2015 5 9

GUYANA

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

No. 104183 SATURDAY MAY 9, 2015 GUYANA’S MOST WIDELY CIRCULATED NEWSPAPER

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Former U.S. President

Jimmy Carter arrives

2 AK-47 rifles, 15 pistols, bullet proof vest, 489 rounds ammo

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Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and a member of the U.S. Secret Service, on arrival at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri yesterday

‘ARRESTED’: Jamal Murphy

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– in shocking Arms find at City wharf – 23-yr-old Buxtonian in custody

Army fully prepared for national security – during Elections period Page

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US pleased with GECOM’s readiness Page

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter arrives

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

FORMER United States (U.S.) President Jimmy Carter arrived at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timheri, yesterday afternoon, in advance of the May 11 General and Regional elections.

President Carter is co-leading the Carter Center’s 100th election observation mission, which features a team of more than 50 observers and is co-led by Dames Audrey Glover of the United Kingdom and Billie Miller of Barbados.

This is the Carter Center’s fourth election observation mission in Guyana.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Haroon Shafiq (shaking hands with Mr Carter) and American Embassy Chargé d’ Affaires Bryan Hunt, yesterday

US pleased with GECOM’s readiness – Bryan Hunt UNITED States Chief of Mission, Charge d’Affairs Bryan Hunt yesterday said his Government was pleased with the level of preparation put in by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) ahead of Monday’s historic National and Regional

Elections.

Speaking with reporters yesterday at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, the senior United States embassy official explained that the preparations have been excellent.

“From the perspective of the United States Government, the Guy-

ana Elections Commission has done an excellent job in putting together the necessary logistical preparations,” Hunt told reporters.

The occasion at the Pegasus was the arrival of former United States President Jimmy Carter who along with his mission, the Carter Centre arrived in Guyana to observe the elections.

Hunt noted that since GECOM be-

gan preparations for the 2015 polls he has had the opportunity to meet with Chairman of the Commission Dr. Steve Surujbally, Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield and members of the Commission with respect to the readiness.

“From the United States side we think that the Commission is very capable of running a very credible poll on the

Former United States President Jimmy Carter in Georgetown, Guyana

Former United States President Jimmy Carter on arrival at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown

day and confident that the results would be a fair reflection of the will of the Guyanese People,” the United States Embassy official stated.

On the issue of the presence of the Former United States President, Hunt said Mr Carter is here on a private mission with the Carter Centre and it signals that all the

political parties want to ensure that there is broad international observation of the polls and they are pleased that the Carter Centre along with the OAS, Commonwealth, CARICOM and UNASUR will be in the field on the day and would increase the credibility of the polls for the Guyanese People.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

Cameron savors shock triumph in British election (Reuters) BRITISH Prime Minister David Cameron swept to a stunning election victory on Friday, confounding forecasts that the vote would be the closest in decades and winning a clear majority that left his Labour opponents in tatters.

The sterling currency, bonds and shares surged on a result that reversed near-universal expectations of an inconclusive “hung parliament”, in which Cameron would have had to jockey for power with Labour rival Ed Miliband.

Instead, Cameron met Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace to accept a mandate to form the first majority Conservative government since John Major’s surprise victory in 1992.

Despite the unexpectedly decisive outcome, longer-term uncertainty looms over whether Britain will stay in the European Union - and even hold together as a country.

Secessionists swept the board in Scotland, and Cameron repeated a promise to hold a referendum on EU membership.

The scale of his triumph surpassed his party’s most optimistic projections.

“This is the sweetest vic-

with the world’s fifth largest economy. He phoned Cameron to concede and then resigned as party leader.

With all results declared in the 650-seat house, the Conservatives held 331 and Labour 232. The center-left Liberal Democrats, who supported Cameron in government since 2010, were all but wiped out, reduced to eight seats from 57.

Scottish nationalists won 56 of the 59 Scottish seats, up from just six five years ago.

The anti-EU, populist UK Independence Party (UKIP) surged into third place in the overall vote tally, but disappointed its followers by managing to place first in only one district to win just a single seat. Like Labour’s Miliband, Lib-Dem leader Nick Clegg and UKIP leader Nigel Farage resigned as party leaders.

Sterling gained more than 2 cents against the dollar GBP=D4 to rise above $1.55 for the first time since late February, though it later eased back to around 1.5450.

Cameron’s victory means Britain will face a vote which he has promised by the end of 2017 on continued EU membership.

Prime Minister David Cameron tory of all,” Cameron, 48, told enthusiastic supporters at party headquarters.

Smiling beside his wife Samantha, he returned to the prime minister’s office in Downing Street after meeting the queen. Staff lined up to applaud when he entered the residence.

Cameron’s pitch to voters was that he had rescued Britain from economic crisis to deliver the fastest growth among major economies. He had warned that Labour’s Miliband would cripple the United Kingdom by giving

Scottish nationalists the keys to England’s treasure.

In early appointments to his cabinet, he retained George Osborne as finance minister, sticking with the man credited with overseeing recovery from the economic crash, and reappointed his foreign, interior and defense ministers.

Miliband, a self-confessed socialist “geek”, had argued that the recovery was benefiting the rich and most people were still worse off. But he failed to connect with working class voters or convince the public he could be trusted

Many Britons, including lawmakers in his own party, are frustrated by EU bureaucracy, high levels of immigration from the bloc and the precedence of laws made in Brussels over those passed in the Westminster parliament.

Cameron says he wants to stay in Europe, but only if he can renegotiate Britain’s relationship with Brussels to strike a better deal.

European leaders lost no time in offering him talks on reform, with French President Francois Hollande inviting him to Paris. Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the EU Commission, told Cameron: “I stand ready to work with you to strike a fair deal for the United Kingdom in the EU.” But the EU executive again stressed there could be no renegotiation of the bloc’s basic treaties.

In Scotland, the extraordinary scale of the nationalist landslide victory reopened the question of the future of the United Kingdom less than a year after Scots voted in a referendum to remain inside it.

Scotland will send just three representatives of traditional British parties to the

UK parliament in London and its dominant nationalists will be locked out of the British cabinet, arguments separatists could use to seek a new vote to leave.

Cameron sounded a conciliatory note towards Scotland, likely to be his first immediate headache, promising further devolution of powers to the Scottish government.

“In Scotland, our plans are to create the strongest devolved government anywhere in the world with important powers over taxation and no constitutional settlement will be complete if it did not offer also fairness to England,” Cameron said.

Alex Salmond, the former leader of the Scottish nationalists, now elected to represent them in parliament in London, called the SNP’s victory an “electoral tsunami”.

The United Kingdom includes England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, with England accounting for 85 percent of the population.

Scottish politicians elected to parliament in London have held major cabinet posts, which could now be impossible with nearly all Scottish seats in nationalist hands.

Pakistan helicopter crash kills Norwegian, Philippine ambassadors A PAKISTAN military helicopter carrying diplomats to inspect a tourism project crashed on Friday killing seven people, including the ambassadors of Norway and the Philippines and the wives of the Malaysian and Indonesian ambassadors.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was traveling to the mountainous northern region of Gilgit on a separate aircraft when the accident happened.

He returned to Islamabad, his office said.

Norwegian Ambassador Leif Larsen, Philippine Ambassador Domingo Lucenario and the wives of the ambassadors of Malaysia and Indo-

nesia were killed, along with two pilots and a crew member, military spokesman Asim Bajwa said in Twitter posts.

He said initial information indicated the cause was a technical fault. The foreign secretary also said technical problems caused the crash.

“Apparently its engine failed,” Foreign Secretary Azaz Chaudhry said. “It was not terrorism.”

The Pakistani Taliban claimed they shot down the aircraft but witnesses on the ground, and in other helicopters on the trip, reported nothing to indicate any firing.

Malaysian state media identified the wife of the ambassador as Habibah Mahmud,

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while Indonesia said its ambassador Burhan Muhammad was injured and his wife, Heri Listyawati Burhan Muhammad, was killed.

Bajwa said the ambassadors of Poland and the Netherlands were among the injured.

The ambassadors of South Africa, Lebanon and Romania were also on board, according to a flight list obtained by Reuters. The Romanian Foreign Ministry said its ambassador was alive and uninjured.

An official in Gilgit said nine people had been killed.

“The bodies are so badly torched that they can’t be identified,” said Sibtain Ahmed, the home secretary

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of Gilgit-Baltistan.

The Foreign Office said 17 people were on board the Mi-17 when it crashed into a school in Gilgit and caught fire. Media said there were 11 foreigners and six Pakistanis.

there were no kids in the school because it was an offday for security reasons. The helicopter caught fire and was on fire for over an hour.”

Pakistani Taliban militants said they brought down the helicopter with a shoulder-launched missile, adding they had been hoping to shoot down Sharif’s aircraft.

“Nawaz Sharif and his allies are our prime targets,” Taliban spokesman Muhammad Khurasani said in an emailed statement.

Gilgit, about 250 km north of Islamabad, is not a militant stronghold and the Taliban often claim responsibility for incidents that they

“GOOD REPUTATION” Farmer Shakil Ahmed saw the helicopter crash into the school roof from his house about 100 meters away.

“The helicopter came very close to the helipad, maybe 250 meters in the air, just above the school,” Ahmed told Reuters.

“It hovered there for a while and then tried to turn when it crashed. Thankfully

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had nothing to do with.

The Mi-17 is considered a reliable, no-frills helicopter, first built by Russians for use in hot and high conditions in Asia, said James Hardy, the Asia-Pacific editor for IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly.

“The military has a lot of money and a good reputation for looking after its equipment,” he said. “The air force is well trained and highly professional.”

The Pakistan military was believed to operate about 29 Mi-17s and the air force about six, he said. Media have reported four other Mi-17 crashes in Pakistan in the last 11 years.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

Army fully prepared for national security

THE Guyana Defence Force (GDF) yesterday announced that it has activated ‘Operation Plexus’ which has as its central thrust, the stability and security of the nation in the Pre, E-Day and Post-Elections period.

“Since the announcement of a date for General and Regional Elections, our troops have been immersed in training to fulfil its role of supporting the Police if required to do so. Training was focused exclusively on internal security areas such as crowd dispersal drills, cordon and search activities, the conduct of road blocks and the suppression of unlawful assemblies,” the GDF said in a statement.

“Currently, our troops are being deployed to various parts of the country to deal with any circumstance that require our involvement and support for the provision and maintenance of peaceful and stable communities,” the GDF said.

According to the Army, the end state is to ensure that the General and Regional Elections are executed in a safe, secure, and stable environment, and that a state of normalcy is maintained throughout.

The Army also further assured: “There is absolutely no need for you the citizens to be fearful of the presence of our troops in your communities as we are deploying to ensure

- during Elections period

your safety. We urge that, as responsible citizens who have always respected and co-operated with the military, you will be supportive of our tasks as we interact with you from day to day, during this period.”

The GDF sought to also assure “all Guyana that the Officers and Ranks of the Guyana Defence Force remain professional and committed to its constitutional obligations to assist the civil authorities in the maintenance of law and order.”

Troops from the Guyana Defence Force being mustered at Base Camp Ayanganna, yesterday

Vote to protect the sugar industry

By Tajeram Mohabir WITH General and Regional Elections heading closer to homestretch, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) made a stirring appeal to residents of Whim, Berbice to vote to support the survival of the sugar industry and ensure a secured future for their children and grandchildren.

The sugar industry provides employment for some 17,000 workers, many from Berbice, and has over the years come under attack from the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), which now has the full support of the Alliance For Change (AFC).

Addressing a massive gathering at the prominent Berbice village on Friday evening, President Donald Ramotar said the PPP/C will do all in its power to protect the industry and ensure its survival.

The ruling party, in its 2015 manifesto, has promised to invest some $20 billion in the industry if re-elected to office.

President Ramotar last evening explained that the money will go towards the development of co-genera-

--- President Ramotar urges Berbicians tion at the sugar estates to supply electricity to the national grid, the production of refined sugar and ethanol on a commercial scale.

He told the gathering that when they vote on Monday, they should think about their future, and place their trust in the PPP/C to ensure the continuation of progress and development.

The APNU had at one time called for the closure of the sugar industry and utilise the fields for tilipha rearing, but following harsh criticism, they withdrew the statement.

President Ramotar said these are not people who should be trusted, pointing out that aside from their call to close the industry, they had threatened to vote down provision for GuySuCo in the national budget.

Today, the APNU has found a willing partner in the AFC, President Ramotar told the boisterous crown drawn from nearby villages, while reminding them that the People’s National Congress (PNC) which now

control the APNU+AFC Alliance has never done anything to better their lives.

“They rigged elections after elections,” he said, noting that when two Berbicians tried to protect the ballot boxes, they were shot dead by soldiers, who were acting under their superiors. APNU+AFC Alliance Leader, David Granger, was at the time a Commander of the Army. “Granger has blood on his hands,” President Ramotar said, also stressing that the PNC, which Granger also heads, has been a supporter of criminals, pointing to their support of notorious criminal Linden ‘Blackie’ London, whose coffin they draped with the flag of Guyana, the Golden Arrowhead.

Granger a few weeks ago told Barticians that under an APNU+AFC Alliance government, no more massacres will happen in the mining community. President Ramotar contended that Granger knows what he is taking about, noting that guns that

went missing under the PNC Administration turned up in the hands of criminals who carried out the Lusignan and Bartica massacres as well as major robberies.

The PPP/C government, he said, is about building a better Guyana for all Guyanese, not damaging the country and rigging elections to stay in power as the PNC did.

The incumbent government has transformed Guyana during its 23 years in power through heavy investment in education, healthcare, and infrastructural development.

Today, Guyanese enjoy a life three to four times better than the life they had in 1992.

Agriculture Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy said the good life must continue, urging the gathering to not put trust in the “crook” Moses Nagamootoo, who say he is a ‘Madrasi’, and is working to give 11 per cent of Indian votes to Granger to vote out the PPP/ C from office.

According to Dr Ramsammy, Nagamootoo does

not know where the Kali temple is in his own village, and he (Ramsammy) knows and goes to the temple regularly as is a true Madrasi warrior, fighting for progress and development for Guyana.

On Elections Day, he said, the electorate must teach the APNU+AFC a lesson, by using their most potent weapon - their decency and their pen -- and vote resoundingly for the PPP/C. Region Six Chairman Mr David Armogan also delivered a forceful presentation, urging the gathering to send a strong message to the APNU+AFC Alliance by putting a final nail in their coffin, thereby ending the immoral marriage between Granger and Nagamootoo.

He alluded to the fact that, despite Guyana growing and developing tremendously since 1992, the APNU and AFC are telling their supporters that there is no development. Armogan said it is clear that they choose not to see the Berbice River Bridge, the University of Guyana Berbice Campus, improvement in education and healthcare, more partic-

ularly the 800 locally-trained doctors in Guyana today.

None of these doctors, he said is “a quack doctor”, making reference to a prominent AFC Executive.

Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh said the support of Whim and the electorate in general, is not only a support to keep the PPP/C in power but to keep Guyanese from returning to the days when flour, potato, and sardine were banned and it was a criminal offence to have these foods.

Guyana, he said, has come a long way since 1992, Guyanese enjoy better lives, pointing out that the PPP/C will continue to create more jobs, providing an environment for business to flourish and work to ensure unity and harmony among its peoples.

On that note, he urged the gathering to bring out their friends, families and neighbours, and vote solidly for the PPP/C so that progress and development can continue.

The lively rally also featured presentations from several young Berbicians who did not do a bad job in energising the massive gathering.

President Donald Ramotar addressing the PPP/C’s public meeting at Whim, East Berbice last night (Adrian Narine photos)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

Guyana Editorial

Mindfulness, psychotherapy and happiness

MINDFULNESS is a Buddhist-based concept and practice which is increasingly being incorporated into Western psychological and psychiatric practices.

It is the seventh of the eightfold path taught by Siddhartha Gautama.

Herein is shared a few thoughts on mindfulness, psychotherapy and happiness from a study done by Dr. Latchman Narain, Ph.D. (Psychology), Director/ Family Counsellor from the Anger Management Centre Of Toronto, Inc. Mindfulness is being happy, with present moment awareness of what is happening inside of you and as well as your surroundings, relaxing into the moment to find joy, with a non-judgmental, accepting and compassionate attitude. It is the energy generated as a result of present moment awareness of one’s thoughts, feelings, perceptions and also one’s outer environment.

This energy focuses on having your mind or consciousness present in whatever you are doing. It involves slowing down in order to do so to be fully present in whatever activity you are participating in.

Awareness of one’s breath is usually the first step to being mindful because this brings your mind to the present moment.

If this is done early in your day, then you can periodically return to this state from time to time, with stress reduction as one of the benefits. The opposite of mindfulness is mindlessness. Most of the time in our everyday lives, we live mindlessly, moving from one activity to the next and not stopping “to smell the roses”. As such, we have to remind ourselves to be mindful as much as possible.

Judgement refers to looking at the behaviours of others and ascribing negative labels to those that may be different from your expectations. You use your values and behaviours as the acceptable standards; others are seen as deviations from what is supposed to be your right perceptions and beliefs.

Acceptance in this context does not mean resignation or weakness of character. It means that you are not expecting circumstances to be different, that you are not resisting the flow of events. You accept “what is” as the first step to change it. You accept the “suchness” of things and circumstances. Acceptance can also mean that you are aware of what is within your control and what is outside of your control and you are comfortable with that. Accep-

tance is usually a sign of psychological or emotional maturity.

Mindfulness also implies that you are not looking for happiness in some future time, but accessing your inborn capacity to be happy in your present circumstances.

You are able to find happiness in the ordinary happenings of everyday life, in the miracles of the ordinary, so to speak. For examples, mindful breathing, eating and walking can be sources of joy, if done with the spirit of awareness. Awareness as in mindfulness can transform the activity into a source of joy and eventually happiness.

A short story may be instructive. The Buddha was once asked, “What have you gained from meditation?” And he replied, “Nothing. However, let me tell you what I have lost: anger, anxiety, depression, insecurity, fear of old age and death.”

This is a type of freedom based, not on what you have but on what you do not possess...what is reduced or missing in your life, freedom from...but powerful nonetheless.

There is a saying that life has its moments...some happy, some not so happy.

These usually go together. Mindfulness will help you to increase the former so that

APNU-AFC’s crystal ball predicts disaster THE vision of the APNU-AFC alliance will be suicide for Guyana; and should we fail to forget the past, then we are doomed and Guyana will return to the dark days under the Burnhamite era.

We must safeguard democracy and pray that these narcissistic psychopaths don’t get power.

I would like to share with your readers my perspective of the APNU-AFC, which is as follows: PARLIAMENT: Typical Burnham type, with many vice presidents, advisers and other ministerial portfolios.

The AFC will be given positions with no power and will eventually be forced to quit the coalition and face the consequences as suffered by

the United Force.

ECONOMIC DESTRUCTION: The sugar and rice industries will be crippled as these are PPP supporters’ base. The lack of confidence will lead to decreased foreign and local investments, as is evident in a standstill in businesses as you travel around the country. The decreased revenue coupled with increased spending will plunge Guyana into economic disaster.

All the unrealistic pre-election promises just to seduce voters will not be realised.

E D U C AT I O N : T h e re-introduction of the Guyana National Service will see many brilliant youths deprived of tertiary education, as happened under the PNC, when the Guyana

National Service certificate was given preference over CXC certificate.

MASS MIGRATION: As happened under the PNC era, the wealthy will migrate and invest in a country free from racial discrimination, oppression and a secure environment. The exodus of Guyanese will result in the restriction of visas for North America. This will cause the ‘Back-track trade’ to emerge once again.

DISCRIMINATION: Party card to get a job, scholarship, entry into university, infrastructure contract and sexual exploitation for favours as happened under the PNC. How can the APNU speak about unity and equality? The security forces and all government ministries

are ninety percent dominated by PNC supporters. The APNU-AFC are silent on these issues. There is a lack of trust for Indo-Guyanese as reflected in the APNU hierarchy.

SECURITY: The re-introduction of the secret criminal gang, the kickdown-the-door criminals to terrorize non-supporters.

Therefore, we should pause and reflect on the path we traversed to make Guyana a free nation.

Compare the past, evaluate the progress and make the right choice for continued progress. Supporting the AFC will mean aiding the return of the dark era of the PNC. PAUL PERSAUD

you can manage the latter better.

Being mindful is a source of happiness; it is a powerful way of being which is different from the doing mode of existence.

So much of our lives is spent in the “doing” mode that we think that we also have to do something to relax and be happy... often adding more stress to our otherwise busy lives. Let us remember that we are “human beings” not “human doings”.

What about goal achievement? Is this not a path to happiness? These are two questions that are frequently asked. In my view, achieving your positive goals can bring joy into your life; joy, however, is not the same as happiness. Joy is a transient feeling, happiness is more long lasting. Feelings of joy can serve to promote feelings of happiness; this is the nexus.

To conclude, while mindfulness promotes happiness, it is important to note that it is not hedonism in the sense of sensual self-indulgence. The focus of mindfulness is to bring more joy and balance into your life by developing present moment awareness, non-judgmentally and with compassion and acceptance.

A lesson to be learnt from election in Nigeria GUYANESE should learn from the recent election in Nigeria. The newly elected President had made false pre-election promises, such as free health care, increased wages and salaries and better infrastructure to fool the people that he could transform the economy.

With only one month in office, the treasury is empty, corruption is rampant and the country is heading for disaster.

This is a lesson all Guyanese should learn. They must look at real progress and not be seduced by the APNU-AFC coalition

which thinks the majority of Guyanese are stupid and will fall for their deceptive plan.

It is our civic duty to prevent the return of the dark days under the PNC. The lack of basic foodstuff, oppression, discrimination, party card to get a job and contracts, collapsed infrastructure beyond repair, an empty treasury, frequent daily blackouts.

Youths are our future and hope, and making the right choice will help them achieve their ambitions without discrimination.

KEVIN SINGH

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

The people will prove Freddie Kissoon wrong on May 11th

WRITING in Kaieteur News on May 3rd, 4th and 5th, Freddie Kissoon chastised Indians in Guyana who have come out in support of the PPP and who have not expressed a preference for the PNC/APNU+AFC and who have not, according to him, recognised African Guyanese leaders.

He has also launched a litany of assininities against former President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, accusing him of racist demagoguery.

I recall that former President Jagdeo sued Kissoon for a similar scandalous attack. I don’t know if there is an injunction against Kissoon which prohibits the repetition of such unfounded labels. If there is, these comments on Mr Jagdeo would mark Kissoon’s grave insult and disrespect for the court and its order, but that is a matter for Mr Jagdeo and his lawyers.

I would however like to focus on Kissoon’s drivel about Indians who support the PPP. He referred to Ronald Bulkan, whom he said is transfixed by “the transmogrification of a number of Indian Guyanese who just months ago found the PPP regime to be characterised by cascading incompetence, corruptibility, unpleasant functionalism and other unacceptable motifs.”

I am surprised that there is no attempt at an evaluation/analysis of the current stand of the persons who have caused Ronald Bulkan’s transfixation at their transmogrification. Such an evaluation/analysis would be the first recourse for objective political analysts. To be fair to Kissoon, he has offered that these Indians have allowed themselves to be influenced by instinctive racial considerations.

He sees these Indians as ‘Indian Supremacists’ who hold to the view that Indians must hold political power in Guyana. He gleefully admits to what would be his delight at the PPP loss of the forthcoming elections. There is no disputing the truth that there are African Guyanese who want to see the APNU-AFC led by David Granger in government. By Kissoon’s logic, would he describe Lincoln Lewis, David Hinds, Lenno Craig, Norris Witter, Aubrey Norton and Joe Harmon as ‘African Supremacists’. There is not a word from Kissoon on this.

The truth is Mr. Kissoon, leading Indian personalities have been critical of the PPP when they felt justified in doing so. The PPP is not above criticism. The PPP itself has candidly admitted that in government it has made mistakes. The persons who bear the brunt of Kissoon’s criticism are entitled, like all other eligible Guyanese, to vote for the political party of their choice. These Indians, like all other Indian Guyanese, have vivid recollections of the brutal, vicious, oppres-

sive and authoritarian record of the PNC in government.

They are well aware that Indians in particular bore the brunt of PNC neglect, victimisation and oppression in the past. It may be that by offering their support to the PPP, they have resolved unto themselves that they will go with the PPP. That, notwithstanding their past criticism, they will choose the lesser of two evils. Kissoon may not agree with them, but it is their choice, and as a man holding himself out as a defender of public rights, he should respect their choice.

Ronald Bulkan is also critical of the Indians he identified, but Bulkan is guilty of a terrible error of judgment. He seems to have erroneously concluded that the criticism of the PPP by intellectually able Indians necessarily translated into their support for APNU. But Bulkan too is guilty of a lack of respect for people like Rhyaan Shah, Swami Ashkarananda, Ralph Seeram, Peter Ramsaroop, Asgar Ally and others. If these Indians had followed in the footsteps of people like Ronald Bulkan, and his uncle, the former PNC Attorney General Mohamed Shahabudin, on the road to Sophia and into Congress Place, Bulkan and Kissoon would have considered them right thinking Indians and above criticism.

Note must be taken of how APNU, in the newspapers, plays up the photographs of Indians who have made a political choice of supporting APNU, viz. Robert Badal, Joey Jagan, Jacob Rambarran and an unknown doctor.

Freddie Kissoon should dilate on the fact that when Indians in Guyana reflect on their experiences under the PNC, when they reflect on their disadvantage and their deprivations; when they consider that the PNC government was one that imposed itself upon them through electoral fraud of the most barefaced and worst kind; when they think of poor health care and the substandard education their children received in run-down schools with teachers pre-occupied with selling tamarind balls to their knowledge-starved students sitting on classroom floors because the PNC failed to provide classroom furniture; when they think of the pot-holed ridden roads all across the country; when they remember that their children, undoubtedly qualified, could not get employment with the PNC government; when they reflect on the fact that food and medicine were unavailable; when they, in anguish, recall the police charging into their mandirs and homes at the time of religious worship and taking away their puri and parsaad and putting them before the courts; when they remember that flour, bread and roti had to be buried in the backyard; when

they recall the lack of a democratic culture that characterised the PNC in government, it is difficult for them to avoid the conclusion that the PNC did them a great wrong and that they were treated unjustly.

These recollections, for Indians, are painful ones. These were the realities that have scarred and left indelible prints on the Indian Guyanese psyche. So in coming now to their political choice, Indians weigh the admission of the PPP that it has made mistakes and its undertaking to correct them against David Granger’s unambiguous and remorseless statement that the PNC did no wrong and that there is nothing that the PNC has to apologise for to the people of Guyana.

Why, Mr. Kissoon, should any Guyanese, and Indians in particular, vote for David Granger, who seeks to distance himself from overt connection with PNC atrocities and even today, fails to offer a word of condemnation. Indian Guyanese in particular would find themselves in great difficulty to support David Granger and his motley band of vengeance seeking wannabees.

This is the context in which Indian support for the PPP can be placed, and not just through the narrow prism of racial polarisation. Kissoon may disagree, but it is my view, and I trust that he can show some respect for my view. The very matters such as incompetence and corruptibility which Ronald Bulkan claims Indians criticise the PPP for, have been prominent features of the notorious record of the PNC in government. There is however one fact which Kissoon, with his poisoned pen, with his anti-indian hostility, and vitriol, cannot deny, and that is that under the present PPP government, the life and living standards of all Guyanese are qualitatively superior to that which obtained under the despotic PNC regime.

Freddie Kissoon has, in the past, heaped encomiums upon Desmond Hoyte. I respect his right to choose his heroes, but I ask Kissoon about his thoughts on the fact that Hoyte took the Presidency in 1985 as a result of the most flagrantly rigged elections in Guyana, which prompted the distinguished British Law Lord, Lord Avebury, to describe the 1985 elections “as crooked as barbed wire”.

Kissoon speaks of Hoyte as a great reformer. He must be a great admirer of Robin Hood, the thief of Sherwood Forest in England who shared his ill-gotten gain, with the less privileged. Hoyte stole the Presidency.

He ignored the people and their votes. He stole the Government and then sought to adopt glasnost and perestroika, according to Kissoon. How can praise be offered to Hoyte?

I do however understand that for Kissoon, stealing can be explained away and can be made acceptable.

Kissoon has described former President Jagdeo as a racist. The former President recently addressed an essentially Indian audience at an essentially Indian function. He told them that they, in the past, struggled for the protection and preservation of their dignity and that that achievement was under threat as the PNC, cloaked as APNU, and led by David Granger, who is unapologetic for the past injustices of the PNC, sought to regain political office. Former President Jagdeo no doubt had in mind the experiences of Indians in Guyana under the past illegal PNC regime, when Indian religious and other cultural values were trampled upon. (Of course I understand that these are matters which Kissoon, by his own admission that he is Guyanese, and not Indian, would care little about). How could such a caution be deemed racially divisive. It was a caution founded on a truthful, historical reality which his audience knows only too well, and which they were grateful to be relieved of in 1992.

Lest Mr. Editor, you are tempted to come to the conclusion that this letter itself may carry racially divisive overtones, I hasten to say that it offers another view of Kissoon’s Kaieteur News contribution that Indian support for the PPP is founded upon purely racial considerations. I have endeavoured to place the continued support by Indians in Guyana for the PPP in a sociological/political context for which support Kissoon is grossly disrespectful to them.

And while I have tried to place the Indian political choice in context and perspective, I would like to immediately add that while it receives the overwhelming support of the indian community in Guyana, the PPP has demonstrated significant multi-ethnic appeal, and continues to enjoy wide support from people of all walks of life and races of Guyana. Kissoon was wrong in his predictions of 2006 and 2011, when he wrote “my take is that the PPP will lose the elections.”

Come May 11th, the people of Guyana will return the PPP to Government and will once again prove Freddie Kissoon wrong, and he will slither away to lunch with Lenno Craig or Lincoln Lewis or David Hinds or Norris Witter or Moses Nagamootoo.

But perhaps Nagamootoo will not be available. He is likely to be in the embrace of David Granger and together they will be bawling over their devastating defeat by the PPP. DAVID MUNIAN

I remain pessimistic about Guyana’s future -race issue remains largest stumbling block to any real progress, development

MR GORDON Forte must know that DNA is part of the human physiology that evolves quite on its own. If I traced mine it would take me to the home of my ancestors, India. And hasn’t that Indian DNA contributed in great and glorious ways to the advancement of human civilization!

Each one of us is trapped – to use Mr Forte’s word – by our individual DNA. It is the hereditary and family lineage of our biological makeup and no one can renounce, deny or reject their DNA. How much DNA has to do with behaviour, and with spiritual and cultural evolution is

still a matter of that ‘nature vs. nurture’ debate.

However, evolution is not limited to DNA alone. It is because of my evolution as a free spirit that I reject degraded culture and embrace traditions and values, learned from my ancestors, that uplift the human spirit rather than diminish it.

If Mr Forte has no DNA in his family lineage that he wishes to similarly emulate this is truly unfortunate and must be pitied. We can only hope that his personal evolution will eventually catch up with that of the civilised world where ethnic, cultural, and every other identity

– gender, sexual orientation, religious, etc, - are guaranteed, protected and respected through constitutional laws, human rights charters, and by a sense of plain moral correctness on the part of every citizen.

Not many of us wish to repudiate our ancestral past and, in fact, my hot-mouth is very much part of my DNA. It comes to me from my nanee, a proud Indian woman from Port Mourant who gave as good as she got and took no eye-pass from anyone. She would be so proud of me for continuing the tradition and might even have a thing or two to tell Mr Forte

if she were still alive.

My nanee and aja and chacha and poowah have all contributed to making me the person that I am and if Mr Forte has no similar family bonds to speak of then his happiness as a person must be truly limited.

My response to Ms Nadia Sagar will be brief. If there is no self-denial then why so shy of saying she is Indian? I could leave it there but I would add that she is much too educated to forward the banality that enjoying See page 8

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

Islamic Guidance on Elections

SINCE elections are coming soon, most people are unaware of the Islamic guidance on elections, including Muslims.

Some even think that they are not “Permitted” to vote. This is not true. In fact, Islamic teachings are very clear.

Elections and appointments are a way to manage the administrative system of a country. It is essential to have elections in order to run the structure of the country in an orderly manner and it is very important to elect the right person to uphold the dues of the office. Indeed, the matter is so significant that the Holy Qur’an draws attention to it, detailing what kind of people should be chosen for office.

Allah Almighty says in The Holy Qur’an: “Verily, Allah commands you to make over the trusts to those entitled to them, and that, when you judge between men, you judge with justice. And surely excellent is that with which Allah admonishes you! Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.” (Ch 4, Verse 59) It also addresses the office holders admonishing them that mere holding of an office is not enough, the dues of the office need to be discharged and when these dues are not discharged, one incurs God’s displea-

sure. Holding a responsibility for country is a trust; for which one is accountable. Voting and appointing for an office in government is a trust of Allah; one is accountable for this.

The first responsibility is a trust; therefore elect those who are the best for the office.

For the election of an office holder, vote should not be casted based on one’s relations, friendships or clannish preferences. Voters will be held answerable as to why did they not use their vote correctly, for National interest rather than personal interest. If one does not have sufficient information about those who are to be voted for, then one should pray to God that one is guided to vote for the person who is the best in God’s sight.

God helps when a community of believers cast their votes after praying in this vein to elect office holders.

Elections are a process of recommendation; the final decision is made after counting of votes. The leadership position is based on majority of votes. Islam shuns nepotism; however, it is allowed to appoint a relative or a friend to a task based on merit.

QUALITIES OF A LEADER: Islam also shed light on a great leader.

The founder of Ahmadiyya Muslim Com-

munity, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam (on whom be peace) has taught us that the rights of others should be awarded even if it means one has to endure hardship in the process.

We see candidates make promises before elections. Allah says about promises that: “… for the covenant shall be questioned about.”

(17:35). And signs of pious ones are: “…and those who fulfill their promise when they have made one…” (2:178) So a God-fearing leader will uphold all promises to the best of his abilities.

Then, we see that some leaders slander others and attack them. Regarding this Allah commands that: “…Do not slander your own people, nor taunt each other with nicknames…” (49:12). To treat everyone with respect is a great quality that office holders should have.

Another quality of National Office should be to spend the funds of the country with extreme care. Under no circumstances should there be wastage. Allah says: “...and squander not thy wealth extravagantly. Verily, the extravagant are brothers of satans, and Satan is ungrateful to his Lord.” (17:27-28). This is the correct way of fulfilling trust. At the same time God states that miserliness does

not befit a believer. Elected officials should avoid wastage and be moderate in spending, but should not be miserly. One should spend wherever there is just requirement.

A special quality of office holders should be able to control their anger. It is stated: “… those who suppress anger…” (3:135).

Office holders should be mindful that the Qur’an states: “…speak to men kindly…”

(2:84).

Office holders should treat their coworkers with kindness.

Be mindful of God’s commandment: “…

Be always just, that is nearer to righteousness…” (5:9) These are some of the qualities of a great leader mentioned here. This will help us to select the right candidate for future leadership. At the same time these are the guidelines for our leaders to follow, this is how our country will become a better and beautiful place. At the end I pray that may Allah guide our nation to elect worthy candidates and we progress in peace and harmony. Aamen.

MAQSOOD A. MANSOOR Imam of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at

Salman Khan, Justice and the Poor THE suspension by the Delhi High Court on May 8th, 2015 (yesterday) of Salman Khan’s five years jail sentence for a hit-and-run death of a homeless man in 2002 came as no surprise. In India there is a long tradition where it is expected that the rich, powerful, and politically well-connected will eventually be acquitted, no matter how sinister or brutal the crime or offense committed. This case shows that India is still the country where status, power, and money can not only get you a long way, but where they can also buy justice. It makes most hallow and hypocritical the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s promise of transparency, fairness, and prosperity for all.

Politicians are rarely, if ever, convicted for schemes of corruption and theft. In the Salman case, what is most shocking and sickening is that many people in India joyfully celebrated the decision and many Bollywood stars vehemently supported him all along. One play-back singer even went so far as to liken the unfortunate victim to ‘just a dog’, easily disposable

and from whose death no consequence should arise.

Do not these people have even an iota of compassion for this poor soul, who, like millions of others, has nowhere to rest body and mind but on the hard and cold pavement? How can emotional attachment to an idol or star blind people so much that they fail to realise that, rich or poor, we are all endowed with the priceless gift of life, and that we are all inter-connected in this cosmic drama of life and death. Stardom and fame should make people even more humble, and open to the pains and sufferings of others. But, with very few exceptions, the stars of Bollywood have so distanced themselves from the poor and unfortunate, that, for them, that world of struggle, pain, poverty and tears does not even exist.

The classic case of where justice in India has failed the poor is the Bhopal disaster, a crime against both man and the environment. In December 1984, more than 8,000 people were killed within 72 hours after 45 tons of toxic gas was released from the Bhopal Plant of

Union Carbide Corporation (UCC), India subsidiary, (UCIL). Innumerable others were blinded, suffered major pulmonary disorders, terrible pregnancy outcomes, psychiatric disorders and a host of chronic ailments. Many would die in the ensuing years and overall, nearly half a million people suffered severe toxic exposure.

Criminal charges were brought against UCC and its Indian subsidiary. In 1996 the Supreme Court of India handed a sentence that is the equivalent to causing death by negligence in a traffic accident.

By siding with the rich and powerful, it ensured that justice was denied to the poor victims of Bhopal, so much so that Raghu Jaidev, one of the victims, had to remark thus: “In India, rich people always get away…..we poor keep struggling till we die.”

They have been many cases in India involving high profile people from politicians to celebrities and a plethora of wealthy and well-connected people in between, who have literally bought justice with their money and power.

In August 28, 2012, Bloomberg Busi-

ness magazine carried a lengthy report on Om Prakash Gupta, a six-time member of the Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly, who through his family run grain trading firm concocted a vast scam operation and stole US$14.5 billion of food while the poor in India starved to death.

Among the rich and powerful in India there is a deep-rooted culture of entitlement. They think that they should be able to get away with doing wrong or evil actions. They rarely acknowledge fault, and even when they do so, they still feel that they are above the law and should not be touched.

They are privileged, heroes and heroines to millions and should not have to face the indignity of any legal action or conviction. Their idea of their very self or identity is inextricably linked to their fame, stardom and wealth. They live in a world so different that in their thinking the ordinary folks may as well cease to exist. And that is why they can crush them with impunity.

CECIL RAMKIRATH

I remain pessimistic about Guyana ...

From page 7

one another’s cuisine makes us united.

And are Indian, African, Amerindian children not as beautiful or is Ms Sagar proposing that dougla children are the real Guyanese as others have tried to do in similar past discussions?

How many times does it need repeating that we have race-based politics and race-based voting? Both sides are playing the race card. If the PPP is more forthright with its comments, the PNC, now APNU, is more sinister for wishing

to hide its racist past.

I can counter any crudity on the PPP’s part with that of a picture of a woman with her legs spread peeing on the PPP flag in public. And now another from Buxton with a woman bent over to show everyone her panty. Are those ugly and destructive enough for you, Ms Sagar?

But none of this is really Ms Sagar’s issue. Her real issue with me is that I am a proud Indian and for the self-denying Indian this is anathema.

I guess Ms Sagar finds comfort in the gimmicky slogans of the coalition which are profoundly race based, anyway, with their promise of a magical post-elections unity which has no foundation in truth, fact or reality.

It must be as comforting as eating cookup with achar. There really is nowhere to go with the simplistic banality of using cuisine and hair length as a yardstick for some idea of an identity that is evasive of a simple truth and fact.

This is probably my last letter to the press before elections day. I hope that peace prevails whoever wins.

From the discussions this campaign has raised I feel that we have not moved a millimeter nearer to resolving our race issue. This is the largest stumbling block to any real progress and development so I remain pessimistic about Guyana’s future.

RYHAAN SHAH

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

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Number 64 village told …

Dr Jagan’s dreams for Guyanese are being realised - President Ramotar says Guyana has greater potential

By Vanessa Narine NUMBER 64 Village, Corentyne, last evening, sounded in no uncertain terms its support for the party of the people, the party of the Jagans, now led by President Donald Ramotar – the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

And the PPP/C presidential candidate made it clear that the realisation of the dreams of the founder of the party and former president, Dr Cheddi Jagan, is clear for all to see – it is unmistakably evidenced.

He stressed that there is much more to be done to build Guyana – an endeavour seen in economic prosperity and in the social sectors – and improve the lives of all the Guyanese people, even as he detailed the successes made in moving the country forward under successive PPP/C administrations.

“On Monday you will decide on what direction our country will go. You will decide if we continue on our forward march or if we slip backwards…elections are about records and where we stand, about character and about plans and policies to move forward,” the President said.

Going forward, according to him, we will be guided by strategic plans that will see investment in Guyana’s human capital, in the Guyanese people, to position them to take advantage of new frontiers of growth, investments and other advances.

“When we are re-elected, every single child who leaves primary school will go to secondary school…we are the only country in the world that takes the expense of educating young Guyanese from their parents…we give them books, uniforms…that is following the dreams of Cheddi Jagan,” Mr Ramotar said.

He stated that “investments in Guyanese people” have paid off as shown by the results of the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) assessments, which Guyanese students are topping, bringing home most of the regional awards.

Guyana’s housing advances, the President said, have become a regional model with countries such as Antigua seeking Guyana’s support in answering questions to housing concerns of their own.

“We have plans, we have moved our country from…and we believe that we can take our country to a higher level,” the PPP/C presidential candidate said.

CLEAR ROADMAP The President stated that the roadmap to fully realise the dreams of Dr Jagan and realise the potential of Guyana is outlined in the PPP/ C manifesto – ‘Guyana 2.0.’

According to him, growth, job creation, generation of wealth, boosting of the manufacturing sector, tourism and Information Communication and

Technology (ICT), among other sectors; as well as a focus on food and energy security are plans that will be bolstered by quintessential transformational infrastructural projects.

Among those listed are the Specialty Hospital, Amaila Falls Hydropower Project, the expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), bridges across the Corentyne and Demerara Rivers and a deep-water Habour at the mouth of the Berbice River.

“We need a deep-water habour…we will be able to earn more. We will be able to import goods in higher quantities and bring down costs…it will allow

when re-elected we will invest $20B to ensure that the industry thrives,” he said, highlighting expansion of co-generation initiatives, packaged sugar, expanded production of ethanol, specialised forms of sugar for industrial uses, the establishment of a distillery and the production of refined sugar.

“These are dreams of Dr Cheddi Jagan,” Mr Ramotar said.

He added that the rice sector, which has seen phenomenal successes in the past few years, will also benefit from the commitment of a PPP/C Government. “We are looking at value added [production] in our rice sector…this is the direction we

even cut $89B from the national budget,” he said.

Positions the political Opposition has taken in the National Assembly, for example, on matters such as the environmental tax, have exposed Guyana to other dangers, Mr Ramotar said.

“We had to go to the Parliament to change the law...as a result we lost a case in court and the Caribbean Court of Justice awarded US$6M to the company… the Opposition set out to damage the welfare of Guyana…they deliberately set out to damage this country…they have not stood on the side of the people,” he said, also pointing to the position Guyana was

A section of those in attendance at the PPP/C’s public meeting at #64 Village in Berbice last evening us to become a maritime hub…it will allow us to create more employment for our people, earn money for our country and for our people,” Mr Ramotar said.

NOT NEGLECTED He added that the traditional sectors have not been neglected and hundreds of Number 64 village residents, many of whom depend on the agricultural sector, were told of the PPP/C’s commitment to the sector.

“I have no doubt that Skeldon will still be a flagship of the industry…the industry needs more support to be restructured, Mr Ramotar said, adding that there are many new challenges that need to be addressed via mechanisation, among other undertakings.

India’s support for the sugar industry was also underscored by the PPP/ C presidential candidate.

“We want to move our industry from being just a producer of raw sugar…we want to make the industry more flexible…the industry needs assistance and

have to go, add value and cut costs and our farmers will have better prices…we also must use new technology,” he said.

In line with this vision, Guyana 2.0 is touted as an interconnected plan – a development thrust that will ensure growth on all fronts, supported by infrastructural advances, which will in turn see the generation of wealth, which will then support efforts to advance better quality of living for the Guyanese people. “We can do these things and they will catapult Guyana to a higher level of development,” he said.

DEVELOPMENT UNDER THREAT These plans, he said, to consolidate and build on the many successes made in the last two decades are under threat by the political Opposition.

A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), according to him, has not taken “constructive and patriotic” positions.

“In the last three years, it has been bad…everything they have blocked. They

placed in because of the non-passage of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/ CFT) (Amendment) Bill.

The flip-flopping by APNU+AFC on sugar, renewable energy and a number of other initiatives was also underscored by him.

Success, a clear road map for the future, the PPP/C commitment to the Guyanese people and to the country matched against the dangers that APNU+AFC represents is what must be considered ahead of May 11.

“On May 11, I ask you to stand with us,” President Ramotar urged.

In addition to the PPP/C presidential candidate, party members Hydar Ally, Dr Ashni Singh and Bijulee Moti also addressed the sizeable gathering.

Yesterday’s public meeting was among several held across Region 6 (East Berbice/Corentyne) and along the coast, and marks the homestretch appeals ahead of Monday’s General and Regional elections.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

PPP/C GUYANA VERSION 2.0 (EXCERPTS)

A Vibrant, Resilient and Progressive Economy GUIDED by the responsible stewardship of the PPP/C Government, Guyana’s economy has defied global and regional trends and registered nine years of uninterrupted growth. This outstanding performance has facilitated significant improvements in the quality of life enjoyed by all Guyanese.

Our vision for the future is one of an economy that is vibrant, resilient, and that will generate enough wealth to ensure that the aspirations of all our peoples can be realised in the shortest possible time.

Our economy has registered sustained and impressive growth rates since 1992, but particularly over the last 10 years. This growth has spawned thousands of new jobs for Guyanese.

The PPP/C believes that Guyana must continue to grow and compete in regional and global markets in order to assure higher living standards for all. Building a strong, resilient and stable economy will provide greater opportunities, jobs, security and increased prosperity. The PPP/C will make longterm, strategic choices to ensure that our economy generates more businesses and jobs. The PPP/C will work within every sector, particularly in less populated areas, to provide opportunities for job creation and the establishment of small and medium-sized businesses for our young people in all regions, by creating the right incentives for investment and business promotion.

Notwithstanding the maturity of the traditional sectors (rice, sugar, gold, bauxite, forestry), the PPP/C Government will remain committed to ensuring their long-term viability, modernisation and profitability.

We will Improve Productivity and Competitiveness by: ● Reducing bureaucracy ● Simplifying the tax system ● Improving access to financing ● Promoting the use of technology ● Promoting a highly skilled workforce ● Providing energy security ● Marketing the Brand Guyana ● Expanding infrastructure and policies conducive to business development Our economic plan is consistent with the following critical outcomes: ● Strong Economic Growth: Continued strong real growth in gross domestic product, increasing per capita income, stimulating national and individual wealth creation and poverty reduction, and bringing the benefits of growth to all Guyanese. ● Fiscal and Monetary Management: Prudent management of public finances to work for a balanced budget, long-term debt sustainability, adequate external balances, exchange rate stability, low domestic price inflation, and expansion of credit to the private sector. ● Economic Diversification: Rapid diversification of the productive base, reduce vulnerability to external market volatility and increase resilience, built on both a strengthening of the traditional sectors and accelerated facilitation of the new frontiers of growth. ● Job Creation: Focus on job- intensive growth with special emphasis on sectors that create meaningful employment, and ensuring that our education system equips our young people for the requirements of the new economy. ● Improved Infrastructure: Strengthening the infrastructural and institutional prerequisites for improved competitiveness and higher productivity. ● Strong Private Sector: Facilitating further growth of the private sector. Prompting a mixed economy where investment will be attracted from local and foreign capital, and public-private partnerships will be pursued for specific areas such as infrastructural development.

Under the next PPP/C Government, the new economy of Guyana will be driven by buoyant growth and expansion of the following sectors: Environmental and Climate Services; Large scale mineral, oil, and gas exploration and extraction; Energy Development, including renewable energy; Large scale agriculture, agro-processing and agro-business; Information and Communications Technology Services; Tourism and Hospitality; and Transformative Infrastructure.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

Jagdeo puts Berbicians on alert…

11

APNU+AFC wants to scare them out of voting for the PPP/C - Warns ‘we must not allow them to bully us in our own country’

By Gary Eleazar ELECTIONS are not won by crowds alone, but rather with votes; and come Monday, when Guyanese head to the polls, the leadership of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is calling on its supporters to not be cowed or intimidated, but turn out in their numbers to vote for progress.

With 48 hours to go before Guyanese vote en masse for the political party of their choice to lead the country over the coming five years, the PPP/C leadership last evening canvased Berbice, hosting a number of public meetings, wrapping up at Whim, Middle Walk, in the vicinity of the residence of Alliance For Change (AFC) Executive Member, Dr Veerasammy Ramaya.

Arriving at the venue shortly after 19:00 hrs last evening, Former President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo was welcomed to boisterous shouts of glee and praises, and some with tears of joy in their eyes at the sight and sound of the charismatic former president.

Dr Jagdeo firstly called on party supporters to translate the enthusiasm being demonstrated at the rallies and public meetings across the country, into votes come Monday.

DR BHARRAT JAGDEO He told those gathered that on Election Day all must play their part in getting supporters out to vote, and not gamble with the future of the country in the hands of the political Opposition.

According to Dr Jagdeo, supporters and Guyanese at large should not vote in support of the PPP/C because of a hatred for the political Opposition, but rather because of a desire to see sustained progress.

GRANGER’S ELECTORAL ARITHMETIC Jagdeo also used the opportunity at the Whim podium to decry pronouncements yesterday by Leader of the political Opposition Brigadier (ret’d) David Granger, of a predicted 62 per cent win for the APNU+AFC coalition.

Dr Jagdeo said he was at a loss trying to understand Granger’s electoral arithmetic.

He posited instead that the Opposition leader was in fact looking to scare the PPP/C supporters into staying home on Monday with a foregone conclusion that the coalition had won the election.

According to the Former President, the Opposition “wants to scare us out of voting...We must not allow them to bully us in our own country.”

RUNNING SCARED The former President also used the opportunity to warn of what he called Opposition plans to subvert the polls come Monday.

See page 16

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

2 AK-47 rifles, 15 pistols, bullet proof vest, 489 rounds ammo

- in shocking Arms find at City wharf - 23-yr-old Buxtonian in custody THE Guyana Police Force has reported that, at about 11:30 hrs yesterday, during the clearing of a cargo consignment at the GNIC Wharf in Georgetown by Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Officials, a cache of arms and ammunition was found comprising two (2) AK 47 rifles, four (4) 40 pistols, eleven (11) 9mm. pistols, fifteen (15) extra magazines for the firearms, 489 various caliber rounds for the firearms and a body protection vest.

Police took into custody a 23-year-old construction worker of Buxton/Friendship, East Coast Demerara after the very frightening discovery was made in a shipment that was posted to him by someone from a United States of America address.

Jamal Murphy who, up to late last evening was still being grilled by the Police,

‘ARRESTED’: Jamal Murphy was arrested after he showed up to receive the consignment that was in his name at a City wharf.

When the man had finished paying for the shipment and was about to uplift, Officers of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), as is customary, opened the shipment in his presence and found that there was foodstuff in the box as well as a military haversack.

When the GRA Officers opened the haversack, they stumbled on the weapons, which according to police sources, are all brand new.

In the bag were the shocking arms cache. Police sources told this newspaper that the pistols are likely to carry a very high price since they come with sensors which automatically cause the price for weapons with such features to be spiked.

Information reaching the Chronicle stated that when the young man was questioned by the police, he told them that the box was not his property but that he was only receiving the shipment for someone else.

Investigators reported to this newspaper that when Murphy was pulled in for questioning, he sounded very confident about what he was saying as he did not give them much information,

saying only that he was uplifting the shipment for a man whom he knows only as a “tall red person.”

The police are of the view that the man might have been schooled by legal minds before heading to uplift the shipment.

The Police yesterday carried out a search at the

young man’s home where some documents were removed from the premises to aid in their investigation.

Among the documents removed were papers which suggested that the 23-year-old from the Buxton/Friendship area had received another shipment sometime last month from the very person, but the contents of that box are not yet known.

The police are also of the view that based on the description provided by the young man, the man to whom the shipment was consigned is a person of interest to them and has been so for some time now.

The police are likely to issue a Wanted Bulletin for the man over the weekend if they are unable to locate him at the places their intelligence leads them to. (Leroy Smith)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

Where we go from here

by Shaun Michael Samaroo

COME next week, we want to cultivate ourselves being a world class 21st century society, thinking and talking about such things as originality of ideas, our innovative Guyanese spirit, our place in the global village in this Knowledge Age. We want a national servant-leader who makes that happen.

We want to farm our national mind into a fertile ferment, generating a global Guyanese conversation that sees us rising above the frays and factions and pettiness that caused us such grief during the time of the 10th Parliament.

No more should our Guyanese social landscape be subjected to pettiness and a national conversation lacking inspiration, motivation and the uplifting of our national mind.

Instead, we’ll design the Guyanese public square whereby we energize the heart and soul of every Guyanese citizen, at home and in the diaspora, with a sound, harmonious vision of where we’re going, what we’re accomplishing, why we’re progressing along the path we choose, embracing the full depth and breadth of the Guyanese human resource capital, looking to Guyana 2020 as a benchmark for our development goals, flexible and open as to how we achieve what we

set out to accomplish.

This is why President Donald Ramotar makes the defining difference for us at this hour. His leadership style and Presidential personality work well in cultivating the kind of national social landscape that is open, real and authentic, reaching out across divides to embrace anybody genuinely interested in moving us forward as a nation.

President Ramotar holds no qualms in taking on ideas, visions and initiatives that others suggest to him. So humble and open is he, that he readily accepts suggestions, ideas and progressive initiatives. In other words, President Ramotar is open for business, believing in the democratic ideal and the creation of an open playing field, where every Guyanese could come to the party, bringing our innovative spirit, our original ideas, our unique visions for national progress, and our professional integrity to the development table.

He’s come to embrace the Low Carbon Development Strategy initiative of former President Bharat Jagdeo, and this week reported to the nation the great news that we’ve received eight billion dollars from our innovative forest deal with Norway.

President Ramotar also embraces another groundbreaking initiative of Mr Jagdeo, in the Amaila hydroelectric project. The President

reported to us that Government secured US$80 million, which sits waiting in a bank account in Washington, DC, in the US, for the hydro project to get off the ground.

The President reaches out to outstanding national leaders like Elisabeth Harper, Clinton Urling, Peter Ramsaroop, and a host of others, to cull together the best and brightest Guyanese stalwarts in the task of moving us forward, in this effort of ensuring that where we go from here is to a positive place, a cultivated national atmosphere.

We face an immense challenge to overcome our national dearth of skills and expertise and professional performance and to inculcate a national culture of lifelong learning. What most devastated Guyana during the dictatorship period was the national brain drain, with Guyana holding the unenviable world record for brain drain.

Our President understands these things, and with his humble style, lacking any ego, we would see a transformed national effort to inculcate across our villages, towns and communities a renewed, energized, focused effort to build solid community relations, to cultivate an information highway whereby every citizen feels important and a part of the process of development, being able to contribute ideas, experience, knowledge and solutions to the task of our moving forward.

This information flow system, with citizens able to contribute up the chain of authority our ideas, experience and knowledge, with the State able to transmit to every ordinary working Guyanese its visions and programmes and plans and projects, becomes an absolutely crucial infrastructure, and we’ve got to cultivate and build and maintain it, involving the State media, Government communications organs, and the national media fraternity.

It would make a transformational difference in how we, being a Guyanese nation, were to design and shape the national conversation in such a way that we tap into the human resource capital of every Guyanese.

This national capital asset forms our knowledge pool, our talent base, our creative playpen, and our origination of innovative, new ideas and entrepreneurial projects and

groundbreaking insights.

It takes a President like Donald Ramotar, a man of no ego, a man so humble and open to the human possibility inherent in each person, each Guyanese, that he’s willing to govern as President while we create the Guyanese society that works for us. In President Ramotar, we don’t harbor a top-down, command-style leadership, but an open, free, engaging leadership style. Such a style frees up the national space for the flowering of personal initiative, individual talent, and professional integrity.

No one fears the President. Instead, in the last three years, we’ve come to hold him in profound respect, seeing him as a father-figure, a servant-leader, a man of integrity with an open, engaging attitude. He listens to the public voice.

He acts when he needs to,

making tough decisions when he has to, allowing his compassion and good conscience to guide him, strong enough to admit what he feels about those actions.

Such a man, at such an hour as this, our nation does well with as Headof-State. We’ve come to know him over the past three years of his Presidency. Before that he was unknown, never serving beyond the walls of Freedom House. Today, we know the man, we see his heart and hard work and immense energy as he traverses every community across Guyana.

President Ramotar stands open, ready, confident, a Guyanese household name, a revelation to us of exactly the kind of leadership we aspire to at this time of our making as a world class 21st century knowledge society.

Elections flashback…

A question of protecting our democracy OCTOBER 5, 1992 has become one of the most important dates in the history of the Guyanese people.

It is a date that stands alongside February 23, 1763; May 5, 1838; August 1, 1838; April 27, 1953; and May 26, 1966. October 5, 1992 will forever be remembered as the date when independent Guyana elected its first government at free and fair elections. It was really the first democratically elected government.

During the long struggle for democracy and free and fair elections, Dr. Cheddi Jagan often emphasised that economic and social progress would never be sustainable without democracy.

He used to say that while democracy was not everything, without it we would have Pictured is the ‘HISTORIC VOTE’ when registered voters patiently nothing. await their turn in a queue on October 5, 1992 to cast their ballots at one of Guyana’s most historic elections.

Guyana’s history has proven that over and over again.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

Chief of Staff briefs PSC on E-Day security arrangements

PSC representatives and members of the Joint Services. Fifth from left is PSC Chairman, Ramesh Persaud and Brigadier Mark Phillips

REPRESENTATIVES of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) on Wednesday, were briefed by the Joint Services, Chief-ofStaff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Mark Phillips, on security

arrangements in place for E-Day. The Chief of Staff, accompanied by his team, updated the executives of the Commission on the role and preparations of the Joint Services for the maintenance

of law and order during the elections period.

Brigadier Phillips also emphasised that the Guyana Police Force is responsible for security and maintenance of law and order on elections day and in general, and

that the role of the Guyana Defence Force will be to support the Guyana Police Force upon the request of the Commissioner of Police.

According to him, troops have been deployed and confined to barracks in all police

divisions across the country and will be ready to support the police if the need arises.

He stated too that the Joint Services are prepared for both preventive and preemptive action.

Brigadier Phillips as-

sured the private sector that the Guyana Defence Force is a professional organisation and will only operate within the guidelines of the Constitution of Guyana and the Defence Force Act.

NICIL outraged at APNU+AFC release …says coalition is being malicious and inciting at the 11th hour prior to elections The National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) issued the following statement yesterday: It has come to NICIL’s attention that the APNU + AFC Coalition has issued a statement purporting that “there

is an unusual amount of shredding of documents which is taken place at the Privatisation Unit”, suggesting that NICIL/ PU is engaging in a sinister plot to cover up or illegally destroy public documents and files prior to an election.

The Management of

NICIL/PU categorically denies there is any activity, shredding or otherwise, being carried on at NICIL/PU that is intended to or being

done to destroy any of its public documents, files or records. APNU + AFC’s suggestion is malicious, mischievous and absolutely false!

Upon reading this nons e n s e f ro m A P N U + AFC, the management of NICIL has called in the Auditor General’s office to verify man-

agement’s position and to interview staff to confirm that absolutely no public documents, records and files are or have been destroyed.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

GFC clarifies non-factual statements in Stabroek News article THE Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) refers to an article in the Friday 8th May 2015 edition of Stabroek News captioned: “Bai Shan Lin has most certainly contravened laws, regulations and approved policies” – Janette Bulkan and John Palmer.

GFC is alarmed that these two writers continue to regurgitate incorrect and non-factual statements on the forest sector in Guyana, even when their inaccuracies have been publicly pointed out on numerous occasions.

The continuing false allegations are even more disturbing when one considers that the GFC has invited both individuals to visit the GFC to be fully apprised on the real undisputable facts.

Since this misinformation is conveniently being circulated close to Election Day 2015, GFC will once again present the public with the accurate information which dispels the notion that Bai Shan Lin (BSL) is involved in some form of illegality and is benefitting from preferential treatment by the GFC or the Government of Guyana.

Fact 1: BSL has always exported logs in keeping with the GFC and the National Log Export Policy. The GFC records can prove this and it will indeed be very informative for these writers to show the records that they are basing this misinformation on.

Additionally, information on all of BSL’s joint ventures (JV’s) were made public; not once, but on multiple occasions.

The allegation of “transfer of operational control” or “landlording” is baseless-it is a GFC Board approved joint venture as was pointed out in detail in the public media (and certainly not a “rentier” agreement as is so maliciously speculated).

Fact 2: All exports of forest produce follow the GFC and other relevant Government of Guyana Agency guidelines.

These systems have been fully examined by credible independent and objective auditors and they have all concluded that the systems are adequate, appropriate and functional. A few minor recommendations for improving the systems have been proposed and these are currently being reviewed. To allege that there is customs fraud without providing factual evidence is unacceptable and in fact, potentially damaging to

the forestry sector export markets and the livelihoods of many.

The writers should consider these implications before making unsubstantiated statements.

Fact 3: As mentioned above, there is no evidence of customs fraud; similarly, there is absolutely no evidence to show “false values”. Prices are declared by species, volumes and by grades contrary to the writers’ false allegations. A simple check with the GFC could have clarified this.

Fact 4: GFC accepts that the level of implementation of health and safety guidelines needs to be improved; however, this is indeed applicable to many companies in the sector.

GFC is continuously working with the entire sector to promote better compliance of these important aspects. All companies, inclusive of BSL, pay wages and salaries in accordance with the GoG guidelines.

Fact 5: This is a non-issue. GFC has publicly stated that DTL is not under BSL management- either through a JV or under a rental agreement. Additionally, the writers are simply being mischievous when they state that “GFC said that this was not a takeover, merely a transfer of shares…” – GFC never made such a false statement!

Fact 6: Again, this is a thoroughly ventilated issue- the undisputed and well publicized fact is that BSL has legal access to 627,072 ha as shown below: 344,849 ha as State Forest Exploratory Permits (SFEP’s) - an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA); a Forest Inventory (FI), and a Business Plan have to be submitted to the satisfaction of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and GFC before a Timber Sales Agreement (TSA) is granted which allows for full scale harvesting in accordance with GFC guidelines 274,053 ha as Timber Sales Agreement -Joint Venture Agreements 8,170 ha as State Forest Permissions The estimate of 1.4 million hectares is simply ridiculous to put it extremely mildly. BSL has also corrected the figure on its website and publicly clarified this figure.

Fact 7: Some issues re non-payment of workers were brought to GFC’s attention. Following investigations, GFC

APNU+AFC wants to scare ...

From page 11

He spoke too of recent PPP/C meetings which he said were disrupted by elements of the Opposition and attributed their motive to ‘running scared’.

Dr Jagdeo, in calling on supporters to vote en masse on Monday for the incumbent, declared, “we don’t need to bully people to win an election.”

According to the Former President, “we must not allow them to bully us in our own country.”

Jagdeo told supporters that the PPP/C is a party for all Guyanese and supporters must not be ‘cowed’. “Are we cowards in our own country?” he asked.

He said despite any of the flaws or weaknesses of the PPP/C, it has always stood for and defended the rights of Guyanese.

Dr Jagdeo also used the opportunity to reach out to Berbicians who had voted at the 2011 Election for the AFC. He told the hundreds gathered at the Whim Public meeting that the AFC had, over the past three years, traded in their votes earned from Berbice to the PNC. He accused the AFC, along with A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), of holding the country to ransom through their actions in the National Assembly.

The former President reminded of the billions axed from the National Estimates over the years and the adverse effects it had on thousands of Guyanese across the country.

According to Dr Jagdeo, over the course of the past three years the political Opposition had made no meaningful proposals to national development.

As such, this time around, when the AFC leadership travels to Berbice to court votes, they should be rejected outright, he said.

He reminded of his theory of ‘a dead AFC’ since the submission of a singular Opposition list to contest

the 2015 election on Nomination Day. He said the AFC members, Khemraj Ramjattan and Moses Nagamootoo, were now being treated like children by the APNU and it leadership.

Dr Jagdeo further chastised Nagamootoo, saying that he had “sold his soul and conscience” to contest an election on the same platform with a man that has denied the reality of rigged elections in Guyana.

According to the former President, Moses Nagamootoo will never be Prime Minister, as he is confident that in a matter of hours, Guyanese will re-elect Donald Ramotar as Executive President, with Elisabeth Harper as the country’s newest Prime Minister.

In his appeal for voters to turn out in support of the ruling party, the Former President lamented the Opposition stance over the past three years and told Berbicians, “if we had our way, by now every home would have been connected.”

He was making reference to the One Laptop Per Family Programme, which he told Berbicians was shot down by the political Opposition when the time came to vote monetary allocations.

According to Jagdeo, now that the campaign season is in full swing, the political Opposition now finds it convenient to make the same promises.

Jagdeo reminded those gathered for the Berbice meeting at Whim of the PPP/C’s proposals as documented in its manifesto.

He spoke to co-investing with private partners in the region and a commitment to ensuring the sustainability of the sugar industry, among other initiatives.

Other speakers at last evening’s meeting included PPP/C Executive Secretary, Zulfikar Mustapha, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh and Agriculture Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy, among others.

found that it was really the Company(s) contracted by BSL to do specific work that defaulted in making payments to their workers. Nevertheless, GFC was able to work with BSL to satisfactorily resolve these issues.

Contrary to the writers, GFC is not in receipt of reports

by Amerindian Communities, claiming non-payment for logs received by BSL. Fact 10: BSL is complying satisfactorily with the TSA conditions. If they were not, then the several independent objective audits done by qualified auditors would have identified same.

GFC asserts further, that there is no circumventing of Guyana’s logging laws by any logging company, or any other forestry sector based company.

The GFC has very robust and functional systems, procedures and guidelines which all forest sector companies are audited against; if there are any breaches to these, appropriate action is taken based on the findings of a thorough investigation and in accordance with the forest law.

It is true that only a limited number of species are being harvested by the entire forest sector concessionaires. But in the same breath, it must be mentioned that the current logging intensity of Guyana is only about 30 % of the Annual Allowable Harvest- as such there is no current threat of over-harvesting to any commercial species.

Also, as stated before, the GFC, the Forest Products Development and Marketing Council (FPDMC), the Forest Products Association (FPA) and other stakeholders are aggressively trying to promote the local and export uptake of the lesser used species (LUS).

Already we are seeing positive indications of more LUS log and lumber exports; as well as increased LUS use in the local construction and manufacturing industry. This is, however, a market penetration process and not something that happens overnight.

Additionally, GFC is finalising work on implementing a “harvesting by species quota”, based on the inventory data. Pilot inventories in concessions are enumerating trees using the GPS, and accurate geo-referenced species stock maps are being generated. This will allow for the phased introduction of a harvesting regime that is based on species quota.

With respect to the investment promises not implemented: BSL had a guarantee from their financiers that the company would access the necessary funding for their forest harvesting and proposed wood processing activities.

However, this funding was not to be accessible in a lump sum total amount; rather it was to be disbursed in tranches based on BSL meeting agreed deliverables. This is the norm for the phased disbursement of large scale loans.

Unfortunately, BSL has not been able to meet all the requirements of the financiers; essentially this was due to a necessary BSL submission not meeting the GoG’s expected standard.

GoG then made it absolutely clear to BSL that since their submission was not of an acceptable quality, it had to be revised thoroughly. BSL has since re-submitted the required documentation for review by the GoG. This is undisputable hard evidence that the GoG has not given any preferential treatment to BSL, contrary to the false claims of some media.

If this new examination shows that the revised BSL submission is of the quality required by GoG, only then will it be approved. This will then pave the way for further release of funds for BSL to accelerate work on the wood processing facility as their priority activity.

Once funding is released, the GoG and BSL will agree on a detailed time-bound roadmap for this wood processing facility. The Government has however, already emphasized to BSL its disappointment and alarm that the construction and operationalisation of this wood processing facility has been unduly delayed.

Meanwhile, the GFC would like to restate its commitment to the transparent and accountable management of Guyana’s forest resources, irrespective of the investors being local or foreign based.

GFC would again appeal to stakeholders, especially those in the public media, to verify the facts before publicising erroneous information. GFC also invites the writers and any other interested person(s) to visit the GFC, and the forest/logging operations to see for themselves that GFC and Guyana are practicing sustainable forest management on the ground, in a very transparent and collaborative manner.

Guyana Forestry Commission

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

Norway’s release of US$40M reaffirms Guyana’s effective management of natural resources – Minister Robert Persaud THE announcement this week by the Government of Norway on the release of the fifth annual payment of US$40M to Guyana under the Agreement on Forest and Climate has reaffirmed that Guyana has maintained effective management of its natural resources sector, specifically in the areas of forestry and mining.

This is due to the continuous high level of performance under the Guyana Norway Forest and Climate Agreement, and as such continued collaboration between Guyana and Norway is possible. This renewal of the partnership is currently being discussed. At the recent mission which was led by the Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment and staff of the Guyana Forestry Commission, and the Project Management Office, various aspects of the Agree-

ment were discussed, and joint commitments made to collaboratively move forward to achieve the common goals that Guyana and Norway share on climate and forests.

Guyana’s deforestation rate has been maintained at a low level in 2013 at 0.068%, the year for which the fifth payment applies, and has been significantly reduced from the 2012 deforestation rate of 0.079%. This 14% reduction is important as it signals the impact of effective policy implementation and management of the two main natural resources sector. This achievement also is important from the global perspective, as Guyana has maintained one of the lowest deforestation rates in the world, and effectively less than 15% of the average for all tropical countries.

The reporting of deforestation has been as a result of a well-developed, interna-

Ms. Pradeepa Bholanath - Head Planning and Development Division, GFC, Mr. Jonas Moberg - Head of EITI Secretariat, Hon. Robert , M. Persaud, Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Mr. Kapil Mohabir - Head, Project Management Office, Office of the President and Ms. Gisela Granado - Country Officer, EITI Secretariat. (Norway, March 2015)

tionally credible Monitoring Reporting and Verification System (MRVS) that has seen 4 annual reports released and independently verified, through third party auditors. The MRVS Report for 2013 has concluded that the total forested area as at end of 2013 was estimated

as 18.39 million hectares (with an indicative accuracy of 97.1%).

Forest change between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2013 was determined using high resolution 5 m imagery for the whole of Guyana. The change reported in this assessment

captures only the change that took place in the 12 month period under review – Year 4. The continued wall to wall Rapid Eye coverage at 5m resolution has allowed the boundaries and the drivers of change to be mapped with greater certainty.

The inclusion of Land-

sat 8 images into the detection process has enabled the assessment of change for areas under persistent cloud. This allows for spatial tracking of forest change areas through time as outlined under Approach 3 of the IPCC Good Practice Guidelines.

PPP/C declares that Norway’s payment shames and exposes Opposition corruption lies THE People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is heartened as Norway has once again expressed confidence in Guyana. On Thursday, May 07, our country received a payment of G$8 billion; one billion more than last year’s payment. This brings the total sum received from Norway to $38 billion.

This announcement of Norway’s confidence was made by President Donald Ramotar during a televised address to the nation. The PPP underscores that couched in this reality are some very sobering thoughts pertaining to the excellent governance of Guyana overall, and specifically as it relates to stewardship of the country’s large forest.

The President expounded that this payment was possible because of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), as “it is about earning real money that is being spent on addressing serious problems faced by normal Guyanese. That’s where all the money, including the $8 billion now received, will be spent.”

The Head of State further enumerated the benefits

of the money Guyana has received, explaining that the country has now deployed US$120 million into projects, which are enabling the rehabilitation of Cunha canal that will protect Georgetown, and the communities and farms along the Mahaica River from floods.

He emphasized: “Using money earned under the LCDS, the government has also been working with local financial institutions to create hundreds of low carbon jobs. The LCDS has supported eco-tourism operators in several regions, which is now attracting more and more tourists to Guyana. The LCDS has also supported hundreds of Amerindian villages in preparing their community development plans, which will help to generate new job opportunities in the hinterland.”

REASONS NORWAY PAID GUYANA The PPP urges all Guyanese to stop and think about what Norway has done and more so why. It should be noted that Norway is not about ‘cheap politics’, nor is it about vendetta. The coun-

try does business based on empirical evidence, incontrovertible facts and globally accepted analysis. Therefore all monies from Norway to Guyana were paid based on the derivatives of a process involving globally respected experts, employed not

by Guyana, but by the Norwegian Government itself.

Hence the Norway/Guyana pact cannot, in anyway, be slighted by anyone, especially those of the opposition camps.

The PPP is aware that Norway has ensured from the inception, quite a number of things, where this partnership is concerned: 1. Assessment of Deforestation in Guyana and Guyana’s Forest Governance--these have been thoroughly checked in accordance with globally accepted standards. Thus Guyanese have every reason to be proud, as the results and findings keep showing that the Opposition parties are all about irresponsible lies. It must be emphatically noted that Guyana’s Deforestation is low and that its Forest Governance standards are extremely high.

This means that the people of

this land can repose feelings of security in the PPP/C Government, knowing that it is preserving Guyana’s natural patrimony, this to a higher standard and with a greater intensity than in most parts of the world.

2. Financial transfers have been devoid of any form of corruption--these were all handled by a combination of the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the United Nations. This reality the Opposition knows, therefore, the idea that these groups are

corruptly conspiring with the Government of Guyana is most preposterous.

The PPP calls for those in the Opposition who keep making wild claims about the country’s deforestation and about financial mismanagement, to be condemned by all Guyanese.

The PPP/C posits that Guyanese must ask themselves who must be believed?

Who are more right and honest? Many Opposition operatives are furiously pursuing a hateful, emotional, anti-development agenda. If there were

anything untoward where this partnership is concerned, then it is quite logical that the Norwegian Government and/or the three mentioned global financial institutions operating the project, would have unearthed those people contravening the ethics, laws and transparency governing the partnership.

This most recent development confirms that the international community does not believe the Opposition’s unfounded and false accusations of corruption and poor governance.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

Local businesses report slow-down of operations – PSC Chairman

By Vanessa Narine

BUSINESSES have lamented that the elections season has unfortunately translated into a slowing down of operations, according to Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ramesh Persaud.

---urges maturity ahead of May 11

During an appearance on “News in Conversation,” which was aired on the National Communications Network (NCN) on Wednesday, he added that the electoral

process ought to be “a part of life” for Guyanese and so daily activities should continue as per normal.

On that note, Persaud also called for political par-

Ramesh Persaud ties and their leaderships to “abstain from the rhetoric and tensions” that are emanating from campaign platforms.

ADHERE TO CODE “There have been a lot of irresponsible statements made on both sides…people need to let good sense prevail, because at the end of the day we all have to work, live and continue to build the country,” he said.

The PSC Chairman underscored that the conduct by stakeholders in the electoral process is reflective of the maturity of the country’s democracy. “It is evidenced by what we do,” he said.

Now that political parties have signed on to the Code of Conduct, it is expected that they would abide by the protocols documented in the Code, all in the interest of free and fair General and Regional Elections.

The advantage of having such an agreement in place, according to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), relates to being able to guard against confrontational and vitriolic election campaign meetings/rallies and statements. GECOM regards contesting parties signing the Code as demonstrating their willingness to craft their respective election campaign strategies in ways that contribute to the maintenance of peace and tranquility throughout and beyond the elections.

QUALITY OVER EXPEDIENCY Turning his attention to the electoral process and its outcome, Persaud called for “patience and understanding” from political parties and other stakeholders in awaiting the results of the May 11 polls.

Dr Steve Surujbally “We support quality over speed,” the PSC Chairman stressed, pointing to the challenges posed by Guyana’s geography, among other factors, that will see the declaration of the results taking time.

He added, “We must ensure that we have peace and non-violence and that requires leadership…we call on everyone to ensure that followers understand the process of getting results and ensure there is no one getting over anxious.”

Persaud called for Guyanese not to “speculate” and rely only on information from the Commission.

Meanwhile, the GECOM Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally, in an earlier interview told the Guyana Chronicle that the Commission will not “breach the law” in the process of declaring the elections results.

Also, in a prior interview, he made it clear that the accuracy of the election results will not be sacrificed at the altar of expediency.

Dr Surujbally, noted that there are several factors to be considered for an earlier-than-usual declaration of the election results.

Those factors, he said, include the fact that political parties have 12 hours after polls have been closed to call for a recount as they see fit, given that their representatives would have been present during the initial count.

The logistics of manoeuvring Guyana’s geography is another consideration, the GECOM Chairman disclosed.

“All the factors will be taken into consideration to get the results out,” he said.

Legally, GECOM has 15 days to officially declare the outcome of General and Regional elections.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

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APNU+AFC Manifesto‌

Employment and Growth THE most effective way of alleviating poverty is rapid growth alongside the provision of jobs at a living wage and creating opportunities for self-employment(land reform, credit and financing, market research, equipment, technology and business skills). The objective is an integrated employment strategy.

The APNU+AFC objective is an integrated em-

ployment strategy which prioritises the following elements: * Stimulating local and foreign investment by way of providing strategic infrastructure, targeted tax incentives and radically less burdensome administrative procedures; * Pursuing options for attracting foreign investment, through the Diaspora, the Economic Partnership

Agreement, the Gulf Cooperation Fund mechanism and from capital surplus economies; * Creating special funds for specific, advantaged areas, and centres of excellence devoted to building needed skills, and for training in relation to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); * Accelerating the infrastructure development process by encouraging, for

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015 example, the use of public-private partnerships; * Implementing quick-acting, results-oriented projects for job creation such as: o An Environment Enhancement Programme(EEP); o A Capital and Infrastructural Rehabilitation Programme (CIRP), for Georgetown and other urban and rural communities * Designing and implementing a self-employment training component of the employment and growth strategy to prepare persons for self-employment in mod-

ern services, including services for ICT and SMEs, software development, business processes and medical records transcription. * Addressing the interlocking challenges of a poor business environment with restricted access to capital and credit, taking advantage, as appropriate, of one or more of several existing international SME finance initiatives which provide financial and technical support: o the G-20 Financial Inclusion Initiatives o the SME Finance Challenge

o Feed the Future Initiative o the EIB’s Micro-Finance Fund o the EUR 100Mn Rural Impulse Fund II. * Paying particular attention to the development of cheap energy from our hydro-power resources to facilitate diversification of the economy through the domestic development of higher added-value products based on the forward integration of the exploitation of our natural mineral resources: bauxite, gold, diamonds, semi-precious stones, hard rock, kaolin, silica sands, etc.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

CARICOM Election Observer Mission begins work A CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY (CARICOM) Election Observation Mission has begun work after arriving in Guyana to monitor the May 11 general and regional elections. According to the agency, the body’s Chief of Mission Earl Simpson, and Deputy Chief of Mission Josephine Tamai, arrived in Guyana as an advance team, on Wednesday.

They have called on President Donald Ramotar, and have met with the Commissioner of Police Seelall Persaud and his senior officers to get an overview of the security situation in the country; and an assessment of the plans and strategies for the election process culminating in the conduct of the election and the announcement of results. The mission has also met with presidential candidates and their parties.

Other organisations and stakeholders with which the CARICOM team will meet include the Guyana Elections Commission, Guyana Public Service Union, Guyana Human Rights Commission, Private Sector Commission, Guyana Trades Union Congress and the Guyana Council of Churches. The Chief of Mission is also scheduled to be part of meetings of all Chiefs of Missions of all the observer groups currently in Guyana.

The team comprises 10 members who are led by Deputy Director of Elections, Electoral Commission of Jamaica, Chief of Mission, Earl Simpson.

The Secretary General of CARICOM’s mandate to the mission is the following: To observe the electoral process including the campaign period, the opening of the poll on election day, the voting procedures during the course of the day, the close of poll at the end of the day, the counting of ballots, the preparation of the statement of the poll and the transmission of results to the Returning Officers and the Guyana Electoral Commission; to observe the conduct of the electoral officials and political stakeholders and the overall electoral envi-

ronment, and to observe and assess the outcome of the elections and the initial immediate impact on the social and political environment.

According to the CARICOM mission’s head Earl Simpson, “A debriefing session with the team that observe the elections in the various districts will be held, after which we will collaborate in the preparation of a Final Report of the Observer Mission outlining our observations and assessment of the process, which will include recommendations where applicable. This report will be presented to the Secretary General of CARICOM, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, who will later forward the report to the Government of Guyana, the Guyana Elections Commission and the leadership of all the political parties who participated in the elections.”

Simpson made it clear that it is the mission’s intention to abide by the laws of Guyana. “We will visit many polling locations and polling stations to take a broad a representative sample of the process as possible. In addition to the persons whom we have already met, we look forward to meeting with as many Guyanese as possible. We will cooperate closely with other international and local observer groups to ensure that we maximise our coverage.”

It was reiterated by Simpson that the CARICOM mission is committed to being neutral, impartial, objective and independent, “Let me say clearly that we are unable to visit every polling station or to be present everywhere.” He added that the team includes persons with vast electoral experience that spans election administration and political representation. “Our varying experiences will no doubt allow for us to provide meaningful insights into the electoral process. We are here to observe the process and form an impartial judgment on its credibility. We have no executive role.”

In response to a letter dated February 20, 2015,

from Dr. Roger Luncheon, Head, Presidential Secretariat of Guyana to the Secretary General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Ambassador, Irwin LaRocque, inviting CARICOM to mount an Election Observation Mis-

sion, the Secretary General acted on the invitation and requested Caribbean Community Members to appoint Observers to be a part of a CARICOM Observer Team to observe the process from May 6, 2015 to May 13, 2015. (GINA)

Caricom Electoral observers group’s Chief of Mission Earl Simpson and Deputy Chief of Mission Josephine Tamai during a courtesy call on President Donald Ramotar

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

Ruby Rebecca Andora Moses

– A remarkable woman blessed by God to attain 95

By Shirley Thomas SHE is a remarkable woman. Mrs. Ruby Rebecca Moses is recorded as being the longest surviving resident of Supply Mahaica on the East Coast of Demerara, but she spends most of her time with her daughter, Ramona Pellew, in Canada.

She will be celebrating her 95th birth anniversary on Saturday (May 16th).

She has returned to Canada to celebrate this auspicious occasion in fine style with her daughter and family.

Aunt Ruby, or Grannie, as she is fondly called, had spent the last several months holidaying with her son, Randolph Moses, and other siblings in Guyana; and had she the last say, she would definitely not be getting onto that aircraft to travel to Canada (last week), but would be spending her birthday in the warm sunshine of Guyana.

A rather emotional Aunt Ruby admitted: “I like Canada, but during the winter especially, it is so cold that it poses problems for me, especially with my arthritis.

Then when I look around my home in Guyana, there are so many fruit trees from which I get plenty of fresh fruits: mangoes, sour-sop, cherries, guavas, tamarinds, sapodillas, star-apples; we can pick at any time. When I am tired of watching TV, my children and I can sit out on the verandah and enjoy the nice fresh breeze. It is so good to be at home,” she said softly, but so convincingly.

Like so many others, Grannie, at her age, is defiant about permanently living anywhere else but in her homeland, Guyana.

MY NATIVE LAND Grannie’s demurring immediately brought back nostalgic memories of the patriotic songs we sang so proudly and lustily at school; for example, ‘My Native Land’: “I care not though their wealth be great, their scenery be grand; For none’s so fair as can compare with my own native land.”

Ruby Rebecca Moses, nee Browne, was born at Good Hope, Mahaica on May 16, 1919 to parents Richard and Nellie Browne - a farmer and housewife respectively. She is the last surviving of six siblings –

Mrs Ruby Adora Moses and daughter Shelly

4 girls and two boys. She recalls her father was a mixture of Amerindian and European and her mother was of African descent, with long curly hair.

LOOKING TO 105?

Proud to be 95, and happier still at the prospect of one day attaining centenarian status, Granny beamed with an inevitable sense of pride when this question was popped by the Sunday Chronicle. “Oh yes, I’d be happy to reach 100; and there should be a possibility, because there was another in the family,” she said.

Grannie proudly shared with the Chronicle that her paternal grandmother, who had also lived at Mahaica, had attained the ripe old age of 105 years before succumbing.

As a child, Aunt Ruby attended the Mahaica Scotts Primary School at Mahaica, along with her sisters and brothers, and was part of a very pious household. As a teenager, she has memories of attending only Sunday School, apart from church services, and was never at a party. Her life was bereft of social activities, so much so that when she met her ‘suitor’, Harold Egbert Moses, and eventually had her first dance with him at a wedding reception, she made a mess of it.

BEAUTIFUL TENNESSEE WALTZ “I was nervous, unsure of what to do, how and when

to turn; and now and then I ended up stepping on his shoes. I was so ashamed,” she admitted. “And so I had to practise to dance, and he was my dance instructor,” she smilingly reminisced.

And a few years down the line she was waltzing; yes, gracefully dancing,

gliding and turning to melody of the famous “Tennesee Waltz”, the signature song of the marvellous Patti Page.

Reflecting on the good old days, she immediately began singing a melodious rendition of the global favourite, “Tennessee Waltz.

At 95, she possesses a charming and absolutely melodious voice, a talent that will remain with her for the rest of her days.

After marrying Moses, a farmer who reared cows and cultivated ground provisions, including bitter cassava, the couple continued to live at Mahaica. Their union produced ten wonderful children, seven of whom are alive today; but pathetically, after 54 years of hard work and a robust marriage life nevertheless, her husband passed away in 1994.

At 95, her health is average. She is reserved, but nonetheless jovial, and has a sense of humour. Her speech is remarkable, and she speaks with clarity and seems quite up to date with current affairs. And with the television as her chief companion when her son

ract and glaucoma in her eye some years back. However, as far as her knowledge goes, she claims, “Like it was not properly done,” and so the surgery had to be repeated, but she was never again able to see clearly out of the eye.

Asked what went wrong, she curtly replied, “I think that the doctor had domestic problems, so like he wasn’t too focused.”

Mrs Ruby Adora Moses is 95

is out of the home, she is a reservoir of knowledge and therefore stands in a good position to compare costs today with ‘the good old days,’ marvelling at just how much a shilling was able to buy back in the day.

Grannie is, however, hearing impaired and suffers from gouty arthritis in the knees. And though seeing clearly out of her right eye, she has a problem with the left. She recalls having had surgery done to correct cata-

Mrs Ruby Adora Moses is seated on her verandah, with her son Munroe and daughter Shelly Odinga in background

HERBAL CURE FOR DIABETES The nonagenarian has dentures, which allow her to eat just about anything palatable and good for her health.

“Even though they give me a lot of soup, I like a little rice.

My favourite is cook-up rice with nice chicken stew,” she said with a sparkle in her eyes whilst almost licking her lips. Grannie insists that she does not like curry.

And even though she has never been diabetic or hypertensive, she lays claim to having the remedy for those two chronic diseases.

“For sugar (diabetes), boil green bananas or dasheen and eat it. Or you can grate the green banana and make porridge with cows’ milk – strictly no sugar,” she warned.

For high blood pressure, Grannie advises that you boil papaw leaves or sourie leaves.

In Ruby’s time, access to cows’ milk was easy for her, since her husband sold cows’ milk and bitter cassava to customers around the village.

“My husband had cows and a donkey cart, and so he would carry milk and bitter cassava as far as Nabaclis and Victoria to sell,” she recalled. The cassava was used for making cassava bread, and the juice extracted from it, for making casareep. That is how, down through the years, Mahaica, Nabaclis and Victoria have had a reputation for producing the best casareep around the coastland, she reasoned.

“But today, our farmers (are) hardly planting bitter cassava, and so that is why you mostly finding coconut casareep on the market these days.”

In those days, ownership of a donkey cart in a village like Mahaica was a big deal, and could be likened unto a motor car these days.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

SHAQUILLE GRANT MURDER TRIAL…

Police Inspector tells about taking two statements from murder accused cop

By George Barclay

THE Demerara Assizes jury trying TSU policeman, Terrence Wallace for the murder of 17-year-old Shaquelle Grant of Agricola heard a Police Inspector say that he had collected two statements from the accused.

Inspector Phillip Browman said that at the time he was serving as a Sergeant at the Ruimveldt Police Station and was attached to the Criminal Investigation Department.

According to the Inspector, relative to a report of a fatal shooting which occurred on the 11th September , 2012 at Caesar

Street, Agricola, East Bank Demerara, he went to the scene at about 12:25 hrs on the said date in the company of Superintendent Jessemy and other ranks.

He was assisting in the investigations.

According to him, on 14th September 2012 at about 08:00 hrs, he was present at the GPHC mortuary where in his presence the body of Grant was identified by relatives.

About 08: 40 hrs that day, Dr. Nehaul Singh, performed a post-mortem on the body of Grant, after which he gave the cause of death.

The body he said was later

handed over to relatives for burial.

The Inspector said that he later uplifted the original post-mortem report in favour of Shaquelle Grant. Later he handed the report to the Station Sergeant for safe keeping.

On the 18th of September, 2012, between 17:00 hrs and 18:00 hrs, he was present at Le Repentir Cemetery, where he witnessed the burial of Grant and marked the grave by its location.

On 2nd October, 2012, at about 08:15 hrs he contacted one Terrence Wallace, the accused, at TSU, Eve Leary and there he told him he was charged with murder, contrary to Common Law, com-

mitted on Shaquelle Grant.

He then read the particulars of the charge to him and took him to the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court to answer the said charge.

In October 2012, witness went to the Records Office, GPHC where he signed and uplifted an original medical certificate in favour of Romel Bollers of Agricola. That same certificate was lodged at the Ruimveldt Police Station.

The Inspector added that during the investigations he collected from Terrence Wallace two statements written by him, one dated 11/09/2012 which was written in his presence at Rui-

mveldt and the other which he collected from him on 14/9/2012, being a further statement, which he also wrote in his presence.

The witness said that during the P.I. he uplifted the original PM report in favour of Grant, the original medical certificate in favour of Romel Bollers and took them to the Magistrates’ Court, where they were tendered.

Mrs. Judith Mursalin, associated with Miss Narissa Leander, is prosecuting.

Attorney-at-law, Miss Sonia Parag is appearing for the defence.

Justice Navindra Singh is presiding at the trial which is continuing.

‘We must never be ashamed of our Indianness’ – Region 6 Chairman “WE must never be ashamed of our ‘Indianness.’ Despite the difficulties and the problems faced by our Indian ancestors, they have emerged a strong people,.. and they have shown us , that despite their battered bodies, broken bones, their pains and their suffering ….they have showed us how strong they were in spirit, how strong they were in character , how strong they were in their togetherness, how strong they were in their solidarity to each other,” uttered Region 6 Chairman David Armogan, during a stirring presentation at Plantation Highbury, East Bank Berbice, where the first batch of 128 East Indian immigrants landed on May 5, 1838.

Earlier, their descendants had re-enacted the arrival of their ancestors who arrived 177 years ago onboard the Whitby to the

The elderly was not left behind

hundreds, including Deputy Regional Chairman Mr. Bhupaul Jhagroo; Alliance For Change (AFC) executive member, Mr. Charrandass Persaud; Chairman of the Berbice Indian Committee Chandra Sohan; Former Minister Harripersaud Nokta, amongst other dignitaries, who made the annual pilgrimage to the site, some eight miles from the New Amsterdam township, and which gave birth to Indians

to the then British Guiana..

The East Indians’ arrival resulted in a fusion and diversity of a multi-ethnic , multi-cultural society which Guyana has emerged to be today .

Armogan, representing President Donald Ramotar , who was unavoidably absent due to the upcoming General Elections , reminded his audience of the struggles of their ancestors who remained a proud people and steadfast

in times of adversity.

“That is the spirit that we have today. We have a lot to be to be proud of. That is the kind of spirit they have imputed into us , and that is why we must celebrate our achievement.. they have managed to call to the ranks of servile and the system of servitude and today Indian people all over manage the world affairs… “…we have a proud heritage..we must never be ashamed of our heritage.

We must never be ashamed of our ‘Indianess,’ because our ancestors have taught us to believe what we can achieve. They have taught us to believe that we can do and make it great .We, by virtue of our ancestor’s teaching, we continue to be a peaceful people, we continue to work very hard, we do not eat up everything that we earn.. we save to build , because we cater for our children, our grandchildren and the future

Regional Chairman David Armogan

generation of Guyana…. ‘..We are a people who are intent on building not breaking. We must continue to do that. We must continue to hold on to our heritage. We must continue to come here every year and celebrate our ancestors.

According to Armogan , people of Indian origin occupy important positions all over the world , and as such, they (Indians) must be proud of their Indian heritage ‘… while we celebrate , we must not forget the others who came to Guyana, the Africans, the Chinese, the

Portuguese, the Amerindians .., … we must continue to build …we must continue to build and develop Guyana, so the future generations can benefit…

‘Guyana belongs to every Guyanese, and while we are a peaceful people , our peacefulness must not be mistaken or taken for weakness…. we must never allow … because our ancestors worked very hard and have imbued upon us resilience, and courage ,and the ability to fight back.

We must not allow people to think we are weak. We must fight back, and be in solidarity with each other, once that time comes.

‘This is a silly time .. this is election time, this is the time when all kinds of problems are raised, when ethnic problems are created , when conflicts are created, when all kinds of animosity arises, but we must remain peaceful , we must do what we have to do and relax..’

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

UG library receives $1.6M book donation from consistent patron

By Shivanie Sugrim AFTER years of consistent book donations to the University of Guyana Library, Guyanese-born Professor/ CEO/Financial Consultant/ Educator/Philanthropist, Dr. Shamir Andrew Ally and wife Dr. Maryann Ally, recently made their eighth such donation.

Valued at approximately G$1.6 million, this donation comprises of 390 books and CDs along with 132 periodicals. The books cover the areas of finance, accounts and other aspects in the business arena.

At the handing over ceremony at the University of Guyana Library foyer a few days ago, Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Jacob Opadeyi extended his gratitude to Dr. Shamir and his wife for their contribution to the University library.

He said that he has never seen such a dedicated soul like Dr. Shamir and intends on building the university’s partnership with such devot-

Some of the donated books

UG Vice-Chancellor Professor Jacob Opadeyi (left) accepting the books from Dr. Shamir Ally

ed personalities.

Opadeyi then disclosed that today the library will officially feature a section in honour of Dr. Shamir and his wife’s extraordinary commitment and contribution to the university throughout the years.

Dr. Shamir, in his brief remarks, noted the positive

outcomes of pursuing an education and he described his donations as “giving back” to his homeland, Guyana.

His past donations are: 50 accounting, finance, and management textbooks valued at G$600,000 in August 2004, 171 economic textbooks and 80 periodicals valued at G$2.1M in April

2005, 355 textbooks valued at G$8.7M in September 2006, 237 textbooks, CDs and magazines valued at G$2.1M in December 2007, 53 textbooks, 11 CDs and 212 magazines valued at G$1.8M in September 2009, 143 textbooks and CDs and 50 periodicals valued at G$2.6M in April 2010 and lastly, 48 textbooks and CDs valued at G$1.1M in October 2011.

Dr Ally and his wife made their first donation to the University Library in 2006, and to date the Library has benefitted from a total of 1,458 textbooks, CD-ROMs

One held for Sophia shopkeeper’s murder

By Leroy Smith THE police have arrested a man for questioning in relation to the murder of shopkeeper, Shawn Anys of 743 ‘D’ Field, Sophia.

Police are also looking for another suspect, who they hope to question as the investigations into the robbery/ murder continue.

Anys was shot twice while at his ‘D’ Field Sophia home last Saturday when two gunmen, one masked, invaded his home.

During the robbery, the bandits threatened to shoot the man’s four children while demanding cash, and were told there was no money.

However, the men were able to grab $50,000, a laptop and five mobile phones before fleeing the scene, leaving their shot victim in a pool of blood.

The Guyana Chronicle has also been informed that immediately after the robbery that night, another person who was walking on the roadway was robbed of his mobile phone by two persons.

That phone is presently in

use, and according to sources, the person who is now using that stolen phone is making contact with persons whose names are in the phone via WhatsApp and with the aid of the address book.

In the meantime, what is strange in all of this, and which the police are investigating, is that the WhatsApp display photograph on that stolen phone is a semi-automatic weapon which can been seen displayed on a bed.

On Saturday last, Anys, who operates a shop at his home, was at home along with his four children, while his wife, the children’s mother, was out at a birthday party.

The man’s eldest child, aged 15, spoke with the media about what happened that night when his father was shot.

He said his father got out of his bed and went into the yard after they told him that someone might be there as the dogs were barking continuously. He then came face-to face with two men who were armed with guns.

According to the teenager, his father began to step

backwards into the house, but tripped and fell, and one of the men shot him. The boy said at that point, his father crawled into the house and together they attempted to close the door, but the gunmen overpowered them and made their way into the house.

After the first shot, the children ran into their bedroom while the eldest child made his way to the back of the house. They then heard another gunshot and one of the gunmen came to the kitchen where the boy was and pointed the gun at him but soon turned his attention to the younger children.

The boy said that he used that opportunity to run out the back door and kneeled on the landing and began praying and crying as the gunmen remained in the house with the younger children.

All of this happened within five minutes, the teenager said, as he recalled that after he reentered the house, he attended to his father by attempting to clean the blood from his wounds and stop the bleeding with several rags and placed a fan to cool his

Dead: Shawn Anys

father down.

The young man explained too that he tried to call the police emergency numbers but those rang out, so he resorted to calling his mother and informing her what had happened and instructed her to come with the police, and she did.

Asked if he would be able to identify the unmasked gunman if he sees him again, the teenager responded in the affirmative.

The child said that he was not aware of any problems that his father might have had with anyone from the area or elsewhere.

and videos with an estimated value of G$19,115,400 (US $95,577).

LAPARKAN Shipping, New York, was instrumental in shipping all of the donations to Guyana at reduced costs.

Dr. Shamir Andrew Ally, formerly of Herstelling and Public Road Providence, East Bank Demerara, migrated to the United States in 1979 to further his education. He

completed his BBA, MBA, and PhD Degrees in the USA. He is the President/ Chief Executive Officer of his company, International Consulting Services in North Carolina. Dr. Maryann Renee Beebe Ally, M.B.A., is a Marketing Executive at a Global Pharmaceutical Company. Both are members of the Indian Trail Lions Club, District 31-E, North Carolina.

BUXTON DISMEMBERED BODY…

Investigators looking to secure State witnesses

By Leroy Smith POLICE dealing with the investigations into the dismemberment of United States-based businesswoman, Samantha Benjamin, whose body was discovered at the Annandale foreshore, are looking to ensure that when the matter is called to trial, they have a very strong case against the accused.

Police sources close to the investigation told the Guyana Chronicle Thursdaythat there are persons who are familiar with what went on in the house, and what was communicated to them by the suspect, Kevin Ramsawck, who has since been charged with the murder of the woman.

According to information reaching this newspaper, no one else is likely to be charged with the woman’s murder as investigators are seeking to use a number of state witnesses, persons who have vital information to lead to the successful conviction of the young man who is at present on remand.

In March the decapitated body of the woman was found among the boulders at the Annandale foreshore, and her head, hands and limbs were missing.

It took the police almost one week to come up with the identity of the woman after her relatives became suspicious that the remains

were that of Samantha after they had failed to make contact with her.

The woman who travelled often between Guyana and the United States was apparently here without her relatives knowing of her visit so when the body was discovered it did not immediately cross the minds of relatives that the remains could have been hers.

When the identity of the woman was revealed, persons then became aware that the hacking to death of the woman took place just two houses across the road but strangely enough no open saw anything although they did hear strange noises.

Investigators were told by persons in the area that the night before the body was discovered, they heard loud music in the house and what appeared to be the sounds of a woman screaming. However this did not raise their suspicion and the unusual sounds went unchallenged.

The suspect who later named two other persons as his accomplices in the crime also told investigators that after they hacked the woman during a robbery to obtain her gold and money, they placed her in a wheel barrow and went down to the foreshore to allow for easy disposal of the body.

The matter is at present engaging the magistrate’s court.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

Unlawful will be arrested, lawful would be protected - Police

THE Guyana Police Force is sending a strong message to supporters of political parties and other persons. that should they breach the law they will be arrested. The police made it clear that those who conduct themselves lawfully would be protected.

The police issued the release yesterday after the APNU+AFC Coalition, by way of a press statement, stated that they received information that the police were looking to engage in mass arrests, and of an unusually large number of persons.

The police have since dismissed those claims as false.

According to the APNU+AFC release, they were reliably informed that the mass arrests was in an effort to prevent certain persons from voting countrywide, while stating that the practice was especially expected to be concentrated in the Police “A” Division, Georgetown.

The Georgetown area is considered a stronghold for the People’s National Congress Reform, which has now teamed up with the Alliance For Change, for the elections on Monday.

The coalition, in its press statement, called on police ranks to act professionally and not allow themselves to be used as pawns in a politically motivated move.

The Guyana Police Force, for its part, through its press statement, said that all members of the force were given strict

Linden couple charged for illegal possession of ammo AN unemployed woman and her boyfriend were yesterday placed on $125,000 bail each by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry for unlawful possession of ammunition.

Self-employed Aden Bowen, 26, of Lot 20 Blueberry Hill, Wismar, Linden and Letisha Garraway, 20, of Lot 40 Blueberry Hill, denied the charge when it was read to them.

It is alleged that on Tuesday, May 5 at Blueberry Hill, Wismar, they had in their possession a magazine for a .32 pistol, without being holders of firearm licences.

According to the couple’s lawyer, the duo shared a visiting relationship and on the day in question when the police made their arrest, they took no statements. She further stated that two taxis and a police vehicle were summoned to Bowen’s home, where the police informed the couple that they heard guns firing from the MacKenzie Police Station.

According to the defence counsel,

Bowen alleged that he was badly beaten by the police and a black plastic bag was placed over his face. He further stated that he was not allowed to speak to his client while he was at the station.

The prosecution’s facts revealed that ranks acting on information went to the home of Bowen and conducted a search.

At the said time the duo were occupants of the home where the ammunition was unearthed. Subsequently, they were told of the offence an were arrested and charged.

Police prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves opposed bail on the ground that no special reason was given to the court.

The objection was overruled by the Chief Magistrate and the matter was transferred to the Linden Magistrates’Court for May 13. Also, statements were ordered to be filed and the duo was ordered to report to the officer in charge at the MacKenzie Police Station.

Market vendor facing false pretence charge A MARKET vendor of Lot 528 Block 8 Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara, was yesterday sentenced to 12 months imprisonment on a false pretence charge.

DhaniramHarilall, 32, made his appearance before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry and pleaded guilty to the charge that was read to him.

It is alleged that between March 27 and April 28 at East Coast Demerara, with intent to defraud, he obtained the sum of $1M from Malik Rashid by falsely pretending that he is an employee of the Ministry of Housing and Water and is in possession of a houselot at Non Pareil and was in a position to sell same.

orders to act in a professional manner, and according to the organisation, they have been doing so since the start of the elections season and will continue in that way after elections.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced that Elections Day, Monday 11th, will be a national holiday. If the Guyana Police Force arrests anyone for an offence during the course of today, Saturday, or tomorrow, Monday, those persons will remain in police custody until Tuesday, depending on the nature of the offence.

The police, however, have the power to grant station bail to persons arrested, once their offences are not murder, fraud, causing death and other serious offences.

On Friday the Guyana Police Force

did have mass operations, but was restricted to testing its elections readiness, and the operations only involved ranks of the Police Force.

The release by the police, in response to claims of the coalition, said that it finds the claims very surprising, since the coalition met with the Commissioner of Police and other senior ranks in March, where several issues were ventilated.

According to the police, the numbers of the Commissioner of Police and all divisional commanders were also shared with the coalition members, and they were advised that they can make use of the numbers to contact the senior officers, once they have any concerns pertaining to security, law and order.

Surinamese fined $30,000 for illegally entering Guyana A SURINAMESE man who allegedly entered Guyana illegally was yesterday fined $30,000 by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.

Chris Gobin of Suriname pleaded guilty to the charge, speaking through an interpreter, his wife Tazie Gobin. It was stated that on April 24 at Springlands, Corentyne, Berbice, he entered Guyana by sea and disembarked without presenting himself to an immigration officer.

Gobin, however, had appeared be-

fore the said magistrate last week on the same charge to which he pleaded not guilty and was remanded after Police Prosecutor Bharrat Mangru objected to bail, contending that Gobin is a possible flight risk since he has no ties to Guyana.

The Surinamese during his second appearance yesterday changed his plea, which resulted in him being fined. However, failure to pay the fine will result in one month’s imprisonment.

Market vendor charged for possession of ganja A BOURDA market vendor who was found with marijuana in calabash bowls by the police, yesterday, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates Court.

Roger Gill, 26 of Lot 103 Carmichael Street, Georgetown, appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry before his matter was transferred to Magistrate Ann McLennan.

It is alleged that on May 8 at Bourda, Georgetown, he had in his possession 426 grams of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking. Gill, however, strongly denied the allegation.

Gill’s lawyer, Mr. Ronald Daniels, in his application for bail explained to the court that his client is the father of an eight- month-old child while expecting

another child with his wife.

Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonzales told the court on the day in question, that the police rank acting on information went to the defendant market stall and conducted a search.

He revealed that narcotics was found in a calabash bowl that was displaced for sale in the shop, while some was found in a black bag, but under caution told the rank that he “was trying a ting to mek an exta dollar’’ The matter was then transferred to Magistrate McLennan, who remanded the man after she found that the reason raised by the lawyer for bail to be granted was insufficient. Gill will make his second court appearance on May 25.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

Thirteen successful heart surgeries performed on children

THE Government of Guyana in collaboration with the International Children’s Heart Foundation (ICHF), commonly known as the “Baby Heart Foundation,” has completed 13 successful heart surgeries on children ranging from nine months to 21 years old.

First Lady Deolatchmee Ramotar expressed her heartfelt gratitude to members of the surgery team as well as thanked the Baby Heart Foundation for taking such a leap to assist Guyana’s children. A press briefing was held at Cara Lodge to give the media an opportunity to interact with the Baby Heart team. The First Lady explained her prior encounter with the team and Dr Rodrigo Soto, she noted that they explained their plan to her.

Ramotar commended the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and noted when the “Baby Heart” visited the GPHC and they identified an area that would become

their workstation. She noted the cooperation and reliability of the staff of GPHC and their Chief Executive Officer Michael Khan.

“All surgeries were successfully done. It is a generous initiative. Dr Debra Isaacs has always been doing a lot for our babies. I personally would like to congratulate the staff of GPHC and thank the team from “Baby Heart” for their tremendous contribution”, the First Lady related.

Dr Sheik Amir, Director of Medical Professional Services at the GPHC, noted that the initiative had been a little over two years in the making and it was not an easy process. “The Baby Heart team has done a great job and the Government of Guyana is very grateful,” he noted.

“We have started a process like this and envision that the support team will become stronger with time.” Dr Amir noted too that the patients that were operated on had been

waiting for years and “ [when] the final results are published, we all will see the wonders that you (Baby Heart Team) have done.”

He explained that 13 cases had been successfully completed and six others were also looked at. Dr Amir reiterated throughout his remarks that one of the aspects that is very commendable and is welcomed with open arms was the training of the GPHC staff.

The Chief Executive Office of the foundation, Dr Rodrigo Soto, during his remarks noted that it is an honour to have been invited to assist Guyana and he explained too that the Baby Heart Foundation has been performing similar surgeries for 20 years in 32 countries worldwide. According to Dr Soto, the foundation has performed approximately 7500 surgeries.

He explained that when he made a visit to Guyana and saw the waiting list of persons, “I knew that this has to be done.”

First Lady Deolatchmee Ramotar interacts with Dr Debra Isaac, Dr Rodrigo Soto and Dr Shamdeo Persaud

Dr Soto assured all of the commitment of the foundation, “we are fully committed to Guyana and in about three to five years we can make a reference centre here in Guyana.”

He also indicated that 18 persons made up the Baby Heart Team and have been working for two weeks in Guyana.

Guyana Paediatric Cariology Steering Committee, GPHC

Heart failure Clinic and Echo Cardiology Programme, Dr Debra Isaac, explained the reason for her presence noting that she had no idea the magnitude of the heart disease problem of children in Guyana. “In 2014 some 13 children were operated on outside of Guyana,” she noted.

“I am so impressed with the Baby Heart team after the last two weeks... they have

given something to Guyana of such immense magnitude.” The team, she noted, has been able to engage the people in Guyana and also some nurses have been trained.

Leslie Cadogan,the Health Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, expressed sincerest gratitude to the foundation and thanked them for the assistance of the training of the nurses.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

$33M works completed on 118-yearold Mahaica bridge Completed bridge with restricting signs and barriers

WORKS on the 118 -year-old Mahaica Bridge have been completed, according to the Ministry of Public Works (MPW) and as of April 29, the bridge was opened to restricted vehicular traffic.

The $33.9M rehabilitation of the landmark bridge, which connects Regions 4 and 5, started in September 2014 but was delayed by unforeseen structural decay, a press release by the ministry noted.

The rehabilitation works included the removal and replacement of damaged steel components, reinforced of concrete deck, new revetments on both ends of the 175-feet- long structure, new galvanized pipe hand rails, placing of restriction barriers with signs, chip clean and paint of the existing girders.

The works were carried out by KB & B Contractors while MPW Engineer Khiraj Bisesar monitored the project.

Vehicles exceeding the maximum height of 9 feet (3.7m) and maximum load of 4 tonnes per axle must use the Bridge along the Mahaica/Rosignol roadway which is approximately 2,500 feet (800m) from the Mahaica Old Bridge.

Signs have been placed along the roadway approaching the bridge in both directions to indicate these restrictions. The ministry is therefore advising drivers to adhere to the restrictions.

Pedestrians, vehicle drivers, commuters and residents expressed their gratitude to the ministry for the project, and promised to report any vehicles trying to violate the implemented restrictions. (Raveena Mangal)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

WPO condemns storming of PPP/C meeting at ‘Warlock’

– calls for dismissal of woman who urinated on PPP/C flag THE Women’s Progressive Organisation (WPO) has condemned the storming of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) meeting in Warlock, East Ruimveldt on Wednesday, April 29, when rocks and bottles were tossed at the speakers, and a woman urinated on the PPP/C flag.

In a statement to the press, the WPO besides condemning the burning of the PPP/C flag and the abuse of children, is also calling for immediate dismissal of the perpetrator of such a distasteful act. The organisation says that a flag is the identity and pride of a nation and a country or an organisation. Similarly, the flag of the People’s Progressive Party is a representation of the vast majority of people, especially the members of the party, its youth and women’s sections.

According to the WPO statement, the “PNC (People’s National Congress) and APNU+AFC (A Partnership of National Unity and the Alliance for Change) have a history of disrespecting and abusing the national flag, the Golden Arrowhead, over the years, and it was draped over the coffins of known criminals. This pattern of disrespect by leaders of PNC in APNU+AFC created the avenues for its members to disrespect the PPP/C flags.”

The organisation also related that since the commencement of the elections campaign, members and supporters of APNU+AFC have been destroying the flags, posters and banners of the PPP/C across Guyana, something the PPP has openly condemned.

Additional the WPO noted that in response to the burning of the flag of the PPP/C on the evening of Wednesday 29th April, 2015 in Warlock, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, “APNU+AFC claimed that Abigail Beveghems, daughter of APNU former Member of Parliament, Joan Bhavegems was not related to them, but that she is a member of the PPP/C and that the PPP/C paid her to bring bad name to them.”

The organisation would like to point out that Joan Bhavegems is a candidate member on the APNU/AFC list contesting the May 11, 2015 elections.

The WPO in its statement called on the Minister of Education, the Teaching Service Commission, the Public Service Commission and the Public Service Ministry to review the conduct of Abigail Beveghems who is employed in the Child Welfare Department of the Ministry of Education.

“She deliberately endangered a child with disability who was clearly frightened and in distress and was begging to be removed from the location. She is unfit to be a mother and unfit to work with children,” the WPO noted.

The WPO also called on all women to condemn this act and to join them in the call for her immediate dismissal from the Ministry of Education as a Child Welfare Officer. The organisation also calls on the Guyana Police Force to complete its investigation and institute charges immediately.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

Alleged drug dealers remanded on ammo charge

DEFENDANT: Anjanie Boodnarine

DEFENDANT: Barry Dataram

Alleged drug dealers Barry Dataram and reputed wife 19-year-old Anjanie Boodnarine were brought before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry, on Thursday, to answer a charge of unlawful possession of ammunition.

Businessman Dataram and Boodnarine of Lot 79 Patentia Housing Scheme, WBD each pleaded not guilty to the charge, particulars of which detailed that on April 16 at Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, they had in their possession one hundred and eighty .223 live rounds of ammunition when neither was the holder of a firearm licence.

Their attorney-at-law, Mr. Glenn Hanoman, said he finds it strange that the police had charged only Dataram and Boodnarine, since the

Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) ranks had charged four persons in the house with drug trafficking.

Bail was denied for the duo for this offence, and the matter was adjourned to May 8.

Dataram and Boodnarine, along with labourer Kumar Charran, 20, of Lot 265 Bell West, WBD and carpenter Trevor Gouveia of Best Village, WCD were all remanded for trafficking cocaine on April 20 last.

The quartet denied the charge that detailed that on Thursday, April 16, at Lot 661 Fourth Avenue, Block X Diamond, East Bank Demerara, they had in their possession 129.23 kilogrammes of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

However, they have all been remanded for this offence.

(Geeta Rampersaud)

Shop owner fined $3,000 for possession of two grammes of weed – to do six months community service SHOP OWNER Dexter Cordis of Lot 4 Grove Public Road, East Bank Demerara was yesterday fined $3,000 and was ordered to perform six months of community service by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry after he admitted to the charge of being in possession of narcotics.

Particulars of his charge detailed that on Wednesday, May 06, at Grove Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, he had in his possession two grammes of cannabis-sativa

(marijuana).

It was further alleged that Cordis behaved in a disorderly manner at the Grove Police Station. However, he denied that allegation.

Cordis, who was placed on self-bail for the disorderly behaviour charge, will perform the community service at the Grove Police Station. The disorderly behaviour matter was transferred to the Providence Magistrate’s Court for today (May 8). (Geeta Rampersaud)

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Duo on $500,000 bail each on kidnapping charge THIRTY-FOUR-YEAROLD dredge owner Dexter John of Lot 109 La Parfaite Harmonie, WBD and 48-year-old Viola Morrison of Section C, Block ‘Y’ Grove Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara appeared yesterday before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry, accused of abducting Bhena’s Footwear salesman Leon Waldijk, and were each placed on $500,000 bail.

Represented by attorney-at-law Gordon Gilhuys, they each denied the allegation, which detailed that on May 04 at Regent Street, Georgetown, they abducted Waldijk so as to cause him to be wrongly restrained.

Police Prosecutor Bharat Mangru explained to the court that, on the day in question, Waldijk was about to

enter his place of work when he was approached by an identifiable man who pushed him into a parked car which sped away with him.

Mangru noted that the two defendants were apprehended after police reviewed CCTV footage from outside the store, which led to their arrest.

Mr. Gordon Gilhuys asked that his clients be released on reasonable bail, and the prosecutor made no objection to bail being granted the duo. However, the magistrate told the lawyer that the penalty attached to the offence of kidnapping ranges from over $750,000 bail to jail time, thus he could not ask for a more reasonable bail.

The matter was adjourned until June 05 for statements. (Clestine Juan)

Miner on $50,000 bail for simple larceny MINER Akeem Haymar appeared yesterday before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry charged with simple larceny, and was granted $50,000 bail.

He, on May 06 at Stabroek Market, alegedly stole from Savika Davi-John a gold band worth $60,000

and a bangle worth $1,200.

He, however, denied the allegation.

Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonzales did not relate the facts to the court, neither did he object to bail being granted Haymar. The matter stands adjourned until May 22. (Clestine Juan)

Man on fraudulent conversion charge placed on $60,000 bail F O R T Y- Y E A R - O L D Trevor Braithwaite of Three Miles, Bartica appeared yesterday before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry on a charge of fraudulent conversion.

Particulars of the allegation are that on November 17, 2014 at Friendship, East Bank Demerara, he, being solely entrusted by Wanda Ammon with the sum of $280,000 to purchase and deliver PVC piping, fraudulently converted the said cash to his own use and benefit.

Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonzales objected to bail on grounds of the seriousness and prevalence of the offence. He also explained that

the defendant has pending matters before the court and poses a flight risk if bail is granted.

Braithwaite, unrepresented by an attorney, told the court that he was placed on $30,000 bail for the matter.

He explained that it was another matter which he was being accused of by Mrs. Ammon at the Providence Magistrate Court.

The Magistrate overruled the prosecutor’s objection and granted Braithwaite $60,000 bail with the condition that he reports to the Brickdam Police Station every Friday.

The matter was transferred to the Providence Magistrate’s Court. (Clestine Juan)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

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NAREI receiving support from EU-funded – to locate, develop and multiply APP programme climate resistant vegetables THE National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) is receiving support from the EU-funded Agricultural Policy Program (APP) to locate, develop and multiply varieties of selected local vegetables for

resistance to climate change.

The NAREI recently signed a contract with the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) to produce genetic resources, such as seeds and plant tissues, as top quality germ-

plasm for breeding and preservation of highly productive, climate-resistant varieties of cassava, sweet potato, and hot peppers, among others. The contract is part of Component Two of the APP project for CARIFORUM countries, which aims

at promoting the development of smallholder agriculture through dissemination and adoption of applied research and appropriate technologies, including agriculture-oriented measures in disaster preparedness and climate change adaptation.

The Inter -American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) is the principal implementing agency for the Euro 8.6 million programme, which started in 2013 and will end in December 2016. CARDI and the CARICOM Secretariat are implementing

partners.

Chief Executive Officer of the NAREI, DR Oudho Homenauth, disclosed that CARDI had been tasked with this project within the CARIFORUM countries, including Guyana, but had subsequently handed over its responsibilities

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d

y

Dr. Oudho Homenauth, CEO of NAREI

to the NAREI, since it has no local office here.

He said that, thanks to the recent establishment of the state-of-the-art Bio-Control and Tissue Culture Laboratories at NAREI Headquarters at Mon Repos East Coast Demerara, the Institute was quite up to this challenging task.

He said: “Our tissue culture laboratory offers the means through which new and improved plant varieties can be produced locally, but (we) can also pro-

cess those transferred to Guyana from other countries. A good example of top quality vegetables we can produce with transfer from another country is gerplasm of plantains which are resistant to the Black Sigatoka disease.”

He said that NAREI would identify, through DNA analyses and other scientific investigations, the varieties that show capabilities for adaptation to extremes of weather conditions, then carry

out multiplication of the germ-plasm on the varieties identified, and keep them stored in a “bank”.

He said that NAREI would also assist small producers and entrepreneurs to be able to multiply and manage these improved germplasm materials themselves.

Tw o o t h e r c o m ponents of the EU APP programme to boost regional agriculture development are regional policy and strategy, and enterprise and

market development, being implemented by CARICOM and IICA respectively.

THE NAREI PROJECT INPUT INTO Component Two of the APP programme for Guyana will come to an end in December 2016, when the APP program is closed.

Dr Homenauth disclosed last week: “Everything has been in place, and we have started.” (Clifford Stanley)

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Pakistan close in on victory against Bangladesh DHAKA, Bangladesh (Reuters) - Pakistan set BanLeft-handed Shakib, who hit 14 boundaries and two gladesh an improbable victory target of 550 runs and sixes, ran out of partners in the end with injured paceman claimed the wicket of opener Imrul Kayes to inch Shahadat Hossain absent hurt. closer to a series-clinching Leg-spinner Yasir Shah win in the second and final claimed 3-58 for Pakistan.

Test yesterday.

Bangladesh managed to The visitors, who have take three quick wickets in failed to win a single match Pakistan’s second innings, on their tour, skittled out with paceman Mohammad the hosts for 203 in the first Shahid taking out the openinnings on the third morning ers in his first spell. but refused to enforce the Captain Misbah-ulfollow-on.

Haq blasted 82 off 72 balls Pakistan decided to bat to help his team accumuinstead and declared their late quick runs and added second innings on 195 for 58 for the fourth wicket six for an overall lead of with Younus Khan (39).

549 runs.

Pakistan declared after In reply, Bangladesh Misbah holed out in the reached 63 for one in their deep off part-time spinner second innings at stumps, Mahmudullah. still 487 runs behind the Bangladesh needed Skipper Misbah-ul-Haq blasted 82 off 72 balls target with Tamim Iqbal Tamim and Imrul to rep(32) and Mominul Haque licate their 312-run second-innings opening stand that (15) at the crease. helped the hosts draw the last Test at Khulna but that Resuming on 107 for five, Bangladesh lost two quick was not to be. wickets to fast bowler Wahab Riaz (3-73), leaving Shakib Yasir bowled left-hander Imrul (16) to break the 48Al Hasan (89 not out) stranded at one end. run opening stand with a delivery that turned in sharply

Linden Inter-Ward basketball final set for MSC tonight AFTER brushing aside Amelia’s Ward Front 70-49, Kwakwani will tonight match skills with Victory Valley/Scheme in the final of the Linden Amateur Basketball Association’s Linden Inter-ward basketball championship, set for the Mackenzie Sports Club hard court.

In the supporting game losing semifinalists Amelia’s Ward Front

and Block 22/Wisrock will face each other.

In the semi-finals Kwakwani brushed aside a strong Amelia’s Ward Front side 72-49 behind Shelroy Thomas’ game-high 24 points and D. Douglas 14 while Lawrence Da Costa was the top shoot for the losing Front team with nine points.

Victory Valley Scheme got

past Block 22/ Wisrock 74-23 as Keifer Tappin scored 19 points and Chris Williams 17 as Christopher Pollydore had five points for the Block 22/ Wisrock combination.

The winners will get $70 000, second-place finishers $50 000 and third-placers $30 000 along with trophies for the top four teams.

Pacquiao shoulder surgery a success LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Reuters) - Manny Pacquiao underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder on Wednesday, just days after his loss to Floyd Mayweather in the so-called ‘Fight of the Century.’

Surgeon Neal ElAttrache, who performed the operation to repair a torn rotator cuff, said he could “not be more pleased with the results” and expects Pacquiao to recover fully.

Pacquiao, the former eight-division world champion, lost a unanimous decision to Mayweather in Las Vegas last weekend in the richest prize fight in boxing history.

The Filipino southpaw entered the fight with a shoulder

injury that he suffered during

MANNY PACQUIAO preparation for the bout. The Ne-

vada State Athletic Commission could fine or suspend Pacquiao for failing to disclose the injury.

The non-disclosure could also lead to possible lawsuits from boxing fans who may feel cheated after paying record sums for tickets in the MGM Grand Garden Arena or pay-for-view (PPV).

Some of the ringside spots in the 16 800-seat arena demanded up to $350 000 on resale site StubHub, while a record $300 million or more is expected in PPV revenue.

Talks over a potential rematch between Mayweather (48-0) and Pacquiao (57-6-2), once his health resumes, have already begun, according to media reports.

to hit the stumps.

Bangladesh blanked Pakistan 3-0 in the ODI series and also won the lone Twenty20 match.

SCOREBOARD PAKISTAN 1st innings 557 for 8 decl. (A. Ali 226, Y. Khan 148, A. Shafiq 107) BANGLADESH 1st innings (o/n: 107-5) T. Iqbal lbw b J. Khan 4 I. Kayes b Shah 32 M. Haque c S. Ahmed b J. Khan 13 Mahmudullah c Az. Ali b Riaz 28 S. Al Hasan not out 89 M. Rahim b Shah 12 S. Sarkar c Az. Ali b Riaz 3 S. Hom c Shafiq b Riaz 0 T. Islam b Hafeez 15 M. Shahid c Az. Ali b Shah 1 S. Hossain absent injured Extras: (lb-2, nb-2, w-2) 6 Total: (all out, 47.3 overs) 203 Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-38, 3-69, 4-85,-107, 6-113, 7-119, 8-140, 9-203.

Bowling: J. Khan 6-2-26-2 (w-1), I. Khan 7-0-31-0, W. Riaz 15-2-73-3 (nb-2, w-1), Y. Shah 15.3-4-58-3, M. Hafeez 4-1-13-1.

PAKISTAN 2nd innings

M. Hafeez c Rahim b Shahid 0 S. Aslam c Mahmudullah b Shahid 8 Az. Ali c Hom b Sarkar 25 Y. Khan c & b T. Islam 39 Misbah-ul-Haq c sub. b Mahmudullah 82 A. Shafiq b Hom 15 S. Ahmed not out 18 Extras: (lb-2, w-6) 8 Total: (for 6 wickets, 41.1 overs) 195 Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-25, 3-49, 4-107, 5-140, 6-195.

Bowling: M. Shahid 10-4-23-2 (w-6), T. Islam 10-0-56-1, S. Sarkar 9-045-1, S. Al Hasan 8-0-43-0, S. Hom 2-0-18-1, MahmudullaH 2.1-0-8-1.

BANGLADESH 2nd innings (Target: 550 runs) T. Iqbal not out 32 I. Kayes b Shah 16 M. Haque not out 15 Extras: 0 Total: (for 1 wicket, 14 overs) 63 Fall of wickets: 1-48.

Bowling: J. Khan 5-0-19-0, I. Khan 4-1-22-0, Y. Shah 3-0-7-1, W. Riaz 2-0-15-0.

SOUTH AFRICA RACING TIPS Turffontein 08:30 hrs Moggytwoshoes 09:10 hrs Savage Wind 09:45 hrs Silver Scooter 10:20 hrs Glorious Victory 10:55 hrs King’s Wild

11:40 hrs Tigers Tale 12:10 hrs Pool House

ENGLISH RACING TIPS Haydock 08:45 hrs The Govaness 09:15 hrs Tadqeeq 09:50 hrs Louis The Pious 10:25 hrs Rayvin Black 11:00 hrs That Is The Spirit 11:35 hrs Ainsi Fideles 12:05 hrs Habbie Simpson

IRISH RACING TIPS Gowan Park 08:55 hrs Sr Cartage 10:05 hrs Master Rule 10:40 hrs Colla Pier 11:15 hrs Pat Harkin 11:50 hrs Love The Feeling 12:20 hrs Awesome Star

LINGFIELD 08:50 hrs Archimedes 09:20 hrs Wedding Vow 09:55 hrs Christophermarlowe 10:30 hrs Flag War 11:05 hrs New Providence

ASCOT 09:00 hrs Penhill 09:35 hrs Winter Thunder 10:10 hrs Amazing Maria 10:45 hrs American Hope 11:20 hrs Jaadu 11:55 hrs Gabbiano

AMERICAN RACING TIPS Belmont Race 1 Hot House Rose Race 2 Cuppa Joe Race 3 Two Weeks Off Race 4 Via Strata Race 5 Colonel Juanita Race 6 MatuszaK Race 7 Discreet Marq Race 8 Rectify Race 9 Imagining

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Serena’s long unbeaten run ended by Kvitova MADRID, Spain (Reuters) - World number one Serena Williams’ 27-match unbeaten run ended with a 6-2, 6-3 defeat by Petra Kvitova in the Madrid Open semi-finals yesterday.

Czech Kvitova will face Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final after she surprisingly knocked out defending champion Maria Sharapova.

Williams had not lost since October but her mood appeared negative and she was slow around the court against fourth seed Kvitova who broke the American’s first service game and never looked back.

“I’m just exhausted today. This has been a rough week for me,” Williams told a news conference.

“It’s good to be really

exhausted now going into another tournament and then getting ready for Roland Garros.

“So this is all great preparation that I actually really, really needed; something to push me to the wall and to the limit.”

Kvitova broke serve three times in the first set and there was little resistance in the second set from a despondent Williams.

It was a setback for Williams who won in Madrid in 2012 and 2013, and this was her first claycourt tournament of the season as she prepares for the French Open looking to win her 20th grand slam title.

Sharapova crashed out after failing to match the solid hitting of unseeded

Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic celebrates after winning a point against Serena Williams of the U.S. during their semi-final match at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, yesterday.

(Reuters/Andrea Comas)

Kuznetsova who won 6-2, 6-4.

She looked tense from the start against her fellow Russian, whose consistency from the back of the court helped her break twice to win the first set.

Sharapova came to the tournament in poor form and struggled to get through her previous two matches in the Spanish capital with Caroline Garcia and Caroline Wozniacki taking her to three sets.

She failed to convert a break point at 2-1 in the second set and lost her serve in the following game. The Russian battled hard to win her next service games but went down 6-4.

“I felt my shots were a little too flat and right in her

striking zone,” Sharapova told reporters.

“She was able to push me back and when we got into a rally she was the one that found the right ball to be the more aggressive player.”

Kuznetsova is a former grand slam winner at the U.S. Open and Roland Garros but has struggled to reach those heights in recent years and is now ranked 29th in the world.

In the men’s tournament Rafael Nadal faces 10th seed Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals as he continues his bid for a third consecutive Madrid title.

Second seed Andy Murray meets fifth-seeded Milos Raonic.

Sukhai’s Six cart off Sash T&T to host Club Sawh memorial dominoes Championship final SUKHAI’S Six, staved off a stiff challenge from Shew’s Six to emerge winners of the eighth annual Sash Sawh memorial dominoes tournament, organised by Sash Secretariats and played last Sunday at Ernest Shop, Canal Number One, West Bank, Demerara.

After a fiercely contested five rounds, which saw Shew’s Six entering the sixth and final with a slim lead, with the scores reading: Shew’s Six 69, Sukhai’s Six 67 and Seopaul’s Six 63, the eventual winners romped to a commanding 82 games, leaving Shew’s Six on 77, the same as Seopaul’s Six. However, the Shew’s claimed the second position by virtue of marking six sixes to their opponents’ four.

Skipper and Most Valuable Player Ramroop ‘Spoon’ Sukhai led from the front with 17 games and got great support from Navin ‘Sixes’ Samaroo (15), Rickey Persaud

(15) and Janke ‘Davo’ Persaud (14).

The top players for Shew’s Six were Andy Mandu (16 games), Deodat (14) and Hilbert ‘Bumpy’ Ali and Intikhab Ali with 13 games each.

For Seopaul’s team, captain Kedar Seopaul also led from the front with 16 games while there were 14 each for Anand Persaud and Boodnarine Singh.

Among those responsible for the staging of the tournament are United States-based Guyanese Mark Dookhan, Navin Mahabali, Vishnu Persaud, Bibi Ali, Sandra and Indra Jagmohan. Ramesh Sunich of Trophy Stall donated the MVP trophy..

The organisers would like to take the opportunity to express sincere thanks to the proprietor and family of Ernest Shop for allowing the venue to host the tournament since the commencement.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Trinidad and Tobago will play hosts to the final of the Caribbean Football Union Club Championship set for later this month.

The CFU announced earlier this week that the semi-finals will be staged at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, with the final scheduled for two days later at the same venue.

In the first semi-final, Haiti’s Don Bosco FC will square off with Central FC of Trinidad and Tobago while in the second game, Montego Bay United of Jamaica clash with T&T’s W Connection.

All four teams won their respective groups last month to reach the semi-finals. Central FC won Group One in Guyana, W Connection captured Group Two in Port of Spain, Montego Bay claimed Group Three in Les Cayes, Haiti while Don Bosco topped Group Four in Port-au-Prince.

The CFU Club Championship brings together the best club teams in the Caribbean in a yearly competition which decides the regional champion-of-champions club.

More importantly, the top three teams will qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League.

‘Tropical Spring’ win softball cricket match at Enmore

RAMROOP ‘Spoon’ Sukhai receives the winning trophy from Indra Jagmohan in the presence of other members of the winning team.

LAST Tuesday, Tropical Spring Masters won a featured softball cricket match played at the Enmore Cricket Club ground on the East Coast of Demerara.

Scores were as follows: Batting first, Tropical Spring’s star player Lalta Gainda made a sparkling 80 not out, Roy Persaud 59, and Krishna Ramnath 20. Bowling for Enmore, Kenny, Sheriff and Shakib picked up one wicket each.

In reply, Enmore were 154 all out with Ramkellawan making 37, Sato 28 and Ramo Malone 50 Bowling for Tropical Spring, K. Mohabir snared 3 for 9 runs; R. Rodrigues 3 for 34 runs, and L.Gainda 1 for 2 runs.

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GOA remembers ‘Six Head’ Lewis for his outstanding achievements THE Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) on Wednesday joined the many in expressing condolences over the untimely passing of former WBA world welterweight champion, Andrew ‘Six Head’ Lewis, last Monday, May 4, on the East Bank of Demerara.

“The president and members of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) express

Andrew ‘Six Head’ Lewis

their sincere condolences to the family, relatives and friends of Andrew ‘Six Head’ Lewis and the boxing fraternity at large on his passing. We mourn with the rest of Guyana, his tragic and untimely death.

May his soul rest in peace!

Lewis was killed in a car accident along the East Bank Demerara Public

Road, after the bicycle he was riding was struck from behind by a motor vehicle.

According to reports, Lewis died from blunt trauma to the head and a broken neck sustained during the accident.

The driver of the vehicle has since been arrested and released on bail.

The Press release went on to recall some of Lewis’

most outstanding achievements as a boxer on the international scene while representing Guyana.

“As an organisation, we recognise his contribution to the sport of boxing. He will forever be remembered for his outstanding performances at the Central American & Caribbean (CAC) Games, held in Mexico in 1990, where he won a silver medal

ICC Americas T20 tourney

in the welterweight category.

He later became a professional boxer, known for his showmanship and power, and made Guyana proud when he beat James Page in 2001 to capture the WBA welterweight title.

The Golden Arrowhead flew high again when he successfully defended this title against Larry Marks.”

The release said.

All-rounder Patandin’s heroics in vain as Suriname lose again INDIANAPOLIS, United States (CMC) – All-rounder Muneshwar Patandin claimed six for 22 – including four wickets in the final over – and later top-scored with 36 but his battling performance could not prevent winless Suriname from slipping to a 24-run defeat against unbeaten leaders Canada in fourthround matches at the ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 qualifying tournament on Thursday..

In the early game at Indianapolis World Sports Park, United States virtually ended Bermuda’s hopes of a top-two finish with a

Steven Taylor crushing eight-wicket victory, achieved with 47 balls to spare, thanks to opener Steven Taylor’s aggressive

knock of 60.

Canada, who hold a 4-0 record in the week-long tournament, were cruising at 139 for two from 17 overs after skipper Rizwan Cheema led the way with 46 from 35 balls, including three sixes and two fours.

Man-of-the-Match Patandin had Nitish Kumar caught for 43 with the first ball of the 18th over and then trapped Jimmy Hansra leg-before for 30, three balls later.

In his final over Patandin removed Hamza Tariq (six), Srimantha Wijeratne (nought), Saad Bin Zafar (nine) and Junaid Siddiqui (nought) as Canada closed

on 157 for eight.

In reply, Patandin, third out at 88 in the 15th over, shared an opening stand of 40 with Wasim Akram Haslim (26) before Troy Dudnath chipped in with 20 as Suriname made a spirited reply after being skittled out for 55 by Bermuda in their previous game.

Bermuda, who close to bat in slow and dewy conditions after winning the toss, struggled to make any headway against tight U.S. bowling and could post only a below-par 95 for five in their innings, with Oliver Pitcher top-scoring with a painstaking 24 before retir-

ing hurt with a leg injury.

Leg-break bowler Timil Patel led the U.S. attack with figures of three for 22.

The U.S., who beat Bermuda by five wickets in Sunday’s opening round of games with an over to spare after requiring 30 from the final 18 balls, romped to victory this time as wicketkeeper Taylor, who was born in Florida of Jamaican parents, reached his 50 off 36 balls with five fours and two sixes before being caught and bowled by 17-year-old slow left-arm bowler Delray Rawlins.

Man-of-the-match Taylor, 21, a left-hander, added

89 for the first wicket with Fahad Babar, who finished unbeaten on 22 from 28 balls.

B e r m u d a ’s n a t i o n al coach Arnold Manders praised the U.S. attack afterwards, saying: “They bowled immaculately. They held a good line and length and didn’t give us any width.”

Victory gave the U.S. a 3-1 record, leaving Bermuda 1-3 with only a slim mathematical chance of finishing in the top two.

The top two will advance to this summer’s World Twenty20 Qualifiers in Ireland and Scotland.

Crown Mining Supplies second golf tourney set for today CROWN Mining Supplies has renewed its support for the game of golf by sponsoring exclusively today’s highly anticipated tournament under its newly acquired brand of Parsun outboard engines.

The tournament, now in its second year, will take the Medal Play format, and already close to four dozen players have signed up to compete for top honours at the Lusignan Golf Course, East Coast Demerara.

President of the Lusignan Golf Club, David Mohamad, during a simple ceremony at Crown Mining Supplies location in Campbellville yesterday afternoon, said the

Bhisham Persaud (second left), a director of Crown Mining Supplies, presents the sponsorship package and trophies to Lusignan Golf Club president David Mohamad, while two representatives of the entity proudly showcase the Parsun outboard engines

club is pleased to once again welcome the company onboard.

He said all systems are in place for an exciting day of rivalry among the country’s premier golfers.

Mohamad also used the opportunity to congratulate Crown Mining Supplies on becoming the sole distributor of Parsun outboard engines in Guyana, under which brand the tournament will be sponsored.

He urged Guyanese to support the company, which in turn will help to maintain its sponsorship of the tournament.

Bhisham Persaud, a Director of Crown Mining

Supplies, who presented the sponsorship cheque and several trophies to Mohamad, said the establishment is pleased to be associated with sport generally, and golf in particular.

He added that the company will embark on a vigorous promotional campaign to enlighten the public about the Parsun line of outboard engines, and branding this weekend’s competition is a step in that direction.

The tournament will tee-off at 12:00hrs, and Mohamad is urging followers of the sport to come out and witness the action live.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

Brazil football legend Pele expected to leave hospital today SAO PAULO, Brazil - Brazilian football legend Pele is expected to be released on today after undergoing prostate surgery, the hospital treating him in Sao Paulo said yesterday.

In a statement, the Albert Einstein Hospital said Pele was recuperating well after a transurethral resection of the prostate. The hospital said Pele had been treated for benign prostatic hyperplasia, or enlargement of the prostate, and that no tumours were found.

According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s website, the procedure involves removing an internal part of the prostate gland.

This was the second time Pele, 74, has been hospitalised in six months.

Pele, whose given name is Edson Arantes do Nasci-

mento, was released from the same hospital in early December following a two-week stay with kidney problems.

With more than 1 280 career goals, and an unequalled three World Cup

WICB thanks spectators for support Soccer legends Pele (R) and Franz Beckenbauer pose for photographs after they ceremonially turned on the lights of the Empire State Building during an event to celebrate the start of the New York Cosmos 2015 season, in New York April 17, 2015.

(Reuters/Lucas Jackson)

Simmons shines, Pollard fails but Mumbai still win CHENNAI, India (CMC) – Opener Lendl Simmons and West Indies teammate Kieron Pollard suffered contrasting fortunes but still emerged on the winning side, as Mumbai Indians produced a late surge to beat Chennai Super Kings by six wickets in the Indian Premier League

titles during his playing career, Pele is considered by many the greatest football player of all-time. (Reporting by Tatiana Ramil; writing by Asher Levine and Brian Winter; Editing

by David Gregorio)

here yesterday.

Playing at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Mumbai chased down Chennai’s 158 for five, reaching their target in the final over with four balls to spare.

Simmons and Parthiv Patel gave the hosts a rollicking start, adding 84 from 61 balls for the first wicket.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Saturday May 09, 2015) Compliments of THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market &The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & AUDREY’S TASTY SNACKETTE-176 Charlotte Street, Georgetown (Tel: 226-4512) Answers to yesterday’s quiz: 302 players 12 sixes Today’s Quiz: Put these in order beginning with the man who has scored most Test hundreds: Kevin Pieterson; Graham Gooch; Geoff Boycott; Alistair Cook Who is the current captain of the Rajasthan Royals?

What of the Delhi Daredevils?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

Lendl Simmons The right-handed Simmons gathered 38 off 31 balls with three fours and two sixes while Parthiv topscored with 45 from 32 deliveries, with six fours.

In one over from seamer Ashish Nehra – the fifth of the innings – Simmons plundered 15 runs, crashing the left-armer for two fours and a six.

Parthiv fell off the first ball of the 10th over and Simmons followed three deliveries later, skying a sweep to another West Indies teammate Dwayne Smith at mid-wicket, at 85 for two.

Pollard fell in the next

over, run-out for one, with a throw from his fellow Trinidad and Tobago and West Indies counterpart Dwayne Bravo, finding him short of his ground at the striker’s end.

Facing a tall order of 51 runs from the last 24 balls, Ambati Rayudu (34 not out) and Hardik Pandya (21 not out) came to Mumbai’s rescue with an explosive, unbroken 34run stand for the fifth wicket.

With just five runs needed from the last over, Bravo could do little as Mumbai gathered the runs required from the right-armer’s first two balls.

Earlier, Smith cracked 27 off 34 balls in a 44-run opening stand with big-hitting New Zealander Brendon McCullum who hit 23 from 11 balls.

When Chennai slumped to 104 for four in the 16th over, captain MS Dhoni (39 not out) and Pawan Negi (36 not out) put on 54 from 28 balls for the fifth wicket, to lend energy to the innings

ST JOHN’S, Antigua – The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) wishes to thank the near 130 000 spectators who helped to generate the fun-filled atmosphere during the just-concluded Test series between West Indies and England.

The three-Test series averaged around 10 000 spectators a day with the first day of the final Test in Barbados attracting the largest attendance of just over 12 000.

WICB Commercial Manager Nelecia Yeates said it was testament to the WICB’s efforts at promoting the Series.

“We want to thank the fans for the way in which they came out in their numbers to support the two teams,” she said.

“What we witnessed were three intriguing matches of cricket between West Indies and England. We saw some amazing play on the field and the crowds came out to support their teams and added further excitement.”

Yeates added: “It was one of the best attended series that we have had in recent years and we are sure that everyone who came to the matches had a good time with supporters of both teams having something about which to cheer in the end.

“It was our pleasure welcoming supporters from the United Kingdom and we are hoping that they had a memorable experience both at and away from the matches, and will continue to make the Caribbean their preferred cricket destination in the future.”

Promotions included radio and television advertising in the host territories with island-wide bus tours in Antigua and Grenada in particular, as well as an Official Tour Operator programme in the United Kingdom, which allowed West Indian fans living there and England fans an opportunity to purchase tour packages and tickets ahead of the series.

Over 42 000 fans had the chance to witness the first Test at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua which ended in a draw before more than 51 000 packed into the National Cricket Stadium in Grenada to see England take a 1-0 lead in the series with a nine-wicket victory.

More than 35 000 got the chance to see the West Indies rebound and clinch a five-wicket victory inside three days to level the series 1-1.

“We look forward to more good and solid performances from our West Indies players and more support from the fans for the upcoming Australia Tour,” said Yeates.

“We want fans in Dominica and Jamaica to know ‘It’s On’! We want them to be there and come make a joyful noise, giving our team massive support against the Australians, as we cheer them on to another special performance.”

63

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday May 9, 2015

MVP Lucky’s lone strike ensures Wismar/ Christianburg keep ‘Screw’ Richmond trophy

By Joe Chapman CHRISTIANBURG Wismar/Secondary ‘Multi’ needled their way past Wisburg Secondary to cop their third straight Edward ‘Screw’ Richmond Linden Secondary Schools Under-18 football championship, and cart off the coveted trophy for keeps, Thursday evening, when the final was played at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground.

On hand to witness this final were United States-based Edward ‘Screw’ Richmond Foundation president Ernest Joseph and other members like Compton ‘Cha Cha’ London and Canada-based James ‘Gads’ Dennis among others.

President of Edward ‘Screw’ Richmond’ Foundation, Ernest Joseph, delivers the MVP Trophy to Shane Lucky at left.

Playing with the poise of true champions, the Digicel triple-time National Schools football champions saw their prolific striker Shane Lucky deliver the lone deciding goal of the encounter as early as the 7th minute and held their nerves to the end for that important win and another prestigious championship.

The game started well for both teams looking to make the final fling for honours but this soon tilted for the defending champions, when the combination of Duquan Hercules, their captain, at midfield presented Lucky with a through ball as he moved past his marker and from about the centre circle unleashed a powerful drive that went past the flailing hands of a beaten Jonathan Copeland, the Wisburg goalkeeper.

Wisburg did try to cancel out that advantage but the defence of the ‘Multi ‘ side - Seon Barret, Keshawn Dey, Amaniki Buntin and Pedro Hamilton - at times dominated with their strong tackles and a keen sense of anticipation proved too stiff to get past.

Wisburg’s best chance came in the 29th minute with the ball played in the centre forcing the ‘Multi’ keeper Fitzgerald Cobena to advance in the air and punch away a dangerous situation. This was followed in the 34th minute with a cross from the corner and the ball collected by William Benn was hit over the crossbar.

Another chance for Wisburg was presented before the half-time whistle as Benn again had a chance to notch up a goal after the ball was missed by a high rising Cobena in the 18-yard box close to the right upright. Just one minute before the half-time whistle, yet another chance for Wisburg was wasted.

In all of this the champions were hanging their hopes on their captain Hercules who, with Jonathan Simon, was purposeful in the midfield department linking with courageous striker Shane Lucky and fearless Kellon Primo up front.

The half-time whistle came with the score 1-0 for the reigning champions, and after the break Wisburg upped the ante seeking an equaliser. But ‘Multi’ remained resolute in their quest for a third title and while a few chances

Canada-based Edward ‘Screw’ Richmond member James ‘Gads’ Dennis at right hands over a new pair of football boots to top goalscorer Shane Lucky of Christianburg Wismar Secondary School. did come, it was in the 88th minute that Wisburg muffed another chance.

The ball was played in the box where it fell from the grasp of Cobena and surprisingly where no player from Wisburg was able to send the ball to the back of the net. It therefore allowed the Christianburg/ Wismar Secondary in the end to capture their third title in a row.

Christianburg/Wismar Secondary’s Shane Lucky copped the Top Goalscorer award for his tournament-high five goals and also the Best Forward prize. Duquan Hercules was named Best Defender.

For the losing Wisburg side their goalkeeper Jonathan Copeland was Best Goalkeeper and Orlando Adams Best Defender.

Mayweather makes U-turn, says no to Pacquiao re-match

By Mark Lamport-Stokes LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Reuters) - Two days after saying he would be open to a re-match with Manny Pacquiao, unbeaten American Floyd Mayweather Jr reversed course on Thursday while describing the Filipino as “a sore loser.”

In an interview with Showtime to be broadcast on today, Mayweather expressed his disgust that Pacquiao had blamed an injured right shoulder for his defeat by the American in the so-called ‘Fight of the Century’ in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao, the former eight-division world champion, lost a unanimous decision to Mayweather last Saturday in the richest prize fight ever before undergoing successful arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder four days later.

“I’m not going to buy into the bull--- ... and I don’t want the public to buy into the bull--,” Mayweather said in a sampling of quotes released by Showtime on Thursday.

“He lost. He knows he lost. I lost a lot of respect for him after all of this.”

Asked by Showtime whether he had noticed Pacquiao being hampered by his shoulder during their 12-round bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Mayweather replied: “Absolutely not.”

He then added: “He was fast. His left hand was fast. His right hand was fast and he was throwing them both fast and strong. Excuses, excuses!”

Barely one hour after the contest ended,

Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, said the 36-year-old southpaw had been troubled by a previous injury to his right shoulder.

“You guys saw the fight yourself. When you review the film, you’ll see how infrequent-

ly he threw the right,” Arum told reporters.

On Monday, an MRI scan in Los Angeles confirmed the Filipino had a torn rotator cuff and on Wednesday he underwent surgery.

INITIAL WILLINGNESS ABOUT RE-MATCH Earlier this week, Mayweather said he would be willing to give Pacquiao a rematch next year, telling ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith that he would delay his proposed retirement from the sport.

“I will fight him in a year after his surgery,” Mayweather told Smith in a text.

Mayweather has one fight remaining on his Showtime contract and has repeatedly said he intends to quit after a bout in September, although after Saturday’s fight he told reporters that he is “human” and occasionally contradicts himself.

On Thursday, however, the 38-year-old American made a complete U-turn on that statement.

“Did I text Stephen A. Smith and say I will fight him again? Yeah, but I change my mind,” said Mayweather.

“At this particular time, no, because he’s Floyd Mayweather celebrates after defeating Manny Pacquiao (not pictured) a sore loser and he’s a coward .... If you lost, via unanimous decision during their world welterweight championship bout at accept the loss and say, ‘Mayweather, you MGM Grand Garden Arena. were the better fighter.’

Sport CHRONICLE

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

MVP Lucky’s lone strike ensures Wismar/Christianburg keep ‘Screw’ see story on Richmond trophy page 63

CPL Final and Semi-Final tickets go on sale

Fans are urged to book early to avoid disappointment - Box Office opening dates also announced.

PORT-OF-SPAIN: The Biggest Party in Sport is just six weeks away, and tickets for the final and semi-finals of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League went on sale yesterday at www.cplt20.com!

The Queen’s Park Oval will be packed to the rafters for the climax of what promises to be the most exciting CPL season yet, and fans wanting to guarantee their place at these matches should get online without delay.

Prices start at US$12.50 for the semi-finals, and US$15 for the final. Special discount packages for all three games will also be available for the first 48 hours on the CPL website, where fans can also buy tickets to all group stage matches, and find out about further flash sales and great value deals.

The CPL also announced yesterday the Box Office opening dates for all six stadiums. Barbados, St Lucia and St Kitts & Nevis will open on May 27, with Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago to follow on June 15, and Jamaica on June 18.

Damien O’Donohoe, CEO of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League, said: “CPL is always the hottest ticket in town. We know that all three games will be sold out at the Queen’s Park Oval, so I urge fans to book early to avoid disappointment.

“We can’t wait to see who will be battling it out in the final in front of what is bound to be a fantastic crowd at one of the Caribbean’s most iconic venues.”

Global superstars including Kevin Pietersen, Jacques Kallis and Shahid Afridi will join the Caribbean’s finest cricketers, like Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine and exciting up-and-coming local talent.

Last year’s tournament attracted a global audience in excess of 65 million and this year is set to be even higher as fans across the world continue to be drawn to the high quality action on the pitch and the unique party atmosphere off it.

Sparta Boss collect Busta ‘Soft Shoe’ spoils INAUGURAL champions Sparta Boss yesterday collected their $600 000 reward for winning the just concluded Busta ‘Soft Shoe’ Football tournament.

Led by a hat-trick from Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson and a single strike from Devon Millington, Sparta Boss defeated West Front Road (WFR) 4-2 last Tuesday at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground.

WFR collected $300 000 for finishing behind Sparta Boss while Queen Street Tiger Bay, who defeated Kitty for the third place spot, pocketed $200 000.

The tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) Sheldon Shepherd of Sparta Boss was awarded $50 000 compliments of 2J’s General Store and the Highest Goalscorer Dwayne Lowe from Sophia, who netted nine goals, received a gold chain from Junior’s Jewellery.

WFR picked up the Most Disciplined Team accolade along with $25 000, thanks to Guyana Beverage Company.

At the simple presentation ceremony held at the Guinness Bar on D’Urban Street, organisers Petra Organisation thanked the players for making the tournament a success and promised them come next year the event will be bigger.

Behind the Guyana Beverage Company and their Busta soft drink brand, 24 teams drawn only from the capital, battled in the first-ever ‘Soft Shoe’ football tournament.

So successful was the tournament that its major sponsor, who dished out approximately $4M to bring the competition to life, confirmed that next year the tournament will return and hopes it will be extended to Linden and Berbice.

Devon Millington, captain of Sparta Boss, is all smiles as he collects the $600 000 cash prize from Petra Organisation director Troy Mendonca.

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SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015