Issuu

11th August, 2019

' No.105726

‘All are involved’

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…AG, GTUC urge end to political stalemate …hold out hope for opposition agreement to extend timeframe for elections

Gov’t unwraps $1.5B development package for 'Parfaite Harmonie'

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No censorship

…GNBA denies opposition’s claims of harassment 10 …vows to step up ‘policing’ of broadcasting spectrum PAGE

Horrors of the past

…Buxton mothers still seeking justice years after sons, daughters were killed

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Detective Constable Keaisha Erskine of ‘E’ Division (Linden) was late Friday night crowned Miss Guyana Police Force Queen, when the inaugural pageant was held at the National Cultural Centre. Ms Erskine, who competed on the platform ‘addressing suicide’ has described herself as God-fearing, benevolent and humble. A born Lindener, Erskine is also a second year University of Guyana student. Through her platform she hopes to inspire others from her personal experience and also urges persons who are thinking of suicide to seek counselling and to look at the world from a different angle. (Read more on this story in our Monday edition. (Carl Croker photo)

Guyana moving in right direction ….President says in Eid message

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

Gov’t unwraps $1.5B development package for La Parfaite Harmonie

Director-General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Mr. Joseph Harmon engaging with residents of La Parfaite Harmonie during the community meeting

President David Granger

resident David Granger has extended best wishes to the Islamic Community on the occasion of Eidul-Adha, a national holiday which will be observed on Monday. BELOW IS FULL TEXT OF PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE I extend best wishes to all Guyanese, but especially our Islamic community, on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha. This sacred day recalls the unshakeable faith and unwavering obedience of the Prophet Ibrahim. Eid-ul-Adha is observed throughout our country with the offering of prayers and the distribution of food and alms to the less fortune in our society. The expressions of kindness to the poor and needy strengthen the chords of cohesion within our society. It demonstrates our concern for others and for the building of a more equitable society where everyone will be treated with dignity. Guyana is today moving in the right direction. We are becoming a more caring, considerate and compassionate nation. We are working towards an inclusive future where no one will feel excluded and where everyone, regardless of class, race or religion, will be respected. May the outpouring of kindness and concern for others, which is characteristic of Eid-ul-Adha, promote greater harmony in our beloved country! I wish all Guyanese a peaceful and joyous Eid-ul-Adha. Eid Mubarak to all!

The APNU+AFC Coalition Government on Saturday rolled out a $1.5B package for roads, sidewalks, drainage, street lamps, playgrounds and other facilities for the community of La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara. The package includes commissioning of a new police station, construction of two new wells, subsidies for home-owners to build core homes; and grants to upgrade low-income homes. Works is scheduled to start within days. In a report, the Department of Public Information said residents of the West Bank Demerara community were given the opportunity to relay their concerns to a government team, led by Prime Minister, Hon. Moses Nagamootoo, during a “mini-outreach”. In his remarks to residents gathered at the La

Minister of Communities, Hon. Ronald Bulkan speaking to residents of La Parfaite Harmonie during the community meeting

Prime Minister Hon Moses Nagamootoo engaging residents of La Parfaite Harmonie

Parfaite Harmonie Primary School, the Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo assured that their concerns will be dealt with speedily. The government’s team also included Direc-

tor-General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon; Minister of Communities, Hon. Ronald Bulkan; Minister within the Ministry of Communities, with responsibility

for Housing, Hon. Annette Ferguson; Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Hon. Jaipaul Sharma and Managing TURN TO PAGE

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All are involved

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

…AG, GTUC urge end to political stalemate

…hold out hope for opposition agreement to extend timeframe for elections THE Opposition plays no small role in ensuring there is no constitutional crisis, and Attorney General, Basil Williams, is urging that good sense prevails and that there soon be a meeting of all constitutional actors to ensure there is agreement for the extension of the timeframe for the holding of elections. Last Friday Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, struck a softer tone on this issue when he was interviewed by members of the media, shortly after his meeting with President David Granger, at the Ministry of the Presidency. Whereas days prior, Jagdeo had been insisting that he will not return to Parliament to grant an extension for the timeframe for elections to be held outside of the constitutional three-month period, on Friday, he said “ I want to keep an open mind to these issues.” Asked by the Guyana Chronicle whether the opposition is prepared to move to the National Assembly to extend the timeframe for elections if certain conditions are met, Jagdeo, in response, said that decision is still pending. “Right now we have not made a decision on that because right now there is no date and there

is no reasonableness on the part of the government,” he explained, noting that he has heard positive statements made by the government representatives that would encourage the opposition towards a solution but in other instances, there are hardline positions that could be very discouraging. So, I want to keep an open mind on these issues but I made it clear right now we are fast approaching a deadline of September 18, beyond which the Government then would be practising unconstitutional rule; in fact the Government would be unconstitutional totally, period.” President Granger has been consistent in saying that he remains open to dialogue with the opposition and other groups in finding solutions, even as he maintained that he was committed to free, fair and credible elections. Williams at a forum last week at the Pegasus had argued that the constitution is not fully equipped to deal with snap elections and described the three months laid out, as not mandatory but directory. In this regard, he said government is seeking an extension, which does not necessarily mean another three months; but whatever time needed, for free and fair elections, with

press, explained that because the three-month period for the conduct of elections, following the passage of a no-confidence motion has elapsed, it is now for the parliamentary parties – the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) – to return to the National Assembly and, by a two-thirds majority vote, extend the time. President David Granger

Attorney General, Basil Williams

a credible register of registrants, to be held. “There is no limit for the extension, it makes no sense, if you could go to parliament to get the two-thirds, it is clear, that the constitutional actors, have to be engaged; the President, the

Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo

Parliament, the leader of the Opposition and GECOM.” Williams said that a return to the National Assembly would be an act in the best interest of the country. Minister Williams, in a recent engagement with the

MEANINGFUL DIALOGUE Meanwhile, the Guyana Trade Union Congress, in a statement on Friday, said both parties must eschew the thinking of sticking to their guns, noting there is a meeting of irrational aggression versus stoic defiance. “It seems more about grandstanding in the media than engaging in good faith, for which both parties must be held accountable. The absence of meaningful dialogue between the two political forces does not create an environment for progressive deliberations,” the GTUC said. According to the GTUC whereas the Opposition Leader behaves in a manner to lay full responsibility on the Government, the Leader of the Opposition

Gov’t unwraps $1.5B development ... Director of Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), Dr. Richard Van-West Charles. After the eight Regional Outreaches, the Prime Minister explained that DG Harmon has embarked upon 'mini outreaches' to communities that would need extra attention. He indicated that when the Coalition Government entered office in 2015, it was the director-general, who was then Minister of State, that spearheaded the first outreaches to Lethem in Region Nine, Anna Regina in Region Two and Linden in Region 10. He further explained that after a review of the concerns emanating from all the regional outreaches, some communities have been earmarked for mini-outreaches. “Parfaite Harmonie, we [government] are here to listen to you, we have brought

the heads of the agencies and they will work to rectify your concerns with immediate action,” the prime minister said. He clarified that most of these problems have been inherited from the previous administration. “We inherited problems existing long before we came into to government. This you must know; so, we have gone at breakneck speed to bring solutions to these communities.” Addressing Saturday’s activity, he stated “today will be a different exercise of delivering services to those communities in partnership with you. These are your problems and ultimately, they require the attention of the NDC, the region and central government and we all are going to be working in partnership.” The residents articulated that many are dealing

with impassable roads, lack of adequate security and the need for improved water supply.

POLICE STATION Meanwhile, residents can now feel a sense of security, with the expected opening of a police station in the community that is home to over twenty thousand persons. This was disclosed by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Nigel Hoppie during a community engagement with the residents. The police station is to be commissioned within a month; the news was welcomed by residents since the community is already experiencing a 27% decrease in crime. A resident, Saleem Khan, said “A police station in a month is very good. At least from this gathering, the residents of La Parfaite Harmonie

have an idea of what is the plan, through the Commissioner of Police and the Region 3 ‘D’ Division what to expect coming down the road. So, it is very good that they are opening the police station in the area.” Maxine Fredericks also welcomed the news which she believes will help with further reducing criminal activities in the area along with the help of the community. “The opening of the police station, we need that, collaborating with the community and stakeholders within the community like the business community, that is very important,” Fredericks said. Karl Taylor, Chairman of the La Parfaite Harmonie Community Policing Group believes the opening of the station is a step in the right direc-

FROM PAGE

is himself held equally responsible to help Guyana out of this crisis and not just be concentrated on political mileage. “As a former President for 12 years, leader of a massbased political party and Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo has a responsibility to the nation, and could cull from all his experiences to put forward a menu of measures that is meaningful and progressive to commence talks on how best these positions can become deliverables. It would serve the nation well to see Mr. Jagdeo performing in this role, and not just playing to the media gallery or his base.” According to the GTUC the Rule of Law still remains our best guideline and recourse in navigating through this testy period, for we are a nation founded on Principles and Laws, and there comes a time when we must put aside political differences for the common good as defined and agreed to by both sides. If our politicians cannot do it, then we the people must provide credible leadership from different quarters to bring them to the table of reasoning.

tion. Taylor indicated that the CPGs will be “working with the police at the station and we will be making sure that crimes keep to a minimum.” Deputy Commissioner Hoppie said the station will be fully manned by more than 30 officers. “There will 29 ranks headed by an inspector, one sergeant, six corporals and 11 constables. We already have the sub-divisional officers who are here and his number is one that would have to be given to you so that he can be contacted,” he told the residents. It was also highlighted that when the station is established, youth groups will be formed that will work directly with the officers. The Deputy Commissioner also called on residents to play their role in keeping the community safer by partnering with the officers. While there

is already a CPG within the community, more residents are being urged to join the group. COMMUNITY GROUND Government also announced the building of a community ground and multipurpose centres in full operation within the next four weeks. The announcement was made by Permanent Secretary of the Department of Social Cohesion, Melissa Tucker. Tucker said that the Community Development Council is handling an additional $5M that will go towards the construction of multipurpose grounds. “I know for a fact that there has been a ground identified in La Parfaite Harmonie that the region will be developing,” she explained.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

Thousands defy crackdown in Moscow's biggest protest for years MOSCOW (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Russians staged what a monitoring group called the country’s biggest political protest for eight years on Saturday, defying a crackdown to demand free elections to Moscow’s city legislature. Police rounded up scores of people after the demonstration in Moscow and at another rally in St Petersburg, and detained a leading opposition figure before it began. But the response from the authorities was milder than the previous week when

more than 1,000 protesters were detained, sometimes violently. The White Counter monitoring group said up to 60,000 people had attended the Moscow rally, describing it as the biggest in Russia for eight years. Police put turnout at 20,000. A month of demonstrations over elections for the Moscow city legislature have turned into the biggest sustained protest movement in Russia since 2011-2013, when protesters took to the streets against perceived electoral

fraud. Crowds at the rally in Moscow roared “down with the tzar!” and waved Russian flags. They are demanding that opposition-minded candidates be permitted to run in a city election next month after they were not allowed onto the ballot. “The authorities have become brazen. It’s time to defend our rights,” said Natalya Plokhova, a recruiting consultant. As the scenes unfolded in Moscow, President Vladimir Putin was shown on state television in a leather jacket at a biker show organized by the Night Wolves motorcycle club on the peninsula of Crimea which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Putin and the Kremlin have so far avoided commenting on the unrest over the Moscow city elections. OVD-Info, a monitoring body, said 178 people were arrested at Saturday’s demonstration in Moscow and 80 in St Petersburg. A small number of other arrests took place in other cities, including Rostov-

on-Don and Bryansk. “RUSSIA WILL BE FREE” The Moscow protest was held with official permission, unlike last week’s demonstration. Afterwards, hundreds of mostly young people chanting “Putin is a thief” began gathering near the presidential administration building, prompting masked riot police to ring off the area and detain dozens. Authorities had earlier warned protesters not to continue protesting after the officially authorized event. Until that point the rally had largely passed without major incident, apart from isolated police detentions and a smoke grenade set off nearby. Ahead of the rally, police detained hunger-striking opposition activist Lyubov Sobol. Masked men raided her office and the police said they had information she and other activists were plotting a “provocation” at Saturday’s rally. “I won’t make it to the

protest. But you know what to do without me....Russia will be free!” Sobol wrote on Twitter. Some pro-Kremlin politicians and officials have suggested that the West has helped orchestrate the protests. Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and at least seven of his allies are in jail for breaking protest law. Investigators have opened criminal proceedings against about a dozen people for what they say was mass civil unrest at earlier protests, a crime that carries a heavy jail term. They have also opened a money-laundering investigation into Navalny’s anti-corruption foundation. Throngs of protesters, sheltering from rain under umbrellas, chanted “freedom for political prisoners” and “Russia will be free”. Several Russian musicians with youth followings, including rapper Face and electronic band Ic3peak, performed at the rally despite city authorities saying that would be banned. The focus of protesters’ anger is a

prohibition on a slew of opposition-minded candidates, some of whom are allies of Navalny, from taking part in a September election for Moscow’s city legislature. That vote is seen as a dry run for a national parliamentary election in 2021. Authorities say the opposition candidates failed to collect enough genuine signatures to register. The excluded candidates say that is a lie and insist on taking part in a contest they believe they could win. The ruling United Russia party’s popularity rating is at its lowest since 2011 and President Vladimir Putin’s own rating has fallen due to discontent over falling living standards. At well over 60%, it is still high compared to many other world leaders however, and last year the 66-year-old former KGB intelligence officer won a landslide re-election and a new six-year term until 2024.

11 August, 2019 - 02:00hrs ~ 03:30hrs

Saturday August 10, 2019

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August 9, 2019

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02, 06, 07, 09, 20

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

Venezuela government backs out of talks after new US sanctions

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Aug 10, CMC – The Venezuela government has withdrawn from talks with opposition to protest the decision by the United States to impose new sanctions on the Maduro government earlier this week. Last week, Norway said representatives of the Venezuelan government and the opposition would continue to hold talks here in an effort to find a solution to the economic and political crisis in the South American country. “?he parties have reiterated their willingness to advance in the search for an agreed upon and constitutional solution,” Norway’s Foreign Ministry said then. Norway has been acting as a mediator to end the political crisis that has gripped the

Soutyh American country ever since Opposition Leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president and received the backing of several western countries led by the United States. President Nicolas Maduro, who has the backing of Cuba, China and Russia, was sworn into office for a second consecutive term earlier this year and has rebuked Guaido’s attempt at unseating him. But the Trump administration earlier this week announced that it was freezing the US assets of the Venezuelans government. “We Venezuelans have watched with profound indignation how the chief of the opposition, Juan Guaido, celebrates, promotes and supports these harmful actions against our nation’s sovereignty and our

peoples’ most basic human rights,” the government said in a statement. The statement stopped short of stating that Caracas would abandon the talks, adding it would “review the mechanisms of this process to ensure its continuation is truly effective and harmonious with the interests of the people”. Maduro said that while he favours dialogue, he will not stand by idly as his opponents cheer on punitive measures by Washington that he believes will worsen hardships in the country. “Under these conditions, no,” he said promising to lead a “counteroffensive” from the constitutional assembly to “bring justice to the sellouts and traitors.”

Kenya seeking OECS support for seat on UN, outlines several initiatives for cooperation with Caribbean BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Aug 10, CMC –Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta was due back in his country on Saturday after a visit to the Caribbean and urging the seven-member Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) to support his country’s bid for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the period 2021-22. “Kenya’s candidature is informed by the critical role the UN Security Council plays in the maintenance of international peace and security. Kenya has continued to play a leading role in peace, security and conflict management in the Horn of Africa region and other parts of the world. “We, therefore, seek and look forward to the support of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States for our bid,” Kenyatta said Friday during talks here with OECS leaders. The meeting was also attended by the host Prime Minister Mia Mottley and the Secretary general of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Irwin Larocque. Kenyatta had earlier visited Jamaica and held bi-lateral talks with Mottley during his three day visit here. He told the regional leaders that when the decision was made for his first Caribbean visit, his “desire was clear: to engage with each Caribbean country. “When this became logistically impossible to achieve, I opted for the second best option, to try and have a space for exchange of views on our common destiny and shared future. This desire is driven by the force of history, the reality of today and imperative of the future,” he said, adding that the visit, the first by a resident of Kenya to the West Indies offered him a unique opportunity for meeting and discussing with regional leaders. He said earlier this week he had the honour of attending, as a special guest of the Jamaica government, the island’s 57th anniversary of political independence from Britain and together with Prime Minister Holness launched the decade of people of African descent. “Each of these events has strengthened my belief for the need to strengthen the links between CARICOM in general and Africa in general and Kenya, in particular,” he said, adding that it also presented an opportunity “to rekindle our historic heritage of the global African community that subscribed to the Pan-African ethos. “These

values are not new. Our forefathers were bound by them as they worked for the African cause. The entire of free Africa today, particularly the Sun-Saharan Africa, is forged on this anvil of African solidarity and Pan Africanist. “We in Africa consider our Brothers and sisters in the Caribbean as our diaspora or the 6th region of Africa. Within the African Union, the African Diaspora, consists of peoples of African origin living outside the continent; irrespective of their citizenship and nationality; and who are willing to contribute to the development of the continent and the building of the African Union.” Kenyatta described his meetings with Holness and Mottley as “very constructive engagements” focused on enhancing cooperation in diverse areas between the two regions, serving also as a catalyst for rebuilding the global African family, in the service of the development and integration. “This is an imperative especially in the current and foreseeable world – characterized by narrow nationalisms, growing trade war between the East and the West, the European crisis and the evident marginalization of the development agenda – and with it the African agenda. If we are to shape the evolving global trends we must take charge of the course of history. It seems to me that the moment for that is with us”. Kenyatta said he was inviting the Caribbean countries to establish diplomatic missions in Kenya and in United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and UN-Habitat to facilitate and deepen frequent consultations, as well as follow up on environmental and human settlement matters. “Your individual Countries diplomatic presence in Nairobi, the global headquarters of United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and UN-Habitat, will enable you to participate directly in addressing environmental challenges that call for collective international action, informed by scientific research and technical innovation. “This process of regular consultative dialogue, and active engagement focused on matters of mutual interest in the international arena, will result in symbiotic benefits on matters peace, security and development.”

President Nicolas Maduro and Opposition leader Juan Guaido (File Photo)

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

Return to the National Assembly to facilitate early elections

HE Chief Justice is set to rule on Wednesday on the challenge to the ongoing house-to-house registration brought by Mr. Christopher Ram. The CJ’s ruling could trigger another round of judicial review that could end up at the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). Attorney General, Basil Williams, has correctly argued that these matters have already been ligated by the three levels of the judicial system. The court has already declined to name an election date. It is our view that the challenge by Mr. Ram is an attempt to get the High Court to overturn the ruling of a higher court which would of course fly in the face of judicial tradition. The CCJ was very clear. As observed above, it refused to breach the wall of separation between the judiciary and the other branches of government. In so doing, it declined

to become entangled in the country’s politics. Finally, it provided a blueprint for a solution by recommending a “marrying of principle with practicality.” This blueprint is threefold: its rulings, orders and recommendations. In the process, it made clear that a solution must include the tree principal players— the President, the opposition leader and GECOM. GECOM has opted to conduct house-to-house registration in the shortest possible time as a means of sanitising the voters’ list. That body deemed the list to be massively tainted and reasoned that it could be best corrected by a houseto-house registration exercise. In keeping with the CCJ’s recommendation to heed the constitutional requirement of speedy elections, GECOM has reduced its original timeline for the house-to-to-house registration from eighteen months to three months. In so doing, it struck a balance between

principle and practicality as recommended by the court. Mr. Ram’s contention, then, that the house-to-tohouse registration collides with Article 6: 6 is baseless. Although GECOM’s timeline would result in elections being held later than the constitutional requirement, it is covered by Article 6-7 which makes allowance for an extension if so required. This is the practicality that the court recommended, and the framers of the constitution envisaged. A clean voters’ list is a necessary and legal requirement for democratic and credible elections. Surely the constitution and the court could not be blind to this requirement. In the meantime, the houseto-house registration is on schedule – 108,000 persons have been registered in the first two weeks. At this rate the exercise would be over within the three-month timeline which would facilitate elections by the end of the year.

It is clear that Mr. Ram, the PPP and its cohorts are deliberately ignoring the practicality involved. By stressing the CCJ’s orders in relation to Article 6-6, they are delinking the ruling from the recommendations. Similarly, they are delinking Article 6-6 from Article 6-7. The CCJ’s rulings and orders must be read together with its recommendations and the two relevant articles in the constitution should also be read together. Failure to do so is tantamount to judicial and political dishonesty. The CCJ, obviously cognisant of the zero-sum attitude inherent in Guyana’s politics, recommended that the principal actors be guided by cooperation and consensus. After much back and forth, this was heeded by the two leaders in the naming of the GECOM chair. All sides congratulated the leaders for rising above their partisan considerations. Friday’s meeting therefore was somewhat a setback

given that the President and the opposition leader were not able to find consensus with reports stating that there was no change in positions. In the final analysis, it is the two leaders who must move the process forward as prescribed by the CCJ. Whatever the Chief Justice’s ruling on August 14, the two leaders must decide whether the matter would proceed to the higher courts or be settled by a consensus on the election date. The President, as he did in the case of the appointment of the GECOM chairman, has shown willingness to compromise. It is time the opposition leader follow suit. We fear that the PPP’s non-cooperation would not achieve the outcome of holding the elections in the shortest possible time. This can be best achieved through cooperation and consensus. It is against this background that we urge the PPP to do the right thing by agreeing to an extension of

the life of the government in keeping with the requirements of Article 6-7. The party should return to the National Assembly to facilitate this process. By holding on to its stated position of not returning to the assembly and refusing to recognise the government after September 18, the PPP is not covering itself in glory. At crucial moments like these, responsible and mature leadership is required. The PPP must be mindful that its actions are in breach of Article 6-7 and has the potential of exacerbating unnecessary tensions in the society. We have come a long way as a nation and Guyana deserves better. History would look kindly on Mr. Jagdeo and the PPP if they choose country over narrow partisan considerations. The nation and the world are watching.

New GECOM offices not about partisan politics

- 'No-show' of regional chairman contradicts consensualism

Dear Editor

CCORDING to a media report, David Armogan, Regional Chairman of East Berbice-Corentyne, Region Six, was a “’noshow”’at the recent commissioning of two new GECOM offices at Whim and at Corriverton, respectively. Gracing the occasion was the newly appointed chairperson of this all-important constitutional electoral body, who reminded Berbicians that registration was the first step in being able to vote, irrespective of which party or candidate they choose. Call it

a timely reminder as the procedure of house-tohouse registration continues apace. Unless Armogan had fallen ill or had to contend with some extreme circumstance beyond his control, he should have been present to deliver an address. In the absence of any publicly given reason by Armogan, or on his behalf, his “no-show” is concluded as deliberate and in keeping with his political party, the PPP/C’s strategy of non-cooperation with President David Granger’s administration. But then, one must ask this question: how can he boycott an important

occasion which was graced by the Madame chairperson of GECOM, Ret’d Justice Claudette Singh, a consensually agreed nomination between his party boss Bharrat Jagdeo and President David Granger, for the GECOM premier office? What signal does this emit? It would seem to contradict the spirit of working together for positive outcomes of the many prevailing issues at the moment. Armogan should be aware that his office carries certain functions that he is obligated to carry out, since he is a public official, of seniority, and receiving a salary funded by

the taxpayers of this country, inclusive of the public servants of his region, for such duties. For that matter, regional chairpersons and regional executive officers are all paid public servants. Therefore, as the top regional official, he is expected to be present at such public functions, inclusive of the important protocol of greeting and welcoming the president, the prime minister, ministers of the government and other dignitaries. Further, the occasion of the commissioning of the two new GECOM offices was not a political party moment, or for reasons of partisan politics. Instead,

it was about bringing further public services to the citizens of the region, in this case, the important GECOM services of registration. And this is in keeping with the broader vision of capital towns, where other public services are already being made available in regions across Guyana, removing the need for travel to the city. One must therefore ask, how can a “no-show’’ be justified in such circumstances, or any other that is relevant to bringing vital services to citizens? The Armogans of the administrative regions are here reminded that their continued tether

to a political party of the nature of the PPP/C, though it is their right of political affiliation, continues to erode their independence of action, which is what should be guiding their very action, but in the sole interest and welfare of the region and citizens which they administrate. His “noshow’’ calls into question his relevance to a new dispensation that seeks to evolve the new dynamic of what is good for region and citizens. Regards Mark Dacosta

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

Op-Ed

The disenfranchised youth

- creates a clogged-up society with outlets that are not good By Margaret Burke PRESIDENT David Granger takes hold of every opportunity to emphasise the importance of empowering youth in Guyana. He feels that it is absolutely necessary if the country is to enjoy sustained development in every aspect of life. He posited that the young people of the nation cannot be ignored; instead, opportunities which involves training and participation in decision-making should be of paramount importance. Adding that over 50 per cent of Guyana’s citizens are young – between ages 15 and 24, he noted that it would be perilous to exempt them from nation-building. The President painted a picture of what the youth in Guyana should be geared to take over – the largest country in the Caribbean, ‘beautiful and bountiful’ in its vastness. Calling it our natural patrimony, he posited that the biodiversity and ecosystems must be ‘protected’

and not ‘destroyed.’ “We inherited from our forefathers and we must pass it on to you (young people), who will inherit this land and we must not destroy it; and when you get it you must not destroy it but protect it and pass it on to your children too,” President Granger said. EDUCATION IS EVERYTHING Studies have shown that insufficient training of young people in any part of the world could engender challenges in every aspect of life. Therefore programmes aimed at empowering and skills-building will serve to give equity and close socioeconomic gaps. Consideration must therefore be given to the disadvantaged youth who face challenges of continuing poverty, inequality, as well as other socio-economic influences. Youth employment or unemployment, skills training and entrepreneurial knowledge, apprenticeship programmes, mentoring and financial lit-

eracy are just some of what should be kept in mind. The cultural aspect of their lives are also very important, so there must also be a vision for this. Strengthening the resilience of young people will help prepare them to handle the opportunities which are being positioned before them today. It is not just about oil and gas, there are a great many associated job openings coming directly and indirectly out of that particular industry. However, these young people must be prepared to take full advantage of available opportunities. They must be enabled or encouraged to use their initiatives and not just hope for or depend on government or any other agency for jobs. The fact is that entrepreneurship; some as innovative enterprises can help young people to embrace the future with greater confidence that a bright future is just around the corner. ADMIRABLE LEADERSHIP

It is always admirable to observe leaders engaging young people in heart-toheart discussions on matters of critical importance – where they make young people feel hopeful. Guyana, like many other nations across the globe have challenges with their young people which are thankfully being addressed at this time. President Granger continues to emphasise the need for increased investment of time and resources in young people as a key to unlock the doors of good opportunities for them. There should also be the inclusion of quality education from nursery to secondary, as well as tertiary. “We have to bequeath this country to you – you have to inherit this country… It is imperative therefore that you should be afforded every opportunity to participate in decision-making and in determining how your communities and how the country should be administered. You are the future,” he posited. The President encouraged

that training and empowerment must be imperative for them to become good leaders, adding, “It will be reckless for the older folks to expect young people to lead simply by trial and error. You can learn only when the State strengthens the foundation by the creation of employment, empowerment and most of all equality, so that you can see one another as equal citizens and this is the foundation that will support and sustain your leadership.” He is hopeful that there would be, “… a generation of entrepreneurs, of pioneers who seek and succeed in finding new economic opportunities.” The Sustainable Livelihood Entrepreneurial Development (SLED); the Hinterland Employment and Youth Service (HEYS) and the Guyana Youth Corps (GYC) were highlighted as three of the main training agencies through which these young people are being empowered ‘to succeed,’ So far, systematic find-

ings have been revealing that these programmes are working. The responses continue to be good and it is becoming more and more obvious that the nation can expect to have a bright future, based on the investments they are currently making in young people. Many of the socio-economic issues facing the country today will not be gone, like with a magic wand, but with time and good investment there is hope. “No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a lifetime. Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts off from its youth severs its lifeline,” Mr. Kofi Annan, former secretary-general of the United Nations, more than two decades ago and President Granger, in his address saw it fit to mention this as well.

The technical production was the worst I have experienced

Dear Editor,

mmanuella and Success are stars, and Mark Angel is a good creator of contemporary slapstick comedy with an uncanny ability to leverage the Social Media pathway to success. Their live show, now on tour, is a triumph for YouTube content creators, and a glimpse of the claimed

promises of new media. Having said that, Emmanuella for Emancipation at the National Cultural Centre was highway robbery. The technical production was the worst I have experienced on either side of the proscenium in over four decades. I performed consistently on that stage in our premier theatre from the late 70s into the 90s; at no point during that time would

the audience have been subjected to the abuse we paid for on Wednesday night. Except for dance recitals and pantomime, hearing the words spoken by those on stage is critical to the enjoyment of the show. For comedy, it is even more critical because there is no point to comedy if you miss the punchlines. To see the adorable and precocious Success struggle

with a microphone on her head and a microphone in her hand simultaneously, and still carry a bowl with water, and still try to deliver her lines and action was distressing. The actors were trying their best, but the inadequate sound system and its hapless operators were very trying. We're made to endure deteriorating seats designed, built, and installed in 1972, and not

recently refurbished. We'll limit our use of the toilet facilities, and some of us will skip going to the bar at intermission. But if we can't hear the actors clearly there is no point buying tickets to get dressed up in these fancy clothes and make the journey to the National Cultural Centre. For crying out loud, we have Mark Angel Comedy on YouTube already. Someone needs to do something about

the National Cultural Centre and they need to do it fast. Given the centre’s history, it is a downright shame that this is what we are offering to performers, producers, and patrons. Whomever should be ashamed, should be. Regards Alex Graham

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

EXCITING TIMES ON ALL FRONTS

THESE have been very exciting times on all fronts for our Guyanese people. Positive stories of development and progress continue to emerge and politics could not be more controversial as well as hectic. For me, the rains dampened our spirits just a bit, with a wash-out of the India-West Indies ODI, which accompanied the three-game, T20 white-wash. But I tried to recover by joining the ministerial caravan, the latest that was held Friday in La Parfaite Harmonie, a sprawling housing scheme on the west bank of the Demerara River, where an estimated 20,000 persons live.

NEGLECTED COMMUNITY The scheme had ground to a halt when the previous government fell short of some $16 billion to complete essential infrastructural works, leaving behind a neglected community and a nest of discontent. Friday, the APNU+AFC Coalition Government rolled out a $1.5 billion package for roads, sidewalks, drainage, street lamps, playgrounds, etc. The package includes commissioning within two weeks of a new police station, construction of two new wells, subsidies for home-owners to build core homes; and grants to upgrade low-income homes. Works will start within days. The people were jubilant that the government had come to them with working solutions. Much of the credit for the initiative should go to Joseph Har-

mon, the Director-General in the Ministry of the Presidency. The previous Friday I was with the team that inter-faced with the Mahdia mining town in the heartland of the Potaro-Siparuni region that is renowned for our magical Kaieteur and Orinduik Falls, the ever-green Pakaraima Mountains, gold and diamond mines, and an unimaginable expansive spread of green, tropical foliage. Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson drove me around along the new concrete roads, where once there were huge craters and red dust. As I jumped into his “Patmobile” (an improvised ATV), I recalled in my childhood years the comic books that I loved, with Batman in his Batmobile coming to the rescue of distressed folk in the dangerous Gotham City. I would credit “Patto” with similar feats in places such as Mahdia, Lethem, Bartica, Mabaruma and elsewhere in Guyana, about which I will write later. But I must digress from the unfolding stories of progress in Guyana under our government, to again comment on the controversy over how soon fresh elections should be held in Guyana.

EXTENSION OF TIMEFRAME Mr. Lincoln Lewis, the GTUC’s general-secretary, has written a letter emphasising that the Caribbean Court of Justice has made no edict or order as to the date on which elections can be held (SN 9.08.19). But the editor was quick to append

a note that the elections “must be held” within three months after June 18, “unless there was an extension” by the National Assembly. Extension of the timeframe has to be by a motion supported by two- thirds of all the elected Members of Parliament. We have NOT arrived at the “unless” stage, and the Opposition is ambivalent as well as confused on whether or not it would support such a motion, even on any reasonable grounds that could be advanced by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). While the opposition leader has repeated that his MPs would not return to the National Assembly to support any such motion in the House, his closest aide, Ms. Gail Teixeira, has left some room for a little extension of the so-called drop-dead date. She painted two scenarios, as follows:(1) Elections could be held ‘as close as possible to the September 18th deadline’ if the court were to rule on August 14 to halt the on-going househouse registration of Guyanese 14 years and over, and elections preparations were to start immediately; (2) Elections could be held ‘as soon as early mid-October should GECOM decide to halt the exercise on its own and undertake a claims-and- objections process over a three-week period. This option is premised on use of the 2018 voters’ list, which expired on April 30, 2019. Ms. Teixeira, however, contradicted her boss when she posited as follows: “Both op-

tions would knowingly be past the September 18th deadline, but not too far distant.” Given a reasonable timeline after the “drop-dead” date of September 18, it appears from the Teixeira options that

the Opposition would return to Parliament to support an extension motion. There is nothing to preclude the completion of the house-to-house registration exercise under which well over 100,000 persons have already placed their names on the new master data base. FIRST TASK The new Chairman of GECOM, Madam Justice Claudette Singh, seemed to be supporting the commission’s campaign. She was quoted at saying last Friday that “(I)n order to vote, you must be registered. That is your first task; you must be registered before you exercise your constitutional right to vote.” Whether the voters’ list is bloated by 200,000 persons or not could only be verified by a house-to-house enumeration. The presence on the 2018 list of 633,155 eligible voters, using figures from Ms. Teixeira, in a population of about 750,000 persons is untenable. To this list should be added the names of young voters

who have turned 18 since the last elections. While Teixeira wants to flex on the date for elections, her colleague Mr. Anil Nandlall is pressing GECOM to scrap the registration exercise. He launched a rearguard campaign against the new chairman when he petulantly accused the body with procrastination. In a letter captioned, “New Chairman should have already moved to comply with terms of CCJ ruling,” Nandlall chided Justice Singh when he accused her with “non-action” after she said that she would await the decision of the chief justice on August 14 before making any pronouncements on the issue. DEATH OF TONI MORRISON Leaving politics aside, I wish to express my sense of personal loss at the death of Toni Morrison, the great African-American novelist whose writing has greatly influenced me. Condemning racist attacks on Haitian migrants in my column last week, I referred to her prize-winning novel, The

Bluest Eye, in which she told the poignant story of a young Black girl who wanted to be like Mary Jane. She could not; yet she had a right to dream and to be, like Haitians, Cuban or Venezuelan migrants. Her writing also influenced my first novel, Hendree’s Cure, in which I blended fictional and documentary styles as I used imagination to recreate the life of my ancestors who had migrated to the then British Guiana from Tamil Nadu. I was inspired by what Toni Morrison said in her novel, Beloved, that when all that remains of a people’s history are bits of information and incomplete data, the writer’s business is to “give intelligence to such scraps – and a heartbeat” by imagining the lives of people. I gave a heartbeat also to my second novel, “Fragments from Memory,” which was published in 2014 as the first part of my memoirs. I salute your memory, dearest sister!

Rackets by non-Haitian immigrants need investigation Dear Editor,

OLLOWING my letter last fortnight confronting a sparked crusade to stir up xenophobia against Haitian migrants by some irresponsible, opportunistic antagonists, I was heartened by the overwhelming condemnation against those behind the attack on Haitians.

The concurrent awareness, understanding and growing support towards the Haitian migrants realised appreciable empathy and solidarity from rational sections of civil society, individuals, and the Government of Guyana. Let us for a moment redirect our focus to another growing and even more populous group of migrants attracted to

Guyana, the Latinos. Some months ago, I wrote about an ongoing racket by some business places where active illegal Cambio operations are conducted with a select group of non-Guyanese, Spanish-speaking migrants. It is fair to say that there may also be evasion of taxes and money-laundering practices within that circle. I provided

highlights about a certain store in Robb Street where only foreign Spanish-speaking nationals are allowed to visit and make purchases. It is alleged that purchases at a particular store is done solely in large sums of US dollars, while the store is not even so licensed to trade. I believe it is a grand racket. Since highlighting that matter, I have had an unap-

preciable experience with key persons at the Guyana Revenue Authority--- something which I intend to address in due course. There is also another ongoing racket within the public health system. At the Cheddi Jagan Dental School, Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and some other health facilities, the Spanish-speaking doctors are usurping their roles by allowing Spanish-speaking patients to have direct access and preferential treatment, while native Guyanese are made to wait and tow the lines. One example is at the GPHC’s outpatient’s clinic, where two Spanish-speaking doctors, referred to here as Doctors T and G, operate as if that section of the hospital is under their autonomous control. Doctor T, whose English is not very fluent, and is compounded by

a speech impairment, is often hostile and impatient to some local patients, particularly those from rural areas whose strong creolise presents grave communication challenges. Doctor G too, who is a Cuban, habitually encourages Spanish-speaking patients to breach hospital protocols by accessing her directly, a practice that often leaves Guyanese patients waiting as if they are second-class citizens in their own country. These are real acts of a subtle overrun and subversion of systems in our country by person whom we embrace, but who pose a real threat to Guyana that is incomparable to the presence of the mostly transiting Haitians. Regards Orette Cutting (Mr.)

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

Remembering the sacrifices of Prophet Ibrahim and his family

By The Central Islamic Organization of Guyana on the occasion of EID UL ADHA Even after 40 centuries, the message and the character of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) remains exemplary for millions of people. A proponent of monotheism, he declared the Oneness of Almighty God at a time when the whole world was submerged into darkness of polytheism. In this backdrop, he heralded his determination to turn his face to the Almighty God, the One Who is the Creator of the universe. Born in Babylon (modern Iraq) some 2000 BC, Ibrahim traveled through Syria, Egypt, Hijaz and Palestine, where he died and is buried at a place which is known after his name as Al-Khaleel. He made the entire Middle East areas as his area of operation for his mission, and assigned his nephew Lot to Sodom; his son Isaac to Palestine and planted his elder son Ismail at Hijaz. He is ancestor of most of the Prophets referred to in Old Testament, New Testament and the Holy Qur’an. He holds the highest position in world history with no parallel to him. Here we analyze his life and mission in light of the Holy Qur’an. IBRAHIM: GOD’S FRIEND Almighty God chose him as His friend (Khaleel). The people of his time in Syria would worship stars (thurayya). He is said to have been invited to select a star for his own worship. But after examining the sun and the moon, he rejected the idea and turned his face towards Allah the Creator of the heavens and the earth: “When the night covered him over, he saw a star: he said: ‘This is my Lord.’ But when it set, he said: ‘I love not those that set.’ When he saw the moon rising in splendor, he

said: ‘This is my Lord.’ But when the moon set, he said: ‘Unless my Lord guides me, I shall surely be among those who go astray.’ When he saw the sun rising in splendor, he said: ‘This is my Lord; this is the greatest (of all).’ But when the sun set, he said: ‘O my people! I am indeed free from your (guilt) of giving partners to Allah. ‘For me, I have set my face, firmly and truly, towards Him Who created the heavens and the earth and never shall I give partners to Allah’.” IBRAHIM THE ICONOCLAST In Iraq, King Nimrud then was powerful and a tyrant. The people were generally idolatrous and had many temples. Ibrahim was astonished to see people assigning their aspirations to idols of stones. One day when they were out of town for a festival, he entered the temple and hammered the stone-idols, mutilating their faces except the big one on which he placed the axe. When the people returned and saw their deities smashed and mutilated, they became angry. Although they felt ashamed of worshipping the idols that could not save themselves, they however decided to kill Ibrahim. “So he broke them to pieces (all) but the biggest of them, that they might turn (and address themselves) to it. They said, ‘Who has done this to our gods? He must indeed be some man of impiety!’ They said, ‘We heard a youth talk of them: he is called Ibrahim.’ They said, ‘Then bring him before the eyes of the people, that they may bear witness.’ They said, ‘Art thou the one that did this with our gods, O Ibrahim?’ He said: ‘Nay, this was done by, this is their biggest one! Ask them, if they can speak intelligently!’ So they turned to themselves and said, ‘Surely ye are the ones in the wrong!’ Then were

they confounded with shame: (they said) ‘Thou knowest full well that these (idols) do not speak!’ (Ibrahim) said, ‘Do ye then worship, besides Allah, things that can neither be of any good to you nor do you harm? ‘Fie upon you, and upon the things that ye worship besides Allah! Have ye no sense’?” (21:57-67) “So naught was the answer of (Ibrahim’s) people. Except that they said: ‘Slay him or burn him.’ But Allah did save him from the Fire. Verily in this are Signs for people who believe.” (29:23) Argument with the king. When caught and brought before the king, Ibrahim declared the power of his Lord in the open court: “Hast thou not turned thy vision to one who disputed with Ibrahim about his Lord, because Allah had granted him power? Ibrahim said: ‘My Lord is He Who giveth life and death.’ He said: ‘I give life and death.’ Said Ibrahim: ‘But it is Allah that causeth the sun to rise from the East do thou then cause it to rise from the West?’ Thus was he confounded who (in arrogance) rejected Faith. Nor doth Allah give guidance to a people unjust.” (2: 258) THE MIGRATION Ibrahim left his father and the fatherland, and migrated to Egypt with his wife Sarah and he returned triumphant to Palestine with many gifts from the Egyptian king including a maid named Hajrah. Since Sarah was barren, Ibrahim married Hajrah who gave birth to a baby boy at his old age of 95. A jealous Sarah pressed her husband to take Hajrah away from her. On the Divine Guidance, Ibrahim took Hajrah and the new born Ismail to a distant place (present day Makkah) in Hijaz. Ibrahim left his beloved wife and infant son in the barren valley with no greenery, water or human inhabitation and prayed for the prosperity and

security of his offspring in this barren valley. MOMENTS OF TRIAL When the little amount of dates and water left by Ibrahim was over within few days, she felt thirsty and her infant son Ismail was crying to death. She ran madly between the two nearby hillocks of Safa and Marwah looking for water. She ran seven times. The hills and hillocks echoed with her cries. This was an ordeal, a great ordeal of God. She cried again and again but called none except Him. God showered His mercy upon her and a forceful spring of sweet water gushed out near Ismail’s feet. She called it Zamzam and it is flowing at the same place for the last 4,000 years. Almighty Allah declared Safa and Marwah as His signs and ordained the pilgrims to run seven times between them like His devoted lady, Hajrah: “Behold! Safa and Marwa are among the Symbols of Allah. So if those who visit the House in the Season or at other times, should compass them round, it is no sin in them. And if any one obeyeth his own impulse to Good, be sure that Allah is He Who recogniseth and knoweth.” (2:158) THE GREAT TRIUMPH Ibrahim returned a few years later to find his infant Ismail an energetic boy. He was tested again. He saw in a dream that he was offering his son Ismail as a sacrifice to his Lord. Ismail was his only son at this ripe age. Having decided however to win His pleasure, Ibrahim told the son of his dream. Being son of a great soul, Ismail immediately agreed, for this he said was ordained by God. Ibrahim took him to Mina (near Makkah) and as he laid Ismail to slaughter him, his Lord awarded him with great pleasure and ransomed

Ismail with a goat sacrifice. This is the practice which is followed by all Muslims throughout the world as Eid Al-Adha or the festival of sacrifice. THE GREAT ASSEMBLY OF HAJ Haj was started by Prophet Ibrahim. It is the perfect replica of the incidents and occasions of the life of Prophet Ibrahim and his family. Here we mention the main rites of Haj and their relationship with this noble family. I. Construction of Holy Kaaba: Almighty Allah bestowed great favor on Prophet Ibrahim and Ismail to build the Holy Kaaba at Makkah Mukarramah, which is the focal point of the true faith in the world. Muslims turn their faces towards it in prayer, five times a day from every corner of the earth. Even their dead are buried facing the Holy Kaaba. II. Performing Tawaf: Later Almighty Allah told him to call the people to perform Haj and Tawaf. III. Saie of Safa and Marwah: Every pilgrim is obliged to run between the two hillocks. IV. Zamzam: This is the water, which gushed out as a gift to infant Ismail. Pilgrims drink it and take it with them as holy water to the four corners of the world. V. Rami Jamraat: When Prophet Ibrahim was taking his son, Ismail for a sacrifice in Mina the Iblees tried the seduce the family three times and they threw dust and pebbles upon him. The pilgrims follow the same practice and throw pebbles upon Iblees seven times each in three

days of Haj. VI. Animal sacrifice: This is in commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim’s decision to sacrifice his son Ismail and God’s Mercy upon him to ransom it by a sheep. The pilgrims in Mina and other Muslims celebrate the Great Win by sacrificing sheep, goat, cow and camels throughout the world. About two million animals in Mina and many millions abroad are slaughtered within three days whose meat is distributed to the poor. This is the largest free food distribution program of the world on the ‘Eid Al Adha’ annually. VII. Maqam-i-Ibrahim: This is the place of a stone, marked with the foot print of Prophet Ibrahim where he was standing while raising the walls of Holy Kaaba. Every pilgrim offers prayer at this blessed place in every Tawaf. VIII. Hijr Ismail: This place marked with Prophet Ismail’s name is now a part of the holy Kaaba and pilgrims offer prayer at this place. The above rites of Haj are directly connected with the noble family of Prophet Ibrahim. Although Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) initiated Haj, there is however no Haj rite connected with his life. It is the commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim and his submission to the will of Almighty Allah. Islam is the religion of Prophet Ibrahim. This is mainstream of Divine guidance including all prophets of Torah and the Bible. Judaism and Christianity are the offshoots of that one thread of divinity.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

Understanding Energy

Energy Dept. moving forward on local content AS first oil approaches, the Energy Department appears to be making progress on several key parts of a local content policy. The Department reportedly told the press that the draft version of the government’s Local Content Policy should be ready within a matter of weeks. It’s also working to establish a Local Content Compliance Unit to evaluate the reports of local content compliance that come in from oil companies. Both these are important steps for responsibly managing the new oil industry while helping to ensure that Guyanese workers and businesses play a strong role in the emerging industry. In general, a local con-

tent policy is a roadmap for foreign companies – setting expectations and requirements. It also defines what counts as local content and establishes standards for Guyanese ownership. A comprehensive policy should also include specifics about how local content should be measured and audited to allow the Compliance Unit to consistently enforce the policy. Another major focus for Guyana will be capacity-building, which focuses on increasing the technical ability of local firms and workers to fill roles in the industry. It’s helpful to think of local content and capacitybuilding as two sides of the same coin. Capacity-building

aims to develop the skills and abilities of local workers and businesses, which supports the use of local products and services. If structured thoughtfully, local content rules can be a tool that achieves a number of economic ends including fostering local companies, incentivizing more local training and education, and distributing wealth. But it also must walk a fine line of not draining other sectors of the economy. So far, the Energy Department has relied on advisors from Chatham House and the International Monetary Fund as well as outside consultants. Utilising international expertise is an important step but creating a

good policy for local content is a complex task. Requirements have to be carefully balanced to both encourage development and make sure local benefits are captured. Some countries have unintentionally handicapped their own industries with policies that went too far. Often times, requiring an extremely high percentage of local content can cause issues when companies can’t get the specialized services and materials they need in a local market. This creates a counter-productive scenario which prevents development. In the case of Brazil, development was slowed by several years according to international experts. That happened in large part be-

No censorship

By Gabriella Chapman

CHAIRMAN of the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA), Leslie Sobers, said the broadcasting authority is not in the business of censorship as he refuted allegations levelled against it by the Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo. In a recent article published in the Kaieteur Newspaper under the headline ‘GNBA flags freedom Radio over broadcasting violations’ Jagdeo accused the Authority of censorship. It was alleged that the broadcasting authority had been targeting anti-government broadcasting stations. According to Jagdeo, “the broadcasting authority is terrorising radio and television stations which they perceive to be not sympathetic towards the government. They want to censor my press conferences… Managers of the stations are asked ‘can’t you find positive things to say about the government?’” a section

Chairman of the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority, Leslie Sobers

of the article read. Sobers, in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Friday, said the article and sentiments of the Opposition Leader are far from the truth. “I do not think Mr. Jagdeo can accurately or reasonably contend or conclude what is the perception of

GNBA as it relates to how we deal with television and radio. I want to refute categorically, any allegation that we terrorise…We don’t intimidate, we don’t harass, we don’t terrorise. We monitor the airwaves,” the GNBA chairman clarified. He said, however, that broadcasting entities must comply with the laws governing the spectrum. “If we find stations committing infractions, we call, we write, we invite them to discussions, we try to encourage them to move away from it because our job is to help develop the broadcasting sector, not to destroy it,” Sobers told this newspaper. In fact, Sobers said GNBA is least concerned with the contents of the Opposition Leader’s press conferences, but rather infractions on the airwaves. “We have no difficulties in what he says in his press conferences, we don’t monitor press conferences, and we monitor the airwaves. But if he says something at a press

cause the country did not have an established offshore oil industry or the specialized subcontractors and suppliers that are critical. Because of strict local content policies, companies struggled to find local options for many products and technical experts and development suffered from frequent delays. Brazil eventually loosened its requirements in 2018 after long wait times for supplies and vessels and a lack of local technical expertise slowed development. But now, international analysts at Wood Mackenzie forecast that production will increase drastically from the 3.7 million barrels per day to 5 million barrels per day over the

next few years. Guyana is making good progress so far even in the absence of a local content policy. According to Energy Department head, Dr. Mark Bynoe, around 50 per cent of the industry workforce is already Guyanese—more than 1100 in total. Bynoe also revealed recently that more than $119 million has been spent locally by Exxon and its contractors, mostly on Guyanese suppliers and services. Nonetheless, a clear, reasonable and enforceable policy that balances local content and development is a step in the right direction.

…GNBA denies opposition’s claims of harassment …vows to step up ‘policing’ of broadcasting spectrum conference that will run contrary to the Broadcasting Act or guidelines, we expect our broadcasters to deal with that in an appropriate manner. If they air something, we can call them in, and tell them that it is inappropriate, he explained. Citing an example, Sobers pointed to a recent press conference aired on both television and radio stations, during which, the Opposition Leader referred to the Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo in derogatory terms. “He referred to the Prime Minister as a slime ball, as a worm, as groveling, and these pejorative words and descriptions and comparisons that are not appropriate for the air. So we have asked them to be careful when they are airing the recordings of the press conferences. We have a role to ensure that person’s reputation is not unduly tarnished by unsavory, libelous, scandalous, utterances,” the GNBA Chairman explained. Sobers made it clear that the

contention in the article that GNBA favours the government is ludicrous. “We are not the PR for the government. We’re the monitors of the airwaves, the police of the spectrum. We have coded these infractions of which they are very much aware about. Yellow for minor infractions, orange, and red are the really big ones,” he said. Sobers noted that pro-government broadcast stations have also been warned. According to him, the National Communications Network (NCN) has been warned for several infractions, as per the procedure of GNBA. “We prefer to work with broadcasters as it relates to content. So I find it very disturbing, and perhaps Mr. Jagdeo is trying to divert attention from something to something else… The article is Misleading, bordering on wickedness or simply trying to divert attention,” Sobers said.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

THE HAITIAN STORY: DO NOT JUDGE THE HAITIANS IT is such a sad reality that Haitians are globally judged based on their present status as one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. This ignominious label ought not to define Haitians. It behooves those who are aware of the proud history of this French-speaking island, formerly known as Saint Domingue, to set the record straight whenever this subject surfaces. Firstly, let it be known to all and sundry, the glorious story of Haiti began when the slaves of Saint Domingue decided to reject the institution of slavery on August

27th, 1791. This epic battle fought by slaves with scarce resources against the best army in Europe ended with the island of Saint Domingue being renamed Haiti and becoming the first independent black republic in the Western Hemisphere in 1804. This column is not afforded the space to do justice to this historical account. Suffice it to mention, this defeat by Napoleon and his army resonated in the slave world and the Eurocentric world as a watershed moment, unparalleled in history and grabbed the world’s attention. It is for this reasonToussaint L’Overture and Jean Jacques Dessalines

are revered globally. They led this revolution and their war tactics are studied at war colleges around the world. For centuries, white propaganda held and promoted the idea of white superiority and the inferiority of blacks. The Haitian slaves completely called into question this crystallized racist misinformation. As a consequence, Haiti’s independence was seen as a disrespectful slap in the face of the white colonial masters and it was decided at the highest level of the white colonial apparatus that this rebel colony should be made to suffer. Suffer they did. First, the warfare of the

Haitian Revolution destroyed the capital and infrastructure of the economy. Second, Haiti lacked diplomatic and trade relations with other nations. Third, Haiti lacked investment, both foreign and domestic investment. Fourth, Haiti moved toward subsistence farming and away from plantation agriculture. Finally, reparation payments to France left the country deeply indebted. Simon Henochsberg, in his seminal work, ‘Public Debt and Slavery: the case of Haiti (1760-1915), posited: ‘I conclude that great powers, especially France, had a decisive negative impact on Haiti’s development

through military oppression and financial oppression represented by a very large external public debt (300% of the Haitian GDP in 1825) that went on for more than a century until the Second World War’. In addition to the fiscal terror imposed by France, Haiti faced a myriad of natural disasters, plagued by widespread corruption, gang violence, drug trafficking, and organized

crime which forced the people to create a resilient and hardworking national character. Such a state of existence inevitably leads to economic migration. Disabuse yourself of the view that the story of Haiti is only about poverty; there is much more to the study of this island. Know the full story before you judge.

Outrage over targeting of Haitians …American legislators slam discriminatory remarks HIV/AIDS ALLEGATIONS LUDICROUS “The outdated charges of HIV/AIDS and cholera is ludicrous, and it is incumbent

Guyanese and Haitian NYPD officers flank, from left, Haitian-American Assemblywoman, Rodneyse Bichotte; Guyanese-born New York State Senator, Roxanne Persaud and Haitian-American New York City Council member, Farah Louis (Caribbean Life)

A HAITIAN-AMERICAN group of legislators has expressed outrage at the publication of articles in the PPP-aligned Guyana Times newspaper which targeted the French-speaking nationals. At the same time, while Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo appears to have changed his stance on the issue, a report in the Brooklyn-based Caribbean Life magazine stated this weekend that the issue has not only drawn the wrath of Haitian-Americans, but of other Caribbean-American legislators and leaders and calls have been mounting for the local

newspaper to issue an apology to the Haitian community. “We must take a stance in preaching as well as practicing unity and tolerance throughout the world,” said New York State Assembly member, Rodneyse Bichotte, the daughter of Haitian immigrants, who represents the 42nd Assembly District in Brooklyn. Against the backdrop of racism being echoed in the publication of the stories by the local private newspaper, she said that, “as an elected official of Haitian descent and representing one of the most diverse and possibly largest Caribbean immigrant com-

munities in New York City, I believe we have an obligation to fight discrimination and racism wherever it rears its ugly head. “As a member of CARICOM, Haitians have the right to freely migrate to other CARICOM countries. Distinguished groups and organisations from the United Nations to CARICOM have spoken of the need to travel freely for the cause of economic growth and community unity. Therefore, as sister countries of CARICOM, Guyana and Haiti are expected to honor the same agreement,” Bichotte added.

upon any media outlet to get their facts correct before publishing false statements; hence, this strident call on the Guyana Times to become aware of the 21st century

science, stop the ignorant and racist posturing, stop publishing TURN TO PAGE 12 ►

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

Broomes visit family of man shot at Seeta’s bar By Vishani Ragobeer ASSISTANCE is trickling in for the family of Kurt Anthony Duncan, 32, who was shot dead at Seeta’s Bar in Station Street, Kitty, about two weeks ago. Duncan was shot at around 02:07 hours on July 29 after he tried intervening in a scuffle between a woman and a man who was cleaning the floor at the said bar. He was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation and was pronounced dead on arrival. Investigations into the matter identified a former member of the Guyana Police Force as a suspect in the man’s murder. Duncan’s family -- his wife and six children -- were visited by Minister within the Ministry of the Presidency with responsibility for Youth Affairs, Simona Broomes on Friday in their humble Sophia

home. “In situations like this, they need a lot of support, they need a home,” the minister said, adding, “The woman (Duncan’s wife) now has to raise six boys and a girl without him.” The minister indicated that she told the wife that she should seek out financial assistance from the Ministry of Social Protection to assist with the burial of her husband and government’s public assistance, which is given to families in need. “It hard to deal without him but I still trying to hold on,” the man’s wide, Roxanne Duncan said. The woman, who has been in a relationship with Duncan for about 16 years, has seven children-- six boys and a little girl. She lamented that they will now grow up without their father. “I say until I get justice,

I ain’t gonna stop going to the police… I feeling real uncomfortable to know that my husband dead and his killer is still out there roaming wherever,” Roxanne said. Mother of the young man, Jennifer Duncan, also called for justice for her son. According to her, Duncan was a good boy and did not deserve what happened to him. “He was always an obedient child growing up… when the rest of [my children] would run when I going to give two lashes or so, he would stand up and tek he lashes,” the woman said. Duncan was an ice-cream vendor and worked diligently to maintain his family. “He was a good son, a good father, a good husband, a good nephew, a good uncle and a good citizen,” his mother said fondly. Georgetown Councillor, Akeem Peters, also visited the family on

Minister within the Ministry of the Presidency with responsibility for Youth Affairs, Simona Broomes shares a light moment with the children of the deceased Duncan (Vishani Ragobeer photo)

Friday. “It is a sad situation that we have lost Duncan at such an early stage in life. He was the perfect example of what hardworking father is; I can’t remember anytime he has ever been called or instigated in any wrongdoings or so,” Peters said. Persons desirous of providing any assistance to the family can contact Roxanne Duncan on 6767154.

Minister Broomes and her family also presented members of the Duncan family with a few items they would need and a bicycle (Vishani Ragobeer photo)

Outrage over targeting ... false stories,” the legislator said. Critics have tied the stance taken by the Times newspaper as being racist in nature and Bichotte has noted that the sensitivity of the issue can me mapped to what occurs in the US as regards racism. “Failure to heed this call definitely puts the paper in the ranks of Trump and other ‘purveyors’ of hate,” the assemblywoman said. “We are demanding that Guyana Times issue an apology with a retraction of the ridiculous, divisive and false statements made against the people of Haiti.” Newly-elected Haitian American New York City Councilmember Farah Louis, also told Caribbean Life that “the derogatory statements published in the Guyana Times are eerily similar to the anti-immigrant rhetoric of the Trump Administration and the stigmatisation of Haitians in the 1980s as carriers of AIDS disease. “We have seen the detrimental effect of xenophobia as it relates to Haitians in the US and Dominican Republic,” said Louis, the daughter of Haitian immigrants, who represents the 45th Council District in Brooklyn. “We cannot allow the disparaging words of one or more define who we are as a people or diminish our contributions throughout history.” Another legislator, Kimberly Jean Pierre, a Haitian American New York State Assembly member, who represents the 11th District in Suffolk County, Long Island, said the allegations about the Haitian migrants were “unfortunate,” stating that the majority of Haitians are “merely seeking better lives for their families.” “It is my hope that the Guyanese and Haitian governments can work in conjunction to ensure that those travelling through Guyana are able to migrate safely and that any bad actors, especially human traffickers, are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” she said. Alicia Hyndman, a Caribbean-American New York State Assembly member, who represents the 29th Assembly District in Queens, said she was certain that the Guyanese Diaspora “fully understands the plight of immigrants struggling for a better life.” “It is irresponsible to spread this type of fear among Guyanese people regarding the health of Haitians,” she said.

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JAGDEO CHANGES STANCE Meanwhile, in the face of mounting criticisms, Jagdeo said at his weekly press conference on Thursday at his Church Street offices that he is “bothered” by the issue and according to him, “Haitians have every right to come to Guyana.” He said that persons have been targeting the French-speaking nationals, as he noted that they ought not to be targeted. For months the opposition leader has been referencing the Haitians in his arguments as he accused the government of facilitating a smuggling ring here. At his weekly press conferences he has been providing figures on the arrivals on Haitians here, even as a larger number of other foreign nationals, mainly Cubans have been travelling to these shores. They all arrived on flights of the Panamanian-owned Copa Airlines, the PPP-operated Citizens Report online blog stated, although larger numbers of Cubans have been utilising the said airline to come to these shores over the past seven months. The authorities have since provided figures which indicated the number of Cubans who have arrived here within the first seven months of the year, has climbed past 30,000, outnumbering the 8,600 Haitians who arrived here during the same period. In addition, the number of Trinidad and Tobago nationals who came here during that time also out-numbered the Haitian arrival figures. A local group of young Haitians told the Guyana Chronicle last week that they felt targeted by the publication of the articles in the local private newspapers. They said that the publications have caused their relatives back home in Haiti to express concern about their safety. The Haitian group told this publication that their compatriots have been coming to these shores in search of work and a better life. Citing the lack of a work permit, many have travelled east to Suriname while large numbers have been travelling to Brazil via Lethem. It was noted that the problem may be tied the fact that immigration officers are not making records of their departure at the immigration offices at Lethem. The Haitians have also disputed the utterances of the opposition and the contents of the news articles which alleged that they have come here to vote in the upcoming elections.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

Police commander loses home in Stewartville fire RECENTLY-appointed Commander of ‘G’ Division (Essequibo Coast and Islands), Crystal Robinson has lost her Stewartville, West Coast Demerara home and three vehicles that went up in flames in the wee hours of Saturday morning. The house was located at 154 Back Street, Stewartville, West Coast Demerara. Reports indicate that the commander attended the police pageant at the National Cultural Centre Friday night when she received a call, minutes after midnight, about the fire. No one was inside the house at the time of the fire and upon arrival, the woman superintendent saw her two-storey home engulfed in flames. She was unable to save anything. The superintendent lived in the house with four other relatives. One neighbour said the flames emanated from the garage where the three vehicles were parked “but the fire engines take some time to get

here but when they reached they couldn’t do anything much”. “When the fire engine get here they had some problems; the first fire truck stick in some mud, the second came without water and the third one had to pump water from the trench,” one resident said. Meanwhile, the commander noted that she is thankful that no one was in the house at the time of the

fire and no one was hurt as a result of the fire. “Some said it started in the garage because it had three vehicles in the garage; some said it started in the bedroom, so I don’t know, I don’t know; it’s only the fire department could tell me what really happened when they are finished doing their jobs,” Superintendent Robinson said.

The only section of the building that remained standing

Three of the vehicles that were burnt in the garage

‘Do not pay bribe to police’ – new G Division commander warns traffic offenders

G Division Commander, Cristal Robinson in her new office at Anna Regina

By Indrawattie Natram COMMANDER of G Division, Cristal Robinson, is warning drivers commuting within the Pomeroon-Supenaam region and other communities in the division not ‘to give any traffic officer a bribe’. She was at the time answering a question from the media on how she intends to handle “bribery” within the division. Reports reaching the media indicate that persons are paying money to traffic officers for their "traffic offenses" not to reach the court. The newly-placed commander is, there-

fore, advising the public not to pay any money to the police but rather proceed and pay the “ticket fine”. She also advised that a driver gets a chance to explain his situation to the magistrate in court, once the matter is a traffic offense. “Drivers need to go and pay. If they are not satisfied with the ticket then they should attend the court and let the magistrate decide; don’t get scared, everyone has a say in Guyana’s justice system. Once I receive complaints that people are giving police extra money, then both parties will be charged” Commander Robinson said. The commander said that in giving a "bribe", it takes two to understand such arrangement, and as such, both the giver and the acceptor will face the consequences, once such information reaches her. Commander Robinson said when she assumed her new post, drivers had approached her, stating that many of the traffic officers do not wear a name tag and immediately she advised that they do and make it visible. The commander said she had made several changes within the Traffic Department in the division and was optimistic that improvements will be made. Traffic ranks were advised not to wear a reflector vest during the day. “Sensitisation is important and I believe that once drivers and residents know what is accepted then they can go accordingly,” the commander said.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

AG meets relatives of slain Lindo Creek miners …as gov’t prepares to implement recommendations of CoI ATTORNEY General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams SC recently met with the close relatives of the eight miners who were killed at Lindo Creek in 2008, as the government prepares to implement a section of the recommendations made in the Lindo Creek Commission of Inquiry (CoI) Report compiled by Justice (Ret’d) Donald Trotman. The meeting was held on the instructions of President David Granger, who in February 1, 2018 had ordered that an inquiry be launched into the massacre. The CoI was established to inquire into the circumstances surrounding the killing of Cecil Arokium, Dax Arokium, Horace Drakes, Bonny Harry, Lancelot Lee, Compton Speirs, Nigel Torres and Clifton Berry Wong at Lindo Creek in the Upper Demerara-Berbice Region on or about June 21, 2008. The report was handed over to the President on August 2, 2019. Implementation of the recommendations proposed in Trotman’s Report was central to the discussion during the

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams SC meeting with close relatives of the 2008 Lindo Creek Massacre victims at his Office

recent meeting. According to a report seen by the Guyana Chronicle, the Attorney General Williams extracted specific recommendations from the report which are considered to bring tangible consolation to the relatives and dependents of the slain Lindo Creek miners. “These recommendations were examined and discussed extensively by Attorney General Williams and relatives

of the slain miners, as the implementation of certain recommendations will benefit the relatives. Relatives were keen to identify the recommendations that they viewed as most beneficial and will welcome the implementation,” a second of the report states. In the meeting, the Attorney General Williams noted that an interagency approach and collaboration with the relevant ministries will be

required to oversee their successful implementation of the recommendations. He committed to engage in discussions at the ministerial level on the matter to further develop and adopt the most suitable approach in light of the discussions with the relatives. “Relatives of the slain miners, almost one decade later, by virtue of the constitution of the Commission

of Inquiry were afforded the opportunity to visit the site of the massacre for the first time. Many relatives expressed that this exercise would have provided them with a degree of closure and solace,” another section of the report stated. In his report to President David Granger, Justice Trotman recommended that counselling be provided to the families of the deceased. Counselling forms part of a menu of recommendations made with respect to the family. On the basis that all of the miners were the breadwinners of their families, at the time of their demise, the commission has also recommended that those they left behind be paid monetary compensation. And while he declined to disclose the amount recommended for each of the eight families, Justice Trotman in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle had said, “I think we would want to leave that to the discretion of the President and a team of appropriate advisers. We suggested an amount, but we still feel we would want to leave that open.”

He, however, disclosed that the commission also recommended that special provisions be made for the offspring of the dead miners, in the form of financial grants, scholarships, housing and job opportunities, particularly to those who are qualified. It has also been recommended that that the hill leading to the mining camp at Lindo Creek, be named or renamed “Arokium Hill”, and for monuments to be erected in each of the villages that the miners lived, in their memory. The commission has also called on the government to hold an annual commemorative ceremony on June 21, to celebrate the lives of the miners. According to the commission, the evidence garnered suggest that the miners were more than likely killed by members of the Joint Services, who at the time, were conducting a manhunt for the notorious Rondell “Fine-Man” Rawlins gang, along the UNAMCO trail in the Upper-Berbice River area.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

Youth clubs to tackle crime reduction – Minister Ramjattan

THE establishment of “Champions for Change” clubs and after-school programmes are expected to target at-risk youths and young people in a positive manner regarding keeping them away from a life of crime. This is according to Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan, during an interview on Friday on INSIGHT VOG 102.5FM where he discussed various topics. The public security minister said crime is not only an issue that law enforcement must deal with, but, it also has a socioeconomic dimen-

sion.

“What are the root causes for crime, so Jamaica, Trinidad, Suriname, Antigua, and Guyana are the five countries in this pilot project in which we have done surveys in schools, primary and secondary schools that will tell us what is going wrong because we believe it’s at the school system and the communities around these schools that will give us what might be the best solution,” Ramjattan said. The programme is being funded by the European Union (EU) as a component of the 10th European Development Fund Crime and

Violence Prevention and Social Development Project. According to Ramjattan, when statistics are properly analysed, there must be a locally-designed action plan. He said 20 communities that are considered hot spots were identified and the teachers and relevant authorities will implement the best action plan. “It is anticipated that a cadre of teachers, counsellors and community leaders from each target member country, will all be trained in developing a scheme of activities, planning and running the scheme of activities, problem-solving and the management of resources related to the establishment of these clubs,”

Less childcare institutions, more child development centres - Ann Greene says institutions do more damage to children By Navendra Seoraj A child should not be in an institution (children’s home). It is a lifesaver for a child, but the last place he/ she should be sent. Institutions do damage to children because a child cannot get individual attention in those facilities, particularly the large ones. Several studies reviewed have revealed that orphans and vulnerable children in institutions do not receive adequate personal care, attention, affection and stimulation. It is to this end that the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Innocent Research Centre (2006) pointed out that child neglect, harsh and rigid discipline, maltreatment and abuse exist in most institutions, whether resource constrained or in developed countries. The UNICEF Innocent Research Centre (2006) also highlighted that institutional care can result in some undesirable effects on children such as emotional and psychosocial disturbances, developmental delays and learning disabilities, and medical problems. “We have to put children in institutions as a last resort…according to the policy we established, a child goes to an institution as a last resort,” said Director of the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA), Ann Greene during an interview with the Guyana Chronicle. The agency intends on doing away entirely with large children institutions: “we are going to put them out of existence,” said Greene, adding that she intends to change the roles of those institutions. Instead of an institution

keeping children there, it should be a place for children to learn things, then go home. The agency is going to turn the institutions into child development centres

Director of the CPA, Ann Greene

so that children would not be sleeping there, but there will be lots of things that children could partake in. The centres will allow children to become empowered through the programmes which will be offered. “We do not have to get large institutions...All like the Muslim homes and so that got children, we will change them into child development centres,” said the CPA director. “We want to make the institutions into child development centres so that children will come here to learn things, but they will go home,” said Greene, noting that there will be a role for all the children homes, since they will become child development centres. For instance, she said the Saint Ann’s Girls Orphanage could become a Catholic Child Centre so that children could go there to do their homework, develop a skill or even seek guidance or advice from a counsellor. “We don’t need institutions, we could change it to child development centres… that is the vision I have,” said Greene. Asked what will

happen to the children who are housed at the institutions, Greene said the agency is going to try to get them back with their parents. If they cannot go with their parents the agency will have to find substitute parents for them. “A child’s place is in their home in bed sleeping not in an institution…we have to keep youths out of institutions…in institutions, because of the need to be loved, children get tied up…one of the disadvantages might be that they would have their first sexual experience in there,” said Greene. There were close to 23 children homes, 20 of which were privately owned and three which were controlled by the CPA. Over the years the number of homes have decreased to just about 16. Considering the disadvantages, the first thing the agency looks for, if it is going to move a child from out of a home, is alternative care. In most cases the agency looks for a person who the child knows and trusts, particularly a relative. If the agency fails to find a suitable relative, the child goes into the foster care programme. The agency has 179 children in foster care, with 212 parents. In the case where a child might have to go back with his/her parents, if the parents do not have proper accommodation or in general if a family does not have proper accommodation, he/she will be moved into a Children and Family Centre. The centre, which has eight apartments, will be launched soon and will be able to accommodate an entire family. Families will be able to stay at the centre until they can find independent housing.

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan

Ramjattan explained. He continued: “We feel because all of this is happening, the crime rates are going to go further down, because when you take away the incentive from at-risk young people that may want to be involved in stealing or vandalism and make them a part of positive clubs, activities like playing the steel pan or art or anything that is positive will result in better citizens and a lower crime rate,” Ramjattan said. The minister noted that these hot spots where crimes

occur must have proper street lamps and CCTV cameras which will aid as a deterrent to crime. He explained that there is now enhanced security in the city with 104 mounted poles with four cameras each attached recording activities that will be monitored through a command centre. Minister Ramjattan said the system is crucial as he highlighted that statistics show that 53 per cent of serious crimes occur in the city; hence, the decision to launch the pilot project in Georgetown

Horrors of the past

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

…Buxton mothers still seeking justice years after sons, daughters were killed By Svetlana Marshall “IT was a terrifying period,” 68-year-old Yvette Herod said as she painfully walked the Guyana Chronicle down memory lane to a time when bullets fell like rain in Buxton-Friendship, neighnouring villages on

the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) and other parts of the country. That period spanned from 2000 to 2009 and even beyond when dead bodies were removed almost daily from the streets of not only in Buxton-Friendship, but across the country. In its

wake there were three massacres: Lusignan– where 11 people were killed; Bartica — where another 12 were killed; and Lindo Creek — where eight miners were slaughtered. And though there was no ‘Buxton Massacre,’ it was there that residents witnessed count-

less extra-judicial killings of mainly Afro-Guyanese males. BUXTON WAS A WAR ZONE In the early 2000s when criminal elements and police wreaked havoc, Herod, a resident of Buxton-Friendship, was the Headmistress at the New Friendship Nursery School. “Buxton was a war zone, and as the headteacher, it was my duty to protect those children,” she said while detailing that on a daily basis residents of the village were subject to gun fights, extra-judicial killings, raids, constant patrols by the police and army, and even police harassment. “We don’t know who brought criminal elements in here, we are not saying that Buxton is innocent of all things

ground whenever there is a shooting, and to remain there until they were told to get up. The now retired headteacher explained that it was important to teach the children what should be done during a shooting, whether in school, on the road or at home, in order to keep them safe. In many cases, the Education Ministry, ordered New Friendship Nursery School and other schools in the area closed. “When these guns start firing, we would call the Education Ministry and tell them that there is a shootout in the village, and they would say to us, once that is happening, make sure that the children are safe and when it is possible you just close the school,” Herod explained. Parents would often rush

Evelyn Estwick lived through the troubled times, during which, her nephew Joslyn Jones went missing. In this photo, she points to a section of her bedroom door where a bullet passed through. The broken glass on the door serves as a memory of the past they wish never to repeat. (Photos by Delano Williams)

but we did not bring criminal elements in here. We did not bring any criminal elements in here,” Herod told the Guyana Chronicle. GUN DRILLS FOR KIDS Left with no other choice, the three, four, and five year-old children attending the New Friendship Nursery School underwent ‘gun-drills’ – a practice of the emergency procedures to be used in case of shootings. “We would take a piece of wood, and position it like a gun, pointing to the air, as though we were firing off shots – pow, pow, pow – and then we would say, when you hear that hit the floor, hit the floor. So when they heard POW, one; POW, two, they would hit the floor,” Herod explained. The nursery school children, she said, were taught to lie on the

to the schools, whenever there was an exchange of gunfire, to collect their children. “Whenever we had these shootouts between the police and these criminal elements, parents would rush to the school and take their children home because that would happen, sometimes, whole day. Sometimes you have gun shots whole day, whole night,” she explained. CAUGHT IN THE CROSS FIRE It was on such a day, that one of Herod’s sisters was shot dead in a cross fire. Donna, a mother of nine, was 47-years-old when she was gunned down in full view of two of her younger children at the time. She was killed in September 2007, a short distance away from the New Friendship Nursery School in Buxton-Friendship, during

Retired Headmistress Yvette Herod demonstrating how she would make her hand in the shape of a gun, and say: POW, POW during the ‘gun-drill’ that taught children what to do in the case of a shooting

what the Guyana Human Rights Association described as an ill-conceived, badly executed and poorly led police operation to flush out criminals from the East Coast Demerara village. “I was retired then but I was at home sleeping but what I understood is that she came from work and as usual, when the guns started firing, she went there (at the nursery school) to collect her son,” Herod explained. She said based on information gathered, her other sister collected Donna’s son and walked up the ‘line’, while Donna and two of her other children walked in the opposite direction through the street that is in close proximity to both the nursery and primary schools. It was while walking through the street that Donna was shot. “After the gunshots ceased, they started pulling her, calling on her to get up. They continued to pull at her, and the guns started firing again. And so some boys who were working at a house nearby, after they were crying, the boys ran out and grabbed them,” Herod reported. Evelyn Estwick and Donna Herod were friends at the time. They had gone to the nursery school to pick up their children, and like Donna and her sister, they went in opposition direction. “I went up to the ‘line,’ and when I went up to the ‘line,’ the police were there, and I said: sir excuse me, nobody ain’t firing at all yuh, this is a nursery school, let we get home with these children but this man watch me, like when TURN TO PAGE 17 ►

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

PPP urges all Guyanese Don’t forget the poor and needy- IAC says in Eid- Ul - Adha message to remain hopeful Eid-ul-Adah reminds of the willingness to selflessly make sacrifice in obedience of God, the Peoples Progressive Party said in a message to mark the occasion. The party said Eid-ulAdha’s observance is imbued with pertinent messages for the spiritual upliftment of all mankind, offering great potential for the redounding of peace and togetherness. This sacred observance comes during the annual Holy Pilgrimage Muslims across the world make to Mecca, Hajj; one of the five pillars of Islam. It is a journey that embodies sacrifices in the quest to fulfill religious

obligations demonstrative of the teachings of equality as exemplified in Islam. On this auspicious occasion of Eid-ul-Adah, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) takes the opportunity to extend greetings to the Muslim communities, both here in Guyana and in the Diaspora. The PPP said it is cognizant of the significance of Eid-ul-Adah to our country and its people. Its observance continues to exemplify the characteristics of generosity, morality and love for others. In a multifaceted society like Guyana, these attributes have proven to be invaluable in strengthening bonds among all of our people and to forge

better understanding and appreciation of our cultures. As our Muslim brothers and sisters celebrate Eid-ulAdah, once again it brings into focus the many sacrifices Guyanese have made, and continue to make, for self-advancement and nation building with the common objective of a better life and future for all. The PPP remains mindful of the prevailing challenges Guyanese face and urges all to remain hopeful, to be inspired by the engrained message of Eid-ulAdah and to draw upon their resilience and resoluteness. Eid Mubarak!

Horrors of ...

FROM PAGE

you see a ghost,” Estwick recalled. It was not long after, that gunshots started ringing out. “Girl I throw myself towards the trench, and I put my granddaughter to lie down, and I lie down over her. Girl, like I get weak, and when the shooting stopped, I ran to put my granddaughter in the house, and by the time I meet at the bridge, I hear hollering at Brushe Dam, the girl done get hit, and lie down dead,” Estwick recounted. “The girl lie down dead on the road and her child haversack hang around her, and her two children crying, two children,” Estwick said as her eyes well up with tears. “It was a time that I don’t ever want to come back. It could have been me, because we left the school together,” she added. Residents that had witnessed the shooting had laid the blame at the feet of the police but the late Henry Greene, who was the Commissioner of Police (ag) at the time had denied the allegation. Donna’s death was never thoroughly investigated and to date those responsible were never brought to justice. WHERE IS JOSLYN JONES? At the time of Donna’s death, Estwick was still grappling with the fact that her nephew Joslyn Jones disappeared in May, 2004 after he was seen in police custody. Jones, 27, at the time, had lived with his aunt at her Friendship residence. He had lived with her since as a child after the death of his parents. On the day he disappeared, Estwick had left him home with one of her granddaughters, and had warned him not to venture into the city – Georgetown – to purchase the boots he was eager to buy. But though he agreed not to leave the house, Jones took the baby to Estwick’s father and made his way to Georgetown. He

had promised Estwick’s father to return shortly but was never seen since. “When I got home, I called Joslyn’s phone. I called it, it ring out,” Estwick recalled while noting that it was unusual for him not to answer his cell home. Before daybreak the next day, Estwick was informed that Jones was in the vicinity of DEMICO when he was “picked up” by the police and taken to the Brickdam Police Station. She and other relatives rushed to the station but were told that no Joslyn Jones was in custody or had been arrested. “While waiting, two boys came out. So the boys said: lady who you looking for, I said, I am looking for my nephew Joslyn, and I started describing him,” she recalled. “They said that boy got picked up with we, and they bring he at the station, and then the boy carried him back but we ain’t know where they go with he,” the grieving aunt further recalled. Estwick said shortly after her nephew’s disappearance, the snow cone man who was standing with him at the time he was taken into custody, gave the police a statement. The snow cone man, according to reports, indicated that he could have identified the police officers that took Jones into custody. At the time of the reported arrest, Jones was wearing his aunt’s jewellery, and had the boots he had purchased. According to Estwick, after the matter was taken before the then Police Commissioner Henry Greene, little was heard of the investigation. “I never saw my nephew back. Never, never, never,” Estwick said as she broke down in tears. She had turned to the court. “I did all what I could have done. I did all what I could have done. You ever do til you can’t do any more. I went I took a lawyer, because I said somebody must tell me something,” she

said. His death remains a mystery to this day. NO MORE PPP Another resident, who requested anonymity, blamed the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Administration at the time, for the crimes. The crimes, between 2003 and 2006, were linked to convicted drug-trafficker Shaheed Roger Khan, who had set up a criminal network here, including active policemen and a number of former ranks, ostensibly to go after criminals, but at the same time protecting his narco-trafficking interests. “We aren’t asking, we know that we will get a re-visitation of the past anytime this government change because this time they will come after us. They will come to spite us, and we do not deserve it, we do not deserve it,” the woman said. She recalled that during the crime wave, many families would pool their financial resources together to send their male relatives to the islands, US, and other countries. “It was a sad time, and they had to leave because they were being targeted, our black brothers, uncles and fathers were targeted, and so families thought it best to send them away lest they turn up dead,” the elderly woman said. The Buxtonian and Friendship women that spoke to the Guyana Chronicle on Sunday endorsed the call for President David Granger to launch immediately, an investigation into the extra-judicial killings that occurred under the Bharrat Jagdeo Administration, and for Roger Khan to be arrested upon his deportation to Guyana. The Executive of Mourning Families and Friends in White – a committee of the Ghana Day Organisation – are demanding that the intellectual authors of the state-sponsored murders, as well as their hired assassins, be brought to justice.

The Indian Action Committee (IAC) wishes to extend greetings to all Guyanese citizens, especially those who are adherents of Islam, on the sacred occasion of Eidul-Adha, a national holiday. The IAC recognizes that Eid–ul–Adha is a time for believers to learn the value of self- denial by making a sacrifice of the things they love, to Almighty God. The IAC understands that Prophet Ibrahim’s great act of submission is thus regarded solely as an example of genuine surrender to the will of his creator.

The IAC feels that today, more than ever, human beings need to incorporate the lesson of this great sacrifice with humility thus underlining the importance of the festival in memory of Prophet Ibrahim’s great act of faith, many centuries ago. The IAC exhorts everyone in the spirit of self-sacrifice to not forget the poor and needy in our community, by sharing the sacrificial offerings with them. The IAC sincerely hopes that this holy observance can bring people of different religious, ethnic and social back-

grounds together in a spirit of national unity. The IAC understands also that the festival of Eid-ul-Adha falls on the third day of Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca which is made by millions of Muslims every year. The IAC congratulates our brothers and sisters from home, who have undertaken this journey and extend good wishes for their safe return. The IAC calls upon all Guyanese to ensure that this country remains a peaceful one and in the future, a prosperous nation. Eid Mubarak from the IAC.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

The Legacy of Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison, 1997.CreditCredit Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

By Roxane Gay

HE NEW YORK TIMES, August 9, 2019-Toni Morrison

was unparalleled. She will always be so. A novelist, essayist, woman and sage, she was a genius of uncommon grace. This is not hyperbol-

…There is a blossoming of black women writers who are following in her footsteps and making their own impact ic. It is, simply, fact. I was on a flight from Paris to New York when a friend messaged me about Ms. Morrison’s passing and

I was stunned, saddened and overwhelmed with gratitude for the blessings of her work. I knew she was in her 80s, but I hoped she might be the first

immortal among us. Nonetheless, it was heartening to see the immediate and effusive outpouring of respect and affection her unimpeachable legacy. It was also a relief to know she was one of the greats lucky enough to be appreciated while she lived. For the past couple of months, I have been slowly reading her collected essays and speeches, “The Source of Self-Regard.” I want to savor her work — her prescient and clear-eyed distillations of power, how it is wielded, and who must bend or be broken in the face of it. Many of the pieces were written well before the Trump era, but perfectly capture the current moment: the rise of fascism as “marketing for power” and the truth that the “danger of losing our humanity must be met with more humanity.” As I’ve been reading “The Source of Self-Regard,” I have also been looking for the right, so very elusive, words to respond to President Trump’s embrace of white nationalism; the government’s unacceptable family separation program and internment camps; the politicians doing nothing but thinking and praying in the face of gun violence; women’s ever-precarious access to reproductive rights and bodily autonomy; and everything else that is so overwhelming and terrible in this country. For the most vulnerable among us, there is a great deal at stake, and silence in the face of all this injustice is not acceptable. Then I read Toni Morrison and think, “Until I can write like that, I should say nothing.” In 2015, I interviewed Ms. Morrison for an airline magazine, of all things. She was kind, gracious, charming, witty. It was easy to be awestruck. But throughout our conversation, I felt that I was speaking not to a god, but rather to a woman of uncanny genius, absolutely mortal and as such, so very impressive. What I remember most from our conversation was how important her ambition still was to her, how, in her words, “I don’t think I could do with-

out it.” I end nearly every interview with the question, “What do you like most about your writing?” Writers often equivocate and dance around the question, afraid to admit they think well of themselves and their work. With Ms. Morrison, there was no hesitation or equivocation. She said she appreciated her ability to “say more and write less,” and her “desire to give the reader space.” From that moment, I became more comfortable with my own ambition. I aspired to say more and write less. Sometimes I have failed in this endeavor, sometimes I have succeeded. Everything I am and ever will be as a black woman who writes begins with the work of Toni Morrison. My words have been shaped by all of her work, but especially “The Bluest Eye,” “The Song of Solomon,” “Sula” and most especially, “Beloved.” Pecola Breedlove. Macon Dead III. Sula Peace. Sethe. Indelible characters and indelible stories. When I read each of Ms. Morrison’s novels for the first time, I saw far more than a reflection of what it means to live in a black woman’s body. I saw majesty and infinite possibility. I saw a writer wielding her craft masterfully, being bold and audacious, avoiding the facile choices despite the risks in doing so. In a conversation with Hilton Als for a profile in “The New Yorker,” Ms. Morrison said: “I can accept the labels because being a black woman writer is not a shallow place but a rich place to write from. It doesn’t limit my imagination; it expands it. It’s richer than being a white male writer because I know more and I’ve experienced more.” Ms. Morrison taught me and an entire generation of black writers to recognize that we are rich places to write from. She showed us that we must matter first to ourselves if we hope to matter to anyone else. She demonstrated that there is no shame in writing that is both work and a necessary political act. She taught me that you can TURN TO PAGE 19 ►

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

American Airlines in cabin pressure worries CITING safety as a priority, an American Airlines flight returned to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport earlier on Saturday morning after the aircraft experienced a pressurisation issue. Reports are that the flight, which departed around 01:00hrs on Saturday morning, was already enroute to Miami when the pilots observed the issue. The Airbus 319 aircraft was still in Guyana’s airspace when the problem was noticed and since it was early into the flight, the pilots conducted a fuel dumping exercise prior to landing. Airport sources noted that on Friday afternoon,

another American Airlines flight which departed around 15:00hrs returned to the CJIA after experiencing a technical issue. It is unclear if it is the same aircraft which encountered the pressurisation problem on Saturday morning. American Airlines entered the local flight market late last year, operating flights between the CJIA and Miami where it is based, on weekly basis. On Thursday night the airline was forced to divert its aircraft to Piarco, Trinidad after the CJIA experienced a problem with its lighting system. CJIA’s management has since fixed the problem.

The Legacy ...

FROM PAGE

write about black girls and black women, unapologetically, and say necessary, meaningful things about our lives in a world that often tells us that our lives do not matter. She consistently centered blackness in her narratives, but not an idealized version of it. Instead, she wrote, for black people in the truest ways she could. She was of us and wrote for us nuanced, complicated, authentic and honest representations of our culture, our lives, our triumphs, our sufferings, our failures. She demonstrated the importance of raising our voices and challenging power structures that harm vulnerable peoples. Her brilliant books, stories, essays and speeches are certainly a significant part of her legacy. The many accolades she accumulated will always be a part of her story. But, perhaps, her greatest legacy will be the direct lineage between her and so many black writers who are following in her footsteps as they create their own legacies. She broadened the scope of what I thought was possible for myself as a writer and a woman. I can never repay that gift. When someone with as much staggering talent as Toni Morrison dies, it is easy to want to deify them, to remember them as supernatural. It is particularly easy to do that with Ms. Morrison

because her writing is so powerful. She wrote impeccable sentences. She imparted wisdom in ways that seemed effortless. She commanded attention and demanded respect. She told incredible, passionate, resonant stories. Her immense legacy will be discussed in perpetuity and her body of work will endure forever. But to attribute her brilliance to some higher power would be a disservice to the very real life she lived, how hard she worked and how often she had to break through glass ceilings so that others could follow. I often think about how Morrison wrote her debut novel, “The Bluest Eye,” in stolen moments, while working full-time as an editor and raising her two sons as a single mother. It is this kind of truth that reminds us that she actively put in the work of being a writer, even in circumstances that would have stifled lesser people. There is a picture of Toni Morrison from the 1970s, her Afro crowning her face, and she wears a silky camisole dress. She is dancing, her face bright and beaming, arms akimbo. She looks joyful, beautifully human. The best way we can honor Toni Morrison’s legacy is to remember her as the astonishing and brilliant and very human woman she was. It is her humanity that made her so extraordinary.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

Students receive bursaries, awarded scholarships

…at Guyana Public Service Cooperative Credit Union awards ceremony

Dr Marcel Hutson, Chief Education Officer, as he gave Friday’s charge

FIFTY-one students, who were successful at this year’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), were awarded bursaries on Friday from the Guyana Public Service Cooperative Credit Union (GPSCCU) The event, which was held at the union’s Hadfield Street office, saw the children of members of the credit union being the recipients of certificates, financial aid, school bags and stationery. In addition, six students were awarded scholarships that will assist them throughout their secondary school journey. The recipients of the fulltime scholarships are Nathalia Lovell, Isaiah Thomas, Niall Tyrell, Dhaniram Ramotar, Jasiah Langhorne and Immaculee Walcott. Through the award, GPSCCU aims to empower members of the union across Guyana, through assistance

given to their children. The union will also be awarding 56 more students who were successful at NGSA. Their parents are also members of the credit union. Speaking at the event was Mr Shelton Daniels, the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Social Protection, who commended the body for recognising a total of 107 children from across Guyana. Daniels highlighted that the Ministry of Social Protection played a part in recognising “that there needs to be something that can be done to improve the lives of its workers and the lives of those persons who contributed financially to the Cooperative Union.” He also encouraged the body to continue improving the lives of its members. Chief Education Officer, Marcel Hutson, who gave the charge at the event, said

The Guyana Public Service Cooperative Credit Union Bursary Awardees showoff certificates

that everyone was born with the capacity to succeed, and as such, one’s background should not be a hindrance to one’s successes. “It is not necessarily the school that you would have gotten but it has everything to do with you as an individual and what you want to do with your own life. And if you are serious about what you want to do, regardless of which school you came from, which community you came from, you can grow and you can develop,” he said. He added, “You have to have capacity and the only way you could have capacity, you have to be educated and be serious about work and how you could become marketable and how you can make an impression not only on your own life, but in the lives of other persons.” During her remarks, Perlina Gifth, Chief Coop Development Officer, an-

One section of attendees at the Guyana Public Service Cooperative Credit Union Bursary Awards Ceremony

nounced that the Department of Coops and the Ministry of Education will be collaborating to resuscitate the School Thrift Societies within schools across Guyana, in September 2019. “We want you to be conscious of saving from a small age. You must be able to safe a little, give a little and spend a little,” she added. She indicated that Essequ-

ibo was the only region where 99% of the schools have active thrift societies; and noted that she wished for it to be the same case in all other regions across Guyana. “I’m expecting that you will be willing to be a member of your respective school’s thrift society and, when you are out of school, we are hoping that you can join a credit union to contin-

ue to save and enjoy the benefits of what it has to offer,” Gifth pointed out. In March, the union celebrated its 55th Anniversary. The credit union came into existence as a result of an 80-day strike which lead 29 person to pool their financial resources and start the Union. To date the Union has over 15,000 active members.

Top NGSA students in Region Three honoured THE top ten students from Region Three (Essequibo Islands/ West Demerara) were on Friday honoured for their outstanding academic performances at this year’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA). Ruth Larson and Shrirish Persaud from the Academy of Excellence copped the coveted number 1 ranking for the region with a tied score of 530 marks. Larson is aspiring to be a doctor while Persaud is eyeing a career in aeronautical engineering. In an invited comment with the Department of Public In-

formation (DPI), the young scholars shared their reaction to accomplishing the remarkable feat. “I was shocked! My mother started to cry, and my father, he went out to see if it was really true,” said Larson. Meanwhile, Persaud stated, “I was very happy, very excited. I was mostly like jumping and screaming.” Basking in the glory of the moment was Athaliah Joe, also from the Academy of Excellence, who conveyed to the DPI, “I feel ecstatic. I am so happy. My father was very happy. He almost lifted me up.

My mother twirled me around.” After ramping up 527 marks and with high hopes towards her future, Joe confidently expressed, “I want to become a doctor, but I want to do a bit of IT [Information Technology] with it.” Director-General within the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon, delivered the feature address to the students and parents at the Department of Education’s boardroom in Region 3. During the speech, the Director-General commended the students for aiding in the improvement of the passes

for the region with their stellar performances. Harmon also noted the Coalition Government’s continuous commitment towards enhancing the educational sector. After highlighting that there have been steady increases in budgetary allocations, the Director-General said, “We have, therefore, matched our words with our actions.” Education Sector (year) Budgetary Allocation 2016 $40.3Billion 2017 $43.1Billion 2018 $44.1Billion 2019 $52.3Billion

Additionally, the Direc tor-General lauded the successes of the NGSA, particularly in the category of numeracy and literacy. “As a result, the percentage passes in English moved from 46% in 2016 to 60% in 2018, and Mathematics from 14 per cent in 2016 to 38% in 2018, while Science moved from 28% over the same [2016-2018-] period,” Harmon related. Regional Educational Officer for Region 3, Annesta Douglas, TURN TO PAGE

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

Courts Optical opens at Giftland Mall IN demonstrating its confidence in Guyana’s economy, the Unicomer Group Inc., under its brands – Courts and Courts Optical - launched its stores at the Giftland Mall on Friday. Clyde de Haas, Managing Director of Unicomer Group said the opening of the 9th Courts and 5th Courts Optical branches is in keeping with its strategy to ensure that customers’ expectations of convenience are matched. During the opening ceremony, Director of the Ministry of Business, Dominic Gaskin, said the opening of the stores at Giftland Mall is indeed a presentation of the confidence companies have in the Guyanese Market. He said with the production of oil and gas in 2020, there will be more opportunities for businesses to expand in Guyana. President of Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) Nicholas Boyer congratulated the Board of Directors, Management and Staff of Unicomer Guyana for their commitment to growth and expansion, and the delivery of quality products to the people of Guyana. “Unicomer has been operating in Guyana for over 20 years as one of the largest retailers in the country. In its 20+ years of existence in Guyana, Unicomer has displayed its full confidence

in the Guyanese market through constant growth and expansion. We call all agree that in order for a local economy to realise its full potential, the presence of companies like Unicomer is critical as they continue to be a major source of job creation and economic growth,” Boyer said. He said the company continues to invest in its operations here because it is optimistic about Guyana’s future. As such, he said the Private Sector must continue to advocate for conditions that would encourage investors to exhibit a similar level of confidence in the country. “Since opening its doors in Guyana, Unicomer has provided employment and training for a large number of the Guyanese through its expansion in areas such as Linden, Parika, Bartica, the Essequibo Coast, Mahaica and New Amsterdam. Most importantly, Unicomer’s foreign direct investment continues to contribute to the growth of the local economy, and ultimately, the overall development of Guyana”, the GCCI President noted. Noting that the GCCI encourages private companies to give back and fulfill their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Boyer said the chamber is appreciative of companies like Unicomer Guyana that make CSR initiatives a priority. Unicomer

The official cutting of the ribbon by Clyde de Haas, Managing Director of Unicomer Group (centre), Director of Ministry of Business Dominic Gaskin (right) and GCCI President Nicholas Boyer

The new Courts store in Giftland Mall

Top NGSA students in Region... commended the Region’s remarkable performance. “… Our Essequibo Islands-West Demerara, secured 37 spots in the top 1%.” Region Three’s Percentage passes for subjects tested at NGSA are as followsSubject Passes Mathematics 51.7 English 65.7 Science 52.2 Social Studies 48 Regional Information Officer, Ganesh Mahipaul, was also in attendance and mentioned that the improved academic performances of the schools within the Region were catalysed by the Government’s support for education. “The Regional Administration will continue to focus on improving in this nation because we believe in keeping with the Government’s policies that the best way to develop a country and the best wealth one can have is to be educated.”

has managed to establish itself as a leader in the provision of corporate support in various areas such as education, sports and culture, he added. Boyer reminded the public of the GCCI’s message to have the government adopt policies that can enable local businesses to have the capacity to make similar investments and take advantage of the opportunities for growth and expansion. Unicomer Guyana said it will ensure customers enjoy the same great service, product range and affordable payment plans at its Giftland location. FROM PAGE

Top 10 Students of Region Three along with Director-General within the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

West Watooka women farmers get creative --as they heed gov’t call to grow more

By Vanessa Braithwaite IT has become increasingly noticeable that Guyanese are taking agriculture more seriously, and therefore the markets have become more competitive. In Linden, there has been an approximate 20% increase in the number of community-based farmers providing the markets on both the Mackenzie and Wismar shores with homegrown crops. That this had not been happening before was of major concern to regional officials, who, through an aggressive drive to move the town to self-sufficiency, and by so doing reduce the demand for

out-of-town produce, launched a campaign to reintroduce as many Region Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice) farmers to the market. Many have heeded this call, and while there is not a glut on the market at present, farmers are seeking out ingenious ways of staying ahead of the competition, since many outside-sourced food is still giving them a run for their money. One of those people who heeded the call and taken up the challenge is West Watooka farmer, Myrtle Gentle, who, though a woman, has raised the bar even higher than her male counterparts by providing for Lindeners home-grown

crops that are very delicate and challenging to grow, more so in the muddy West Watooka soil. But despite the many challenges, Gentle has managed to remain positive, and is reaping overwhelming benefits. The hard-to-come-by crops she grows right in Linden other than the traditional cash-crops are cauliflower, beetroot, broccoli and carrots. And though she spends long hours tending to these ‘special’ crops, she has no intention of giving up on them, because she enjoys seeing the smiles on her customers' faces when she takes her crops to the market on Fridays.

buying from her a few times, they have come to realise that she is telling the truth, and just keep on supporting her. “Because of the high fertiliser, it won't last long,” Gentle said. “But they know when they come to buy mine, it will last in the fridge, and it will keep until they are ready to cook. So they look forward for me on Friday," she added. She said that it is because of this very niche market she now has in Linden, she is able to support her family. As she reasoned, “If a customer

PACKED AND READY “When I get there on Friday and people are waiting on you,” she said, “you cannot go there to count bora and give people; you have to have everything prepared so that when they come rushing, you are ready to serve. “On Thursday night I go to bed sometimes after two, just trying to put things together, so that when I get to the market, it can look presentable.” The municipality has only allocated her Fridays and Sat-

West Watooka farmer, Ms. Myrtle Gentle

VERY LITTLE FERTILISER She makes it a point of assuring all her customers that she tries to use fertilisers as sparingly as possible, and after

Myrtle Gentle tending to her crops

knows they can come to my stand and get a crop that they can't get at another stand that is grown right in Linden, they will end up purchasing the other regular crops they need right there.” Among the other cashcrops she grows are bora, pak choi, cabbages, sweet peppers, and boulangers. She said that her greatest challenge when she first started was setting up a shade house so as she could have crops year-round, particularly during the rainy season, given the delicate nature of

urdays to sell at the Republic Avenue spot she occupies, and because she is a Seventh Day Adventist, she can only sell on Fridays, which she finds very limiting, because the way she works allows her to harvest a maximum three days per week. She believes that more consideration should be given to local farmers, and that a regularised area should be designated to them. In addition to farming and poultry rearing, Ms Gentle is also into apiculture, which is

her crops. An optimist by nature, Ms. Gentle already sees herself as the go-to person for Lindeners who depend on her for their low-fertilizer crops, and is determined to push through despite the challenges. "It is a great challenge; a real challenge for me, but I want to see success, and I know I will, because of the effort I put into it,” she said. Describing a typical day for her, the mother-of-four said that she gets out of bed very early in the morning so she could tend to her crops and poultry. Thursday is her busiest day, she said, because she has to prepare to catch the market on Friday, and this means ensuring that her products are well packaged and presented.

another unpopular form of agriculture taken up by women. She recently graduated from an apiculture course run by the Linden Enterprise Network, and has since successfully taken down a hive. An active member of the West Watooka Farming Association, she would like to encourage other women to get involved in agriculture, which she sees as being “the next big thing to the oil industry”, and to, like her, find ingenious ways of conquering the market and finding their niche. “Agriculture is a full-time job,” she said. “So, if you want to do agriculture; you want to have a salary, I would say you need to spend time; you need to have a programme.”

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

Talking politics and what it means --with aspiring young Linden politicians

By Vanessa Braithwaite POLITICS can be a very scary arena for youths especially to enter, given all the negativity associated with it, all because some politicians have a liking for playing dirty. A good politician, however, is not necessarily the man who says the river is dirty, but the man who gets up and cleans up the river. And this has been the attitude of scores of youths that have decided to enter politics and are creating change within their communities by way of the political office they happen to hold, an office that should not be used to tear down but to build up; not to divide and rule, but to unite through social cohesion; not to make unrealistic promises, but to work hand-in-hand with the people to achieve their goals. While there has been a noticeable change these days in youth involvement in politics across Guyana, it is particularly evident in the mining town of Linden, where political groups with young membership are working round-the-clock, consolidating with their constituents so as to empower and create change within communities. The Amelia's Ward arm of the People's National Congress Reform (PNCR) is one such group that has been involved in various community projects, the aim of which is to empower youths and consolidate the larger community. Vice-Chairman of that group, Michael Hercules sat down with the Guyana Chronicle recently to highlight the many community projects the group has been involved in, which is also their way of giving back. The group has been collaborating with other community groups to provide the needed help in agriculture, environmental beautification and protection projects, as well as entrepreneurial ventures. During the holidays, the group would participate in various distribution activities. An aspiring politician, Hercules said he was inspired by some politicians of yesteryear that also used their youth to serve selflessly; men like Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama. But it was President David Granger, however, who would incite him to not just admire but to act. "What made me get into politics was during 2014 after listening to President Granger, who was the Leader of the Opposition at that time. He was speaking about social cohesion and

regionalism. I thought to myself, there and then, that I want to be a part of a progressive movement; one that was all-inclusive; one that speaks to our national motto," Hercules said. EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME Now that he’s taken the leap and entered politics, he sees it as an experience of a lifetime, and is encouraging other youths not to be worried about politics, but when they do decide to get involved, it must be to put the interest of the people above self and Party. Yanick Graham is another executive member of the PNCR group and member of the Amelia's Ward’s ‘Think Green’ Steering Committee and the youngest municipal councillor, and he also spoke positively of being a politician, and how gratifying it is to give selfless service. "I saw that there was a need for helping the people, especially in community development, and really think I can create a major difference in assisting persons... We are servants of the people,” he said. Though Graham has a family and a full-time job, he spends countless hours doing community-related projects, all in an effort to afford the good life to every Guyanese. One of Think Green's major projects is the launch of its data collection project in Amelia’s Ward. According to a Department of Public Information (DPI) press release, the group’s committee chairman, Lawrence Simon explained that the project is a data-collection campaign. The mission is to establish an information bank, especially of the youth, so that they can be contacted in the event there are job and scholarship openings, or training opportunities. Another active political youth group is the youth arm of the Alliance for Change (AFC) party called ‘Youths for Change (YFC)’ which has also attracted a growing membership in Region 10 through youth and community engagements. Executive member of the group, Devin Sears, has an interesting take on the subject of youths becoming involved in politics, as he sees it as a way of providing one with the opportunity of having a voice for the voiceless. Said he: “Being a young politician has afforded me the chance to have my voice heard as it relates to issues affecting my beloved country, instead of sitting passively on the sidelines. It has also made me a more humble

person, and has developed within me a deeper understanding and appreciation for the diverse cultures of my country.” YFC has been involved in youth empowerment programmes, marches, training sessions, clean-up campaigns, donations etc. To quote the ever-popular American poet and civil rights activist, the late Maya Angelou, “Words

Michael Hercules

Yanick Graham

Devin Sears

mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning.”

These young politicians have all shown that they are about walking the walk and not talking the talk; by

demonstrating what politics should be and not what it is perceived to be.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

RACING TIPS South Africa Racing Tips Greyville 08:50 hrs Born To Perform 09:25 hrs Makhet 10:00 hrs Candy Galore 10:40 hrs Blaze Of Silk

Irish Racing Tips Downpatrick 08:50 hrs Rebel Og 09:20 hrs Road To Dubai 09:55 hrs Effernock Lad 10:25 hrs Iamastartoo 11:00 hrs Panther Soul 11:30 hrs Canadian Steel 12:00 hrs Soldiers Hill

Tipperary 09:05 hrs Lady Penelope 09:35 hrs Invincible Diva 10:10 hrs Hathiq 10:40 hrs Harpocrates 11:15 hrs Coffeemeanscoffee 11:45 hrs Kiss For A Jewel 12:15 hrs Duchess Ravenwaves

English Racing Tips Windsor 09:00 hrs Teemlucky 09:30 hrs Angel Grey 10:05 hrs Show Stealer 10:35 hrs Grandfather Tom 11:10 hrs Sash 11:40 hrs Wallaby 12:10 hrs Artic Sea

Leicester 09:10 hrs Surf Dancer 09:45 hrs Zoraya 10:15 hrs Maktabba 10:50 hrs Licoln Park 11:20 hrs Kermouster 11:50 hrs Kaffy 12:25 hrs One Boy

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

City convincing in VAR-packed rout of West Ham

… Raheem Sterling scores hat-trick (REUTERS) - Raheem Sterling scored a hat-trick as champions Manchester City made a hugely convincing start to their title defence with a 5-0 win at West Ham United yesterrday, in a game which saw heavy use of video review. Brazilian Gabriel Jesus, preferred by Pep Guardiola to Sergio Aguero in attack, opened the scoring in the 25th minute with a deft close-range finish after a scorching burst and low cross from Kyle Walker. Sterling made it 2-0, six minutes after the interval, with a cool finish after Kevin De Bruyne had burst from midfield and fed the England forward. Jesus then became the first player to have a goal disallowed by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in the Premier League when, in the 53rd minute, he finished off Sterling’s pass following a fine move. However, the VAR adjudged that Sterling was marginally offside as he ran into the box. VAR, making its debut this season, was used again to review and eventually validate Sterling’s second, when he collected a lofted ball into the box and lobbed West Ham keeper Lukasz Fabianski. The video staff were busy again in the 84th minute when City were awarded a penalty for Issa Diop’s foul on Riyad Mahrez. Substitute Aguero’s penalty soft penalty was saved but VAR ruled that Declan

Manchester City's Raheem Sterling scores their third goal. (Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley)

Rice was encroaching into the box and referee Mike Dean ordered a re-take - which the Argentine scored before Sterling completed his hat-trick in stoppage time. After last season’s runners-up Liverpool began their campaign with a 4-1 win over Norwich City at Anfield on Friday, City’s emphatic victory was another sign that there could be a repeat neck-andneck battle between the leading pair. The result was City’s eighth successive win in competitive matches against West Ham, in which time they have scored 28 goals and conceded four. Guardiola was pleased with his team’s second half display but had some critical words for their performance in the opening 45 minutes. “The rhythm was not there but that’s normal for the first

game. In the second half we were better, we were calmer, we played extra passes. After we went 3-0 up the game was over,” said the Spaniard. “But I cannot deny it, I’m delighted to win 5-0 away from home in the first game. We finished last season by winning 14 games in a row. It’s 15 now unbeaten so it’s good.” Guardiola said the VAR decisions were a reminder of the need for a team to keep their cool in what are still unusual situations. “You have to be mentally strong when VAR is not on your side. You think at 0-3 the game is almost over but at 0-2, the game is completely different. You have to be calm and be strong, it is going to change the dynamic not just for the team but for the spectators,” he said.

Essequibo umpires in protest against non-payment of fees IT has been almost three months since the completion of the ECB/BANKS DIH 10/10 Softball League, yet the officiating umpires are still to be paid for their service. The tournament began on 2019-04-28 and culminated with the final on 2019-05-26 at the Affiance Number 1 ground under lights. During the process nine umpires officiated from the Ancient County after being contracted by the tournament coordinator and ECB secretary Autto Christiani. Matches were held at Walton Hall, Reliance and Queenstown grounds with the umpires having to acquire their own transportation to get to the venues. While they made the

sacrifice to deliver a successful outcome to the tournament, they are now aggrieved that the Company has reneged on its commitment to reward them promptly. “Several attempts were made to the Essequibo Branch Manager to intervene but to no avail,” said Anthony Persaud, one of the much-disappointed umpires. “I had to pay one of the other umpires from my own pocket since he became impatient and needed the money to support his family’. “I am now in need of my funds and it has been a royal run-around for what I faithfully worked for” he added. “Upon enquiry, the branch manager claimed that the vouchers were

incorrectly prepared and this has been the trend for the longest while,” disclosed Persaud. “We are owed in the vicinity of $100 000 and it is embarrassing that a huge company like Banks DIH can trample upon our dignity and patriotism in this manner,” stated Persaud. He is therefore appealing to the Managing Director of the company to swiftly intervene since the disillusioned umpires are now prepared to mount a public protest. Among the others yet to be paid are Seenauth Balbadar, Oren Beaton, Kevin Browne and Dinesh Joseph. (Elroy Stephney)

Junior Caribbean Cycling Championships T&T, Bermuda cop gold in Time Trials THE 13th edition of the Junior Caribbean Cycling Championships pedalled off in the green Town of Bartica under brilliant sunshine yesterday with the Individual Time Trials. Bermuda took top honours in the Juveniles category while Trinidad and Tobago won the Juniors segment. Barticans came out in their numbers to witness Bermuda's Alexander Miller stop the clock at 13 minutes 41.93 seconds to give his country gold. So brilliant was his performance that second-placed Rico Dexex Sequara finished a full minute behind him.

Sequara, who represented Puerto Rico, took 14 mins 44.09 secs while another Bermudan Liam Flannery crossed the finish line in 14 mins 59.36 secs to grab bronze. Meanwhile, in the Juniors segment; the Twin Island Republic's Enrique De Comarmond commanded a comfortable time of 27 mins 0.36 secs to cop gold ahead of Bermuda's Nicholas Narraway, who had to settle for silver in a time of 27 mins 59.76 secs. Bronze went to Antigua's Rene Gayral who came in at 28 mins 38.95 secs The route for the Time Trials saw the cyclists come

off the ramp at Second Avenue and Third Street before heading east into Third Street, south into Sixth Avenue, onto the Bartica/ Potaro Road where they made a U-turn at Three Miles Secondary School and headed back down to One Mile. They then made a right turn into the Arcade, right into Sixth Street, north onto Second Avenue and finished at the Sixth Street Avenue. The Championships, which Guyana is hosting for the first time, will conclude today with the respective road races in the Juveniles and Juniors categories.

Secure Innovations and Concepts partners with 1320 Heat LOCAL Security firm, Secure Innovations and Concepts, has partnered in a major way with the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) for their 1320 Heat event. The company over the last week handed over its contribution, with director Harold Hopkinson commenting on the reason for their support. “We are always interested in developing sports and sports men and women. We believe that it is the way forward and it is something that we as a people should get behind.” “We joined up with motor racing more specifically be-

cause I have a love for it in all its forms.” In receiving the cheque, GMR&SC vice-president Hansraj Singh stated, "Sponsors like Secure Innovations and Concepts mean the world to motorsport." "They come in at times when the sport needs them and really put their shoulders to the wheel and help the sport." Meanwhile, Trinidad’s contingent is expected to ship in the coming week. Other sponsors include R. Kissoon Contracting, Deryck Jaisingh Trucking Service and Machinery Rentals, Delco Ice, Mohamed Enterprise,

Prem’s Electrical, E-Networks, Trans-Pacific Auto Sales/ Spares, Cyril’s Taxi, Blue Spring Water, Choke Gas Station, Miracle Optical, Tropical Shipping, Associated Construction Services, Hand-in-Hand Insurance, Ramchand’s Auto Body and Tow Truck Service, Imran Auto Work, BM Soat Auto Sales and Spares, Marcia's Flight Services at Ogle Aerodome, Ibet Supreme, Homeline Furnishing, Motul Lubricant, Jiwanram Printery and Sniper Entertainment Sound Company. Admission to the event is $2 000 for adults and $1 000 for children.

C/Bean Schoolboys and Juniors tourney renamed after Winfield Braithwaite THE Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA) has taken a decision to rename the Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors Tournament after Winfield Braithwaite. President of the association, Steve Ninvalle, said that it was only fair that Braithwaite be recognised for his achievements. Braithwaite won a gold medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games held in Edmonton Canada after knocking out James Douglas of Scotland in the light welterweight final. It was the first time after Guyana became independent that a local had won a Commonwealth gold medal. Leading up to his gold medal bout, Braithwaite had defeated Alec Leatherday of Austria, Baba Sumalia of Gha-

na and Michael Mwangi of Kenya. Ninvalle had previously hinted that the four-year-old tournament, the only one of its kind in the region, would have been renamed after a Guyanese who had excelled in the amateur ranks. According to Ninvalle, Braithwaite’s achievement ranks only second to Michael Parris’ 1980 Olympic bronze medal. “It is important that we honour our sporting heroes while they are still around. We tend to be reactive and not proactive in this regard,” Ninvalle said when contacted yesterday. Braithwaite is from a family of boxers that includes cousins Patrick, Reginald and Darius Ford. Another cousin Richard Braithwaite is one of only three local AIBA-certified

One Star Referees/Judges. The GBA has renamed all of its statutory competitions after local high-achievers. They are: The Pepsi Michael Parris Under-16, Andrew Lewis National Novice, Lennox Blackmoore National Intermediate, Terrence Alli National Open and Patrick Ford Memorial Open. The GBA boss indicated that there will be a return to the Champion of Champions which will also be named after a local boxer. The fourth Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors tournament will punch off this Friday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. 1978 Commonwealth Game gold medallist Winfield Braithwaite

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

Solozano’s defiant 92 helps Windies-A frustrate India-A on final day

TAROUBA, Trinidad (CMC) – Opener Jeremy Solozano struck his second half-century of the match but fell just short of a hundred as West Indies-A produced a resilient display to frustrate India-A and force a draw in the final four-day ‘Test’ here Friday. Resuming the final day at the Brian Lara Stadium on 37 without loss in pursuit of 373 for victory, the hosts batted the entire day to reach 314 for six, with the left-handed Solozano hitting a composed 92. Brandon King struck an entertaining 77 while Sunil Ambris chipped in with 69 as West Indies-A batted in partnerships throughout to deny India a clean sweep of the three-match series. Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem claimed five for 103 but off-spinner Krishnappa Gowtham, who took six in

the first innings, proved ineffective this time around leaving the visitors’ attack devoid of real danger. Solozano and Montcin Hodge (25) extended their opening stand to 68 before Nadeem struck, getting the right-handed Hodge to steer a gentle catch to captain Hanuma Vihari at first slip. Any hopes India-A harboured of quickly making inroads were then dashed as Solozano combined with King in a 99-run, second-wicket stand which took the hosts safely to lunch at 128 for one. On 58 then, Solozano struck eight fours in an innings which lasted 249 balls while King looked in superb touch in belting 10 fours and three sixes in an 82-ball cameo. King was beginning to dominate India-A’s attack when he played back to one

SCOREBOARD

Left-handed opener Jeremy Solozano

from Nadeem that scuttled along the ground and hit leg stump. Even then, no collapse ensued, as Ambris arrived to add 60 for the third wicket with the resolute Solozano, as West Indies-A continued to flourish. Solozano looked set for three figures when he tried to cut one from part-time spin-

England drop Moeen Ali with Jack Leach recalled for second Test ENGLAND have dropped Moeen Ali and replaced him in the squad with slow left-armer Jack Leach for the second Ashes Test against Australia at Lord's. Off-spinner Moeen returned match figures of 3-172 and scored only four runs in the 251-run defeat in the first Test at Edgbaston. Jofra Archer is likely to make his Test debut, with pace bowlers James Anderson and Olly Stone missing through injury. The second Test of the five-match series begins on August 14. Leach, who has played five Tests, was man-of-the-match when England beat Ireland at Lord's in July after making 92 as a nightwatchman. Archer was named in the squad for the first Test but was left out of the team to give him more time to recover from a side strain. He took 6-27 and hit a 99ball century for Sussex 2nd XI this week. Anderson bowled only four overs at Edgbaston after aggravating a right calf injury, while Stone will be out for two weeks with a lower back injury. England, who trail the series 1-0, have not lost a home Ashes series since 2001. England squad for second Ashes Test: Joe Root (capt.), Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow (wkp.), Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler (wkp.), Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach,

Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes. Batsman Joe Denly, who made scores of 11 and 18 in the first Test, has kept his place in the 12-man squad, as have Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow, who scored a combined 20 runs at Edgbaston. Moeen has struggled for form throughout the summer and was dropped by England in the decisive stages of their World Cup campaign. He has taken 181 wickets in 60 Tests and in the last 12 months he has taken more wickets - 48 in 10 Tests at 25.12 - than any other bowler in Test cricket. However, he has made just two half-centuries in his past 20 innings for England and has particularly struggled against Australian counterpart Nathan Lyon, who has dismissed him nine times in 11 matches. The left-hander has made four ducks in nine Test innings in 2019 for a total of only 90 runs, 60 of which came in one innings in Antigua against West Indies. Moeen was unable to profit from a turning pitch at Edgbaston, while Lyon took 6-49 on the final day to bowl England out for 146. He has scored 476 runs at 25.05 in 11 Tests against Australia and taken 20 wickets, with a best of 3-59, at 64.65. Former Australia bowler Mitchell Johnson said on Monday that he "feels" for the all-rounder, adding: "His record

against Australia isn't that great. I can feel for him a bit but that's part of playing professional sport." Leach has taken 20 wickets in five Tests for England since making his debut against New Zealand in 2018. The selectors have chosen general tinkering over a mass cull, however tempting that might have been after the disappointment of Edgbaston. Moeen's form with bat and ball is suffering, to the extent that on the evidence of the first Test, he cannot be trusted as the only spinner. Leach will be expected to give Root the control that was lacking there while Archer will bring some much needed pace and hostility, which can be channelled towards Steve Smith in particular. However, the batsman that failed last week will be under no illusions that they need to step up, otherwise further changes will be necessary. (BBC Sport)

Moeen Ali

ner Hanuma Vihari and was brilliantly caught one-handed at slip by Mayank Agarwal, diving to his left. Unbeaten on 34 at tea with West Indies on 242 for three, Ambris thrived in the final session to post his 13th first class half-century and pass 3 000 career runs. He lost Jermaine Blackwood, lbw to Nadeem for

INDIA-A 1st innings 201 WEST INDIES-A 1st innings 194 INDIA-A 2nd innings 365-4 decl. WEST INDIES-A 2nd innings (target: 373 runs) (overnight 37 without loss) M. Hodge c Vihari b Nadeem 25 J. Solozano c Agarwal b Vihari 92 B. King b Nadeem 77 S. Ambris b Nadeem 69 J. Blackwood lbw b Nadeem 8 J. Hamilton b Nadeem 11 Y. Cariah not out 10 R. Reifer not out 10 Extras: (b-5, lb-6, nb-1) 12 Total: (6 wkts, 109 overs) 314 Fall of wickets: 1-68, 2-167, 3-227, 4-252, 5-283, 6-296. Bowling: Umesh 14-3-43-0, Avesh Khan 11-1-41-0, Gowtham 30-4-86-0, Nadeem 41-9-103-5, Dube 2-1-8-0, Vihari 11-3-23-1. Series: India A win three-match series 2-0.

eight missing a forward defensive stroke and captain Jahmar Hamilton for eight, bowled between bat and pad, also by Nadeem. And he too seemed

set for a hundred until he chopped on to Nadeem after facing 145 balls and striking five fours and a six, with the game already headed for a stalemate.

Kane scores late double to give Spurs win over Villa By Martyn Herman (REUTERS) - Harry Kane got straight into the groove with two late goals as Tottenham Hotspur recovered from an early setback to beat promoted Aston Villa 3-1 at home, yesterday. Villa, back in the top flight after three seasons away, looked set to mark their return in style as they hung on tenaciously to John McGinn’s ninth-minute opener. But Tottenham’s record-signing Tanguy Ndombele fired home a debut goal in the 73rd minute to break Villa’s resistance. With Villa visibly tiring, captain Jack Grealish conceded possession on the edge of his area in the 86th minute and when the ball fell to Kane he made no mistake. Kane rubbed salt into Villa’s wounds with a classy finish in the 90th minute as Tottenham, playing their first opening fixture at home for eight seasons, took the points. Spurs had dominated possession but it was only when playmaker Christian Eriksen, who could still be on the move before the transfer windows close in Spain, Italy and Germany, replaced Harry Winks did Villa really start to creak. “We came out in the second half with a high tempo, pressed well,” Kane said. “When Tanguy (Ndombele) got his goal it was full throttle until the end. “Thankfully, a couple of chances fell to me.”

Tottenham's Tanguy Ndombele scores their first goal at their stadium in London, Britain. (Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs)

Villa signed 12 players for a total of £130 million ($156 million) in the transfer window as they seek to establish themselves back with elite. But it was Scottish striker McGinn, a regular in last season’s side who were promoted via the playoffs, who sparked delirium in the away end. Latching on to a long ball by Tyrone Mings, he calmly fired past Hugo Lloris as covering defender Danny Rose slipped. Tottenham huffed and puffed and were far too slow in possession as Villa coped admirably before the break. Kane headed over just before the interval but Tottenham’s frustration was clear as they trudged off at halftime. Tottenham laid siege to the Villa goal and the equaliser finally arrived in the 73rd minute. Villa keeper Tom Heaton made a great save to deny Davinson Sanchez but when the ball was fed back to Ndombele by Lucas Moura he picked out

the corner of the goal. Eriksenn tested Heaton with a free kick but Villa could not get out of their own area. Grealish was caught in possession by Erik Lamela and the Argentine’s scuffed shot fell kindly for Kane who made no mistake. Sissoko then found Kane who beat Heaton with a clinical finish. “It was a difficult first half,” Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said. “The first 45 minutes wasn’t the best. But in the second half we started to create more chances, but it was still difficult because they defended so deep.” Despite the dejection at the end, Villa will take heart from their display. “When you keep giving it away and have to chase it become a hard game,” Villa boss Smith said. “We got a dream start but there is no doubt the better team won on the day.”

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

Rahkeem Cornwall makes it to West Indies Test squad RAHKEEM Cornwall has finally made it to the West Indies Test squad. The 26-yearold hard-hitting off-spinning all-rounder was among the 13 men picked to play the twomatch series against India starting on August 22. There was another highly-rated young player on the fringes, but fitness issues ruled him out. Alzarri Joseph, who was part of the team that beat England earlier this year and also made a splash in the IPL, is still recovering from injury. This series will mark both India and West Indies' debut in the World Test championship. At the World Cup, Chris Gayle mentioned that he might possibly want to play one more Test match before retiring but he has not been selected in this squad. Cornwall made his first-

class debut in 2014 and has since become a regular for Leewards Islands, even captaining them earlier this year. He has 260 wickets from 55 first-class matches and finished as the leading bowler in the most recent regional four-day tournament. "Rahkeem has been performing consistently over a long period of time and has proved to be a match-winner, so we believe his elevation to the Test squad is merited at this time," Robert Haynes, the head of CWI's interim selection panel, said. "We believe he can provide an attacking option to our bowling attack with his sharp turn and extra bounce. He can also lend a bit of depth to the batting, so we are looking forward to him coming into the

squad and making a valuable contribution." Cornwall has also been part of several West Indies-A teams, including the one who played against India's recently. Batting in the lower-middle order, he scored two half-centuries and picked up four wickets. He has a striking presence, standing over six feet tall, capable of hitting effortless sixes. Joseph, meanwhile, was last seen in the IPL where he picked up a record-breaking 6 for 12 on debut for Mumbai Indians but played only three matches before suffering a tear to his right arm. "Alzarri is undergoing remedial work and we are monitoring his recovery," Haynes said. "But we do not think he is ready yet to last five days of a gruelling Test match. He

represents a key part of West Indies future and we do not want to rush him back. We have two important series coming up later in the year in India and we want to be very careful how his recovery is managed." The only other player missing out from the squad who beat England in the last Test series they played was left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican. SQUAD – Jason Holder (captain), Kraigg Brathwaite, Roston Chase, Darren Bravo, John Campbell, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Shannon Gabriel, Rahkeem Cornwall, Keemo Paul, Shane Dowrich, Kemar Roach, Shamarh Brooks. (ESPN Cricinfo).

Australia's Starc enjoying pace jostle and team success LONDON, England (Reuters) - Australia's strength in pace makes Mitchell Starc believe that he and fellow quick Josh Hazlewood will have to work harder to break into the playing XI in the ongoing Ashes series against England. Left-arm quick Starc finished as the highest wicket-taker in the 50-overs World Cup last month but was overlooked, along with Hazlewood, for the Ashes opener in Edgbaston which Australia won by 251 runs. Starc naturally wants to play the second Test at Lord's from Wednesday but is even keener on Australia bringing home the urn, even if it means spending more time on the sidelines. "We're here to win the Ashes," said Starc, who took 10 wickets in the last Test he played, against Sri Lanka in February at Canberra. "We're not just here to make it on the park. We want to win this Ashes. "Whether that's a different bowling attack each game, or the same through five Test matches, it's pretty exciting." Instead of wallowing in

personal disappointment, the 29-year-old is finding joy in the success of his pace colleagues, describing the group as a "really close set of mates". He was particularly pleased with a fit-again Pattinson's return to Test cricket after more than three years. "It's awesome to see Jimmy back after what he's been through and I guess similarly what Pat Cummins has been through previously," said Starc. "Having his body let him down and to come back and

play Test cricket again was pretty special. "To see your mates work it back and pull on the Baggy Green again and perform so well and win the Test match, that's exciting for us. "It makes Josh and I have to work that bit harder to try and make it back as well, which I think you want from a whole squad." Starc said Australia have acquired an all-surface pace attack, complemented by off-spinner Nathan Lyon who ran through England's second innings at Edgbaston.

"We've got a couple of a bit more aggressive guys, a couple of holders there that build pressure and take wickets that way and a couple of guys that are probably a hybrid of both," Starc explained. "We're quite a well-rounded attack and then you throw in Nathan Lyon, who just knows how to get it done in all conditions. "We're prepared for all conditions whether it be flat, green, seaming, swinging, slow, fast."

Rahkeem Cornwall was the Leeward Islands captain. (CWI Media/Philip Spooner)

Mourinho joins Sky Sports as pundit ahead of Man United v Chelsea clash (REUTERS) - Jose Mourinho has taken up a role as an analyst with Sky Sports before a potential return to management and his first assignment during the Premier League season will be today’s clash between former teams Manchester United and Chelsea. The Portuguese, who has been out of a job since being sacked by United in December last year, joins a panel that includes the likes of Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, Graeme Souness and Jamie Redknapp, broadcaster Sky said. "The Premier League is a special competition for me, one that takes so much hard work to win and you just can't take your eyes off the matches every week," Mourinho told Sky Sports here “Sky Sports is the home of the Premier League and it’s a pleasure for me to join this team and help to understand and explain what happened in each match.” Mourinho, who guided Chelsea to three Premier League titles in two spells, said he planned to eventually return to management. “Football is a huge passion, it means so much to fans, and I look forward to being part of the Premier League with them until I return to my place on the touchline,” the former Porto, Inter Milan and Real Madrid coach added.

Jose Mourinho is driven away from his accommodation after leaving his job as Manchester United's manager, in Manchester, Britain, December 18, 2018. REUTERS/Phil Noble

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

BCB to host month-long celebrations in September to mark 80th Anniversary … Special Mortimer George book to be launched

THE Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) during the month of September will be celebrating its 80th Anniversary after being founded on September 20, 1939 by a group of Berbicians to administer the game in the Ancient County. The current executives of the BCB, under the astute leadership of President Hilbert Foster, are in the process of organising a month-long list of activities to mark the historic anniversary. Foster, who spearheaded the BCB’s 70th and 75th Anniversary celebrations in 2009 and 2014, is once again heading the organising committee that includes administrator Angela Haniff, Asst secretary Ameer Rahaman, treasurer Dr Cecil Beharry and executive member Winston Smith. Foster stated that the Committee is working to make the anniversary a grand success. The month-long celebration will be under the theme: ‘Reflecting on a rich legacy - 80

not out’. Berbice over the 80 years has produced 19 Test cricketers for the West Indies including one female, while hundreds have gone on to play for Guyana and West Indies at the Under-15, Under-19, Female and ‘A’ levels. The 19 Test players produced by Berbice are John Trim, Rohan Kanhai, Ivan Madray, Basil Butcher, Joe Solomon, Roy Fredericks, Alvin Kallicharran, Leonard Baichan, Clayton Lambert, Sew Shivnarine, Mahendra Nagamootoo, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Narsingh Deonarine, Assad Fudadin, Brandon Bess, Veerasammy Permaul, Devendra Bishoo, Shimron Hetmyer and Candacy Atkins. Other Berbicians - Milton Pydana, Royston Crandon, Esaun Crandon, Shemaine Campbelle, Tremayne Smartt, Erva Giddings, Subrina Munroe, Derick Kallicharran, Andre Percival, Leslaine Lambert, Sudesh Dhaniram, Deonarine Persaud, Gajanand Singh,

BCB president Hilbert Foster

Richard Ramdeen, Hemnarine Chattergoon, Jonathan Foo, Gudakesh Motie, Anthony Bramble and others have represented the Caribbean at different levels. The BCB also holds the record of hosting the first-ever One Day International in the West Indies in 1977.

The month-long celebrations will include a religious service involving the three major religions in Guyana, television programmes, educational competitions, youth coaching programmes, donations to clubs and junior cricketers, food hampers to less fortunate families, honouring

of retired cricketers, Tribute to Heroes programme, launching of the BCB first-ever Youth Information Booklet. The Educational Competition, to be organised by Asst secretary Ameer Rahaman, will be an Essay for secondary schools, a Spelling Bee for primary schools and Drawing for nursery schools. The highlight of the 80th Anniversary would be a massive restoration of the BCB Office as it strives to improve its service to the general public. A special 256-page book on the History of Berbice Cricket, written by former BCB secretary Mortimer George will also be launched and will be sold for $2 500 per copy. BCB employee Ruthel Henry will benefit from a donation from the sale of the books, towards the construction of her home. The BCB will also be unveiling updated versions of its Under-19 and Senior Berbice All-time teams. Former Berbice player and

journalist, Sean Devers, is also spearheading a Programme to name Berbice greatest player at the Under-15, Under-17, Under-19, Female, ODI, Test and 20/20. Berbice greatest cricketer Rohan Kanhai would also be honoured during the celebrations. Among the officials and players to be honoured are Deonarine Persaud, Clayton Lambert, Leslaine Lambert, Mahendra Nagamootoo, Sudesh Dhaniram, Orvin Mangru, Carl Moore, Keith Foster, Manohar Pooran, Andre Percival, Anil Beharry and Angela Haniff. Clubs across Berbice are encouraged to make a positive difference in the lives of a less fortunate family and to send photos along with a brief report to the BCB. The winner of this programme would receive a special prize from the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS and the Board.

Jamaicans Fraser-Pryce, Thomas-Dodd smash longstanding Pan Am records to win gold

LIMA, Peru (CMC) – Former World and Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce smashed a 40-yearold record as she stormed to victory in the women’s 200 metres at the Pan Am Games

here Friday. The 32-year-old, the overwhelming favourite, heading into the contest at the athletics stadium, clocked 22.43 to dismantle American Evelyn Ashford’s record of 22.45 es-

tablished in 1979 at the Puerto Rico games. Brazil’s Vitoria Cristina Rose clocked a personal best 22.62 to be second while Bahamian Tynia Gaither picked up bronze in 22.76.

Stage set for Annual Lake Mainstay Regatta today Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce cruises to the finish of the women’s 200m final at the Pan Am Games on Friday.

The annual Bartica Regatta returns today. (GTRidez photo)

THE stage is set for the 2019 edition of the annual Lake Mainstay Regatta set for today at the Resort’s Essequibo location. At a briefing, director Wilfred Jagnarine told Chronicle Sport that "all systems ate in place and we are preparing for a super event". "We have a number of competitors signed up for our

usual category and we have some of usual faces in Dave Scott, the Belles, the Gonsalves and even some new guys." "The highlight of the day is the team of Scott from Bartica taking on the Gonsalves family." "What we are trying to do is to get everyone to come in early with gates opening

at 09:00hrs so they can witness the Regatta action which commences at 11:00hrs and catch the stage show after the presentation of prizes." There will be 13 categories of racing with three 15hp two laps, two 40hp three laps, three 90hp 4 laps, two 200hp 5 laps and three open HP 6 laps.

“It’s a long time since I’ve broken a record so I feel great about that,” said Fraser-Pryce, who won 100m Olympic titles in 2008 and 2012 and World titles in 2009, 2013 and 2015. “My coach told me to run the first half very hard and I decided to go for it from the gun.” Running out of lane six, Fraser-Pryce got away quickly, with Canada’s Crystal Emmanuel in lane seven appearing to keep pace. However, the Jamaican accelerated through the curve and led into the stretch where she was without any serious challengers en route to the finish.

Bahamian Anthonique Strachan, a former World Junior and Pan Junior champion, finished fifth in 22.97 while Trinidadian Semoy Hackett trailed in last in 23.62. In the corresponding men’s final, Trinidadian Jereem Richards took silver in 20.38 seconds as Ecuador’s Alex Quinonez snatched gold in 20.27, with Yancarlos Martínez of the Dominican Republic third in 20.44. Richards, champion at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast last year, made good ground out of lane two as Panamanian Alonso Edward

led the field into the stretch. However, Quinonez produced a mid-stretch burst to hit the front with 50 metres to run and cross the line with Richards in tow. Meanwhile, Commonwealth Games champion Danniel Thomas-Dodd delivered Jamaica’s second record-breaking gold medal of the day when she won the women’s shot put in 19.55 metres. In the process, Thomas-Dodd smashed the 36-yearold championship record of 19.34m set by Cuba’s María Elena Sarría at the 1983 Venezuela games. Canadian Brittany Crew (19.07) and American Jessica Ramsey (19.01) rounded out the podium. There were also silver medals for Jamaica in the women’s 1500 metres where Aisha Praught (4:08.26) followed home winner American Dominique Hiltz (4:07.14), and in the women’s triple jump where Shanieka Ricketts measured a personal best 14.77 metres to finish behind Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas (15.11) – a new championship record.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, August 11, 2019

Windies anxious to mark Gayle landmark with victory PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Beleaguered West Indies will hope to christen talisman Chris Gayle’s 300th One-Day International with a win, when they clash with power-house India in their second ODI of the three-match series here today. The 39-year-old veteran Jamaican sits alongside the iconic Brian Lara on 299 ODIs and will secure the record as his own once he suits up for the contest at Queen’s Park Oval. Gayle can also overtake Lara’s record for the most one-day runs by a West Indies batsman, requiring just nine runs to overhaul the current mark of 10 405 runs. “Chris has obviously done as well as he has over the years and that’s the reason he’s still in the squad,” captain Jason Holder told a media scrum here yesterday. “But 300 games is a lot of games. Some of us sit down and imagine (playing) that many games for West Indies. Hearty congratulations to

Chris and we just hope that he can get us off to a really good start tomorrow.” And a good start will be key for the Windies if they are to break their recent poor run in ODIs which has seen them win just six of 20 matches this year. Since his heavy scoring against England in the Caribbean earlier this year, the left-hander has gathered 246 runs from 10 innings at an average of 27, and his lean returns have hurt West Indies in their quest for large totals. Holder underscored the importance of the top order, noting it was critical they gave themselves time so the middle order could execute. “I think in the past we have let ourselves down in having a foundation,” Holder pointed out. “It is just a matter for us to lay a foundation – take a few more balls up front just to get ourselves set and then we just look to accumulate as the innings goes on.” Not for the first time, Holder lamented the lack

Veteran opener Chris Gayle stretches under the watchful eyes of massage therapist Zeph Nicholas.

of consistency in his side’s batting. West Indies were superb against England earlier this year, twice setting record totals. Their batting was hardly recognisable during the World

CPL organisers ditch St Lucia Stars from T20 league

St Lucia Stars franchise is out of CPL 2019 tournament.

GROS ISLET, St Lucia (CMC) – Controversy yesterday rocked the Caribbean Premier League CPL) after organisers tossed St Lucia Stars from the tournament, just three weeks before the start. While giving no reason for the move, CPL said in a statement it had last Wednesday “terminated the participation agreement” with the company which operated the Stars and stressed the entity “no longer has the right” to manage a franchise in the tournament. “On August 7, 2019, CPL Limited terminated the participation agreement between it and Royal Sports Club, LLC, the entity that operated the St Lucia Stars franchise,” the release said. “As a result of that termination, Royal Sports Club, LLC

no longer has the right to operate a team to compete in the CPL tournament, and St Lucia Stars will not be participating in the 2019 CPL, which begins on September 4, 2019.” With the tournament set to bowl off shortly, organisers said they were already setting up a new franchise, the details of which would be announced shortly. “CPL Limited is in the process of establishing and operating a new franchise to be based in St Lucia that will participate in the 2019 CPL,” the statement continued. “More information about that new franchise will follow in due course. CPL Limited will be making no further public comment at this time.” The Philadelphia-based Royal Sports Club, headed by Jay Pandya, was announced as

owners of the franchise three years ago in what CPL at the time hailed as a “landmark day” for the operations. Then known as St Lucia Zouks, the franchise name was changed to St Lucia Stars the following year, and they subsequently ensured a nightmare winless campaign losing nine of their 10 matches. Popular national figure and two-time T20 World Cup-winning skipper, Darren Sammy, was sacked as captain that season and last year, Kieron Pollard left Barbados Tridents to lead the franchise. With Pollard departing for his native Trinbago Knight Riders for the upcoming season, Sammy was expected to lead the Stars again.

Cup however, lurching from brilliant to abject - a problem Holder hopes can be corrected over time. “We’ve just got to be consistent. We’ve let ourselves down in most departments

consistently and has been a case where our batting has been asked a few questions in the recent past and it’s about time we answered a few questions by being consistent and that’s as simple as it gets,” he contended. “I think we’ve proved in the past that we can compete, we’ve just fallen down in being consistent. That’s something we really want to address and trying to address but it will take us a little bit of time to get that consistency. “We’ve got a few young players in the squad and it’s a matter for everybody to gel together nicely and get some positive results.” Encouragingly, West Indies have already posted totals in excess of 300 five times this year. However, only twice have they passed the 300-run mark at Queen’s Park Oval – the last time coming 21 years ago. But Holder said an assessment of the pitch would be made before settling on a par score.

“We’ve got to see how the pitch plays,” the all-rounder explained. “We got to assess it as early as we possibly can but ideally in modern cricket, 300 is probably a benchmark you’d probably set as your standard, to get but we’ll see how it plays tomorrow and make a determination then.” SQUADS: WEST INDIES – Jason Holder (captain), Fabian Allen, Carlos Brathwaite, John Campbell, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Evin Lewis, Keemo Paul, Nicholas Pooran, Kemar Roach, Oshane Thomas. INDIA – Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kedar Jadhav, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Navdeep Saini.

Secure Innovations and Concepts Inc. donates ringside boxing bell to GBA THE Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) will have a new ringside bell for next weekend’s Caribbean School Boys and Juniors Boxing Championships after Secure Innovations and Concepts Inc. presented the equipment on Friday. CEO Harold Hopkinson, who is no stranger to sports, made the presentation to president of the GBA, Steve Ninvalle, at his company’s Meadowbrook headquarters. Hopkinson told the media that he decided to contribute because the bell that was used at the Novices Championships needed to be replaced. Ninvalle told Chronicle Sport that the initiative was welcomed. “He did a good gesture, since we didn’t even ask. He saw a need and took care of it.” According to the amateur boxing head, this is not the first time that Hopkinson and his company have been involved in supporting the sport locally. “He has been in the background all the time. We are happy and extend gratitude to him.”

President of the GBA, Steve Ninvalle, collects the ringside bell from CEO of Secure Innovations and Concepts Inc., Harold Hopkinson.

The GBA has a busy week ahead as it prepares to host its fourth annual Caribbean School Boys and Juniors Boxing Championships. Prior to the presentation on Friday, Ninvalle received financial contribution from the National Sports Commission. It was at the NSC boardroom that Ninvalle and Director of Sport Christopher Jones disclosed that the championships had been moved from the National Gymnasium to the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

Ninvalle also disclosed that the national team would be released on Tuesday, while on Friday the event would be renamed after a local amateur boxer. Several Caribbean nations, including Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Dominica, St Lucia and Grenada have confirmed their participants, while a few including Venezuela, French Guiana and Puerto Rico are tentative.

Junior Caribbean Cycling Championships

T&T, Bermuda cop gold in Time Trials PAGE

Trinidad and Tobagoâ€™s Enrique De Cormamond on the ramp, before winning the gold medal in the Juniors time trials.

Secure Innovations and Concepts partners with 1320 Heat PAGE

Bermudaâ€™s Alexander Miller won gold in the Juveniles category of the time trials.

C/Bean Schoolboys and Juniors tourney renamed after Winfield Braithwaite PAGE

Drag Racing returns on August 25. (GTRidez)

GBA president Steve Ninvalle

1978 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Winfield Braithwaite

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SUNDAY, AUGUST 11, 2019