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Miners optimistic No. 104498

MONDAY MARCH 21, 2016

Price: $80

(Vat Inclusive)

––Marudi operators to know fate in two weeks

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Worshippers march along the Ruimveldt Public Road, Geogetown in observance of Palm Sunday. The occasion falls on the Sunday before Easter and commemorates Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem (Cullen Bess-Nelson photo)

Two held for Smyth Street 3 murder Page

GECOM: We carried voters to the Page 10 proverbial waters ––it was up to the candidates to encourage them to drink

3 Bandits shoot, rob hotel patron Page

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 21, 2016

CORPORATE APPROACH ––vital for better communities, says President By Ravin Singh

THE lives of the newly elected town councils will begin shortly, and President David Granger has touted a corporate approach which will see these local government bodies generating their own revenues rather than depending on Government subventions. This strongly held view was expressed last Friday during the President’s weekly television show “The Public Interest,” which was subsequently broadcast on the National Communications Network (NCN). On Friday last, the long overdue Local Government Elections (LGE), last held in 1994, were held in Guyana. Of a population of approximately 799,000 (2013 statistics), a total of 507,633 persons had qualified as electors and had been registered on the Official Voters’ List. However, Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield on Saturday announced that only 38-39 per cent of the electorate voted at these elections. The democratic expression of casting a ballot was facilitated at 1,562 polling stations in 71 Local Authority Areas. The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) had announced that the total number of groups, political parties and individual candidates contesting these elections were 83. These included three political parties, 17 voluntary groups and 63 individual candidates. Registering landslide victories in traditional strongholds was the APNU+AFC coalition which secured 25 of the 30 seats in the municipality of Georgetown, 15 of the 16 seats in the mining town of Linden, and 12 of the 14 seats in the municipality of New Amsterdam. The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) obtained 14 of the 16 seats in the Municipality of Anna Regina and nine of the 14 seats in the municipality of Rose Hall Town. And according to President Granger on his weekly television show, these elections were important since they reflected the restoration of

democracy at the municipal level. “I feel a deep sense of satisfaction that in less than a year the coalition has been able to make these elections possible,” the Head of State told reporters. DISSOLUTION OF IMCs The holding of these elections also paved the way for the dissolution of Interim Management Committees (IMCs) which were established under the previous administration, and were deemed to be highly political in nature. And while the composition of the newly elected councils was arrived at through a democratic process, the Head of State was keen to note that he is willing to work with whoever is elected to ensure that energies are combined to give all Guyanese a good quality of life. LIKE CORPORATIONS The President also expressed his vision for the councils, which he hopes will practise the highest level of professionalism when executing their duties. Firstly, he envisions the councils themselves becoming corporation-like in nature, capable of raising their own revenue in their communities, rather than depending on Government subventions. And although this might not seem as simple as it sounds, he believes that if they are able to explore non-traditional routes, such as manufacturing, it can be achieved. “I think the municipalities should see themselves as corporations, encouraging business rather than just being administrators expecting subventions. They must examine ways of generating revenue and earning a profit,” he explained. According to him, Guyana has tremendous agricultural potential which he believes is under-exploited. He opined that most of the

President David Granger country’s agricultural produce could be bottled, packaged, or processed for use locally and for export. According to the World Bank, in 2014, agriculture accounted for 18.28 per cent of Guyana’s GDP. And with traditional foods such as pepper sauce, pineapple chunks and guava cheese already being produced locally, expansion on an industrial scale at the municipal level is one of the ways in which the local authority bodies could fashion themselves as corporations, he added. JOB CREATION Moreover, with a soaring unemployment rate, which currently stands at approximately

Two held for Smyth Street murder TWO MEN are in police custody after a man was gunned down execution-style Saturday morning in his backyard moments after returning from a city nightclub. Dead is O’Riley Small, called ‘Smallie’, 32, of Lot 2 Smyth Street, Georgetown. His body was discovered at about 03:00hrs by his mother. He was pronounced dead at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). According to reports, Small was confronted by the gunmen who opened fire on him. He was reportedly shot to the head, hand, feet, abdomen and eyes. Police have retrieved several spent shells at the scene as investigations continue.

In January 2010, Small was shot when a gunman opened fire and killed one of his friends, Vibert Weekes, a short distance from the popular ‘Red Dragon’ nightclub on Robb Street. In January 2012, Small was remanded to prison on an attempted murder charge. The allegation was that on January 9, 2012, with intent to commit murder, he unlawfully and maliciously wounded New York-based Guyanese Felix Alleyne, who lost one of his kidneys after Small shot him. Back in 2013, Small was charged with break and enter and larceny committed on Central Electronics located on Robb Street,

Dead: O’Riley Small Georgetown. It was alleged that he along with an accomplice, David Lynch, broke and

entered Central Electronics and stole a quantity of items, including a flat screen television and a metal safe, along with an undisclosed sum of cash. He was also fingered in February 2013 in an attempted robbery of Wayne Heber at Premneranjan Place, Prashad Nagar which left three bandits dead. Those killed were Tony Ogle, 42, called ‘Skin Teeth’ and ‘Ninja’ of Callendar Street, Albouystown, Leon Gittens, 24, called ‘Cow’ of Hill Street, Albouystown, and Shawn Brown. In addition, back in 2009, Small was shot along with four others after a football match at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue.

40 per cent, the President expects these new councils to pay attention to the economy in terms of alleviating unemployment through job creation. Having toured the length and breadth of Guyana, President Granger, who is also a historian, is of the view that every town in Guyana has economic potential to open factories, encourage investment, and provide employment for people living in those areas. And also supporting efforts to reduce this unemployment rate is the need for completion of the formal education system, the Head of State said, adding that this is one of the responsibilities of the councils. “I would like to see the councils accept responsibility for ensuring that every single child in that municipality or neighbourhood gets into school and stays there,” President Granger stated. Last year, upon ascension to executive office, the Government embarked on a national, environmentally- friendly journey in dealing with the country. And maintaining these efforts is what the President hopes the municipalities will do as they seek to further develop their communities. “I would also like to see there is more attention to “greening” Guyana; that is, the environment. Last October we introduced this practice of a National Tree Day, and I’d like to see a ‘greener’ Guyana in all of the municipalities; more fruit trees, more attention to the canals and solid waste management and so on,” President Granger said optimistically. Finally, one of the primary expectations of the councils is effective communication with their constituencies. Realistic in his reasoning, the Head of State suggested that once people remain in positions for too long, they tend to lose contact. And this, according to him, underscores the need for effective communication between councillors and residents in their respective constituencies.

Bandits shoot, rob hotel patron POLICE report that at about 23:45hrs on Saturday, two men pretending to be customers entered a Campbellville hotel, pulled out firearms and held up 31-year-old Rondell Orlando who was at the bar with two other men. They relieved him of US$3,000, Gy$40,000 and two cell phones before escaping in a waiting vehicle. Orlando was shot to his left side during the incident, and has been admitted to hospital, but investigations are continuing. And on Sunday, police ranks conducting a search on a man at the Itaballi checkpoint in Mazaruni, unearthed an unlicensed 9mm pistol with seven rounds. He has been arrested and is in police custody assisting with the investigations.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 21, 2016

Migrant influx continues despite deal

HUNDREDS of asylum-seekers have arrived in Greece by sea despite the start of a deal between the EU and Turkey to tackle the influx of migrants. Under the agreement, migrants arriving in Greece are now expected to be sent back to Turkey if they do not apply for asylum or their claim is rejected. However, there are still many doubts about the implementation of the plan. Meanwhile, an ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned of a mass influx of Kurds to the country. On the Greek islands, at least 875 migrants, mostly Syrians, landed on packed flimsy boats between Saturday night and early Sunday, when the agreement came into effect. Two Syrian men were found dead of undetermined causes in a boat that arrived on the island of Lesbos, and two girls were found drowned east of Rhodes, officials said. The deal says that for every Syrian migrant sent back to Turkey, one Syrian already in Turkey will be resettled in

the EU. But questions remain over some points, including how the migrants will be sent back or what will happen to those thousands of people already in Greece. Officials have said the returns to Turkey are unlikely to start before April 4. Additionally, some 2,300 experts, including security and migration officials and translators, are yet to arrive in Greece to help enforce the plan. “[The deal] is in force. Its practical implementation remains to be seen,” Government migration spokesman Giorgos Kyritsis was quoted by AP as saying. In the meantime, tens of thousands of migrants are still stuck in Greece and on its closed border with Macedonia as their route north has been blocked. With the deal, it is hoped people will be discouraged from making the dangerous journey by sea from Turkey to Greece. In return, Turkey will receive aid and political concessions. Since January 2015, one million migrants and refu-

tional accusing the EU of turning “its back on a global refugee crisis”.

Thousands of migrants remain stranded on the closed GreekMacedonian border gees have entered the EU by boat from Turkey to Greece. More than 143,000 have arrived this year alone, and about 460 have died, according to the International Organisation for Migration. Critics, however, have said the deal could force migrants to start using other and

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Sicily. And in Turkey, at least 200 people were caught in a coastal town and turned back as they tried to reach Greece ahead of the deadline, authorities said. Human rights groups have strongly criticised the deal, with Amnesty Interna-

Iran’s leader says US still hostile

THE United States is still fundamentally hostile to Iran and its policies have undermined the benefits of sanctions relief, the Islamic Republic’s hardline leader said on Sunday, warning Iranians not to trust their old enemy. Ringing in a new Iranian year at a televised rally in the Shi’ite holy city of Mashhad, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said fear of US regulations was keeping big foreign companies, particularly in the financial sector, away from Iran. The uncompromising stance of Iran’s most senior figure poses a challenge to President Hassan Rouhani, the architect of last year’s nuclear deal who hopes to open Iran’s economy to the world. In keeping with the deal,

DATE: 16/03/2016

potentially more dangerous routes, such as the journey between North Africa and Italy. In the hours before the plan came into force, hundreds of people were rescued by Italian and Libyan officials amid an increase in traffic through the Strait of

Most of the migrants arriving in Europe are keen to go to Germany and other northern countries, which have seen increasing public discontent with the high influx. Meanwhile Bavarian Finance Minister Markus Soeder -- a member of the sister party of Mrs Merkel’s CDU, the [Christian Social Union] -- has said the deal could lead to a mass migration of Kurds to Germany, as the agreement gives Turks visa-free travel rights. “It could ultimately lead to more immigration, especially if you take visa freedom into account. Many, many Kurds fleeing the Turkish Government could come to Germany,” Mr Soeder told German public broadcaster ZDF. (BBC)

16/03/2016

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

many international sanctions on Iran were lifted in January. Since then foreign business delegations have flocked to Tehran and billions of dollars of deals have been signed. But European banks and other companies have stayed away, largely due to remaining US sanctions. That, Khamenei said, was

17/03/2016

a sign that Iran should be economically self-reliant because the US and its allies were not reliable partners. “In Western countries and places which are under US influence, our banking transactions and the repatriation of our funds from their banks face problems ... because (banks) fear the Americans,” he said.

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“The US Treasury ... acts in such a way that big corporations, big institutions and big banks do not dare to come and deal with Iran,” Khamenei said. The Central Bank of Iran has also said remaining US sanctions have scared off European firms. To drive the point home, the stage on which Khamenei sat carried a giant banner reading “The year of the Resistance Economy: Action and Implementation”, his chosen slogan for the Iranian year 1395 that began on Sunday. In a video message earlier, Rouhani said further engagement with other countries was the key to economic growth, a view that has put him increasingly at odds with Khamenei, who outranks him. (Excerpt from Reuters)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 21, 2016

Brazil’s Rousseff lacks Senate votes to defeat impeachment -- senator

BRAZIL’S ruling coalition lacks the votes in the Senate to defeat a request to remove left-leaning President Dilma Rousseff from office if it is approved by the lower house, a senior senator in the coalition’s largest party said on Sunday. The leading member of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), who asked not to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the issue, told Reuters the coalition could not rally the one-third of votes needed in the 81-seat Senate to stop Rousseff ’s dismissal. On Sunday, Estadao newspaper quoted sources close to Senate Speaker Renan Calheiros, also a member of the PMDB, as saying he believed that if the lower house approves the ongoing impeachment process, it would create an unstoppable wave of sup-

Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff attends a news conference at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil March 16, 2016 port for removing Rousseff. A spokesman for Calheiros was not immediately available for comment. Congress’s lower house opened impeachment proceedings last week against the unpopular Rousseff based on Opposition allegations that she had deliberately manipulated Government accounts to boost her chances of re-election to a second

term in 2014. Rousseff, a former Marxist guerrilla who is Brazil’s first female president, has vigorously denied any wrongdoing. The impeachment process only adds to the crisis that has hit Brazil, already shaken to the core by its biggest ever corruption scandal -- an investigation into political kickbacks to the ruling

coalition from contractors working for state oil company Petrobras. Rousseff’s Government is also grappling with the worst recession in decades in Latin America’s largest economy and an epidemic of the mosquito-borne Zika virus as it scrambles to host the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August. A survey published on Saturday by polling firm Datafolha showed support for Rousseff’s impeachment rising to 68 per cent, close to the record level of 71 per cent reached in August. With opposition parties hurrying along proceedings, a special impeachment committee could present its findings as soon as mid-April. A plenary session of the lower house would then need to vote on whether to send Rousseff for trial in the Senate. The senior PMDB source told Reuters that if the low-

Fired TT minister under police investigation THE Trinidad and Tobago (TT) Cabinet Minister who last week lost her position over breach of Parliament rules is now the subject of a police investigation. Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams made the disclosure on Saturday, without giving details about the probe into Marlene McDonald, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Port of Spain South and former Minister of Housing and Urban Development. McDonald was replaced as Health Minister by Randall Mitchell following reports that she had employed her common-law husband, Michael Carew, and his brother, Lennox Carew, at her constituency office, in breach of Parliament rules. Head of the activist group Fixin T&T, Kirk Waithe, had raised the issue about the Carews’ employment and had also written to Commissioner Williams requesting that a criminal investigation be launched into the Calabar Foundation – of which the brothers were directors – which received payments from the Ministry of Community Development

Marlene McDonald was sacked last week in 2010 when McDonald headed that ministry. McDonald had also been accused of misusing her ministerial power back in 2008 to get a Housing Development Corporation house for Carew. Speaking after a panel discussion on the state of the economy, Williams confirmed a probe had started, but declined to say what allegations were being in-

vestigated. Meantime, the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) has dismissed calls from the Opposition for McDonald to step down as the Parliamentary Representative for Port of Spain South. Following a meeting of the party’s general council, PNM Chairman Franklin Khan said McDonald would stay on as an MP and deputy political leader.

But the PNM called on Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar to step down after it surfaced that she also had hired two relatives at her constituency office. Persad-Bissessar claimed that her hiring did not breach any law, but said she has written to the Clerk of the House to seek clarification on the matter. (Caribbean360)

er house gives the green light for a trial, the ruling coalition lacks the one-half votes in the Senate needed to refuse the request to try her there. That would mean Rousseff would automatically be suspended from office, and Vice-President Michel Temer, the leader of the PMDB, would take over for six months during the trial. “If the lower house cannot block impeachment, then we in the Senate have no way of blocking it,” the senator said, adding that he believed the President would be removed from office. LULA APPEALS APPOINTMENT SUSPENSION LAST weekend, more than 1 million people poured into the streets of several Brazilian cities to demand Rousseff ’s departure, the biggest in a wave of protests calling for her resignation. A pro-Government protest on Friday led by former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva drew nearly 100,000 people in Sao Paulo. R o u s s e ff a p p o i n t e d Lula as her Chief of Staff on Wednesday, hoping to capitalise on his political influence to rally support in the lower house to halt

the impeachment process. However, the move sparked protests in several cities, as the Opposition slammed the move as an attempt to shield Lula from prosecutors’ charges of money laundering and fraud in the Petrobras investigation. Ministers can be tried only by the Supreme Court, putting Lula out of reach of the task force in the southern city of Curitiba, which is leading the Petrobras probe. A Supreme Court judge on Friday struck down Lula’s appointment, saying it appeared aimed at perverting the course of justice, after the judge leading the Petrobras probe released recordings that he said showed Rousseff and Lula discussing how to block the investigation. Both Lula and Rousseff denied this. Lula’s lawyers said on Sunday they had appealed to the head of the Supreme Court to overturn the suspension of his ministerial appointment. (Reuters)

Editor-In-Chief

Nigel Williams Editor

Godfrey Wray

Editorial: 227-5216; 227-5204 guyanachronicle.com wnigel10@hotmail.com gnnleditorial@gmail.com

Editorial

Local Government Elections

GUYANA voted on Friday in what must be hailed as a historic election. It was the country’s first Local Government Election in 22 years. After a prolonged debate over Local Government reforms, in which the major political parties could not find common ground, the coalition parties vowed that, if elected, they would hold these long overdue elections. True to their promise, they have succeeded in ensuring that Guyanese got the opportunity to decide who their local representatives should be. As one of the countries in the Anglophone Caribbean with a long and rich tradition of Local Governance, it is fitting that Guyana once again takes its place as a beacon of local democracy. Indeed, it was our much acclaimed village movement that pioneered Local Government in the larger Caribbean. To go to the polls and elect local representatives is a fitting tribute to our foreparents, who had the vision to transform former slave plantations into vibrant communities and spaces of freedom from servitude. While the turnout at Friday’s election was not as large as had been expected, that should not, in any way, sully the exercise. Generally, LGEs have not excited the same level of participation from the citizenry as General Elections, because citizens tend to attach less significance to the LGEs. This, of course, is an area that needs attention as we continue to build a democratic process and culture. This is a responsibility of not just the Government and political parties, but also all civic and social organizations, including churches, trade unions and other NGOs. This matter goes to the heart of our Independence and the role of citizen participation. Having said the above, we must salute those

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 21, 2016

We don’t necessarily have to agree with the IMF Dear Editor,

I REALLY appreciate the activism of Lincoln Lewis on issues regarding wages for the workers of Guyana. This man has, for decades, been at the forefront of the struggle for workers’ rights, and justly ought to be recognized, even with a national award. That said, I must, in principle, professionally but gently disagree with the verdict of the Hon. Minister of Finance, Mr Winston Jordan, that he “has to agree with International Monetary Fund (IMF) on this point”; the point being their suggestion to “moderate the growth of wages”. The history of Guyana, and of many other developing countries, has shown that nations do not necessarily have to follow the instructions of the IMF, especially when that country is not in a FUND Agreement. Guyana is not in a FUND Agreement. But to add salt to the wound, in the 2016 Bud-

get, there is an approved allocation of G$6.8 billion under line item 6141 (other employment cost). This line, formerly called the “revision of wages and salaries”, was, under the PPP, the pot of cash to fund across-the-board salary increases given to employees of budget agencies (public servants, nurses, teachers, and members of the disciplined services) and the cost of any new recruitment into any Central Government budget agency. So why are we playing “footsie” with the people’s money? More than one month ago, the National Assembly approved this G$6.8 billion in the 2016 budget for these across-the-board increases, so why the delay? From my computation, the Coalition Government can -– IMMEDIATELY and with ease -- release an eight (8) per cent increase in wages for the workers from this approved budget. So why all the delays? Yes, it is good economics to back raises in

who turned out to cast their votes; they are an example to those who, for various reasons, did not go to the polls. Salutations are also in order for the candidates who offered themselves up to serve. Unlike General Elections, LGE requires a larger pool of candidates. That many citizens answered the call is most refreshing. We wish to commend especially those younger candidates, and others, who entered the fray for the first time. There is no better nursery for leadership than Local Government. It is in this arena that future leaders get opportunity to acquaint themselves with the proverbial nuts and bolts of representative governance. We also wish to commend those independent candidates who had the courage to compete against the political parties. It was always going to be an uphill task to overcome the various parties’ machinery, but their involvement in the process helped to legitimize our democracy. It appears as if a few of them would become councillors. This would be good for the overall process, as the deliberations would be enriched by their independent input. There has been much criticism of the level of voter education, with some observers concluding that this was largely responsible for the low voter turnout. While

wages with increased productivity, but when a political promise was made on the campaign trail to give the workers a substantial increase, it is the right thing to do: to back up your promise partially and quickly. Every day’s delayed is one day more in not delivering on your promise to the workers. Whatever value the Lutchman Commission or the Collective Bargaining Process adds to the lives of the workers, those processes have their time to deliver, and that can be months away. The workers should not be made to wait -- just like the Ministers could not wait for their increases. The punishment is real and alive today in Guyana, and those at the bottom of the economic ladder deserve the financial support to take them closer to a living wage and ‘the good life’. So I am making a personal appeal to His Excellency the President, Brigadier (retd) David Arthur Granger, to please use his full powers to

ensure that the people get their justly-deserved payout today. It is provided for, it is legal, it is the right thing to do; and irrespective of what the socalled experts say, they will never feel the pain of that single Afro-Guyanese woman whom I personally interviewed. She works as a police constable and is forced to meet some of her bills by doing legal and illegal side jobs -- and I mean illegal side jobs! In my dialogue with that lady, she burst into tears as she told me that some nights she has to “pick fare” to make ends meet. That is not what we worked so hard for over the years: to have our policewomen “picking fare” to feed, clothe and house their children. I beg of you, Mr. President, please bring immediate relief to the people at the bottom of the economic ladder. Yes, you can! Yours sincerely, SASE SINGH

there may be some truth in that conclusion, we feel that a concerted effort had been made to reach voters. The problem is that the voter education can have its desired effect only if the population is open to it. In that regard, perhaps we need to look at a more long-term education initiative, rather than one that revolves around the elections. We also note that the campaign was violence-free. This has to be a positive development, which we hope is extended to future elections. There was, moreover, the relative absence of race-baiting on the campaign trail. In our ethnically polarised society, that is a huge achievement, for which we should commend ourselves. We further must congratulate GECOM for making it possible for the media to be able to report results in a timely manner. We have had problems with reposting results in the past, but perhaps we are beginning to turn the corner in this regard. Now that the elections are over, it is time for the new councils to get down to work. We hope that the Central Government keeps its promise to facilitate a more harmonious relationship with the Local Government representatives. This is a vital requirement for effective governance in the communities.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 21, 2016

Miners optimistic

--Marudi operators to know fate in two weeks By Shauna Jemmott IN another two weeks, small-scale gold miners who operate in and around the Marudi Mountain area will know their fate; Government is about to make a crucial decision regarding their status. These primarily smallscale operators met with Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman, last weekend, and apprised him of their plight in the hope that, by some miracle, he could help resolve it. The more than 300 miners have long been calling on Government to take urgent action to regularise their operations, and have even mounted a protest to bring to light their being under threat of being evicted by a large Canadian mining operation. President of the Guyana Women Miners Organisation (GWMO), Urica Primus, told the Guyana Chronicle that officials from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) visited the disputed area two weeks ago, and during the course of a meeting with miners, told them that the Canadian company that had previously been licensed to mine in the area had regained ownership, and that another team from GGMC would be visiting shortly to remove them from the area. Having been duly warned, Primus said, the small-scale miners immedi-

Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan

Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman

ately contacted the GWMO, which in turn made urgent contact with Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, to brief him about the situation. The minister had reportedly informed the organisation that he would be visiting the Region 9 (Upper Takutu/ Upper Essequibo) community to carry out his own investigation with a view to addressing the issue. And true to his word, Minister Ramjattan, accompanied by Governance Min-

ister Raphael Trotman, who has portfolio responsibility for Natural Resources and the Environment, led a high-level delegation last weekend to Aishalton where they held a public meeting with residents of communities in and around Marudi, who also had concerns of their own. Besides Ministers Ramjattan and Trotman, the Georgetown delegation comprised officials from the GWMO, GGMC, and the Guyana Forestry Commis-

sion (GFC), while the affected communities were represented by their respective toshaos. Also present at the Aishalton meet were reps of the Rupununi Miners Association and the Canadian mining company at the centre of the controversy, Romanex Guyana Exploration Limited (Romanex for short), among other stakeholders. Truckloads of smallscale miners also journeyed, by whatever means See Page 13

Miners of Marudi Mountain last November protested the threat of being evicted by large Canadian company Romanex Guyana Exploration Limited

Congratulations are in order Dear Editor, MARCH 18th, 2016 will be chronicled in our history books as the “return of local government elections”. It is a day that will be unforgettable for all of the candidates and members of Youth For Local Government (YFLG). While the polls did not go in our favour, we refuse to view this

process as a loss, for we have gained a lot. We have gained a wealth of experience and knowledge throughout this elections’ process. We have formed relationships and have forged friendships, and for this we are grateful. Most importantly, we have started a movement that will outlive us. We have done what no other group of youths has ever before

done in Guyana; hence, for these simple reasons, we stand as a proud group of youths committed to being real-change agents. Like all the other groups, we expected more votes, even as we recognized very early that “blind voting” would negatively affect the process, as was evident in constituency 13. We expected a low voter turnout, but wish to place no

blame; rather, only to say it was the choice of many not to vote, and that they did. This clearly shows how we, as a people, value this fundamental right. Shockingly, there was also a disturbingly low turnout among our fellow youths, which we will be working to remedy by engaging youths through the YFLG platform. The Youth For Local

Government congratulates the APNU/AFC coalition, the PPP/C, Team Legacy and Team Benschop, all of whom have earned seats at the City Council. We wish success, blessings and guidance during their tenure to all those who are to be sworn in as councillors, and we look forward to working along with the M&CC whenever necessary. In closing, we wish to

extend heartfelt gratitude to those who supported us. Your well wishes and prayers were appreciated, and will be our driving force for the next three years. Regards, CLAYON F. HALLEY Leader: Youth For Local Government

Family Court should include juvenile cases – Danuta Radzik By Shauna Jemmott

HELP and Shelter Project Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Danuta Radzik is urging the Government to make adjustments to the laws governing juvenile justice in order to accommodate legal

of juvenile matters in a more private setting in the proposed Juvenile Justice Bill, which was published recently on the Ministry of Public Security’s Facebook page. “I did not see in the new bill that is proposed the possibility of a juvenile court – a system in which juveniles would not just go to the ordinary magistrate’s court or to the High Court,” Radzik pointed out at a forum at Parliament Building. She added:

Help and Shelter Project Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Danuta Radzik matters against minors at the Family Court. Radzik said she expected to see the possibility of a “Juvenile Court” for the airing

“There is a need for specialised services for juveniles, and I saw that kind of left out of the new bill. I would like to recommend that the Juvenile Justice System should be part of the Family Court.”

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 21, 2016

Radzik also expressed concern over the slothful establishment of the official Family Court, which she said was first recommended more than a decade ago by former Chief Justice Desiree Bernard. “Could we please fast-track this and have the court established, with counsel which we need and all the necessary things to ensure that it really can deliver justice, including services for children?” she pleaded. IMPORTANT Radzik said services for children at the court are important, since some people who attend the court seeking protection orders, for example, are parents with no access to care services at which they can leave their children, and are being told that children cannot accompany them in court. President of the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers, Sadie Amin, said the Family Court, located in the High Court compound, employs two judges and has already started hearing matters. She cited outdated rules as one drawback within the Family Court, and named Guyana as the only country in the Caribbean which still has old rules within its High Court. The ‘Draft Juvenile Justice Bill’ published on the Ministry of Public Security’s Facebook page states that the ministry, “in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has been engaged in

extensive work on crafting a Juvenile Justice Bill in an effort to adequately provide justice for children”. The final draft of the bill shared was part of the consultation process for concerned citizens to share their comments and suggestions by March 1, 2016. AGE OF CONSENT The ministry said it would be particularly grateful for views on the “age of culpability, whether it should be at fourteen (14), sixteen (16) or eighteen (18) years.” The draft bill states that the minister shall appoint a nine-member Juvenile Justice Committee, consisting of a chairperson, a deputy chairperson and seven other persons. “Members of the Juvenile Justice Committee shall include an attorney-at-law, a retired probation officer who served in a senior capacity, a retired head of a secondary school, a retired head of a vocational institution and other persons who possess skills, knowledge, experience and training in matters relating to juveniles, sociology, social work and psychology,” the draft bill states. It also proposed that “The Juvenile Justice Committee shall make its own rules, and shall set out the manner in which the Committee shall perform its duties and exercise its powers conferred by this Act, and prescribe the remuneration of any person appointed to the Committee,” among other vital functions.

Glaring inequality ––poor pay more in income tax than richest in Latin America, Caribbean

THE richest 10 per cent of the population in Latin America and the Caribbean pay an exceptionally low personal income tax rate compared with the rate applied to waged workers, according to the research ‘Time to Tax for Inclusive Growth’, which was recently presented by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and OXFAM. In some of the region’s countries, the highest income group pays between 1 per cent and 3 per cent of their gross income as income tax (compared to around 10 per cent in other countries). According to the document, in the United States, the actual rate for the richest 10 per cent is 14.2 per cent (with the figure reaching over 20 per cent in some countries). Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of this United

Nations’ Commission, said all the region’s countries should prioritise safeguarding the progress made by Latin America, and ensuring inclusive and sustainable growth. As a result, ECLAC and OXFAM have signed an agreement to work together to promote and build a new consensus against inequality. The cooperation agreement, which covers planning and implementation of joint activities in various areas, aims to strengthen consensus among governments and social organisations on the need to promote a policy agenda that tackles inequality and poverty in all their structural forms. The report presented declared that tax collection in Latin America is too low, which means that most countries are not collecting enough to cover the population’s minimum requirements in terms of public

health and education, or to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (which are estimated to require a minimum of 20 per cent of

ECLAC Executive Secretary, Alicia Bárcena GDP). The region’s fiscal system encourages collection of consumption taxes such as VAT, but the study finds this places lower income groups at a great disadvan-

tage compared with richer individuals and enterprises that benefit from tax breaks and ways of avoiding taxation. According to Simon Ticehurst, OXFAM Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, between 2002 and 2015, the fortunes of multi-millionaires in Latin America grew an average of 21 per cent per year (or six times faster than GDP in the region). SHAMEFUL Much of this wealth is exempted from taxes in tax havens. It is shameful that most of the region’s countries continue to increase the rate and number of goods affected by VAT, instead of tackling tax evasion and reducing tax breaks enjoyed by the richest, he said. The joint research found that governments treat multinationals favourably in taxation matters in terms

of giving them excessively generous rate reductions in corporation tax. According to some calculations, the tax burden for national enterprises is double that levied on multinationals. In the document, OXFAM and ECLAC call on Latin American and Caribbean Governments to rebalance direct and indirect taxes so that those with the most (rich individuals and large companies) also pay the most. This means transferring the tax burden away from workers and consumption towards capital and wealth by taxing financial transactions, inheritance, and capital gains (as well as reviewing the incentives received by multinationals). According to Ms Bárcena, an archaic and dysfunctional tax system also gives wealthy companies and individuals great opportunities to avoid paying their

fair share of taxes. According to ECLAC data, evasion of income tax, corporation tax and VAT costs Latin America and the Caribbean over US$320B per year (or 6.3 per cent of GDP). This means that Latin American countries are losing over 50 per cent of their income tax revenues. Many of these resources end up in tax havens which hide large volumes of capital that should be invested in improving the quality of life of citizens. Today’s report urges Governments to halve tax evasion and avoidance in five years, and reduce these by three-quarters in 10 years by taking part in the global debate to redefine the international fiscal system. This includes eliminating tax havens and enabling all of the region’s countries to collect at least 20 per cent of their GDP.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 21, 2016

Obama arrives in Cuba for historic visit

PRESIDENT Barack Obama arrived on Sunday to small but cheering crowds at the start of a historic visit to Cuba, which opened a new chapter in US engagement with the

were gathered at a hotel, his first stop after arriving in Cuba in the afternoon. Groups of Cubans watched the motorcade from balconies and backyards as Obama was driven down-

trip may not yield immediate concessions from Cuba on rights and economic freedom. On Sunday, one bystander shouted: “Down with the blockade!” in reference to

AIR FORCE ONE IN CUBA Obama arrived at Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport in Air Force One, the presidential jet with “United States of America” emblazoned across its fuselage, a sight not long ago almost unimaginable on the island, situated just 90 miles (145km) off the coast of Florida. He was met by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, the top Cuban official present. The formal welcoming ceremony will be on Monday, when Obama meets the Cuban President at the Presidential Palace. US officials appeared unfazed by Castro’s absence from the airport welcome, even though he had personally met and greeted Pope Francis in September. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump tweeted that Obama’s visit

hood, and was given a tour of Havana’s 18th century cathedral by Cardinal Jaime Ortega, who 15 months ago played a role in secret talks that led to the rapprochement. The Obamas dined at the San Cristobal restaurant, run by an Afro-Cuban as part of a cautious opening to private enterprise since Fidel Castro handed power to his brother in 2008.

FIRST IN 88 YEARS The trip makes Obama the first sitting American president to visit Cuba since Calvin Coolidge arrived on a battleship in 1928, and may help chip away at barriers to US-Cuba trade and travel. Since rapprochement, the two sides have restored diplomatic ties and signed commercial deals on telecommunications and scheduled airline service.

Investment Minister Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz said before the US President’s arrival that Obama’s regulatory moves “go in the right direction”. But, he added: “We can’t reach a normalisation of relations with the blockade still in effect.” The Americans, in turn, criticise one-party rule and repression of political opponents, an issue that aides said Obama would address publicly and privately. Obama’s critics at home accuse him of making too many concessions for too little in return from the Cuban Government, and of using his trip to take an unearned “victory lap.” Obama’s first words to the Cuban people came in a message on Twitter, a social media service that few Cubans can use regularly because of Government restrictions on Internet access: “¿Qué bolá Cuba?” he said, using Cuban slang for

US President Barack Obama, his wife Michelle, and their daughters Malia and Sasha exit Air Force One as they arrive at Havana’s international airport for a three-day trip (Reuters) island’s Communist Government after decades of hostility between the former Cold War foes. The three-day trip, the first by a US President to Cuba in 88 years, is the culmination of a diplomatic opening announced by Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro in December 2014, ending an estrangement that began when the Cuban revolution ousted a pro-American Government in 1959. “It’s a historic opportunity to engage directly with the Cuban people,” Obama told staff at the newly reopened US Embassy who

town, where a small crowd of Cubans braved a tropical downpour and tight security. They chanted: “Viva Obama! Viva Fidel!” as the President and his family left after eating dinner in a rundown neighbourhood. Obama, who abandoned a longtime US policy of trying to isolate Cuba, wants to make his policy shift irreversible even if a Republican wins the White House in the November 8 election; but major obstacles remain to full normalisation of ties, and the Democratic President’s critics say the visit is premature. US officials concede the

the 54-year-old US embargo that remains the top irritant for Cubans. Obama, who responded to the shout by raising his right hand, has asked Congress to rescind the embargo, but has been blocked by the Republican leadership. Underscoring the ideological divide that persists between Washington and Havana, Cuban police, backed by hundreds of pro-Government demonstrators, broke up the regular march of a leading dissident group, the Ladies in White, detaining about 50 people just hours before Obama arrived.

A member of the ‘Ladies in White’ dissident group shouts as she is carried away by police officers after they broke up a regular march of the group, detaining about 50 people hours before US President Barack Obama arrived for a historic visit

US President Barack Obama waves while standing in front of Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez (right) after he arrived at Havana’s international airport for a three-day trip March 20, 2016 (Reuters) was a “big deal”, but that he got “no respect.” Obama will hold talks with Castro –- but not his brother Fidel, the revolutionary leader -- and speak to entrepreneurs on Monday. He will meet privately with dissidents, address Cubans live on state-run media, and attend an exhibition baseball game on Tuesday. This trip carries both symbolism and substance after decades of hostility between Washington and Havana. Travelling with First Lady Michelle Obama, her mother and the Obama daughters Sasha and Malia, Obama took in the sights of the colonial-era neighbour-

Obama has used Executive authority to loosen trade and travel restrictions to advance his outreach to Cuba, one of his top foreign policy priorities, along with the Iran nuclear deal. Cuba still complains about US control of the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, obtained by the USA under a 1934 lease agreement that Havana says is no longer valid, and that Obama has said is not up for discussion. Havana is unhappy with US support for dissidents, and with anti-communist radio and TV programmes beamed into Cuba. Speaking to reporters, Foreign Trade and Foreign

‘what’s up?’ “Just touched down here, looking forward to meeting and hearing directly from the Cuban people.” Little progress on the main issues is expected when Obama and Castro meet on Monday, or at a state dinner that evening. Instead, the highlights are likely to be Obama’s speech on live Cuban television on Tuesday, when he will also meet dissidents and attend an exhibition baseball game between Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays and Cuba’s national team. (Reuters)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 21, 2016

GECOM: We carried voters to the proverbial waters ––it was up to the candidates to encourage them to drink

IF THE turnout for Local Government Elections (LGE) was lower than expected, it is not because the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) did not offer education to the voting public; but may very well have been because the candidates themselves did not do a good enough job in this respect. “Or it could be that the voters are sick and tired of the posturing and the blame throwing, not lastly at one another,” GECOM said in a press release. The release added: “There are surely several other elements and considerations which can be factored into the debate about the level of turnout.” GECOM said it wasn’t for the want of trying that it had been focused and resolute in its preparations for the LGE. It said it had followed to the letter the Local Authorities (Elections) Law, which clearly stipulates what GECOM is responsible for -- conduct of the elections. That responsibility encompasses voter registration; compilation of the Official Voters’ List; the procurement, production and management of ballot sheets and other sensitive and non-sensitive materials for elections; the management of polls and E-day staff; and the declaration of the results. The GECOM release has said that, notwithstanding its legal mandate, it has proactively and actively engaged in civic voter education undertakings since the last quarter, shortly after the May 2015 General and Regional Elections. “Yet we are daily confronted by the accusations of those who will not recognise our efforts, but even unabashedly posture that they are doing GECOM’s work. “The fact is that we are doing their work, since many of the candidates seem to have abrogated their responsibilities. After all, those who are making the negative and deleterious

comments about GECOM are the ones who want to be elected.” GECOM has also acknowledged the organisations that were actively involved in bringing awareness to the public and disseminating information on the Local Government Elections. These include Merundoi Inc Guyana, The Guyana National Youth Council, and

GECOM Chairman Dr Steve Surujbally Youth Challenge Guyana. “Never, in the history of Civic and Voter Education in Guyana, has so much positive result-yielding effort been made. We therefore demand to know, instead of nattering negativities, what the complainers would have done more and better. GECOM carried the voters to the proverbial water; it was up to the candidates to encourage them to drink,” GECOM emphasised.

Below is a listed synopsis of GECOM’s activities pertaining to civic and voter education: 1. Public announcement messages on the various aspects of the electoral process were conceptualised, produced and disseminated. Nine skit-type and nine narrative messages, with a sign language component for the benefit of the hearing-impaired, were produced and aired on radio and television stations. 2. One hundred thousand (100,000) flyers and brochures on Local Government Elections were produced and distributed at the grassroots level via all registration offices, political parties and stakeholders. 3. Interactive public engagements were held within all of the 71 Local Authority Areas. The schedules for these meetings were publicized in the print media and via public address systems, and flyers were distributed within the respective communities. 4. Public engagements were held with potential contestants in the run-up to the deadline for the submission of application for approval of symbols and requirements for lists submission on Nomination Day, etc. 5. Weekly panel discussions on Local Government Elections (were held), with a call-in feature on NCN. Copies of this programme were shown on television stations in regions where NCN broadcasts do not reach. 6. Production and distribution of 100,000 copies of flyers about “No Contest Areas” and the three different types of ballots. 7. On a weekly basis, full-page, half-

page and quarter-page advertisements were offered to the public in the four daily newspapers, with information on the Local Government Elections’ process. These advertisements included information on proxy applications, illustrations of the voting process, voting requirements, etc. 8. Invitations to discussions on LGE, facilitated by GECOM, were dispatched to 96 civil society organisations across the coastland. These organisations were required to invite their respective constituencies to these forums for interaction. 9. Meetings were arranged in Local Authority Areas & constituencies where there were to be no elections, in order to advise electors of that particular process. 10. Hotlines had been established, and were adequately publicised. 11. Pertinent information is published continuously on the GECOM website. 12. GECOM participated meaningfully at public events; e.g. Essequibo Night & Business Expo. 13. Ballot Officers Meetings were conducted with ranks at strategic Disciplined Forces’ locations, including the Mazaruni Prison. 14. “ASK GECOM STREET MARKETING CAMPAIGN”, which included Pop Up Booths around the country and a mini-caravan sharing information on LGE, were executed. 15. Numerous appearances on TV talk shows. 16. Installation of LAA and constituency billboards. 17. “Below-the-line Text Messaging” on LGE via GTT and Digicel. 18. Scroll advertisements and messages on television stations.

GLDA disposes of ‘unhealthy’ sheep THE Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) has reportedly disposed of six sheep whose meat would have been unfit for human consumption and which themselves would have posed a threat to other animals while they lived. The Agriculture Ministry has said this decision was in keeping with the GLDA’s mandate to promote greater efficiency in the livestock industry and provide enhanced services in livestock husbandry and health. When the animals were discovered, the Ministry of Agriculture said, a team from the GLDA quickly took charge of them until their disposal was appropriate. They were held in a quarantined area at the Leonora Police Station to avoid exposure to, and contamination of, other animals. GLDA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nigel Cumberbatch, said persons are being cautioned against illegal and unregulated livestock practices, as these not only threaten the health of other animals, but also of humans who consume the meat. The condemned animals were given a combination of sedatives and general anaesthesia, after which their remains were burnt at the GLDA veterinary service laboratory incinerator to ensure proper disposal.

GLDA vets sedating an animal

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 21, 2016

Linden Town Week 2016 launched

––with calls for reflection and rediscovery of beauty of mining town

By Vanessa Braithwaite LINDEN Town Week 2016 was launched on Saturday under the theme “Reflection, resilience, rediscover Linden and celebrate who we are”, and Lindeners have been urged to reflect on their past and where they once were. In her feature address at the launching,

ebrate, it is time to also rediscover the beauty of their town, which has so many tourist attractions. NEW COUNCIL She said that with imminent installation of a new town council, it is time for change, and Lindeners should now focus on the goals they set themselves.

“It is time for this (town) council to take decisive action, and for us as a people to take decisive action,” she urged. All future decisions being made, she said, should not be “about us”, but “about Linden”. “We have so much to discover and so much to celebrate. I thought of our airport, of blue lakes, the museum, our fat pork trees, the waterwheel, our old trains, our boat service, the many creeks, our Watooka House… Many people don’t have what we have!” Minister Patterson exclaimed. 10 DAYS OF PARADISE Linden Town Week will be held from May 15 to May 25. Collaboration between the Town Week Committee and the Regional Commemoration Committee will see the merging of some 50th Anniversary celebrations into the Town Week agenda. Devin Sears, Chairman of Vybz Entertainment, the franchise holder of Linden Town Week, made this announcement as he disclosed that this merger would allow for the town to better sell its week of activities, as several new events will be added to the signature events. These include a boat cruise from Georgetown to Linden and back. “This is an important element. It is something different, and has not happened in this part of Guyana for years,” he noted.

Vybz Entertainment Chairman Devin Sears (left) with other members of Vybz Entertainment T-Shirt Reference: 20 years of Linden Town Week, 46 years as a town, 50 years Independent Nation, and 100 years Bauxite Mining Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Valarie Adams-Patterson, told the audience it was time to reflect, as reflection would help in the town’s development in many ways. She said that, as a born and bred Lindener, there is so much she can reflect on. “I reflect on the days when Linden had the best potable water; on Linden having the most reliable electricity service; of us having one of the best hospitals -- the Mackenzie Hospital. I reflect on the days when Lindeners had respect for the elderly; on the high level of discipline in our schools; and on our teachers, who were respectable “…and when we could have slept with our doors and windows open and not having to worry about crime,” she recalled. She said those days allowed Lindeners to boast about where they came from. BEING RESILIENT Minister Patterson commended Lindeners for being resilient in the face of many adversities that confronted them over the years. “We stood in the face of political and economic adversity, and we survived; and if Linden survived that, Linden can survive anything that comes to us, as we also have the ability to bounce back,” she said. She told Lindeners that, as they cel-

VILLAGE DAYS In addition to this venture, on May 21, Vybz Entertainment, which sought partnership with several promoters, will be focusing on community development, as several village days will be held. “We have Wisroc Village Day, Silver

City Reunion, Half Mile Village Day; and for the first time, Amelia’s Ward Village Day! The aim is to encourage community cohesion, and the proceeds will go to the communities. Several activities will also focus on education and health, such as a spelling B competition and health fairs,” he disclosed. Amidst high optimism for the success of these activities, Sears told the Guyana Chronicle that challenges are being encountered, the main one being the lack of accommodation. “We don’t have enough hotels and guest houses (in the town), but we are encouraging persons (who) have accommodation to register (them), and we will put that (information) out there to the diaspora, so that persons will know what accommodation is available,” Sears revealed. TOURIST DESTINATION Sears said that, by 2017, Linden Town Week should be an international event promoted worldwide. “Some of the strategies that we will be using is the Linden Town Week magazine and other means of promoting Linden and selling Linden as a tourist destination.” He disclosed that negotiations are being made with airlines to have ticket prices reduced so that persons in the diaspora can participate in this occasion. At the Town Week launch were Member of Parliament Jermaine Figueira; Deputy Director of Community Development Councils, Sandra Adams; Prime Minister’s Representative for the Region, Vladimir Glasgow; former Chairman Sharma Solomon, and former Member of Parliament Vanessa Kissoon. This is the 20th year of the Linden Town Week.

Member of Parliament Jermaine Figueira being assisted in releasing the balloons at the launch. The white balloons represent purity and the yellow balloons represent prosperity

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 21, 2016

Voice from the street: William Samuel Bremner ––Part 1 By Akola Thompson

EVERY day, upon a walk through some inner city street, you can see them lying on cardboard boxes, their croaky voices struggling to emerge from their dry throats as their grimy hands stretch towards you asking for help. Most of the time we keep our heads straight, our eyes averted from these downtrodden persons whose names we don’t know and, honestly, do not care to know. Our minds hardly ever drift back to them as we tell the respective stories of our day; we never wonder what is the story of the man staring into the sunset, and whose life he might have influenced. INTERVIEW It was a sunny Tuesday afternoon when I finally took opportunity to speak with one of society’s downtrodden. The interview had been set for 16:00 hrs, but as the clock fast approached 16:15 hrs, I began to worry that he would be a no-show. I began to wonder how he would be able to tell the time, as I was sure he possessed no watch or phone; and then I saw him arrive. I glanced at the person who had set up the interview to ascertain I was shaking the hands of the correct man. The preconceived stereotypes I had held before his arrival were suddenly void, replaced instead with curiosity and wonder. Taking my hand into his, he introduced himself as William Samuel Bremner, and stated that he preferred to be called Samuel, while nervously glancing around the café. He stood approximately five inches above me, a gold-coated stud glinting in his right ear, his hair low and cleanly shaven. Tightly squeezed in his right hand was a beige cap. The t-shirt he had worn was clean and neatly tucked into his knee-length pants. On his feet were sharp black shoes, which stood in sharp

contrast to his white socks. As I escorted him to a seat, his nervous glancing became more apparent; and upon sitting, he explained that people often judge others harshly based on their appearance, and he knows that many people would rather not have him around. He said that while he has had to grow a thick skin over time, people’s insensitivity still gets to him. AT AGE 12 With his shoe tapping against the tiled floor and his head bent slightly, he explained how, at age 12, he was already living on the streets. As a child, Samuel said, he lived with his stepfather and other siblings after his mother migrated to Canada. He explained that while his stepfather purported himself to be a “churchy man, he really wasn’t”, and this caused an extreme amount of turmoil in the household. One day, in an effort to be more self-sufficient, Samuel said, he decided to iron his own school clothes but mistakenly turned the iron too high and burned a hole in his shirt. Within a few seconds, his stepfather had pounced on him and began beating him about the head. “I got so angry,” Samuel said, “I took the iron and pressed it into his chest, and he kicked me down the stairs for that.” In a fit of rage, his stepfather ran down after him, but fearing for his life and trying to slow down his assailant, Samuel said, he threw a rock, which caught his stepfather at the side of the head. Upon seeing his stepfather fall, Samuel said, he ran, and did not return to the home until years later. “I didn’t dare go back,” he said, adding: “I thought I had killed him.” With no one to turn to and the only home he had known now inaccessible, Samuel joined a group of street urchins who operated behind the Stabroek Market. These survived on what little they obtained from strangers, including scraps of food.

HARD DAYS Samuel said those were extremely hard days for him. “You have to remember that I was accustomed to a middle class lifestyle; (and) to move so suddenly from a life of comfort to one of destitution can be extremely hard for anyone, especially for a child,” he said.

William Samuel Bremner One day, while walking in the market, Samuel said, a towering officer stopped him. At this point in recounting, he became visibly animated and expressed the deep respect he still feels for the man, Dr Constantine. “When he saw me wandering, he asked me, ‘wa you doing here, boy?’ I was scared, so I told him that I had come to the market to buy something and had gotten lost. He then took me to a bus and told me to go home.” However, still afraid that he might have killed his stepfather, Samuel jumped out of the bus as soon as it went around a corner, and returned to his haunt behind the Stabroek

Market. A few days later, Samuel, realising he was still a child and needed help, sought out Dr Constantine, who worked around the area, and told him he had run away from home. “After that day, I slept in the corner of their workspace…I became like an errand boy; everyone seemed to have forgotten that I was a runaway,” he revealed. He would, however, still go to the other street urchins. “At the time I wasn’t very big,” Samuel said, indicating with outstretched arms the size of his small frame, “but I was very smart, and so a lot of them looked up to me and saw me as their leader…. Every day, I’d send different persons to different locations in an attempt to get money so they could eat,” he said. Aside from being errand boy and urchin leader, Samuel said, he soon began forming friendships with sailors whose vessels would moor at the Stabroek Wharf. He soon became a “liaison man.” At this point he became evidently uncomfortable, his words occasionally interrupted by sporadic coughs. His discomfort was understandable when I realised that what he meant was that he was facilitating the trafficking of women. Simultaneously expressing regret at what he had done then and later on in life, Samuel pointed out that he had never slept with any of the women because he was then still very “churchy-churchy, as that was how I had grown up”. Eventually, he became extremely good friends with one of the sailors, who would sometimes bring him clothes, such as leather jackets and jeans. Upon returning one time, the sailor told him that they were headed to England, and if he wanted to go, they could stow him away in the ship’s stern. It did not take much to convince Samuel that he needed to go. With no discernable local ties, the dream of having a better life on better shores, and aided by others, Samuel sneaked onto the ship at 01:00 hr, hoping that a better life awaited him in England after the ship departed Guyana at 04:00 hrs.

APNU+AFC secures landslide victory in Linden By Vanessa Braithwaite THE APNU+AFC coalition has secured 15 out of the 16 seats on the Linden municipality, and now has secured the legal right to represent the residents of those constituencies. Independent Group Linden 2025 secured, by proportional representation, only one seat on the council; while the other independent party, which contested for three constituencies, the Ambassadors for Progress, unfortunately did not secure any seats, as did the People’s Progressive Party, which contested in all eight constituencies. Reportedly less than one per cent of the voters participated in the Local Government Elections exercise in Linden. Commenting on the victory, party leader Sandra Adams told this publication the exercise can be deemed a success after hard work, since Local Government Elections had not been held for 22 years. She said this fact resulted in the candidates being additionally tasked with educating the electorate on the importance of this democratic renewal, and how it would benefit them, besides aggressively campaigning to persuade them to vote for the APNU+AFC

less than one per cent voter turnout, despite all the time and effort invested in educational activities. Asked what undertakings would be given priority after being sworn in, Adams revealed that the incoming councillors would be focusing on the organisational structure of the municipality, as several vacant positions need to be filled. Besides, she revealed, the council would be examining ways to garner funds in an effort to advance development of the town.

APNU+AFC Linden representative, Sandra Adams coalition. Adams believes that with a higher voter turnout, the party would have secured all 16 seats. She expressed disappointment at the

TOLL BOOTH “Almost immediately, we will be looking at getting back the toll booth (in operation) as a means of generating money, so that things would get done,” she affirmed. The toll booth will be situated at the Kara Kara turning point, and will collect tolls from lumber trucks and other vehicles plying the interior route. The councillors who will be representing the eight constituencies are Leroy James, Lennox Casper, Eleze Hall, Wainwright Bethune, Colin Anderson, Keeran Williams, Fern McKoy and Neola Rogers. The mayoral candidate for Independent

Group Linden 2025, Samuel Wright, said that although he was disappointed at winning only one proportional representation seat, he still feels happy that the party secured one seat, against the PPP and Ambassadors for Progress securing nothing. He disclosed that he doesn’t feel intimidated going into the Council against a majority of 15, and will do everything to make his voice heard. “We know the people before they were elected. We know what they are capable of, and we will try to get our voices heard, or to get policies on the table, as we want to see movement within the community,” he declared. Wright said his party plans to contest the next Local Government Elections, and will be working on building a stronger base as its members have had 6 to 8 months to campaign for these elections. Campaign manager Venton Osborne revealed that the party has not yet decided which candidate will represent the group on the council. Ms Adams of the APNU+AFC coalition has also said the candidates have not yet decided among themselves who would be designated mayor, but that decision will be made after they have been sworn in.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 21, 2016

Food and music -- among main highlights for 50th Jubilee celebrations LOCAL cuisine and music will be two of the many highlights for Guyana’s 50th Jubilee celebrations, Tourism Liaison and Logistics Officer Catherine Martin said. Speaking with the Government Information Agency on plans the Ministry is putting together for the Golden Jubilee celebrations, Martin said, “We (will) have an area where you can come and taste the cuisine of all of our races. You can come there. So what we’re doing is on the Sunday, tra-

ditionally Guyanese don’t cook on a Sunday, so we want to encourage you in that day… don’t cook,” she said. She explained that for those persons who would like to have a taste of the various local foods, they should attend the last day of the Golden Jubilee festivity during lunch and have something different. Meanwhile, music lovers are being encouraged to attend the Next Gen Night and the Legends Night. The Next Gen Night will feature young

artists, whereas, the Legends Night will showcase artists from the past. She stated that both young and old might actually like the songs they hear. “That’s the two main components that I want to encourage people to look forward to during the 50th Jubilee festivity,” Martin said. Guyana gained its Independence on May 26, 1966. The 50th Jubilee celebrations will promote everything local.

Miners... From Page 7

they could, from the Marudi ‘backdam’ all the way to Aishalton to attend the meeting, and through an appointed spokesman, one Sugrim Singh, reportedly elaborated on the history of Marudi; the pleas of the people, and their willingness to work within the confines of the law, while benefiting all of the communities directly and indirectly”. Singh explained that the area at reference was the only mining area open to the people in Region Nine, and that most of the families in the various communities around it depend on Marudi Mountain for their survival. Among those communities are Lethem, Annai, Kurubukari and Aishalton. UGLY PAST Singh reportedly brought up an incident which occurred in 2013 and involved a woman and her son being severely beaten on the Marudi Trail because they dared to protest at being prevented from earning an honest living the best way they knew how. He said the incident was allegedly the doing of the said Canadian mining company, which wanted small miners removed by any means necessary. “Shops were burnt down

for them to remove; persons were beaten…. They don’t want to revisit those horrible experiences,” Primus told the Guyana Chronicle as she recounted what had transpired at the Aishalton meeting. Primus said both miners and area residents expressed fear that the same thing, or worse, could happen again if the Government does not intervene, and speedily. Leaders of the various indigenous communities, on the other hand, spoke about the negative impacts a large-scale mining operation would have on their settlements, and these ranged from damage to the roads, to pollution of the rivers, to disrespect for local authority, to the proliferation of illegal weapons and illicit drugs, among other negatives. Marshal Mintz, in defending Romanex, spoke glowingly about the company’s investment to date, which amounts to some US$4M; and its policy in regard to working with communities that exist around its worksites. GWMO INVOLVEMENT The GWMO first became involved with the Rupununi Miners Association last November, to ensure the miners are represented efficiently. “Some of them were

there before the company. They are well aware that the land wasn’t theirs at one time, and that the land wasn’t anyone’s at one period,” Primus said. She said miners who have been working for decades at Marudi Mountain were never ever afforded the opportunity to apply for the land. She said it is the only mining area open in Region Nine, and the miners are pleading that the Government assists them in provid-

ing land to enable them to work and provide for their families. Primus said that since the meeting at Aishalton, a decision has been taken to hold a three-day meeting in April, to address the miners’ concerns and to collectively arrive at a solution. GWMO, in a statement, also said the organisation is holding the Government to its word expressed in its manifesto:- that its intention is to “give Guyanese investors primacy of place in order to ensure that current and future generations of Guyanese are able to improve

their lives”. The organisation also pointed out that that is precisely what miners in Marudi Mountain are fighting for, and expressed hope that the solution will benefit the Region Nine miners. “We have seen repeat-

edly that when a community or a region is given an opportunity to acquire land, those benefits are s o m e t i m e s re a p e d b y someone who is not from that community, which can further the issues,” GWMO stated.

For Monday March 21, 2016: 14:30hrs For Tuesday March 22, 2016: 14:30hrs For Wednesday March 23, 2016: 05:30hrs

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 21, 2016

Birding magazine to promote Guyana

THE Guyana Amazon Tropical Birding Society is producing a magazine which will be of interest to persons with a passion for birds. According to Director-General of the Department of Tourism, Donald Sinclair, in a recent interview with the Government Information Agency (GINA), this magazine will give information on the birding hotspots in Guyana, how those sites can be accessed, and what particular species can be

found there. Sinclair said birding has been recognised as an important niche market in tourism; and by attending bird fairs, this birding market will be expanded. “Internal promotions in terms of what happens, in terms of what we do with our websites, will be ways of advertising Guyana’s diverse species of birds,” the tourism director said. Guyana has over 815 migrant and resident bird species for visitors to ad-

mire. These include the largest eagle in the world -- the Harpy Eagle, also known as the “flying wolf”; the Canje Pheasant, Guyana’s national bird, is very primitive in appearance and has a striking resemblance to the earliest bird fossils. It is therefore believed to be evolved from dinosaurs. The Guyana Toucanet is another species of bird available in Guyana. It is sometimes kept as a pet or as a breeder bird.

(www.flickr.com)

Donald Sinclair

Sexual harassment still occurs in the workplace -- WGE commissioner claims no law against the problem Ravin Singh A perusal of the Labour Act of Guyana, Chapter 98:01 and the Sexual Offenses Act Chapter 8:03 would reveal that there are no specific laws which protect against sexual harass-

ment in workplaces, which renders a need for this to be examined. This was the contention of Commissioner Renata Chuck-A-Sang, of the Women and Gender Equality Commission (WGEC), who addressed this issue last week during a “Lunch

Talk” hosted by the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) and the Advancing Partners and Communities (APC). Under the theme “Pledge for Parity”, discussions were had, and Commissioner Chuck-ASang related that the vi-

es, and no policy or laws specifically directed at this heinous act perpetrated against all genders, especially women”. As such, the Commissioner made a strong charge for the public to test the legislation and pressure the judiciary to hold the Government accountable. Commissioner Renata Chuck-A-Sang, of the Women and Gender Equality Commission

sion of the Commission is to create an environment where the rights of women are recognised as human rights and gender equality is realised in Guyana. These, according to her, are goals the Commission has been working towards since its establishment in 2003. According to her, Guyana is guided by some strong laws, including the Domestic Violence Act 1996 and the Sexual Offences Act 2010, which she thinks are modern, progressive and gender-inclusive. Despite this, however, she expressed the view that “there still is sexual harassment in workplac-

PREVENTION OF DISCRIMINATION ACT However, Section 8 of the Prevention of Discrimination Act Chapter 99:09 states that: “Any act of sexual harassment against an employee committed by an employer, managerial employee or co-worker shall constitute unlawful discrimination based on sex within the meaning of section 4 of this Act.” Section 4 further states that, “A person discriminates against another person if the first mentioned person makes, on any of the grounds mentioned in subsection (2), any distinction, exclusion or preference the intent or effect of which is to nullify or impair equality of opportunity or treatment in any employment or occupation.”

These grounds listed included, inter alia, “race, sex, religion, ethnic origin and colour…” But while sex was listed as one of the grounds, gender identity was not included in the Act. And according to Chuck-ASang, it is unfortunate that people, women especially, who identify as lesbian, bisexual or transgender, do not have any legislative backing. She further called for the public to be involved in the Commission’s work and, by writing, setting up appointments with the Commissioners and approaching the Commission on these issues. “Get your voices heard; stand up,” she said. Meanwhile, Guyana remains the only country in South America where homosexual acts are still illegal. As such, the issues of gender identity and sexual orientation are not provided for in the Constitution, and this poses significant challenges for this minority group. Under the laws of Guyana also, homosexual acts carry a possible punishment of life imprisonment.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 21, 2016

Inspire Inc ready for Phagwah Festival

INSPIRE Inc has announced its grand plans for Phagwah Festival 2016 which will be held once again at the Guyana National Stadium on Phagwah Day commencing at 15:00hrs, a press release said. Phagwah Festival is a huge event on the national calendar and thousands converge at the National

Flashback: one of the ma

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 21, 2016

any scenes from last yearâ€™s Phagwah Festival event

Stadium annually. Last year it was estimated that more than 25,000 persons visited the stadium for the event which featured a cultural show and Phagwah fun for everyone. The cultural event is being supported by Terry

Gajraj, an international artiste who is well known for his performances on stage, the release stated, and this year the show promises to be even bigger. Meanwhile, what is unique about this particular event, hosted annually

by Inspire Inc, is the convergence of all races and religions in Guyana in one grand family-based outing. Inspire Inc takes pride in presenting the festival as a true merger of colours in which everyone belongs. While there will be

numerous fun-filled activities, water slides and sprinkler-fun, there will also be a wide menu of foods available in the ground. As a non-alcoholic event, entire families come out and spend time together.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 21, 2016

GRA needs to improve VAT collection

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 21, 2016

-- Finance Minister

LAX enforcement by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has aided in the falloff in the collection of value-added tax (VAT) in Guyana, Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, has said. The minister also said that before the country can even dream about continuing to give VAT exemptions or to reduce VAT, it has to make

sure that the revenue body has the capacity to enforce the laws regarding VAT collection. “This is what I have been doing for the last six to eight months with the GRA -- trying to bring them around to the realisation that their first and foremost responsibility is to enforce the law and to collect the Government’s

Finance Minister Winston Jordan

revenue,” the Government Information Agency (GINA) quoted the minister as saying. Minister Jordan has said this is something he will continue to do. He said the Finance Ministry has been working with the revenue agency to put in place a number of measures that will see the revenue agency doing exactly that. Reminded of the APNU+AFC position on VAT, the Finance Minister said the

lowering of the tax has consequences for other things, and that is why the Tax Reform Committee (TRC), in its report, talks about compensatory measures for the proposed loss of money from the tax, which is Government’s main source of revenue. According to Jordan, the downside is the removal of a range of exemptions offered under the VAT. He explained that the TRC report mentions

both water and electricity (neither of which at the moment attracts VAT) as items that should be captured under the tax as a compensatory measure for lowering the VAT. Minister Jordan pointed out that, given the options, the conversation has to be wider than merely addressing a reduction in VAT. He said this is the conversation the public needs to engage in.

countries, according to the report. A special chapter in the report describes the evolution of revenues from non-renewable natural resources, which have been hit hard by the sharp decline in commodity prices in 2014. This has resulted in significant reduction in hydrocarbon-related revenues, representing an average 0.7 percentage point of GDP for the countries cov-

ered in the special chapter. Corresponding expected fall in 2015 is estimated at 2.1 percentage points of GDP. These substantial reductions in government revenues from non-renewable natural resources are not classified as taxes and therefore are not included in the tax-to-GDP ratios. Mining revenues were similarly affected by the decrease in commodity prices, causing these revenues to fall

by 0.1 percentage point of GDP in 2014. The estimated drop for 2015 is expected to be similar to that in 2014. In some countries, increases in mining production, coupled with currency depreciations, have resulted in relatively stable nontax revenues. On the other hand, corporate income tax revenues in the sector have fallen sharply as profit margins tightened.

Tax revenues rise --but remain below OECD levels

Despite a continuing slowdown in economic growth, tax revenues as a proportion of national incomes in Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) countries rose slightly in 2014, according to new data from the annual Revenue Statistics in Latin America and the Caribbean publication. The average tax-to-GDP ratio for LAC countries rose from 21.5 per cent in 2013 to 21.7 per cent in 2014, compared with 21.4 per cent in 2012 and 20.8 per cent in 2011. The report, produced jointly by the Inter-American Centre of Tax Administrations (CIAT), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and

Development (OECD), and the OECD’s Development Centre, includes 22 LAC countries. It was launched during the XXVIII Regional Seminar on Fiscal Policy, held at ECLAC headquarters in Santiago, Chile. Although tax-to-GDP ratios are increasing across the LAC region, the report highlights, the 21.7 per cent average is still well below the corresponding 34.4 per cent OECD average in 2014. Countries with higher levels of GDP per capita are more likely to have higher tax-to-GDP ratios, which help to fund investment in infrastructure, education, and social services. This relationship is generally reflected in the data presented in the report, as well as in the gap between the LAC and OECD average taxto-GDP ratios. Widespread levels of informality amongst

both firms and workers, and higher tax breaks within the LAC region, also contribute to the gap. The report stresses that there is scope for further tax base broadening as well as measures to modernise tax policy and administration to support domestic resource mobilisation as GDP per capita grows across the region. The report shows a wide variation across countries. The tax-to-GDP ratios in LAC countries range from 12.6 per cent (Guatemala) and 14.1 per cent (Dominican Republic) to 32.2 per cent (Argentina) and 33.4 per cent (Brazil). The share of taxes collected by sub-central governments is small in most LAC countries, and has not increased, reflecting relatively small taxing powers compared with the same levels of government in OECD

Math phobia in region needs urgent intervention – UWI OFFICIALS from the University of the West Indies (UWI) are calling for more action and less talk across the region to confront the low performance in mathematics at the secondary and tertiary levels. Dean in the Faculty of Science and Technology at the UWI Cave Hill Campus, Dr Colin Depradine, said the situation has reached the stage where urgent intervention is required. He was the lead spokesperson at a symposium on mathematics held over the weekend at the university.

The aim is to devise a plan to counter the challenge. The theme of the conference was:

‘Dare to be Different: Revitalising Mathematics’. Dr Depradine said what

is required is innovative, sustainable and actionable ideas. “The fact is that we

live in a cash-strapped environment within the region, and so any approach that we adopt has to be different from what is normally seen in the world. Copying others has pretty much failed, and will continue to fail. Our situation is unique to us, and we must adopt unique solutions,” he said. Dr Justin Robinson, Dean in the Faculty of Social Sciences, pointed to a “maths phobia” in the region. He noted that there appears to be competency in the subject area up to 11plus exams, and this competency rapidly reverses at the secondary school level. That problem, Dr Robinson

said, often spills over into the university. “For the last academic year, we delivered in our faculty 132 courses; and of those courses, there were 31 that had a failure rate higher than 25 per cent, and 29 of those courses were mathematical courses,” he said. “What we find as well is that, in many areas, analysis can be enhanced if you bring to bear the mathematics; but a lot of students, even though they’re doing their degree, are not getting the maximum benefit because they almost wind up sitting down on the soft side of the discipline.”

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 21, 2016

Guyana Jaguars ...

From back page the spin duo. Earlier, the Jamaica Scorpions fell short of the follow-on target of 271 runs by 40 and were forced to follow on after they were bowled out on the stroke of lunch. Wily left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, who was the star performer late on day two, inflicted more misery on the hapless Scorpions when he bowled overnight batsman Devon Thomas for 43. Jacobs joined forces with Aldaine Thomas and put together 31 runs before Barnwell bowled Jacobs for 19. The dismissal dented any hopes of the visitors saving the follow-on as Permaul removed Thomas (45) and Bulli (2) in quick succession before Bishoo claimed the final wicket of Gavon Brown for four. It was a complete first innings bowling effort for the Jaguars, with Motie finishing with 4-55, Reifer (2-47), Permaul (2-43), Barnwell (1-39) and Bishoo (1-45), all playing their part. Shimron Hetymer was later adjudged Man-of-theMatch for his 107. Meanwhile, head coach Esaun Crandon praised his team for the hard work and commitment they displayed during the entire tournament, adding that the Guyana Jaguars have been the standouts during the entire tournament. And in the other two matches, Barbados Pride beat Leeward Islands Hurricanes by an innings and 93 runs. Scores: Barbados Pride 436; Leeward Islands Hurricanes 119 and 224, and in the other game Windward Islands Volcanoes closed on 8-0, batting a second time. Scores Trinidad and Tobago 211 and 243; Windward Islands Volcanoes 289 and 8-0.

SCOREBOARD JAGUARS RETAIN. Jamaica 1st innings S. Thomas c wk Bramble b Motie 32 J. Campbell c Permaul b Reifer 1 J. Blackwood lbw b Reifer 62 A. McCarthy lbw b Motie 3 P. Palmer lbw b Motie 6 D. Thomas b Motie 43 A. Thomas lbw b Permaul 45 D. Jacobs b Barnwell 19 D. Bulli c Barnwell b Permaul 2 G. Brown c Paul b Bishoo J. Dawes not out 8 Extras: (nb 4, lb 2) 6 Total: (all out; 91.2 overs) 231 Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-70, 3-74, 4-88, 5-120, 6-174, 7-205, 8-219, 9-226, 10-231 Bowling: Reifer 16-6-47-2, Barnwell 13-4-39-1, Motie 28.3-8-55-4, Permaul 22-7-43-2, Bishoo 12.3-3-45-1 Jamaica Scorpions 2nd innings J. Campbell lbw b Permaul 10 S. Thomas c Permaul b Barnwell 10 J. Blackwood c Barnwell b Reifer 16 A. McCarthy c Bramble b Permaul 21 P. Palmer* lbw b Bishoo 04 D. Thomas c Chanderpaul b Bishoo 17 A. Thomas stmp’d Bramble b Bishoo 07 D. Jacobs b Bishoo 17 D. Bulli c Motie b Permaul 15 J. Dawes b lbw Permaul 06 G. Brown not out 06 Total: (all out; 50 overs) 134 Extras: (1-nb) 1 Bowling: Reifer 6-0-16-1, Barnwell 2-1-6-1, Motie 7-1-31-0, Permaul 19-7-36-5, Bishoo 16-2-43-3

SOUTH AFRICA RACING TIPS Fairview 08:20 hrs Emblem Honour 08:55 hrs My Celebration 09:30 hrs Egregiuos 10:05 hrs Captain’s Reserve 10:40 hrs Jay’s Man 11:15 hrs On My Wits Alone ENGLISH RACING TIPS Kelso 10:00 hrs Benny’s Secret 10:30 hrs Oscar Oscar 11:00 hrs Sainte Ladylime 11:30 hrs Lightening Rod 12:00 hrs Cracked Rear View 12:30 hrs Rocklim TAUNTON 10:10 hrs Rock On Oscar 10:40 hrs Banyu

11:10 hrs Passing Fiesta 11:40 hrs General Ginger 12:10 hrs Rothman 12:40 hrs Present Man SOUTHWELL 10:20 hrs Saffron Prince 10:50 hrs Santa’s Secret 11:20 hrs Monkhouse 11:50 hrs Behind The Wire 12:20 hrs Visible Light 12:50 hrs Mondo Cane 13:20 hrs Raised On Grazeon AMERICAN RACING TIPS Philadelphia Park Race 1 Blast Away Race 2 Slaminator Race 3 Diadema Race 4 Mrs Barbaroux Race 5 Salty’s Hero Race 6 Move Race 7 Trouble Kid Race 8 Grace H.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 21, 2016

Rosberg wins dramatic Australian Grand Prix By Ian Ransom

M E L B O U R N E , ( R e uters)-Nico Rosberg won a dramatic Australian Grand Prix yesterday after a bungled tyre strategy dashed Sebastian Vettel’s chances of a season-opening triumph and Fernando Alonso survived a spectacular crash that left his McLaren wrecked. Rosberg’s 15th Formula One victory was also his fourth in succession after the German Mercedes driver won the final three races of last season. Pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton battled back to secure a Mercedes one-two after the defending world champion recovered from a chaotic start that pushed him back to sixth at the first turn to finish eight seconds behind his team mate. Four-times world champion Vettel came third for Ferrari after leading for much of the race, but the German’s victory hopes faded with an aggressive tyre strategy that fell flat after the race was halted due to Alonso’s crash. “The strategy was crucial today, so I’m really thankful the team did a good job on that,” ecstatic German Rosberg told reporters. “The car’s just been unreal today... We’ve got to keep an eye on the red guys

(Ferrari), they are very close as you saw today.” Ferrari enjoyed a brilliant start, with Vettel able to carve through the frontrow occupying Mercedes duo on the run to the first turn. His Finnish team mate Kimi Raikkonen also got off to a flyer and he darted up the side to claim second place as Rosberg’s rear left tyre made contact with Hamilton’s front wing. Related Coverage COMPOUND ISSUES Vettel appeared poised for an unlikely win but the race turned on its head when Alonso crashed into Haas driver Esteban Gutierrez at high speed going into turn three of the 18th lap. The Spaniard’s car careened into a barrier and was smashed to pieces before it flipped, rolled and flew end-over-end into another barrier. Alonso walked away from the wreckage but the red flag came out to halt the race for around 10 minutes as track staff swept away debris and repaired the barriers. During the break, Mercedes opted to run both cars on medium compound tyres and rode them to the finish, while Ferrari took the more aggressive route, sticking with their super-softs, which were quicker but ultimately required another stop.

National 15’s rugby team to commence training tomorrow

GUYANA’S 15s team will tomorrow commence preparations to qualify for the Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan. Following its North American Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA)’s triumph in 2015, the side is very upbeat about qualifying this time around, but will take it step by step. The team’s first step is against Barbados on April 23. Meanwhile, in preparation, the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) has shortlisted players for national trials with sessions scheduled for Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Sessions will take place under the watchful eyes of the union-appointed coaches Lawrence Adonis, Clinton Clarke, Theodore Henry and Kenneth Grant-Stuart. Practice matches will be played on every Saturday leading up to April 23, 2016. The union urges all ruggers shortlisted to attend and be punctual as time is limited.

Germany’s Nico Rosberg celebrates on the podium after winning the Australian Grand Prix season opener.

The mistake proved costly and was compounded when Vettel’s next tyre

change was botched, while Raikkonen’s race was over on lap 23 when an engine

failure forced him out and he reached the pits with flames shooting out of the top of his car. “Obviously the red flag didn’t help us,” Vettel said. “We went for the aggressive route but maybe with hindsight we may have gone with something else,” the German added of the tyre strategy. New team Haas, the first American-owned F1 outfit to race in 30 years, celebrated points on debut, with Frenchman Romain Grosjean finishing sixth behind Red Bull’s fourth-placed

Daniel Ricciardo and Felipe Massa in a Williams. F o r c e I n d i a ’s N i c o Hulkenberg, Williams’ Valtteri Bottas, and the Toro Rosso duo of Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen completed the top 10, with Renault rookie Jolyon Palmer narrowly missing out on a point on debut. Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat was among six cars that failed to finish including Manor Racing’s Indonesian rookie Rio Haryanto. Haryanto’s team mate and fellow debutant Pascal Wehrlein was last of the 16 finishers.

AB deVilliers, Morris help South Africa past brave Afghans By Sudipto Ganguly MUMBAI, (Reuters)-AB de Villiers announced himself at the World Twenty20 with a swashbuckling 64 and made Afghanistan pay heavily for dropping him twice as South Africa revived their campaign with a 37-run victory at the Wankhede Stadium yesterday Unable to defend a target of 230 runs against England two days ago at the same ground, South Africa chose to bat first after winning the toss and racked up a total of 209 for five in their 20 overs. The plucky Afghans came out all guns blazing in their assault on the target with the diminutive Mohammad Shahzad leading the charge with 44 off 19 balls. Shahzad, who hit five sixes and three fours, tore into paceman Kyle Abbott in the second over and took 22 runs off him as Afghanistan made a strong start. The right-hander took Afghanistan to 47-0 in three overs, reminding South Africa of the onslaught by the English batsmen on Friday, before paceman Chris Morris uprooted his stumps. “The target was slightly

South Africa’s AB de Villiers plays a shot during his swashbuckling 64 against Afghanistan in Mumbai. (Reuters/Danish Siddiqui)

a bit too much but it was a good batting wicket. Unfortunately we threw away early wickets,” Shahzad told reporters. Afghanistan, who made the Super 10 stage after coming through the qualifiers, were ahead of South Africa’s score at the halfway stage on 103 for two but lost too many wickets to keep up with the required run rate and were all out for 172, The lanky Morris showed good control to finish with four wickets, earning him the player of the match award, while leg-spinner Imran Tahir and fast bowlers Abbott and Kagiso Rabada all picked up two wickets each.

“Our first three overs were very disappointing, obviously there were some really good shots,” captain Faf du Plessis said. “But we need to be a lot better, we have to improve. As simple as that. “Morris showed if you bowl with good discipline and good intensity, there is enough for the bowlers (on this wicket). South Africa, who were also hampered by the hamstring injury to part-time off-spinner JP Duminy, dropped Dale Steyn from the side that lost against England and drafted in seamer David Wiese, who also had a forgettable outing, conceding 47 off his four overs. Earlier, opener Quinton

de Kock (45) continued his impressive show with the bat and added 65 for the second wicket with Du Plessis after South Africa lost Hashim Amla early in their innings. The Proteas, among the favourites to lift the trophy at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens on April 3, lost De Kock and Du Plessis (41) in quick succession, which set the stage for De Villiers to explode. The right-hander was first dropped by Samiullah Shenwari on 26 off his own bowling and then again on 35 by the same fielder at midwicket off leg-spinner Rashid Khan. Rashid was the unfortunate bowler who suffered most from De Villiers’s onslaught as the batsman plundered 29 runs in the 17th over with four sixes and a boundary to race past his fifty in 24 deliveries. De Villiers added 76 for the fourth wicket with left-hander Duminy (29 not out), who guided South Africa past the 200-run mark with David Miller (19). Afghanistan, who also lost their opening match against defending champions Sri Lanka, have little chance to advance past the Super 10 stage after their second loss.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 21, 2016

Mekdeci , Harding, Ince-Carvalhal outstanding at GSA tournament BEN Mekdeci, Makela Harding and Samuel Ince-Carvalhal were the outstanding players of the Guyana Squash Association’s (GSA)Junior Skill Level Tournament which concluded yesterday at the Georgetown Club courts. Sponsored by Toucan Industries under its Kraft brand in collaboration with Digicel Guyana, Mekdeci, competing in Category `A’ of the nine-category tournament, defeated Alec Melville 2-1 (11-4, 10-12, 11-8) in the final game of the category to come out on top. Playing in category `B’,Harding defeated Rebecca Lowe 7-11, 11-6, 11-4 to win the category,while Ince-Carvalhal beat Gianni Carpenter 7-11, 11-7, 12-10, 17-15 to take the category `C’ title. The most improved

Winners of the various categories in the Kraft/Toucan Industries Junior Skills Level Squash Tournament strike a pose for photographer Delano Williams shortly after receiving their prizes yesterday at the Georgetown Club courts. was adjudged the Most girl’s award went to Abecelli Cadogan, while on the distaff side, Carpenter came out on top. Harding was adjudged the most Outstanding Fe-

male Player of the tournament, as she did not drop a single game during the one-week tournament, while Ince –Carvalhal who dropped just two games

Outstanding Male Player. In other results, Marissa Wiltshire placed second to Mekdeci in Category `A’, while Shamere Wiltshire and Alec Melville placed third and fourth respectively.

In Category `B’, Rebecca Lowe was second to Harding, while Miah Collins placed third. Carpenter was second in Category `C,’ while Michael Alphonso and Ethan Jones placed third and fourth respectively. Category `D’was won by A. Cadogan, who shared a three-way tie with Keristen Rose and Madison Fernandes, but after a count back, it was down to Cadogan and Rose and this also came up with a tie and a further count back on points saw Cadogan coming out on top with 160 points as against Rose’s 134 points. In Category `E’, Nechuemyiah Levans won ahead of James Mekdeci, Morian Baksh and Kamir Khan respectively. M. Allicock won Category `F’ ahead of Mikal Persaud and C. DeAbreu

respectively, while Jeanta Adams was the winner of Category `G’. Second was T. Edwards and third place went to Beau Fernandes. Category `H’ was won by Luis DaSilva ahead of Shylio Azearro and Zajuaan Munroe respectively. In the “Smallies” category which is Category `I’, Christina Fernandes was the winner, edging out Noah Rahaman and Melia Maikoo respectively. Prior to the presentation of prizes to the respective winners, tournament coordinator Tiffany Solomon, a former national squash and hockey player thanked the sponsors Kraft/Toucan Industries and Digicel for their continued support to the tournament. Solomon also thanked the players and their parents for making the tournamengt the suc-

Sunburst renews Ramdhani sponsorship CONTINENTAL Agencies Ltd. (CAL) through its lead brand Sunburst Juice is continuing its partnership with Badminton player Narayan Ramdhani as one of its Sunburst Brand Ambassadors. This was evident at a presentation ceremony, when a sponsorship cheque was handed over to Narayan to assist with his training and international participation at upcoming badminton tournaments.

Ramdhani recently won Bronze at the Peru Junior International March 5-12, 2016 and is now preparing for the Suriname Easter Junior International, which will be held March 25-27, 2016. He started badminton at a very young age and has won all his age-group championships to date, winning competitions from the mere age of six with his first international success coming at seven, when he medalled at

Notable Dates

REGGIE Ford lost a six-round Majority Decision to American Bertram Buchanan on March 21, 1984 at the Schuetzen Park in New Jersey. Ford, a southpaw, was 30 years old at the time. Ford career started at a time when Guyana produced some of the best in the Caribbean. He met Bob `Boogaloo’ Watts on January 22, 1977. A dedicated pugilist, Ford found the going rough against his more seasoned opponent and was knocked down in the eighth round. Watts went on to win the 10-round affair by a unanimous decision. Two months later the Guyanese middleweight accepted a challenge to fight `Marvelous’ Marvin Hagler and was knocked out in the third round. Ironically, Watts also fought Hagler and was knocked out in round two. The tenacious Ford never ducked an opponent and in an eventful career, matched gloves with the likes of Mike McCallum and Ayube Kalule, both of whom became world champions. Ford ended a nine-year career in 1984 when he was two months shy of 31 years. He had lost eight consecutive bouts leading up to his departure of the ring, and left with a record of 27 victories, 15 defeats and one draw. Ford resides in the USA and will turn 63 in June.

Avalon Jagnandan, Marketing and Sales Manager for the Continental Group of Companies hands over the sponsorship cheque to. Narayan Ramdhani in the presence of Gokarn Ramdhani, his father and coach and who is also the president of the ,Guyana Badminton Association (GBA). Photo name: Sponsorship the Suriname Juniors International. Ramdhani continued his career internationally

over the years winning many matches at the South American Youth Championships, The Caribbean

Junior Championships, The Pan-American Junior Championships, The World Juniors Championships and he also qualified for the Senior Pan Am Games in Toronto where he participated. Marketing and Sales Manager of Continental Group of Companies, Mr. Avalon Jagnandan, pointed out that Continental is very happy to continue its engagements with Narayan, since he has represented the Sunburst Brand well and has embraced the slogan of Sunburst which is “Juice of Champions” especially in recent times. He added that the young Ramdhani has moved up the international rankings and is now

ranked # 53 in the World, # 3 in Pan America and # 1 in the Caribbean. He noted that over the years the Continental Group of Companies through its Sunburst Brand has supported sports in Guyana in a wide array of areas, these being Motor Racing, Badminton, Football, Table Tennis, Karate, Hockey, Golf and Horse Racing, just to name a few. The CAL manager also thanked patrons for their support for the locally manufactured juice, since it’s through the consumption of Sunburst Juice by consumers nationwide that Continental Agencies Ltd is able to give back to the development of youth and sports in Guyana.

Clinical WI Women knock Bangladesh out

WEST Indies Women put in a dominant performance to hand Bangladesh Women a 49-run loss in Chennai, thereby knocking them out of the Women’s World T20. Stafanie Taylor, Hayley Matthews and Deandra Dottin starred with both bat and ball to lead a strong all-round effort from West Indies, who notched their second win in as many games to move to

the top of the Group B table. Bangladesh, by contrast, slumped to a third heavy defeat in the tournament. After electing to bat, West Indies laid a solid platform with openers Matthews and Taylor putting on a stand of 67 in 70 balls, before Matthews was stumped off Nahida Akter. Akter struck twice more in her next two overs, dismissing Britney

Cooper and the set Taylor to leave West Indies at 98 for 3 in 15.1 overs. But West Indies finished the innings strongly as Dottin and Stacy-Ann King chipped in with cameos. This ensured that 50 runs were plundered in the last 4.5 overs, lifting West Indies to 148. After a solid opening stand of 24, Bangladesh’s run chase was hampered by

the regular fall of wickets. Taylor, Matthews and Dottin were the standout bowlers, taking 7 for 46 in 11 overs between them. Two run-outs did not help Bangladesh’s cause either. The result puts West Indies in a strong position to qualify for the semi-finals, while Bangladesh will look to put in a better performance in their last group match. (ESPN Cricinfo)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 21, 2016

Fletcher, Badree dominate Sri Lanka By Simon Jennings

BENGALURU, (Reuters)-West Indies brushed aside Sri Lanka by seven wickets in their World Twenty20 Super 10 match yesterday, with opener Andre Fletcher, brought into the side after the injured Chris Gayle was pushed down the order, smashing an unbeaten 84. Gayle, scorer of an unbeaten century against England, has a minor hamstring injury and never made it to the crease, but his services were scarcely missed as Fletcher struck five sixes and six boundaries to seal a routine second Group One vic-

Andre Fletcher plays a big shot through the off side in his unbeaten 84. tory for the 2012 champions. Fresh from the impressive six-wicket win over

England on Wednesday, Windies skipper Darren Sammy won the toss at the

M Chinnaswamy Stadium and put Sri Lanka in, trusting his batsmen to chase down any total. Defending champions Sri Lanka slumped to a disappointing 122-9 and then had no answer to Fletcher, who played with maturity to strengthen his team’s charge for a semi-final berth. “We know what we are capable of. We know the strength of our team. If we continue playing the kind of cricket we are accustomed to playing, we are going to lift the cup a second time,” man-of-thematch Fletcher said after the game. The win was set up

by a strong bowling performance by the Windies, with pace bowler Carlos Brathwaite drawing first blood by getting the inform Tillakaratne Dilshan out lbw with his first ball of the match in the third over. Dilshan, who scored 83 against Afghanistan on Thursday, had tried to set the tone, hitting his first ball for six and following that up with a boundary, but he was out for 12. His strike partner Dinesh Chandimal also suffered a soft dismissal, when he was run out on 16 in the fifth over. Spinner Samuel Badree

took 3-12 in his four overs to wreak havoc with Sri Lanka’s top order with Lahiru Thirimanne, Chamara Kapugedera and Milinda Siriwardana all falling cheaply. “We just kept losing wickets and by the time we reassessed, it was too late,” Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Matthews said. Mathews and Thisara Perera had a mountain to climb to put a competitive total on the board and managed 44 runs in 46 balls for the sixth wicket but both were caught off deliveries by Dwayne Bravo to give Sri Lanka no chance.

Raiders, Colts abandon National Club Championship final By Rawle Toney IT had all that was required for a nail-biting climax, but, the Retrieve Raiders versus Colts GABF National Club Championship final came to a premature end with 9:18 remaining in the final period, since both clubs abandoned the game. At the time of the precipitous end, the Colts had a 54 – 51 points lead over the Retrieve Raiders but, so close was the game that it was difficult to determine the tournament’s winner. The Raiders had complained about the officiating by an all-Georgetown refereeing panel, with the club feeling disenfranchised as most of the calls went against them.

Colts on the other hand, were playing the game as usual as both teams turned in some sensational basketball, much to the delight of the almost filled Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. Things went downhill after Raiders forward Omally Sampson was called for a foul by referee Adrian George. Clearly, the player felt that the call was unwarranted, since he didn’t commit the infringement. His reaction to the whistle then led to George issuing the Raiders player a Technical Foul and it was then that pandemonium broke loose in Guyana’s premier indoor facility. Sampson’s technical had a domino effect; queries by other Raiders players

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Monday March 21, 2016) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & AUDREY’S TASTY SNACKETTE-176 Charlotte Street, Georgetown (Tel: 226-4512)

Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka (2) Bangladesh, England, India, Pakistan, West Indies Today’s Quiz: (1) How many deliveries Chris Gayle faced in his innings of 100* in the WI/ENG game of the current ICC T20 World Cup? (2) How many deliveries Chris Gayle needed to get to his hundred in the WI/Eng game of the current ICC T20 World Cup? Answers in tomorrow’s issue

The Retrieve Raiders leaving the basketball court, as the Colts players stand in ‘awe’ team’s supporters reacted After their over 30-min– Dwayne Roberts, Jason with boos, while some hurled ute deliberation, the referees Alonso and Abdullah Hamid vile words towards the Lin- then seemingly agreed to let – led to them all being given deners as they made their Retrieve Raiders take the Technical Fouls and ejection. way off the court. court. The Linden supporters President of the GuyHowever, Colts then recame out in their numbers ana Amateur Basketball fused to resume play, owing and sat, as usual, behind their Federation (GABF), Nigel to the fact that according team bench. Debris were then Hinds, then stormed into the to the rules that govern thrown onto the playing area Raiders’ dressing room and the game as prescribed by by the Linden supporters and returned with the Linden FIBA, Raiders should’ve the Retrieve Raiders then players behind him. lost the game by forfeit exited the playing area and Hinds then called the of- when they left the playing headed to their locker rooms. ficials to centre court where area. As this happened, Colts they then began negotiations According to FIBA, a Head Coach Dane Kendal which would’ve allowed the forfeit occurs if 15 minutes then summoned his team to game to resume and Raiders after the scheduled starting their bench area. The city to take the court. time, the team is not present

or is unable to field five players ready to play and its actions prevent the game from being played. A team shall lose by forfeit also if it refuses to play after being instructed to do so by the referee. FIBA rules states that a forfeit results in loss for the offending team, a score of 20−0, and in tournaments that use the FIBA points system, 0 points in classification of teams. The game was being filmed and produced for rebroadcast by leading Cable Provider E-Networks, and the company’s representatives were asked to ‘replay’ the portion of the tape that captured the play that led to the disputed portion. While the video did support the claims of the Retrieve Raiders, it was too late as the referees had already blown off the game and ruled it a “no contest.”

Pele FC’s 45th anniversary football festival to kick off on Saturday THE Pele Football Club will be celebrating its 45th anniversary with a football festival starting on Saturday at the Georgetown Football Club with a number of matches. The Festival which concludes on April 1 will see school and club teams as well as veterans and former national overseas based players battling for honours. On Saturday, Stella Maris and St. Stephens girls will face off in Under -15 and Under- 17 matches, while on the same day, Pele Masters will oppose its overseas based veterans. The feature game on Saturday will bring together Pele’s Elite and Alpha United’s Elite.

On Sunday, There will be a Youth FunDay and sports contests’ where free kites will be given to the first 20 youths going into the venue as well as free drinking mugs to the first 20 adults entering the venue. The youths participating in the Festival will also receive free meals. On April 1, Pele will take on Santos in under 15 as well as under 17 encounters while the overseas masters will face their Guyanese based counterparts and finally, Pele Elite Reserves will come up against Santos Seniors’. All games will be played at the GFC ground, Bourda and admission to all games is free.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 21, 2016

Benjamin’s helmet-trick pilots Chase Academy to 9 – 0 win over Lodge for second title

KELSEY Benjamin, regarded as one of the best youth football players in Guyana, entertained a massive crowd at the Ministry of Education Ground when he fired in a helmet-trick (four goals) to help Chase Academy “hammer” Lodge Secondary 9 – 0 and in the process, retain their Petra Organisation/Milo Schools Football tournament title. Lodge Secondary had won the inaugural title, while Chase Academy had hoisted the trophy for the first time last year. The Petra Organisation/ Milo-sponsored tournament has easily grown to become

the most sought-after title for the football-playing Georgetown schools over the last four years. The tournament was birthed to give the city schools a chance of being better prepared for the national tournament organised by Digicel and which was won for four consecutive years by Linden’s Christianburg Wismar Secondary School. In fact, Linden played in each of the tournament’s final and lost only in initial final to the Georgetown Technical Institute. Following up on their 6 – 0 semi-final win over South

Ruimveldt Secondary, Chase certainly saved their best performance in the tournament for the final against Lodge Secondary who had edged Queens College (1 – 0) in their semi-final. Ralph Parris scored the game’s first goal in the 12th minute, then Ryan Hackett in the 24th minute, doubled the lead for the champions. Benjamin got his first of the four goals in the 26th minute, while Parris completed his double on the night in the 40th minute as Chase closed the first half leading 4 – 0. However, the floodgates began to open just two min-

Chase Academy Principal Henry Chase accepts the winning trophy from Milo Brand representative Renita Sital in the presence of players and other officials.

utes into the second half as Benjamin netted his second. He (Benjamin) added more wood to the already blazing Chase Academy fire when he converted his efforts in the 58th and 66th minutes. Hackett secured his double in the 50th minute and Sunil Logan bagged Chase’s ninth goal in the 82nd with the champions literally not giving the Lodge Secondary School a chance to actually be in the game. Meanwhile, in the day’s opening game, South Ruimveldt defeated Queens College 2 – 0, thanks to goals from Cecil Jackman (22nd) and Adrian Aaron (23rd). The Annual Milo-sponsored U-20 Schools football tournament, featured 32 high schools in Georgetown but in the end, it was Chase Academy who walked away with the tournament’s first prize of $500 000, which will go

to their school. Lodge Secondary had to settle for $300 000, South

Ruimveldt $200 000 and $100 000 went to Queens College.

Guyana Jaguars retain PCL Regional Four-Day title ––whip Jamaica Scorpions by an innings and 54 runs

Shimron Hetmyer collects his Man-of-the-match cheque from WICB Director of Cricket Operations Richard Pybus By Rajiv Bisnauth THE spin mantra clicked. Left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul (5-36) and leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo (3-43), tied the Jamaica Scorpions batsmen up in knots to steer Guyana Jaguars to an innings and 54- run win in the final round of the West Indies Cricket Board’s Professional Cricket League (PCL) Four-Day game at the National Stadium, Providence, yesterday. After following on, the Scorpions were skittled out for 134 with the spin duo collecting eight second innings wickets between them with the end coming just over an hour after tea. The Guyana Jaguars entered the final round facing a must-win situation, and after almost three days of competitive cricket they were able to successfully defend their title. Facing a daunting test after following on on 189, the Jamaican batsmen never provided the stamina required in such a situation and folded in just 50 overs. Andre McCarthy top scored with 21, with no other batsman managing to pass 20. Damion Jacobs (17), Devon Thomas (17), Jermaine Blackwood (16), Dennis Bullii (15), Shacaya Thomas (12) and John Campbell (10) were the other batsmen to reach double figures. Medium pacers Raymon Reifer and Christopher Barnwell had one second innings wicket each to set the tone for

The Guyana Jaguars celebrate with the Headley/Weekes trophy following their innings and 54-run win over Jamaica Scorpions

See page 27

Jeffrey, Rangasammy run rampant at National Race of Champions By Stephan Sookram GUYANA’S Kristian Jeffrey and Mohan Rangasammy dominated race day when the Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club hosted the first National Race of Champions at the South Dakota Circuit yesterday. Jeffrey’s car ran untouched and trouble-free in the fourwheel drive 4WD group four class after earlier undergoing some early pressure from a returning Andrew King, who looked impressive compared to his November outing. But there was no competition for the two-time Caribbean Champion, who eased his way to a perfect day of action in the absence of his father Kevin and Mark Vieira. Due to lack of subscription by drivers in the 4WD

group, King opted to run with the big boys, posing an early threat for the young Jeffrey, but later fell out in the last race of the day due to mechanical troubles. On the two-wheel end of things, Mohan Rangasammy led the pack from start to finish in all three races, putting himself in a prime position for the remaining season and showing the pack that he is a force to be reckoned with. Elsewhere, Trinidad’s representative Paul Vieira dominated the group three class with two wins from three races, while his country’s other representative Ravi Singh won the other. Group two action featured Rameez Mohammed dominating the first two races in his Honda Civic as he beat off Chet Singh’s Civic and Ryan Rahaman’s Ford Escort in the first race and pro-

duced an almost carbon copy in the second, with the exception of Singh and Rahaman swapping finishing spots. However mechanical trouble forced him out of the

tan third. Meanwhile in the newly instituted Beharry Toyota Starlet Cup, wins were shared between Vishual Sawh, Adrian Fernandes and Rameez

Shameer Mohamed and his Honda Civic ran untroubled ahead of the curve winning all three races comfortably, while Daniel Deokie’s Civic turned in a

Part of the action at yesterday’s National Race of Champions at the South Dakota Circuit. (Adrian Narine photo) last race with just a few laps remaining, leaving Rahaman to take first place, Singh to take second and Shan Seejat-

Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216.

Mohammed in the first, second and third places respectively. In the Street tuner class,

consistent second. The Sport Tuner class also saw a Mohamed sweeping the class; however, a dif-

ferent individual by the name of Nasurdeen dominated the pack with his Toyota Levin. His driving saw him the take the lead in the first race and he never looked back as he also ran untouched through the day. Due to lack of subscription, there was no superbike nor 125cc motorcycle action. The day’s major sponsors included Fly Jamaica, GTT, Seaboard Marine and Ansa McAl. Other sponsors were Ganesh Parts, Parts Plus S&L Electrical, Rohan Auto Spares (Mahaica), Beharry Automotive, Hand in Hand Insurance Company, Secure Innovations and Concepts, Ramchand Auto Spares, B.M. Soat Auto Sales, Palm Court, Jumbo Jet, Mohamed’s Enterprise, Ready Mix Concrete Ltd, Automotive Art, United Commodities Inc, Prem’s Electrical and Guyoil. MONDAY, MARCH 21, 2016