Issuu

THURSDAY 6th September, 2018

No.105389

Government ready for arbitration PAGE

Minister of Education Nicolette Henry

… as parties return to talks

SANDAKA SAILS AGAIN

PAGE

GCCI submits draft local content legislation to gov’t See page 3

Ituni parents protest closure of schools PAGE

The newly rehabilitated vessel M.B Sandaka is expected to provide a more efficient service to commuters. In this Department of Public Information photo, (DPI) the ferry makes its test run

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 6, 2018

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday September 6, 2018

Gov’t ready for arbitration ... as parties return to talks

By Vishani Ragoobeer MINISTER of Education Nicolette Henry has hinted that today’s conciliation talks with her ministry, the Guyana Teacher’s Union and the Ministry of Social Protection could very well be the last one if progress is not made and she hinted that government might be willing to move on to arbitration. Union leaders on Wednesday called for a meeting with President David Granger, stating that they do not want to talk with both the ministries of Education and Social Protection. However, Henry reminded the GTU that the process detailed in the Collective Bargaining Agreement must be followed for progressive decisions to be made. "It's really strange that the union in this point in time would want to go back to negotiations," Henry said and added, “We would have already completed the process of negotiations.” Minister Henry explained that the 1983 bargaining agreement between the ministry and the union details a process that must be followed as prescribed. The first phase of this process is the negotiation phase, which has already been completed with neither party arriving at a compromise and as such, the matter was referred to the second phase -- conciliation. “When

I, as Minister of Education, would have referred the matter to conciliation, it meant that [the] negotiation phase would have failed and therefore we would have moved on to the second phase of the collective bargaining process,” Henry clarified. This conciliation phase is where a third party [the Department of Labour here] intervenes as an external body to the two parties is the second phase. Here, Minister Henry said that she no longer has the power to preside over the discussions and it is left to members from the department functioning as mediators. Currently at the conciliation phase, she explained that the only decision that can be taken now is to move to arbitration upon completion of this. In the arbitration phase, an independent body would preside over the matter, assimilating information from every angle, before making an arbitrary decision. And this may very well be sooner than later, as Minister Henry noted that the conciliation slated for today at 13:00hrs may be the final one before arbitration. Henry stressed, “We cannot at this point in time move back to negotiations...We have to move forward or we have to conclude it [today].” Henry also posited: “What the union [appears]at this point in time- to be attempting to do is to derail the process and as a government

we have to be very careful in ensuring that we provide the right guidance and ensuring that the mechanism that is currently in place is the one that is adhered to.” Furthermore, failure to follow this process rigidly will open a can of worms according to the minister, because it provides an avenue for either party to contest the decision(s) made. “Let’s observe due process and let’s move this forward,” the minister stressed. “This is a situation that is affecting the entire country, it is one that is of grave concern to all Guyanese, I believe, and we need to move with expediency, clarity and some sense of urgency on this matter.” Teachers across the country have taken to the streets to protest for a hike in their salaries and some schools have been closed due to this. Though the strike has been affecting scores of children, the ministry has initiated its contingency plan to mitigate the situation by deploying trainee and retiree teachers. Veteran Trade Unionist Lincoln Lewis, said the only way to resolve the issue is to continue the collective bargaining process. “The best thing to do is go to arbitration and have it resolved…When an arbitration happens, the agreement will be final and binding; based on what the panel decides that is what you will get,” he said. Minister of State Joseph

Harmon has said that teachers will only be satisfied if the Guyana Teachers Union agrees to engage the government. “No one benefits from arguing in the street…we will continue to engage the union to find a common ground and have the teachers in the classrooms,” said the minister in an invited comment on Tuesday. He believes that the teachers belong in the classroom, so government will work to ensure that they (the teachers) return. The industrial action comes after the parties failed to arrive at a consensus, primarily on the government’s proposed $700M to facilitate salary increases and $200 million to address de-bunching for 2018. The GTU believes that the proposed figure from the government would not be sustainable or acceptable, since it would amount to an increase by GY$5,000 per teacher for one year. The union instead proposed an across-the-board increase in salary of 40 per cent for 2016 and incremental increases of five per cent in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively, to be granted to all categories of teachers and teacher educators. Although the GTU and the government engaged in follow-up deliberations on the matter, the union had refused to budge from its proposal. Lyte, however, contended that 40 per cent is not the union’s final decision and they, instead, would be willing to negotiate downwards.

Minister of Education Nicolette Henry

President Granger has said his government is actively searching for alternative sources of finance to meet the teachers’ demand. He had also warned against industrial action, stating that there is no need for such an extreme measure. In responding to a series of questions on the issue, President Granger gave his word that the Social Protection Ministry is working with the Ministry of Finance to determine whether additional funds can be secured. “The Ministry of Social Protection, which has responsibility for labour and industrial relations, is in touch with the Ministry of Finance to see whether additional funds could be found from other heads of government expenditure, in order to move closer to the goal of providing sufficient funds to the teachers,” the President told reporters at a news conference on Friday at the Ministry of

the Presidency. Hinting that finances may very well have to come from funds allocated to other ministries for various developmental projects and initiatives, President Granger said such was the case when monies had to be secured to pay sugar workers their severance earlier this year. In January, the government had cut ministerial budgets in an effort to pay thousands of sugar workers their severance pay. During the initial stages of negotiations with the GTU, the government, through the Education Ministry, proposed $700M to facilitate salary increases, and $200M to address de-bunching for 2018. But the GTU rejected the offer, and instead counter-proposed an acrossthe-board increase in salary of 40 per cent for 2016 and incremental increases of five per cent in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively, to be granted to all categories of teachers and teacher educators. Reiterating that his government has been continuously trying to meet the needs of teachers, President Granger said it was following deliberations at the level of Cabinet on the report submitted by a high-level task force that the initial sum of $700M was proposed as an increase in salary for teachers.

GCCI submits draft local content legislation to gov’t THE Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has submitted a model local content legislation to the Government of Guyana, saying that the move is part of safeguarding the rights of Guyanese businesses. Hours after submitting the model legislation to President David Granger, Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin, and Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Basil Williams, on Wednesday, GCCI President Deodat Indar told reporters, during an emergency press conference, that the move was necessary to safeguard the rights Guyanese businesses at a time when Guyana is on the verge of becoming an oil-producing nation. Indar expressed GCCI’s disappointment that there is no legislative framework since 2015 when the first oil discovery was made

in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana. “From then to now we have not had a policy, we have not had any law, we have not had any fiscal rule or anything to say that there is a level of legal protection for Guyanese businesses,” the GCCI President told reporters at the chamber’s Waterloo Street head office. In the absence of a legislation or policy, Indar contended that some Guyanese businesses are already receiving the ‘bitter end of the stick.’ He contended that the draft local content legislation if adopted by the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) government, will fill that gap and correct the wrongs being done to Guyanese businesses. The model legislation, which was seen by the

GCCI President Deodat Indar

Chronicle, defines Guyanese companies as “companies that are registered in Guyana where 51 per cent of the share capital are owned by citizen (s) of Guyana; where the board meetings of the said companies are held in Guyana; the head office of the company is located in Guyana and; seventy per

cent of the workforce of the company follows suit with the definition of a citizen of Guyana as defined in the Guyana Citizenship Act of 1967.” Part II, Section Three of the crafted GCCI Local Content Bill stipulates that an operator or contractor must ensure that first consideration is given to Guyanese companies in the provision of goods and or services directly related to the petroleum industry. “In the event that a Guyanese company is not selected to provide a good and or services, the burden of proof lies with the relevant party in the form of the operator or contractor to demonstrate why [the] Guyanese company has not been selected,” Section Four reads. It also includes provision for Human Capital Development and Monitoring and

Accountability. Indar emphasised that the legislation is necessary, noting that government should not delay the issue any longer. “Everybody will come here. This country is attracting investors from all over the world and they will come here, and we need to put things in place to ensure that the Guyanese people are protected to some extent… and given a fair chance,” he posited. GCCI’s Senior Vice-president and Chair of the Petroleum Committee, Nick Boyer, said that the chamber had reviewed the first and second draft of the Local Content Policy, which was issued by the Natural Resources Ministry, but it left much to be desired. “In that policy, which contained quite a bit of preamble, there was not much explanation of what they were actually going to

do to implement their policy and as a result of that, the chamber took it upon itself,” Boyer told reporters. Alluding to the comments sheet on the Local Content Policy Framework, Boyer said there should be a clear plan of action by government to directly or indirectly support the development of the capacity of local businesses, as well as providing suitable infrastructure. It was noted that there should be emphasis on ensuring the relevant standards and certifications are made readily accessible to Guyanese businesses. “A plan of action in this regard should be clearly delineated. A course of action similar to that of ‘STOW’ in Trinidad & Tobago can be explored to adapt for the context of Guyana,” the chamber said on the comments sheet.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 6, 2018

Donald Trump denies discussing assassination of Syria’s Assad (BBC) US President Donald Trump has denied assertions by prominent journalist Bob Woodward in his new book that he ordered the assassination of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Mr Trump said the idea was “never even discussed” with defence officials. Defence Secretary James Mattis has also denied words attributed to him in Woodward’s book. The book Fear: Trump in the White House depicts a chaotic administration in a “nervous breakdown of executive power”. Mr Trump has already condemned the new work as a “con on the public”. In the book, senior aides are quoted as saying they hid sensitive documents to prevent Mr Trump signing them and as calling him an “idiot”

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and a “liar”. Woodward is a widely respected, veteran journalist who helped expose President Richard Nixon’s role in the Watergate scandal in the 1970s. A day after extracts of the book were published in the Washington Post, another daily the New York Times posted an opinion piece attributed to an unnamed senior White House official saying that the root of the administration’s problems was Mr Trump’s amorality. The official said many Trump appointees had vowed to thwart the president’s “more misguided impulses”. “It may be cold comfort in this chaotic era, but Americans should know that there are adults in the room,” the official adds. “We fully recognise what

Trump allegedly says of Assad: “Let’s [expletive] kill him!”

is happening. And we are trying to do what’s right even when Donald Trump won’t.” Later in the day, Mr Trump told a meeting of US sheriffs the “gutless editorial” in the “failing New York Times” was a “disgrace”. His spokeswoman, Sarah Sanders, said in a statement about the unnamed writer: “This coward should do the right thing and resign.” What has been said about

Assad? The book says Mr Trump had ordered the Pentagon to arrange the assassination of the Syrian president after a chemical attack on civilians in April 2017 that was blamed on the Syrian government. “Let’s [expletive] kill him! Let’s go in. Let’s kill the [expletive] lot of them,” Mr Trump is reported to have told Mr Mattis.

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The book says Mr Mattis acknowledged Mr Trump’s request but then, after the conversation, told an aide he would not do “any of that”. But speaking to journalists on Wednesday, the president said: “That was never contemplated, nor would it be contemplated.” He went on to describe the book as “fiction”. What else did the president say? Mr Trump sent out a series of tweets on Tuesday evening carrying his own views, along with statements from Mr Mattis, chief of staff John Kelly and White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Mr Trump says quotes attributed to Mr Mattis and Mr Kelly were “made up frauds, a con on the public. Likewise other stories and quotes”. He says the book is “already discredited” with “so many lies and phony sources”, rejecting an allegation that he had used the terms “mentally retarded” and “dumb Southerner” to describe Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The statement from Mr Mattis describes the book as “a product of someone’s rich imagination”.

The statement from Mr Kelly says: “The idea I ever called the president an idiot is not true... He always knows where I stand and he and I both know this story is total BS...” What else is in the book? Woodward says chief economic adviser Gary Cohn and White House staff secretary Rob Porter removed documents from the president’s desk to keep Mr Trump from signing them. The documents would have allowed the president to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement and a trade deal with South Korea. This amounts to an “administrative coup d’état”, Woodward says. Jeff Sessions: US attorney general hits back at Trump In other excerpts: The book quotes Mr Kelly as saying: “We’re in Crazytown... This is the worst job I’ve ever had” Ex-Trump lawyer John Dowd calls the president “a [expletive] liar” Mr Trump’s relationship with Rex Tillerson never recovered after reports the ex-secretary of state had called the president “an [expletive] moron”

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 6, 2018

Latin American states to accept Venezuela expired papers

More than two million Venezuelans have left the country since 2014

(BBC) Eleven Latin American countries say that they have agreed to allow Venezuelans leaving their homeland to enter their countries even if their travel documents have expired. More than 2.3 million Venezuelans have fled the country’s hyperinflation and severe shortages. But many do not have valid passports because renewing them can take years. The move will come as a relief to those who say they were trapped in Venezuela due to their lack of papers. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has repeatedly mocked those who leave, saying they “fall for propaganda only to leave and clean toilets in Miami”. Eleven Latin American countries say that they have

agreed to allow Venezuelans leaving their homeland to enter their countries even if their travel documents have expired. More than 2.3 million Venezuelans have fled the country’s hyperinflation and severe shortages. But many do not have valid passports because renewing them can take years. The move will come as a relief to those who say they were trapped in Venezuela due to their lack of papers. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has repeatedly mocked those who leave, saying they “fall for propaganda only to leave and clean toilets in Miami”. The Latin American countries which have seen the biggest influx say they have been struggling to deal

Government trying to destroy labour trade union

SWWTU president general Michael Annisette

(Trinidad Newsday) President of the Seamen and Waterfront Workers Trade Union (SWWTU) Michael Annisette says Government’s plan to go forward i n c l o s i n g P e t ro t r i n ’s Pointe-a-Pierre refinery, and restructuring Petrotrin without colloboration with major unions was seen as an attempt to destroy the trade union movement.

Trade unions are due to meet with the Prime Minister tomorrow to discuss the way forward for retrenched Petrotrin workers but Annisette said the union was never informed of Government’s decision to send home over 2,600 workers. Oilfield Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) head Ancel Roget made the announcement of the mass retrenchment last week Tuesday after meeting with the Petrotrin board. The employees at the refinery, which included auxiliary workers, were left in shock after the news. Petrotrin had been operating at a $2 billion loss for several years. Annisette said tomorrow’s meeting would not only seek the interest of Petrotrin workers, but all workers across every sphere.

with the high numbers of Venezuelans crossing into their territory. Last month, Ecuador started demanding Venezuelans show valid passports at the border, a measure which was later overturned by a court because it contravened a regional agreement on free travel. Peru followed suit but children, pregnant women and children remained exempt from the requirement. Thousands of Venezuelans rushed to Peru’s northern border to enter the country before the measure came into effect. The Venezuelan government has denied there is a migration crisis and said “enemy countries” had inflated the number of those leaving to justify an invasion.

M&A legislation in the works New measures coming to deal with mergers and acquisitions in Jamaica (Jamaica Observer) K I N G S TO N , J a m a i c a (CMC) — The Fair Trading Commission (FTC) says it is in the process of creating a formal merger review framework through which various issues are to be addressed before a merger takes place in Jamaica. Senior FTC Legal Counsel Dr Delroy Beckford told the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) that the process will entail legislative amendments, sensitising key sector stakeholders, and conducting ongoing consultations with the existing regulators. “So the FTC will look closely at the issues, conduct interviews with the parties and make [the] best efforts to ensure that consumers are not affected when an acquisition or merger takes place,” he said, noting that the commission has already engaged a consultant to assist with drafting the necessary provisions that will inform the amendments to be instituted in order to fine-tune the framework to deal with mergers and pre-merging notification provisions. “So before this decision, regulators would have taken the view that they are in complete control of their particular sector and that the

FTC would not get involved. So we have engaged stakeholders in the regulatory arena to inform them of this decision and the implications.” Additionally, Beckford said the FTC is conducting seminars on the implications and the way forward regarding harmonisation of the legislation with what obtains in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) framework. The FTC’s executive director, David Miller, who elaborated on the necessity for the review framework, noted that while Section 17 of the Fair Competition Act articulates agreements that lessen competition, there is no structured pre-notification system in place for the commission to examine and make recommendations before a merger takes place. “Right now firms can go ahead and merge and if we hear about it, we speak with them and try to insert ourselves to have these conditions included. But with a structured pre-notification regime, the law says we (FTC) have to be advised before; we have to look at it (the conditions) and then have discussions with the merging parties,” Miller said.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 6, 2018

Making CSME work

ARICOM leaders are meeting in Barbados at the Ninth Meeting of the Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) to discuss among other things, a stakeholder’s perspective and recommendations for an effective CSME, which will include the Protocol on Contingent Rights, Simplified Administrative Procedures for Movement of Persons, Procedures on the Refusal of Entry of CARICOM Nationals, and the Entitlement of Haitian Nationals to an Automatic Stay of Six Months upon arrival in CARICOM member states. Based on a release by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here, the meeting will take into consideration macro-economic support measures, specific key considerations for CSME effectiveness and also address non-compliance. President David Granger and Vice-president and Minister of Foreign Affairs are representing Guyana at the meeting. Minister Greenidge has expressed hope that the member states have been able to move forward and will come to a conclusion on a number of outstanding critical issues. The CSME is an important element of the Region’s integration process, coming on stream in 1972 after establishment of the Caribbean Festival of Arts (CARIFESTA), which harnesses the Region’s cultural resources. The main objective of the CSME is to establish a regional economy to produce goods and services for the marketplace, internal and external. It is important to note that the CSME (established in 1990) has its genesis in the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) of 1965-1972, which in itself was established to facilitate trade among countries in the Caribbean. The Founding Leaders (Forbes Burnham of Guyana, Vere Bird Snr of Antigua, and Errol Barrow of Barbados) ought to be commended for such a vision, even more so that within this period the countries were still colonies. While built on two major pillars — trade and economy

— the CSME has seen constant progress being made by putting regimes and protocols in place to realise a single marketplace in the absence of preparing the groundwork for a single economy. CARICOM (the Caribbean Community) comprises small countries, with the majority depending on tourism as the major economic activity; while a few, such as Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Suriname and Belize, depend largely on their natural resources as their respective economic base. A single economy requires sharing and partnering in the development of each sector. For this sharing and partnering to be successful, there needs to be in place a comprehensive regional plan to harness the potential that the Region offers in every sector of development. Early in the integration process, ideas emerged — such as using the energy resources of Trinidad and Tobago and smelting the bauxite from Jamaica and Guyana to convert same into aluminium—but did not evolve beyond being ideas; depriving, for instance, the Region of the benefit of producing value-added products from bauxite, one of the Region’s primary natural resources. Guyana and Suriname produce gold. In addition to their local miners (pork-knockers) exploiting this resource, multinational companies ply the sector. Beyond paying small royalties to the state and creating some employment and economic activities, much is left to be desired to convert the mineral to a level where the countries and Region can benefit from value-added products. In fact, there is the absence of a jewellery industry in the Region, while most of the gold produced is being exported in its raw state. As the world marketplace impacts negatively on the price of sugar, one of the Region’s oldest industries, it has suffered at the hands of developed countries, and multinationals have been dictating what ought to happen. In the presence of foreign directives, the Region, as a single unit, has not responded with a coherent plan that would address the industry

My family is in dire need of a house lot Dear Mr. Editor

I HAVE decided to pen this letter to you seeking your urgent assistance in helping me to secure a house lot. I am a single-parent grandmother and I have a single- parent daughter with four children ages 10 years, seven years one-year-old and two months old, respectively. Mr Editor, I applied to the Housing Ministry in January 2010 for a lowincome house lot. So far I am not a recipient of a house lot, although I have been visiting the ministry at every call. I am constantly told to keep checking; this has been going on since the date I applied. Last year I visited the ministry and was given a letter to take to Republic Bank for a loan of $4.9 million for a turn key house at Perseverance, East Bank Demerara. But my application was turned down by the bank because I could not have met the bank’s requirement of depositing $ 900,000. I also

applied for the core home for single parents in 2014, having met all of the requirements by the ministry, but I was not a recipient either. I am presently residing at Lot 104 Golden Grove on the East Coast of Demerara with my daughter and her four children in a small, wooden dilapidated cottage. When it’s raining we suffer heavy leakage, so the windows are covered with plastic, and vinolay. The floor boards sink when we walk, the step railing, treaders and boards from the back and front have rotted away. When there is a high wind, the cottage shakes. Since the landlord passed in 2014, myself and family have been subjected to threats, harassments and verbal abuse by a woman occupying part of the land on the said property and also by numerous persons claiming ownership of the above-stated property. As of recent, a woman forcefully asked me to vacate the place, earliest. I spoke with Ms Ingrid

Jones in August of 2017 by phone for an update on my house lot application and was told that the ministry is not issuing house lots and that I would have to come in and change the application for the duplex house. I visited the ministry and was shown the pattern of houses and I chose the single duplex. Mr Editor, on June 17th 2018, my pregnant daughter fell from the stairway after walking on a rotten board that gave way suddenly and was admitted to the GPHC maternity ward for observation. I have made appeals to his Excellency President Granger, the Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally, Mr Lelon Saul, the Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority, the Honourable Minister of Housing Valerie Patterson, former Minister of Housing Keith Scott and the First Lady’s office. I did not receive any reply to my mails, except for the First Lady who

sent me a letter and forwarded a copy to Minister Patterson for attention. I got so frustrated with all the running around that I sent letters to the Honourable Ministers Simona Broomes and Volda Lawrence; I even asked Food For The Poor for assistance in building for me. So far I have received no reply. So it’s my only option now to turn to the media to highlight my concerns, which I am certain will gain someone’s attention I visited the Ministry of Housing in May 2018 and I was given a form to fill out and was told that they would call. It’s my earnest and humble desire to make this special appeal to you Mr Editor and trust that you will publish my letter in good faith, which would result in the processing of my application in a timely manner and myself and family receiving a long-awaited desired home. Regards Yvette Munroe

in a holistic manner. Even in the presence of the CSME, which speaks to a single economy, regional leaders have instead opted to address sugar at the individual country level, rather than as a collective. Arguably, more could be derived through a single plan involving collective action, which could have led to exploration of, among other things, a major confectionery industry indigenous to Caribbean foods geared for regional and local consumption. Each head of government has responsibility for a specific area in CARICOM. Guyana has responsibility for agriculture, and, for some time now, has been touted as the potential breadbasket of the Region. Apart from developing a proposal (dubbed the Jagdeo Initiative) which came with technical support and initiative from the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) — a regional organisation to which this country is unfortunately indebted, having not paid dues for several years — concrete structures are still to be put in place to exploit agriculture in Guyana as a plank towards establishing a regional economy. With the best of intents, CARICOM was established to aid the development of the Region’s peoples through exploitation of the Region’s resources. The Founding Fathers of CARICOM: Burnham, Barrow, Williams and Manley, have provided the Region with a vision, conceptualised a plan, laid the foundation through institutions, and floated ideas as to how the Region’s resources can be exploited in various forms. With departure of the Founding Fathers, given results seen and perceptions – real or contrived – of the Region’s peoples, it would not be an unfair assumption that some who have followed are yet to grapple with the importance of operating as a collective in the world— given our small-state status — and develop an economic programme indigenous to the Caribbean to ensure realisation of the CSME.

Tips for better traffic management Dear Editor

I AM no expert at anything. I am just a regular road consumer, but I am scared. I have traversed all of our public roads as a rider, as a passenger and as a driver. I have been driven and drove in several countries of the world. Both of my jobs (before retirement) involved either road usage or vehicle parking management. I am therefore aware of traffic patterns and control, and I had/have relationship with traffic engineers. Now that we have new management of the police force, I would suggest that steps be urgently taken to remove threats to life, limb and property on the roads. Firstly, declare that we do not have distance or signage or best construction practices or repair schedule or usage pattern to designate any public road as a highway. Therefore we do not need highway speeds.

Secondly, just admit that the driver education and licensing system is broken. I see a regular litany of bad driving habits every day I venture out on the road. Thirdly, there are little or no official control mechanisms to deal with protecting other road users from indiscriminate drivers. I have seen these same “bad GT drivers” emigrate and become the best drivers in countries where the system is geared to control and penalise errant drivers (and pedestrians). Now that we have a new traffic chief, charge him/her with the following: remove all the different speed limit signs. Now we have from Timehri: maximums of 50, then 80, then 50, then 65, then 50, all before reaching GT. Confusing!! Until such time that we construct a real highway, the maximum on any public road Turn to page 7

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 6, 2018

MoPH holds support session for parents of special needs children

WITH World Physical Therapy Day set for this Saturday, the Disability and Rehabilitation unit of the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) on Wednesday held a support group session for parents of special needs children, at Cara Lodge, Quamina Street. Some 25 parents of children with disabilities, particularly microcephaly, were hosted at the event which aimed to show the parents that they are not alone, and remind them that there are ways to deal with the psychological challenges of handling a child with disability. “The main goal is to help the parents cope, show them coping skills, and to speak to the; sometimes it’s hard and

you just want someone to listen to you. Disability, it will not go away, it is life-long, so they will need the psychological support. They will develop a lot of anxiety and depression, this is not an easy thing to deal with. To have a child who is disabled, and have to basically do everything for them, every day for the rest of their lives, it’s hard, so we’re here to give them the emotional support,” explained Ariane Mangar, Director of the Disability and Rehabilitation unit, and president of the Guyana Physio Association. Several psychologists were on hand at the event to speak with the parents on how to cope and keep themselves going, through their daily struggle

of loving and caring for their children. The programme saw talks being delivered by psychologists Dr Renita Savory and Dr Diana Carratge. A few parents attending the events shared their story of how hard it has been for them. “I feel real bad, I cry, I cry a lot of times because people was telling me a lot of things, that she wouldn’t live, that she wouldn’t look like a child, she would look like something else. So I cry a lot, but now I can’t do without her,” attested Davie Hussein, whose 20-month-old daughter suffers from microcephaly. Microcephaly is a condition where the head is smaller than normal. Other symptoms in-

clude dwarfism or short stature, delayed motor and speech functions, mental retardation, seizures, facial distortions, hyperactivity, balance and coordination problems, and other brain-related or neurological problems. Hussein learnt about her daughter’s condition when she was 32 weeks pregnant. “I found out she had microcephaly from the ultrasound, that’s when I find out about it, and I was thinking there might have been a cure, but there’s no cure for it,” Hussein recalled. Oneka Charles’ two-yearold son suffers from a brain problem, he does not walk or talk, he is her only child. She first began to suspect a problem with her son when he was four

months old; she was eventually referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital where a brain scan confirmed her fears. It brings her almost to tears to speak of how much it pains her to see her child like that. “I feel sorry for he. He can’t sit by he self, most of the time he cry, if people deh round he don’t cry, but when you put him down he cry. If he see people he would make sound, but he can’t talk,” she shared. The children themselves are at varying stages of physiotherapy being offered through the MoPH, to see how close to normal the children can become, despite their condition. ““It depends on which de-

velopmental stage the child is at. So if the child cannot hold up their head we will work on holding up their head, then to get them sitting if they can’t sit. Once we get them sitting, then we want them to interact, we want them to roll over, we want them to do everything that a normal child can do. But they usually need help to be able to do it. They all present differently, so there’s no one protocol for all, but we try to get them as close to normal as possible,” Mangar said. This is not the first time the ministry has embarked on a support group of this kind, but it is the first time in a long time that one has been held.

Four receive UG scholarships from Courts COURTS Guyana Incorporated on Wednesday awarded full scholarships to four University of Guyana (UG) students through its annual scholarship programme. The awardees are: 20-year-old Jeremiah Duncan, studying Business Management; 24-year-old Cristal Thomas, studying Civil Engineering; 25-year-old Udellie Haynes, studying Physiotherapy and Asher Marks studying Business Management. ‘’Courts is celebrating its fourth annual scholarship programme today and when it comes to education, we pay very keen attention to it and

in helping students to achieve their goals, especially those who are subsequently studying and working very hard to be successful, because education is the key and determination that’s why we provide this programme, to help students accomplish that ’’ Roberta Ferguson, Digital Marketing Officer of the company said. Courts Customer Experience Manager Shonelle Bacchus, said that this year is very different,because normally they would select only three awardees, but they selected four. Guest speaker Samantha Monica Brown, who

was one of the awardees in the previous year and who is a continuing student in the law programme at (UG) said: “It’s a privilege to say that I am a continuing student of Courts scholarship programme. As a student, I can attest to the fact that it is very liberating to be able to pursue a study and not have to worry about any tuition fees and to Courts I say thank you…”. She added that gratitude is a parent of all and her fellow awardees should show Courts gratitude by striving for excellence and make the most of the opportunity that they are receiving.

Tips for better traffic... should be 60km. Towns/village Streets max 40km. Consistency and no confusion! Trucks have a speed limit by law painted on the right side of the cab. (Its less than 30km.) All trucks should drive in the left hand (curb) lane ONIY, as should large passenger buses. Smaller buses should have a limit of 50 km. Emergency vehicles must maintain speed limits and road rules. Declare a month “Traffic Awareness Month”(TAM) . Get some funds (from the security plan?) and print specific vehicular flash cards of at least five and not more than 10 items (laminate them?). On the first week get traffic ranks to stop every truck ( G) and hand out the Truck cards which will include speed limit, required age of driver, braking distance, proper use of Air Horn, etc.

Ask the newspapers to print the relevant card on Sunday week. Do the same the next week for ‘B’ vehicles followed by H and M. Remind the small B drivers and conductors that a bus load of passengers represent at least 150 extended family members! Do they believe that an airplane pilot is not conscious of that extended responsibility? The P vehicles could have an ongoing campaign as should emergency vehicle drivers. Meet with transport officers of a large fleet and get them on board the monitoring/ control of their drivers. Two of the bad truck-driving group on the East Bank Road are the Banks DIH trucks and the Highway Maintenance trucks. I ent talking about the sand trucks!! At the end of that TAM, there should be zero toler-

From page 6

ance against moving violators. Just issue tickets!! Of course the Traffic Court system should be instituted and defaulters can represent themselves if they care. Each police vehicle should have a dash cam installed with a system for flash card storage/ retrieval. In a few years time we should graduate to insurance penalties for bad drivers and rewards for good drivers. Let me point out that these ideas are not my original thinking, they are out there being used where the lives of people matter and to provide peace of mind, and a good life. I am sure this plan can be fine-tuned and reduce terror on our roads. Hopefully, my scary feeling will abate. Regards LA. Camacho

Officials of Courts along with the awardees and their parents

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 6, 2018

Private sector to discuss GECOM reform …but PPP says Carter formula ‘just fine’

By Svetlana Marshall THE Private Sector Commission (PSC) will, in the coming days, examine President David Granger’s position on the need to reform the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). The President, during a recent press conference, told reporters that the Carter Formula, which is in use, has “exhausted its usefulness,” as he made a case for the commissioners to be appointed by the National Assembly. That formula, which is embedded in the constitution, allows for the opposition leader after consultation with other opposition parliamentary parties, to present the sitting president with a list of nominees from which he may choose one.

chairman said he endorses the move to reform the Elections Commission to allow the chairman and commissioners to be appointed through a parliamentary procedure, contending that “you will always have gridlock” formula remains the same. Vincent Alexander, a GECOM Commissioner, when approached on the issue, told the Chronicle that “it is clear that the Carter Formula has exhausted its usefulness in some regards.” While stating that GECOM’s reformation should form part of constitutional reform, Alexander said “we have to ask ourselves whether the country is politically mature to abandon the formula.” “Outside the formula, there is no guarantee to know what you have,” he posited. In making his point, Alexander opined

PSC Chairman Desmond Sears

GECOM Commissioner Vincent Alexander

In addition to the chairman, the Constitution (Amendment) Act No. 2 of 2000 provides for the appointment of six members of the commission – three members appointed by the President, acting in his own deliberate judgement; and three members appointed by the President acting on the advice of the leader of the opposition after he has meaningfully consulted the non-governmental opposition parties represented in the National Assembly. According to the President, the formula does not set the stage for consensus, but rather, gridlock. Such was the case when President Granger, last October appointed Retired Judge James Patterson as Chairman of GECOM, after deeming the three lists of nominees submitted by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo as unacceptable within the meaning of the constitution. On Wednesday, Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Desmond Sears, told the Guyana Chronicle that the PSC’s Governance Sub-committee will examine the president’s position when it meets next week. Ahead of that meeting, the

that in Guyana there are people who appear neutral, but are very often politically aligned. “One has to be careful with abandoning the formula in our present environment,” he warned. But the PSC Chairman said while there is “hardly” anyone who does not have a political affiliation, one must become impartial when appointed to certain posts such as Chairman of the Elections Commissioner or a commissioner. “Once you have been selected by a president of a political party you should throw down that cap of partisan politics and exercise judgment based on the law, and I think that is a direction [in which] we should go as a country,” Sears said. While acknowledging that to effect the necessary changes at the Elections Commission would require constitutional reform, the PSC Chairman said the parliamentary process would allow for extensive consultation among the political parties, and for agreement to be reached. “I would prefer a better system in place, where all parties are in agreement…we need to agree,” he emphasised.

CARTER FORMULA WORKING FINE Meanwhile, the opposition People’s Progressive Party’s Chief Whip Gail Teixeira, like Sears and Alexander, said any changes to the Elections Commission would require constitutional changes. However, Teixeira said the Carter Formula was working just fine up until last year. “We are quite satisfied, as far as I know; we are quite satisfied with the Carter Formula, which has served Guyana…,” she told this newspaper. For decades now Elections Observer Groups from the Commonwealth, the Carter Center, the Organisation of American States, the Electoral Assistance Bureau, the CARICOM Secretariat, and the Union of South American Nations have been insisting that while GECOM’s purpose for existence is to administer free and fair electoral processes, and while it

Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira

is recognised that the commission has to be sensitive to and relate to political realities, its independence and impartiality must be protected. The Carter Center following the 2001 elections had stated: “In advance of future elections, Guyana should consider reforms that would reduce the politicised composition of GECOM and move toward an Electoral Management Body (EMB) with a structure, composition and operations that are more consistent with international good practices and obligations, thus ensuring the independence and impartiality of the EMB.” The centre had made similar observations in the 2006 and 2015 elections. Additionally, the Commonwealth Secretariat on the same issue had recommended that “strong consideration should be given to ending the practice of having political appointees as members of GECOM.” The Commonwealth had said that the present formula compromises the effectiveness and integrity of the commission, which needs to be independent and above partisan politics at all levels.

M.B. Sandaka is back following rehabilitation THE newly rehabilitated vessel M.B. Sandaka, is expected to provide a more efficient service to commuters, according to a press release from the Department of Public Information (DPI) on Wednesday. In a news bulletin, the DPI said that the ferry was recently outfitted with two hydro-master propulsion systems which will be pow-

ered by two caterpillar 3406 engines. It said that other rehabilitation works were also carried out to enhance the vessel. Brenco Shipping and Trading Company Ltd executed all of the works on the vessel. The acquisition and installation of the two engines cost a total of $291Million, while rehabilitation which included painting and repairs

The two new engines installed on the vessel

cost an additional $13Million, the news bulletin said. M.B. Sandaka operates the Leguan to Parika route and even undertakes international duties between Guyana and Suriname, whenever the M.V Canawaima is undergoing scheduled maintenance. The DPI said that General Manager of the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) Marcelene Merchant, along with her team and the contracting company on Wednesday assessed the vessel. After an incident-free test

run of the ferry, Merchant said that she was very impressed with the works done on the vessel. She noted that with the installation of the new propulsion systems, the T&HD will be able to provide a more reliable and improved service to the public. Merchant stated, “We are considering putting the vessel into operation by this weekend, which will be either on Saturday or Sunday. The vessel is now better equipped to serve the residents of Leguan and other commuters who will be travelling between

[From left to right] Chief Mechanical Engineer, Dwane Griffith; General Manager of the Transport and Harbours Department (THD), Marcelene Merchant and Chief Executive Officer of Brenco Shipping and Trading Company Ltd., Courtney Benn, ensuring that the engines are working up to standard

Parika and Leguan.” Chief Mechanical Engineer, Dwane Griffith, said that with the installation of the new systems, the vessel will be able to make much faster trips. “We will be able to cut down the travel time between Parika and Leguan by at least 10 minutes. Previously, the travel time was approximately 45 minutes and I think we will be able to better that,” said Griffith.

Additionally, Griffith pointed out that coupled with rehabilitation of the vessel, the T&HD will also be rehabilitating the Leguan ferry terminal. According to the DPI news bulletin, Traffic Manager of T&HD Stephan Skekel pointed out that with the vessel up and running, the regular ferry service will be back on schedule.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 6, 2018

CARICOM heads mean business, assures Mottley

Guyana’s President David Granger (standing) sharing a light moment with CARICOM Secretary General, Irwin LaRocque (centre) and Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness (right)

BARBADOS Prime Minister Mia Mottley on Wednesday gave the assurance that heads of government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) are serious about advancing the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), while identifying transportation, communication and hassle-free travel as areas for urgent attention. “I refer specifically to the need for us to make life easier for those of our citizens –individuals and companies-who want to move between our countries and who want to do so without having to register and pay significant sums of money in each territory in order to do business,” said Mottley, as she addressed the opening of the Ninth Meeting of the Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on the CSME at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre. “It is a matter that we believe can easily be remedied and it is one that will make that definable difference in a direct way to those of our citizens doing business in each

of our territory,” she explained. “We remain committed, even as we do all of this, and even as we meet in special sessions of heads in Port-of-Spain later this year, we remain committed to being able to identify how best we can reach the single market in a single domestic space in transport and the single domestic space in communications,” she added, while stressing the need for affordable and reliable regional transportation. Mottley, who has lead responsibility within CARICOM’s quasi-cabinet for the creation of the CSME, also acknowledged that other areas had been identified for action, adding that recent meetings of heads over the past four months were “a signal of our intention to be serious about the Region’s business”. Wednesday’s meeting was also attended by CARICOM Secretary-General Irwin LaRocque, Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne, Guyana’s President David Granger, Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness, St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, along with representatives of the Grenada and St Lucia governments. Mottley said she was especially looking forward to them addressing “some key strategic issues” relating to security of the Region’s energy supplies, resilience of telecommunications and “issues pertaining to how best we may assist one another in treating to this difficult hurricane period.” “Today is but one step towards the larger meeting in December, where we will not only address these matters that are taking us along this course, but we will also, by December, start to address some of the larger issues with respect to structure and equity with respect to the single market project,” the prime minister said. She also expressed hope that by the next heads of government meeting, regional leaders would be able to sign off on a protocol on government contracts that would allow regional firms to bid for projects over a certain threshold in any member state. In his address, LaRocque welcomed the idea of more frequent sub-committee meetings and greater focus on the CSME, pointing out that they were critical if the Region were to review its progress and address challenges on an ongoing basis. “We must therefore put in place the system of consultation at both the national and regional levels and involve the private sector, labour, the youth and other stakeholders more intimately in the process,” he said. “This will make for more effective decision-making and implementation, while creating the feeling that we are all in this together. An important aspect of moving the process forward is a need for member states to make every effort to implement the agreed commitments and obligations. The approved implementation plan sets out timeframes for so doing in the short, medium and long-terms,” he added. (Barbados Today)

Lawrence installs new management committee for Linden Hospital A 15-member management committee for the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC), which will be chaired by Mortimer Mingo, was installed on Wednesday by Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence. At the simple installation ceremony, Lawrence in her short address said that she does not prefer the band-aid methodology to be used to remedy issues at the hospital, but a hands-on approach which will allow the team to get to the bottom of the issue, rather than to bring temporary solutions. “I expect that there will be reports, we will be able to analyse those reports and make interventions very quickly,” Lawrence said. She said that it should be a matter of looking back to see what were the errors, but they must now look forward in brining solutions. “I must be able to stay where I am and know that the people of Region 10 can be given the highest possible care and also to assure the staff, that their needs are attended to.” She urged the committee members to reach outside of government to help alleviate some of the issues, since the ministry can’t do it alone. “There are so many other

bodies and organisations out there that are willing to help; let us be careful, but let us utilise what is available, let us ensure that whatever is done, is done in a transparent manner, that there is accountability and that we respect the laws of the land.” Chairman of the Committee, Mortimer Mingo, said that he has taken the minister’s comments very seriously and will do all in his power in collaboration with the other members to assist in the robust delivery of health care services to the residents of Region 10. “I want to assure you that we are well aware of the task that lies ahead and I think that with cooperation and with consultations outside of the committee with other stakeholders, there is much we can achieve as it relates to health care delivery in Region 10.” CEO of the LHC, Dr Mohammad Riyasat, who ensured that Minister Lawrence and her team were warmly welcomed, said he was grateful that the Management Committee has been installed, since it is very important that the management of the hospital is guided accordingly. The hospital he said, has visions, targets, objectives, as well as issues and the presence of the board

Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence, addressing the audience at the simple ceremony of installation of the LHC Management Committee. Also at the head table are: Matron Annette Jones, Chairman of the committee, Mortimer Mingo, CEO of LHC Dr Mohammed Riyasat and Medical Superintendent, Dr Remeeza McDonald

Minister Volda Lawrence converses with a new mother as she tours the maternity ward

will go a long way in assisting it with achieving its objectives. The 15 members are: Denise Belgrave, Dr. Riyasat; a representative from the GPSU, Maurice Butters; Regional Heath Officer, Dr Pansy Armstrong; former matron Niomi Cox; Technician Patrick Hutson; representatives from the LMTC, the nurses’ association, Sub Region Two, RDC, the Linden Electricity Company, the Linden Cancer Society, religious organisations, and the People’s Progressive Party. A management committee was installed in 2016, but was quickly dissolved after irregularities were cited. After installing the Management Committee, Lawrence and her delegation toured the facilities of the LHC and interacted with patients and staff members. Lawrence is on a three-day tour in Region 10, where she will also be visiting the Upper Demerara Hospital on the Wismar shore, the Kwakwani Hospital, the Ituni Health Centre and other health centres in Linden. She will also be meeting with the Regional Health Committee, nurses, doctors and other staff of the LHC.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 6, 2018

Non-cash payment under consideration for transport sector -- Gaskin says regulatory authority to enforce sector code of conduct

By Lisa Hamilton THE Ministry of Business intends to bring enforcement of a Code of Conduct for the public transport sector under a regulatory authority, and hopes to introduce noncash payment systems for greater accountability. Business Minister Dominic Gaskin shared this information with the Guyana Chronicle on Wednesday. Having received a G$20

hike across-the-board in minibus fares, effective from September 1, several minibus operatives and commuters have made known their eagerness to see the establishment of a Code of Conduct. Their interest in this regard peaked after a media release from the ministry had stated that it, along with the United Minibus Union (UMU), agreed that there was great need for the formation of a set of guidelines.

UMU President Eon Andrews had said that these changes could see hospitality training for conductors prior to their being allowed to uplift their conductor’s licence; guidelines on mode of dress; seating rules and more. Gaskin told this newspaper that designing such a code will take time and the involvement of other ministries. “It’s not something that we want to just draft… we want to have something that’s en-

forceable, that’s probably tied to the licensing or something like that, so that it becomes a condition under which you are licensed to operate a public transportation service. “While we may have identified a few areas that we want to address in a Code of Conduct of whatever we want to call it, the actual implementation of it has to be worked out...the issue is deciding who would be the authority for implementing it. It is unlikely that it will be the Ministry of Business, so it would involve some discussion with one or more of my colleague ministers, so that we can arrive at some consensus on which agency would have responsibility for regulating the sector,” he said. Currently, the public transportation sector is governed by several bodies including the police, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), the Ministry of Public Infrastructure’s Transport and Harbours Department, the Mayor and City Hall and others. SINGLE FRAMEWORK Gaskin hopes that the regulation of the Code of Conduct can see these varying responsibilities being constructed into one framework. “Public transportation is probably one of the most vital sectors in any economy and if it’s going to be left up to individual operators to decide [what occurs], it’s not going to work to the benefit of our country,” he said.

He added: “I would like to be able, with a little more confidence, to recommend our public transportation system to the average tourist visiting Guyana.” The minister stressed that there are a number of areas which will require greater supervision by law-enforcement bodies such as the loading and unloading of passengers, speed limits and overloading.

when you give a [minibus operator] $100 you don’t get back change and those kinds of things. “So, we’re looking to see, in this day and age, whether there’s not a smarter system that can be used that would provide more accountability and more security, so that when you raise a fare or when a fare is changed it could be $84 dollars and if you have a

Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin

In addition to the proposed Code of Conduct, the ministry wants to move the sector ahead in this technological age, while simultaneously providing a better transport service to the public. “Something that we have discussed internally is a payment system that is perhaps not a cash-based system, because we keep hearing that

smart payment system that is the exact money that will be paid,” Gaskin stated. At the same time, the business minister reminded that commuters, too, have a role to play in the enforcement of the guidelines when established, as they are oftentimes the ones greatest affected the by ill-practices in the sector.

Dryshore motorcyclist died of ‘multiple injuries’ -- autopsy

The motorcycle that was involved in the accident

AN autopsy on the body of 32-year-old Kevon Tacourdeen, who was struck down on the Fairfield Public Road, Essequibo Coast, on Tuesday revealed that he died of “multiple crush injuries.” The body has been handed over to the relatives for burial on Friday. Reports indicate that the driver of the pickup vehicle is in stable condition at the Suddie Hospital.

It is alleged that the 34-year-old driver, who is a resident of Vilvoorden, Essequibo Coast, was speeding and was under the influence of alcohol when he struck down Tacourdeen on the Fairfield Public Road. It was noted that Tacourdeen of lot 9 Dryshore, Essequibo Coast, was proceeding east along the northern carriageway of the road on motorcycle CH 4278, while motor pick-up GEE 1179 was

proceeding north along the western lane, reportedly at a very fast rate of speed. It is alleged that the pickup collided with the motorcyclist while negotiating a left bend. Tacourdeen was picked up in an unconscious state and rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Police said the driver sustained injuries about his body after his vehicle toppled multiple times.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday September 6, 2018

PI into ‘Saga’ killing continues

THE preliminary inquiry (PI) into the murder of of 64-year-old Godfrey Scipio, called “Saga”, a popular D’Urban Street, Georgetown businessman, who was killed outside a city hotel continued on Wednesday before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly. Aubrey Bobb is charged with the man’s murder. The charge stated that on October 12, 2017 at Kitty, he murdered Scipio during the course of a robbery. On Wednesday, Constable Sam, a crime scene photographer attached to the Criminal Investigations Department of the Guyana Police Force testified on behalf of the prosecutor, Richard Harris.

The matter has been adjourned until September 17. Also charged for Scipio’s murder are, former ‘Best Cop’ Detective Corporal Derwin Eastman and Constable Jameson Williams. The duo is before Magistrate Fabayo Azore, where the PI is being conducted. Bobb is reported to have claimed that Eastman was the mastermind behind the businessman’s murder, and that he (Eastman) also went as far as providing him (Bobb) with the gun to carry out the hit. Police had arrested Bobb a day after the shooting and after reviewing the CCTV footage attached to a Kitty hotel where Scipio was shot and

Aubrey Bobb

Godfrey Scipio, called “Saga”

robbed. The gold jewellery reportedly stolen from Scipio during the robbery was not recovered.

Guyana, T&T to sign pact for oil and gas cooperation next week …GCCI wants local businesses to peruse agreement

GUYANA and Trinidad and Tobago are expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) next week, but the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) is calling on the Guyana Government to hold on the MoU until details of the agreement are examined. Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, while addressing his supporters in Marabella on Tuesday night, disclosed that he would be travelling to Guyana next week Wednesday to sign a MoU with the government. “I am going to Guyana I think next week Wednesday to sign this document that will open the way for Trinidad and Tobago’s companies to participate in that prosperity that is coming to the Guyanese, even if Guyanese oil doesn’t come to our refinery,” he told Trinidadians. Noting that the MoU was a year in the making, Dr Rowley said it was approximately two weeks ago when he received the diplomatic note from the Guyana Government, indicating that it was ready to sign off on the agreement. In Guyana, GCCI Chairman Deodat Indar backed by members of the executive called on the Guyanese to hold on to the MoU.

Declaring that neither the chamber nor Guyana is “anti-Trinidadians,” Indar said while the GCCI has signed off on many MoUs with many countries, they were between private sector entities. He said Dr Rowley’s announcement came as a major surprise, because the GCCI was never privy to such an arrangement. “We have never seen any MoU, this private sector has never seen anything…I would like to see what the MoU looks like,” he said. The GCCI Chairman expressed his disappointment that agreements are being signed between Guyana and other countries interested in the developing oil and gas sector here, when there is no legislative framework in place. “I am saying that we don’t have a policy, we don’t have any legislation for local content, but yet we are going and do these MoUs. I think they should wait. I am asking government to hold on this,” Indar pleaded. The Trinidad Prime Minister’s disclosure that an MoU would be signed with Guyana next week comes days after the opposition leader of the twin-island republic Kamla Persad-Bissessar, called on her government to partner with Guyana to refine its oil.

Guyana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge, said while the proposal might be good in principle, there are several critical areas that ought to be considered by Guyana before any decision is made.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday September 6, 2018

Sponsors throw weight behind GuyTIE By Lisa Hamilton SOME $10M in sponsorship has already been secured by the Ministry of Business for the upcoming Guyana Trade and Investment Exhibition (GuyTIE) 2018. This was revealed on Wednesday at the Marriott Hotel, where sponsors and partners of the inaugural event met for a brief appreciation ceremony. GuyTIE will run from September 19 -22 at the Marriott Hotel and has since been dubbed the “largest and most exciting Business-to-Business (B2B) trade exhibition ever held in Guyana.” “I wish to, on behalf of the Ministry of Business, express my sincere appreciation to all our sponsors for coming on board for this very important event. We think it’s important and

Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin (fifth left), shares a photograph with the sponsors and partners of the upcoming GuyTIE event on Wednesday at the Marriott Hotel (Adrian Narine photo)

we believe that you see and recognise the importance of the event also,” said Business Minister Dominic Gaskin. He said further that although GuyTIE is a “pilot event”, the ministry intends to facilitate its hosting on a continuous basis for the benefit of local businesses.

“Without the private sector there would be no Ministry of Business. We exist purely to serve the private sector and in doing so we seek outcomes that benefit the Guyanese economy and by extension the Guyanese people and Guyanese businesses and that’s what this event is all about,” he said. The minister added: “As we proceed, we will be doing a ‘post-mortem’, we will see what went wrong and what went right. But its growing and it must get bigger and bigger; and it must become a signature event not just in Guyana, but in the entire

Caribbean.” The event’s key sponsors include Exxon Mobil, Demerara Distillers Limited, ENetworks, GTT and BK Group of Companies, Banks DIH, Caribbean Airlines Limited, Massy Group of Companies, GAICO, Digicel, Comfort Sleep, Sterling Products, Brass Aluminum and Cast Iron Foundry and Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry Limited (GBTI). Meanwhile, those partnering for both technical and financial support are the Canadian High Commission, the United States Embassy and Caribbean Export.

Other local partners include the Caribbean Export Development Agency, The Guyana Office for Investment, the Guyana Tourism Authority, the Private Sector Commission, the Small Business Bureau; the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association and the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Even as additional funds from sponsors are still being collected, the involved parties are forging ahead in preparation for the event, which will see over 50 exhibitors. Already, 81 booths have been sold.

The sectors to be represented include agro-processing, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, construction, food and beverage, food processing, forestry and wood products, information and communications, printing and publishing, printing and packaging, tourism, arts and craft, energy, oil, banking and shipping. The expo will draw participation from as far as India, Korea, Latin America and the Caribbean. The business expo aims to promote local investment opportunities; prepare export-ready firms for export markets; and sell Guyana as a profitable business destination. From September 20 to21, there will be strictly B2B sessions, which will see companies engaging the exhibitors but, on the final day, the expo will be open to the general public. Persons wishing to attend will have the opportunity to purchase tickets through a special promotion at a cost of $1000, which can be obtained from GTT retail offices.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 6, 2018

UG to offer Master’s in Petroleum Engineering – vice chancellor

Fourth from left in front row: Director of the Department of Energy, Dr. Mark Bynoe, UG Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith and other officials at the event (Samuel Maughn photo)

THE University of Guyana (UG) in partnership with the University of the West Indies (UWI) will roll out Master’s and Associate Degrees in Petroleum Engineering next January, Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith said. The vice-chancellor made the disclosure at the Education Lecture Theatre, UG, on Wednesday during a meeting on proposed higher education consortium on engineering and mining. He said some of the courses will be delivered in Guyana and some in Trinidad. “We are going to be rolling out in partnership with the West Indies a Master’s in Petroleum Engineering from next January… I am in talks with Caribbean Airlines to talk about fare discounts so that the students who have to travel can benefit from discounted fares and the lecturers’ who have to go back and forth can benefit,” he said.

He said many companies related many positive things about the benefits of hiring graduates and they have signalled their intentions to set up shop in Guyana. The vice-chancellor said in preparing for first-oil and beyond, UG started preparations in September of last year with a listening session of industry stakeholders to understand what their perspectives are and desired interests. “We may not be able to meet all those interests, but it is better to have a baseline, but we also know that with the industry listing, we had focused primarily on technical and engineering, we know that the pursuit of oil and gas goes beyond engineering and technical,” he said. He explained that all aspects of the university’s programmes were inspected and all suitable areas in capabilities and gap analysis were identified and collaboration with institutions outside of

Guyana commenced. A UG team had visited the University of Trinidad and Tobago and the University of the West Indies and an agreement was struck to develop various courses. NAME CHANGE “Continuing the journey, we have worked towards renaming the Faculty of Technology to the Faculty of Engineering and Technology. We have brought on board two technical advisers for the vice-chancellor, one from UWI and one from the University of Trinidad and Tobago, who has been helping us get the groundwork and preparation done,” he explained. He also noted that a variety of curriculums are being provided. “The partnerships we are looking for go beyond engineering and technology, but even if you were to limit the partnership potential possi-

bilities, we are more than just about petroleum engineering and mining, so we have been saying to them, we want to make investments in mechanical, we want to make investments in civil, we want to make investments in electrical, we want to make investments in natural sciences, in math’s, psychics and those are critical basis to enhance what we will do,” said Professor Griffith. At the end of the meeting, the vice-chancellor noted that it is hoped all the participants will agree on a process and time frame for adopting and signing of an agreement on priority activities. Meanwhile, Director of the Department of Energy, Ministry of the Presidency, Dr. Mark Bynoe, said Guyana has a five-point vision in moving the oil-and-gas sector ahead. He said it is important for Guyana not to be locked into oil and gas and lose the bigger

UG Vice Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith

picture. “Oil and gas will just be the precursor to take us where we ought to be… it’s imperative that we look at capacity-building outside of just the oil sector…. What information are we using in decision-making; how can we be certain that the data we are getting is accurate; where are our economic models? So it’s imperative we look beyond

oil and gas,” Dr. Bynoe said. Participants at the event included representatives from the Essequibo Technical Institute, the Government Technical Institute, GPL Training School, the Guyana Industrial Training Centre, Leonora Technical Institute, Linden Technical Institute, Ministry of Education and the TVET Council, among others.

Search on for Miss India-Guyana THE staging of the 26th Miss India Worldwide pageant will see yet another representative from Guyana come December 2018. The application process is now open to Guyanese beauties of Indian origin between the ages of 17 and 27, with the interest of becoming a role model and living their dream of being Miss India-Guyana 2018. This year, the national pageant will consist of four segments – Evening Gown, Indian Dress, Talent and Question-Answer. The event is slated for October 2018 with all the finalists receiving professional training by renowned choreographer Alicia Bess, while enjoying the privilege of becoming a brand ambassador for the prominent beauty store, Amanda’s Bridal and Cosmetics. The finalists will also have the opportunity to experience yoga, Hindi, kathak, Indian cooking and sari-draping classes, that will equip them with the knowledge as well as connect them to their rich culture and treasured heritage.

This will be a unique addition to this year’s pageant, since it will create a reconnection with their motherland, India. The chairman and founder of the New York-based India Festival Committee (IFC) Dharmatma Saran, awarded the glamorous torch of the Miss India-Guyana franchise to Hashim Alli and Melicia Partab Alli. The two have contributed immensely to Guyana’s entertainment and pageant industries and have been deemed best suited to carry on the outstanding legacy of the Miss India Guyana brand. Hashim’s direction brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the post, having been involved in the pageantry business, including the Miss India- Guyana and the entertainment business for the past 15 years. Melicia’s experience in entertainment and qualifications in marketing and project management is the added bonus to this well-rounded couple.

New directors of the Miss India-Guyana franchise, Hashim Alli and Melicia Partab-Alli

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday September 6, 2018

Ituni parents protest closure of schools …as Linden teachers continue third day of picketing

By Vanessa Braithwaite PARENTS of pupils attending the Ituni Nursery and Howell Wilson Primary Schools in the Region 10 community of Ituni, participated in a protest action in front of the schools’ premises before taking to the streets of the small community, voicing their frustration over the schools being closed since the beginning of the new school term on Monday. The parents expressed disappointment that their children’s education is being held back as a result of strike action by the teachers. They are calling on the government to resolve the issue earliest, since they prefer the trained teachers instruct their children. The parents said that they will not be sending their children to school to be taught by trainee teachers, as substitutes, through the contingency plan of the Ministry of Education.

Parents at Ituni participating in protest action on Wednesday in front of the Howell Wilson Primary School

Beverly Julian said that the government should pay the teachers their due, since those in Ituni endure extra challenges to effectively deliver education to the children. “We need our trained teachers, we need justice for our teachers, our teachers work very hard, especially with the Grade Six children, over seven of them receive scholarships, we need justice

for our teachers,” she said. President of the Parent Teachers Association (PTA), Kenese Liverpool, shared similar sentiments in urging the government to remunerate the teachers satisfactorily, so they can continue to provide education for their children. “We are desperate people fighting for our children’s education and future and we need our trained

teachers back. The same money they will use to pay the trainee teachers, let them use it to pay the increase,” she reasoned. The parents threatened that if the situation is not resolved, they will continue to protest for the rest of the week. At this year’s NGSA, the Howell Wilson Primary was able to secure five places at

the Region 10 premier high school, Mackenzie High. The school’s top performer Tyler Dest scored 494 marks, a calculated percentage of 93.3. The other students are: Glen Naipaul scoring 488, Asha Jameer scoring 481, Brenela Culpepper scoring 479 and Desmond Duke scoring 468. Unlike the children residing in Linden or even Kwakwani, Grade Six teacher Yvonne Nazier related that the Ituni students are not exposed to current affairs, due to the non-availability of television stations in the community; even newspapers are not readily available and so effectively delivering the Social Studies syllabus can be extra difficult, since the children are basically locked away in their own little domain. There is no WiFi access and so with limited mobile data, research is very difficult. It is as teaching using the old traditional methods in a technological era, in which even the curriculum is revised to suit this era. While many schools are equipped with computer lab-

oratories and many communities in Region 10 have ICT hubs, Ituni students are tremendously disadvantaged in this regard and so Nazier, who is the lone Grade Six teacher at the school and who has been teaching for 30 odd years, had to work extra hard for the results achieved at this year’s NGSA. LINDEN PROTEST Meanwhile, in Linden, hundreds of teachers participated in the third day of protest action on the streets of Mackenzie. They again were clad in white t-shirts and sang gospel songs as they marched, before assembling in front of the education ministry. Trainee teachers and volunteers were again dispatched to the various schools, but at most schools even fewer children attended, while some saw no children attending. Regional officials are however calling on parents to send their children to school, since they will be attended to.

GUYANA CHRONICLE, Thursday September 6, 2018

GAWU training 120 workers to ‘force the political agenda’ …Canadian union: ‘This is about mobilisation’

Some 30 sugar workers attended the launching of UNIFOR’s industrial relations education project at the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union’s (GAWU’s) headquarters (Adrian Narine photo)

SOME 120 sugar workers are to be trained in a socalled $6.5M industrial relations education project facilitated by Canadian private sector union, UNIFOR, and the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) to “force the political agenda” here. Funds for the training are being provided by Unifor, the largest private sector union in Canada which has funded over 11,000 projects in 44 different countries. Its National President Jerry Dias in his address was clear as to what the training is really about. He told the audience that with his Guyanese parentage and seeing the ongoing challenges in Guyana’s sugar industry, he was not going to let the opportunity to fight for economic stability slip by. “This is about mobilisation. This is about you speaking to our members [GAWU], this is about you speaking to the community, this is about mobilising within the community…the whole issue about training 125 coordinators or community activists, is really about how do we take back our country and how do we

take back our jobs and that happens when you force the political agenda. That’s what happens when the labour movement is strong,” he said, adding later: “That’s what today is all about and that’s what this week is going to be about. It’s not allowing the government, the right wing government, the opportunity to shape the economy in their vision, which is all about capital and not about people.” Despite Dias’ clear objective, President of GAWU, Komal Chand, said the workers will be trained in industrial relations laws such as the Severance Pay Act, Trade Union Recognition Act, health and safety issues as well as the representation of workers' grievances and the collective labour agreements. Of the 120, 60 workers will be trained from the three operable estates, namely Uitvlugt, Albion and Blairmont. On Wednesday, the first batch of 30 workers began a one-week training at the union’s Labour College and will be expected to return in one year to report on assignments given. Another batch of 30 will receive training within a few weeks.

Meanwhile, 20 workers each from Rose Hall, Enmore and Skeldon will be trained when these estates, set aside for priviatisation, are reopened. Chand told the Guyana Chronicle at the launching that the workers are being called “organisers,” but Dias referred to them as “mobilised coordinators.” Chand says that the initiative ties in with GAWU’s mission as it will result in the education of workers; issues being solved at lower management levels and the deterrence of “strikes and bigger problems.” “It’s all connected to us. It’s in sync with our educational work because we have been pursuing that, but we now see the new challenge that the sugar industry faces. One part of it will go back to private ownership, because our industry was nationalised in 1976 and part will remain in the hands of the state, those are the three operable estates. We have new challenges to find ways and means for the industry to sustain itself and to become profitable again…[the workers] were very glad that we would have approached them,” Chand said.

Teacher robbed while asleep A NURSERY school teacher was robbed of cash, laptops, cellular phones and food items as she laid asleep with her three children at her Lot 48 Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, Berbice home on Monday. Tocia Erskine had secured her home before retiring to bed with her three children, but when she got up Tuesday morning to pre-

pare breakfast and lunch, she observed her back door open. On checking, she noticed a television set, three laptops, her purse containing cash, her working bag, her son’s bag and food items in her refrigerator, missing. The Viola Nursery School teacher said while she was sure she had secured her home, detectives are of the

opinion that it was not so, as there were no signs of forced entry. The teacher said while she supports her striking colleagues, she reported for duty on Monday, since she has “bills to pay and food to put on the table.” The police are investigating the incident.

Remarks also came from Vice-president of the University and Allied Workers Union (UAWU) of Jamaica, Clifton Grant; General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union congress, Lincoln Lewis and others. They all encouraged the workers to make use of the training to ensure that change takes place for the benefit of the common man, while the rights of workers are respected and protected. Chand expressed the union’s appreciation to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) for considerations made regarding the absence of the

UNIFOR National President Jerry Dias (Adrian Narine photo)

sugar workers undergoing the training. He stated: “We must also express our thanks to GuySuCo, because the [workers] who will come to the course

have been given permission to be absent from work and they’re being paid, so that they will not lose income which they can hardly afford to lose at this time.”

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 6, 2018

FROM BACK PAGE

Let the battle begin!

Barbados vs Guyana CONCACAF... By Rawle Toney

IT was obvious from the pre-game press conference that the only thing on the minds of Guyana and Barbados for tonight’s CONCACAF Nations League encounter is victory. The two sides will square-off from 19:00hrs at the National Track and Field Centre at Leonora, in their opening campaign of the newly established tournament, which serves as a pathway to the CONCACAF Gold Cup. In 2015, the last time the ‘Tridents’ faced the Golden Jaguars, the game ended 2-2. But in actuality March 6, 1999, (19 years ago) marked the last time Barbados defeated Guyana (2-0), in Bridgetown during the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Caribbean Cup. “That was yesterday, and at the end of the day, the reason why I’m here is to change that,” Barbados’ Ahmed Mohamed said when asked about history not being on his team’s side when it comes to football and a favourable result against Guyana. “We are ready for Guyana; something will happen and something will change,” Mohamed stated,

while adding that his team has been putting in the groundwork for a very long time, knowing the challenge which lies ahead requires exceptional preparation. Mohamed acknowledged that on paper, Guyana’s team, with the boost of their overseas-based players, could be seen as formidable opposition in contrast to a youthful Barbados side. However, the ‘Bajan’ coach is taking comfort in the team preparation done, leading up to the Nations League, where they faced the likes of Jamaica, Cuba and Belize. “We have a very young team, we know the average age of the Guyana team but I don’t really see the difference because my players have been training for two years together now. We played enough games that we can say we are ready for the Guyanese team. The age doesn’t matter, the fact is the team has enough experience to deliver a good performance tomorrow night (tonight),” the ‘Bajan’ coach said. Following today’s game against the Golden Jaguars, Barbados will face El Salvador on October 13, U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) on November 18, and will wrap-up their Nations League qualifier on March 24, 2019 against Nicaragua.

Meanwhile, for Michael Johnson, the former Jamaica International and Derby County defender who was recently named Guyana’s head coach, his troops are only focused on securing three points at end of the 90 minutes at Leonora. “What you’ll see tonight is a team that’s confident; this team is a team that has a lot of attacking players that if you release the shackles off then we could be a real threat. So I’m excited about what tomorrow (tonight) brings and also for the future,” Johnson boldly proclaimed. Standing in Johnson’s path to the Gold Cup, apart from Barbados, are Turks and Caicos (October 13), French Guiana (November 20) and Belize (March, 2019). The Golden Jaguars boss made it clear that the route to the 16-team tournament in the USA next year will not be an easy one. “I think we would be disrespectful to overlook teams in the competition, but what I could say is that we have a wonderful opportunity (to qualify) and if we embrace that, and if we work hard, work smarter, then I really believe that with the group of players we have, we will be competitive and we have a great opportunity to do something special,” a confident

Nationals could be... THE annual National Schools Championships

(Nationals) will feel the ripple effect of the ongoing strike action and may be cancelled altogether, if an amicable solution is not reached between the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) and Ministry of Education (MoE). Usually held in November, Nationals is executed as collaboration between the GTU and MoE. However, with the two parties currently deadlocked over salary negotiations and many teachers, including several district representatives, on strike, the fate of the Championships is in limbo. GTU president Mark Lyte posited that the Championships may very well be cancelled if the strike action continues. “Because National Schools Championships comes after inter-house, inter-school, inter-zone and so on it (the strike) is going

to have an impact and we probably may not have any (Championships),” Lyte said in an interview on Monday. “You would know that the Union plays a significant role in the organising and running off of the National Schools Championships. The fact that we have lost actually a week and it looks as though we would lose another week, definitely it’s going to have an impact on the National Schools Championships.” It is in September that most schools begin their inter-house sports activities, which they would use to select athletes that will represent them at the interschool level before the competition progresses all the way to the National Schools Championships. Nationals usually involve competition in ath-

Johnson said. Neil Danns, the former Leicester City and Crystal Palace midfield maestro, will lead a Golden Jaguars squad that also include debutant Ronayne MarshBrown, an England-based solid left-side defensive option. Kai McKenzie-Lyle, the 20-year-old Barnet FC goalkeeper who, according to reports, was on coach Jurgen Klopp’s radar for a move to Liverpool, will also be making his return to the Golden Jaguars line-up. Defenders Terence Vancooten, Samuel Cox and Jake Newton, are the ‘UK bunch’ included in the team, while the other overseas-based players named are Brandon Beresford (Portugal), Andrew Murray (Trinidad), Sheldon Holder (Trinidad), Trayon Bobb (Portugal) and Jelani Smith (Canada). Jason Cromwell (Buxton United), Akel Clarke (Western Tigers), Kevin Layne (NA United), Kevin Dundas (Den Amstel), Kester Jacobs (Den Amstel), Delwin Fraser (GDF), Vurlon Mills (Western Tigers), Daniel Wilson (Western Tigers), Delon Lanferman (Den Amstel), Kelsey Benjamin (Western Tigers) and Pernell Schultz (Western Tigers) are the other players named in the squad.

FROM BACK PAGE letics, swimming and cycling, with students from all across the country, grouped into 15 districts. There is still time for the competitions to run off. However it will depend on how much longer the strike continues. “We won’t be able to decide on that now; it depends on when the strike comes to an end. Whatever time remains in the term will determine how the Championships will be affected, but the longer we stay off on strike the more impossible it will be for anything to happen,” Lyte clarified. Touching also on last year’s plans to have Nationals moved up to being held earlier in the year, Lyte said that too remains uncertain, so Nationals was expected to continue in November since no further talks on the move was ever done.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 6, 2018

Azharuddin critical of India top order

India opener Shikhar Dhawan

FORMER skipper Mohammad Azharuddin has criticised India’s batters following their series defeat against England. India slumped to a 60run loss to England in the fourth Test at Southampton on Sunday, a defeat which saw them reduced to a 3-1 series deficit in the five-Test series. Virat Kohli has been the one shining light for India during the first four Tests, with the in-form captain already amassing a whopping 544 runs at an average of 68. But his teammates have failed to fire on English shores, with Cheteshwar Pujara the only other India player to score a century through the first four Tests and the remainder of the top order failing to impress. Many of the India top

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order have failed to adjust to the English conditions and Azharuddin said far too much was left to Kohli and the middle order. “We lost the series because of poor batting and our batsmen were committing the same mistakes throughout,” Azharuddin told The Times of India. “Technically, our batsmen were found wanting. We didn’t play the moving ball well. We can’t depend only on Virat Kohli. Openers like Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul too didn’t get runs. “The middle-order was left with too much to do. We should have taken at least a 100-run lead after Cheteshwar Pujara’s hundred (in the fourth Test).” Azharuddin was part of the touring party that won the Test series 2-0 in En-

gland in 1986 and believes India missed a golden opportunity to emulate that. “We could have done better,” he said. “This was our best chance to win the series because we had the best bowling attack and in every game they got those 20 wickets and gave our team a chance to throttle the opposition.” Azharuddin was quick to praise Kohli’s efforts in England thus far, but bemoaned the lack of the support the India captain has received. “I have to compliment the way Kohli batted throughout the series,” Azaharuddin said. “But it boils down to one thing. It’s a team game and all the other batsmen need to complement their captain.” (Cricket Network)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 6, 2018

England’s Cook cried when he told team mates of retirement LONDON, England (Reuters) - England batsman Alastair Cook cried when he broke the news of his retirement to his team mates but said yesterday that burn-out was not behind his decision to bring the curtain down on his international career after more than a decade. The 33-year-old opener announced on Monday that he was retiring from England duty after this week’s fifth Test against India, saying there was “nothing left in the tank”. Cook said he informed

his team mates about his retirement plans after their 60run victory over India in the fourth Test at Southampton but had told captain Joe Root before the match. “I was a couple of beers in and I needed to be, otherwise I’d have cried more than I actually did,” he told reporters yesterday ahead of the final Test at The Oval. “There was a little bit of silence, then Mo (Moeen Ali) said something, everybody laughed and it was forgotten about.” Cook has endured a poor run of form with the bat in

England’s Alastair Cook during a press conference last Thursday at The Oval, London (Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs)

nine Tests this year in which he has averaged 18.62 runs compared with a career average of 44.88.

Asked if he had considered requesting a sabbatical to reassess his game, Cook said: “It did cross my mind

briefly, as the decision became clear in my mind. “But if you are looking over the last two or three years, I haven’t played a huge amounts of games, and I’ve never felt that getting on another plane has been the struggle. “It’s hard to put it into words, but over the last six months there have been signs in my mind that this (retirement) was going to happen.” Friday’s Test against India will mark the end of Cook’s 12-year international career, during which he has become the nation’s highest

run-scorer in Tests with 12 254 in 160 outings. England are 3-1 ahead and have wrapped up the series but Cook is determined to play well and enjoy one last Test victory. “It would be fantastic (to bow out on a high), but it would be great for England to win most importantly 4-1 sounds better than 3-2. If I can play a good innings, that would be fantastic,” he added. “I can look back and say I became the best player I could have become and that means a lot to me.”

Lancashire bowl out Jon Holland’s six for 81 inflicts 98-run loss on India A Somerset for 77 to tie at Taunton

South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj was playing only his second game for Lancashire.

LANCASHIRE bowled out Somerset for just 77 to tie a remarkable County Championship contest at Taunton. The hosts were 37-6 chasing 78 to win, and were eight wickets down with the scores level before Dom Bess was stumped off Keshav Maharaj’s bowling. Maharaj (7-37) then had last man Jack Leach, who earlier returned career-best bowling figures, caught at deep mid-wicket to complete a thrilling climax. It was the first Championship match to end in a tie for 15 years. The competition’s most recent tie before this one was between Warwickshire and Essex in April 2003. At Taunton, the result appeared to end Somerset’s lingering title hopes. Leaders Surrey asked Essex to follow-on in their ongoing match at Chelmsford and they seem certain to extend an advantage over Somerset that now stands at

21 points, with both sides having three games left to play at the end of this round of fixtures. Meanwhile, further questions are sure to be asked of the Taunton pitch after 13 of the 22 wickets to fall on day one were taken by spin bowlers, followed by Somerset’s spectacular collapse on the second afternoon. An incredible second day’s play had started with home spinner Leach taking 7-74 as Lancashire were bowled out for 170 in their second innings. He appeared to have put the hosts on the brink of victory by registering career-best match figures of 12-102, but nobody foresaw the drama that followed. Veteran seamer Onions (3-28) dismissed Marcus Trescothick and Azhar Ali with successive balls, taking him past the milestone of 50 Championship wickets this season, and three wickets before tea for South Africa spinner Maharaj made Lancashire slight favourites. England Test all-rounder Bess appeared to be guiding Somerset home but, with one run required for victory, failed to connect when coming down the pitch to Maharaj and was stumped by Dane Vilas. Onions bowled a maiden over to Jamie Overton to prolong a gripping finale, before Leach picked out Tom Bailey on the boundary, giving Maharaj match figures of 11-102. (BBC Sport)

JON Holland starred with six wickets in the second innings to inflict a 98-run loss on India A at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru yesterday. Mayank Agarwal waged a lone battle with his knock of 80 but found little support, as India A lost their last seven wickets for 39 runs. Starting on an overnight score of 63 for 2, India A needed a further 199 runs to win. Jon Holland ended India A’s early fight with the wicket of Ankit Bawne, which in turn ended a 73-run stand for

Jon Holland

the third wicket. Ravikumar Samarth fell soon after, getting caught-and-bowled by

Travis Head. Srikar Bharat and Krishnappa Gowtham were the

two other wickets to fall, and India A never recovered from losing four wickets in the first session of the day. It was a swift end after lunch. Holland’s left-arm orthodox spin was a little too hot for the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Ankit Rajpoot, and India A folded for 163. Brief Scores: Australia A 243 (Khawaja 127; Siraj 8-59) & 292 (Head 87; Siraj 3-77) beat India A 274 (Bawne 91*, Agarwal 47; Neser 4-61, Holland 3-89) & 163 (Agarwal 80; Holland 6-81) by 98 runs.

Serena fights back against Pliskova to reach US Open semis

Serena Williams

By Simon Jennings NEW YORK, USA (Reuters) - Serena Williams fought back from a break down in the first set to beat Czech eighth seed Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 6-3 and reach the semi-finals of the U.S. Open in suffocating conditions on Tuesday.

The 36-year-old, who is bidding for a record seventh title at Flushing Meadows as well her 24th career Grand Slam crown, started sluggishly at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, allowing Pliskova to take a 3-1 lead in the opening set. With the heat rule in effect and junior matches on the outside courts suspended earlier in the day, Williams made 22 unforced errors in the opening set but showed all of her big-match pedigree to battle back and close out the set by winning the last four games. “The crowd was really rooting for me and I felt so bad because everyone out here was cheering and I wasn’t winning so I thought I had to try harder,” Williams said courtside.

“I really feel like right now I’m playing free. I was having a baby this time last year so I have nothing to prove.” The second set was far more comfortable for the number 17 seed. Two successive breaks of serve allowed Williams to win her eighth game in a row and open up a 4-0 lead, and she saw off a brief fightback from Pliskova before sending down her 13th ace to seal the match in one hour and 26 minutes. “When I get to a Grand Slam, I feel I want to play really hard. I want to do really well. I love this game so maybe that’s why,” added Williams, who was beaten by Pliskova in the 2016 semi-finals. Williams saved 10 of the 12 break points and struck 35 winners to Pliskova’s 12 to record her first victory

over a player in the world’s top 10 since returning from maternity leave earlier this year. She’s one of the best players in the world,” Pliskova said. “Doesn’t matter that she’s number, what, 17 or 18 now. I think she’s still the strongest. “She’s not going to give you anything. She’s just going to ace you or play the best points on your chances. That’s just how it is.” Next up for the American is a semi-final clash with 19th seed Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia. “She’s been playing really well for actually a long time,” Williams said of her semi-final opponent. “So obviously I know her game really well. She clearly knows mine. So she’s definitely someone that gets a lot of balls back and something I have to be ready for.”

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 6, 2018

Tickets for Sunday’s CPL game almost sold out … Others moving at fast rate By Rajiv Bisnauth TICKETS for Sunday’s Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 game between the Guyana Amazon Warriors and Trinbago Knight Riders are almost sold out. This is according to a source close to the local ticketing office, located at 238 Camp and Quamina Streets, Georgetown. “Look, as we speak tickets for the game on Sunday are almost sold out. The only tickets available, as we speak, are tickets for the Red Stand,” the source told Chronicle Sport late yesterday afternoon. Predictably, there was a huge demand by cricket-lovers over the past week, and

according to the source, tickets for the game on Saturday between the Amazon Warriors and Jamaica Tallawahs are also moving at a fast rate. “The demand has been extraordinary so far but there are still limited tickets available for the three other games. We have about 10 to 12 percent of tickets available for Saturday’s game,” the source said. After Sunday’s game, Guyana will host the playoff matches, which will see the top four teams from the group stage battle it out on September 11 and 12. Tickets for those two games are also moving at a fast rate. The costs for tickets for those two playoff matches remain the same with the

Red and Green Stands ($5 000), Orange Stand ($3 000) and Grass Mound ($2 500). Meanwhile, car passes for the national stadium tarmac for this weekend games are sold out. Meanwhile, the four teams have sealed their spots in the playoffs, with the Guyana Amazon Warriors again among the four teams. They have made the playoff stages of the Hero CPL every season to date. The other teams are the Trinbago Knight Riders, Jamaica Tallawahs and the St Kitts Patriots. The Amazon Warriors have played in three of the five finals to date but Cricket-lovers in their numbers yesterday at the local ticketing office, located at 238 Camp and Quamina Streets, Georgetown. (Adrian Narine photo) are yet to lift the title.

Nadal beats Dominic Thiem in epic quarter-final

Rafael Nadal wins after four hours and 49 minutes

By Jonathan Jurejko DEFENDING champion Rafael Nadal dug deep to win the longest match of this year’s US Open in a classic five-set quarter-final against Dominic Thiem - which finished at 2:03hrs local time. World number one Nadal lost the opening set 6-0, after being out-powered by the Austrian ninth seed in New York. However, the 32-year-old Spanish top seed recovered to lead two sets to one before Thiem levelled in a tie-break. Nadal edged a tense fifth-set tie-break to win 0-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-7(4-7), 7-6(7-5). The 17-time Grand Slam champion clinched victory when Thiem hit an overhead smash long on the first match point, the

drama continuing until the last shot in an epic encounter lasting four hours and 49 minutes. Nadal jumped over the net to console his Austrian opponent at the end, the pair embracing as those left inside Arthur Ashe Stadium rose to their feet to give them a thunderous ovation. “I said to Dominic: ‘I’m very sorry and keep going.’ He has plenty of time to win. He will have his chances in the future without a doubt,” Nadal said. Asked about how he got through the tense moments, Nadal added: “Suffering is the right word. It was a great battle.” He will play Argentine third seed Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 champion, in tomorrow’s semi-final.” It is good

to have two days that probably will give me the chance to be 100% in the semi-final,” Nadal added. Thiem was aiming to earn a measure of revenge over Nadal, who dismantled his game for a straightforward victory in the French Open final in June - the Austrian’s only appearance in a Grand Slam showpiece. Ultimately, he faced more disappointment against one of the sport’s all-time great fighters. Eventually Nadal’s endurance came out on top in this match, which was his 17th at a Grand Slam to go past the fourhour mark. In contrast, 25-year-old Thiem had never previously gone past the four-hour mark in his whole career. Neither player outwardly showed signs of fatigue as they continued to trade blows deep into a high-octane match. Stylish and powerful winners continued to flow from the racquets of both players until the end, despite the match entering an energy-sapping fifth hour in hot and humid conditions at Flushing Meadows. (BBC Sport)

Cook admits regret in handling of Kevin Pietersen’s sacking ALASTAIR Cook has admitted that his handling of Kevin Pietersen’s sacking in 2014 was his biggest regret, ahead of what will be his 161st and last Test match for England. Speaking at the Oval where he addressed the press for a series of interviews after announcing his retirement from international cricket on Monday, the opener was candid about a period of turmoil in his career and English cricket. It came after a 5-0 loss in the 2013/14 Ashes, the fallout of which saw Pietersen, who top-scored in the series, jettisoned for not fully supporting his skipper, Cook. While the departing 33-yearold did not have the casting vote to call time on Pietersen’s career - who played 104 Tests and registered 23 hundreds - he was one of a number of people consulted on the decision. Speaking in an interview back at the start of 2017, Cook believed he had been hung out to dry by the ECB at the time with the impression being that it was ultimately his decision. It was a belief perpetuated by Pietersen in his autobiography, ‘KP’, in which he states his disappointment in Cook for agreeing to the move, despite the support he had offered him during the Ashes. “I thought the way he behaved called into question his qualifications to be captain,” said Pietersen.

Kevin Pietersen’s sacking wasn’t great for England cricket. (GettyImages)

Now, four years on, Cook admits there were issues with how the whole sorry affair played out. “It could have been handled differently,” said Cook. “I have a regret over it, it wasn’t great for English cricket. The end of the Sri Lanka series and the Lord’s Test - that was the lowest I was.” That Sri Lanka series saw England defeated, before the hosts succumbed to a 95-run defeat at Lord’s to India in the second Test of that 2014 series to put them one-down. Public perception of Cook and the ECB was at a grim low, with many on social media calling for the captain’s resignation and a complete overhaul of the system. “The fall-out of that wasn’t great for English cricket and wasn’t great for me. I was involved in that decision without being the bloke who

actually made the final decision.” Nevertheless, Cook stubbornly motored on. After turning around the series against India to win 3-1, the following summer saw England regain the Ashes under Cook’s watch (his second success against Australia as skipper). “When it was real tough I didn’t throw the towel in,” said Cook. “I still thought I was the best man for the job and the right man to be captain at that time. It wasn’t easy. I could have taken the easy option but I didn’t. And I got the - that sounds selfish but - the team got the reward winning the 2015 Ashes, which was just brilliant.” It seems the hatchet, to some extent, has been buried. Upon the announcement that Cook was to walk away from the international game, Pietersen sent out a Tweet commending the Essex man on his career. (Cricbuzz.com).

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 6, 2018

Elegant Jewellery and Pawn Shop supports Prime Minister’s Cup 2 ELEGANT Jewellery and Pawn Shop has thrown its support behind the second edition of the Prime Minister’s T20 Cup. This partnership was confirmed recently when the entity presented a cheque to the organisers, the Georgetown Softball Cricket League Inc. (GSCL), at the Regal Stationery Computer Centre, 69 Seaforth Street, Campbellville. Devon Callendar of Elegant Jewellery and Pawn Shop, who made the presentation to secretary of the GSCL, Telesha Ousman, said the business entity is pleased to be a part

of the tournament for the second consecutive year. He added that softball cricket is a family-oriented sport, and he is calling on the fans to support the game. Ousman expressed gratitude to the sponsor and said that the tournament is expected to attract some of the top local teams and also involves teams from Canada, New York and Florida. Ousman pointed out that lighted bails will be used in the finals and no entrance fee is required. The tournament will be played in the All-Stars and

Devon Callendar (left) of Elegant Jewellery and Pawn Shop presents the cheque to GSCL Inc. secretary Telesha Ousman.

Masters categories. The winning team in the AllStars segment will take home a trophy and $700 000 and the runners-up a trophy and $100 000, while the champion side in the Masters division will pocket a trophy and $600 000 and the runners-up a trophy and $100 000. The GSCL secretary indicated that Florida/Guyana Hope, one of the teams in the tournament, will present US$20 000 to the Guyana/Florida Hope charitable organisation during the competition which will commence on October 19 and conclude on October 21

at the Everest Cricket Club ground. The first 12 teams to register in the All-Stars category and 16 in the Masters division will be accepted. The venues identified for preliminary matches are Everest Cricket Club, Muslim Youth Organisation, Gandhi Youth Organisation, GNIC SC, DCC, Police, Malteenoes SC, YMCA and Ogle. Live crossover band and cheerleaders will provide added entertainment during the finals while there will be lots of giveaways for the fans.

Enterprise Legends honour Yadram on Karrau’s football U-19 success, triple hundred field equipped with floodlights

Bhaskar Yadram (centre) is flanked by members of the Enterprise Legends team after being presented with the band. (Photo: News Room/Avenash Ramzan)

ENTERPRISE Legends, an Over-40 cricket team on the East Coast of De-

merara, last weekend honoured all-rounder Bhaskar Yadram for leading Guy-

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Thursday September 6, 2018) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & Cummings Electrical Company Ltd. 83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Tridents (Match #6, Providence) (2) Tridents (Match #10, 2018) Today’s Quiz: (1) Who is the first player on the losing side to be declared Man of the Match in Hero CPL 2018? (2) What were his bowling figures? Answer in tomorrow's issue

ana to the 50-over title in the just concluded Cricket West Indies Regional Under-19 competition in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Members of the Enterprise Legends cricket team played a specially arranged softball match in honour of Yadram, before presenting him with a cricket band in recognition of his achievements this year. During the brief ceremony, NK Omar, a member of Enterprise Legends, said the members thought it best to honour Yadram, since apart from captaining Guyana to the Under-19 title, he also created history earlier this year in the Inter-county youth tournament.

On April 11, 2018, the right-handed Yadram pulverised the Select Under-17 squad, at the Everest ground, blazing to 301 not out for Demerara. It was the first triple hundred ever scored at this level. Omar said the Legends are indeed proud of the strides made by the young cricketer, and they are confident he will continue to excel as he makes the move up to senior cricket. Yadram said he is happy to have been acknowledged by the Legends, noting that he is committed to follow in the footsteps of opener Rajendra Chandrika and become the second player from Enterprise to play for the senior West Indies team.

The newly constructed Karrau football field

RESIDENTS of the indigenous village of Karrau in Region Seven are now enjoying their newly constructed football field. Last Sunday, Toshao of Karrau, Romeo Smith commissioned the field which is fully equipped with several floodlights, at the Karrau Heritage Day celebration. The project was funded through a collaborative effort between the government, the Karrau village and the regional council. He noted the village has undertaken several other projects recently. “We are moving forward. I think once we continue at this pace with project developments, this village will see a lot of improvements within the next few years,” Smith said.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday, September 6, 2018

West Indies B win Cricket Canada T20 Cricket-fest TORONTO, Canada - By virtue of winning all three games comfortably, West Indies B emerged winners of Cricket Canada’s T20 Cricket-fest, played over the last weekend at the Maple Leaf Cricket Club (MLCC) ground, King City, Toronto. The rampant regional side recorded easy wins against Canada, Canada A and Toronto Bears. On a day when both Canadian teams suffered defeats, West Indies B made light work of Canada A in their opening fixture, played last Saturday. Led by a dominant batting performance from opener John Campbell, who clobbered three sixes and nine fours in an unbeaten 83 off 46 balls, West Indies B rushed to 129 for one in 14.3 overs to record a comprehensive nine-wicket victory. The regional side were replying to Canada A’s 127 for three made in their allotted 20 overs. The victory was engineered by a fine unbeaten

The victorious West Indies B players and officials pose with the winners’ trophy.

second-wicket partnership of 97 between the left-handed Jamaican Campbell and Barbadian Justin Greaves who was undefeated on 33 when victory was achieved. Greaves, who strolled to the wicket following the dismissal of Kacy Carty, played a great supporting role while the no-nonsense Campbell showed utter disdain for all bowlers, a performance that earned him the coveted man-of-the-

match award. Earlier, Canada A had won the toss and surprisingly they chose to bat. They however found the going tough against accurate bowling from West Indies B, despite a brilliant 57 not our off 45 balls from R.P Singh and 31 from A. Khan. Fast medium bowler Derval Green finished with two for 22 while Greaves took the other wicket for 30 runs from his four overs. Singh

T&T grouped with giants USA, Mexico

Trinidad and Tobago women up against United States and Mexico.

MIAMI BEACH, Florida (CMC) – Trinidad and Tobago will face a tough preliminary round campaign after being drawn in a difficult Group A for the CONCACAF Women’s Championship starting next month. In the draw staged here Tuesday, T&T found themselves placed alongside powerhouses United States and Mexico, along with Panama from the Central American region. The US won the last Women’s Championship staged here four years ago, while Mexico finished third and T&T, fourth. Group B, meanwhile, will see Jamaica up against 2014 losing finalists, Costa Rica, along with Canada and Cuba. Jamaica qualified after dominating the Caribbean zone of qualifiers which finished last

week, playing unbeaten to head the standings ahead of T&T and Cuba, who finished second and third respectively. The CONCACAF Women’s Championship, which runs from October 4 to 17, will be played at three venues – Sahlen’s Stadium in Cary, North Carolina; HEB Park in Edinburg, Texas and Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. T&T raise the curtain on the tournament with a clash against Panama in Cary before taking on Mexico on October 7 and the US three days later, all at the same venue. Jamaica face Canada in their opener on October 5, take on Costa Rica three days later before closing out their preliminary round campaign against Cuba on October 11. Group A will be hosted at HEB Park.

and Khan added an unbeaten 65 for the fourth wicket. In the first match of the double-header, Toronto Bears defeated Canada’s national team in a closely-fought affair, winning by eight runs, despite a masterful all-round performance by former Guyana youth player Dillon Heyliger who bagged five for 16, including a hat-trick and struck a quick-fire 27. On Sunday, West Indies

B continued their winning ways with a five-wicket win over the Canadian national side. After restricting their hosts to 146 all out in 19.5 overs, West Indies B reached the required target with two overs to spare. Recalled Test player Sunil Ambris led the way with a top score of 54 (5x4, 1x6) while the consistent Greaves contributed 40 (4x4, 2x6), the two featuring in a third-wicket partnership of 83. Cecil Pervez and Heyliger claimed two for 10 and 27 respectively. Heyliger had earlier slammed 35 (4x4, 1x6) while the wickets were shared by Greaves (four for 25) and Green (four for 33). It was easy sailing for West Indies B on Monday, as they trounced Toronto Bears by six wickets, rushing to victory in the 11th over after limiting their opponents to 124 for seven in their allotted 20 overs. Wicketkeeper and middle-order batsman Jahmar

Hamilton raced to an unbeaten 59 off 28 balls, laced with five fours and four sixes to claim the man-of-thematch award as West Indies B reached 127 for four. Former Guyana and West Indies One-day player, Royston Crandon, led from the front for Toronto Bears, spanking three fours and four sixes in a top score of 47 but his effort was all in vain while Rodrigo Thomas hit 28. There were two wickets each for Kyle Mayers, Jomel Warrican and Greaves. The victorious West Indies B pocketed Cdn$5 000 and a trophy for winning the T20 four-team tournament. West Indies B were due to engage Canada in the first of two 50-over matches yesterday with the other scheduled for tomorrow at the same venue. Guyanese Anthony Bramble is leading the West Indies B while the head coach is Esaun Crandon. (Frederick Halley)

Allen fires Patriots to thrilling two-wicket victory … condemns Tridents to sixth straight defeat

BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC) – Jamaican Fabian Allen produced a stunning late blitz as St Kitts and Nevis Patriots sent Barbados crashing to two-wicket defeat and their sixth in a row, in the Caribbean Premier League here Tuesday night. Yet again, Tridents failed to mount a competitive total after being asked to bat first at Warner Park, and Patriots chased down the target with two balls remaining, to notch their fifth win of the tournament and move to the top of the table on 11 points. Patriots never found their footing early on in the run chase and stumbled to 92 for six in the 12th over before Man-of-the-Match Allen blasted an unbeaten 64 off 34 deliveries to stage a superb recovery for the hosts. With 17 required from the last over, however, Tridents remained in the contest but captain Jason Holder inexplicably asked debutant left-arm seamer Dominic Drakes to close out the game and the burden proved too much for the 20-year-old. Allen smashed the first two balls for straight sixes and then dispatched an errant full toss to the mid-wicket boundary, to leave the scores tied, before scrambling a leg bye off the fourth ball to see his side home. The defeat was Tridents’ seventh of a wretched campaign which saw them eliminated from playoffs contention following their fifth successive de-

Fabien Allen acknowledges the crowd after taking St Kitts and Nevis Patriots to victory on Tuesday night at Warner Park. (Photo courtesy CPL)

feat on their home leg which wrapped up last Sunday in Bridgetown. Nicholas Pooran had earlier topscored with 44 as Tridents managed only 168 for five, after another lack-lustre showing with the bat. Test star Roston Chase, in only his second match of the tournament, struck an unbeaten 38 while Holder got 30 not out and opener Dwayne Smith, 26. The start was a half-decent one with Smith and ICC Americas player Sunny Sohal putting on 45 off 38 balls, before the veteran Smith missed a sweep at left-arm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi (2-16) and was lbw in the seventh over. His dismissal saw a now familiar slide as four wickets went down for 22 runs in the space of 24 balls

before Pooran, promoted to number three, repaired the innings in a 48-run fifth-wicket stand with Chase. The left-handed Pooran faced 32 deliveries and struck three fours and sixes before feathering a catch behind off speedster Alzarri Joseph in the 17th over. With Tridents poised to lose momentum, Chase and Holder combined in a 53-run unbroken sixth-wicket stand to give the innings a rousing finish. Chase counted two fours and a six in a 28-ball knock while Holder faced only 11 balls and clobbered two fours and three sixes. In reply, skipper Chris Gayle hammered 22 from 18 balls in a 37-run opening stand with Evin Lewis (19) but once left-arm seamer Mohammed Irfan (3-37) got the left-handed Lewis to sky to mid-wicket in the fourth over, the innings went into a tailspin. Irfan bowled Rassie van der Dussen (4) two balls later in the same over and when the Pakistani had Gayle tugging a simple catch to mid-on, Tridents were on top. Wickets continued to tumble until the exciting Allen arrived to pummel six fours and four sixes in a 50-run stand with Ben Cutting (11). Holder bowled Cutting in the 18th over and left-arm pacer Wahab Riaz also bowled Joseph (7) in the penultimate over to set up a tense finish but Allen held his nerve in the final over to hurt Tridents.

Let the battle begin! Barbados vs Guyana CONCACAF Nations League clash should be a scorcher

See Page 18

The calm before the storm! Golden Jaguars skipper Samuel Cox (right) greets his Barbados counterpart Aiden Hooligan at yesterday’s press conference. (Adrian Narine photos) Michael Johnson – Guyana head coach

Ahmed Mohamed – Barbados head coach

Nationals could be cancelled if strike continues

See Page 18

District 10, the reigning champions of Nationals

West Indies B win Cricket Canada T20 Cricket-fest Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 2 2 6- 3243-9 (General); Editorial: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216. Fax:2 2 7- 5208

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2018