2015 3 29 by Guyana Chronicle

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POLITICAL CLIMATE TO ESCALATE A FEW NOTCHES TODAY AS…

PPP/C, APNU+AFC hold campaign rallies at Kitty, Whim Page

President Donald Ramotar

Elisabeth Harper

SEE INSIDE

David Granger

Moses Nagamootoo

JAGDEO’S CHALLENGE TO GREENIDGE…

‘Guyanese people need more than allegations, bring the evidence’ Page

Dr Bharrat Jagdeo

Jagdeo accuses Granger of ‘living in a bubble’ 2 Page

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

Jagdeo accuses Granger of ‘living in a bubble’

– urges him to answer for lives lost during rigged elections BRIGADIER (rtd) David Granger will have to answer to the people of Whim today for his delusional contentions and empty promises – a charge made by former President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, at a news conference yesterday. The Alliance of A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) will today take its second elections rally to the East Berbice village, in Region 6, one of the ruling party’s strongholds. According to the former President, Granger “lives in a bubble” within which he maintains that elections were not rigged under the People’s National Congress (PNC), the administration under which he served with the Guyana Defence Force (GDF). “Mr Granger has been on record as saying there had been no rigged elections in Guyana….either it is a lie or a time warp or a bubble that he lives in,” Dr Jagdeo told reporters.

‘Nagamootoo and Granger ought to stand on the platform at Whim (today) and say those lives were in vain, say that those men gave up their lives for a lie… tell the people if that was so. These are some of the issues they need to address at Whim, because they will go there again with their ‘ra-ra’ speeches…there has been nothing about policy…far divorced from reality, what we have is a ‘hotchpotch’ of things that sound good on the platform, but when you think them through, they really don’t mean much’ – Dr Bharrat Jagdeo Granger has been quoted in the local media as saying, “I’ve said what I’ve said. I have said if things had been wrong, I am prepared to have an investigation. I am not going to apologise on the basis of hearsay or conjecture or speculation.” However, Dr Jagdeo stressed that rigged elections are not a matter of “hearsay or conjecture or speculation” – rather it is a wrong that has been acknowledged even by the international community. “The CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) website, if you check it, says there were rigged elections. Every foreign government believes it. The Caribbean Council of Churches believes it and I think people of all faiths….Granger says he is a believer; people of all faiths

believe that lying is a sin,” the former President chided. KILLED IN VAIN? Importantly, the former President noted that it was a wrong that cost lives in Region 6. Dr Jagdeo questioned

‘Mr Granger has been on record as saying there had been no rigged elections in Guyana….either it is a line or a time warp or a bubble that he lives in’- Dr Bharrat Jagdeo

whether the lives lost were in vain, given the position that the APNU+AFC presidential candidate maintains. “Ten miles from Whim,

in 1973, two persons, Jagan Ramessar and Bholanauth Parmanand were killed when they tried to protect the ballot boxes from being stolen. They were shot dead…. Nagamootoo and Granger ought to stand on the platform at Whim and say those lives were in vain, say that those men gave up their lives for a lie…tell the people if that was so,” Dr Jagdeo said. Ramessar, 17, and Parmanand, 25, were shot by soldiers at No. 63 Village, Corentyne, during the 1973 elections, while peacefully protesting the illegal removal of the ballot boxes from the place of poll at the end of voting. FAKE PROMISES Dr Jagdeo added that in addition to delusional contentions, APNU+AFC lead-

Former President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo interacts with members of the Media at Freedom House, yesterday

‘Answer for the lives lost’, former president Dr Bharrat Jagdeo charges (Adrian Narine photos)

ers have made many “ra-ra” speeches, but these are without substance and in other cases reflect a total “flip-flop” on positions they maintained strongly in the 10th Parliament. He pointed to the positions on the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project, cuts to the budgetary allocations for the University of Guyana loan programme and opposition to support for the sugar industry, among others. “These are some of the issues they need to address at Whim, because they will go there again with their ‘ra-ra’ speeches…there has been nothing about policy…far divorced from reality, what we have is a “hotchpotch” of things that sound good on the platform, but when you think them through they really don’t mean much,” the former President said. Drawing the parallel between the political Opposition and the incumbent Peo-

ple’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), Dr Jagdeo made it clear that the Guyanese people have been given “specifics” on the way forward for education, sugar, information communication and technology advances, as well as its social programme agenda. “The President has outlined policies… specifics, not planned statements, specifics. A lot needs to be answered… these are the things that are important in people’s lives. What happens tomorrow? What happens after May 12? That is what is important,” he said. The former President gave the assurance that the PPP/C manifesto, which will be released soon, will outline what is a real vision for Guyana moving forward and reinforce the fact that the PPP/C has enabled the Guyanese people to ‘live change’ – making the choice come May 11 a clear one.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

POLITICAL CLIMATE TO ESCALATE A FEW NOTCHES TODAY AS…

PPP/C, APNU+AFC hold campaign rallies at Kitty, Whim

President Donald Ramotar

THE political climate in Guyana will escalate a few notches today, when the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) and the Opposition alliance comprising the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and Alliance For Change (AFC), both head to different parts of the country to stage massive rallies in order to whip up support among the electorate, ahead of the May 11 General and Regional Elections. The PPP/C was up to late last evening preparing for its rally at the Kitty Market Square in Georgetown, where featured speakers will include Guyanese Head of State President Donald Ramotar, prime ministerial candidate Elisabeth Harper, former President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, and PPP/C General Secretary Clement Rohee. The Opposition alliance (APNU+AFC) is heading to Whim, Berbice in an attempt to whip up support in the traditional PPP/C stronghold. Opposition speakers carded to speak include Moses Nagamootoo, the coalition’s prime ministerial candidate and Brigadier (rtd), David Granger, the presidential candidate. HIGH GEAR Today’s rally at the Kitty Market Square will

PPP/C prime ministerial candidate Elisabeth Harper

Former President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo

not nor do not intend to shut, now or ever...In light of the Opposition’s sustained refusal to engage my Government in the dialogue we anticipated and in light of the commitment I made to you, the people of Guyana, I now move towards General Elections,” he said at the time of the announcement.

Opposition Leader David Granger

officially kick off the 2015 elections campaign for the incumbent PPP/C and is expected to attract massive support, while the Opposition alliance has ventured into one of its non-traditional support bases following its recent rally in Linden. Speakers are slated to take the stage at the Kitty Market Square from 16:00 hrs and the activities are the culmination of weeks of vitriolic barbs being traded back and forth between the political parties as the elections campaign season kicks into high gear.

After being forced to prorogue Parliament in November last year, President Ramotar announced that Regional and General Elections will be held on May 11. He has since been retained as the ruling party’s presidential candidate with Samuel Hinds being replaced by Guyana’s highest-ranked serving diplomat, Ambassador Elisabeth Harper. Ramotar has expressed confidence in the team and is optimistic of regaining a majority in the National Assembly. Following the 2011

APNU+AFC prime ministerial candidate Moses Nagamootoo

General and Regional Elections, APNU secured 26 seats in the National Assembly; the AFC seven, while the PPP/C held the single largest bloc thereby retaining executive power with 32 seats. The dispensation of seats in the House however, meant the combined Opposition held a oneseat majority, a position which the administration has repeatedly accused it of abusing, stymieing numerous developmental projects in the process. Announcing a formal-

isation of its alliance, the combined Opposition in its Valentine’s Day ‘marriage of convenience’ (Cummingsburg Accord) went public with its open secret: the AFC and APNU had been working together all along over the course of the three years of the life of the 10th Parliament. President Ramotar, in announcing elections, had stressed that prior to the November 10 prorogation and even after the fact, he was open to dialogue with the political Opposition. “It is a door that I did

ELECTORAL SYSTEM Elections in Guyana are conducted according to the Constitutional provisions which are supplemented by the laws made by Parliament. The primary laws used are the Representation of the People Act (1964) which deals with all aspects of the conduct of elections and the National Registration Act (1967) which deals mainly with the preparation and revision of electoral rolls. The current electoral system is the product of cross-party agreement on constitutional reform as catered for by the Herdmanston Accord. Under the current system all members of the National Assembly are to be directly elected. Twenty five (25) to be elected from the 10 geographic constituencies and the remaining 40 elected from a national top-up list to guarantee a very high degree of proportionality.

Women unmask habitual fraudster By Leroy Smith

DETERMINATION on the part of two women led to the arrest of a man who had defrauded a woman of close to one million dollars over two weeks ago after promising her that he could secure a Canter truck for her. Bibi Shaw, who lives at Lusignan, East Coast Demerara and sells pastries at the junction of Ogle Road and the Embankment had entrusted $700,000 to Zamalodeen Khan for the purchase of a Canter truck, which she wanted to convert into a mobile canteen. According to information reaching the Chronicle, the man who is also a customer of the woman, approached her earlier in this month and stated that he had a friend with a Canter truck to sell but he was not in a financial position to purchase the vehicle at the time. As such, he was willing to make representation for her to purchase the vehicle for the same price that the man was

willing to offer him it for. Khan of Better Hope, East Coast Demerara told Bibi Shaw that the total price of the truck was G$1.2M but that she needed to provide a down-payment of $600,000. The woman, however, decided to give Khan $750,000 in two separate payments ($150,000 and $600,000 respectively). The deal was for the man to facilitate the fabrication of the mobile canteen and take the woman to see the job before it was completed. H o w e v e r, a f t e r t h e man failed to deliver on his promise to purchase the Canter truck as well as failing to give the woman any feedback, followed by a ‘royal push around’, she became suspicious. Khan stopped taking telephone calls from the woman and began asking her to wait for him at various desolate points along the East Coast of Demerara and other parts of the city, but he never showed up. The woman related that she became very fearful for

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

her life after reading of the various bodies that were turning up at seawalls and other locations, of recent,

last night after they showed up at a fabrication shop where Khan had previously taken her, saying ‘this is the place where the fabrication of the Canter truck into a mobile canteen would take place’. When Shaw and her female friend revisited the Fabrication establishment yesterday, she met an employee who then broke the news to the women - after they described the man who they were looking for that this is not the first time that the said gentleman (Khan) had defrauded persons. The employee explained that, even though they are acquainted with Khan and knows where he lives, the workshop does not do any work for him. They then directed the women to where the man was living at Better Hope. The women immediately left for Better Hope where they staked out Khan’s home. Shortly after, Khan showed up, driving a different vehicle than the one he had used when he had earlier approached the businesswoman and defrauded her of her money.

Bibi Shaw, the businesswoman who was defrauded especially those of women. She then contacted a female friend and together they began doing their own investigation for the past week and got a break-through

The Police were immediately informed and they arrived at the home and called out to the man who refused to exit his house. His wife who is said to be a doctor then looked out from the building and said that her husband was not at home. However, when confronted by the two women who saw him driving into the yard, she agreed to open the gates to her premises and the police conducted a search of the premises where the man was found hiding in a washroom inside the house. He was arrested, told of his rights and continues to be held at the Sparendaam Police Station up to press time. This newspaper has been reliably informed that Khan and his wife are in the business of defrauding persons and this is not the first time that persons have approached the police and levelled claims of being defrauded by the couple. Those matters however, were never brought to light as the couple would always opt to settle the matters outside

of the courts by reimbursing those persons whom they have allegedly defrauded. It was discovered that when the man approached his victims he would usually supply them with an address in Corentyne, Berbice. Checks by this newspaper found that documentation on the man which are in the possession of the Guyana Revenue Authority and the Guyana Elections Commission both have different addresses along the Corentyne Coast in Berbice although he has been living in Better Hope, East Coast Demerara for years. It was also established by this publication that the man might have also provided the Guyana Elections Commission and the GRA with false information so that when he conducts his fraudulent transactions there can be no real traces as to where he resides and/or his true identity. The man is expected to be placed before the court on Monday to answer to the charges.

76 single parents from Soesdyke, surrounding areas certified under BIT

UNDER the Ministry o f L a b o u r ’s B o a r d o f Industrial Training (BIT) programme, 76 single parents from Soesdyke and surrounding communities on the East Bank of Demerara graduated and received certificates, yesterday, for a cake decorating and pastry making course. This six-week course was conducted in collaboration with the Government of Guyana and the Soesdyke

Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), and is aimed at empowering women with the necessary skills for selfdevelopment and that of their families. For Dhannyie Austin, this course was a great assistance since she will now be able to earn more money and take care of her family in the comfort of her own home. Austin said she will be taking orders for wedding and birthday cakes.

“I feel proud, happy and excited. When I started the course, I didn’t know anything I came here and learned everything. Now I am equipped with a skill and I feel proud,” said Shirley Gibbons, who will now be able to start her own business. M e a n w h i l e , Ti s h e r e e Taylor said this is her second certificate through this programme. While expressing gratitude to all those who made this programme possible, Taylor said she will now be opening her own cake shop. Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Juan Edghill, addressing the graduands at the event which was held at Camille’s Institute, Soesdyke, s t r e s s e d G o v e r n m e n t ’s commitment to empowering women to contribute to nation building. “I believe in what we are doing as a Government to empower women because

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special emphasis must be placed on women... you are more than an incubator, you are persons with dignity and must be treated as such, a valuable contributor in national development and making the community better,” Minister Edghill said. He alluded to the fact that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has always included women in policy making. In fact the late Mrs. Janet Jagan served as the first female President of Guyana. Even as the country is preparing for elections, the prime ministerial candidate is also a woman. Edghill also mentioned some of the opportunities that Government has created for women through the Women of Worth (WOW) programme, where more than 1000 women were able to access loans to start up a business.

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Giving access to financing is one thing, but if one lacks the skill one may not succeed. According to Minister Edghill, the BIT programme has provided an opportunity for women to receive the skills needed for them to venture into their business. “In the Ministry of Human Services there is a special department for dealing with women, the Women’s Affairs Bureau. There are women leading in all sectors, Information and Communication Te c h n o l o g y ( I C T ) a n d agriculture...women have their individual responsibility, and are contributing to the development of Guyana. Gone are the days when women were confined to being housewives,” Minister Edghill further noted. He urged the women to move forward and develop themselves and don’t let their

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past define their future. “Your future is not determined by your past. The future is determined by the choices you make today. Out of this group, you might be the pastry chef at the hotels that will be built as a result of the extended runway at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) or you will be the cake decorating person for the next wedding…you must see yourself there,” Minister Edghill told the gathering. Coordinator Rima Rohee, said the programme has been having great reviews, and has been impacting many single parent women. She encouraged the graduands to take the skills back to their communities and empower other women. Recently, 50 women graduated under this programme in floral decoration. (GINA)

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

JAGDEO’S CHALLENGE TO GREENIDGE…

‘Guyanese people need more than allegations, bring the evidence’ By Vanessa Narine A questionable property acquisition in 1993 and the equally “questionable” record of Carl Greenidge as a former finance minister were brought into the spotlight by former President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, yesterday. He was responding to allegations of corruption, which the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) executive charged were facilitated by him and others in the leadership of the ruling party.

“The transport, it is dated January 25, 1993. Four months after the Government had changed. The transport was issued to Minister Carl Greenidge for a house in Bel Air Gardens for $4M….he had long ceased to be Minister of Finance.” Greenidge was finance minister under the People’s National Congress (PNC) administration up to October, 1992 when the ruling People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) came to power. Dr Jagdeo called the presidential candidate

‘Greenidge is contesting to be the minister of finance if they win power…if you are coming to the people and asking for their votes, then you cannot run from your record’ – Dr Bharrat Jagdeo Speaking at a news conference held at Freedom House, Dr Jagdeo said Greenidge owes the Guyanese people more than allegations and ought to substantiate these with evidence. “Greenidge is contesting to be the minister of finance if they win power…if you are coming to the people and asking for their votes, then you cannot run from your record,” the former President posited. Dr Jagdeo was adamant that Greenidge owes the Guyanese people, whose votes he is asking for, more than allegations. LESS THAN TRANSPARENT This challenge is what influenced Dr Jagdeo’s production of a Transport dated January 25, 1993, which details the acquisition of a house at Bel Air Gardens for $4M, as well as references to the lack of accountability and transparency during Greenidge’s tenure as

for APNU+AFC, Brigadier (rtd) David Granger, to use the evidence provided as the starting point to address the corruption he frequently accuses the current administration of. “Granger talks about investigating corruption, maybe he should start with this…I am not just making an allegation. I am giving you a document,” he told reporters. ECONOMIC RUIN The former President turned his attention to what was essentially a period that resulted in Guyana’s “economic ruin.” “You can’t run from your record...the recession he presided over, the economic recession he presided over, the growth in the debt, the worst economic strategy, making the country not credit-worthy…you cannot run from your record,” Dr Jagdeo stressed. He pointed out that as a result of not being

‘You can’t run from your record...the recession he

presided over, the economic recession he presided over, the growth in the debt, the worst economic strategy, making the country not credit-worthy…you cannot run from your record’ – Dr Bharrat Jagdeo finance minister. “Here is factual basis. I am not just making allegations. I would love if they do the same when they make allegations of corruption against us (the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic),” he said. The former President stated too that according to the Transport, a property owned by Guyana Stores Limited (GSL) was transferred to Greenidge as Minister of Finance, months after he had demitted office.

credit-worthy, Guyana faced the imposition of an economic structural adjustment initiative. According to him, Guyana had also racked up the largest external debt in the country’s history, under Greenidge’s tenure as finance minister. This, he noted, was in addition to the fact that there had been no auditing of public accounts and accounting for public finances and even prevented the then Auditor General, Anand Goolsarran, via letter from not auditing privati-

Former President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo produces a copy of a Transport that questions a less-than- transparent property acquisition by APNU executive, Carl Greenidge

sation proceeds. “Greenidge was the most unaccountable minister of finance in our history,” Dr Jagdeo said. He also addressed Greenidge’s defence of his tenure as minister of finance, dismissing it as a failed attempt. “He did not respond to the key issues…he said that he made some changes in processes that allowed the PPP to start producing the accounts from 1992, but that those changes, which he made, could not have been implemented before…you would believe that he left us a wonderful economy the way Carl Greenidge and the others speak about it,” Jagdeo said. The former President was emphatic in stressing that real

change was advanced by the PPP/C and continues to be advanced by the party, as is evidenced in policy initiatives, programmes and legislation.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

Editorial

Guyana

FACTS vs ABUSE AS the political temperature keeps rising for the May 11 General and Regional Elections, the governing PPP/C has the special responsibility to sensitise the electorate on its record of achievements, in various sectors, across Guyana and resist the temptations to engage in negativities that’s so much a feature of the campaign by Opposition parties which have nothing of substance to share with voters at home and abroad. A f t e r a l l , t o d a y ’s p r i m a r y positions-seeking powercampaigners are ex-PNC and ex-PPP parliamentarians and activists. In an earlier editorial on ‘Boastful Talk, Elusive Plans’, we had noted that “bad-mouthing and political slander may be easy for those more obsessed

with positions than what can really foster national unity for national development…” It was, therefore, encouraging to note that during this past week platform speakers of the governing party were elucidating with passion some of the more high profile successes of the PPP/C. Two separate examples were readily highlighted, namely - the strides in economic development (as recognised by international and regional institutions and agencies) and the education sector. As Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall, recalled at a public meeting last week under successive terms of the PPP/C’s stewardship in Government - with the end of rigged elections

by the PNC from October 1992 Guyana has been “transformed into a middle-income developing country” in contrast to its humiliation as one of the world’s poorest and most highlyindebted country (a ‘HIPIC’ state) when suffering under dictatorial and corrupt governance was the norm. For her part, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand, opted to provide a specific focus on her portfolio with highlights on significant gains achieved and varyingly noted by educators, at home and abroad, among them government representatives, institutions and organisations. These gains in the educational sector have been well chronicled, but since the Opposition parties and traditional critics of the Guyana Government cannot offer any

the presidency. He complained that “I was robbed” of one and all, after my 40 years of dedicated service to the PPP, dating back to when I was age 14.” He wants truth and change, but he can handle neither truth nor change. He is calling on 11% of Indians to vote for him, so he can deliver them to the Promised Land (PNC rule). The other 89% percent are wicked and evil people and will have to suffer. How do you identify that 11% of good Indians, Mr. Nagamootoo? Is there a code in some secret book? In the PNC/AFC meeting, he began playing up to the African audience by outlining his historical connection to Mr. David Granger. He is trying to paint the picture of Mr. Granger as the black Christ, outlining his forward-thinking policies and not looking at the rear view mirror. Let the Brigadier offer his own apologies. Or is this a demonstration of

your inferiority complex? He wants to take a “selfie” and not look at the static picture in his old album. “Selfies” can have adverse effects on one’s vision (is that the intent?), but that seems to fit comfortably into Mr. Nagamootoo’s world view. Mr. Nagamootoo thinks that by sweeping our past experience beneath the rug, it will disappear. When we look at Granger, we see Burnham and do not see Walter Rodney, and that is not going to be swept away. The Indians in that audience were there because they were traumatised by a generation of PNC abuse…. Just when they were beginning to be healed, there comes a charlatan named Moses. But we know in which hole the smart preverbal fly ends up. But if David Granger is Christ, there must be a Judas. So the reward of the prime ministership amounts to no more than a figurehead; or better yet, a wolf in

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commendation, particularly in an election period, silence becomes an expedient posture. Nevertheless, it is to be expected that at least highlights of the “patterns of progress” from October 1992 to May 2015 under democratically elected PPP/C-led Governments would be among informative materials to be made available to Guyanese, at home and abroad, in time to make their objective assessments on the quality of governance in comparison to the regular diet of falsehood and recriminations that keep flowing from the ‘coalition’ that’s still in formation between the PNC and AFC and otherwise marketed as APNU+AFC for Decision Day on May 11.

Moses’s Sermon on the Mount and 10 Commandments speech in New York

IN his effort to convince the handful of Indians in the audience in New York to support him, Mr. Moses Nagamootoo attempted to claim that he is more of a Jaganite than everyone else. He used his dirt-filling of the lots that Dr. Cheddi Jagan built his house on as proof of his legitimacy. He also spoke of Dr. Jagan’s failed efforts to form a national front government with the PNC and his (Moses’s) involvement and effort in pursuing that goal. M r. N a g a m o o t o o i s i n d i r e c t l y implicating the Father of the Nation as an incompetent Indian leader who only wanted power. He is standing on Dr. Jagan’s grave and making these accusations. He is using reverse psychology when he says, “I am not his biological son, but Joey Jagan is on the AFC platform”. It was Mrs. Jagan, with the other Central Committee members, who refused Mr. Nagamootoo’s demand for

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sheep’s clothing. Suffice to say that Mr. Nagamootoo has left a trail of betrayal of his constituents, and he is no Jaganite, not by any stretch of the imagination. We dealt with Mr. Nagamootoo on numerous occasions at PPP fund-raising fairs, and my friend Mr. Premchand Dass, (God rest his sole) a confidante of Dr. Jagan, always told me of how ambitious Mr. Nagamootoo was. He always wanted to speak first and ride in the front seat with Dr. Jagan. He gives the impression that he was the closest to Dr. Jagan, and is more qualified for the position than anyone else. But Mr. Nagamootoo’s qualification can be described with one word: “egotistical.” Playing the role of Judas will get what my Nanie called katahar. Stay clear from the Minotaur. Fill up the cup. LATCHMAN MOHABIR

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

PPP is critical for Guyana’s Development

By Keith Burrowes OVER the next few weeks I will be dealing with several non-partisan issues. This week I’m addressing Public-Private Partnerships (Part 1) that I consider critical to Guyana’s economic development. Government’s development thrust revolves around Public-Private Partnerships. As a result, a number of ministers have, over the past months, been articulating the importance of this concept. In light of the topicality of the subject, I have decided to reprint this article which reflects my views on it. From all indications, the Government of Guyana will adopt the Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) model in promoting its development agenda. As stated in my first article on this topic, my opinions in these pieces do not represent my official capacity as (now former Head of) the Health Sector Development Unit, nor indeed any of

my other official capacities. The definition, as given by the 2006 EU Briefing Note on public-private partnerships, which I had adopted for the first article on this topic, is restated here: “A public-private partnership (PPP) is a contractual agreement between the public and the private sectors, whereby the private operator commits to provide public services that have traditionally been supplied or financed by public institutions. The ultimate goal of ‘P3s’ (to avoid the unintended political reference inherent in the other accepted contraction) is to obtain more “value for money” than traditional public procurement options would deliver.” ‘P3s’ have been arguably touted – within the various models – as an effective means of facilitating delivery of public services without the inefficiencies often associated or inherent in public service mechanisms. We do in fact have such arrangements in place in Guyana. To give as an example of a working P3, something that is a bit close to one aspect of my professional life, is the garbage collection in the city. The City Council has a mandate to remove waste from city properties, a service it has outsourced to several private companies. Notwithstanding the example given relative to the cost factor, P3 can also be done as part of a social responsibility of an agency (even on a short-term basis). However, with a new

government in the offing, I wish to generate some discussion on what possible new areas of P3 might be of some advantage to us, whether it’s to tap into new resources; reinvigorate old and lagging industries; introduce new technology, or capitalise on some unique benefit we may have. Looking at the research I’ve done in the past, I’ve discovered that Asian countries in particular seem to have gone the furthest in the developing world in instituting workable P3 programmes, although – as one might expect – it is the developed world, the United Kingdom (UK) being the foremost example, which has developed public-private partnerships into a high science. As mentioned earlier in the article, it is not that Guyana does not have operational P3s in place. What I am unaware of however – and I might be wrong in this regard – is the existence of an overarching policy framework in other jurisdictions to develop and govern such arrangements, such policy being a deliberate strategy to promote and increase the rate of development across sectors. There has been some focus to put this in place at a regional level. At the opening of CARICOM’s 19th Council on Human and Social Development (COHSOD) meeting right here in Guyana in April 2010, Secretary-General Edwin Carrington directly

linked the creation of a ‘P3’ policy framework to sustainable development in the Region. “Policy coherence in human and social development,” he said, “no doubt makes it imperative for labour to be mainstreamed into the social and economic strategies of the Region. Among other things, this… means establishing a vision of the parameters of growth and development that are directly linked to the human resource requirements as a main prerequisite of development. But these cannot be achieved without a concerted effort to harness sustainable public-private partnerships, strengthen institutional capabilities and create the enabling environment for human resource development.” The perennial problem with regional initiatives such as this is that they often do not go beyond the specific donor-funded conference. While it is true that this typical failure to launch often has an associated element of lack of funding, developing economies often do not have the capital to invest in the sort of trial-and-error conceptual development process that results in working practical programmes. That said, innovation often costs less than people make out. And in this case, the groundwork has largely been done already, with supporting information easily available — as it should be — in this the Internet Age. The Seoul Declaration on P3s in Asia was actually built upon

Government’s development thrust revolves around Public-Private Partnerships. As a result, a number of ministers have, over the past months, been articulating the importance of this concept. extensive work undertaken by the United Nations and enshrined in several declarations and other policy documents, beginning with the Millennium Declaration of September 2000. In short, the resources to at least begin the establishment of a P3 policy framework, as touted by CARICOM’s Secretary-General, are already well within the public domain, and accessible by UN members. There is no need, therefore, to reinvent the wheel in terms of the fundamentals of establishing P3s policy, particularly from a regional perspective. But what of the benefits of P3 arrangements? How does the average P3 impact upon everyday life for the ordinary person? Granted, the global tendency has been primarily towards large infrastructural projects, there have been examples of P3 projects across the gamut of public services. I cited the Mayor and City Council’s (M&CC) garbage-collection arrangement earlier, which falls under municipal ser-

vices. But there is also the area of health services, for example. The Caribbean Heart Institute is an excellent example of how a public partnership in health can work, marrying sustainability with affordability in the delivery of a crucial health care service. Further, cheap health care is an industry in itself, as the experience of countries such as Israel, Brazil, and Canada could attest to, with their health services programme run largely by private capital operating within a comprehensive policy framework as set out by government. It takes just a little imagination and resourcefulness therefore, in my view, to expand the range of health services that come under private-public partnerships locally, and who knows, eventually Guyana can count itself among the dozens of countries which offer health tourism services. This line of reasoning can also absolutely extend itself to other areas of our social and economic development. In what one can presume to be the absence of a documented policy however, a crucial first step would be for the Government and the Private Sector to proactively engage each other in developing a proper, codified public-private partnership policy. The time is therefore opportune as we are about to install a new Government. I’m happy to note that the Opposition has alluded to this strategy. I’ve observed the political parties articulating this concept.

APNU/AFC Valentine’s Day horoscope predicts death APNU/AFC vision and manifesto are a suicide for Guyana, and if we fail to remember the past, we are doomed, and never again will we enjoy freedom under APNU/AFC. We must safeguard (the present) and pray God these narcissistic psychopaths don’t get power. The horoscope of the APNU-AFC is as follows: PARLIAMENT: Will be the biggest with three rubberstamp vice presidents, five presidential advisors, and other ministerial portfolio for the AFC. ECONOMIC DESTRUCTION: The APNU-AFC has always called for Government to close the rice and sugar industries, as

these will cripple the PPP supporters’ base. The threats and lack of support to foreign investors will move Guyana back to PNC dictatorship. As Opposition, they never supported any projects that will improve the lives of Guyanese, such as the Berbice Bridge, specialist hospital, hydro-electric project, airport expansion. These power hungry individuals only want to destroy Guyana. MASS MIGRATION: As happened during the PNC era, those with economic wealth will go to a country free from racial discrimination and oppression, and having a secure environment. Look around Georgetown and in the rural areas and see who are building and

sustaining the economy. This will lead to lost revenue and collapse of the economic structures. Already many of the businessmen and foreign investors have indicated their intention to migrate should the APNU/AFC get in power. EDUCATION: Re-introduction of National Service, as outlined in Granger ’s book, will see hundreds of brilliant youths deprived of tertiary education, as happened under the PNC when a National Service certificate was better than CXC certificate. That was the machinery Burnham used to give his supporters the opportunity to access higher education and dominate the security forces.

D I S C R I M I N AT I O N : Party card to get a job, scholarship, entry into university, buy foodstuff and fuel; sexual exploitation for favours, as had happened under the PNC. How can the APNU/AFC treat every Guyanese equal when they never support the Government to balance the security forces and the public service ministries, and criticised the crime against one group. The effects are still present in all government-owned entities. It was so visible that Burnham and Green never had any Indo-Guyanese for security guard. This was obvious even in the land and house lot distribution that two per cent of Indo-Guyanese who

were given land had to have their daughters and wives mingle with PNC top ranks. SECURITY: The re-introduction of the secret criminal gang, the kickdown-the-door criminals to terrorise those who are not supporters of the PNC. The old dogs (Hammey, Granger, Corbin and many others) are hiding behind the screen like angels to fool the Guyanese that they have changed. This is the reason they are using “Gallows Bait” like Moses, Ramjattan, Roopnaraine, Glen Lall and that most ugly Indian Freddie Kissoon to attract and fool the Indo-Guyanese. But the vivid memories of all previous election violence, such as the Lusignan Massacre;

burning of businesses on Regent Street; beating and robbing of Indo-Guyanese; slow fire, more fire slogan; the famous jailbreak that terrorised Georgetown; and damaging of roads and government properties will remind Guyanese of the character and personality of those who want power at all cost. I call on all Guyanese at home and abroad to tell their children about the dark days under the PNC, and where we came from and what we have achieved. Only by making this comparison can we evaluate progress and safeguard the future generation. RAMGOPAUL ANTONY

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

Facing the realities at Obama’s meeting with CARICOM leaders – after Jamaica, summit in Panama

Analysis by Rickey Singh

Yes, the brief Presidential visit to Jamaica also provides for a hurriedly arranged summit meeting between Mr Obama and CARICOM Heads of Government. However, once there is the will, decisions of significance could be achieved before the US President flies out to Panama to participate in

and economic development within CARICOM remain constant amid comparatively high levels of unemployment -- including rising joblessness among youth -- as well as the depressing rates of murders and other gun-related crimes across the Community, including Guyana. These and related issues would

leaders in Jamaica would contrast with informal meetings they held with him on the margins of both the Fifth and Sixth Summits of the Americas held, respectively, in Trinidad and Tobago in April 2009 and Colombia in May 2013.

President Donald Ramotar

US President Barrack Obama

Foreign Minister Carolyn-Rodrigues

Jamaica Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller

dent Barack Obama, brief as it would be. After all, it’s a rare occurrence for the leader of the world’s sole superpower to include a one-day state visit to a small Caribbean island; one, nevertheless, with a most impressive post-emancipation history that spreads the gamut with names well known to President Obama, his advisers and the American people. Whether, that is, the issues relate to Caribbean and international political developments; ‘Rastaman’ and ‘ganja’ culture; sports and the performing arts; or names like Marcus Garvey, Bob Marley and Usain Bolt. Also in the era of hemispheric political developments we can well recall Michael Manley’s linking of his People’s National Party as a firm ally of Fidel Castro’s revolutionary Cuba and, subsequently, for Jamaica to become one of the original quartet of CARICOM states to bring Cuba out of the diplomatic isolation to which it had been placed by then President Jack Kennedy’s administration.

the coming Seventh Summit of the Americas on April 10-11. Perhaps he may even engage in a goodwill gesture by inviting his Jamaican host, Prime Minister Simpson-Miller, to join him on ‘Air Force One’ on the flight to Panama (yes?). President Donald Ramotar is expected to be at both the Jamaica and Panama summits with Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett. So far as the hours of summit meeting in Jamaica is concerned, CARICOM Secretary General Irwin LaRocque said in our telephone conversation that he expects a ‘very positive response’ by the Community’s leaders.

THE people of Jamaica and the Caribbean Community in general have something of much political significance to look forward to after the Easter holidays. Yes, it’s the impending official state visit next month by Presi-

KEEPING EXPECTATIONS LOW Nevertheless, if such previous high-level summit meetings offer any guidance, our Heads of Government would be advised against high expectations for gestures of significance from the US President, despite frequent ‘friendship’ assurances. Increasing challenges to social

most certainly be major concerns for discussion during the CARICOM leaders' tight working hours with Mr Obama - the third US President to make an official visit to this Region within 32 years. The first of the presidential trio to do so was Mr Ronald Reagan in 1982 to Jamaica. Mr Edward Seaga was then Prime Minister. Curiously, Reagan’s Jamaica visit was to be followed by the US military invasion of Grenada in October 1983 in which Prime Minister Seaga and his now late prime ministerial colleague of Dominica, Dame Eugenia Charles, were key players. Then followed in May 1997 President Bill Clinton’s summit meeting with Caribbean leaders in Barbados with a special focus on regional security that included sensitive issues on drugs trafficking and illegal trading in small arms. Host for that historic event was then Prime Minister Owen Arthur, currently sitting as an “independent” in parliament. The scheduled caucus between President Obama and CARICOM

CRITICAL REFLECTIONS Now comes President Obama’s tightly packed official visit to Jamaica. Perhaps it’s time for some critical reflections by CARICOM Governments on the pluses and minuses from the separate visits to this Region and discussions held with the trio of US Presidents - Reagan and Clinton and, soon, with Obama. In between those years, the only US President to host a structured formal meeting with CARICOM Heads of Government in Washington was President George W. Bush, in contrast to recurring requests by Caricom for a scheduled summit with President Obama who, nevertheless remains popular with the people of this Region and, generally, more so with the wider Caribbean/Latin America diaspora in the USA. It would not be surprising if President Obama seeks to raise his administration’s concerns over what it projects as growing undemocratic and dictatorial tendencies in

Venezuela under the administration of President Nicolas Maduro, successor to the late popular revolutionary leader, Hugo Chavez who had maintained close and friendly relations with CARICOM member states via trade and economic projects.

Former US President Bill Clinton

For their part, while CARICOM Governments have, varyingly, expressed interest in the normalisation of diplomatic and economic relations between Washington and Caracas, in the interest of hemispheric peace and stability it would be surprising to witness any immediate shift away from the prevailing confrontational politics . However, President Obama, leader of the world’s sole superpower, would be aware that Washington has a very hard political row to hoe in making out Caracas as the original ‘villain’ for their deteriorating soured relations. Let’s hope that expressions of “genuine friendship” between superpower USA and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela could yet deliver practical forms of new initiatives to replace today’s unhelpful, hostile posturings in Washington and Caracas. As of now, their diplomatic stand-off seems set to further unravel in Panama during the 7th Summit of the Americas. (Rickey Singh is a noted Guyana-born, Barbados-based Caribbean journalist)

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

Development gains in spite of Opposition’s no-confidence motion

By Dr. Prem Misir GUYANA votes in 43 days in its General and Regional Elections. The elections are a clear two-party (PPP/C and APNU-AFC coalition) race. Billed in some quarters as the mother of all elections, which for me means to deepen democratic gains and continue to move Guyana forward. Bringing out the vote then becomes decisive, where literally every vote counts and where each party will do its utmost to bring out all its supporters to the polls. Guyana’s last election was on November 28, 2011, when the PPP/C won the majority of votes, but without a majority in Parliament. The Opposition APNU-AFC held a one-seat parliamentary majority, and was the de facto coalition since 2011. Over the enue. And over the last three years, APNU-AFC cut business brought an alarming spate of gridlock to the last three years, motivated and sweetened through its $89 billion from the budget, inclusive of $4 billion point where APNU-AFC became the ‘Coalition Party slim parliamentary majority, APNU-AFC coalition ex- for Amerindian development and $200 million for of No’ and a ‘No-Nothing Coalition Party’. On its scorecard, the PPP/C commands a considerted enormous efforts to control and shape the PPP/C the University of Guyana student loan fund. In 2010, Government’s agenda and ultimately to become the de about 90% of the population had access to improved erable electoral advantage. For instance, the PPP/C has never lost General and Regional Elections in facto government, but failed outrightly in these mean water and about 85% to improved sanitation. Again, in 1992, about two-thirds of students did Guyana, making for a winnable probability come May ambitious endeavours. And amid the experience of recurring failures to realise its parliamentary goals, not receive regular secondary education as they were 11, 2015; APNU-AFC’s excessive and far-fetched the coalition’s sights were then reprogrammed to placed in secondary departments of primary schools doomsday stories on Guyana do make the PPP/C the remove the PPP/C Government from office. But who or in community high schools; today, Guyana is in the best party with the perfect message, a rarity in poliproximity of universal secondary education. This list tics; APNU-AFC coalition’s unusually high deceptive would bell the cat? During that period, the AFC, the minority com- of developmental gains, and this is not an exhaustive pessimism and gloom about Guyana aid the PPP/C to ponent of the de facto coalition with APNU, seized list, makes nonsense of AFC’s no-confidence motion. forge ahead and to remain unstoppable; and there is a And so, with no substance to the motion except view out there that a vote for APNU-AFC coalition is the opportunity to initiate action toward achieving the prized goal of ousting the Government; and at the hunger for personal political power, President a vote for the PNC because sections of the electorate the same time, hoping that through this initiative, Donald Ramotar then prorogued Parliament on No- see the charioteer of the coalition APNU as really it could enhance its political standing with APNU vember 10, 2014, dissolved it on February 28, 2015, the PNC; the PNC’s negative symbolisms and its ‘dictatorship’ track record and the Guyanese people. would resonate with the And so the AFC’s oneOn its scorecard, the PPP/C commands a considerable electoral advantage. For people. line no-confidence motion The no-confidence against the PPP/C Governinstance, the PPP/C has never lost General and Regional Elections in Guyana, motion brings to light ment saw the light of day, making for a winnable probability come May 11, 2015; APNU-AFC’s excessive the true colours of the which reads thus: “Be it and far-fetched doomsday stories on Guyana do make the PPP/C the best party AFC and APNU, in that resolved that this National with the perfect message, a rarity in politics; APNU-AFC coalition’s unusual- both had a de facto coAssembly has no confialition since the start dence in the Government.” ly high deceptive pessimism and gloom about Guyana aid the PPP/C to forge But what aspects of the ahead and to remain unstoppable; and there is a view out there that a vote for of the 10th Parliament with their focus firmly PPP/C Government is the APNU-AFC coalition is a vote for the PNC because sections of the electorate fixed on obstruction, that no-confidence against? see the charioteer of the coalition APNU as really the PNC; the PNC’s negative is, blocking the PPP/C Here is a small sample of some developmental gains symbolisms and its ‘dictatorship’ track record would resonate with the people. Government’s agenda. The AFC’s no-confidence in 2013: the growth rate motion was weak beof Real Gross Domestic cause it failed to specify Product (GDP) increased to 5.2% in 2013 from 4.8% in 2012; per capita GDP and announced May 11, 2015 as the election date. It substantial areas of the PPP/C’s work it cannot at US$3,496.3; net international reserves at the Bank is remarkable that the coming elections represent the support, as a no-confidence motion should focus of Guyana at US$751.2; inflation at 0.9%; infant third time that the PPP as the Government has had on concerns with significant implications for movmortality rate at 12.9 per 1,000 live births; almost to relinquish office before the statutory due date for ing a country forward; and therefore, the current 100% immunization against DPT, MMR, yellow fe- elections, the first time was in the 1960s, the second no-confidence motion was insufficient as a criterion ver, polio, TB (BCG); about 10 physicians per 10,000 occasion related to the Herdmanston Accord in 2001, to move Guyana to the polls. The PPP/C Government did not buy it, and so it was not a factor in population; about 15 nurses per 10,000 population; and now in 2015. It should be noted, however, that the likelihood taking the country to the polls; the PPP/C deterabout 25 hospital beds per 10,000 population; 1.4% prevalence rate for HIV and AIDS for adults aged of the 10th Parliament, which arose from the 2011 mined its own terms for the May 11, 2015 elections. 15-49; case detection rate of Tuberculosis at 78 per elections, would have completed its full tenure was In effect, the AFC’s no-confidence motion was never on the cards, as the Opposition APNU-AFC unnecessary. But what the no-confidence proposal 100,000 persons. In addition, the economy in 1992 was US$300 coalition rejected practically everything the PPP/C did, however, is to make the PPP/C’s developmenmillion, now it is over US$3 billion; aggregate bank Government tabled, gradually plotting its removal tal gains a focal point, and quite rightly so, and in deposits are now up 15-fold, with low interest rates; from office long before the 2016 due date for the next turn, providing an immense electoral advantage and debt services today utilise less than 5% of rev- elections. And constant rejection of the Government’s to the PPP/C.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

DECONSTRUCTING THE OPPOSITION’S AGENDA By Teayken A. Dhigg

An imposition of convenient amnesia

Part 4

– The PNC stifled the development of young people IT has become mind-boggling today to see how the Opposition would make you believe that they have the welfare of young Guyanese at heart, but when during its tenure in government, the youths were not only marginalised, but were subjected to various means of oppression. While together with the masses they suffered the same fate from a collapsed economy that resulted in bankruptcy, opportunities for their development and advancement were extremely limited, if not non-existent. From a nutritional standpoint, their physical development was stymied. Much was already said about the dire situation regarding the availability of basic food and clearly the negative impact it precipitated with regards to healthy growth. That needs no convincing. The lack of basic food was not confined to biological and humanitarian effects, but it impacted youth development in many ways. The situation forced a large number of young boys and girls into the arduous everyday task

of farming in support of parents in an effort to try and put some form of food on the table. It must be noted that this was not the case where a child then had the option of assisting whenever he/ she could and still be able to do the things that are engrained in normal childhood; they basically had little or no choice. It became a norm to see young children with garden forks, cutlasses and shovels, tilling land and tending to crops every day. In many instances, they had to fetch water from nearby trenches or long distances to provide some form of nourishment for the crops. Some may want to question what is wrong with children doing such tasks and would label this article as an attempt to disparage the PNC. For those who may harbour such sentiments even today, as a reminder, a child between eight and twelve years having to stand in the harsh heat of the sun and withstand rain to deliver the tasks mentioned, could not be humane. Mind you, the children and the parents, may not, and I am emphasising may, have even

considered it as being inhumane. In the same vein, the parents may not have even contemplated or heard of the term, child labour. It was basically a family effort for survival. A ten year old fetching a bucket of water from long distances or forking solid ground to plant a seed could never have been easy and would probably be unacceptable in some parts today and within the current mindset of some. Those now who enjoy a far better life and who may want to see it differently, must be asked if they would today see their children engaging in such tasks and not be concerned about the effects on their development. As a matter of fact, the welfare of children today has become so protected, that, for many, engaging in such tasks may not even be contemplated. While children still assist with chores, the situation is vastly different today than it was then. In the past, as a result of children engaging in those onerous tasks, unfortunately, many were forced to opt out of school for it became extremely difficult for that

type of multitasking. Of course, there were those who sacrificed and multitasked with the hope that education would provide the ticket out of such dire circumstances. One simple statistic would help to better understand an aspect of this. Then, only about thirty-two percent of the children were at school. Compared to now, the country has achieved universal primary education and is on the verge of achieving the same in the secondary category. The reasons for such low figures under the PNC rule would not have confined to children being engaged in onerous tasks alone, but was compounded by the deliberate failing of students in assessment examinations simply because there wasn’t enough schools for accommodation. I alluded to that in a previous article. But the point being made here, is that under the PNC, which is now in disguise as the APNU/ AFC coalition, the nation’s youth were deliberately stifled and forced to endure in laborious tasks thereby curtailing whatever opportunities

may have been available for their development, both physically and academically. They were not a priority and when one is to listen to the same leaders of the PNC, APNU/ AFC today, you would conclude that they are the bastions of security with regards to children’s welfare. Clearly they are not given their track record. But if there were doubts given the passage of time, only in 2014, the Opposition cut the budget to deny loans for students attending the University of Guyana and from the Amerindian development fund similarly denying hinterland students opportunities for advancement. This was part of an agenda to stifle the country and its people; an agenda which has not changed despite changes in the Opposition’s name. In the next edition, I would examine the physiological scars the PNC’s National Service inflicted on the young minds. It was a service with a focused agenda which was not in keeping with the welfare of youths. Of course, the PNC wouldn’t admit to that.

De Kissoon girl keeping de Palm Tree legacy alive!

POTSALT read how ‘Vanesta’ hollering that she was never arrested fuh trying and bruk up a Cup meeting de other day in de town that is name after Forbes. In de whole long letter that gat she name in de papers, she never deny she attempts fuh bruk up de meeting! De Police had fuh intervene though. Whether she want fuh call it no-arrest or whatever, de Police had a reason fuh stop she from doing what she was doing! That

is not de first time that Vanesta was involve in trying fuh bruk up things in that town! Nobody ain’t forget de protest there! People who following de doings of Vanesta, seh she just doing what de Palm Tree Party is known for and that she just being loyal to it. Everybody know how that Party use to go bruk up plenty Cup meetings. Sometimes it wasn’t de meeting alone dem use to bruk up, but people too! A old man with good remembrance tell

Potsalt how de Palm Tree Party had a special department fuh bruk up meetings. De seh that Vanesta might be a product of that department. He was explaining that certain traits does pass down through heredity to people. Potsalt and others when examining de PNC/Alliance, seeing all de traits coming through. De alliance bruk up everything in de last Parliament that had fuh do with development. People remember that is not only devel-

opment projects dem bruk like de Hydro and so on, but dem wanted fuh bruk up de government with de no-confidence motion that Uncle Donald was forced to prorogue! But even before that, all de plenty protest that de Palm/ Tree Party organise, end up with nuff thing getting bruk up. When de Key Party join dem fuh protest in Forbes town and east bank, plenty other things get bruk up! People seh how de Key Party was a

fast learner on how fuh bruk up things like de Palm Tree Party! That is why now dem could be one and de same in de alliance! De same people know that whatever Vanesta doing is not just about she, but it is about keeping the Palm Tree Party legacy and lineage alive! Potsalt wouldn’t be surprise if she try fuh bruk up more Cup meetings. Hope de Police still watching! Potsalt gone! Fuh now!

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

Inspiring voters with our words By Shaun Michael Samaroo

WE want to commend the main political parties for their real efforts at cultivating a national stage this elections season that inspires and motivates the Guyanese nation. Campaigning seems to be moving in the right direction. After President Donald Ramotar announced national and regional elections for May 11 next, we’re seeing a transformation of the bitter verbal feud that bedeviled the 10th Parliament. What citizens encounter in the public space shapes how Guyanese experience their social life. In seeing and hearing positive words and images and videos, we feel warm inside, with an inspired satisfaction that we Guyanese are a progressive people, developing and moving forward. The ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP) rolls out glittering newspaper and television advertisements focused on our achievements, successes and positive developments. We encounter these commercials feeling good, boosted with optimism, fulfilled that our Guyana holds its own in the global village, as a fast emerging 21st century society. When the Opposition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), issued a public statement last week cautioning one of its own senior member against negative campaigning, because she had heckled a political meeting in Linden, the Opposition had joined the ruling party to ensure we experience a peaceful, sensible, workable social space, even in the rough and tumble of regional and national elections. With the subsuming of the Alliance For Change (AFC) in APNU, we see the Opposition touting, in their organisational name, the ideas of alliance and partnership. These words connote good, positive vibes, and stir Guyanese with hope that the days of political divides are coming to a close, after 50 years of acrimony, strife and dissent. Since 2011, the political atmosphere became poisoned, demotivating and demoralising citizens, with Parliamentarians the main culprit in fostering a negative air over the land. So it’s refreshing to wake up now to encounter a new, fresh atmosphere as we work to rally citizens to the cause of democracy and choosing our Government through free and fair elections.

The babble of vicious words of vengeance and revenge from the AFC seems toned down these days, and APNU’s leader, Brigadier David Granger, seems determined to manage a quiet, refined, cultivated leadership of his Opposition force. We must empathise with him, as this task could not be easy: to harness the various voices within the coalition party must be a full-time job in itself. So we want to commend APNU for its signals, for showing that it’s willing to conduct a decent, calm, positive campaign. It’s unfortunate that the Opposition doesn’t spend a lot of time talking of its vision, development projects and goals for the Guyanese people. We hear too much of vengeance politics, with words like jail, prison, corruption, and generalised wanton criticism of Government’s development projects like the Marriot constantly the subject of discussion. Guyanese are fed up of this paranoid obsession with verbal attacks on personalities within Government, with no concrete evidence to back up wild allegations and sleazy soundbites. The negative words of folks

nities, and realigned our macroeconomic structural integrity so that Guyanese could self-develop with ease. The Opposition would want to admit these things, to be magnanimous, authentic and real, and show its generosity of spirit, to commend those areas where Government made real progress, and to praise the PPP for the successes it achieved over the past two and a half decades. Guyanese don’t want the Opposition to worship Government,

Stories of Guyanese rising and excelling in life abound in our nation. We’re seeing young Guyanese in political advertisements of the ruling party regale the nation with their achievements and successes. On the other hand, we see in influential sections of the national media a constant fuelling of a dependency syndrome, this insistence that Government should magically provide a fairytale life for anybody who has a grouse or complaint. This unrealistic expectation fuels a national stage of unworkable negativity. like Carl Greenidge and Christopher Jones and others could disrupt the open, free opportunity Guyanese enjoy today to really cultivate a national stage where we discuss ideas, visions and concepts for leapfrogging Guyana firmly as an emerging global society. We ’ v e c o m e a l o n g w a y since we achieved democracy in 1992, with freely and fairly elected governments under the ruling party taking us to a positive place, after facing nearly three decades of dictatorship that caused our socio-economic devastation. The recovery process is ongoing, but it’s decidedly happening. We’ve overcome gross poverty, solved the housing crisis that crippled Guyanese families for decades, whereby by 1990 massive ghetto squatting areas had sprouted up across commu-

or to abandon its watchdog role. In fact, President Ramotar ’s Government would welcome suggestions and ideas for ironing out some of the kinks we continue to encounter as a society. The President stands committed, as he’s said over and over, to a clean, progressive, collaborative and cooperative leadership culture in this nation. We empathise with him for what he faced from the rampantly misguided 10th Parliament, which felt it held a right to dictate to the Government how the nation should be managed, thus choking off all efforts at cooperation, collaboration and consultation within Parliament. Refusing to see that it’s Government’s prerogative on how the Amaila Hydroelectric project and the Marriot and the Specialty Hospital and the international airport got built, and how the

Procurement Commission and so on function, the Opposition obsessed with opposing all and sundry, thus crippling President Ramotar’s effectiveness in these projects. This elections season we want to see an end to that air of poisoned verbal attacks on Government and on State projects. We want to see Khemraj Ramjattan and Moses Nagamootoo and Greenidge and Brigadier Granger and others regale us with their vision, goals and dreams for the Guyanese nation, for them to stir in our hearts a new consciousness and new insights and new ideas for how we’ll tackle the task of working together to elevate Guyana beyond the lofty heights we’ve achieved today. The Opposition’s got a real opportunity to showcase a new national atmosphere this elections season, and Guyanese citizens would feel good about our body politic were we to hear and see and feel positive words and utterances from all leaders, both Government and Opposition. One critical problem we face in Guyana today surrounds the national media. Our national newspapers choose to headline gore, gossip and grossness on their front pages, and TV news and social commentators indulge in insults, sleaze and slander. This generates a national atmosphere of negativity, and fuels the base emotive instincts of the population, and even of leaders. We encounter our national media landscape, and mirror or imitate what unenlightened publishers, editors and writers insist on filling our minds with, these words that appeal to our base instincts, that refuse to lift us to the noble place of a thinking nation. But with the grotesque failure in the influential media space, the responsibility rests on the shoulders of our political leaders

this elections season to ignore the rampant negativity of biased and prejudiced media practitioners, while insisting on cultivating a positive playing field. One presupposition of Opposition leaders and those who insist on missing the point of Guyana’s development and elevated place in the world today, is this belief in fuelling a dependency syndrome in citizens. Government creates the open, free, fair playing field whereby citizens who work hard and exercise discipline and cultivate necessary essential life skills for personal self-development, would achieve their individual dreams and visions. Stories of Guyanese rising and excelling in life abound in our nation. We’re seeing young Guyanese in political advertisements of the ruling party regale the nation with their achievements and successes. On the other hand, we see in influential sections of the national media a constant fuelling of a dependency syndrome, this insistence that Government should magically provide a fairytale life for anybody who has a grouse or complaint. This unrealistic expectation fuels a national stage of unworkable negativity. In this elections season, our politicians must exercise a responsible attitude towards owning the social space with their words, seeking to motivate, inspire and lift the spirits of citizens, seeking to build a national social space that hums with positive vibes and harmonious magnanimity. Leading the way in this, the PPP’s official campaign has got off on the right foot, and the APNU party seems to be following suit, signalling an image of positive peacefulness, though we want to hear visions, ideas and developmental concepts in the public speeches of its leaders.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

PPP hauled this country out of a financial black hole

– AG Nandlall says PNC destructive both in and out of Gov’t ATTORNEY General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall has warned the electorate about the People’s National Congress (PNC) party, saying that that party has maintained in the Caribbean an unenviable record of being destructive both in and out of Government. His pronouncements came against the backdrop of fast approaching General and Regional Elections, and as the coalition of A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) prepare to launch its campaign in Berbice today at Whim village in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne). That coalition’s archrival, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), will be rallying the masses today in Georgetown at a campaign billed for staging at the Kitty Market Square. The ruling party is seeking both to remain in power and to regain a majority of seats in the National Assembly, which it lost in the 2011 elections. Speaking at a recent party rally at Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara, the Attorney General was adamant that the PNCR is the controller of APNU, and that it has managed to recruit the Alliance For Change (AFC) as the latest member of its harem of ‘concubines’. The PNCR-controlled APNU and the AFC, he said, are now one in ideology. Nandlall told the sizeable gathering of supporters that the APNU+AFC alliance’s call for change is misguided.

He opined that the PNC is suffering from an identity crisis and is doing all it can to change. Buttressing his argument, Minister Nandlall said that since the PNC party lost power in the first democratic elections held in 1992, it has changed its identity from PNC to PNCR (Reform), then to PNCR-1 Guyana, then to APNU; but it remains essentially the same outfit in character. UNCHANGING CHARACTER Today, he said, the PNC party is called APNU+AFC; but although that party has repeatedly changed its name, it has not changed its character and vintage tendencies. Nandlall pointed out that the APNU+AFC is really the PNC in disguise, the party that had, for 28 years, maintained a stranglehold on power through violence, extra-judicial killings, political assassinations, and wanton abuse of the citizenry, including the banning of basic foods items. He urged the gathering, listening with rapt attention, to know the ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing’; and he said that many young people today would not be aware, but in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the votes of their parents and grandparents had been trampled upon, and demand for scrutiny had been silenced by the bullet. He was referring to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), in the 1970s in Berbice, gunning down two young men who had been concerned about the safety and integrity of the

A section of the gathering at the Vreed-en-Hoop meeting

ballot boxes. Nandlall said that instruction to members of the Guyana Defence Force to use deadly force could only have come from their superiors in the army, and APNU+AFC Leader, retired Brigadier David Granger, had been a senior functionary in the GDF at that time. “Granger has blood on his hands!” Nandlall told the gathering. He asked: “Is this the man who you want to lead the country?” And the crowd responded with a resounding “No!” “They not only rigged the elections,” he said, “they muzzled the press, denying newsprint for the PPP newspaper, the Mirror, and the Working People’s Alliance’s (WPA) Dayclean.” ALPHA and OMEGA And as if that were not enough, Minister Nandlall said the PNC proudly flew their party flag over the Court of Appeal, signalling to all and sundry -- except their ‘boys’ -- that the party was the ‘alpha’ and ‘omega’ when it came to the provision of justice. Nandlall said the PNC controlled the Police Force, the army, and several militia groups; and through these and the court system, they made clear to the populace that whatever wrong they did was to be considered right. “They run the country like their private property,” he said, “and in doing so, they ran it into the ground,” he told the gathering of men, women and children who listened attentively.

Nandlall also said, “The freedom of the people was taken away, the economy collapsed, and every sector was lost when the PNC left office in 1992.” BURNHAM/D’AGUIAR He said that when Prime Minister Forbes Burnham of the PNC teamed up with Peter D’ Aguiar of The United Force (TUF) to edge Dr Cheddi Jagan from power, the country had, at that time, been touted as the breadbasket of the Caribbean; but when the PNC party was voted out of office in 1992, the nation hardly had any bread for itself. That was part of the ‘high heap’ of challenges the PPP/C Government had to confront when it assumed power, he said; and amidst great struggle, the PPPC has managed, since 1992, to haul Guyana out of a financial black hole and position it on the path to prosperity today. Challenges still remain, he conceded; but, he said, it calls for the collective will of the people, in that resilient spirit of the PPP/C, to “make it happen”. And a simple way to so do is for the people to vote unreservedly and unapologetically for the PPP/C, come May 11, he advised. He warned that the destructive propensity of the PNC is no secret, and that, even in Opposition, the party brutalised, burned and looted; and through APNU, with the help of the AFC, it slashed Government’s transformational projects, denying jobs for thousands. But yet, he said, they scream about un-

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall speaking at the Vreed-en-Hoop public meeting last week

employment and complain about progress. PROGRESS Today, he said, the majority of Guyanese own their own homes; and this programme will intensify if the PPP/C Government is re-elected. Children, he said, are given free meals and school uniforms by the Government to encourage them to attend school; and the physical landscape of the country has been transformed. Saying that progress is there for all to see, Minister Nandlall contended that one has to objectively ask one’s self the following questions: How many (persons had) owned their own homes 20 years ago, and how many own their own homes today? How many used to cook on ‘fireside’, and how many still do so today? How many had television 20 years ago, and how many have today? What was the state of the roads 20 years ago, and what is the state today? How many owned a vehicle 20 years ago, and how many own a vehicle today, and what type is it? And how many had access to a telephone 20 years ago, and how many have access today? Today, he said, practically every child has a cellphone,

and some are even called “mango pelters”. Guyana, he said, has attained the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of Universal Primary Education; and when eight more classrooms have been completed (expected before September), Guyana would have attained the MDG of Universal Secondary Education. The Government, Nandlall said, is investing heavily in education, as it realises that education is the vehicle to take people out of poverty, and the country also needs a skilled workforce to move by leaps and bounds. Once re-elected with a majority, Nandlall said, the Government would bring the hydro project the Opposition voted down back on stream; build a deep water harbour; and construct the road from Georgetown to Lethem. While acknowledging that every country is affected by corruption, Nandlall said the Government has never denied the existence of corruption, but continues to fight the scourge. He said too, that the future of Guyana is bright and he called on the Vreeden-Hoop gathering and the masses to give their full support to the PPP/C on May 11. (Tajeram Mohabir)

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

NCN to host three rounds of debates ahead of May 11 polls

– Political Opposition to confirm participation By Vanessa Narine THREE rounds of debates leading up to the May 11 General and Regional Elections have been proposed by the National Communications Network (NCN), and the political Opposition is expected to confirm their participation by tomorrow (Monday). Managing Director of the Network, Mrs Molly Hassan, confirmed in an invited comment yesterday that the invitation addressed to retired Brigadier David Granger was delivered on Thursday. “We have requested that, at a minimum, two persons be nominated to participate (in each round of debates). Each speaker will be given equal time to present, and members of the public will also have a chance to ask questions,” Mrs Hassan disclosed.

Mrs Molly Hassan, Chief Executive Officer of NCN

She said the first round of debates is scheduled to begin in the new month. “There are three locations for the first round of debates. The first is at Tain Campus, Port Mourant; Theatre Guild in Georgetown, and the Linden Concert Hall,” she said. Asked about the topics, Hassan said the issues recommended for discussion

Popular television personality Ms Wanita Huburn will be producing a 30-minute programme ‘News in Conversation’

range from the state and future of the sugar industry to national security. It is expected that, on April 1, the future of the sugar industry will be debated at the Tain Campus; and on April 8, political representatives will debate

Mr Imran Khan, Chief Communications Office for the APNU+AFC coalition

national security at the Theatre Guild. The last debate in round one is set for the Linden Concert Hall, where issues pertinent to the bauxite industry would be addressed. Relative to the issues up for debate in round two, Mrs Hassan explained that Mr Granger has been invited to

make recommendations. The logistics of round three are still to be finetuned. Additionally, NCN is expected to begin airing a new programme, ‘News in Conversation’, which is a 30-minute programme. “It will be an opportunity for politicians on both sides to address topical issues, the day’s news, and share their views,” Mrs Hassan said. ‘News in Conversation’ is scheduled to be aired five days a week, and popular television personality Ms Wanita Huburn is the programme’s producer. “Ms Huburn has been in

contact with Mr Imran Khan, Chief Communications Office for the APNU+AFC coalition (A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change), and GECOM (Guyana Elections Commission), as well as the PPP/C (People’s Progressive Party/Civic),” she explained. The first group of speakers to be engaged on ‘News in Conversation’ is to be confirmed. Meanwhile, representatives from the two major political parties, PPP/C and APNU+AFC, have indicated their willingness to engage each other in public debates.

Former President Jagdeo says not on PPP/C elections ticket SPECULATIONS have been rife and running riot regarding the future role of former President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo in managing the affairs of this nation, but his position remains an emphatic ‘no’ when it comes to resumption of public office in a political capacity. Dr Jagdeo’s breaking his three-year silence and stepping back into the limelight with a speech at Babu John earlier this month and a subsequent news conference may have been what has triggered the widespread proliferation of speculations. “I am not on the ticket. I’m not interested in any constitutional post…the Opposition need not worry,” he told a news conference yesterday at Freedom House on Robb Street, Georgetown. Dr Jagdeo added that his name will not be on the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) List of Candidates to be submitted on Nomination Day, April 7. “I will not be on the list…I have no intention of going into Parliament,” he

‘I am pleased that one press conference and one speech would generate so much worry among the Opposition’ – Dr Bharrat Jagdeo believes he has “some skills” he could leverage to support the new Government.

Dr Bharrat Jagdeo

said, adding that he had not been included on the 2011 list, nor does he have an interest in a full time job with the Government. Incumbent President Donald Ramotar recently announced that his predecessor, a former Finance Minister, has been appointed Chairman of the impending National Economic Council; and Dr Jagdeo made it clear yesterday that he would serve in that capacity because he

UP IN ARMS Dr Jagdeo quipped at the fact that the political Opposition seem to be ‘up in arms’ after he had made only two public appearances, one speech and one press conference. “This is after three years of not saying anything…I am pleased that one press conference and one speech would generate so much worry among the Opposition,” he said. Dr Jagdeo admitted knowledge of the comments emanating from co-campaign manager of the coalition of A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), Mr Raphael Trotman, regarding the former president’s “prominence” on the campaign trail. Trotman’s comments were also questioned, given

that Dr Jagdeo has made two public appearances and the PPP/C campaign will be launched today in Kitty, Georgetown, where Dr Jagdeo is slated to speak. “I have not joined the campaign trail…. From tomorrow (today), I will join the campaign when our campaign is launched…. I don’t know what prominence he is referring to…I don’t know where this is coming from,” he said. Dr Jagdeo confirmed that he would be on the campaign trail, and that he would be supporting his party and the PPP/C leadership ticket of incumbent President Donald Ramotar and prime ministerial candidate Ms Elisabeth Harper. “I am only prepared to support my movement and help my Government; a Government headed by President Donald Ramotar,” he assured. (Vanessa Narine)

Sunday, March 29, 2015 - 13:00 hrs Monday, March 30, 2015 - 14:00 hrs Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - 14:30 hrs

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

Diaspora prefers PPP, vexed with – according to AFC, rejects APNU NACTA poll AN informal opinion poll on Guyana’s electoral discourse being conducted by NACTA in the last few weeks in the New York metro area has revealed findings that are an almost exact replica of those found

in Guyana. The survey has found that a large majority of Guyanese prefers the ruling PPP to the APNU-AFC alliance to govern Guyana. Most AFC supporters are vexed with their party and some have

withdrawn from supporting it because of its tie up (marriage of convenience) with the APNU (PNC). A large majority rejects APNU saying it is the PNC under disguise latching on to the AFC to come to power. The diaspora fears the restoration of tyrannical rule should PNC (renamed APNU) return to power through its electoral alliance with the AFC. The majority of the New York-based diaspora equate PPP with progress and development and APNU (PNC) with decline and underdevelopment. But they are not all in praise of the policies of the PPP with many saying the party needs to undergo serious reforms, reject

DEMERARA CRICKET BOARD NOTICE

NOTICE

March 28, 2015 Pursuant to the Guyana Cricket Administration Act (Act No. 14 of 2014) and due to the absence of an Annual General Meeting of the Demerara Cricket Board (a body corporate) in January 2015 and consequent upon there being no lawful Executive Committee thereof, the membership of the Demerara Cricket Board held a meeting on 27 March 2015 at the GUYNIC Sports Club in Woolford Avenue, Non-Pariel Park, Georgetown to discuss and determine the way forward. At the meeting, it was unanimously decided by the membership of the Demerara Cricket Board and in accordance with the provisions of the aforesaid Act to hold the Annual General Meeting on Thursday 30 April 2015 commencing 5.00 pm at the Guynic Sports Club, Woolford Avenue, Non-Pariel Park, Georgetown. Members are hereby invited to attend this important meeting. The agenda for the meeting is: 1. Call to order and registration 2. Prayers 3. Appointment of Returning Officer 4. Election of Officer Bearers of the Demerara Cricket Board 5. Any Other Business 6. Closing remarks In accordance with the provisions of the aforesaid Act, the membership of the DEMERARA CRICKET BOARD and their delegate representation are: the Georgetown Cricket Association – seven (7) persons, the East Coast Cricket Board – seven (7) persons, the East Bank Cricket Association – seven (7) persons, the West Demerara Cricket Association – seven (7) persons and the Upper Demerara Cricket Association three (3) persons. The Public is hereby notified that Mr. Sudesh Persaud who is purporting to be an executive member of the Demerara Cricket Board is unrelated to the Board and as such is not authorized to make any statement or transact any business for or on behalf of the DEMERARA CRICKET BOARD. By order of The Membership of the DEMERARA CRICKET BOARD

several arrogant officials, and recruit credible members of the civic community to be on its electoral list. The survey spoke with dozens of Indo Guyanese in Queens and a smaller number of Afro-Guyanese in Brooklyn. It was conducted by Dr. Vishnu Bisram, Director of NACTA Polling. Although a large number of the diaspora are dissatisfied with PPP Governance, they feel it is a better alternative to the alliance led by the PNC (APNU). The majority does not view the APNU-AFC alliance as attractive, expressing fear of a repeat of history when the PNC and UF formed an alliance to defeat the PPP during the 1960s. They noted that after capturing power, the PNC used its majority to kick out the UF resulting in the establishment of a PNC dictatorship and all the attendant abuses between 1964 and 1992. Guyanese Americans see APNU as the PNC, and they are not pleased with the AFC forming an alliance with it. While many overseas-based Guyanese say they are comfortable with the AFC, and would have supported the party had it fought the election alone, they feel uncomfortable with the AFC teaming up with APNU. They feel no good would come out of such a partnership especially that the APNU (PNC) would control a majority of the M.Ps and the cabinet where decisions are made by majority vote. The alliance gives a 60% majority

to the APNU whose leader will control political power as per the constitution. A large majority of the diaspora is not in favour of any alliance in which APNU (PNC) is a constituent part. They feel the PNC (APNU) disqualifies itself for being in any democratic alliance by refusing to address abuses of its governance and tendering a sincere apology to the nation about same. The diaspora (especially in Queens) endorses the one time view of the AFC that it is “political kokobey” to link up with the PNC (APNU). And they say they are shocked that the AFC would go to bed with the APNU, viewing it as political opportunism and politicking of vengeance against the PPP. The findings of the poll also reveal a large number of Guyanese are upset with the PPP, venting their frustration over the Government’s handling of a number of controversial matters and perception of corruption. But they say they do not want to take a chance with the APNU, even in an alliance, worried that APNU would resort to racial intimidation and discrimination. They see a repeat of the terrible PNC governance of 1960s thru 1980s all over again. The diaspora make reference to contraband goods, jail for consuming banned foods, kick down robberies, national service, ‘guylines’, rigged elections, and dictatorship, among other complaints. They said they do not wish a

repeat of that horrible experience. The survey found people are divided in their political loyalty along racial lines. Almost every overseas-based Afro-Guyanese feels the alliance should be given a chance although they grudgingly say the country has made great strides since the PPP came to office in 1992. Almost every Indo-Guyanese feels the AFC should have contested the elections by itself, but some are still supporting the AFC though not pleased with the party teaming up with the PNC. The overwhelming majority of Indo-Guyanese Americans wants the PPP to retain office to keep out the APNU (PNC) from reversing the gains made since the restoration of democracy in 1992. Although many Indians express displeasure with some of the PPP’s policies, arrogance of some Government officials, and the perception of corruption, among other complaints, they say they cannot afford to take a risk with APNU-led alliance fearing a repeat of the past. As some of them put it, it is a case of supporting the lesser of two evils for they know of what the PNC is capable of. Indians fear a reversal of political and economic gains the country has made since 1992 and a re-establishment of a dictatorship. They are convinced that APNU (PNC) is riding the AFC in order to win the election and once it acquires power, it will dump the AFC. Many Indians also express a serious concern of a repeat of racial victimisation and discrimination that characterised PNC rule between 1965 and 1992. Portuguese-Guyanese Americans also express a similar fear. Afro-Guyanese Americans, on the other hand, do not feel that the alliance will engage in the discredited practices of PNC rule.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

Guyana eyes bigger slice of US$10B outsourcing market – in Latin America and the Caribbean By Tajeram Mohabir FINANCE Minister Dr Ashni Singh said Guyana remains committed to facilitating the growth and expansion of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry as it seeks to establish a deeper foothold in the US$10 billion market between Information Technology (IT) and business call centres outsourcing in Latin America and the Caribbean. Founder and Managing Director of Nearshore Americas, Mr Kirk Laughlin, recently said while some markets are ambitious and aggressive, virtually all are faced with some challenges, ranging from crime, violence, human capital development, proximity and time-zone distance. In addition, he said, there is no guarantee that ascendancy will continue, as some markets in the Nearshore are-

study said. The report also found Guyana’s labour-market dynamics to be highly favourable from a BPO perspective. With unemployment at 12.2 per cent, Guyana has an available labour force, but also a strong workforce that can contribute to the country’s tax base and ongoing social and financial stability.

Mr Kirk Laughlin, Nearshore Americas Founder and Managing Director

by Nearshore Americas said there are a number of compelling reasons why Guyana has become a desirable location for BPO. Language, it said, is a key advantage and because Guyana’s population speaks En-

Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh

ers who need flexibility, and who anticipate growing their footprint and deepening their offerings. “Phone support can be brought in for more complex scenarios, delivering higher value service without having to pay at a premium, as is the

Guyana has incredible potential for business, and importantly, it has begun to execute it…investors are coming and seeing the opportunities here, the right infrastructure is being put in place to encourage business and there are ready ‘associates’ [government and other partners] to “enact the dream and make it come alive” - Mr Kirk Laughlin na have fallen out of favour for various reasons, including high costs and loss of edge. Minister Singh said Guyana is trying to capitalise on the opportunities available, and pointed out that the BPO industry has been recognised as a source of growth in the future of Guyana. He said the industry has been a main driver of job-creation, probably creating more jobs than any other sector in the past five years. The commitment to the industry in attracting and facilitating small and large clients, he said, includes addressing issues such as cost of bandwidth, reliability and cost for international connectivity, both tele and geographical connectivity. The latter will be fully achieved when upgrade and expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) are completed. Laughlin had said that Guyana’s prospects of doing well in the multi-billion-dollar industry are bright. A study commissioned

glish as a first language, BPO operators can plan for the long haul, knowing that they will not be resource-constrained should they need to expand. About 70 per cent of Guyanese pass the Versant English language proficiency test, compared to only 25 per cent of bilinguals who pass the test in Latin American countries, the study said. “Language is a big thing,” said Adrian Collins, the founder of Clear Connect, Inc., which is active in BPO in Guyana. “As customer service becomes more automated, what you are left with are increasingly complex transactions. These include customer-centric issues originating in the States, perhaps specific to retail or telecom, where having a strong command of English, and a neutral accent, makes a big difference.” STRONG ADVANTAGE According to the study, from a BPO perspective, this gives Guyana a strong advantage for those service provid-

case with bilingual employees in Latin America. “This speaks to strong and affordable capabilities for both outbound sales and inbound customer support. It also offers opportunity for growing niche areas such as medical records transcription, legal process outsourcing, even online gaming support, and all within a highly competitive cost structure,” the

CULTURAL FAMILIARITY “The population has a significant level of cultural familiarity with the United States, with a 90.1 per cent literacy rate – one of the highest literacy rates in the Caribbean and Latin American (CALA) Region. Labour costs are 10 per cent below the Philippines and 15 per cent to 30 per cent less than the CALA average,” the report said. On Thursday, Mexican outsourcing giant, Qualfon, opened a new US$12 million ‘contact centre’ campus at Providence, East Bank Demerara which, when fully completed, will be the largest in the world. Qualfon Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mike Marrow said: “Now, we’re seeing this market really take hold, and Qualfon is extremely excited to more than double and triple its presence in Guyana when the campus is at full capacity.” Qualfon started operations here in 2005 with a single client, but has since grown significantly, serving a number of mega overseas clients. Minister Singh said the Government cannot be more pleased that these big inter-

Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh says Guyana remains committed to facilitating the growth and expansion of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry

national clients have come to Guyana, assessed the country as a potential place to put their business, assessed Qualfon not only as a Mexican but as a Guyanese company, assessed Guyana and Qualfon in Guyana, and deemed both as fit to handle their business. Meanwhile, Laughin, speaking at the commissioning on Thursday commended Guyana’s investment strategy. “Guyana has made it very clear that this country is willing to work with investors to meet them half-way, to provide value, to expose to these investors what the value is,” he said.

Nearshore Americas produces authoritative and independent news, analyses and research on the fast-emerging Latin America and Caribbean business process, Information Technology (IT), software and call centre industries. The company, dedicated to expanding knowledge around Americas-centric investment and innovation, is on a mission to illuminate, inspire and motivate business decision-makers to more closely examine services’ investment and partnership opportunities in the Americas.

National Housing drive - an unprecedented success

TENS of thousands of working class Guyanese are now proud home owners, as a result of Government’s national h o u s i n g p ro g r a m m e . With subsidies worth billions of dollars towards providing infrastructure support, over 200 squatter settlements have been transformed into housing schemes with beautifully built homes. From cramped oneroom dwellings in what can be described as hazardous conditions, families are now accommodated in spacious homes. The PPP/C Government, in 1992, met a very poor

housing sector; many people were living under very bad conditions and r en ts w er e v e r y h ig h . During that time, one of the big cries of the people was for housing, and many resorted to squatting, living under poor conditions, without any kind of facilities. Subsequently, the PPP/C Administration sought to implement programmes that were aimed at having Guyanese elevating their standard of living; one of which was the national housing drive, and today over 112,000 Guyanese own a home under this programme.

During the 6th edition of ‘At Home with the President’, Mr Donald Ramotar explained that the Government’s first priority was to facilitate the low income people by a system of cross subsidisation. “We sold some front lands and retired the sugar estate lands more into the backlands, and sold some front lands to some of the middle and higher income people for development, and used that together with Government’s money to cross subsidise and develop house lots, so that ordinary low income people could

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

have afforded to get their own house lots…that is how the whole housing drive was launched, and that has gone a very far way now...,” President Ramotar pointed out. LOW MORTGAGE RATES The next step was to deal with the issue of high interest rates from the bank, which was 30% a ro u n d 1 9 9 2 . To d a y, citizens can enjoy an affordable interest rate, as low as 4.3% and as a result, persons have been able to build their own homes. The banks are also lending more money and having faster turn over. One of the things the Government has done, to ensure people were able to access loans from banks to build their homes, was to have the lands used as

collateral. Legislations were also put in place to facilitate first time home owners, “so one of the legislations was kind of a rebate for mortgage interest rate which was passed in 2013; so now a lot of people are applying for that... I think it is very positive, because it helps in many ways and eases tension of overcrowding which causes problems within families, and so we have reduced that considerably, to allow more and m o re p e o p l e t o h a v e their separate homes,” President Ramotar said. HUGE DEMAND Because of the huge demand for housing, the Government initiated the ‘One Stop Shop’ initiative in 2009. This initiative has given significant impetus

Minister of Housing and Water Irfaan Ali to the distribution process. It serves as a vehicle for fast-tracking the process of house lots, their distribution, and accessing loans. Meanwhile, the

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

G o v e r n m e n t ’s t u r n key homes, which range between $4.6M to $14M, continue to pave the way for more persons, especially young people, to have access to their own home at a low cost. Today, the average home owner is below the age of 35. There is also the ‘remigrant scheme’, which caters for overseas Guyanese who want to return to their homeland. The lands set aside for these groups are over-subscribed. Over the past two years, focus was also placed on upgrading the main access roads to asphaltic concrete in the housing schemes, in particular the interlinking of the various schemes, to reduce traffic congestion and travel time, and improving living standard. HINTERLAND HOUSING Residents of hinterland areas have not been excluded from the national housing programme: more than 600 residents benefited from the Second Low Income Settlement (LIS),

a $40M programme, initiated by the Housing Ministry in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), to address the housing needs in the hinterland. In Region One, the communities targeted were White Water, Manawarin and Oronoque, while Region Nine communities included Kwatamang, Central Annai, Massara, Katoka and Apoteri. According to the President, this programme is a “spin off,” in that not only are persons accessing their own homes, but it also allows for job creation. NEW HOUSING SCHEMES Plans are afoot to build new housing areas where state-of-the-art housing infrastructure will be built; more social facilities for the people such as play grounds, recreational facilities, schools, health facilities or full blown hospitals, and malls and gas station among other key facilities. The President also highlighted Government’s plans to build a new

President Donald Ramotar congratulates a beneficiary after she had pulled her houselot number city (Silica City) on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway. However, he said it will take a lot of planning,

because jobs are to be created for people so as not to travel far to get to work. “We will be putting

New Housing Scheme in Eccles Herstelling Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara

Housing Ministry staff facilitate beneficiaries to complete their paper work at a ‘One Stop Shop’

Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara where cane fields once flourished

President Donald Ramotar and Minister of Housing Irfaan Ali with White Water (Region One) residents at one of the houses built under the Hinterland Housing Project

d o w n a C a l l C e n t re at Tuschen which will create jobs for over 900 persons, and a similar call centre in Enmore to employ another 900 persons,” the President further explained. Plans are also on-stream to establish a factory to make plantain chips in Wakenaam and Leguan to create employment for the residents. MOVING HOUSING DEVELOPMENT The availability of land in the urban areas is becoming less; hence the need for land to be developed in the rural areas. President Ramotar noted that the Government is currently working on developing the infrastructure in those urban areas to make them safer, and much more comfortable, for persons to live. Government will be building the roads in the West Bank and the Canals Number One and Two. The construction of the new bridge across the Demerara River will also assist in this regard. The new highway

on the West Coast of Demerara, from Parika to Vreed-en-Hoop, is also another initiative to allow for quicker, more efficient but safe use of the road. This will also cut travel time between Parika and Vreed-en-Hoop by about 20%. Government is also looking at opening new lands, both for meeting the housing needs and agriculture purposes. A similar project will be done in the Corentyne, to develop the road from Crabwood Creek to Orealla. ACCESSING LANDS The Government will also be looking at ways to increase access to lands, especially for the young professionals. This initiative will seek to provide an incentive f o r y o u n g u n i v er s it y graduates to pursue higher learning, and subsequently provide them with lands to build their own homes. Plans will also be put in place to address the time it takes to access lands. (GINA feature)

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

Rural Enterprise and Agricultural Development project ends - leaves its mark on small scale producers, says Dr Ramsammy

THE six-year Rural Enterprise and Agricultural Development (READ) project whose main goal has been to improve the living conditions of poor households, especially small scale producers and vulnerable groups, thereby increasing their human, social, organisational and financial assets, has concluded. A g r i c u l t u r e M i n i s t e r D r. L e s l i e Ramsammy told farmers at an exhibition, on Friday last, to mark the end of the project that was financed by the International Fund

Graduating at the top of her class with an MBA, Vimala demonstrated to the young people in Guyana that there was much scope to develop here. “Your best tribute to Vimala is to ensure that your organisation and business continue to prosper,” he stated. Vimala died recently during a vehicular accident on the trail to Lethem. Minister Ramsammy observed that farming is one of the most important businesses in the world, adding that, “For far too long in our country, we have treated

Agriculture Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy listens as an exhibitor explains something to him for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and implemented by the Government and the Agriculture Ministry’s Agricultural Sector Development Unit (ASDU) that the project has impacted small producers. The beneficiaries of the READ project were entrepreneurs, agro processors, producers and enterprise owners from Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and Ten. Minister Ramsammy, speaking at the event held at the Guyana International Conference Centre, observed that in Guyana “…we have lived as a ‘least developed’ country and we are now a middle income country, our next stop is a high middle income country, and that will happen because Guyana has good farmers.” He noted too, that the closing of the READ event has shown the many successes which have come about since the Government has shown a willingness to invest in small farmers. In the process, it achieved the support of IFAD, although initially it did not seem that the programme would have been successful. However, much has happened under new leadership in the programme. The new leadership was brought into the programme through the late Vimala Balgobin, who understood its vision. The Agriculture Minister stated that Vimala understood her job and knew what had to be done and she was doing it. He observed that IFAD had wanted a numeracy programme in Parika Backdam and he suggested that it would be better to build a bridge instead.

countries around the world are buying rice from Guyana is what makes this successful, he indicated. Agriculture in Guyana cannot be merely to meet food security; it has to be an export industry the Minister insisted. However, farmers should get registered with the Food and Drug Agency. He alluded to the fact that, in Guyana, some things can be grown better than in other countries, and with better seeds and better breeds of animals and better feeding mechanisms, things can go even further. This is what Government is trying to

Dr. Leslie Ramsammy listens as this woman describes the product he holds in his hand

Minister Leslie Ramsammy addresses farmers at the Guyana International Conference Centre farming and farmers as peasants…the truth is they feed our country and our world.” The 2005 flood had a crippling impact on the country’s agriculture, he noted, and urged the farmers that as business people, they should use farming and agriculture to promote their businesses. The READ project recognised the many small groups which need support, and the efforts of Government to promote agriculture do not end with the project. He has instructed the Permanent Secretary George Jarvis to ensure that the READ staff do not disappear from the ministry and that they will find ways to help the farmers to succeed through the linking of producers and buyers, since businesses collapse if there is no one to buy. The fact that more than 32

so that they can compete with brands from around the world, “…we have to start with us, by buying from us…we got to make sure that we support our own.” He made reference to a value-added workshop held by Arnold Mendonca from the Inter American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) from which farmers learnt to make sausages among other products. He said they could do so safely and be certified and take it to the hotels. “…we could build the enterprise, farming remains our best opportunity to elevate our lives and grow our

do which will reduce the cost of production. He also pointed out that farmers are not earning much from their crops and the new work that the ministry is doing is to link the farmers directly to the consumer, who will pay the farmers. The READ staff will now become facilitators, who will make the links. He added that the Guyana Marketing Corporation will become the avenue for Guyana’s goods and will create contacts. Moving from subsistence to genuine businesses will see that every farm will be registered if the products are to be sold to hotels in Guyana. Whilst hotels have to demonstrate that they are buying safe food, farms will have to be registered. Dr Ramsammy also noted that whilst raw material should be converted into processed goods and packaged to international standards

economy.” Whilst Guyana’s economy will have to be diversified through oil and gas and ICT and services which would all become part of it, “…the pillar has been and will be agriculture. I believe that farming is a fledgling business, ready to take off as an important contributor to the development of our country and the Caribbean,” the Agriculture Minister stated. He observed that of the US$5B spent by the Caribbean on food imports, Guyana could provide much of that food. This money should go to Guyanese farmers for chicken, mutton and lamb. Dr Ramsammy said it is his belief that some of Guyana’s meat should be processed instead of purchasing them from outside. “We should, by the end of this year, be purchasing carrots from local manufacturers, and only blended flour should be used in all commercial enterprises which mean that a certain percentage should be blended with wheat flour,” he suggested. Meanwhile, members of the groups who were present lauded the READ project which helped them significantly. Among them were Marsha Williams of the Mainstay Village Council Farmers’ Group; Denise Thomas of the Kuru Kuru Farmers’ Crops and Livestock Association; Jived Ishmael of the West Berbice Sheep and Goat Farmers’ Association; Dhaniram Ramchand of the Bath Referendum Farmers’ Group and Paula Marks of the Young Women’s Christian Association. (GINA)

By Shaun Michael Samaroo HE serves this nation with such passion and resolve and humility that he’s not only become a household name and an icon of Government, but also a classic role model of what Public Service should look like. And despite Dr. Roger Luncheon’s diagnosed illness and his decades of work within Government, battling all manner of challenges and difficulties and setbacks and personal health issues, he never gave up, always finding the strength, resolve and stamina to show up for work. Without Dr. Luncheon, our nation would be so much poorer. Men like him and Clement Rohee and all the stalwarts who put their head down to serve the Guyanese people, selflessly giving of themselves in the rough and tumble of the political arena to the cause and vision of Dr. Cheddi Jagan for the Guyanese nation, we must applaud, making sure their story finds a secured place in the unfolding history of the Guyanese people.

Despite facing severe criticisms and misunderstandings, the Luncheons among us make us who we are as a 21st century nation. Dr. Luncheon seeks no selfglorification, or praise, or material gain from his work. He simply lives to contribute with his last energy to his nation. In the 1990’s he threw his hat in the ring in the leadership race of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), seeking to serve as Head of State. It wasn’t to be. But he never walked away from Public Service, or Government. He stayed the course, put his head down, and worked hard, gaining the tremendous respect and admiration of Government members, and the wider society. Today, Dr. Luncheon has become a living legend among us, with his loquacious style at press conferences making him a unique and endearing character on the Guyanese national stage. He’s known as an astute academic, not a quintessential politician. And he’s accepted his role in Government with a profound sense

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

Dr Roger Luncheon

of service, of giving back to his nation, of seeing new generations of our people benefit from a developing, thriving Guyana. When leaders of lesser caliber quit the Government or Public Service because they face challenges, and embarked on crusades of negativity and demoralising of the Guyanese public space, Dr. Luncheon tackles the menial task of being secretary for the Cabinet and Head of the Presidential Secretariat, tasks that are foundational pillars for the smooth running of the State machinery. These leaders among us, like President Donald Ramotar and Dr. Luncheon and the many humble servants of the State whose contributions we take for granted and hardly ever acknowledge or applaud, do the hard work

behind the scenes to organise governance, in the face of continuing challenges as we work to repair our Governmental and Public Service systems that collapsed under the stifling weight of the 1964 -1992 dictatorship. We want to see Guyana carve out a special place for leaders like Dr. Luncheon, and President Ramotar. Any citizen sitting for a gaff with Dr. Luncheon, as with President Ramotar, would marvel at the simplicity and humility of these souls, these iconic sons of the soil, these leaders who battled decades, wearing their white beards as badge of honour for experienced wisdom. Dr Luncheon’s intelligence, his eloquence, his clarity of thinking in formulating large compound sentences that lift one’s mind to engage him word for word, or miss his meaning, make him an exotic treasure of our Public Service. Whilst his work may seem bureaucratic and weighty, he performs it with a love and a passion that few could rival. The man is a walking State institution today. He has served the PPP for decades and decades,

standing up as a frontline leader of the ruling party, showcasing the future of Guyana as we work together as one people, of all background, of all intellectual levels, of all ages. The ruling party stands stronger, more resilient, sturdier and on a surer footing with leaders like Dr. Luncheon taking on the mantle of mentorship for the future. We would entreat folks like Brigadier David Granger and Carl Greenidge and Dr. Rupert Roopnarine to take a leaf out of Dr. Luncheon’s book, to serve our nation as elder statesmen with the singular goal of serving the Guyanese people, whatever the position and whatever the sacrifice, only dedicating themselves with a heart of care to the cause of national development. Dr. Luncheon looks out from behind his iconic glasses at the Guyanese society, and sees with deep hindsight and insight what many of us cannot comprehend. He’s gone through so much of our history. He’s walked the long hard road with Dr. Jagan fighting for our nation’s democratic soul to be awakened. He’s seen victory. He’s spent decades in the trenches, belying the theory that political parties in this country pamper to ethnic and racial enclaves: Dr. Luncheon is popular across the country, loved and admired and adored across Berbice, Essequibo, Demerara and the hinterland. He’s shown what it takes to break the stereotypes and the deadened

molds of expectations, to quietly create a new paradigm. The Guyanese people would forever be grateful to this iconic leadership figure of the ruling party. Now, he commands the respect of even Opposition members, and even those crass semi-literate reporters who find jobs in mediocre media outfits refrain from conveying bad stuff about him. Such has been his service to us, that quietly, with no fanfare, no drum beating, no chest-thumping, we see Dr. Luncheon as a national icon, a gracious presence within the Government. How much would we shine on the global stage were our Public Service to follow the exemplary service of Dr. Luncheon, working not for what he could gain from his position, but for what he could give to his nation. We owe leaders like Dr. Luncheon a rousing national applause, this astonishing icon of the 21st century Guyanese Public Service. He’s set the bar high; he’s established the standard; he’s written the code of service to the people: he’s showcased, with his own personal exemplary leadership, what it takes to reform and build an efficient, professional, service-oriented Public Service. (This feature was first published in the Chronicle last week but due to our wide readership on Sundays, the Editor-in-Chief decided to reprint it)

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

Shabazz names new-look Jags for Grenada encounter tonight By Rawle Toney

GUYANA’S head coach Jamaal Shabazz announced his star-studded line-up for tonight’s encounter against Grenada at the Guyana National Stadium, stating that the game will open an avenue for him and his

technical staff to see more players. Joining the squad is the English duo Neil Danns (Bolton Wanderers) and Matthew Briggs (Colchester) along with Walter Moore (Finland), Trayon Bobb and Pernell Shultz (Caledonia AIA), and goalkeeper Anthony Whyte (Sigma FC). The rest of the squad reads: Christopher Nurse (Carolina Railhawks), Jamaal Smith (Alpha United), Daniel Whyte (Canada), Joshua Brown (Slingerz FC), King Solomon Austin (Slingerz FC), Colin Nelon (Slingerz FC), Clive Nobrega (Slingerz FC), Vurlon

Mills (Slingerz FC), Eon Alleyne (Fruta Conquerors), Konata Manning (Pele), Daniel Wilson (Alpha United), Sheldon Holder (Alpha United), and Emery Welshman (Real Monarch). Despite being reluctant to name the starting 11 for the game, Shabazz however pointed out “only five players who started the previous game will start in this game and this gives us an opportunity to widen the pool of players for the national team going forward”. The last time the two teams met, Guyana had travelled to the ‘Spice Island’ for

an international friendly on February 22, 2012 and won 2-1 with goals from Walter Moore and Anthony ‘Awo’ Abrams. “Of course the result is important!” exclaimed the Trinidadian Shabazz. He said, “It is crucial for us to see how some of the new players blend into the team like Danns and Briggs with the experience they bring. Then we have two youngsters in Shultz and young goalkeeper Whyte who get starts today and get the opportunity to gain exposure.” Guyana defeated St Lucia 2-0 last Sunday at the same

venue to pick up their first home win since September 11, 2011 against Trinidad and Tobago and it was also their first home game in over two years. Some might want to argue with, or chastise the head coach for changing a winning formula, but Shabazz insists that “it’s not about changing a winning team but more about building the programme, looking further down the road. We want to make the team so competitive that it will give us headaches to select and that has already started to happen.”

Ailing Crowe pens emotional tribute before World Cup final By Julian Linden

MELBOURNE, Australia (Reuters) - New Zealand’s former cricket captain Martin Crowe, who is terminally ill with lymphoma, has penned a moving tribute to his countrymen ahead of today’s World Cup final against Australia. In a heart-wrenching column published on Cricinfo, the 52-year-old said today’s match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (M,CG) might be the last he ever sees. “My precarious life ahead may not afford me the luxury of many more games to watch and enjoy,” Crowe wrote. “So this is likely to be it. The last, maybe, and I can happily live with that.” Crowe, who played 77 Tests and 143 One-Day Internationals for New Zealand, was regarded as one of the world’s best batsmen during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma two years ago but it went into remission. Late last year, however, a new, more aggressive form of the disease, double-hit lymphoma, developed and he said he had been told only five percent of sufferers survive more than 12 months.

Racing Tips

FRENCH RACING TIPS Auteuil 08:30 hrs Askabane 09:08 hrs Yoko 09:40 hrs Kotkikova 10:10 hrs Hilton Du Berlais 10:45 hrs Butsala 11:15 hrs Samsecret 11:55 hrs Les Beaufs IRISH RACING TIPS Scottsville

09:00 hrs Power King 09:35 hrs Beat The Retreat 10:10 hrs Clear Sailing 10:45 hrs Royal Pleasure 11:20 hrs Gun Fighter ENGLISH RACING TIPS Doncaster 08:45 hrs Intisaab 09:15 hrs Hail The Hero 09:45 hrs Mulaaseq 10:20 hrs Basil Berry

Crowe said he had decided against chemotherapy and was instead trying natural treatments. He was inducted into the international cricket Hall of Fame last month and is making the trip from New Zealand to watch the final live, cheering on the players he regards as the “sons I never had”. “I will hold back tears all day long. I will gasp for air on occasions. I will feel like a nervous parent,” he wrote. “Whatever happens, March 29 at the MCG will be the most divine fun ever.” Current Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum told a news conference yesterday he had read Crowe’s column and he paid tribute to his ailing predecessor. “I think what he’s going through at the moment is incredibly difficult. We had him involved in the group, and not long ago as well we came and spent time with the team and it was great,” McCullum said. “He seems to have really found peace with himself and the game as well, and he’s been instrumental in helping some of our guys on the team peel back their games and really focus on being able to develop individually but also buy into the team collectively. He’s been a really big asset. “It’s really sad what he’s going through and we just hope that he’s able to find some peace in the time that he’s got left.”

10:55 hrs Windshear 11:30 hrs My Reward 12:00 hrs Mica Mica 12:30 hrs Gimme Five ASCOT 09:00 hrs Vintage Vinny 09:30 hrs Thomas Crapper 10:05 hrs Zarib 10:40 hrs Top Gamble 11:10 hrs Wayward Prince 11:45 hrs Greybougg 12:15 hrs No Loose Change IRISH RACING TIPS Curragh

09:10 hrs Tribal Beat 09:40 hrs The Warrior 10:10 hrs Focus On Venice 10:45 hrs Easter 11:20 hrs Fit For The Job 11:55 hrs Stuccodor 12:25 hrs Jacobean LIMERICK 09:25 hrs Lahaag 09:55 hrs Maguire’s Glen 10:30 hrs Bossman Rule 11:00 hrs Bonny Kate 11:35 hrs Rule The World 12:10 hrs Aladdins Cave 12:40 hrs Charbel

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

Prince Bishop wins Dubai World Cup By Martin Dokoupil DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (Reuters) - Prince Bishop, ridden by William Buick, won the $10M Dubai World Cup by two and three-quarter lengths yesterday as the 12-1 outsider sprinted clear of California Chrome, the 2014 American Horse of the Year. California Chrome, ridden by Victor Espinoza, was the 6-4 favourite to triumph in the world’s richest horse race, but the Kentucky Derby and Preakness champion could finish only second, one and a quarter lengths ahead of Lea, piloted by Joel Rosario. “He was slow away from the gate but we worked our way out down the back - we had a lot of ground to make up,” said jubilant jockey Buick. “He’s a very tough horse. He’s got a huge heart and gave me his all today.” Prince Bishop, trained by Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor, completed the 2 000-metre contest in two minutes 03:24 seconds at the opulent 60 000-capacity Meydan racecourse. The

full field of nine finished the race. The eight-year-old gelding is owned by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed al-Maktoum,

ly running, but could not maintain that pace. California Chrome was tucked in second and saw off the fading challenge of defending champion African

William Buick, riding Prince Bishop, races to the finish line to win the ninth and final race of the Dubai World Cup at the Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, yesterday. (Reuters/Ahmed Jadallah) whose other runner Long River trailed in seventh. Japan’s Hokko Tarumae, with Hideaki Miyuki in the saddle, set the ear-

Story, the Goldolphin-owned eight-year-old finishing a disappointing sixth, and had no response to Prince Bishop’s charge.

“We brushed by him pretty quick,” said Buick. “I went into the race thinking that he (California Chrome) could be a doubtful stayer so when I went I was going to stretch my horse and make him work but at the end of the day the best horse won.” The race was staged for the first time on a new dirt track, which was installed to help attract more runners from North America. “I am very, very pleased with my horse. He got caught wide,” California Chrome co-owner Steve Coburn told Reuters after the race. “You cannot win every time. He got to do his job and he did it well,” he said, adding there were no plans for his next outing. Assistant trainer Alan Sherman added: “You always want to win. We tried hard but they had a home field advantage.” Lea, another American runner installed as the second favourite, placed third for trainer Bill Mott, who won the inaugural running of the World Cup with Cigar in 1996.

Serena deals with Niculescu but Bouchard upset By Simon Evans

MIAMI, Florida (Reuters) - Serena Williams put aside her knee injury to begin her bid for an eighth Miami Open title with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Romania’s Monica Niculescu at Key Biscayne yesterday but sixth seed Eugenie Bouchard was upset by German qualifier Tatjana Maria. Williams withdrew from her semi-final at Indian Wells last week with the knee injury and said upon arriving in Miami that this tournament would involve ‘managing pain’. But the 19-time Grand Slam winner was too much for Niculescu,

ranked 70th in the world.

SERENA WILLIAMS The match was sched-

uled for Friday but was postponed following a rainstorm in South Florida. Niculescu, making ample use of her effective slice and playing some clever tennis, forced a series of entertaining rallies but Williams was always in control. Canadian Bouchard lost 6-0, 7-6(4) to Maria. Bouchard was outplayed in the first set, but provided a strong fightback in the second taking a 5-3 lead. But Maria, whose last win over a top-ten opponent was five years ago against Li Na, rallied to take the set and match. “It is the best win I

have ever had,” said Maria, “I just didn’t think she was comfortable against my style.” Maria has returned to tennis after giving birth to a daughter 15 months ago and has worked her way back to the tour via the ITF circuit. Fourth seed Caroline Wozniacki battled past Estonian Kaia Kanepi and into the fourth round, winning a tough match in windy conditions 4-6, 6-1, 6-3. Germany’s Angelique Kerber beat Britain’s Heather Watson 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 while Italy’s Sara Errani defeated Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 7-6(5).

Neymar can break Pele’s Brazil goal record, says Dunga By Steve Tongue LONDON, England (Reuters) - Brazil striker Neymar, who has scored 43 times for his country and is still only 23, can break Pele’s long-standing record of 77 international goals, coach Dunga said yesterday. Pele, widely regarded as the greatest footballer of all-time, also helped

they suffered the greatest humiliation in the history of the country’s football by losing 7-1 to eventual winners Germany, after trailing 7-0 within 70 minutes and only scoring in added time. The road back to respectability has been a long one but since Dunga replaced Luiz Felipe Scolari, who resigned immediately after the

Brazil’s Neymar and Douglas Costa (L) during training at the Emirates Stadium, London, England. (Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley) Brazil to win three World Cups, in 1958, 1962 and 1970, and that is the record Dunga really wants Neymar to emulate. “Neymar is doing very well and will only grow,” he told a news conference. “In regard to goals I don’t think that will be a problem. But the record we really want him to get is Pele’s number of World Cup wins.” Dunga was speaking ahead of the friendly against Chile at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium tomorrow in a repeat of the World Cup second-round game last June. Scraping through that match on penalties then beating Colombia in the next round encouraged Brazil’s fanatical fans to believe their team could go all the way and become champions of the world again. But in their semifinal

World Cup, Brazil have won all seven games, scoring 17 goals while conceding only two and beating opposition as strong as Colombia, Argentina and France. Neymar, who joined Barcelona from Santos in 2013, has scored eight of those goals, including one in the 3-1 win in France on Thursday. Brazil have no new injury problems though Dunga said he will make changes. David Luiz and striker Diego Tardelli are both missing again but London fans will see plenty of familiar faces including Chelsea trio Oscar, Willian and Filipe Luis. Brazil defender Gabriel Paulista could be up against his Arsenal team mate Alexis Sanchez. An Arsenal spokesman said the game was sold out with a capacity crowd of 60 000.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

Shabazz names new-look Jags for Grenada encounter tonight By Rawle Toney

Ailing Crowe pens emotional tribute before World Cup final By Julian Linden

Racing Tips

FRENCH RACING TIPS Auteuil 08:30 hrs Askabane 09:08 hrs Yoko 09:40 hrs Kotkikova 10:10 hrs Hilton Du Berlais 10:45 hrs Butsala 11:15 hrs Samsecret 11:55 hrs Les Beaufs IRISH RACING TIPS Scottsville

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

full field of nine finished the race. The eight-year-old gelding is owned by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed al-Maktoum,

ly running, but could not maintain that pace. California Chrome was tucked in second and saw off the fading challenge of defending champion African

Story, the Goldolphin-owned eight-year-old finishing a disappointing sixth, and had no response to Prince Bishop’s charge.

Serena deals with Niculescu but Bouchard upset By Simon Evans

ranked 70th in the world.

SERENA WILLIAMS The match was sched-

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

Skill not emotion wins World Cups, says retiring Clarke By Ian Ransom

MELBOURNE, Australia (Reuters) Australia’s retiring one-day captain Michael Clarke has urged his players to put “skill over emotion” in their bid to down New Zealand in the World Cup final, though his swansong is sure to imbue the match with extra sentiment. Clarke announced his retirement from the one-day game on the eve of the Melbourne Cricket Ground blockbuster and will hope to wrap up his career in the 50-over format by leading Australia to a fifth world trophy. Clarke’s captaincy has proved torrid in recent months, grieving the death of team mate Phillip Hughes and battling a succession of hamstring injuries. His race to be fit for the World Cup overshadowed Australia’s preparations, and local media are certain to question the timing of his retirement announcement. Clarke said nothing would change in his preparation for the 245th and final ODI of his career, though his every movement is certain to be under heightened scrutiny. “It’s a special game, no doubt about it, but it needs to be about the team and I want

it to be about the team,” he told reporters at the MCG yesterday. “I just said it to my team mates then. And I’ve been the one to come out and say, ‘it’s not emotion, it’s skill that

helps you win major games and major tournaments, and tomorrow will be no different’. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for every single player in that change room to walk

Australia captain Michael Clarke (L) shakes hands with New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum as they stand next to the Cricket World Cup trophy, ahead of their final match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), yesterday. (Reuters/ David Gray)

out onto the MCG in a World Cup final. “It’s a very special event. But yeah, it’s no more special because it’s my last game.” Brendon McCullum confirmed New Zealand would bring the same team that downed South Africa in a semi-final cliff-hanger in Auckland. Australia are also expected to bring the same side that thrashed India in Sydney, though Clarke could not confirm it. He threw his arm around his New Zealand counterpart McCullum in a private moment during a photo-shoot with the trophy. Both captains have been open about their mutual admiration, and Clarke’s mantra about playing with “freedom” could have been straight from McCullum’s mouth. “The fact that the whole team is here again today at an optional training session shows the dedication, shows where the team is at mentally,” Clarke said. “I don’t think I have to say too much to be honest. I think the guys are ready to play. Like I said after the last game, mentally we are ready for this final. “Physically we’ve got another day to recover or try and get what you need to be right for tomorrow, but I think the team is ready.”

Busta Champion of Champions final scheduled for April 25 under lights … Part of proceeds in aid of Calvin Roberts THE cricket development of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club has scheduled the final of the 11 edition of the Busta Champion of Champions for Saturday, April 25 at the historic Albion cricket ground. The match is sct to start at 13:00hrs and the second innings of the match will be played under lights. Arch rivals Albion Cricket Club and Rose Hall Town Gizmos and Gadgets face off for

the 3rd consecutive year and the match is expected to be of the highest standard with four Test and numerous national players involved. Players namely Assad Fudadin, Devindra Bishoo, Veerasammy Permaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Anthony Bramble, Jonathan Foo, Delbert Hicks, Collis Butts, Shawn Pereira, Akshay Homraj, Leroy Bristol, Keon Sinclair, Balchand Baldeo, Sharaz Ramcharran and Khemraj Mahadeo would be on show in what is expect-

NOTABLE DATES STRONG and rugged, junior middleweight `Deadly’ Denny Dalton was disqualified in round eight in his third fight against Trinidadian southpaw Kevin Placide. The 12-round fight was held at the Dr Joao Havelange, Centre of Excellence, in Tunapuna, Trinidad and Tobago. At the time, the two were battling for the World Boxing Council (WBC) Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE) super welterweight title. Dalton had first met Placide in November of 2003 at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground. The Guyanese won by unanimous decision at the end of six rounds. The second fight was held in September 2007 in Skinner Park in San Fernando, Trinidad, Placide’s back yard. Dalton was again the victor. However, this time he prevented the judges from making a decision as the Trinidadian was knocked

out in the 10th round. Placide is one of two persons whom Dalton fought thrice. Former WBA welterweight champion Andrew `Six Head’ Lewis had three epic encounters with the stone-fisted Dalton. The first was in October 2005 and ruled a technical draw at two minutes and five seconds of the fourth round as a clash of heads left Lewis with a deep gash. The orthodox Dalton gained revenge and was crowned national super welterweight (junior middleweight) champion in April 2006 at the National Park, when Lewis retired in round seven despite being ahead on all the judges’ cards. Lewis would grab the crown approximately one year later following a unanimous decision. Dalton’s last outing in the ring ended on an unsuccessful note as he lost by split decision to Joel McRae in June 2011.

ed to be a close and thrilling encounter. Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster, disclosed that as part of its humanitarian outreach programme, the RHTYSC will be donating a substantial part of the gate reserves to offset the medical expenses of sport journalist Calvin Roberts of the Guyana Chronicle. Funds raised will also be used for the club’s development programme and assisting less fortunate students with school bags. Foster also disclosed that several fun

games like throwing the cricket ball and hitting the wicket would be arranged for patrons. Several lucky patrons would also receive gate prizes including a tablet, food hampers and designer watches. The winning team will receive $100 000 and the Busta Cup, the runners-up $50 000 and trophy while the man-of-the-final will take away $10 000 and a trophy. The final will be broadcast live on NCN Radio while the club would also be using the final to promote its ‘Say Yes to Education/Sports and Say No to Drugs/Suicide’ message.

Woods will fall outside world’s top 100 tomorrow By Bernie McGuire

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) - Former world number one Tiger Woods will tomorrow drop outside the top 100 in the rankings for the first time in more than 18 years. The 39-year-old American is down at number 96 and a world ranking official told Reuters that he is likely to slip to 102 when the list is adjusted after this weekend’s tournaments. Woods posted an 82 at the Phoenix Open in January, his worst round as a professional, as he slumped outside the leading 50 in the rankings for the first time in more than three years. Since then the 14-time major winner has

continued a downward slide that resulted in him failing to qualify for this month’s WGC-Cadillac Championship, an event he has won seven times. Woods was ranked 433rd when he turned professional in September 1996. He then jumped to 75th after landing his first victory as a professional at the 1996 Las Vegas Invitational, the first of 79 PGA Tour titles. Woods first moved to world number one when he finished 19th at the 1997 U.S. Open. The American spent a record total of 683 weeks at the top of the rankings until he lost the number one spot to Australia’s Adam Scott in May 2014. Current number one Rory McIlroy has been top of the rankings since August.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

TSC, GCC to meet in GCA/NBS 2nd division final on April 11 … after defeating DCC and UG in semis

FORMER champions Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) and Transport Sports Club (TSC) have both booked their place in the final of this year’s Georgetown Cricket Association/New Building Society second division 40 overs tournament, following their semifinal victories yesterday. At the Malteenoes Sports Club ground, TSC defeated

I got you, son! These must be the comforting words being offered to national Under-15 left-arm spinner Ashmead Nedd (left) by his father Garvin Nedd, who led him off the field after he picked up an injury during the Transport Sports Club innings yesterday. pre-tournament favourites Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) by 41 runs, while at the Camp Road-based Everest Cricket Club ground, GCC issued University of Guyana with marching orders, following their six-wicket victory. At Malteenoes, TSC won the toss and chose to bat first on a pitch that was true with lots of green grass, posting 222 for 8 from their 40 overs, before limiting DCC to 181 all out off 39 overs to come away with the win. Devaughn Nandan led TSC’s batting with a responsible

56 (4x6, 2x4) and received support from Azim Azeez 35 (3x4, 3x6), Joshua Wilson 29 (3x4), 17 from Ryan Hemraj, 15 from opener Charwayne McPherson and 13 from Sunil Singh. Nandan and Wilson added 72 for the fourth wicket, after TSC were 79 for 3, following the demise of Hemraj and Singh to Dennis ‘Bitterman’ Squires who ended with 3 for 37 for DCC and McPherson, who was sent back by Dexter George (1 for 40). Nandan was in a destructive mood, hitting both Ashmead Nedd and Antonell Atwell for maximums, before Nedd was forced to leave the field after he picked up an injury on his left arm, when he attempted to stop a full-blooded drive from Nandan off his own bowling, after being struck for six. When DCC batted, they struggled to 69 for 1 off the first 20 overs, after losing Raymond Perez (12) who was caught off veteran spinner Kevin Ross, who opened the bowling from the Tutorial High School end and conceded 11 runs from his eight overs. Kemol Savory 59 (2x4, 2x6) and Andrew Gibson 20, added 59 for the second wicket but when Savory was smartly stumped by Singh off Wilson, followed by the demise of Gibson, DCC failed to improve their run rate and fell short, with Tevin Imloch hitting an unbeaten 18, batting at number 9. Shaun Massiah led his troops well in the field and more so with the ball to finish with 4 for 21, McPherson had 3 for 56 and Wilson 1 for 31, which underlined the tight screws that were put in place by Ross, even though DCC reshuffled their batting order in an attempt to come away with a win. At Camp Road, UG, who were asked to bat first, struggled to 60 for 6 before being bowled out for 130 in 36 overs, thanks to 30 (6x4) from D. Dodson, 27 (4x4, 1x6) from R. McCall and 21 (3x4) from former national Under-19 all-rounder Omesh Dhanram. Skipper Devon Lord took 3 for 11, Ronaldo Ali-Mohammed 3 for 20 and Tariq Dharamlall and Gavin Singh two wickets each for 21 and 23 runs respectively for GCC, who in their turn at the crease scored 131 for 4 from 20 overs, thanks to Ali-Mohammed’s unbeaten 43 (5x4, 3x6). Daniel Seegobin scored 30 (4x4, 1x6) and Gavin Singh offered support with his 28 (4x4), when GCC batted even as L. George took 2 for 37 for UG, who will now watch from the stands when GCC face TSC on April 11 at a venue to be named.

Privat brace puts French Guiana in pole position for Gold Cup berth REMIRE-MONTJOLY, French Guiana (CMC) – Sloan Privat netted a brace as French Guiana came from behind to defeat Honduras 3-1 and take pole position in their quest for the final spot at this summer’s CONCACAF’s Gold Cup. Playing last Wednesday in the crucial two-leg playoff, they fell behind at the Stade Municipal Dr Edmard Lama after just 18 minutes but rebounded spectacularly with two first-half goals and then a third in the second half, to complete an easy assignment.

The second leg is set for the Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano in San Pedro Sula today. Jerry Bengtson silenced the partisan crowd early on when he got on to the end of a superb through ball from Mario Martinez, rounded goalkeeper Donovan Leon before slotting home to put Honduras in front. However, the home side hit back quickly through captain Marvin Torvic’s header, following Roy Contout’s corner which was played on by Bryan St

Clair. A minute later, Privat got the first of his double, evading his marker to score from close range. Leading 2-1 at the break, French Guiana continued their resurgence in the 62nd minute when Privat completed his brace. Once again, he evaded his marker to nod home Rhudy Evens’ cross, providing the hosts with a two-goal cushion. French Guiana have never competed in a Gold Cup but qualified for the playoff

Windies-bound Simmons backs Associates for next World Cup LONDON, England (CMC) – Newly appointed West Indies coach Phil Simmons is encouraging the International Cricket Council to keep faith with Associates teams for the next World Cup. The Trinidadian is coming off an eight-year stint with Ireland, including leading them to the last two World Cups where they made a significant impact despite failing to reach the second round. With the ICC planning to reduce the complement of teams at the one-day showpiece even further, Simmons believes marginalising Associate teams like Ireland would be a mistake. “There shouldn’t be a World Cup without Associates, and no disrespect to the others, but definitely not one without Ireland,” Simmons said. “I would hope ICC re a s s e s s e s b e c a u s e some of the best games at this World Cup have been played by the Associates. Other sports have at least 20 teams so why can’t cricket have 14 teams regularly.” He added: “We were PHIL SIMMONS saying the same at the end of the 2011 World Cup (about reducing the number of teams at the World Cup) and the pressure wasn’t half as much then as it is now so I hope they reverse their decision and there will be 14 teams in the next World Cup.” Ireland played outstandingly at the current World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, shocking West Indies by four wickets in their opening game en route to winning three of their first four games. They narrowly missed out on the second round, finishing level on points with West Indies in fourth spot but with an inferior net run rate. At the previous World Cup in India, Ireland also made headlines when they produced a superb run chase to shock England by three wickets in Bangalore. Simmons praised the way Ireland played in the ongoing World Cup especially the way they upset West Indies. “The players’ attitude was superb throughout, fronting up to those big games. We left saying we needed to win three games and that’s what we did. We just didn’t allow for Pakistan beating South Africa,” Simmons explained. “The West Indies game was massive. We knew we had to win the first game because it was the catalyst for the rest of the tournament. But you always have a chance – and I shouldn’t be saying this – against West Indies early on and we took our chance.” Simmons last week penned a three-year contract to coach West Indies, starting from the three-Test series against England next month.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Sunday March 29, 2015)

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:

Sloan Privat nets a brace for French Guiana. after finishing fifth in last year’s CFU Caribbean Cup in Jamaica. Honduras, meanwhile, have qualified for six straight Gold Cups.

7 & 13 NZ’s Glen Turner, 1975 (171* vs East Africa; 114* vs India)

Today’s Quiz:

Who has been voted Player of the Tournament at the ICC 2015 World Cup? Who has been declared Man of the Match of the 2015 WC final?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

Skill not emotion wins World Cups, says retiring Clarke By Ian Ransom

it to be about the team,” he told reporters at the MCG yesterday. “I just said it to my team mates then. And I’ve been the one to come out and say, ‘it’s not emotion, it’s skill that

helps you win major games and major tournaments, and tomorrow will be no different’. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for every single player in that change room to walk

Woods will fall outside world’s top 100 tomorrow By Bernie McGuire

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

TSC, GCC to meet in GCA/NBS 2nd division final on April 11 … after defeating DCC and UG in semis

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Sunday March 29, 2015)

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:

Sloan Privat nets a brace for French Guiana. after finishing fifth in last year’s CFU Caribbean Cup in Jamaica. Honduras, meanwhile, have qualified for six straight Gold Cups.

7 & 13 NZ’s Glen Turner, 1975 (171* vs East Africa; 114* vs India)

Today’s Quiz:

Who has been voted Player of the Tournament at the ICC 2015 World Cup? Who has been declared Man of the Match of the 2015 WC final?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

Nabaclis needle defending champions ‘Awo’ Abrams rescues … Four semifinalists in East Coast Guinness action known Bakewell Slingerz REGULATION-TIME goals were the order of the night when the quarter-finals in this year’s Petra Organisation/Banks DIH-sponsored, East Coast of Demerara Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Futsal football competition were played last Friday at the Haslington Market Square. One of the eight teams who battled for supremacy that night - Nabaclis - ensured a place in the semi-final line-up, when they defeated defending champions and pre-tournament favourites Melanie ‘A’, 1-0. This was after the large and vocif-

erous crowd who thronged the venue once again for the fourth night of action, witnessed Beterverwagting ‘A’, Plaisance ‘A’ and Melanie ‘B’, all book their spots in the semis. In the first quarterfinal match after the exhibition matches, Beterverwagting ‘A’ became the first team to make the final four, when they blanked their ‘B’ counterparts 3-0, courtesy of a double from Akeem Curry. Curry scored his first goal in the first minute of play, one that signalled what

The man who did the job for Plaisance ‘A’, former national striker Warren Gilkes (green bib), was caught battling for the ball against this player from Paradise, during their intense matchup last Friday night.

was to come during the course of the night, while Delroy Deen, who is a thorn in the flesh for teams on the East Coast, doubled the score six minutes later with a goal of his own when they battled BV/ Triumph United on the big field. With a 2-0 lead, BV ‘A’ kept the pressure on their ‘B’ counterparts as if they were the ones trailing and reaped rewards in the 19th minute, when Curry completed the double, a goal that ensured BV ‘A’ of their spot in the semi-finals. The Plaisance ‘A’ versus Paradise encounter was worth its weight in gold, with no quarters asked and none given throughout the encounter, which had the female fans screaming from the opening whistle to the final one. Darwin London received thunderous applause in the 3rd minute, when he scored for Paradise, who surrendered the lead after several back-and-forth contests for supremacy. Carlos Matthews scored a 7th minute goal for Plaisance ‘A’. Both teams tried to gain the upper hand and it took the efforts of former national player Warren Gilkes to break the deadlock and score what was the winning goal for Plaisance ‘A’. He had worked his way around his marker and let loose a fierce shot with his left foot in the 14th minute, beating the defender on the first post of the small goal. With no more goals materialising in the remaining time, due to some stern defensive work by Plaisance ‘A’ the team from lower East Coast came away victorious. Last Friday, when Amuneke Rogers rose in the air to meet an airborne pass from his teammate and scored off a glancing header in the 9th minute, Melanie ‘B’ were fortunate to score a 1-0 win over a

game Buxton line-up. In the final game of the evening, Nabaclis, with nothing to lose but much to gain, took the playing area to take on the defending champions and when play got under way, the nervousness of Nabaclis was evident as they gifted their opponents several goal-scoring opportunities, which they squandered. However, when Nabaclis were presented with their chance to score, they did not let it slip by and this was evident when Akamo Jack received a gem of a pass from the right side and fired a first-time volley that rocked the box in the 14th minute, to send the defending champions in a state of frenzy. Try as they may, Melanie ‘A’ could not negate Jack’s strike due to some strong defensive work by Nabaclis and when the final whistle sounded, the defending champions were left to rue their missed opportunities. Nabaclis celebrated and have gone back to the drawing board to plan for their final-four fixture. The semi-finals will be played at the same venue on Wednesday from 22:00hrs, following several exhibition matches, with Plaisance ‘A’ taking on BV ‘A’ in the first semi-final followed by Nabaclis and Melanie ‘B’ featuring in the second from 22:30hrs. The final will kick off four days later at the same venue, with the winners of the event receiving $300 000 and the championship trophy, while the runners-up take home $150 000 and the third- and fourth-place finishers cart off $100 000 and $75 000 respectively, even as the top two teams represent the East Coast in the national playoffs in June. (Calvin Roberts)

Malteenoes Sports Club fundraiser on today … Tiger Sports facilitates Media XI participation IN an effort to upgrade the facilities at the Thomas Lands-based Malteenoes Sports Club, executives of the 113-year-old club will be hosting a Fundraising cricket competition and Barbecue today, with action set to commence as early as 09:00hrs. Eight corporate teams will provide the on-field cheers; while beyond the boundary there will be musical entertainment for patrons. To ‘bowl’ things off, the organisers will perform the draw of teams to square off in what is virtually a quarter-final, but they have granted the Media XI the opportunity to play the first match since they have an-

other engagement during the day. The other participating teams are Guyana Bar Association, Upper Level Barber Shop, National Drainage and Irrigation Authority, Police Officers, Qualfon, Demerara Distillers Limited, Renegades and Wartsila Power Company. The day’s activities, which are being co-sponsored by General Industrial Supplies Enterprise, Trophy Stall and Star Party Rentals, will be coordinated by members of the Malteenoes Sports Club and will see the top three teams receive trophies, while individual prizes will be available for the Most Valuable Player in the final, the Best Batsman

and Best Bowler of the day. The umpires will be Linden Matthews, Joseph Jeffrey and Shannon Crawford, while the match referee is Omar Bacchus. M e a n w h i l e , Ti g e r Sports of Old Road, Enmore, East Coast Demerara, on Saturday outfitted the Media XI with jerseys to compete in today’s encounter. The jerseys, bearing the Media XI emblem on the front, and Tiger Sports logo on the back, were generously donated to the Media boys by Managing Director Sheik Mohamed, who is a former national cricketer. Mohamed’s son, Fawaz, also a former national cricketer, presented the shirts

Fawaz Mohamed (second left) representing Tiger Sports presents one of the shirts to Media XI skipper John Ramsingh. Sharing the moment are, from left, media players Calvin Roberts, Avenash Ramzan and Zaheer Mohamed. to captain John Ramsingh during a simple ceremony at Malteenoes Sports Club on Saturday. Ramsingh said his boys were very grateful

for the kind gesture of Tiger Sports, and will look to represent the company’s image to the best of their abilities. Also present at the sim-

ple ceremony were former captain Calvin Roberts, fast bowler Zaheer Mohamed and middle-order batsman Avenash Ramzan.

... Alpha United book K&S semi-final berth By Rawle Toney

ANTHONY ‘Awo’ Abrams scored Slingerz FC’s winning goal to send the ‘West Side’ champions, along with Alpha United, into the semi-finals of the 25th Kashif and Shanghai Tournament when action continued on Friday night. Bakewell Slingerz, thanks to goals from Abrams and Dwayne Lawrence defeated Fruta Conquerors 2-1 in extra time while Alpha United hammered the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) 5-0 t0 advance to the semi-finals, set for Wednesday at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) ground. It was a game of drama, from the sound of the referee’s fox 40 to kick off the game, to the last second in extra time - Slingerz and Conquer or s cer t ai nl y had g i v e n p a t r o n s t h e i r m o ney’s worth. Back and forth the two sides battled, much to the delight of the spectators but it was Lawrence who broke the deadlock in the 34th minute when he volleyed home a shot from just atop the 18-yard area. A back-flip was the

celebration as Lawrence taunted his former team and Slingerz FC lead 1-0. Vurlon Mills could have doubled the score for the Ve r g e n o e g e n - b a s e d t e a m but his free-kick went sailing

the ground, indicating that the ball was in play, but the referee, without warning, sounded his whistle claiming the Slingerz custodian was wasting time. Fruta Conquerors

ANTHONY ‘AWO’ ABRAMS

MANASSEH PRIMO

over the crossbar. The first half ended with Slingerz in the lead 1-0 and it remained until the 82nd minute when the referee made a dubious call against Akel Clarke that resulted in Fruta Conquerors being rewarded an indirect free-kick. Clarke, after a saved shot on goal, dropped the ball on

made sure that they capitalised on their chance on the edge of the six-yard a r e a , a s Tr a v i s T h o r n h i l l converted. The referee continued his suspicious and oftentimes obvious blunders in the second half as all the calls were made against Slingerz FC. Abrams then scored what turned out to be the winning goal of the game

when he found the net from a Colin Nelson-taken free-kick that rebounded into his path. King Solomon Austin was called for a handball in the penalty area even though the ball by no means hit the player on his forearm as the referee suggested but instead had hit his chest. But as they sometimes s a y ‘ b a l l d o n ’t l i e ’ ; E o n Alleyne stepped up to the mark but Clarke was equal to the task. The score remained 2-1 and Bakewell Slingerz held on to win and now await the winner of the Riddim Squad/ Western Tigers game which was played last evening. Meanwhile, in the opening game, Manasseh Primo scored in the 50th and 64th minutes to help Alpha United ease into the semi-finals. Primo, who had scored both goals in their 2-0 win over Agricola Red Triangle, was assisted with a goal each from Ronson Williams, Travis ‘Zorro’ Grant and Jamaal Smith. Alpha United will play the winner between Pele a n d Wi n n e r s C o n n e c t i o n on April 1.

Green Machine out of steam in Hong Kong Winger Claudius Butts scores a try against Tonga in Hong Kong. GUYANA’S National 7s Rugby team lost all three of their matches, competing in the 2015 Cathy Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens. In their first game, Guyana lost 36-0 against Zim-

babwe then 50-5 to Spain. The team showed a much better performance and fight but lost 36-4 against Tonga. Guyana are the reigning NACRA 7s champions.

DCB Annual General Meeting now set for April 30 at GNIC Sports Club FOLLOWING a meeting of the membership of the Demerara Cricket Board (DCB) last Friday, it was decided on that its Annual General Meeting (AGM) will now be held on April 30 at the GNIC Sports Club on Woolford Avenue. According to a release from the DCB, the meeting was keeping in accordance with the Guyana Cricket Administration Act (Act No. 14 of 2014) (GCAA), and saw attendance from a majority of their constituent members. Major General (Retired) Norman McLean was unanimously appointed to chair the meeting where the members discussed a wide range of matters affecting the conduct, the playing and the administration of cricket in Demerara and there was the general feeling that a resolution of the crisis in Demerara cricket would essentially pave the way towards legality, order and good governance at all levels including the West Indies Cricket Board. “With the successful passage of the GCAA, the delegates were optimistic that at long last, proper and lawful elections of the DCB could now be held and would include the Upper Demerara Cricket Association (UDCA)” the DCB said in the release. The DCB said that at Friday’s meeting, several other issues were discussed, including the injunction preventing all those who were purporting to be executive Major General Norman members of the DCB, McLean (Retired) chairs their servants and or the DCB meeting. agents, from performing the functions and duty as officers of the DCB (Raj Singh, Anand Sanasie et al). Also discussed was the selection of teams from Georgetown and East Coast by persons unknown, the exclusion of Upper Demerara Cricket Association (Linden, etc) from Demerara cricket and the denial of any funding, including for cricket development, to the Georgetown Cricket Association, the East Coast Cricket Board and the Upper Demerara Cricket Association. The DCB further shed some concerns over the donation of cricket gear received from the WICB to only selective clubs and bypassing the Area Boards/ Associations, “the plethora of court actions against the legitimate stakeholders of Demerara cricket by the purported executives of the Guyana Cricket Board, and alarmingly, it is this identical group that has been usurping the functions of the executives of the Demerara Cricket Board”. In the release issued, the DCB said that “Mr Raj Singh holds shares as president of the DCB in a privately registered company, DEB Essentials Inc. (renamed Cricket Guyana Inc.), when in fact he was never elected president of the DCB and received no such permission from the membership” “The complicity of the WICB in supporting the illegality in Guyana cricket in order to secure votes and generally the indifference of the WICB to all of the well-publicised critical problems affecting cricket in Guyana, including illegal elections and financial misappropriation, the phantom group running off competitions in Demerara deliberately excluding the Upper Demerara Cricket Association,” the DCB also listed as concerns.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015

for the kind gesture of Tiger Sports, and will look to represent the company’s image to the best of their abilities. Also present at the sim-

ple ceremony were former captain Calvin Roberts, fast bowler Zaheer Mohamed and middle-order batsman Avenash Ramzan.

... Alpha United book K&S semi-final berth By Rawle Toney

ANTHONY ‘Awo’ Abrams scored Slingerz FC’s winning goal to send the ‘West Side’ champions, along with Alpha United, into the semi-finals of the 25th Kashif and Shanghai Tournament when action continued on Friday night. Bakewell Slingerz, thanks to goals from Abrams and Dwayne Lawrence defeated Fruta Conquerors 2-1 in extra time while Alpha United hammered the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) 5-0 t0 advance to the semi-finals, set for Wednesday at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) ground. It was a game of drama, from the sound of the referee’s fox 40 to kick off the game, to the last second in extra time - Slingerz and Conquerors certainly had given patrons their money’s worth. Back and forth the two sides battled, much to the delight of the spectators but it was Lawrence who broke the deadlock in the 34th minute when he volleyed home a shot from just atop the 18-yard area. A back-flip was the

celebration as Lawrence taunted his former team and Slingerz FC lead 1-0. Vurlon Mills could have doubled the score for the Vergenoegen-based team but his free-kick went sailing

the ground, indicating that the ball was in play, but the referee, without warning, sounded his whistle claiming the Slingerz custodian was wasting time. Fruta Conquerors

ANTHONY ‘AWO’ ABRAMS

MANASSEH PRIMO

made sure that they capitalised on their chance on the edge of the six-yard area, as Travis Thornhill converted. The referee continued his suspicious and oftentimes obvious blunders in the second half as all the calls were made against Slingerz FC. Abrams then scored what turned out to be the winning goal of the game

when he found the net from a Colin Nelson-taken free-kick that rebounded into his path. King Solomon Austin was called for a handball in the penalty area even though the ball by no means hit the player on his forearm as the referee suggested but instead had hit his chest. But as they sometimes say ‘ball don’t lie’; Eon Alleyne stepped up to the mark but Clarke was equal to the task. The score remained 2-1 and Bakewell Slingerz held on to win and now await the winner of the Riddim Squad/ Western Tigers game which was played last evening. Meanwhile, in the opening game, Manasseh Primo scored in the 50th and 64th minutes to help Alpha United ease into the semi-finals. Primo, who had scored both goals in their 2-0 win over Agricola Red Triangle, was assisted with a goal each from Ronson Williams, Travis ‘Zorro’ Grant and Jamaal Smith. Alpha United will play the winner between Pele and Winners Connection on April 1.

babwe then 50-5 to Spain. The team showed a much better performance and fight but lost 36-4 against Tonga. Guyana are the reigning NACRA 7s champions.

Sport CHRONICLE

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

Shabazz names new-look Jags for Grenada encounter tonight

Colchester’s Matthew Briggs (left) and Bolton Wanderers Neil Danns are seen during training ahead of their international friendly against Grenada tonight.

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‘Awo’ Abrams Alpha rescues ...United book K&S Bakewell semi-final see story Slingerz berth on page 31

Some members of the Golden Jaguars yesterday in Buxton

Ailing Crowe pens emotional tribute before World Cup final see story on page 26

Former New Zealand cricketer Martin Crowe accepts a cap as induction into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame at the Cricket World Cup match between Australia and New Zealand in Auckland February 28, 2015. (Reuters/Nigel Marple)

SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015

SUNDAY CHRONICLE March 29, 2015