Guyana chronicle new york edition 08 23 2017 by Guyana Chronicle

GRA seizes over 25,000 lbs of smuggled chicken Page 9

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 23, 2017

Price: $80 (VAT Inclusive)

‘Believe in yourself’

Michael Bhopaul: 24 Ones 1 two

No. 105013

CSEC top student with 25 subjects urges

Page 3

Shadick never objected to broadcast bill at GNBA meeting Page 16

Rawleeta Barrow: 19 Ones

Roshawn Cummings: 16 Ones

Nicholas Headley: 15 Ones 2 twos

Shontel Archer: 15 Ones 3 twos 1 three

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Crippled murder accused found dead in prison Jelena Arjune: 14 Ones 4 twos

Zulfikar Baksh: 14 Ones 2 twos

Shaveshwar Deonarine: 13 Ones 4 twos

Sydney Fraser: 13 Ones 3 twos

Guyana records 63.39 % pass rate at CSEC Page 3

Excavator crushes repairman to death Page 9

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Abary ranchers want land back – raise grouse with MMA at Land CoI By Alva Solomon A GROUP of cattle ranchers from Abary, West Coast Berbice, have raised with the Land Commission of Inquiry (CoI) a land matter that has been plaguing them for years. The matter at reference has to do with a dispute between them and the Mahaica-Mahaicony Abary/ Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA). Hemraj Kissoon, Managing-Director and Chair of the Abary Cattle Ranch and Company Limited is claiming that the MMA has unjustly taken away over 2000

acres of land from them, without giving any rhyme or reason. He feels they have been hard done by the MMA, as they have been occupying that land some 108 years now, ever since the organisation was incorporated as a limited liability company back in 1909. He explained to the Commission that the group was established for the sole purpose of fattening cattle, which had been moved to Berbice from the Rupununi way back then. He said that at the moment, the group has in excess of 3000 heads of cattle, and that they have

Hemraj Kissoon

titling for the said land under dispute. He explained that when the government of the day had wanted to build a canal and conservancy on the land, they gave the group a plan of the area saying that any time

any problems arose, producing said document would help settle the matter. He told the Commission that what he was saying was well documented, and that both the group and the MMA would have copies of the agreement in their possession. Kissoon said when, in 1989, the MMA had wanted the land to be surveyed, that the group had paid over monies, $3M to be exact, to the Authority to have the survey done. He’s alleging that it was after an irrigation canal was built on the land between 2015 and 2016, that the MMA took the property away from the group. The said lands, he said, lie east of

the canal. Kissoon said the group has since written to the MMA about the situation, but has to date received no response from them. He said that previously, the group had applied to the MMA to provide them with water for agricultural purposes, but even that request was denied. And just recently, he

said, someone seemed to be grazing cattle on the disputed land, but he cannot say whether it was being done with the MMA’s permission. He said that the 7,784 acres of land being occupied by himself and members of the group is used solely for cattle-rearing purposes. He said they did try planting rice Turn to page 8 ►

In high spirits!

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo on Tuesday visited Fazil Azeez who recently returned from Cuba where he underwent management of his crippled leg. Azeez, an outstanding broadcaster and former magistrate, was shot at point blank range just before the May 2015 elections, mere days after he had pledged support for the Coalition. Though he is still confined to a wheelchair, he is in high spirits. (DPI photo)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Guyana records 63.39 % pass rate at CSEC – performances in Maths, English remain weak By Navendra Seoraj GUYANA recorded a marginal increase at this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, gaining a grade 1-3 pass rate of 63.8 percent as compared to that of 2016, which was 63.39 percent. However, there were appreciable increases in a number of subject areas although mathematics remains dormant and English Language fell. Though not pleased with this year’s results, Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry, pointed out that the pass rate has consistently increased over the past five years, moving from 60 percent in 2014 to 62.72 percent in 2015 and so on. During the announcement of the results on Tuesday, Minister Henry said that 12,684 students registered for this year’s examinations and out of the pass rate, 12.49 percent attained Grade One, 22.72 percent Grade Two and 28.47 percent Grade three. Some of the key subject areas did not see improve-

ment however, there was a hundred percent pass rate for Music and Theatre Arts. Those were supported by outstanding performances in 10 subjects, where over 90 percent of students gained Grades 1–3. Those subjects were Physical Education & Sports with 99.01 percent; Agricultural Science (DA) with 98.57 percent; Electronic Doc. Preparation & Management with 97.25 percent; Religious Education with 96.75 percent; Food Nutrition & Health with 91.16 percent; Industrial Technology – Building with 94.75 percent; Information Technology with 92.62 percent; and Agricultural Science (SA) with 92.31 percent. There were also improvements in the Grades 1 to 3 passes in Chemistry, moving from 41.13 percent in 2016 to 47.81 percent in 2017. Improvements were also recorded in 13 other subjects including: Electronic Documentation Preparation and Management, Economics, Office Administration, Principles of Accounts, Principles

of Business, Religious Education, Caribbean History, Textile Clothing and Fashion, Family and Resource Management, Food Nutrition & Health, Industrial Technology Building, Industrial Technology Electrical and Industrial Technology Mechanical. Other subjects which were not considered as improved but more as consistent included Agricultural Science (SA) with a pass rate of 92.31 percent in 2017, compared to 92.61 percent in 2016; French with a pass rate of 80 percent in 2017, compared to 79.86 percent in 2016. Mathematics also remained dormant, with a pass rate of 39.23 percent in 2017, compared to 38.37 percent in 2016. Portuguese, which was the new subject to be offered this year, saw 83.04 percent of the entries achieving acceptable grades. Though there was much to celebrate, the Minister said that eleven subject areas did not measure up to last year’s. Among those were English Language and Literature. The performance in En-

the Minister noted that they will be looking to mirror the initiatives to those that were employed during the preparations for the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) Examinations.

Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry and Chief Education Officer, Marcel Hutson, during the announcement of the CSEC results on Tuesday

glish Language fell from 59.3 percent in 2016 to 57.99 this year, while English Literature fell tremendously from 52.94 percent to 44.45 percent in 2017. Other subjects that received decreased performances include Biology from 76.38 to 61.98 percent; Geography from 61.9 to 56.73 percent; Integrated Science from 64.89 to 59.21 percent; Physics from 55.83 to 52.92 percent; Social Studies from 56.87 to 54.57 percent; Spanish from 66.33 to 58.08 percent; Visual Arts from 55.55 to 44.45 percent; Human and Social Biology from 58.42 to 55.35 percent and Additional Mathematics 70.26 to 68.61

‘Believe in yourself’ By Navendra Seoraj OUT of 12,684 students who registered for the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) exams, 16-year-old Michael Bhopaul of Queen’s College (QC) emerged as this year’s top performer. Bhopaul was among some of the top performers who shared his journey with the Guyana Chronicle. A resident of Cummings Lodge, Greater Georgetown, Bhopaul attained gained 24 grade ones and one grade two at this year’s exams. “There weren’t many challenges for me, because I had excellent teachers who worked hard to ensure that I got what I aimed for…My studies were however rigorous, because I did a lot of revision.” The aspiring Professor of Quantum Physics is encouraging persons to believe that if they set their minds to something they can achieve it. Bhopaul’s next move is to pursue the Caribbean Advance Proficiency Examination (CAPE) at QC. Rawleeta Barrow, who came in second with 19 grade ones, said that her

achievements did not come easily. She told this newspaper that she studied a lot to get what she aimed for. “It was a learning experience for me. The support of my parents, teachers and God was also the greatest part about this journey…I decided to write a range of subjects, so that I can keep up with the changes in society,” she said, but indicated that her career choice is to become a lawyer. Barrow will soon pursue CAPE at QC. Roshawn Cummings: Though his comments were brief, this young lad who copped third at this year’s exams said he was excited because he has achieved something wonderful, thanks to the support of God and everyone else who played an important role in his life. Cummings, a student of QC, copped 16 ones at this year’s exams, although according to him he did not sacrifice much during his preparation. The young man intends to move on to the University of Guyana where he will study International Relations. Keshini Digamber: The Guyana Chronicle was un-

able to get in contact with young Digamber, but according to the results, the student of the Saraswati Vidya Nakitan (SVN) copped fourth place at this year’s exams with 16 grade ones and one grade three. Shontel Archer: Ar cher’s sentiments were related by her father, because she is out of the country. The young lady of SVN secured the fifth position at this year’s exams with 15 grade ones, 3 grade twos and 1 grade three. Her father told this publication that she is a self-motivated person, who sets a goal and achieves it on her own or with little help. He expressed his excitement, noting that his daughter intends to do CAPE at QC. Nicholas Headley: 16-year-old Headley of Anna Regina Secondary was filled with joy, because of his achievement at the CSEC exams. The young man attained 15 ones and 2 twos. Headley, who expected those results, said that the exams were not challenging for him because he spent a lot of time preparing. “I am on vacation now… I will decide

what comes next after I finish enjoying these couple months,” he said. Jelena Arjune: Young Arjune of QC secured seventh position at this year’s exams, with 14 ones and 4 twos. The sports and music fanatic said that she placed a lot of hard work into preparing for the exams. “I am happy that all of my hard work paid off. I would like to thank my parents and teachers who worked with me to ensure that I got those grades. There was a lot of late-night studying, lessons because I did 18 subjects, so I tried to put study about five subjects a day. Though the tough times are not over, Arjune said she is on her path to becoming a Doctor and later a Research Scientist for medicine. Her next move will be to complete CAPE at QC. Zulfikar Baksh: Baksh, a student of Anna Regina Secondary, copped the eighth position at this year’s exams, attaining 14 one and 2 twos. “I feel delighted about my achievement, I did not expect to [do] so well, because I didn’t study much but I am grateful.” The cricket lover hopes to

percent. “These performances indicate that appropriate measures have to be taken to ensure improved performance in all subject areas next year,” said the Minister, who stressed her disappointment in the overall performance. SYSTEMS A number of systems had been put in place within the education sector to ensure improved performances over the years, however, it was indicated that the ministry will go back to the drawing board and look at new methods to boost the performance of the students. Although they have not started the process,

APPRAISING TEACHERS “We might look at tactics such as, preparing an action plan to deal with the weak areas…a lot more work needs to be done and we will start by doing an appraisal of the teachers in order to know how capable and ready they are to deal with the weak subject areas,” said Chief Education Officer, Marcel Hutson. This, he said, is part of their intent to pay keen attention to those who need extra support. During the process, “top teachers” will also be shuffled in order to boost the capacity of other schools. Despite the results, the official maintained that “not one dollar” of the ministry is lost because they are always seeking to ensure that they find better use for their money. Hutson said that the ministry is optimistic about getting the pass rate over 60 percent.

…CSEC top student with 25 subjects urges do civil engineering at UG or receive a scholarship to do petroleum engineering. Shaveshwar Deonarine: Deonarine of Anna Regina Secondary got ninth at this year’s CSEC exams with 13 Ones 4 twos. The aspiring Chemical Engineer said he was overjoyed by his performance because he placed a lot of effort into ensuring that he got what he wanted. “I would usually come home late from lessons, study late, skip dinner and even stay alone for hours just trying to get ready for the exams.” He said it was not easy, but it paid off and now he is hoping for a scholarship to pursue his dream. Sydney Fraser: The young student of QC, attained 13 ones and 3 twos to secure herself the 10th position at this year’s CSEC exams. Fraser said that her key to passing all those subjects was to remain focused and stay in the game. She said that it does not stop there for her because she intends to do CAPE at QC. Kameela Persudial: The Guyana Chronicle was unable to reach the student of Tagore Memorial High

School. She however got the 11th spot with 13 Ones and 2 twos. Cheri Frank: Frank, of QC who attainted the 12th spot at this year’s exams, was also unreachable. She however got 13 Ones and 2 twos. Jeevan Dalip: The lad of QC copped the 13th position at this year’s exams with 13 Ones and 1 two. Dalip told this publication that his hard work has paid off and he will return to QC to complete the CAPE exams, after which he intends to pursue the area of sports science. Stephen Lewis: Lewis of QC, got 14th place at this year’s exams with 13 Ones and 1 two. He was unreachable. Alyssa Nurse: 16-year-old Nurse of QC copped 15th with 13 grade ones. She said that preparation was not difficult but she remained focused and ensured that she completed every question to the best of her ability and knowledge. The aspiring economist will be looking to complete CAPE in the near future.

Quality over quantity 4

By Zena Henry

THOSE students who are believed to be performing exceptionally well will not be limited by the implementation of a subject cap when it comes to the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) examinations. This was pointed out by Minister of Education Nicolette Henry and Chief Education Officer (CEO) Marcel Hutson, when they, with other education personnel presented the official CSEC results at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development on Tuesday. Minister Henry was adamant that the ministry’s main concern is quality over quantity and will therefore focus on getting students to pass every sub-

ject they write, rather than just encouraging the sitting of several CSEC subjects. Henry told a gathering of top CSEC performers, their parents and the media, that the circular which was issued in June by the ministry, “…in no way said that people cannot write beyond the 10 subjects.”

ation and implementation of policies that allow them to be successful, “and the circular that was sent out does make provision in exceptional circumstances.” She did highlight that it was not the ministry’s intention for especially junior schools, to have much focus on students writing

She said from a qualitative standpoint, the ministry recognised that the focus should be however, to get students in secondary schools to matriculate, while having a greater eye on successes in the area of Mathematics and English. While writing numerous subjects could bring some attention to a student, the minister said, the ministry is responsible for the cre-

more than six subjects. The CEO added that the June circular “by no means said that children cannot write as many subjects as they feel they could.” He noted however that “we don’t want to spread ourselves thin at the expense of not passing the subjects that will cause you to matriculate.” The CEO pointed out that on islands such as

…exceptional students will be allowed to write more than 10 CSEC subjects

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Barbados, CESC students are allowed to write only eight subjects, while students in Antigua and St. Lucia may take as many as two years to complete five CSEC subjects. The spin off from this, Hutson pointed out, is that at the end of the day, all the students in those nations will matriculate and pass their

subjects. He noted that the alternative is that students writing many subjects and are unable to get the grades that will see them off to university, accessing gainful employment and having purpose-driven lives. If children are allowed to run away with the idea that writing more subjects than actually passing them

on the number of subjects being written at the CSEC examination. This limit sought to debar students of the senior secondary school, including those with sixth forms, from writing no more than 10 subjects, while students from junior secondary schools would write no more

Minister of Education Nicolette Henry addressing the media and other stakeholders on Tuesday (Delano Williams photo)

than six subjects. Former Education Minister Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine believed that the students should have a more rounded education by getting involved in sports and drama, while taking on a wider cultural experience.

is important, their performances would be affected. There had been much contention over the subjectcap issue when the ministry announced via a circular letter to public secondary schools in June that it was exploring the possibility of enforcing an upward limit Wednesday, August 23, 2017

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judge shoots gunman dead US at odds with Wounded --outside Ohio courthouse Chinese firms --over North Korea

THE US has imposed sanctions on a dozen Russian and Chinese companies and individuals it accuses of helping North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme. Earlier this month, members of the UN Security Council, including Russia and China, voted for further sanctions against Pyongyang. The US Treasury said the move would “increase pressure” on North Korea. China responded swiftly, calling on the US to “immediately correct its mistake” of punishing its firms. The US Office of Foreign Assets Control designated 10 companies and six individuals in its sanctions. “[The] Treasury will continue to increase pressure on North Korea by targeting those who support the advancement of nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, and isolating them from the American financial system,” said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. The action means Amer-

ican individuals and companies are no longer permitted to do business with these firms. A series of missile tests by Pyongyang has increased tensions between North Korea and the US, with both sides engaged in a heated exchange of threats. US President Donald Trump has threatened the isolated regime with “fire and fury like the world has never seen,” leading North Korea to respond with threats to launch missiles near the US island of Guam in the South Pacific Ocean. In North Korea’s latest propaganda video released on Tuesday, an image of Mr Trump is shown at a cemetery which is apparently meant to be in Guam. Vice-president Mike Pence is also pictured engulfed in flames. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, meanwhile, has praised North Korea for “a level of restraint” it has shown recently in its weapons programmes. He said the move could pave the way

for talks between the two sides “sometime in the near future”. “We have had no missile launches or provocative acts on the part of North Korea since the unanimous adoption of the UN Security Council resolution,” Mr Tillerson said in a reference to sanctions agreed by the UN against North Korea earlier this month. But such placatory words were not in evidence at a UN meeting in Geneva on Tuesday when envoys for the US and North Korea clashed. Both countries are technically still in a state of war since the 1950s. North Korean diplomat Ju Yong Chol denounced “constant nuclear threats” from the US. He added that “the measures taken by [North Korea] to strengthen its nuclear deterrence and develop inter-continental rockets is justifiable and a legitimate option for self-defence in the face of such apparent and real threats.” (BBC)

A US judge in Ohio has fatally shot a gunman who critically wounded him in an ambush-style attack outside the court. Judge Joseph Bruzzese Jr. was shot several times just after 08:00 local time (12:00 GMT) in Steubenville on Monday morning.

there is no connection between Judge Bruzzese and that rape case. Judge Bruzzese, who has been on the bench at the Jefferson County courthouse since 1998, was airlifted to hospital in Pittsburgh to undergo emergency surgery. The Steubenville city man-

Justice Joseph Bruzzese Jr

Sheriff Fred Abdalla told reporters the attacker and the judge exchanged about five shots each. A court officer also fired several shots at the suspect. The Jefferson County prosecutor identified the attacker as Nathaniel Richmond, but said they had not yet identified a motive. Mr Richmond is the father of Ma’Lik Richmond, a high school football player whose rape conviction made national headlines in the 2012. Prosecutor Jane Hanlin said

ager says that the judge is out of surgery and “doing fine”.

Sheriff Abdalla said he had advised the 65-year-old judge several years ago to carry a firearm during his commute. “This individual laid in wait for our judge,” the sheriff told reporters hours after the shootout. “It just hurts; first thing on a Monday morning, you have a judge shot in front of his courthouse, and that affected me. “This was ambush and attempted murder on our judge,” Abdalla said. Police have also detained the driver who brought the attacker to the courthouse, but say they believe he did not know what his passenger was plotting. The sheriff added that both men had served time in prison. “He’s shooting and shooting,” Sherriff Abdalla said at a news conference. “He’s right up to the judge. “And that’s when he fires another round, shoves the judge over, and then takes off running towards his vehicle.” The courthouse has been closed for the rest of the day and for Tuesday as detectives process the crime scene. The state governor has been updated on the situation, and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation. (BBC)

Editorial

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Own your region

PRESIDENT David Granger in an outreach to the Upper Takutu- Upper Essequibo Region Nine last week charged residents to take responsibility for the prosperity and development of their villages, communities and region, and ultimately the country. This undoubtedly was a clarion call to the people, signalling a time for action, which should not be ignored. It is a charge likely to resonate with those who feel regional government is being under-served, hamstrung or held hostage to political machinations. The 1980 Guyana Constitution which established a regional system to be managed by Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs) empowers Parliament to make laws for these local democratic organs to be autonomous and raise their own revenues, which are being channelled in the President’s

view. Thirty-seven years after, unlike the towns and the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils which are allowed the autonomy to make their own (by) laws, establish their own police/constabulary systems and raise revenues for their daily operation, the RDCs are not so empowered. Management of the regions is in large part subject the national Government’s decisions, programmes, allocation of revenues, and the agenda of the political directorate. Woe onto the people of the region if that government considers them not one of theirs as has happened in the not-too-distant-past. Deprivation of involvement and equitable treatment have proven to be polarising, hindering the regions from forging harmonious relations among its peoples and the benefits, intrinsic and extrinsic, that can be derived from ownership and wanting the

best for the community. Given these limitations and discriminatory practices, it would not be unfair to say that the regional system has been stymied and was never given the opportunity to properly utilise its human and physical resources, consistent with its objective. Regional Government is the second tier of government, formed with the intent of devolving power to the people in their quest for self-determination. An advantage of regionalism is that the regional leadership has the opportunity to interact more frequently with the citizenry and obviously will get better understanding of the desires of the people, the problems that exist, and the people working together in resolving them. This level of interaction also brings with it a greater sense of accountability and improvement to local democracy, which are elements of good governance.

Since the regional system was established, the People’s National Congress (PNC) was in office for 10 years, the People’s Progress Party/Civic (PPP/C) for 23 and A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), two. Suffice to say, without getting into finger-pointing, though all governments must be held to account, the operationalising of the system has fallen woefully short. The initiative by President Granger for flags depicting each of the 10 administrative regions, while it may appear symbolic, signals an intent to make the system work. The demarcation and unique identity that the flags represent for each region should now see collaborative efforts in using their resources for development of the people. Making ownership possible will require instituting legislative structures that al-

low for economic, political, security and other autonomous measures. Such could include granting each region the opportunity to create their own security system and revenue base derived from the resources therein and services provided. This would also facilitate some level of competition among the regions that push and facilitate inter-dependency which are healthy indicators for development. The RDCs and people in the regions should no longer be made to feel that investment in them hinges on political allegiance to central government,

neither should any region have to be deprived for not supporting the government in office. Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, would be expected to follow through on President Granger’s call. And given that regional independence is past due, regional chairmen/ chairpersons should grab the proverbial bull by the horns and initiate conversations among themselves and work collectively with the regional Members of Parliament and Ministry of Communities to realise a constitutional requirement.

Principled response required from CARICOM countries to Venezuelan refugee crisis Dear Editor, GUYANESE organisations (listed below) are calling on Governments and civil societies of CARICOM to recognise the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis currently being experienced by the people of Venezuela. CARICOM countries are already beginning to feel the effects of the tens of thousands of refugees seeking asylum in neighbouring Latin American countries as a result of the severe economic disintegration and political instability fuelling that crisis. The humanitarian crisis is characterised by a shortage of medicines and food, the collapse of public services, the world’s highest inflation rate, overt violence and serious human rights violations. The political institutions of the State are in crisis and allegations of torture and illegal detention are widespread. The effects

of the economic chaos are reflected in the mounting numbers of refugees which threaten to overwhelm welfare and health systems in the border regions of countries such as Colombia, Brazil, Panama, with a potential for similar effects in neighbouring CARICOM territories. A particularly worrying dimension of the Venezuelan crisis for CARICOM territories was pointed out in June 2017 by UWI Professor of Sustainable Development, Dr. Anthony Clayton, quoted in the Jamaica Gleaner to the effect that “The problem we are facing is, because with Venezuela’s economic collapse, there is now evidence of weapons flooding out of Venezuela, initially into Trinidad, but which will come percolating through the Caribbean. Venezuela has got more guns per person than almost any other country in the (western) hemisphere, including the

United States.” He went on to point out that former President Chavez armed militias all over the country to combat the threat of invasion and “now, with the economy collapsing, a lot of them are selling their weapons and they are selling them for groceries, pharmaceuticals and basic survival items.” Reluctance to ‘interfere’ in domestic politics has been a guiding principle of CARICOM relations with respect to both its own membership and its external relations. More to the point at the present time, however, is whether this posture of avoidance has discouraged CARICOM Governments from developing or adopting reception policies through which to address a major influx of refugees. Moreover, in view of the arms flooding out of Venezuela, will this tendency be fortified? However, despite the security issues and the fact that

Caricom territories’ capacity for delivering health and welfare services are limited, these factors do not absolve CARICOM countries from the responsibility of developing just and fraternal reception policies and of respecting the fundamental rights of individual refugees. Without some measure of preparedness of this nature, Venezuelan refugees are vulnerable to the kind of treatment experienced by the isolated cases of Angolan, Haitian, Cuban and other refugees who have found their way to our shores. The default response has been to treat them as illegal immigrants often detained for months on end. As civil and faith-based organisations our responsibility to engage with the humanitarian dimensions of the Venezuelan crisis is no less real than that of Governments. For this reason, in a spirit of solidarity and social justice and in collaboration

with relevant international agencies, we commit to engaging with the challenge of promoting protection of the fundamental rights of Venezuelan refugees. A collaborative approach to governance encompassing relevant civic, business and Government agencies might begin by ensuring registration of Venezuelan refugees arriving at our borders, thereby both providing them with legal protection and discouraging illegal entry through porous borders and beaches. A principled and rights-oriented humanitarian response of this nature is consistent with CARICOM’s inclination to avoid becoming embroiled in Venezuelan domestic politics. Additionally, such an approach to the humanitarian crisis would also strengthen the possibility of more orderly reintegration of the refugees into their own country when

circumstances permit a safe and minimally decent life. Regards Anglican Diocese of Guyana Rt. Rev Bishop Francis Alleyne RC Bishop of Guyana BENAB – (Youth) Church Women United East Coast Clean-Up Committees Guyana Society for the Blind (GSB) Guyana Environment Initiative (GEI) Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) Guyanese Organisation of Indigenous Peoples (GOIP) Jesuits in Guyana Policy Forum Guyana Red Thread Rights of Children (ROC), Transparency Institute of Guyana Inc Ursuline Sisters in Guyana

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 23, 2017

--a week after house falls, crushing her to death TWELVE-year-old Amber Richards, who died last Friday when the La Bonne Intention (LBI) house at which she and her younger sibling were holidaying collapsed, is to be cremated on Thursday. This was confirmed Tuesday by the children’s aunt, Wanita Ramgolam, at whose East Coast Demerara house they were staying when the accident occurred. Ramgolam told the Guyana Chronicle that since what happened to Amber, she can no longer bear to be around the house, and is now staying with her parents at Craig, on the East Bank Demerara. The distressed woman related that Amber will be cremated at the Good Hope

Crematorium, a few villages away from where she met her demise, while her brother is still in hospital, nursing a broken leg and other injuries. The eight-year-old was injured in the leg, while being partly trapped under debris when the house collapsed on Friday afternoon, pinning his sister. Ramgolam said she doesn’t think she can go back to live at the house, because she keeps remembering how Amber kept calling out for “aunty” when the house fell on her. The child was at the time relaxing in a hammock under the small wooden house when it came apart. Her brother was also under the house at the time. Their aunt, who was up-

Amber Richards

stairs in the house when disaster struck, said she barely got out in time, and that there was nothing she could do for her niece, except scream for help. She said that it was the vibrations that alerted her that something was amiss. Ramgolam said she used to be in that very hammock a lot, since she’d been living at that house for the last eight years. She stated that the incident has left the entire family shaken and tramautised, and that it is particularly difficult for Amber’s parents and siblings to cope with her death. Meanwhile, Commander of ‘C’ Division, Calvin Brutus, told the Guyana Chronicle that they are investigating the death of an-

other 12-year-old, this time Ricardo Naranjan of Non Pareil, some four miles east of LBI, whose body was found hanging from the ceiling of the house in which he reportedly lived alone. The gruesome discovery was made by a sister of his at around 21:30hrs on Monday. According to reports, Niranjan showed signs of being depressed after learning of Amber’s death on Friday. The two were said to have been friends and communicated either Online or by text-messaging. Neighbours say they last saw the lad on Sunday night. Commander Brutus said he is not aware that the two children were “boyfriend and girlfriend”.

Sick of noise nuisance on Sheriff Street Dear Editor,

NOISE abuse is no picnic or joke, it is injurious to people’s health, it’s annoying, it is so disgusting and inflicts so much misery on its victims. If 50 complaints come to you to be highlighted, please do so no matter how often. You are one of the sources that have helped to combat this evil, sick curse that has plagued this country for way too long. After years of torment with noise abuse and having my health jeopardized, peace and calm finally returned for a brief period on Sheriff Street and now two more cases of the nuisance have taken up the mantle and are making people’s lives a living hell. These people are not being disciplined by the authorities the way they ought to, despite numerous letters being written including copies being sent to the President just as recent as last week. I have written so many letters to this and the previous administration including the EPA. I am completely fed up and disappointed that those in charge continue to display an

attitude of indifference when it comes to such a serious and damaging health issue. On Sheriff Street, there are numerous zinc fence structures in most backyards and when people like a particular individual whom I had managed to put before the court, but had to decline giving evidence against him for valid reasons, continues to be ignored by the authorities when his son puts out a powerful piece of equipment and a big music box in the yard to entertain no less than eight to nine people at any given Saturday for hours until night, those people are a combination of relatives and friends for it is not a budding business. By highlighting my plight to the authorities with this liquor restaurant, I also tried desperately to highlight the plight the said individual’s sick, speechless, crippled son who was bed-ridden and had to endure that cruelty for hours every Saturday from as early as 11 in the morning to 9 at nights. I wrote several letters to the Public Security Minister, the then ‘A’ Division Commander, the Police Commissioner etc, but nothing really serious was

ever done. There are a few ranks who whenever a plea is made to stop this harassment would do this promptly. One such rank I wish to commend is a woman rank by the name of Sergeant Ali plus a couple of others -- both male and female -- but this inconsiderate behaviour continues unabated. The young man passed away earlier this year and nothing can convince me that it wasn’t loud music that finally claimed his life. He couldn’t talk nor plead for mercy from his tormentors. He was speechless and bed-ridden. I tried to be his voice, but the Public Security Minister, EPA and others were deaf to my pleas. The next nuisance is a popular eatery also on Sheriff Street. It’s about two months since this establishment started stepping out of line. It was the most disciplined establishment on Sheriff Street. Real soft music that could barely be heard from the road, now every Friday there is a happy-hour session and the patrol has to be summoned to get them to turn off or turn down the madness they call music. It seems as

though they are now trying to compete with others by putting a small box outside every Friday afternoon. So it’s the eatery Friday afternoon into night and the liquor bar on Saturdays from midday until night. It seems as though visits by the police patrol to the eatery have had no impact, because it’s the same thing that keeps happening every Friday. Last Friday was no different and the same thing goes for the liquor bar. Even though I wrote the management of the eatery cautioning them about the noise abuse and sent copies of the letters to various offices of the administration just last week, the madness continues. Editor, there aren’t enough words to describe the misery that is being inflicted on people whenever that music goes past a certain level; the deep, heavy bass connects to the numerous zinc fences around and this goes on for hours in the day until night with your brain and ears being battered mercilessly. I wish to advise this administration that people’s brains and ears cannot bear this stress

without being damaged eventually. Something has to be done swiftly to stop this sickening, annoying abuse. The nation’s health

is the nation’s wealth, not oil. Regards PEARL LEWIS

Who is Troy Christopher? Dear Editor,

THANKS to Glenn Lall and the Kaieteur News, the whole of 83,000 square miles knows that Mike Brasse and his brother, Mahendra Brasse got the lion’s share of GEOM’s purchases for the 2015 Regional and General Elections. But the man that got all of GECOM’s advertisements for the 2015 Regional and 2016 Local Government Elections was a complete unknown. Would the name Troy Christopher stand up against advertising icons like Vic Insanally, Ron Robinson, Carwy,n Holland, Alex Graham and Kathy Hughes? But thanks to an official at GECOM only Troy Christopher and his company, Troy Tec, got recommended for GECOM’s advertisements. The million- dollar question

that is still puzzling taxpayers, is why after several audits by the Audit Office Guyana at the Guyana Elections Commission, that official was allowed to continue to evaluate quotations for GECOM advertisements. The National Procurement and Tender Administration Board should have rejected those requests for approvals. This is a clear conflict of interest involving the individual who has said that he was given permission by the Commission. Could that officer produce the Commission’s statutory meeting minutes to confirm his claims? There is an urgent need for a forensic audit of the officer, Troy Christopher and Troy Tec. Regards Former GECOM employee

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Min. Hughes stresses need for high-quality broadcasting content in Region MINISTER of Public Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes, has emphasised the need for consistency in the production of good-quality broadcasting content even as she called on the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) to critically assess where the industry is heading and assist the Region to chart a course towards reaping the economic benefits of its creativity. Minister Hughes was at the time delivering the feature address at the CBU’s Annual General Assembly (AGM) which convened this week in Nassau, Bahamas. According to a release, top executives and other personnel of more than 22 media companies in the Caribbean are currently in Nassau participating in the event being held at the British Colonial Hilton Hotel, under the theme, ‘Digital Developments in Caribbean Media.’ It commenced on Monday and will conclude on Thursday. Minister Hughes delivered the feature address on the theme, and she empha-

sised the need for consistent production of good-quality content by broadcasters. “As we transition from analogue to digital in all spheres, technology will drive more than content. It will drive competition, It will drive convergence, and context, it will drive communication, which channels are used and how we will all benefit collectively and commercially,” Minister Hughes said. She informed the AGM that in Guyana, there exist two locally developed versions of “Uber.” She said that at the hackathon which her ministry hosted last year, the winning team designed an app, “Tell us,” in a mere 48 hours that allows citizens to report crime, roads that need to be fixed, broken pipes and much more. Another group met the challenge of linking small farmers with potential markets for crops – which could be local or international in real-time she noted. Currently the networks in Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad are developing

Minister Hughes (back row, third from left) stands with other officials at the CBU’s annual general meeting

strong collaboration, recognising that to play the animation production game one must have seats and creators, she noted. “These are the stories we must tell in today’s Caribbean and there are many in each of our territories,” Minister Hughes said. Prime Minister of The Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Dr Hubert Minnis, delivered a message to participants and special invitees in the packed Gov-

ernor’s Ballroom Lobby at the meeting’s opening ceremony on Monday. He noted that as global interdependence and development continue to increase at a rapid pace, information and communication technologies (ICTs) are viewed as indispensible resources to the way in which people lead their daily lives. He also noted that ICTs play a vital role in expanding the regional and world economies. ‘The CBU with a

St Rose’s student tops at CAPE

current membership of 24 nations has demonstrated that partnerships and a firm foundation geared towards propelling the industry is what is needed,’ he added. Current issues being discussed at the Assembly include: social media guidelines for journalists; developments in digital radio standards; and, recent developments in digital television transition. Two highlights of the event are the induction of Mr. Victor Torres Crespos, a Cuban broadcaster, in the CBU Hall of Fame last evening, and the CBU Awards scheduled for this evening between 8pm and

10 pm today at the Atlantic Resort on Paradise Island. The CBU, which was founded in 1970, is a notfor-profit association of public service and commercial broadcasters in the Caribbean. In fulfilling its commitment to the deepening of the integration process, CBU functions in both an advocacy and representational role. As a regional institution, it facilitates discussion and analysis that assist in policy formulation on major integration issues. Also attending the Assembly from Guyana are Advisor to the Minister and Chair of the National Communications Network (NCN), Enrico Woolford and Chief Executive Officer of NCN and member of the CBU’s Board of Directors, Lennox Cornette. The members of the CBU Board of Directors are: Gary Allen – RJR Group (Jamaica) President; Amalia Mai – Great Belize Productions) Vice President; Beulah Jonis (St. Maarten Cable Television); Trevor Parker (Antigua and Barbuda Broadcasting Systems); Lennox Cornette – National Communications Network (Guyana) Victor Torres Crespo (Cuba); and Anthony Shaw, (Starrcom, Barbados).

Abary ranchers...

Shawn Shewram

Shannon Woodroffe

Ashley Anthony

Vamanadev Hiralall

GUYANA recorded a 92.57 percent pass rate with grades 1-5 at this year’s Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) as opposed to 86.74 percent in 2016. Some 851 candidates from nine secondary schools and four private institutions sat this year’s exams in May-June. Of those, 16.47% of the entries attained Grade 1, 22.90% attained Grade 2, 22.93 attained Grade 3, and 18.08 attained Grade 4, while 13% of the students attained Grade 5.

One hundred percent pass rate (with Grades one to five passes) were obtained in 30 units which include, Agricultural Science Unit 1 and Unit 2; Art & Design Unit 1 and Unit 2; Computer Science Unit 1; Food and Nutrition Unit 1 and Unit 2; Geography Unit 1 and Unit 2; Information Technology Unit 1 and Unit 2; Animation & Gaming Unit 1 and Unit 2; Spanish Unit 1 and Unit 2. Among those were also Physical Education and Sports Unit 1 and Unit 2; Digital Media Unit 1 and

Unit 2; Entrepreneurship Unit 1 and Unit 2; Green Engineering Unit 1; Logistics and Supply Chain Operations Unit 1; Building & Mechanical Engineering Drawing (Building) Unit 1 and Unit 2; Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technology Unit 1; Applied Mathematics Unit 2; Environmental Science Unit 2; Tourism Unit 2 and Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technology Unit 2. Green Engineering, which was written for the first time, saw 100% pass rate. Animation and Gam-

ing Design was also a new subject this year and was written for the first time electronically, along with Digital Media, which also attained a 100% pass rate. Several candidates recorded outstanding performances. Among the top performers are Shawn Shewram of St Rose’s High and Vamanadev Hiralall of Saraswati Vidya Niketan, who secured Grade One passes in eight units. Other outstanding performers were Ashley Anthony and Shannon Woodroffe of Queen’s College.

before, but it didn’t work out. “What I want to say is that people are taking advantage of us,” Kissson said, adding that since occupying the land, the group has constructed over 30 miles of canals and dams. Noting that there’s a deliberate plot afoot to undermine the group, Kissoon told the Commission that because no work is being done in certain areas to prevent flooding, this year alone the group had lost over 200 heads of cattle, which is a common occurrence twice a year. He told the Commission also that President Donald Ramotar and Attorney-General Anil Nandlall had, while they were in office, advised that the group take legal action. Kissoon then expressed appreciation to President

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David Granger for convening the CoI, as the group had felt disadvantaged. “That’s why I must thank the President for this what he is doing today. Whether I lose or not, it doesn’t matter, but this should be done for the whole country,” he said. CoI Chairman, Reverend George Chuck-a-Sang, reminded Kissoon of the CoI’s mandate, noting that its Terms of Reference is aimed at examining the systems where titling may be wrong or “some haziness “ where titling may be handled. “We listened to you; we‘ll examine what you have said, and we are documenting it, too, so that in the final analysis, we will look though it and make some recommendations to the President on these matters,” Chuck-a-Sang said.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 23, 2017

GRA seizes over 25,000lbs of smuggled chicken SWIFT action by the Law Enforcement and Investigation Division (LEID) of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has resulted in the removal of a large quantity of seized foreign chicken from two separate cold- storage facilities in the Berbice area after it was discovered that the commodities were unlawfully being disposed of by the curators. In a release, the GRA said enforcement activities over the past week led to it seizing 190 boxes and one pack of chicken from one of the locations in Corentyne, Berbice and 52 boxes and one pack from another facility at Annandale on the East Coast of Demerara.

According to the GRA, two individuals were arrested in connection with the act and placed on station bail. The revenue body believes that they were trying to dispose of a total of 375 boxes weighing approximately 15,000 lbs of chicken. Meanwhile, other exercises were also conducted simultaneously at Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice and Bourda Market, leading to the discovery of more irregularities in the sale of uncustomed chicken and prompting appropriate seizures and legal action. The GRA said it seized an aggregate 268 boxes and two (2) packs of chicken weighing approximately

10,720 lbs. That amount was handed over to the Ministry of Public Health for appropriate use at the instruction of the commissioner-general. “The GRA in its future efforts to minimise recurrences of this nature and to avert the likelihood of smuggled chicken re-entering the market, will be donating such seizures for utilisation by the appropriate ministries and other state agencies, rather than offering them for sale to the general public.” The Authority meanwhile said it is in the process of procuring and establishing cold-storage facilities in its warehouses in Berbice and Georgetown.

Health Ministry in move to address diabetic youths SOME 70 percent of the country’s diabetic youth population between the ages of two months and 24 years is found in Regions Three, Four and Six, the Ministry of Public Health has said. Of the 68 diabetic youth patients registered under the Ministry of Public Health’s ‘Sponsor the Child Initiative’, 48 are from those three areas with 16 from Region Three; 18 from Region Four and 14 from Region Six. From this national figure too, Regions Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam), Five (Mahaica/Berbice) and Ten (Upper Demerara/Upper/ Upper Berbice) account for some 24 per cent of the patients with seven, five and four patients respectively. Region Seven (Cuyuni/ Mazaruni), with four patients, account for the remaining six per cent of the diabetic patients. Dr Kavita Singh, head of the MOPH Chronic Disease Unit (CDU) said Monday that the absence of diabetic youths in Regions One (Barima/Waini), Eight (Potaro/Siparuni) and Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo) could be attributed to a “lack of diagnostic tools” in these interior locations. She said too that an Australian non-governmental

organisation (NGO), Life for Child, has promised support in this area to Guyana for 2018. Dr Singh made the disclosure while discussing plans for the eight annual camp for diabetic youths to be held at the Splashmins ECO Adventure and Camping Park on the Linden/ Soesdyke Highway. Senior MOPH executives are slated to address the youths at the opening ceremony today. The camp for diabetic youths was first held here in 2010. There are 68 Type 1 diabetic youths from two to 24 years old currently registered from the yearly MOPH event, Dr Singh said Monday. Singh said those registered under the ‘Sponsor the Child Initiative’ “are not indicative of the national situation,” since some diagnoses are still missed by health professionals.” The Public Health Ministry is currently developing a tool to increase accuracy in spotting diabetic youths, Singh said. In addition, many diabetic youths in the private sector are not accounted for in the national statistics for the subsector. Type 1 diabetic patients were born with the disease, with symptoms which include frequent thirst, hunger, regular urination

and loss of weight, with between 0.3 and 0.5 per cent of the Guyanese youth population has the medical problem. ‘Sponsor the Chid Initiative’ is an annual gathering of diabetic youths to have their medical condition examined by a trained specialist and to receive their medical supplies, which include strips, ‘prep’ pads, lancets, glucometer and dispensing pens among other key items. “The youths are well taken care of,” Dr Singh said, adding that the annual budget for the annual exercise has swelled from $4M in 2014 to $24M last year due to an almost doubling of the diabetic population since the programme commenced. While Singh is overjoyed that prospects are great for care of current and future diabetic youths, she is outraged that some parents and family members of the youthful diabetic patients either sell their medical supplies or, those who are themselves diabetics, use the children’s medication on themselves. In addition, sometimes, there are difficulties in the distributing process experienced by the pharmacies at hospitals in 10 Regions.

Excavator crushes repairman to death at Mahdia A MAN was crushed under the weight of an excavator he was repairing at the Region Eight (Potaro/Siparuni) mining community of Mahdia on Tuesday. The man, whose identity is being verified, was rushed to the Mahdia District Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Reports are that the machine rolled over the man after he asked an assistant to start the engine. He died instantly, eyewitnesses told the Guyana Chronicle. The man is not from the area, residents report-

ed. The incident was reportedly not mining-related, since it occurred along the roadway in the Seven

Mile area on the outskirts of Central Mahdia. It is being investigated by the police.

The excavator under which the repairman was pinned

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 23, 2017

CDB unveils cultural and creative fund at CARIFESTA XIII BUILDING on the recent announcement of its provision of initial capitalisation for the Cultural and Creative Industries Innovation Fund (CIIF), the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) recently introduced the CIIF to approximately 100 cultural practitioners, policy-makers and academics from across the Caribbean. According to a CDB release, the occasion was the Cultural Policy and Intellectual Property Rights Workshop, held as part of CARIFESTA XIII in Barbados on Sunday August 20, 2017, sponsored by the CDB. Lisa Harding, Private Sector Development Specialist, CDB, noted that the CIIF was developed to support an enabling environment for the development of the cultural industries sector, and could

make the cost of doing business more affordable for regional cultural practitioners. “This fund is born out of the fact that we recognise there’s a void in the financing ecosystem. There are gaps, especially in grant-funding for creative industry entrepreneurs and stakeholders in general. We consulted with several stakeholders to come up with a model that we believe will help to support the sector. The areas which the fund will cover are music, audio-visual, film, animation and gaming, fashion and design and festivals and carnivals,” said Harding. The CIIF will support the development of the creative industries sector, and encourage innovation, job creation and improved enterprise sustainability by providing grants and technical assis-

tance to governments, business support organisations and academia that support the creative industries sector. It will also provide funding to creative and cultural entrepreneurs and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). During the workshop, attendees discussed development of the cultural industries in the Caribbean, and the role of policy in shaping this development. “A cultural policy must be central to national development. It should play a key role in all sector policies, because culture shapes how we respond to the land, how we see the environment, how we respond to each other and how we approach industry and excellence…Culture in the 21st century demands, without apology, a new type

of policy-maker. The digital environment which has presented both challenges and opportunities requires that policy-makers are at the pulse of these developments, that legislation is frequently updated,” said Dr. Donna Greene, Director of Cultural Policy and Research (Ag), Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, Barbados. The Cultural Policy and Intellectual Property Rights Workshop took place at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus. CARIFESTA XIII is being held in Barbados from August 19-23, 2017, under the theme, ‘Asserting Our Culture, Celebrating OurSelves.’ Over 23 Caribbe-

Lisa Harding, Private Sector Development Specialist, CDB, speaks at the Cultural Policy and Intellectual Property Rights workshop on August 20, 2017

an and Latin American nations are showcasing a wide array of cultural disciplines, including film, music, theatre and dance and traditional culinary arts, as part of the regional event. The Caribbean

Development Bank is a regional financial institution established in 1970 for the purpose of contributing to the harmonious economic growth and development of its Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs).

Man robbed at traffic light AN East Bank Demerara man sustained a gunshot wound on Monday during a daring mid-afternoon robbery at the corner of Vlissengen Road and Lamaha Street in the city. Roshan Rampersaud was driving a Toyota pick-up along the busy roadway and was awaiting the traffic light to change to green when he was pounced on by two men. Closed circuit television (CCTV) footage showed the man being attacked by two

men who hauled him out of his vehicle even as the traffic began to move. The men were seen frisking Rampersaud as he stood haplessly. Motorists drove by nonchalantly. Reports are that the men had trailed their victim, who had undertaken a business transaction prior to the robbery. The man sustained a gunshot wound to his leg and was briefly hospitalised during the afternoon on Monday. The police are investigating the incident.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 23, 2017

$125M in contracts signed to boost solid waste management (left to right) Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan, Permanent Secretary (PS), Ministry of Communities, Emil Mc Garrel and Mayor of Bartica Gifford Marshall with the contractors

THE Ministry of Communities on Tuesday signed three contracts totalling $125M as part of its effort to bolster the solid waste disposal programme in outlying regions. The signed contracts cover the designing of sanitary landfills at Bartica, Linden and Mahdia, which includes waste-profile studies of the three towns and recommendations for resource recovery and recycling programmes. The projects are estimated to be completed in eight months. In brief remarks at the min-

istry’s boardroom, Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan stated that the mandate is to safeguard the well-being of citizens and preserve the environment for future generations through the ministry’s relevant policies, infrastructural development and institutional strengthening among other areas which are in keeping with the government’s ‘Green Economy’ agenda. Bulkan recognised that proper solid waste management has not been emphasised in the past, hence the initiative that led

towards modern management of solid waste disposal. “We are also committed to ensuring that there is more equality in relation to what is obtained here in the coastland and the hinterland communities. Therefore, as it pertains to issues involving solid waste management, we will ensure that superior practice standards are present in communities away from the coastland,” Minister Bulkan added. The landfill design would incorporate topographic surveys of the sites, access to the site, site security, waste

disposal and fill management, leachate management, landfill gas management, operations and maintenance manuals, environmental audits and environmental monitoring and management systems. It will also involve design drawings and bills of quantities and estimates for construction of the sites as well as preparation of bidding documents. The designs and bidding documents are expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2018 and bidding will commence shortly after. Mayor of Bartica Gifford Marshall expressed his grati-

tude to Minister Bulkan for his continued support in assisting the municipality and emphasising the importance of proper solid waste management. Marshall said that the municipality once struggled with solid waste management until recently, when they implemented the initiative to improve solid waste management. “We see it as a next step towards the development not only of Bartica, but all of our new towns, we have struggled over the last 10 years with solid waste management…for the last two years we have signifi-

cantly improved solid waste management as a way to lead in Guyana’s Green agenda,” the Bartica Mayor highlighted. (DPI) Deputy Mayor of Linden Waneka Arindell was appreciative of the initiative, since her municipality also had issues with proper solid waste management. She noted that though it is the initial stage, the inclusion into the initiative will benefit many. The consultants are Executive Vice-President of Exponential Services Incorporated Stan Gonsalves in association with Caribbean Engineering and Management Consultants Incorporated (CEMCO) Lead Consultant, Ramon Latchmansingh.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Crippled murder accused found dead in prison By Michel Outridge

SHELTON George called “Boories,” who was awaiting trial for the 2014 alleged murder of Debra Blackman at Delicious Chinese Restaurant was found dead in the holding area at Lusignan Prison, East Coast Demerara, early Tuesday morning. Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels, confirmed that George was found at about 06:00hrs in an unresponsive state and was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital,

where doctors examined him and pronounced him dead. Samuels said that he is unaware George had received any injuries which could have contributed to his death but a probe is underway. Meanwhile, at George’s residence at Lot 146 South Better Hope, also on the East Coast Demerara, where he used to reside with his mother and siblings prior to his arrest earlier this year, there was a sombre atmosphere as relatives tried to process the news of his death in prison. According to Rosaline

Munroe, mother of the dead prisoner, she received a telephone call from a private number stating her son was taken to the hospital. The woman added that when she reached the health facility she was told he had succumbed. The mother of four said that she was told that George was crying out for intense pains in his chest and he had a headache as well. Munroe related that she was also informed that her son was panting for breath before he breathed his last, after which he was rushed

The dead prisoner: Shelton George

Rosaline Munroe, mother of the dead prisoner

to the hospital. She was told that by the time he reached the hospital he had no pulse or heartbeat when he was examined by medical professionals. The woman stated that she last saw her son on Monday when he showed up for his court case at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, where he seemed to be well and did not complain to her about feeling ill. Munroe said that she also spoke to George at about 19:50hrs via cell phone from Lusignan Prison and he did not say he was not feeling well.

She told this newspaper that George was first imprisoned in September 2015, where he served some time before he was placed on bail and the attempted murder case was dismissed in June 2015. Munroe noted that in February this year he was picked up at her home by the police and told that he was wanted for questioning for murder. The woman reported that she went to Suriname and brought her son home after he was shot and his spine damaged and could no longer walk. A post mortem

examination is expected to be performed on his body on Friday to ascertain the cause of death. Munroe said that the family has their suspicions but they will wait on the autopsy. In November, 2014, police had released surveillance footage of a suspect who killed Blackman, who was a waitress at Delicious Chinese Restaurant on D’urban Street, Georgetown. The footage showed a young man, dressed in a grey t-shirt, dark coloured pants and a red cap, entering the restaurant and standing by the counter. He was the shooter. He was also accompanied by two others. The shooter remained standing at the counter and was recorded gazing around the restaurant. His face remained visible throughout the recording. The man then left the restaurant and mounted a motor cycle which sped off. On the second matter, George was accused of attempting to murder former magistrate, Mohamed Faizal Azeez, who is still bed-ridden. Azeez, of Kitty, was held in 2015 at gun point for cash in Eccles, East Bank Demerara.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 23, 2017

94-year-old man Woman remanded for ganja trafficking on forgery charge A 94-year-old man was on Tuesday arraigned before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on a charge of conspiracy to forge a transport in 2003. Fitz Rupert Lewis of First Street, Cummings Lodge, pleaded not guilty to the charge and was released on $50,000 bail. Particulars of the charge allege that between November 1, 2003 and November 30, 2003, at Georgetown, with intent to defraud, he allegedly conspired with others to forge transport # 380 of 1981. Lewis’s attorney, Roger Yearwood, told the court that his client was arrested by police on Wednesday

morning and was taken to the Brickdam Police Station. Yearwood further pointed out that the alleged police investigation into the matter was pending since 2003, during which his client was arrested and later placed on station bail with his passport lodged. However, Lewis’s station bail was returned along with his passport in 2003. Police Prosecutor Arwin Moore made no objection to the 94-yearold man being released on bail, but requested that reporting conditions be attached. The magistrate granted bail and adjourned the matter to August 30.

A 24-year-old woman was on Tuesday remanded to prison by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on a charge of drug trafficking. Nekita Poole denied that on August 18 at Stanley Place, Kitty, she had 252.2 grams of cannabis in her possession for the purpose of trafficking. According to the facts on the day in question, the police were carrying out a raid in

Fitz Rupert Lewis

the Stanley Place, Kitty area, when they contacted Poole to search her home. Poole reportedly told her four-year-old son to go over by his aunt who lives in the next house in the yard and went into her bedroom with her son, picked up the child’s pillow and attempted to take him next door. However, this raised the ranks’ suspicion who requested to search the pillow,

during which a quantity of cannabis was found in a plastic bag stuffed inside the pillow. Police Prosecutor, Inspector Arvin Moore, objected to the woman being released on bail on the ground of the nature, gravity of and penalty for the offence. The magistrate ruled in the prosecution’s favour and remanded Poole until September 11.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Linden toll booth funds helping to repay LMTC, NIS debts SINCE the reintroduction of the Linden Toll Station, the Linden Mayor and Town Council (LMTC) has been able to make some strides in paying off its approximately $250M debt to the National Insurance Scheme (NIS). In addition to the workers getting an increase in wages of up to 15%, the LMTC is now able to honour its

workers’ NIS monthly payments, as well as to honour the agreement to pay the scheme $200,000 monthly until the debt has been completely repaid. To fullfil this expenditure, the LMTC is now in a position to afford the approximate sum of $1.2 M from its coffers. According to a reliable source, the toll booth is gar-

nering up to $7M monthly which is $4M more than what was expected. This achievement has been highly appreciated by the workers, who for years were not able to receive their social security benefits and their pensions were tremendously affected. Several councillors had in the past expressed their disappointment in the Coun-

cil’s inability to honour that commitment to its employees. “I am very happy that now it is being paid and we will be able to receive our benefits and our pension, because it was very frustrating to know that you are coming to work every day and if you want a spectacle or dentures you couldn’t go to NIS like everyone else, so I am happy for that and also for the salary increase of which we are also expecting another increase,” one employee expressed. Linden Mayor Carwyn Holland in an invited comment also expressed some feeling of satisfaction. “I am happy that the Council is gradually getting to fulfil its obligations on the current payments and minimally on what is owed,” he said. The Linden Mayor and Town Council, however, continues to call on the Central Government to bail out the Council since it still has a debt of over $200M to other entities, such as the Linden Electricity Incorporated (LEI). Holland said that it is a debt that was inherited from the previous Council that is affecting further development, such

as the construction of roads and a much more effective garbage collection system. “We are still in over $200M in the red and are calling on the Government to intervene and bail us out. Government did a bailout for many other entities including City Hall and GuySuco and I see no reason why Linden can’t get $250 M to put us on the right footing,” Holland said. The Council is also calling on NICIL to repay the millions owed, since that will

significantly enable them to comfortably meet their expenditures, repay what it owes and effectively serve the residents of Linden. “NICIL owes the town quite a huge sum, which adds up to more than [what] we are asking for if we look at the numbers,” Holland added The Council is also calling for an increase in the Wismar- Mackenzie Bridge share of which it is currently receiving 25% of the funds garnered and 70% of the increased rates from NICIL.

Bandits grab $80,000 from pump attendant AN employee of Ali’s Gas Station escaped unhurt last Saturday night when one of two bandits walked up to him with a gun and relieved him of the night's sales and fled. Commander ‘B’ Division, Paul Williams, told the Guyana Chronicle that at about 19:30hrs on Saturday night a pump attendant was on duty at the service station located on Main and Coburg Streets, New Amsterdam when the robbers pounced on him. He related that one gunman walked up to the pump attendant and snatched the money out of his hands, which amounted to about $80,000 and fled with his accomplice, who was keeping watch nearby. Williams added that so far, no arrest has been made but an investigation is under way. The robbery was captured on close circuit television (CCTV) cameras.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Modern roundabout 50% complete – some road closures necessary to complete project

The roundabout will reduce waiting and stoppage time

$56.5M earmarked for expansion of Railway Embankment road SOME $56M has been earmarked for the expansion of the Railway Embankment Road from next month, Ministry of Public Infrastructure Senior Project Engineer, Kester Hinds, has said. Hinds explained that these road enhancements will reduce traffic congestion in the vicinity of the National Aquatic Centre, the Giftland Mall and the CARICOM Secretariat (between Liliendaal and Cummings Lodge). Some $56.5M has been earmarked for the project which will see the construction of two east bound lanes Hinds said. This expansion will facilitate the smoother flow of traffic for persons living on the East Coast, Demerara and persons visiting the mall. Shoulder lanes to accommodate bus stops will also be built. Earlier this year the Lilliendaal Bridge underwent construction, and was reopened after three months of extensive works. The bridge now has walkways on both sides of the structure which caters for pedestrians, and cyclists. The $89M project was undertaken by H. Nauth & Sons Civil Engineering Contractors. Additionally, four bridges along

the Railway Embankment road have been earmarked for rehabilitation for this year, Maintenance Engineer of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI), Sherod Parkinson has said. “Most of the bridges on the Railway embankment are these aqua panel bridges or steel bridges. They have been there for quite some time and some of the steel rust members are beginning to fail,” as a result the Ministry has been on top of it, ensuring that the bridges are fixed, the Maintenance Engineer explained. This was the situation with the Liliendaal Bridge, following an investigation by the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) Inspection Team and engineers attached to the MPI; it was recommended that the bridge be repaired. Works which commenced early in March to prevent a collapse of the bridge, were fast tracked to complete the repairs before the end of June. Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson earlier this year had committed to focusing on infrastructural development across the country – with two bridges completed, and the Annandale and Lusignan Bridges slated for reconstruction this

week. These rehabilitative projects are expected to be completed by year end.

On the Number 66 Corentyne, Berbice, steel truss bridge rehabilitative

THE Carifesta Avenue/Vlissengen Road Roundabout Project is half way done and the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) has advised that some temporary road closures will be necessary to complete the project. This will result in some inconvenience to motorists and road users and the ministry is asking the public to exercise patience and to use alternative routes from today. Weather permitting, the traffic disruption will last for just three weeks. According to a Department of Public Information (DPI) release, traffic will be diverted through Alexander Street, and MPI Maintenance Engineer, Sherod Parkinson, is urging road users, “to take precaution as they use Alexander Street, David Street and Barr Street to access lower Georgetown.” Parkinson also explained that the contractors need to connect the newly installed pumps at the Kitty Pump Sta-

tion, where a major sinkhole had developed several months ago. This has since been filled in prior to the commencement of the roundabout project. Parkinson also disclosed that the first and second phases of the project are completed. The third phase will see works on the Sandal Place section extending to the centre of the carriage way. Once the third phase of the project is completed, the final phase of connecting all the roads – Carifesta Avenue, Seawall Road, Rupert Craig Highway and Vlissengen Road will begin. This $127.1M road improvement project is due to be completed by year-end and will allow for a smoother and unhindered flow of traffic at the busy intersection. The roundabout will reduce waiting and stoppage time for motorists heading to the East Coast of Demerara and those using Carifesta Avenue, Vlissengen Road and the Kitty Public Roads. (DPI)

works are almost completed, Parkinson disclosed. Corrosion to the bridge was caused by salt water over the years and parts of the structure sustained damage during an accident. Repairs have been ongoing in the night to facilitate day-time traffic Parkinson explained. The bridge which stretches

over a 100-foot creek will be rehabilitated at a cost $28.6M. The main access bridge of Bagotville, on the West Bank of Demerara, is also currently undergoing repairs to some support beams that were damaged due to erosion and heavy rains.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Shadick never objected to broadcast bill at GNBA meeting

…when asked to comment, said “room was small” PEOPLE’s Progressive Party-nominated director on the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority, Bibi Shadick, did not make any objections to the amendments to the Broadcast Bill when Prime Min-

ister Moses Nagamootoo met with the board of that entity last week. And some directors are questioning whether she was coerced into sending out a statement last Friday disassociating herself from the bill,

which was passed by the National Assembly earlier this month. Speaking to the Guyana Chronicle under conditions of anonymity, a director of the GNBA said that following Prime Minister

Nagamootoo’s remarks at the meeting held last week Wednesday, all members were asked to give their comments. “The prime minister actually started with Shadick. She was asked for her comments, she said that she GNBA Director, Bibi Shadick

had nothing to say, except that the conference room was small,” the director related. The director added that a lengthy discussion then ensued with member Jocelyn Josiah via Skype. “No dissent was expressed by anyone, including Member Shadick. She gracefully posed for photos. It is most disturbing that she should issue opposition as an after-thought. She is a lawyer of some vintage in private practice and she would understand the importance of response at the earliest possible opportunity. All fair-minded Guyanese would wonder why she chose now to express dissent,” the director expressed. Chairman of the GNBA, Attorney-at-law, Leslie Sobers, following the PM’s address last week used the opportunity to assure him that the 60 minutes airtime, daily, for public service programmes was not unreasonable. “I want to assure you PM that our 60 minutes advice is not unreasonable. In Barbados, their legislation dictates one second for every broadcast minute to be allocated to PSAs, and when you accumulate it, it works out to about two hours per day. In Trinidad and Tobago, their authority asks for 14 hours per week…on average that amounts to two hours per day as well,” Sobers pointed out. He emphasised that the GNBA is not unreasonable in its request. Board Director, Dr. Rovin Deodat, expressed similar sentiments as the prime minister, noting that it is not just the Government that will have the opportunity to broadcast PSAs. In a missive sent out to the media by the PPP Member of Parliament Anil Nandlall, Shadick said she does not “back the broadcasting bill.” “I was appointed to the board after a delay of more than two months, during which time the other members were involved in drafting recommendations

for regulations to the Broadcasting Act 2011, which recommendations the prime minister claims he used as the basis for the ‘infamous’ amendments to the Act. Personally, I consider the amendments to be unconstitutional and as a member of the Board I was not involved in making any recommendations. In fact, it is my belief that my appointment to the Board was deliberately delayed for the period during which the recommendations were being drafted. At Wednesday’s meeting which the prime minister attended, the Board was not asked to, nor did it express its “backing” for the amendments to the Broadcast Bill.” President David Granger weighing in on the subject on Wednesday, asked critics of the bill to be more aware of the peculiar nature of Guyana and the need to ensure that all communities have access to information. He said the Bill does not prevent any media outlet from fulfilling its constitutional obligations and the government has an obligation to ensure, via the media, that the entire country is aware of what is going on. Acknowledging that there are some aspects of the Bill that have caused concern, the Head of State told media operatives Wednesday at State House that a lot of thought went into crafting the bill. He noted that Cabinet’s support of the Bill was the reason government went to parliament. “Guyana is a very thinly populated country and the population density is about a few persons per square kilometre and most of the media houses are concentrated on the coastland and in the city of Georgetown, so there are huge areas of our country without media coverage,” President Granger explained. “We need to ensure that we walk on two legs and the private media have my support and I will always support freedom of communication, but we have an obligation to ensure that all corners of the country receive public information about what is taking place in terms of public health, public infrastructure and public security.” He said if the population is unaware of what is happening in certain sections of Guyana because the media is concentrated in Georgetown, there will be a deficit in the flow of information.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Calls for speed humps at Garnett and Middleton junction A MIDDAY accident on Tuesday at the corner of

Garnett and Middleton streets has prompted calls

An ambulance team prepares the injured man before rushing him to the hospital

The SUV which was involved in the accident

The man’s motorcycle, which was damaged following the impact

Woman who killed husband says she was abused POLICE are hunting for a 30-year-old woman who allegedly stabbed her common-law husband to death with a pair of scissors on Sunday. Dead is Alfro Adams, who is in his forties and was a labourer. He was fatally stabbed and bled profusely before he was rushed to Charity Hospital where he succumbed at 17:00hrs on Sunday. The woman who is being sought by the police reported that she was a victim of constant domestic abuse by her partner and had fled her North West District home with her eight-month-old toddler to her aunt’s premises at Dredge Creek, Upper Pomeroon River. Based on investigations

the suspect and the deceased had shared a six-year relationship, at Haimarakabra, Moruca, North West District, but due to constant abuse by the deceased, especially when intoxicated, the suspect, a craftswoman, moved to her aunt’s home and sought shelter. Soon after the alleged abuser followed and was allowed to join her company. However, on Sunday at about 12:00hrs, the deceased accused the suspect of being unfaithful and dealt her a slap and in an apparent fit of rage, she allegedly stabbed him in the right side chest with a pair of scissors and fled the scene. The body is presently at the Charity Hospital mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination.

from residents for the authorities to build speed humps at the busy junction. According to an eyewitness, a motorcyclist was proceeding along Garnett Street when the driver of a Nissan CRV bearing registration PVV 7527 collided with the man’s bike, flinging him off of his motorcycle. The man landed on the parapet nearby

and public spirited citizens rushed to assist him. The driver of the SUV remained on the scene as the police and an ambulance team assisted the injured man to the hospital. The Sophia resident, called “Antenna Man” cried out in pain, noting that his legs were fractured, even as police questioned the driver of the SUV.

Residents in the area told the Guyana Chronicle that Tuesday’s accident was one of an almost daily and nightly occurrence. A businesswoman noted that persons sometimes forget on which of the two streets motorists have the rightof-way. A man who lives nearby noted that given the closeness of buildings

on Middleton Street to the junction, motorists are usually unable to react quickly to vehicles proceeding along Garnett Street. They called on the authorities to place speed humps at the junction as what occurs at the corner of other busy junctions in the city, which have been prone to vehicular accidents.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 23, 2017

The caricatured woman By Akola Thompson

I’M going to start off with some interconnected questions that I want you to think about for a few seconds. What does the term “letting yourself go” mean as it relates to the context of women after marriage and childbirth? What does it mean when men tell women that not because they might have birthed a child or married someone that they should stop ‘dabbling around in makeup and treating themselves to shopping therapy?’ What constitutes ourself and is that self-tethered to materialism and aesthetics? Finally, what does it mean to be a woman in Guyanese society and how are we challenging or upholding the caricatures of womanhood set out for us? As women, it is more

than likely that many of us would have at some point in our lives been told that we are letting ourselves go, particularly when we begin tending to more traditional duties that exist within domestic life. The phrase is meant to tell a woman that by society’s dominant definition of how she should look, she is falling significantly far from the bar that was set for her. We have come a long way in demolishing the set ideals of womanhood and the roles we are expected to play in the home and society, but the work is far from done. This was seen when Gordon Moseley felt the need to tell women, particularly married women and mothers, that they should stop letting themselves go. He claimed that he was “seeing way too many women letting themselves go after marriage or a child,” and urged them to “still dress

and look good.” What that post and the comments stemming from it revealed, is a truth that has long been known, both men and women are implicit in the sexism that is perpetuated within society. When he was called out for this sexist rhetoric, he claimed that the point of the post was being misunderstood and that those who objected were mere attention seekers. No one is saying that you cannot offer advice on things such as fitness or whatever it is you want to advise on, even if you yourself are in no fit position to offer that advice. When one insinuates however, that a woman cannot truly be considered a woman if she does not fit certain ideals, then whatever good intentions one might have had has now been replaced by the insidious sexism ingrained within your psyche.

It might not have been his intent to belittle women for not conforming to beauty standards, but in a way, that makes it worse for me. It is men like him who feel they are ‘looking out’ for women but are in fact just apologisers for sexism, who are a threat. They are so invested in the idea that they are doing good that they refuse to see how problematic their rhetoric and actions are, and how they perpetuate harmful notions. When he realised that persons refused to allow his sexism to pass, his line of defense began to run something like this, ‘Oprah said it, so can I.’ The piece he references does talk about women taking care of themselves yes, but Moseley’s context is entirely different, whether he meant it to be or not. The piece on which he so religiously based his defense

on, does not insinuate that a woman’s worth or a woman taking care of herself is tantamount to wearing makeup, getting her hair done or even spending money. Oprah’s main contention was that women should stop keeping themselves on the back burner. Firstly, Oprah is a woman using her platform to speak to women. Do not presume that you know enough about the struggles of the marginalised to tell them how they should be, without taking in the structural and societal barriers to achieving those things. Even if your intent is to encourage women to take better care of their selves, there is a way to do that. There is a way to tell women that they deserve to give themselves the same care and respect they might give to their families and loved ones. However, when that unasked for advice treads the ground of telling

women to dress, go shopping and keep themselves “nicely groomed,” that is when I begin to question both your motives and intellectualism. When one is asked to ‘stay true to oneself,’ is this the only way to do that through defined gender aesthetics? I am a mother of one. On the surface, I have not entirely let myself go. But, I eat unhealthy, I never exercise and I hardly sleep. These things are all very bad for me but no one tells me that I’m letting myself go because: One, I,to some extent conform to beauty standards. Two, anyone who knows me knows that they cannot tell me what sort of woman I should be and not be shot down for it, because we as women are not here to satisfy the male gaze or to conform to ingrained ideas of femininity.

Congratulations!

GUYANA Chronicle’s Systems Administrator, Samuel Sinclair, on Sunday married the love of his life, Samay Barkley at a beautiful ceremony held at the Ebenezer Seventh Day Adventist Church, East La Penitence. The Management and Staff of the Guyana Chronicle, especially the Editorial Department, would like to wish the new couple a lasting and happy marriage. (Photo by Samuel Maughn)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Massy Guyana Group presents bursaries to 24 children MASSY Guyana Group of Companies presented bursaries to 24 children of employees who were successful at the recent National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) during a presentation ceremony held Thursday at the Massy Staff Facility, Ruimveldt.

In a release, the company said Deo Persaud, Chairman of the Massy Guyana Group of Companies, congratulated the children and encouraged them to strive for excellence in their future educational endeavours. “We at Massy Group applaud your success and encourage you to con-

tinue to strive for excellence. Look ahead with enthusiasm as you start this new stage of your educational career, “he told the awardees. Mr. Persaud cautioned the children to stay focused and avoid spending too much time on negative things such as computer games. “Re-

The bursary awardees with Mr. Deo Persaud (centre) and senior executives of the company

member your future is in your book bag,” he declared. Also in attendance were senior executives, including directors Rohit Coonjah and Gobardhan Resaul, and parents of the awardees. The bursary recipients are: Jaden Coonjah, Nyayakumari Ramroop, Vadeanand Resaul, Joel Fra-

ser, Tejnarine Persaud, Emily Singh, Shivraj Persaud, Akeem Henry, Raquena France, Aron Spellen, Janya Clementson, Jelicia Vancooten, Taliana Belgrave, Denzel Morgan, Jamacia Nero, Tiffany Roberts, Areiana George, Martin Edwards, Hamani Paul, Alvin Seebarratt, Paul Mohan, Nathaniel

Stewart, Raoul Khan and Joshua Vieira. Companies within the Massy Guyana Group are: Massy Distribution/ Trading, Massy Industries, Massy Gas Products, Massy Technologies, Massy Insurance, Massy Services, Massy Security and Massy Stores.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Ronaldo loses appeal against five-match ban

Cristiano Ronaldo

(REUTERS) - Cristiano Ronaldo will have to serve his five-match ban for pushing a referee after the Spanish sports court (TAD) rejected Real Madrid’s appeal against the length of the suspension, Spanish media reported on Tuesday citing court officials. The Portuguese forward shoved official Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea after being sent off during Real’s 3-1 victory over Barcelona in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup on Aug. 13. As a result the Spanish Football Federation issued Ronaldo with a 3,005 euro (2,753.31 pounds)fine and a four match suspension in addition to the automatic

one game ban the player was due to serve for the red card. “Another incomprehensible decision. From injustice to injustice, they will never overthrow me,” Ronaldo posted on Instagram. The ban ruled Ronaldo out of the Super Cup second leg and Madrid’s first La Liga match of the season against Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday. Real won both matches. The striker will sit out league fixtures against Valencia, Levante and Real Sociedad before making his comeback against Real Betis on September 20. TAD could not immediately be reached by Reuters for comment.

SCOREBOARD

ST. LUCIA STARS A Fletcher c Rashid Khan b Permaul 1 J Charles c Singh b Emrit 15 S Watson run out (Paul) 0 J Ryder run out (Paul/Walton) 29 S Ambris not out 15 D Sammy lbw b Khan 19 R Cornwall c Guptill b Khan 10 S Shillingford c Jacobs b Emrit 2 J Taylor not out 7 Extras: (lb-1, w-1) 2 Total: (7 wickets; 20 overs) 100 Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-6, 3-35, 4-47, 5-73, 6-87, 7-92 Bowling: Tanvir 4-0-22-0, Per-

maul 4-0-16-1, Emrit 4-0-26-2, Khan 4-0-19-2, Jacobs 4-0-16-0 Guyana Amazon Warriors C Walton lbw b Taylor 0 S Tanvir st †Fletcher b Shillingford 38 M Guptill st †Fletcher b Cornwall 8 J Mohammed not out 42 G Singh not out 8 Extras: (lb-1, w-4) 5 Total: (3 wickets 14.4 overs) 103 Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-22, 3-73 Bowling: Taylor 2-0-13-1, Shillingford 4-0-20-1, Cornwall 4-0-27-1, Leie 3-0-24-0, McClenaghan 1.4-0-16-0 12;10 hrs Hope Is High 12:40 hrs Nutini

English Racing Tips Carlisle 08:35 hrs Highest Rank 09:05 hrs Albert Street 09:40 hrs Mr Strutter 10:15 hrs Geoff Potts 10:50 hrs Redarna 11:25 hrs Im Dapper Too 11:55 hrs Donnachies Girl 12:25 hrs Our Place In Loule Bath 08:45 hrs Our Lord 09:15 hrs Yafta 09:50 hrs Eugenic 10:25 hrs Spirit Of The Vale 11:00 hrs Tarte Tropezienne 11:35 hrs Secret Agent

York 08:55 hrs El Astronaute 09:25 hrs Wells Farhh Go 10:00 hrs Cracksman 10:35 hrs Churchill 11:15 hrs Magic Circle 11:50 hrs Green Fortune South Africa Racing Tips Scottsville 08:40 hrs On Your Life 09:15 hrs Song Of Mitu 09:50 hrs Head Honcho 10:25 hrs Rock My Soul 11:00 hrs Angel Landing Irish Racing Tips Killarney 10:15 hrs Kew Gardens 09:40 hrs Aljunood 11:10 hrs Atlas 11:45 hrs Psychedelic 12:15 hrs All The Mollies 12:50 hrs Jeremys Joy 13:20 hrs Abyssinian American Racing Tips Saratoga Race 1 Moscato Race 2 Destin Race 3 Machismo Race 4 Enduring Erin Race 5 Consumerconfidence Race 6 Zap Zap Zap Race 7 Tapella Race 8 Red Rifle Race 9 Nevisian Sky

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Gatlin issues ‘official apology’ for drug bans

Warriors end CPL home leg in rampant fashion

JUSTIN Gatlin has issued an “official apology” for his drugs bans after he was repeatedly jeered over them at the athletics World Championship. Two-time convicted Gatlin, who became the pantomime villain of London 2017 after beating Usain Bolt in the Jamaican’s final 100 metres race, admitted it “hurt” to be booed by the 56 000-strong crowd. Insisting he had previously apologised over his doping bans, he told ITV News: “If they want an official apology, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. “I apologise for any wrongdoings I’ve brought onto the sport. I love the sport. That’s why I’ve come back and run to the best of my abilities. I have worked hard to right my wrongs.” Claiming he had written an apology at the time to the International Association of Athletics Federations, he added: “Before the trial, before I was sentenced, I wrote an apology “I started a programme where I went and talked to kids and told them about the pitfalls of falling behind the wrong people, staying on the

path, doing the right things. “These are things I thought

came out in 2015, it was suppressed for almost six years

Justin Gatlin was jeered at the medal ceremony in London. (Credit: Getty Images)

of doing on my own. “The letter I wrote, which

and I’m not sure who or why they suppressed it but I did

apologise.” As well as being booed after crossing the line ahead of Bolt, Gatlin was jeered when he collected his gold medal the following evening. “It did hurt because I’m not there for myself. I’m up there for my country,” he said. “I didn’t do it for myself. Especially at the starting line, I wasn’t there for me. I was there for people back at home watching who weren’t able to come.” Gatlin said he hoped to be treated differently on his next visit, saying: “I love London. I love London. I enjoyed myself. “I was walking through the streets and I was surprised by the well-wishers and people congratulating me. It showed me there are people out there who weren’t in the stadium booing.” Meanwhile, Great Britain’s London 2017 heroes will be treated to a reception at Downing Street today following their exploits five years on from London 2012. But Sir Mo Farah will not be among them as he is preparing for his final track race at tomorrow’s Diamond League meeting in Zurich.

Gayle, Lewis inspire Patriots to CPL playoffs BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC) – Half-centuries from captain Chris Gayle and his opening partner Evin Lewis propelled in-form St Kitts and Nevis Patriots to a handsome 37-run victory over reigning champions Jamaica Tallawahs in their Caribbean Premier League here Monday night. Gayle stroked an unbeaten 71 off 55 deliveries while Lewis got 69 off 39 balls in a man-ofthe-match effort as the hosts amassed 208 for three off their 20 overs – the highest total of this year’s campaign. Mohammad Nabi and Carlos Brathwaite chipped in with cameos, the Afghan blasting 29 off 12 balls and the Windies Twenty20 captain belting 26 from 13 deliveries. In reply, Tallawahs made a good fist of the run chase, managing to end on 171 for seven off their allotted 20 overs. Opener Trevon Griffith top-scored with 42 while opening partner Glenn Phillips and all-rounder Rovman Powell both chipped in with 31, but the target proved outside their reach. Left-arm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi was the best bowler with three for 35. The result saw Patriots move to 11 points and continue in second, one point behind

leaders Trinbago Knight Riders. Tallawahs remained third on eight points. Sent in at Warner Park, Patriots were given a fine start by the left-handed pair of Gayle and Lewis who put on 110 off 75 balls.

gear when he skied a heave at seamer Odean Smith and was caught by the wicketkeeper in the 13th over. Brathwaite then arrived to add 41 off 24 balls for the second wicket, courtesy of a pair of fours and sixes, before Nabi

fours and two sixes in a 36-ball knock, New Zealander Phillips punched two fours and a six off 27 deliveries. Griffith’s demise – caught at mid-off off a Jonathan Carter full toss – triggered a collapse where five wickets tumbled

Opener Evin Lewis goes on the attack during his man-of-the-match half-century against Jamaica Tallawahs. (Photo courtesy CPL)

Gayle counted four fours and four sixes as he marked his second half-century of the season and went past 200 runs. Lewis, meanwhile, struck five fours and six sixes, as he too passed 200 runs for the campaign with his second half-century. He was moving into high

pitched in with a four and three sixes in posting a further 50 for the third wicket also with Gayle. In reply, Tallawahs were carried by openers Griffith and Phillips who put on 64 off 53 balls for the first wicket to lay the foundation for the run chase. While Griffith smashed four

for 46 runs to leave Tallawahs struggling on 110 for five in the 15th over. Requiring a virtual miracle at this stage, Tallawahs were energised by a 39-run, sixth-wicket partnership off 21 balls between Powell and McCarthy but it fell far short of what was required.

By Rajiv Bisnauth THE Guyana Amazon Warriors ended their home leg of the Hero Caribbean Premier League twenty20 tournament in impressive fashion, whipping the St Lucia Stars by seven wickets last evening at the National Stadium, Providence. The victory for the Warriors takes them above Barbados Tridents, to fourth in the table and gave them a crucial net run rate boost in the race for a Playoff place. The Warriors produced a disciplined bowling and fielding effort to restrict a marauding St Lucia Stars to a modest 100-7. They then overhauled the target in 14.4 overs, with Jason Mohammed hitting an unbeaten 42. The Warriors’ fielding was universally outstanding. No catches were dropped, and some of those taken were far from straightforward. The bowlers were all hard to get away, with leg-spinner Rashid Khan and Rayad Emrit, taking two wickets apiece for 19 and 26 runs respectively. Left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul had 1-16, while off-spinner Steven Jacobs and Sohail Tanvir leaked 22 and 16 runs in their respective spells. It was a struggle for the tourists from the word go as they lost early wickets, which eventually was the main reason they failed to put on a substantial partnership to get to a winning total. Despite having so many big-hitting batsmen in their ranks, the Stars could hit only five boundaries and two sixes in their entire 20 overs. Jesse Ryder made 29 with three fours, and was the only batsman who contributed more than 20. Sent in to bat by Martin Guptill, Johnson Charles kick started the innings, with a boundary in front of point off Tanvir, but the top order spluttered yet again and slumped to 35-3. Permaul was right on the money, removing the danger man Andre Fletcher (1) off the fifth ball of the second over to a long-off catch taken by Khan. Shane Watson (0) became victim of a terrible mix up in

the third over, and was run out from a direct hit from Keemo Paul, who was stationed at point. Those two dismissals restricted the Stars to 26-2 inside the Powerplay overs. Much was expected from Johnson Charles, but he too perished in the eighth over, caught on the long-on boundary off Emrit for 15, and half way through the innings, the Stars were struggling at 46-3. As if that was not enough, the Warriors removed another dangerman, Ryder, who was run out attempting a second run. Sunil Ambris (15 not out) and Darren Sammy (19) then held the innings together for a short period with a crucial 26-run stand for the fifth-wicket to take the visitors somewhat forward. But just when it seemed things were starting to look a little bright for the Stars, Sammy, on whom the Stars depended much to get to a fighting total, perished after a fighting 24-ball 19. Sammy was unfortunately dismissed leg-before wicket to Khan off a massive inside edge. Rakheem Cornwall muscled Tanvir over square leg for the innings first six but perished soon after, so too was Shane Shillingford before Jerome Taylor closed the innings off with a six off Emrit. The Warriors did not have a great start to the run chase as opener Chadwick Walton fell off the first delivery of the innings, leg-before wicket to Taylor. Guptill followed him soon after, stumped off Cornwall for 8, but Tanvir who was again promoted to open, ensured the run rate never became a concern. Man-of-the-Match Tanvir scored 38 from 29 balls, with five fours and a six and his partnership of 51 with Mohammad took the Warriors within 28 of victory when he was stumped. Mohammed and Gajanand Singh then eased them home comfortably, with Mohammed who hit three fours and two sixes unbeaten on 42. The Warriors next game is against Barbados Tridents next Tuesday, before taking on the Jamaica Tallawahs on Friday, September 1. (See scoreboard on page 27)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 23, 2017

UDFA Super Cup Inter-Association football

Essequibo hammer East Bank 5-1, Upper Demerara knock out East Coast 3-1 By Joe Chapman EXCELLENT finishing by a running Essequibo/Pomeroon side enabled them to eliminate East Bank 5-1 to join unbeaten Upper Demerara into the semifinals of the inaugural GT Beer $M ‘Sunday Night Super Cup’ Inter-Association football championship, being staged by the Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA) at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground. Playing in the first game of the night on Sunday, Essequibo, after a loss and a draw, endured their place in the final four in a second-half blitz that saw them nail five goals past their opponents East Bank, whose only reprieve came in the 90th minute when Winston Rollins pulled one back, after a 5-0 lopsided score seemed the only outcome. Five minutes into the second half after a goal-less first stanza, Michael Hendricks

was brought down in the box and defender Osman Henry stepped up to give his team from Essequibo the lead. Hendricks would then get into the act of scoring when he collected a past from Odel Hubert and slammed in goal number two for his side in the 59th minute. As they maintained the pressure on their East Bank rivals, a Sheldon Pitt shot was cleared only to see Devin Romeo collect and finish with a goal of his own for a 3-0 advantage in the 71st minute. As East Bank failed to find answers to their opponents’ onslaught, Essequibo/ Pomeroon increased the lead through Sheldon Pitt who collected a good ball from the left wing to nudge in goal number four in the 82nd minute. This score increased when Romeo came back to latch on to a cross which came from the right flank and with a crisp volley found the back of the net

in the 88th minute, as they celebrated their rampage before that solitary strike from Rollins on the stroke of play. In the second game, home team Upper Demerara romped past East Coast 3-1 as they netted goal number one in the 15th minute through a strike by Jashawn Moore, but by the end of the first quarter Malcolm Wilson levelled the score with a strike in the 37th minute for the East Coast side. However, from that 1-1 score Upper Demerara regained the lead, as Shane Luckie was there to bang in the second goal from close-in, in the 57th minute. As the hosts gained the momentum they increased that advantage through the in-form Kellon Primo in the 73rd minute to a 3-1 score-line which remained to the final whistle. That allowed Upper Demerara to reach the final four as the top side from Group A after three wins for nine

Scorers for Essequibo/ Pomeroon from left Oswin Henry, Michael Hendricks, Devon Romeo and Sheldon Pitt

points. Essequibo/Pomeroon joined them as the second team from their group play

with one win, one loss and one draw, leaving out East Coast who had two losses and

one draw for one point and East Bank with one win and two losses for three points.

Barcelona sue Neymar over Boycott sorry for ‘unacceptable’ comment world record transfer to PSG

Neymar criticised the Barcelona board earlier this week

BARCELONA are suing former player Neymar for 8.5 million euros (£7.8M) over his world record move to Paris St-Germain PSG) The Brazil international made the 222 million euro (£200M) move to the French club in August after buying out his contract. Barcelona now want him to return a renewal bonus he was paid when he signed a new five-year deal just nine months before forcing through the move. “The club demands the player return the already paid sum as he has not completed his contract,” it said. As well as the 8.5 million euro bonus, the club wants “an additional 10% because of delayed payment”. The statement continued: “The club also requests Paris St-Germain

take on responsibility for the payment of these fees if the player cannot do so himself.” The lawsuit was submitted on August 11 to the Labour Tribunal in Barcelona. Following the transfer, Barcelona announced the club was withholding a further 26 million euro (£M) loyalty bonus from the player. Neymar criticised the directors of the club on Sunday after scoring twice on his home debut for PSG in a 6-2 win over Toulouse. “I spent four beautiful years there and parted happy,” said the 25-year-old. “But with (the board), no. “For me, they are not the people who should be there, for the direction of Barca. Barca deserve much better. (BBC Sport).

FORMER England cricketer and BBC commentator Geoffrey Boycott has apologised for an “unacceptable” comment about West Indian cricketers. Boycott is reported to have said it would be more likely he would be knighted if he was to ‘black his face’. It is also claimed he said some knighthoods were handed out like “confetti” to West Indies greats. The 76-year-old has now described his comments at a Q&A in Birmingham on Saturday as “clearly wrong”.

The Yorkshireman added he loves West Indian cricket and has “the utmost respect for its players”.

Geoffrey Boycott is now a BBC commentator.

The Q&A event, hosted by Sky Sports presenter Gary Newbon, was held during a break in play and was attended by about 200 people. Waheed Saleem, who was in the audience, told BBC Sport: “I was completely disgusted. I don’t think anyone saw it as a light-hearted joke. I was absolutely gobsmacked.” Boycott was part of the BBC’s Test Match Special commentary team for England’s day-night Test against West Indies at Edgbaston last week.

A BBC spokesperson said: “He has rightly apologised unreservedly for these clearly unacceptable comments. “We use a number of different contributors in our cricket coverage. He remains part of our team.” A spokesperson for Wa r w i c k s h i re C o u n t y Cricket Club said: “We were very disappointed by Geoffrey’s comments and are pleased to see that he has apologised and recognised that it was unacceptable.”(BBC Sport)

Pakistanis head back to CPL after all THE Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is allowing its players to return to the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL), for which it had first delivered No-Objection Certificates. The PCB had initially asked that the players return from the leagues to facilitate the playing of a World Series XI game, as well as the National T20 Cup. That competition has been rescheduled to November. According to PCB Chairman, Najam Sethi, the National T20 Cup had to be rescheduled because of his organisation’s busy schedule. “The World XI series was not officially confirmed when we set the dates for our domes-

tic tournament,” said Sethi. “That series falls right in the middle of when our competition would have been played.

Shadab Khan

Then there’s a by-election (on September 17 on the seat of now-disqualified prime minister Nawaz Sharif) and after that the

team has to go to the UAE, so the competition was squeezed out,” he added. “As a result, we have moved it to November. An added advantage of this arrangement is that our players who are taking part in the CPL and other county matches will be able to take full part in those tournaments. This will make the players happy too, as well, as the CPL.” The Tallawahs’ Imad Wasim, the Tridents’ Shoaib Malik and Wahab Riaz, the Trinbago Knight Riders’ Shadab Khan, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots’ Mohammad Hafeez and Hasan Ali, and the Warriors’ Babar Azam are all now free to return.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 23, 2017

LABA tourney resumes tonight …

Raiders face Falcons in attempt to regain form; Jets hope to topple unbeaten Bulls By Joe Chapman

TWO crucial match-ups are on tonight, as Retrieve Raiders try to regain some footing after suffering two early losses against Bankers Trust Falcons. Unbeaten Half Mile Bulls, who have won their two matches played so far, are seeking to remain unbeaten against the Amelia’s Ward Jets side who have won twice and lost once, as the Mackenzie Sports Club Open basketball championship organised by the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) resumes at the MSC hard court. The Raiders entered this championship, which will decide the official senior basketball club champions as the number one seed, but have stuttered along the way with losses to second-ranked Bulls and fourth seed Jets and now have to regain some form if they wish to reach the semifinals of this seven-club competition. The Raiders have looked lethargic so far and their

energies surround the likes of guard Keon Cameron, Shamar Chapman, Coel Winter and Travis Sutton

Falcons, on the other hand, with two losses are looking to record their first win like their opponents. Both are on

Vibert Benjamin

as the future players in this experienced lineup, who still depend somewhat on Neil Marks and Abdulla Hamid.

two points. Their best players have been Akeel Primo, Quincy Richmond and Devon Thompson.

The Bulls versus Jets encounter should be very interesting. It brings together two leading clubs. The Bulls have four points after two wins and the Jets have two wins and one loss for five points. The Jets are dependent on the Webster brothers Allister, Adrian and Joel. Young Akini Wilson has added his name on the score sheets as well as Donnel Benjamin and Emmanuel Archibald, but they would hope their best shooter Orin Rose can find his form now. The Bulls are a strong unit but Terron Welch their potent scorer is still to be at his best and their addition of Vibert Benjamin should be a plus. Without the inside presence of Travin Dryden however, they may struggle and hope that Jason Blair, Joebie Easton and Keifer Tappin come to the party. These games tonight could give an indication of what one can expect eventually as the tournament gains momentum.

Gokarn Ramdhani

Ramdhani elected VP of regional badminton body

PRESIDENT of the Guyana Badminton Association (GBA), Gokarn Ramdhani was elected vice-president of the Caribbean Regional Badminton Confederation (CAREBACO) when the regional body held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) last Saturday at the National Racquet Centre in Tacarigua, Trinidad and Tobago. After serving for the past four years as General Secretary, he was moved up to the vice-president post. He was unanimously voted in, and will now serve in the post for the next two years. Trinidad’s Rahul Rampersaud was elected to serve as president, while Ramdhani is replaced as secretary by Navin Gayapersad also from Trinidad and Tobago. Suriname’s ReDon Coulor will serve as treasurer, while the committee members are Barbadians Elius Fanus and Andrew Clarke and Aruba’s Terence Sybesma. Ramdhani, who served as manager and head coach of the 9-member team that won 8 medals (3 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze) at the just concluded CAREBACO Junior Championships, is very happy that Guyana can once again be on the executive board of CAREBACO.

East Veldt beat Flamingo as Corona football continues Pakistan set to host World XI next month

Part of the action between East Veldt and Flamingo FC in the Corona Beer Invitational Football tournament at GFC on Monday evening.

FOOTBALL action continued Monday evening in the Corona Invitational football tournament with East Veldt staving off the challenge of Flamingo. At the GFC ground Bourda, the East Veldt side opened the scoring in the 4th minute thanks to Michael Charles with Flamingo’s Earl Samuels responding in the 27th to level the game. This stalemate stretched into halftime and threatened to be the end result but Travis Hercules broke the deadlock for the eventual winners.

This opened the floodgates for the East Veldt with Cordel Johnson scoring just one minute later. In the second game of the evening, Camptown FC and Beacons played to a 1-1 stalemate. Jamal Codrington was on target for the Campbellville-based side with Travis Lyken on target for the. The third game also ended in a stalemate but just barely, as the GFC side held a one-goal advantage up until the final minute. Benjamin Abumchi was the man who had set the GFC crowd abuzz in the

sixteenth minute as that goal carried them ahead into the second half. Whether it was tiredness or being too laid-back that cost them, they allowed Dwayne McLennon through in the 90+3 and he completed Western Tigers’ much-needed goal to continue their winning streak. Camptown FC will take on Black Pearl in the next round of fixtures on Friday with Northern Rangers and Flamingo playing the second game and Pele tackling Riddim Squad in the final game of the evening. (Stephan Sookram)

(REUTERS) - After playing most of their home games in the United Arab Emirates due to security concerns over the last eight years, Pakistan hope hosting a series against a World XI next month will help cement the return of international cricket to the country. Barring a short visit by Zimbabwe two years ago, Pakistan has been starved of international cricket since 2009 when gunmen attacked a bus carrying Sri Lankan players in Lahore, wounding six players and killing six security staff and two civilians. Sri Lanka have already indicated their willingness to return to Pakistan as part of a series next month, and yesterday Punjab’s local government promised watertight security for the proposed three-match Twenty20 series against a World XI. The International Cricket Council has also given its backing to the series in Lahore, subject to security clearance. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Najam Sethi said getting security clearance had put the wheels in motion but he was

praying that the situation remained steady. “This is a very big thing,” Sethi, who was recently named PCB chairman for the next three years, told reporters in Lahore. “September, October and November are big months. “It’s a big agenda, we need your prayers and we will open the doors and international teams will come. Pray that we keep our security solid. The Punjab government has given us the signal and preparations are in full swing.” The World XI, comprising 15 international players, would be led by former England coach Andy Flower and the identities of the players would be announced soon, Sethi added. Sri Lanka Cricket pres-

ident Thilanga Sumathipala said recently the board was keen to play at least one T20 game in Lahore next month as part of its series against Pakistan in the UAE. The PCB is also in advanced discussions with Cricket West Indies for the Caribbean team to play three T20 matches in Lahore in late November. “The tour would be subject to the safe conclusion of the ICC World XI team’s three-match series in Lahore in September and affirmation of manageable security by the ICC-sponsored international security company overseeing the security arrangements of the World XI in September,” the Caribbean board said in a statement.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (WEDNESDAY AUGUST 23, 2017) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL COMPANY LTD-83 Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown (Tel: 225-6158) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) Krishmar Santokie-3/19 (2014) (2) Shadab Khan (Khingt Riders) Today’s Quiz: (1) How many times Chris Gayle captained the Tallawahs in CPL games? (2) Which team Chris Gayle is now leading in Hero CPL 2017? ANSWERS IN TOMORROW’S ISSUE

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 23, 2017

GFF pleased with Guyana’s showing at CONCACAF U-15 Championship DESPITE winning only one of four games, head coach Bryan Joseph and Technical Director Ian Greenwood have both labelled Guyana’s showing at the CONCACAF U-15 Championship a success and a step in the right direction. Guyana was among 39 countries that participated in the August 13-19 Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Under-15 Championship, which was said to be the largest CONCACAF tournament ever, including 39 member associations and over 700 youth players from across the Confederation. The developmental tournament featured 81 matches played entirely at the world-renowned

The National U-15 team with officials from the Guyana Football Federation yesterday. (Samuel Maughn photo)

Ambrose interested in England coaching role

With Ottis Gibson expected to leave the England set-up, Curtly Ambrose has expressed his interest in replacing him as fast-bowling coach.

WEST Indies legend Curtly Ambrose would be keen to join England’s coaching team should Ottis Gibson become head coach of South Africa. Gibson is reportedly set to join the Proteas after England’s current series with the Windies, the former paceman currently working as fast-bowling coach under Trevor Bayliss. During the 48-year-old’s tenure, England’s seam attack has flourished with the likes of Toby Roland-Jones, Jake Ball and Mark Wood coming through to support experienced duo James Anderson and Stuart Broad. Broad credited Gibson’s work after he surpassed Ian Botham to become England’s second-highest Test wicket-taker in the first Test with

the Windies, Joe Root’s side winning by an innings and 209 runs. Gibson has been linked with South Africa amid reports Russell Domingo will leave his role and, should that happen, Ambrose would be interested in replacing him. “If an opportunity came from England I would certainly take it because I have something to offer,” Ambrose told the Daily Mail. “I would be very interested in returning to international cricket.” During his career, Ambrose took 405 Test wickets in 98 Tests, and was the West Indies’ bowling consultant as they won the 2016 World Twenty20 before being sacked later that year. (Omnisport)

IMG Academy campus in Bradenton, Florida. The Guyanese opened the tournament with a 1-1 draw against St Kitts and Nevis, but were beaten 3-1 by rivals Suriname. Guyana wrapped up Group F with a 1-0 win over St Lucia, but later on had their hearts broken by Puerto Rico, who edged them 6-5 on sudden death after finishing regulation 1-1. Joseph hailed the players’ competitive nature but stated that the team lacked the concentration to focus for 90

minutes. He said this was evident since in every match, Guyana were first to get on the scoreboard. However, Joseph pointed out that they received positive feedbacks from spectators, and forecast that in time and should the players continue along the path set by the Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF) Technical Director Ian Greenwood, they will have a bright future representing both club and country. Meanwhile, Greenwood, who touted play-

ers’ development from the youth level since arriving at the GFF, said the team’s showing is a reflection of the players’ commitment to the ongoing work done at their respective Academy Training Centres (ATC). G re e n w o o d , w h i l e hailing their good showing at the CONCACAF tournament, challenged them to keep working hard, since there are both local and overseas players who are just as talented, who are “putting in the work” for a chance to represent Guyana.

President of the GFF, Wayne Forde, said his federation was “extremely proud” of the team, calling the ATC and Greenwood’s youth development initiative “a worthwhile investment.” Forde pointed out the GFF’s commitment to not only ensuring that the players are afforded the opportunity to train on a continuous basis and at an enabling environment, but also promising to provide a platform for them to showcase their talent both locally and overseas.

Former Windies pacer Benjamin named Hurricanes head coach BASSETERRE, St Kitts, (CMC) – Ex-West Indies seamer Winston Benjamin has been appointed head coach of Leeward Islands Hurricanes for the upcoming Professional Cricket League (PCL) campaign. He replaces Reginald Benjamin who parted ways with the franchise in controversial circumstances towards the end of the last season. Former West Indies batsman Stuart Williams took over for the final two games of the first class season.

Winston Benjamin, who took 61 wickets from

involved in coaching for more than two decades

New Hurricanes head coach, Winston Benjamin.

21 Tests and 100 scalps from 85 ODIs, has been

and is also a certified Level Three coach.

M o s t r e c e n t l y, h e served as head coach of the Under-19 and Under-19 Leeward Islands sides. The 52-year-old, who was one of two candidates interviewed for the position, takes up the role on September 1. Hurricanes open their first class campaign against Windward Islands Volcanoes in Grenada from October 26-29. Last season, Hurricanes finished last as Guyana Jaguars completed a hat-trick of titles.

See page 28

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 23, 2017

GFF pleased with Guyana’s showing at See CONCACAF U-15 Championship Page 31

Warriors end CPL home leg in rampant fashion The Guyana Amazon Warriors squad along with the management unit doing a lap of honour after their victory. (Photo: Adrian Narine)

A jubilant fan celebrates the Warriors victory last evening. (Photo: Adrian Narine)

Leg-spinner Rashid Khan has a successful leg-before appeal against Darren Sammy. (Photo: Adrian Narine)

Guyanese Martin ‘Messi’ King in Spain fulfilling his dream thanks to Milo

Martin King

M E E T 1 2 - y e a r- o l d Martin King, popularly known as ‘Messi’. He didn’t get the name because the Argentine is his favourite player, but for his style of play which is almost identical to that of the Barcelona star as a youth. King won Milo Ultimate soccer dream competition when he ‘outskilled’ his competitors

and is now the only Guyanese in Spain with other youths from around world to train with the stars of FC Barcelona at Camp Nou. The player is known for his exceptional football skills. He had dominated the COURTS/ Petra Organisation Pee Wee tournament with Enterprise Primary. King is a member of

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the Fruta Conquerors Football Club; a club known for its investment in youth football and for providing some of Guyana’s top players at all levels. Chronicle Sport wishes young Martin King the best and is happy he will be fulfilling his dream of meeting his icon Lionel Messi. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2017