2015 7 22

GUYANA No. 104258

WEDNESDAY JULY 22, 2015

Minister of Governance Raphael Trotman

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

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ExxonMobil’s oil find worth about 12 times Guyana’s GDP

– estimated 700 million barrels of oil in Lisa-1 well

Investors confident in Guyana’s economy, says Agriculture Minister – following successful outreach to Rupununi, Brazil 9

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Berbice businessman shoots dead roaming male jaguar Page

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A resident traverses the streets of New Amsterdam with the dead jaguar on his back (Photo courtesy of Fresh News Guyana)

City Hall ‘rehab’ for completion next year Page

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

Berbice businessman shoots dead roaming male jaguar – animal first spotted crouching in drain in New Amsterdam

By Jeune Bailey-VanKeric A MALE Jaguar was on Monday fatally shot, a f t e r i t w a s i n i t i a l l y seen crouched in an interlocked drain which divides Harkman’s Lane and Pilot Streets, in the New Amsterdam township.

It was just before 09:00 hrs when the animal was spotted. Its pres-

ence brought citizens out in their numbers, some fearful, others just curious.

Persons were seen using their mobile phones in an effort to contact the police and other personnel. However, moments later, a businessman who happens to be a licensed firearm holder, arrived on the scene armed with his shotgun.

As he aimed at the ani-

mal, two shots were heard to ring out, and the animal, weighing over 100 pounds, lay motionless on the street.

Residents and observers armed with their mobile devices sought the opportunity to have “selfies” with the lifeless animal.

Residents praised the efforts of businessman, Errol Azar, while noting that there are many school-aged children in the community, and it would have been heartbreaking if one had been attacked and mauled by the animal.

While no one reported how the animal managed to seek refuge in the township, it is believed that the jaguar may have been a pet, and may have escaped from his owner’s confinement.

The hapless jaguar after it was shot

In 2010, a jaguar was spotted and subsequently killed at Lot 38 Stanley-

town, also in New Amsterdam, while in 2008, an ocelot was captured

at Maratraite, East Bank Berbice. The ocelot was taken to the National Zoo.

Jaguar shooter: ‘I would do it again’ – prompts call for wildlife protection awareness

By Shivanie Sugrim IN light of the recent shooting of a young male jaguar in New Amsterdam, Berbice, activists are calling for greater wildlife protection awareness to prevent such

occurrences in the future.

Some felt the Jaguar overstepped its mark and deserved its fate, while some argued that it was “a wrong move”. Among those who shared the view that the response to the situation was a

“typical” one are long-standing animal activists, Annette Arjoon-Martins and Syeada Manbodh.

Both Martins and Manbodh believe that this is a starting point for all wildlife agencies to unite and develop a strategy for combating the issue of jaguars overstepping their boundaries. The cause of the jaguar’s death is said to have stemmed from the lack of awareness as residents felt the only alternative was to corner the animal and riddle it with bullets.

LACK OF AWARENESS “If they [residents] were educated on how to handle the situation, they would’ve reacted differently,” said Martins.

However, the situation, said Martins, who is also a wildlife protection activist, could not have been dealt with differently, given that

the residents were not educated on how to react under such circumstances. With the steady growth of the wildmeat trade, she stressed that this among other factors contribute to the encroaching of jaguars on human territory.

Such businesses have caused a reduction of food for animals in the wild, which has led to jaguar encroachments. Manbodh, on the other hand, believes that land degradation has significantly contributed to this encroachment, since animals such as the jaguar are forced to evacuate their natural habitats and dwell elsewhere.

Human and Natural Environment Interactions Researcher from the University of Texas at Dallas, Anthony R. Cummings, has expressed similar views to that of Martins and Manbodh, and has emphasised that a lot could be done to reduce the incidence of jaguar killings, so as to rescue the animal from Turn to page 3 ►

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

ExxonMobil’s oil find worth about 12 times Guyana’s GDP

– estimated 700 million barrels of oil in Lisa-1 well

Minister of Governance Raphael Trotman

AN ExxonMobil Corporation discovery off the coast of Guyana may hold oil and natural gas worth 12 times the South American nation’s entire economic output.

The Liza-1 well, which probably holds the equivalent of more than 700 million barrels of oil, may begin pumping crude in as

few as five years, Raphael Trotman, Guyana’s Minister of Governance, said in an interview Monday.

The prospect would be on par with a recent Exxon find at the Hadrian formation in the Gulf of Mexico, and would be worth about US$40 billion at today’s international crude price.

Guyana produces no oil, and its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $3.23 billion in 2014 ranked between Burundi and Swaziland, according to the World Bank.

Exxon, which has a market value of US$341 billion, has declined to provide an estimate for Liza-1 since describing the discovery as “significant” in a May 20 statement.

“A find of this magnitude for a country like ours, which sits on the lower end of the scale of countries in this hemisphere, this could be transformational,” Trotman said. “From my sense, from speaking to experts outside of Exxon, it has to be something excess of 700 million barrels.”

Exxon, which began

ExxonMobil’s oil rig, the Deep-water Champion

drilling the well in March, said it found a 295-foot (90-meter) column of oiland gas-soaked rock in a subsea region known as Stabroek Block. The well is

120 miles (193 kilometers) offshore and 5,710 feet beneath the sea surface.

EXXON REVIVAL The discovery may fore-

Jaguar shooter: ‘I would... should attach bells to their cows to startle lurking jaguars,which should aid in preventing extreme measures if another jaguar invades, suggested the researcher.

Cummings also highlighted the fact that jaguars are less vicious when compared to the pumas and ocelots, and would not attack, unless they feel overpowered.

A resident traverses the streets of New Amsterdam with the dead jaguar on his back (Photo courtesy of Fresh News Guyana)

extinction.

Until a unit is set up to specifically deal with these issues, Cummings said, a few less extreme measures can be

taken to avoid another such scenario.

Jaguars are afraid of loud noises, said Cummings, therefore cattle farmers

JAGUAR ALERT Shooter of the jaguar, 52-year-old businessman Errol Azar, recalled his experience when he saved the New Amsterdam community from sleepless nights by firing four shots at the jaguar, resulting in its death.

Azar said he was awakened by a call about a jaguar

tell a revival for the Irving, Texas-based company, which has been stung by three consecutive years of declining production and slowing reserves growth.

Exxon’s exploration failure rate worsened to 39 per cent last year from 33 per cent in 2013, according to a February filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. “ We ’ r e e n c o u r a g e d by the results of this first drilling exercise,” Exxon spokeswoman Lauren Kerr said in a telephone interview. “We are continuing to evaluate the additional potential of the block.”

Kerr declined to comment on Trotman’s 700 million-barrel estimate.

Exxon is expected to post its lowest profit since 2009 for the second quarter when it announces financial results on July 31, according to the average of 11 analysts’ estimates compiled

by Bloomberg.

The Guyana discovery would be on par with the combined size of a cluster of three reservoirs Exxon found in the Gulf of Mexico between 2009 and 2011.

(BloombergBusiness)

From page 2

in the community early yesterday morning. Armed with his guns, he took off to rid the villagers of this fear.

After countless efforts, he caught the animal hiding in a forested area and ventured out to shoot it. Three shots were fired at first, but this did not stop the animal from approaching Azar, who fired a fourth shot to its head, resulting in its demise.

Azar said the animal was unusual in size, as it was gigantic and seemed extremely healthy. Jaguars are known to have a 50-Kilometre ter-

ritorial space. As such, Azar said the animal felt it was his territory, since it took him countless efforts to trace it in the township.

“I love animals, but when it comes to safety, I would do it again,” said a bold Azar.

The “Hero of New Amsterdam” said that there were no other alternatives in dealing with the situation, as the residents were in genuine fear.

Residents praised Azar’s efforts, while noting that there are many school-aged children in the community

and it would have been heartbreaking if one had been attacked and mauled by the animal.

Jaguars are often seen at the basin of the Canje River in Berbice. Therefore, the possibility of more such incidents occurring is very high. Jaguars are Guyana’s national animals, and are slowly heading into extinction. As such, Martins and Manbodh are calling on the relevant authorities to provide laws with “teeth” to protect the specie.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

‘Oldest’ Koran fragments found ––at Birmingham University

WHAT may be the world’s oldest fragments of the Koran have been found by the University of Birmingham.

Radiocarbon dating found the manuscript to be at least 1,370 years old, making it among the earliest in existence.

The pages of the Muslim holy text had remained unrecognised in the university library for almost a century.

The British Library’s expert on such manuscripts, Dr Muhammad Isa Waley, said this “exciting discovery” would make Muslims “rejoice”.

The manuscript had been kept with a collection of other Middle Eastern books and documents, without being identified as one of the oldest fragments of the Koran in the world.

OLDEST TEXTS When a PhD researcher looked more closely at these pages, it was decided to carry out a radiocarbon dating test, and the results were “startling”.

The university’s director of special collections, Susan Worrall, said researchers had not expected “in our wildest dreams” that it would be so old.

“Finding out we had one of the oldest fragments of the Koran in the whole world has been fantastically exciting.” collection brought back from the Middle East The tests, carried out by the Oxford University Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, showed that the fragments, written on sheep or goat skin, were among the very oldest surviving texts of the Koran.

These tests provide a range of dates, showing that, with a probability of more than 95%, the parchment was from between 568 and 645.

“They could well take us back to within a few years of the

actual founding of Islam,” said David Thomas, the university’s professor of Christianity and Islam.

“According to Muslim tradition, the Prophet Muhammad received the revelations that form the Koran, the scripture of Islam, between the years 610 and 632, the year of his death.”

Prof Thomas says the dating of the Birmingham folios would mean it was quite possible that the person who had written them would have been alive at the time of the Prophet Muhammad.

The fragments of the Koran are still clearly legible “The person who actually wrote it could well have known the Prophet Muhammad. He would have seen him, probably; he would maybe have heard him preach. He may have known him personally, and that really is quite a thought to conjure with,” Prof Thomas said.

FIRST-HAND WITNESS Prof Thomas says that some of the passages of the Koran were written down on parchment, stone, palm leaves and the shoulder blades of camels, and a final version, collected in book form, was completed in about 650. eard the Prophet Muhammad preach He says that “the parts of the Koran that are written on this parchment can, with a degree of confidence, be dated to less than two decades after Muhammad’s death.”

“These portions must have been in a form that is very close to the form of the Koran read today, supporting the view that the text has undergone little or no alteration and that it can be dated to a point very close to the time it was believed to be

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revealed.” t discovery on public display The manuscript, written in “Hijazi script”, an early form of written Arabic, becomes one of the oldest known fragments of the Koran.

Because radiocarbon dating creates a range of possible ages, there is a handful of other manuscripts in public and private collections which overlap. So this makes it impossible to say that any is definitively the oldest.

But the latest possible date of the Birmingham discovery, 645, would put it among the very oldest.

‘PRECIOUS SURVIVOR’ Dr Waley, curator for such manuscripts at the British Library, said “these two folios, in a beautiful and surprisingly legible Hijazi hand, almost certainly date from the time of the first three caliphs.”

The first three caliphs were leaders in the Muslim community between about 632 and 656.

The fragments of the Koran are still clearly legible Dr Waley says that under the third caliph, Uthman ibn Affan, copies of the “definitive edition” were distributed.

“The Muslim community was not wealthy enough to stockpile animal skins for decades, and to produce a complete Mushaf, or copy, of the Holy Koran required a great many of them,” he said.

Dr Waley suggests that the manuscript found by Birmingham is a “precious survivor” of a copy from that era or could be even earlier.

“In any case, this, along with the sheer beauty of the content and the surprisingly clear Hijazi script, is news to rejoice Muslim hearts.”

The manuscript is part of the Mingana Collection of more than 3,000 Middle Eastern documents gathered in the 1920s

by Alphonse Mingana, a Chaldean priest born near Mosul in modern-day Iraq.

He was sponsored to take collecting trips to the Middle East by Edward Cadbury, who was part of the chocolate-making dynasty.

The local Muslim community has already expressed its delight at the discovery in their city and the university says the manuscript will be put on public display.

“When I saw these pages I was very moved. There were tears of joy and emotion in my eyes. And I’m sure people from all over the UK will come to Birmingham to have a glimpse of these pages,” said Muhammad Afzal, chairman of Birmingham Central Mosque.

Prof Thomas says it will show people in Birmingham that they have “a treasure that is second to none.” (BBC)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

Profits down but Petrotrin earnings up 132%

By Aleem Khan

STATE-owned Petrotrin multiplied its losses 11.2 times to reach US$168 million for the nine months ended June 30 compared to US$15 million loss for the same period last year, but its earnings before income tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose 132 per cent between March and June, preliminary financials show.

Petrotrin chief financial officer Ronald Huff confirmed via email on Friday that

“While results for the first nine months of the 2015 fiscal year ending June 2015 are still being affected by the weak performance of the first quarter of the fiscal year, the last two quarters have shown a return to financial performance similar to previous years.”

Zeolla added that earnings before income tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) margins are back to the 11-12 per cent range, and free cash flow has been positive for the last two quarters.

Petrotrin’s nine-months ending on June

Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union members employed at Petrotrin protesting outside the State oil company’s Pointe-a-Pierre compound recently the Oppenheimer data released to bondholders on July 16 is accurate.

Omar Zeolla, senior analyst responsible for Petrotrin at Oppenheimer wrote to bondholders: “I believe Petrotrin’s results for the quarter ended June reflect the expected improving trend in financial performance, as its refining capacity came back online and oil prices and refining margins improved.

30 showed positive results, especially when calculating the results for the quarter ending June 2015, Oppenheimer said.

“The nine-month figures show a positive EBITDA of US$24 million by my calculations. EBITDA was negative $75 million through the six months through the end of the first calendar quarter of this year. This was a result of the inventory write-down in the quarter ending Decem-

ber 31, 2014 (the first quarter of the 2015 fiscal year).”

Results through that first quarter had also been weak, due to lower oil prices and the interruption in refinery operations, which reduced refinery capacity utilisation to 25 per cent in fiscal 2014. “The improved results in the last two quarters reflect improved utilisation rate in refining – this was the major problem affecting results in the last year – now up to 70 per cent in the last two months. Refining margins have improved since early this year,” Oppenheimer found.

“Margins reached five-year highs recently, positively contributing to results; throughput and product mix have also improved and fuel production increased. The company is benefiting from strong refining margins in the region, especially in some areas of the US West Coast as a result of strong demand and limited supply of refined products,” Zeolla said.

REFINERY ONLY 40% SUPPLIED Oppenheimer told bondholders Petrotrin’s upstream production is also expected to increase after September, improving the company’s own supply of oil for its refining operations. Petrotrin projects 25 per cent growth in oil and gas production by 2019 from current levels.

Increasing oil production improves the company’s integration and should increase the own supply of oil from the current approximate 40 per cent of total needs.

OVER US$175M LOST Backing out the quarterly results for Q3 FY2015 from the nine-month cumu-

lative US$168 million net loss by the company, “the June quarter seems the strongest quarter so far for this fiscal year,” Zeolla said. “I estimate EBITDA of US$100 million for the quarter after a negative $125 million in the quarter ending December 2014; this figure included a US$175 million inventory write-down as a result of declining oil prices,” Zeolla said.

Free cash flow also improved to a total of US$124 million for Q3 FY2015 as quarterly revenues rose to US$882 million for the last quarter and EBITDA margins improved. “Free cash flow is expected to be - at worst - neutral for this fiscal year after capital expenditure (capex) was budgeted in the US$300 million range but will likely be below that number. Capex through the first nine months of FY2015 was US$130 million, so it is running lower than expected,” he said.

Preliminary financials show cash balances declined to US$133 million from US$277 million at the end of fiscal year 2014 (September 30, 2014) but mostly due to repayment of debt (total debt declined from US$2.2 billion at the end of FY2014 to US$1.9 billion). Cash balances declined close to the US$100 million minimum level the company is comfortable with but the company expects to close a US$500 million committed bank revolver by the end of this month, which should be used to repay short term debt and leave about US$300 million available to fund working capital and investments, helping maintain cash balances at least at current levels, Oppenheimer said. Petrotrin’s shortterm debt declined to US$725 million at the end of June from US$945 million at the end of FY2014. (Trinidad Express)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

EDITORIAL

Guyana

West Indies cricket and National Dignity THE CPL cricket tournament will soon come to a close and attention would return to the state of West Indies cricket.

Despite its crowd appeal and superior earning opportunities for the cricketers, T20 cricket would never inspire the same kind of nationalistic emotions as the other forms of the game.

Perhaps the Caribbean’s embrace of the shortest format of the game has something to do with the Region’s dismal showing in the other formats. It is a distraction from the disappointment over the team’s persistent failures.

Yet when the distraction is over, the woes of West Indies cricket remain. Only recently we learned that the team may not make it to the Champions Trophy on account of its further drop down the ICC rankings. Many would ask what’s new. For those who lived through the glory days of

West Indian dominance, the hurt is forever deep.

Of course in periods of decline fingers are pointed in all directions. A good example is the public and official responses when the unthinkable happened - the West Indies team quit a tour of India. Some blamed the Board while others blamed the players. In the midst of this blame game the real essence of the moment got lost. Very little energy is expended on thinking of the impact on the larger society.

West Indian self-worth has been partly built on its performances on the cricket field. CLR James captured this sentiment best in his celebrated book, ‘Beyond A Boundary’.

As the smallest and poorest cricketing nation, it was cricket that brought the world’s attention to the genius of these small post-plantation islands and mainland

enclaves. When a Garry Sobers or Rohan Kanhai or Viv Richards or Clive Lloyd and Malcolm Marshall walked on to the cricket field they took with them all of the complex history of their people and transformed it into artistry and imagination.

This is what became the raw material for a proud Guyanese and Caribbean nationalism.

It is this linkage between cricket and self-definition that is missing from both the cricket field and the discourse beyond the boundary. Through no fault of theirs, the younger generations see cricket as a forum for partying.

Absent is any deep sense of what the game means historically and culturally. It is from these centers that the cricketers are recruited. It is no surprise then that they lack the tenacity, and thought-process needed to overcome other teams that are more

grounded in their sense of their place in the larger history and social development of their societies.

Where do we go? Some may think we have tried everything. But we cannot give up on cricket. To do so would be to admit the failure of our Independence.

As our Caribbean societies reflect on 50 years of Independence and imagine and plan for the next 50 years, our cricket should be at the centre. In this regard we recommend that as part of the official commemoration of our 50th anniversary next year, we mount a series of cricket groundings that reflect on the centrality of the game to our evolution as an independent nation. This should be done with the aim of developing a new cadre of cricket nationalist-warriors to help us restore dignity on the cricket field and beyond the boundary.

City Hall ‘rehab’ for completion next year

––Mayor Hamilton Green

GEORGETOWN Mayor Hamilton Green said recently that by the time repair works are completed on City Hall, every board would have been returned to the pristine beauty and authenticity of the original architecture.

“We have received word from the Ministry of Finance,” the mayor said recently, regarding the progress of works to be done.

He told city councillors at their most recent statutory meeting that the initial and comprehensive review of what needs to be done is underway. A draft was sent to him and he has since forwarded it to the town clerk and city engineer.

Based on persuasion by the mayor and Minister of Culture, Green said not only City Hall will be examined for restoration, but also the building immediately south of City Hall that is now being used by the City Engineer’s Department.

Before the end of this year, he said works should be completed on the proposals so that the physical work can be proceeded with. “We are discussing restoration, not just repairs, so that every board can return to the pristine beauty and authenticity of the original architecture,” Green said.

Meanwhile, though unable to estimate a figure for restoring City Hall to its former glory, Green told this newspaper in an earlier interview he was very optimistic that the task will be completed in its entirety sometime next year.

He said the European Union and the Ministry of Finance have already signalled their readiness to assist with the restoration project. “It is a very complex building.

There is a lot of iron work to be done and the roof as well. It’s a lot of work and so it will cost a lot, but I wouldn’t want to guess a figure,” he said.

He is also not sure if the skills to get the job done are available locally, but he said he envisions a completed project before the end of next year.

In 1995, the Government of Guyana proposed Georgetown City Hall as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The building was designed by architect Reverend Ignatius Scholes in 1887 and was completed in June 1889.

At 2:00 pm on December 23, 1887, Governor Henry Turner Irving laid the foundation stone for City Hall at the northeast corner of the main building, along with a glass jar containing original documents pertaining to the building.

City Hall was officially opened at 3:00 pm July 1, 1889 by Governor-Viscount Gormanston. The Archbishop of British Guiana, William Piercy Austin, then blessed the structure. However, the building started to rapidly deteriorate in recent years and now requires urgent repair works.

City Hall is a building of unique architectural design, and is often described as “The most picturesque structure,” “The most handsome building in Georgetown,” and “One of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in the Caribbean.”

GUYANA CHRONICLE

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wednesday July 22, 2015

Silted-up Georgetown Harbour hampering trade, investment ––PSC Chairman, Norman McLean

By Tajeram Mohabir

CHAIRMAN of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) Mr Norman McLean says the inability of the Georgetown Harbour to accommodate larger vessels is hampering trade and investment in Guyana.

Speaking at a Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) luncheon at the Pegasus Hotel on Monday, McLean said facilities similar to the one at the mouth of the Berbice River are needed in Georgetown.

Oldendorff, a German bauxite company, uses the Berbice Port to move some 40,000 tonnes of bauxite out of the Berbice River.

McLean also noted that the Georgetown Harbour continues to be affected by siltation, pointing out that addressing this problem should be a major priority for Guyana.

He said it is because of the siltation problem that Guyana is paying for dead weight, when PSC Chairman, 6,000-8,000-tonne vessels Mr Norman McLean leave the Georgetown harbour with much less weight they can carry.

This setback, he said, can be solved through regular drilling, or opening up new channels so as to accommodate larger vessels, as well as larger loading facilities.

This, he contended, would remove the hindrance to trade and investment here.

WELL POSITIONED McLean said Guyana’s being well positioned on the Atlantic Coast gives it a distinct advantage in terms of access to foreign markets.

He also noted that the pool of vocational and advanced skills in Guyana is small, and require huge inputs from both the government and the private sector to increase the availability of trained skills, which would, in turn, enable Guyana to attract huge foreign investments.

The GMSA has direct oversight for the Manufacturing and Services sectors, which encompass value-added food

production; value-added wood production; primary and tertiary production of fiberglass, steel and polyurethane products; and mining for gold, diamonds, semi-precious stones, bauxite and some other minerals.

Its membership directory also includes agricultural growers, cattle farmers and manufacturers of pharmaceuticals. On the Services spectrum, it oversees the development of a wide range of industrial and social services including fashion design, music, tourism and the fast-growing Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector. These are all major revenue earners, McLean said.

LUCRATIVE “In fact, in Guyana and the wider Caribbean, this sector is becoming more and more lucrative. It actually accounts for about 62 per cent of the accumulative revenue generated across the region,” he said, adding: “In individual Caribbean countries, services trades are now major contributors to our Gross Domestic Products.

In response, many of the larger Caribbean countries have already established national coalitions of services industries and Suriname, our neighbour to the east, is now in the process of developing theirs. (It appears that coalitions of every sort seem to be the axis upon which the world is revolving in this millennium).

McLean noted that the Caribbean Export Development

Agency (CEDA) has now taken the next step towards consolidating this burgeoning industry.

CEDA has created the Caribbean Network of Services Coalitions (CNSC) and now each country is required to register its body of Services Industries with the CNSC. McLean said the GMSA is currently in the process of consolidating its national body, and hopes to secure membership in the Caribbean Network before the fourth quarter of this year.

“When we do, Guyana will become eligible for funding and technical support to develop the music industry, specialty healthcare, ICT and a range of other industrial and social services. This funding through Caribbean Export is provided by the European Union,” he said.

He also said that the Private Sector is now more committed than ever to changing the business landscape from reliance on the sale of raw products to promoting new businesses that process rice, fruits and vegetables, meat and milk, wood, bauxite by-products, and the amazing variety of medicinal plants into secondary and tertiary products.

“Our in-country market is small by comparison, so the emphasis has to be placed on sourcing external markets alongside improving procedures at the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA),” he said as he bemoaned the astronomical energy charges, high customs fees and long, undue delays to process import and export documents.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

BRICS open development bank A NEW US$100 billion international bank dedicated to the emerging BRICS countries opened yesterday in China’s commercial hub, Shanghai, officials said, as an alternative to other multilateral lenders.

The NDB’s website explicitly describes it as an “alternative to the existing US-dominated World Bank and International Monetary Fund” which will address needs for infrastructure and sustainable development.

The “New Development Bank”, backed by the socalled emerging BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) has been viewed as a challenge to Washington-based institutions.

It comes as Beijing -which is seeking a greater role on the global political stage to mirror its rise to become the world’s second-largest economy -- is also setting up a separate

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

Chinese Finance Minister, Lou Jiwei played down the competitive aspect.

“The NDB will supplement the existing international financial system in a healthy way and explore innovations in governance models,” he told the NDB’s opening ceremony in Shanghai, as quoted by the official Xinhua news agency.

The Bank says on its website that it will have authorised capital of US$100 billion, with US$50 billion paid in initially.

Xinhua quoted bank President, K. V. Kamath, formerly a private banker in India, as saying the institution’s management was “working on initiation of operations”, including “making business policy” and “developing project preparations”.

Operations would begin

NDB President, Kundapur Vaman Kamath

late this year or early in 2016, he added.

The opening comes two weeks after a BRICS summit hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Moscow -- which has suffered huge currency fluctuations and struggled to attract investors since the outbreak of the crisis in Ukraine -- sees the bank and

a BRICS currency reserve pool as alternative global financial institutions.

At the time of the summit, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a statement that BRICS “illustrates a new polycentric system of international relations” demonstrating the increasing influence of “new centres of power”.

FINANCIAL ORDER The BRICS nations, which represent 40 per cent of the world’s population, formally agreed to establish the bank at a meeting in Brazil in July last year.

The World Bank said it hopes to work with the newcomer.

“We are committed to working closely with the New Development Bank and other multilateral institutions, offering to share our knowledge and to co-finance infrastructure projects,” World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said in a statement.

The regionally-focused Asian Development Bank also said it would “look forward” to working with the NDB. Chinese analysts denied the BRICS bank was aimed at challenging other multilateral agencies. “ I t ’s a c o m p l e m e n t , instead of a challenge, to

existing international institutions,” Li Daxiao, Chief Economist of Yingda Securities, told AFP. “It can help strengthen the currency markets and maintain a stable financial order through the internal stabilisation of the BRICS countries,” he said.

The other new Chi nese-based multilateral lender, the AIIB, will be headquartered in Beijing and China will be its biggest shareholder with about 30 per cent, according to the legal framework signed late last month by 50 founding member countries.

Major European and Asian economies including Germany, Britain, France and Australia have joined the AIIB, but the United States and Japan -- the world’s largest and third-largest economies, respectively -- have declined to do so. (The Straits Times)

Public Security Minister hosts security meeting with IDB group MINISTER of Public Security, Mr Khemraj Ramjattan on Monday hosted a security meeting with officials from the Inter-American De-

velopment Bank (IDB) at his office.

Among IDB officials in attendance was Country Representative, Ms Sophie Makonnen.

It is expected that the meeting would have addressed financing to improve Guyana’s security architecture, and the outcome of previous pro-

grammes financed by the IDB. In February this year, Guyana benefitted from a US$15M loan that was intended to be utilized on

the Citizens’ Security programme. At the time, the APNU and AFC had raised concerns over the signing of the loan, given that Parliament was prorogued.

Over the years, the IDB has been a constant source of financing for s e c u r i t y i m p ro v e m e n t programmes in Guyana.

(GINA)

IDB Country Representative, Ms Sophie Makonnen (second left), and members of her team in discussion Monday with Minister of Public Security, Mr Khemraj Ramjattan (left) at his office on Brickdam

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

Investors confident in Guyana’s economy, says Agriculture Minister

– following successful outreach to Rupununi, Brazil GUYANA and Brazil have committed to working closely with each other to realise this country’s agriculture potential, especially as it relates to Guyana’s Intermediate Savannahs in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and Rupununi, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

Agriculture Minister Noel Holder, while holding talks with the former Governor and current Special Adviser to the Governor of Roraima, Mr. Neudo Campos expressed the government’s support for any efforts aimed at fostering closer cooperation in areas of mutual interest. That meeting took place in Boa Vista, Brazil last Saturday.

According to Minister Holder, there continues to be tremendous potential for agriculture development in the hinterland, which thus far has largely remained untapped.

As such, several issues

the assistance of IICA (the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture), Guyana has been able to develop a robust and reliable information- sharing system that allows for easy reporting on the Carombola Fruit Fly. In its 2011 report, IICA noted that technical officers from Guyana’s Ministry of Agriculture undertook eight field trips along the route between the Guyana-Brazil borders.

Agriculture Minister, Mr Noel Holder (second right), with Special Adviser to the Governor of Roraima, Mr. Neudo Campos (right); CEO of the , NAREI, Dr. Oudho Homenauth (second left); and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. George Jervis (left)

relative to cross-border trade, the road from Lethem to Linden, a deep-water harbour, and closer cooper-

ation in the sharing of skills and expertise were also discussed.

Mr Campos has prom-

ised action that would allow Guyana’s agriculture produce into Brazil. Agriculture produce from Guyana

Agriculture Minister, Mr Noel Holder (fifth right) with officials and farmers in Brazil

are currently barred from entry, due to fears that the Carambola Fruit Fly may be present in Guyana. Through

FURTHER TALKS During his meeting with Minister Holder, Mr. Campos extended an invitation for a technical team from Guyana to meet with their counterparts in Brazil within two weeks to iron out issues of cross-border trade.

“Trade with Guyana,” he said, “remains an important part of our government’s agenda, and we will work to ensure that all avenues are sorted out, and our relationship progresses even further. Guyana has always had friendly relations with Brazil, and we hope to further expand this in the near future.”

Minister Holder also raised with Mr Campos the problem of Brazilian cattle farmers illegally crossing the border with their animals during the dry season in Brazil to graze them on the lush pastures on the Guyana side of the border.

In response, Mr Campos has promised to look into the matter, noting that it would be easy for the Brazilian authorities to find out who the offending farmers are, and take steps to ensure that the practice is discontinued.

Guyana having been certified free of Foot-andMouth disease, is free to export beef to regional and international markets. However, Brazil has not yet been so certified, even though, according to the government, it has been 12 years since Turn to page 10 ►

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

Distinguished Barbados-based Guyanese attorney admitted to Guyana Bar

Attorney-at-law Ms.Vidisha Kumar Hathiramani who was admitted to the Guyana Bar last Monday

By George Barclay LAWYER Vidisha Kumar Hathiramani, who was introduced by Attor-

ney-at-Law Ms. Jamela Ali was on Monday admitted to the local Bar by Justice Naresh Harnanan, who congratulated Vidisha and her family for their contributions.

In presenting the admission petition, Miss Ali told the court that Vidisha is the daughter of Mr. Kumar Hathiramani, who is the company director of the family business, The Voyager Ltd. “Her father is a business administrator by profession, and a paralegal with a diverse background in trade, commerce, industry and property management.

“He had business roots in Guyana and other Caribbean countries, before migrating to Barbados. He is a certified mediator, and has been the President of the ADR Association Inc of Barbados since 2004.

“She has one sister, Malvika, who is the property management, and is the company director of a group of property-owning companies.

“She also has a brother, Avi, who’s an investment banker in London.”

Directing her remarks to the petitioner, Mis. Ali disclosed that Vidisha, who has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree and a Master of Laws, has been called to the Bar in Barbados, and is on the Roll of Solicitors of England & Wales.

“Vidisha has accomplished much since her admission to the Barbados Bar in 2002.

“Vidisha is a partner of Lex Caribbean Law Offices, having worked there from the start of her legal career to present. Lex Caribbean is a leading law firm practising mainly the laws of Barbados, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago and London.

Town clerk calls on vendors, businesses to remove ‘objectionable structures’ NEWLY appointed Town Clerk of Georgetown, Royston King, is calling on all vendors operating within the central commercial areas of the city to remove all pallets, boxes, vending trays and other objects that are being left on the Council’s thoroughfares, pavements and open spaces, on a daily basis.

This behaviour by vendors is contributing to the flooding being experienced currently. “This appeal is made in light of the continued overtopping experiences and efforts to facilitate regular maintenance of these areas. These objectionable structures are contributing to the flood situation, since it prevents the free flow of storm water, particularly in the Water and Regent Street areas,” King said in a statement.

“It was noticed during recent clean-up activities that a number of old and rotting pallets, in particular, were tossed into city canals. Glass and plastic bottles, food boxes and other objects clogged drains, gutters and other flows,” he continued.

The Council is making this request as it intends to seek the help of the Fire Service to wash the streets at least twice a week until it can solely provide such a service.

Additionally, King said that the Council takes note of a number of businesses that have appropriated alleyways, cordoning them off with gates and other barricades.

He said these areas are to be maintained regularly by Council workers, but is currently overgrown with bushes and long grass.

“The water in these alleyways has become stagnant and results in breeding grounds for mosquitoes.”

King said blocking these alleyways has added to the flood situation and creates an unhealthy situation during that time.

The Council has asked all businesses to remove their barricades and return the alleyways to the city. “The Council is working on a permanent plan to maintain the city, while tending to the needs of its citizens and facilitating commercial activities as legally stipulated.”

She specialises in corporate finance and in commercial real estate. “Vidisha’s wealth of experience in corporate finance extends from Barbados, both in the private and public sectors, including statutory corporations and government-financing transactions, to the international business sector.

“She has represented both lenders and borrowers in real estate and other financing transactions, which have involved a variety of secutity packages including composite mortgage debentures , share charges, assignments, debt-service agreements, guarantees, security-sharing arrangements and inter-creditor arrangements .

“She has acted on transactions dealing with bond issues, various types of loans, including construction loans, and restructuring transactions. She has conducted security reviews and has ad-

vised on security packages.

“Vidisha also has experience in merger and acquisitions work involving leading financial institutions.

In relation to international business, she has advised on Barbados Law, and regulatory issues on loan and security arrangements in the context of complex and high-value transactions.”

In the area of real estate, Vidisha is experienced in merger aquisitions transactions involving hotels and real estate developments, and has advised commercial developers on structuring title issues, planning issues and local law, as well as regulatory issues.

SPEAKS FRENCH Vidisha is fluent in the French language, having studied at New York, University, Business French, and French Translation at the University of Wisconsin; Professional French Trans-

lation at the University of Toronto; Business French at University of Leeds; and a Minor in French at McMaster University of Canada.

She has conducted mergers and acquisitions in French.

CERTIFIED MEDIATOR Ms. Ali did not conclude her petition for admission without pointing out to the judge that Vidisha is a certified mediator and a member of the ADR Association of Barbados Inc and has attended workshops and courses on Negotiation at Havard Law School and the London School of Economics & Political Science and in Barbados .

Justice Harnanan granted the Petition, congratulated the petitioner and wished her continued success in her future endeavours.

Earlier, the petitioner had paid special thanks to the Judge and Miss Ali for their kind words of advice.

Investors confident in... the last case was identified.

The illegal crossing of cows from Brazil to Guyana could jeopardise Guyana’s international certification and scuttle its fledgling cattle industry.

CLOSER TIES The meeting between Guyana’s Agriculture Minister and the Brazilian State official also allowed for Brazil to again express its keen interest in working with the Government of Guyana towards the construction of the road from Lethem to Linden, a deep-water harbour, and the establishment of a Hydro electricity generating facility for the supply of power to both countries.

The meeting between the two governments was facilitated by NF Agriculture Inc., a Brazilian company that is currently engaged in a pilot project for the cultivation of soya beans and corn at Ebini, in the Berbice River.

Minister Holder and his accompanying team, comprising of Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. George Jervis; Chief Executive Officer

of the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), Dr. Oudho Homenauth; and Agriculture Diversification Specialist in the Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Jean David, were also taken on tour of major soya bean cultivations.

During the visit, the Managing Director of NF Agriculture, Mr. Yucatan Reis, accompanied by Mr. Geison Nicaretta, Mr. Alcione Nicoletti and Mr. Afranio Webber exposed the Guyanese team to technologies that are used on farms, both in relation to the layout of the cultivation as well as the equipment.

The project by NF Agriculture Inc. involves the cultivation of soya bean and corn and is expected to significantly aid the Caribbean in reducing its imports of those commodities and allow for trade and expanded markets within the Region.

RUPUNUNI TOUR Minister Holder was also taken to visit several farms in the Rupununi, including Santa Fe, J.R, Waikin and Peter Alves ranch.

While at Santa Fe, he

From page 9

got a first-hand look at technologies being used on the farm. The management of Santa Fe is adamant that the investment continues to be a favourable one and remains committed to ensuring additional growth in the Hinterland Regions.

Since commencing operations, the Santa Fe farm has had successful harvests of paddy and cash crops.

The farm has also branched off to rearing pigs, cows and sheep, as the investors pursue a modern cattle industry.

The project first started with the cultivation of 120 acres of paddy. However, the Simpson Family, who also owns Sol Group, have since significantly expanded their operations.

The Santa Fe project is not only equipped with a certified mill to process the paddy, but also with the necessary infrastructure such as drainage and irrigation canals, and a pump system.

The project is being managed and supervised

by Guyanese Richard Vasconcellos. Of the 60 employees, 57 are Guyanese from Region Nine. (GINA)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

Remembering Hubert BACK Nathaniel Critchlow Ras Michael is

– A true Man of the People

By Ras Michael HUBERT Nathaniel Critchlow was born in Georgetown on December 18, 1884. His father, James Nathaniel Critchlow, had emigrated from Barbados and was employed as a Wharf Foreman by the Booker Group of Companies, while his mother,

Julia Elizabeth Critchlow née Daniels, was originally from the Essequibo Coast.

The young Hubert Critchlow attended the Bedford Wesleyan Primary School, but left when he was 13 years old after his father died.

He had reached up to Standard 4 (the equivalent of today’s Grade 6), but he felt that he had to find a job

to help maintain his home.

While attending school, he had excelled in sports; and he continued to do so as a young man. He soon became a popular sports figure, and during the period 1905-1914, he was the country’s middle-distance athletic champion.

He was also a good footballer and cricketer.

Soon after Critchlow left school, he worked as an apprentice at the Demerara Foundry; and at the turn of the century, he obtained employment as a dock labourer on the waterfront. Due to his active representation of his fellow workers during the 1905 strike in Georgetown, his popularity grew.

He continued to champion workers’ rights, and was always called upon to represent their case to employers in the years that followed.

INTESTINAL FORTITUDE Why he is truly a Guyanese champion is not a matter of great conjecture. It was simply because Critchlow had the consciousness, the moral and intestinal fortitude to recognise and stand up for the rights of the Guyanese ‘working poor’.

The time when Critchlow made his impact upon the society was a time when the colonial power of the British was most dominant; it was a time when the African labour force was being subjected to all the atrocities of colonialism. Wages were meager; taxes on food items purchased by Africans were exceedingly high. There was little or no economic or social mobility for the freed African, unless the tone of his skin colour was light rather than dark. These were some of the problems Critchlow struggled against in his fight to redress the ills that plagued the working poor from which he had evolved.

And then there was more, for he was of humble origin himself, and not an acceptable representation of a middle-class anxious to inherit the power of the British.

1917 STRIKES During the strikes in 1917, he represented the interest of water-front workers in collective bargaining, and by then was regarded as the leader of all water-front workers. He became even more popular when he helped to secure

increased wages for them.

In the 19171918 period, Critchlow led a petition for an eight-hour day.

He was pressured by the Chamber of Commerce to withdraw his name from the petition, after all the other petitioners were forced to do so.

But he obstinately refused.

He was immediately fired from his job and blacklisted from obtaining employment, and had to depend on assistance from close friends for sustenance.

Being unemployed, he devoted all his time to the campaign for the eight-hour work day. In December 1918, he and a small delegation of workers met with the Governor, Sir Wilfred Colet. It was after this meeting that Critchlow developed the idea of forming a trade union, and he immediately began making the arrangements for its formation.

The Union, the British Guiana Labour Union (BGLU), was eventually established on January 11, 1919.

TRADE UNIONISM The Union experienced numerous problems on its establishment.

The employers saw it as a force aimed at fomenting industrial unrest, and issued open threats to workers who were union members.

Despite this, membership grew, and by the end of its first year, it had more than 7,000 financial members, comprising water-front workers, tradesmen, sea defence and road workers, railroad workers, balata bleeders and miners, some Government employees, and hundreds of sugar estate labourers. Branches of the Union were also set up in various parts of the country.

Critchlow was employed on a full-time basis by the Union, and he never stopped being a spokesman for the workers. He publicised their grievances and demanded

improved working conditions and better wages for them.

But he faced opposition from the more educated members of the Union who felt that his limited education should not allow him to hold such high office. These members, who were in the minority, wanted a doctor or a lawyer to lead the Union.

In January 1920, at a meeting of the Union, a Motion was introduced, requesting Critchlow to hand over all the Union’s funds to Dr. T. T. Nichols, and two lawyers, J. S. Johnson and McClean Ogle.

But the Motion was rejected by a huge majority, and a vote of confidence in Critchlow was passed.

Today, only a few remember him, and mostly at the First of May celebrations that have little to do with his achievements. Youths are not taught about his magnificent accomplishments against even the power and authority of colonialism. They are not able to see him as a perfect role model, nor to recognise that to succeed at the highest level is not dependent on how many subjects you acquire, but on your moral strength and love for ‘equal rights and justice.’

But there were those who were motivated by his work; and all became prominent and positive examples for today’s youth.

Cheddie Jagan, Forbes Burnham and Martin Carter, who today inspire multitudes, were first inspired by him. HE IS THE MAN OF THE PEOPLE.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

Crime Chief reports...

MCIU enjoying phenomenal success against major crimes THE Major Crimes Investigation Unit (MCIU), which is headquartered at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) at Eve Leary, Georgetown, was specially established to focus primarily on major serious crimes, and has since had many successes. Within the past two months, the unit has been able to solve many homicides and other high-profile cases.

Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum told the Guyana

Chronicle that the unit, which was formed several years ago during the crime wave around 2003 as the Homicide Unit, has been renamed the MCIU to deal with specific crimes.

He said the unit, which comes under his direct supervision, is being led by Assistant Superintendent Mitchell Caesar, and is staffed with 12 ranks, who deal solely with high-profile crimes.

Blanhum stated that the unit has solved many cas-

es since its establishment and moreso, within the last two months they have been successful in securing many prosecutions, with the murder of Rubis accountant, Jason Cort included.

The senior superintendent told this publication that the unit’s effort is a very concentrated one and ranks will benefit from continuous and specialised training, during which they will be exposed to a variety of courses.

Murdered: Jason Cort

Killed: Ganesh Ramlall

Murdered: Courtney Crum-Ewing

He explained that the training will be done both locally and overseas and so far ranks have been trained by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).

Blanhum said he makes the call as to which homicides should be handled by the unit and he is optimistic that they will remain steadfast in their work, since the unit is headed by a competent officer, who was once named Best Cop. He noted that the work of the unit is very sensitive and as such ranks will be the recipients of periodic training by judges in various topics, including “common mistakes made in court by ranks; and good court testimony.”

Blanhum said the unit relies heavily on support from the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU), which is a separate unit also based at CID, Eve Leary, since they do more intelligence-led work.

He explained that ranks have to be constantly trained to sharpen their skills and it is imperative that they

continue to work in collaboration with the CIU, because they are privy to information as regards suspects and their modus operandi, etc.

Some of the more high-profile homicides that the unit has dealt with include the seemingly execution-style murder of the owner of Regent Multiplex Mall, Ganesh Ramlall, called “Boyo,” who was shot and killed at his home on Sunday, July 5, 2015.

The businessman had just returned home from a social outing when he was confronted by a group of gunmen, after which he was riddled with bullets. Bandits made off with Ramlall’s jewellery and wallet.

Another was the murder of Jason Cort at his home on Wednesday, June 17, 2015.

The 27 year old of Jamoon Drive, Meadow Brook Gardens, was gunned down in his home shortly after returning from an outing with his girlfriend.

The MCIU, it seems, is on the brink of solving the

murder of political activist, Courtney Crum-Ewing, who was gunned down on Tuesday, March 10, 2015 at Third Avenue, Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara.

Sleuths from the MCIU have questioned a suspect in connection with the murder; the suspect remains in custody, and another is being sought. Eight persons were previously arrested and questioned in relation to the murder, but were subsequently released.

Crum-Ewing was killed while urging villagers via his bull horn to vote wisely.

He was shot five times, including thrice in the head at point-blank range. The former GDF solider had staged a protest for several weeks outside the office of the former Attorney-General, Anil Nandlall, between November and December, 2014, calling for his resignation following allegations of corruption, and threats to journalists.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

Traffic Chief...

Five road fatalities recorded last weekend

– 60 deaths so far this year, 10 children included – urges more defensive, less aggressive driving TRAFFIC Chief Ian Amsterdam yesterday said last weekend was one of the most deadly in recent times, with the occurrence of five road fatalities and has urged all drivers to be more defensive instead of aggressive while driving.

Speaking to the Guyana Chronicle, he added that they have tallied 60 road accidents with 66 deaths in 2014; nine among the fatalities were children.

Additionally, he stated that so far for 2015, 60 persons have lost their lives in 49 road accidents, with 10 of the fatalities being children, as at Friday last. This represents an apparent 83.3% decrease in accidents and a

9% decrease in deaths.

The traffic chief noted that the statistics have changed over the weekend for this year, although they have remained the same for last year.

He revealed that so far for this year, 54 road accidents have been recorded; a decrease of 10% with 65 deaths; a decrease of 2% and a 22% increase in the deaths of children on our roadways.

Amsterdam disclosed that Friday night last, the first fatality for the weekend occurred at D’urban Street, Georgetown, between Lime and Palm Streets, when a pedestrian stepped into the path of a speeding minibus.

Meanwhile, on Saturday at about 16:00 hrs, an eight

-year-old child was struck down by a car at Lancaster, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara and approximately half-an-hour later, another fatal accident took place in Essequibo.

The senior officer said that on Sunday morning a pedal cyclist rode into the path of a car on the Railway Embankment close to the Access Road at Foulis, East Coast Demerara and was killed.

He explained that later Sunday morning a victim of a serious accident succumbed to his injuries while in hospital, after he was involved in an accident at Enmore, also on the East Coast of Demerara.

With regard to the current statistics, Amsterdam said something must be done to reduce the figures, since it is not looking very good, noting that there is a total disregard by road users for the basic traffic laws.

He said that it was long noted that many people use the roadways carelessly and even though there are traffic

education programmes and enforcement campaigns countrywide, some people are still bent on breaking the law.

Amsterdam added that they have since been vigilant in their patrols from 18:00 hrs to 06:00 hrs in all divisions and have since identified pedestrians and pedal cyclists as most vulnerable to fatalities.

He concluded that speeding is one of the leading contributors to road accidents and fatalities also.

Traffic Chief, Ian Amsterdam

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

more snared in GPF drunkGPHC partners Five driving campaign in Berbice with PAHO – to help Grenada boost healthcare capacity

HEAD of the Diabetic Foot Centre at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), Dr. Kumar Sukhraj, recently facilitated a Diabetic Foot Care workshop in Grenada.

The workshop was as a result of a partnership with the Pan American Health Organsiation (PAHO) to aid Grenada in boosting its healthcare capacity.

The workshop, which was held at the Grenada National Stadium, ran from July 7- 9. Its overall goal was to achieve greater levels in diabetes’ foot care, and reduce the incidence of diabetes-related amputations.

The workshop was sponsored by the Ministry of Health of Grenada along with the PAHO; it targeted nurses and doctors in the country’s

health sector.

A release from the GPHC quotes Dr Sukhraj as saying upon his return: “The workshop was a huge success, and I hope that the healthcare professionals will put into practise the skills acquired during the three days of comprehensive diabetic foot-care training.”

He is also reported to have said that continuous technical support will be needed from the GPHC and the Ministry of Public Health to help with further training, and the eventual establishment of a diabetic foot-care centre in Grenada.

In closing, the GPHC said: “This is a representation of the country’s commitment to providing assistance where it may be required, as it continues to

foster and strengthen its relationship with partners on a bilateral level.” (GINA)

Head of the GPHC’s Diabetic Foot Centre, Dr. Kumar Sukhraj

Danraj Hebnatine

Joseph Appiah

Ramnarine Samaroo

JOSEPH Appiah of Seawell, East Canje,Berbice, was stopped and tested with a breathalyser on Friday, July 10, 2015, while driving motor vehicle PKK 6873 on the Number 2 Public Road, Canje. He was found to be above the legal alcohol consumption limit and was charged and appeared at the New

Amsterdam Magistrates Court on July13. Appiah pleaded guilty and was fined $7,500.00.

Danraj Hebnatine of Albion, Corentyne, Berbice, was stopped and tested with a breathalyser on Sunday,July 5, 2015 while driving motor vehicle CH 800 on the Palmyra Public Road, Canje. He was found to be above the legal

limit in terms of the consumption of alcohol, was charged and appeared in the New Amsterdam Magistrates Court on July 7 when he pleaded guilty and was fined $7,500.00.

Ramnarine Samaroo of 7 Hampshire Village, Corentyne, was stopped and tested with a breathalyzer on Sunday, July 5, Turn to page 15 ►

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

M&CC...

NGOs, churches free to apply for tax exemptions THE Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) is advising all religious and non-governmental organisations that they are free to apply for exemption from taxes.

City Hall is authorised to grant such exemptions, the M&CC said in a recent press statement.

Section 211 of the Municipal and District Councils Act 28:01, says that no rates shall be levied in respect of

property used solely for the purpose of public religious worship, for the purpose of education, burial ground, cemetery or crematorium.

Furthermore, the council said it is urging citizens, who have not paid their property taxes, to do so urgently, since payment of property taxes will assist the council to provide the critical services needed in the city. “Rates due in respect of a general rate shall be payable

in four equal instalments, which shall become due on the first day of February or on the day of service of the demand note, whichever day is later, the first day of April, the first day of July and the first day of October,� the council reminded.

If citizens are experiencing financial difficulties, they can make use of the payment plan offered by the council to settle their arrears.

Five more snared in GPF...

2015, while driving motor vehicle CE 1774 on Palmyra Public Road, Canje. He was found to be above the legal limit in terms of the consumption of alcohol. He was charged and appeared at the New Amsterdam Magistrates Court on July 7 when he pleaded guilty and was fined $7,500.00.

Ty r o n S i n g h o f Glasgow, East Bank Berbice, was stopped and tested with a breathalyser on Sunday, July 5, 2015 while driving motor vehicle CE 4229 on the Palmyra Public Road, Canje and was found to be above the legal limit in terms of alcohol consumption. He was charged and appeared at the New Amsterdam Magistrates' Court on July7, pleaded guilty, and was fined $7,500.00.

Kevin Mangal of

From page 14

Tyron Singh

Kevin Mangal

Lot 78 Tain Settlement, Corentyne, was stopped and tested with a breathalyser on Sunday, July 5, 2015, while driving motor vehicle PMM 3203 on the Palmyra Public Road, Canje and was found to

be above the legal limit in terms of the consumption of alcohol. He was charged and appeared at the New Amsterdam Magistrates' Court on July 7 when he pleaded guilty and was fined $7,500.00.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

Suspected drug addict destroys over $60,000 in fruits, vegetables at Charity Market

By Rajendra Prabhulall A SUSPECTED drug addict last Thursday created confusion and fear in the Charity market on the Essequibo Coast, attacking a vendor’s fruit and vegetable stall on the shoulder of the river defence dam near the New Guyana Marketing Centre Wharf with a cutlass.

Reports said the man armed with a sharp cutlass showed up at the market around 13:00hrs and headed straight to the stall owned

by Mr Kissoondial Samdass.

The man’s daughter-in-law Nora Lewis, who was sitting in the stall said she saw the man approaching with a cutlass in his hand. She said a girl ran to the stall and said”look a man coming with a cutlass,”and all of a sudden the suspected addict started to chop at all the fruits and vegetables.

Nora said she became terrified and shocked at what was taking place before her eyes. She said she feared for her life and her little children that were

with her in the stall.According to Nora, the man first attacked the peppers that were on display. She said the man who appeared to be angry, then chopped pine- apples,cabbage,egg plants,limes,oranges and carrots.According to Nora, were it not for another seller known as “ Imran”who grabbed the man from behind and took away the cutlass from him, she don’t know what would have happened to herself and small children.

She said more than

$60,000 worth of fruits and vegetables were damaged by the man, who used the sea defence dam to escape.Nora said her husband who would normally be with her in the stall had just left to go out when the incident occurred.

Owner of the stall Mr Samdass said he believed that the attack was directed at him, because why would the attacker aim for his stall when there are many other persons selling fruits and vegetables along the same river dam. The businessman said probably somebody was trying to hurt himself and family at the stall.He said that he pays a rent for his stall at the CharityUrasara NDC and there is no protection for vendors from such attacks. Mr Samdass also disclosed he has suffered such losses before and no one from the NDC has ever visited him to investigate what went wrong

Some of the bora and pineapples destroyed by the suspected drug addict

and how he could be compensated.

The businessman said he reported the matter to the Charity Police Station which is located a short distance from his stall and the man was arrested but subsequently released. Mr Samdass said he was surprised that the man was allowed freedom to roam the

market and chop up more fruits and vegetables that were for sale.The businessman said the man should be removed from the market area and sent to a rehabilitation centre.

Meanwhile, calls are being made for another man of unsound mind that lives in the market to be removed.

GUYANA CHRONICLE

17

wednesday July 22, 2015

UGSS President elected Chairman of Commonwealth body

By Derwayne Wills COMING out of a forum of Commonwealth youth held in the Bahamas last June, which ran concurrently with the 19th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEM), is the election of outgoing President of the University of Guyana Students’ Society (UGSS), Joshua Griffith, as Chairman of the Commonwealth Students’ Association (CSA) Steering Committee.

The students’ association, launched in 2012, was the first of its kind coming out of the Commonwealth group, and is aimed at representing the interests of students across the Commonwealth’s 53 member-countries.

Griffith’s appointment to the body came as the Commonwealth Secretariat celebrated its 50th Anniversary last June, having given 42 years of service to youth across the realm.

The Education Ministers’ forum in June was focused on linking quality education within the Commonwealth with equitable development.

YOUTH FORUM Meanwhile, at the youth forum, youth delegates representing 17 member countries and two territories, engaged among themselves and their education officials on the role of students in development, as well as boosting productivity through quality education, among other things.

“We’ve thoroughly discussed quality education and what it means to have a quality learner [and] the environment for a quality learner,” said outgoing Caribbean and the Americas Regional Representative of the CSA Steering Committee, Tricia Teekah, in an interview with this publication.

Teekah, currently the Board Secretary of the Guyana National Youth Council (GNYC), recalled one of the key focuses of the Education Ministers being a remigrant scheme for reintegrating trained teachers into the region, and the integral role of this scheme to quality education and regional development.

She also emphasised the role and contribution of students in the education system, as well as the role of the CSA in facilitating this engagement.

At the level of the youth forum, she said, discussions reflected challenges to quality education such as mental health, disability, access to resources, the setting of classrooms, and revising the curriculum to become more fluid than the current sys-

tem of standardised testing.

The 53 Commonwealth member-countries are spread across the Americas and the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, and the pacific.

Teekah noted that the challenges currently facing Africa relate to the affordability of education and the high number

lenges against the reintegration of teenage mothers into the education system.

ROLE OF CSA The CSA had originally sought to represent the Commonwealth’s tertiary students, but a shift in mandate has seen

Incoming Chairman of the Commonwealth Students’ Association, Steering Committee, Joshua Griffith (Centre) is flanked by Guyanese presenter on persons living with disabilities at CCEM in the Bahamas, Rosemarie Ramit (left); and outgoing Caribbean and the Americas Regional Representative of the CSA Steering Committee, Tricia Teekah (right)

of girls throughout the continent who are not attending school.

As to the Caribbean region, she recalled the insistence of her group on the inclusion of male-marginalisation, and the high dropout rates of young males as one of the challenges for education in the Caribbean.

Aside from the foregoing issues, Teekah urged recognition of the chal-

the body now representing all students, regardless of academic level. There is some blur, however, on the role of the body to represent students older than 35, the international age limit for youth.

The CSA’s Steering Committee, the body authorised to conduct business for the CSA until its full formation, first came into existence at the 18th CCEM in Mauritius in 2012.

“The Steering Committee was just responsible for setting up a website, organising the first inaugural conference [in 2012], election of the Executive Committee and other basic things that relates to establishing the Commonwealth Students’ Association,” Teekah told the Guyana Chronicle.

The CSA intends to be a fully autonomous body, with funding coming from contributory fees paid by governments and other partners, as well as grant funding, but this could only happen if a quorum of members decide on the Executive Committee, thus replacing the Steering Committee.

Despite the adoption of the body’s Constitution, due to the inability of the body at the June meeting in the Bahamas to reach a quorum, youth delegates took a decision to have a new Steering Committee elected.

The CSA will continue to be headed by a Steering Committee until the next Commonwealth Youth Forum and CCEM meeting in 2017, or until a congress could be facilitated via videoconference. Until then, the body will continue to receive assistance from the Commonwealth Secretariat.

“What I need to do is to understand the system as best as I can and to work with the current members to set realistic goals,” Griffith, who assumes his role in two months, told this publication. The youth leader will cease to represent the UGSS and will take on his role with responsibility for millions of students across the world.

The CSA aims to represent and build the capacity of students and student organisations across the Commonwealth to become actively involved in development and education.

“We need Commonwealth Member States and student organisations to know that the CSA exists, and to come on board and to work towards making things happen for the benefit of students globally within the commonwealth,” Griffith urged.

At the national level, the Guyana National Youth Council (GNYC) is gearing towards a students’ association arm of the body integrated into the Council’s work and structure. Those plans are currently in its infant phase.

Meanwhile, education officials in Guyana are expected to have a follow-up meeting with the youth representatives of Guyana at the 19th CCEM in the Bahamas, on the way forward for development, education, and equitable opportunity in Guyana.

Man on the mou

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By Richard Charan

NEXT time you’re wending along the North Coast Road to get to that overrated beach at Maracas Bay, keep an eye out for a concrete-surfaced road on the left called Fond Pois Doux, which climbs into the mountain through an uninviting tunnel of overhanging trees.

Take the route (if you have some driving skills and didn’t buy your licence), and you will be rewarded with a view of a place unknown to many, with names you may never have heard; like the Paragrant Village and beach near the bays of Mal d’estomac and La Vache, with the islets of Saut-d’Eau and Les Bouquets watching offshore.

If you follow Fond Pois Doux’s route all the way to the end, it will take you through the slave-runaway, patois-speaking, blue devil-making, chive-planting, French creole parang villages of Paramin and Cameron, and eventually to Maraval or Diego Martin, whichever is your fancy.

While travelling

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

through, you may come upon a man sitting at a roadside stall located on a ridgeline. There might be a bunch of coconuts, some vegetables, or a few heads of kush-kush on sale. Behind the stall is the man’s mountainside house of scavenged galvanised roofing sheets and logs near an outhouse that must surely be the high-

est latrine in the land. Two dogs laze at his feet. Man and dogs appear the same: Unhurried and unbothered.

You must meet this man.

FIRST IMPRESSION Your first impression might be that Peter Celestine is a hard man. Every one of his 62 years is marked on that weathered body. Paramin will do that to you, living all your years climbing these mountain roads to get from crop-land to Central Market in Port of Spain (And you’ve never really see a steep road until you see a Paramin road).

Peter Celestine could also be considered a poor man. He lives with those dogs, Bag and Ring, in a house he built for himself, lit by flambeaux, cooking by fireside. It is his third, and largest, “house”.

But you will come to realise that Celestine is one of the luckiest people to ever live on this often wretched, sometimes wondrous island.

Celestine has known this for years. It’s probably why he speaks of his life’s journey, the joys of youth and the pain of growing old, with the same contented smile.

Celestine said that over the years, hundreds of people have stopped at his roadside spot, asking the same thing: Would he sell?

Just name the price. And while land sold all around him to some of the richest people in Trinidad (their mansions are carved into the mountains at impossibly steep places), Celestine was good with his lot in

life.

“I know I have the best view in the country,” said Celestine.

No lie. From his perch, he looks south to a view of the Saddle Road, the Moka, the towers at One Woodbrook Place, the vessels travelling out of the port of

Peter Celestine holding the p his left leg was amputated

Peter Celestine tells his story (Photos by R

untain

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

Port of Spain in the Gulf of Paria.

To the north is the Caribbean Sea, and on clear days when the clouds are not sweeping across the ridge, Celestine can see Venezuela, Grenada and Tobago.

prosthetic limb he made after

Richard Charan)

FARMER FROM BIRTH Born to hill farmers in the lower area of Paramin in a crowded house of 12 siblings, he started planting on his own at age 14.

“I hardly went to school,” Celestine said. “I worked the land, doing all kinds of crops to this day. I planting for the future; fruit trees now. I have no children. I never married; never believed in it. I had a woman; she lived seven years with me, then she decided to go.”

And there was the incident when he had one too many drinks at a lowland bar, and fell asleep roadside on his walk back home one evening.

Celestine said someone ran over him with their fourwheel-drive (almost everyone has one in these parts), the injury landing him in hospital.

The three weeks it took for him to recuperate at hospital, someone stole his most prized tracker dog, the mother of Bag and Ring, along with his gas tank.

Confirmation: Nowhere is safe.

LOSING A LIMB Which brings us to the matter of Celestine’s left leg.

Twelve years back, Celestine was deep in the Blanchisseuse woods doing some hunting, when he triggered a trap gun probably placed there by a ganja planter guarding his crop. It blew off his heel. The time it took for the other men to get Celestine to a hospital meant there was little chance of saving the limb. Gangrene had already set in.

“When the doctor came in and told me they had to cut… even with that bad foot, I wanted to climb off that bed and reach the ceiling. It was negligence. They waited too late,” Celestine recalled.

Losing a limb, it could break a man. Not this mountain man!

“It took two, three years for that to heal. I couldn’t get a (prosthetic) leg. So I gone ahead and made one: PVC and a strong piece of wood, some clamps and screws,” he said.

And Celestine was back to work, working the hillside, planting his crops; climbing those coconut trees so he could pick nuts to sell; fishing down at the bay to make extra money; doing whatever it took to make enough to live.

Eight years ago, he got a prosthetic leg fashioned with metal and a rubber boot, and is on a waiting list for a newer model. If he gets it, fine. If not, he will just make do with what he has. (Reprinted from the Trinidad Express)

Celestine’s stall on the Fond Pois Doux Road, on Trinidad’s north coast

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Workers doing the finishing touches on the Roadside Baptist Skills Training Centre

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

Refurbishment of Berbice training centre nears completion ––thanks to a US$90,000 grant from the Japanese Gov’t

By Tajeram Mohabir

THE Roadside Baptist Skills Training Centre would soon be in a better position to carry out services to single parents and vulnerable youths on the Corentyne as critical repair works on the facility near completion.

In February, the Japanese Embassy pumped US$90,000 into the Roadside Baptist Skills Training Centre for critical renovation works.

Under the project, the church’s outdoor auditorium was slated for renovation, and a shed destroyed by storm last year to be rebuilt. The money covered repairs to ceiling, walls and furniture in the shed, while a portion was allocated for enhancement of services in the information technology laboratory, library and office.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Roadside Baptist Skills Training Centre, Yetrawatee Katryan told the Guyana Chronicle that work on the shed has been completed, and the repair works are more than 90 per cent done.

Katryan said the Centre is about making a meaningful difference in people’s lives.

It focuses on providing poor and at-risk youth, single-parent mothers and school dropouts with skills in a variety of areas to make them employable or start their own businesses.

These programmes include garment making, Information Technology, cosmetology, cake decoration, floral arrangement, HIV Prevention and Awareness Counselling, and lessons in English and Mathematics at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Examinations.

Katryan related that all the training programmes include a component of entrepreneurship, pointing out that the goal is to empower the poor, providing them the means to climb out of poverty and enjoy comfortable lives.

Every year, more than 100 vulnerable persons graduate from the training centre equipped with a skill of their choice; the vast majority of whom have gone on to improve their own standard of living.

Those who did not establish their own businesses have gained employment at banks, GuySuCo and other state and private institutions while some have chosen to further their studies at the University of Guyana.

The Skills Training Centre works closely with the Board of Industrial Training (BIT). The BIT also provides skills training in a number of areas including masonry and carpentry. Last year, some 77 persons graduated from the BIT programme which was offered through the Roadside Baptist Training Centre.

Katryan told this publication that the centre caters for persons from Orealla to Rose Hall but also accommodates those from as far as New Amsterdam.

She said since the training centre was established in 1995, it has played a useful role in reducing poverty in the area it covers and has opened doors of opportunities for thousands.

Many of the many hundreds of vulnerable persons who have passed through the Roadside Baptist Skills Training Centre have been provided an alternative to crime and answers to help them out of poverty.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

East Canje robbery suspect remanded after courtroom outburst

AUBREY Brandt appeared before Magistrate Marissa Mittelholzer at the New Amsterdam Court where police had filed charges of attempted murder and robbery.

However, due to the defendant’s offensive and threatening outburst in the courtroom, even though he was warned to desist, Brandt was remanded to prison until Friday, August 21, 2015.

Brandt, who is the suspect in the East Canje businesswoman shooting, ranted: “All of you gon face the judgement.

I want to see the person who identify me at the scene. I will shoot them for real…..

“You all frame-charge me.

As for [policeman’s name], I gon deal with him.’’

“Stop it! Stop It!” exclaimed the magistrate.

However, Brandt ranted on.

“Ok. I would not tolerate this kind of behaviour in this courtroom. Take him away” Later, after he was escorted from the holding cell, Brandt was informed that he was remanded.

This time he quietly exited the courtroom.

Police alleged that he, in company with others armed with dangerous weapons, to

Essequibo road accident victim dies

– after four days in hospital

FIFTY-eight-year-old Ganganan Dhanraj of Anna Regina new housing scheme, who was struck down by an alleged drunk driver last Friday while walking on the left side of the road in the Anna Regina Housing Scheme, died on Tuesday at the Georgetown Public hospital.

Reports said that the driver was taken into custody but was later released. An investigation is in progress.

Aubrey Brandt

wit, guns, robbed Rafeena Angela Hussain of two gold rings, $50,000 and US$100, on Monday, July 6, 2015 at Palmyra Village, East Canje.

On that evening, five masked, armed bandits invaded the grocery parlour at Brahaspat Street, Palmyra Village, Corentyne, leaving an eight-year-old boy traumatised and his mother hospitalised in the Intensive Care Unit of the New Amsterdam Hospital, after being reportedly shot in the head.

Hussain, has since been discharged.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015 - 08:30 hrs Thursday, July 23, 2015 - 09:00 hrs Friday, July 24, 2015 - 09:30 hrs

Councillor urges quick action

– over alarming Essequibo suicide rate PPP/C Councillor of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region 2, Mr Basil Bryan Persaud, is calling for the high rate of suicide on the Essequibo Coast to be addressed urgently.

Speaking at the statutory meeting of the council last Tuesday, the councillor said the question of the high rate of suicide is very serious. He said most young people are affected and called on the RDC to seriously pursue the matter.

The councillor suggested that counselling sessions on domestic violence be held across the region and called for social workers of the Ministry of Social Protection to go out into the field and counsel persons who are experiencing frustration.

Another PPP/C Councillor, Ms Rozetta Beatrice Mittelholzer, called for consultation sessions to be held with people on the ground to address the issue of suicide.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

Two Demerarians amongst three charged for NA supermarket robbery THREE men charged for allegedly robbing a New Amsterdam Supermarket appeared before Magistrate Marisa Mithelholzer, charged with robbery under arms.

Demerarians Lennox Patterson, aged 26, of Lot 369 Sisters Village, West Bank Demerara; Jason Aubrey, aged 23 years of

Melanie Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara; and Berbician Leroy Hopkinson of Lot 37 Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, pleaded not guilty to the joint charge at the New Amsterdam Court, where they appeared on Monday.

The trio on Thursday, July 16, 2015, being in company with others and armed

with guns, are alleged to have robbed Nazmena Ali of a gold chain, a cellphone, phone cards and cash totalling $630,000.

Further, they robbed their victim of a 9mm semiautomatic weapon, along with seventeen 9mm live rounds valued $201,000, property of Faroze Ali. In response to the court,

Patterson said he is a father of four who has a pending charge for wounding, while Aubrey claimed that he was never charged. Hopkinson said he was charged with assault, but that matter was dismissed.

However, while Police Corporal Desiree Pilgrim mentioned the seriousness and prevalence of the of-

Leroy Hopkinson

fence, the court, addressing the defendants, told Patterson and Aubrey that she found it strange for them to have left their respective districts to be in New Amsterdam, where they were suspects in a robbery .

Therefore, they were remanded to prison, while local boy Leroy Hopkinson was granted $100,000 bail. They are expected to return to court on August 4.

Meanwhile, Lennox Patterson faces two additional charged of being in possession of a .38 special revolver without having the relevant licence.

Additionally, he was charged with being in possession of ten live .38 ammunition without having a firearm licence in force at the time.

The charges were instituted following the Thursday evening robbery at the M. Ali Supermarket, at Pope and Main Streets, New Amsterdam, Berbice.

Earlier, at approximately 18:50 hrs, two identifiable males entered the M. Ali Supermarket and held sales clerk Tamike Lagadeau at gun point, before ordering that she direct them to the adjoining bond where Nazmoon Ally, the proprietress was seated.

There, they ordered the 64-year-old Ally to hand over cash. Being fearful, she hesitated and they opened the drawer and removed her son Fizal Ally’s licensed 9mm pistol, $350,000 and a quantity of GT&T and Digicel phone cards.

On exiting the building, one of the bandits discharged a round at Ms Lagadeau, which hit his accomplice instead.

There were two other accomplices who were on the look-out, and the four men escaped seconds before the police arrived.

A senior police officer had commented to this newspaper that a Georgetown-based

Lennox Patterson

Jason Aubrey

gang had moved to the Ancient County, after the “heat” intensified in the capital city.

The gang of four, which worked under the direction of a known Berbice criminal character who is wanted for a series of robberies, were housed in an old dilapidated house in Stanleytown, where one was nabbed a few hours after the robbery.

Thereafter, at 11:30 hrs due to quick intelligence-gathering, the police went to the New Amsterdam to Georgetown Car Park, in the vicinity of the Sukpaul gas station, where four men were seen in a car a few yards away.

However, as a plainclothes rank drew near to investigate, the car driver pulled over in a darkened area allowing the men, who discharged several rounds, to exit the vehicle.

However, an observant, armed senior rank, responded by discharging rounds before arresting a male suspect.

Around 02:30 hrs, the police observed a man walking in the vicinity of the commander’s residence at Strand and King Street and he was arrested. After a search was carried out on his person, a .38 special revolver along with 10 live rounds were found in his possession.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

‘Big Worm’ remanded after car bumper ganja bust HIRE car driver Kwesie Samuel, called “Big Worm”, aged 39, of Lot 231 Kadarville and Cummingsville, respectively, in the New Amsterdam township, was on Monday remanded to prison after he pleaded not guilty to a charge of trafficking in narcotics.

The defendant is alleged to have had six kilograms of compressed marijuana in his possession on Friday, July 17, 2015.

In the New Amsterdam Magistrates Court, Police Corporal Desiree Pilgrim, prosecuting, objected to pre-trial liberty for the defendant, on grounds of the prevalence and seriousness of the offence.

Additionally, she noted that no special reasons for bail were advanced by the defendant.

The court upheld Pilgrim’s submissions, refused bail and adjourned the case until Tuesday, August 11, 2015.

On the day in ques-

tion, the police were on patrol in the housing scheme area, where they were alerted by the sound of masking tape, which they presumed was being used to tape parcels.

At the time, motor car HD 7421 was parked in front of the house. As ranks surrounded the car, the suspect was seen exiting the house, and ,on seeing the police threw a brown, bulky bag over the nearby fence.

The bag was retrieved, and on opening it, police said a taped parcel, which when opened, contained leaves, seeds and stems, suspected to be cannabis.

The suspect, along with his vehicle, was escorted to the Central Police Station, where a search was carried out under the rear bumper of the car. There, an additional five taped parcels containing dried, compressed marijuana were unearthed.

The narcotic was weighed and it amounted to six kilograms or 13.3pounds.

Nineteen year old is latest road fatality RICARDO Ram, 19, became the latest road fatality when the car in which he was travelling crashed into a parked trailer at Harlem Public Road, West Coast Demerara (WCD), yesterday morning.

The police reported that the accident occurred around 08:45 hrs on Tuesday. Ronaldo Ram, 20, of Canal No 1. West Bank Demerara, was driving a motor vehicle, reportedly at a fast rate along the

Harlem Public Road, WCD, when he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a parked trailer.

Ram and another occupant, whose name was given as Ricardo Ram, 19, received injuries and were taken to the West Demerara Regional Hospital where Ricardo Ram was pronounced dead on arrival.

Ronaldo Ram has been admitted to hospital.

Investigations are in progress.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

Four granted bail for unlawful possession of firearm, ‘ammo’

CITY Magistrate Ann McLennan yesterday overruled the prosecution’s objection, and granted bail to four defendants for unlawful possession of firearm and ammunition.

Jointly charged with the offences are one woman and three men: Roxel Nehaul of Jackson Dam, Mandela Avenue; Kevin Ashley, 20, a contractor of Lot 452 Section ‘B’ Sophia; Ruel Garner, 24, of Lot 435 North- East La Penitence; and Delson Wayne, 28, a construction worker of Lot 27 East Ruimveldt Housing Scheme.

They all pleaded not guilty to the charges read to them, one of which said that on Saturday, July 18, 2015 at Sandy Babb Street, Kitty, Georgetown, they had in their possession a .22 revolver , when they were not the owners of firearm licences.

They are also accused of having on the same day, at Sandy Babb Street, Kitty, three .22 rounds of ammunition in their possession.

Bail was granted in the sum of $125,000 bail, on each of the charges and the quartet is expected to make their next court appearance, on August 3.

Police prosecutor Deniro Jones told the court that the police received certain information and intercepted a motorcar at Sandy Babb Street. He added that the four defendants before the court were occupants of the said car.

The prosecutor said that the ranks approached the car and told the occupants it was suspected that they were going to carry out a robbery.

The car was then searched and the alleged firearm and ammunition were unearthed from under the driver’s seat.

The court heard that the firearm was dusted for fingerprints, but the results are still outstanding and the investigations are still ongoing.

Garner was represented by attorney-at-law James Bond. He requested that his client be placed on reasonable bail after informing the court that Garner is a teacher at a Masjid and not the owner of the motor car.

Bond further told the court that the alleged weapon was not found in his client’s possession and clearly stated that Garner was offered a drop in the car.

Meanwhile, the other three accused were unrepresented by an attorney however, Wayne, pleaded with the court to grant him bail.

He further pleaded that he is the sole breadwinner of his family.

The police prosecutor objected to bail on the nature and gravity of the offence and the penalty attached. However, the prosecution’s objection was overruled and the quartet were ordered to report to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at the Kitty Police Station every Friday.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

Minibus driver remanded for causing death of pedestrian

A MINIBUS driver recently charged with causing death by dangerous driving was on Monday remanded to prison by Magistrate Ann McLennan.

Thirty-eight-year-old Fiztroy Alder of Lot 30 East Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was not required to plead to the charge which was laid indictably. Particulars of the charge said that on Friday, July 17, 2015 at D’Urban Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown, he drove motor vehicle BTT 3835 in a manner dangerous to the public, thereby causing the death of 60-year-old pedestrian, Romel Juner.

According to Police Prosecutor Deniro Jones, the

driver does not deserve bail due to the rate at which he was driving on the day in question.

He related to the court that Alder, when he reached the intersection at Lime and D’Urban Streets, was unable to swerve away and collided with the deceased who was crossing the road.

The prosecutor said the deceased was pitched several feet away from the point of impact, and was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Consequently, Alder was refused bail, and the matter was adjourned to Monday, August 10, 2015.

Taxi driver remanded for theft of highpowered weapons A TAXI driver who allegedly broke into a businessman’s home and stole a quantity of high-powered guns and other articles was remanded to prison on Monday by city Magistrate Ann McLennan.

Nabadaningi Gobin, of 1049 Aubrey Barker Road, South Ruimveldt,made his first appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates Court to answer to a charge of break and enter and simple larceny.

It is alleged that between Thursday,July 2 and Saturday, July 4,2015, at Relief, East Bank Demerara, Gobin broke into James Samuels’s dwelling house and carted off a quantity of firearm and ammunition.

The court heard that Gobin stole one Mossberg 12- gauge shotgun, a Glock pistol, 14 9mm rounds, 58 shotgun cartridges and other items, all totalling $17.2 M. Gobin was charged indictably, but on application

by Police Prosecutor Deniro Jones,the Administration

of Justice Act (AJA) was applied and the defendant pleaded not guilty.

Gobin’s lawyer, Mr. George, in his application for bail for his clients, assured the magistrate that his client is willing to subject himself to any condition, if bail is granted.

Police Prosecutor Deniro Jones, objected to bail citing the seriousness and prevalence of the offence. He also said that while in custody the defendant refused to give the police his address.

Jones also said that the defendant has a pending matter of a similar nature and that the said firearm found on the accused (9mm Glock pistol) matches the firearm mentioned in the charge, based on ballistic testing.

The lawyer further revealed that his client’s home was searched by the police while he ( Gobin) was in custody.

The prosecution’s objection to bail was upheld and the defendant was remanded until August 30.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

‘Steel Donkey’ remanded for unlawful, malicious wounding

YVONNE Collins, alias “Steel Donkey,” 63, of Lot 317 West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was yesterday remanded by city Magistrate Judy Latchman for allegedly stabbing a woman with a broken bottle.

Collins was charged indictably, but on application

by Police Inspector Vishnu Hunt, the Administration of Justice Act (AJA) was applied and the defendant pleaded not guilty. Particulars of the charge alleged that on Saturday, July 18, 2015 at West Ruimveldt, she unlawfully and maliciously wounded Crystal Fletchman.

According to the prosecution, on the day in question the victim was standing outside of Collins’s home

awaiting the arrival of a taxi, when the defendant approached Fletchman asking her if she had used the toilet and became annoyed when the woman refused to acknowledge her.

Enraged,Collins broke a bottle and dealt the victim a stab to her left jaw causing her to receive medical attention. The matter was reported to the police and Collins was arrested and charged.

Collins admitted to the court that she had been charged before for an offence of similar nature and the prosecutor objected to bail on the basis of the defendant’s previous charges.

Collins was refused bail and was remanded to prison until August 6.

Former special constable charged for forgery, embezzlement A SPECIAL constable, attached to the Guyana Police Band Corp was yesterday arraigned before city Magistrate Ann McLennan on charges of fraudulent embezzlement.

Kevin McDonald, 31, of 41 Nabacalis Public Road, East Coast Demerara appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates Court Two for intent to defraud and forgery.

The first charge read that on April 16, 2014 at Georgetown, with intend to defraud, McDonald uttered to RohaneeLatchan, Principal Assistant Secretary of finance at the Department of Culture, Youth and Sport in the Ministry of Education, a bill for the sum of $104,300 purporting to show same was issued by Universal Machinery, knowing same to be false.

The second charge alleged that McDonald on the same day forged a receipt dating 2014-04-16 for the amount of $104,300, purporting to show same was issued

by Universal Machinery.

It was further alleged that

the officer on April 10, 2014 at Georgetown with intent to defraud, uttered to Rohanee Latchan, Principal Assistant Secretary of finance at the Department of Culture,Youth and Sports a bill for the sum of $73,000 purporting to show same was issued by Universal Machinery, knowing same to be false. Additionally, McDonald was slapped with another charge for forging a receipt dated April 10,2014 for the amount of $73,000 purporting to show same was issued by Universal Machinery.

The former police officer was charged indictably, but on application by Police Prosecutor Deniro Jones, the Administration of Justice Act (AJA) was applied and the defendant pleaded not guilty.

Jones did not object to bail; however,he requested for it to be granted in a substantial amount. The magistrate released the officer on $100,000 bail on each charge and transferred the matter to Court 5 for Thursday, July 23.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

Women’s Ashes 2015 …

England beat Australia in first ODI

NATALIE Sciver’s 66 helped England to a four-wicket win over Australia in the first game of the seven-match Women’s Ashes.

Sciver, 22, shared a 122-run fifth-wicket partnership with Lydia Greenway (53) as England chased down 239 in the one-day international at Taunton.

An impressive 78 off 96 balls from Ellyse Perry helped the visitors to 2389 after Katherine Brunt took 3-48.

England fell to 80-4 in response, before Sciver’s highest ODI score handed the hosts victory.

Victory earned England two points, with a further 14 available from the remaining six games in the multi-format series.

The second of three ODIs takes place at Bristol on Thursday, after which the teams play one Test - worth four points to the winner - and three Twenty20s.

Australia replaced Nicole Bolton with Jess Cameron after the opener was ruled out with concussion having been hit on the back of the head by Rene Farrell in the nets on Monday.

The visitors chose to bat first after winning the toss but England’s

three-pronged seam attack soon made inroads despite a batting-friendly pitch.

Brunt bowled consecutive wicket maidens

Alex Blackwell helped rebuild their innings with both players earning reprieves through dropped chances.

Heather Knight’s ex-

a poor start as she bowled Edwards via a bottom edge for 15.

Knight and Amy Jones fell cheaply, while Sarah Taylor made an

England’s Natalie Sciver drives during her innings of 66. to dismiss both of Australia’s openers as Elyse Velani (18) chipped the ball off her legs straight to Edwards at square-leg before Jess Jonassen bottom-edged the ball into her stumps in the right-arm bowler’s next over.

It took just four balls for Kate Cross to claim her first home Ashes wicket as she trapped Meg Lanning lbw to reduce the Southern Stars to 35-3.

However, a 121-run fourth-wicket partnership between Perry and

cellent run-out of Blackwell for 58 was the first of four in the match as superb fielding from England slowed Australia’s push towards a score of 250.

Perry, who passed 1 000 ODI runs when she reached 27 in this innings, finally holed out to Sciver - who took a brilliant catch above her head - for 78 before Alyssa Healy hit a quick 29.

The Australia all-rounder ensured England’s response got off to

entertaining 30 before Osborne (3-35) had her caught behind.

With the pressure on, Sciver and Greenway’s relatively chanceless century-partnership tested Lanning’s captaincy as the 23-year-old regularly rotated her seamers and spinners - to no avail.

After both players fell having passed their half-centuries it was left to Georgia Elwiss (25 not out) to take England home.

GCC invites public to WICB town-hall meeting tonight THE Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) is inviting the public to attend and share their views and concerns at the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Town Hall Meeting that is fixed for tonight at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) pavilion, starting at 18:00hrs.

The event is organised and ex-

ecuted by the WICB with president Whycliff ‘Dave’ Cameron, vice-president Emmanuel Nanthan, and director Anand Sanasie hosting the proceedings.

According to a release from the GCB, the topics of the meeting will be wide-ranging and can cover any area that is cricket-related.

This town-hall meeting is one of

a series of meetings that started in Barbados in May, moved to Dominica in June, and St Lucia last week Friday.

These meetings aim at giving cricket fans and administrators across the West Indies the opportunity to air their concerns directly to the managers of the organisation.

There is need to learn T20 cricket

By Stephan Sookram AS THE debate over whether the shortest format of cricket - T20 - is killing the sport, one cricket commentator has sought to underscore its importance.

Overseas-based Guyanese Joseph ‘Reds’ Perreira says there are positive benefits that the shortest format can have on player development, noting that the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is providing a platform for such.

He told the Guyana Chronicle that many people misunderstand the format of the game as just raw hitting. “There is a need for players to learn how to play T20 cricket. T20 Cricket doesn’t have to be hitting the ball from ball 1. People like Jacques Kallis play cricket shots. It means you must be able to read the game, know when to speed it up, know when to play with soft hands. I think we need to see our CPL players, mainly the West Indian players, learn this.”

He noted that other spin-off benefits from leagues like the CPL are that players often have the opportunity to mingle with foreigners who oftentimes aid in the development of various talents and mindsets.

“When you have players like Jacques Kallis, Taylor from New Zealand and you can call them all, there is a spin-off, a benefit to our players. Once they (our players) are willing to interact with Joseph ‘Reds’ Perreira those players, and try and gain as much information, I think that is a benefit.”

He also called for the inclusion of more Caribbean people, more so in the commentary panel. He recommended the likes of former West Indians Jeffrey Dujon and Fazir Mohammed as well as more West Indians in active roles like physiotherapists and match referees.

He noted that there are several hundreds of persons trained during the 2007 and 2010 World Cup to deal with match administration and such and they should be given a chance.

“In 2007 there were hundreds of Caribbean people trained in the volunteer system. Hundreds were trained in high administration systems. Good to see some of the security people being used from that training of 2007 by the CPL. I recognise that.”

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Wednesday July 22, 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: (1) Kieron Pollard (Tridents) (2) Dwayne Smith-59 (Tridents vs Warriors, St. Kitts, 2014)

Today’s Quiz:

(1) Who is the first Warriors player to cop the Man of the Match Award in Hero CPL 2015?

(2) Who is the first spinner to deliver a maiden over in Hero CPL 2015?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

33

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

GRFU hails ‘Get-into-Rugby’ camp a success OVER 140 youths were introduced to the exciting game of rugby as the Guyana Rugby Football Union held its annual Summer Camp 2015.

The week-long Scotiabank-sponsored Get-into-Rugby programme (GIR) saw several youths from the Buxton community area, the Drop-in Centre and the

Some members of the camp enjoy a game of ‘tag rugby’

Sophia Care Centre learn the basic skills of the game

by Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) Youth Development Officers Troy Yhip, Larry Adonis and Theodore Henry along with assistance from some members of the ‘Green Machine’.

In addition to the basic skills of rugby, the youths were also taken on a tour of

to the sponsor and family members.

Yhip showered the attendees with high praise while stating that the prospect of Guyana Rugby’s future is bright and was evident by the talents seen throughout the camp.

In addition, he also called for more financial support from the business

community and government in sustaining the programme as the GRFU helps the youths become more disciplined and rounded individuals through sports.

Scotiabank donated $700 000 towards the initiative this year and pledged its continued support towards the development of rugby in Guyana.

Attendees of the GRFU ‘Get into Rugby’ programme pose upon the conclusion of the camp.

GCC honours Carl Hooper for contribution to cricket in Guyana THE Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) on Tuesday honoured former member and coach of Amazon Warriors, Carl Hooper, for his contribution to the club as well as to the overall development of the sport in Guyana.

The former West Indies great was handed a plaque, along with a golden pendant of their (GCC) emblem, during a simple ceremony at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

Hooper, former West Indies captain, expressed gratitude for the recognition and renewed interest to make financial and other contributions to the GCC, while stating that that he has connections that could allow for the provision of gear and related items for use by the club.

the Guyana Flour Mill and some were taught the basic knowledge of the computer, compliments of the Guyana Police Force.

The camp which was held at the Buxton Community Centre, ran from July 10 to 18; concluding with the excited lads showcasing their talents in several friendly games of tag-rugby

Badminton team inspiring new talent

Executive member, Les Ramalho said that there are ongoing efforts to improve the facilities. However, these have not come without challenges.

“As you know the club is going through a lot of hardships, ever since Test cricket was removed from there. We do not have the same number of members as we had before, so such contributions are not as forthcoming,” Ramalho expressed during a brief exchange with Hooper.

Hooper has committed to making an undisclosed initial financial contribution, after the ongoing CPL matches in Guyana.

There was also a commitment for follow-up provision of gear and other items.

Students of the Team Energy Athletics pose after an interactive session with Guyana’s Pan Am Badminton team.

GCC executive members make the presentation of a ‘plaque of appreciation’ to former West Indies captain Carl Hooper.

GUYANA’S athletes are gaining more and more recognition at the international level, this time with the Pan American Badminton team of Priyanna & Narayan Ramdhani being invited

by Team Energy Athletics to share their experiences.

Both players were invited to the Angus Glen Community Centre in Toronto over the weekend to mingle with the younger athletes and impart their knowl-

edge of the sport.

Both national champions were quizzed on their development leading to the Pan Am Games and about their diet, training, tournaments preparations and drills.

They were also quizzed on how they manage schoolwork and training and their ability to switch between them.

Both were very happy to share their experiences and wished the youngsters well in future endeavours

34

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

‘Lady Jags’ pay courtesy call on Sport Director GUYANA’S female National football team; the ‘Lady Jags’, yesterday made a courtesy call on Director Sport Christopher Jones at his Homestretch Avenue

office.

The team, who are in full preparation mode for the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) 2016 Olympic Qualifier in the Dominican Republic next

month, were told how much the people of Guyana are rallying behind them, just like they did for the ‘Golden Jaguars’.

Jones said that he’s expecting the Lady Jags to

do well and “you’re going with the blessing from the Government of Guyana”.

The Director of Sport assured the ladies that through his office “the government

will do whatever we can do to assist. Our doors are open, just for the calling.

We are prepared to represent Guyana” Head coach Mark Rodrigues thanked Jones for entertaining his team and stated that the Lady Jags are being used as the means to kick-start awareness of women’s football in Guyana.

Rodrigues pointed out that the ladies, unlike most other national team, do not desire remuneration from the Guyana

Football Federation (GFF), but rather have the resources spent in other areas of development of the game locally.

Guyana will play St Kitts and Nevis on August 21 and Cuba two days later with the winner from the Group advancing to the next round of the qualifier.

The ‘Lady Jags’ are hoping to become the first football team from Guyana to play at the Olympic Games which will be held in Brazil.

WICB Regional Super50 …

Guyana tackle Jamaica in opener today Director of Sport Christopher Jones shares a light moment with the Lady Jags.

RHTY&SC concludes successful cricket academy T H E R o s e H a l l To w n Yo u t h & S p o r t s C l u b (RHTY&SC) on Friday completed its 2015 cricket academy, which attracted 97 youths of both sexes.

Students came from as far as Skeldon and New Amsterdam to the two-week TCL Academy which was conducted by coaches Winston Smith, Delbert Hicks and Eon Hooper while national female cricketer Plaffiana Millington assisted.

RHTY&SC Secretary/ CEO Hilbert Foster hailed the Trinidad Cement Ltd (TCL) Cricket Academy, which fulfilled all of its objectives, as a huge success The young cricketers, he noted displayed a remarkable trait of hard work, discipline, a willingness to learn and dedication. The secretary also praised the coaches for working beyond the call of duty to make sure that every academy member improved as a cricketer and a sport ambassador over the course of two weeks.

The cricketers were exposed to basic coaching in batting, bowling, fielding and physical fitness. The academy members were also involved in video presentation, practice cricket matches and numerous

lectures on topics of importance to them. These included Drug Abuse, Teenage Pregnancy, Captaincy, Field Placement, History of Cricket, Public Manners, Role of a Sports Ambassador and Personal Hygiene.

special prizes.

Foster, at the closing ceremony, asked that they put into practice what they have learnt from the coaches and to develop a permanent attitude of discipline, hard work and most importantly to listen

Minister of Education Dr Rupert Roopnarine and Sport Director Christopher Jones pose with the two top members of the TCL Academy - Matthew Pattaya and Shaneeta Grimmond.

Academy members were also involved in special Quiz sessions where they had opportunities to win

to advice from well-meaning seniors. He committed the RHTY&SC to assist each of the young cricketers to fulfil

their true potentials and to provide the necessary tools for them to do so.

D i re c t o r o f S p o r t Christopher Jones congratulated the young cricketers and praised the club for investing in its future. He has committed the National Sports Commission to assist in the work of the RHTY&SC in the future as he was highly impressed by its work.

Minister of Education - with responsibilities for Youth, Culture and Sport, Dr Rupert Roopnarine, spoke widely on the importance of education and discipline.

Nine-year-old Matthew Pattaya of Albion was named Cricketer-of-the-Academy and received a cricket bat valued $25 000 and a collection of gifts.

Shaneeta Grimmond won the Best Female Award and received a pair of batting pads while Tyrese Park was named Best Batsman, Brandon Pydana Best Bowler, Anthony Harry Most Disciplined Player and Chandrapaul Govinda Most Committed Player.

The runner-up Most Committed Player was Sequan Cox and runner-up Batsman was Joshua Gobin.

WICB’S Under-19 Super50 Champions Guyana open their title defence against hosts Jamaica in Kingston today.

Guyana departed local shores on Monday for the Regional tournament which runs from July 22 to August 2.

The Guyana coach Adrian Amsterdam prior to the team’s departure, said, “The advantage we have this year is that the team has a few players who played in last year’s tournament, so the experience at this level is there and added to that we have Hetmyer (Shemron) who has played for Guyana at the highest level, so we have a team capable of winning.”

Meanwhile, Jamaica say they are confident of dethroning defending champions Guyana when the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Under-19 tournament bowls in Guyana today.

Selection panel spokesman, Wayne Lewis, says his team expect a strong showing from the hosts whom they play today before taking on Windward Islands tomorrow.

Lewis says opponents can expect a Jamaica outfit that will be strong in all departments.

“We’re very excited about the squad because we have a good balance and some accomplished players,” Lewis told the Jamaica Observer.

“It is going to take all-round team performances and we are very confident we have what it takes. We are good enough to win it and we expect to win it”.

The team is captained by Michael Frew and coached by former West Indies opener Robert Samuels.

“We have a very good fast bowling unit which includes Miguel Smith, who was impressive in trial matches, and also a good spin department,” said Lewis, the former Jamaica batsman.

“We have the captain who bowls off-spin and is a clean-hitting lower order batsman; we have batsmen Abhijai Mansingh, Brad Barnes, and runs are expected from Ramone Francis.”

Today’s opening round also includes Windward Islands against ICC Americas and Barbados versus Trinidad and Tobago.

35

GUYANA CHRONICLE Wednesday July 22, 2015

Ruthless Simmons melts Red Steel

By Stephan Sookram THE AMAZON Warriors thrashed the Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel by 7 wickets with 18 balls to spare in the final Group stage match on the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) last evening at the Guyana National Stadium.

Chasing 118, the Warriors got off to a cracker thanks to Lendl Simmons, who slammed 41 of the 47 during the power play.

Simmons was on fire as he hammered boundaries all round the field, inclusive of a maximum into the window of the Media Centre, much to the delight of the Warriors fans.

H o w e v e r, o p e n i n g partner Assad Fuda-

din (9) and skipper Denesh Ramdin (5) went cheaply within an over of each other. Fudadin was caught at short midwicket after being choked up and Ramdin ironically stumped by Kamran Akmal after trying to advance to Johan Botha.

Simmons, however, continued his blazing form, partnering with the mature Brad Hodge to settle the innings. Consecutive sixes from Hodge, the first into the crowd at backward square leg and the second over wide long on sent the fans into jubilation in the 15th over.

Hodge, however, did not stick around much longer as he was bowled by tournament’s leading wicket-taker Dwayne

Bravo for 32 (25 balls, 2x4, 2x6).

Simmons ended unbeaten on 66 off 51 balls with five boundaries and three huge maximums.

He hit the winning run.

Umar Akmal was unbeaten on three. For the bowlers, only Botha and the skipper picked up wickets.

Earlier, the Steel lost wickets cheaply. Kallis (3), Javon Searles (6), Darren Bravo (3) Dwayne Bravo (5) and Kamran Akmal (10) were some of the batsmen who failed to get going.

Cameron Delport stuck around for a bit hitting 44 (30 balls, 6x4 1x6), mixing some textbook cover drives and cheeky reverse-sweeps.

However, Delport’s innings ended when he

drove one to Simmons at cover. Botha also contributed a patient 22 but no other player really came to the party.

Merchant de Lange ended with 4 for 23 off 4 overs while Devendra Bishoo had 2 for 19 off his 4 overs. Brad Hodge and Sunil Narine each picked up one wicket.

The first playoff will feature Chris Gayle’s Jamaican Tallawahs taking on Bravo’s Red Steel tomorrow at the Queens Park Oval.

The winner of the first playoff will face the Amazon Warriors in the second playoff on Saturday for a spot in the final against the defending champions, Barbados Tridents.

SCOREBOARD T&T Red Steel Innings J Kallis c Ramdin b de Lange 3 C Delport c Simmons b Hodge 44 J Searles c Barnwell b de Lange 6 DM Bravo c Ramdin b de Lange 3 J Botha b Bishoo 22 DJ Bravo* lbw Narine 5 K Akmal c Permaul b Bishoo 10 K Cooper c Wiese b de Lange 10 D Davis not out 1 S Badree not out 3 Extras 10 Total (8 wickets; 20 overs) 117 DNB – S. Benn Bowling: V Permaul (4-0-20-0), M de Lange (4-0-23-4), D Wiese (2-0-21-0), S Narine (4-0-17-1), D Bishoo (4-0-19-2), B Hodge (2-0-12-1) Guyana Amazon Warriors Innings L Simmons not out

65 A Fudadin c Cooper b DJ Bravo 9 D Ramdin* st K Akmal b Botha 5 B Hodge b DJ Bravo 33 U Akmal not out 3 Extras 3

Total (3 wickets; 17 overs) 118 DNB – C Barnwell, D Wiese, S Narine, V Permaul, M de Lange, D Bishoo Bowling: S Badree (3-0-21-0), D Davis (3-0-27-0), S Benn (4-0-17-0), J Botha (3-0-15-1), K Cooper (1-0-16-0) Result – Warriors won by 7 wickets Toss – T&T, who chose to bat Points – GAW 2, Red Steel 0

Scotiabank partners with GFF Guyana dominate for women’s football programme Girls Under-19 WITH the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) taking a proactive approach towards the development of women’s football, a partnership was brokered with

ani said while addressing the media at a Press Conference hosted at the Federation’s headquarters.

She added, “We’re always talking about equal

development and the game in Guyana and we look forward to more corporate entities to come on board to help build this programme”.

Under the Technical Di-

GFF Women’s Committee will take place and a precursor to that would see a Women’s Workshop and Conference take place to understand the challenges

Captain of the ‘Lady Jags’ Ashley Rodrigues collects the sponsor’s cheque from Scotiabank Marketing Manager Jennifer Cipriani while other members of the GFF and senior national team look on.

Scotiabank to help in sustainability and longevity of Technical Director Claude Bolton’s proposed Women’s Football Developmental League under his ‘Next Generation Project.’

The bank’s Marketing Manager Jennifer Cipriani handed over a cheque valued $500 000 to the GFF yesterday and explained her deep interest in women’s football.

“We don’t want to leave the girls out and I think as a woman, we need to give women an equal opportunity in sports in Guyana,” Cipri-

rights and equal opportunities and we need to stop talking and start acting.

Our support of the women’s programme is just another manifestation of our willingness to stop talking and to show, and that’s why we’re here to provide tangible support to the women.”

Chairman of the GFF’s Normalisation Committee Clinton Urling showered Cipriani and Scotiabank with praise, stating that their contributions “exemplify your commitment to the women’s

rector’s ‘Next Generation Project’ emphasis will be placed on the younger age groups through the respective youth academies and a two-pronged approach will be taken to revitalise and invigorate the women’s game.

The document further noted that by gathering, recruiting and educating all those involved in the women’s game, a foundation will be laid for the staging of a competition that will focus on the targeted objectives.

The resuscitation of the

of attracting women to the sport.

The Women’s D-League will allow women back into international competition with the aim of entering an event and qualifying for external tournaments in 2016.

Youth Development Officers (YDO) will be employed to spearhead the spreading of youth development programmes throughout the country thus creating an environment that will nurture responsible, ethical and professional growth.

THE GUYANESE were untouchable at the Female Under-19 level of this year’s Junior Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) 2015 tournament in Barbados. Guyana made a clean sweep of all the podium spots.

In the final Guyana’s female captain Akeila Wiltshire, the National U-19 champion and third place finisher at the Senior Championships showed her class to take the title from counterpart Gabrielle Fraser 11-0, 11-8, 11-8.

Fraser finished second ahead of Akeila’s sister Larissa. Guyana ended second in the Girls Under-15 after Makeda Harding lost to Barbadian Meagan Best

11-1, 11-2, 11-0.

For the boys, captain Nyron Joseph finished third after winning the 3rd place playoff against Jamaica’s Jake Mahfood 16-14, 7-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-8. At the Under-17 level Benjamin Mekdeci was second behind Josiah Griffith of Barbados and ahead of Tahjia Lumley of Jamaica.

At the Under-15 level, Daniel Islam came in 4th after losing the playoff against Jasun Sairsingh 10-12, 11-8, 9-11, 11-5. Shomari Wiltshire dominated the Under-13 class as he disposed of Charlie Riker of the Cayman Islands (2nd) and Christopher Anthony of Trinidad (third).

The Guyanese now get ready for the team competition. (Stephan Sookram)

FA Ministry to host Emancipation dominoes competition THE Foreign Affairs Ministry will be hosting a Trophy Stall-sponsored Emancipation knockout dominoes competition on Friday July 31 on the Protocol Lawns of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 16:00hrs.

This competition, inclusive of the host team, also features: The General Registrar Office, Office of the Prime Minister, The Presidential Guards, Ministry of Agriculture - Fisheries, Guyana Forestry Commission, National Insurance Scheme and the Felix Austin College.

Interested ministries can contact the games coordinator James Lewis on #666-5857 for more information.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry extends its gratitude to Nigel’s Supermarket for sponsoring the previous competition.

Sport CHRONICLE

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

See story on page 35

Ruthless Simmons melts Red Steel

Devendra Bishoo bowls Johan Botha in their Hero CPL Match last evening.

Lendl Simmons goes airborne with a fist pump after hitting the winning run for Amazon Warriors against T&T Red Steel at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

The jubilant Warriors supporters celebrate during their side’s win over T&T Red Steel.(Photos by Adrian Narine) Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 2 2 6- 3243-9 (General); Editorial: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216. Fax:2 2 7- 5208

WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2015