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GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday August 14, 2018

TUESDAY

14th August, 2018

NO BREACH No.105366

of Procurement Act â€ŚMPI says rules followed in award of river bridge feasibility contract

See page 4

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge along with Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin and other officials including the US and UK ambassadors: Perry Holloway and Greg Quinn respectively were among the audience at the official launch of the American Chamber of Commerce of Guyana (Delano Williams photo)

See stories on pages 3&9

Guyana braces for dry spell â€ŚHydromet Department urges farmers to conserve water

See page 2

Mahdia officially a township See page 10

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Guyana braces for dry spell …Hydromet Department urges farmers to conserve water IN THE coming weeks, farmers are advised to carry out water conservation practices, as the dynamic and statistical El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) models predict weak to moderate El Niño conditions through to December, 2018. In a release, the Hydrometeorological Department has advised that Guyana is now transitioning into the long, dry season which usually lasts until the end of November for northern Guyana, and is expected to end in late April, 2019 in southern Guyana. The transitioning for northern Guyana began during the last week of July, and is expect to do so for southern Guyana during the latter half of August, 2018. Chief Hydrometeorological Officer (ag) Dr. Garvin

Cummings is also advising citizens, especially farmers, to conserve water during the dry period. “The absence of rainfall does not indicate a drought situation, but rather a period of dry spells. As a consequence, citizens are advised to conserve water until the start of the secondary rainfall season at the end of the year. Areas in the Rupununi Savannahs that rely on shallow wells and small streams for their water supply, should enforce strict water conservation and storage practices during this period, as flooding from swollen streams and rivers due to heavy rainfall, is unlikely during this period.” Dr. Cummings said. Additionally, he also encouraged citizens to manage and closely monitor freshwater resources to ensure

maximum efficiency, and cautioned against the emptying of conservancies during this period. According to surface analysis, the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) has been meandering between 5º N and 8º N. Additionally, tropical waves are recorded as passing further to the north of Guyana. These factors will continue to produce weak to moderate atmospheric instability over the country’s northern Regions (One to Four). As the season progresses, these systems will cease to affect Guyana. Other areas of the country are currently being affected by mid-level troughs and localised conditions. During the coming weeks, these troughs are likely to give way to flows and localised conditions will become the main

driver of Guyana´s weather. The Hydromet Department has encouraged the use of water troughs, where possible, to provide water for livestock during dry periods. Furthermore, during periods of downpours, techniques such as water harvesting should also be practiced as the probability of dry spells will increase during the season. While experiencing El Niño conditions, the average sea surface temperature across the Equatorial Pacific is above the climatological (long-term) average. Recent observations have shown above average sea surface temperature across the Equatorial Pacific, but near average for the Equatorial Atlantic. The near average sea surface temperatures in the Equatorial Atlantic is

currently enhancing rainfall in northern Guyana. Output from the Seasonal Climate Outlook model for September to November, 2018 suggests, that Guyana will experience the usually dry conditions experienced during this time of the year. However, there are slightly higher chances for wetter than usual conditions for northern Guyana. Usually, northern Guyana would experience 15 to 32 rain days (days with more than 1 mm of rainfall) from September to October. However, the Seasonal Climate Outlook model suggests there will be between 15 to 34 rain days in the upcoming season, of these up to two events can lead to extreme flooding. Temperature forecasts also suggest cooler than usual day time temperatures and warm-

er nights. Gradual build-up of heat can also be expected as the season progresses. The Hydromet Department further cautioned all stakeholders, that while the country is transitioning into the dry season, there can still be periods of heavy downpours that can create the conditions for localised flooding. Updates on the department’s seasonal brief will be provided as new information becomes available. Persons desirous of information on short term forecasts and weather analyses are advised to follow the daily weather brief, outlooks and advisories produced by the National Weather Watch Centre or visit www.hydromet.gov. gy or contact the Forecast Desk on 261-2284/261-2216.

GGDMA calls on miners to use mercury responsibly -says Government should provide more technical, financial support to miners THE Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) have called on its miners to be more responsible when using mercury in their operations. In light Government’s call for miners to reduce the use of mercury in their operations, the GGDMA has said that the association and its members will continue to be committed to the ‘Minamata Convention’ but, Government should also look at providing technical and financial as-

sistance as suggested in the convention. The Minamata Convention on Mercury is an international treaty designed to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds. “We continue to call upon our local gold miners to use mercury responsibly: using gloves, respirators, retorts, and by refraining from putting mercury in the mining

pit. We encourage miners to seek advice from the relevant GGMC technical staff on the safe use of mercury,” the GGDMA said. The GGDMA in a press statement said it is keenly aware of the challenges in finding solutions to the mercury problem which faces the local gold mining sector. “We are also aware of the studies that show that villagers in a remote part of Southern Rupununi had elevated levels of mercury in their bodies even though there is absolutely no mining in or close to their village,” said the association. GGDMA however believes that the Government was convinced about the challenges of mercury after the accidental release of mercury

from the operations of the Guyana Gold Board (GGB) in the compound of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC). “We recognise that government in its wisdom sought overseas technical assistance and provided the necessary finance to help solve the problem caused by the use of poor and /or malfunctioning equipment and systems by the affected state agencies,” said the association, adding that Government has not yet published a credible National Action Plan for mercury use in small scale gold mining in Guyana. In addition, GGDMA also called on Government to provide financial assistance to the small-scale gold mining sector.

While that is needed, the association said it is still committed to working with the Ministry of Natural Resources and other stakeholders to find feasible solutions to the challenge presented by the use of mercury in small scale gold mining. There have been increasing efforts to eliminate the use of mercury in mining and to ensure that it is managed properly when used. According to reports, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has increased the monitoring of gold dealers to ensure that the regulations are followed closely. Recent reports have indicated that there are suspicions that Guyanese may be smuggling mercury to Suriname, a country which has banned the use of the chemical.

Although the information is anecdotal, the situation will be carefully monitored, said Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman in an invited comment. “When I look at the figures, I am amazed at the volume of mercury that has been imported into Guyana recently and given the amount of gold we are getting, this mercury cannot all be used in Guyana,” said the minister, adding that he has a suspicion that it might be going elsewhere. Trotman had recently refused the importation of 30,000 kg of mercury into Guyana from Mexico as the Government continued to make strides towards the reduction of the toxic metal’s use in gold mining.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Peruvian authorities launch probe into death of Guyanese girl WHILE the parents, relatives and friends await the autopsy result of 22-yearold Yogeeta Persaud of Guyana, the Peruvian authorities are also in a state of shock about the sudden demise of the young lady and have since launched a probe. According to a release from Peru police, an investigation has been launched into the death of the foreign student. Prosecutor on duty Rafael Vasquez Cuba, who is in charge of the investigation, said that the autopsy is pending. They have disclosed that the Guyanese citizen died suddenly while on a medical outreach at Anta Province of Cusco, Peruvian police confirmed. Doctors at the Anta-based health centre reported the death of Yogeeta Persaud, 21, at around 1:15 pm on Sunday, after she was evacuated on an emergency basis. The woman was a medical student and member of “Volunteer Doctors

around the World.” Early each morning, Persaud volunteered at a medical camp. According to police, she collapsed suddenly at just after 12:50 pm on Sunday and showed vital signs when emergency services arrived. Unfortunately, she died on the way to the health centre. Meanwhile, relatives of Persaud continue to grieve for her. “My daughter was a determined child, she was never rude to anyone and she was very humble, she chased after her dreams,” said Devika Persaud, the mother of Yogeeta Persaud. The family received the tragic news around 16:00 hrs. on Sunday from a colleague of Yogeeta. She was the only daughter of her parents whom she last saw in May this year, when she graduated from Stony Brook University. During a visit to the family’s home at Zorg Village on the Essequibo Coast, on Monday, many persons were on hand to offer words of comfort to the

The deceased Yogeeta Persaud

parents of the 22 year old. Her mother related that she last heard from her daughter around midday on Sunday. She said they did not speak for a while but they would routinely message each other daily via the social media platform WhatsApp. Her last message was around midday on Sunday when she informed her mother that she was at a

clinic. “What we understand is that she collapsed while at work, we don’t know much, however we [are] waiting on the autopsy,” her mother said. She said that Yogeeta was on a Government of Guyana (GoG) scholarship when she met her demise. She graduated in May 2018 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biochemistry from Stony Brook University. Yogeeta began following her dreams and during the summer break she joined the Stony Brook University team as a volunteer on medical outreaches. Her mother recalled too that in 2016 she went to the Dominican Republic as a volunteer on a medical outreach. Yogeeta accompanied the team on the two-week medical outreach to Peru as a volunteer and was expected to return to the United States on August 16. Her mother said the young woman was determined to become a doctor and to assist persons. “She

died while doing what she loves, maybe that’s the way she had to go back to the Almighty, it’s hard, she was never a rude person, I always advised her that if she was angry just walk way, she was a very obedient child of mine,” the woman noted. She said that her daughter always made the family proud. In 2013, Yogeeta was named the second top performer for Guyana at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations and the Anna Regina Multilateral student was adjudged the Most Outstanding Overall CSEC candidate that year by the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC), after achieving Grade One passes in 18 CSEC subjects. Persaud was also a top performer while at Stony Brook. Her father, Takoor Persaud, told the Guyana Chronicle that he could not believe the news when he heard of her sudden passing. He said that he is

still trying to cope with the harsh reality. Former classmates and teachers also expressed shock at her demise. One teacher, Reshma Rai, posted “Yogeeta was 1 of my favourite Grade Two students we share so much fun times like feeding you lunch and cuddling u when were sad . My tears cannot stop flowing for u my student. She has grown into such a beautiful and intelligent young woman. My sincere condolences to her parents, extended families and friends. RIP Yogeeta Persaud.” Apart from her studies, the young woman was a member of the Golden Fleece Vishwa Jhotir mandir. She would visit whenever she was in Guyana and would seize the opportunity to perform ‘Pooja’ at the altar. Her parents are awaiting the results of an autopsy and arrangements will be put in place to bring her remains back to Guyana for burial.

Stronger bilateral relations between Guyana, US expected -as local AmCham opens its doors By Navendra Seoraj THE bilateral relationship between Guyana and the United States of America (USA), particularly in commerce, is expected to be enhanced through the work of the local American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) which was inaugurated on Monday evening. AmCham is a voluntary association of US enterprises and individuals doing business in a given country, as well as firms and business executives of that country who operate in the US, said President of the chamber, Zulfikar Ally. The chamber will serve as a “useful device” for promoting bilateral relations between Guyana and the US, said Prime Minister (ag) and Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge, during his remarks at the launch of AmCham. Guyana and the US share a long bilateral relationship, but he believes that the chamber will help to further solidify what was already established, especially at a time when Guyana is about to benefit from a budding oil and gas industry. Although oil has been the major focus for a few years, the chamber will

create a conduit for local and foreign businesses to make investments in every area. Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin was also optimistic about the opportunities which AmCham will present. “This is an indicator of what lies ahead…the chamber will allow us to expand the pool of information sharing,” said the minister, adding that a lot of work is yet to be done. He urged the private sector to take on some of the work that is yet to be done. Gaskin believes that the private sector has the capabilities and competent organisations which represent the views of the businessmen/women.

According to Gaskin, AmCham will complement other competent private sector organisations such as the Guyana Manufacturers and Services Association (GMSA), the local chambers of commerce and the Private Sector commission (PSC). “Most Guyanese will want to increase trade between the US and Guyana… the chamber can and must drive development and economic growth,” he said, adding that Government is aware of some challenges which the private sector faces, including the bureaucracy and need for automated systems. Although it is a slow process, he believes that there will be simplified bureaucracy and automated processes soon. More of

those systems will be needed, especially since Guyana’s economy is projected to grow significantly with the introduction of the oil and gas industry. Ally, in an earlier presentation, had said that AmCham will ensure that businesses capitalise on available opportunities as the economy continues to grow. “We will open the doors to promote bilateral trade between the US and Guyana, in some instances leading to the creation of joint ventures and partnerships,” he said. Continued growth and investment would also boost Guyana’s global competitiveness because AmCham is usually the first contact for US businesses which are exploring the possibilities of

foreign trade. In two years, the chamber expects major transformation since they intend on working closely with other private sector bodies to push the economy forward. US Ambassador to Guyana, Perry Holloway also agreed that the chamber would bring major benefits and opportunities

to the country. AmCham was formed in 1912 to provide a unified voice for businesses in the US, said Vice President of the US Chamber of Commerce Annie McKinney, adding that it is the world’s largest business federation which represents the interest of more than three million businesses.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 14, 2018

No breach of Procurement Act …MPI says rules followed in award of river bridge feasibility contract THE MINISTRY of Public Infrastructure (MPI) on Monday denied breaching the Procurement Act when it awarded Dutch firm LievenseCSO, the consultancy services for the feasibility study and design for the new Demerara River Bridge. The Public Procurement Commission (PPC) in an investigation report on the award of the contract said, the MPI’s contract with the Dutch firm breached the country’s Procurement Act. According to the re-

port released by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, last week, the MPI failed to heed the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) advice to retender the project after the first process to procure a company proved unsuccessful. “MPI rejects and strongly condemns the misinformation campaign by the Opposition Leader and what amounts to unwarranted attacks by him on the integrity of dedicated public servants,” the Ministry said

in a statement Monday. It added that around the same time of reaching agreement with the NPTAB on the annulment of the process, an unsolicited proposal was received from LievenseCSO Infrastructure & Environment with Econovision and Ace Consultancy, one of the shortlisted firms. The MPI in an attempt “to set the record straight” said advertisements were placed in November 2015 for the feasibility study for the new Demerara River Bridge. An Evaluation

Committee was established by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) and that committee comprised of Balraj Balram (Coordinator) Permanent Secretary, MPI; Patrick Thompson, Chief Transport Planning Officer, Work Services Group, MPI; Rawlston Adams, General Manager Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation and Omar Bispat, Senior Engineer, Central Housing & Planning Authority, Ministry of Communities. 23 COMPANIES The ministry said some 23 companies responded from foreign countries, including Germany, Neth-

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e r l a n d s , F r a n c e , I t a l y, Denmark, China, India, Canada, United Kingdom, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and the USA. All 23 submissions were said to have been reviewed and 12 companies were shortlisted. The 12 were called upon to submit a detailed proposal but only two of the companies submitted the document as requested. The shortlisted companies included China Railway First Group Company Ltd. – China and MMM Group Ltd. & CEMCO Inc. – Canada/Guyana. Those two companies were the only companies which provided detailed proposals. The other shortlisted companies were Proficenter

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Negocios em Infraestrutura – Brazil; WSP Caribbean Ltd – Trinidad & Tobago; COWI A/S associated with Lagoon Design Consulting – Denmark/Guyana; Politecnica Ingegneria e Architettura Soc. Coop. in association with Marcel Gaskin & Associates Ltd. – Italy/Guyana; Ballast Nedam – Netherlands; LievenseCSO Infrastructure & Environment with Econovision and Ace Consultancy – Netherlands/ Suriname; Mott MacDonald Ltd. & SRKN’gineering – United Kingdom/Guyana; Egis International – France; China Harbour Engineering Co. Ltd – China and RITES LTD – India.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 14, 2018

No breach...

FROM nate and misguided camPAGE 4 paign”. “…this Govern-

Meanwhile, those companies which were not shortlisted included: Stunning Nissi Inc with subsidiaries Naim Land Sdn bhD and Naim Engineering Sdn Bhjd – Guyana/Malaysia; C!TE in association with RNV RUSTWIJK & RUSTWIJK – Suriname; Vicar Enterprises Ltd – Trinidad & Tobago; WSP Caribbean Ltd – Trinidad & Tobago; Stantec International Ltd in association with Pedelta and Ground Structures Engineering Consultants – Canada/ Guyana; CBCL Ltd and Dynamic Engineering Co. Ltd – Canada/Guyana; Stuart Consulting Group with Rahman & Associates Inc., C.B. Associates and BBFL Caribbean Ltd. – USA/Guyana/ Trinidad & Tobago; COWI A/S associated with Lagoon Design Consulting – Denmark/Guyana; IPRO Consult GmbH with SaiKaam International Ltd – Germany ; Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Communication Planning, Design & Research – China and China Shandong INTL Economic & Technical Cooperation Group Ltd – China/USA. “Having reviewed the two proposals, the Evaluation Committee deemed one of the two detailed submissions as being inconsistent with what was required and the other far in excess of budget, even after negotiations with the bidder. Consequently, with the agreement of the NPTAB, the MPI annulled the tender process,” the statement added. This move reportedly left the government and the ministry in “a most peculiar situation of having faithfully and dutifully executed the outlined procurement process and having yielded zero result for a project which is of national importance.” As a result, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure sought a change of programme for the budgetary allocation for the Demerara River Bridge feasibility study. This request was granted by the Ministry of Finance. It was then that an unsolicited proposal was received from the Dutch company, one of the shortlisted firms. The said proposal reportedly provided the full suite of professional services required for the feasibility study. “In full disclosure and transparency, the firm which had considerable technical expertise and capability, was invited to make a presentation to a multi-stakeholder group including representatives from MPI, Ministry of Finance and other agencies.” That stakeholder group

considered the presentation consistent with what is required for a complex, technical matter and at a reasonable and competitive price which would deliver value for money. “Having regard to the fact that this was an unsolicited proposal for a matter for which a suitable candidate was not found after a rigorous and lengthy tender process, and there being no established procurement rules for dealing with unsolicited proposals, a Cabinet Paper was prepared on the matter on November 18, 2016 and submitted for Cabinet’s consideration,” the MPI statement read. On November 22, 2016 Cabinet took the decision to approve $103,978,580 being used from the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC) for funding of Stage 1 and $57,535,740 being used from the DHBC for the funding of Stage 2. “MPI reiterates that lengthy procurement procedures were faithfully followed which did not yield suitable results. Having, thereafter, received a proposal which satisfied the government’s requirements for this project of national importance and given the relevant time constraints, it was felt that it was in Guyana’s interest to take advantage of the proposal. It is for this and other stated reasons that Cabinet’s approval was sought,” the statement noted. INCONVENIENCE TO COMMUTERS The Public Infrastructure Ministry reminded that several measures had to be put in place to accommodate the large volume of traffic utilising the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB), in an effort to reduce inconvenience to commuters. Evidence of this was seen when traffic heading west on the DHB on weekday mornings, is stopped to accommodate two lanes of traffic on the West Bank and West Coast Demerara, and this is the reverse in the afternoons. “There is and has been an urgent need for a new bridge across the Demerara River and government is cognisant of this and has taken every decision, within the law, to ensure that the realisation of a new bridge is not unduly delayed. The people of Guyana deserve nothing less,” the statement added. The MPI described Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo’s move to release the report as part of an “unfortu-

ment remains committed to serving and improving the lives of the Guyanese people with utmost transparency and highest level of accountability,” the statement concluded. According to the PPC report, “only MMM Group (Canada) in association with CEMCO achieved the minimum technical score of 80 points set, as a requirement to pass the technical evaluation.” Their bid price was US$848,950, which exceeded the budget of US$800,000 set for the project. The report noted that since the bid price exceeded the budget, a recommendation was made for the procuring entity to engage the consultant in direct negotiations to determine a suitable price. As such, NPTAB’s

chairman wrote the ministry’s permanent secretary on July 27, 2016 supporting the recommendation for negotiations. The MPI entered into negotiations with the identified company but that process failed and NPTAB was informed of its decision to annul the tender, and reshape the needs of the project with a view to retender at a later stage. It was on November 3, 2016 that the permanent secretary wrote the Finance Ministry seeking approval to reassign the funds approved for the project, within the ministry’s work programme for that financial year. Approval was so granted. NPTAB chairman on November 21, 2016 wrote the permanent secretary expressing the entity’s support of the evaluation committee’s recommendation to annul the bidding process and granted

approval for MPI to retender the project. The project according to the report was not re-tendered. The report said too that Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, by a memorandum dated November 18, 2016 called on Cabinet to consider and approve the use of funds from the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC) (Asphalt Plant Accounts) “to study the feasibility and to commence a contractual engagement with LievenseCSO, as of the 1st January, 2017.” Cabinet considered the memorandum and on November 25, 2016 approved $161.5M to be used from the DHBC (Asphalt Plant Accounts) to cover costs of the feasibility study for a new bridge across the Demerara River.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday August 14, 2018

Addressing recidivism

ONE of Guyana’s major, most destabilising problems is crime. And a serious aspect of this problem is that of a person committing a criminal offence, being sentenced to jail, and going back to a life of crime after being released. The experts call this behaviour recidivism. Recidivism, therefore is a pattern of habitual criminal behaviour resulting in a cycle of repeated arrests, imprisonments, releases, and return to crime. The question arises: how do we, as a relatively small society, prevent recidivism? In Guyana, the justice and prison systems focus on punishing offenders for their crimes, often by incarceration, thereby removing them from society for a period of time specified by the courts with reference to law. Our system is geared towards general deterrence (preventing crime by instilling the fear of being jailed), and individual deterrence (installing a fear of

returning to jail). Very little, if any thought, is given to identifying and addressing the causes of criminal behaviour, and re-integrating convicted persons into society after their release from prison. The lack of focus on social reintegration is significant because global statistics reveal that 95 per cent of prisoners will eventually be released. Again, how do we prevent them from going back to criminal conduct? While statistics on local trends are difficult to obtain–perhaps due to poor record-keeping – we may infer certain conclusions based on international data. In the United States, meta-data compiled by academics have revealed that–on average– 43 per cent-68 per cent of released convicts are rearrested within three years, and 77 per cent become repeat-offenders within five years. A study by the United States Department of Justice found similar rates across numerous states.

Another study by the Urban Institute corroborated those statistics, and identified the primary causes of recidivism to be the individual’s social environment of criminally-inclined peers, difficulty of readjusting to life outside prison, trouble re-establishing family ties, and having a criminal record and poor work-skills. Substance abuse and mental health were found to be factors: 25 per cent of the incarcerated persons had a history of drug dependence, and many convicted individuals had been previously diagnosed with psychotic or personality disorders. Clearly, criminal conduct and recidivism take a toll on societies. The costs associated with incarceration are high, and the psychological toll on the families involved have economic, social, and medical implications, to name only a few. So, how can we reduce the incidence of repeat-offences? Statistical evidence gathered by

the government of the United Kingdom has shown a direct correlation between drug-rehabilitation, psychological intervention, education, and skills-training during incarceration and a return to normalcy of convicted persons after they are released. Moreover, the rate of recidivism was most dramatically reduced when post-release follow-up was introduced. Such follow-up efforts included drug-counselling, teaching of vocational and industrial skills, making educational opportunities more accessible, offering all-round support, and most importantly, ensuring that the reforming individual obtained employment. When such programmes were implemented in a comprehensive manner, the rate of recidivism fell by 43 per cent. Guyana having a small population is being severely affected by repeat-offenders. Our efforts, therefore, should be directed towards preventing crime through the implementation of appropriate

programmes and initiatives, and tackling recidivism through proven methods and comprehensive strategies. Evidently, there is sufficient data upon which we can base locally-appropriate approaches to the problem; there is therefore no need to reinvent the wheel. The evidence suggests that our system of justice must be reoriented towards providing educational opportunities – of all kinds – to incarcerated persons, addressing drug and mental issues, and giving them the skills to return to a normal life. And it must not end there; society must ensure that such persons have access to employment and support. The money which can be saved by the operationalising of effective anti-recidivism policies, may be better used in other developmental endeavours. And the social tranquility which would be realised by the successful implementation of such plans would be priceless.

Krauss is back and spins Guyana’s fragile racial dynamic Dear Editor, AFTER hitting a ton on his first attempt, Krauss is back and spins Guyana’s fragile racial dynamic, “Oil and New Leadership Raised Hope in Guyana. But Political Rifts Are Resurfacing”, most likely to curry favour, or even stoke the various players into action and interfere in Guyana’s political affairs. This, is after he was treated to some swift, fast bowling from Guyanese the first time around. Though some of his points were welcomed in some quarters, they did not sit well with a broad cross section of Guyanese, and he “garnered” some classic “bouncers,” which probably pushed him to spin; lest, he is “yorked” the next time he tries to pull one straight down to the boundary, such as when he pointed out that children go to school in canoes. After all, Guyana is a “vast, watery wilderness.” What did he expect? But the disparities he alluded to are everywhere, all over the world – even in the USA. Just across the river from the swanky

Columbia University where students glide to school in Mercedes Benzes and Jaguars, is the impoverished South Bronx in which children battle abject poverty in run down housing projects riddled with drugs, gangs and violence. And the US is a developed country, at the top of the First World. After his initial piece which was not well received, he must have wondered how best to spin a narrative that runs deep to the bone. Thus, he decided to tackle the one hot button issue that has always plagued Guyana right from the beginning. He knows that race is the crux, simmering beneath the political landscape, as it is in many other countries–even the USA - and it is a surefire way to win over a swath of the population. Clearly Krauss wants to appear reasonable as if he has Guyana’s best interest at heart. I believe the idea is to stay in the conversation, at least, until Exxon is finished with its mapping, and then possibly strike again–cabal in tow. Krauss might be adept at spin but when he tries to understate the role the CIA played in Guyana’s politics, it must be noted: Votes

are not based on ideology, with both major parties leaning left. But their competition goes back more than half a century, even before the 1966 independence from Britain. The nation’s two founders—Cheddi Jagan, an Indo-Guyanese, and Forbes Burnham, an Afro-Guyanese—vied for control in a bitter battle that led to election tampering, violence, and labour strikes partly organised by C.I.A. agents. It is almost impossible for anyone to know for sure the entire playbook of the CIA in Guyana during those frightening times, but here is a dose of reality to add some light and perspective to the issue. If Trump hadn’t won the election in the US, the world would have never known about the underhanded effort by “Peter Strzok” and “Lisa Page”, and their many collaborators to deliberately interfere in the outcome of a Presidential election. The point is that the CIA was heavily involved in Guyana for a long time, free to do as they please, at their whims and fancy. Will Guyanese ever know the truth about the extent of their invisible hand at work, and how it pushed Guyana to the brink of chaos

and anarchy? This is even more reason for Guyanese to be concerned should Exxon’s discovery in the future turns out to be wildly successful. Krauss’ allusion to this piece of history breathes oxygen into the subject and Guyanese should insist that Krauss is more forthcoming in the future. I’m sure when all is said and done, it is bound to astound, if not stagger Guyanese, so much so that they would want to remain vigilant when the likes of Krauss try to spin their way into relevance. I am reminded of a video I recently saw on the internet, in which a Jaguar fought an alligator for a spellbinding 15 minutes mostly under water and eventually brought the crocodile to the surface. https://nypost.com/ video/its-the-jaws-of-death-between-a-jaguarand-a-gator/ It is time Guyanese relentlessly pursue the entire CIA’s overreaching in Guyana, a sovereign nation with an unparalleled strategic location. This could happen again – and Krauss’ work could provide the spark. Regards, Ram Narine

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 14, 2018

I support giving oil money directly to Guyanese Dear Editor, I COMPLETELY agree with Guyana’s distinguished economist Dr. Clive Thomas, that a significant part of the nation’s oil revenue should be given directly to each household in Guyana at set times. There is no question in my mind that such a move will have a lasting and positive impact on the people of Guyana. This will be a powerful incentive that will bring our people’s latent aptitude for thrift, creativity, ingenuity and business sense to full bloom, and enable them to expand their contributions to the country’s sustainable development. The direct disbursement of oil money to the people will benefit every industry and business in the country because it will increase people’s disposable income and money available for investment. This will cause a tremendous boost in commerce that will stimulate the economy, promote health and wealth, improve the quality of life and generally improve everyone’s state of mind. As Dr. Thomas indicated, leaving the nation’s oil money solely in the control of politicians will leave the door wide open for human selfishness, greed and lust for power to step in, so only a small set of people will benefit from Guyana’s oil. This must never happen; oil profits must always be shared equitably. I first had the idea of giving the people direct access to oil revenue a few years ago after Saddam Hussein of Iraq was violently overthrown, and the coalition collapsed along with the entire economic structure of the nation. Every ministry, public utility and state resource was plundered by negative elements. All historical relics were stolen and taken to certain developed countries. Iraq’s oil resources were raided and mismanaged. Amid the chaos and corruption, a most disgraceful group of killers and fighters, called Daesh (Descendants of Genghis Khan) or ISIS, was put in place by powerful countries. In my opinion, if they had, from the inception, simply given each Iraqi house-

hold US$300 to help calm them and create a sense of joy, goodwill and well-being, Iraq would not have been in the economic distress it is in today. US President Donald Trump said the USA’s war with Iraq was one of the most ridiculous wars he has seen. Even former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton were against the Iraq war because of the destruction it would have caused. I believe if the Iraqis had been given small sums of money, mere drops of water from the ocean of oil funds, then it would have been a stability factor in Iraq. In Guyana’s case, whatever government in office gets access to the first oil money will have a tremendous amount of money at their disposal. There will be enough to give every household in Guyana $1 million to $2 million annually, to do as they wish. In anticipation of the oil bonanza, my advice is for the government to revive the disbursement of the “Because We Care” school grant for every child attending school. The People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPPC) government initiated this grant and it was an extraordinary benefit to poor families. When the current government took power they stopped it. I am not saying it was wrong or right to stop it; maybe they needed the resources in other areas. What I am suggesting is that the oil revenue will make it affordable again and the government should restart it as soon as possible. When oil money starts to flow, I strongly believe that the government should give as much of the money to the people directly, and as soon as possible, so that they can feel a sense of joy and goodwill. Remember, the country does not belong to the politicians or to the government; they were hired by the people to run the country. Sometimes politicians forget that we, the people, own this country. My advice to the Granger administration, or any government that gains power during our oil boom, is to put things in place and listen to the advice of learned men like Dr. Clive Thomas, and listen to the people who elected you to office by giv-

ing something to the people directly. Guyanese do not want any government in the oil production era to tell them about spending oil money for the people’s benefit, if the people do not see the benefits for themselves. It is not as if other countries are not successfully giving cash directly to their people from their oil or mineral resources. I know for a fact that Canada gives a baby bonus and it has proved to be a highly successful initiative. I also saw online that around 35 African countries already transfer cash directly to their poor through smart cards, debit cards, mobile phones, or in person. And this is getting cheaper and safer. I recommend that interested persons should read the 2016 report of The Overseas Development Institute, the largest analysis of cash transfer programmes ever, spanning 15 years of data and 165 studies. The report shows that cash transfers to the poor tend to produce a consistent reduction in poverty, an increase in work participation. In general, the evidence showed far more positives than negatives. Furthermore, I believe that if Guyana’s oil revenue goes from the extracting company to government without passing through the hands of citizens, the people will not be able to scrutinise the expenditure out of these revenues as carefully as they should. This will cause misallocation of public spending, slow growth and poor poverty reduction plans. That is why I support Dr. Thomas’ proposal that a significant part of the revenues must go directly to citizens, so they can decide how it is spent. The money the government needs for public projects like bridges, roads, medical facilities and schools can come from parts of the oil money. Furthermore, the government needs to reduce the tax burden on the Guyanese people to accelerate commerce and induce local investments, while at the same time creating a forum to teach people how to invest their monies by buying shares in large companies, even GPL when it is privatised. For these reasons, I respectfully disagree with

the published viewpoint of Jinnah Rahaman who argued against the government giving money directly to people to uplift their lives, and advocated giving them high-paying jobs. Mr. Rahaman is the owner of large plots of land and is an affluent individual. I do not wish to critique Mr. Rahaman but he is obviously out of touch with the needs of the ordinary people of this country. I respect his view but I disagree with him. Not all jobs can be high paying; even if cleaners, labourers etc. are well paid, it is good to give them a gift, as the late Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s Jamahiriya did for his people. Gaddafi was able to use oil profits given directly to citizens, as part of sweeping economic, political and social reforms in Libya through

Jamahiriya. Part of the oil revenue went directly to the people and for significant events in their lives, such as when people got married, gave birth etc. Jamahiriya gave them cash gifts. I recall Gaddafi telling Libya’s General People’s Congress: “The money that we put in the education budget, I say let the Libyans take it…Put it in your pockets and teach your kids as you wish, you take responsibility…As long as money is administered by a government body, there would be theft and corruption”. I am not going to pretend that Gaddafi was an angel, but I know that after he launched the Jamahiriya initiative there was amazing progress in Libya. Under the scheme, intensive agriculture developed, a welfare state was

established and countless poor Libyans were able to get homes, education and health services for the first time in their lives. If Guyana goes along this road, there will be challenges, but nothing that we can’t handle. We can put our heads together and work out things like defining a household, deciding the most efficient disbursement system and work out accountability mechanisms and checks and balances to prevent fraud and abuse. The bottom line is: Dr. Thomas has proposed something extremely good for Guyana that will definitely work if we handle it properly. I support his suggestion one hundred percent. Regards, Roshan Khan Snr

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday August 14, 2018

Importation of stone for ECD road project aimed at preventing delays MINISTER of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson said given the nature of funding for the East Coast road project it is essential that delays and cost overruns be prevented hence, the decision to allow the importation of stone by the Chinese contractor. In a Facebook post on Sunday, Minister Patterson said the decision was made as adequate local supplies were not available. “To finish on schedule, the project required at least 15,000 tonnes per month, at best the suppliers whose product made the specifications were only supplying about 6,000 tonnes monthly, additionally, the project needs about 250,000 tonnes overall,” Minister Patterson explained. He assured that local

stone producers were engaged prior to his permission being granted to the contractor for the stone import. “It must be noted that while there are seven (7) stone producers countrywide, only three (3) had the capability at that time to produce the specified stone, of the three (3), the largest producer’s stone did not make the specifications (stone specifications do not only have to do with density but also size, moisture content, etc.). Interestingly, it was agreed by ALL, based on a recommendation by the stone producers, to allow the contractor to import 50,000 tons of stones over a threemonth period, this would have allowed the local producers to up their production [if possible] and seek to have their stone meet the required

specifications (if possible), it would also allow the contractor to continue working without delay,” Minister Patterson further explained. Currently, contractors are on schedule to complete the expansion project. In an earlier interview, Technical Services Manager at the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Nigel Erskine, informed the Department of Public Information (DPI) that the extension of the four-lane section from Better Hope to Annandale is now 60 percent complete. He also said the plan is to complete the four-lane section by the end of the year and proceed with the upgrade of the two lanes from Annandale to Belfield subsequently. “Ongoing works include extension of the bridges, construction of drains which

is about 90 percent complete; the construction of 400 metres of revetments at Triumph, of which 250 metres have been completed as well as the extension of the culverts to accommodate the four-lane road,” Erskine explained. When completed, the four-lane section will have a median in the centre, equipped with streetlights. Sidewalks will be built along populated villages, seven bridges and 12 culverts will be widened, and 11 traffic signals will be installed at busy intersections along the roadway. The approximately eightinch finished surface will comprise asphaltic concrete and have road-safety features including warning signs, road markings and pedestrian crossings.

Min. Lawrence to lobby for higher salary-scale for health workers MINISTER of Public Health, Volda Lawrence said she will be lobbying for an improved salary-scale for persons working for basic wages within the health sector. She was at the time speaking to staff members of the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre, last Friday, during the closing ceremony of a two-week capacity building programme for orthotic and prosthetic technicians. The technicians, most of them from the centre, were very instrumental in providing prosthetic limbs and orthotic devices for some 25 persons. Minister Lawrence said while she was grateful for the work put in by the technicians and other staff, there was no doubt that salaries of those who labour so strenuously need to be improved. “We are presently at the Ministry of

Health trying to work with the Public Service Ministry so that persons who are branded in some particular fields and have been left there to languish, to address your salary scale so you can be remunerated properly for the important services you provide,” the minister said. She noted that the process is “taking a little longer than we thought it would have taken but good things come to those who wait,” she assured. “We will continue to fight that fight so that persons in those other ministries understand the important role that many of you play in the health sector, especially you here at the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre.” Director of the Rehabilitation Centre Cynthia Massay lauded the minister’s commitment to health workers particularly those working at the centre. (DPI)

Kuru Kururu kids learn to ‘Grow Green, Stay Clean’

– at annual #3G recycling camp FORTY children from Kuru Kururu on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway and surrounding communities have graduated from a Green Generation Guyana (#3G) recycler’s camp put on by the Ministry of Communities. The primary school children learned of the role they can play in caring the environment and recycling unwanted materials under the theme, ‘Grow Green, Stay Clean: Sanitation Awareness for Kids’. According to a release from the ministry, the graduation ceremony of the threeday programme took place last Thursday, and the camp was the first of three for 2018. Two more similar camps are expected to be held for the year, one at

Some of the children at the recently held ‘green’ camps

Rosignol, West Berbice, on August 20 and 21, and the other at Anna Regina, on the Essequibo Coast on August 23 and 24. Previous camps were held in 2017 at New Amsterdam in Region Six (East Berbice –Corentyne), and at Vreeden-Hoop in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara). The camps are free of charge, while their locations are selected based on the current solid waste management needs, and areas where such public education campaigns tailored for children seldom exist. The children participating in the programme are being mobilised with the aid of the Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs), Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDCs) and Community Development Councils (CDCs). Working in collaboration with the One Future Guy-

Two miners admit stealing employer’s gold TWO miners on Monday confessed to Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court to stealing gold from their employer because of not being paid for months. Mark Vansertima ,37 and Shane Razak, 35 admitted

that between August 6, 2018 and August 7,2018 at a backdam in the Essequibo River, they stole five pennyweights and three grains of gold valued $53,000, property of Sadeek Sahadeo called ‘Sonno.’ The court was told that

the duo stole the gold after breaking into the machine shop which stored the items. However, the items were later recovered in the men’s possession by the police following a report. Vansertima told the court that for the past five months

he has not been paid by Sahadeo and has a sick daughter in Venezuela and his family to provide for. He vented his frustration to the court since he had no other alternative and they were not allowed to leave the mining camp. Razak added that with

ana, the 3G Project will also be sponsoring six “green” camps in South Georgetown to include Tucville, West Ruimveldt, Stevedore Scheme, Guyhoc and North Rumveldt communities. According to the ministry, “It is proven that children are one of the main channels of promoting behavioural changes, especially those insisted upon in formal, educative settings. “It is also our belief, too, that these projects will impact on the lifestyle choices of the younger population, and, over a period of time, will result in more conscious environmental practices.” Though just in its second year, the programme has reached over 4,500 children from more than 40 primary and secondary schools across the country, including in all nine municipalities. It has also evolved to include a waste-to-resource

(‘green’) exhibition; a composting project for secondary schools; a national wordsearch competition; a recycler’s pageant; an online recycling application; a tree planting initiative; and support for environmental clubs. Said the ministry in its statement: “Over the past two years,through the Green Generation Guyana Project, the Ministry of Communities has been encouraging primary school students to become environmentally conscious with habits that are “green” and sustainable. “The ultimate goal of the camp is to ensure that students not only have a thorough understanding of the concepts of greening, but can also apply these concepts to meaningfully transform their communities and local economic circumstances.”

‘…they don’t want to pay us but they want us to work’ school soon re-opening he was unable to provide for his children since he was not being paid but made to work under harsh conditions. “They don’t want to pay us but they want us to do the work,” both men told the court.

The magistrate discharged the men and told them to report their claims to the Ministry of Labour since they were serious. The Chief further urged the police from the district to inform Sahadeo to pay his workers.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday August 14, 2018

Guyana is open for business in all sectors’

…President tells American Chamber of Commerce of Guyana President David Granger on Monday met with the executive members of the newly formed American Chamber of Commerce of Guyana at State House, where he noted that Guyana is open for business in all sectors including agriculture, mining and eco-tourism. “I am seeing that we can bring more people to the fold. There is so much we can do. There is absolutely nothing in terms of agricultural products that we cannot supply to the Caribbean hospitality sector but we need investment capital…and we need to build a stronger manufacturing sector,” he said. The Head of State noted too that as the Chamber

opens its operations here, it is his hope that small busi-

what’s good for Guyana is good Guyanese. This can

Mr. Zulfikar Ally, President of the American Cham-

President David Granger and Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin with the executive members of the American Chamber of Commerce

nesses would not be left out but rather, given the necessary resources and trainings to grow and develop. “We will do whatever we can do to promote and stabilise trade and investment because

only work to the benefit to both sides. Small businesses are welcomed and if they can be given some training, like how to write a proposal or business plan, then there is so much we can do,” he said.

ber of Commerce, in his remarks, said that the body looks forward to operating in Guyana. He noted that the Chamber plans to place emphasis on small businesses to ensure that they too have

opportunities to grow. “We see this Chamber as a Chamber that will help to facilitate investment into Guyana. There are 116 chambers all around the world and… our job will be to help to facilitate and guide [businesses] to the relevant sectors, Ministries, brief them about the country and help them to be well prepared before they engage with Government Ministries, agencies and so on. We are very committed to working with you and your Government. The chamber is not only for American businesses, it is for any business and not only for corporations but even to the smallest business,” he said. Ms. Anne McKinney, Vice President, Americas Department of the International Affairs Division,

United States Chamber of Commerce, said that this Chamber will become a catalyst for investment. The meeting was also attended by Minister of Business, Mr. Dominic Gaskin, Mr. Justin Nedd, Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Telephone and Telephone Company, Ms. Liz Wyatt, General Manager of SOL Guyana Incorporated, Mr. George Kalantzakis, Manager, International Government Affairs, Hess Corporation, Mr. Mitchell Da Silva, Managing Director, Citi Country Officer, Trinidad and Tobago Hub, Mr. Clairmont Cummings and Mr. Neeran Tiwari, Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Commerce. (Ministry of Presidency)

Foreign women released A night of crystals, on own recognisance drinking, dancing …after raid on Covent Garden strip club

SOME 27 foreign women, who were detained on Friday after police raided a bar at Covent Garden, East Bank Demerara, were released from police custody on their own recognisance and the owner of the bar released on $75,000 bail. The case was handled by the Major Crimes Unit. No charges were recommended for anyone detained although police initially suspected that the bar housed a strip club. The women included 25 Venezuelans and two Dominicans. They were suspected trafficking victims, but an investigation dispelled that suspicion. They were initially ar-

rested after they could not have given a proper account of themselves. Initial reports said that ranks of ‘A’ Division, received a report that the strip club was in operation at Bikers Bar, which is located at Lot 22 Covent Garden. As a result, ranks attached to ‘A’ Division and Police Headquarters, Eve Leary, responded and conducted a search of the premises between 9:50pm and 11:55pm on Friday. The women, who were found in the building, were detained along with the owner/operator, who hails from Nutmeg Street, North Ruimveldt, Georgetown. A case of liquor was also seized and lodged as

there is no licence to operate any business whatsoever on the premises. The strip club had been

in operation for about a month and prior to its establishment, the building housed a supermarket.

Ex-cop killed in hit-and-run

Marlon Cox and his reputed wife Savitri Collace

A FORTY-year-old farmer and former policeman was killed in an alleged hitand-run accident on the Kilmarnock Public Road, Corentyne, Berbice early Monday morning. Dead is Marlon Cox of Tain, Settlement East Berbice Corentyne. The lifeless

body of the father of three was discovered on the northern carriageway at around 03:30hrs with injuries to its right hand and head, which are consistent with that of a motor vehicular accident, police said in a release. At the time of his demise, Cox was making his way to a relative’s home a short distance away to spend the night as it had gotten late and transportation was unavailable. According to the man’s employer who is popularly called ‘Tall boy,’ he was at his Phillipi, Corentyne Berbice home when Cox came by at 21:30hrs and spent some time. He noted as it got late he suggested that he stayed over but Cox related he will

try to get transportation or he will stay at a relative nearby. “We went to the horse race but I left and come home, around 9:30 -10 time he (Cox) stopped by last night. I had some friends over and we were having a lil drink and then he left. I walked him out and then come in and close up till this morning I get the news,” Tall Boy related. The news of the man’s death came as shock to him. Cox has been described as a hard worker. Meanwhile, the man’s partner Savitri Collace told the Guyana Chronicle “Marlon” left home 04:30hrs in the morning for the backdam but returned around

noon and left for the horse race at Number 36 Village. She explained that she was under the impression he spent the night at a relative’s home until she received the dreadful news of his demise. Based on the injuries and the accident scene, relatives and residents believe Cox was struck by a truck which made no attempt to render assistance. “They just hit him and leave him to die, they could ah just pick he up and help he, he is a good man that trouble nobody,” Collace said. She is hoping that police find the person responsible for her husband’s death so the family can get justice. Police are investigating.

…and then the escape AFTER a night of partying, 21-year-old Shadrack King found himself before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on two robbery charges and escaping from police custody. King of East Ruimveldt pleaded guilty to the charge which read that on August 10, 2018 at Stabroek Access Road, while being in the company of another he robbed Lawrence Salvador of $5,000 cash. He also accepted that on the same day, while being in custody at the City Constabulary Stabroek Market outpost, he escaped from police custody. King however, denied robbing Danny Singh of $33,500 worth in items on the same day at Stabroek Access Road. “I don’t know about that,” the unrepresented young man told the court. According to the facts presented in court, Salvador, a businessman who operates along the Stabroek Market, was robbed at around 04:00hrs by the accused and another. The report noted that King was nabbed by the police and was taken back to the outpost where he escaped thought a window. King told the court: “I didn’t even know what I

was doing… I was highhigh,” he explained, as he was in the club partying earlier before the confrontation with Salvador. The unrepresented man also told the court that he was in the club when someone gave him crystals (molly) and he did not know what it was as he continued drinking and dancing. He further added that he came out of the club and went down to Stabroek for transportation to go home when he met with a family friend. “The family friend tell me how the man (Salvador) owed him some money and I helped him to get it back,” he said. “I went up to the victim as I held him while the family friend took away his money.” King added that after the ordeal he went to ‘catch a car’ to go home when he was arrested by the police. “When I go to the outpost … I jump thought the window… if I didn’t high I would never had done them things,” he said. The magistrate fined King $ 15,000 on the two charges that he confessed to and released him on$3,000 bail on the charge he denied. The matter is adjourned until August 20.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday August 14, 2018

Guyana is open for business in all sectors

opens its operations here, it is his hope that small busi-

what’s good for Guyana is good Guyanese. This can

Mr. Zulfikar Ally, President of the American Cham-

President David Granger and Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin with the executive members of the American Chamber of Commerce

nesses would not be left out but rather, given the necessary resources and trainings to grow and develop. “We will do whatever we can do to promote and stabilise trade and investment because

ber of Commerce, in his remarks, said that the body looks forward to operating in Guyana. He noted that the Chamber plans to place emphasis on small businesses to ensure that they too have

Foreign women released A night of crystals, on own recognisance drinking, dancing …after raid on Covent Garden strip club

there is no licence to operate any business whatsoever on the premises. The strip club had been

in operation for about a month and prior to its establishment, the building housed a supermarket.

Ex-cop killed in hit-and-run

Marlon Cox and his reputed wife Savitri Collace

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday August 14, 2018

Judge throws book at unrepentant elderly rapist –slaps him with double life sentences A 12-MEMBER jury on July 16, 2018 slapped Abdool Jamil, 67, with two guilty verdicts in the Demerara High Court before Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry in the Sexual Offences Court. His attorney, however, made an application to the judge for a probation report to be prepared and his request was granted. Returning to court on Monday, Abdool Jamil, of Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara, was sentenced to life imprisonment for each of two counts of rape of a 10-yearold child, and is eligible for parole after serving 45 years on both counts. Jamil swore before the court that he was innocent of the crime, stating that he has erectile problems. “I am not a rapist. All my life I have never had sex with a younger person, much less a child… I am being charged for penetration of a vagina that I have never seen or touched. Penetrating with a penis that is dead,” the accused said. But the victim’s impact

statement read by Child Link representative, Celeste Mullin, expressed her physical and psychological trauma from the act committed on her. “I felt bad and upset and was constantly thinking about what happened to me. My grades went down because I couldn’t focus, I kept thinking about it. He was a nice person to me, I liked him. But I no longer do because he violated me and now I am scared. I would like him to be punished. I don’t think I can ever forget this but I pray I can have a normal life again.” According to the State, for the 1st count, on May 30, 2014 in the county of Demerara, the accused engaged in sexual penetration of a girl child under age 16. On the 2nd count, on June 2, 2014, the accused engaged in sexual penetration of a girl child under the age of 16. The State represented by Lisa Cave and Orinthia Schmidt, said the mother of the victim left home for Linden to attend the funeral of

No bail for drug accused A 26-year old man was on Monday remanded to prison for the alleged possession of marijuana. It was stated that on August 10, 2018 at Leopold

Street, Kurt Lewis had in his possession 20 grams of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking. The father of one, who resides at Durban Street, Lodge,

Abdool Jamil gets life imprisonment for rape of child

her step-father, and instructed her child to do chores after which she should go to a relative’s home to stay until she returned home. The child did as she was told and was then taken away by the accused to his house where he went into the bedroom where the child was sleeping and raped her on two separate occasions, but on the second, the child ran to the home of a relative and reported what had transpired. The defence attorney, Clyde Forde stated that the accused was involved in the Community Policing Group (CPG) and protected persons denied the charge that was read out to him by the Principal Magistrate, Judy Latchman. The Police prosecutor objected to bail being granted. Bail was refused by the magistrate and Lewis was remanded to prison until September 3, 2018.

in his community. He was also recently honoured by PAHO/WHO for his work in health services. With that, he pleaded with the judge to temper justice and lenience and grant a reasonable period of incarceration, so the accused can resume the community service to which he has dedicated several years of his life. However, the judge administered no lenience given the nature of offence, the fact that the accused remains unremorseful and the trauma and scar now left on a child.

Ukrainians in video footage assault on Guyanese miners charged TWO Ukrainian men are expected to appear at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday to answer to assault charges committed on Guyanese miners. According to the police, investigations into allegations of assault and threats committed on two Guyanese miners/rangers on July 28, and August 3, 2018 respectively, have been completed and legal advice obtained to the effect that the two nationals of Ukraine, who speak Russian, are to be charged. Last Thursday, the Russian Embassy informed the Guyana Chronicle that the men, Vitaly Paraschuck, and Maksym Furtak, are in fact Ukrainians. Police said that Paraschuck, 38, is answerable to charges of threatening behaviour and assault causing actual bodily harm committed on Charles Clarke. Furtak, 33, is answerable to a charge of threatening behaviour committed on Rudolph Deane. Police said, the Ukrainians, as well as Charles Clarke, are to be charged separately with contravention of the Private Security Services Act of 2009, for failure to wear their prescribed uniforms. The two guards at the centre of allegations that they tortured two Guyanese min-

ers, were arrested last week and police said they were in breach of their uniform dress code since, as supernumerary constables, they ought to have been attired in the prescribed manner approved by the force’s administration for that company and not as seen outfitted in the video. In a statement issued last Wednesday, the police said a thorough investigation was launched into the incident. A police investigative team from CID headquarters received much-needed assistance from a miner who ferried the ranks to Quartz Stone, Cuyuni, on a mining claim operated by miner, Shawn Hopkinson, where the incident allegedly occurred. On Wednesday, the National Mining Syndicate called on the authorities to address the issue with a view of ensuring justice prevails, in the interest of the local miners. The body said the incident brings to the fore the need for dialogue, between key agencies and expatriates who seek to do business in Guyana, either individually or as a company. The two Ukrainians, who are employed by West Bank Demerara Gold Inc. which is licenced to operate in Guyana, are sworn supernumerary constables and authorised to carry firearms.

Mahdia officially a township ACCORDING to an order which was signed and published in the Official Gazette last Thursday, the Region Eight (Potaro/Siparuni) community of Mahdia has been designated a township. A release from the Ministry of Communities said the elevation of Mahdia to the status of a township, is in accordance with the pronouncement made by President David Granger at the Opening of the 11th Parliament, of upgrading the four hinterland regional administrative centres of Bartica, Mabaruma, Lethem, and Mahdia. Mahdia will be the capital town of the Potaro/Siparuni region, which the ministry said is part of the government’s vision of establishing, in collaboration with the regional administrations, a capital town in each of the 10 development regions that will serve as the engine of growth and development of same. “Though earmarked to have been established earlier there were some challenges in the demarcation of constituency boundaries which resulted

in the delay,” the Ministry stated. Of importance, the ministry noted, is that in the Order, the boundaries of the new township exclude the titled Amerindian Villages of Campbelltown and Micobie, as is the expressed desire of those village councils following a series of consultations. The Ministry said it will continue to partner with all townships to ensure that residents, regardless of where in Guyana they live, have access to enhanced public services. The foundation for the transformation of Mahdia has already begun to be laid, with the upgrading of 80 per cent of the internal roads from laterite to concrete, that will last for decades. Moreover, plans have been advanced for the construction of a government compound that will house a number of government agencies, such as the Guyana Revenue Authority, Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, Guyana Water Inc. and other agencies. It was noted that the intent of the APNU+AFC admin-

istration is to foster people’s empowerment through the strategic embrace of a decentralised form of governance. The ministry said it shares the excitement, and is encouraged by the transformation that has taken place in the three, recently established townships, as a result of local leaders seizing this opportunity of this empowerment exercise. These new urban centres are important allies in assisting to close the gap that exists between the hinterland and coastland regions. Bartica is the home of Guyana’s first boardwalk, Mabaruma has transformed the Kumaka Waterfront and Lethem is quickly becoming the business hub of the Rupununi. According to the Ministry of Communities, literal transformation has taken place in the three, new townships aided by “visionary democratic leadership” that will be renewed in Guyana’s first post-independence consecutive holding of local government elections (LGEs), which are due on November 12th, 2018.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday August 14, 2018

‘Help staunch the haemorrhage’

THE heavy migration of nurses from the Caribbean to developed countries has caught the attention of the Regional Nursing Body (RNB). It has also come to the attention of Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence, who lobbies for Regional Heads of Government to play a more critical role in bringing this trend to an end. Delivering the feature address at the opening ceremony of the RNB 45th Annual General Meeting (AGM) last Tuesday, Minister Lawrence addressed the issue. In her remarks, she tasked the RNB with calling upon Heads of Government “to put a stop to the pilfering of the Region’s nurses by the developed countries,” as it not only hemorrhages the Region, but contributes to detrimental effects on its health system. It was a sentiment shared by RNB Chair and Grenada’s Chief Nursing Officer (CNO), Nester Edwards who warned that the nursing sector is on the brink of a crisis brought about by heavy migration from the Region. A release from the CARICOM Secretariat quotes Edwards as saying: “There can be no health without a workforce, no workforce without nurses and midwives.” Attending the August 7 to 9 meet, which was held here at the CARICOM Secretariat, were representatives from the Caribbean Regional Midwives Association (CRMA); the University of the West Indies School of Nursing (UWISON); the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO); and Chief Nursing

Officers of CARICOM. During her address, Minister Lawrence also spoke of the need for the Region to strive to meet the 2030 deadline for meeting Sustainable Development Goals regarding the health of Caribbean citizens. “As 2030 approaches,” she said, “we realise how critical and intense our efforts must be, for we cannot achieve this objective of our citizens being the healthiest in the Caribbean and the Americas if we do not have at our disposal a core of highly qualified and professional dedicated health workers focused on promoting healthcare and services of the highest quality to our respective peoples in whichever community they may be located.”

A COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY That said, she also pressed for the development of a comprehensive Human Resource Strategy to boost the present workforce, and improve nursing education to meet current trends and best practices. Here in Guyana, she told the gathering, the Public Health Ministry is working to address the gaps and inconsistencies between theory and practice regarding clinical education within the nursing sector. Some of its strategies, she said, will work to restructure the nursing curriculum; reformulate the Nurses and Midwives Bill; and build capacity by facilitating access to local and international training programmes. Speaking to the gather-

– nursing body begs regional heads in face of heavy migration of practitioners

At the recent RNB confab here are, seated from left: Coordinator Human Development Beverly Reynolds; Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) of Grenada, Nester Edwards; and Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence

ing’s collective role, Minister Lawrence said: “Guyana is proud to be hosting the AGM, and it was envisioned that the collective wealth of experience and expertise, together with the commitment of this august body, would shape the way forward for the nursing sector over the next year across the Region.” The RBN confab also saw its Education and Practice sub-committees agreeing on a Motion to allow candidates for the Regional Examination for Nurse Registration (RENR) examination to have four chances within five years at writing it. However, these benefits are to be conditional, as they come along with remedial

instruction being provided after the first failure, and that agreed-upon change must be submitted to CARICOM Ministers of Health for endorsement. Nonetheless, it was noted that in the last year, there has been an overall increase in the number of persons passing the exam at the first sitting, as well as those re-sitting the examination. To reflect the decision that was taken regarding the writing of the exams, an amendment will also be made to the Administrative Manual. At the meeting it was also agreed that there should be a review of the RENR regional examination following recommendations coming out of the

Nursing Council of Jamaica. At the same time, the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) is collaborating with the RNB to standardise the final clinical assessment tool for Third and Fourth-Year nursing students. FOR EASE-OFMOVEMENT Since 2006, CXC has been managing the RENR which allows for the improvement of nursing education as well as reciprocity and ease-of-movement for Registered Nurses among the countries of the region. On the matter of the Assistive Nursing Personnel, ratification of the definition, regulation and scope of prac-

tice was also conducted, which CARICOM Ministers of Health will now use as a guide to address the challenges faced. According to the release: “This has become necessary, given the proliferation of training institutions or entities engaged in training and placement of this category of health workers.” Meanwhile, an update on the development of the Five-Year Strategic Plan (2018-2023) based on the strategic priorities of nursing and midwifery; education; practice and leadership was provided. It was relayed that the Strategic Plan is to be finalised and presented to the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD). “The Strategic Plan seeks to provide solutions to current challenges related to nursing and midwifery in the region, starting from the macro level and continuing down to concrete, targeted objectives and activities. “It will assist stakeholders in achieving these objectives by way of key performance indicators spread out over a five-year timeline, and will simultaneously encourage accountability in gathering, measuring and reporting data associated with these indicators. Furthermore, it will serve as a technical guide for managers, professionals, policymakers and other leaders in the Region,” the document outlined.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday August 14, 2018

Energy stakeholders benefit from OLADE consultation THE Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), in collaboration with the Latin American Energy Organisation (OLADE), hosted a consultation workshop for key stakeholders titled ‘Human Resources Management, Energy Statistics & Planning Awareness’ on Monday at the Pegasus Hotel, Georgetown. The workshop was conceptualised under the framework of the ‘Caribbean Energy Statistics Capacity Enhancement Project’ which has been implemented and supported by OLADE and the International Development Association - World Bank. The Project’s main objective is to enhance energy statistics planning and management capacity

and to implement national energy information systems within five Caribbean countries - Belize, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, and Suriname. The key output of the implementation of a National Energy Information Management System is expected to be in place by mid-2019. With Guyana being one of the beneficiaries of the project, the main purpose of the workshop was to inform participants of :- the overall project, the requirements for information management and energy planning, as well as human resources management and energy statistics. During his opening remarks, Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson, expressed gratitude to OLADE on behalf of the

Government of Guyana for the support the Organisation has lent to Guyana’s energy sector over the years. He expressed the view that the workshop “….presents an opportunity for dialogue on the importance of energy statistics in driving the transformation and evolution of the sector and the critical role that each organisation in attendance play in the collection, analysis and reporting of energy information…” Some of the topics covered during the session were: Information management and Energy Planning, Human Resources Management and Energy Statistics, the National Energy Sector – Data Management and Challenges. The workshop was at-

Upgrade to Linden airstrip commences

Regional Chairman Renis Morian and Regional Vice Chairman Elroy Adolph at the airstrip site

THE first phase of the Linden Airstrip Rehabilitation Project commenced on

RDC has already completed a proposal for the rehabilitation at a cost of $68 M.

Workers clearing bush from off the airstrip

Monday with sixty Lindeners gaining employment to clear weeds from the site. The project costing $2M is funded by the Ministry of Finance who responded promptly to the Regional Democratic Council’s (RDC) call for the rehabilitation of the airstrip. The

The plan is to develop it into a local airport, which will tremendously boost Linden’s transportation sector and further make it a hub of economic activity to the hinterland regions. “Linden’s prospect of a bright future will surely be weighing on the positive side if the re-

habilitation of the air strip goes in tandem with the construction of the Linden and Lethem road, not forgetting the imminent production of oil and gas,” a resident of Linden said. Regional Chairman Renis Morian, who visited the airstrip with the team of workers and other regional officials, said it is the objective of the RDC to preserve the airstrip for its rehabilitation so that added works will not be placed on the proposal. “We are clearing both sides because we want to prevent the roots from growing under the airstrip since we have noticed that vegetation are attempting to grow under the airstrip, more structural faults will occur,” Morian said. The Linden airstrip is 5000 ft. long with a clearance of 300 ft. and lies in the heart of the bauxite mining area in. With Linden being strategically located, this transportation port will be exploited, by the hundreds of miners, entrepreneurs and employers residing in interior locations, who pass through Linden by road daily. The proposal for the upgrade includes fencing, installation of a hangar, adequate lighting, waiting area, toilet facilities, security, air bag and a taxi service. There was also a recommendation of the construction of a nearby hotel for passengers.

From Left to Right: Gabriel Castellanos-Senior Energy Specialist OLADE, Ms. Shevon Wood-Head Energy & Energy Statistics Department -GEA, Dr. Mahender Sharma CEO –GEA, Minister Patterson – Minister of Public Infrastructure, Ms. Valeria Balseca, Project manager-OLADE and Andres Schuschny, Director of Project – OLADE.

tended by representatives from the Ministry of the Presidency Department of Environment, Guyana Sugar Corporation, Guyana Revenue Authority, Rubis, GUYOIL, Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Public Utilities

Commission, Guyana Power and Light, Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Finance, Institute of Applied Science and Technology and the Guyana Energy Agency. Guyana has been a member of OLADE since

1973 when the Lima Convention was ratified. Over the years, Guyana has benefitted from several partnerships with OLADE particularly in the areas of capacity building and rural electrification.

Hack Solve seeks to boost civic engagement AFTER an intensive two days of idea generation and software creation, the 17 technologists that participated in the inaugural ‘Hack Solve’ event have managed to create a software prototype that will seek to boost civic engagement in Guyana. The Nexus Hack-Solve event was hosted at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre under the auspices of local social impact and tech company, NeXus Hub Inc. Beginning Friday evening, the 17 innovative minds were tasked with going through a pool of nine problems garnered from citizens and choose one that they would collectively work on. According to Eldon Marks, Director of the event and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Version 75 (V75), the company spearheading the event, “The first phase was to just go through the problems and select one,” and he added: “They [the technologists] sat down and they discussed each one of them individually.” “What’s interesting is that they [the technologists] didn’t necessarily settle on a single problem, they actually choose three problems and two of them were sort of overlapping and they chose to combine those two and work on them first,” Marks related. Over the course of the weekend, the team worked on the first problem: to boost

Eldon Marks, Director of the event and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Version 75 (V75)

civic engagement. Marks explained that it is a social network for social impact, which has a two-fold purpose. The first is that it indexes various advocacy, voluntary and generally, civic engagement focused groups in Guyana and details the work that they do by categorising them based on the problems they work to mitigate. The next purpose of this software is to give citizens a platform where they can voice what problems are affecting them and then match these problems with the organisation working in that area. What is also great about the application, according to Marks, is that it gives various advocacy groups awareness of each other, so there is more of a cohesive effect to towards a common goal instead of working in isolation. The Hack Solve event was intended to promote collaboration among technol-

ogists and as such it differed from the traditional Hackathon event, which is a tech event that pits tech minds against each other to create the best software solution to a predefined problem. The CEO was overwhelmed at how well the persons-who hailed from different organisations and backgroundscame together to solve the common problem, as one cohesive unit. “It’s an accomplishment in its own right,” he said and shared that his team thought they would have had to moderate the group more. To this end, the CEO highlighted, “The group actually organised themselves from as early as the second day.” Thereafter, they worked together to create the prototype and a well thought-out model for implementation in the local context. Marks hailed the event as “an unexpected success.”

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday August 14, 2018

Climate change, O&G to be hot topics

– as Youth Parliament 2018 meets again Thursday By Lisa Hamilton MATTERS of climate change, the Narcotics Act, oil and gas and more are set to take the forefront of a fiery debate when the University of Guyana (UG) students participating in Youth Parliament 2018 go head-to-head on Thursday. Out of the 72 youths in this year’s batch of parliamentarians, 35 represent the university, and have been savouring since last Friday, what it’s like to be the country’s top lawmakers. On Monday, the Guyana Chronicle caught up with several of these young people to discuss their progress in preparation for the upcoming debates, and each one had about them an air of confidence and competence. One of the hot topics many are looking forward to is the Motion to make amendments to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, being put forward by the Opposition. One of four who will debate the matter from the government’s end is International Relations student and Minister of Social Protection Yonnick David, who said that the debate, though challenging, will serve as a learning experience. “I think it’s a bit of a task to oppose such a Motion put forward by the Opposition only because it would be good to see less people spending three years in jail for a ‘joint’,” Minister David said, adding:“However, because of the challenge of this task, I think it gives us a very good opportunity to get down to the nitty-gritty of whether or not the judicial system and the jail system are working as far as drug possession, drug use and trafficking goes.” Meanwhile, among those debating on behalf of the opposition is Business Management student Kunal Briglall, acting as shadow Minister of Public Security.

VERY TOUCHY “This narcotics bill has been a very touchy topic in the history of Guyana because there are a lot of people that are ‘pro’, and a lot of people that are very much against it,” he said, “but we also have to look at a way of moving the country forward by not only making it completely legal or decriminalised, but instead controlling who and where it’s coming from, and where the monies that are gained from its sale and production goes to.”

we can do with the money instead of investing it on the oil refinery. “As the Minister of Finance, I hope to show statistics to back all of my points.” Later telling of her experience, Lashanda said: “Because the Minister of Finance has to do a lot of research, I found a lot of things I never knew. This pushed me to do that kind of research, and to look at law-making in Guyana in a different way. I think every youth in Guyana should have

Members of the Opposition of Youth Parliament 2018 from the University of Guyana (UG). Seated from left are: Opposition Leader Riaz Rupnarain; Shadow Minister of State Uneisha Smartt; Shadow Minister of Communities Cheri Frank; and Shadow Minister of Legal Affairs Kristoff Shepperd. Standing from left are: Member of Parliament Deshawn Walcott; Shadow Minister of Public Security Kunal Briglall; Shadow Minister of Telecommunications Oniell Stephenson; and Shadow Minister of Natural Resources Miracle Miller (Delano Williams photo)

Members of the Government side of the House debating the amendment of the Narcotics Bill are, from left: Minister of Citizenship Jarryl Bryan; Minister of Public Security Troy Benjamin; Minister of Social Security Yonnick David; and Minister of Legal Affairs Raeshaunna Jones (Delano Williams photo)

Other motions to be argued by the UG team include: Augmenting efforts to combat climate change; the local oil refinery and the establishment of a media monitoring unit. The debate on whether Guyana should establish a standard US$5B 100 barrel per day oil refinery has been in the public spotlight for some time, with discussions on the feasibility of such an investment. Ready to tackle this issue along with two of her colleagues is Environmental Studies student and Minister of Finance, Lashanda McLeod, who told the Guyana Chronicle: “What I’m hoping to do is to show Guyana and the rest of ministers on the opposing side that financially, it’s not feasible to actually venture into such investments because there is so much

ana and the agreement that we presently have with the Government of Norway with regards to the Green State Development Strategy.” But despite their confidence, acting Leader of the Opposition Riaz Rupnarain, an International Relations student says that although they are on the opposing side of the House, his team mates are positive they have what it takes to stand out. “We don’t feel less; we feel more because as the Government, you actually have to stick within a policy, within practice, within legislation,” he said. “But, as the

University of Guyana students who will be debating the motion on Climate Change on the government side of the House are: Minister of Finance Lashanda McLeod (left); Minister of Public Infrastructure, Michael Lewis and Youth Minister of Natural Resources Marissa Rhius (Delano Williams photos)

exposure to that.” Meanwhile, fellow Member of Parliament, Public Management student and acting Minister of Natural Resources, Marissa Rhius added her voice to the lot.

INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS “In the best interest of my people and our international obligations,” she said, “I wish to focus on our protected areas here in Guy-

Opposition, we can challenge everything. We can expose all the nitty-gritties and ask them to show every single fact because when we are speaking there, we are speaking for the entire Guyanese

population. “I am 100 per cent confident. The two motions that are being moved by the Government, we have a good team that is going to be taking it on and showing them that we’re not actually opposing what they’re proposing to us, but we’re telling them that there are some amendments that needs to be made.” However, Youth Prime Minister Reon Miller was not to be excluded, as he, too, expressed readiness on behalf of his teammates for the upcoming deliberations. “Youth Parliament has been a very eye-opening experience for me. It is way more than I expected it to be, but in a good way,” he said, adding: “They are very progressive motions; well-crafted, and they’ve been done in such a way that it requires you to do a lot of research. And the arguments can go either way. Our team is a very dynamic group; we have persons from the university, from all the faculties, so we’re managing very well. “We’ve basically substantially finished most of our arguments; we’re just finalising and putting it together. So, we’re ready; we’re coming and we’re coming really hard.” Youth Parliament was first held in Guyana in 2000 and continued up until 2013, after which it was resuscitated by the government in 2015, with the aim of giving youth direct exposure to the law-making process.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Man serving life sentences gets another one

Another life sentence for Rohan Daniels called “Shine Buck”

ROHAN Daniels called “Shine Buck” was on January 24, 2018 handed life sentences by Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall, to run concurrently for two counts of rape of a child family member. O n M o n d a y, h e a p peared before Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry to face sentencing for separate counts of rape of the little sister of the previous victim. This act was said to have occurred when the child was just nine years old. Daniels was indicted for four counts of sexual activity with a child family member. It is alleged that between April 12 and April 13, 2014 the accused engaged in sexual activity with a child, when she was 10 years old; that between April 13, 2014 and July 22, 2016, he engaged in sexual activity with a child who was 11 years old at the then time; between April 13, 2014 and July 22, 2016 it is alleged he engaged in sexual

activity with a child who was 11 and 12 years old then; it is alleged that on July 23, 2016, the accused engaged in sexual activity with the child who was only 13 years old. On this occasion, the accused violated the child while she was asleep near her siblings. This additional count on the little sister, allegedly occurred between January 2016 and August 2016. The judge in handing down the life sentence to Daniels, who was not represented by an attorney, told the court that she considered the nature of the offences and circumstances under which the acts were committed. The judge said that the accused violated his relatives while their mother was at work and betrayed his position of trust on numerous occasions. As such, the judge imposed the maximum sentence of life imprisonment, eligible for parole after serving 30 years.

Security Guard stole $2.7M to buy phones …says he can’t turn back the hands of time A SECURITY Guard was on Monday sentenced to 56 months’ imprisonment on a fraud charge. Principal Magistrate, Judy Latchman handed down the sentence. The court heard that on August 6, 2018 at Hadfield Street, Georgetown, Ronald Sanders while being solely entrusted by Lanzlot Bacchus with $2.7 million for him to purchase and deliver two tractor engines, fraudulently converted the money for his own use and benefit. The 48-year old man, who is a father of one child, pleaded guilty to the charge that was read out to him by Magistrate Judy Latchman. According to the facts that were presented in court by police prosecutor Quinn Harris, the virtual complainant and the defendant are known to each other due to the fact that the defendant

was employed by the virtual complainant as a security guard. However while being employed Sanders convinced Bacchus to start a mining company. As such the virtual complainant gave the defendant $2.7 million to purchase two engines and return. But the defendant converted the money to his own use and benefit. The matter was reported and the defendant was arrested. The prosecutor also added that the defendant was sentenced previously to three years’ imprisonment on a similar charge. Before the sentence was handed down, Sanders told the court: “I am very sorry for what I have done but I can’t turn back the hands of time.” He told the court he took the money to buy phones.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Tuesday August 14, 2018

Traffic Sergeant on $1.2M bail WEEKS after two police ranks were charged with 38 misdemeanor counts, a police sergeant was on Monday slapped with 12 felony charges. The charges allege that on April 12, 2018 at Georgetown, with intent to defraud the public, Alfred Parks conspired with persons to commit acts of felony. That is to say he uttered a questionnaire knowing it to be forged and that it was not written by the twelve persons whose names were given. The 50-year-old man who resides at Diamond Housing Scheme and who is currently in his 30th year in the Guyana Police Force, denied the charges that were read out to him by Magistrate Judy Latchman. The sergeant was represented by attorney Patrice Henry who applied for a reasonable sum of bail to be granted to his client. The Police Prosecutor had no objection to bail but asked that conditions be attached. Bail was granted in the sum of $1.2 million by Magistrate Latchman. The matter was adjourned to August 16, 2018 According to reports two police officers appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ court a few weeks ago and were charged with committing misdemeanor offences relative to the theoretical learner driver’s examination. The charges alleged that on April 12, 2018 at Georgetown with intent to defraud the public, Shanice Fraser and Ryan Gray conspired with persons to commit misdemeanor acts, that is to say the duo uttered forged questionnaires knowing same to be forged and that they were not written by thirty eight persons. Thirty- one -year old Fraser who is currently the Confidential Secretary of the Acting Traffic Chief and who resides at South Sophia and 25-year-old Gray who is currently serv-

ing the GPF for some seven years as a Police Corporal, were not required to plead to the indictable charge. Fraser has been serving the police force for the past seven years. She was represented by Attorney Patrice Henry who applied for reasonable bail to be granted to his client. Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield had no objection to bail but asked that conditions be attached. Bail was granted by the Chief Magistrate in the sum of $150,000 on grounds that the defendant lodge her passport and report to the CID Headquarters every Friday. Gray, who resides at 218 Da Silva Street, Newtown was represented by Attorney Mark Conway. Bail was granted by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the sum of $160,000 on grounds that he too report to the CID Headquarters every Friday. Both matters were adjourned to August 17, 2018. According to the facts that were given in court by Prosecutor Mansfield, in April of this year the police force had announced that the Office of Professional Responsibility had launched an investigation into what it described as “massive irregularities” in the Guyana Police Force’s learner driver’s theoretical examination, which took place on April 12, 2018 at the Felix Austin Police College, Georgetown. The investigation was launched after a report was made by a senior pastor serving as Chaplain to the Commissioner of Police (ag). The pastor indicated that after the examination had finished, his pastor colleagues reported that some 174 persons were registered to write the said examination, but 106 persons presented themselves on the said day. However, 207 scripts were received at the conclusion of the examination and 155 of the 207 scripts were completed.

Accused of raping girl, 15 APPEARING before the Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan on Monday was a 28-year-old taxi driver who was charged for the alleged rape of a 15-year-old girl. Travis John of South Ruimveldt was not required to plead to the charge which read that on February 1, 2017 at Kitty he engaged in sexual penetration of a child under the age of 16. The matter was held in camera and John was released on $150,000 bail.

The matter will be recalled on August 20. According to reports, John and the 15-year-old communicated via social media and on the day in question he went over to her home, where he engaged in sexual activity with her. The child’s mother later found out what had transpired and reported the matter to the police. John, was also recently arrested on another criminal charge.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 14, 2018

FROM BACK PAGE

Figgy Green Jags... FOLLOWING six nights of action at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) hard court in the ‘mining town’ of Linden, the finalists of

the New Era Entertainment-organised fifth annual Mohamed’s Enterprise/ExxonMobil futsal tournament has been decided. When play concluded in Saturday night’s semifinal, Figgy Green Jags continue the free scoring form to humble Quiet Storm 14-8, compliments of six goals from Colwyn Drakes in the first knockout match while Germans United shook off a valiant fight back from Goodfellas to eventually win 4-3 in the dying moments of the match. In the first semifinal, Quiet Storm had a dream start after going ahead with just four minutes on the clock of the 20-minute per half clash. However, that lead was short-lived as the Jags banged in three goals between the ninth and 12th minutes while finishing the first half with an imposing 9-2 score line. It was show time for Jags

grand cash prize and championship trophy. With one minute remaining, the game was threatening to be decided by extra-time but Ryan Noel made no mistake with his thunderous strike from just before the half-way line which fizzled past two defenders before hitting the back of the net to secure a last gasp victory for the Germans. Germans and the fans’ favourite, Figgy Green Jags will contest the final this Sunday at the MSC hard court. The runners-up will receive a handsome $250,000; third $100,000 and fourth place $50,000 in the competition which has been sanctioned by the Guyana Football Federation (GFF). The sponsors of the tournament include Mohamed’s Enterprise, ExxonMobil, Bakewell, Cell Smart, PPDI, Sankar’s Auto Works and Bumper to Bumper Services.

during the second period of play because they were comfortable with their healthy lead and they demonstrated superior tricks and skill moves to woo the crowd and confuse their opponents, in good spirit. Quiet Storm played with more intent during the second half, outscoring their opponents 6-5 but it wasn’t enough. Green Jags that have the biggest margin of victory of 20-0 in this edition of the tournament could’ve scored more than 14 goals after failing to convert three penalties during the second half. In the second semi-final, Germans United after being two goals up in the first half, had a scare from a determined Goodfellas team that were on the cusp of victory after equalizing late in the second half through Runic Velloza, before missing a clear opportunity to earn their spot in the final and a chance at the $600,000

Kwakwani youth... Rose, the youngest player to ever captain Guyana at the CBC Championship, left the 10-team tournament in Suriname as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for his sensational performances, which also include a tournament-high 41 points-performance which came in Guyana’s 104 – 102 double overtime win against St Vincent and the Grenadines. Rose, who led Guyana to an unbeaten run in the championship, totalled 106 points (third overall), led the tournament in steals, totalling 15 at an average of 2.5 per game, was third in points per game (17.7), third in assist per game, eighth in Rebounds per game and was the fourth best efficient player. The former Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG) Na-

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tional Schools Championship MVP told Chronicle Sport that after his jaw-dropping 41 points performance against St Vincent and the Grenadines, Baylor University had reached out and shown a profound interest. However, he stated that “I didn’t hear from them (Baylor University) and then a scout reached out to the coach of this College (Jacksonville) and he asked for tapes and they took me right away.” My mother actually was the one that said grabbed the opportunity, because if Baylor were interested, they would’ve kept contact, so she encouraged me to take the opportunity and make the best of it.” “I think this opportunity gives me a chance to be where I want to be. I see this as my

first step to the NBA, you know, so I intend to go there and work hard, give my best. It’s a two-year school, but the intention is work hard; extra hard because I know I’m from Guyana, so the odds are actually against me at this stage, but I want to impress the other NCAA schools, so I could move on to one of those schools after my two years,” a joyous Rose pointed out. Rose was adamant that him reaching this far in his career would not have been possible without the help and guidance from his family, Michael Singh and the Colts Basketball Club, Lugard Mohan and Christopher Bowman from Youth Basketball Guyana and also from Ann Gordon, whom he said has been a mentor in his life.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Jury set to consider verdict as Ben Stokes awaits fate

Ben Stokes, who denies affray, is alleged to have knocked a man out outside a Bristol club.

By George Dobell at Bristol Crown Court THE jury in the trial of Ben Stokes will retire to consider their verdict this morning. Stokes, who is being tried alongside Ryan Ali, denies a charge of affray following an incident that took place in the early hours of September 25. The charge carries a maximum penalty of three years in jail and an unlimited fine. The jury has been asked to reach a unanimous decision though it is possible that, if they have not been able to do so by late on Tuesday or early on Wednesday, the judge will permit a majority decision. Monday in Bristol Crown Court saw closing statements from barristers and a summing-up from the judge that encompassed much of the evidence given over the last week. In his summing-up, Judge Blair directed the jury “not to hold it against Mr Stokes” that he didn’t answer police questions but relied upon statements when first interviewed by the police. Stokes was told by his lawyers at the time not to answer questions. “It would be surprising not to take advice of a lawyer,” Judge Blair said. The judge also suggested that Stokes’ account had been “very consistent” from the first time he was interviewed by the police, on September 25, to his appearance in the witness box.

The judge also said that the recollection of Andrew Cunningham, the doorman at Mbargo nightclub who suggested Stokes was abusive and had bullied two gay men, was not entirely consistent. Cunningham has suggested he had directed several members of the England cricket team to Manos cocktail bar (next door to Mbargo) when they first arrived at Mbargo as the club was a little quiet. CCTV footage, however, suggested “his memory is quite wrong about that”. Earlier, Gordon Cole QC, acting for Stokes, had suggested the worst of the injuries inflicted in the incident might have been inflicted by Stokes’ England teammate, Alex Hales, while Anna Midgley QC, acting for Ryan Ali, admitted her client may feel “regret and embarrassment for brandishing a bottle”. But, Midgley said, Ali was “responding” to “an escalation in tension” and used the bottle - a bottle that was in his hand anyway and from which he had previously been drinking - “in self-defence”. While Chris Haynes, the director of communications at the ECB, has spent a couple of days listening to evidence, there was no direct ECB representative on Monday. The Professional Cricketers’ Association, the players’ union, have not had a presence at the trial. The case continues. (ESPN Cricinfo)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Important thing is how well Woods has played, says Ryder Cup captain By Andrew Both ST. LOUIS (Reuters) - Tiger Woods has earned a spot on the American Ryder Cup team with his recent hot form, captain Jim Furyk hinted on Monday. Speaking 14 hours after the PGA Championship, where Woods finished second to fellow American Brooks Koepka, Furyk said form was an important factor in determining his four captain’s picks. Former world number one Woods finished 11th in the U.S. standings, not among the eight players who qualified automatically after the PGA Championship. Furyk would not be pinned down on whether Woods was guaranteed a

place in the team, skirting the question, no doubt cognisant of the diplomacy his job requires. “I’m not sure numbers are all that important. What is important is how well Tiger has played,” Furyk said. “His game is trending. It’s great to see him playing well. For me the numbers are nice, good to look at, but not always the most important. We want the players who are going to help us be successful.” Woods, 14-times major champion, is on the team as a vice-captain, a role he filled at the 2016 Ryder Cup and 2017 Presidents Cup while he was out with a potentially career-ending back injury. “He’s priceless. He’s

Tiger Woods hits his tee shot on the 17th hole during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Bellerive Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

been a really big help to our captains in both ‘16 and ‘17 from a strategy perspective,” Furyk said. “It’s been a big boost to having maybe the best player who ever lived following your group and being there for support. He’s a huge value.” Furyk will name three of his captain’s picks on Sept. 3, and will announce the final selection a week later. The biennial match against Europe will be played at Le National in Paris from Sept. 28-30. The U.S. have not won away since 1993. Furyk sounded excited about the eight who have made a team loaded with talent. They include the top

three in the world rankings — Dustin Johnson, Koepka and Justin Thomas, and all eight are ranked among the world’s leading 20 players. The events that unfolded in Sunday’s final round at Bellerive augured well for the Americans, not just the form of Woods but the victory of Koepka, who in 14 months has piled up three major titles. “This guy started out the year injured,” Furyk said, referring to a wrist injury that kept Koepka out of the Masters. “I know his number one goal this year was to get healthy. Right from the moment he got healthy this year he hit the tour running. “He loved playing in 2016. He’s tough, fiery, not going to back down.”

Kohli ‘not proud’ of his team Rashid’s rare feat in Lord’s victory in heavy defeat by England

India head coach Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli during the match. (Reuters/Paul Childs

INDIA captain Virat Kohli said he was “not proud of his team” after they lost the second Test to England by an innings and 159 runs at Lord’s. Kohli struggled with a back injury in the second innings, but is “confident” of being fit for the third Test at Trent Bridge, which starts on Saturday. “There’s no hiding from the facts that mistakes have been made. We deserved to lose,” he said. The win gives England a 2-0 lead in the five-match

series. Sunday’s play saw England declare on 396-7 and then dismiss India for 130, with James Anderson claiming 4-23 and Stuart Broad taking 4-44. India were bowled out for 107 in their first innings, and the only substantial partnership in their second saw Ravichandran Ashwin and Hardik Pandya add 55 runs for the seventh wicket. I am not very proud of the way we played,” Kohli admitted. “We have to be confident,

get ahead of the mistake, and not make it again. This is the first game when we’ve been outplayed. A side like England, when they play like that, they can outplay anybody.” Ashwin and Pandya’s stand was only the third time an Indian wicket has put on more than 50 in the series so far, and Kohli says this is an area where improvements must be made. He said: “We haven’t been able to have partnerships, which is the basic rule while batting. We haven’t had any sort of partnerships in this game. That is something we really to focus on, stringing partnerships together.” The 29-year-old was troubled by back spasms in his innings of 17, but thinks he will be ready to play in Nottingham when the next Test starts on Saturday, 18 August. He said: “We are confident with rehab and strengthening that I should be ready for the next game although not [with] the same intensity in the field. I should be good enough to hold a position in the field, and be 100% with the bat.” (BBC Sport)

ADIL Rashid on Sunday became just the 14th player and first Englishman in 13 years to complete a Test match without bowling, batting, taking a catch or effecting a run out. Rashid, who made £12,500 ($15,960, 13,977 euros) for his walk on role, was not called upon to weave his leg-spin magic in England’s innings and 159-run win over India in the second Test at Lord’s. With the overcast conditions in both of India’s innings ideal for swing bowling, Rashid was almost as much of a spectator as any member of the crowd at ‘the home of cricket’ as the tourists were dismissed for 107 and 130, with James An-

derson, England’s all-time leading Test wicket-taker, returning match figures of 9-43. And when England batted, Rashid was still waiting as next man in when skipper Joe Root declared the home side’s lone innings on 7-396. With Rashid not a member of England’s slip cordon, chances were unlikely to come his way either during his 12th Test. Rashid’s ‘achievement’ was far from unique in the 141-year history of Test cricket, with 13 previous instances of players having equally quiet games. The last time it happened to an England cricketer was when off-spinner

Gareth Batty was not called upon in an innings and 261run hammering of Bangladesh at Lord’s in 2005. The irony was that Ed Smith, England’s new national selector, found himself involved in a huge row with Yorkshire, the bowler’s county, when he recalled Rashid to the Test squad ahead of the series opener at Edgbaston. Yorkshire were furious because Rashid, 30, had signed a white-ball only county contract that meant he was only available to play limited-overs matches for them. Rashid at least made scores of 13 and 16 at Edgbaston, while taking 3-40 in a match that England won by 31 runs. (Cricketnetwork)

England omit Stokes in unchanged squad for third Test (REUTERS) - All-rounder Ben Stokes has been left out of England’s unchanged squad for the third test against India, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Monday. England thumped India by an innings and 159 runs in the second test at Lord’s on Sunday to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. Stokes missed the match to face a hearing in Bristol on charges of affray

and his replacement Chris Woakes made an unbeaten 137 and picked up four wickets to be named man of the match. The court decision on Stokes is expected this week and the ECB said it would assess his availability once the trial is over. Batsman Ollie Pope, who made 28 runs on his debut, retained his place in the 13-man squad. The third Test starts at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on Saturday.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Real Madrid face up to life without Ronaldo By Rik Sharma

MADRID (Reuters) Following up Zinedine Zidane’s treble Champions League success with Real Madrid was always going to be a difficult job for Julen Lopetegui, but having to do it without Cristiano Ronaldo is a monumental challenge. Real Madrid finished third in La Liga last season after a thoroughly disappointing campaign, 17 points behind arch-rivals and champions Barcelona, but Zidane papered over the cracks by guiding the team to a third European cup in a row. The coach decided to walk away while he was on

top and his surprise departure in May was followed by another, as Ronaldo joined Juventus. Over the previous nine years Ronaldo was crowned the best footballer in the world five times, helping Real Madrid to four Champions Leagues, with 450 goals in 438 games for the club. However, in that period Ronaldo only won La Liga in 2012 and 2017, often losing out to Lionel Messi’s Barcelona. While Barcelona have reinforced in the transfer window, Real have not replaced Ronaldo and have found it hard to secure their reported targets. They have only added

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo gestures as he celebrates winning the Champions League in May. Credit: Reuters

Real Sociedad defender Alvaro Odriozola and Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Cour-

tois, who is expected to replace Keylor Navas in the team and they can also use

young Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior, although he is primarily expected to feature for the B team. Los Blancos need both Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema to step up a level to cover for Ronaldo’s absence and Marco Asensio will also be given a more prominent role. Lopetegui, sacked by Spain on the eve of the World Cup after Madrid announced he would take over from Zidane, was reportedly not one of the club’s top choices for the role. Other coaches turned Madrid down, conscious of the difficulty of following in Zidane’s footsteps, but Lopetegui said taking over was the happiest day of his life.

“It’s an exciting challenge reinventing the team without Ronaldo, making it competitive and capable of winning titles,” said Lopetegui. “I have no doubt that it will happen with these players that we have.” Madrid president Florentino Perez has not proved patient at the best of times and if Lopetegui does not deliver on those words his time in the Spanish capital may be quickly curtailed. An early test against crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid in the European Super Cup on Aug. 15 may set the tone for the Spanish coach. Win and the transition begins smoothly, lose and worries will surface.

BV/Triumph ‘8th of May’ League

Plaisance devastate St. John’s Basco 6-0 THE BV/Triumph 8th of May Movement Emancipation Cohesion Football League, which is sponsored by Bakewell/Lloyd W P Britton/G O Benjamin/ GLDA and NAREI , on Sunday saw Plaisance dominating St. John’s Basco Orphanage. Plaisance, who progressed to the second round after a commendable first round display against Mahaica, which they won 1-0, clearly worked their plan against St. John’s Basco, putting them on the defensive very early in the match, with Travis Simon scoring within

the first two minutes of the encounter. Throughout the match, Plaisance demonstrated their team’s outstanding qualities, with the exhibition of high levels of skill, tactics and professionalism. These traits, which proved too much for their first round challengers Mahaica, evidently gave second round opponents St. John’s Basco a horrendous time, as four goals were scored in the first half of the 60 -minute encounter, with Denzil King, Dwayne King and Vincent Thomas, respectively, scoring in the 15th, 18th and 23rd

(L) Dwayne King (R) Denzil King

minutes. Thomas completed a hattrick when he added to his first half goal, hitting the

back of the net in the 41st and 60th minute of the match encounter, to give Plaisance a convincing victory of 6-0.

Baseball5 coaching course set for August 23

WBSC launched a new Baseball5 urban discipline in Havana, Cuba

THE Guyana Baseball League in conjunction with the World Baseball/Softball

Confederation will host an internationally accredited Baseball5 coaching education

programme. The programme will be held on 23rd August at the

Georgetown Cricket Club ground, Bourda. Interested persons can contact Devon Douglas on 6276700 or by email admin@baseballguyana.com Participation is limited to 30 persons. Baseball5 is a new fiveon-five, five-innings street version of the game of baseball/softball that can be played anywhere. “This faster urban discipline will help drive baseball and softball to new places not possible before,” said WBSC Presiden,Riccardo Fraccari. More information on Baseball5 can be found on the GBL website www. baseballguyana.com

(L) Travis Simon (R) Vincent Thomas

Plaisance will play their third and final round preliminary encounter against Eastveldt --one of the spec-

tators’ favorites to win the league-- on Friday, from 20:15 hrs at the BV playground.

Rose Hall Jammers trump Fyrish Sharks –in Karibee Basketball tournament THE Rose Hall Town Jammers returned to winning ways in Berbice after they defeated the Fyrish Black Sharks 6562 in the Karibee Basketball tournament which is being sponsored by Nand Persaud and Company. Scoring for the winners were Mickel Lewis with 21 points, Royborn Murray with 13 while there were 6 points apiece for Nkofi Marks and Haifa Walters. Linden Joseph top scored for the Sharks with 20 points while his teammate, Shakeel Garnett, racked up 16 points. The tournament has attracted six teams: Ithaca Hardliners and Hopetown Stealers from West Berbice, Fyrish Black Sharks and Rose Hall Town Jammers, along with the New Amsterdam Basketball Team, and Canje Knights. The competition continues on Sunday at the Ithaca hard court, when Ithaca Hardliners and Hopetown Stealers clash from 16:00hrs. Cash incentives and the Karibee trophy are up for grabs.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Mainstay Regatta 2018

Team Gonsalves dominate on the water, Director deems Regatta 2018 a success THE highly-anticipated Lake Mainstay Regatta 2018 saw powerboat racing fans and patrons having a good time, as they turned out in their numbers, witnessing at least 18 thrilling races in various categories of racing. Amid an early shower of rain, proceedings got underway a bit after 10:00hrs in brilliant sunshine as local powerboat racers tried to match and overcome Team Gonsalves; the latter led by veteran Neil Gonsalves. With the Bartician racers a relative no-show, it was a race between the Team Gonsalves racers and other local drivers. However, the spoils were shared between the powerhouse Gonsalves’ racers as the younger Gonsalves --Clint

Leader of Team Gonsalves, Neil (centre) is flanked by his sons Wellington (left) and Clint (right).

A few of the Gonsalves drivers in action at the Lake Mainstay Regatta.

and Wellington-- also proved that they’re ‘chips off the old block’ by impressing and entertaining onlookers with thrilling performances. Wellington, the eldest of

performances. Meanwhile, Director of Lake Mainstay Resort, Wilfred Jagnarine, speaking to the media said the preparations leading up to the

the Gonsalves siblings, had the crowd behind him as he raced all events with his 15 horsepower engine. At the end of the day he got a special award for his courageous

18th regatta were successful despite challenges of getting sufficient sponsors initially. He also noted that the event has attracted a number of foreigners this time around.

“I think it is a good start; people look forward to this event, especially from Essequibo and all over Guyana.” In terms of support from the government, he related, “We are happy to have the government’s support. For some years they have been collaborating with us for this event and we are grateful. And we look forward to continuing this collaboration.” The event saw teams competing in over 18 watersport events. These included the 15, 40, 90 and 200 horsepower (HP) races, swimming and canoeing, to name a few. After an action-packed day on the lake, revellers were also treated to live performances from artistes of various genres including chutney, dancehall, soca and reggae.

Demerara Cricket Club 10-day Youth Camp underway … participants to benefit from fundamentals and skill development THE Demerara Cricket Club’s (DCC) 10-Day Youth Camp commenced yesterday as more than 80 youngsters began the camp under the tutelage of coaching stalwarts such as Travis Dowling, Garvin Nedd, Mark Harper, Roger Harper and Reon King. Over the next 10 days the youths will be taught the fundamentals of cricket and their skills will also be worked on. They will be taught the fundamentals of batting, spin bowling, fast

and medium pace bowling, fielding and wicket-keeping. Aside from drills on the field, the youngsters will also be taught leadership skills, go through mental skill training; be tutored on tactical awareness, personal and life skill training and self-discipline training. Despite the ground being a bit soggy due to recent rains, there was a fair turnout as the youngsters were guided through their first

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Tuesday August 14, 2018) 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) St. Lucia Stars (2) Joel Wilson & Leslie Reifer (TKR vs Stars) Today’s Quiz: (1) Who was declared Man of the Tournamant at the end of last season’s CPL? (2) How many fours and sixes were struck in the opening game of CPL 2018? Answer in tomorrow's issue

sessions. Paul Wintz and Reon King will facilitate master classes in pace bowling while Roger Harper and Garvin Nedd will guide the participants through spin-bowling master sessions. Mark Harper and Travis Dowling will take care of batting sessions and Roger Harper is the coach for the A section of the participants are guided through batting drills by assistant coach Darien Best on the opening day of the DCC Youth Camp. fielding.

Barbados made to sweat before getting over Guyana KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, (CMC) – Barbados were made to sweat by Guyana before pulling off a three-wicket victory in their third round match of the Regional Under-19 Championship here Monday. Resuming the final day at Park Hill on 31 without loss requiring a further 101 runs for victory, Barbados lost seven wickets before getting over the line to post their second win of the

Kelvin Umroa

tournament. Nico Reifer top-scored with 39 and opening partner Shian Brathwaite got 22, extending their partnership to 43 before being separated. When Brathwaite departed, Kadeem Alleyne (13) joined Reifer to add a further 21 for the second wicket to leave Barbados well poised on 64 for one. However, left-arm spinner Kelvin Umroa ripped through the innings with a

spell of five for 51 as Barbados lost six wickets for 44 runs in quick time. Tottering on 108 for seven, number nine Joshua Bishop came to Barbados’ rescue, striking two fours and a six in an 11-ball unbeaten 16, as he put on a crucial 26 in an unbroken eighth wicket partnership with Matthew Forde (14 not out). Umroa finished with match figures of 10 for 134.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Boyce and Jefford Track and Field Classic

Skeete makes clean sweep; Police retain title By Rawle Toney SIXTEEN-year-old Deshana Skeete was the most outstanding athlete at the Boyce and Jefford Track and Field Classic, winning the Women’s 100 metres, 200 metres and 400 metres title, when the marquee event was hosted over the weekend at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground. A record 168 athletes from eight local clubs participated in the event which was celebrating its ninth year, but when the dust was settled at the Linden facility, it was the Guyana Police Force (GPF) who walked away with the $700,000 prize and the overall title for the fifth consecutive time and their seventh overall. The GPF athletes totalled 336 points at the end of the two-day track and field meet, while the Guyana Defence Force (GDF)

Deshana Skeete was unstoppable at the Boyce and Jefford Track and Field Classic, winning the women’s 100, 200 and 400 metres.

mustered 241 points, which was good enough for second

place and $400,000. Third place went to Christianburg-Wismar Secondary School Track Club with 200 points and for their effort, the Linden school pocketed $250,000. The University of Guyana (UG) finished fourth after amassing 124 points and collected $150,000. Meanwhile, the day belonged to Skeete, the country’s leading junior female athlete, who first stunned the crowd on the opening day of the Boyce and Jefford Classic with her blistering run in the women’s 200M in a time of 25.6 seconds, beating Alita Moore to second place (25.9 seconds), while Casie Small ran 26.5 seconds, which was good enough for third. Skeete returned on day two to pick up where she left off, this time winning the 400M, her pet event, after stopping the clock at 59.2 seconds. Jevina Thompson

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN! Emmanuel Archibald (right) toying with Compton Caesar on his way to winning the Men’s 100M at the Boyce and Jefford Track and Field Classic.

(59.6 seconds) and Leyanna Jane (one minute, 04.9 seconds) were second and third respectively. The Mackenzie High School (MHS) student, who competed under the Chris-

Johnson pleased with preparations for pre-cadet Table Tennis Championships By Tamica Garnett NATIONAL coach Linden Johnson says that preparations are coming along well for the team of young table tennis players who are expected to travel to The Dominican Republic to represent Guyana at the annual Caribbean Mini-Cadet (U-11) and pre-Cadet (U-13) Table Tennis Championship that will run from August 26 – 31. The players are expected to leave Guyana next week, even as they continue to try to solicit financial support to ensure that the entire team makes it to the event. The 17 players have been training twice a day, five days a week and once on Saturday under the tutelage of a battery of coaches including Colin France, Michael Kellman, Candacy McKenzie, Chelsea Edgehill, and Sidney Christoff. “Preparations are fairly ok so far. They’re training twice a day: 9am – 11am, and 3pm – 5pm, that’s from Monday to Friday. We also play on Saturdays from 10am – 12pm,” Johnson related. “We expect a lot from the

where there is also Jonathan van Lange and Christopher Barrow. In the Girls’ 13-and-under category, there is Nkechi McCrae; 2016 Caribbean bronze medallist Thuraia Thomas, along with Tatyanna Mohamed and Roseanna Sanders. The Boys’ 11 years-andunder category includes the talented Dhanesh Persaud, Colin Wong, Alexander DeAbreu and Malachi Moore. The Girls’ 11-and-under category includes new and National table tennis coach emerging talents – Jasmine Linden Johnson Bilingi, Akera Watson, Raplayers. We’re looking espe- chel Sanders, Daji Dots and cially in the boys under-13; Samara Sukhai. they are experienced players. According to Johnson, the We’re hoping for medals in the coaches are focussing mainly Under-13s. on the serves as they use these In the Under-13 girls, last weeks. “One of the things we’ve two experienced play- we’re working on mostly is ers. We’ve some strong un- the serve and return of serve, der-11 boys in Wong and De- because we’ve found that Abreu but the under-11 team that’s one of the area where is a fairly young team; most we’ve had major concern. So of the players are still under 9, we’re getting stronger on the but we’re hoping that they put serves,” Johnson said. The their best foot forward.” players have been a part of a The team is being led fitness and technique-focus by CARIBBEAN Cadet camp for the past month or so. champion Kaysan Ninvalle Technically, they had and 2017 ITTF Caribbean to come to the camp that World Hopes qualifier se- focussed on fitness and techlectee, Krystian Sahadeo, in nique, but I think basically the boys’ under-13 category, we’ve put ourselves together.

tianburg-Wismar Secondary School Track Club, would cap her sensational performance at the Boyce and Jefford Track and Field Classic by winning the women’s 100 metres, running 12.0

seconds to finish ahead of Small (12.3 seconds) and Aniqua Powley (12.5 seconds). Emanuel Archibald also impressed his home crowd, after the University of the West Indies student/athlete, competing for the University of Guyana, won the ‘blue ribbon event’, the men’s 100M with a time of 10.2 seconds. 2017 CARIFTA Games 100M gold medallist, Compton Caesar, finished behind Archibald with 10.8 seconds and Yannick Williams’ 11.1 seconds saw him finishing third. In the 200M, Caesar also came second (22.5 second), this time behind winner Akeem Stewart (22.3 seconds) and Arinze Chance was third (22.7 seconds). Joanna Archer’s time of two minutes, 26.8 seconds (2:26.8) saw her winning the women’s 800 metres ahead of Janina Sampson (2:27.1) and Leanna Charles (2:30.2).

Sparta Boss, Hypers, Buxton Diamond aiming for first win MELANIE ‘B’, Blazers, Avacado Ballers, Sparta Boss, Paradise, Melanie ‘A’, North East La Penitence, Victoria Church Yard, Buxton Diamond, Plaisance ‘B’, Uprising and hosts Haslington Hypers will all be aiming to record wins when play in the Three Peat Promotions /Guinness Cage Competition resumes tomorrow evening at the Haslington Market Tarmac. The above mentioned teams will be under immense pressure to register their first set of points in the exciting format and fans could expect a night of riveting action on the East Coast where the support from the various communities have been tremendous. Opening night action last Wednesday produced some surprises with defending East Coast Zone Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ champion, Uprising, narrowly falling to Vryheid’s Lust, while the highly successful Sparta Boss went down to reigning champion, Ol Skool Ballers, in similar fashion. Buxton Diamond, one of the pre-tournament favourites to come out of the East Coast, was also stunned, losing to BV ‘B’ 1-0, while home team Hypers feared even worst against Alexander Village, losing by a 6-2 margin and will no doubt want to improve their performance in front of the anticipated large home support. On the other hand, teams such as Vryheid’s Lust, BV ‘B’, Albouystown, Victoria Eagles, Belfield Warriors and Kitty Hustlers will want to build on their points. The five-day tournament, dubbed

‘the East Coast Best versus the Rest’ pits the best teams from the East Coast corridor against the finest selection from Georgetown and is being organised to foster integration among the participating communities in an effort to create a better understanding among its inhabitants. Among the entities in support of the cause are: Banks DIH under its Guinness and Power Wine brands, Clarks footwear giants Chetsons, E-Networks Inc., KSM Investments, Yhip’s Bakery, Brass Aluminium & Cast Iron Foundry (BACIF), Ray’s Auto Sales, Y.K. Investments, Trophy Stall, Express Shipping, Woodpecker Products, National Sports Commission, ‘C’ Division of the Guyana Police Force, Jai Signs & Auto Designs, Gaming Authority, Julius Variety Store and C & C Prestigious Styles. The night’s fixtures are seen below: BV ‘B’ versus Vryheid’s Lust 19:00hrs Melanie ‘B’ vs. Plaisance 19:20hrs Avacado Ballers vs. Paradise 19:40hrs Back Circle vs. Belfield Warriors 20:00hrs Leopold Street vs. Broad Street 20:20hrs Blazers vs. Victoria Eagles 20:40hrs Sparta Boss vs. Alexander Village 21:00hrs Tiger Bay vs. North East La Penitence 21:20hrs Albouystown vs. Victoria Church Yard 21:40hrs Melanie ‘A’ vs. Hustlers 22:00hrs Ol Skool Ballers vs. Haslington Hypers 22:20 hrs Uprising vs. Buxton Diamond 22:40hrs

Mohamed’s Enterprise/ExxonMobil futsal

Figgy Green Jags and Germans set up dream final

Action between Germans (left) and Goodfellas on Saturday night last

See Page 18

`Happy for my first step to the NBA’ – Stanton Rose

T&T lift three-day Kwakwani youth accepts Regional Under-19 title scholarship offer from

…deposed champions Guyana trail in third

Opener Cephas Cooper scored 213 runs in the match without being dismissed.

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, (CMC) – Trinidad and Tobago lifted the three-day title of the Regional Under-19 Championship when they trounced Jamaica by 10 wickets on the final day of the third and last round here Monday. Set a paltry 58 for victory after dismissing Jamaica for 267 in their second innings, T&T were propelled over the line by the in-form Cephas Cooper who finished on an unbeaten 40 off 38 balls. Cooper, who struck seven fours and a six, ended the match without being dismissed after scoring a superb 173 not out in the first innings.

Another century-maker had earlier taken the spotlight when opener Kirk McKenzie struck an excellent 129 as Jamaica lost just one wicket in the first session to stall T&T’s victory bid. Resuming the morning at the Arnos Vale Stadium on 54 with his side on 95 for three, McKenzie faced 186 balls in 162 minutes, striking 15 fours and three sixes. He anchored two key stands which threatened at one point to frustrate the Trinidadians. First, he put on 80 for the fourth wicket with Carlos Brown whose 40 came from 52 and included three fours and two sixes. When Brown was dismissed, McKenzie joined with Raewin Senior to put on a further 90 for the fifth wicket, to inject some hope into Jamaica’s efforts. But McKenzie’s innings ended at 230 for five and Jamaica then collapsed quickly, losing their last six wickets for 37 runs. Off-spinner Avinash Mahabirsingh proved key for T&T snapping up five for 90 while fellow slow bowler Navin Bidaisee claimed two for 63. T&T finished on 45.2 points with Barbados, who defeated Guyana by three wickets, second on 40.7 points. Deposed champions Guyana trailed in third in with 23.4 points with Jamaica also finishing on the identical number of points. Leeward Islands (23.1) and Windward Islands (13.1) finished fifth and sixth respectively.

Jury set to consider verdict as Ben Stokes awaits fate SEE PAGE 19

Jacksonville College By Rawle Toney

STANTON Rose, the 18-year-old point guard from Kwakwani, has accepted an offer to play for Jacksonville College and will compete on the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) circuit; something he says is a feeling that words truly can’t explain, but sees the move from Guyana as his first step in realising his dreams of playing in the NBA. “No amount of words could explain how I feel,” Rose told Chronicle Sport last evening upon returning to the Region 10 community in the Berbice River, where he will spend time with his family before winging out to Texas on Saturday. “I actually start on Monday (August 20), so I’m looking forward to the challenge. I hope to give my best, help the school to win and then see where my journey goes next,” an elated Rose stated. On June 30, in Paramaribo, Suriname, Guyana celebrated winning their maiden Caribbean Basketball Championship (men’s title), and behind it all was an 18-year-old point guard, who was given the duties as captain at the prestigious regional basketball showpiece. Stanton Rose placed his name amongst players like Lugard Mohan, Auric Tappin, Stanislaus Hadmon, Lorenzo Withrite and Leon Christian (just to name a few) as some of the most talented to ever suit up for Guyana, but what separates him from the aforementioned great ‘ballers’, is that he was able to bring the ‘elusive’ CaribbeStanton Rose posing with his MVP trophy, as an Basketball Confederation (CBC) men’s well as the John Yates trophy which is given to Caribbean title back to Guyana. the winning team of the CBC Caribbean BasketSEE PAGE 18 ball Championship.

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2018