Issuu

WEDNESDAY 3rd April, 2019

TAKING THE HIGH ROAD No.105596

… Four Gov’t dual-citizen ministers 03 resign PAGE

… portfolios to be performed by Cabinet colleagues … PPP yet to honour court ruling

Region 10 gets $16M U.S. hails Coalition’s ‘political will’ river ambulance 17 to fight narco-trafficking PAGE

PAGE

Bartica loses centenarian, regional garage … in two fires, hours apart 09 PAGE

The newly-commissioned river ambulance

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 3, 2019

TAKING THE HIGH ROAD

… Four ministers with dual-citizenship resign

… portfolios to be performed by Cabinet colleagues

… PPP yet to honour court ruling ALL four Government Members of Parliament with dual citizenship have resigned, while the Opposition Members of Parliament have refused to relinquish their seats, effectively disregarding the Constitution of Guyana, and the decisions of the courts. Both the High Court and the Court of Appeal have indicated that it is unconstitutional for Members of Parliament to be dual citizens. To be a dual citizen in the National Assembly is a breach of Article 155 of the Constitution. In a statement on Tuesday, the Ministry of the Presidency disclosed that President Granger received and accepted the resignations of all coalition Members of Parliament who are holders of dual citizenship. Those Members of Parliament are: Carl Greenidge, Joseph Harmon, Dominic Gaskin and Rupert Roopnaraine, who held ministerial portfolios respectively for Foreign Affairs, State, Business and Tourism and the Public Service. By virtue of their resignations, they will not return to the National Assembly when it reconvenes on Thursday April 11, 2019, and have relinquished their ministerial portfolios. Harmon is a citizen of America while Greenidge, Gaskin and Roopnaraine are UK citizens. “The Government of Guyana is committed to the upholding of the Constitution of Guyana and by virtue, the March 22, 2019 ruling of the Court of Appeal on the December 21, 2018 motion of no-confidence, which was brought against the government,” the Ministry of the Presidency stated. While the government has taken a decision to abide by the Constitution, the Parliamentary

who have resigned their seats. Minister Trotman assured that the government remains functional and remains in capable hands. Amid suggestions by the opposition that the government is crumbling, Minister Trotman assured that the President Granger remains President and the government remains intact.

Former Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge

Former Minister of Business and Tourism, Dominic Gaskin

Opposition – People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), has refused to let go of its MPs with dual citizenship. Its Chief Whip Gail Teixeira, a Canadian citizen, has been a Member of Parliament since 1992, although the Constitution bars against MPs having dual citizenship. The Guyana Chronicle understands that a number of other opposition MPs including Adrian Anamayah and Odinga Lumumba are also citizens of other countries.

Cabinet who previously acted when those ministers were on leave or out of the jurisdiction. “Following rulings by the High Court and the Guyana Court of Appeal, His Excellency President David Granger had sought Cabinet’s advice on how to definitively address the status of Members of Parliament who hold dual citizenship. The courts have held that it is unconstitutional for persons swearing allegiance to a foreign state or power to be eligible for election to Parliament,” Cabinet said It said consequently, the four government MPs, who were also ministers, submitted to the President, their resignations from the House. “On reviewing this development, Cabinet described the action by the ministers as politically correct and as a demonstration of their respect for the rule of law,” it said.

SMOOTH FUNCTIONING In a separate statement issued later in the day, the Department of Public Information said “Cabinet is satisfied that the resignation of four ministers as Government Members of Parliament fully accords with the decision of the courts.” It was explained that for the ensuing period, as is the usual practice, the now vacant ministerial portfolios would be held by sitting members of

REMAIN IN GOVERNMENT SERVICE Though the ministers have

Former Minister of Public Service, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine resigned, they are to remain in government service. “While it is conceded that the Constitution strictly bars a person who holds dual citizenship from being an MP, they are not precluded from remaining in government service. This is a matter to be addressed by the President who will finalise ways in which the four resigned MPs will serve in government,” Cabinet explained. Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman, who is acting in the capacity of Minister of State hours after the announcement was made, said the decisions were long in the making. “We of course were not prepared in the initial stages for this but in deep discussion it was determined that this is what was expected of us and so today’s announcement really is an announcement of a decision that has been taken sometime before,” Trotman explained in a televised statement. He said Guyanese can rest assure that the government will abide by the Constitution

Former Minister of State Joseph Harmon

and the rulings of all Courts – from the Magistrate’s Court to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). The Natural Resources Minister, as stated by DPI, noted that the now vacant ministerial portfolios would be held by sitting members of Cabinet. While acknowledging the contributions of the four former members, Trotman said while they will no longer sit in the National Assembly or act in the capacity of a minister, they will continue to function within the government. “As I said, they are not gone all together from government, they are only resigning from the National Assembly…,” the minister posited. O n Tu e s d a y, C a b i n e t thanked the four resigned MPs for their yeoman and exemplary service to the people of Guyana and said it looks forward to their future contributions in their new roles. Within days, names from the APNU+AFC Coalition list of candidates will be extracted to fill the vacancies of the MPs

CHARRANDASS VOTE The issue of MPs with dual citizenship status became a subject of discussion and legal action last December after Charrandass Persaud, a then Government MP, used his seat in the National Assembly to vote in favour of the opposition-sponsored no-confidence motion, that was intended to topple the government. At the time, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr. Barton Scotland, had declared the motion passed by a majority of 33. Subsequently, a farmer from New Amsterdam, Compton Reid, challenged the validity of the vote on the grounds that Persaud breached the Constitution when he sat in the house as a dual citizen. Reid, through his attorneys, Senior Counsel Rex McKay and Neil Boston, argued that Persaud was not eligible for membership of the National Assembly and ought not to be in the House on the night of December 21, 2018. While the Courts have upheld the vote cast by Persaud, who has since been recalled from the National Assembly, they have indicated that it is unconstitutional to be a MP and hold dual citizenship at the same time.

U.S. hails Coalition’s ‘political will’ to fight narco-trafficking DESPITE the challenges to fight drug trafficking here, the United States Government said the Government of Guyana has demonstrated political will to combat the scourge throughout the country. In its 2019 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, Washington said that, during the first nine months of 2018, authorities seized 164.9 kilograms (kg) of cocaine and 889 kg of cannabis. “Guyanese authorities initiated 358 prosecutions and convicted 24 individuals for drug trafficking,” the United States said. The report noted that cocaine is concealed in legitimate commodities and smuggled through commercial and private air transport, maritime vessels, human couriers, “go-fast” boats, and various postal systems. The United States also said it enjoys strong cooperation with Guyana in advancing mutual interests against the threat of international drug trafficking. Guyana, the

US said has shown strong interest in furthering collaboration under Caribbean Basin Security Initiative. “The United States looks forward to tangible progress on investigations, prosecutions, and extraditions; expanding security sector capacity; engaging at-risk communities; and enforcing laws against money laundering and financial crimes. To advance cooperation, Guyana should take steps to implement the 2001 counterdrug bilateral agreement with the United States to suppress illicit trafficking by sea and air. Guyana should seek to enhance its anti-corruption initiatives and fully pursue prosecutions for drug trafficking in accordance with its laws.” Additionally, the report said the United States supports a wide range of efforts designed to address crime and violence affecting Guyanese citizens, primarily through the CBSI. CBSI is a security partnership between the United States and Caribbean countries that seek to substantially

reduce illicit trafficking, advance public safety and citizen security, and promote justice. Efforts to increase law enforcement capabilities, protect borders, air and seaports, strengthen workforce development, and promote anti-money laundering effectiveness directly address priority concerns shared by Guyana and the United States. “The Government of Guyana cooperates very closely with all relevant U.S. agencies and departments, but is limited by resource constraints. The current administration, which took office in May 2015, has expressed a strong willingness to cooperate with the United States on drug control, extradition, mutual legal assistance, and other international crime issues,” the US report stated. CBSI-funded programmes support Guyana’s maritime operations by providing interdiction assets, relevant command and control systems, and associated logistical support and training. In 2018, the United States provided port and

maritime training to Guyana’s Coast Guard. U.S. assistance programs also promote law enforcement professionalisation and more effective drug investigations. By strengthening Guyana’s drug control capacities, the United States seeks to enhance inter-agency coordination within the Guyanese government including to gather better information on drug trafficking routes. The Government of Guyana’s National Drug Abuse Control Unit trains public health officers, teachers, social workers, and civil society groups as part of the government’s supply reduction strategy. The Guyanese government has a drug enforcement presence at its international airports, post offices, and, to a lesser extent, at seaport and land-border entry points. Drug control agencies reported several interdiction efforts and drug-related seizures and convictions during the first nine months of 2018.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday April 3, 2019

May gambles on talks with Labour to unlock Brexit, enraging her own party LONDON (Reuters) Prime Minister Theresa May said on Tuesday she would seek another Brexit delay to agree an EU divorce deal with the opposition Labour leader, a last-ditch gambit to break an impasse over Britain’s departure that enraged many in her party. Nearly three years since the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union in a shock referendum result, it is still unclear how, when or if it will ever indeed quit the European club it first joined in 1973. In a hastily arranged statement from her Downing Street office after spending seven hours chairing cabinet

meetings on how to plot a way out of the Brexit maze, May said she was seeking another short extension to Brexit beyond April 12. Her move offers the prospect of keeping the United Kingdom in a much closer economic relationship with the EU after Brexit - though it could also rip her Conservative Party apart as half her lawmakers want a decisive split from the bloc. “I am offering to sit down with the leader of the opposition and to try to agree a plan - that we would both stick to - to ensure that we leave the European Union and that we do so with a deal,” she said. “We will need a further extension of Article 50 (di-

vorce notification), one that is as short as possible and which ends when we pass a deal. We need to be clear what such an extension is for - to ensure we leave in a timely and orderly way.” Corbyn said he would be “very happy” to meet May and that he would set no limits ahead of the talks, while reiterating that his party aimed to keep a customs union with the EU, access for Britain to its single market and protections for workers. He added that he would hold a vote of no-confidence in the government in reserve if any eventual accord still failed to achieve majority support in a deeply split British parliament. Germany and France called for more clarity from London, warning that without a clear sense of what Britain wanted it could be heading towards a disorderly Brexit

within days. The EU’s Donald Tusk called for patience with London. MAY’S GAMBLE INFURIATES PARTY EUROSCEPTICS Keeping Britain closely tied to the EU after Brexit is anathema to much of the Conservative Party. Many Brexit-backing Conservatives were livid at May over her overture to Corbyn. “This is a deeply unsatisfactory approach, it is not in the interests of the country, it fails to deliver on the referendum result and history doesn’t bode well for it,” Jacob Rees-Mogg, a prominent Brexiteer, told reporters following a meeting of the party’s hardline eurosceptic parliamentary group. Boris Johnson, the face of the 2016 Brexit campaign, said a compromise with Labour

would betray the referendum, asserting that the world’s fifth biggest economy could be outside the EU but still subject to EU rules. “Brexit is becoming soft to the point of disintegration,” said Johnson, who resigned as foreign minister last July. Still, May faced no immediate resignations from her senior team. Advertisement Prominent Brexit supporters in May’s cabinet, such as Michael Gove, defended her plan in public after a marathon meeting at which ministers haggled for hours over coffee and sandwiches. They finished with Chilean red wine. Any plan, May said, would have to include the current Withdrawal Agreement that she agreed with the EU in November and which the bloc says it will not reopen. May last week offered to quit if parliament approved her deal but lawmakers defeated it a third time on Friday, the very day Britain had been due to leave the EU. Brexiteers say her deal would trap Britain in the EU’s orbit indefinitely but pro-EU opposition parties say her proposed break would isolate Britain and cause lasting economic damage. Lawmakers failed on Monday to find a majority of their own for any alternative plan ranging from a permanent customs union to a confirmatory referendum on any deal and a revocation of the divorce papers to avoid a no-deal crash-out. NEW OPTIONS FOR PARLIAMENT? May said that if she could not agree a unified approach

with Corbyn, a veteran socialist who voted against joining the bloc in 1975, then the government would come up with a number of options on the future relationship with the EU. Then, she said, the government would put them before the House of Commons in a series of votes. “Crucially, the government stands ready to abide by the decision of the house,” May said. Her move could cleave apart her Conservatives, who have been grappling with an internal schism over Europe for the past three decades. Over half of her lawmakers voted last week to go for a no-deal Brexit, much to the alarm of British business. “It seems to me that she wants to rely upon Labour votes to get this extension through,” David Jones, a Brexit-supporting former Conservative minister, told Reuters. “If she does that, then she is putting the future of the party in peril.” May said she wanted the Withdrawal Agreement Bill to be passed before May 22 so that the United Kingdom did not have to take part in elections that month to the European Parliament. Her spokesman said it was possible to cancel participation in the European elections right up to the day of the vote. The impasse has already delayed Brexit for at least two weeks beyond the planned departure date of March 29 to 2200 GMT on April 12. “This is a decisive moment in the story of these islands,” May said. “But we can and must find the compromises that will deliver what the British people voted for.”

Saturday 30, March, 2019

05 15 19 20 22 27 01

18, 02, 20, 25, 26

4, 5, 4

3, 2, 5

04, 05, 10, 13, 14

29, March, 2019

05 09 12 13 17

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday April 3, 2019

ANTI-COMPETITIVE ?

PARAMARIBO, Suriname, Apr 2, CMC –The Suriname-based Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Competition Commission (CCC) says the intended sale of Scotiabank’s assets in nine Caribbean countries could have anti-competitive effects in at least three CARICOM member states. “The Commission remains cognizant of the provisions of Article 175 of the RTC (Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas), and at this time reminds national competition authorities and member states of this critical provision. “The Commission also informs that it shall approach those national competition authorities and sector regulators in affected member states in accordance with Article 176(1), for the conduct of preliminary examinations of proposed transaction between the enterprises,” it said in a statement. Last November, the

Trinidad-based Republic Financial Holdings Limited (RFHL) announced that it was seeking to acquire Scotiabank operations in several Caribbean countries. A RFHL statement said that the banks being acquired are located in Guyana, St Maarten, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines. It said that the purchase price is US$123 million, which represents US$25 million consideration for total shareholding of Scotiabank Anguilla Limited; and a premium of US$98 million over net asset value for operations in the remaining eight countries. In its statement, the CCC recalled that in December last year, it had advised the public that it had taken “note” of the announcement regarding the proposed sale as well as the life insurance operations in another two territories, namely Jamaica

and Trinidad and Tobago, to Sagicor Financial Corporation. “In accordance with Article 173(2)(a) of the RTC, the Commission further advised that it would continue to monitor these developments in the banking and insurance sectors and that any impact to the CARICOM Community by the proposed transaction would be assessed in accordance with the provisions of the RTC.” The CCC said that it has “now completed a preliminary assessment pursuant to Article 173(2)(a) of the RTC” and that “such assessment indicates that the proposed transaction or parts thereof could possibly have anticompetitive effects in at least three member states in the Community.” The statement did not name the states likely to be affected as a result but said that “in furtherance of its commitment to fair and transparent processes for both the business

…CARICOM body warns sale of Scotiabank could have anti-competitive effect in three member states community and consumers” it will “continue to monitor this activity in the Community and will inform as appropriate on further progress of this matter in affected member states.” Last week, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne, who has openly expressed reservations about the sale, reiterated his government’s position that it would not issue a vesting order to facilitate the sale of Scotiabank operations in his country. Browne told legislators that workers at Scotia Bank had brought several issues to the attention of his administration including the issue of severance payments. “In the case of Antigua and Barbuda, and by the way we are not giving Scotia Bank any vesting order. They are not getting it. We are very firm on that. However, in the unlikely

event they were successful in selling this Antiguan branch to Republic Bank they will have to pay the severance… “We are giving the staff options, the right to exercise options of taking the severance and continue

to work, take the severance and leave or if they wish to commute their service. The employee must have that right. It’s his labour, it is his fundamental right to determine for whom he works,” Browne said.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday April 3, 2019

Maintaining a clean environment

MAN’S habitat is a major element in assessing his thinking and outlook in life. The environment within which we live, while comprising various facets, has been used over the years in making judgment about a society and its people. The programme that has been embarked upon in Georgetown and its environs by the administration, in an effort to have it cleaned and maintained, reflects the thinking not only of its leaders, but some sections of the general society. We live in a time when the world places increasing emphasis on preventative healthcare, which is also a contributory factor to enhancing longevity. It is for this reason that a clean and healthy physical environment is equally important to one’s wellbeing and societal development. Bringing about this requires the involvement of

both the managers and receivers of service to make sure that the end delivery benefits the whole and not a part or individuals. Every citizen or visitor to Georgetown, conscious of health requirements, can collectively work to realise a healthy environment. It is important also that as citizens, visitor or resident, we cultivate a culture of environmental awareness and respect. This is not a case where this cannot be done, as evidenced in appropriate conduct when Guyanese visit other countries and conform to their environmental good practices. It is suggested that persons start cultivating the habit of tking g their waste with them to be properly disposed of in one of the public garbage disposal recptacles or at their homes. Decisions will have to be made by both government (central, regional and local)

and citizens to bring about a new level of consciousness and commitment. At the public awareness level, there is need for education-- sustained, simple and visible -- because what we are talking here is changing a behavioural practice that has become a bad habit. At the formal level, educators can help in teaching students about environmental wellness and proper garbage disposal. It is known that at the nursery level, our educators impart knowledge on hygiene and etiquette, giving our children a very early start in taking care of themselves and being responsible citizens. Enhancing these appropriate life skills with environmental respect will help in moulding minds at a tender age. The family, too, has a responsibility to teach and practise environmental cleanliness. Government has a responsibility to

maintain and improve the environment by ensuring that garbage disposal is buttressed with deterrence. It is therefore noteworthy that recently, City Mayor Ubraj Narine proposed an increase in the fines for littering from $10,000 to $40,000. Such a fine will certainly minimise the tendency to litter. There should also be stiffer stronger by-laws that come with community service hours in a controlled environment, such as working with the garbage collectors. Georgetown, for years, has earned the unpleasant sobriquet as the garbage city, and strident efforts are being made daily to restore it to the Garden City, and hopefully being a model for other parts of Guyana. For this revitalisation to succeed, both citizens and government must play their roles.

Elections and politics not the business of gentlewomen and innocent schoolchildren Dear Editor,

I NOTE with great interest a letter written by my good friend Clement Rohee published in the April 1, 2019 edition of the Kaieteur News, titled ‘The PPP never claimed Purity’. I hope that the publication of this letter on ‘All Fools Day’ has neither symbolism nor significance. But Mr. Editor, on a serious note, let me first compliment Rohee on his excellent penmanship, and I do regard him as a friend, and respect him for defending the Party of his choice. However, his criticisms of Eusi Kwayana seem harsh and certainly myopic. They say every story has two sides, but in Guyana, every story since I joined the public political arena seems to have three sides: Your story, my story, and the whole story. Because of that condition, sometimes I say to the public and our young people, “May

God help us to navigate through this royal triangular road to get to the whole story and the whole truth.” As I compliment Clement for his letter, I am responding from far away in Texas, and do not have access to my records. Clement Rohee’s letter inferentially chides Mr. Kwayana’s reference to the Houston Constituency in the 1961 General Elections. Recall, as a result of an election petition Hamilton Green (PNC) vs the then declared winner George Henry (PPP), the High Court determined that there existed certain improprieties and quashed the elections and ordered that a by-election be held post haste. The margin of victory by Henry was a mere 400odd votes. However, it is crystal clear that it was the PPP Administration that frustrated the holding of the Houston By-Election as ordered by the High Court. I read the contention in Mr.

Rohee’s letter, but had the then Government facilitated the by-election, the same list would have been used. One of the witnesses during the trial established that a Mr. Sukhoo, whom he knew and who walked with a distinctive limp, had voted earlier the morning, but he observed Mr. Sukhoo with the same limp with a different shirt had turned up and voted in the afternoon session. I support the position taken by Kwayana, since I was the PNC Candidate that contested in the Houston Constituency, and today feel aggrieved, since I was denied the opportunity with the PPP Candidate to face the electorate a second time. My friend Clement must know that any movement on the list, as he alleged, would not have been engineered by any one group. He knows that I know that elections and politics in every country, democratic or what have you, is not the business of

gentlewomen and innocent schoolchildren, be it in the United States, Russia, Europe, Latin America, Africa or India. In his letter, he is accurate in saying that the results did give the PPP 20 out of 35 seats. The PNC got 11 seats, and the UF four seats. At that time, our country was a divided place; The major ethnic groups did not trust each other. There was violence and disruption; there was distrust and disunity, and let no one side blame the other. And if anyone from the PPP attempts this, I can relay the many horror stories, beginning with the Ishmael family (PNC)’S experience at Tain Village on the Corentyne. Because of the above situation, even though the PPP got 20 seats, an analysis showed that they obtained 42.5% of the popular votes cast in the country. The PNC got 41% of the popular votes, but only secured 11 seats. PNC Leader Forbes

Burnham, on the heels of Dr. Jagan’s call for immediate Independence, agreed that in the vitriolic environment, you could not grant independence to a Party that did not enjoy the support and confidence of the majority of Guyanese. These days we say absolute majority (SIC), and therefore advanced arguments for fresh election using proportional representation before Independence. I have had cordial conversations with Former President Donald Ramotar and others, and I made a proposal to him one day that a group of us should meet to record the political and social history of Guyana for most of the 20th Century, a period which saw two World Wars, the Cold War, the independence struggle and neo-colonial tactics and strategies which ravaged economies and frustrated the efforts of small countries like Guyana for real independence. I believe such a venture

is necessary so that we can bequeath to succeeding generations the factors and the whole truth, vital ingredients if we are to overcome our troubled history and give us an opportunity to make a reality of the dream. I am sure Clement Rohee, Donald Ramotar, Eusi Kwayana and yours truly share the dream for a good life, a prosperous country where we share love and experienced decency throughout the ‘territory of our 83,000 square miles while yielding ‘Not a Blade of Grass’. The words in the song, ‘Let us Co-operate’, written by W.R.A Pilgrim (Billy Pilgrim) and made popular during the heydays of that great institution, the Guyana National Service (GNS), is our challenge today. ‘Can we do it? Yes we can!’ Regards, Hamilton Green

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday April 3, 2019

CGID calls on Teixeira, Annamayah and Lumumba to vacate Parliament

Dear Editor,

THE Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID) has noted that all APNU+AFC coalition government Members of Parliament with dual citizenship have resigned. Currently, only the opposition PPP has Members of Parliament who have dual citizenship, in violation of the law. The PPP Members of Parliament with dual citizenship are Gail Teixeira, Adrian Annamayah and Odinga Lumumba. Consequently, it is the PPP, ironically, that is violating the Constitution and Orders of the Supreme Court and the Guyana Court of Appeal; not the APNU+AFC coalition government. Opposition leader Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday ostentatiously said on Gordon Moseley’s radio show that PPP Members of Parliament

with dual citizenship “will stay away from Parliament, but will not vacate Parliament.” This is unacceptable and unlawful. Guyanese will not allow Bharrat Jagdeo and his fellow PPP law breakers to continue to violate the law with impunity, while hypocritically and brazenly pointing fingers at the government to obfuscate and create smokescreens. Article 155 (1) (a) of the Constitution and the Orders of the courts are pellucid. They do not say PPP Members of Parliament with dual citizenship must stay away from Parliament, and continue to unlawfully receive a salary and pension. The law and courts expressly prohibit these PPP officials from sitting in Parliament. They are therefore squatters. In her January 31, 2019 ruling in Compton Reid v Dr. Barton Scotland, Charrandas Persaud, et al, Page 33, Paragraph 82, Chief

Justice Roxanne George ruled, inter alia, “I therefore hold that anyone who holds dual citizenship that is a citizen of Guyana and of a foreign power, or State, as envisaged by Art 155 (1)(a) and therefore falls into this category of disqualified persons pursuant to 156(1) (d), should not and cannot be a Member of Parliament. As such the declarations sought in terms of paragraph one and two of the prayers for relief are granted. I therefore hold and declare that the second respondent is not qualified for election as a member of the National Assembly.” PPP members Gail Teixeira, Adrian Annamayah and Odinga Lumumba are therefore unlawfully squatting in Parliament and are potentially perpetuating fraud by drawing a salary under false pretences. CGID calls on Mr. Jagdeo to

explain why these three individuals have not vacated their seats in Parliament and are continuing to act illegally? Why are they still collecting MPs salaries when they are not MPs, and whether they intend to pay back the salaries they unlawfully received. In view of the above, CGID calls on PPP members Gail Teixeira, Adrian Annamayah and Odinga Lumumba to stop squatting in Parliament and resign. Moreover, we call on the Clerk of the National Assembly to stop all illegal payments to these illegal PPP MPs. Regards, Rickford Burke President Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID)

Development taking place all over Guyana Dear Editor, DECEMBER 21, 2018, for various reasons, would have to go down as one of the most historical days in th history of Guyana. What happened on that date of the passing of the No-Confidence Vote, albeit by a vote from or by a member of the Alliance for Change AFC Party. I am certain that it was particularly galling for members and supporters like myself who are loyal and who have sworn allegiance to the party. The AFC, like many other political parties, has a Constitution, which all members must subject themselves to. It caters for persons to become members, and it also caters for their resignation in the event they become dissatisfied or do not like the direction in which the party is going. And it is no different with the other organisations, be it business, sports, cultural or religious. But whatever is written in the Bible and other religious books would come to pass. I remember the story about the 30 pieces of silver; some people will sell themselves cheap and betray the trust others placed in them. And if you don’t believe me, you can ask Dave Cameron and his running mate, Emmanuel Nathan. Yes, Bob Marley was perfectly right. Some would eat and drink with you and behind yuh back them ‘su-su pon yuh’. The reality of the situation is that in the aftermath of the

no-confidence motion, the politicians, the journalists, columnists, political analysts, and letter writers had a field day, and very few payed much attention to the various developmental works, the many infrastructural projects, from roads to river defence that are currently taking place, and the many that have already been completed within the tenure of the APNU/AFC Government. You see development in all ten administrative Regions. Or simply put, from Barama to Berbice and from Lethem to Linden. The Demerara Distillers Limited Warehouse at Diamond; the soon-to-be-renovated Ferry Stellings at Vreed-en-Hoop and Georgetown; the massive development currently taking place at Lethem; the highways on the West Coast and East Coast of Demerara; the decentralisation of essential government services to other regions; the many wells that are being dug around the country. The erecting of sea defences across the country, particularly on the West Coast Demerara and the Essequibo Coast. The Supenaam Waterfront Enhancement Project. The construction of the Aurora Primary and Nursery Schools, and right next to the school, the newly-constructed Police Station, not forgetting the commissioning of the pumps at Land of Plenty and other areas, for drainage purposes. The massive concrete bridge that is to be commissioned in Region One; these are only a few of the projects

mentioned here. In relation to the Supenaam Enhancement Project that can be described as a masterpiece; it’s a project that many people, tourists, local and foreign and commuters and the general public use to comment adversely on, and quite rightly so, because it was in a deplorable state for decades. The embarking and disembarking areas were barely useable, and the environment was projecting the residents and the Regional Administration in a negative way, and that is putting it mildly. I have caused a few letters to be published in the letters columns of the daily papers, but apparently, the previous administration was not too concerned.aAd although this project is soon to be completed, it is not too soon to commend the Ministry of Public Infrastructure for having the foresight and also the contractor for the quality of the work that is being done, because I have seen a photograph of what same would be looking like on completion. It is unfortunate that persons who are not supporters of this government are finding fault with the Supenaam Waterfront Enhancement Project. But if you are looking for faults, and faults only, that is what you will surely find. It is amazing how some people would not recognise development, even though it is staring them in the face. Regards, Archie W. Cordis

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 3, 2019

‘We will not be intimidated’ –– GECOM commissioners say, as PPP threatens lawsuit over house-tohouse registration By Lisa Hamilton

OPPOSITION-NOMINATED Commissioner Robeson Benn has threatened legal action against the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) if it does not cease preparations for house-to-house registration within the next seven days. A media release on Tuesday revealed that Opposition Member of Parliament Anil Nandlall, through his firm A. Nandlall & Associates and on behalf of Benn, wrote Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield on April 2, 2019, threatening legal action if preparation for house-tohouse registration is not put on hold. The letter was copied to the GECOM Chairman

Justice (Ret’d) James Patterson. It gave an ultimatum for a halt in preparations for house-to-house registration on the basis that the exercise would be a “violation of the constitution” by excluding persons who will be absent from Guyana during the period of its conduct. “GECOM is now proceeding on a house-to-house registration to create a new List of National Registrants from which the Preliminary Voters’ List will be extracted and this is being done with the stated intention of excluding persons, who will be absent from Guyana during the exercise. Consequently, those persons who are currently duly registered and are on the List and, therefore, now qualified to vote but absent

from Guyana, are now going to be intentionally excluded from the List in this proposed process, as this is one of the stated purpose of this exercise,” Nandlall wrote. Currently, over 1,300 persons are being trained at 16 locations in Georgetown to become Assistant Registration Officers (ARO) and enumerators for the conduct of house-to-house registration, which is likely to commence in late May or early June. Opposition-nominated members of the Commission have been vehemently against the conduct of this registration and have continued in like manner even after the Court of Appeal ruled that the no-confidence motion was not validly passed in the National Assembly, thereby

overturning the High Court’s decision. In the correspondence Nandlall stated that the position is based on Article 159 which gives every Guyanese national the right to vote adding that the current electors list can be cleansed by engagement between the CEO and the Office of the Registrar General. As such, he concluded:

Opposition Member of Parliament and Attorney-at-Law Anil Nandlall “I respectfully demand that you refrain from embarking on or, proceeding with, this unlawful and unconstitutional exercise, which will disenfranchise thousands of persons now qualified to vote. If I do not hear from you within seven days of the date hereof, I will assume that you have rejected my demand and I will have no alternative but to advise my client to institute legal proceedings against you, to restrain you from embarking on, or proceeding with, the aforesaid house-tohouse registration.” Coming out of GECOM’s statutory meeting on Tuesday, Commission Vincent Alexander told the newspaper that Nandlall’s letter was not discussed prior to the Opposition-Commissioners staging their now habitual walk out. He explained, nonetheless, that Lowenfield will have to utilise his judgement in consultation with the chairman to determine the way forward. In the meanwhile, Alexander presented his opinion on the matter while using provisions within the Constitution and the National Registration Act as guidelines. “The Constitution of Guyana and the registration facilities facilitate any Guyanese who is at home at the time of registration to register or any Guyanese who is at home at the time of Claims and Objections to make a claim to get on to the register. So, there’s no mechanism that is

intended to exclude a Guyanese who wants to exercise his franchise,” the Commissioner began. He added that house-tohouse registration is nothing new to Guyana and has been lobbied for in the past by all members of the Commission. In previous interviews, Government-nominated Commissioners had indicated that, prior to the no-confidence motion, there was a consensus on the Commission regarding the plan to conduct house-to-house registration in 2019. The agreement led the Commission to request and receive, within the 2019 budget, some $3B for the registration. “Registration is nothing new. It is something we have done repeatedly in this country. Under the PPP government we’ve done this; the PPP Commissioners have agreed in the past that we do registration periodically so it’s not any one set of people who are imposing registration on this country,” he reminded. Added to this, the Commissioner said that the Constitution speaks to GECOM’s three mandates which are the demarcation of boundaries, registration and the conduction of elections. The National Registration Act, Section 40 was also cited as giving clear instructions for persons who leave the country and return to be included in the voting process. Alexander stated: “That Act provides for persons who have left the country and haven’t returned in three months for the Chief Immigration Officer to send GECOM a copy of the list and GECOM’s Chief Elections Officer and the Registration Officer can exercise his mind as to who he will take off of the list based on some criteria. However, those persons can make an objection if they’re taken off and those persons can also, through Claims and Objections, get back on to the list.” With another legal matter coming against the Commission following the recently dismissed “conspiracy” charge filed against the three Government-nominated Commissioners, Alexander said that he notices a pattern. “This is only making it clear to us that there is some ulterior motive why the PPP does not want registration. There’s something in the midst that’s going for them and my argument is that that which is going for them is the opportunity of substitute voting and staged voting,” he said, referencing to such

Commission Vincent Alexander cases as in 2011 in the Eccles, East Bank Demerara community. He asserted: “There’s a pattern. It’s an attempt to put us under pressure; it’s an attempt to intimidate us and we will not be intimidated.” Walkout Meanwhile, the walkout of the Opposition-nominated Commissioners on Tuesday was done on the basis of disagreement on whether the statutory meeting was a new one or a continuation of the previous meeting. Alexander explained that this occurred despite the agreeance of all Commissioners at the previous meeting on difference in meaning between the terms ‘suspended’ or ‘adjourned’ and ‘concluded’. “When the Chairman ruled that we would continue from where we left off the last time, then he [Benn] left. So what we have is a situation which I call ‘Benn either gets what he wants or nothing’,” Alexander said. For weeks now the Opposition-nominated Commissioners have been staging consecutive walkouts stymieing the work of the Commission. On the Government’s end, on March 27, 2019, President Granger committed that the Government will use its majority in the National Assembly to make available the $3.5B requested by GECOM to hold new General and Regional Elections. “We are going to ensure that whatever happens, at any level of the judicial system, Guyana is going to be prepared,” he said. In response, apart from preparations for house-tohouse registration, Alexander said that GECOM continues to conduct preparation activities not dependent on the funding such as rectifying its manuals while some election-related commodities can be acquired and stored until needed.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday April 3, 2019

Bartica loses centenarian, regional garage …in two fires, hours apart

Mrs. Ethal Lucille Moseley, well known as ‘Aunty Lu’

By Telesha Ramnarine WITHIN hours apart on Tuesday, the Bartica Town experienced two major fires that resulted in the death

house that Mrs. Moseley lived in and hence, the entire house was gutted in a very short time. “It’s really sad. I know things happen, but she didn’t deserve to go this way,” an emotional Marshall said. Hours later, the regional garage in Bartica also went up in flames, with Marshall pointing out that this would negatively impact the performance of the region, and, to some extent, the Bartica Town Council. Three machines belonging to the municipality were parked there and are now severely damaged. “It’s a regional store so the name says it all; where supplies are stored. It’s a major loss for us and we will en-

Mrs. Moseley’s small, wooden house up in flames

of a centenarian and major losses at the regional garage. Around 1 am, the home of Mrs. Ethal Lucille Moseley, well-known as ‘Aunty Lu’, went up in flames, resulting in her burning to death. The elderly woman, who turned 100 years old last January, lived alone. The details surrounding Mrs. Mosely’s demise are still unclear, and no pronouncement has been made by the authorities regarding what might have caused the fire. “I don’t know what happened, if she hit down a lamp or what happened. I was home about 1 am when I got a call that her house was on fire. The first question I asked was where she was and they told me she was in there,” Bartica Mayor Gifford Marshall told Guyana Chronicle on Tuesday. It was an old, wooden

sure that this does not happen again,” Marshall expressed. Mrs. Moseley was married to Albert Moseley who originated from Berbice and is now deceased. She had no children. Her sister, who is 104 years old, resides in Canada. She spent most of her time alone at home, although many visitors would pop in to see how she’s doing and to offer whatever assistance they could. Mrs. Moseley got visitors especially from the church she has been attending for some 61 years. In fact, she was one of its founders, and the last one remaining, prior to her demise. In an interview with this publication last February, Mrs. Moseley had said that the secret to living long is simply love. “The secret to living long is a tonic; a wonderful tonic called Love,” she expressed.

Among the things she mentioned was that although she received visitors, she still felt lonely many days. “To be lonely is a crime. Many nights I sit down here and it’s only the radio I listen to,” she said. Her death has sent shockwaves throughout Bartica, with hundreds offering their sympathy on social media and elsewhere.

The Regional Garage in Bartica went up in flames hours after Mrs. Moseley’s house

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Ex-Bishops’ teacher, Muslim scholar for trial at April assizes

By Clestine Juan THE April session of the Demerara Criminal Assizes opened on Tuesday, April 02, 2019 with 259 cases listed for trial. At present, three Judges are on rotation at the Demerara Assizes, with Justices Navindra Singh and James Bovell-Drakes dealing with murder cases; Justice Brassington Reynolds presides over the Sexual Offences Court. Gaol delivery was done on Monday

by Justice Singh, bringing to an end the January session. Listed for trial is Muslim scholar Nezaam Ali, who is currently serving a 45-year sentence for raping a nine-year-old boy. Ali will go on trial for eight additional counts of sexually abusing eight boys. He is facing multiple indictments for crimes allegedly committed between 2011 and 2012, including sexual activity with a child under 16 years and sexual activity with a child by abusing a position of trust.

Justice Brassington Reynolds inspecting the Guard of Honour during Tuesday’s opening ceremony. Another well-known case is former Bishops’ High School teacher, Coen Jackson, who is set to go on trial for engaging in sexual activity with a child under the age of 16, while being in a position of trust. He is currently out on bail. Meanwhile, for the capital offence of murder, Ex-policeman Colin Bailey will go on trial for the murder of his common-law wife, businesswoman Sirmattie Ramnaress. He will be tried jointly with is co-accused, Colin Grant. Ramnaress was found dead on the morning of August 31, 2013 with a stab wound and injuries to her head and body in the garage of her Diamond home. While petrol had been thrown all over her house, it was the bond at the back of the yard that

was set alight and destroyed. The woman’s body was discovered after the fire service had been called about the fire. Also, businessman Robert Benn will go on trial for the murder of 24-year-old Colin Perreira and the attempted murder of his girlfriend, Gail-Ann Chachon. Four men are also set to go on trial for the murder of Foulis, East Coast Demerara businessman, Rajendra Singh. Currently on remand are : Doenauth Katwaru, also known as ‘Pumpkin’; ‘Doodnauth Katwaroo’ or ‘Doodnauth Ketwaru’; Tony Christopher Thomas, also known as ‘Mataran’, ‘Matteron’, ‘Job’ or ‘Fix Up; Michael Lewis called ‘Michael Joseph’, ‘Jet Lee’, ‘J- Ice or ‘Mikey and Adony James called ‘Don.

Mahaicony man electrocuted EZEKIEL Halley called ‘Andel’ of Lot 1 Airy Hall, Mahaicony, was on Tuesday evening electrocuted while allegedly stealing electricity. According to reports, the man was allegedly in the habit of stealing electricity and on Monday the plug was pulled. The young man, who works as a labourer, was at the time attempting to hook up the connection to a utility pole in the area sometime around 20:00hrs, after which he would have run the wire to his home. Two women, who reside at the home where the illegal connection was to be made, told detectives that Ezekiel was discovered motionless lying on the side of a trench on his back. He was, at the time, clad in a multi-co-

loured vest and a pair of black short pants. The police who visited the scene discovered that at the time of the discovery of the body, the young man was still clutching to a piece of wire and he also had a burn to the palm of his hands which seems consistent with an electrical burn. The body was escorted to the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Just last week, a Berbician was killed due to an electric shock he received while doing line clearing for a contracting company sub- contracted by the Guyana Power and Light Inc. The company for which the young man worked indicated that he was wearing all his safety gear at the time of the incident.

Kuru Kururu resident charged with robbery under arms LEVI Edwards today appeared before Principal Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Providence Magistrate’s Court to stand trial for three counts of robbery under arms. Edwards pleaded not guilty to the charge. It is alleged that the offence was

committed at Swan, Kuru Kururu, Soesdyke-Linden Highway. However, defence counsel, Max McKay, told the court that the police’s witness did not provide sufficient evidence in the case. Edwards will return to Court on May 2, 2019 for the continuation of his trial.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Linden in grief over death of young couple

AS family members continue to mourn the loss of the young couple who lost their lives on Monday night in Linden, following a motorcycle – motor vehicle smash up, the driver of the sports wrangler PSS 8812, remains in custody assisting with investigations. According to a police report, the driver, 39-year-old Dane Ault of Montgomery Oval Richmond Hill, Linden, was proceeding west, when he suddenly made a right turn north into the path of the motorcycle, which was proceeding in the opposite direction. The deceased, 23-year-old O’Neil DeYounge of Lot 78 Cinderella City, Mackenzie Linden, and his fiancée, who was the pillion rider, 21- year-old Sheshika Ettienne of South Amelia’s Ward Linden, were proceeding west along the southern side of the Amelia’s Ward Public Road. The driver of the motorcycle, upon being faced with the sudden action taken by Ault, applied brakes and lost control of his motorcycle. He fell onto the roadway and slid under the jeep. DeYounge was, at the time, taking his girlfriend home. One eyewitness told the Guyana Chronicle that DeYounge had the ‘rightof-away’ and Ault had the responsibility to slow down and ensure all incoming traffic is clear before turning into Powis Crescent. Reports are that Ettienne’s legs were broken and her mouth was badly disfigured. DeYounge was bleeding profusely from his head. While Etienne was pronounced dead on the scene by a medical doctor, DeYounge was rushed to the Linden Hospital Complex, after a faint pulse was found. He was however pronounced dead shortly after. YOUNG LIVES SNATCHED The deaths of the young couple plunged the entire

Sheshika Ettienne and O’Neil DeYounge community of Linden into still in shock and many were mourning, more so, that too distraught to speak. Her Ettienne’s death came as father, Deon Ettienne, was a double tragedy to her being consoled by relatives family. at the time this newspaper Her grandfather was only visited. laid to rest on Sunday last. He said that he is trustThe young couple re- ing God that all will be well cently got engaged and with his family during this were planning to get mar- time of grief. ried soon. One family friend of DeYounge, Shonnette BE CAREFUL ON THE Seaforth, described him ROAD WAY as a very ambitious young The Powis Crescent man, who was hot in love. junction and the Amelia’s DeYounge was at time tak- Ward Hill have been the ing Ettienne home from scenes of many fatal acciwork. She had just finished dents over the years. the night shift at the Linden Commander of ‘E’ DiHospital Complex, where vision Linden Lord, is enshe was a Registered Nurse. couraging drivers to practise “Most days, depending on the Five C’s when using the how he working, he would thoroughfare, especially at drop her home,” Seaforth nights and are encouraging said. “He had loved her very motorcyclist to be properly much, (they were) always fitted when using the road. together and he had bright Neither DeYounge, nor Etplans for her.” DeYounge tienne, was wearing helmets was a hearse driver at the on Monday evening. Bauxite Pensioners’ AssoThe bodies are at the ciation. Pensioners’ Mortuary, Meanwhile at Ettienne’s awaiting a post-mortem home, family members were examination.

Epileptic found dead in Takutu River A MAN who was known as a heavy drinker and suffers from seizures, was found floating in the Takutu River, Lethem, Region Nine on Tuesday. Dead is Anael Spencer, 40, who is unemployed and of St Ignatius Village. Reports indicate that although Spencer was an epileptic, he was a heavy drinker. He lived with his 47-year-old cousin Flavius Thomas, a labourer of St Ignatius Village. Reports indicate that Thomas claimed that Spencer would normally visit the river to take a bath on a daily basis.

However, in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, Spencer returned home intoxicated and subsequently retired to bed. Thomas, upon waking up that morning, did not see Spencer and knowing that he usually visits the river to bathe, decided to check there for him and found his clothes on the bank. Thomas later discovered Spencer’s nude body floating in the river. The police were contacted and the body was taken to the Lethem Regional Hospital where it is awaiting an autopsy.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Gov’t working to reduce backlog of applications for house lots

THE Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), Lelon Saul, says that there are over 25,000 active applications for the Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme (AHUAP) which the authority is working to reduce. The AHUAP is aimed at improving the quality of life in urban and peri-urban Georgetown through greater access to adequate housing and basic infrastructure for low-income populations through a US$30M Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) loan. In the last two years over 3,000 citizens have benefitted either by receiving free core homes; house lots or improved housing infrastructure through the CH&PA. However, the backlog is not as easy to manage as one would hope, and the CEO stated that clearing it in a short time period would require a significant amount of funding. “We are currently working to reduce the backlog. We will be developing several areas over the next two years or so but this would not significantly reduce the numbers,” Saul said. “For us to make a significant impact on that number we need to make available an

average of 4000-5000 solutions yearly over the next five years. Bear in mind, it costs and average of G$4M to develop one house lot. It would require a significant injection of financial resources. Nevertheless, we’re committed to providing affordable housing to the working class.” The programme currently targets eligible applicants in communities in Georgetown; West Bank of Demerara; villages of Recht Door Zee, La Parfaite-Harmonie, Westminster; and Lust-en-Rust and Onderneeming. It targets South of Georgetown up to Diamond/Grove and to the East Coast of Demerara, up to the village of La Bonne Intention. Saul stated that the applications are processed both by their order of application and priority based the dire need for housing solutions by an applicant. With the capital city already being congested, Saul was pleased to note that persons are accepting lands outside of Georgetown. “Not every applicant can be awarded housing solution in Georgetown so people are accepting land in Region Three; on the East Bank and East Coast; West Berbice, in Region Six, and in all the regions applicants have shown interest,” he said.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) Lelon Saul speaks with media operatives on Tuesday (Delano Williams photo)

On another topic, the CEO stated that the authority will soon be visiting Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) to ensure that citizens adhere to the commercial and residential zoning of areas. “We will be going out to assist the NDCs to develop what we call Local Planning Schemes. The planning schemes will basically define areas for activity, be it residential or

agriculture among others,” Saul said. At the same time, through inter-agency coordinating committee on planning and development, the CH&PA will address conflicting legislation that allow for loopholes causing a cross-over in zoning. “There is a plan for us to organise the legislation so it is clear and we can reduce that conflict among the agencies,” he said.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Firearm seized, two arrested in police chase

TWO men are in police custody and an unlicensed firearm was recovered at the end

of a high-speed chase between police and the suspected criminals. Police had initially

The vehicle that was used in the chase

approached a Toyota Primio on the Railway Embankment, Industry Village, East Coast Demerara, but the occupants sped off, resulting in the chase. Reports indicate that on Monday the lawmen were tactfully approaching the vehicle which had two males inclusive of the driver and suddenly the vehicle sped away leading police in â€œhot pursuitâ€?, but the vehicle was eventually intercepted. One of the occupants exited with a handgun brandished and quickly proceeded to remove a paste-on number plate from the vehicle before he ran into an empty lot trying to hide the weap-

on. Police immediately detained the driver and found his accomplice who was also hiding in a clump of bushes. The unlicensed pistol, along with nine live rounds, were retrieved along with a facial mask found nearby. When contacted, the police confirmed the arrest, as the investigations continue.

The firearm that was recovered and seized

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 3, 2019

G$4.2B to be spent on flood control –– in city alone by 2050, says study By Lisa Hamilton

THE Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) has been presented with a Climate Resilience Support Study to significantly improve the implementation of its Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme (AHUAP). The study was completed in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and was launched on Tuesday at Cara Lodge.

It will serve to benefit the AHUAP as it aims to provide access to adequate housing and basic infrastructure for low-income populations and future urban planning and development in Guyana. Presenting an overview and key finding of the project, Lead Consultant at VIVID Economics, Charlie Dixon said the study determines how the capital city is likely to be affected by climate change over the coming years and possible mitigation options.

The report zeroed in on three focus areas which included a climate change mitigation assessment; a disaster risk and climate change vulnerability assessment and an urban growth study. From the mitigation assessment, an assessment of Georgetown’s greenhouse gases emission on a city-scale was garnered for the first time. It showed that in 2016, the city was responsible for some 900 kilotons (kt) of Carbon dioxide (CO2).

Lead Consultant at VIVID Economics, Charlie Dixon In the next 20 years (2040), with an expected population increase, this figure can rise

to some 1,200kt driven through an increase in energy demand from the transport and residential sector. To avoid this, the report detailed mitigation measures such as an increase in the number of Solar Photovoltaic (PV) on roofs, particularly on private businesses; installation of additional Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) lights and the optimisation of public transport by moving away from mini-busses to larger busses.

LOW COST “When we did a cost analysis of these actions, a number of mitigation options, in the long-term, and over this 20 year timeframe, it actually comes out negative or very low cost. Negative cost actions essentially mean that the money that you save day-to-day in your operational spending actually outweighs any of the initial investment that you have to make up front,” Dixon explained. Meanwhile, the vulnerability assessment component provides quantitative assessment of areas around Georgetown which are mostly affected by flooding and the likely scale of damage that can be produced in the future. It showed that while it costs Guyana some G$1.3B yearly to address the issue of flooding, continuing with the current strategy, Guyana will be spending some G$4.2B in 2050. Dixon noted that the number is estimated to increase significantly, while the same level of flooding may occur and with a rise in population and businesses in the city, greater losses would occur. The report recommends adaptation measures such as spatial planning away from high-risk areas; rehabilitation of the sea defence along the coast and the construction of defences along the Demerara River; the expansion of mangrove conservation and sediment control structures; and improving and expanding the drainage system in Georgetown. “If we can think about these investments upfront and early in a strategic way, the reduction you get in terms of expected damage, the economic benefit later on are very, very large and important,” Dixon commented. The third component, the urban growth study, provided an up-to-date and detailed understanding of how land has been used in Georgetown in the past and how it ought to be utilised in the future for maximum benefit. It found that from the year 2000 to now, the urban footprint of Georgetown has grown by over 140 per cent from 700 to 1,600 hectares. DOUBLE By 2040, it is expected that land use in Guyana will double and, as such,

CH&PA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lelon Saul (Delano Williams photo) the report once again recommended spatial planning as well as denitrification by increasing the proximity or height of buildings in some areas. Delivering remarks on the report, CH&PA Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Lelon Saul, indicated the commitment of the authority, and the government by extension, to finding long-term housing solutions for Guyanese. He described the engagement with the IDB as invaluable and one which will allow the authority to improve its delivery of services. “As we develop new settlements, sustain and preserve existing villages and towns, we must be aware of the impact of climate change for it presents the single biggest threat to development,” Saul said. He added: “Given the threat posed by climate change, we are compelled to build capacity and access finance and technical support in order to combat these threats. The Climate Resilience Support for Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme will enable us to strengthen resilience and adapt a capacity to address climate-related hazard and natural disasters in Georgetown and its environs.” The CEO stated that he is confident that the studies will facilitate the adopting and implementation of integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resources efficiency, mitigation, adaptation to climate change and resilience to disasters. Speaking too was Chief of Operations at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Lorena Solorzano, who highlighted that the same methodology utilised in the report has been applied by over 70 cities and they are experiencing positive changes. She thanked the CH&PA for its openness to adapt the recommended mitigation measures. Chief Development Planner at the CH&PA, Germene Stewart, reminded that the information will not only be useful to the authority, but to other government agencies specialising in the environment and land use.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Over 200 manganese workers to be screened

… as five more medevaced to city By Svetlana Marshall OVER 200 employees stationed at Guyana Manganese Inc.’s Matthews Ridge Mines in the North West District, will be screened by medical personnel as a precautionary measure following last week’s outbreak which resulted in the death of a Chinese national, Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence has disclosed. Last week, while cleaning bat droppings from one of four tunnels at the mining site called “Rail Ends”, nine workers – eight Chinese nationals and one Guyanese, started experiencing pain, fever, headache and respiratory distress. On Saturday, one of the Chinese nationals died while receiving medical attention at the Pakera District Hospital in Matthews Ridge, while seven of the ailing men were air-dashed to the city for enhanced medical attention at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC). To date, approximately 18 persons from the mines have been medevaced to the city – the latest group of five was medevaced on Tuesday morning. Approached for a comment on the issue on the sideline of a handing-over ceremony at the Square of the Revolution on Tuesday, Minister Lawrence told the Guyana Chronicle that cognisant of its responsibility to provide healthcare services to the people of Matthews Ridge and neighbouring communities in a safe environment, the Health Ministry took a decision to fully sanitise the Pakera District Hospital. It was closed temporarily but was reopened on Tuesday. Another team of medical personnel, however, will be working out of a community centre in the area to screen the employees of Guyana Manganese Inc., – a subsidiary of Bosai Minerals Group Guyana Incorporated as a precautionary measure, the Health Minister further detailed. The Guyana Chronicle understands that there are approximately

100 Chinese nationals and 113 Guyanese nationals on the mining concession. Persons displaying similar symptoms to those hospitalised will be transferred to GPHC as a precautionary measure, and treated. “We don’t want the overcrowding. We want to be able to assess those persons separately even as we provide the normal MCH, outpatient clinics to the members of the community,” Minister Lawrence explained. CRITICAL CONDITION She confirmed that of the total number of infected employees transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital, to date, two from the initial group, have been diagnosed with leptospirosis. They remain in critical condition while the others are recovering. “As we said, two are critical and those two were diagnosed with leptospirosis, and we are watching them closely. The others, they are not critical, the doctors are very happy at the positive signs that they are seeing,” Minister Lawrence said. On Monday, the Public Health Ministry said while two of the patients have been diagnosed with leptospirosis, further tests are being conducted locally, and samples will also be sent overseas with support from the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) for further testing to rule out other possible infections. Based on the tests conducted thus far, the public health officials here have ruled out Swine Flu (H1N1), Zika, Chikungunya, Dengue, and Influenza A and B as possible causes of the recent spate of illnesses and death in Mathews Ridge, the Ministry of Health said. “Thus far there has been no evidence of person-to-person transmission of infection. It is noted that only persons who were directly exposed to one common area became ill,” it explained.

However, according to a reliable source close to the Health Ministry, the patients admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital are being “observed” for a number See page 19

Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence speaking to reporters at the Square of the Revolution on Tuesday on the precautionary measures being taken by the Health Ministry after more than a dozen persons fell ill in Matthews Ridge Manganese Mines (Delano Williams Photo)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Milestone inclusion of Chinese bonds marks accelerating financial opening-up BEIJING, (Xinhua) -On Monday, China’s yuan-denominated bonds was added to the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Index, another milestone in the opening up of the country’s financial market and a boon for global investors. A total of 356 government and policy bank bonds will be added into the index over the next 20 months, making Chinese bonds the fourth largest currency component, following the U.S. dollar, euro and Japanese yen, after their full inclusion. When fully implemented, China will be approximately 6.06 percent of the index, using data as of January 31 this year, according to Steve Berkley, head of indices at Bloomberg. The inclusion marks the latest step in opening China’s financial market to global investors. Last year, the country’s yuan-denominated A-shares were included in the MSCI

Emerging Markets Index, giving overseas investors greater access to its equity market. It also launched a

the Chinese mainland’s interbank bond market using financial institutions of the mainland and Hong

dex inclusion “represents an important milestone for China as it continues to strengthen and liber-

Bond Connect program in 2017, which enables overseas investors to invest in

Kong. The Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate In-

alize its capital market and looks to attract more international investors,”

5G technology turns operating room into a classroom for surgeons

said Mark Leung, CEO of J.P. Morgan China. Valued at over 12 trillion U.S. dollars, China’s domestic bond market is the world’s third largest and set to become even larger, Leung said. Despite its massive size and potential, the country’s bond market remained relatively less penetrated by global investors, analysts say. This, however, has begun to change. According to the People’s Bank of China, the central bank, overseas holdings of the country’s bonds totaled nearly 1.8 trillion yuan (about 267.86 billion U.S. dollars) at the end of 2018, equivalent to 2 percent of total outstanding onshore bonds and surging 46 percent from a year earlier. As the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Index is widely tracked by global asset managers, the inclusion will lead to an inflow of overseas investment into the market. “That step both reflects

the importance of those bonds in foreign portfolios and will likely encourage more purchases of those securities going forward,” said Changyong Rhee, IMF’s director of the Asia and Pacific department. Moody’s forecasts that a full inclusion could potentially lead to an inflow of about 2 trillion dollars of funds. According to the government work report delivered last month, China will further open up its financial sector and improve policies to open the bond market. As the country further opens up its bond market, other major global bond benchmarks may follow suit. China was placed on a watch list for the J.P. Morgan Emerging Markets Government Bond Index Global Diversified in 2016. J.P. Morgan will survey investor sentiment for inclusion at its annual index governance meeting this summer.

A hospital in Guangzhou, the capital city of South China’s Guangdong province, launched chest surgery with the help of 5G technology on Monday, the first time in the province. The operation, connected live to another hospital in northern Guangdong’s remote Yangshan county, promoted the use of advanced 5G technology in medical practice. The surgery, led by Wang Wenlin, a chest surgery expert at the Guangdong Provincial Second People’s Hospital, was seen as a demonstration for doctors at the hospital in Yangshan. “A growing number of hospitals in China have been inviting me to give instructions in chest surgery. With the help of 5G technology, the surgery technology will help more doctors and hospitals launch similar operations,” Wang said. Wang visited 28 hospitals last year, helping doctors with surgery for chest deformities via his latest invention in treating a deformity called funnel chest. Also on Monday, the hospital in Yangshan joined hands with doctors in Guangzhou to perform pelvicfracture surgery with the help of 5G technology communications. Before the surgery on Monday, the Guangdong Provincial Second People’s Hospital had signed a cooperation agreement with China Telecom Corporation Limited and Huawei Technologies Co to build a smart medical service system. “In the future, we will offer more medical practices online with the help of the 5G technology, in remote demonstrations of surgeries,” said Tian Junzhang, president of the Guangdong Provincial Second People’s Hospital.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Region 10 gets $16M river ambulance By Svetlana Marshall

RESIDENTS of Region 10, particularly those residing in riverine communities, will now have faster access to healthcare services in cases of emergency now that the region has been equipped with a high-power water ambulance. Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, handed over the keys to the water ambulance to the Region 10 Regional Health Officer (RHO), Dr. Pansy Armstrong on Tuesday at the Square of the Revolution in the presence of the Deputy Regional Executive Officer (DREO), Maylene Stephen; and Chairman of the Regional Health Committee, Gordon Calendar. Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings was among other health officials present. The 28-foot water ambulance carries a 200 horsepower engine and is valued at

$16M. It has the capacity to accommodate two patients along with four family members, a medical team and captain. It is fully equipped with medical equipment including ventilators, oxygen cylinders and stretchers to manage patients comfortably. The RHO explained that the ambulance will be stationed at the Kwakwani Hospital in the Upper Berbice River, and will respond to emergency cases in the riverine communities of the region. Notably, it complements a smaller boat carrying a 75 horsepower engine. With the new addition, the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) will now be able to conduct more outreaches and simultaneously respond to emergency health-related cases. Sick patients residing in these riverine communities are usually transported to the Kwakwani Hospital or the Linden Hospital Complex depending on the severity of the illness.

Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence handing over the key to the ambulance to Region 10 Regional Health Officer (RHO), Dr. Pansy Armstrong in the presence of other health and regional officials (Photos by Delano Williams)

Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence and Region 10 Deputy Regional Executive Officer (DREO), Maylene Stephen commissioning the water ambulance in the presence of other regional officials Dr. Armstrong said “riverine areas have their own challenges, getting from Point ‘A’ to Point ‘B’, and the ambulance would be of great benefit to the residents. “It is the policy of the Ministry of Health to have universal healthcare, and therefore if the residents can’t reach us, we will have to reach them,” the RHO said. Dr. Armstrong added that the water ambulance would make easier the tasks of the health personnel operating within the region. “With a water ambulance and a health boat in the area, we will be able to respond to emergency cases, and at the same time conduct out reaches. So we will be able to do more outreaches now that we have two boats available to us,” she explained. The health minister said the decision to equip Region 10 with a water ambulance is in keeping with the Health Ministry’s vision to provide timely access to healthcare services. Minister Lawrence noted that in keeping with its vision and mission to provide universal healthcare, the Public Health Ministry in October, 2018 handed over a $22.4M water ambulance to the communities of Orealla and Siparuta on the Corentyne River. On January 2, 2019, it also handed over an $11M water

ambulance to the Bartica Regional Hospital, which now services parts of Regions Two and 10 that are closest Bartica. “I believe that we are on our way to ensuring that we work towards having universal access to healthcare, but just not having access to healthcare, but having access in a timely manner that would save lives,” Minister Lawrence told reporters shortly after handing over the key to the ambulance. The region’s DREO, like the RHO, said the water ambulance will complement the smaller boat in the region. “Health is a very large programme and in the case of emergencies, sometimes we have clashes, so with this water ambulance being in the Berbice River, I know it will benefit the people a great lot,” Stephen said. According to her, the acquisition of the water ambulance, “forms part of the good life the David Granger Administration has promised.” Calendar, Chairman of the Regional Health Committee, was in high praises of the Public Health Minister. According to him, since Minister Lawrence took office, Region 10 has seen significant improvements in its health sector.

Gov’t rejects false claims by Jagdeo … urges him to be truthful, respect the Court ruling THE Government of Guyana rejects outright statements made by Opposition Leader, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo, yesterday, on the Hits and Jams Radio (94.1FM) morning programme, Jump Start, hosted by Mr. Gordon Moseley. The Opposition Leader has repeatedly said that the Government is illegal and that the “constitutional arithmetic” is “ridiculous” referencing the Court of Appeal’s decision on the validity of the no-confidence motion passed by the National Assembly on December 21, 2018. Mr. Jagdeo continues to make baseless and unsupported allegations against the Government, forgetting

that he holds a constitutional post and is obligated to present only the truth to the citizenry. During the radio interview, the Opposition Leader alleged inter alia, that the Government is illegal. The Court of Appeal, by a 2-1 decision, ruled that the no-confidence motion dated December 21, 2018 and declared passed by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr. Barton Scotland was invalid. The Justices of Appeal, Chancellor (Ag) Madam Yonette Cummings-Edwards and Madam Dawn Gregory both agreed that in order for the vote to be valid there needed to be 34 votes as opposed to 33 as was asserted by the Opposition

People’s Progressive Party. While the ruling of the Court of Appeal does not find favour with the Opposition, Mr. Jagdeo must be reminded that the Judiciary remains an independent arm of Government and its decisions must be respected. The Opposition has since filed an appeal to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) where the matter is slated for oral presentations on May 10, 2019. “We do not want to be complicit with any illegality of the Government because as I said, if that case goes in our favour at the CCJ, and we expect it to, the numbers are just ridiculous in this constitutional arithmetic and then everything that the Government is now

doing will be illegal too,” Mr. Jagdeo said during the radio interview. Such statements by Mr. Jagdeo must be condemned. The Judiciary is independent and the decisions therefrom, whether in favour or otherwise, must be respected by all. Given the ruling of the Court of Appeal, the Government has resumed its functions. Should the CCJ overturn the decision of the Court of Appeal, the Government will abide by that ruling. On the issue of dual citizenship, all Government ministers who hold dual citizenship have since resigned from Parliament effective April 1, 2019. The Government of Guyana has demonstrated consistently

that it will abide by the laws of Guyana and any ruling of the courts. Additionally, Mr. Jagdeo continues to peddle misinformation about the Government’s intervention at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). GECOM is an independent agency and it is that agency that decided that there is need for house-tohouse registration. President David Granger has repeatedly said the Government will not support the disenfranchisement of citizens. “We feel that elections are a normal part of democracy, but we don’t want any citizen to feel disenfranchised and it is evident from the evidence

Opposition Leader, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo provided in the meeting this morning that the List is bloated… given the size of our population and much attention is focused on sanitising that List,” the President said on March 8, 2019 after meeting with GECOM. (Ministry of the Presidency)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Fire guts derelict Queenstown building

A FIRE of unknown origin destroyed a derelict building on Anira Street, Queenstown, Georgetown on Tuesday evening. However, quick action by the Guyana Fire Service contained the blaze to the derelict structure and later brought it under control in the matter of minutes. Fire Prevention Officer, Andrew Holder, who was at the scene, related that the fire service received a call around 08.49hrs. He said three fire tenders were immedi-

ately dispatched and the firefighters were able to contain the blaze from catching nearby buildings. Holder related that the building was an unoccupied derelict structure which was not powered with electricity. He said someone definitely would have caused the fire. “What we have been noticing in recent times, is that these unoccupied derelict buildings are attraction for vagrants and very often than not, they are involved in careless disposal of cigarette ends” he said.

Bible cover used to hide cellphone in prison

FROM a carved-out bible used to stash a cell phone to containers of fermented wine, a Joint Services raid of the Mazaruni Prison unearthed several illegal items on Tuesday. The following prohibited items were found: Nails, pepper-sauce, razor blades, lighters, metal spoons, improvised weapons, wires, homemade wine, small transformer, knife, rope, SIM card, USB flash drive, improvised smoking utensils, earpiece, disposable blades and a carved-out bible to house a cellphone. Acting Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels had issued a call to all prison warders and officers to desist from trafficking contraband in the prisons, while asking those who are guilty to understand the consequences as the law will take its course. He explained that such actions by the warders only encourage inmates to continue a life of crime and failure. The trade of contraband, while it may seem profitable initially, is bad for the prison environment, he said. “It is said that once you have compromised yourself by becoming a traffick-

er, you are not allowed to stop even if you want to stop. I say to you, you have the power to do anything.

Therefore, do something good. Do what is right,” Samuels said.

The items that were found within the prison

Firefighters putting out the blaze on Anira Street, Queenstown, Georgetown on Tuesday evening (Carl Croker photo) He shared the concern that derelict buildings are becoming a concern to the fire department. The building was a fully wooden two-storey structure. Meanwhile, Mayor of Georgetown, Pandit Ubraj Narine, who was also at the scene, said the City Works committee is presently looking at old structures and will soon come up with a policy on how to deal with the issue of derelict buildings.

He called for the building inspectors to be more vigilant and report to City Hall on such buildings, so that proactive decisions can be taken. Unconfirmed reports are that the building, which has been frequented by vagrants, was left abandoned for several years. T h e G u y a n a F i re S e r v i c e h a s launched an investigating into the circumstances surrounding the fire.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 3, 2019

No carnival for ‘cobra’ By Clestine Juan

T W E N T Y- S E V E N Y E A R - O L D Ty r o n e Rowe, called “Cobra” was, on Tuesday, April 02, 2019, sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by Justice Navindra Singh at the High Court after pleading guilty to the charge of manslaughter. Rowe, formerly of Independence Boulevarde, La Penitence, was charged with murder but opted to

plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter. The accused admitted that on August 5, 2010, at a pharmacy in Plaisance, on the East Coast of Demerara, he shot and killed Troy Collymore, called ‘Collie’ and ‘Nelly.’ Collymore, 35, died from multiple gunshot wounds after bandits had invaded the Datt’s Drug Store at Plaisance. The state was represented by prosecutors Abigail Gibbs, Tuanna Hardy, and

Over 200 manganese ... From page 15 of ailments including Histoplasmosis, Ricketsial Infection, Toxic exposure, Hantavirus, Acute respiratory distress syndrome, Febrile syndrome, and Hemorrhagic Dengue. Additionally, the Guyana Chronicle was informed that the environmental health team, which journeyed to Matthews Ridge on Sunday following the outbreak, is expected to conclude evaluation of the site soon. Meanwhile, aviation authorities have reportedly urged all domestic airline operators to follow the

File Photo: Several persons who were airdashed to the city on Monday prepare to travel to the Georgetown Public Hospital from the Eugene F. Correia International Airport. (Adrian Narine photo) Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), which entails having all passengers from the interior location assessed by the medical personnel. Guyana Manganese Inc. commenced preparatory work for manganese mining in 2017 and the operations represent an investment of approximately $500 Million. Exportation of the rare earth metal is expected to start by the end of 2019. The mine has a projected lifespan of 15 to 35 years depending on the rate of extraction, using open pit mining methods. Manganese was first mined in Matthew’s Ridge in the 1950’s but later abandoned due to high costs and other factors. The increasing use of the rare earth metal in the production of high-tech equipment has seen the resuscitation of operations. Guyana is believed to have some of the world’s largest deposits of manganese.

Teriq Mohammed, while Rowe was represented by attorney-at-law Mark Conway. Conway, during his plea of mitigation, told the court that Rowe, while on remand, subjected himself to anger management classes, along with various skills training courses provided. Rowe begged the court

for a ‘small sentence,’ so that he could be released in time for the carnival celebrations in May, especially since he wanted to attend a J’ouvert party. Justice Singh sentenced Rowe to 15 years for the manslaughter charge and nine years for the robbery. The sentences will run concurrently, while the time Rowe spent on re-

mand will be deducted by the prison service. Rowe was previously sentenced to 78 years imprisonment by Justice Singh for the same offence; however, the accused, in 2018, appealed the sentence and convictions. The matter was sent back to the High Court for re-trial in the April 2019 Assizes.

Tyrone Rowe called “Cobra”

Mother of nine wins house at Prospect expo

AYASIA May La Fleur is the proud owner of a new, semi-furnished home at the New Prospect Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara.

The soon to be former resident of GuyHoc Park Squatting Area and a mother of nine, was squatting since the age of 23. She explained that

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 3, 2019

she applied 12 years ago, for a house lot and hoped that her fortune would change under the coalition government since she got “nowhere” under the Ayasia May La Fleur displays her winning coupon in the presence of Minister within the Ministry of Communities with responsibility for Housing, Valarie Yearwood and other officials previous administration. La Fleur decided to visit the Central Housing and Planning Authority’s (CH&PA) Open House Exhibition on Sunday March 31. There she, like hundreds, filled out a coupon for a chance to win a free house courtesy of the CH&PA. The 41-year-old, single mother was in the Giftland Mall shopping when she received the call. She recalled, “I was so happy. I screamed

000. While the house is free, La Fleur would be required to pay $100,000 for the land, within the next six months. The new home owner will receive the keys to her new home on Friday. It will be equipped with a microwave, bed, television set and maybe a few other things, the minister added. According to the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), more than 50 per cent of

Ayasia May La Fleur could not contain her joy in the Mall. Everybody around me wanted to know what happened but my friend who was with me said, ‘Ok baby take it easy’. Let’s go and hear what they say.” When she arrived at the Ministry of Housing, she affirmed her good fortune. Asked about her present circumstances, La Fleur said she was squatting, “on a government reserve and really wanted to move all the time.” Minister within the Ministry of Communities with responsibility for Housing, Valarie Adams-Yearwood said she had hoped fervently that the house would have been won by someone, “who really, really, really needed it.” According to the minister, the house is valued at $4M and the plot of land is $100,

Guyanese are applying for house lots within the low-income bracket and to provide for those applicants the agency will collaborate with a number of Private Developers to make that possible. The prices range between $4 Million, $6 Million and $9 Million. The CH&PA will move beyond single units and duplexes, and add condominiums to the housing developments. The houses measure 400 square feet each, and features two standard-size bedrooms, bath and washroom area, kitchen and living room space and a small patio which stands on a plot of land measuring 40 by 80 feet. The exhibition commenced on Friday and ended Sunday, March 31.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Guyana secures US$20M World Bank loan to strengthen oil and gas sector

GUYANA has secured a US$20 million loan to support capacity building for Petroleum Resources Governance and Management from the World Bank, the Ministry of Finance said in a release. The loan was approved on Friday March 29, 2019. The project will enhance the transparency, governance, legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks for the oil and gas sector in Guyana. The ministry said the Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana (GCRG), in recognition of the risks associated with be-

ing a new oil and gas (O&G) producer, has worked to negotiate the loan with the World Bank to address governance and management risks from inadequate policy, legal and regulatory frameworks and institutional capacity needed to maximise the benefits from expected oil revenues; and to minimise downside risks associated with oil revenues and growth of the sector. As such, the components of this loan reflect the reality that the sector will affect multiple layers of the economy; impact the livelihoods of present and future generations,

Sterling recorded $100M profit in 2018 STERLING Products Limited has recorded a profit after tax of $100,356,813 for 2018 compared to 2017 when the company recorded a profit of $144,582,678. The company, despite adding two new outlets to its assets, recorded some $44,225,865 less than what they earned the previous year. From a gross profit of $996,931,600, Sterling was required to pay a total of $50,388,250 in taxes compared to 2017 when the company paid $57,914,817. Sterling products also had to offset administrative expenses of $335,316,167 and distribution and marketing expenses of $512,933,786. The company is expected to have its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Marriott Hotel on April 24. Some of the items on the agenda include receiving and considering the company’s financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2018; to declare a final dividend of $5.00 per share for the financial year of 2018; to elect directors; and to fix the remuneration of the directors. According to the company’s website, Sterling Products Limited was incorporated as a Public Limited Liability Company on October 15, 1954, with an authorised share capital of 200,000 ordinary shares with a par value of $10. It commenced operations with the production of margarine, lard, ghee and soap. The company began exporting Golden Cream Margarine to Dominica in November 1957. It embarked on revitalising operations by modification of the soap plant and commissioning of a new plant to improve production of edible fats. Sterling also commissioned a new plant and a cold room for ice cream production and a three-year contract was made with Banks DIH for the distribution of Bimbo Ice Cream. The company continued to improve its operation in 1974 by acquiring a versator to improve the quality and quantity of detergent produced. It also later acquired the machinery for packaging margarine in tub containers. In 1998, the Beharry Group of Companies acquired a majority shareholding in the company. The company’s share capital increased to 20,000,000 ordinary shares in 2000 for the facilitating of its planned rebuilding programme.

the environment and local communities; and that if poorly managed, the development of oil and gas resources can be economically and socially costly for the country, the ministry said in the release. Additionally, there are environmental and social risks – usually infrequent but with high impact – associated with oil and gas production

that require effective and constant monitoring, as well as significant investment in environmental damage prevention and response capacity, among others. “The GCRG is keen to invest in strengthening its institutions and building capacity to manage oil and gas resources. Therefore, the project envisages that Guy-

ana’s legal and regulatory frameworks for the sector will be reviewed and updated with a view to maximising benefits to the country and affected communities; managing the technical, environmental, social, and financial risks linked to the sector; and building capacity to engage effectively with investors.” According to the minis-

try, institutional capacity to oversee and manage the oil and gas sector in the various relevant government ministries, commissions and other departments will be created using consultants, initially, but with a view to ensuring local personnel are trained to replace these technical advisers over time.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Wednesday April 3, 2019

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Former TVG cameraman appeals rape sentence FORMER TVG cameraman, Andre Hetsberger, who was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for rape of a child under 16, has appealed his sentence. Appearing before Chief Justice, Roxane George-Wiltshire, Justices of Appeal Dawn Gregory and Rishi Persaud, at the Appeal Court on Monday, Hetsberger and his counsel, Dexter Todd, presented the appeal. The appeal was made on grounds that the jury was prejudiced towards Hetsberger, by returning with a

Andre Hetsberger back in 2017 graduated from a skill training course at the Mazaruni Prison. In this photo he is with Director of Prisons (ag) Gladwin Samuels. guilty verdict without any evidence that he committed the act. Todd argues that there might have been a misunderstanding of section 69 of the Sexual Offences Act, since the jury’s verdict was solely based on what the victim claimed, with absence of evidence to attest. He also noted that his client is not asking for a retrial or lesser sentence, but rather, they are seeking acquittal, since Hetsberger is innocent and there is no evidence to prove otherwise. Hetsberger was in 2016, found guilty by a 12-member jury, and sentenced by Justice Navindra Singh. According to the reports, Hetsberger had sexually penetrated a child family member, aged 13, on October 17, 2014. When he was handed the sentence, he knelt in the prisoner’s box with outstretched arms and said, “Why me Lord, not me Lord,” as he cried loudly. He has maintained that he is innocent of the crime. The Court of Appeal has accepted the appeal and the hearing will commence on May 03, 2019, giving the State ample time to respond. The State is being represented by attorney Natasha Bakker.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Guyana Women defend low total By Rajiv Bisnauth

A determined effort from Guyana Women’s senior cricket team in the field, led them to an unlikely 18.-run victory over Windward Islands in the final game of the penultimate round of Cricket West Indies Women’s T20 Blaze last evening at the National Stadium, Providence. Medium pacer and playerof-the-match Erva Giddings and Akaze Thomspon bowled in the right areas and destroyed the Islanders batting with match winning figures of 3-17 and 2-7 respectively. It was another low scoring affair and not the most polished of batting displays as the Islanders first did well to restrict the hosts to 105-8 at the end of their allotted overs after being asked to bat first.

However, the Islanders’ batters failed to bat with technique and found themselves in deep trouble and were eventually restricted to 87-8. Tremayne Smartt topscored with 40 off 43 balls, with five boundaries while Shemaine Campbelle struck two boundaries in her 28 off 33 balls. Cherry Ann Fraser made 17 towards the end of the innings for the home team. Earlier opener Sheneta Grimmond opened her account with a lovely cover boundary off the innings first delivery from medium pacer Akeira Peters (1-9), but perished two balls later. Peters’ gentle pace did the trick, sneaking through the right-hander attempted cover drive and cannoning into the top of middle stumps. Fellow opener, Smartt, who also opened her run-chart with a classic cover boundary off leftarm medium pacer Nerissa Crafton was joined by Campbelle, and the duo second-wicket stand of 66 in 84 balls, was the backbone of the Guyanese total, though the pursuit was not without its nervy moments. The approach by the Berbician pair, who have played 149 T20s between them was simple: rotating the strike off good deliveries and punishing the loose ones along with some exceptional placement. However, from 70-2, the hosts lost seven wickets for just 34 runs. Off-spinner Swayline Williams (2-21), left-arm spinner Qiana Joseph (1-19) Afy Fletcher (1-19) and Crafton (1-22), were the other wicket-taken bowlers. The visitors’ then managed a brisk start through openers Stacy Ann Adams and Crafton as they added 35 runs in the first six overs before off-spinner Mandy Mangru (1-26), broke the promising stand with the wicket of Crafton, who hit four boundaries in her a run-a-ball 22.

A double change at both ends saw the Giddings returning for her second spell in the ninth over to remove both Fletcher (6) and Juliana Nero (0), off consecutive deliveries, while Thomspon claimed the wicket of Adams for 18, to leave the visitors at 50-4 at the half way stage of the innings. Both Giddings and Thomspon, were again in celebration mood when they removed Glendeen Turtin and Joseph. Thereafter runs dried up significantly with the visiting team could only mustered 33 runs in last eight overs, losing two additional wickets. Spinner Grimmond (1-15), was the other successful bowler for the Guyanese. Meanwhile, Jamaica completed a stunning 10-wicket win over the Leeward Islands in match two. Chasing a paltry 62 for victory, the defending champions reached 67 without loss in 6.4 overs. Jodian Morgan (30 off 24 balls while Natasha Mclean struck a 16-ball 28. Both batters hit five fours and a six apiece. Earlier, the Islanders batting dissipated once they came out in the hot afternoon sun. Three batters reached double figures with opener Malissa Howard (10), while number nine and eleven batters, Terez Parker made an unbeaten 18 while Melicia Clarke contributed ten. They were eventually bowled out for just 61 in 18.4 overs. Player-of-the-match Neisha Ann Waisome claimed (3-10), and Vanessa Watts (2-15), while Chinelle Henry, Stafanie Taylor and Chedean Nation, all chipped in with a wicket each. The final round will be played today. Jamaica face Trinidad and Tobago from 09:00hrs; Leeward Islands clash with the Windward Islands from 14:00hrs while Guyana take on Barbados from 19:00hrs.

McKinnon, Harry take top spots RYAN McKinnon and Dr Pravesh Harry were winners in the recently concluded Guyana Sport Shooting Foundation (GSSF) Queensway Security Service shoot last weekend. The match was well attended by members of the GSSF. They competed in two SCSA Divisions: Production and Limited. At the opening ceremony, thanks were extended by the Match Director, Mrs Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon to the Match Sponsor, Queensway Security Service Inc. The leading security company, located of 153 Regent Road and Oronoque Streets, Bourda, Georgetown, has over the years continued to recognise shooting as a sport. Range Master, Mr Dallas Thomas, then delivered his Safety Charge and Reminders to participants and spectators and introduced his team of Range Officials for the afternoon to ensure that the strict safety rules were adhered to. A special addition to the match was announced which was the Unclassified Category, to facilitate the beginners, who all had the additional privilege of first-hand competition coaching during the match, by the National 2018 Top Practical Shooters, Ryan McKinnon and Pravesh Harry. The match was then declared open and the 2 squads began what later turned out to be a very closely contested match in both divisions, as shooters commenced firing on the four stages: 5 To Go, Some & Hope, The Pendulum and Roundabout. McKinnon (87.77 seconds) overcame John Phang (88.44 seconds) and Dale Hing (105.89 seconds) respectively, while in the Limited Division, Harry (74.96 seconds), beat out Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon (118.55 seconds) and David Dharry (120.09 seconds). In the Unclassified Beginners category, Kyle Jagan (206.51 seconds) won ahead of Brian Backer (207.98 seconds) and Aadil Baksh (211.03 seconds) At the presentation ceremony, the Match Director thanked the Range Master, the Match Committee and Officials for ensuring the efficiency and high safety standards with which the match was run.

Cooley’s Ashes job to be a hit-and-run affair Troy Cooley doesn’t plan to continue his role as the Australia bowling coach after Ashes 2019. (Photo: PTI)

MELBOURNE, Australia (Reuters) - Australia bowling coach Troy Cooley has no plans to carry on the role fulltime after this year’s Ashes series and expects to head back to his usual job at the national cricket academy after plotting England’s downfall. Cooley, who helped England win back the urn in the memorable 2005 series, left his post as head bowling coach at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane to join the Australian camp for the recent one-day series against Pakistan and India. Although announced as bowling coach for the Ashes last week, Cooley confirmed he would be in the role for a good time, not a long time. “Ashes, it gets me out of bed in the morning,” the 53-year-old said in Dubai, where Australia completed a 5-0 whitewash of Pakistan on Sunday. “It’s one of the best jobs going around. “You could not pass up an opportunity like this. “But I would probably be more inclined to continue the (NCC) head coaching role.” Cooley replaced David Saker, Australia’s last full-time bowling coach, for the India and Pakistan ODI series, but governing body Cricket Australia have yet to decide on a longterm appointment. As one of the principal architects of England’s

drought-breaking 2-1 series win in 2005, Cooley’s involvement is a boost for an Australian team hoping to claim the urn on English soil for the first time since 2001. He said reverse swing might not have as much of an impact on the series as it had in 2005 because of stadium upgrades. “It really depends on Mother Nature,” Cooley said. “We’ll exploit that if we get an opportunity to, depending on the conditions. “But a lot of English grounds now have got irrigation and been redone, so you don’t have those real dry outfields like in ‘05.” Even with first-choice quicks Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood currently injured, Australia are unlikely to be short of quality pacemen. Cooley said Australia’s whole attack would need to be versatile to have success in England when the series gets underway in August. “The fast bowlers and the spinners have got to work as a team and I know ‘JL’ (head coach Justin Langer) is really keen to make sure that pack mentality is tight and they’re covering all bases,” he said. “So if we rock up and get a green seamer or a dry one, we’ve got enough skillset and enough coverage to be able to take 20 wickets.”

Regal cricket teams fundraising raffle drawn

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 3, 2019

CB/Spready’s Snackette 100-Ball cricket tournament

Fyrish Cricket Club pips RHT Tigers by one run

IN what was described as one of the best cricket finals in Berbice, home team Fyrish Cricket Club (FCC) held their nerves to edge past Rose Hall Town (RHT) Tigers by just one run, to lift the historic Berbice Cricket Board (BCB)/Spready’s Snackette 100-Balls title. Playing at Fyrish ground in front of a large and colourful crowd, RHT Tigers needed two runs from the final two balls to seal victory but lost Delbert Hicks and Turbo Jagdeo to left-arm spinner Kevin Subramanie. FCC, asked to bat first, lost opener Yovindra Chinapen, bowled by off-spinner Khemraj Mahadeo for one. But fellow opener Yogendra Gurdyal and former national Under-19 player Javed Mohamed then added 82 with positive batting for the second wicket. Mohamed scored 25 with three fours and a six before he was dismissed by left-arm spinner Naresh Mahadeo in the ninth over. Gurdyal went on to top score with a brilliant 72, with seven boundaries and four sixes. He received good support from captain Chandradat Roopnarine with a brisk 46 (4x4, 2x6), as FCC ended on 187-7 off their allotted 100 balls. Left-arm spinner Naresh Mahadeo ended with 4-36 while Khemraj Mahadeo, Delbert Hicks and Turbo Jagdeo took a wicket apiece. RHT Tigers were then given an opening stand of 65 between openers Mark Papannah and Brandon Prashad, before Prashad was bowled by Yovindra Chinapen for a brisk 26. Hicks was then dropped second ball by Chinapen, but then started to smash the ball to all parts of the ground. Papannah was stumped for 31 off spinner I. Srikissoon. Khemraj Mahadeo (38) then joined Hicks and together they added 74. They took the score to 147 before Mahadeo was brilliantly caught at long off, as off-spinner C. Roopnarine struck a crucial blow. Needing to score 57 runs from 30 balls, Hicks and Rondall Lewis took the required runs to 37 from 16 balls. They took 20 runs from the 15th over and entered the final over needing 17 runs, Lewis struck two boundaries from the first two balls of the over and when Hicks struck another boundary to reduce the target to two runs from two balls. Hicks went for a well-played 60 (5x4, 5x6) while Jagdeo was stumped off the last ball of the innings. Bowling for the champions, Chandradat Roopnarine took two wickets for 15 runs and Kevin Subramanie 2 for 40, as RHT Tigers only lost six wickets. BCB president Hilbert Foster hailed the tournament as a remarkable success and praised both teams for their high standard of play. Foster stated that cricket in Berbice is enjoying a period of unmatched development, and urged clubs and players to take advantage of his administration’s hard work and dedication. He expressed gratitude to Manoj and Narine Singh of Spready’s Snackette for sponsoring the tournament, which was contested by 17 teams.

Central Essequibo T20 League

Bacchus Bulls, Ravens and Reliance Hustlers through to play-offs

Regal Masters strike a pose before their opening match in the Florida Cup 2017 before moving on to win the Masters title. REGAL Masters and Regal All-Stars are preparing for battle in including players in the All Stars and Masters as well as support the annual Florida Cup from April 12 to 14 and have completed staff. The funds raised will be used for airfare to and from Florida, a major fundraising event to help make their trip to the USA a transportation, accommodation and food while on tour. little easier. This year, 28 teams will be in action across All-Stars, Masters On Sunday, March 31 at the GNIC Sports Club ground, Woolford Over-40 and Legends Over-50 categories. Regal All Stars and Avenue Georgetown, 10 tickets from the mega raffle were drawn as Regal Masters won their respective titles when the tournament scheduled. The raffle was launched in January with tickets going at was last held there in 2017. $500 each with 10 fabulous prizes up for grabs including the top prize THE FOLLOWING TICKETS WERE DRAWN of a double-door refrigerator. The draw was conducted by cricket commentator John RamsFOR THE RESPECTIVE PRIZES: ingh, in the presence of players from Regal Masters, Wellman ● Double-door refrigerator – 2355 Masters, Fisherman Masters and President’s XI Masters as well as ● 40” Smart television set – 759 softball cricket fans. ● 3000 watts generator set – 3624 Some braved the hot sun and waited in anticipation for their ● Four-burner gas stove – 419 numbers to be pulled. Despite not getting their expected rewards ● Multispeed blender – 483 some felt pleased to support the defending Florida Cup champi● Consolation prizes - 2745, 1839, 1815, 1677 and 3827. ons in their bid to bring back glory. The touring party is expected to number about 40 persons, ● Winners must contact 610-7902 to claim prizes.

BACCHUS Bulls bullied their way into the play-offs with a clinical display on Sunday in the Central Essequibo- sponsored T20 league. Playing at the Imam Bacchus ground in Affiance, Bulls were led by fine half-centuries from Mohindra Balbadar 60 (9x4) and former national Under-19 batsman Parmesh Parsotam 55 (7x4), to reach 175-4 from their allotted 20 overs. They then restricted Reliance Sports Club to 92-5 from their 20 overs to comfortably win by 83 runs. Off-spinner Navin Persaud 3-14 from 4 overs and leg-spinner Rodwin Gordon 2-19 from his 4 overs ensured that the Bulls went through to the semi-finals. At the same venue in the second match, Ravens also flew into the knock-out stages with an 8-wicket win against Rebels XI who were stalled at 107-6 from their 20 overs. Only Christopher Lall 27 (4x4) and Thomas Chan 22 (2x4) reached double figures. Penetrative seam bowling from Safraz Ally 2-9 (4 overs) and Alvin Bacchus 2-12 (4 overs) was impressive. It took Ravens only 11 overs to overhaul the target, with Jamal Wilson smashing an unbeaten 38 (6x4), Glendon Smith 28 (4x4) and Sugrim Ahiram 22 (3x4) leading Ravens to 109-2. Over at Reliance ground, Reliance Hustlers gained a 48-run win against Ramkissoon’s XI. After batting first, the hosts amassed 191-8 with Satish Persaud 47 (8x4) and Narendra Mandolall 36 (5x4) leading the charge as leg-spinner Parmesh Narine grabbed 3-37 from his 4 overs. In reply, Ramkissoon’s XI threatened briefly after a solid start with 102-3 from 10 overs at one stage. However, with the introduction of spin the remainder of the batting faltered. Off-spinner Trevis Simon 3-9 from 4 overs and Rovindra Parasram 3-15 from his 4 overs undermined the run chase as Ramkissoon’s XI were all-out for 143 in the 19th over to concede defeat. The competition will continue on Sunday at various venues. (Elroy Stephney)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Gopal, Buttler pile more misery on Kohli’s RCB Leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal bowled a superb spell of 3 for 12.

SHREYAS Gopal bamboozled struggling Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Jos Buttler blasted a half-century as Rajasthan Royals (RR) got up and running in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with a seven-wicket win. There was more misery for Virat Kohli in his 100th game as RCB captain at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, where his side could post only 158-4 after Gopal took 3-12 from his four overs yesterday. Gopal doubled his wicket tally for the tournament with a brilliant leg-spinning exhibition, dismissing Kohli, AB de Villiers and Shimron Hetmyer. Parthiv Patel top-scored with 67 from 41 balls for Bangalore, who were thrashed by Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday, but his first half-century of the 2019 IPL was not enough to prevent his side from being the only team without a victory. The Royals, missing Sanju Samson due to a niggle, sealed their first two points after Buttler smashed 59 from 43 balls. Yuzvendra Chahal (2-17) gave RCB hope, but Steve Smith made 38 and Rahul

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Tripathi capitalised on being dropped early in his innings to score an unbeaten 34, hitting a six to win it off the penultimate ball. GOPAL PUTS RCB IN A SPIN Kohli moved up to open for the second time in the tournament, but the skipper missed out in his landmark match as skipper. Parthiv and Kohli put on 49 before Gopal claimed the huge wicket of the mercurial India captain, who was flummoxed by a ripper of a googly and bowled through the gate for 23. de Villiers was caught and bowled in the tweaker’s next over and he had a third wicket when Hetmyer was caught behind, reducing RCB to 73-3 midway their innings. It was left for Parthiv who struck a six and nine fours - to lay the platform for a late flurry from debutant Marcus Stoinis (31 not out from 28) and Moeen Ali (18 n.o. off 9) BUTTLER SERVES UP ANOTHER TREAT Buttler failed twice after he was the victim of a Ravichandran Ashwin ‘Mankad’ 10:05 hrs Vardy 10:40 hrs Orakal 11:15 hrs Intothelimelight 11:45 hrs Lana Belle English Racing Tips Market Rasen 09:00 hrs Eolian 09:30 hrs Garrettstown 10:05 hrs Troubled Soul 10:35 hrs Wishful Dreaming 11:05 hrs Earlofthecotswolds 11:35 hrs Peters Cousin 12:05 hrs Royal Reel Wincanton 09:10 hrs That’s A Given 09:45 hrs Umndeni 10:15 hrs Solar Impulse 10:45 hrs Toosey 11:15 hrs Midnight Owle

but he was back in the groove at the top of the order. The explosive wicketkeeper-batsman struck Navdeep Saini for back-to-back boundaries after Ajinkya Rahane was dropped by Kohli in the second over and did the same to Stoinis in his first over for his new franchise. Buttler continued to rocket along, reaching his half-century from 38 balls with a glorious straight drive off England teammate Moeen, whom he also pulled for six before he struck the crafty Chahal who also removed Rahane - to Stoinis at long-off. RAHUL ENSURES RCB TRIP UP AGAIN Smith was not at his fluent best, but used his experience to rotate the strike and score at over a run-a-ball. Chahal should have had a third wicket when Umesh Yadav dropped Tripathi in the deep on nine before Smith hammered Mohammed Siraj for six. Smith fell off the final ball of the 19th over from Siraj, but with only five needed from the last over, Tripathi hooked Yadav over the ropes to win it in emphatic fashion. 11:45 hrs Tomorrow Mystery 12:15 hrs The Flying Sofa Southwell 09:20 hrs Honey GG 09:55 hrs Marble Bar 10:25 hrs Lofty 10:55 hrs Blazon 11:25 hrs Just wait 11:55 hrs Tum Tum 12:25 hrs Molten Lava Irish Racing Tips Leopardstown 10:30 hrs Tarnawa 11:00 hrs Yonkers 11:30 hrs Onlyhuman 12:00 hrs Verbal Dexterity 12:30 hrs Lovee Dovee 13:00 hrs Madam Seamstress 13:30 hrs Encantador

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Dottin stars once again, as Barbados remain unbeaten By Rajiv Bisnauth

THE evergreen Deandra Dottin delivered another solid all-round performance as Barbados women’s cricket team defeated their Trinidad and Tobago counterparts by seven wickets in the curtain-raiser in the penultimate round of Cricket West Indies (CWI) Women’s T20 Blaze yesterday at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence. The Barbadian remained unbeaten, and moved one game closer of capturing this year’s title. They will play hosts Guyana in today’s final game of the tournament, and a win will definitely secure them the title, making it a double for the ladies from the land of the Flying Fish, after they easily retained the Super50 title earlier. Dottin’s high-quality, unbeaten half-century proved the major difference, as the Barbadian reached 137-3 in 15.3 overs in the run chase. The right-handed Dottin, who was adjudged player-ofthe-match, stroked 52 off 32 balls - an innings that was laced with five fours and two hits to the fence. Kyshona Knight weighed in with an unbeaten 23-ball 33, counting five boundaries. Earlier, a shoddy batting performance by the Trinidadians saw them struggle to build partnerships, and eventually posted a modest 136-6.

While Britney Cooper topscored with 31 off 24 balls, Stacy Ann King struck five boundaries in her 26-ball 30, while captain Merissa Aguilleira contributed a 26-ball 29, with four boundaries towards the end of the innings The Twin Island Republic lost opener Lee Ann Kirby, run-out for seven inside the fourth over, at 28-1. But 35-year-old King and Cooper then joined hands and the duo stitched 34 runs for the second wicket before twin blows from medium pacers Shakera Selman (2-18) and Dottin (2-9) in the middle overs reduced the Trinidadians to 106-5 in 15.3 overs. Felicia Walters made eight in the 29-run stand with her captain, who remained unbeaten. The Barbadian side lost opener Hayley Matthews (0) to off-spinner Anisa Mohammed in the first over in a shaky start. Danielle Small and Kycia Knight then put together 41 runs for the second wicket before they relinquished their control of the chase. Small, the right-hander, was removed by medium pacer Kirby for 15 while Knight was run-out for a 20ball 28, inclusive of two fours and a couple of sixes. Thereafter it was a Dottin and Kyshona Knight show as the duo shared an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 71 off 44 balls.

Black Caps unveil World Cup squad NEW Zealand have named their 15-man squad for the upcoming ICC World Cup, with leg-spinner Ish Sodhi and gloveman Tom Blundell the key inclusions. Sodhi, who has taken 39 wickets in 30 one-day internationals, pipped fellow leggie Todd Astle as the squad’s second spinner alongside left-arm orthodox Mitchell Santner.

Kane Williamson will lead New Zealand in the ICC World Cup. Blundell will serve as the reserve wicketkeeper behind Tom Latham, edging out dashing keeper Tim Seifert, who suffered a broken finger a fortnight ago. Blundell, 28, has played two Tests and three T20Is, but is un-

capped at ODI level. Captain Kane Williamson leads the No.3 ODI team in the world and will command a fast bowling attack of Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson. The top order is comprised of seasoned batsmen – Martin Guptill, Henry Nicolls, Ross Taylor, Colin Munro and Williamson. Colin de Grandhomme, Jimmy Neesham and Santner are the allrounders for the Black Caps, who will be looking to go one better after finishing runners-up to Australia in the 2015 World Cup. “There’s been some really tough decisions,” said Black Caps coach Gary Stead. “This has come about over the last four years. It’s not just about the what’s happened the last one or two months. “We’ve got a squad that we think will give us a really, really good chance to go far in the tournament.” New Zealand World Cup squad: Kane Williamson, Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Colin Munro, Tom Blundell, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Jimmy Neesham, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee, Trent Boult.

Hamilton Green 9-a-side Inter-Ward football kicks off Sunday THE Hamilton Green Cup Inter-Ward/Village 9-a-side knockout football tournament starts this Sunday, April 7 and will conclude on April 28 with the semifinals and final at the Den Amstel ground, venue for all the matches. Action starts at 15:00hrs and coordinator Lennox Arthur, former National Football player and coach, is asking all teams to be at the venue by 14:00hrs to ensure all games start on time and proceedings are completed in a timely fashion.

Former Mayor Hamilton Green

Deandra-Dottin slams another boundary during her innings.

Hungry Wolves beat 10-man Manchester United 2-1 (REUTERS) - Wolverhampton Wanderers repeated their FA Cup defeat of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United as a Chris Smalling own goal gave them another 2-1 win in a pulsating Premier League game yesterday. Despite the distraction of next week’s Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona, United, who finished the game with 10 men after Ashley Young was sent off in the second half, came out strongly for Solskjaer’s second game as permanent manager. Romelu Lukaku missed an early point-blank header, before Scottish midfielder Scott McTominay swept a low 13th-minute shot from outside the box past Rui Patricio to make it 1-0. Undaunted and fielding a strong team despite their own distraction of an FA Cup semi-final against Wa t f o r d o n S u n d a y,

Wolves quickly settled on a cold night at Molineux and began creating chances of their own. Portuguese striker Diogo Jota hit a deserved equaliser from close range in the 25th minute after a nervy-looking Fred had lost control and Raul Jimenez threaded the ball into the area. United went down to 10 men in the 57th minute when right back Young was sent off for a second yellow card after a reckless hack on Jota. That enabled Wolves to pour forward, and in the 77th minute they got the winner thanks to a Smalling own goal after a scramble near the line. The result left Manchester United fifth in the table on 61 points, level with fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur who have played a game fewer. Wolves are seventh on 47.

The opening salvo of games, 16 of them, will see Vergenoegen vs Timehri, Soesdyke vs Jetty, De Kinderen vs Liliendaal, Kuru Kururu vs Stewartville, Charlestown vs Zeelugt, North East La Penitence vs Agricola, Sara Lodge vs Mocha, Goed Fortuin vs Back Street Kings, Bagotville vs Sophia, Wales vs Mahaica, Plaisance vs Belle West Stars, Kitty vs Sparta Family, Mahaicony vs Crane, Pouderoyen vs Vreed-en-Hoop, Uitvlugt vs Lima Dam and Den Amstel vs West Side Masters. The teams will be battling for a chance to claim the John Fernandes $300 000 first prize and Prime Minister Trophy along with hampers from Ricks and Sari. The second-placed team will take away the Courtney Benn-sponsored $100 000, third $60 000 put up by Techno Mills and fourth $40 000 donated by Ready Mix, along with the respective trophies. All the trophies have been sponsored by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo. Also at stake are the individual rewards for the Most Goals/MVP who will take

home a Dinette Chair from China Trading and a Lazy Boy chair from AH&L Kissoon, along with the Best Goalkeeper who will claim the Minister of Natural Resources Trophy. Among the sponsors so far are Techno Mills, Ready Mix, Sataur Gafoor, EC Vieira, BEV Enterprises, BK International, IPA, Top Brandz, New Thriving, Ricks and Sari, E-Networks, Star Computers, NAMILCO, Cummings Electrical, National Sports Commission, Star Entertainment, Alfro Alphonso, the Guyana Police Force, Ministry of State, Prime Minister and Ministry of Legal Affairs. Arthur has expressed gratitude to these businesses and entities and also thanked those who have promised and are expected to come forward officially in the coming week. He has been staging tournaments in recognition of former Mayor of Georgetown and Prime Minister of Guyana, Hamilton Green for a number of years now. The defending champions of this tournament are Charlestown who beat Uitvlugt to claim the $400 000 prize and Ministry of Citizenship Trophy last time around. Uitvlugt took the John Fernandes Trophy and $200 000 for their efforts back then. With the involvement of the lead players emerging from the various areas and villages/ wards, the event is playing its part in aiding Social Cohesion among the citizenry. The players on show Sunday will include Sheldon Toney, Ruel Charter, Leroy Halley and Kenroy D’Aguiar. Teams are reminded to be at the venue for 15:00hrs next Sunday. Four substitutions are permitted in this format which will see the games being run for 30 minutes, broken into halves. The tournament will be played in the knockout format, with winners advancing to the next round. Sudden-death penalties will be used to separate the sides in the event of a draw at the end of full time. The no-offside rule is also in effect. All other rules will come under the dictates of FIFA.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2019)

COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD 83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) ANSWERS TO YESTERDAY’S QUIZ: (1) 2010 (2) Suresh Raina (CSK) TODAY’S QUIZ: (1) Who scored the first century in an IPL final? (2) What was the previous highest individual score in an IPL final?

ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, April 3, 2019

GNNL on board with BCB for tournament in the Upper Corentyne area THE development of Berbice Cricket continues at a rapid rate with the hosting of numerous cricket tournaments at all levels. The Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) last Thursday launched another tournament at the second division level for teams in the Upper Corentyne area. The tournament is being sponsored by the Guyana National Newspapers Limited (GNNL) with support from the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS. BCB president Hilbert Foster stated at a simple launching ceremony at GNNL head office that a total of 24 teams will participate in the historic tournament. It is the first time that the popular 100 balls version will be played in the Upper Corentyne area. Foster stated that the board since 2018 has been hosting cricket in the sub-areas as part of its effort to promote the game at the grassroots level. Foster hailed the outstanding work of the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association and stated that cricket in the Sub-Association was on the move. Foster, who is a director at

General Manager (ag) Donna Todd in the presence of staff hands over sponsorship to BCB president Hilbert Foster.

Juve victory at Cagliari marred by Kean abuse CAGLIARI, Italy (Reuters) - Juventus teenager Moise Kean appeared to suffer racist abuse after scoring a late goal to give the Turin side a 2-0 win at Cagliari in Serie A on Tuesday. Kean, who had been jeered throughout the game, turned in Rodrigo Bentancur’s cross with five minutes left and then stood in front of the Cagliari fans behind the goal and opened his arms. In response, Cagliari’s supporters made the noise which is described by Italian media as “buu” and is regarded as a racist insult in Italian football, although some fans argue it is simply to annoy opposing players regardless of race. Monkey noises could also be heard among the crowd. Shortly after the goal, Juve’s French midfielder Blaise Matuidi protested furiously to the referee and at one point appeared to threaten to walk off. Matuidi complained last year that he was subject to racist abuse at the same stadium and Cagliari later apologised. Play was halted on Tuesday and a warning was broadcast to the crowd — the first step in the so-called three step procedure which ultimately leads to the teams being led off the field. Play

resumed amid more booing and the referee blew the final whistle shortly afterwards. Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci, scorer of the opening goal in the 22nd minute, said Kean was partly to blame for the incident.

normal people,” he said. “The uncivilised ones must be identified with the cameras and no longer allowed to enter.” Cagliari president Tommaso Giulini blamed Kean for his celebration. “I heard mostly boos, if

Napoli 18 points behind ahead of their game at Empoli on Wednesday. Juventus were again without Cristiano Ronaldo who is recovering from a thigh injury he suffered playing for Portugal a week ago.

Juventus’ Moise Kean scores their second goal REUTERS/Alberto Lingria “You celebrate goals with your team mates,” he said. “He could have done it differently... I think the blame is fifty-fifty. Moise should not have done that and the Curva should not have reacted in that way.” Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said he had been too immersed in the game to notice the abuse. “As usual at the stadium there are idiots but also

they started making animal noises then we were in the wrong,” he said. “What happened at the end was because of a celebration which was wrong and it would have happened with any other player.” Kean, 19, has scored in each of his last four games — two for Juventus and two for Italy. The win took Juventus on to 81 points from 30 games with second-placed

In December, Inter Milan were ordered to play two home games behind closed doors after Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly was racially insulted during a game at San Siro. In 2017, there was an outcry after Ghanaian player Sulley Muntari was booked and sent off after complaining about racist abuse while playing for Pescara, also at Cagliari.

Guyana National Newspapers Ltd and Secretary/CEO of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club expressed gratitude to both organisations for sponsoring the tournament. Special thanks were extended to GNNL Chairperson Geeta Chandan-Edmond and acting General Manager Donna Todd. Ms Todd noted that her company was pleased to be associated with Berbice cricket and expressed confidence that the tournament would be a successful one. The 24 teams to play in the tournament are: Radha Krishna Academy, Crabwood Creek Sports Club, All Family CWC, Skeldon Titans CC, Bomb Squad, CWC, Dukestown Warriors CC, Scottsburg United CC, No. 73 Warriors CC, No. 72 All Stars CC, No. 70 MYO CC, No. 72 Cut and Load CC, No. 69 Vikings CC, No. 71 Sports Club CC, No. 70 Spartans CC, No. 70 Young Blood CC, No. 69 Red Rose CC, No. 68 Turn Team CC, No. 66 Giants, No. 48 Challengers CC, Yakusari Carib CC, No. 43 Scorpios CC, Yakusari Horizon CC, No. 68 Darkenders CC and No. 64 Fighting Marines.

PM Rowley hails Skerritt’s victory, warns of hard road to recovery

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Trinidad & Tobago Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley said he had a more optimistic outlook on West Indies cricket following the election of Ricky Skerritt and Dr Kishore Shallow as president and vice-president respectively, of the sport’s regional governing body, Cricket West Indies (CWI).

New President of CWI Ricky Skerritt

Dr Rowley warned, however, that there was plenty work ahead for the Skerritt-led administration for the Windies to avoid being relegated to the second tier of the game. “The ICC is going to create two divisions of cricket, and West Indies may not find itself in the upper echelons of Test cricket,” said Dr Rowley. “We’re going to find ourselves with Afghanistan, Holland, and Kenya.

“What we are looking for now is a best practice model to rebuild a Test team that has declined. What was happening to West Indies cricket is that we were not able to put that ladder down in that pit to climb out of it, and I’m hoping now that Skeritt provides that ladder so that we climb out of it. We cannot continue to have a C-Class horse running an A-Class race.” West Indies are currently ranked eighth in the Test rankings, ninth in the One-day Internationals, and seventh in the Twenty20 Internationals although they are currently the reigning World champions in that format. About the CWI election result which saw Skerritt and Dr Shallow unseat incumbents Dave Cameron and Emmanuel Nanthan, Dr Rowley said he was extremely happy about the outcome. “I think it opens the door for us to bring about the improvements that we anticipate,” he said. “It made my day. “Where Dave Cameron is concerned, what happened in India, in any management structure, that is when things should have come to a head,” he said, referring to the players’ dramatic walk-out on the 2014 Tour of India. “To have escaped that and become in charge of a hegemony after that told me that West Indies cricket was on the wrong track. “You could not have created an environment like that, created those liabilities for future earnings, and be impregnable.”

Guyana Women defend low total 27 to beat Windwards by 18 runs

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...Jamaica complete 10-wicket win over Leewards

Player-of-the match Left-arm medium pacer Erva Giddings was the chief destroyer.

Akaze Thomspon (not in photo) bowled Qiana Joseph.

The Guyanese players celebrate another wicket. (Adrian Narine photos)

(Adrian Narine photos)

McKinnon, Harry take top spots at Queensway 27 Security Service/GSSF Steel Challenge

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The smiling division winners of the GSSF Steel Challenge Match, sponsored by Queensway Security Service Inc. - Ryan McKinnon (left) and Pravesh Harry. (Photo Credit: Mr Stanford Howard)

Trinidadian elected to head WBA Women’s Committee

PANAMA CITY, Panama (CMC) – Trinidad & Tobago’s Shivana Inalsingh has been appointed the director of the World Boxing Association’s Women’s Championships Committee. Inalsingh was elected to the post during a recent meeting of the hierarchy of the Association which heard its president Gilberto Jesus Mendoza announce the new members of the board of the oldest body to govern professional boxing. Inalsingh was the only English-speaking Caribbean official to be named in a key role of the association which is dominated by officials from Latin America. The vice-president of the association will be Nicaraguan native Renzo Bagnariol and the director of World Championships will be Venezuelan native Carlos Chavez and the second will be

the Panamanian Julio Thyme. Meanwhile, in the Women’s Championships Committee, the deputy director from Peru is Kina Malpartida. Bulgarian native Mariana Borissova will be the International Coordinator of the organisation. The Classifications Committee of the WBA will be directed by Canadian George Martinez and the deputy director will be Panamanian native Aurelio Fiengo. In the case of the world classifications, the directors of each regional body registered in the WBA will have participation. T h e Tre a s u r y w i l l b e charged to Venezuelan Julio Quintero. The Executive Secretary will be Panamanian native Gustavo Padilla and the Officers Committee will be directed by the Puerto Rican Luis Pabon and the deputy director will be the American Raul Caiz.

I’ll never match Pele’s goal tally says Mbappe PARIS (Reuters) - France World Cup-winner Kylian Mbappe has often been compared to Pele but the Paris St Germain striker does not think he will match the Brazil great’s scoring tally during his career. The 20-year-old Mbappe, who became only the second teenager to score in a World Cup final as France beat Croatia 4-2 last year, has so far netted 103 goals in his career. Pele claims he has scored 1,025 goals. “Even with the goals in playgrounds, goals on the PlayStation, I could never equal 1,250 (sic) goals,” said Mbappe as he met Pele at a sponsors’ event in Paris. “It’s really a long way off. I’ll try and get as close as I can, but I think I’ll still be a long way off by the end of my career. Pele, who spent his career with Santos before a two-year spell at New York Cosmos in the mid-70s, wished Mbappe luck. “I hope that he gets there, to one thousand it’s okay, the three-time World Cup-winner said, “because I have one thousand and twenty five! If he gets one thousand, it’s okay.

French soccer player Kylian Mbappe and Brazilian soccer legend Pele pose ahead of their meeting in Paris, France April 2, 2019. (REUTERS/Christian Hartmann)

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2019