Guyana Chronicle E-paper 08-29-2018

WEDNESDAY 29th August, 2018

No.105381

GTU willing to 11 go below 40% PAGE

Gov't appoints new oil & gas adviser 05 PAGE

Pensioner killed 20 in Annandale home PAGE

Have no fear ‌ now promising strike relief

‌ Henry assures concerned parents contingency plan will deliver

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Minister of Education Nicolette Henry engages parents and teachers on the sidelines of a meeting at the Hope Secondary School (Delano Williams photo)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Have no fear 3

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 29, 2018

… Henry assures concerned parents contingency plan will deliver

By Lisa Hamilton

that children have to do when they start school. These people, are they going to do it effectively that the child will learn or when the teachers start back will they have to play catch up? At the end of the term there is an assessment so how will this affect our children?” she questioned.

In response, Minister Henry clarified that similarly to how teachers are able to receive the teaching syllabus from the Ministry of Education, the same procedure will follow suit in the contingency plan. “We will still have the syllabus. It’s not going any place so whoever will be teaching you will be using whatever exists in the Ministry of Education. The Ministry of Education is not [absent]…the teachers are going on strike,” she explained. Hutson for his part vouched for the ability of the teachers on standby stating: “Retired teachers: they’ve walked the system before. Many of them are retired head teachers, senior masters and mistresses, so they have an understanding of the system. Secondly, with Cyril Potter’s College of Education that’s where they learned to write schemes and lesson plans and so on. The information that is needed for the movement of the school will be in the school so all the teachers have to do is to access the material and activate the system.”

Education Minister Nicolette Henry meets with parents and teachers of the Hope Secondary School on the East Coast of Demerara on Tuesday (Delano Williams photo)

WORKABLE PLAN Speaking to the

AS the teachers strike enters its third day today, parents are concerned about how the countrywide industrial action will affect their children rather than about taking sides on the dispute between Government and

the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU). This was made clear during a visit to the Hope Secondary; West Demerara Secondary and Queen’s College by Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry and Chief Education Officer, (CEO) Marcel Hutson on Tuesday. The ministry’s team met with parents and teachers to listen to their recommendations and concerns even as they prepare to activate a contingency plan to prevent children from bearing the brunt of the strike when schools reopen on Monday. According to Hutson, come next Monday this contingency plan will see some 400 teachers being deployed where needed and this includes 98 graduates of the Cyril Pot-

ter’s College of Education (CPCE); 204 continuing teachers; teachers on practicum and retired teachers. In addition, each region has been equipped with monitors and coordinators; a secretariat has been set up for management and a register sheet will be used

daily to take record of attending teachers’ to determine where extra efforts will be needed. “It is not that we’re not in sympathy or that we do not understand what you’re experiencing, Hutson addressed the teachers, adding: “But it is very important that we ensure that our children do not become pawns in any bargaining arrangements… we need to keep our children out of this issue.” To many parents this is also a priority which is why many have begun to scrutinise the contingency plan. Questions were raised at Hope Secondary and Queen’s College about the level of expertise of the young teachers while others were concerned about the use of retired educators. During the interac-

tive session, a parent of a student at the fifth form level of Queens’ College told the minister that she had expected a detailed breakdown on the teachers which will be available to each school come September. Although a general number was provided she was not comforted that the

teachers on standby would suffice. “We are siding with our children…you send a teacher from Cyril Potter’s College to first form Queens’ College [students], the children will chew them up. They will chew them up, [and it’s the] same thing at Bishops. You have to know what you’re dealing with. And, when those children come to school and there isn’t adequate care for them, then we as the parents have to turn around [and deal with it],” the parent, Michelle Fraser, voiced. Meanwhile, another parent at Hope Secondary, East Coast Demerara was concerned about whether the current curriculum would be adhered to by the new teachers. “My concern is how this will affect my child…there’s a syllabus

concerns raised by the parent of the Queen’s College student, Henry reminded the gathering that although the plan cannot be a perfect one, it is a workable one. She invited those with concerns about the plan to put forward alternative solutions even as she added that the government will not sit idly by while students in the mix are not permitted their right to an education. Yet, leaving the meetings, several parents and teachers were still anxious about the possible effects of the strike action on the quality of education their children would receive. Both Henry and Hutson have since urged parents in all locations to send their children to schools as the ministry remains positive that a resolution will come to the matter and better judgement will prevail. “I’m asking you that you work with us to ensure that the system continues to deliver. We have to educate our people because we have to have an educated nation and an educated workforce and that will happen in the classroom,” she said.

Minister Henry interacts further with teachers at Hope Secondary School coming out of the meeting (Delano Williams photo)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Iran parliament censures Rouhani in sign pragmatists losing sway LONDON (Reuters) Iran’s parliament voted on Tuesday to reject President Hassan Rouhani’s explanations for economic hardship after a dramatic grilling on live TV, a sign his pragmatic faction is losing sway to hardline rivals as new U.S. sanctions begin to bite. The vote in parliament came two days after lawmakers sacked the minister of economy and finance and weeks after they sacked the labor minister, blaming them for the collapse of the rial currency and surging inflation. Rouhani won two landslide elections on a platform of economic reform and opening Iran up to the outside world, and his pragmatic supporters have a majority in the parliament. But his reputation and political influence have taken a sharp hit as his promised economic gains have failed to materialize. His highest profile achievement was to negotiate the lifting of financial sanctions on Iran in a 2015

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deal with world powers over its nuclear program, but U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out in May and Washington has re-imposed sanctions. Rouhani spoke out in parliament in defense of his economic record, blaming the country’s woes on the U.S. sanctions rather than his team’s management. But a majority of lawmakers voted to reject his explanation in four out of five areas. There were conflicting reports about what would follow from the vote: several Iranian news agencies said Rouhani’s case would now be referred to the judiciary, although the spokesman for the parliamentary leadership, Behrouz Nemati, said lawmakers must hold further discussion before that would take place. The action in parliament is a further sign of how the Trump administration’s decision to re-impose sanctions could affect Iran’s leadership and its relationship with the outside world, potentially for decades to come.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a parliamentary session in Tehran, Iran August 28, 2018. President Official Website/Handout via REUTERS

Iran’s rulers have been divided between a pragmatic faction that aims for better international relations, and hardliners who are wary of reforms. Trump’s decision to abandon the nuclear deal was opposed by U.S. allies in Europe, who argued that he undermined Rouhani and strengthened the hands of the hardliners. While Rouhani and his cabinet run Iran’s day-to-day affairs, ultimate authority lies with the Supreme Leader, 79-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in power since 1989. Weakening the pragmatists now could affect the choice of Khamenei’s successor. For now, Rouhani’s own position appears safe. The judiciary could determine that he broke the law and parliament has the power to

impeach him, but experts on Iranian politics say power struggles are more likely to play out indirectly. “The parliament’s move is politically motivated and indicates that tensions would increase in the Islamic Republic in coming months,” Saeed Laylaz, an Iranian economist, told Reuters by telephone from Tehran. “Iranian political factions have always used international issues to pursue their domestic gains,” he added. After the sacking of the two ministers this month, Tasnim news agency reported that 70 lawmakers had signed a motion to impeach a third: the Minister of Industry, Mines and Business. Rouhani has bowed to pressure and fired the head of the central bank. A deputy central bank governor

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was arrested by the judiciary on corruption charges in a crackdown that also saw foreign exchange dealers rounded up. “U.S. PLOT” The lawmakers asked Rouhani on Tuesday about five subjects: unemployment, slow economic growth, the fall of the rial, cross-border smuggling, and the lack of access by Iranian banks to global financial services. The parliament found only Rouhani’s answer about banks satisfactory. “I want to assure the Iranian nation that we will not allow the U.S. plot against the Islamic Republic to succeed,” Rouhani told parliament. “We will not let this bunch of anti-Iranians in the White House be able to plot against us.”

Iran’s official unemployment rate is 12 percent, with youth unemployment as high as 25 percent in a country where 60 percent of the 80 million population is under 30. The rial has lost more than two-thirds of its value in a year. Iran’s economy has suffered not only from sanctions but also from pervasive corruption and the concentration of its wealth and trade in the hands of big firms controlled by the hardline Revolutionary Guards military force. Washington imposed a new round of sanctions in August targeting Iran’s trade in gold and other precious metals, its purchases of U.S. dollars and its car industry. Worse is yet to come, with a new round of sanctions to be imposed in November that Washington says aims to cut Iran’s oil exports to zero. The plunge in the currency and soaring inflation have sparked sporadic demonstrations against profiteering and corruption, with many protesters chanting slogans against both the government and Supreme Leader Khamenei. Rouhani said such anti-government protests had encouraged Trump to try to provoke more unrest by harming Iran’s economy. “The protests tempted Trump to withdraw from the nuclear deal,” he said, asking lawmakers to support his cabinet and not add to anti-government sentiment. Although the economic problems were critical, Rouhani said: “More important than that is that many people have lost their faith in the future of the Islamic Republic and are in doubt about its power.”

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Gov’t appoints new oil & gas adviser

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 29, 2018

AS government moves to strengthen its petroleum management department ahead of first oil, it announced on Tuesday the appointment of Matthew Wilks, an experienced senior oil and gas business developer and negotiator, as Oil and Gas Adviser in the Department of Energy within the Ministry of the Presidency. Wilks has 32 years of experience in the global oil and gas industry, spanning all segments of the energy value chain including exploration and production, liquid natural gas, pipeline transportation, power generation, and project financing, the ministry said in a release. Wilks previously held management responsibility for international asset management and joint venture operations. During his career, he has worked for, or opposite, several heads of state, other senior government officials and senior corporate executives. According to the ministry, Wilks, who will be based in Georgetown, has worked in Asia, East Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and South America, and had corporate portfolio responsibility for assets in Central Asia, the Levant, and North Africa. Most recently, Wilks was Chief Commercial Officer at Maersk Oil, where he was involved in projects

in Angola, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Norway, and Qatar. Before that, Mr. Wilks worked at BG Group where he was Country Manager for Tanzania at the time of significant offshore discoveries and rapid sector development there. He worked on projects in Bolivia, Egypt, Libya, Palestine, and Thailand, also at BG Group. Born in Australia, and grew up in Kenya, Wilks the ministry said, earned a BSc Tripartite in mathematics, physics, and chemistry and a BSc Hons in applied physics from Robert Gordons University, Aberdeen. The Department of Energy (DOE) recently also advertised for an office manager and accountant as well as a procurement officer and confidential secretary. Meanwhile, only last month government appointed economist Dr. Mark Bynoe as the head of the Department of Energy. In defending his selection President David Granger had said that Dr. Bynoe has the necessary intelligence and experience to best manage the impending oil sector. “We had been researching and we decided on a person who is experienced not necessarily in petroleum but who has the intelligence and the experience to find people who are experienced and who can administer that important industry,” Pres-

ident Granger said. President Granger said of Dr. Bynoe “he knows he doesn’t do everything but he knows where to find people who know enough to make that sector functional and we feel that he is a fit and proper person to do that.” The Department of Energy was gazetted with effect from August 1st, 2018 which means that its responsibility was formally transferred from the Ministry of Natural Resources to the Ministry of the Presidency. This transfer comes following the recommendation of Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, which led to Cabinet’s examining of the state of the industry for the last seven months. Bynoe has taken over the duties of the Ministry of Natural Resources’ Petroleum Unit and has the responsibility of embarking on a “four phase programme” for the establishment of the department. The first two phases include administration through which Bynoe will assemble a team to work in the department and rationalisation which will ensure the efficiency of the new department. Speaking on the second phase, the

President said: “There is a Petroleum Unit in the Ministry of Natural Resources and there may be other persons in the Government of Guyana right now who have experience in that sector, so some parts of some ministries may have to be transferred to the Department of Energy.” The third stage includes the operationalisation of the department while the final stage of implementation, the President predicts, will begin by the beginning of September. “A lot of work has to be done. We have to advertise for experts all over the world and we have to look at drafting legislation, we have to look at financing and we have to look at all other aspects of the operationalisation of the department,” he added. President Granger hopes that during the month of August the parties working to achieve this will accomplish much more than they were able to in that last seven months. Bynoe is an Environment and Resource Economist and the former head of the Project Development and Management Unit of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre

Matthew Wilks, Oil and Gas Adviser in the Department of Energy (CCCCC). He is the holder of several academic degrees including a Doctorate, Masters and Bachelor’s degree as well as a Postgraduate Diploma and other certificates mainly in the areas of Environmental Economics, Resource Management and Monitoring and Evaluation. In his position as head of the Department of Energy he will receive direct guidance from the President as he works to place specialised attention on the petroleum sector and the management of its resources.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 29, 2018

The fighter that was John McCain MOST Guyanese would remember United States Senator John McCain as the respected Vietnam-war hero who was beaten by Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election. Senator McCain, who died of brain cancer on Saturday at age 81, will be remembered too, as the venerated military and political icon who always refused to give up in his fight for what is right. John Sidney McCain was born on August 29, 1936. During his 60 years of public service, the Arizona republican was a United States Navy pilot, prisoner of war, senator, two-time presidential candidate, skin-cancer survivor, and brain-cancer fighter. Fighting defined his life. And he did it well, often being knocked down, but refusing to surrender, he always defeated stacked

odds to get up and fight another day. McCain graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958. He then enlisted in the US Navy where he served as a naval aviator during the Vietnam War. He retired from the Navy in 1981 at the rank of captain, and entered politics in 1982. It may be argued that McCain’s life as a fighter began when his aircraft was shot down over Hannoi in 1967 while on a bombing mission. The severely injured McCain was captured by the North Vietnamese, and held prisoner of war (POW) until 1973. During his years in captivity, McCain was tortured. Yet, he refused to give up. McCain could have “pulled rank” and be released from the POW camp early (his father was an admiral), but he refused to

do so. That act of courageous honour became a defining characteristic of the rest of his life. Having regained some of the weight he lost as a POW, McCain was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. After serving two terms, he entered the U.S. Senate in 1987. His rise in politics was marred in the early 1990s, after he was among five senators implicated in a campaign finance scandal. Although he was found to have exercised poor judgment, McCain was cleared of improper conduct. He recovered from the setback, rallied on and was re-elected to the senate five times, the last time being in 2016. The generally conservative McCain had a reputation of voting according to his conscience. Becoming known as a “maverick,” he

would often express views contrary to those of the majority of other republican senators. He therefore stood out. And, often standing alone, he slowly built a reputation for honesty, integrity, and forthright independence. As his national prominence increased, so did his commitment to reform. He successfully piloted the passage of the McCain-Feingold Act in 2002, which impacted campaign finance. He was instrumental in effecting changes in U.S. foreign policy, and cutting wasteful spending. In 1999 he announced his candidacy for the 2000 presidential election. Although at first his candidacy was not taken seriously, he eventually emerged as a serious contender. He fought his way to the top of the republican list by grassroots campaigning from a bus which he called

the Straight Talk Express. It was an unconventional, almost fairytale campaign. He beat the front-runner George Bush by 18 points in the New Hampshire Primary. But, alas, it was not to be; he eventually lost to George W bush. He ran again for president in 2008, and although he started out as the front-runner, the poorly performing economy and the unique and elegant campaign of Barack Obama put an end to his presidential dream. But, that end was yet another beginning for McCain. McCain comfortably adopted the role of respected statesman. In his final years, McCain became the conscience of the U.S. Senate, pronouncing on everything from foreign policy to military spending, and, finally, standing up and boldly opposing the more radical positions

of President Donald Trump, even as his fellow republican senators remained silent. In his final memoir titled, The Restless Wave, McCain wrote, “Before I leave I would like to see our policies return to the purposes and practices that distinguish our history from the history of other nations.” Arguably, John McCain did not get his final wish. But, as the maverick fighter may have said, there are others who can take up the fight. As Guyanese join our American brothers and sisters in remembering the life of a remarkable man who never gave up; who always fought for what he knew to be right, we may reflect on our own lives and try to find in our hearts, the courage to stand up for truth, honesty, and integrity, even if we must often stand alone.

We are the future of this country, invest in us Dear Editor IN Guyana, the youths comprise approximately 60% of the population. In my humble opinion, enough emphasis isn’t being placed on the young people of this country who are the future. Each year, hundreds graduate from secondary schools and are unable to further their studies (worse if they are not from Georgetown). Even more graduate from the university to venture into the world of work in which there are no jobs for them. Many are forced to suppress their dreams and aspirations, despite being qualified; despite working and studying hard to finish their schooling, academically equipped to face the challenges of the world of work, only to be surprised that the real challenge is

in gaining meaningful employment in Guyana. Any hope of a productive and meaningful life, the chasing of one’s dream significantly diminishes, leaving nothing but a struggle for survival. As a young Guyanese, I find this challenge burdensome. I pity those who aren’t qualified, for if those of us with our qualifications find it so difficult to secure employment, what about those without. Many are talking about things being better in this country; they need to be more aligned to the common man and the everyday hardships they endure just to survive in this country, because the struggle is real. We the youths constitute Guyana’s only hope for a real future. The youths of this country are ambitious, enthusiastic, energetic and prom-

ising. We are considered vulnerable in today’s society because of the rapid pace of change we experience at this time in our lives. A national youth development policy should be created and designed to advocate for youth and youth development. This policy should view youth welfare as vital to Guyana as a nation and its socio-economic development. Identifying and addressing these issues would enhance the lives of youths in Guyana and would improve overall national development. Now is the time; what are our leaders waiting for? The formation/creation of a youth policy must have youth participation on a national level, which should involve recognising and nurturing the strengths, interests, and abilities of young people of this country through the

provision of real opportunities for us youths to become involved in decisions that affect us at individual and systemic levels. It is time the young people become involved in the decision-making process that adversely affects our lives, both now and in the future. For example, The draconian marijuana law directly affects many youths, since mostly young men are jailed for small quantities, thereby directly and indirectly changing their lives negatively. I implore those responsible to provide technical training to our youths to prepare them specifically for jobs. Technical and Vocational Training and Education (TVET) would help address the skills crisis. Youths who aren’t academically inclined and/or are school dropouts are often the most unprepared

in acquiring jobs, due largely to their lack of skills. With our resources and the money from our oil, a technical institute should be available in each of the 10 administrative regions of this country. This would be more convenient for persons living out of Georgetown or Linden, where two of our institutes are located. Youths who are neither working nor studying do not have the opportunity to learn and improve their skills. They are progressively marginalised and in turn can develop anti-social behaviours (hence, crime mostly involving youths, drug abuse and gang-related problems and teenage pregnancy, and a whole host of other social ills that negatively affect our society). Vocational education will help to combat youth unemployment, because

vocational training programmes will reduce unemployment and increase wages, increase employers’ productivity and significant social benefits will improve the health and well-being of the average Guyanese youth. For the “Good Life” that was promised a while over three years ago, we the youths of this country still await those jobs. It was time for the youths, please do not fail us with your divisive politics and petty agendas. We are the future of this country, invest in us, create that foundation that we so desperately need; be our role models and ensure that you set a good foundation for the future generations of this beautiful land of Guyana. Regards Nkosei Williams

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Addressing the crime situation in Guyana Dear Editor

PLEASE allow me to respond to a letter authored by Mrs Annie Baliram, titled, “ The majority of Guyanese never fall into crime, even though Guyana is poverty stricken.” Mrs Baliram, I’m not the most articulate person. Most men are not. You ladies are much better at it than us. What I was trying to say in my missive is that socio-economic inequalities and social breakdown are the greatest determining factors of crime. I am not saying that everyone growing up in poverty will turn to crime, I’m just saying it is a major factor. I will now elaborate on what I meant by providing the ghetto youths a ladder to climb out of the doldrums of poverty and hopefully steer them away from a life of crime.Hopefully, this may provide a better understanding to Mrs Baliram and the wider reading public. Recently, we had CXC results. In Guyana, 1500 kids have not passed a subject. In the Caribbean that number is over 6000. We have been celebrating, and rightly so, the one per cent that passed 20 subjects, but what will happen to those who were unsuccessful? We recently had common entrance. Again we would celebrate the 10% that passed to go to the top secondary schools. What will happen with the 90% whose futures have been determined at the age of 11 years?

Why do some of these kids fail? In my opinion, it is not because of the lack of ability. It is because of their environment. Abraham Maslow, an American psychologist, developed the concept of the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Because of limitations of space I cannot elaborate on it. Essentially, what Maslow has postulated is that a learner cannot achieve ‘self actualisation’ (learn and achieve the best), unless the basic physiological needs (food, water, warmth and rest) are met. In poverty, those basic physiological needs are not met, so impoverished kids are at a major disadvantage at becoming the best they can possibly be. Mrs Baliram, just do an audit of the students in the top secondary schools. I would say at least 90% do not have to worry about basic physiological needs. Most of them are from privileged backgrounds. Now go into the failing secondary schools. At least 90% of them are worrying about basic physiological needs and hence are facing a major impediment to learning. Are privileged kids smarter or are they just fortunate to have better opportunities? Most of our failing kids are from very deprived neighbourhoods. Education is the greatest asset to upward social mobility. Kids who are brought up in those deprived neighbourhoods are stuck there forever. The education system in its na-

ture has failed them. The political system has failed them. The social system has failed them. Not all will turn to crime. The majority will not. A minority will. That minority can create social problems for the majority, so they cannot be ignored. What’s the solution? We have been executing them via extra-judicial killings for decades. Different governments had similar policies and having the same result. Remember Roger Khan and his phantom squad? If killing them was the solution, Guyana should be crime-free by now after Khan orchestrated the death of hundreds.The fact is, the problems persist. I’m not surprised, since we have not been addressing it from the root. Every year we are producing 1500 kids without qualifications. Some will continue the struggle in poverty. Raising their kids in poverty. And the cycle continues. Some will look at those getting richer while they are getting poorer and use that as a justification for going into crime. I am not defending it. I am merely stating a fact. For me, the solution to this problem can begin with reforming our education system. We need to attract the best teachers. To do so we need to pay them better. Teachers are forced to have after- school lessons to augment their salaries. The unfortunate fact is that the underprivileged kids cannot pay to go to those lesson or have private tuition. There-

fore, they have to contend with the inadequate teaching in school. Parents cannot help, because they were also products of a poor education system. Hence, the vicious cycle continues. Failure begets failure. The government should develop policies to help failing schools. I would suggest incentivising teachers to teach in those failing schools. Give them a financial bonus to attract them to offer their services to those failing schools. Head teachers and senior teachers from Grade ‘A’ schools can play a role in advising those failing schools. Both are practised in other countries. The government should have state-sponsored vocational colleges. Not everyone has an interest in academic education. Some of us are better with our hands. It is absolutely important that the government attach equal prestige to these vocational colleges in the exact way we celebrate the 20 CXC candidates. The government should also provide financial support for underprivileged families. This could be in the form of school meals, school clothes, school books, etc. Parents should have money under defined conditions. Most of these are single parents. When they are struggling at their three jobs, the kids are left to their own devices. This monetary support should allow them to spend valuable time with their kids. University scholarships

should be available to the underprivileged kids. Universities should set programmes to admit a defined percentage of children from underprivileged backgrounds, even if it means reducing the entry requirements. Not reducing it because they are not smart, but simply because they were at a disadvantage when compared to the privileged kids. Our jails should be renamed correctional facilities and should become correctional facilities. Not just a place where offenders are locked away, but a place where their deviant behaviours are corrected. On leaving those correctional facilities, they should be better off than when they entered. Better in employable skills and social interaction. Finally, please allow me to quote Mrs Baliram verbatim.“And so if you want to save the lives of criminals, then teach people good values instead of misleading them and visiting them in jail and attending their funerals.” Now a few questions for Mrs Baliram. 1. What is the link between having good values, visiting criminals in jail, attending their funerals and crime? Should we just lock them away, abandon them and leave them to rot? 2. In your letter, you appear to support extra-judicial killing without trial. Dr Westford was recently found not guilty of stealing. Would it not have been a disaster if we had extra-judicial killing of her without trial?

3. Dr Ashni Singh and Mr. Winston Brassington are facing the courts for misappropriation of state funds. Should we just have America deport them so that we can have a public extra-judicial execution? 4. What about our former ministers against whom allegations of corruption and stealing public funds are being made , not only by one of their party members, but the wider Guyana as a whole. Should we have extra-judicial killings of them all without trial? If I chose to attend the funeral of a ghetto youth who has a mountain of allegations of crimes against him, but was killed extra-judicially, I’ll be attending the funeral of a innocent man simply because he is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. That right should be afforded the high school dropout or the university professor accused of a crime. That does not mean I’m championing crime, it simply means I am sympathising with a man who was denied his right of his day in court. My presence at the funeral is not a crime, extra-judicial killing is a crime. That is what you should condemn Mrs Baliram. Somehow I sense Mrs Baliram, that you believe extra-judicial killings are only for ghetto youths. Their lives never matter. Do they? Regards Dr Mark Devonish

Guyanese seeing depth of coalition’s effort to make Guyana a just society Dear Editor FORMER President Donald Ramotar recently wrote about a presumed escalation of local crimes, but with his typical reliance on anecdotal evidence, rather than statistics or facts to see what escalation he is talking about. Just as he brings up the odd theft, anyone could easily bring up counter-points, like the police recently catching and killing five heavily armed thieves in the act. He tries to paint this picture of bleak economic performance driving crime but, frankly, what crime we do see is in no way an escalation over that seen under the

PPP/C. What it is, is simply a different type of crime. Perhaps the former president doesn’t think corruption is a crime, or money laundering or drug smuggling. As multiple international measures have shown, Guyana was doing significantly worse under the tenure of his party, drawing comparisons with all kinds of kleptocracy. It seems to me that in the mind of the former president, it’s only a crime if it’s committed by poor people. Those who use their public office to siphon off hundreds of millions from the public coffers are not criminals. Those who dodge their fair share of taxes, undermining the entire country’s development, are

not criminals. Drug lords who run rampant, casually carrying out extra-judicial killings are not criminals. No, they are just businessmen! The heart of the matter is that an economic slowdown is to be expected, while the coalition cleans up the hot mess that was left them by the former president. That process is coming along well, and for the first half of this year we even saw a 4.5% growth rate, which is excellent. Guyanese are certainly seeing the depth of the coalition’s effort to make Guyana a just, reasonable, law-abiding society. Soon they will also see a prosperous economy with the

advent of oil. Under the former president, only God

knows what they would have seen.

Regards George Scott

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Teachers disappointed pay dispute ends in strike By Lisa Hamilton

SOME teachers are disappointed that what should have been constructive talks between the government and the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) has gone “out of hand,” resulting in a countrywide strike.

said one headteacher at the Hope Secondary School on Tuesday. She was, at the time, making remarks during a meeting with Education Minister Nicolette Henry who was listening to the concerns and recommendation of parents and teachers. The headteacher’s remarks

of care?” Henry questioned. She then outlined the eight areas requested by the union that the government would have granted which included: duty-free concessions; scholarships to teachers; headteachers relived of certain duties; travel allowances for hinterland teachers; clothing

allowances; considerations for teachers who work with special needs students and more. However, Henry said that even with these agreements the union did not allow the government to move forward with its implementation. “I went so far where the collec-

The headteacher at Hope Secondary speaks to the minister about the challenges facing teachers (Delano Williams photo) Both the government and the GTU are being criticised for allowing once amicable discussions, to result in strike action with, still, little to no benefit to both teachers and students caught in the mix. “I think this strike, in the first place, should have never happened. It should have never happened. I said [to myself] that if the government is what we perceive them to be then we’re not going to have this strike. The mere fact that we’re having this strike is sending out some implications or indications. We’re not supposed to allow this thing to meet at this level where the strike had to be on… things can be handled better for both sides. The union’s side and the Ministry of Education’s side,”

were met with a loud round of applause from many who turned out to the event. Minister Henry took the opportunity to discuss with the audience, the process by which the matter between the government and GTU is being handled which she says meets established protocol, at least on the government’s end. “I had discussions with the union on every matter that they put forward to the ministry…it is the union, who on every occasion that the meeting broke down, walked out or didn’t show up. But we will continue to [seek negotiation]. Out of eight matters that came up, the government agreed in part or in all to seven out of eight. How can any rational human being say that that represents disrespect or lack

tive bargaining agreement speaks to the implementation of what we would have agreed to within 72 hours. I said…could we go ahead and implement what we have agreed on so that the teachers can start benefitting from these things. The union said no, they won’t do that they wanted to wait until there was a complete resolution,” she said. The most recent concerns coming from GTU on its interactions with the government have surrounded complaints that ministries are not taking into consideration the union’s agenda or availability when scheduling meetings. Although the union previously stated that, due to this, today’s meeting would have to be postponed, the GTU has since agreed to a meeting today at 10:00hrs. Apart from this, other issues were raised on parental involvement and teachers who are forced to work ‘side jobs’ to make ends meet, even as they try to remain contented. Later at Queen’s College, Minister Henry explained the government’s challenge by stating: “I

personally believe teachers work very hard but I also believe that other categories of workers also work very hard. So, sometimes as government it’s like you’re a parent. It’s as though you have, let’s say 100 dollars and you have five children and there is one child who is asking for 60 dollars. “You have to make a decision whether you’re going to give the one child the 60 dollars and divide the other for the remainder or whether you would want to apply the principles of equity.” However, teachers are still highlighting their financial plight as one which remains overbearing and must be addressed in some way. “I know there are other headteachers who have been going to school because we have so much to do and we don’t want to be a in as situation whereby we can’t be able to pay our bills. You can’t be able to pay your mortgage, you can’t be able to put gas in your tank for your vehicle and so the struggle is on and the struggle is real,” the headteacher said.

Parents and teachers gather at Queens College on Tuesday to meet with the Education Minister and her team (Delano Williams photo)

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Lucky escape as rock slide destroys home in TT A CANCER survivor and her husband narrowly escaped being crushed by an avalanche of boulders and mud which crashed into their Laventille house on Sunday. Hermie Morris, 67, and her husband, Joyle Morris, 69, ran out from the home when they heard a loud rumble. Joyle Morris said his wife was in the kitchen when the land above their 20 year old house slipped away, and if he did not shout at her to get out, she might have been killed. “It was a big crash. The stove, fridge, washing machine and everything are gone. This is very, very serious. The stones are in the kitchen itself. The living room is mashed up”, said Joyle Morris. The elderly couple has six children, and only a 45 year old son resides with them. He had just gone to nearby shop with the avalanche occurred. Joyle Morris said with the earthquake on Tuesday, only stones fell on the house and there was no damage. But five days later, there was devastation. Joyle Morris, a retired carpenter and mason, said he built the three bedroom concrete house almost 20 years ago. Last year his wife was

diagnosed with cancer and in May she underwent surgery which was deemed successful. Since then she eats consumes only fruits. On Sunday she was in the kitchen “juicing” fruits when she heard an unusual noise. “Some gravel fell on the house and she asked me ‘You heard something fall?’ I said ‘no’. Then some gravel rolled down again. I told her to move out of the kitchen. If she has spent an extra second everything would have tumbled on her”, he said. Joyle Morris said the kitchen and living room were completely destroyed. The bedrooms, bathrooms and porch were intact, he said. He said on Sunday night his wife did not wish to leave their home and they spent most of the night in the porch area. “My wife said she is not going anywhere, and I can’t go and leave her. She is staying here so we slept on the couch in the gallery. After midnight she went into the bed. We got up about 6 o’clock this morning and we gave thanks to God that we were okay”, he said. Joyle Morris said that he has been visited by officials of State agencies such as the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management, his local Government councillor

Woman charged with sexual penetration of boy, 13 An East Trinidad woman, charged with two counts of sexual penetration against a male child, has appeared before the Arima Magistrates’ Court, to answer to the charges. Molly Houllier-Mahabir, aka ‘Doodoos’, 28, was granted $40,000 bail with surety when she appeared before Magistrate Brambhanan Dubey, in the Arima 1st Magistrates’ Court, on last Friday. Bail was granted on the condition that the accused ceases all communication with the victim. The matter has been adjourned to September 21. The offences are alleged to have occurred at the accused’s home during August 2016 and 2017, against the then 13-year-old boy. Houllier-Mahabir was arrested at her home last Monday by officers of the Child Protection Unit Northern Division (CPU ND). Investigations were supervised by Supt. (Ag.) Sharon Cooper and ASP (Ag.) Claire Guy-Alleyne, while WPC Marsha John, all of CPU ND, laid the charges. The charges were laid in accordance with the Children Act 2012 Chapter 46:01, which states, “penetration of a child” includes— (a) the insertion of any body part or any object into a child’s bodily orifice; or (b) the insertion of a part of a child’s body into a person’s bodily orifice.” (Trinidad Express)

and media. He said he is unable to estimate the cost of the damage to the house. “All of them told us that we should not be staying here. One shower of heavy rainfall and more might come down on the house. This is very hard for is. We are surviving”, he said. (Trinidad Express)

The aftermath of the disaster

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 29, 2018

CDB to help pay Haiti’s catastrophe insurance premiums

THE Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has approved a grant of US$3 million to cover Haiti’s 2018-2019 insurance premiums with CCRIF SPC— the company that provides parametric insurance coverage to the Caribbean and Latin America. The Bank’s funding will help the country meet the cost of the premiums for tropical cyclone, earthquake and excess rainfall coverage to which the Government of Haiti will contribute up to US$1.8M. CDB’s Director of Projects, Daniel Best said that among the Bank’s 19 Borrowing Member Countries, Haiti is one of the most vulnerable to natural hazards. “A large percentage of the

population of Haiti is exposed to multiple hazards, due to climate change, the rapid growth of unplanned settlements, and ecosystem degradation and decline. We are pleased that the Government of Haiti is collaborating with development partners like CDB to design and implement development projects that focus on reducing the country’s risk to natural hazards, and help it adapt to climate change,” he said. In the event of a future disaster, however, Haiti’s parametric insurance contract under CCRIF SPC is designed to pay out quickly and reliably. “This type of insurance can play a unique role in tackling humanitarian emergencies by providing

quick liquidity at a time when there is a dramatic reduction in Government revenue and, at the same time, a need for large government services expenditures,” Best added. Given the country’s fragility and high vulnerability to natural hazards, in its 2017-2021 Country Strategy for Haiti, CDB committed to continue paying the country’s annual CCRIF SPC premiums. Further, in the most recent negotiations for the replenishment of the Bank’s Special Development Fund, contributors agreed that there should be a continuation of the grant-supported programme of assistance for Haiti. Disaster risk reduction is among the main areas in which CDB will invest.

In 2017, CDB approved a disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation initiative for Ile-à-Vache, an island off the south coast of the southern peninsula of Haiti, which suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Matthew. To date, Haiti has received four

payouts: one after the 2010 earthquake (USD7.7 mn), two following Hurricane Matthew in October 2016 (USD20.39 mn under the tropical cyclone policy and USD3.02 mn under the excess rainfall policy), and USD162,000 in 2017 for Hurricane Irma.

The latter was paid out under the Aggregated Deductible Cover, which provides a minimum payment for events that are objectively not sufficient to trigger a CCRIF SPC policy. (Caribbean Development Bank press release)

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GTU willing to go below 40% GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 29, 2018

… now says will pay strike relief

–– agrees to attend conciliation talks today By Navendra Seoraj UNDER pressure from teachers, the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) on Tuesday announced that it is ready to dig into its coffers to provide strike relief to its members who join the union’s strike action which commenced on Monday, and is expected to last until the Government agrees to negotiate with the union. GTU believes that the teachers will support the strike action and although the union does not expect 100 per cent support, it is ready to financially compensate those who choose the route of industrial action. “We will have to do an evaluation to see how many persons have joined the strike action…based on the amount, we would be able decide if we could offer teachers at least 50 per cent of their salaries or give them full compensation,” said President of the GTU, Mark Lyte during a press conference at the GTU on Tuesday. He believes that based on its financial position, the GTU would be able to sustain the payment of strike relief for a “fairly long time,” despite there being just about 10,000 teachers in the public sector. In order to solicit the support of the teachers,

the union has also agreed to write lending institutions and stores, requesting leniency for teachers who choose to be a part of the industrial action. The industrial action comes after the parties failed to arrive at a consensus primarily on the government’s proposed $700M to facilitate salary increases and $200 million to address de-bunching for 2018. Lyte said the proposed figure from the government would not be sustainable or acceptable, since it would amount to an increase by GY$5,000 per teacher for one year. The GTU instead proposed an across-theboard increase in salary of 40 per cent for 2016 and incremental increases of five per cent in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively, to be granted to all categories of teachers and teacher educators. Although the GTU and the government engaged in follow-up deliberations on the matter, the union had refused to budge from its proposal. Lyte, however, contended that 40 per cent is not the union’s final decision and they, instead, would be willing to negotiate downwards. “The union always knew that we had an option to negotiate down. What has not happened is that the govern-

ment did not bring a percentage for us to negotiate down; they brought a ball-park figure… starting point was at 40 per cent with the hope that we could negotiate our way down to an acceptable percentage,” said the GTU president. Lyte said the 40 per cent increase for 2016 was a recommendation from a task force which was established by President David Grange in 2017 after the union had threatened to strike. Although the GTU believes that Government could afford a 40 per cent increase in salary for teachers, Lyte said they are willing to negotiate once properly approached by the government. The GTU president said, if both the call for increase and negotiations are ignored, the union will continue the strike action and even force government into arbitration which they think should be mediated by a neutral person. Last week, the union did not attend a conciliation meeting with the Ministry of Social Protection but the meeting was rescheduled for today. The union has agreed to attend the meeting which will be hosted by the Chief Labour Officer (CLO), Charles Ogle. “Although we will be

attending the meeting, we have no faith and trust in the labour department since the minister who is responsible for labour said we should accept government’s offer,” said Lyte, adding that they expect no positive outcome from the meeting. The first term of the new school year is scheduled to start next Monday, but in some cases the union believes that there will be no teachers to supervise the students. GTU General Secretary Coretta McDonald and Lyte said the teachers who choose to attend school will have full responsibility of the school and the students who attend, even if there are just three teachers. THE Ministry of Education (MoE) however has a contingency plan in place to ensure that instructional time is not lost, should the strike planned by the GTU progress into the start of the new school term. As part of these backup plans, the ministry said they will recruit senior teachers who are still enrolled at the Cyril

President of the GTU Mark Lyte, speaking to members of the media on Tuesday after the union’s General Council meeting (Samuel Maughn photo) Potter College of Education (CPCE), or have just graduated will be enlisted to teach in the schools. The MoE is also engaging teachers who have retired to lend a hand.

And with the educational officers on the ground, the ministry said that every effort is being made to ensure that the curriculum will be delivered as is required.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 29, 2018

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Banks DIH presents bursary awards to 25 NGSA students

Mr. George McDonald, Co-Managing Director/Marketing and executives of Banks DIH Limited pose with the bursary awardees. BANKS DIH Limited has presented bursaries to twenty-five children of employees and shareholders who were successful at the 2018 National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), during its annual presentation ceremony on Saturday last at the Sports Club at Thirst Park. George McDonald, Co-Managing Director/Marketing Director, presented the monetary awards and gifts at the ceremony attended by senior officials of the company, parents and the beneficiaries, the company said in a release. In his feature address, Matthew Kendall, Brew Master, congratulated the children and encouraged them to be motivated and strive for excellence. “You have worked hard to be successful at the NGSA and you must be committed to remain successful during your

years at secondary school,” he added. Troy Peters, Communications Manager said Banks DIH Limited recognises the value of education and has been supporting all sectors of educational development locally, with one such initiative being the annual Bursary Award as part of the Company’s Corporate Social Responsibility programme. The awardees are: Nia Pemberton, Sadelle Britton, Jorrel Payne, Latavia Darrell, Ziquan Grant, Kymani Jabbar, Ramual Dindyal, Duke Gittens, Dabria Clement, Deuel Booker, Brianna Hendricks, Shania Duguid, Akeelah Niles, Alliya Stewart, Naomi Smith, Quacy Isaacs Jr., Kazaquah Uzzi, Juan Carlos Ferreira, Angelina Dhoray, Nicholas Parmesar, Saeed Osman, Brandon McKoy, Rashilo Cornelius, Brianna Dey and Kunal Challu.

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Russia, Central Asia accept BRI gainful

THE ancient Silk Road once linked China with Central Asia and Russia, as well as Europe. In the 21st century, Central Asian countries have established even closer economic and trade ties with China. In fact, a series of medium-and long-term economic development strategies devised by the Central Asian countries have much in common with the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, and thus have created ample room and good opportunities for strategic cooperation. That is precisely why when President Xi Jinping proposed the Silk Road Economic Belt during his visit to Kazakhstan in 2013, it immediately received a positive response. Thanks to the coordination between the two countries, the Silk Road Economic Belt and Kazakhstan’s development strategy have been synergized and more than 100 cooperation agreements signed. While vigorously promoting its unique regional advantages across the world, Kazakhstan has highlighted the importance of the “Silk Road” to the global economy. And because of the all-round positive responses, China and the Central Asian countries have managed to coordinate their development strategies within a short time. The Silk Road Economic Belt proposal has also received a positive response from Russia. On May 9, 2015, the Chinese and Russian governments signed a joint statement on dovetailing the Silk Road Economic Belt projects with those of Russia’s Eurasian Economic Union. Russia

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supports the development of the Silk Road Economic Belt and China supports the development of the EEU. Actually, Beijing and Moscow have been working together to promote the two initiative’s projects in the region. Over the past five years, China has signed cooperation agreements with more than 80 countries, regions and organizations, engaged in capacity cooperation with more than 40 countries and regions, and established 82 overseas cooperation zones with 24 countries. These projects have created a large number of jobs in the host countries and regions, and injected new vitality into their economies. The Belt and Road Initiative has advanced over the past five years despite the criticisms of some Western countries and misunderstandings of some developing countries. Whenever a Western country or leader accuses China of benefiting from Western economies’ development, China responds by saying it welcomes other countries to get a free ride on its fast moving economic train. To those Western scholars who claim the cancellation of the China-backed East Coast Rail Link in Malaysia highlights the risks posed by Chinese development projects overseas, Beijing says the fact that newly reelected Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad chose China for his first foreign visit outside ASEAN member states shows the high importance he attaches to ties and cooperation with China. And when some Western media outlets claimed Sri Lanka would fall into a “debt trap” because of the China-financed Hambantota port project, the Sri Lankan gov-

ernment said that it itself had invited the Chinese side to build the port and related projects. Some Western media outlets have also claimed there is intense competition between China and Russia in Central Asia. But the truth is that both countries know the benefits of cooperation in the region far outweigh the possible gains from competition. More importantly, the Belt and Road Initiative is purely an economic program with no room for geopolitical or military competition, and China and Russia have already reached a consensus on coordinating Silk Road Economic Belt and EEU projects for regional development. The Belt and Road Initiative aims to connect Asia with Europe and Africa, for which the flow of production factors across the Eurasian continent is important. And it is here that Russia’s role is indispensable. Since infrastructure connectivity and smooth trade, as advocated by the Belt and Road Initiative, can bring real benefits to Russia as well as China, there is no reason for Beijing and Moscow to engage in any competition in Central Asia, or anywhere else for that matter. The Belt and Road Initiative is a win-win economic and trade plan that will benefit not only China, but also Central Asia, Russia and even Europe. Under the initiative’s framework, Sino-Russian cooperation in Central Asia will be far more beneficiary for both sides. And now that Beijing and Moscow are enjoying the best relations ever, the two sides should adhere to the Belt and Road Initiative’s principle of “consultation, co-building and sharing” so they can use the geographical advantages of Central Asia and Russia to better connect Asia with the Eurasian continent, and work together to bring tangible benefits to the local people. In the past five years, countries around the world have become increasingly aware that the Belt and Road Initiative is not China’s “one-man show”, but a multilateral economic cooperation initiative. China has no intention of competing with other countries to gain regional or global geographical advantage. Instead, it believes in open, inclusive and international cooperation initiatives. So China’s detractors should now acknowledge that, as part of China’s global responsibilities, the Belt and Road Initiative has injected new vitality into many an economy and helped boost global economic growth. (By Xu Wenhong | China Daily)

Factbox: Belt and Road Initiative in five years IN just five years, the Belt and Road Initiative has grown from a concept to a key platform for building a community with a shared future for humanity and a well-received international public goods. The following are some key facts about it. -- In the autumn of 2013, respectively in Kazakhstan and Indonesia, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the building of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. -- The initiative’s top-level design has been completed, with basic structures set up. Important resolutions passed by the UN General Assembly and Security Council contain reference to it. -- As of July 2018, more than 100 countries and international organizations had signed Belt and Road cooperation documents with China, extending the initiative’s scope from the Eurasian continent to Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the South Pacific region. -- On Nov. 8, 2014, China announced contributing 40 billion U.S. dollars to set up a Silk Road Fund to support the Belt and Road projects.

-- On March 28, 2015, China released the vision and actions on jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. -- On Dec. 25, 2015, the China-initiated new multilateral financial institution Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank was established. -- On May 14-15, 2017, the first-ever Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation was held in Beijing, attended by state and government leaders of 29 countries. The more than 1,600 participants came from over 140 countries and 80 international organizations. -- On Oct. 24, 2017, pursuing the Belt and Road Initiative was written into the Constitution of the Communist Party of China. -- About 95 percent of the 279 items on the outcome list of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation had been accomplished as of July 2018. The 14 others are being worked on. -- As of Aug. 26, 2018, the number of China-Europe freight trains has reached 10,000. -- In the past five years, China’s trade in goods with countries along the Belt and Road

exceeded 5.5 trillion U.S. dollars. Chinese direct investment in the non-financial sectors of these countries reached 80 billion U.S. dollars. -- In the past five years, China set up 82 overseas economic and trade cooperation zones in countries along the Belt and Road, investing 28.9 billion U.S. dollars and creating about 244,000 local jobs. As of May 2018, China had signed 16 free trade agreements with 24 countries and regions, nearly half of which are countries along the Belt and Road. -- In the first seven months of 2018, Chinese companies raised investment in 54 countries along the Belt and Road. The 8.55-billion-U.S. dollar newly added investment represented an 11.8 percent increase year on year. New construction contracts along the Belt and Road worth 57.11 billion U.S. dollars. -- Under the initiative, China has set up 81 education institutions and projects as well as 35 cultural centers in countries along the Belt and Road. In the first half of 2018, China spent over 270 million yuan (around 39.3 million U.S. dollars) on the Silk Road scholarships. (Xinhua)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 29, 2018

‘Do not hand-pick our candidates’ …Lindeners want more say in choosing LGE candidates

By Vanessa Braithwaite RESIDENTS and Community Development Council (CDC) Chairmen of communities in Linden are in disagreement with the strategy used by political parties to choose constituency candidates. With limited or no consultation being held in constituencies, candidates are basically hand-picked by party leaders appointed as campaign managers and this, they say, is defying the fundamental objectives of local government elections. The residents believe that campaign managers and regional party leaders should take the back seat in the process and allow the residents to do the talking, since LGE is about empowerment of the people. CDC Chairman of Wisroc, Collis Gifth, believes that party managers are micromanaging everything and not giving residents the say that they deserve. Whatever say is actually given, he described it as cosmetic and does not bear a full representation of what the residents want. “It does not work for political development, these people are micro-managing everything that happens in the local party and it does not give the local representatives a say as to what they think is in the best interest of the communities. With political parties imposing a candidate it is defeating the whole purpose of local government elections because all the major decisions that have to be made, the parties’ central executive decides how things should happen,” he commented. Gifth is of the opinion that the candidates are given a position to represent the party and not the community, and believes that the

Wisroc Chairman Collis Gifth

community should highlight someone who is reputable enough, capable and makes strong representation on behalf of the community; the only way that can be done is if they go back into the communities, not for a show to whip up votes but to let the people choose. Anthony Roberts, Chairman of the Victory Valley CDC, believes that the way the system is set up the youths are left behind, and those who are nominated are friends of the nominators and not who the community really wants. He said that the culture in Linden needs to change holistically and residents need to be more involved in the process. “I believe this thing turn a friend thing, and a pick and choose thing, they need people who got the courage to move the people and those persons are left behind, the officials need to be more mature, must be able to take criticism and still do their work professionally, the culture in Linden have to change,” he said. THEY DON’T NEED TO BE UPSET Meanwhile, community activist Denton Osbourne

Community activist Denton Osbourne

said that residents need not be upset with the process taken by political parties, since LGE allows for individuals, NGOs and CDCs to run for their constituencies as well. He believes that more should be done by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to sensitise residents on the process and how it allows them to not be dependent at all on major political parties. “If they are people in the communities who wish to participate, they have an option of running for themselves or running as individuals. All they have to do is give in their symbols to GECOM and express their desire to run or to put out their own candidates,” he said. Osbourne, however, reflected that in the 2016 LGE, political parties nominated and though some individuals and independent groups did contend, much success was not mustered for them. In Linden, only one seat out of 16, was awarded to the independent group, Linden 2025. He agreed that persons may have a bias for political parties whom they would have supported during general elections and that cul-

Probe launched into Uitvlugt Estate, knife turbine incident THE Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (GuySuCo) has announced that an investigation has commenced into the Uitvlugt Estate Knife Turbine incident, which occurred in the factory on 11 August, 2018. In a release, GuySuCo says a senior management team which includes several senior engineers, along with managers from Human Resources and Health and Safety comprise the investigation commit-

tee. The investigation commenced during last week and the accident is viewed as an engineering matter. Approximately 111 tonnes of sugar was declared from the sugarcane which was burnt at the time of the incident, however, as a result of the staling of the canes, the variance from the estimated sugar expected from the canes is almost 68 tonnes of sugar. The investigation will be conducted over a three-week period.

Victory Valley CDC Chairman Anthony Roberts

ture may never change, but opined that one major factor

that can change the culture is more sensitisation and support on the part of GECOM. “Or perhaps they choose not to run as individuals, CDC’s or NGO’s because they want the political party they support to appear united in the coming local government election in preparation for 2020,” he said. Individuals may be aware they can contests but may need assistance with getting themselves ready and this, he believes, is lacking greatly. President David Granger on Sunday at the Cuffy 250 Forum, said that the LGE was held to empower and energise communities and the lives of the residents. Residents can now breathe a breath of fresh air, as their communities are no longer dictated

by officials at the level of central government. Residents, he said, can now get into the habit of running their own communities since his administration made Interim Management Committees (IMCs) a thing of the past. Communities, he said, should not be dictated by the powers that be. “I will have Local Government Elections (LGE) on the 12th November 2018, so that people could get into the habit of running their own communities,” Granger noted. LGE was held in November of 2016 after two decades and will be held on the 12th November, 2018. Political parties have already commenced their campaigns and the choosing of constituency candidates.

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What male leaders can learn from their female counterparts? ACCORDING to the Pew Research Center, the number of female leaders in the world has doubled since 2000. Fifteen out of 193 United Nations mem-

ber countries are led by females. Two of the world’s highly industrialised nations, England and Germany, are led by females.

In the case of Germany, Angela Merkel continues to trounce her political rivals in a once highly chauvinistic society. Even in cases where some societies are

culturally and religiously geared towards male authority, women are emerging as preferred candidates in political contests. What could be responsible for this phenomenon? While every context is different and it is sometimes down to individuals, I would like to humbly suggest that women enjoy the unique leadership quality of empathy that is often less projected by men. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. This, I am of the view, is what male leaders can learn from female leaders. Firstly, researchers have found that women lead differently, they tend to have a distinct approach that is fraught with transformational leadership (Riggio: 2010). Female leaders tend to lead their teams by enhancing motivation, morale and job performance. They guide through inspiration and above all, they combine

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 29, 2018

strength with sensitivity and lead with empathy. That maternal inclination that resides in every female, demonstrates a sense of care and understanding that appeals to followers. This seems to be undergirded by nature. Neuroscientists have proven that women have higher oxytocin levels than men. This hormone is referred to as the ‘cuddle hormone,’ which makes female leaders seem more personally connected to followers or those whom they solicit for support to ascend to higher offices. Once the female is up against a male candidate and they are tied on all the requirements for leadership, I am of the opinion that the sense of care that is effortlessly manifested by the female, will

give a natural advantage. The masses seem to be gravitating towards this. Understandably, people want persons in authority who can feel their circumstances and realities. As a consequence, I hereby advance that for the male candidate to succeed in most cases, he must convince the people that he feels their pain and can connect on an emotional level with their struggles. This I believe will always be a major advantage that female candidates enjoy over their male counterparts. Usage of nicknames such as ‘auntie’ for female leaders immediately trigger comfort and affinity, the likes of which automatically resonate with ordinary folk.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Father complex

“FATHER Complex” or better known as “Daddy Issues” can be described in psychology as the neurosis (mild mental illness) that results from an individual’s poor relationship with his/her father. When we consider traditional gender roles, the mother is expected to be the caregiver, while the father is expected to be the breadwinner, to some extent the provider/protector. From the founding ‘fathers’ of the United States, to Christianity’s God (the heavenly ‘father’) and Greek methodology’s Zeus, the ‘father’ of all men and women; throughout history and in present-day, we all seek to look up to a father figure in life, whether that person is our biological parent or not. To say one has daddy issues is not to say one does not have a father figure in his/her life. It can be one of many things; (death, desertion, present but lack of emotional support, infidelity towards other parent, abuse, and many more). Considering those factors as well as effects of daddy issues (depression, stress, unstable emotions), it is also a term that is tossed around loosely towards people with emotional issues; it is offensive if you’d ask me. It is sometimes regarded as a sexist term, as it is generated mostly towards women. Many persons, including myself, will argue that this term is used to put women on a spectrum of inferiority, giving us an idea that without a man in our lives it means we’re somehow broken. But what about the single mothers who play both roles of the mother and father? Is it to say that all children who grew up with their mothers alone need a void to be filled by their father in order for them to excel? NO. My father grew up without a father. I have heard him confess that because of the obvious, he had no idea on how to be a father himself, yet my father is not broken. He is my greatest role model and everything he has learned, the things that he has achieved, and not forgetting how much of an amazing father he is to me, is a result of the upbringing from my grandmother. For a young boy to have a father figure in his life, I would agree that it means he has have an example to live by, an example on how to be a father or on how to be a ‘man’. For young girls, having a father figure means to have an idea on how and who to date, to have a better understanding of the male psyche. While some look for the complete opposite of their absent (emotionally

and physically) fathers, I sometimes believe in the paradox of women looking to date men who have similar traits to that of their fathers. However, there isn’t anything a man can teach a child about love, growth, and the common necessities that a mother cannot single-handedly do as well. In our early years of childhood, we are vulnerable; both physically and emotionally. It is natural for one to need and to have a wanting for a father, and in many cases, a better father. However,society today tends to use the term derogatorily. Many people, including some of you, expected this to be a BDSM Kink article, surprise! Daddy Issues is a term adopted into the BDSM community- where women call their partners daddy, especially if they had bad relationships with their fathers. Tonya Charles, a Berbice native, shared her explanation of how it can also be misused: “It’s a sexist trend. It’s mostly used against women when they display normal emotions or express their needs, particularly in dating relationships. A woman is said to have, ‘daddy issues’ if she’s a feminist, a part of the LGBTQ community, if she feels that her partner is being disloyal or just demanding more emotional support in a relationship when it’s not really the case.” Here is how another Guyanese youth explained her side of this topic: “The phrase ‘Daddy Issues’ is a very serious issue, and yes, it is offensive, especially when people throw it around as a punchline. Men and women in our society have grown up without any male role models in their lives, and for some of them, it has affected them in terms of parenting skills, expressing their feelings and commitment. I personally have heard stories of fatherless women who would boldly say, the reason they go from relationship to relationship is because they never had a father to teach them, or be that role model of what kind of man they should be with. Fathers, not being in their sons’ lives are even more dangerous because that child is exposed to all sorts of influences that may result in future harm. Daddy Issues doesn’t need to be a joke, it needs to be fixed.” I wonder whatever happened to Mommy Issues? Why isn’t it as widely used as Daddy Issues? Can it be because of the towering number of single-parent mothers in our society? Or maybe, patriarchy made ‘daddy issues’ into a male weapon, using it to justify the fact that a woman is broken until a

man fixes her? Whatever the case may be, I urge men to own their responsibilities as being effective fathers in their children’s lives and if you by chance experienced father complex, may the cycle end with you. Seek professional help if you feel that the absence of your father, affects you from excelling. At the end of the day, both men and women can work together to help erase the terminology ‘daddy issues’ and replace

it with daddy’s love. While we should acknowledge the fact that the term is often misused, we should also recognise that young children want a father’s love, a healthy relationship with them and most importantly; the presence of a father figure. It’s sad that some fathers break the hearts of their children long before any boy/girl had the chance to. ‘Daddy issues’ is an issue.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Contractors, engineers must adhere – says GNBS in to construction guidelines aftermath of tremor CONTRACTORS and engineers must adhere to construction guidelines available nationally, Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) Public Relations Officer Lloyd David has said. These requirements cover construction for foundations and excavations, construction of high-rise buildings, structural steel, hardwood lumber and concrete block masonry, among others. This advice came in the aftermath of a tremor experienced in Guyana recently, as the result of an earthquake

of 7.3 magnitude, which occurred off the coast of Venezuela on August 21, 2018. David said the shaking of buildings is a reminder of Guyana’s need as a nation to construct structures, including buildings and bridges, according to the requirements of sections of the building code and standards, which are available at the GNBS. “For too long, the GNBS has been employing many efforts to make stakeholders in the building and construction sector, including home owners, aware of these codes

and standards and how they can positively impact the outcome of construction projects,” he said. The PRO explained that the time has come when Guyanese can no longer afford to build without the requisite knowledge - “building by guess”, especially when constructing larger and taller buildings. He noted that the layout and designs of any building foundation must be well prepared, using the right steel and concrete materials. Otherwise, at the end of construction or later during

GNBS Public Relations Officer Lloyd David the occurrence of natural disasters, the entire structure could be compromised or damaged. There are also standards related to the various products used in construction such as the standards for concrete blocks, steel nails and PVC Pipes. “The current scenario is that the strength of most of the concrete hollow blocks produced locally is not determined. Some preliminary tests conducted by the GNBS revealed that the majority of blocks available on the market are below the compressive strengths stipulated

by the recently approved national standards,” he noted. David explained that block manufacturers therefore need to acquire copies of the standards and strive to make the kind and quality of blocks that can contribute to building resiliency in Guyana. Like the certification of PVC pipes locally manufactured, which allows for the consistent production of quality pipes, GNBS intends to certify the quality of blocks locally produced to ensure they consistently meet the requisite compressive strengths. As it relates to building and construction standards, ASTM International is a key partner of the GNBS. ASTM International is a standards-development body recognised worldwide for the development of thousands of standards used in industry today, and it has developed some key standards to ensure structures constructed are resilient to adverse occurrences and changes in nature. These standards can be adopted and utilised locally by manufacturers, contractors and engineers. According to Jack Maxwell, a writer for ASTM in his article on resilience,

“Natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and wildfires test the mettle of every person who surveys scenes like this in their homes.” Maxwell went on to look at resilience from a different viewpoint in the same context of natural disasters and explained how new and reliant buildings and structures can be constructed to withstand disasters. He also tried to determine the relationship between resilience and sustainability, and he concluded that resilience is equal to durability, plus sustainability. Stakeholders in the construction sector must be mindful of this equation at all times. Further, ASTM International has developed a standard (E2026) to guide seismic risk assessment of buildings. It is used to determine a property’s potential for earthquake-related losses caused by ground-shaking and site instability, as well as other offsite problems. Though this standard may not be fully applicable to Guyana at this time despite the recent tremors, its usefulness in evaluating resiliency of structures in earthquake-prone territories cannot be underscored.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Guyana on guard against measles … Health Ministry beefs up team to screen Venezuelans, other migrants

By Lisa Hamilton

AS Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) member states are being urged to rapidly increase their vaccination coverage due to measles outbreaks in the region, Guyana’s Health Ministry is working assiduously to stay ahead of the game. According to PAHO’s Director Carissa Etienne, while the 34 PAHO states remain measles free, endemic transmission of the virus has now been re-established in Venezuela. As of this week, Venezuela has reported 3,545 confirmed cases of measles including 62 deaths as thousands regularly flee the country’s current economic crisis to neighbouring South American and Caribbean countries. Guyana, too, has experienced its share of the Spanish-speaking migrants in its border regions and the government has since responded with humanitarian efforts through the supply of food and medical care. However, with several health threats still looming and made even more threatening due to the country’s porous borders, Junior Minister of Public Health Karen Cummings, says that the ministry has thought it best to remain vigilant. With the assistance of the Ministries of Citizenship and Communities; the Civil Defence Commission (CDC); regional bodies; a migration team and several health workers, a close eye is being kept on the health status of all refugees. Dr. Cummings told this newspaper that screening camps and health outposts have been set up in several frontier regions, which quickly spring into action the moment migrants cross over the border.

“The first thing we do when they come out of the boats or where ever, we have a health post set up right there so that persons can be screened not only for measles but several diseases as well. If they need any further treatment we would further them to the Mabaruma Hospital… or anywhere else [depending on where they are located],” she said. The ministry also engages in weekly multi-sectoral stakeholder meetings to receive updates on the activities of involved parties while sensitisation activities are taking place with both migrants and community members. Notices are being written in Spanish and placed strategically, encouraging Venezuelans to immediately visit the health centre if they believe they are experiencing any symptom of the disease. These include a high fever which is usually accompanied by any within the list of runny nose, bloodshot eyes, cough and tiny white spots on the inside of the mouth. “If you see something say something…you need to seek help, you need to point it out to the nurse or health worker so that the necessary steps can be taken to address the condition,” is the message locals are being urged to live by. Health care workers trained in Spanish-speaking Cuba are also aiding in transferring this message to migrants while other individuals are assisting with translating the tribal language of indigenous Venezuelans. In 2002, indigenous measles was eliminated from Guyana and the Americas. Still, reports are that with the exodus of Venezuelans to the remote Brazilian border state of Roraima, health authorities there have now confirmed 281 cases of the

the minister stresses that apart from vigilant health screenings, sensitisation and awareness are crucial components and stakeholders will continue to work to ensure that the necessary information reaches every household in the frontier communities.

Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings disease, mostly among children. When asked about the ministry’s protocol, should Guyana unfortunately experience a negative change in its track record, Cummings responded: “We will have to contain them and screen them as usual and, in that case, wherever they are in the country we will have to up our provision of workforce because in those places we don’t have as many as we have on the coastland, so definitely persons will have to be sent there.” She later added: “We are always stepping it up. So, we are aware of these cases [in Venezuela] and working with our partners, we are kept on the forefront…and so, very early we are staying ahead of the game and so far, so good and we want it to remain that way… we’ve eradicated measles and we don’t want it to come back.” In general, Guyana has a very good vaccination programme with over 90 per cent coverage as well as a very efficient immunisation programme. The most recent Vaccination Week in the Americas also observed in Guyana in April, has aided the ministry even further in this regard. But

“With this influx and the current situation there [in Venezuela] with overcrowding and all of that, they’re trying to survive, so like everything else we have to be merciful… but strike a balance. “We’re happy that we can be of help to them…its humanitar-

ian efforts and so we just want to make sure that if they see something they say something and are happy to report and to visit the health centre…we want to encourage them that every single person must be screened for their own health,” Cummings said.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Pensioner robbed, killed in Annandale home

A 72-year-old pensioner was robbed and killed in his home at lot 149 Annandale South, East Coast Demerara on Monday evening. Dead is Krishnachand Dabee, a father of three. The body was taken to Lyken’s funeral home and is awaiting post-mortem.

Reports indicate that his body was discovered by his 40-year-old daughter, who is a lecturer of University of Guyana. It is alleged that his daughter was trying to make contact with him on his landline phone but it went unanswered after several calls. She then immediately

visited the Vigilance Police Station and made a report. A police team was dispatched Dabee’s address, where he was found lying in his yard face up with injuries to his right eye and to the back of his head. The police then made checks in the house and it was discovered that the house was ransacked. Neighbours believe the bandits entered the pensioner’s house through the rear door where they robbed and later killed him One neighbour said the pensioner and his wife lived in the home and about one month ago, they were tied up and robbed and the woman who was hospitalised did not return to the house to live. Instead, the neighbour said she moved into a senior citizens home and her hus-

band had since lived alone. “The wife sees who were the bandits and never wanted to return home. She sick since then, she expected that the bandits would have returned, and they come back and kill the man now,” another neighbour said.

Bourda Market killing…

Cops granted extension to hold suspects AS the police continue their investigations into the murder of well-known Bourda Market vendor Troy Ramalho, the High Court on Tuesday granted the police a 72- hour extension to keep two suspects arrested in custody. Ramalho, of 11 North Road, Lacytown, Georgetown, was shot around 23:00hrs on August 15, 2018, after he resisted the three men who were robbing him. On Saturday, the first suspect, a 34-year-old taxi driver of Eccles, East Bank Demerara, was arrested and has admitted under interrogation to shuttling the three men who were responsible for the murder of Ramalho. The second suspect was held on Monday. The 45-year-old Troy Ramalho, who was well known for selling cheese and eggs in front of “Rambarrans” on Robb Street, in close proximity to Bourda Street, was doing what he had been doing for over two decades when the three bandits, one armed with a gun, ambushed him. Reports indicate that police, acting on intelligence, arrested the taxi driver in Buxton, East Coast Demerara, on Saturday. He reportedly told the police he picked up the men at Demico, Stabroek, Georgetown and they had asked him to drive to Robb Street, Georgetown, where the men identified their victim. The taxi driver allegedly told the police that the men whom he met several months ago asked him to park on Alexander Street between Regent Street and North Road. The bandits then exited and a short while after he heard loud explosions that sounded like gunshots; he then saw the trio running towards the car. In his getaway dash at the junction of Camp Street and North Road, a car slammed into his vehicle, causing it to spin and one of the men fell out. In the process, he saw the man run off and he then sped away, dropping off the other two at their Albouystown addresses. The following day he collected $40,000 and decided to hide in Dairy, West Bank Demerara. The police have since seized the vehicle as investigations continue. Ramalho was wearing a large quantity of gold jewellery on the night he was killed.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Guyana to host Commonwealth public service conference

THE Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) will be hosting its 12th Biennial Conference in Guyana from October 22-24 under the theme, “Transforming the Public Sector for Climate Governance.” The conference is expected to create the opportunity for experts and practitioners to set out arguments for a prosperous future that includes the public service being responsible custodians for the environment. Over 350 participants are expected to be in Guyana for the event. Participants will be privy to background information relating to the economic and environmental challenges which confront their coun-

tries, while highlighting risks of which the public service should be aware in order to achieve positive results and be accountable. Given the high priority of climate change in most countries and the mounting pressures on the public service as a result of budgets, higher citizens’ expectations, digital adoption and a wide range of environmental concerns, CAPAM believes workers must be well equipped to address these issues. The association believes that through research, policy development, service delivery to citizens, and regulation and enforcement, the public service can better meet these growing demands. According to a concept paper on the conference, “more and more, it becomes evident

that strategic partnerships, consultations across political and bureaucratic boundaries and leading practices will advance innovative solutions and support the public service in determining and advising governments on ways to promote economic prosperity, while protecting the natural productivity of our world.” The note explains that with many regions experiencing both shared and unique climate challenges, the need for effective and efficient climate governance must occur across government systems and sectors and industries to better tackle complex environmental matters. Therefore, it is essential that the public service produces not only economic and social analyses as a background to action, but

GPL to install additional generator in Essequibo

THE Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) will have an additional generator in place by the end of September to meet the electricity demands on the Essequibo Coast. The Anna Regina Power Station currently has a total of seven units installed but only two are operating due to unforeseen technical issues. GPL’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Albert Gordon, told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that the two units are unable to satisfy the demand and another unit is expected to be operational by September 29. “An additional unit is expected to be operational by the 29th and we are hoping to get one megawatt from there. That would improve

the situation but electricity distribution will still be rotated for eight hours. While we are trying to get this unit up, both GPL and MACORP are working to fix an additional two units to boost capacity. When we combine that with the existing units that we have operating we will be able to satisfy the peak demand,” Gordon explained. Going forward, the power company is planning to add a fourth unit which will work concurrently with the three new ones that will be commissioned later this year. Gordon said the fourth unit will serve as the backup for the three and will eventually replace the aged units. “We also plan to install an additional five megawatts. The expectation is that this

will allow us to comfortably bring the self-generators to the GPL grid so we can provide electricity at a lower cost than we are now. The additional capacity will also facilitate growth and encourage investment and better use of power.” The long-term plan for Essequibo is for residents to experience as little electricity disruption as possible. GPL’s Public Relations Officer, Shevion Sears and a team are currently in the region to meet and discuss the way forward with residents. In the interim, the CEO is urging residents to continue to remain patient as the company is expediting all efforts to return electricity supply to normal. (DPI)

scientific and environmental considerations that consider the immediate well-being of citizens, as well as the interests of future generations. The conference is designed for an international audience of senior public sector managers and administrators. The

three-day event will offer insightful dialogue, theoretical and practical knowledge exchange and networking opportunities. A seven-member local organising committee is receiving guidance from CAPAM’s executive body,

headquartered in Ottawa, Canada. A number of activities have been planned for the conference and to ensure that all aspects of planning are adequately catered for, four sub-committees have also been established.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 29, 2018

It’s virtually survival for the fittest –out west, where Español is now the lingua franca

Story and photos by Alva Solomon SURVIVAL of the fittest is considered the buzzword of the moment at Gaja Landing on the outskirts of White Water village in the North West District, where dozens of Venezuelan migrants have taken up residence as the economy in the neighbouring country

since 2017 and periods of 2016, but according to Samuels, there are many who would just come weekly to buy ration or to trade items such as fish. And there are those who would come in search of the odd job from time to time. He said two councillors would keep him abreast of what is happening regularly, and that the village has even

The manicole stalks, which are traded by the refugees at White Water village

working on. Rosalinda told the Guyana Chronicle, via a translator, that they made the move all the way from Cumaná, in Sucre, some 250 miles from the Venezuelan capital, Caracas. Victor, who’s 26, speaks only Spanish, but he’s hoping he could find a job here. He explained that after leaving school, he started working in the fishing industry, but after a few years, things got pretty rough. Rosalinda, who’s 23 and speaks a little English, said she has relatives here in Guyana. She said that both she and her husband are hop-

sitting in a hammock and rocking her week-old baby. According to a community health worker from White Water Village, the woman gave birth just last Saturday around 05:00hrs, and she and her husband are contemplating naming the baby “Guyven,” short for Guyana-Venezuela. As the afternoon progressed down at the “landing”, several men were seen busy repairing the bow of a canoe, blithely unaware of the trail of ants crawling nearby. Not far from them, a woman was busy making

A typical homestead at the border community

dwindles daily. The “landing” is a hotspot for traders in various food items such as rice and other staples from both sides of the border. Venezuelans sell almost anything of value to eek out a living. “We are helping them from a humanitarian standpoint,” says new White Water toshao, Ernest Samuels. Small huts, cleared parcels of lands for housing, and the provision of medical care almost daily at the health post in the village tell of the struggle of the migrants, many of them Warraus, seeking a better way of life on this side of the border. Other Venezuelans, including those from the states outside of Caracas, have found small jobs around the Mabaruma sub-region, like painting and carpentry. Toshao Samuels told the Guyana Chronicle that on entering White Water from the western border, the migrants first report to the Council and provide it with vital information such as their names and other relevant data. Their next stop, he said, would be the police station established at the location. There’s also a Guyana Defence Force (GDF) post at the centre of the village, which was established several months ago so as to ensure proper security arrangements are in place. A stable number of 328 persons have moved to the community permanently

had to bend some of its bylaws to help out the situation. “They needed a place to

stood next to the family’s home. Daniels recounted

The main road at White Water village, in the North West District

stay, and we have community by-laws; but we had to flex those laws and see how we can help, because they need it,” Samuels said, adding that vacant lands have been checked and green-lighted in parts of the village for the migrants to occupy. THERESA’S STORY Theresa Daniels, a mother of nine, lived in Venezuela for almost 12 years. When the Guyana Chronicle caught up with her, she was busy hanging clothes to dry in her yard as her grandchildren played nearby. A small fireside with smoking embers

that when she and her family moved to Venezuela, “things were very nice that side.” But the situation took a drastic turn when Chávez died and his successor, Nicolás Maduro took office. “We start to suffer with the schoolchildren, the food price; things get slow after a while,” Theresa said. She and her husband decided to return to Guyana in 2017; and pretty soon, some of the children followed, bringing with them their children. Five of her children are still in Venezuela, she said, but the others have opted to

Villagers hard at work repairing a canoe at Gaja Landing, just outside White Water village relocate here permanently. ing they can find jobs, and craft items for retail, while As to how badly the price quickly, so they can live more stacks of manicole from the increase is affecting Venezu- comfortably. heart-of-palm tree lay nearby. elans, Theresa said: “When I Word is that the migrants left that side, it was Bs150 for ASSISTANCE have been harvesting the one kilo rice; and now it get WELCOME manicole to sell it to traders worse because my children They said they’re willing who would pay them handcan’t even buy a kilo.” to accept any form of assis- somely for the commodity. “Me glad bad fuh come tance, but unfortunately, they We also learnt that some back here, because meh have no mobile phone. White make money, as much as mother from this side, and Water residents have, howev- G$300 per trip, by ferrying me got roots here, so this is er, promised that they would heavy items such as bags of home.” make contact with the young rice on their backs across As we headed further family should they hear of the marshy wooded track. west to the border along the anything. According to migrants, the part rugged, part hilly terrain Rosalinda, who is opti- situation in Venezuela is beof meandering sandy road, mistic that things will work coming dire with each passthe evidence was clear that out fine, said that come what ing week, so they’re hoping the village’s population was may, their son will be attend- that their fortunes would on the increase, as many ing school come September change this side of the border. makeshift homes could be 3, when schools across GuyThe Guyana Government seen in various stages of ana re-open. As we headed has been addressing the issue construction. still further west to Gaja by distributing food items Many are native Guy- Landing, a prime spot for and other supplies to assist anese who are returning to trading, there was no mis- the migrants through various Guyana after living several taking that the area has been organisations such as the decades on the other side of a hive of activity in recent Civil Defence Commission the border, while others are months when compared to (CDC). venturing here for the very back in 2016 when the GuyThe Regional Demofirst time. ana Chronicle last visited. cratic Council of Region One such family is that of As one negotiates the trail One (Barima/Waini) is also Rosalinda and Victor Merca- of planks across the swampy doing their bit to alleviate no and their four-year-old marshland to get to the “land- the situation. A temporary son. They’ve set up house ing” proper, several houses settlement is being considin a small thatch-roofed can be seen in the distance. ered for establishment on structure which they are still On arrival, we met a mother the outskirts of Mabaruma.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Business expo seeks to push youth development

THE Kuru Kururu Small Business Association on Saturday hosted a business expo at the Kuru Kururu Extension Centre with the aim of promoting local youth businesses. According to Region Four Chairperson Genevieve Allen, the exhibition augurs well for the economic and social development of the community, as it provides a platform for youths to showcase what they can do and play a part in shaping their future. Head of Action Coach Vishnu Doerga, in speaking to the young exhibitors, reminded them that though they have a platform to market themselves and their products they should be wary of the markets that exist. Particularly important, he said, they must be cognisant of the demand and their

Kuru Kururu resident Ms. Thomas

ability to supply. This mindset is also instrumental as local youths prepare to supply the markets that will be created in the wake of Guyana becom-

ing an oil-producing nation. While many persons are preparing to tap into the markets that will come with oil, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Small Business Bureau, Dr. Lowell Porter thinks more must be done. “Guyana I believe is really poised; it’s a great opportunity,” Porter said, while adding that Guyana is becoming a magnet. But for him, developing local capacity is a must. “Everything might not be fine for you, just because there is oil out there doesn’t mean it will benefit you,” he said. To develop local capacity, he stressed that value-added products must become the standard. For far too long, citizens have been dependent upon producing only raw materials. For Kuru Kururu residents, value-added products

Kuru Kururu children play with blocks brought by representatives from the Ministry of the Presidency

have already been an avenue it has been exploring, much of it by the Kuru Kururu Farmers, Crops and Live-

stock Association. They are producers of jellies, including ginger jellies which uses ginger

GWI water quality lab receives certification IN an effort to provide safe water to its customers and enhance their level of accuracy, the Guyana Water Inc.’s Water Quality Laboratory has made history when it was certified for the first time, after conforming to the Guyana Standard GYS 170, “General requirements for the operation of a laboratory”. The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) on Monday morning presented the certificate and terms of conditions for the certification to GWI following a press briefing at GWI’s Head Office at Shelter Belt, Vlissengen Road and Church Street, Georgetown. Head of Water Quality, Deon Anderson, told reporters that the certification is the validation of their competence, the laboratory’s ability to deliver accurate and precise information to customers. He explained that whatever information generated by the water company is accurate and reliable with the highest level of precision. Anderson said, “We were able to attain certification for about a year with collaboration with Dr. Ramoutar we managed to develop calibration, accuracy check, reliability of testing infor-

GNBS Head, Conformity Department Rodlyn Semple as she hands over the certificate and terms of conditions for the laboratory certification to GWI’s Managing-Director Dr. Richard Van-West Charles.

mation and for example, at every water quality [check] we ensure our equipment are in order, calibrated on a daily basis and accuracy levels are constantly being tested.” He related that the certification is an ongoing system to meet national and international standards to ensure the water company is in compliance and their improved water quality is safe for distribution to re-

store the confidence of its customers. GWI’s Laboratory Consultant Dr. Karamchand Ramoutar, who is an overseas based micro-biologist, has been spearheading the certification exercise with the provision of technical services. He stated that with the certification of the laboratory, they have attained ISO’s standard which simply means their ‘house is in order’ for its operations

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and their level of accuracy is on par with national and international standards. In brief remarks, GNBS Head, Conformity Assessment Department, Rodlyn Semple congratulated GWI for their certification since laboratories in Guyana need to recognise the need to become certified to the Guyana Standard GYS 170 “General requirements for the operation of a laboratory”. She added that it took

GWI’s laboratory one year to become certified by GNBS and their operation is of the highest standard with reliable testing and services for an improved laboratory performance. Semple stated that a re-evaluation will be done in two years’ time. Also in remarks, GWI’s M a n a g i n g D i r e c t o r D r. Richard Van-West Charles said the journey was not an easy one and described the ceremony as a good one for GWI having joined the company in 2015. He told the press conference that the utility company’s objective is to provide a safe product for customers and that is the real purpose for the certification of their laboratory. Dr. Van-West Charles credits their laboratory certification to Dr. Ramoutar’s input to fulfil their duty to provide a safe product for distribution and they seek to continuously improve their systems and services. He disclosed that Port Kaituma and Mabaruma will be provided with safe potable water supply soon and their aim is reach every community including, the far-fetched villages in the hinterland and they are constantly implementing newer initiatives.

planted from the Northwest District.

TT oil refinery to close …‘Petrotrin buying oil to process not profitable’

THE Government has decided to shut down the refinery of State oil company Petrotrin. The country can no longer afford to continue to refine oil and lose billions of dollars in this process, a senior Cabinet source told the Express n Monday. The company will instead be expanding its operations in oil exploration and production, the source said. The source said Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) president general Ancel Roget was

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 29, 2018

OCC engages state agencies at final TNA workshop

THE Office of Climate Change (OCC) on Monday hosted the final workshop for the climate Technology Needs Assessment (TNA) project, during which the results of the project were presented to key project stakeholders. The one-day workshop was held at the Pegasus Hotel, Georgetown. Through an agreement with the United Nations Environment Programme-Technical University of Denmark Partnership (UNEP-DTU), the Government of Guyana, through the OCC, conducted the TNA project with multiple state agencies in order to identify and prioritise technologies that can contribute to Guyana’s climate change mitigation goals. The project also identified barriers hindering the acquisition of these technologies and facilitated the development of Technology Action Plans (TAPs) to bring about the transfer, adoption, and diffusion of the prioritised technology. The next phase of the TNA project will see the preparation of Technology Action Plans (TAPs) and Project Idea Notes (PINS), documents that will be used to seek funding for implementation of the prioritised

technology. Head of the OCC, Ms Janelle Christian, said that the TAPs can push development in Guyana. “Technology Action Plans for developing countries provide opportunities to use them for

their adaptation, mitigation, and mitigation benefits, and making other adaption [and] mitigation processes, such as our Nationally Determined Contributions [and] our National Adaptation Plans,” she said.

aptation Plan… [For] this particular set of reports that we are presenting here today, we will ensure that they are considered integrally as part of these processes… We believe that now that we have the TAPs and the [Project]

Ms Christian said that the OCC remains deliberate and focused, while facilitating implementation of the prioritised technology. Chairman of the National TNA Committee, Rear Admiral (ret’d) Gary Best,

Participants at the workshop a range of different functions, including using them as a basis for possible investment portfolios [and] facilitating further development through project-preparation tools. Technology Action Plans also provide opportunities for capitalising on them by using

Ms Christian also said that successful completion of the TNA project marks Guyana for successful acquisition and diffusion of the prioritised technology. “We are actually in the early stages… as we get ready to prepare our National Ad-

Idea Notes coming out of the TNA process, it puts us in a great position to then make the connection through the [Climate Technology Centre and Network] for actual deployment and diffusion… for the technology so prioritised,” she said.

in an invited comment, said that the TNA project and the TAPs work in tandem with the Green State Development Strategy (GSDS). “I would like to look at [the TNA project] as an integral part of the Green State Development Strategy… These Project

Idea Notes that we are identifying are all individual projects that will help to ‘green’ Guyana’s economy… [The TNA] is not independent. It is linked [to the GSDS], but we have to [strengthen the] link by ensuring that we integrate it… We have to deepen that [link],” he said. Rear Admiral Best also said that there are practical outcomes for the average Guyanese. “The project in the agriculture sector, for example, they talk about rain water harvesting… That would impact that lives of Guyanese significantly, because we have a challenge in Guyana [where] in the rainy season, we have exceptional floods and in the dry season, we don’t have any water. So, [with] the rain water harvesting, if we were to manage the water supply [and] control the water supply, [and], at the same time, work with [Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC)] that this national asset called water is not polluted by GGMC, I see that project assisting Guyanese generally,” he said. During the workshop, the Summary Report, TAPs, and PINs were presented to agency heads of project stakeholders. (Ministry of the Presidency)

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Stabroek Market wharf is a ‘calamity waiting to happen’ – King

A ‘CEASE order’ has been issued by City Engineer Colvern Venture, dated August 23, 2018 and hence vendors at the Stabroek Market Wharf are expected to remove from the area within 14 days. Town Clerk Royston King has said that he is unsure the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) will be able to relocate all 99 vendors to one location. “We will be relocating in phases but I am afraid we might have to ask all the vendors to vacate the wharf and those who will not be relocated early will have to wait on us until we find a place for them,” King told reporters on Monday following the statutory meeting at City Hall. The intention is to be able to relocate as many vendors as possible, King noted, and vendors have already been told that they will not be able to have the same amount of space that they are accustomed to currently. “It is in a ruinous condition; it is a calamity waiting to happen,” King expressed about the state of the wharf at the moment. So far, he said he has not heard anything from the Ministry of Infrastructure, the agency undertaking the repair works. Another section of the derelict roof at Stabroek Market collapsed again earlier this month, threatening the lives and limbs of vendors;

some of whom were present when the incident occurred. Two weeks ago, Venture provided a graphic demonstration of the dire state of the Stabroek Market Wharf and called for the immediate removal of the vendors there. But City Councillors nevertheless voted by majority to give the sellers more time to remain there. Venture was not the only one who called for immediate evacuation, as Town Clerk Royston King and a number of councillors pleaded with Mayor Patricia Chase-Green to have the area cleared right away. An area west of the Public Buildings has been identified to house the vendors who are affected by the situation at the wharf, but it has not yet been prepared by the City Council for persons to occupy. Venture, by means of a PowerPoint presentation, showed councillors pictures of the wharf in an effort to underscore the gravity of the situation there following the recent collapse of another section of it. The photos, some obtained with the aid of a drone, showed rotting beams and flimsy structures that could come down at any time. The photos also attest to the practice of speedboat operators tying their boats to the said dilapidated wharf while loading them with passengers.

Warder finds cannabis during walkabout A PRISON warder, who was walking around the inner perimeter of the Camp Street prison compound on Tuesday, saw two small parcels of suspected narcotics taped with transparent scotch tape. When he opened it, he discovered it was cannabis. The substance when weighed amounted to 157 grammes. Smuggling of contraband items into the prison facilities, including the maximum security facility at Mazaruni, has been a growing issue. Acting Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels had sternly warned that officers found colluding in such activity will face the law. Samuels had expressed concern about the amount of prohibited items being smuggled into the prisons. Despite regular routine searches over the past few weeks, he explained, contraband items continue to be discovered. These items, which have been deemed the “minor ones”, include cellular phones, marijuana and local wine. The situation, he added, should be a concern, as he reminded officers of their duties and sternly warned that those found culpable will face the law. “Getting rid of contraband in prison cannot be a fight by a few. Collective effort is required. The well-established syndicate may think that they are safe and secure but they cannot be allowed to continue. We will continue our searches and those found to be colluding in trafficking contraband will have to answer to the law. We cannot compromise,” Samuels said.

- City Engineer issues cease order

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Heritage Month to kick off with Hallelujah service THE Indigenous community countrywide is gearing up for the commencement of activities for Heritage Month 2018. The month-long activities will commence with a religious service at the Heritage Village, Sophia which will feature a Hallelujah Group from Region Seven, the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs said in a release. Coordinator of the activity, Ms. Valarie Dorrick, explained recently that the only indigenous faith

be participating in the Religious Service. Last year a group of six persons from Kangaruma Village, Middle Mazaruni and Kamarang Upper Mazaruni, Region Seven, for the first time, led the religious service with prayer and divine worship in their native Akawaio Language. This year, a 12-member group from Jawalla Village, Upper Mazaruni Region Seven, will lead the service and Dorrick explained that the service will begin with a “Wada Boo Call” or the sound of

Hallelujah worshippers in action that exists in Guyana is the “Hallelujah Religion” and as such, the service will embody activities in accordance with this religion. This form of worship is predominantly carried out by several villages in Regions Seven, Eight and Nine. It will be the second time Hallelujah worshippers will

a horn traditionally used by the indigenous nations cross Guyana as a signal to assemble. “That’s how we are going to start along with a welcome dance into the service. This is a religious dance, so we are See page 27

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Top Victoria students receive bursaries

VICTORIA native and Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings, this week handed out bursaries to the village’s top 10 National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) students. Those students were Darion Peters who topped the village with 490 marks, second was Cofi Murphy (487), third Eshanna McFarlane (478), Linicia Fredricks (470), Keifa Morrison (470), Larhonda Campbell (457), Daniel Bishop (455), Azaniah Hopkinson (450), Isaiah Fraser (443) and Travis Thomas (439). Minister Cummings told the students: “The basic education you received from primary school is the platform from which you can launch yourself into the future.” She also commended the parents for their contributions: “I urge you to continue supporting your children as they move on to bigger things in life. Continue to teach them about life, its challenges and rewards and allow them the space necessary

for them to find out for themselves.” Also, appreciation was given to the hardworking teachers who guided the students to meet their fullest potential. “Teachers, your work is a vocation. We can never thank you enough, love you enough, pay you enough. Yours is a career of love and service. I would like to say a great, big sincere thank you to each one of you.” She concluded “To you the awardees, as you move on to the next stage of your life, I urge you to be the best and give of your best in all that you do. If you are going to be a lawyer, then be the best lawyer you can be. If you’re going to be a teacher, then be the best teacher you can be.” The initiative was made possible through a collaborative effort between the minister and the Victoria Educational Trust Committee. The committee seeks to empower youths in the Victoria community through various education-related initiatives. (DPI)

Heritage Month to kick off ...

From page 26

doing the dance to religious songs, so you can come out and be a part of the service”, Dorrick explained. Guyanese were given the opportunity to witness first hand, activities surrounding worship by this group when all present participated in a religious dance after joining hands in a large group setting and moving orderly in a circle and stopping periodically to conduct various acknowledgements in accordance with the religion. This exercise lasted for approximately half of an hour with Minister within the Ministry, Valerie Garrido-Lowe’s, full participation. Ministers of the Government, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and other dignitaries will be in attendance and share in the experience of the Hallelujah worship. The Service begins at 17:00hrs and will be broadcasted live on the National Communications Network Radio and Television.

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Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings and officials pose with the students who received bursary awards

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Guyana Foundation expanding operations

FOUNDER of the Guyana Foundation, Supriya Singh-Bodden, will travel shortly to the United Kingdom to establish a presence of the organisation there for persons who have expressed an interest in contributing to its work. The mental health education and counselling programmes, the skills training programmes and the community renewal programmes, have touched thousands of lives in a positive way since the organisation was established in 2013. The Founda-

tion will soon open another Sunrise Centre in Georgetown. The Foundation’s work has gained international support from universities, Scotiabank, other global foundations, Rotary International. “Guyana needs unity, Guyana needs healing, it is clear that if a road map is not found to sincerely and genuinely create this way forward, our communities will continue to be troubled no matter what any politician says,” Singh-Bodden said. She added: “We can con-

tinue to do our programmes, we can do thousands of programmes but we cannot fix the deep-seated problems in each community, we cannot lift the general fog that pins people down in poverty, making them feel hopeless. We can only do so much. If you read recently of the mother who stabbed her toddler to death and you were horrified then we have to tell you that there is more of this level of dysfunction in our communities. Our work reveals this every day.” However hard and difficult forging a united Guyana

is, she said it has to be done if Guyanese are to really make any headway. “No one wants to hear from divided leaders. No side is bringing them hope that all will be well; some feel they are taken care of, some feel they are abandoned, that is the nature of the fractured politics of Guyana. Oil cannot help us. We need to be united,” Singh-Bodden explained. She continued: “We say this with great conviction because we have worked in the villages and we have seen firsthand, that the people

are too needy, too shattered, too poor, too troubled. Nice words and photo ops showing some small handout we give to them is no longer enough. We will continue our work because if we stop, there would be a terrible void and one less good thing happening in the lives of the poor people of Guyana. Yes, we have thousands of very poor people whether we want to admit it or not.” Guyana Foundation is saying a united Guyana is the only way to bring healing to the communities.

Founder of the Guyana Foundation, Supriya Singh-Bodden

UNICEF wants Venezuelan refugee children enrolled in local school system DAYS before school reopens, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said it is prepared to double its financial support to ensure the Venezuelan refugee children here, are accommodated in the local education system. In a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Guyana and Suriname’s UNICEF Representative, Sylvie Fouet said while UNICEF has initiated a Contingency Plan of US$30,000 to provide much needed relief supplies to Regions One, Seven and Nine where Venezuelans have crossed the borders in search of food and shelter, it stands ready to double and if needed triple its support. “We started with the US$30,000 but we can triple that, it depends on the needs, we call this emergency relief. So far we have planned US$100,000 and then we can double, if needed,” the UNICEF Representative told this newspaper. Fouet noted that UNICEF is helping the Education Ministry to put the necessary systems in place to accommodate the Venezuelan children in schools within Regions One, Seven and Nine. “It is important to mention when we support one child coming from Venezuela we always support one child from the community, so it is one and one,” she pointed out. As of June, 2018, 11 of the 74 schools in Region One (Barima-Waini) had accepted children from neighbouring Venezuela. Language barrier is among the challenges facing the Venezuelan children, and as such UNICEF will be offering support in the form of interpreters. The Government through the Mabaruma Mayor and Town Council secured 5 acres of lease land from the Broomes Estate for the establishment of a homestead settlement area or humanitarian centre for registered Venezuelans, in Barima-Waini (Region One). The land was owned by the late Dr. Edward Broomes. The plot of land is located next to the Atabani Creek, and within one mile of the Regional Administration Office, the Mabaruma Regional Hospital, the North-West Secondary School and the Mabaruma Primary School. The economic turmoil facing Venezuela has resulted, in the past few months, in many Venezuelans seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. Many are in search of food and housing. A multi-agency coordinating committee has been working alongside UNICEF, International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Human Rights’ Council (UNHRC) to determine areas of collaboration and support.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Guyana represented at int'l police women's confab

ACP Maxine Graham in Canada at the parade TWENTY-six females and one male rank led by Assistant Commissioner (Administration) Maxine Graham, paraded in Calgary, Canada, in observance of the 56th Annual Training Conference of the International Association of Women Police. The conference is being held under the theme

“Leading Change.� The opening of the conference was held on Sunday 26th, August at the Hyatt Hotel, followed by the parade of the nations to the BMO Centre, which is the venue of the conference. The conference was attended by some 700 delegates from 40 countries.

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Mother to appear in court for son's murder

TWENTY-SIX-YEAROLD Brenda Ferreira is expected to make her appearance before Magistrate Peter Hugh at the Cove and John Magistrate’s Court today (August 29) for the murder of her three-year-old son.

The charge against Ferreira alleges that on August 25, 2018 at Foulis, East Coast Demerara, she murdered her son, Ramdeo Ferreira. The mother of two was arrested last Saturday, after police accused her of

stabbing her three-year-old son to death and placing his lifeless body on the family bed at their Foulis, East Coast Demerara home. Neighbours had told the Guyana Chronicle, that the woman was heard

Brenda Ferreira saying before being taken away by the police, that she had a dream that she was going to die and wanted her favourite child with her in the afterlife.

Her six-year-old son who witnessed the stabbing, reportedly started screaming and ran out of the yard to inform his father’s sister who lived nearby. The father was said to be at work at a lumber yard when news of his son’s demise reached him. The police found the child lying unconscious on the bed where his mother had placed him. He was immediately taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, but died while receiving treatment. In an interview with this publication, many neighbours described the assailant as someone who showed very little interest in her children. One mother in the area said the couple has been living in the

neighbourhood for several years, and that the mother was never a good example for her children. “The father is a good man,” the woman said. “He is respected because he tries. He lost his job at GuySuCo and it was hard for them, but he later got a work at the lumber yard. “The Child Care and Protection Agency had visited them before and I don’t know what was done, but the agency seemed to know something was wrong.” Another neighbour said that the police were summoned to the home the night before the incident, after the woman was seen beating up on the house and fence with pots and pans.

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Ex-GDF officer’s P.I. winding down THE preliminary inquiry (PI) against former Guyana Defence Force captain, Orwain Sandy, who is charged with the murder of his reputed wife, is winding down before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman. On Tuesday the PI continued and was adjourned until September 14 when the final witnesses will be cross-examined. The PI is being conducted with evidence led by Police Prosecutor Corporal Shawn Gonsalves and Sandy is being represented by attorney James Bond. Sandy, who served as Special Assistant to the Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, is cur-

March 31. A post-mortem report revealed that Payne died from 14 gunshot wounds to her body–13 to her chest and one to the head. The police have confirmed that Sandy used his service firearm during the shooting. Police sources also related that the soldier had on one occasion

Orwain Sandy rently on remand for the March 31, 2018 murder of Reona Payne at First Street, Alexander Village. According to reports, Sandy, after committing the act, surrendered to police at the Ruimveldt Police Station on Saturday,

Slapped with two counts of rape on E’bo AS the police investigation into a series of home invasions in the Essequibo area where the female of the household was raped during the horrific ordeal, a father of three was on Tuesday slapped with two counts of rape. George Butters made his appearance before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and was not required to enter a plea for the inGeorge Butters dictable charges which were read in camera. The first charge alleged that on August 13, 2018 at Lima Public Road, Essequibo Coast, Butters engaged in sexual penetration with 48-year-old woman without her consent. It is also alleged that Butters between August 20, 2018 and August 21, 2018 at Danielstown, Essequibo Coast, he engaged in sexual penetration with a 31-year-old woman without her consent. Butters, was arrested last week as the police continued their investigations into a series of break and enter offences in the Essequibo district, where the female victims were raped. More charges are likely to be laid against Butters as more victims are coming forward. The accused was released on a total of $400,000 bail and had his matter transferred to the Anna Regina Magistrate’s Court for September 11.

lodged his firearm at the police station during a domestic dispute. One source said the soldier had suspected that Payne was being unfaithful and was conversing with someone from overseas. It was reported that Sandy had planned to drop Payne off at her place of work

when she received a phone call, allegedly from the same person from overseas. When the soldier questioned her and asked her to desist from railroading their relationship, an argument ensued and in the vicinity of the masjid in First Street, Alexander Village, Payne is said to

have grabbed the soldier’s firearm and threw it out of the car. According to the source, Sandy stopped the vehicle to retrieve the weapon and Payne exited too. Sandy after picking up the gun fired in the woman’s direction and emptied the entire magazine in the process.

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Bunbury encouraging Guyanese players to try-out for new Canadian professional football league

ALEX Bunbury, one the most recognisable figures in Canadian football, is making a public pitch for Guyanese players to take advantage of the Canadian Premier League (CPL) try-outs which start in September. The fledgling Canadian pro football league is holding open try-outs for players from as young as 16 years old, in seven Canadian cities, starting September 20 in Halifax. Registration is $200 for the two-day trials, although players will have to survive the cut to get to Day 2. It’s a start to populating the rosters of HFX Wander-

ers FC, York 9 FC, Forge FC, Valour FC, Cavalry FC, FC Edmonton and Pacific FC ahead of the league’s kickoff in April of 2019. It was announced that Bunbury will lead the trials, with coaches and/or technical staff from each of the seven CPL teams in attendance (Hamilton’s Forge FC has yet to announce its coach). Speaking exclusively with Chronicle Sport yesterday, Bunbury who hails from the village of Plaisance said that he’s looking forward to “working with the Guyana Football

Federation (GFF) to bring some players (from Guyana) over for try-outs, to give them an opportunity to play in Canada.” Bunbury said that he sees this move from him to open doors for players as delivering on a promise made three years ago. “I gave the general public my word when I came (to Guyana) three years ago, that I want to give opportunities for young people, and I wanted to make sure that doors are open for them. Sometimes, these things take a little time and I hope that people can see we’re

making that effort, that is the people in my organisation, ABSA Inc. My managers like Junior Forester, are doing their part to ensure that we doing things on a local basis as well,” the Canadian Hall of Fame inductee stated. CPL OPEN TRIALS DATES: Halifax: September 20-21 Montreal: September. 27-28 Hamilton: October 1-2 Toronto: October 11-12 Winnipeg: October 18-19 Calgary: October 25-26 Victoria: November 5-6

Guyana to clash with Paraguay today in Americas Rugby Challenge THE country’s 15s rugby team will once again be in action at the Americas Rugby Challenge today, when they come up against Paraguay. The tournament, which is being played in Colombia, saw Guyana go down 71-7 against the host nation’s side on the event’s opening day, while Par-

aguay got the better of Mexico 45-36. Looking into today’s game, Ryan Gonsalves, Guyana’s team captain, had told Chronicle Sport that Paraguay’s style of play is similar to that of Colombia, and that his troops are looking to correct the mistakes made in their first game, to

come out with the ‘W’ today. Apart from Gonsalves, the ‘Green Machine’ squad also features Jason Tyrell, Allain Crawford, Rondel McArthur, Kevon David, Grantley Williams, Richardson Staglon, Jamal Angust, Cloyd Prowell, Lancelot Adonis, Avery Corbin, Claudius Butts and Godfrey Broomes.

Also making the squad selected by the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) are David Garnett, Joseph Rahaman, Cyon Kitt, Ahmad Isaacs, Vallon Adams, Walter George, Sean Phillips, James Osborne, Daniel DeAbrue, Toby David, Selwin Henry and O’Neil Charles. (Rawle Toney)

Tanvir’s late fireworks inspires Warriors to thrilling four-wicket win IMRAN Tahir’s four-wicket burst and Sohail Tanvir’s late fireworks with the bat saw Guyana Amazon Warriors to a thrilling four-wicket Caribbean Premier League (CPL) victory last night over St Kitts & Nevis Patriots at Warner Park. A fourth win in six leaves the Warriors well-placed at the head of the Hero CPL table, alongside Trinbago Knight Riders and Jamaica Tallawahs on eight points. (Scores: Guyana Amazon Warriors 169/6 (Tanvir 37*, Mohammed 36, Brathwaite 2/23, Cutting 2/36) beat St Kitts & Nevis Patriots 168/7 (Gayle 40, Devcich 35, Imran Tahir 4/22) by four wickets with one ball remaining. An all-round batting effort in which six men reached double-figures but nobody made more than Tanvir’s 37 not out saw the Warriors overhaul the Patriots’ 168/7 in the final over as the home side were left to rue a wayward bowling performance that gave up 19 extras – 15 of which were wides. Luke Ronchi got the runchase off to a brisk start with 28 from 16 balls but wickets

fell at regular intervals and for much of the innings the Warriors appeared to be behind the pace as Carlos Brathwaite and Mahmudullah produced tight spells and Ben Cutting grabbed one of the catches of the season with a flying one-handed grab on the boundary to remove the dangerous Cameron Delport. Tanvir, though, turned the game brilliantly and decisively Guyana’s way. He has form in the Hero CPL having made an 18- ball 50 for St. Lucia Zouks and teed off here to make an unbeaten 37 from 20 and lead his side home. The penultimate over delivered by Sheldon Cottrell proved the key as Tanvir started and finished it with big Hero Maximums over the leg-side to leave the Warriors needing just three more runs from the final over. Despite a couple of nervy dot balls Tanvir and Chris Green scrambled the three singles they needed to get over the line with a ball to spare. The Patriots had earlier finished with a competitive total in a stop-start innings that leant heavily on Chris Gayle at the start and some lower-order hitting as Tahir dominated the

middle overs with a mesmerizing spell of 4/22. Gayle was initially watchful, recording just a single from his first nine balls, but roared into life when a full-toss from Green allowed him to free his arms and launch the first of his three Hero Maximums. The other two followed in the fifth over, bowled by the previously unhittable Tanvir. Gayle added three fours in the over for good measure to more than double the score at 47/0 while also becoming the first man to cross 2000 career runs in the Hero CPL. With new Warriors captain Rayad Emrit’s first over going for 15 - Evin Lewis taking 10 from two balls in a welcome return to form - the Power Play had brought 62/0 despite only 12 runs being on the board after three. The Warriors needed something to change, and it did. Keemo Paul started his spell inauspiciously with three wides well outside Gayle’s off stump, but that line did the trick in the end as the big man slashed a cut to Cameron Delport at point to depart for 40 from 27 balls. That wicket and the introduction of Tahir sparked a collapse 11:05 hrs Trust In Gold

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from 71/0 to 102/5 that would in the end prove so important. Bowling almost exclusively googlies, Tahir took a wicket in each of his four overs to rob the Patriots of any mid-innings momentum and derail their flying start. Lewis was caught at short third-man for 28, and the first ball after the Carib Drinks break hurried through Brandon King’s defences. Devon Thomas was trapped plumb in front by a big-spinning wrong ‘un before Mahmudullah holed out to mid-wicket. Tom Cooper was lbw to Roshon Thomas for just 9 as Anton Devcich held the middle part of the innings together for the Patriots almost single-handedly with 35 off 24 before falling to Tanvir’s final ball of the night. That left big-hitting all-rounders Ben Cutting and Carlos Brathwaite the final over to attack, a task they approached with gusto. Cutting launched two sixes down the ground before Brathwaite crunched the last ball of the innings back past the expensive Emrit for four, but their efforts would be upstaged by Tanvir’s in the end.(CPL website) Kempton 12:55 hrs Falathaat 13:25 hrs King’s Slipper 13:55 hrs Maaward 14:25 hrs Jedhi 14:55 hrs Thunder Speed 15:55 hrs Penwood Irish Racing Tips Bellewstown 11:05 hrs Akua 11:35 hrs Dreamboat Dave 12:05 hrs Highway To Heaven 12:35 hrs Bracebridge Hall 13:05 hrs Nitro Boost 13:35 hrs Little Clarinet 14:05 hrs Astronomer 14:35 hrs Match My Fire

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Stadium built for Russia’s World Cup left in dark over unpaid bills By Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber

MOSCOW, Russia (Reuters) - Electricity was cut yesterday at a Russian stadium built for this year’s football World Cup over unpaid bills, a power supplier in the city of Samara told Reuters, despite President Vladimir Putin saying he did not want such venues to fall into disuse. Samaraenergo (SAGO. MM) said the power supply

was cut early yesterday because PSO Kazan, the company that built the 42,000-seat stadium, had not paid its electricity bills this year and had racked up 9,216,000 rubles (£105,593) in debt. “We waited for a long time, we delayed the power cut,” said Olga Perkova, a spokeswoman for Samaraenergo. “Because PSO Kazan did not resolve the issue of paying its debt, a decision was made to cut electricity.”

But after an internal meeting yesterday, Samaraenergo decided to turn the power back on because of upcoming Russian Premier League matches at the Samara Arena, even though it remains unclear when PSO Kazan will clear its debt, Perkova said. PSO Kazan did not reply to a request for comment. Krylia Sovetov Samara, a Russian Premier League club, will face Anzhi Makhachkala at the stadium on Saturday.

A general view shows the Samara Arena in Samara, Russia May 6, 2018. (REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo)

Five-week Hearts of Oak Teach Them Young f/ball camp concludes THE 21st Annual Hearts of Oak Masters Football Camp concluded over the past weekend with a presentation and prize-giving ceremony at the Prison Officers Sports Club, Penitentiary Walk, New Amsterdam. The camp, which commenced on July 20, was held in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Cohesion, Youth, Sport and Culture and the Guyana Prison Service (GPS). The All Saints Scot Church ground, the All Saints Primary School and the GPS’s Sports Club were

the venues used for the theory and practical sessions during the five-week duration and attracted over 100 participants. Both boys and girls, ranging from four to 20 years old, were divided into three sections – four to eight years, nine to 12 years and 12 years and over. During the five weeks, the participants were taught the various ways of receiving, passing, shooting, dribbling, heading, overlapping, goalkeeping and throwing in the ball. They were also schooled in defending, attacking, over-

lapping and set plays, along with the rules of the game, discipline, etiquette, HIV and AIDS and general education. The participants, during the course of the camp, were presented with football gear and equipment and back-toschool supplies. During the camp, several resource personnel spoke to the youths. These persons included acting Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels, members of the Guyana Police Force, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Public Health and Ministry of Social Cohesion.

Rose Hall Jammers book semi-final spot in Karibee Basketball Tournament RAYBURN Murray helped Rose Hall Jammers get past Canje Knights, finishing with 21 points five rebounds nine assists, as the Jammers ended with a 62-58-point victory last Sunday at the Rose Hall Town basketball court. Also contributing for the Jammers was Mickel Lewis who added 14 points seven rebounds five assists, along with Haifa Walters who added12 points with one assist. Meanwhile scoring for the Knights were Steve Roopnarine and Travis Suiton who added 17 points each while Kevon Emmanuel chipped in with 10. The competition will continue on Sunday (September 2) at the Ithaca Basketball Court, where Ithaca will play against the New Amsterdam Thunders startiat 16:00hrs.

Krylia Sovetov did not reply to a request for comment, but wrote on Twitter yesterday afternoon that power had been turned back on. The Russian Premier League referred questions on the use of World Cup stadiums to Sport-In, a state-run company that manages the venues built for the tournament. When contacted yesterday, Sport-In said prepara-

tions for Saturday’s match were underway as usual. Authorities had scrambled in the run-up to the World Cup to finish work at the venue, following a series of construction delays. The stadium hosted six tournament matches, including England’s 2-0 quarter-final win against Sweden. Russia hosted the World Cup in June and July in 12 stadiums spread across 11

cities, and the authorities have pledged that the newly-built venues will be put to good use. Putin last month urged the government to ensure the infrastructure did not fall into disuse. But Russia has run into problems at some of its new stadiums. A day after last month’s final, heavy rain damaged the newly-built stadium in the southern city of Volgograd.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 29, 2018

United pay the price for dismantling Ferguson’s legacy By Simon Evans MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - The most significant aspect of Manchester United’s 3-0 home defeat by Tottenham Hotspur on Monday was just how routine and ordinary it all felt. United have suffered bad defeats at Old Trafford in the past of course, but usually the opposition have to produce a truly outstanding display to leave with such a result. Not this time. Mauricio Pochettino’s side played well but not astonishingly so. They waited for their moments and killed off the opposition. It was the kind of performance top Premier League clubs routinely put in against more modest teams. Perhaps that should no longer be surprising. In the five years since Alex Ferguson retired, United have gradually become, on the field at least, what many thought they would never be - just another club. How has that happened? How have United, unlike their continental peers - such as Barcelona, Juventus, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich - been unable to maintain continuity as an institution during the inevitable change of managers? The word legacy is over-

used and sometimes misused in sport, but it is quite literally what was left by Ferguson when he stood down after 27 years, 13 league titles and two Champions League triumphs.

‘Fergie way’ or the ‘United way’ was weakened to the point where now it is almost nostalgia. The exodus began when David Moyes, who had been expected to work with Fer-

The exodus at Man United began when David Moyes decided to make wholesale replacement of staff.

Ferguson filled the whole of the club with a winning culture but also, more concretely, a staff of people who had been deeply embedded in his approach to the game, who had the know-how, the experience and the intelligence to understand exactly how the Scot’s approach had brought so much success. With little fuss or attention, those people have gradually left the club and with them went the connection to those glory-filled years and the culture of the

guson’s staff quickly decided to remove them and bring in his own lieutenants from Everton. So out went first-team coach and assistant manager Mike Phelan and his 14 years’ experience working alongside Ferguson, respected goalkeeping coach Eric Steele and Rene Meulensteen, the Dutch coach who Ferguson first brought to United in 2001. There was surprise at Moyes’ cull but little public criticism at the time. One of the few to raise his voice was

former Liverpool forward Michael Owen who had spent three years at Old Trafford towards the end of his career and witnessed how Ferguson’s staff operated.

Alex Ferguson stood down after 27 years with 13 league titles and two Champions League triumphs.

“Change is always risky and United had no choice but to look to the future when Sir Alex left, but did it really have to be so wholesale?,” he asked in 2014. “I was surprised when the backroom trio was asked to leave and in retrospect it upset the dynamic at the club even more than Sir Alex’s departure,” he said. But the exodus continued. Brian McClair, like Phelan, a former title-winning United player, left the

club in 2015 and with him went all his experience as reserve team manager and head of the club’s famous youth academy. ACADEMY DIRECTOR Former academy director and coach of United’s Under-18 team Paul McGuinness also left the club in 2015. During his time working with McClair, United saw 86 academy players go on to make a first-team debut and 23 become full internationals. Both McGuinness and Steele are now working for England’s Football Association in coaching roles. The list goes on: Warren Joyce, who had managed United’s reserve team from 2008, left in 2016 and Tony Strudwick, the head of performance with over a decade at Old Trafford, departed to work with Wales in June. At Wales, Strudwick has teamed up with another man with vast experience, deeply imbued with the Ferguson approach - Ryan Giggs. Giggs, who worked as Louis van Gaal’s assistant, is one of a number of former Ferguson-era players who might have been expected to continue as a long-term part of the United coaching structure - Paul Scholes along with Gary

and Phil Neville earn their living as television pundits rather than developing talent at the Carrington training-ground. Van Gaal’s staff have come and gone and Mourinho has brought in more new faces while the only nod towards the club’s past was the appointment of Michael Carrick as part of the firstteam coaching staff. None of this was inevitable. In the past, top clubs have proved capable of maintaining their internal culture despite changes on the bench. Most famously Liverpool, after Bill Shankly’s transformative 15 years in charge, enjoyed continued success for many years by appointing from within. United will never truly be “just another club”, their history and their huge fan-base ensured that, but while they remain a successful business they have done what no major company would do. They have allowed their key talent to leave, taking with them all the experience and knowledge of what made the operation so successful. All of which, regardless of Mourinho’s short-term future, will make re-finding that success so much harder.

President’s Cup provisional Bacchus XI, Rising Star through to semi-finals in Essequibo T20 tournament race programme released STABLE owners, get ready, the provisional race programme for the Annual President’s Cup horse racing scheduled for September 30 has been released. According to the programme, the fixture seven races will be contested at the Rising Sun Turf Club. The feature event is open to all Guyana-bred horses where colts 115lb and fillies 112lb and also accommodates all fillies and mares imported in 2018 as of August 20. The bounty of $1M will go to the winning steed’s owner. The co-feature will require the cavalry in the E Class and Lower for a top prize of $500 000. Other races on the card include the: J3 and Lower ($350 000), L Class Open - (allows 3 Year Old Non-Earner in last 2 starts) ($300 000), L Class Maiden ($250 000), 2 YearOld Guyana-bred malden ($200 000) and L Non-Earners in 2018 ($50 000). According to the programme, all horse owners must pay $5 000 on or before September 23 for their animal names to be entered in the programme where they must fill out the entry form attached. This money is non­ refundable and will be deducted from your final entry. The one-day event is organised by the Caribbean Nations Group in collaboration with the Rising Sun Turf Club. For more information, contact Dr Steven Cheefoon M.D (677-8780), Nerissa Gopal (672-2792), Manisha Rikha (615-3369), Andre James (666-8819) and Fazal Habibulla (657-7010).

HOSTS Bacchus XI and Rising Star played superbly to register semi-final spots last Sunday in the South Essequibo-sponsored T20 Invitational tournament which was delayed due to the inclement weather. When play began at the Imam Bacchus ground in Affiance, Bacchus XI didn’t hesitate to bat first after winning the toss, under bright sunshine and on a placid pitch against Walton Hall. However, the game was reduced to a 16-over affair due to a late start. Bacchus XI then batted solidly to tally 110-9 from their quota of overs. Former national youth players Yogeshwar Lall’s brisk 33 (2x6 and 3x4) and Parmesh Parsotam’s fluent 25 (2x4) ensured that the hosts posted a competitive total. Off-spinner Uvindra Balgobin had impressive figures of 4-15 from 4 overs while medium fast-bowler Ganesh Singh also bowled superbly to claim 3-20 from his 4 overs. In reply, Walton Hall despite a valiant effort was restricted for 82-8 in their allotted 16 overs with Rana Persaud

18 and Vishwanauth Lall 15 being the principal scorers. Off-spinner Kulraj Persaud bowled with control and varying spin to grab 3-14 from his 4 overs to give the defending champions a 28-run win.

hammering 51 decorated with 3x6 and 3x4 while former national youth batsman Ricardo Peters’ 30 (3x4) and Quintin Sampson’s 25 admirably supported the imposing total. Left-arm spinner Javid Azeez had 3-30 from his 4 overs to briefly stem the flow of runs. In response, the Jaguars were never in the hunt and instead crawled to 79-9 when their overs expired. Only Norman Fredericks with 18 looked threatening. Leg-spinner Ryan Ramdass produced a tight spell to earn 3-14 from his 4 overs while Brian Ramdass 2-10 and Quintin Sampson 2-11 ensured

that the Jaguars were captured without much resistance. Meanwhile Bacchus XI will now reach New Opportunity Corps (NOC) while Rising Star will battle against Reliance Hustlers in the two semi-finals set for Sunday, September 2, at the Imam Bacchus ground in Affiance on the Essequibo Coast. Umpires Deva Dass and Wazeer Dhanraj will officiate what is expected to be a tense battle among a number of exciting players who will be eager to stamp their authority and claim victory for their respective teams. (Elroy Stephney).

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Wednesday August 29, 2018) Kemol Savory celebrates a fine half century.

In the second encounter at the same venue, Rising Star shone brilliantly to tame the Jaguars for a massive 86-run triumph. After winning the toss, Rising Star plundered runs at will and raced to 1656 from their allotted 17 overs. Essequibo Franchise player Kemol Savory was savage in

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) 14 times (2) Andre Russell Today’s Quiz: (1) Who delivered the first ball in Hero CPL 2018? (2) Who faced it?

ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

41

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Bolt admits to nerves ahead of Mariners debut

USAIN Bolt said he was not used to the changeable pace of top-level football as he prepares to play his first game for Central Coast Mariners. The eight-time Olympic gold medallist sprinter is on an open-ended trial at the A-League club and he is set to make his first appearance when the Mariners take on a local amateur team on Friday. Bolt, who played a friendly during a trial with Norwegian side Stromsgodset earlier in the year, admitted he would be nervous as he takes another step towards his dream of being a professional footballer. “There will be nerves,” the 100m world record-holder told reporters. “It’s not like it is a charity game anymore, this is a

career that I am pursuing. “I expect to make mistakes but also to make myself proud and to push myself. I know I am not going to have a perfect game. “I have been playing on the left wing so far, that is where I have been placed

and what I am working with. I am not used to going up and down in speed, back and forth. I think that is the most challenging thing. “It is all about practising, going through the rounds and pushing myself to try and get used to the

Usain Bolt reminded reporters that it would not be a charity game as he prepares to make his bow for Central Coast Mariners.

system. I have time, so I am going to take my time to learn new ways and continue pushing.” Bolt said former Reading midfielder Kalifa Cisse, who played one season in the Premier League with the Royals in 200708, had been helping him to prepare for Australian football. “He is really explaining to me, and he has been in the Premier League,” Bolt said of the former Mali international. “So he has explained the level and he has explained how this league is and how they play here and how he thinks I should play so far. “We have been talking a lot and he has been explaining to me a few things. So he has been key so far.” (Omnisport)

Djokovic battles through brutal heat to topple Fucsovics By Amy Tennery

NEW YORK (Reuters) Novak Djokovic overcame Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-0 in the U.S. Open first round on Tuesday in punishing temperatures that prompted officials to observe a heat rule for men’s singles matches for the first time. The players took a 10-minute break between the third and fourth sets to help them cope with temperatures climbing above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius). The pair, who were not allowed to speak to their coaches during the break,

spent the downtime sideby-side, “naked in the ice baths,” Djokovic said in a

post-match broadcast interview. “It was quite a magnificent

Novak Djokovic

feeling, I must say,” he added. After claiming the first set, a visibly exhausted Djokovic smashed his racket as Fucsovics led 3-2 in the second. In between the action, both players draped themselves in ice towels and at one point Djokovic sat shirtless in his seat. The Serb came roaring back in the third set, clawing his way from 3-1 down before sweeping Fucsovics in the fourth. Djokovic was back at the U.S. Open for the first time since 2016 after claiming his fourth Wimbledon title this year and completing a sweep of Masters series events.

Speedster Beaton cleared to resume bowling

Ronsford Beaton

LONDON, England (CMC) – West Indies fast bowler Ronsford Beaton’s career was handed a huge boost yesterday when the International Cricket Council (ICC) cleared him to resume bowling in international cricket. The 25-year-old played two One-Day Internationals against New Zealand last December but was reported by match officials for a suspect action following the second ODI in Christ Church. He was subsequently banned last May after failing an independent assessment. However, Beaton underwent remedial work on his action and the ICC said it now conformed to the “15-degree level of tolerance” under their regulations. “Beaton’s remodelled bowling action was assessed at Loughborough University in England on August 13, where it was revealed that the amount of elbow extension for all his deliveries was within the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under the ICC Illegal Bowling Regulations,” the ICC said. “Match Officials are still at liberty to report Beaton if they believe he is displaying a suspect action and not reproducing the legal action from the assessment. To assist the Match Officials, they will be provided with images and video footage of the bowler’s remodelled legal bowling action.” Beaton is currently a member of the Trinbago Knight Riders squad participating in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League but is yet to play a game.

CA says no evidence of Australian corruption in new documentary MELBOURNE, Australia (Reuters) - Cricket Australia has reviewed spot-fixing allegations against their players contained in a new documentary on corruption in the sport and has not found any evidence to support them, the body’s chief executive James Sutherland said yesterday. Sutherland said news organisation Al Jazeera was set to broadcast a follow-up documentary to its programme ‘Cricket’s Match Fixers’, which aired in May and alleged incidents of

pitch-doctoring at two Test matches and sport-fixing at others. Cricket Australia said the fresh allegations involved “spot-fixing claims against current and former Australian players relating to historical matches from 2011”. “Cricket Australia’s Integrity Unit have conducted a review of the latest claims by Al Jazeera ... and from the limited information provided, our team have not identified any issues of corruption relating to current or former

James Sutherland

Australian players,” Sutherland said in a statement. “We have handed all material over to the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit to enable them to fully investigate and we will continue to cooperate with the ICC.” The International Cricket Council (ICC) in May strongly criticised Al Jazeera for not giving the global governing body unedited documentary footage from the original film to aid their own probe into the allegations.

Launching an appeal to help identify one of the alleged match-fixers in the original documentary yesterday, the ICC said the “absence of any cooperation” from the broadcaster had “slowed” their probe but that they had made “good progress”. “We will provide a full update at the conclusion of the investigation,” Alex Marshall of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) said in a statement. Marshall said the ICC was aware of the second

documentary and had already contacted an “independent betting analysis company” to examine the allegations about particular matches. “As with the first programme we have, we will continue to ask for the cooperation of the broadcaster,” he added. “Access to the raw, unedited footage enables us to build a complete picture around the claims in the documentary and ensure our investigation is as fair and thorough as possible.”

42

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Dave Martin receives RHTY&SC highest Award - The Dolphin Award of Excellence

Part of the action in the Sparta Boss and Avocado Ballers clash (yellow) in the quarterfinal round

Could Uprising upset the odds?

Sparta Boss poised to win another title THEY have shown time and time again no fear for teams on the opposite side of the court and this remarkable characteristic is expected to be on display, when the youthful Uprising unit out of Golden Grove tackle a resurgent Broad Street for a place in the final of the 2nd Annual Three Peat Promotions/ Guinness Cage competition, this Friday, at the Haslington Market tarmac. Following four nights of entertaining football, Uprising remain the only surviving team from the East Coast in what has been dubbed ‘The East Coast Best versus The Rest’. The young ball-weavers have handled the pressure admirably and even though they are facing an inspired Broad Street side, possessing a lot of experience, betting against them is a high risk, since they exhibit plenty of energy in a format that suits them perfectly. Players the calibre of Les Charles Critchlow, Shamar

Scott, Phillip Williams, David Wilson and Seretse Huntley, all make them a formidable unit that may prove too difficult to get past. They showed their fortitude in outlasting a tough Blazers side in sudden-death penalty shootout in their quarter-final clash. On the other hand, Broad Street are one of the most experienced sides in the shorter format and they have already demonstrated that it will take some doing to defeat them. The Gravesande brothers, Jimmy and Rocky, have been to this stage of competition many times in the past and know exactly what it takes to win. They will have support from the likes of tournament joint top-scorer Jamal Cozier and Kevin Cummings, two players with the class to win matches. They also displayed toughness in their 1-0 triumph over a stubborn North East La Penitence side in

their last encounter. However, the game of the night is predicted to be the clash between Sparta Boss and Leopold Street for a place in the final. These two teams met as recently as in the GT Beer ‘Keep Your Five Alive’ competition. Sparta Boss prevailed on that occasion but Leopold Street have looked tough throughout this tournament and must be feeling confident of victory. Sparta Boss will be led by the skilful Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson, who looked increasingly menacing in their last game and could prove to be the X-factor. His support will come from Jermin Junor, Sheldon Shepherd, Courtney Britton and the ‘energiser’ Eusi Phillips, while Leopold Street will be spearheaded by team leader Okanie Fraser, Mark Jhalu, Carl Tudor, Darren Benjamin and Tyrese Forde. Both teams narrowly escaped with wins, but being

RHTY&SC, MS Organising Secretary Ravindra Nauth Kissoonlall hands over the Award to Dave Martin (right).

LEGENDARY Guyanese artiste Dave Martin last Friday was honoured for his outstanding contribution to Culture in the country, by the 10 cricket teams of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club. The Guyanese-born, internationally known singer became the 39th Awardee of the Club’s highest Award - The Dolphin Award of Excellence. Vice-president Mark Papannah headed a four-man committee who visited Martin at his East Coast Demerara home to hand over the prestigious award. The other members of the Committee were Secretary/ CEO Hilbert Foster, Asst Secretary/CEO Simon Naidu and Organising Secretary/Cricket Manager Ravindra Nauth Kissoonlall. Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster at the simple presentation stated that the Dolphin Award of Excellence was the highest of the RHTY & SC’s 12 Awards and it is specially reserved for outstanding Guyanese, whose contributions to the development of Guyana are unmatched. Awardees are also selected based on their position, role model and status to youths across Guyana. Foster hailed Martin as a legend who has placed Guyana on the international stage via his music. Foster stated that Martin was a personal hero of his and informed the attentive singer, that his music has provided countless hours of relaxation at the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club Office over the years. Martin is widely known for songs like We are the Champions, Cricket in the Jungle, Honeymooning Couple and It’s Traditional. His song “Take a Rest, WICB” is also very popular among cricket fans in the Caribbean. He started his musical career, 52 years ago in 1966 and has recorded a total of 104 international tracks. Foster further expressed gratitude to Martin for his service to the development of Guyana and for the role he has played in promoting the country across the globe. A humble Martin expressed his gratitude to the management and members of the RHTY&SC for honouring him. He disclosed that he is aware of the outstanding work the Rose Hall Town-based club is doing to make a positive difference. He congratulated the executives of the club on a job well done and noted that he was honoured to join the outstanding list of Awardees that included President David Granger, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Minister Joseph Harmon, June Mendes, Beverly Harper, Roger Harper, Rajendra Ganga and Christopher Jones. Organising Secretary Ravindra Nauth Kissoonlall handed over the Award to Mr. Martin. The Award consisted of a plaque, a medal, a trophy and a special gift.

in the last four and fighting for a place in the final will definitely help erase those nerve-racking victories. The five-day tournament was organised to foster integration among the participating East Coast Demerara and Georgetown communities, to improve relations and create better understanding among the inhabitants. Among the entities in support of the cause are: Banks DIH under its Guinness and Power Wine brands, Clarks footwear giant 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, Insurance Brokers Guyana Limited and C & C Prestigious Styles.

Exciting climax anticipated in EBFA/Juicy Juice U-13 League … Agricola top with game in hand WITH just six matches left to be played in the inaugural East Bank Football Association (EBFA)/Juicy Juice Under-13 League, an exciting climax is anticipated. Agricola Red Triangle, with one game in hand, currently enjoy the lead at the top of the points table on goal difference, as they are on the same number of points (21) as Timehri Panthers Sports Club who have two matches left to play. No match was played last weekend, but latest results saw the leading goalscorer of the league, Agricola’s Eon Daniels take his tally 31 in eight matches. He was kept goalless in one match, a 1-1 draw with Soesdyke Falcons - their only blemish which may very well work against them in the final analysis and their push for the winners’ trophy.

Winners of the last EBFA U-13 League, Agricola have posted 7 wins, the same as Timehri, but the latter have two matches to play and one would be against Agricola. In recent results, Herstelling Raiders were leading Diamond Upsetters, 4-0, but the match ended prematurely, as the latter players were ordered off the field by their coach with less than a minute to play. The EBFA is investigating the circumstances surrounding same. Herstelling had secured their goals from Solomon Austin in the 41st and 51st minutes, Xavi Atkinson (15th) and Albert Adams (11th) minute. Diamond United trounced Soesdyke Falcons 8-1 on account of goals from Shaquan Braithwaite (29th, 31st, 37th, 46th), Shakeem Welcome

(23rd, 34th), Shaquan Joseph (25th) and an own goal from Soesdyke’s Joshua Saures in the 60th minute. Soesdyke got on the score sheet in the 50th minute through a Daniel Da Costa goal. The Herstelling lads had lost to Swan FC 1-2, Swan’s goals were scored by Kevon De Gios (6th) and Daniel Lonke (45th). Solomon Austin had pulled one back for Herstelling in the 23rd minute. Agricola were rampant once again in their 10-1 triumph over Kuru Kururu Warriors. They were led by Eon Daniels with a helmet-trick (1st, 11th, 19th, 33rd), captain Jonathan Andries with a hattrick (32nd, 38th, 45th), Floyd Boyce (48th, 59th) and Seon Grant in the 19th minute. Marious Johnson scored the Warriors’ consolation goal

in the 42nd minute. Samatta Point/Kaneville edged Harauruni Eagles 3-2; Timehri Panthers trounced Herstelling 7-0; Agricola got past Diamond Upsetters 3-1 while Samatta Point edged Herstelling 2-1 in other matches contested.

Latest Points Table

TEAM

P

W

L

D

GF

GA

GD

POINTS

Agricola

8

7

0

1

49

9

+40

21

Timehri Panthers

7

7

0

0

31

1

+30

21

Diamond United

8

6

1

1

43

12

+31

19

Swan FC

8

4

4

0

11

16

-5

12

Herstelling Raiders

8

3

5

0

15

27

-12

9

SPKV FC

7

3

4

0

14

29

-15

9

Diamond Upsetters

8

3

3

2

17

24

-7

8

Harauruni Eagles

8

2

6

0

7

26

-19

6

Soesdyke Falcons

8

1

5

2

9

21

-12

5

KK Warriors

8

1

7

0

8

41

-33

3

43

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Guyana U-13 Boys finish fifth at Browne sets out selection criteria CRTTF Pre-Cadet Championships

ahead of busy West Indies schedule WITH a busy cricket schedule lined up for the West Indies team over the next couple of years, chairman of selectors Courtney Browne believes they have the “right approach” to select players and is confident the performance of the team will improve steadily. West Indies are scheduled to tour India and Bangladesh in the coming months before they take on England and India at home next year and then head to England for the 50over World Cup next summer. The year 2020 will bring two more ICC events - the World T20 and the Under-19 World Cup. Browne outlined several factors apart from consistent performances, such as players’ attitude, commitment, fitness, among others, that would count towards selection in the future. “When players reveal they are reading more and that they are committed to self-motivation, training and you have seen improved performances, that tells you that some (of) our players are committing themselves to playing the best cricket for West Indies,” Browne said in a CWI release. “Ideally, a selector wants a player that is a self-starter, while that mostly is not the case.”

The release also mentioned Browne’s views on having a second tier of “well-prepared players to put selection pressure on the incumbent players”. The release further said it could be achieved only with a franchise system with pre-season and off-season programmes to improve the quality of players within the region.

WICB Chairman of Selectors Courtney Browne

“This would complement the amount of cricket being played, in different formats, by increasing the quality of play by the pool of players that are available,” the release said. Browne was “adamant” his selection team had the

“right approach” to pick players for the best results. With a more inspective tone, the CWI release further said: “We asked Browne what were some of the thoughts that come to mind when he thinks of his role as the Chairman of Selectors for West Indies Cricket. “We made him write them down, so we have evidence. It was a mix of adjectives and phrases - they include teamwork, challenging, getting the fans to understand the process, teaching and learning and rewarding. “As a follow-up, we asked about the preparation and you will find the process interesting. Browne emphasised ‘research.’ He expanded by highlighting this as a process. The obvious thing to collect is current data on the players; however, an important part of the overall process includes: history of players, venues the players use, teams the players play against, the tour the team/ player is about to play in, attitude of the player, commitment, dedication, discipline, and fitness.” With the above being the “key success factors” for a player to get selected, Browne also said, “A player is required to show consistent performances for at least a two-year

period (ideally three) to be placed in the elite squad.” Currently the World T20 champions, West Indies, have won only two out of the seven T20 series (with more than one match) they have played since the World T20 in early 2016. Since then, they have lost to Pakistan both at home and in the UAE, returned winless from New Zealand and Pakistan and lost 2-1 to Bangladesh in their most recent series. Their form in ODIs has been way worse. The last 50over series they won was over four years ago, when they beat Bangladesh 3-0 at home in 2014. Over the years, they have lost at home to England, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, and away series in India, South Africa, Sri Lanka, UAE (against Pakistan), England and New Zealand. They are currently ranked ninth in the ICC ODI rankings, their lowest in the three formats. Their recent performances in Test matches have been more promising. This year they have won three of the five matches they have played and lost only one. After drawing the three-match series against Sri Lanka 1-1 at home, they went on to whitewash Bangladesh in the two-match series last month. (ESPN Cricinfo)

CAREBACO Championships 2018

Ramdhani through to U-17 Badminton semi-finals

are getting their first taste of being in an international tournament and will gain a lot of experience. This is a stepping stone for them. The Results for day one (Sunday) and two (Monday) are: Under-11 Girls Singles Round Robin: MATCH 1: Mishka Beharry lost to Le Yan Sharon Li of Suriname: 21-7, 21-1 MATCH 2: Mishka Beharry lost to Gillian Jones of

Suriname: 21-5, 21-2 Under-15 Boys Singles: Vikash Mootoo lost to Ky-Mani Ormskerk of Suriname: 21-6, 21-5 Matthew Beharry lost to Rivano Bisphan of Suriname: 21-3, 21-3 Under-15 Boys Doubles: Vikash Mootoo & Matthew Beharry lost to Rivano Bispan & Timothy Karg: 21-6, 21-4 Under-17 Girls Singles: Priyanna Ramdhani defeated Fiona Li: 21-14, 21-1,

GUYANA’S U-13 Boys’ team demolished their Jamaican counterparts on Monday in the Caribbean Regional Table Tennis Federation (CRTTF) Mini and Pre-Cadet Championships being held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to finish fifth out of eight countries. Kaysan Ninvalle was first up for Guyana when he faced Joel Butler whom he duly dispatched in straight sets of 11-9, 12-10, 11-5. Jonathan Van Lange was up next for Guyana and came out on top after a thrilling five-setter against Dujuan Jackson. The scores read 7-11, 11-4, 8-11, 11-7, 13-11. Krystian Sahadeo then sealed the deal for the Guyanese in another five-setter when he beat Andre Richardson 8-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8, 14-12. The 3-0 victory over the Jamaicans meant that Guyana finished fifth out of the eight participating countries. The U-13 team competition was won by the Dominican Republic’s ‘A’ Team who defeated St Lucia 3-2 in the final. Meanwhile, the Guyana U-13 Girls won one of their remaining two round-robin

games to finish fifth out of six countries. In their first encounter, they faced Dominican Republic ‘A’ and lost 3-1 to the hosts. Thuraia Thomas faced Flor Mateo and beat her in sets of 9-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-7 while Nkechi McRae lost in straight sets of 4-11, 3-11, 5-11 to Cinthia Pena. The Dominicans then took the next two games as Deja Datt and Thomas lost to Rosanni Ortega and Pena in sets of 2-11, 2-11, 7-11, 11-13 and 11-7, 11-5, 9-11, 6-11. However, they bounced back to win the second and final encounter of the round-robin stage when they beat the host nation’s ‘B’ team. Nkechi McRae took a five-setter defeating Skarla Santos 11-5, 5-11, 11-9, 7-11, 8-11 while Thomas defeated Vianna Garcy 2-11, 8-11, 15-17. Deja then lost Shanel Mota (11-8, 11-7, 11-7) before Thomas wrapped up proceedings by beating Santos in sets of 12-10, 12-10, 11-5. The U-11 Boys finished fourth out of the six participating teams as the Dominican Republic’s ‘A’ team finished top of the table.

GFF/FIFA Refereeing Assistance Programme to kick off today

Priyanna Ramdhani in U-17 CAREBACO action in Suriname

THE CAREBACO REGIONAL Under-11, U-13, U-15 and U-17 Championships began on Sunday (August 26) at the Ring Sports Center in Paramaribo, Suriname, where Priyanna Ramdhani was the only Guyanese to progress beyond the opening rounds. She has qualified for the U-17 Singles semi-final where she’ll look to book a spot in the gold medal match. Except Ramdhani, all the other Guyanese players

Kaysan Ninvalle and Jonathan Van Lange

to reach into the Semi-Finals. Under-17 Mixed Doubles: Priyanna Ramdhani and Vance Juteram of T&T defeated Kevin Karg and Faith Sariman of Suriname: 219, 21-19 to reach into the Semi-Final Under-17 Girls Doubles Round Robin: Priyanna Ramdhani and Robyn Sobers of Barbados defeated Kayleigh Moenne and Faith Sariman of Suriname: 21-17, 21-17.

THE Guyana Football Federation (GFF)/FIFA Refereeing Assistance Programme (RAP) will commence today at the Conference Room of the Critchlow Labour College on Woolford Avenue. Preceding the session will be an opening ceremony with remarks from GFF president Wayne Forde and Peter Prendergast, FIFA’s Technical Instructor and facilitator of the session. The programme will feature 35 referees including four Targeted Referees and those from Tier One and will consist of classroom and field sessions. A fitness test is also scheduled for tomorrow. The RAP is a capacity-building programme which seeks to create uniformity among elite referees and enable same to meet the demands of the game.

Sohail Tanvir and Chris Green (left) celebrate Amazon Warriors victory at Warner Park. (CPL photo).

s k r o w e r i f e t Tanvir’s la o t s r o i r r a W s inspire n i w t e k c i w r u o f g n i l l i r h t

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Guyana to clash with Paraguay today in Americas Rugby Challenge See page 38

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Bunbury encouraging Guyanese players to try-out for new Canadian professional football league

… to reach out to GFF to invite players

CPL soccer coaches (from left) Jeff Paulus (FC Edmonton), Jim Brennan (York 9), Tommy Wheeldon (Cavalry FC) Alex Bunbury, who is running the CPL trials, Stephen Hart (HFX Wanderers), Michael Silberbauer (Pacific FC) and Rob Gale (Valour FC) pose for a photo at the Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan, Ont. (Canadian Premier League photo)

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018