2015 3 02

GUYANA

The Chronicle is at http://www.guyanachronicle.com

No. 104116 MONDAY MARCH 2, 2015 GUYANA’S MOST WIDELY CIRCULATED NEWSPAPER

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GOV’T WARNS VENEZUELA against trying to stymie Guyana’s development – raises issue with regional, international communities

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President pays a visit to Wakenaam

Foreign Minister, Ms Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett

Providence teen gunned down near home

Dead: Ryan Sooklall

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UG likely to re-open today 9 Page

President Ramotar has a brief word with some Wakenaam residents before formally engaging them in a meeting (Photo courtesy of the Office of the President)

Man held for questioning in GGMC employee’s 5 execution Page

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GUYANA CHRONICLE March 2, 2015

Minister Edghill: PM candidate reflects leadership Guyana needs – brings freshness to political life

By Raymon Cummings THE process of selecting the Prime Ministerial candidate was methodically done, with careful consideration and thought as it reflects the type of leadership Guyana needs at this time, according to Minister within the Ministry of Finance, Bishop Juan Edghill.

He was responding to criticisms from Opposition Member of Parliament James Bond on the radio Programme “Hard Talk”, aired over the weekend.

Edghill said that Elisabeth Harper brought a fresh-

ness to the political life of the country and shows that the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) has set leadership as it relates to women empowerment.

The Minister stated that the PPP/C has taken the lead, not only by including quality women on the list, but by naming a woman as the Prime Ministerial candidate.

Responding to criticisms that the naming of Harper, who has served as Guyana’s top diplomat for a number of years, as the Prime Ministerial candidate in place of Prime Minister Samuel Hinds who has served in that capacity

for 22 years and the serving Minister of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Rodriques-Birkett was a sleight of hand; Edghill said that in addition to the freshness that she brings she is devoid of the politics of yesteryear that has embroiled some of the Opposition politicians.

He pointed to her personality, integrity and background along with her professional experience which shows that the PPP/C can work across professional and class barriers and bridge gaps. The Minister explained that the civic component of the PPP/C alliance has al-

ways been people who were not political animals and not traditional politicians.

Hinds, he said, is a respected elder statesman who will always be respected for his contribution to Guyana.

Bond, who congratulated Harper on her selection, was critical of the fact that she was not allowed to speak when her candidature was announced but Edghill in explaining her silence said she was the sitting top diplomat of Guyana. Had she come out the “very people would be accusing her of compromising her position by being on a political platform. Now she is no longer encumbered she can speak.”

Edghill posited that Harper has a lot to offer as she has the ability to reach across the divide. “People are asking for leaders who can reach across

Bishop Juan Edghill

Elisabeth Harper

that divide and she is one person who historically, by her work, has proven that she has the ability to reach across the aisle and negotiate and bring resolution and to get

all people to work together,” he stated.

Hard Talk is a weekly radio programme aired on 90.1 FM and hosted by Christopher Chapwanaya.

President attends opening of NTN 69 Berbice branch

President Donald Ramotar (third left) with NTN 69 proprietor, Mr Anand Persaud (fourth left) and members of his immediate family outside the station’s Tain branch, located just next door to the University of Guyana’s Tain Campus, in Berbice.

The facility, which was commissioned on Saturday, can be accessed on Channel 26 or Cable 77, and has the capacity to service Regions Five (Mahaica-Berbice) and Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), and parts of neighbouring Suriname.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE March 2, 2015

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Gov’t warns Venezuela against trying to stymie Guyana’s development – raises issue with regional, international communities

THE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dispatched a ‘note verbale’ to the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry warning that it desists from taking any actions that could only result in stymieing Guyana’s development and contravening international law.

The move on the part of the Guyana Government comes in the wake of a communication being sent from the Venezuelan Foreign Minister to the Country Manager of Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, objecting to the dispatch of a rig to proceed with the exploration of an oil well in

the concession granted by the Guyana.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry has since also informed CARICOM, UNASUR, the OAS, and the Commonwealth as well as the United Nations Secretary-General about this recent action by Venezuela.

WITHIN GUYANA’S TERRITORIAL WATERS Caracas has objected to plans for an exploratory well to be drilled in an area Guyana contends is within its territorial waters.

A subsidiary of U.S.based Exxon Mobil Corpora-

Gov’t takes issue with unethical disclosures of private medical details THE Ministry of Health yesterday voiced its absolute consternation at the unethical and disingenuous exposure of private medical details, concerning selected government officials.

According to the ministry, certain media outlets and personnel, in taking ‘cheap shots’ for political mileage, have revealed not only their political biases, but also an insensitive and inimical culture of journalism towards the Government of Guyana and the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

The Ministry of Health notes that it is well established that private details, particularly those dealing with the health and finance of citizens, are not normally exposed, except under certain ‘extreme’ conditions, and even so, not in a manner to besmirch people’s character, nor negatively sway public opinion against any person or group.

It should be recalled, the ministry said, that in May 2009, Alliance for Change (AFC) Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan did enquire about the PNCR Leader Robert Corbin’s medical expenses being offset by the government, stating that a substantial amount of taxpayers’ dollars had been spent, and that “there must be a balance between that and account-

ability.”

However, at the time, he was met with silence concerning the nature of Mr. Corbin’s health issues, and the sum of the expense incurred.

In this vein, the Ministry of Health highlights that it is not ‘decent’ to expose these sensitive issues, as they can redound to both medical and impecunious embarrassment.

However, some media operatives went this route, clearly targeting a select few from the ruling party, and in so doing have engendered unease among the family members and other concerned relatives and friends.

The Health Ministry once again condemns the behaviour of those responsible for the report, and deems their actions as ‘vendetta for no known reason.’

The Health Ministry also sees the reportage as intentionally skewed (with portions being mischievously selected), incomplete, and with ulterior and sinister motives. Also, it should be emphasised that the Ministry of Health embraces and practises a policy, to render assistance indiscriminately and in a holistic manner, depending upon the nature of the medical condition and the financial needs of those seeking to obtain same.

Foreign Affairs Minister, Ms Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett

tion had planned to conduct exploratory drilling later this month under a Guyana concession.

Two years ago, a ship conducting a seismic study for Texas-based Anadarko Petroleum Corporation under a concession from Guyana was detained by Venezuela. The ship and its 36-man crew, including five Americans and workers from Russia, Indonesia and Brazil, were well within its territorial waters at the time, Guyana maintains.

The vessel was released after a week.

MARITIME DELIMITATION That episode led to the two countries establishing a bilateral committee to ex-

plore mechanisms within the context of international law to address the issue of maritime delimitation.

To this end, they agreed that a technical team would meet to exchange views on how such delimitation could proceed, but this meeting has since been stalled, in part to developments in that country.

Weeks later, Guyana temporarily placed ranks of the Guyana Defence Force on alert, after a report that Venezuelan soldiers had crossed into a Guyana-held area along the Essequibo River.

Guyana’s government

had not taken such a step since 1982, when Venezuelan military planes flew over parts of the area it has claimed in the border issue.

Venezuela has, for decades, claimed two-thirds of Guyana’s territory as its own, arguing that the goldrich region west of the Essequibo River was stolen from it by an 1899 agreement with Britain and its then colony.

The late Hugo Chavez’s successor, Nicolas Maduro, has previously described the controversy as a relic of the colonial era, and vowed to peacefully resolve the issue in accordance with international law.

Providence teenager gunned down near home – in alleged pay-back for shooting up Agricola house

By Leroy Smith N I N E T E E N - y e a r - o l d Ry a n Sooklall, of 27 Providence, East Bank Demerara was early last evening shot and killed while liming with friends in his neighbourhood, a short distance from where he lived. The incident reportedly occurred at around 19:00hrs.

According to reports, Sooklall died of a single gunshot wound in the back, at the hands of a man with whom he had a grouse over an alleged shooting earlier in the day.

Unconfirmed reports are that Sooklall went to the home of a man in Agricola, a few villages away from where he lived, and discharged several rounds, causing the man and his family to panic.

The matter was allegedly reported to the police, who went in search of Sooklall, but did not find him at home.

This apparently irked the Agricola man, as Police sources told the Guyana Chronicle that after they couldn’t find Sooklall, he took matters into his own hands and went in search of the teenager, found him and shot him dead.

Up to late last evening, the police were not able to locate the suspect, who persons insist is behind the teen’s murder. Sooklall’s mother, Sherry Alleyne, told the Guyana Chronicle last evening that she last saw her son only that morning, as he’d paid her a visit at her other property somewhere in Region Three.

She said they left the Region Three property together, after she decided to

Dead: Ryan Sooklall

spend the day with other relatives at the Splashmins Fun Park at Soesdyke.

Ryan, however, did not accompany her to Splashmins, as he never liked going to ‘The Creek’.

Alleyne said that it was while she was on her way from Splashmins that she received a call saying that her son was shot, and that he was rushed to the Diamond Hospital.

But on arrival there, she learnt that he’d already died, and that the cause

of death was the gunshot wound he sustained in his back. She said she’d heard that a woman from Agricola had threatened to kill her son, but could not say when the threat was made, or whether the woman is related to the man implicated in his shooting.

Admitting that her son had had his fair share of brushes with the law, Alleyne said they were all for minor offences, and a few misunderstandings that he’d had with his father. She said her son works with her at a store she operates in the city, and that he would usually be there from 8am to 5pm daily.

She said that though her son had a lot of friends, he was not really the outgoing type. She was, however, quick to point out that she does not know what activities her son or his friends might have been involved in, as she is not usually around him all the time.

Asked whether she’d ever seen her son with a gun, Alleyne responded in the negative. Asked also whether she is a licensed firearm holder, and if perchance her son may have borrowed the weapon to terrorise the suspect and his family, Alleyne’s was that she has never handled a gun in her life. She did admit, however, to seeing a gun close up, but did not go into details of where or how it came to be.

Ryan is survived by his mother, two sisters and his father, having lost his older brother to a road accident in 2010. The police investigations into the matter are ongoing.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 2, 2015

Neil Marks is new GPA President ––young executive members appointed

CAPITOL News anchorman, Neil Marks, yesterday became President of the Guyana Press Association (GPA) after being the only nominee for the post.

The election, which was coupled with an Annual General Meeting, was held at the Theatre Guild, Kingston, and had been overdue since the last of its kind was held in 2009.

Appointed yesterday were Neil Marks as President, Samantha Williams as Vice-President, Iva Wharton as Secretary, Gaulbert Sutherland as Treasurer, and Fareeza Haniff as Assistant Secretary. Executive Members are Leon Horatio, Nazima Raghubir, Denis Chabrol and Enrico Woolford.

Following his appointment, Marks expressed his appreciation for the confidence invested in him by members of the GPA, and vowed to push the Association forward in their efforts to improve journalism in

The newly-appointed executive members of the Guyana Press Association

Guyana.

According to him, the goal of the GPA is to build a developmental model for the media which will aid in better reportage of news nationally. As such, one of his goals is to focus his energies on establishing a secretariat to aid in its developmental process and reactivate the association which was considered dormant.

Additionally, efforts will be made to facilitate more training sessions for media workers, including photographers and videographers.

Meanwhile, immediate past president, Gordon Moseley extended his support to the newly- appointed executive board which he considered “young” and capable of pushing the work of the association. He added that it is expected that while these new executives will “pick up and move forward”, the membership will continue to lend their support in this regard.

Princess Fun City continues school tour initiative PRINCESS Fun City and Entertainment Centre, the 2013 winner of Georgetown Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s Business of the Year award just recently continued their Annual School Tours initiative as promised.

Princess Fun City, in its promise to make the free school tour an annual event, is working with the Ministry of Education in this their second year to give schools the opportunity to enhance their classrooms and students’ knowledge with five computers.

They also make their billboard available, free of cost, to the needs of the Ministry to display educational or informative messages on LED screen. In addition they are opening their doors for three months, February 20th to April 30th

Some of the schools that benefited from the annual school tours initiative 2015, to all schools interested in registering to view movies and or play games.

Their desire is to create an experience where parents, children, clubs, schools and business will share memorable moments and create an experience that will last a lifetime.

The Fun City Arcade, the first of its kind in Guyana, offers family fun and entertainment, with more than eighty games;

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choosing from 7D Cinema, 3D graphics, dancing, street fighting, gifts, bowling, and racing, just to name a few. This section caters for ages two to one hundred and two.

Their movie theaters provide the latest 3D releases in Bollywood, children and Hollywood movies.

For booking information, please contact Marketing Manager Ali Williams on phone number 592-673-8698.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 2, 2015

Man held for questioning in GGMC employee’s execution

By Leroy Smith

THE POLICE have a arrested a man for questioning in the execution-style killing of Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) employee, Trevor Abrams.

Reports are that the man was picked up late yesterday after the police received information saying that he may have been one of the shooters who executed the young man while he was driving along the East Bank Demerara highway on Friday.

Persons have indicated to this newspaper that the man in custody might also be a deportee, but that information is yet to be confirmed by the police.

According to information received, after the shooting on Friday morning, the vehicle in which the gunmen were travelling, and from which they launched the deadly assault was recovered by the police the following day in an East Bank Demerara village not far away from where the incident took place.

Sources close to the investigations say that after the shooting, the occupants of the car drove it into the same village in which it was recovered on Saturday and covered it up. When police arrived at the location, the car was found in the same position in which the alleged gunmen had hidden it to conceal its identity.

The person the police have detained for questioning in relation to

the shooting is also said to be connected to either the car or its owner, and was also identified by persons as the possible shooter. In addition, the police have been able to recover information on the registration number of the car that was chasing the GGMC worker when he was shot, and from all indications, the same car the police uncovered carried the exact number plate they were able to recover from surveillance footage they were combing on Saturday morning.

Abrams, of Samatta Point, Grove, was shot and killed after men using what was said to be a high-powered rifle, M15 and a .32 pistol opened fire on him, causing him

to sustain several gunshot wounds, and eventually run his vehicle into a nearby canal from which his lifeless body was later recovered by persons who rushed to the scene.

Well-placed police sources have linked the execution-style shooting of the 31-year-old to a similar shooting which occurred just over a week prior, resulting in the death of a city businessman. The cops have also opined that the shooting of Abrams and the businessman was also linked to the attempted execution of former policeman and member of the now defunct ‘Death Squad’, Otis Grant. Investigations into all three of the shooting are still under active police investigations.

North Ruimveldt Secondary School is first to own Interactive Smart Classroom –commissioned as A-List secondary

By Rebecca Ganesh-Ally THE North Ruimveldt Secondary School (NRSS) was on Friday last both commissioned as an A-List secondary school and simultaneously became the first school in Guyana to have the first interactive Smart Classroom.

According to Education Minister Priya Manickchand during her feature address at commissioning of the school, the NRSS is the only school in Guyana to have acquired the first Interactive Smart Classroom.

She also announced that a similar smart classroom would be installed at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and at the Government Technical Institute (GTI).

The Minister said: “Within the coming week, we shall be commissioning the

same type of classroom at the Teachers’ Training College, because it is our vision that all teachers graduating from the College be trained in delivering education using various ICT (Information and Communications Technology) means, and it is our intention and promise that all schools will be equipped with this exciting and modern tool.”

She also explained: “Because of conscious and strategic investments over the last five years, we now have computer labs in all secondary schools; as a result of which we have seen a remarkable rise in the number of students sitting IT (Information Technology)-related exams at CSEC (Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate), moving from 1,842 students in 2008 to 4,200 students in 2013.”

Minister Manickchand deemed this a significant milestone and said it represents

A teacher from NRSS explaining how the system works (Photos by Adrian Narine)

Education Minister Priya Manickchand is engrossed in the explanation of how the Interactive Smart Classroom will function what Guyana is capable of, and how the country can develop. She expounded that this initiative is intended to allow teachers to teach students interactively through technology.

“That is what Guyana is, what Guyana is moving to, and we are going to get there very soon. That is the future of education,” she said.

Yoganand Indarsingh, Head of the Education Ministry’s Management Information Systems (MIS) Unit, expounded on what the smart classroom entails. He mentioned that, at this juncture, the Education Ministry would be providing for the school a tool that would allow its teachers to go ahead of the pack of other schools in this country.

Indarsingh also explained that “all our secondary schools have been provided with computer laboratories, so that we can teach our students, for example software, hardware and other IT aspects; so that we can prepare them for the world of work, further studies and communications.”

He said: “Today, we will introduce a

system to this school that will enable a teacher to take this specific device into any classroom of this school and make any surface interactive. This is called an E Beam engaged solution. It is a simple device that has the technology to enable a teacher to transform any surface in the classroom to a ‘work board’, and to use a device resembling a marker to write with”.

This device can also enable students in other classrooms and in other schools to interact during classes, he explained.

The E Beam engage solution turns an ultra-short throw projector into an interactive tool for classrooms, auditoriums, conference rooms, or for anywhere where presentations are given or where there is teaching or collaboration. This software enhances not only the way presentations are created, but also the way educators teach and presenters hold meetings.

By allowing students to work together in a new, engaging and technology-savvy way, it helps increase classroom or meeting participation and motivation amongst peers, he said.

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EDITORIAL

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 2, 2015

GUYANA

An ineffective Mayor and City Council EACH day the city seems to sink a bit more beneath the weight of the endless garbage piles contiguous to human habitats and the resultant unbearable stench that infiltrates our senses.

This is a national tragedy of unmanageable proportions, and one which indicts, not merely the Mayor and City Council, but also the citizens of Georgetown, since the contributory factors responsible for such

a situation is a complete disrespect of the city’s by-laws, the environment, and inevitably the well-being of the citizens themselves.

The deleterious state of our once pristine garden city has been the subject of much criticism of the inept management of City Hall as it relates to the capital’s sanitation and other allied necessities.

The unhygienic practices of dumping garbage at any conve-

nient spot has sadly become a part of the national psyche, and the health risks that this habit poses makes it imperative that it ceases because of the threat of an epidemic outbreak.

Unless and until the city’s bylaws are enforced, the indiscriminate and unconscionable dumping of garbage will continue to desecrate the city with endless quantities of trash that most often end up in waterways,

which contributes immensely to flooding of the city when it rains.

Despite massive injections of funds by Central Government for clean-up campaigns of the city, Georgetown will continue to remain the ‘garbage city’ unless the inept Mayor and City Councillors are replaced – either by an interim management committee or through local government elections.

Still no payment on $40M M&CC owes Puran Brothers

By Telesha Ramnarine PURAN Brothers Disposal Inc. is still waiting on payment of some $40M owed to them by the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) since last year August.

Kalesh Puran, Manager of Puran Brothers, told the Guyana Chronicle on Friday that the company has been calling the City Council regularly but has not gotten a positive response with regards to payments. He is hoping that some kind of payment will be handed over shortly.

Puran observed that Georgetown was recently cleaned to a certain level but is now returning to a deplorable state. He believes this is so because the company’s four garbage trucks were pulled off of the road.

MINIMAL GARBAGE COLLECTION The amount owing to Puran Brothers is for services carried out in

Georgetown’s ‘Groups 7 and 8’. Citizens in these areas have been left with minimal garbage collection services ever since the city council’s trucks have been assigned to clear these locations.

Group 7 takes in areas in the city such as Costello Housing Scheme, West and East La Penitence, North East La Penitence, Middle Road, La Penitence, Jeeboo Land, and Extra Nuclear. Group 8 includes Queenstown, Alberttown, North and South Cummingsburg, Kingston and Woolford Avenue.

Puran had told the Chronicle recently that the last payment made to them by the City Council was last October for services outside of Groups 7 and 8. He lamented the fact that they cannot continue to work without being paid for so many months.

The company has time and again checked with the Treasury Department but could not secure a proper answer with regards to payment, or at least a

proposal that they might be able to work with.

“We are hoping for some payment soon. This is an ongoing issue. It’s a new year; we need to move forward. We have been going through this for many years,” said Puran.

Currently, four trucks remain parked and workers had to be sent on annual leave. The company values their employees because they often find difficulty recruiting people for the job. Puran pointed out also that the trucks were designed for garbage collection and hence cannot be used in the meantime for other purposes.

SOOBA’S POSITION Contacted for a comment on the issue, acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba would only say that the city councillors have refused to sign the payment vouchers for Puran Brothers Disposal Inc. to be paid. To her knowledge, the councillors have no reason for doing so.

Meanwhile, Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green told this newspaper that Sooba is “totally dishonest”, and that the municipality is not aware of any signed contract given to Puran Brothers. “Sooba went against the council’s decision for the Groups 7 and 8 jobs to be tendered out and gave the collection to Puran’s by some unknown arrangement.”

When Sooba was questioned about this at a statutory meeting, she told the council that Puran Brothers was doing voluntary work.

“She (Sooba) of her own decided to give Puran’s the go-ahead. She didn’t bring written contracts because she knew the council would oppose. She must come clean on the way they were contracted. Puran’s will get paid because he works in good faith, but they are now at a standstill,” Chase-Green said.

The Chronicle understands that the jobs have since been tendered out, with Puran Brothers also participating in the bidding process.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 2, 2015

Labour Minister highlights workers’ rights as Number One priority

By Navendra Seoraj

“ALTHOUGH we have achieved many of our development goals thus far, workers’ rights will continue to be number one on our agenda, as we work towards improving and developing the rights of workers across Guyana.”

Those were the words of Minister of Labour, Dr. Nanda Gopaul on Wednesday last at the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) 5th Delegates’ Conference, which was held at the Cheddi Jagan Research Center, High Street, Kingston.

According to Minister Gopaul, over the past 22 years the Ministry of Labour along with the Government of Guyana has worked extensively towards ensuring employees have their maximum benefits and legislative protection, because a country’s workforce is the backbone of any country; if a country’s workforce fails there is sure to be a halt in economic development.

WORKERS’ PROTECTION The Minister highlighted that over the years there have been various systems put in place to monitor employers to ensure that workers aren’t ill-treated, and their rights and benefits are

always secured and readily available.

“Every law developed for workers’ protection was discussed among both employers and employees so as to ensure that there is satisfaction among every party involved,” he said.

Last year the Ministry of Labour along with the various trade unions tripled the amount of benefits made payable by employers for violating these laws, as compared to the past when there was just an average of $16M; “last year we collected in excess of $50M on behalf of workers who have been victimized,” said Minister Gopaul.

He further emphasized that they will not abandon the working class, for without them the progress of this country will not be possible.

WAGES & SALARIES Apart from that for the past 22 years, every year there has been an increase in wages and salaries, given the fact that it is primarily one of the major issues facing not only Guyana but also the international arena.

The Government, according to the Minister of Labour, promises that as the economy improves more wages and salaries will be paid, so that persons can be more financially stable in a world which

is rapidly developing.

He highlighted that the wages and salaries which workers received today, compared to the 1970s, is by far more beneficial for them.

SAFETY MECHANISMS Meanwhile, aside from wages and salaries, and workers’ rights, Minister Gopaul disclosed that emphasis is also being placed on safety practices in the employees’ working environment, especially in the construction industry.

“Mainly because there have been many instances where workers while working on a construction project either fell off the building or there was some other mishap at the worksite, therefore we have enforced strict rules and measures so as to ensure that the workers are safe at all times,” he said.

According to the Minister, there are teams which are constantly policing construction areas so as to ensure that protocol is followed. “If any employer breaches the rules there will be consequences for their actions.”

Meanwhile, he expressed his gratitude to the various Trade Unions for formulating rules so as to ensure that work-

ers who are affected by various ailments are not victimized or treated differently from the others.

Minister of Labour, Dr. Nanda Gopaul In closing Minister Gopaul stated that workers will continue to benefit in many ways as the Government of Guyana continues to move forward in a positive direction.

Children of Sherjoy Daycare parade in Mash costumes THE newly-opened Sherjoy Daycare and Playgroup of Lot 1804 Section ‘C’, Block ‘X’ Great Diamond New Scheme, East Bank Demerara, held its first Mashramani Parade through the streets of Diamond on February 21, 2015 in observance of Mashramani.

The children were arrayed in colourful costumes depicting the school’s logo.

Founded by Mrs. Maple Singh and her husband, Pastor Mark Singh, Sherjoy is a venture geared at grooming the young minds of today, from that tender age, through play experiences.

Prior to this, the couple had established the Lomas Inc. Lessons where they aid children of all ages in reaching their full potential.

Meanwhile, persons in the community are invited to register their children by calling on telephone number 216-2357.

The pupils of Sherjoy Daycare and Playgroup in their Mashramani costumes

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GUYANA CHRONICLE March 2, 2015

UG crises must be resolved by all stakeholders, says Professor Harris

By Raymon Cummings ISSUES facing the University of Guyana cannot be resolved by Government alone, but through the combined efforts of all in our society; including Government, the Opposition, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the private sector, and past and present students of the institution.

Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West Indies (UWI), Professor E. Nigel Harris, expressed this opinion and said that crises facing the local institution were not started recently.

He said all stakeholders in society need to work towards lifting the institution to a place where it can be competitive in the twenty-first century.

Professor Harris shared this view while delivering the feature address at the Rotary Club of Georgetown’s World Understanding Dinner, held in the Savannah Suite of the Guyana Pegasus on Friday evening.

Addressing the gathering, which included Prime Minister Samuel Hinds; representatives of the Opposition alliance; Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Russian Ambassador to Guyana, His Excellency Mr Nikolay Smirnov; and

– UG should be the agent of change more than 200 Rotarians from Guyana, Canada, Grenada, Haiti, India, Netherlands, Philippines, Russia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Barbados on the theme “Transforming Mid-21st Century Caribbean Societies through Tertiary Education”, Professor Harris said that tertiary education cannot exist in isolation in any society.

He said that tertiary institutions have the critical mass of intellect more than any other part of society, and therefore should be the agent of change.

Professor Harris said modern universities are at the heart of development, and these should attract talented academic staff and financing for research with-up-to date facilities that are globally competitive.

Professor Harris said the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has fallen short on the ratio of University graduates to persons in the labour force; and further, too many persons in the labour force lack the basic entry requirements for university education. He said that

Professor E. Nigel Harris, MPhil, MD, DM

development of the intellectual capital will lead to new knowledge for development.

Pointing to the education system created by the United States of America and other developed countries, he said it created opportunities for growth of the human resources and the economy.

He said an intellectually developed work force would result in new and innovative policy framing, which would enhance development of the society.

Highlighting the impact of local tertiary education on the Caribbean region over the last 66 years since founding

of the UWI, he said that if the UWI graduates in the region were to stop work for one day, Prime Ministers’ Offices in at least 7 Caribbean countries would be shut, and government departments, the judiciary, medical facilities and even churches would be closed.

Professor Harris said that establishment of local tertiary institutions has not only led to development of human resources, but has allowed for self-discovery, as, through research, people in the region can view themselves through their own eyes.

“It has liberated us, as we no longer rely on what others say about us,” he said.

The Professor said the more there are university graduates in a society, the more advanced that society is likely to become. As examples of development in the intellectual capacity of a country, Professor Harris pointed to Uganda, which he stated had one university with an enrolment of 10,000 in 1987, and now has five public universities and 24 private international universities, with an enrollment of

over 300,000 students; and to Jamaica in the Caribbean, which had one campus of UWI thirty years ago, but now has institutions offering over 40 international degrees He acknowledged that there are students in the region -- and in Guyana in particular -- who continue to do well at the Caribbean Examination Council Exams; but he pointed to the challenges of poverty, disfunctional households, and untrained and underperforming teachers that must be overcome to move the region forward.

He said that re-examination of the tertiary education system must be done with the input of the private sector, so that the training could be tailored to fit the requirement of the private sector in the twenty-first century.

He said that what is needed is a strategic plan that would train person with a common set of skills, not to perform one particular job, but for a lifetime of jobs to suit the rapid changes in technology.

Pointing to the importance of technical vocational training in a modern society,

Professor Harris said this must be brought in line with new and evolving technologies. Further, the tertiary institutions should tailor programmes to provide a second chance to adults who would not have acquired the requisite entry level qualifications, but have the aptitude and desire to pursue studies; and where facilities are lacking, the delivery of distance training using modern technology available should be explored.

Professor Harris said that in developing the tertiary education system, attention has to be paid to the education being offered at the primary and secondary levels, and the private sector must play a vital role, as its members are the chief benefactors of the education system.

Professor E Nigel Harris is the Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies. He is a Guyanese by birth, a medical doctor and internationally known Rheumatologist who graduated from Howard and Yale Universities and the University of Pennsylvania in the USA. He has received many honours and awards, including the Centennial Award from the National Medical Association of America in 1995 for his contributions to Medicine.

Civic and voter education to be intensified as E-Day nears – DCEO Vishnu Persaud THE Guyanese voter population has been benefiting from the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM)’s civic and voter education programme over the last several weeks.

And Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO), Mr Vishnu Persaud, in an invited comment, explained that this effort will be intensified closer to the May 11 general and regional elections.

“Work is ongoing on our civic and voter education programme, and this will be intensified closer to the elections,” he said.

Persaud reasoned that the messages of GECOM’s civic and voter education programme have a stronger chance of being retained if done closer to polling day.

He said that current efforts include placing notices in the daily newspapers; infomercials on radio and television stations; distributing flyers within the various

regions, and deploying persons on public called on GECOM to do more with announcement systems within several its civic and voter education procommunities. gramme.

“We have also appointed people in “More needs to be done on the the regions to assist with the voter edupart of GECOM for voters’ education programme,” Persaud said, adding cation. We have been going into that GECOM’s focus is to ensure that all some communities and we are being eligible voters are made aware of E-Day asked how to vote,” said APNU procedures as well as their rights. leader, Brigadier (rtd) David GrangThe ruling People’s Progressive Party er, earlier in February.

(PPP), via General Secretary Clement The AFC has also warned that Rohee, has called on GECOM to ensure GECOM does not put in place a that everything is done to conduct an proper voter education programme aggressive voter education programme. could translate into problems come “Voters must be aware of what to polling day.

Vishnu Persaud expect from GECOM’s polling day staff; All the expressed concerns for instance, stamping of the ballot with considered, the Commission’s the official stamp,” he said at a news conference last DCEO has assured that every effort will be taken to Tuesday. ensure adequate measures are in place to educate the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has also voting Guyanese public. (Vanessa Narine)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE March 2, 2015

Surujbally slams Benschop on baseless – dares him to ‘heavily padded’ PLE charge ‘bring the evidence’

By Vanessa Narine LEADER of the Independent Party, Mr Mark Benschop, has contended that the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM) Preliminary List of Electors (PLE) is “heavily padded” in favour of the ruling People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C).

“The Independent Party is of the view that the Voters List is heavily padded in favour of the corrupt PPP regime. Something indeed smells fishy,” Benschop charged in a widely circulated statement on social media, after a meeting with GECOM officials at which he indicated that his party would be contesting the upcoming elections.

Asked to comment on Benschop’s charge, GECOM Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally counter-charged: “If

Mr Benschop holds this view, then he can bring the evidence of this, and GECOM will investigate.”

There are currently some 567,125 persons on the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE), an increase from the 492,000 in 2011. Names for the PLE are taken from the National Registry of Registrants (NRR), and those names represent Guyanese who are of voting age and would qualify to participate at the upcoming polls.

An Official List of Electors (OLE) is produced after the PLE has been subjected to a claims and objections period – in the interest of ensuring a clean and accurate list.

CONCERNS ADDRESSED The Independent Party leader also expressed concerns over the 38,000 persons who have not uplifted their

Dr Steve Surujbally

identification cards. He questioned what method is being used to reach the persons who are yet to uplift their cards.

Suggesting that there is something sinister afoot, he said, “It wasn’t a surprise that the bulk of the 38,000 ID cards belong to persons from Region 4 (Demerara/ Mahaica). Persons need to read between the lines as to what’s happening here.”

GECOM commits to working with Guyana National Youth Council – to improve youth participation in voting process THE Guyana National Youth Council (GNYC) and the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) have committed to working in close consultation and collaboration to produce a number of strategic communication messages for dissemination countrywide. This is in the interest of increasing the voter turnout of Guyana’s youths on Elections Day. This decision was agreed upon last Thursday, when the GNYC met with GECOM to outline some of the Council’s plans for helping GECOM with its comprehensive civic and voter education programme associated with the upcoming general and regional elections.

A GECOM press release declares that that elections body recognises the per-

turbing global trends relative to youth participation in electoral processes, and intends to get involved with the GNYC in meaningful ways so as to ensure that, as part of its Civic and Voter Education campaign, the unique communication needs of the Guyanese youth are catered for.

GECOM is committed to helping the GNYC in any way it can to assist young people to make a conscious effort to vote on Elections Day, and also to highlight the very real consequences that non-participation in the electoral process can have on their lives.

The GNYC has outlined a plan that pertains to a robust public awareness campaign that is expected to capture the attention of youths in positive ways.

The plan is to encourage

them to get out and vote in the upcoming elections of May 11. Together with GECOM, the GNYC will be ensuring that the youths of Guyana understand that voting impacts their future and that of the next generation in significant ways.

Representing GECOM at its meeting with the GNYC were its Chairman, Dr. Steve Surujbally; Deputy Chief Election Officer, Mr. Vishnu Persaud; Legal Officer, Ms. Juanita Barker; and Public Relations Officer, Mr. Richard Francois.

Ms. Tiffany Daniels, Chair of the GNYC; tog e t h e r w i t h M r. G l e n Bradbury, Chief of Party (USAID/IRI LEAD Project), and Ms. Julie Sookram, representative of IRI LEAD Project, represented the GNYC at the meeting with GECOM.

The Independent Party leader, Mark Benschop

GECOM has already addressed the issue of identification cards not being uplifted. The GECOM Chairman stated yesterday that if Benschop can assist in urging persons to uplift their identification cards, he is welcome to so do.

Dr Surujbally said at a prior news conference that voters eligible to participate

at the upcoming May 11 general and regional elections do not necessarily need the identification cards to cast their votes.

He explained that, on E-Day, GECOM officials at all polling stations would be in possession of “folios” that would allow them to identify eligible voters assigned to vote at the respective polling stations. He explained that the folios would include pictures and bio-data of registrants at each polling station, and added that information included in the folios could be the basis of questions that are asked of the individuals without identification cards.

“In addition to that, you have the person standing right in front of you,” he said.

GECOM officials have repeatedly stressed that there are systems in place to ensure that no person votes in place of another individual, or

votes more than once – measures similar to the ones used in past elections that were determined free and fair.

The identification cards that are yet to be uplifted belong to persons registered since 2008, some of whom are below voting age.

The GECOM Chairman has repeatedly stressed that the Commission’s focus is on ensuring that the upcoming elections are free and fair.

He said the Commission has been engaged in a stringent preparation exercise for E-Day. “We will do what is right,” he said, pointing out that while the process may not be perfect in every respect, GCEOM has a “near perfect” process that seeks to ensure reliability and efficiency during the elections period.

GECOM is an autonomous body.

UG likely to re-open today – UGWU President Bruce Haynes AFTER five weeks of industrial unrest, during which its doors w e re c l o s e d t o m o re than 5000 students, the University of Guyana (UG) is likely to reopen its doors today, should negotiations between Vice-Chancellor, Professor Jacob Opadeyi and the Staff Unions prove fruitful.

President of the UG Wo r k e r s U n i o n , M r Bruce Haynes disclosed Friday that there was still some “fine tuning” to be done to the terms of resumption.

I n i t i a l l y, a m e e t ing was held on Friday among the combined unions, where a collective decision was made before two representatives met with the Vice-Chancellor.

A 10% interim increase in salary was agreed upon by the unions, which were initially seeking to have a 60% increase across the board. The question of who would be funding

the 10% increase had arisen, but was soon resolved, Haynes said.

He further related that the fine-tuning of the terms would have entail further discussions among the unions, which should have put them in a position to seal a deal by the end of the day Friday with the Vice-Chancellor.

It was against this backdrop that Haynes expressed optimism in articulating the view that, should the dialogue, which was scheduled for Friday be fruitful on both counts, the doors of Guyana’s premier tertiary institution are likely to re-open today.

The five-week delay in resumption had been fuelled by the University’s administration’s failure to address issues which had arisen before the institution’s doors were to be opened.

Among contentious issues were the imposition of a work-load policy

on the staff; failure to increase salaries by 60 per cent; and failure to recognize the UG Senior Staff Association (UGSSA) as an official body.

The chain of events resulted in staff taking a definitive stance to have their concerns addressed by the administration.

A series of collapsed negotiations followed not too long after, as the University remained in a state of uncertainty.

The UG Students Society (UGSS) had also seized the opportunity to have its demands placed before the administration. Those demands included, inter alia, better classroom facilities; enhanced washroom facilities; routine cleaning of the compound; and infrastructural development.

Those demands were made in response to an additional G$350M+ being paid by students to the University as part of a ‘Facility fee’, which is mandatory.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE March 2, 2015

Hurting men inclined to hurt others FORUM TOLD...

– men too need to be loved, cared for

RELIGIOUS leaders from the different faiths across Guyana having become increasingly aware that hurting men hurt others, and more particularly their spouses, met last Thursday to discuss ways of preventing, if not ending, gender-based violence.

The two-day workshop at the Ocean View Hotel at Liliendaal was organised by Gender-Based Violence Unit of the Health Ministry and the Men’s Affairs Bureau, under the auspices of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security.

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE Gender-based violence is the targeting of individuals or groups of individuals on the basis of their gender or sex. It includes any act which is likely to result in physical, sexual or psychological harm. It is typically the result of unequal power relationships between males and females.

The engagement was designed not just for empowerment presentations, but to solicit feedback and how best practices can be emulated in other faith-based communi-

A section of the gathering at the workshop on gender-based violence

ties countrywide.

Men’s Affair Bureau Administrator, Pastor Diego Alphonso said the conversation is vital to the organisation’s efforts to reduce incidence of gender-based violence, informing the religious men that their work will not go in vain.

Taking comfort in the Bible, he reminded that the good book says: “Let us not be weary in doing well, for in due season, we shall reap if we faint not,” while emphasising that men too need to be loved, cared for, listened to, respected and affirmed.

Faith-based organisations have been recognised as im-

portant partners in the fight

by Government to end all forms of violence in society as they deal with matters of the heart, soul and spirit.

VENTING ANGER “Very often when men are hurt verbally, emotionally or psychologically by their partners, they seek to return the hurt but in a physical way as a method of cushioning their own hurt. However, we can never accept that as justification for physical violence and must continue to work with men in showing them options and the better path as outlined in our sacred scriptures,” Alphonso told the gathering of

religious men.

Bishop Juan Edghill, also Minister in the Ministry of Finance, lauded the forum, contending that religious leaders are the people who should have the moral compass to engender positive behavioural change in society.

According to him, gender-based violence is “too big” to be treated as a “political or funding issue,” but requires the effort of all to bring about real change.

On this note, he said all have to be more conscious of what they look at, be it the movies or cartoons shown on television, pointing out that “what fills you, controls

Bishop Juan Edghill, Minister within the Ministry of Finance, addressing the gathering at the workshop on gender-based violence

you.”

A person has to be really strong to be looking at violence-filled movies for years and still have his psyche free of violence or not driven to behave violently even when provoked.

VIOLENCE IN ENTERTAINMENT Guyanese, he said, have to start thinking about what is good for society, more so since violence is being portrayed as entertainment.

Edghill advised that in order for this problem to be addressed, parents have to mindful of the movies they

view, and become the censor board, governing what their children look at.

Human Services and Social Security Ministry Permanent Secretary, Patrick Findlay said men of the cloth are the leaders entrusted to impart good values in society, contending that good values are necessary to eradicate the scourge of gender-based violence.

As such, the Reverend said, the problem is not a one-way street, pointing out that in addressing the issue, matters affecting both men and women have to receive equal attention.

Rastafarian Council not part of ‘Theocracy Party’ – reiterates support for legalisation of marijuana

By Tajeram Mohabir GENERAL Secretary of the Guyana Rastafarian Council, Ras Ian said the Council is not part of the Healing the Nation Theocracy Party formed by Ras Leon Saul, but is not against the setting up of any party representing Rastafarians.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, Ras Ian said he learned about the party through the media, and cannot say if the Council will give its support as it does not know what the party is about.

But he pointed out that Rastafarians are not “big” in getting into politics, but if they decide to form a party, it will have to be through consultations with the “breth-

rens” and “sistrens” throughout Guyana.

Consultations, he said, would not be enough, contending that consensus will be essential of who becomes the Presidential and Prime Ministerial candidates.

Until then, he said, they will support those who support their spiritual upliftment and economic freedom.

SACRAMENTAL VALUES When asked what these entail, Ras Ian said it is essentially the legalisation of marijuana, noting that the ban is not only a deprivation of their economic means, but also their sacramental values.

Making a pitch for legalisation, he said some people need to stop being hypocrit-

ical.

At this point, Ras Simeon added: “Look at America… they consume the most ganja but yet they are advocating for banning it, and the jailing of the I for smoking it.”

Several states in the US have legalised the smoking of marijuana but for recreational purposes, but the Government of Guyana has said explicitly that it will not be supporting the legalisation of the illicit substance, fearing a multiplication of the social problems in society.

MEDICAL MARIJUANA Caricom Governments in March last year established a commission to analyse the possibility of legalising marijuana, following discussion

of a preliminary report that found decriminalising medical marijuana could help boost the region’s economy.

Ras Leon Saul parted ways with the United Republican Party (URP) following a disagreement with the party’s Presidential Candidate Vishnu Bandhu on the legalisation of the substance.

Bandhu had said that he cannot support the legalisation as it will cause serious social repercussions in society, but Saul disagreed, saying that it is part of Rastafarian culture.

Ras Ian said because marijuana is an integral part of their culture, the council will give its support to those in favour of legalising it.

He also said that Rastafarians are fully in support

Ras Simeon (right) in discussion, while Ras Ian (centre) listens attentively

of the death penalty, contending that extremists have to be punished in order for the maintenance of a stable society.

The General Secretary of the Guyana Rastafarian Council said the council does not view gays as extremists, and are not against them,

but are strongly against their behaviour.

On that point, Ras Simeon interjected saying: “The Almighty takes care of people,” including “scoundrels” of the different kinds: thieves, murders, the whores and the whoremongers.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 2, 2015

Rains affect rice farmers in Region 2 –other farmers welcome change of weather

THE continuing rains have affected a small number of advanced rice plots in Region 2 (Pomeroon/Supenaam) that are ready for harvesting, according to Head of the Guyana Rice Producers’ Association (RPA), Dharamkumar Seeraj.

“I visited the area yesterday (Wednesday) and the rain is pouring heavily. We expect that the advanced rice plots ready to be harvested will be affected,” Seeraj said, adding: “We do irrigated rice, so we sow in rainy season, and harvest in dry season. With proper irrigation and dry season conditions close to harvesting, rice performs better, better production and productivity.”

Asked about the impact of the rains in other rice producing regions, Seeraj told the Guyana Chronicle that the rainfall is welcomed by rice farmers in Region 6 (East Berbice/ Corentyne) and in the eastern part of Region 5 (Mahaica/ Berbice).

He added that in other areas, measures have been put in place, in particular with increased drainage capacity, to ensure that rice farmers are able to deal with out of season rainfall.

“Flooded conditions are what put a toll on rice. Given

the changes in climate the need to adapt has been made clear. In the rice sector adaptation means increased drainage capacity to deal with unseasonal rainfall,” Seeraj said.

CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE The RPA Head added that the rainy season was not what was expected during the traditional rainy season, December to January; however, he reiterated the sector’s focus on climate smart agriculture.

Altogether, some 238,698 acres are currently under cultivation across Guyana: 37,710 in Region 2; 22,047 acres in Region 3 (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara); 8,757 in Region 4 (Demerara/ Mahaica); 107,224 acres in Region 5; some 62,159 acres in Region 6; and 800 acres in Region 9 (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo).

Questioned about overall harvesting of the first rice crop for 2015, Seeraj noted that with the exception of the advanced rice plots in Region 2, harvesting is expected to be in full swing come March.

“Regions 3 and 4 will start in March, while Regions 5 and 6 will start late March and go into early April. Harvesting is not in full swing as yet,” he said.

On the issue of prices, Seeraj expressed the hope that prices per bag of paddy remain at the 2014 last crop average, which was $3,000.

“Farmers are accustomed to $3,500 and $3,700. Last season the average was $3,000, farmers got paid between $2,700 and $3,300. This crop we hope that the average remains around the same level,” he said.

All considered, Seeraj was optimistic that the rice industry will meet its targets for 2015.

The target for rice production is 618,000 tonnes. Last

year was another record-breaking year for the rice industry.

Production was recorded at 635,238 tonnes, of which 501,208 tonnes were exported. Production in the final crop of 2014 surpassed that of the first crop, which recorded just over 300,000 tonnes.

Additionally, the export target for 2015 has been set at 521,000 tonnes. Guyana currently has export agreements with several countries in the Caribbean as well as with Venezuela and Panama.

He said arrangements to ship rice to countries in West

Africa are still being finalised, after being delayed by the Ebola epidemic. Also, given the continuous success of the rice industry, efforts are being made to secure a greater foothold in Nicaragua and other Central American countries, including Belize.

The rice and sugar sectors remain important to Guyana’s economy, considering their significant role in the employment of a local workforce and contributions to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). (Vanessa Narine)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 2, 2015

Dr. Amarnauth Dukhi: GPHC’s first in-house neurosurgeon ––making a difference, having an overwhelming impact

THOUGH still in its infancy, the newly-established Neurosurgical Department at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), replete with its first local neurosurgeon, has already recorded many successes.

GINA. “I feel very good; no pain and nothing,” Keyon said. Noting that he was not scared going into the surgery, Keyon said: “I was hoping for the best.

Before time, I was fearful, and could not do anything; it was very painful from my head straight down to my neck, but now I am OK; there is no pain at all.”

The doctor also noted another successful neurosurgical intervention; this time a neural-tube defect, a baby born with this congenital type of malformation right at the GPHC.

but also the national health sector development strategy that will feel the positive impact of a neurosurgeon based at the hospital.

“It is a positive... a major development for the healthcare system in Guyana, and it also will have some level of impact, in terms of the financial capabilities and expenditure for these types of surgeries previously done overseas,” he said, adding: “I think that we would be able to improve; we are now starting to set up the facilities to do even more types of complicated surgeries that were not

been providing service to the GPHC during periodical visits, and still does.

Dr. Dukhi was one of many young Guyanese who were afforded the opportunity to study medicine through the Guyana-Cuba Scholarship programme. Studies and practical sessions were done on the Spanish-speaking island.

He’s always wanted to be a neurosurgeon, Dr Dukhi said; and that is why he happily grasped the opportunity when it presented itself.

“I made the most of it, and it is all about giving back. And I am feeling comfortable with the responses and the level of confidence that the population has given so far,” he said.

(GINA)

Dr Amarnauth Dukhi, Neurosurgeon Neurosurgeon, Dr. Amarnauth Dukhi, who was recently placed at the GPHC, told the Government Information Agency (GINA) that the Department has already made an impact, as over the past few weeks, it has managed to successfully complete 15 surgeries.

The doctor said that one of the surgeries that was carried out was on a 28-year-old male with a massive temporal-lobe tumor. This patient had shown high-grade symptoms, which were only diagnosed three months ago, when he visited the Department.

“He was being asked to go overseas, but then he came to GPHC. I saw him at my clinic; he was diagnosed; and we prepared him for surgery.” The patient had surgery, and “I was able to remove the brain tumor,” Dr. Dukhi said.

The patient, Keyon Gonsalves, has since recovered and been discharged from the hospital on February 9, the day of his 29th birthday.

JOB WELL DONE “I am very thankful to the doctor for a great job that he has done, and to God for saving my life. It is like I have a second chance,” Keyon told

Baby with congenital malformation The doctor explained that this child was born with part of his brain outside of his skull. With the corrective surgery successfully done, this baby has been discharged from the hospital. He is just around 60-days old, Dr. Dukhi said.

Commenting on the circumstances of the patients operated on, Dr Dukhi declared: “I think that they would have deteriorated over a period of time, because most of these cases, especially that 29-year-old male, he would have gotten all the complications associated with increased intra-cranial pressure, which most likely would have cut short his life. However, now he is fine, and we are hoping that with co-management, with oncology, he would be able to have some level of quality of life.”

POSITIVE IMPACT Speaking of the benefits of having a full-time neurosurgeon on hand, Dr Dukhi said it’s not only the GPHC,

previously done in Guyana. I will continue to work to have a positive impact in terms of neurosurgical procedures and care at GPHC.” Neurosurgical Consultant, Dr Ivor Crandon, also a Guyanese with many years of experience in the field, has

Keyon Gonsalves a few days after surgery

Baby’s head freshly stitched after the surgery to remove a congenital malformation

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 2, 2015

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Family took ‘renal failure’ kid too late to GPHC ––after spending over $2M at private hospital

By Shirley Thomas THE body of six-year-old Mark Anthony Inniss of Strathspey, East Coast Demerara, who died of renal failure last Wednesday, was yesterday cremated at the Good Hope Crematorium, amidst bitter weeping and wailing.

The only child of his parents, Robert Inniss and Parbattie Persaud, Mark Anthony celebrated his 6th birthday on February 2 last; but little did he or anyone else know that three weeks later, his life would have been snuffed out.

He died of renal (kidney) failure

Dead: Mark Anthony Inniss last Wednesday at the Georgetown Hospital, after being in the care of a doctor at a prestigious private hospital for the last three years. And it certainly cost his family a fortune; just over $2 million to be precise, since he never recovered and the hospital bills kept mounting.

REFERRAL TO GPHC Eventually, he was referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. After a protracted illness, the child’s condition became worse on the day after his sixth birthday, and his

parents, along with his grandmother Indra Narine, took him back to the private hospital as usual. On that occasion, he had begun showing signs of swelling, including in his scrotal area.

The child’s father, Robert Inniss, said their doctor advised them to place ice on the affected area, which they did; but the swelling was more pronounced the next day, so they took him back to the hospital.

Robert said that when confronted by that development, the doctor at the private hospital forlornly told them that they could not afford further treatment at the hospital, and so they should take the child to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

She prepared a letter of referral which she gave them to take along with the child to the public health institution.

The child, his parents say, was being treated with antibiotics and other tablets for three years, without the doctor ever knowing that he had developed chronic kidney disease (CKD) which in time had progressed to renal failure.

Robert claims, and stands by his word, that as far as his knowledge goes, the doctor never gave his child any blood test, or screened him to determine what would have been the underlying cause of his fever and sore throat. He said it was not until he began swelling, in the first week of February, that she probably realised that something was radically wrong with the child.

BIG DIFFERENCE Robert said that on admission to the GPHC, the doctors there immediately scanned his son; did blood tests, including BUN and Creatinine; and diagnosed that he had suffered kidney failure. That was two-and-a-half weeks ago.

Mark was groaning, suffocating, breathing hard, and crying out for abdominal pains.

The GPHC doctors embarked on a rigid treatment regimen, including peritoneal dialysis, but considerable damage had already been done, and the child’s body was in a severely weakened state. The build-up of fluid caused by the malfunctioning of the kidneys apparently caused the water to touch his lungs, his father said. That was not good for him.

The family is loud in praise for the GPHC, saying: “Georgetown Public Hospital did a good job; they really tried with him (Mark Anthony). If we did know we woulda carry him there ever since and today he would been alive.”

But adding to the family’s grief is this damning fact: “After eating up we money for three years, that private hospital that been treating Mark couldn’t see that he had kidney problems.”

The dead child’s father, Robert Inniss, and his mother, Parbattie Persaud. In background is his grandmother, Indra Narine

Little Mark Anthony’s body being cremated at the GoodHope Cremation site yesterday (Photos by Samuel Maughn)

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Rains halt harvesting of sugarcane

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 2, 2015

––Production stands at 11,218 tonnes

SUGAR production stands at 11,218 tonnes, but the rainfall over the last few days has negatively affected harvesting in the cane fields.

“The rains have stopped harvesting, because we cannot burn the canes to get them out of the fields,” said Guyana Sugar Corporation’s (GuySuCo) Industrial Relations Head,

Jairam Pitam, in a telephone interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Wednesday.

He explained that field operations are expected to be affected for at least three days after the rainfall has stopped, given the accumulation of water in the cane fields.

“It will take at least three days before we can get back to

normal operations because of the water in the fields,” Pitam said.

The GuySuCo official added that the Skeldon factory is still to commence operations. “By the end of next week, Skeldon should start,” he said.

In addition to Skeldon, GuySuCo operates seven other estates, located at Uitvlugt, West Coast Demerara; Wales, West Bank Demerara; Enmore and La Bonne Intention, East Coast Demerara; Rose Hall and Albion on the Corentyne Coast in East Berbice; and Blairmont, West Bank Berbice.

“All of the other factories are grinding and once the rain stops will continue operations,” Pitam said.

The production being targeted by GuySuCo for 2015 is some 240,000 tonnes.

In 2014, GuySuCo recorded a production of 216,147 tonnes - the first crop having surpassed the 75,000-tonne target, bringing in about 80,000 tonnes.

The calamitous drop in sugar prices globally and in preferred markets, which challenges all sugar industries, coupled with the dramatic fall in earnings and, by extension, cash flow, and the prevailing weather conditions, were among several of the difficulties that affected the local sugar industry during 2014.

The industry saw a dismal sugar production level in the past years, but Guyana has since been taking steps to turn around its sugar industry, and hopes to soon meet a 300,000-tonne target. There is also a projection that the sector would reach a 400,000-tonne goal by 2020. (Vanessa Narine)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 2, 2015

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 2, 2015

Garner looking to restore pride to Windies Cricket

By Calvin Roberts FORMER Barbados and West Indies fast bowler Joel Garner in his manifesto leading up to the West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB) Annual General Meeting (AGM) and election of office-bearers for period 2015 to 2017, said he is looking to ‘Restore Pride to West Indies Cricket’ if selected as its president.

The 62-year-old Garner who played 58 Test matches and took 259 wickets at an average of 20.98 with seven five-wicket hauls during the 10 years he represented the West Indies, is also the president of the Barbados Cricket Association and the lone contender for incumbent Whycliffe ‘Dave’ Cameron’s seat.

In his manifesto which was seen by Chronicle Sport, Garner outlined his priority and strategic areas by saying, “During the last few years we have been focusing on many other things while neglecting the main business of the WICB

Joel Garner which is “cricket” and this is the main product that we must concentrate on.

The initiatives outlined in this document will not require great financial input but must be managed efficiently and effectively. We know that there is a Strategic Plan which outlines the WICB programme up to 2017 but these small adjustments can make a great difference to our cricket going forward.”

For his vision, Garner said, “The Territorial Boards are key resources in West Indies Cricket. As such, we must work with these Boards and all our stakeholders, including WIPA and the players, corporate organisations

and CARICOM, among others, to create effective partnerships in order to build a strong, unified, accountable and well-governed organisation capable of bringing West Indies Cricket, on and off the field, to a position where we are once again a respected force in world cricket.

The WICB will be respected as a high quality cricket-playing entity, both men and women, and respected as a business organisation, capable of efficient planning and implementation, to keep pace with the dynamism of the modern business environment within the sport.”

As many are aware, the West Indies have been languishing in the bottom half of the Test and ODI rankings for several years now, while there have been too many below-par performances that have let down the fans and paying customers around the world.

If handed the WICB presidency, Garner intends to tackle both issues headon, by placing more em-

Chelsea triumph at Wembley against Spurs

By Martyn Thomas DEFLECTED strikes from John Terry and Diego Costa gave Jose Mourinho his first piece of silverware since returning to Chelsea, as the Blues beat Tottenham 2-0 in the League Cup final.

Spurs had been the better side for the majority of the first half, but, apart from a Christian Eriksen free kick that smacked against the bar, were unable to create any clear-cut opportunities.

Instead, Chelsea took the lead in the closing stages of the first half as Terry pounced to fire home as Willian’s free kick bounced around the Spurs area.

Gary Cahill almost doubled their lead ahead of the break, and the Blues

phasis on cricket with a definitive plan of moving up in the rankings, establishing definitive standards of performance and conduct as agreed between WICB and the players.

He also intends to conduct a full review of cricket at the junior level, work more closely with the territories in formulating policies for developing our young cricketers, provide more coaching for the territories and encourage and expand women’s cricket among others.

Bearing in mind that the Territorial Boards are the shareholders of West Indies cricket, the 6’ 8” tall Garner believes that the WICB has to embrace change and make the Board more acceptable to the stakeholders, addressing among other things, governance.

To this effect, he is looking to reactivate the WICB executive committee, let the Board’s chief executive officer implement and manage the Board’s policies without the need for an “executive president” and allow the WICB to become more accessible to the public and other stakeholders.

He is also looking at providing the shareholders’ representatives, on a quarterly basis, with information regarding the activities/decisions of the Board in order for them to properly discharge their responsibilities, among other ideas for good governance of the WICB.

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John Terry

were two goals to the good with 56 on the clock as Cesc Fabregas played in Costa whose effort was deflected past Hugo Lloris

by Kyle Walker.

Tottenham searched for a way back into the game but their attempts became more and more desperate and it was Chelsea who went closer to a third goal as Fabregas headed wide following a well-worked free kick.

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As it relates to the finances of the WICB, Garner said he intends to develop marketing/sales capability to generate sufficient income to sustain the WICB’s programmes for the foreseeable future and work with territorial boards to create new business opportunities and sustainable corporate relationships within the territories.

However and as a means of priority, if Garner succeeds Cameron as the head of the WICB, he intends to first and foremost have a face-to-face meeting with the BCCI to sort out the issue of the US$42M, otherwise we would have to wind up the organisation.

Another priority for Garner is to have the WICB develop management and leadership skills throughout the WICB and its constituent territories, from players to CEO, by providing suitable training and developmental opportunities.

Incumbent Cameron and challenger Garner will contest the elections for president of the WICB at the AGM which is carded for this Sunday, with both being the only nominations for the top post, with Cameron being backed

by Guyana, Jamaica, Windward Islands and Leeward Islands, while Garner has the support of Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago.

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20

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 2, 2015

Sir Wes slams Cameron tweet as ‘torrentially tasteless’ B R I D G E TO W N , B a rbados (CMC) – Ex-West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) head, Sir Wes Hall, has described as “torrentially tasteless” current board president Dave Cameron’s controversial tweet regarding champion batsman Chris Gayle.

Delivering the feature address at the Barbados Cricket

Association’s 2014 Awards Ceremony last Friday, the legendary former West Indies fast bowler said Cameron’s actions had fallen “short of the diplomatic niceties”.

“I am an ex-West Indies player and I have an unconditional love for cricket and for all people especially those who have been privileged to wear the maroon,” the Barba-

Sir Wes Hall

dos Today online newspaper quoted Sir Wes as saying.

“I want to warn our president of the West Indies Board as he tweets his language falls short of the diplomatic niceties. His retweet about Chris Gayle was torrentially tasteless. Oh, what a privilege and honour it would have been for a president as in the past, (to) congratulate Chris Gayle on the greatest double-century in a one-day international.”

Cameron sparked a

firestorm last week when he re-tweeted a message critical of Gayle’s poor form, via online social networking service, Twitter.

F o l l o w i n g G a y l e ’s failure against Pakistan in Christchurch, a fan tweeted: “Gayle goes ... Can’t buy a run. Let’s give him a retirement package ... Can’t fail repeatedly and still front up based on reputation”.

The message was re-tweeted by Cameron who subsequently deleted the

post and apologised by saying, “No offence intended.

Full apologies extended.

Rally round the West Indies,” he tweeted.

By then, however, the controversial re-tweet had gone viral across social and traditional media, prompting criticism from fans and a stern rebuke from players association WIPA. Cameron is up for re-election in less than a week and is being challenged by BCA president Joel Garner, the legendary former West Indies fast bowler, who was also present at the awards ceremony.

Notable Dates TERRENCE ALLI must be considered one of the five best boxers to come out of Guyana.

The lightning quick wonder boy from Victory Valley, who commenced fighting as a professional in December 1979, would have his first two bouts on home soil and the next nine in Trinidad and Tobago.

He would defeat Theophilus James on points in an eight-rounder on March 1, 1981 in Trinidad and following one more fight in the Twin Island Republic, Alli moved to Canada where he had three more bouts.

By September, 1982 Alli had his first contest in the USA and earned a unanimous decision over American Norberto Velez.

Alli had a total of six fights in 1987, winning five, with his only demerit coming at the hands of Jose

Terrence Alli Luis Ramirez, where in his quest to win the vacant World Boxing Association lightweight title, the Guyanese lost by unanimous decision.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER

Compliments of THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market &The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL CO. LTD-83 Garnette Street, Campbellville (Tel: 225-6158; 223-6055) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: (1) 1996 & 2007 (AUST vs SL) (2)Martin Crowe (NZ) Today’s Quiz: (1) Which team has missed two World Cups?

Which team has missed four?

(2)Where and when was the first time two players made centuries in the same innings of a WC match?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

Based in the USA, and a frequent feature on the ESPN Channel, Alli returned to Guyana in September 1996 to battle rising start Andrew `Six Head’ Lewis. The contest was held on the 14th of that month at the world-famous GCC ground, and the southpaw Lewis needed just two rounds to finish the aging legend.

Alli would have three more fights before permanently hanging up his gloves, ending a stellar 18-year career in 1997.

He had boxed 549 rounds, won 52 fights and lost 15. His two drawn fights came against Thomas Barker in October 1982 and Cornelius Boza Edwards in March 1986. Alli who will turn 55 in June of this year, made three unsuccessful bids for world titles.

21

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 2, 2015

Sri Lanka humble England bowlers in crushing win (REUTERS) - Lahiru Thirimanne and Kumar Sangakkara both scored centuries as Sri Lanka posted the highest successful run chase at Wellington Regional Stadium for a nine-wicket victory over England in their World Cup Pool A clash yesterday.

Thirimanne, 139 not out, hit a six to win the game in style, while Sangakkara ended on 117 as the beaten finalists in the last two World Cups scored 312 for one in 47.2 overs off England’s feeble bowling attack.

The previous highest successful run chase at the ground was the 254-4 achieved by South Africa against New Zealand in February 2012.

Prior to yesterday’s match 300 had been surpassed just five times on the ground since it opened in 2000.

Sangakkara took 45 balls to reach his 50 and needed just another 25 balls to bring up his 23rd ODI century as he took control of the game for the final 20 overs, dominating the latter stages of the partnership with Thirimanne.

Thirimanne had also combined in a century opening stand with Tillakaratne Dilshan (44), while the loss did no favours for England’s quarter-final chances.

They have just two points from four games and the best they can hope for is a fourth-place finish in Pool A, having lost to Australia and New Zealand as well.

England’s final two matches are against Bangladesh and Afghanistan and they could still be knocked out in the pool phase if they lose either of those matches.

Joe Root anchored England’s 309 for six with his

fourth one-day international century after Moeen Ali and Ian Bell had put on a quickfire 62-run opening partnership.

The 24-year-old, who top-scored with 46 in England’s humiliating eight-wicket loss at the same ground to New Zealand on February 20, produced his highest oneday score of 121 before he was trapped in front by Rangana Herath in the 47th over.

He shared in a 60-run partnership with captain Eoin Morgan (27) and a stand of 98 with James Taylor (25).

Root and Taylor were both dismissed in the final five overs but wicketkeeper Jos Buttler (39 not out) and Chris Woakes (nine) pushed the total past 300 for a score which looked competitive at the change of innings.

Pakistan off the mark with win over Zimbabwe

PAKISTAN finally got their World Cup campaign up and running as they beat Zimbabwe by 20 runs in a low-scoring contest in Brisbane yesterday.

Batting first they made 235 - recovering from four for two - and were then able to restrict Zimbabwe to 215 all out in their chase, meaning they picked up a first victory after defeats to India and West Indies.

Captain Misbah-ul-Haq’s 73 underpinned the Pakistan batting, while Mohammad Irfan (4 for 30) and Wahab Riaz (4 for 35) shone with the ball, the duo shackling Zimbabwe, with Brendan Taylor’s 50 not enough to get the job done.

Irfan removed the top three for a combined 46, having Chamu Chibhabha (9) and Sikandar Raza (8) edging him to second slip, while Hamilton Masakadza holed out to mid-on when on 29.

Taylor had made good progress but nicked Riaz behind for a 72-ball half-century and the wickets continued to fall as Sean Williams (33) hit Rahat Ali to backward point.

Solomon Mire made just eight before Irfan got rid of him, and Craig Ervine 14 nicked Riaz to Umar Akmal - one of five catches for the keeper.

Tuwanda Mupariwa went for a duck, Tinashe Panyangara was run-out for 10 and then, when Elton Chigumbura edged Riaz behind, the game was done.

It was fortunate for Pakistan that they were not facing a more dangerous side considering their own score, as their innings got off to a terrible start and they found themselves reeling on four for two after only 23 balls.

Nasir Jamshed was the first man out, caught at square leg off the bowling of Tendai Chatara, the same bowler who took the second wicket, inducing an edge off Ahmed Shehzad who nicked behind for an 11-ball duck.

Haris Sohail joined up with Misbah and the duo put on 54 until the former was caught at short mid-wicket, Raza doing the job.

Another healthy stand, this time of 69, pushed the team score behind a hundred, before Akmal (33) was cleaned up by Williams.

It had been a fine performance by Zimbabwe at that point and it got better when Shahid Afridi holed out for a second-ball duck on his 35th birthday, bowled by Williams.

Sohaib Maqsood added 21, having been dropped by Ervine on eight, while a substitute fielder also shelled Riaz when he was on 41, with the number 10 going on to make his first ODI half-century from 45 balls.

He was left unbeaten on 54 at the end, with Sohail caught and bowled by Mupariwa and Misbah removed for an excellent 73 when he was caught at long on, giving Chatara his third scalp for 35 runs. (PA SPORT)

Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara (2nd L) shakes hands with England’s captain Eoin Morgan as Lahiru Thirimanne (R) shakes hands with Chris Woakes after their Cricket World Cup match in Wellington yesterday. (Reuters photo)

22

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 2, 2015

E-Networks Cross-Fit Games

Fortune, Rivera, and Team USA Fittest in Guyana Guyana Defence Force’s Alisha Fortune runs the final metres during the 200m sand-bag carry.

Team USA about to begin their 200m suicide runs.

By Leeron Brumell THEY came, they saw, they competed and they conquered. Well, most of them anyway.

It’s the story of the first 36 individuals who took to the National Park tarmac on a hot and sunny day yesterday to test their strength, fitness, flexibility and willpower in the inaugural E-Networks CrossFit Games.

At the end of it all, multi-talented athlete Alisha Fortune ran away with the title of the Fittest Female in Guyana while Joe Rivera took the accolade for the opposite sex, and his team USA,

the fittest team on local soil.

Spread over four-team events, USA and the Guyana Defence Force were the fittest, completing most of their events in the shortest time.

After two events, Team USA were in the lead and they never relinquished it, even though they were pushed by the army unit; but when scores were tallied, Team USA amassed 1 376 points for the win leaving GDF second with 1 181and Elite Systems from Berbice a further 20 points behind the Army unit on 1 161.

They were followed by Interline Fitness, Life Fitness, Top End, Bodymaxx, Fitness

Paradise and CrossFit Bel-Air, whose quartet were reduced to a trio in the first round when their female teammate threw in the deadlift at 135lb.

But the story of the day was about Fortune, who in a class by herself, competed her events ahead of the men, doing so from the first event - deadlifts and over the bar, burpees. Fortune breezed through the three rounds of 21-15-9 reps.

Event two consisted of 200m of suicide runs, 21 kettle-bell swings and 12 pull-ups times three. Event three was dubbed ‘Triple -5-0’ – 50 reps each of box jumps, thrusters and toes-to-bar for the men,

USA’s Joe Rivera is encouraged by judge, Kerwin Clarke, during his pushups drill.

and 60 roman-chair sit-ups for the females.

Event 4 was a 1500m run – once around the inner circuit of the National Park with Event 5 being by far the most grueling, featuring the top 8 males and three females.

It began with a 1500m run then on to 20 cleans (135lb for men and 55lb for women), right into 60 pushups for men (30 for women), on to loading a wheelbarrow with 8 sand bags each, pushing it for 200m - and get this – fetching one bag out of the barrow (60lb for men; 30 for women) for another 200m for the finish.

Fortune was done be-

fore anyone knew it, unchallenged, and ended strong with a run for the last 50m to the finish. The crowd loved it as they cheered and screamed encouragement.

She tallied 495 points for the win, ahead of the USA’s Rebeka Moore 460 points and Nadine Taharally of Interline Fitness with 455 points.

The men’s round was not to be discounted.

Rivera was the man to beat. He had long established himself as a force to be reckoned with when he ran away at the qualifying round at Transport Sports Club early last week. With a target on his back, GDF’s Devon Davis and Top End’s Neetzkiel Yisrael battled hard to beat his time.

In event 5 with all three together, Yisrael was the first man into the National Park, onto his cleans, but in came Davis and Rivera and they went to work.

When Davis and Yisrael ran out of steam, Rivera

pushed and he was the first to get his barrow loaded and 50 metres out and walking.

Yisrael dug deep and ran with his, caught him in time for the individual sandbag carry and ran the 200m, a few metres separating them as Yisrael dumped his bag and lay out flat on the black carpet, with Rivera following suit. Both were helped away from the finish line; fully expended.

However, when the points were tallied, Rivera was a clear winner having been consistent throughout for a commanding 485 points, while USA’s Tim Lombari and CrossFit Bel-Air’s Dillon Mahadeo were tied for second with 413 points.

The chief statistician was then forced to tally their times from the five combined events, for which Mahadeo got the nod, completing the events in one hour 20 seconds, while Lombari was six seconds slower, with Yisrael finishing in fourth position on 416 points.

Guyana’s Fittest Male, Female and Team champions pose with their spoils along with the CrossFit organisers and sponsors.

23

GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday March 2, 2015

Is there no creditable individual who can be the GFF’s General Secretary?

Asks Calvin Roberts IN THE Holy Bible, we read in John 1:46 Nathaniel’s response to Phillip who told him he found the Messiah, Jesus Christ with Nathaniel’s response being “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?

With Phillip saying, ‘Come and see.”

I decided to use that biblical phrase, in reference to the recent appointment of Trinidad and Tobago national Richard Groden as the General Secretary of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) which is currently led by a Normalisation Committee (NC) headed by businessman Clinton Urling.

Unfortunately for me, at the time of Groden’s appointment, I was hospitalised hence the delay in this article, but during such time, I have noticed also, that Director of Sport Neil Kumar and president of national club champions Alpha ‘The Hammer’ United Odinga Lumumba had publicly criticised Groden’s appointment.

ClintonUrling So my question to the members of the NC including the distinguished Dr Karen Pilgrim is: Isn’t there any creditable individual born and bred in Guyana, the Land of Many Waters and six races, whom the NC can appoint as General Secretary?

Yes, many would say that Ms Deidre Davis will serve as Groden’s assistant and when the life of the NC is over, she will take over the position of GS, but why wait until then to put her in the position and have her act as an assistant to an

individual, during whose time as General Secretary within the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) many discrepancies occurred.

As I traverse Water Street recently, many vendors were asking if the GFF is being sold out to Trinidad and Tobago, now that the General Secretary is a Trinidadian to go along with the soonto-be-appointed head coach in Jamal Shabazz (whose appointment is not being questioned, since his records with the Golden Jaguars speak volumes).

As Mr Lumumba clearly stated in his article, the present administration of the GFF is allowing FIFA and CONCACAF, to take it back to the days of colonialism, where we were being dictated to by those in charge without question.

“I think that every Guyanese should feel insulted by this new development as it paints a picture that this country is still a colony and can be dictated to. The GFF now needs to tell the public how this happened.

Who applied for the position and why persons from this country were turned down, “added Lumumba.

Certainly, I agree with Mr Lumumba when he said the GFF NC must give the public an explanation.

In fact, a detailed explanation as to how they arrived at the selection of Groden for the position and who were the list of applicants applying for the said position.

And certainly, the Mr Clinton Urling’s statement given at the press conference is not good enough since he did not say how many Guyanese applied for the position and what is the reason why they were bypassed for Groden’s selection by the two governing bodies.

The following was Urling’s response to the Media as it relates to Groden’s involvement in the Mohammed bin Hammam cashfor-votes scandal which rocked this part of the world a few years ago.

“An investigation does not assume guilt. If your employer says that someone

had stolen money and they had to investigate all their staff, it doesn’t mean that all their staff are guilty Groden was never suspended by FIFA, he was cleared of all the charges”, Urling told reporters when cornered and grilled about the concerns over the hiring of the new GS. Prior to the GFF being thrown into a quagmire that required the intervention of FIFA and later the implementation of the NC, George Rutherford and Noel Adonis served the GFF well as General Secretary.

And while it is mind-boggling for me to recall the assistant to Mr Rutherford, I do know straight off the bat that Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major served as Adonis’ assistant and together with Colin Klass and later Franklyn Wilson (after Klass was removed due to certain infractions), football in Guyana was well governed.

So even if it is for a short period that Groden is being asked to serve, why not go back to one of

the three men mentioned above if no suitable application was received, instead of appointing Groden or is the NC simply saying that no Guyanese is good enough to fill the position?

If that is the case, why use Ms Davis as Groden’s assistant until the life of the NC expires, following which she will take over the position in full until such time when she decides to call it a day in the position.

Then you are saying no Guyanese is good enough to step up to the plate until a foreigner performs in the position, trains the Guyanese and then decides to hand it over at a time that is set by the NC or when the foreigner decides to resign from the position.

The time is ripe for the members of the NC, led by their chairman Mr Urling to give to the football-loving Guyanese a detailed explanation on this issue, which has been bothering the minds of many and who need the answers immediately.

More records toppled as GASA Mash Meet concludes

By Tamika Garnett AT LEAST six more national long-course swimming records tumbled yesterday as youngsters Aleka Persaud, Paul Mahaica, Leon Seaton, Sekhel Tzedeq and Omar Adams clocked record-breaking performances when the annual Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) Mashramani Meet culminated at the National Aquatic Centre, Liliendaal.

Following up on the three records she initially broke during the first day’s action last Saturday, Persaud added another notch on her belt as she took gold in the Girls’ 8-and-under 200m freestyle in a time of 3:03.67s to erase Riley Nurse’s 2013 record which stood at 3:59.75s for the same event.

The Orca Speed Swim Club swimmer Persaud

also took down the 49.12 seconds record in the 50m backstroke when she finished her race in a winning time of 46 secs flat, with Patrice Mahaica of Dolphin Speed Swim Club and Dorado’s Monique Watson taking silver and bronze behind her in both events.

Persaud also swam and won gold in the 50m freestyle in a time of 36.07 secs.

However, the standing national record for the event was unavailable.

Also in the 8-and-under category, but on the Boys’ side, young Paul Mahaica equalled his national record, when he won the Boys’ 200m freestyle in a time of 3:09.71 secs and added another gold to his accolades, when he took the 50m backstroke, eclipsing Dorado’s Elliot Gonsalves’ time of 51.68

… 12 CARIFTA qualifying times clocked secs, by stopping the clock at 49.49 secs yesterday.

Later, Mahaica competed in the 50m freestyle and improved on the 42.22 secs of Dorado’s Jonathan van Lange, when he swam 39.86 seconds.

Like Persaud, Seaton was already a firstday record holder and he returned yesterday to crush his 2014 Boys’ 9-10 200m freestyle record of 2:51.35 secs, after winning the event yesterday in a time of 2:43.87s and later to add gold in the 100m backstroke (1:31.42s), 50m backstroke (39.88s) and 50m freestyle (31.35s) in each case the Silver Shark swimmer out-swam Dorado’s Noel Raekwon.

For his part, Dolphin’s Tzedeq now stands with a record of 38.12 secs in the Boys’ 11-12 50m backstroke, where he won gold then shaved milliseconds off the 38.94 secs record set by Hannibal Gaskin in 2010.

The 11-year-old swimmer also ended yesterday’s event with gold in the 100m backstroke (1:23.28s), while he triumphed over nine other swimmers to also claim gold in the 50m freestyle where he clocked 33.35 secs.

The records gained yesterday will not be officially recognised until sanctioned by the GASA committee.

Meanwhile, Orca’s Romeo Newton clocked 29.01 secs in the Boys’ 13-14 50m

freestyle to join the list of swimmers to have clocked C A R I F TA S w i m m i n g Championships qualifying times, as a whopping 12 CARIFTA qualifying times were achieved yesterday.

The swimmers who have qualified already are Antonio Hussein, Daniel Scott, Hannibal Gaskin, Omar Adams, Joseph DeNobrega, Onika George and Jamila Samogan, all of whom secured more qualifying times as the meet continued yesterday.

Adams gained a CARIFTA qualifying time in the Boys’ 15-17 200m freestyle where his 2:12.37s was enough to overcome both the 2:16.49s qualifying time and the 2:12.93s national record attained by

Hannibal Gaskin last year March.

In the same event DeNobrega won silver in a qualifying time of 2:16.32s.

Omar also qualified in the 100m butterfly, where he ended the race in 1:06.09s and with silver, behind Gaskin who clocked 1:03.87s, also qualifying for the event.

Scott qualified in the Boys’ 13-14 200m freestyle, winning gold, and in the 50m freestyle he took silver. Gold for the 50m freestyle went to Hussein who clocked 28.36s, also a CARIFTA qualifying time, with George and Samogan clocking qualifying times in the Girls’ 15-17 50m and 200m freestyle respectively.

Sport CHRONICLE

The Chronicle is at http://www.guyanachronicle.com

Is there no creditable individual who can be the GFF’s General Secretary?

See Story on Page 23

Cheddi Jagan Memorial three-stage cycle road race

Eastman rides clinical race to steal stage one

Hamzah Eastman raises his hands in triumph after winning the first stage of the Dr Cheddi Jagan Memorial three-stage cycle road race on the West Demerara yesterday, as his teammate and winner of the veterans’ category Junior Niles (left) looks on. (Samuel Maughn photo)

By Michael DaSilva TEAM Coco’s Hamzah Eastman rode a clinical race yesterday to wheel off with the first prize in the first stage of the Dr Cheddi Jagan Memorial three-stage cycle road race in the West Demerara area, doing so in a time of 1hr 54mins 50secs.

The 50-mile race which began outside the Wales Police Station at 08:15hrs and was organised by national cycle coach Hassan Mohamed, attracted 47 starters and was very competitive.

After being sent on their way, the competitors stuck together until they reached Vreed-en-Hoop when a bunch of eight riders went on a break and stuck together until they reached Tuschen when they were sucked in by the chasing pack.

The lead changed many

times on the journey to the turn-back point at Bushy Park, East Bank Essequibo and even a few miles on the return journey, until Eastman, last year’s winner Michael Anthony and Paul DeNobrega made a break and opened a sizeable lead and was never caught again.

Coming towards the finish line, Anthony attacked from approximately 200 metres from the line, but was overtaken by Eastman who romped home a comfortable winner, with Anthony and DeNobrega finishing second and third respectively.

Last year’s overall winner of the trilogy Alanzo Greaves of Roraima Bikers Club outsprinted the chasing bunch to occupy the fourth spot while Paul Cho-Wee-Nam and Orville Hinds placed fifth and sixth respectively.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony following the annual event, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony congratulated the winners of the various categories and said he is pleased with the number of participants.

He reminded that the former President now deceased, Dr Cheddi Jagan, was always interested in sports and to a larger extent youth development, stressing that the late founder of the People’s Progressive Party struggled for the people of Guyana dating back to the 1940s and never gave up that struggle.

He said the race yesterday was staged to remember Dr Jagan for the many good things he did for the country, noting that the event started in Berbice, but over the years it has been extended to the West Demerara area and the Essequibo Coast.

Meanwhile, Junior Niles, the winner of the veterans’ category, won two of the eight prime prizes, along with Anthony and Eastman, while Hinds and Mark Harris each claimed a prime prize during the event.

Ian `Dumb Boy’ Jackson was second to Niles in the veterans category with Kennard Lovell third, even as Deeraj Garbarran took the Mountain

Bike category from Michael Holder and Julio Melville.

Christopher Griffith was the first junior to cross the finish line, doing so ahead of Raphael Leung and Andrew Hicks. Anthony Fariah was the first Over-60 competitor to complete the event.

Mohamed thanked the 47 starters for their participation. He said they were all winners and said he is looking forward to seeing all of them face the starter this Sunday at 09:00hrs, when the second leg pedals off from outside the PPP/C’s office in New Amsterdam, Berbice. The third stage pedals off on March 22 in Essequibo.

Minister of Sport Dr Frank Anthony (sixth right) strikes a pose with prize winners of the various categories and other well-wishers of the first stage of the Dr Cheddi Jagan Memorial three stage cycle road race yesterday. Also in this Samuel Maughn photo, is Director of Sport Neil Kumar (centre), while on Minister Anthony’s left are PPP’s parliamentarian Bibi Shadick, Hassan Mohamed and race sponsor Nazir Ahmad .

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MONDAY, MARCH 2, 2015