blazers Under-13 to clash with GFSCA dream team in a feature game IN an effort to further recognise and honour the outstanding players who participated in the recently concluded Well Teen, Nauth Motor Spares, Trophy Stall and Tropical Springs nationwide Under-13 hardball cricket tournament, a feature game will be played on Saturday at the Demerara Cricket Club ground from 14:00hrs. It will be between the champions Blairmont Blazers and the GFSCA All Star Team and will be of 30 overs’ duration. The match will conclude under lights. The strong West Berbi-
ce-based team will be led by Player-of-the-Tournament, Zinul Ramsammy, who was also selected as the captain of the All Star team but will remain with his team. He will be supported by wicketkeeper/batsman Tamanmi Caesar who made a cruel half-century along with his skipper in the final after their team was struggling, losing 3 wickets in the first over. The Blazers also have several all-rounders in their team. On the other hand, the GFSCA All Stars will have several young talents such as hard hitting opener Tallius Lovell. The team
will be led by all-rounder Daniel Mootoo who plays second division cricket in Georgetown. Mystery spinner Romeo Deonarain is his deputy and will get support from Alvin Mohabir and Aryan Persaud. Rahul Singh and Zachary Jodha came in for Marvin Dindial (injured) and Łucas Arthur (unavailable) respectively. Trophies will be donated by Trophy Stall of Bourda Market. Teams: Blairmont Blazers: Zinul Ramsammy (captain), Shaffie Shakir, Altav Balman, Antwone Alexander, Hemchand Ragbir,
Flashback: The winning captain of Blairmont Blazers, Zinul Ramsammy collects the championship trophy from GFSCA vice-president Ramesh Sunich.
Shreedath Roopnarine, Inderjeet Lalsa, Mahendra Ramcharitar, Veer Farhad, Zaid Baksh, Tamanmi Caesar, Darius Joseph and Vickendra Singh. GFSCA ALL STARS: Daniel Mootoo (captain), Shamar Yearwood, Inderjit Nanan, Sanjay
Persaud, Dilshan Ramnarine, Romeo Deonarain (vice-captain), Yohance Angoy, Alvin Mohabir, Tallius Lovell, Zachary Jodha, Aryan Persaud and Rahul Singh. Players are asked to report at the ground by 12:30hrs.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE, November Thursday 16, 2017
Regional Four-day championship
Red Force, Jaguars face off in top-of-the-table clash today BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – The top-of-the-table clash between Guyana Jaguars and hosts Trinidad and Tobago Red Force will highlight the fourth round of the Regional Four-Day Championship which bowls off today. Both teams are unbeaten so far and the day/night clash at the Brian Lara Stadium could prove decisive ahead of the first break of the fast-moving, 10-round season. Three-time champions Jaguars have won two of their first three matches to be top of the standings on 46.6 points, but faltered in their last outing against Leeward Islands Hurricanes and need-
ed a massive effort on the final day at Warner Park to avoid defeat. Their key men have been West Indies-A left-hander Vishaul Singh who has gathered 258 runs at an average of 46, and left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul whose 17 wickets have come at 15 runs apiece. However, their captain Leon Johnson’s lack of form has been worrying, with the left-hander managing only 124 runs from his six trips to the crease. His opposite number Denesh Ramdin has had no such worries with two hundreds already in an aggregate of 316 runs at an impressive average of 105.
Leon Johnson
Red Force have been lifted by his form which has seemingly inspired the other batsmen, with Jason Mohammed, Tion Webster and Yannic Cariah all having scored hundreds so far. Leg-spinner Imran Khan,
Denesh Ramdin
who tops the bowling aggregates with 18 wickets, will also be key as Red Force attempt to inflict Jaguars with a first defeat. Hurricanes, the only other unbeaten side in the tournament, will host Jamaica
Scorpions at Warner Park and will be hoping to continue the form which has put them third in the table. Both their batting and bowling have clicked so far this season leaving them as formidable threats, and Scorpions will have their work cut out for them. While the hosts are unchanged for the encounter, Scorpions have been strengthened by the return of regular captain Nikita Miller, who missed the first three rounds recuperating from surgery last September. The leading wicket-taker last season with 58 scalps with 461 wickets from 90 first-class matches, Hurricanes will be wary of his
ability to be a game-changer. In the other game at Arnos Vale, bottom-placed Windward Islands Volcanoes welcome Barbados Pride who have struggled and lie fourth in the standings. While Volcanoes have lost two of three, the big highlight for them has been veteran left-hander Devon Smith who has already reeled off two hundreds to top the batting charts with 337 runs at an average of 84. Volcanoes, who boast two Barbadians in Kyle Mayers and Kirk Edwards, are unchanged but Pride have gone for former Young West Indies speedster, Keon Harding, to give their bowling attack teeth.
Seventh Guyana Softball Cup a resounding success … Need for various leagues to cooperate
By Frederick Halley The 2017 Guyana Softball Cup, organised by the Guyana Floodlights Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA) ended close to midnight last Sunday night at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) ground with both GFSCA and Ariel Speedboat creating history, becoming the first teams to achieve back-to-back championships since the first tournament bowled off seven years ago. While it was a resounding nine-wicket victory for GFSCA over nemeses and archrivals Regal Masters in the Over-45 category, Ariel Speedboat showed great resilience to overcome opponents Booths All Stars in a tense and tight finish in the Open category, a game that was decided off the last delivery of the riveting 20over affair. Like in any tournament of this magnitude, there were a few hiccups, more so on the final night when the generators powering the lights at the Queenstown venue acted up, causing more than a one-hour delay for the Open
final. Some unruly spectators were also responsible for an injury sustained to Regal’s David Harper as he tried valiantly to prevent a four on the boundary edges. These apart, it was another fantastic tournament, kudos to the GFSCA. As a former Public Relations Officer for the-then Guyana Softball Cricket Association (GSCA) and attending my first Guyana Cup since migrating to Canada in 2003, I was able to witness the tremendous growth that has taken place in the grassroots sport, which has obviously been attracting tremendous financial input from the business sector in Guyana - a far cry from what is happening in the traditional hardball game. The attendance at the matches, especially at the finals, which were boosted by the addition of an Under-13 hardball game featuring Blairmont Blazers and Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC), was fantastic. Here again the comparison with those witnessing Cricket West Indies regional cricket matches in Guyana has left
Booths All Stars skipper Eyaaz Mohamed collects the runner-up prize for the Open category.
much to be desired. I kept searching for answers as to the reasons why the turnout at these tournaments, including the one staged by the Georgetown Softball League (GSL) the previous weekend, is far superior to Cricket West Indies regional matches staged at the stadium and I got mixed reactions. The consensus, however, seemed to be the entertainment provided, with most describing the soft-
ball matches as “short and sweet”. Former vice-president of GFSCA, Ricky Deonarine, who still plays a major role in the organising of the tournament, expressed delight at this year’s staging. He echoed the sentiments of president Ramchand Ragbeer at the launching that the tournament had reached great heights since its inception. Chairman of the seventh edition, Anil Beharry, who
also joined the commentary team headed by the experienced Inderjeet Persaud, should also be commended for an exemplary job, bringing his vast experience as former president of the Berbice Cricket Board into play. As usual, the corporate support was fantastic and among the sponsors were STAG Beer, RUBiS Guyana, Steve’s Jewellery, Clear Waters, Busta, Rohan Auto Spares, A&R Jewanram Printery, WJ Enterprise, Mike’s Pharmacy, Ramchand Auto Spares and Survival Group of Businesses. Special commendations to Ramesh and Devi Sunich of Trophy Stall for once again sponsoring the numerous trophies, including a towering six-footer for the Masters championships, while as is customary, Steve’s Jewellery provided the Most Valuable Player prizes for the top players in the Open and Masters categories. This year, the prizes were two gold pendants in the shape of cricket bats. While the tournament could once more be deemed
a success, it was obvious that all is not well among the various leagues/organisations in Guyana and this was very much evident at the teams’ meeting prior to the commencement of the tournament. Allegations surfaced as to what allegedly transpired in 2016 regarding players’ eligibility in the Over-45 category but these were denied by the organisers. The fact that Regal, whose official made the allegations, still participated in the Masters category was a sure sign that things are on the mend and one can only hope more progress is made in this area. From reports received, the Prime Minister’s Cup, organised by the GSL, will become an annual affair while the International Softball Cup, played simultaneously at Parika with the Guyana Softball Cup, may follow suit. At the end of the day, there’s only one winner, softball cricket, and one can only hope that all the parties involved show respect for each other’s staging of their version.
Red Force, Jaguars face off in top-of-thetable clash today Page 23
Holder strikes, but Winchester scores late for Soca Warriors in 1-1 draw with Golden Jaguars SHELDON Holder scored in the 16th minute for Guyana’s ‘Golden Jaguars, but the ‘Soca Warriors’ danced their way to an entertaining 1-1 draw when the two met on Tuesday at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, Trinidad, in a FIFA International Friendly. It was the 21st meeting between Guyana and the Twin Island Republic in international football, with the first clash dating back to 1978. While Trinidad and Tobago have gone on to become one of the Caribbean’s powerhouses in the sport and also featured in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Guyana are yet to find a place of historic significance. The Soca Warriors have won 14 of those meetings, while four matches ended in draws. Guyana’s last victory was on November 11, 2011 and their first was a 4-0 win in the Island’s capital. The last time Guyana faced Trinidad, the ‘Trinis’
Guyana’s Sheldon Holder (left) heads past Trinidad’s goalkeeper Marvin Phillip (right) and defender Sheldon Bateau for the opening goal during international friendly action at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva. (Photo compliments: Chevaughn Christopher/Wired868)
ICC investigating approach during Windies, Zimbabwe series Page 20
walked away 3-0 winners, and as such, head coach Wayne Dover, who also faced T&T as a player, was hoping for a morale-boosting victory as Guyana prepare for a November 25 meeting against Indonesia. According to a report published by the Island’s leading source for sports updates and news, www. wiered868.com, Dover opted to play a 4-2-3-1 system, and started with Andrew Durant in goal, Terrence Vancooten, Jake Newton, debutant Jelani Smith, Christopher Bourne; Samuel Cox (captain), Warren Creavalle, Emery Welshman, Brandon Beresford, Kadell Daniel and Holder. Dennis Lawrence, Trinidad’s head coach, went with the experienced Marvin Phillip between the uprights, Alvin Jones, Sheldon Bateau (captain), Josiah Trimmingham,
Turn to page 20
Police, Grove Hi-Tech secure wins in Turbo football
Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer rejected a corrupt approach. Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 2 2 6- 3243-9 (General); Editorial: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216. Fax:2 2 7- 5208
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Pele try in vain to beat Grove Hi-Tech. The latter won 3-0 and move into the semis. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER, 16, 2017