Guyana Chronicle E-Paper 23 02 2020 by Guyana Chronicle

66 named for national awards

23rd February, 2020 PAGE

18 …Former First Lady, Varshnie Singh among awardees

No.105919

50th Republic Anniversary greetings to all Guyanese President David Granger being escorted by heads of the Joint Services as he enters the D’Urban Park arena for the 50th Republic Anniversary Flag-raising ceremony and cultural display on Saturday (Carl Croker photo)

‘SET ASIDE DIFFERENCES’ -- President David Granger urges on 50th Republic Anniversary

SEE PAGE 03

…Promises new highways, constitutional reform during Decade of Development

Cocaine, go-fast vessel seized in Parika Backdam raid …CANU ranks threatened by Alberttown businessman

Eight soldiers injured in fireworks explosion PAGE

…President visits injured ranks assures relatives of best possible care

PAGE

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, February 23, 2020

81% turnout of Joint Services voters …coalition attributes high turnout to lawmen’s confidence in President Granger

OF the 10,226 eligible voters from the Disciplined Services, a total of 8,369 persons or 81.8% voted on Friday. According to Public Re-

lations Officer of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM),Yolanda Ward, statistics recorded by the commission indicate that from the Guyana Police

Force, 5400 or 80.6% of eligible voters casted their ballots. From the Guyana Defence Force, 2539 or 83.6% of eligible voters, voted. From the Guyana Prison Ser-

President David Granger and Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon visited the Guyana Defence Force Headquarters, Camp Ayanganna on Friday to observe voting (Adrian Narine photo)

Policemen standing in line as they get ready to cast their ballots

vice, 430 persons or 88.1% of the total eligible voters casted their ballots on Friday. A total of 82 polling stations were made available by GECOM at various locations across the country for members of the Disciplined Services. Chairperson of the GECOM, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, and several of her commissioners expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the joint services

voting on Friday. Justice Singh told journalists that she visited a number of polling stations including the Ruimveldt Police Station, Base Camp Seweyo, the Police Officers’ Mess at Eve Leary, and the Guyana Police Force Training Centre, and voting by the Joint Services members were being done in a peaceful and orderly manner. “No concerns were

raised. Everything is going very smoothly. We are not aware of any concerns so far,” the GECOM Chair said. Justice Singh noted that at some polling stations, the voter turnout was relatively high compared to others but explained that such is due to the fact that members of the Disciplined Services were working at different periods of the day. TURN TO PAGE

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, February 23, 2020

Set aside differences, work together -- President David Granger urges on 50th Republic anniversary

President David Granger

PRESIDENT David Granger has called on Guyanese to set aside their differences and cooperate for the common good as Guyana celebrates 50 years as a Republic. “We can work together to make this auspicious year an opportunity to place Guyana on an irreversible path to greater liberty, unity and prosperity,” the President said in a message to celebrate the milestone. Guyanese, the head of state said, must enjoy the bounty and benefits of the Decade of Development, the most exciting and exhilarating in the nation's history. The 50th anniversary of the Republic, according to the Guyanese leader, is a celebration of an auspicious event in

the history of the nation and a propitious moment for future generations. “This anniversary evokes emotions of pride and patriotism. There is satisfaction over the nation’s progress over the past 50 years and expectation over the prospects for the future. “The 50th anniversary is an exciting and encouraging time for Guyanese who can look forward to a higher quality of life in the future. This anniversary year marks, also, the dawn of the ‘Decade of Development: 2020-2029’ which will witness progress in every sector,” the President said. (See outline in bullet points). Guyana, Mr. Granger said, protects its national patrimo-

81% turnout for ... Government-nominated Elections Commissioner, Desmond Trotman, who was seen observing the polling at the Georgetown Prison Conference Room, also expressed satisfaction. He said not only did voting commence on time, but also members of the Joint Services had turned out in their numbers to cast their ballots. “In my own estimation, it is going well so far. In some places where there are massive numbers, there is a massive turn out, and so a lot of people are actually there and voting. Here, where there is a small number—126-- already 45 persons have voted,” Trotman told the Guyana Times during the early hours of the elections. Another Elections Commissioner, Sase Gunraj, who was also present at the Georgetown Prison Conference Room, made similar observations. “So far, it seems to be going pretty smoothly,” Gunraj said, while noting that there were no reported incidents. GECOM had informed members of the Disciplined Services that at an appointed day before March 2, 2020, all Disciplined Services’ ballots will be sorted accordingly in

the presence of party agents. In order to protect the secrecy of the votes cast, the ballot papers will not be stamped with the official six-digit stamp until Election Day and intermixed with the votes of others for counting. In addition to the 10,226 members of the Disciplined Services who were expected to vote on Friday, 83 non-resident electors were scheduled to cast their votes.

ny – its coastland, grasslands, highlands, islands, wetlands, lakes, rainforests, rivers and waterfalls. These physical features, together with the country’s magnificent fauna – animals, birds, fish, insects and reptiles – are wonderful natural assets, he said. Guyana, he noted, is in transition to becoming a ‘green state’ which will place greater emphasis on the preservation of the environment and biodiversity, the promotion of the generation of energy from renewable sources and the implementation of measures for climate mitigation and adaptation. “We live in a country that is enjoying high levels of growth and human development and with accountable government and greater equality. Ours is one in which everyone will be able to enjoy equality before the law, education that is free, employment that is satisfying and an environment that is safe and healthy,” the President related in his statement. He also said that statehood represented a substantive fulfilment of the people’s aspirations to chart their own destiny by refashioning their social and economic relations, introducing new national institutions, affirming sovereignty and adFROM PAGE

tion life for the hardworking members of the Joint Services has improved significantly under the APNU+AFC Coalition Government with vastly increased salaries, lower taxes, more training opportunities, better conditions of work, meritorious promotions, more equipment and greater resources. “The Joint Services put their lives on the line to keep our country and its citizens safe and their welfare and wellbeing are top priorities COALITION HEARTfor our Coalition GovernENED Meanwhile, the ruling ment. We are committed to APNU+AFC Coalition in a ensuring that their quality of statement Saturday said it is life, like that of all Guyanese heartened by the high level improves even more during of turnout by the members our next term in governof the Disciplined Services ment,” the statement added. for their voting on Friday “The APNU+AFC CoaFebruary. The coalition said lition is the only party that the 82% turnout is a clear in- is committed to ensuring dication of the immense con- that every member of our fidence that the members of joint services is a homeownthe Joint Services have in the leadership provided by Presi- er. We salute the members dent Brigadier, David Grang- of the Joint Services for er and the APNU+AFC Coa- their impressive turnout on lition Government. “Further, Disciplined Services Voting this unprecedented turnout Day and look forward to is higher than that achieved them providing services in 2015 when our Coalition on E-Day, March 2nd to went on to win the elections.” ensure a safe day of voting According to the coali- for all eligible electors.”

vancing towards the goal of self-reliance. “Statehood brought us to the realisation that the

common good is greater than the sum of our individual interests. Our country has progressed over the past 50

PRESIDENT DAVID GRANGER SAID GREATER ATTENTION WILL BE PAID TO:

years on the basis of this principle. It will continue along this path during the decade ahead,” he said.

* Social cohesion: by ensuring greater respect for each other’s ethnic identities and cultural practices regardless of race, religion and region of residence * Educational achievement: assured by * Social protection: by eliminating exenabling every child to gain access to treme poverty and strengthening social nursery, primary and secondary schools safety measures for the aged, the homeand providing tuition-free education less, the indigent and disabled for eligible students at the University of * Human safety: by intensifying law Guyana enforcement through action to suppress * Economic growth: enabled by incentives and reduce crime, protect human life and for agriculture, agro-processing, business, ensure public security commerce, fishing, manufacturing and * Information technology: by establishing mining ICT centres of excellence in all capital * Energy security: strengthened by a towns to benefit young and enterprising robust institutional, legislative and regu- citizens and by placing public services latory framework for the management of online the petroleum sector and the development * Indigenous peoples’ development: by of renewable energy sources preserving their cultural identity and * Environmental protection: by preserv- according recognition of their knowledge ing our ecosystems and biodiversity and in protecting the environment implementing conservation, climate ad- * Infrastructural improvement: by exaptation and mitigation measures tending aerodromes, bridges, highway * Constitutional reform: by safeguarding networks, stellings and ferry services and human rights, promoting inclusionary strengthening coastal sea defences; and democracy and emphasising broader * International relations: by defending political consultation our territorial integrity, protecting our * Governance: by enhancing transpar- sovereignty, strengthening the Caribbean ency and integrity in public office; by Community and supporting the United empowering women and youth and Nations’ role in preserving international strengthening regional development peace and security.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 23, 2020

Throwing it back to a Linden Mashramani

MASHRAMANI has its genesis in the mining town of Linden and will serve as one of the achievements Lindeners will forever boast about. It was in 1966 that the first Mashramani float parade brought alive Arvida Road now known as Republic Avenue and thousands of Lindeners spectated the energetic and hyped performance of the revellers, dancers and controllers of the gigantic, colourful and eye-catching floats. Before 1970 however, Mashramani was dubbed an Independence Carnival, in recognition of Guyana gaining independence. This occurred for four years, before the transition of the festivity to a Republican Carnival, which was then followed by the name change to Mashramani. At this time, it was coordinated by a social group- the Jaycees- and the Jaycees Republic Celebration Committee was later formed to further ensure that it was well organised and supported. It was not only Lindeners who supported the celebration, but all residents of Region 10 and thousands of Guyanese who journeyed to the mining town just to get a glimpse of the floats. Selected as Chairman of the Committee was the late Basil Butcher, former West Indies batsman. Jim Blackman was appointed as deputy. Other members were Wordsworth McAndrew, Arthur Seymour and Adrian Thompson. It was

Sunday, February 23, 05:30 HRS - 07:00 HRShrs

scenes of Mashramani in Linden in the 1970s suggested to Butcher, who was recently laid to rest, that the name ‘Carnival’ be changed to make it something more indigenous to Linden, as there were carnivals all across the world. It was suggested that an Amerindian name be chosen. A popular Amerindian resident in Linden, Mr. Allan Fieldlow, was contacted; Fieldlow later had discussions with his grandfather, who described a type of festival that was held by Amerindians whenever they gathered to celebrate a special event. The event he said, was like “Muster Many” (or Mashirimehi in Amerindian) and sounded in Arawak like Mashramani; steps were taken to confirm this and it was later unanimously decided that ‘Mashramani’ will be the name of the grand republic celebration. The unique name change only added to the excitement for residents as the first ‘Mash,’ On February 23, 1970, is said to have pulled one of the largest crowds in Linden. Thousands of outsiders swarmed the mining town to be part of the gyrating, celebrating, drinking and imbibing. It was

indeed celebration after hard work. Many journeyed from Kwakwani, Ituni, Aroaima and Everton to take the festivity by storm. Coastlanders came in their hundreds as they no longer had to journey through the Demerara River, but travelled by bus on the relatively new Soesdyke-Linden Highway, which was opened up to traffic in 1968. It was a colourful bonanza with as large as 1000-strong bands following the huge floats which transformed Mackenzie into an array of colours and sheer energy. Revellers followed the sweet soca music all the way to the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground, where the judging took place and the partying continued. It was three days of pure frolic and fun TRANSITIONING After realising how much traction Mashramani was getting, Mr. David Singh, a government official, held discussions with the Jaycees Committee about bringing the event to Georgetown, the nation’s capital. Approval was also given by then President Forbes Burnham for it to be a national event for the republic celebration. This approval was given and ‘Mash’ activities were rotated among Linden, Berbice and Georgetown, while the float parade remained in Georgetown. This transition occurred in 1976 and Lindeners did not easily give up their celebration. They supported the ‘Mash’ activities in Georgetown to the maximum and put out 1000 to 2000-strong bands. Linden also sent a delegate to represent the mining town at the ‘Mash’ Pageant every year and on many occasions the crown returned home. After many years, Linden stakeholders decided that the celebrations return to the township. It was in 2006 that the first ‘Linden Mash’ was held and has been an annual event ever since. It is usually held on the Sunday after the 23rd February. For this jubilee year celebration, Mashramani was launched in Linden last October. This was of great significance to the people of Linden, and the Ministry of Social Cohesion , Department of Culture, was highly praised for the initiative. Scores of Lindeners came out at the bus park to join in the celebration, which started off with a road parade which incorporated costume bands, a drum corps and steel orchestra.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 23, 2020

Introducing Psychological First Aid By Melina Harris

ALTHOUGH the healthcare sector in Guyana has been making improvements in the provision of healthcare services overall, there are gaps which remain that need to be filled. One of the areas in desperate need for more funding and increased service provision is mental health and wellbeing. Recognising the need for urgent intervention, Ian Harris, a psychotherapist, created HEMS. HEMS is the only organisation in Guyana where citizens are able to receive “psychological first aid”. Mr Harris holds a degree in Communications from the University of Guyana; he is a trained wilderness first responder and basic life-support instructor. HEMS is now in its second year, having been established in late 2018. The facility is operated by former emergency services personnel who are trained to counsel and advise those suffering from mental health concerns. Affected individuals are able to contact the team via their hotline where “psychological first aid” is administered to the affected individual. Following the initial conversation, affected individuals can begin the process of getting help through relevant and appropriate interventions. Mr. Harris created HEMS because he noticed the gap in the market for Guyanese suffering from mental health conditions. “Many persons suffer from some

form of mental ill health, you may suffer from low mood, anxiety, depression or you may just have depression, which, without the proper interventions, could lead to suicidal thoughts or ideation.” Mr. Harris noted that “there are many challenges affecting society right now, if you are a millennial and you spend more than half an hour on social media, you could be suffering from what is known as social isolation which basically means that as a millennial, you are the most connected but you are also the loneliest. One of the mental health challenges you are likely to face is social isolation which can lead to anxiety and depression.” He further went on to note the added stresses young people might face when making the transition from school to the workplace environment. Mr Harris said that many millennials simply “aren’t prepared for it and they need to be mentally prepared for that transition and most have difficulty adjusting to it.” “There are a lot of young persons battling with anxiety and depression issues. Until HEMS came into play, there was no avenue for them to turn to get some help. Young people often feel like there is something going on with me and I don’t want to talk to persons because they might think that I am tripping and so they suffer in silence. With the creation of HEMS, I wanted persons to become aware that it is an organisation that exists to listen to

– HEMS by Ian Harris

you and meet your needs and inspire you to talk with someone. You are able to understand why you are suffering from whatever mental illness, and it doesn’t mean that you are mad. It means that you are suffering from an issue that could be reversed, depending on the intervention. For example, social isolation is an issue that nobody is talking about in Guyana but there is extensive research on how social isolation impacts young people. Sixty per cent of Guyana’s population is under the age of 25, that’s an extremely young population but most times we are not aware of what is going on with them.” Although there continues to be a certain stigma surrounding mental health, Mr. Harris is adamant that it should not affect persons’ ability to get help. “This is our second year and I have taken a deliberate approach to be very militant about saving lives affected by mental health. Issues are occurring on a daily basis, every second of the day. There are many persons living lives in a world of hopelessness and that relates to how they see themselves and how they see the world. A lot of young people see themselves as hopeless. Unfortunately, until HEMS, there was no known agency that has the facility to deal with such circumstances. We are attempting to reverse that so they know that what they are suffering

is not a situation that cannot be changed, it could be reversed with the right intervention. From my interactions with many young persons, mental health is a big issue for them but it is taboo so they are reluctant to speak about it. I want to reach out to those persons and say that it is okay to talk and that help is nearby.” Mental health also has an effect on one’s ability to form and maintain good relationships, especially interpersonal domestic relationships. HEMS offers couples therapy. It is “primarily a service designed to work with couples who are having difficulty relating to each other, Mr. Harris said. “Many times there are many triggers that come up in the relationship that results in some form of verbal exchange that could turn violent. Through therapy, they could have those matters resolved.” “Couples should call to indicate that they are a couple having challenges. Most interventions would take about five counselling sessions. We could deal with anxiety issues where the person doesn’t trust the other. Anxiety has a devastating effect on the body. By having a third party sit with you to look at the challenges you are having, through

psychological first aid, we could identify what the issues are and find a way to have those issues resolved so as a couple you could learn how to communicate with each other and how to respond well to each other to solve problems.” Mr. Harris further went on to state that, “if you’re prepared to spend close to $2 million dollars for a wedding and prior to that wedding you are still having a number of issues that are minor, but could become major, as in life threatening or life changing, then it makes sense to speak to a psychotherapist. Say we’re having challenges with communication, my other half understanding me clearly as an individual and my needs, you have to take some time to find out how those needs can be met so that, as a couple, you become synergised and can work together to achieve common goals and common objectives without going into a zone of conflict and arguments, depression and suicidal thoughts.” Mr. Harris asserted that “as a psychotherapist – we are aware of the needs of millennials, it is easy to identify the issues and to find prudent and pragmatic ways to make sure that when they come out of these sessions they can feel satisfied and can

Ian Harris – HEMS founder live meaningful and comfortable lives”. HEMS also offers a service to emergency services personnel who are able to contact them via the hotline in order to discuss their mental health concerns.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, February 23, 2020

50 years of republicanism

TODAY, Guyana officially observes its 50th anniversary as a republic. When considering the life of a country, five decades is not a very long time. But given the tremendous global changes that have occurred since 1970, it seems like ages since Guyana declared its separation from the British monarchy. At the time it was a very bold step that some described in unflattering terms. Coming as it did a mere four years after attaining constitutional independence, it was bound to be seen as controversial. Guyana was in effect declaring a total institutional break with its colonial past. That only two other countries in the Anglophone Caribbean have dared to follow Guyana’s lead in this regard underscores that boldness. In many respects, repub-

licanism, which is defined as rule by the people or the public, was the completion of the independence project. Independence , it was reasoned, could not be a reality while the monarch of England remained the Head of State and the Privy Council continued as Guyana’s court of last resort. It was therefore a very radical political move that in the context of the Cold War marked the country for special attention by the western powers. When one takes into consideration the government’s move to nationalise the commanding heights of the economy, our republican status assumed greater significance. Republicanism logically deepened Guyanese nationalism. After more than three centuries of bondage in the form of slavery, indentureship and colonialism, Guyanese cried out for their own

indigenous identity forged in its resistance to that bondage. Rejection of monarchical rule was in effect an affirmation of the Guyanese quest for self-hood and self-determination. This was at the heart of the decision to name the new republic the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. It was a recognition of the spirit of cooperation that was central to the survival of and resistance to bondage. What is often not always recalled is that the decision to move to a republic met with universal agreement among the political adversaries of that time. The PPP, despite its suspicion of the PNC, welcomed the republic which also found favour with the more radical groups in the country such as the African Society for Cultural Relations with Independent Africa (ASCRIA) and the Movement Against Oppression (MAO).

Given what was to transpire later in the decade, this was indeed a critical development. As Guyana observes the Golden Jubilee of republicanism, we can give thanks that the republic has survived. There were challenges from within and outside its borders. The nationalist path to economic development embarked on by the government of the first two decades of republicanism was in the context of the Cold War seen as an ideological challenge to the West. Domestically, the logic of ethnic and ideological diversity tested the republic, but in the end, we survived. Some of the major founding fathers and mothers of the republic are no longer around, but we give thanks for their wisdom and vision. Forbes Burnham must be remembered for his bold

leadership at that critical juncture and Cheddi and Janet Jagan must also be hailed for their cooperation. Others such as Shridath Ramphal, Hamilton Green, Ashton Chase and Eusi Kwayana are still around and deserve our thanks. In fact, Kwayana is credited with giving the republic its name. We also remember the brave warriors of 1763 in whose honour the republic was christened. Cuffy, Acara, Atta, Acabreh and their band of freedom fighters inspired the move to republicanism. The republic was born in the midst of art and culture. Our major carnival Mashramani, accompanied the declaration of self-hood and still stands today as a memory of the birth of the new independence. We sing and dance today in recognition and celebration of our survival as a nation

poised to rise to the top. Yes. this 50th anniversary comes at the beginning of what promises to be a defining period in Guyana’s history. The arrival of the oil and gas economy opens up new possibilities for socio-economic development. The freedom from underdevelopment envisaged in 1970 stands its best chance of being realised. Perhaps this is an opportune time to renew our republican vows. There is still a lot of ground to cover . In a week’s time we go to another election to give voice and life to governance by the people. We will elect and re-elect representatives to guide the nation for the next five years. Let us in the heat of competition remember that the republic is greater than the political party.

Mr Jagdeo’s words and insinuations matter! – recent Stewartville rantings are recklessly dangerous! Dear Editor, ON Sunday February 9, 2020, the PPP held a rally at Stewartville on the West Coast of Demerara. Mr. Jagdeo, while addressing his party’s supporters at that rally made some comments which I consider to be highly inflammatory, reckless and dangerous. He used a portion of his time on stage to question the competency, readiness and fairness of GECOM. One of his many spurious assertions, which I find to be most alarming is this comment; “Whenever I walk around this country, wherever I go, people say to me, ‘we know the PPP will win the elections if the elections are free and fair.’ But will they be free and fair? This is a pressing concern among many Guyanese,” Jagdeo went on to state … “That fear you have is justified, but don’t think that we are taking it lightly.” These were

the words uttered by the opposition leader to his supporters. The message and signals encapsulated in these specific words should be enough to ring alarm bells in the minds of GECOM, APNU+AFC and every right-thinking Guyanese. Words matter, more so the words of leaders and those who purport to be leaders, matter! Allow me to state exactly what concerns me about these words uttered by Mr. Jagdeo. Firstly, since the 23 years of the PPP’s rule in Guyana I have never seen Mr. Jagdeo or the PPP so obsessed with GECOM. Why are they so obsessed with GECOM and its chair? When the PPP was in power they appointed GECOM chairs at different periods. They appointed Doodnauth Singh, Joe Singh and Steve Surujbally. So, why do they now have a problem with Claudette Singh, an experienced and credible professional? I have never heard Jagdeo or the PPP challenge

or express any kind of open attack against the men whom they appointed to chair GECOM. Are they obsessed with Claudette Singh because they did not appoint! Let’s not forget that the PPP found her to be a credible and fit nominee, and Mr. Jagdeo consented to her appointment, so why the inexorable attack? Why attack Justice Singh, I wonder whether Jagdeo and the PPP’s brazen attack on the present chairperson of GECOM, Retired Justice Claudette Singh is sexist? Or, is their reason for maligning her even more sinister. Justice Claudette Singh happens to be the first woman elected to chair this most crucial office, and mere weeks after she was sworn in Mr. Jagdeo and the PPP unleashed a barrage of attacks on her. These attacks are targeted at her competency and integrity. However, Claudette Singh has demonstrated that she can withstand the PPP’s attacks. In analyzing the attacks on Madam

Justice Singh, I saw elements of male chauvinistic mantra. I therefore, can only conclude that these attacks are also sexist. For centuries women were presumed to be unfit for challenging or deeply complex jobs and so they were deliberately exempted or considered for certain positions. It was a refreshing move when President Granger nominated and appointed Justice Claudette Singh SC, CCH to the post of Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). Justice Singh’s appointment was celebrated by all in Guyana, especially women. The PPP must know that their campaign to discredit her is also a turn-off to women and sends the wrong message to women and girls in Guyana. Again, I have followed the appointment of the chairmen before Justice Claudette Singh and I have never seen this level of attack on any of them. I am appalled that the women in the PPP stand by and watch this

unrelenting attack playout in plain sight. Do they believe that a qualified and competent woman cannot carry out the functions of chair of GECOM? With the just concluded Joint Services voting process conducted by GECOM, Justice Claudette Singh has demonstrated that she is more than capable of effectively executing her responsibilities. Jagdeo and the PPP’s challenge to her competency and integrity has been forcefully debunked. Will they even come out and commend Justice Singh for her leadership? I will not hold my breath, they will not stop with their shameless agenda! As a woman I am offended! I watch to see if those in the PPP who are waiting to emerge as presidential candidates in the future will denounce this shameless attack. Their silence will say a lot, it will be a silence that may follow their own political careers TURN TO PAGE

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, February 23, 2020

Irfaan’s qualifications: What Freddie Kissoon got wrong and the shocking reasons why Dear Editor, MOST times I’d rather not get involved in any intellectual debate with Freddie Kissoon, since I find him very irrational, inconsistent and contemptuous. Today I had no choice but to ignore that inclination since from his Saturday column, I strongly believe that Freddie is trying to hoodwink the Guyanese electorate. I sincerely hope that Freddie, a known pen for hire, doesn’t take it too personal since this response is not directed at him; rather, it is aimed at his handlers. In my opinion Freddie clearly operates under the directive of his paymaster Glenn Lall, who himself operates under the directive of his political masters, the PPP. We can ignore his many boasts of exposing the PPP. This is not the complete truth, since nega-

tive investigative reporting was more of Jagdeo, with whom he had personal issues and the PPP being collateral damage. I did a missive last week wherein I provided the evidence of Freddie’s biased attacks on Mr. Granger and the APNU+AFC government, while completely ignoring Irfaan Ali and the PPP. This comes against the backdrop of him claiming to be unbiased, aiming for a minority government and the fact that the elections will be close. As a result, any rational person would have anticipated equal critique of both major parties to achieve the above objectives. My attention was drawn to his column which titled, “Irfaan qualifications: What is moral judgement?” On examining the headline I anticipated an academic elucidation of Irfaan Ali’s qualifications supported by intellectual reasoning

and sound moral judgement. Unfortunately, that was not the case and as a result I felt compelled to respond. Freddie commented on the court case in which Ali is presently involved, regarding his academic qualifications. I will take a snippet and quote Freddie verbatim,”The controversy is dead and gone because Ali now has a doctorate degree from a top university recognised by the world. There can no longer be any legal process anywhere in the world that can resort to abrogate his doctorate. He is now a qualified person.” Am I surprised to read such hogwash emanating from Freddie’s biased pen? No. What Freddie is positing is that one can falsify one’s first degree and use said false degree to acquire other degrees, including a doctorate. Once the doctorate is acquired, then the false first degree loses its illegal status and becomes

legal, hence, taking it beyond the purview of the courts. Using an analogy, a drug lord can invest his illegal money in legitimate businesses and once that is done, the illegal money becomes legal, hence making money laundering laws redundant. Does Freddie really believe what he wrote? If he does, then he seriously should have stopped writing last Thursday, as he had promised. The fact is that academic fraud is a serious crime as I highlighted last week and there are no steps one can take, who was involved in academic fraud to legitimise it. As a result, all of Irfaan Ali’s qualifications would be illegitimate as a result of an illegitimate first degree. I guess that Freddie did his research before he wrote his column and was able to locate the West Demerara University from which Irfaan Ali got his fraudulent degree. I do wonder if

Mr Jagdeo’s words and insinuations ... Secondly, I believe Mr. Jagdeo’s most recent rants, at Stewartville can be construed as a threat to GECOM and the Guyanese voters. To state that ‘we know the PPP will win the elections if the elections are free and fair’… don’t think that we are taking it lightly.” Clearly, this is a call by Mr. Jagdeo to question GECOM’s impartiality in the process. Further, his obvious intention is to signal to his supporters that as long as the APNU+AFC is declared to have won the elections then they, the PPP and its supporters must consider the elections rigged. This seems like an openly perfidious appeal! Some may argue it’s a threat against GECOM and the nation! However, I have not heard the ERC on this, maybe they missed Mr. Jagdeo’s comments. Jagdeo’s words are dangerous and they seem to invite actions that might be most perilous. His comments seem to represent a most severe form of bullying. This kind of open intimidation must be rejected by any sane person. I hope the note takers from the Carter Center and other observer missions are taking copious notes. Mr. Jagdeo has basically said to PPP supporters, reject the results of the elections if GECOM does not call the elections for the PPP; what lunacy! He believes he gets

to determine what constitutes “free and fair” not the people of Guyana. Doesn’t Mr. Jagdeo understand and know that the call he is making is likely to invite unthinkable hate and violence in the country? Doesn’t he know that his efforts to create doubts about GECOM’s ability to conduct free and fair elections in Guyana may invite unprecedented chaos which may leave many of his very supporters worst off? Is Mr. Jagdeo taking steps to deliberately orchestrate violence in Guyana? We have all just witnessed an arson attack on the Sachi building in Georgetown; the jury is still out on a precise motive though there seems to be a hint out there. Jagdeo should be called in and made to explain what exactly he means when he stated to his audience, in response to his fabricated concerns of rigging that “… don’t think we are taking it lightly!” Do the PPP supporters know what he means or will they have to assume what he means? Jagdeo’s words matter and his ambiguities are dangerous! His dog whistles and hints must be placed on a billboard for all to see. The people must see who appears to be the threat to the smooth order of the society. Mr. Jagdeo must know that he will be held accountable for any unwarranted chaos resulting after

March 2, 2020. He is clearly saying to GECOM, you declare the PPP the winner or else those elections are not free and fair and we will not take it like that! This sounds like a threat to me! Mr. Jagdeo must know that history is replete with examples of what happens when irresponsible leaders deliberately ignite this kind of ignorance in their followers. There are no winners, and innocent people suffer! I am quite sure the PPP supporters would not want Mr. Jagdeo to take them down this road. Editor, I also note the reverse psychology tactic employed by Mr. Jagdeo and his foreign campaign advisers. This strategy seems to come straight out from Donald Trump’s 2016 playbook. The strategy is to cry rig prior to the elections and to attack the elections process in the hope that those in charge of the process will be pressured into declaring him (Trump) the winner, in this case Jagdeo/Irfaan. The plan is to exert so much psychologically targeted allegations on GECOM and its leader, that the leaders at GECOM may feel guilty to actually declare the legitimate winner of the elections, the winner. Mr. Jagdeo must know by now that this strategy is so transparent that the most politically naïve can see through it. The PPP’s relentless attack on GECOM

he can share it with Anand Persaud of the Stabroek News who spent hours looking for it. Freddie Kissoon then went on to one of his anecdotal evidence-based nonsense amalgamated with his usual gossip. In essence, he wrote that someone entered UG without the requisite qualifications. He demanded to see said qualifications when he had no authority to; the person then obtained a degree in economics and ultimately in Masters at a British university. Freddie himself admitted that the student was admitted through the initiative of David De Caires. If Freddie cannot see the fallacy and folly in his argument then something must have been terribly wrong at UG to employ him for 26 years. Firstly, admitting someone to a university who does not meet the minimum qualifications is not unusual. TURN TO PAGE

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and its chairperson will not work. The chair has already demonstrated the kind of mettle she is made of. She continues to use her deep knowledge of her constitutional authority to effectively rubbish all of the opposition’s outlandish claims and false accusations. I have been analyzing Jagdeo and the PPP’s “rig claims” for some time now and it is clear that they have intensified their strategy as the elections draw closer. As they see their prospects appear more daunting, their rig claims grow louder! Mr. Jagdeo is no fool, he knows fully well that the PPP’s record in its 23 years of managing Guyana is a terrifying reminder to the people of the heartache they suffered. Hence, the PPP has decided to abandon that record and resort to unfounded rig claims. Finally, and the most fundamental point to note in Jagdeo’s comment is his personal fear of losing. He is fighting for himself, his own political survival. He knows that the PPP’s chances of winning the elections are a very long shot. So, like a scared person, he has decided to hide his fear in bullying tactics in the hope that GECOM will bow to his will. The opposition leader’s behaviour provides a good example of why

bullies bully. Bullies resort to bullying, because they are cowards, too fearful of rejection and of exposing their own weaknesses. Sadly, Mr. Jagdeo has decided to use the PPP’s supporters as pawns to project his fear and channel his bullying. He has decided to instill his personal fear in them, with the hope that they will become sufficiently fearful and behave as irrational as he. The PPP’s decision to cry foul early and question GECOM’s ability to conduct free and fair elections is most reckless. To sow seeds of distrust and hate is a wicked and dangerous strategy, it is not a winning strategy. I am not saying that Mr. Jagdeo, as opposition must not raise any concerns he may have about the process but to unleash an attack of lies and distrust on GECOM and its chair is thuggish! It may very well invite the other side to become defensive! The PPP’s sordid record will continue to be the albatross around the PPP’s cup; it will be responsible for the party’s defeat at the March 2, 2020 polls. I pray for Guyana. Regards Lurlene Nestor

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, February 23, 2020

‘MASHING’ WITH MARCH IN MIND

TODAY, February 23, 2020, the Cooperative Republic of Guyana celebrates its Golden Jubilee as a republic. On this day 50 years ago, Guyana severed all remaining vestiges of colonial rule when a Guyanese President replaced the British Queen as Head of State. Today, also, Guyana observes Mashramani (Mash for short), with the customary costume bands and float parade, mainly in the streets of the capital city, Georgetown. Like previous years, musical renditions adopted from the winning calypsos will accompany the street revelry, invariably intoned with the refrain, “we mashing”; “we mashing.”

it came to power on May 11, 2015. Styled the “Rainbow Coalition,” the APNU+AFC has energised its campaign with appeals for “togetherness” and “Guyanese-ness”, hence the Mash theme, “Guyana Together.” The rival opposition party (PPP/C) has a sub-theme, “Stronger Together”, which seems more like an appeal for inner-party unity in the face of a paralyzing disaffection in the party’s leadership. The rebellion, though muted in more recent times, has been festering for many years. It was due mainly, over the past 10 years, to the imposition of successive unpopular and failed presidential candidates by the party’s growingly megalomaniac dictator.

ELECTIONS IN MIND With fresh national and regional elections scheduled for March 2, eight days away, this year’s Mash appears to have these elections in mind. The theme is styled: “Guyana Together - Reflect, Celebrate, Transform.” With a multi-racial population, Guyana still suffers from the bitter legacy of colonial politics of divideand-rule, and from ethnic distrust and insecurity. These come to the surface at elections time, and are invariably exploited by the dominant political forces. The six-party governing coalition (APNU+AFC) headed by President David Granger broke one-party, dominant ethnic rule, when

MAJOR DEFEAT With growing apathy within its ranks, the PPP/C is preparing itself for a major defeat at the March 2 polls. This will be its triple whammy having lost its parliamentary majority in 2011, then the government in 2015 after an unbroken 23 years in power. It will adopt an unimaginative but all too predictable posture that the elections were rigged. That would be for cosmetic purpose only, in order to absolve the fractured leadership from blame, and to avoid the imminent ouster of the party dictator. In 2015, although international observers had deemed the elections transparent and credible, the PPP/C filed a

challenge in the courts alleging that those elections were rigged; it boycotted sittings of the National Assembly for several months. For these elections, the PPP/C has threatened to lodge complaints with the international community that the elections would not be free or fair. It has started to belly-ache almost about everything, that: * President Granger (who is Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces) was wearing a green shirt when he went to observe polling among the disciplined services at the army’s headquarters; * the President was transported in an army helicopter to a political rally in the countryside; * the Elections Commission has drastically reduced the number of private residences being used as polling places in what it described as its Indo-Guyanese strongholds, etc..

NOTHING WORKING In the approaches to these elections, nothing seems to be working in favour of the opposition: Guyana has struck First Oil; the forecast is that from its 2% royalty plus 52% profit oil and tax revenues, Guyana will get some US$168 billion in the next 40 years; Guyana will leapfrog from 46% growth this year to become the fastest-growing economy in the world. And, now, the disclosure

yesterday by the prestigious London-based Economist Intelligence Unit that the APNU+AFC coalition is set for a win at the March 2 polls, albeit in a tight race. Those factors are evidently working in favour of the incumbent APNU+AFC Government, and vest in it greater confidence. With every commissioning of a new project, which has proliferated all over the country and especially in hinterland areas, the coalition has been registering its claim to re-election. PATTERNS OF PROGRESS The PPP/C is not only sucking its soured thumbs on the sideline over this pattern of progress, but is threatening sanctions against foreign investors in the event that it should return to government. But it cannot stop that “magic moment” of first oil which has triggered its own dialectics of attracting investors, such as those who will build a new Marriott hotel, a new Hilton hotel; and the other 100 American

companies that are waiting for the green light, according to Ms Alexandra King-Pile, the Political and Economic Counsellor at the U.S. Embassy in Guyana. I met her at the launch of production by First Bauxite/ Guyana Industrial Mineral Inc. (GINMIN) in Bonasika, upper Demerara River, last Thursday, when the U.S. consortium announced that it aims to produce some 320,000 tonnes of first-class bauxite this year, having already invested over US$380 million. At the Bonasika mines, Guyanese have started to see social benefits in job creation (with 95% of the workforce of 200 being Guyanese, including young, qualified women) and construction of a community school, housing for teachers, etc.. “MASHING” WITH PRIDE So, today and this year we are “mashing” with a difference; mashing with pride and an inimitable Guyanese attitude that we voting like

a boss; that got things under control. We are “mashing” towards elections that would return to government leadership in which there is patent confidence, and that ensures the rapid transformation of Guyana. Yesterday we had cultural glimpses of “Guyana Together,” as our youths featured prominently and almost exclusively at the flag-raising ceremony to mark our Golden Jubilee as a republic. They re-enacted our historic transition to a republic, and depicted themselves in dance as our nation’s educators, builders and defenders. Importantly, they caricatured our nation’s longings for unity and social harmony. Our electorate, I am sure, will give a resounding affirmation of these longings of our young people by placing our government in safe, caring and clean hands!

Irfaan’s qualifications: What Freddie Kissoon ... It is a policy practised in the UK to allow students from underprivileged backgrounds an opportunity to gain access to a tertiary education and a chance of upward social mobility. They not achieving the minimum qualifications is not down to lack of academic ability, but moreso a lack of opportunity. Compared to the well- to-do students, they would have gone to poor quality schools and may not have had the riches to have private tutors, etc. Once they are accepted, no student or lecturers can demand to see their qualifications since it is none of their business. If Freddie was reading my letters he would have seen that I wrote on it on many occasions with a view to improve underprivileged students’ access to UG. I asserted this as one of the crime-prevention strategies. The key point is

that the student did not mislead the University of Guyana. The University of Guyana used its discretion, which it is entitled to do to admit the student. The student did not gain entry to the university by claiming to have qualifications that she did not have, or fraudulent qualifications from a fictitious university. Therefore, this cannot be compared to Irfaan Ali’s act of falsifying his first degree. Before I close, let me ask Freddie a few pertinent questions, but before I do please permit me to go back a few years. As a lad I enjoyed reading the newspapers, therefore, every Saturday I would go to the National Library to read the week’s collection of newspapers. One day, which was years ago I read of a University of Guyana lecturer who misled the university that he had a Phd when

he did not. The university rightfully demoted him for fabricating his qualifications. I forgot the incident and the name of the lecturer until a few years back when the lecturer wrote a disparaging column on Cuba-trained doctors. This column got Bharrat Jagdeo pretty upset and he had a real go at Freddie in the dailies. He brought up the incident of Freddie Kissoon lying that he had a Phd when he had not. He wrote that Freddie went to the extent of being addressed as Dr. Freddie Kissoon. He then argued that Freddie desperately wanted to be addressed as doctor, hence is jealous of these Cuba-trained doctors. Then I remembered what I had read when I was a teenager and remembered it was Freddie Kissoon. I then did my research, something Freddie is averse to and

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discovered that Dr. Vishnu Bisram, the gentleman who does NACTA polling and who attended the University of Toronto around the time of Freddie Kissoon, wrote a long epistle as to why Freddie never got a doctorate. My questions to Freddie, is your reluctance to objectively critique Irfaan Ali’s academic qualifications be down to the fear of the blowback from Bharrat Jagdeo? Are you protecting Irfaan, since you do not wish to be considered pot calling the kettle black? Please put forward logical arguments why my suppositions as to why you are not objectively analysing Irfaan Ali and providing negative commentaries are all wrong? Regards Dr. Mark Devonish

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, February 23, 2020

THE DISEASE OF POWER: THE ATTEMPTS AT A PUPPET PRESIDENCY

IT is abundantly clear at this electoral juncture that we are in the midst of an attempt at a Puppet Presidency. If there was any doubt, the People’s Progressive Party’s campaign thus far has coughed up the evidence. First, the Presidential Candidate, Mr. Irfaan Ali is hardly featured on campaign props and signage. Second, the overarching figure of General Secretary of the party, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo, dominates the political operation. Third, the main mantra of the appeal to the electorate is that it is a team operation and not about the Presidential Candidate. In the face of this indisputable development, it is safe to argue that we are witnessing an attempt at a puppet presidency. This is not up for argumentation. It proceeds from a desire for the acquisition of President for life by the former President who reigned during the ‘dark period’ of leadership from 1999-2011. It is, therefore, necessary to put all of this in brief analysis for the education of the populace.

THE THIRD-TERM OBSESSION You will recall the recent legal and very public brouhaha over the third-term imbroglio. In 2001, the Guyana Parliament, with a two-thirds majority, altered Article 90 of the 1980 Constitution to establish the term limit of Presidents. This was signed into law by President Bharrat Jagdeo under duress from his party’s central executive with the likes of Ralph Ramkarran insisting on the amendment. The nation breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that this was a new era where unchecked insatiable appetites for power will be forever corralled by this legislation. What great intrigue and Caesarean plotting met the nation when there was a petition by Mr. Cedric Richardson to the courts requesting the decision by the Guyana Parliament to be struck down. When Mr. Richardson was contacted, he denied that he was behind this case from his modest home which was not consistent with the astronomical costs that surrounded this case. To date, Mr. Richard-

son has not been identified. The name on the case docket remains a phantom. The case found its way to the Caribbean Court of Justice. The eminent Justices upheld the original ruling and the people rejoiced. We thought this was the end of the pursuit of the President-for-life by Mr. Jagdeo. It was certainly not and this was painfully obvious when Mohammed Irfaan Ali was selected as the Presidential Candidate for the 2020 elections. THE DISEASE OF POWER I am forever guided by the sentiments of Babara Tuchman, contained in her magnus opus, ‘The March of Folly’, ‘Chief among the forces affecting political folly is lust for power, named by Tacitus as “the most flagrant of all passions.” Historians, psychologists, political scientists and all the geniuses of various vocations have sought to decipher the phenomenon of the disease of power. Thomas Paine opined, ‘…a thirst for power is the natural disease of Monarchy, and Giuilo Andreotti sub-

mitted, ‘power is a disease one has no desire to cure of’. There can be no accurate blanket assessment of what spurs men to the pursuit of power for life. This has to be analyzed based on individual circumstances and specific contexts. In the Guyana context, it is very possible that becoming President at age 35 through a carefully choreographed process may have imbued the former President with a belief that he is the enlightened omniscient one that has all the answers to save the nation. Perhaps, the political experience of two successive tenures may have sparked the belief of being an infallible demi-god, this is the hubris that nurtures dictatorship and it is the essence of what Lord Acton passionately warned against

when he cautioned: ‘Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely’. The life obsession never takes a break, it is incessant and unrelenting. This is the sad reality of the disease of power. ATTEMPTS AT A PUPPET PRESIDENCY Modern leaders who are obsessed with power for life have found a way to circumvent statute and legislation that limit them, they have pivoted to power for life through the proxy. Vladimir Putin is the negative global exemplar of how to navigate the modern limits in a democracy. Just like Russia, Guyana is caught up in the whirlwind of the passionate pursuit for President for life and eternal

rule. This has converged on the cusp of the mother of all elections on March 2. It has to be noted, a Puppet Presidency never proceeds from the place of honorable national intentions. It is not fraught with grand visions and national long-term goals. It is simply a transactional arrangement that facilitates the pursuit of personal aggrandizement. On the precipice of Guyana’s greatest economic transformation since its independence, it would be several national steps backward to support attempts at a Puppet Presidency.

Understanding Energy

Rystad report shows full scale of investment in Guyana SIGNS of the money coming into Guyana are everywhere. New warehouses, docks, and support facilities are springing up along the coast, especially in Georgetown. While the visible signs are only just appearing, Guyana’s current status is the culmination of years of investment. This is underlined by a recent report by the Norwegian energy analysis company, Rystad Energy, which examines the true extent of what has been spent to make Guyana’s oil boom happen. According to Rystad, oil companies have invested more than US$8B in Guyana to develop offshore oil production between 2015 and 2019. That money went to massive seismic and underwater exploration campaigns and the early stages of analysing possible finds, as well as the enormous logistics of drilling and establishing production facilities.

That kind of investment being made in what was, at the time, a largely unproven frontier area is extremely rare. Several factors, including stagnating oil demand in major consumer markets like Europe and a continuing oversupply caused by unconventional oil sources have helped keep global oil prices relatively low for more than a decade. Right now, prices for Brent Crude – a common benchmark in the industry –are barely above the levels they hit in the depths of the global 2008 financial crisis. Most recently, the Wuhan coronavirus has driven prices down even further since China is a major consumer of oil. Low prices make the more expensive oil development regions uncompetitive. They can also discourage investment, especially for deepwater offshore projects which are some of the largest-scale and most capital-intensive in the in-

dustry. The result is that many companies have dialed down their overseas exploration and development operations. Tullow Oil, which has had mixed success on the Orinduik Block offshore, closed its offices in Kenya last month and laid off staff across East Africa and the UK after poor performance in this unforgiving business environment. The company plans to shrink its total workforce by a third and close two more offices. Yet Guyana will likely remain an outlier. The Rystad report forecast that investment figures will continue to grow overall for the next several years as new projects are approved and new fields are brought online, even while the costs for the earliest wells decline as production settles into a routine and initial exploration and development costs are paid off. The combination of considerable recoverable resources

and relatively low cost of production have allowed Guyana’s new industry to weather the storm. The Government of Guyana is also reaping the benefits of not having to pay a piece of that massive $8B up front. If Guyana had bought an equity stake in the production, as some countries do, we would have had to contribute to the cost of investment, beginning at the exploration phase. Guyana simply does not have that capital, and would have required us to borrow money internationally. Instead, Guyana opted to provide the exploration companies with an option to recover their costs if oil was discovered and produced. If they didn’t, Guyana wouldn’t have had to pay a dime. Some have claimed that Guyana now “owes” the companies for the massive investments that were made to establish oil production. That’s exactly what the Production Sharing

Agreement was designed to avoid. Cost recovery does not function as debt in any financial sense. It’s just a way companies make back their initial investment from production. This works the same way it does in any business: profits are just revenues minus costs. Guyana will share equally in all profits, but the companies are allowed to recoup a percentage of their costs first since they took the initial risk to invest billions of US dollars. Those risks seem to have paid off. Our economy is expected to grow explosively, with our gross domestic product predicted to grow a nearly unprecedented 86 per cent next year, according to the International Monetary Fund. That’s a testament to the immense scale of the investments being made here and the transformative potential they have for Guyanese.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, February 23, 2020

Cocaine, go-fast vessel seized in Parika Backdam raid …CANU ranks threatened by Alberttown businessman TWO persons are in police custody after an alleged known drug trafficker threatened to kill Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit's (CANU) ranks and shoot up their headquarters in the aftermath of the agency seizing a ‘go-fast' vessel along with cocaine

at Parika Backdam, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) on Saturday. CANU’s Deputy Head, Leslie Ramlall, said the operation was done over a twoweek period and the success of the operation was as a result of the support CANU received from stakeholders. He

confirmed that the operation received lots of support from various stakeholders and was conducted in the backdams of Parika where a quantity of narcotics, suspected to be cocaine, along with a go-fast boat with two 250 horsepower engines were seized. Further, a collection of

The seized cocaine inside the barrels of the pick-up.

The go-fast vessel with its two 250 horsepower engines being taken into CANU’s Headquarters

strange spare parts were seized and the identity of the owner of the boat is known. “While we were on the operation after the seizure, we received a number of threats at the site from a known drug trafficker of Alberttown, issued a number of threats to CANU ranks while a cell phone was on speaker,” Ramlall said.

Adding that the man also threatened to shoot up CANU headquarters, Ramlall said threats of death were also made to several CANU ranks. “I want to say to all traffickers out there that that will not deter CANU’s mandate; we are here to ensure the eradication of narcotics

and Guyana remains free of the flow of narcotics and so we will be going after all the other associates who have intentions to threaten CANU ranks,” CANU’s deputy head said. He said that all the drug traffickers who want to break war with CANU will be dealt with condignly.

OP-ED

A Tribute to Cleveland Hamilton …A Visionary Guyanese and Author of the Song of the Republic

By Jasmine Hamilton I was sitting in the living room in a house in West Ruimveldt on February 21st, 1991 when my family received the news that my grandfather, Cleveland Wycliffe Hamilton, had died. Silence invaded the house. I saw my father’s tears for the first time. While I was too young to understand the contributions grandad had made to Guyana, I knew that he was a pillar in my family, a source of strength for my mother and a firm believer in the good destiny of his grandchildren. He was the first experience I’d had with what I now know to be a good, honorable man. He was gentle and stern, kind, and hardworking. He smelled like Old Spice. I would learn later that his voice was a powerful tool that he used to encourage the people of Guyana to recognize their agency and responsibility in charting the future of the land which gave them birth. My family, like the rest of the nation, mourned the

loss of a giant, a powerful orator whose words still give me chills these 29 years later. Among his many literary contributions, this Grandfather Extraordinaire, teacher, lawyer, poet, deputy mayor, journalist, and World War II Royal Air Force veteran, wrote the words to the Song of the Republic in 1970. I learned the words during my years at St. Margaret’s Primary but I understood their meaning much later. From Pakaraima’s peaks of pow’r To Corentyne’s lush sands, Her children pledge each faithful hour To guard Guyana’s lands. To foil the shock of rude invaders Who’d violate her earth, To cherish and defend forever The state that gave them birth. We’ll forge a nation’s mighty soul Construct a nation’s frame, Freedom our everlasting goal

Courage and truth our aim. Unyielding in our quest for peace Like ancient heroes brave, To strive and strive and never cease With strength beyond the slave. Guyana! climb that glorious perch To fame prosperity. Join in the universal search For world wide comity. Your people whatsoe’er their breed, Their hue or quality. With one firm never-changing creed; The nation’s unity. From the first line of verse one, we glimpse the admiration Grandad held for Guyana’s rich, natural beauty. He conveys the relationship between country and citizen gently, using the image of a parent and her children. He follows with a petition for unity among Guyanese, a reminder that Guyana’s precious earth needs defence

and that those most suited to the task are those who sprung from its loins. Most striking in this verse is his use of the phrase, “each faithful hour,” which implies that there is not, nor will there ever be a time that Guyana’s children can relax from their duty to defend her. In verses two and three, the emphasis moves inward toward defining and developing the values and soul of the country. The verse is punctuated with an invitation to each Guyanese to participate in the building of a nation that has a soul, a soul that values courage and truth. Fifty years later, as Guyana sits on the brink of momentous economic, social and environmental change, these words are as potent and relevant as they were in 1970. He could not have precisely predicted that this beautiful country would be on the brink of such irreversible transformation, that within her loins would dwell riches which held the potential to elevate people and nation, while also attracting large powers from beyond

its borders who would seek to exploit its riches. Nevertheless, it is clear that he understood the inexhaustible riches which could be present in a country which, in his day, had already revealed itself to be decked out in the finest gold and diamonds, overflowing with geological and ecological wonders. It is said that he who knows his history knows his future; this certainly appears to have been true of Grandad. In the last verse, Grandad casts his net for unity wider and explicitly addresses the ideological problems which can hinder progress. It is worth reviewing here, Your people whatsoe’er their breed, Their hue or quality With one firm never changing creed The nation’s unity Here he invites all Guyanese to work to move beyond racial differences to build unity. It is clear that he does not leave this work to the leaders, that he sees a role for every person and that he envisions a future in which the small-mindedness of rac-

ism has no place in a nation that values courage, truth and freedom. As we celebrate Guyana’s 50th Republic Anniversary, as we stare down this barrel of momentous change, each Guyanese at home and abroad would do well to reacquaint herself/himself with the words and meaning of this great National song. We should take it to heart because while there is much opportunity for growth in positive directions, the sons and daughters of Guyana must act to make a good future a reality. They must act in order to continue moving forward. Moreover, this action must not come from selfish ambition, which can so quickly derail progress. This action must be rooted in our commitment to a future in which old, useless ideologies are deracinated, sincere respect for each other, and a deep value for the beautiful country that gave us birth.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, February 23, 2020

President Granger visits injured GDF ranks Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President David Granger Saturday afternoon, expressed sympathy to the ranks of the Guyana Defence Force’s (GDF) 21 Artillery Company who were injured while preparing for a scheduled firework display in cele-

President David Granger addresses ranks of the 21st Artillery Company of the Guyana Defence Force.

President David Granger (centre) addresses ranks of the 21st Artillery Company of the Guyana Defence Force. Also photographed are Guyana Defence Force, Chief of Staff, Brigadier Patrick West (left) and Fire Chief, Mr. Marlon Gentle (right).

President David Granger expresses sympathy to ranks of the 21st Artillery Company of the Guyana Defence Force

President David Granger listens attentively to a doctor at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation

President David Granger interacts with an injured rank of the Guyana Defence Force as doctors and other medical professionals look on

President David Granger expresses sympathy to relatives of the injured GDF ranks as Chief of Staff of the GDF Brigadier Patrick West looks on.

bration of Guyana’s 50th Republic Anniversary. Several ranks of the 21st Artillery Company were preparing for the firework display when there was spontaneous combustion at approximately 13:30hours aback the Force’s Coast Guard location at Ruimveldt. That combus-

tion resulted in a number of pyrotechnics being destroyed and rendered un-useable. The Ministry of the Presidency released these photos showing President Granger’s interactions with some of the injured ranks, their families and medical staff of the Georgetown Public Hospital

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, February 23, 2020

Guyana celebrates 50th Republic anniversary

PRESIDENT David Granger joined with thousands of Guyanese at the D’Urban Park to witness the 50th Republic Anniversary flag-raising ceremony Saturday morning.

The event featured a cultural presentation, which celebrated national patrimony. This was followed by a military parade and the highlight hoisting of the Golden Arrowhead on the 180-foot flagpole.

First Lady, Sandra Granger; Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo and his wife, Sita, were among the delegation of Cabinet ministers and members of the diplomatic corps to witness the event.

President David Granger and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo leading heads of the J oint Services, after receiving their respective ceremonial salutes, Saturday morning, at Durban Park where the Golden Jubilee flag-raising ceremony was held

President David Granger greets members of the Diplomatic Corps

One of the many cultural presentations at the flag-raising ceremony on Saturday

This year, Republic Day is being celebrated under the theme “Guyana Together; Reflect, Celebrate and Transform”. Guyana became a republic on February 23, 1970.

The hoisting of the flag of Guyana by military personnel

Military personnel during a parade

SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 23, 2020

Construction of new campus building for St Rose’s High commences

THE Chairman and Board of Governors of St Rose’s High School have announced that works on the new campus building located on Church Street began on the February 22, 2020 through the selected contractor, Courtney Benn Contracting Ltd. A press release from the Board of Governors stated that the first construction task is to supply and drive approximately 220 timber

tractors contractually bound to complete all works under the said contract for the entire construction exercise no later than August 21, 2021 as they have signed an 18-month construction contract for delivery of the completed new campus building,” the press release said. It said that many features have been retained but enhanced, including the internal courtyard green space garden feature, enhanced canteen

um with stage and a separate audio visual monitoring and control room, a new internal Physical Education Department, and a new Information Technology Laboratory, just to name a few. “We take the time and opportunity to thank all of the stakeholders including the Ursuline Convent, The Ministry of Education, The Ministry of Finance, Bynoe Rowe & Wiltshire Consultants, The Principal, Teach-

St Roses High school re-development plan piles to support the edifice. “The current round of works to be conducted under the pile-driving exercise is expected to last approximately four weeks with the con-

and dining area, off-street drop off, pickup and parking via an internal driveway, wheelchair access to all levels via an elevator, a large 1,500-seat internal auditori-

First construction task of timber piles to support the building

ers, Staff and Students of St Rose’s High School, The US and Toronto Alumni Chapters, The Board Members and all others who supported us to this stage. We would like to encourage the contractor, that during the entire construction phase that they always operate in a safe, noise and dust free environment, and within the agreed guidelines, as the construction site is adjacent to our existing school. More importantly, we strongly encourage the chosen contractor to remain committed to completing our new campus building within the timeframe allocated under the contract and to the prescribed standard and quality, as our stakeholders and partners will remain vigilant in their observations of these two vital aspects, throughout the impending construction process,” the release said.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, February 23, 2020

Book reviews:

The President on national defence

A REVIEW of David Granger’s The security of small states in the international system; State of Peace: The United Nations and the Guyana-Venezuela controversy; and Guyana’s Defence: Sovereignty and survival of a small state. David Granger was elected President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana on 11th May, 2015. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela issued a decree purporting to annex the greater part of Guyana’s territorial waters on the day of the celebration of his inauguration with a ceremony at the country’s national stadium; it was a provocative act. For more than 50 years, Venezuela had laid claim to almost twothirds of Guyana’s territory and, by extension, most of its petroleum-rich territorial waters. Venezuela, if it had expected to intimidate the new Guyanese President, had its hopes dashed. If it had anticipated that the President would placate their aggression, it must have underestimated the resolve of the former Brigadier, now President, who stood defiant. David Granger marshalled his political resources and launched a diplomatic counter-offensive immediately. This three-book collection highlights some of the diplomatic and non-diplomatic initiatives which the President undertook to defend his country’s territory and protect its sovereignty. The collection is an exposition in the art of statecraft. It shows how small states, limited in military might, can use soft power to advance their defence. Guyana, historically, has deployed diplomacy as a first line of defence against

Venezuela’s threats. Guyana, unable to match Venezuela’s military might, sought to win the sup-

port and solidarity of international organisations such as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Commonwealth and the United Nations and sympathetic states that subscribe to the principles of international law, including respect for a country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and the peaceful settlement of disputes. President Granger’s address to the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015 provided him with a grand stage to present his case before the international community. He did more than that. The President, in an absorbing address, told the international community not only how his country was being threatened but, also, he made a convincing case as to why the United Nations had an obligation to protect small states.

It was no coincidence that, at the same time that

peoples and states, particularly small, independent states.

the President was making his diplomatic debut, his country was petitioning the UN Secretary-General to use his powers under the Geneva Agreement of 1966 – an accord signed with Britain, the country’s former colonial ruler and Venezuela – to place the controversy before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The security of small states in the international system – the first book in President Granger’s collection constitutes the text of his maiden address to the United Nations General Assembly. Its timing, occurring on the 7oth anniversary of the United Nations when there was much reflection on the work of the institution, was exquisite. The Guyanese leader, in this book, asks and answers the question as to how peace could be guaranteed in the face of threats to the world’s

His address has earned him a reputation as one of the world’s foremost spokespersons for small states. Its universal message was that the United Nations had an obligation to protect small states. State of Peace: The United Nations and the Guyana-Venezuela controversy, the second book, emphasises also the United Nations’ role as a guarantor of peace. The book provides a concise background to the controversy between the two states. It chronicles the acts of aggression committed against Guyana by Venezuela and iterates Guyana’s support for the Region as a zone of peace. It is written, expectedly, from a Guyanese perspective. State of Peace brings greater awareness to the plight of Guyana as a small state which has been subject to acts of aggression by Venezuela for the greater part of

its post-independence history. It elicits sympathy for the country’s protests that it is a victim of

foreign aggression. Guyana, however, not only protests. It relies not solely on international solidarity to help deflect the Venezuela threat. The country is also prepared to detect and deter threats of invasion to its territory. The question is, how does a state as small as Guyana, with limited financial and military capabilities, protect itself against Venezuela – a formidable enemy which is four times its size and has armed forces 40 times those of the Guyana Defence Force – in this asymmetric relationship? Guyana’s Defence: Sovereignty and survival of a small state, provides the answer in the third book. President Granger presents his strategy of total national defence – one in which all the elements of state power are applied to national defence.

The doctrine is the basis of the country’s restructuring of its Defence Force in order to respond to any aggression. Total national defence has its limitations. It relies on the mobilisation of all elements of national power. If that power is enfeebled then, logically, such a mobilisation of all elements of national power would hardly be impactful. But that is all Guyana has at the moment. The President’s response to Venezuela’s provocation has been successful. The United Nations’ Secretary-General agreed to refer the Guyana-Venezuela territorial controversy to the International Court of Justice. Arguments on the court’s jurisdiction are being heard at present. Guyana is confident that the court will rule in its favour. When that time comes, the nation will owe an enormous debt of gratitude to David Granger’s shrewd statecraft. He has achieved what no other leader before him has done – having the dispute referred for juridical settlement. The three-book collection is a powerful testament to the President’s persistent efforts to rid his country of a threat which has impeded its development for more than 50 years. The collection is a rich addition to the literature on small states. It carves out a unique niche because it addresses – directly -- the issue of the security of small states, a field of study which deserves deeper study in international politics.

Connecting with the people of Mahdia through radio …young broadcaster realises dream By Alva Solomon AT 20, young Lesa Lee has made a name for herself in the town of Mahdia as one of the Potaro/Siparuni town’s first broadcaster, but it is her passion for ensuring residents are kept

abreast with news and current affairs which drives her to ensure that residents in the Hinterland region are in the know. In 2016, Lee made history when she passed all the subjects she sat that year at the Caribbean Secondary

Education Certificate (CSEC) exams while at the Mahdia Secondary School. The following year, upon realizing she has the potential to achieve more, she applied for a job at the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) and was offered a job in the

unit’s accounts department as an accounts clerk. But things took an interesting twist that year when Lee found herself on the airwaves of Radio Mahdia, one of several community radio stations established by the government in the Hinterland.The station went on the air in October that year. TURN TO PAGE

Broadcaster Lesa Lee at Radio Mahdia recently

SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 23, 2020

50th Republic Messages

‘Time to stand as one’–PNCR

THE People’s National Congress Reform is pleased to extend greetings and good wishes to all Guyanese as we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of our Republican status. This year, 2020, our nation celebrates its Golden Jubilee; 50 years as a Republic and the national celebration of Mashramani. Therefore, it is an occasion for reflection and assessment of the state of our nation, 50 years after Guyana was declared a Republic and 54 years since we

achieved our independence. The theme for this year’s commemoration is “Guyana Together; reflect, celebrate, transform.” In this regard, it must be evident to all that we, as Guyanese, need to redouble our efforts to banish crime, disease, ignorance and poverty. We must strengthen national unity, expand national infrastructure, fortify national institutions, ensure national security and extend public services. This year we must all stand as one. This is the year for national unity. In the

words of our Party Leader and President, “It is a year for recalling and recommitting towards the dream of a free, united and prosperous Guyana, one in which the good life is attainable by all.” Accordingly, the PNCR wishes all of the Guyanese people, a Happy Republic holiday, and a joyous celebration of Mashramani, as we pray that the spirit of peace, love and unity will dwell among us on the 50th Anniversary of our Republic.

Let us reflect on the hard work of our forefathers - M&CC AS a people we celebrate our Golden Jubilee under the theme: REFLECT, CELEBRATE AND TRANSFORM, it marks another memorable period of history. Let us reflect on the hard work and sacrifices of our forefathers and the contributions they made to national development. At this time it is necessary to ponder on the principles that have charted a course to goodness, success and economic prosperity. Mashramani reminds us of our resilience, tenacity and patriotism as a people. On ‘Mash’ day, as we celebrate in fine style with float parades, masquerade bands, dancing to the music of accomplishments, steel pans and other music, we must be cognisant of the

deeper meaning and symbolism of this event, so that we can fully appreciate its importance. It is a time we should feel truly honored as Guyanese as we celebrate lets reflect on the true meaning of Mashramani and commit to working together to advance our City and our country. As we advance as an oil-producing nation there should be no room for division. We must advance the cause of unity for in unity there is strength. It is important that we do everything to ensure harmony and peace. Let our moto – One People, One Nation, One Destiny – be reflected in the way we treat each other. Happy Mashramani

PPP: Let’s work to ensure a vision of Guyana that is inclusive ON the occasion of Guyana’s 50th anniversary as a Republic, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) takes this opportunity to express best wishes to all Guyanese, both at home and in the diaspora. At this point in time, there must be a sense of collective pride as a nation as we observe this Golden Jubilee milestone in self-governance. Hallmarked by the various activities that epitomise the national festival of Mashramani, the imbued pride is manifested through the colourful and vibrant celebrations across the country in a demonstration of patriotism. The splendor of the multitude of colours splashed to the pulsating beat of the

music reflects revelry after hard work and our rich diversity that defines us as a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural nation. This 50th anniversary comes at a time when our dear country is about to hold a most critical election which would decide its forward trajectory. With Guyana on the cusp of becoming an oil and gas economy, we have to ensure that Guyana and all of its people have a fair share of the dividends of oil. The PPP/C has laid out a Plan for Prosperity that will return vibrancy to our economy and generate thousands of jobs. We will also invest significantly in world-class education and healthcare, ensure that our children get more help by increas-

ing the school cash grant and provide help for our pensioners by significantly increasing old-age pension. We urge you to read up on the other measures outlined in our plan. Let’s work to ensure a vision of Guyana that is inclusive and one which delivers prosperity for all of our people so that we can truly realise the goal of one people, one nation, one destiny, as captured in our national motto. Our party also takes this opportunity to commend the dedication and efforts of all involved in the various activities held across the country, which will culminate with the annual national costume and float parade. Happy Mashramani to all Guyanese!

Protected Areas Commission lauds Guyana on Republic Jubilee GUYANA became a Republic on February 23, 1970, and was officially named ‘The Cooperative Republic of Guyana’. Therefore, on Sunday February 23, 2020 our nation will celebrate 50 years as a Republic, otherwise dubbed its Republic Jubilee. Guyana has much to be proud of and much to celebrate. The Protected Areas Commission (PAC) is pleased to have joined the celebrations by hosting its ‘Garden Rhythms – The Republic Edition’ event. That activity, held on February 8, 2020, saw the mixing of different ethnicities and cultures, in addition to a general celebratory environment and atmosphere of joy and pride. This is one of the PAC’s wishes for Guyana as we celebrate our 50th Republic Anniversary. Fifty years is certainly a long time and a significant number of years to have been a Republic. Therefore, in this the 50th year, the PAC’s wish is for all of Guyana to become even more patriotic and take more pride in this country’s national patrimony. Our national patrimony is what will be used to promote us as a South American and CARICOM force and also bring great wealth to our lands. The PAC is proud of its mandate to safeguard Guyana’s protected areas and it is our wish for Guyana’s 50th Republic Anniversary that all Guyanese will be enthusiastic about this country’s national patrimony, guarding and preserving it for future generations. The hope is for Guyanese to take pride in, become more vigilant, and also contribute to protecting these areas which are our natural heritage. This is an additional opportunity for the citizenry to learn more about these areas and sites. Further, the PAC calls on all of Guyana to not only work to safeguard and protect the country’s protected areas, but become familiar with other heritage sites, monuments and historical pieces. We take this opportunity to remind you that Guyana’s National Protected Areas System covers 8.3 per cent of land within Guyana (18,158 km² or 42 times the size of Barbados). The areas by name include the Kaieteur National Park, the Kanuku Mountains and Shell Beach Protected Areas, Kanashen Amerindian Protected Area and the Iwokrama Programme Site. It also includes the National Park, Joe Vieira Park, the Zoological Park and the Botanical Gardens where over 100 species of birds can be found. HAPPY 50TH ANNIVERSARY TO THE COOPERATIVE REPUBLIC OF GUYANA!

Let’s celebrate in love and unity – Roshan Khan On this Republic Day weekend, Guyanese of all ethnicities and religious backgrounds will gather in “The Spirit of Mash,” while taking over the roadways of Guyana to celebrate in true Guyanese style, as One People, One Nation, with One Destiny. We at RK’s Guyana Security Services in conjunction with the Guyana Islamic Forum for Education, Peace and Religious Solidarity, the Universal Peace Federation – Guyana,

along with the Electric Mosque’s Teachings of Islam, take this opportunity to extend Republic Day greetings to the Nation of Guyana, our President, His Excellency Brigadier David Arthur Granger and the Government of Guyana, the Opposition Leader and Former President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo and the Opposition, as well as our Guyanese peoples as we proudly celebrate 50 years of “The Birth of the Republic.”

Mashramani is a spectacular time in Guyana. One in which we get to witness and/or enjoy the pulsating multicultural presentation of music, drumming, dances – that are Mashramani-style choreographed – as well as the vibrancy and energies of the much-anticipated parades. While we celebrate this weekend, we also wish to advise our citizens to be extra alert when driving on the roadways – please do not drive under the influence of alcohol.

Pedestrians are also advised to be cautious when using the roadways. As we approach the upcoming elections, we also wish to call on our politicians and our peoples of this great nation to keep respect and love for all at the forefront of our minds. And, to build capacity, and work together, for unity, not division, so that Guyana will grow from strength to strength.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, February 23, 2020

Eight soldiers injured in fireworks explosion …President visits injured ranks, assures relatives of best possible care …GDF launches Board of Inquiry into incident

President David Granger interacts with an injured rank of the Guyana Defence Force (MoTP photo)

By Navendra Seoraj HOURS before Guyanese ushered in the country’s 50th Republic Anniversary with the ceremonial fireworks, pyrotechnics exploded at the Coastguard base at Ruimveldt, leaving three soldiers critical and five others injured. The eight ranks of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF)’s 21 Artillery Company were preparing for the firework display, which was scheduled for Saturday night, when there was “spontaneous combustion” at approximately 13:30hrs. Reports are that the pyrotechnics were aboard a truck when it exploded. The combustion resulted in a number of pyrotechnics being destroyed and rendered un-useable. The injured ranks have been identified as Seon Rose, Terrence Neils, Gordon Cornette, Isiah Gordon, Trevon Joseph, Victor Low, Atto Cort and Delroy Baird. Subsequent to the incident, the soldiers were rushed to the

Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). The forces’ Medical Officer, Major Nigel Langhorne, who was at the hospital ensuring the injured ranks get the best medical care, told reporters that one soldier sustained burns to 90 per cent of his body while two others were receiving treatment for injuries to their bodies. The remaining ranks were being treated for shock and minor

injuries. Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President David Granger, who visited the site of the incident and also interacted with ranks and their families at the hospital, said: “The Defence Board and Defence Force will ensure that every possible measure is taken for the recovery of the injured soldiers. “It (the incident) is unexpected because of the level of training and professionalism of the soldiers who are involved.” The President said the soldiers, who were involved in the incident, are experts who have done fireworks overseas. They have been doing this for years, he said, adding that some of those soldiers even did fireworks during Barbados’ 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations, in 2016. In addition to the ranks being experts, President Granger said the GDF applies the best safety measures to ensure that soldiers’ lives are not

President David Granger expresses sympathy to the relatives of the injured GDF ranks while Chief-of-Staff of the GDF, Brigadier Patrick West (left) looks on (MoTP photo)

in jeopardy, so the force is trying to ascertain the cause of the explosion. “The ammunition was imported from overseas…I spoke to the fire chief and the Chief-of-Staff and they are both going to conduct investigations to find out what happened,” said President Granger. In speaking about a pos-

to get to the bottom of it,” President Granger assured both the media and relatives of those injured. “The Defence Board and the Defence Force will ensure that every possible measure [is in place] for the recovery of the injured soldiers. I have spoken with the families. It is something which is com-

The truck which was involved in the incident

sible scenario, the President said: “one bomb and it might have triggered a chain effect…it is not as though there was carelessness…it might have been one bomb and it affected other bombs.” He said both the GDF and the Guyana Fire Service will conduct investigations into the incident. “…The chief fire officer and the Chief-of-Staff are both going to conduct an investigation to find out what happened. As far as we are concerned, we always apply the best safety measures to ensure Soldiers’ lives are not in jeopardy and we are trying

pletely unexpected, particularly because of the level of training and the soldiers involved,” the President said. BOI LAUNCHED Army Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier Patrick West, said he has ordered that a Board of Inquiry (BoI) be conducted to get to the bottom of this and to also determine what measures can be taken to ensure that there is no reoccurrence. “As far as we know they were preparing for the display when they encountered some challenges and there was some form

Connecting with the people of Mahdia ... She found herself starting her working life with two different jobs-- one in the field of accounting and the other in communications. Lee said that shortly after starting out in her new job as an accounts clerk, she was introduced to the coordinator of the radio station and was granted an opportunity to audition as a broadcaster. Eventually, she was one of three persons who were selected to work as broadcasters on Radio Mahdia. She said that in December 2019, the regional coordinator for the radio project at the station resigned and as such she was appointed to his post.

Connecting with residents At the moment, she works along with another broadcaster, who also hails from Mahdia, and the two host their own programmes daily, except on Thursdays, on Radio Mahdia. The programmes: The New Chapter, Afternoon Drive, Health is vital, Education is key and Friday’s Bliss, are a hit in the town and communities within range of Radio Mahdia. They are aired between 17:00hrs and 19:00hrs while the station also hosts a local programme on Saturday mornings. Lee said occasionally, persons in the town would

share vital tips with her and they would also inform her where she can make improvements and whether they enjoy the programmes. “It’s an experience I can never forget,” she said, noting that it connects her with the people. She said the job as a broadcaster gives her an opportunity to meet people who live in the region as well as those who are visiting. Lee said that some persons stay indoors most of the time while others remain in the villages such as those at nearby indigenous villages of Campbelltown and Princeville. Born and bred at Mahdia

of spontaneous combustion which caused these detonations,” said Brigadier West, adding that the incident was unexpected because the soldiers had rehearsed on Friday evening and there were no challenges. While the incident was unexpected, the Chief-ofStaff commended the fire

Lee, who lives at Campbelltown, said that she was born and raised at Mahdia. She said she also spent her entire school life at the town, starting out at the Mahdia Nursery School until she completed studies at the Mahdia Secondary School in 2016. She noted that while at secondary school, there were multiple ills in the town including teenage pregnancy and as such she decided to work hard in order to attain good pass rate at the CSEC exams. She said she works hard to be a good role model in the community. In terms of the develop-

service and other officials for responding “well” to the incident. Brigadier West said the welfare department of the GDF is working with soldiers, both the injured and those who were nearby when the incident occurred, to ensure that they are comfortable. As a result of the incident, the firework display was cancelled. Up to press time, Major Langhorne told the Guyana Chronicle that three of the soldiers were still critical and they were being evaluated in the Accident and Emergency Unity at GPHC.

FROM PAGE

ment of the town, she said Mahdia has seen numerous changes in recent years, noting that the roads in the area was one of the major turn offs for persons visiting. ”It was red and muddy and we didn’t had access to a lot of things,” she said. She said the information technology lab at the secondary school is one of the major help for the students there and she also noted that the Wifi service provided through the National Data Management Authority is a major boost to those preparing to write examinations. She said the education and health services in the

area have improved in recent years and Lee believes these types of developments at Mahdia auger well for the future of the town At the moment, there is no tertiary institution at Mahdia, but Lee said a technical institute will benefit many youths in the region, noting this can provide them with requisite skills to enter the world of work. Lee said she will continue to ensure residents remain connected with current affairs and updates from the regional authorities as she hones her skills as one of the town’s first broadcasters.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 23, 2020

66 named for national awards … Former First Lady, Varshnie Singh among awardees

President David Granger stands alongside Former First Lady, Varshnie Singh, during a visit by the latter to the Ministry of the Presidency in 2016 AS Guyana celebrates its 50 Republic Anniversary, Former First Lady, Varshnie Singh, is among 66 persons who have been named as recipients of national awards. According to the Ministry of the Presidency, Singh, the ex-wife of former President, Bharrat Jagdeo, will be awarded the Golden Arrowhead of Achievement. Singh is the founder of the non-profit organisation, Kids First Fund, and over the years she has

been providing humanitarian services to assist persons with various medical conditions. Heading the list of awardees this year is Barbados Prime Minister, Mia Mottley, who was recently conferred with the Order of Roraima during a recent visit to these shores. Government Pathologist, Dr. Nehaul Singh; Gynecologist & Obstetrician, Dr. Neville Gobin; Justice William Ramlall; Former Assistant Police

Social Activist Mark Benschop Commissioner, Paul Slowe, and Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Godfrey Statia, The Right Reverend Charles Alexander Davidson; Dr. Abraham Agustus Clemwood FungA-Fat’ International singer; Edmond Montague Grant; Chancellor of the University of Guyana Professor John Edward Greene; Dr. Cecil Edward Harricharran; 7. Dr. Fawcett Anthony Jeffrey; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Charlene Alexis Phoenix; Claude Augustus Saul; Dr Dagleish Joseph and Chairman of the Public Service Commission, Michael Orrin David Somer-

Former Assistant Police Commissioner, Paul Slowe

Director of the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD), Marlan Cole

sall are among those who will receive the Cacique Crown of Honour. In addition to the Former First Lady, Director of the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department (GAFDD), Marlan Cole; Mark Anthony Archer; Mavis Anita Benn; Charles Mitroy Corbin; Reverend Roshanna Gillis; Catherina Penda Guyan; Sheran Roxanna Harper; Troy Henry; Loris Emille Heywood; Ranald Andrew Jacobs; former President of the Guyana Conference of Seventh-day Adventist, Pastor Richard Avert James; Edward Jameson; Zaida Joaquin; Veteran Trade Unionist, Lincoln Brandon Lewis; Frederick McWilfred; Cita

Indranie Pilgrim; Cheryl Sampson; Olive Beverly Sampson; Clinton Murphy Williams and Apostle Jason Clifton Yorrick are listed to receive the Golden Arrowhead of Achievement. Meanwhile, for the Medal of Service the list includes: Social Activist, Mark Benschop; Artist and Cultural Director, Claire Ann Goring, veteran broadcaster, Phylis Erica Jackson, Wesley Adrian Benjamin; Paulette Patricia Bollers; Terrence Glenberth Boston; Donna Bowen; Lucille Elaine Cadogan; Beverly Clenkien; Jenny Benn-Daly; Ann Pamela Forde; Gregory Douglas Fraser; Virgil Harding; Glenyss Barbara James; Jainarine Maraj; Leon Randolph Mc Donald;

Dr. Neville Gobin Doreen Evelyn Blackman NgA-Qui; Kissoon Dyal Persaud; Premnauth Prashad; Urica Yernesi Primus; Deserdeen Roberts; Kaylan Persaud Sharma and Beverly Ann Somerset. Also to receive awards- the Military Ser vice Medal are: Colonel Raul Jerrick and Lieutenant Colonel Denzil Walter Carmichael. For the Disciplined Services Star the recipient is: Chief Fire Officer Marlon Anthony Gentle. For the Disciplined Services Medal the recipients are: Assistant Commissioner of Police Kevin Adonis; Assistant Commissioner of Police Edgar Mortimer Thomas and Deputy Chief Fire Officer Jacqueline Bonita Greene.

Minister Henry donates two beds to stabbed Linden student –– teen discharged from hospital, new home for family in two weeks

MINISTER of Education, Nicolette Henry, donated two beds to the 15-year-old Linden Foundation Student, Shashamani Williams, who was stabbed last month by her schoolmate. The teen, who was recently discharged from the Linden Hospital Complex, will now have a comfortable bed to rest in a newly-constructed home. The house which is being constructed by an NGO ‘Remigrants United’, will be completed in two weeks. According to a press release from the Education Ministry, Minister Henry,

on Saturday, donated two beds, with mattresses to Mr. Maynard Williams, the father of the student. The minister wanted to ensure that the teenager’s needs are adequately met now that she has been discharged from the hospital and on the road to recovery. According to Mr. Paul Nurse, a member of the NGO, after learning of the girl’s plight and the family’s living arrangement, he, along with other members, have been seeking assistance from persons in the community and elsewhere to assist with the construction of a new home

Minister of Education, Dr. Nicolette Henry, interacts with the mother of the teen, Dane Lyte, and her siblings

for the family. This includes building materials and monetary donations. While the house is being constructed, the family is being accommodated at a guest house, since their present living condition is not conducive to the teen’s recovery. The education minister said that it is heartwarming to see such acts of kindness when it is most needed, and believes that persons can learn from the approaches and initiatives of the NGO. Minister Henry also visited the family at the guest house where they are temporarily re-

siding. This is the second time Minister Henry visited the victim. She had paid the child a visit while she was hospitalised. The alleged perpetrator, another 15-yearold student, is still on bail as the police continue their investigation into the matter. Since the incident, which went viral, the Region 10 Department of Education has ramped out school’s welfare services to proactively address issues of violence that have been escalating in schools across the region and the country at large.

Minister Henry presenting the two beds to the father of the teen. In the photo also, is former MP, Audwin Rutherford, and Regional Education Officer, Mr. Rabindra Singh

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, February 23, 2020

SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 23, 2020

‘A time for reflection, introspection and revival’– says GAWU

AS our nation pauses and reflects as we observe half a century of Republican status, we of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) take this opportunity to extend greetings to the Guyanese people on this significant anniversary. This anniversary gives us – the Guyanese people – yet another opportunity to assess what and where that Constitutional status has brought us. As we salute our nation on this important anniversary of Republicanism, we must take a sober look at where the Republic stands nearly half a century on. No doubt we made strides in various socio-economic aspects

during this time but, we contend, that the economic transformation whereby the masses of Guyanese could experience fully the results of development is still to be achieved. To this day, the economic struggle for a reasonable standard of living continues. Too many of our skilled, qualified citizens have opted for migration in pursuit of a better life. As we have noted before the “Good Life” here is still out of grasp of the working-people. When we consider our times of today, we recognise that several issues still linger on. In fact our ‘now-a-day’ circumstances, very much mimic the situation on our attainment of republican status. Dr. Cheddi Jagan, speaking

in the National Assembly on February 23, 1970, said “…we have a widening gap between the rich and the poor. Foreign vested interests have become more entrenched, more exploitive and more ruthless. For their support of these bureaucratic capitalist elite, they receive more and more concessions. Meanwhile, unemployment and underemployment soar and crime, delinquency and prostitution increase.” Dr. Jagan went on saying, “[they] [the government] have betrayed a trust. They have sold out the people. While serving imperialism and building a retinue of hangers-on and yes-men, they are feeding the people with half-truths, slogans and gimmicks.” He,

at that time, urged the then administration to “…cut out their Daimler-style living, abandon Duvalier methods, follow in the footsteps of Julius Nyerere and Fidel Castro and serve the people….” None-the-less, GAWU calls on Guyanese not to abandon hope, and unite and struggle for genuine progressive change. As the Anniversary’s Mashramani events take centre-stage, let us celebrate but, bear in mind our responsibilities as citizens of our Republic to bring about enduring prosperity and all-round progress benefitting every Guyanese. A happy, peaceful Republic Anniversary and Mashramani 2020 to all!

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, February 23, 2020

Gov’t expects amicable resolution to RUSAL situation

MINISTER of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, last Thursday, said that “all of government expect a sensible, mature and amicable resolution to the current impasse” between RUSAL subsidiary, Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated (BCGI), and its Guyanese employees. This came even as Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo said that it was indicated to him by Russian Ambassador to Guyana, Alexander Kurmaz, that RUSAL, a Russian company, does not appear to be shutting down its Guyana operations, when the situation was also discussed at a recent meeting between the two. RUSAL, on February 2, terminated 326 employees and suspended operations at its Kurubuka Mines in the Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice Region, the employees have been maintaining a blockade across a section of the Berbice River which prevents the company from shipping any material or equipment from the mines. Minister Trotman spoke on the situation on Thursday, when he spoke at the opening ceremony of another bauxite company, the Guyana Industrial Minerals (GINMIN), a subsidiary of American mining company, First Bauxite (FBX). “Even as we are high in celebration, workers of BCGI are on the breadline and uncertain about their future. I reiterate our commitment and resolve to work with the company, the workers and their representatives, to bring this sordid saga to an end,” Trotman

commented. BCGI has been in Guyana since 2006, with the Guyana Government having a 10 per cent stake

50 workers and de-recognised the employees’ trade union – the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union. The situation was agitated ignited in February 2019, when the employees began strike action over an arbitrary salary increase. This issue was resolved, however in January 2020, when the company

where they are right now,” was all that Dennison said he would offer. He did not speak on the company’s operations, which has been suspended. Amidst the revelation that the company shipped several pieces of machinery out of Guyana, employees have speculated that the company is looking to shut down its operations completely. Prime Minister Nagamootoo, however, said that does not appear to be the case, based on what was

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo

in BCGI and RUSAL owning the other 90 per cent. The 10 per cent shares are said to be controlled by the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), which is said to be in charge of collecting dividends paid from the shares. However it is unclear how much, if any, dividends has been paid over by the Russian company over the years. Calls made to Head of NICIL, Colvin Heath-London, continue to prove futile. Issues between the company and the employees have been a longstanding one, dating as far back as 2009, when the company terminated over

Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman

laid off 142 workers, things once again boiled over. Commissioner of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), Newell Dennison, said he would not be commenting on the issue, as it is a labour matter. “Our role is regulator at the technical level and a lot of those issues are not really in that domain. I am not going to comment on RUSAL at all. RUSAL is in a very delicate state and I don’t want to be seen as contributing to anything that would destabilise

Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally

said to him by Kurmaz. “From what he said, although he’s saying it’s a private company and [he] cannot speak for the company, you get the message very clearly that they’re not pulling out. They may appear to do so but from their official statement that they made in Moscow, they’re not pulling out. So we will continue to explore all avenues to have this matter discussed, have the issue of the severance pay settled and other issues

that may arise to the satisfaction of the workers,” the PM said last Thursday. The company said that it had already paid severance and other benefits to the 326 terminated workers. Two weeks ago the Department of Labour said that it would be writing the company requesting a spreadsheet with a breakdown of the benefits to verify that the amounts paid to employees were what they were entitled to. Calls on Friday to Chief Labour Officer, Charles Ogle, for an update on that situation proved futile. The DoL continued to lobby for the rehiring of the workers, however, the company did not commit, and would only say that they would consult their Russian principals before coming to decision. Last week, Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally, had said that the department had begun looking at the spreadsheet but noted that no timeline had been given to the company for a response on resumption of operations. The minister last met with the company on February 2. Nonetheless the minister had said that she is awaiting a response from the company before further action on the situation. “Let us hear what RUSAL has to say first, it’s a process and we need to hear what RUSAL has to say, meanwhile we are not giving up to the workers and the workers understand that,” Ally had said.

Police seek known criminals in murder of Cuban

AS investigations continue into the murder of Cuban national, Ofredis Duarte Campos, police have narrowed their leads and are hunting for two known suspects. Campos, 35, of 321 East Street, Georgetown, was killed on Thursday during an early morning attempted robbery while he was walking to his workplace-- the Rossignol Butchery-- located on Church Street, Georgetown. According to police, the two suspects are known criminal characters who were previously accused of similar robberies. Police also obtained CCTV footage from the scene of the crime. Campos was walking along Cummings Street, between Middle and Quamina Streets, when two men rode up beside him and attempted to snatch his haversack. While he was on the western parapet proceeding south on Cummings Street, Campos was confronted by the suspects on a red and white XR motorcycle which came from the opposite direction. It was said that Campos put up a fight with the two men as he refused to let them take his belongings and, as a result, was shot

Dead: Ofredis Duarte Campos

three times before the bandits escaped on the motorcycle. He sustained gunshot wounds to his right wrist, upper chest and under the chin. The bandits were unsuccessful in the robbery as all of the Cuban’s valuables were found in his possession. He was pronounced dead at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, February 23, 2020

No party agent was taken to Upper Mazaruni – GECOM …refutes PPP’s claims that its agent was ejected from flight

WHILE responding to claims by the People's Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) that its party agent was left behind, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) said a decision was taken in which no party agent, including the PPP’s, would be on a flight to Upper Mazaruni to observe Friday’s vote by the Disciplined Services. The decision was taken after the pilot of the aircraft notified the team of officials from GECOM that all the scheduled passengers would not be able to make the flight since the weight was already

above the 600lbs payload. GECOM explained that the passengers who were scheduled to be on the flight included the GECOM Balloting Officers, Commissioner Vincent Alexander, a police officer and three agents representing the APNU+AFC, PPP/C and URP respectively. “The pilot advised that two persons would not be able go on the flight. As such, it was decided that rather than taking one agent and leaving two, no agent was on the flight,” GECOM said. Noting that it was appalled by the claims made in reports that the PPP’s agent

was ejected from the flight, GECOM said Chief Election Officer, Keith Lowenfield, held a meeting with the elections agents of all political parties on February 15, 2020 to provide details pertaining to the operational activities for the conduct of Discipline Services balloting and polling day for General and Regional Elections. Subsequent to the meeting, the CEO provided a detailed movement plan, the payload for each aircraft and the number of persons that can be accommodated. On arrival at the Eugene F. Correia International Airport at Ogle

on Friday, February 21, 2020, the pilot advised that all the scheduled passengers could not go on the flight. It was here that the decision was made regarding who should go and who should remain. “This is a regrettable situation. However, in the interest of ensuring safety and that the statutory activity of Discipline Services balloting proceeded as planned, the best decision was taken in this regard. The Guyana Elections Commission wishes to assure that the process was observed by international observers on the ground which lends itself to a level of transparency,”

GECOM said. Presidential Candidate of the PPP/C, Irfaan Ali, while observing the elections on Friday at the Brickdam Police Station, noted that though the elections were progressing smoothly, the PPP/C was dissatisfied that one of its polling agents, who was assigned to the Upper Mazaruni, Region Seven, was left behind. “Things here seem to be going smoothly. However, we have one challenge that is reported to the party. One of our polling agents was supposed to join the flight at Ogle with the GECOM team

to go into Upper Mazaruni. When she turned up to join the team to go on that flight, she was told that there was no space on the flight for her,” the PPP/C presidential candidate explained. According to him, the PPP/C was deeply concerned that voting took place in the Upper Mazaruni in the absence of its polling agent. He said GECOM failed to make the necessary accommodation for the PPP/C polling agent. The main opposition political party said it wrote GECOM on the matter.

waste than wasted potential. The present administration’s plan to turn Guyana into a ‘green’ state, education nation, digital state and petroleum nation is ambitious and stands up to scrutiny. All of the ingredients are present to turn these plans into a solid reality. Guyana has always been a ‘green’ state and we are only now seeing the importance and benefits of having preserved our protected areas and unspoiled rainforests manifest through success with tourism. Guyana has always excelled in education, producing many great talents, dispersed throughout the world. The Education nation would however transform Guyanese potential to become true world leaders. The potential is there and the need to nurture our young and

future innovators is already being felt. The digital state and petroleum nation are fairly new concepts but I believe they present the opportunity for Guyana to get things right from the start. We have to ensure that our resources are protected, properly managed and that the benefits deriving from their proper exploitation are felt by the entire citizenry, from the coast through to the hinterlands. By the time this goes to print, we would have revelled and danced through the streets of Georgetown in true Guyanese style. I hope that as we move further into this year, we continue to embody the theme of this most auspicious year. Let us reflect, celebrate and transform Guyana.

Guyana Together - Reflect, Celebrate and Transform

By Melina Harris

THE theme for our Jubilee anniversary celebrations could not be more apt. The 50th republic anniversary theme; “Guyana Together – reflect, celebrate and transform”, I believe, perfectly captures the sentiments of the citizenry at this point in Guyanese history. Although we are in the final weeks of elections season, I still stand behind my initial observations; mainly that, Guyanese are campaigning for unity and prosperity in 2020. Over the last couple of weeks, we have seen massive crowds gathering all across the nation to rally behind their political parties and even though our politics might differ, we have remained unified in respecting each other’s views. I am also certain that this elections season has been one of the most peaceful we have had in decades. So what does this theme really mean? At the launch of the 50th Republic Anniversary celebrations on October 26 2019, Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton, explained the theme thus; “Reflect emphasises the need for us to reminisce from whence we came, and acknowledge the struggles

and sacrifices our ancestors made for us to get here. Celebrate refers to our innate ‘Guyaneseness’ to mark every milestone. Transform signifies the need for us to take Guyana to the next level. It speaks to the future, the decade of development and our country’s move to becoming a Green State.” Guyanese are often reticent about reflecting on our past. Although there is so much to love about Guyana, like many post-colonial nations, reflections on the past are marred by brutality, oppression and violence. Consequently, the hard fought struggle to break free from those regimes brings back painful memories. I however, believe that there is much more to be gained when reflecting on our past. Guyanese history tells the story of our ancestors who, against all odds, fought and strived for many of the freedoms we now enjoy. Their resilience and resolute goal to emancipate themselves from physical, social and economic bondage is awe inspiring and evokes a great sense of pride. Our ancestors, wherever they might have come from, understood the value of freedom and fought with everything they had, to ensure that their descendants would, one day,

be able to take their rightful place in this world. “Guyana is not a real place” is a statement I often say on a daily basis. This paradoxical statement can be read in a positive or negative light, depending on the day one is having in Guyana. Guyana to most Guyanese is a veritable paradise; rich in culture, sunshine, pristine natural beauty and a sense of freedom that is hard to find in most places in the world. Yet, on a bad day, Guyana can be hellish. But like most Guyanese, I have come to accept that certain things are uniquely Guyanese and it is perhaps that “Guyaneseness” that is so alluring. The unmistakable Guyanese sense of humour and “island vibe” way of life are as Guyanese as pepperpot and bread on Christmas morning. Our similarities far outweigh our differences in Guyana and I have always felt that more of us need to realise that. We have to become more comfortable with celebrating our uniqueness because it really is one of our defining characteristics as a people and nation. For instance, one thing every Guyanese can agree on is our love of food. We are totally and completely spoiled to have so much fresh, unique, unusual beautiful fruits and

vegetables available in abundance to us. We also have plentiful varieties of seafood and wild meats, for the more adventurous among us. The proverbial cherry on top comes from the way in which our various peoples combine these ingredients to create dishes that are loved by all. In Guyana, everybody eats from everybody’s pot. Our capacity for transformation is boundless. With the right type of leadership, Guyana has the potential to be become a Cinderella story, a true fairy-tale. We have always had that potential but like many other young nations, we have sometimes faltered. However, as we start to make our way through this “decade of development”, we are already starting to see the buds of prosperity take form. For instance, Guyana’s tourism industry, though fairly young, is already starting to make huge contributions to the local economy. It was estimated that in 2019, the sector raked in some GYD$66B. Tourism, along with the rice and construction industries, contributed to economic growth of 4.7 per cent for 2019, the highest growth rate since 2014. It is high time we take Guyana to the next level indeed, for there is no greater

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, February 23, 2020

‘Drunk’ Matthew’s Ridge NDC official on bail after mowing down six-year-old RELATIVES of a six-yearold child, who was run-over by an intoxicated official of the Matarkai Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) at Matthew's Ridge on Friday night, are seeking justice after the man told residents that nothing will come out of the matter. Reports are that Shemika Griffith was in the company of her grandmother, walking back to their home from a shop around 20:30hrs on Friday night, when they heard the sound of a motorcycle in the distance. The child's grandmother, Sonia Griffith, said that she heard the motorcycle and since it was raining at the time, she told her granddaughter to cross the roadway and walk in the corner. She said soon after, she saw the motorcycle approaching at a fast rate and seconds later, the man rode into the child. She said the child lost consciousness immediately, noting that she sustained a

deep cut to her forehead, face and her teeth were also damaged. She said the man, who was intoxicated, told her granddaughter, who was still unconscious at the time, that she was the cause of the accident. She said as persons came

A cut which the child sustained during the accident

to their rescue, the man, who allegedly is not the holder of a driver's licence, told resi-

dents that he was "untouchable" and that he is a member of an Opposition party. As such, he told residents that nothing will come out of the case. "He said nobody can do him anything," the child's grandmother related. The man was seen earlier in the afternoon imbibing at a shop in the area. The child was taken to the Matthew's Ridge Hospital but to the family's horror, the nurse on duty informed them that no doctor was on duty and that the injuries the child sustained were minor. As such, she sent them away. The family visited the police station in the area and were informed by ranks on duty that since the nurse discharged the child, there was nothing much they could have done. The child's grandmother said that while at the police station, the NDC official was detained by the ranks and was placed on bail. The family said they were

Shemika Griffith

told that the NDC official's wife, who works at the hospital as a community health worker, asked the nurse to discharge the child. "So this is because if they had admit my granddaughter, her husband would have had to sleep in the lock-ups," the child's

grandmother said. The child's grandmother said that she took the girl to the hospital again early this morning but the doctor on duty was unhelpful. She said the man told the family to give the child ibuprofen tablets and that they should

return daily for check ups. The woman said she is unsatisfied by the treatment the family received from the police and hospital staff. She said the family plans to seek an audience with the Ministry of Public Health on the matter, since according to her, the child is still in pain. She said she believes an x-ray is required to determine the extent of her grand-daughter's injuries. "I am not satisfied with this, I don't know what else to do," the woman said. Reports are that police officials at Matthew's Ridge and Port Kaituma have briefed the commander of the North West District of the matter. Former government Member of Parliament, Richard Allen told the Guyana Chronicle that he is keenly following the matter, noting that provisions will have to be made to ensure the child seeks treatment in the city.

Berbice students benefit from tech confab TWO hundred students from Vryman’s Erven Secondary and the Berbice High School completed a two-day visit to STARR Computer, Brickdam, Georgetown, on Thursday when they were exposed to technologies and advice on the future of jobs in Guyana. President of STARR Computer, Mike Mohan, told the students of the oiland-gas sector and disruption to the economy that will change the future employment landscape by epic proportion. “Most jobs that exist today will become non-existent over the next decade. Unfortunately, many jobs of the future do not exist today. And therefore, proper academicals and vocational education, technology field trips, seminars and webinars, podcast and social media, amongst others, will be important to fast track the preparation of our next generation to survive the new challenges ahead,” Mohan said. He said STARR Computer is committed to shoulder its social responsibilities by extending its services to all educational institution

President of STARR Computer, Mike Mohan, in discussion with Berbice High School students

and Guyanese of all age. “We were honoured to host students of Vryman’s Erven Secondary School and, today, Berbice High School, totalling almost 200 attendees. At STARR, they had the opportunity to enjoy hands-on experience with new cutting-edge technologies. Most importantly, they had the opportunity to

interact with some of our finest technology exports in the business. After all, they are the future of our country and we had to give them our best,” Mr. Mohan said. He explained that students had the opportunity to enjoy hands-on experience with a range of computers, printers, point-of-sales appliances, power products,

security options, scanners and projectors, and hardware accessories. Of significant interest, he said, was the 3D Printers, robotic vacuum cleaner and educational Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) products. “Many were fascinated with our drones and energy

harnessing via solar panels. And the smartphones and smart TV were in a special category as the special spontaneous attraction,” he added. Further, he said that STARR Computer is looking forward to participate in the future development of Smart classrooms in Guyana. “We ourselves were

privileged to be trained by major manufactures including Samsung, Epson, HP and Lenovo to deploy these solutions.” Many of the students expressed gratitude and noted that they were exposed to new ideas that they never thought of within their studies.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, February 23, 2020

SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 23, 2020

SOUTH AFRICA RACING TIPS Greyville 08:25 hrs Parkdale 09:00 hrs Dancinginthewind 09:35 hrs Connext Me 10:10 hrs Collabro 10:45 hrs Rocket Fire ENGLISH RACING TIPS Wolverhampton 10:00 hrs Surf Walk 10:30 hrs Perfect Predator 11:00 hrs Petite Jack 11:30 hrs Irish Roe 12:00 hrs Birds Of Prey 12:30 hrs Solomon Grey 13:00 hrs Red Fprce One FONTWELL 10:20 hrs Echo Watt 11:20 hrs Thomas Darby 11:50 hrs Notre Pari 12:20 hrs Jamessaintpatrick 12:50 hrs Bob And Co IRISH RACING TIPS Naas 10:10 hrs Cadmium 10:40 hrs Best Behaviour 11:10 hrs Andy Dufresne 11:40 hrs Laura Bullion 12:10 hrs Village Mystic 12:40 hrs Ardamir

West Indies lose first ODI against Sri Lanka (ESPNCricinfo) - Wanindu Hasaranga watched more experienced team-mates throw their wickets away, saw his team slip repeatedly from excellent positions, and then, with only the tail for company, shepherded Sri Lanka to their target with a clever, nerveless innings that made up for all those batting mistakes. Sri Lanka still had 28 to get - off 27 balls - when No. 10 Lakshan Sandakan came to the crease - the game decidedly in West Indies’ favour. Hasaranga, 22, was playing only his 10th ODI innings, but took the game by its collar, hitting successive fours off Sheldon Cottrell in the 47th over to get the runs required down to below the balls available. Then, he farmed the strike, turning down singles, as West Indies put their efforts into targetting the other batsman. As the bowlers began to lose their nerve, sending down wides, and missing their lengths, Hasaranga’s resolve just grew stronger. He tied the game with a boundary through point off Cottrell, and although he lost Sandakan to a run-out early in the final over, he was on strike to shovel one more ball over the leg-side infield. In the end, the winning run turned out to be a no-ball, delivered by Keemo Paul, who had bowled sensibly until his last two overs. Hasaranga guided home the highest-ever chase at the SSC, and Sri Lanka’s first successful chase of a target over 250 in more than two years. He finished 42 not out off 39 balls, having struck four fours and a stunning pulled six off Paul, though that shot had come relatively early in his innings. His innings not only outshone those of his team-mates, but also trumped a much more substantial knock from Shai Hope, who had

struck 115 off 140 to help West Indies to their imposing score. In the chase, Sri Lanka seemed to be ascendant on multiple occasions, but every time they were on the cusp of stability, batsmen insisted on taking bad options, or conjuring up a bizarre dismissal to a nothing ball, introducing fresh insecurities to the chase. Kusal Mendis seemed to be in good touch, having hit a towering straight six off Roston Chase, after working his way into the innings with a series of leg-side singles. He flayed a wild full toss from Hayden Walsh Jr through the offside early in the 27th over, but managed to hole out to mid-on when presented with another full toss a few balls later. Dhananjaya de Silva, similarly, was advancing smoothly, when he attempted to launch Walsh Jr into the sightscreen. Instead, he was caught brilliantly by Paul. Later, both Kusal Perera and Thisara Perera committed even more egregious errors. Sri Lanka needed only 75 at a run-a-ball, with a good partnership blossoming, when Kusal pulled Paul towards deep square leg, where Darren Bravo ran in and completed another outstanding low, diving catch. About half an hour after that, Sri Lanka needed 37 off 45 balls, with not a lot of batting to come, when Thisara holed out to the leg-side sweeper. West Indies did brilliantly to capitalise on each of these mistakes, but they were, in essence, unforced errors. Thankfully for Sri Lanka, though, their openers had given them a platform, and it was Dimuth Karunaratne and Avishka Fernando’s 111-run stand that gave shape to this chase.

Historic: Guyanese female players ... From page 37 2013, Guyana have never had a representative National team (male or female) at the World Championships. This would represent the first time in the history of the sport in Guyana that a National team would participate as a unit at the World Championships.” Munroe noted that he received the correspondence recently from ITTF World Tour Manager, Dimosthenis Messinis, that we had qualified for the March 22-29 event. According to the long-serving GTTA administrator, the selection was made based on the proven results gained by the performance of the women team players. “Previously teams and individual players could have been nominated by their respective federation, and play and participate in the World team and individual championships. However, the new format of the ITTF provisions requires that teams and individual participation must be done through a continental qualification system/process which is based on results/wins in international competition,

which makes the selection even more noteworthy, given that there is a quota system and process solely allowing for the best and elite teams in the world.” Munroe noted that our top female players, including Caribbean bronze medal winner Trenace Lowe, former Caribbean U-21 champion Chelsea Edghill, current national champion Natalie Cummings, seasoned veteran Jody-Ann

Blake and Priscilla Greaves have excelled in international competitions by claiming several team medals at the Caribbean level, Pan American Qualification (silver medal) and Commonwealth Games (quarterfinalists). A release from the GTTA added that the championship would serve as a great preparation for the continental Olympic trials scheduled for April in Rosario, Argentina.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Sunday February 23, 2020) COMPLIMENTS OF XTRA ENERGY DRINK – STABROEK BAZAAR (Tel: 683-9500) CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD- 83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158)

Answers to yesterday’s quiz:

(1) 9 (2) 4

Today’s Quiz:

(1) What was the result of the first ODI of the cur rent WI SL series? (2) Who was declared Man of the Match?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 23, 2020

Golden Republic T20 match

Hemraj, Emrit seal million-dollar victory for Rutherford Renegades By Clifton Ross

A BRUTAL knock from Chandrapaul Hemraj, coupled with seamer Rayad Emrit’s 4-for, piloted Rutherford Renegades to an emphatic 8-wicket win over Hetmyer Hurricanes, in Friday night’s Golden Republic T20 Bash. An expert spell of seam bowling from the veteran Emrit, who returned 4-25 from his 3 overs, was instrumental in keeping the Hetmyer Hurricanes to a modest 140-9 in 20 overs. Captain Hetmyer (24) and overseas player, Windies batsman Lendl Simmons (23), led the batting charge while West Indies Under-19 all-rounder Kevlon Anderson and Guyana Jaguars all-rounder Ronaldo Alimohamed chipped in with 19 apiece. Rutherford Renegades in their chase, raced to 144-2 in 17.1 overs. Hemraj, the West Indies Test opener, bludgeoned an unbeaten 45-ball 58 with 3 fours and as many

sixes. He shared an opening stand of 63 with ex-West Indies U-19 wicketkeeper Tevin Imlach, who muscled 42 off just 29 with six thumping fours and two maximums. After the two openers feasted on some ineffective bowling from Chris Barnwell 1-16 and pacer Niall Smith (1-24) who were the only wicket-takers for the Hetmyer Hurricanes, the platform was already laid for victory. After Barnwell removed Imlach, Guyana Jaguars captain Leon Johnson played a brief cameo of 17 off 15 with one four and a six before he was caught by Barnwell off the bowling of Smith. An unmoved Hemraj continued to play his shots and when he was joined by Raymon Reifer the pair sought to get the match over in a hurry. Reifer, a renowned T20 specialist having won last year’s Hero CPL with his birth country franchise Barbados Tridents; stroked 23 not out with a pair of fours and a big six. Hemraj and Reifer steered the ship to

land, adding an even half-century stand for the 3rd wicket, winning in quite convincing manner. Earlier, when play began under lights, it was eventually the frequent loss of wickets which contributed to the Hetmyer Hurricanes being kept to a below-par total; after they elected to bat first. West Indies opener Simmons got off to a flashy start while his partner Trevon Griffith failed to trouble the scorers, departing for a duck. In-form West Indies U-19 all-rounder Anderson showed his class with four fours before the veteran Emrit managed to dismantle his stumps for 19. With two batsmen back in the dressing room, Hetmyer came out to partner Simmons, who had gone into double digits by then. Simmons at that point had been seemingly cruising as he helped himself to three fours and a six with his usually classy stroke-play. However, the introduction of National left-arm spinner Anthony Adams (1-16) provided the ideal breakthrough for Rutherford

Renegades knocking over the Windies batsman, with a beauty of a delivery. Rutherford then made another dent in the lineup, removing all-rounder Barnwell (4) who got off the mark with his boundary and helped raise the team’s 50; before hitting the left-arm seamer down midwicket’s throat. Kemol Savory (13) fell to Emrit while newbie Quintin Sampson bagged his biggest wicket to date by breaking the edge of Hetmyer, who was expertly caught by wicketkeeper Anthony Bramble. Alimohamed and Gudakesh Motie (16) sought to put up resistance but it proved temporary, as Emrit removed the latter, West Indies U-19 bowler Ashmead Nedd for a duck and Richie Looknauth (11) to wrap up the innings. The Rutherford Renegades then celebrated their million-dollar win with Minister of Social Cohesion/Sport Dr George Norton, who along with GCB, helped to make the inaugural 50th celebrations match an event to remember.

India strike late to break Ervine glues Zimbabwe middle order up Williamson ––Taylor partnership

(REUTERS) - CAPTAIN Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor combined to put New Zealand in a strong position in the first Test before India struck back late yesterday to remove both, just as their partnership threatened to take the match away from the tourists.

Kane Williamson plays a cut. (AFP)

New Zealand were 216-5 with a lead of 51 runs at the end of the second day’s play at the Basin Reserve, before failing light forced the players off. Play had been extended by half an hour past the 19:00hrs (0600 GMT) finishing time, itself a 30-minute extension on the playing conditions, with Colin de Grandhomme on four and BJ Watling 14. India had been dismissed for just 165 earlier yesterday and looked under pressure

all day but it could have been much worse had they not removed Taylor and Williamson, who were looking ominous, in quick succession. The pair combined for 93 runs and had given New Zealand a first-innings lead before Ishant Sharma broke the partnership. The pace bowler got a delivery to spit off a length and struck Taylor on the hand, with the ball flying to Cheteshwar Pujara at square leg to dismiss him for 44. Williamson, who had been struck on the hand by a Sharma bouncer on the first ball he faced, and received treatment, looked content to see out the rest of the day’s play without any further loss after Taylor’s dismissal. He advanced to 89 and within sight of his 22nd Test century but drove at a wide delivery from Mohammed Shami, was surprised by the slower pace of the ball and was caught by substitute fielder Ravindra Jadeja at cover. Henry Nicholls was then caught by Virat Kohli at slip off Ravichandran Ashwin for 17 in the gloomy conditions. “You always want or are seeking perfection,” pace bowler Tim Southee told reporters of the match situation heading into day three. “You always want to be one less wicket than what you are. “But saying that if we can carry on tomorrow (this) morning and get a couple of partnerships together, and try to build that lead, then going into the second innings that will be nice.” Southee had run through India’s tail with three wickets after they had resumed on 122-5 after the entire final session of the first day was washed out when heavy rain swept across the ground seconds after the players had taken tea. Debutant Kyle Jamieson finished with 4-39.

(ESPNCRICINFO) - On an attritional first he troubled everyone in Zimbabwe’s top day’s play in Mirpur, two men stood head order with fizz, bounce and an unerring line and shoulders above everyone else on the almost throughout. field as Zimbabwe compiled 228 for 6. It was a sharp piece of fielding from Nayeem Craig Ervine was the glue in Zimbabwe’s that brought Ervine to the crease this morning, Abu middle order, compiling the fourth hundred Jayed finding reward during a disciplined opening by a visiting captain at this ground, and one spell with the dismissal of opener Kevin Kasuza in that mixed studied defence with some exotic the eighth over after Zimbabwe had won the toss. strokeplay. Three overs later, Nayeem started a spell For Bangladesh, Nayeem Hasan twirled that would stretch on for a full 36 overs tirelessly through through the day, and 36 overs to take 4 an absorbing battle befor 68, repeatedly tween the off-spinner pegging Zimbaand the left-hander bebwe back whenevgan to unfold. er they threatened Ervine certainly to take control. didn’t have it all his Both men were own way, Nayeem somewhat fortuteasing his outside nate to find themedge on several occaselves in their resions early on, with spective positions: leading edges flying Ervine is captainthrough and over ing Zimbabwe for cover and point. the first time in Between times, this game only behowever, Ervine held cause regular skipfirm and his response per Sean Williams to the sight of signifiCraig Ervine sweeps one fine. (AFP) stayed at home to cant turn and bounce, be present for the even from a fresh, unbirth of his daughter, while an out-of-sorts characteristically grassy track, was to unfurl Mehidy Hasan’s absence from the playing a succession of sweeps both orthodox and XI opened the door for Nayeem to seize his reverse. opportunity. Taijul Islam bore the brunt of his early Mehidy has been off-colour since taking strokeplay, leaking 43 runs from his first 15 wickets against West Indies at home in seven overs, and Zimbabwe surged ahead as 2018, after which he took six wickets in four Bangladesh turned ragged in the field, missing Tests last year. three chances - one of them very tough, but He missed the Rawalpindi Test earlier this two clear drops - in the space of three overs. month due to an injury, and was subsequently With Prince Masvaure well set at the dropped for the first time in a home Test since other end, having compiled a competent he made his debut against England in 2016. half-century, Ervine sensed an opportunity This gave Nayeem, who took 13 wickets to go on the offensive, slashing Abu Jayed last week in a first-class match, his chance. for three boundaries, some more convincing His second delivery dipped and gripped and deliberate than others, in the space of to beat a groping Ervine’s outside edge, and an over.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 23, 2020

Nedd optimistic as male volleyball team head to French Guiana

PRESIDENT of the Guyana Volleyball Federation, Levi Nedd, is optimistic that the national U-21 male team can bring back the title when they compete in the third annual Inter-Guiana Volleyball Tournament scheduled for this weekend in French Guiana. Guyana’s male team won the competition in 2018, but lost due to “bad officiating” in the 2019 final. Nedd had noted that some of the calls were against the visiting side and stated that the technical official of the French Guiana Volleyball Federation also acknowledged it and promised to get overseas officials for the next series. Despite the calls, Guyana, who had defeated both French Guiana and Suriname in the preliminary rounds, had taken the home team to five games in their best-in-three championship clash. MORE CONTROL According to Nedd, who also functions as a coach, the male team have improved this year, despite their limited training time. “They have become more mature this year; as much as the training time was limited they

Several of the National U-21 players who will travel to French Guiana

Historic: Guyanese female players qualify for World Teams Table Tennis Championships GUYANA’S National female team is will head to Busan, South Korea where they will take part in the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) 2020 World Teams Table Tennis Championships. According to president of the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA), Godfrey Munroe, having Guyana participate in this

event is historic. “This is significant for the Guyana’s table tennis brand since while male and female players have represented Guyana at the singles edition of the World Table Tennis Championships in 2003, 2005 and See page 35

Guyana National Women’s team at the 2019 Pan American Qualifiers: From left, Chelsea Edghill, Jody-Ann Blake, Trenace Lowe and Natalie Cummings.

have gelled as a team.” Additionally some 10 of the 12 players who participated in the previous competition are again in the side. “The male players are a strong unit; they are strong in their attacks. They have improved from last year in ball control and in their tactical decision-making during games.” Guyana are also travelling with a female team, but historically they have not fared well against the more developed teams from French Guiana and Suriname. “The girls have tried their best; they have improved and will continue to develop.” One of the setbacks is that the National U-21 female team lost the services of one of their leading attackers, Cherry-Ann Fraser, who is with the West Indies team for the Women’s T20 World Cup. Several persons assisted the squad with their overall expenses, including Spready’s Bakery in Port Mourant, Natasha’s Travel Service in New Amsterdam, Punai’s Pharmacy and Ignatius Robinson. The side is scheduled to leave Guyana on Wednesday via land for Suriname before making their way into French Guiana.

Albion CCCC to put cricketers first, not be caught in –– says political spats Walter THE Albion Community Centre Cricket Club (ACCCC) will put the interest of the club and its cricketers first and not support political agendas of any cricket board or individuals. President of the club, Vemen Walter, in a recent statement noted that the club is open to engage both Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and Berbice Cricket Board (BCB). He added that Albion will be fair and will listen to what both parties bring to the table. Walter said that stemming from a recent meeting the executives decided that they will not compro-

mise where representation of their cricketers is concerned. The long-serving official noted that the onus is on clubs to take a proactive stand. “Members of the Albion Community Centre Cricket Club (ACCCC) are of the firm view that as a key stakeholder in Guyana’s Cricket, the Club cannot just sit back and accept whatever is offered by BCB and GCB which most of the time is to the detriment to the club and its cricketers. We will continue to call a spade a spade and will not get entangled with any cricket politics.” “The club would be very transparent in its delivery.

CCCC president Vemen Walter says the club will not support political agendas. The Club would like to inform the general public that it has no intention to be involved in any secret engagement(s) with any individual(s) or cricket board(s), as is currently being peddled. The club also would like to make it quite clear that it will engage the media via press releases as the need arises.” The club was also expected to brief the media on the “surprise omission” of several of their U-15 players from the Berbice team.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 23, 2020

Hety is Berbice dethrone Demerara in back! 2-wicket nail-biter to lift U-15 title GCB/Dave’s West Indian Imports U-15 Inter-county Final

By Clifton Ross IN the end, a magical 4-wicket spell from Sanjay Algoo helped Berbice pull off a daring 2-wicket heist to dethrone Demerara and win the 2020 Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)/Dave’s West Indian Imports Under-15 Inter-county Tournament. The final match played at Bourda was a brave effort from the defending champs Demerara, who fought down to the wire in a low-scoring thriller. Berbice, who were unbeaten through the 3 rounds, ended the competition with an unblemished record and the crown. Demerara were kept to a paltry 83 all out in 35.5 overs, thanks to Algoo who ripped through the attack to bag 4-9. In reply, Berbice had a number of hiccups and close calls but held their nerves, thanks to the bravery of Salim Khan, who stoked 22 and departed with just two runs needed. He had helped to pace the run-chase perfectly. The chase commenced with some good strokes from the in-form skipper Rampertab Ramnauth (17)

Sanjay Algoo accepts his MVP award for his 4 wickets from GCB TDO Colin Stuart. who hit three fours before Wayvell Allen (1-22) made a mess of his stumps. Spinner Hemraj Harriprashad (2-14) landed two huge blows when he removed the other opener Zadeem Larose (4) and Avishkar Persaud (1). More wickets tumbled when all-rounder Josh Alves (2-8), fresh off a 6-for, bagged two wickets - Kevin Kristen (13) and Nyron Hicks who was out caught for duck. With most of their top guns misfiring, Ber-

bice found themselves staring at the possibility of their first loss. But the heart of the off-spinner Khan, who picked up the slack, played an innings of bravery as he and Cecil found the occasional boundary to go along with their singles. With 2 more needed, Khan mistimed a shot and was out, caught for the team’s top score. More drama unfolded when Cecil feathered an edge to the keeper off Sachin Balgobin’s bowling (2-10).

The victorious Berbice U-15 team (Clifton Ross photos)

With scores level and the last pair at the crease with the score 82-8, Matthew Pottaya smashed one through the midwicket boundary to seal a tense, yet brilliant end to the final. Batting first in front of a big Bourda crowd probably gave Demerara the jitters, as they were mesmerised by the opposition bowlers for most of the innings. Man-of-the-match Algoo, was spot on during his 4-wicket spell, capping off his performance with the wicket of Demerara vice-captain Nityanand Matura, who was bowled for a painstaking 17 off 69 deliveries. Shiv Harripersaud continued to have a good tourney by snatching up an additional 2-15 as Berbice ran through the opening innings. Following the match, sponsor Dave Narine thanked GCB and the players for making the tourney a huge success for the young players. He said that he was overwhelmed to see the level of cricket this year, adding that he was also pleased to see all the players put forward their best games.

Guyanese passes fitness test; recalled to T20 side

(CMC) – STROKE-maker Shimron Hetmyer has been recalled to the West Indies squad for the twomatch Twenty20 International series against Sri Lanka next month after passing a critical fitness test. The 23-year-old left-hander was left out of the ongoing one-day series in Sri Lanka after failing a similar fitness assessment last month but was re-tested during the last week following his outing for Guyana Jaguars in the domestic four-day championship, and met the minimum requirement. However, opener Evin Lewis, who like Hetmyer also failed to meet the minimum fitness standard and was overlooked for the one-day tour, did not undergo a re-test and has not been included for the upcoming matches on March 2 and 4 in Kandy. CMC Sport understands that selectors are hopeful the left-handed opener can be re-tested soon, so he can be available for the white-ball home series against New Zealand in July. Meanwhile, fit-again all-rounder Andre Russell has earned a recall and is now set to feature for the first time since he limped out of West Indies’ ill-fated ICC 50-over World Cup campaign in England, last June, with a knee injury. “Shimron Hetmyer missed out on selection for the ODI squad. He has since attained the required fitness level, becoming available for selection and has been included,” said chief selector Roger Harper. “Andre Russell is back in the squad, having been cleared by the medical panel and successfully completing CWI’s return-to-play protocol. Andre will add potency to every department of the team.” The 31-year-old Russell underwent surgery following the World Cup, making a successful recovery and has since mainly focussed on franchise cricket around the globe. He has not represented West Indies in a T20 International in 19 months. Selectors have also recalled Test and one-day batting star, Shai Hope, fast bowler Oshane Thomas and left-arm spinning all-rounder, Fabian Allen to the 14-man squad. Hope last played against Afghanistan in November before missing series against India and Ireland, while Thomas escaped serious injury in a vehicular accident in his native Jamaica earlier this week to be fit enough to make the trip. Allen, a member of the one-day squad, also missed the India and Ireland series recovering from injury. “Oshane Thomas appears to be focussed and raring to go. He will add pace and penetration to the bowling unit,” said Harper. “Shai Hope provides an opening option and cover as a back-up wicketkeeper also. Fabian Allen returns from the injury he sustained in the series against Afghanistan late last year. He will provide a spin-bowling option as well as add depth to the batting group.” Disappointingly, there is no place for Test captain and leading fast bowling-all-rounder Jason Holder, who toured India last December, was then rested for the Ireland series and has now been snubbed by selectors. CMC Sport understands that 21-year-old fast-bowling all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford, who played all three T20s against Ireland last month, has been dropped after failing a fitness assessment. SQUAD – Kieron Pollard (captain), Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Brandon King, Nicholas Pooran, Rovman Powell, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr, Kesrick Williams.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 23, 2020

Lady Jags begin FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup hunt against Nicaragua tonight

GUYANA will open their CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championship campaign against Nicaragua tonight from 19:00hrs, at the Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez in the Dominican Republic, as the ‘Lady Jags’ begin their hunt for a place at the FIFA U-20 World Cup. The Guyanese women are placed in Group D alongside Nicaragua, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Following their clash with Nicaragua, Guyana will return to action on Tuesday, February 25 against Puerto Rico at 16:00 hrs. They will then wrap up their group stage matches against CONCACAF powerhouse Mexico, on Thursday, February 27, at 19:00hrs. Dr Ivan Joseph’s roster includes several debutants - goalkeeper Raven Edwards-Dowdall, midfielder Shanice Alfred, forward Makayla Rudder and defender Anaya Johnson - all joining a contingent of players who helped Guyana qualify for the U-20 CONCACAF Championship for the first time in Guyana’s history. Siacy Adams (Foxy Ladies), Shamaya Daniels (Fruta Conquerors) and Tiandi Smith (Fruta Conquerors) are the only local-based players on the squad which is made up of players who are predominantly from USA and Canadian collegiates. “It is our hope that we will make our country and all our fans proud of our effort and commitment on the field. Mexico,

FLASH BACK! It’s a celebration! Guyana’s U-20 team celebrate their 2-0 win over Bermuda in the CONCACAF U-20 Championships Qualifiers at the National Track and Field Centre. Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico are all formidable opponents in our opening Group D round-robin pool,” Dr Joseph said prior to the team’s first game. The Canada-based Lady Jags head coach further noted that “all three teams are ranked ahead of us in our pool with Mexico leading the way as the number two-ranked team in the tournament. We will need to play at our very best and hope to get a bounce or two in our direction to advance to the next round.” Following confirmation from FIFA that Costa Rica and Panama will co-host the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, in August

of 2020, and that CONCACAF has been awarded one additional slot (four in total), the Confederation announced changes to its World Cup Qualifying tournament, to be hosted in the Dominican Republic between February 22 and March 8, 2020. The CONCACAF Council had determined that Costa Rica and Panama, as host countries of the World Cup, will automatically qualify for the World Cup and will no longer participate in the Championship. For the group stage of the 2020 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship, to be played at the Felix Sanchez Stadium and

Panamericano Stadium, in Santo Domingo and San Cristobal, respectively, Guyana (top-ranked team in qualifying Group A) and Saint Kitts & Nevis (top-ranked team in qualifying Group B) will be replacing Costa Rica and Panama for the group stage of the final championship. In Group C, the United States, Honduras, Dominican Republic and Cuba will go headto-head, while Group E is set with Canada, Jamaica, Guatemala and El Salvador. Group F comprises Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Kitts & Nevis and Cayman Islands. For the Round-of-16, Bermuda (third-place finishers in qualifying Group A) and Barbados (third-place finishers in qualifying Group B) will occupy the positions vacated by Guyana and Saint Kitts &Nevis. All knockout-round matches (round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final and final) will be played in a single match elimination format, with the finalists qualifying for the FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup 2020. THE SQUAD: Goalkeepers - Raven Edwards-Dowdall and Aneesa O’Brien. Defenders - Brianne Desa, Jade Vyfhuis, Jessica Myers, Sydney Puddiecombe, Hailey David and Anaya Johnson. Midfielders - Siacy Adams, Kiana Khedoo, Serena McDonald, Jenea Knight, Audrey Narine, Tori DeNobrega, Shamaya Daniels and Samantha Banfield. Forwards - Nailah Rowe, Tiandi Smith, Shanice Alfred and Makayla Rudder.

Annandale, only team to Guyana in must-win situation against Nicaragua tonight! register victory on day three … Glasgow, McArthur rally Guyana to 2-0 win against USVI

GUYANA defeated US Virgin Islands 2-0 on Friday at the CONCACAF U-20 Championship Qualifiers in Nicaragua, thanks to goals from Nicolas McArthur and Omari Glasgow, but, coach Wayne Dover’s men will have to beat the host nation when they meet tonight, if they want to feature in the June 20-July 5 U-20 Championship in Honduras. Playing in their third match in the five-team group, Guyana, after finishing the first half goalless, first got on the sheet with Glasgow scoring in the 54th minute, while McArthur made it 2-0 three minutes later (57th minute). However, despite getting the win, Dover would have been more comfortable if they had picked up the three points and were able to close-in on Nicaragua, as it relates to the goal tally. Nicaragua, who opened the tournament with an 8-0

Action in the Milo Schools Football tournament 2019 (Elvin Croker photo)

Part of the action between Guyana and US Virgin Islands in the CONCACAF U-20 Qualifiers in Nicaragua on Friday, February 21, 2020. (Photo compliments of CONCACAF) thrashing over US Virgin Islands, blanked Montserrat 4-0 in their second game and edged St Vincent and the Grenadines 2-0 in the other. Guyana’s result against USVI on Friday meant that they are three goals behind Group A’s host nation. With only one team

advancing to the CONCACAF U-20 Championship, Guyana will need to win today in their match, which is expected to kick off at 19:30hrs at the Nicaragua National Football Stadium in the country’s capital of Managua. (Rawle Toney)

THE third playing date of the Milo U-18 Schools Football tournament was outlined by a number of drawn encounters yesterday. In the first game of the afternoon, Charlestown Secondary could not overcome the challenges of the New Central High School. Dante Sookram opened the scoring for the Charlestown side in the 20th minute but New Central’s Garfield Caesar brought the game level in the 37th minute. At the final whistle, there was no goal to separate the two teams. In the second game of the afternoon the result was the same between St John’s College and Uitvlugt. St John’s Anthony Xavier equalised after Uitvlugt’s Junior Redmon

had scored in the 16th minute. The only winners of the day were Annandale, who beat Bladen Hall 2-0 thanks to a double from Tiquan Taylor in the 6th minute and Jerome Harrigon in the 45th. Matches continue today at the Ministry of Education ground with another triple-header. Friendship Secondary will face Carmel Secondary from 14:00hrs in the first game, to be followed by Canje Secondary doing battle against South Ruimveldt. Vergenoegen will then challenge Tucville in the last game of the day. The tournament is being supported by the Ministry of Public Health under its ‘Stop Gender-Based Violence’ campaign.

President David Granger overlooks the one President’s 50 Anniversary Shield Rapid Open Chess Tournament

Khan and Ali win President’s 50 Anniversary Chess FORMER SENIOR National Champion and Candidate Master Taffin Khan and national female player and Women’s Candidate Master Sheriffa Ali won the Open Category and the Senior Female division at the President’s 50 Anniversary Shield Rapid Open Chess Tournament, which was held yesterday at State House, Main Street,

Georgetown. The FIDE rated tournament, which was sponsored by His Excellency President David Granger, was organised by the Guyana Chess Academy. Approximately 70 participants, including several male and female players from Suriname competed. Along with the Open and Female

categories, the players batted in the Junior Open and Junior Female Division. Marian Academy student Ethan Lee surged ahead in the Junior Open, while Surinamese player Victoria Kaslan won the junior female competition. Although it was not initially the idea, the open division became a battle of countries and the Surinamese players

excelled. In fact, it took a tiebreaker to hand Khan a victory. Suriname then took the second, third and fourth places in a show of strength. Meanwhile, Mayas Khan was rewarded with a special prize for being the best U12 player at the event. President Granger was on hand to make the presentation to the winners.

Golden Republic T20 match

Hemraj, Emrit seal million-dollar victory for Rutherford Renegades

See story on page 36

Wanindu Hasaranga kept his calm to win a tight game for Sri Lanka. (AFP via Getty Images)

Minister of Social Cohesion/Sport, Dr George Norton, hands over the spoils to captain of the Rutherford Renegades, Sherfane Rutherford.

West Indies lose first ODI against Sri Lanka See story on page 35

Hety is back!

Guyanese passes fitness test; recalled to T20 side

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See story on page 38 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2020