Chronicle 02 07 2016

No. 104455

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2016

Price: $140

(VAT INCLUSIVE)

No ‘private’ plan for Wales - Gov’t to lay out ideas during budget debates

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Junior Kaiso Monarch crowned!

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T’Shanna Cort in her encore-winning performance (Photo by Ravin Singh)

Leguan is heaven for farmers - resident

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No. 2 cop critical after crash Page

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Greenidge heads CMAG delegation 16 to Maldives

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 7, 2016

No. 2 cop critical after crash

ASSISTANT Police Commissioner (Administration), Balram Persaud was in a critical condition at the Balwant Singh Hospital in the city yesterday, following a vehicular accident at the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) on Friday night.

Reports are that Persaud, 54, was driving a motorcar on the western approach to the bridge on the West Bank on Friday evening when he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a utility pole.

Medical sources close

to the treatment of Persaud have indicated that, based on the extent of his injuries, his chances of survival stand at 50/50.

Persaud, according to police sources, might have been heading to the Criminal Investigation Department’s Staff Party which was held on Friday evening at the Gravity Night Club at corner of Camp and Regent Streets.

The senior police officer is presently on annual leave.

Based on the structure within the Guyana Police

Force (GPF), Persaud , who joined the Force in May 1984, is the second in command of the organization, and would perform the duties of Commissioner of Police whenever the Top Cop, Seelall Persaud, is out of the jurisdiction.

Balram Persaud was once charged with treason.

He has been serving the GPF for many years and in many capacities, including divisional commander of at least two police divisions. He served in the Police ‘C’ and

‘D’ Divisions.

While serving as the ‘C’ Division Commander, he was hospitalised with a heart problem, and after returning to work, he was posted to ‘D’ Division, where he has been credited with being one of the more effective commanders within that division, bringing crime and other unlawful activities under control.

He was removed as the Commander of ‘D’ Division after his driver was implicated in the fatal shooting of drug rehabilitation counsellor

Assistant Commissioner Balram Persaud

, Ralph Turpin in September 2011 near the Stabroek Market area in downtown Georgetown while he was performing chauffeur duties for the then commander.

Turpin was 54 when he met his demise.

Ironically, the policeman, Sherwin Smith, who was a sergeant at the time, was charged with murder, but was later freed by the High Court.

Balram Persaud is one of several senior officers in the Force who are due to retire soon.

Nothing complicated about LGE …GECOM says voter education campaign going smoothly

THERE is nothing complicated about the hosting of this year’s Local Government Elections (LGE), says the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

According to the Commission, it has been engaging citizens across the country with the aim of educating them about LGE. Deputy Chief Elections Officer Vishnu Persaud told reporters that the GECOM has been conducting an aggressive civic and voter education campaign across the country, and this will continue, given that the four Local Authority Areas that are “no contest areas” have been identified.

NEW DIMENSION “What is going to happen now, especially where it relates to cases where the CEO mentioned that we will not be having contest in 149 Constituencies and four Local Authority Areas, this necessitates embarking on a new dimension insofar as civic and voter education is concerned, simply because persons know in their minds that they are required to vote twice,” Persaud explained.

He said persons are required to make their choice at the top and bottom halves of the ballot paper, but given the no-contest in identified areas, for example in the Constituencies, persons will only be

voting once. In the case of Local Authority Areas, where there would be no elections, persons will query. As such, in the case of members of the Disciplined Services, who are to take to the polls on March 8, they may enquire as to why their names are not on the list to vote.

“You can see the enormity of the task that confronts us? And we are aware of it and we do have a plan which will unfold to ensure that all of the affected persons are provided with the information that will arm them to participate at LGE,” Persaud said.

He said some ranks of the Disciplined Services would no longer have to vote because “somebody has already won; a party and an individual.”

Persaud said that insofar as GECOM’s education campaign is progressing, the Commission has been aggressive and has a comprehensive plan. He explained that the entity has experi-

Deputy Chief Elections Officer, Vishnu Persaud enced some challenges, as it has reached out to stakeholders but the response was lukewarm.

“One disappointing part of the strategy is that we wrote letters to 96 civil society organisations across Guyana, inviting them to arrange meetings with their respective membership so that we can go and provide information about LGE… To date, I can report only 5 would have responded favourably; and

up to Wednesday, we were invited to a meeting where it was a total no-show,” he explained.

He said GECOM is on an “all-out campaign to provide information about LGE using every available medium.” In the case of grassroots levels, the Commission has field staff working with PA systems, distributing flyers and brochures at market places and ports of exit and entry, putting our materials at supermarkets and other places.

“We have not spared any effort insofar as this is concerned,” remarked the Deputy CEO. He stressed that GECOM’s civic and voter strategy as it relates to LGE began in 2010. “We have been sending out staff that (are) competent and knowledgeable in the entire LGE processes, and I can say (that) while some of the responses were lukewarm, we are also pleased that some were well attended and the interactions were fruitful.”

Meanwhile, voter education for the Disciplined Services is to begin on February 8, while the Commission will embark on having billboards mounted to indicate to the electorate where their respective constituencies are.

Billboards will be erected in every constituency, the Commission said.

NO CENTRAL DECLARATION Meanwhile, Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield has said there will be no central declaration of LGE results, but noted that the results within each respective constituency is likely to be announced early.

“There is no central arrangement that speaks to an announcement of results that is done centrally by the CEO. The ROs (Returning Officers) in each of these Local Authority Areas are mandated by law to go through the entire process, (which) takes us from nomination to elections to the declaration of elections in their LAA. (There will be) no central declaration,” he noted.

Lowenfield noted that the Commission, through its secretariat, will be supervising the entire process.

Asked to state whether there will be international observers overlooking the conduct of the elections, GECOM officials said that it has not been informed of this by the government.

The officials said that those desirous of being observers would approach the government with a request, and that information would be passed on to GECOM.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 7, 2016

No ‘private’ plan for Wales yet - Gov’t to lay out ideas during budget debates

By Ariana Gordon EVEN as a group of West Bank Demerara (WBD) private cane farmers are desirous of making an official pitch to government for support in running the Wales Factory, government is standing firm that it does not have the financial strength to support such a venture.

Speaking with Guyana Chronicle yesterday, Agriculture Minister Noel Holder said while there are lots of discussions and views on the situation at the Wales Sugar Factory, persons are yet to present a financial plan in support of farmers running the factory.

Government, he said, simply does not have the money required to support Wales Factory.

FUNDING REQUIRED “These proposals require funding for another five years,” Holder told this newspaper, noting that government does not have the money, and so any proposal to be put before government has to have a clear-cut financial plan.

“There is no money and it doesn’t make much sense,” the Agriculture Minister stated. Not want-

ing to appear dismissive of the issue, he said government has plans in store for the workers and the estate.

PLANS IN STORE “We have plans,” said Minister Holder, who informed this publication that those plans will be revealed during the upcoming budget debates. He said, too, that government is in discussion with stakeholders with the aim of making the Wales Estate profitable. Guyana Chronicle understands that several feasibility studies are being conducted in this regard.

“These plans will come out soon,” said the Minister, who noted that some level of discussion is still ongoing.

On Tuesday, a group of eight cooperatives from the West Bank Demerara area met at Bel Vue, West Bank Demerara (WBD) to discuss the proposal that will be put to the government. Within the proposal, there will be plans aimed at cultivating the land and operating the factory.

Farmer Derick Venture said the group wrote President David Granger, requesting a meeting to discuss its plans. He said the farmers are requesting to be

allowed a two-year period to cultivate the estate, and the setting up of a Board is among the proposals.

The Board can comprise farmers and members of the Guyana Sugar Corporation

Agriculture Minister Noel Holder (GuySuCo), and would be responsible for managing the factory and cultivation during a transition period.

During the two-year period, the group will request funding to operate the factory.

SENTIMENTAL GuySuCo Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Errol Hanoman told Guyana Chronicle yesterday that those who are offering their opinions and sugges-

tions on what they term ‘closure’ of the Wales Factory are sharing their “sentimental and emotional” views. He said of all the discussions ongoing on the issue, no one has addressed the question of cost and funding. “ T h e y h a v e n ’t a d dressed the question of cultivation and the amount of money needed… these are sentimental and emotional statements being made,” said Mr Hanoman.

He said not many persons have taken the time to study the situation at the Wales Estate.

COST IS CRITICAL “Cost is critical to any proposal. Any ideas for Wales have got to address the question of cost, market, sugar prices and funding,” he said, pointing to the fact that the Government of Guyana (GoG) has been investing billions of dollars into GuySuCo to keep it afloat. Since taking office, the APNU+AFC Coalition government has allocated a total of $21B to the sugar industry.

Like Minister Holder, the GuySuCo CEO said plans are afoot for the Wales Estate and workers.

PROFITABLE, BUT WITHOUT SUGARCANE Not divulging specifics, he said there is a plan to utilise the Wales Estate so that it can be profitable, but not sugar-wise.

“Once achieved, Wales will become the first profitable estate, but not using sugarcane,” said Mr Hanoman. He told Guyana Chronicle that there are lots of ongoing discussions about the future of the estate, and noted that the primary goal is “to make Wales a profitable business, not using sugarcane or sugar.”

“Sugar and sugarcane are unprofitable…we want to make Wales profitable,” he remarked.

In January, government announced that it is no longer in a position to finance the operations of the Wales Sugar Factory.

“Diverting funds from the other estates to keep Wales afloat would seriously jeopardise the future of these estates. This cannot be allowed to happen,” a statement from the Ministry of Agriculture had said.

It added: “It is impossible to make sugar production at Wales viable. This is made worse by the gloomy

outlook for sugar prices for the foreseeable future.

Wales Estate is projected to make a loss of G$1.6 $1.9 billion in 2016. This, coupled with the extent of refurbishment needed, renders this estate prohibitively costly to maintain.”

The Wales factory will operate throughout 2016, milling both the estate’s and farmers’ canes, but will be closed at the end of the 2016 second crop.

In 2017, farmers’ canes will be milled at the Uitvlugt factory, while agricultural workers at Wales will be absorbed by Uitvlugt to take up suitable vacancies at that location.

Surplus labour will be made redundant.

The government noted that Wales is in the poorest shape in comparison to other estates, pointing out that 60 per cent of its drainage and irrigation is rundown, 75 per cent of the bridges are in poor shape, cultivation is also poor and the factory is old and in need of major investment.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, February 7, 2016

Junior Kaiso Monarch 2016 Crowned!

By Daniel Haynes “There’s no stopping me!” words from a jubilant and confident T’Shanna Cort mere minutes after being crowned the 2016 Junior Calypso Monarch. The 19year old, who hails from the Essequibo Islands, stole the hearts of the crowd with her phenomenal performance of “I have hope” written by Burchmore Simons. The song, tells the tale of a people who have hope in the APNU+AFC coalition and who believe that the coalition will keep their promises to Guyana.

Fresh off her win, Cort has secured entry into the Senior Calypso Monarch competition semi –final in Linden. On the night,

however, there was another performer who also captured the hearts of those in attendance; 15-year-old Domonique Haywood from Grove, whose performance of “No Access” – a song about girls being abstinent – garnered major points with the judges and crowd.

Haywood was crowned 1st Position Newcomer.

Steve Harvey Moment: In what was a complete mix-up, Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Greene broke the heart of the younger of the two Alsopp sisters who both performed with a mix-up that looked eerily reminiscent of Steve Harvey at the Miss Universe pageant.

Younger sister Niomi Alsopp heard her name called for second place winner but was then forced to step down after MC Mondale Smith corrected the error made by Greene. The older of the two sisters, Niozi, was then forced in an embarrassing manner to replace her sister on the front stage. However, when commenting on the mix-up, the

(L-R) T’shanna Cort, Niozi Alsopp, William Powell, Domonique Haywood Photo By Cullen Bess-Nelson elder of the two stated that she and her sister would share this award.

Also taking awards on the night were the former Calypso Monarch, William Powell, who on his final performance on the Junior Monarch stage placed third with a performance of “No more licks.” This event was sponsored by Banks DIH Limited which will also

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be sponsoring the rest of the Calypso Monarch finals. The entire event was a success, and if this level of professionalism and class is continued, the Golden Jubilee of Independence will be a sight to behold. The Senior Calypso Monarch semi final will be held on the 12th of February in Linden, and the final will be held on the 19th at Thirst Park.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 7, 2016

Historical Dutch Architecture: The St. Patrick Anglican Church Leguan, one of the few inhabited islands of the Essequibo, sits squarely in the mouth of the river, a relatively short speedboat ride from Parika.

One of the classical and architectural structures remains the historical Dutch Church - St. Patrick Anglican Church - with its artistic designs and leaning tower, it was originally constructed on December 9, 1827.

The building was, however, replaced on St. Peter’s Day, June 29, 1855.

Prior to the erection of the first church, services

were held under a clump of bamboo trees. On November 25, 1826, as recorded by the pencil minute on foolscap in the vestry book of the Parish, a meeting was held in the house of Captain Thierens of Plantation Vissilvalligheid.

At this meeting, it was decided that a church and parsonage should be built. A site was chosen on the front lands of Plantation Enterprise, Leguan, where the church is somewhat still functioning today.

While it stands as an important part of Guyana’s built heritage, representative of an

integral chapter of our social and cultural development, sadly, it has fallen into a state of dilapidation, with a roof that is in dire need of repair, among other areas.

Historians note that many of the Dutch never left the Colonies and are the ancestors of many Guyanese. Throughout the creeks, there are flagons, demijohns, hand-blown wine bottles, decanters, crocks, pots and flasks. But mostly it's gin. If it’s possible to read history from the rubbish, then a curious picture emerges.

Laluni farmers glad for recent downpours Page

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Laluni farmer Dennis Dundas sorts his papaws, for Friday’s market rush in the city

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Editor-In-Chief

Nigel Williams

Editorial: 227-5216; 227-5204 guyanachronicle.com wnigel10@hotmail.com gnnleditorial@gmail.com

Editorial

The vulnerable in our midst

THE news last week was peppered with unpleasant reports about the vulnerable in our midst.

Paedophiles are stealing our children’s joy, trust and unfettered release that come with childhood.

Parents are fearful, and rightly so, to entrust their children into the care of others -- be they persons of the religious, business or teaching communities; or a neighbour or family member.

It is safe to say there is no sacred ground where our children are free from these sick minds.

For years paedophilia was a well-kept secret, wherein the violated were made to feel that if they make known the violations of their bodies and private spaces, they would be hurting the violators or their families. Victims were made to feel they were the offenders, and they carried this burden of guilt and shame silently, allowing the scourge to continue. According to the Children’s Assessment Centre, “Child sexual abuse is an issue that makes people extremely uncomfortable, because it hurts to think about anyone harming children. However, unreported or untreated child sexual abuse not only scars children and destroys families, it also leaves offenders free to abuse and cripple future generations.”

Thus when a child or parent comes forth and exposes the violation, they deserve our support, understanding and protection. Apart from having to relieve oneself of a guilt that should not be carried in the first instance, speaking out creates space and opportunity for healing, access to resources, and reintegration into the society. Our children must be allowed to live their childhood in its full splendour and abandonment, knowing that the family and/or State will protect them, and they need not fear reaching out for help at any time.

Paedophiles must not only be prosecuted and incarcerated, but where prison serves as a reha-

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, February 7, 2016

Locals should benefit from foreign investors in mining sector Dear Editor,

THE Government of Guyana should be commended for its attempt at streamlining the mining sector in an effort to bring greater benefits to its stakeholders and the country as a whole. In doing so, we ought to ensure that local players, especially small miners, contractors and workers, get their fair share of the returns, and are treated with dignity and respect.

As a country, we must be wary of those among us who are focused only on harvesting our natural resources without giving us our due. It is important for us to understand that the people of Guyana must always be able to benefit from any investment, and move away from a

culture of disrespect for our people, like we have witnessed with Bai Shin Lin and others.

The mining sector, with its potential for success, must be able to increase efficiency and productivity for the livelihoods of our people and for their growth and development. The mining sector ought to be able to generate a profitable, sustainable and optimistic future for us all.

With proper and prudent management of this sector, we can all celebrate people’s achievements. The Aurora Gold Mines is an excellent example of how we can evolve in a way to ensure our citizens benefit from these investments. Aurora Mining has been able to share its wealth with local businesses, contractors and individuals,

bilitative institution and a second chance is afforded on release, a national register must be established to keep abreast with the whereabouts of these persons, and their activities must be noted. It is known that, on release, some within this group return to their despicable conduct.

There continues to be reports of mental health issues, inclusive of suicide (attempted or committed), which cut across race, class, religion, gender and location. This nation has not been without its fair share of myths in dealing with issues, even though there exists a body of scientific evidence that refutes these myths. It is to our best interest and development to address socioeconomic, cultural and political matters by taking an evidence-based approach to them.

A young woman on the Essequibo Coast was freed from a filthy room. Her family claims she is mentally ill and physically abusive, hence shutting her away was the best option. The neighbours claim the lady was shut in because of an inter-racial relationship with which her family is displeased. There are two things happening here: One, it is an established fact that families, out of shame, fear of being stigmatized, or not knowing how to cope with mentally challenged loved ones, revert to shutting them in and treating them unkindly.

and this should be commended. This company must be able to share its blueprint for winnable partnerships in investments. They have refined the investment in people to ensure that every step provides the insight for success.

Aurora Gold Mines had a positive start-up last year, and has been impacting positively on the country’s extractive sector, declaring over 30,000 ounces in just three months of its operations. This company is planning to stay around for at least 17 years, when resources are expected to be exhausted. This is testimony to its genuine desire to make an impact on our local development.

Aurora Gold Mines has contracted several prominent local companies that provide services

like hauling and stripping overburden, mine materials, road construction, and supplying fuel and spare parts. Over 150 staffers are employed by these contracted companies. Quite a few of these companies have invested heavily in equipment and workers, in anticipation of the work that had opened up at the mine site.

No doubt, companies like Aurora Gold Mines should be encouraged to continue this positive partnership with local contractors and workers. I am sure the Government of Guyana will continue to monitor the development of this sector to ensure there are equality and a level playing field with respect to the benefits of this sector to Guyanese.

TERRY ALSTROM

The other point is that of race. Though the needle on race relations has moved forward, it would be deceptive to think that Guyana has reached the stage of a colour/race-blind society. The truth be told, this has not happened in any multiracial society, including in developed countries such as the USA, Britain and Canada. Race relations is a matter of never-ending work, inclusive of teaching racial respect and tolerance, fostering and encouraging conversations on race, and making and enforcing laws on equality.

The other issue is the treatment of the homeless.

Nobody, whether or not he/she has a home, deserves to be treated with disrespect. The homeless in our midst are homeless for various reasons. No pretence is made that the sight of persons roaming and establishing residency on the streets is pleasing. At the same time, it is an exercise in futility to think that addressing the matter in a less than humane manner will stem the problem.

The stated problems will not be solved by ignoring them, or through cruelty; but through visionary leadership that would recognise and appreciate our humanness, and acknowledge the requirement of strategy/ strategies that would see systems being put in place to bring about effective solutions and safeguard the vulnerable in our midst.

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, February 7, 2016

Leguan: Decade-old X-ray Unit unused, new machine still unwrapped

By Rabindra Rooplall THE X-ray Unit in the compound of the Leguan Cottage Hospital was constructed 12 years ago but was never used, and more alarmingly the X-ray machine bought for the building was never even taken out of its box.

Therefore, the referral of patients to other health institutions continued despite the availability of the necessary infrastructure and equipment.

According to Dr. Kamal Roy Narine who is a councillor on the island, the hospital has about 20 staffers, including two therapists but no porter and most cases are referrals to health institutions off of Leguan.

He noted that the building has electricity and all the relevant departments inside but under the previous administration nothing was done to get the facility up and running although it has everything that is required.

LAUNCH AN INVESTIGATION “It’s like jobs and kickbacks were given to

friends who needed work and after the work was completed the concept was abandoned, no one wants to take any blame, the government should launch an investigation and penalize persons responsible for this,” Dr Narine said.

He explained that upon inquiry officials informed him that the building must have a lead shielding for radiation protection. He explained that the electrons within a person’s body would be affected if the x-ray machine is operated without the lead shield. Dr. Narine said this is a minor issue since a 14X12 room with lead shield could have been built to operationalize the unit where millions of dollars were already spent.

“The entire building doesn’t need to be leaded; all that is needed is a 14X12 room, so instead of utilizing and fixing the building they took a small section of the building and made it for therapist, but the original plan for the X-Ray department was dysfunctional,” he noted.

“So to spend all that money then to let a nomi-

The non-functional generator in its hut that has not been in operation for years although the budgeted fuel allocations are received every month

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- councillor calls on gov’t for probe

The new X-ray machine bought several years ago is still at the entrance of the decade-old building that was constructed but never used

nal cost prevent the entire building from being used is ignorance, this is the type of things that the new administration should look into so Leguan can be more efficiently operated.”

NON-FUNCTIONAL GENERATOR Another issue at the same hospital is the non-functional generator which has been down for the past three years, Dr. Narine said he learned

that although the generator is not working the fuel which is assigned to the machine was still being supplied but was being diverted by an administrative official for his personal use.

It was also noted that the same administrator removed three freezers from the hospital some years ago and they were not returned.

Last January Public Health Ministry offi-

cials visited Leguan and pledged their commitment to address all necessary concerns of both the staff and patients.

The visit by Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings and her team allowed for inspection of the health facilities, along with interaction with the staff.

This interaction brought to light concerns and challenges faced by the healthcare providers

Dr. Kamal Roy Narine

who made several suggestions on how the issues could be dealt with.

Among the challenges highlighted were administrative issues, such as the need for more porters along with equipment that includes fans and lights.

Minister Cummings had pointed out that it is government’s objective to reduce the inequities in the delivery of healthcare to allow for easier access by everyone.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 7, 2016

This Week

50 Years Ago

A smiling Monarch witnesses with unconcealed pleasure the final rousing tribute of the Guyanese people. With the Queen on the Royal yacht Britanna are Prime Minister Forbes Burnham and Mrs. Rahman Gajraj, wife of the Mayor of Georgetown

Forces $$ increase hinges on CoI … report expected within first half of the year

MEMBERS of the Disciplined Forces will have to wait a bit longer before they receive any increase in their salary, as the government is awaiting a re-

port from the Commission of Inquiry (CoI), which is examining the salaries and conditions of service for public servants.

The CoI is headed by

Professor Harold Latchman and was launched early in mid-September 2015 by the government to investigate the working conditions, wages, and other issues affecting public servants.

The Commissioners did not meet the 2015 year-end deadline of completing the report, resulting in the delay of public servants receiving salary increases, and by extension, the Disciplined

Forces.

During his weekly programme – the Public Interest – Head of State, President Granger, concurred that members of the Disciplined Services were not part of the traditional public service, but pointed out that there was some equivalence.

He promised that once the CoI report was handed in, there would be changes in the salary structure.

“Once we get the report of that Board, we will be able to draw the equivalence between the ranks in the police and defence forces with positions in the public service. So they are related, even though the Commission of Inquiry is not necessarily asked to rule on wages and salaries in the public service. We don’t want to have any disproportionate allocations to one as opposed to the other,” President

Granger explained.

He further noted that negotiations would be held once the report had been received and based on the outcome of those negotiations, the Defence and Police Forces could expect changes in their salary structures.

The President said he did not know when the report would be completed, but he expected it within the first half of this year.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 7, 2016

Laluni farmers glad for recent downpours

By Alva Solomon

AS DRY weather conditions impact the country’s agricultural landscape, farmers at Laluni, off the Linden/Soesdyke Highway, are persevering through the dry spells; and with rains pouring in the community over the past few days, they are hoping for the best.

Most households in the community are heavily dependent on agriculture, engaging in subsistence and commercial farming.

The farmers told the Guyana Chronicle that the dry weather conditions have hit their activities on the farmlands. However, while it is waterless in some parts, the planters are managing to produce for the city market, particularly on Fridays and Saturdays, when some are lucky to sell their entire load of crops at the Stabroek Market.

This newspaper visited the area twice last week, and while the conditions last weekend were hot and sunny, the rains poured for two hours mid-week, bringing joy and hope to Edward Henry.

The son of Vincent Henry, founder of Laluni, Edward told this newspaper that he plants a variety of crops, including peppers, black-eye peas and sorrel. He said he has been living at Laluni for decades, and farms in the lands nearby as his main source of income. He plants on a medium scale.

Henry was one of several persons who had objected to plans by the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GL&SC) to convert the farmlands of several farmers into reserves last year. He said the dry weather is currently affecting the area badly, but he is mitigating those conditions by planting “whatever I can manage and when the water is available.”

He sells his goods at the Stabroek Market on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings. Sometimes his goods are sold out to retail buyers who retail the goods at various prices.

For Dennis Dundas, there can be losses on the market. He has been farming at Laluni for the past 10 years, but has been into farming for some 40 years,

having started at St Cuthbert’s Mission further up the highway as a young man.

Like most farmers in the community, he sells his produce at the Stabroek Market on weekends, making the much-anticipated trip to the city market on Fridays. He said he generally copes with the vicissitudes of farming, but in his words, recently “things have been tough.”

SORREL AND PAPAWS Dundas was packing his buckets with cleaned sorrel and papaws when this newspaper visited. He said the weather is one issue but the market is another. With a slight look of concern, he described the situation as frustrating “in the sense you have a product but people na buy now,” he said frankly. He said this happens from time to time, and given the seasonal nature of the various crops he plants, he has been managing to handle the markets available to him.

NO FIXED PRICE Dundas explained that when he ferries his goods

The rains drenched Laluni last week, bringing much relief to the farmers there.

A squash is seen in this patch

Laluni farmer Edward Henry relaxes in his hammock while speaking to this publication earlier this week to Georgetown, the buyers determine the prices. “You see now, we ain’t got no fixed price for these products, you know. When you go on the market, is what you get is that you have to take,” he explained, adding that this is the disadvantage that farmers face.

He said that this has been the trend for years, and he noted that when the crop is in bulk, the prices drop drastically, and to cushion this eventuality, he would grow another crop to

be reaped at the same time as the bulk crop.

The sorrel he is selling at the moment comes from a crop he planted in the last quarter of 2015.

“All like for the sorrel, for example, right now the sorrel got a lil price, about $1,000 a bucket (2-gallon bucket), but let me tell you the reason for that (rise in cost) -- is because the crop done reap out before the Christmas time,” he said.

He had planted a smaller crop of sorrel to ripen at

this time of year, he noted, saying that it had entailed a lot of hard work. “I do the watering and the hard work; in the end it can still work out,” he said optimistically.

Dundas said dry weather conditions have also affected his farming, but with a few downpours last week, his optimism is again soaring.

The weather condi-

Please turn to page 14

A resident of Laluni cleans the stems of the sorrel using a broken umbrella

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HINDS’SIGHT

SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 7, 2016

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King: Our Warrior and Revolutionary Star Dr David Hinds

By Dr. David Hinds This past month the world stopped to remember the life of the once little-known preacher turned Freedom Fighter, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. After much struggle, the USA agreed to set aside the third Monday in January to honour this superlative human being.

The Martin Luther King

Day is a day that has emotional overtones for African Americans and Blacks throughout the world for Dr. King represents the best of Blackness and its various gifts to human civilization.

But his memory is also a reminder of the vulnerability of Black lives and lived realities. Almost 50 years after King’s assassination, African American young males were in 2015 nine times more likely to be killed by police than their white

counterparts and the net worth of White families are eight times that of African American families. Although African Americans are 12 % of the population, they comprise 60% of the prison population. Professor Michelle Alexander has dubbed the Prison Industrial Complex, the “New Jim Crow.” She is referring to the manner in which imprisonment serves to politically and economically disenfranchise African Americans.

Dr. Martin Luther King

was born in 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. By the time he was born America was in the middle of the era of Segregation; a system that was crafted to ensure that the end of slavery did not mean freedom for the formerly enslaved population. The 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the American constitution were meant to write African Americans into the constitution as equal citizens, but these were overridden

by State laws, popularly known as Jim Crow laws, which in effect nullified the amendments. The Supreme Court, the final arbiter of the constitution, would in 1896 rule in the famous Plessy vs Ferguson case that African Americans had no social equality before the law; that they were in effect not equal citizens. This ruling would be the law of the land for the next six decades.

African Americans, therefore, had to engage in a new struggle to turn back this denial—a struggle that came to be known as the Civil Rights Movement.

Starting with the birth of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), African Americans organized themselves on several fronts—political, economic, and cultural-- to free themselves from what came to be known as “slavery by another name.” Lynching of African Americans were as commonplace as the denial of basic services afforded to whites—separate and unequal existence.

By 1929 the Garveyite Movement led by Marcus Garvey and the Harlem Renaissance, pioneered

by Black cultural activists and workers had captured the spirt of African American resistance. The Black Track and Field athlete, Jessie Owens, like the boxer, Jack Johnson, before him and Jackie Robinson after would transform the sporting arena into spaces for struggle against racism. The NAACP would keep testing the courts. Black labour organizations took up the

cause of the exploitation of Black labour.

It is into that world that Martin Luther King was born and in which he spent his childhood and early adulthood. His father was a preacher at a time when the Black preacher was invariably a Black Radical in the cause of Civil Rights.

King studied theology and philosophy and returned to the South as a preacher. He would have been aware of the lynching of young Emmet Till in 1954 for allegedly being fresh to a white woman. He would have also noted the groundbreaking ruling of the Supreme Court in the 1954 Brown vs Board of Education case that effectively overturned the Plessy decision, bringing to an end legal segregation.

Destiny took him to M o n t g o m e r y, A l a b a m a where he began ministering to the flock. Then history unfolded; a little known seamstress refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. The Montgomery Bus Boycott ensued and Martin Luther King emerged as the leader. The boycott opened a floodgate that released boundless resistance which pounded the walls of Segregation. For the next thirteen years Dr. King, the reluctant leader would emerge as the most famous leader of his generation.

His Civil Rights Revolution was guided by Non-Violence and Civil Disobedience. His was an unselfish sacrifice for the cause of freedom. He was almost knifed to death and he was thrown in jail many times. He spoke truth to power and walked the journey to the mountaintop. He was committed to non-violence but he was not a coward—he never flinched in the face of sustained violence. His 1963 rhetoric at the March on Washington would become an anthem for many; he moved history on that day.

But above all, he gave hope to African Americans and other downtrodden people the world over. The

passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were crowning achievements that finally brought African Americans full legal equality. He and his flock had overthrown the Mighty; they had finally overcame legal segregation.

The last three years of Dr. King’s life saw his evolution from the pragmatic Civil Rights leader to the consummate advocate of Black Empowerment in all dimensions. He confronted racism and class bigotry and called out American Imperialism. His last effort was The Poor People’s Campaign aimed at addressing the scourge of poverty in the midst of wealth. And inevitably they killed him in April 1968. American cities burned in retaliation, but the deed was done—the Prince of Peace and non-violence was gunned down in the most violent manner.

Now, forty eight years later we remember him as the one who brought light to the dark path of racism.

Many who hated him in life now sing praises to him in death. He has left a lifetime of works and deed and example. For us he was and still is the living Black Warrior who showed the way to a dignified freedom for all peoples in shackles. His was a Revolutionary Star that shone and still shines the brightest when the darkness of evil overcomes the day.

There could be no Obama without King. His work is now being advanced by the new movement of the youth which, sensing the rebirth of Jim Crow, has taught us to say again—“Black Lives Matter.”

More of Dr. Hinds ‘writings and commentaries can be found on his YouTube Channel Hinds’ Sight: Dr. David Hinds’ GuyanaCaribbean Politics and on his website www. guyanacaribbeanpolitics. com. Send comments to dhinds6106@aol.com

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 7, 2016

EACH ESTATE TO ITS OWN - GTUC proposes each sugar factory becoming a separate company

THE Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) has proposed that Government take some radical steps to ensure survival of the sugar industry amidst its deepening crisis, including making each factory and attending estate a separate company with a $13B support package and a two-year weaning period.

GTUC, the local ILO-recognised umbrella trade union movement, submitted the proposal to the Government of Guyana on Friday, saying it is General Secretary of open to engaging key stakethe GTUC, holders in further discussing Lincoln Lewis the proposal.

Government last month tabled in Parliament a report on the future of GuySuCo, and has promised to have countrywide consultations on the way forward for the industry.

Government’s report stemmed from a Commission of Inquiry which the administration established shortly after taking the reins of power last year.

A consortium of private cane farmers from West Bank Demerara communities have indicated their willingness to take control of the Wales Estate, which is slated to be merged with Uitvlugt Estate on the West Coast of Demerara, and run same as a private enterprise venture, provided that Government would continue to operate the Wales Estate factory for another two years, giving them time to come up with the capital needed to fructify this arrangement. They have indicated an intention to lobby Government in this respect.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE AND SCOPE In the preamble of its proposal, GTUC acknowledged that sugar -- as an industry that takes on board GuySuCo as a company, together with private cane farmers -- has a significant impact on communities and sugar workers’ welfare scheme, given its historical significance and scope. The union has said that recognizing the impact of sugar, and conscious of its precarious economic state, it becomes necessary to arrest the decline of sugar and find alternative measures not only to sustain it, but to build an economic prowess that can impact positively on the nation’s development.

MARKETING COMPANY In addition to the proposal of making each estate a separate company, the GTUC has also proposed that GuySuCo be made a developing and marketing company that can give financial and technical assistance to individual estates. Further, the union says, during this transition, the State should provide a $13B support package for the estates, and at the same time sustain GuySuCo for the duration of two years.

The GTUC proposal suggests that each company should develop its own plan with a view to breaking even in two years’ time. At the end of the two years, each company needs to be at the level where it can be placed on the stock market and be converted into a public company like Banks DIH, DDL etc.

SHARES Additionally, the union stated, by agreeing to a principle of reconfiguration, all workers should be paid their severance benefits, and the assets of the industry should be converted into shares that ought to be distributed among the stakeholders, including cane farmers.

Regarding the $13B support, GTUC proposes that this be distributed among the companies, and be converted into shares in each entity, which the state would own.

“The issue of the land and its future should be considered as a special lease, thereby ensuring it remains as State property,” the GTUC proposal said, adding that the unions currently representing the workers should be given automatic recognition in each estate.

“As the President speaks of a green economy, sustainable development, national unity and social cohesion, it gives the nation an opportunity to make these thoughts and pronouncements a reality using the platform that is made available through Article 13 of the Constitution, which states: “The principal objective of the political system of the State is to establish an inclusionary democracy by providing increasing

opportunities for the participation of the citizens and their organisations in the management and decision-making processes of the State, with particular emphasis on those areas of decision-making that directly affect their wellbeing.”

The GTUC said it is for these reasons that there is need to bring together all stakeholders with a view to discussing the situation and arriving at a process of examining the challenges the industry faces; and moreso, coming up with ideas which are not aimed at only reducing the loss, but making the entity profitable.

NATIONAL CONSULTATION President David Granger, in a recently televised interview, said the question of the state of GuySuCo has been in the public domain for several years because of the decline in production, problems with the factory at Skeldon, poor labour turnout, high production cost, and low international market prices for sugar.

Despite these, he said, there is no immediate plan to privatise GuySuCo. He pointed out that the CoI report would be discussed in the National Assembly, followed by a national consultation on the state of the sugar industry.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 7, 2016

Mobile Govt in Essequibo PERTH, ESSEQUIBO

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and wife Sita sit among residents of Perth, Essequibo during the Ministry of the Presidency’s ‘Meet the Public ‘outreach

Officials attached to the Ministry of the Presidency take information from a resident of Perth, Essequibo Coast on Tuesday

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo listens to a resident of the Essequibo Coast in the presence of Regional Executive Officer Rupert Hopkinson, at the Ministry of the Presidency’s ‘Meet the Public’ held at Perth, Essequibo

Residents eagerly await their turn to relate their concerns to officials present at the Ministry of the Presidency’s ‘Meet the Public’ Day on Tuesday

AURORA

***Graphics Folder: Interview with surgeon by Delano Williams DSC_3723: DSC_1000:

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, speaks to a resident of the Essequibo Coast at the Ministry of the Presidency’s ‘Meet the Public’ event on Tuesday at Perth, Essequibo

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo; Regional Executive Officer Rupert Hopkinson, and Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, at a media briefing held shortly after the ‘Meet the Public’ outreach on Tuesday on the Essequibo Coast (Photos by Samuel Maughn)

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AURORA

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, addresses residents of Aurora, Essequibo, during the Ministry of the Presidency-organised ‘Meet the Public’ outreach

Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix, makes a point to residents of Aurora, Essequibo Coast, on Tuesday during the Ministry of the Presidency’s ‘Meet the Public’ outreach, as Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and wife Sita; Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, and Regional Executive Officer Rupert Hopkinson look on.

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo speaks to the residents of Aurora, Essequibo

A resident of Aurora, Essequibo, makes a point at the recently concluded ‘Meet the Public’ outreach on the Essequibo Coast

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 7, 2016

Laluni farmers glad for recent downpours

From page 9

The dry road to Laluni aback Kuru Kuru on the Linden/Soesdyke Highway

Several buckets of cleaned sorrel at Laluni, stacked and ready for transport to the Stabroek Market in the city tions have affected the planting cycle of some farmers, Dundas said.

“Some people are suffering, you know. People don’t have produce with

how the weather dry,” he said.

At the moment, he has a variety of crops which he plans to reap in the weeks ahead. These include watermelons, oranges and other citrus fruits, all of which will hit the Stabroek Market in a few Fridays.

He said he plants all of his crops on some four acres of land, noting that farming is the backbone of the community.

In some parts of the community, several farms were neatly prepared, and the vegetables lined the beds as the rains gave succour to the plants just when this newspaper visited the area.

Further south, closer to the centre of the community, several kitchen gardens were blooming.

Leonard Torres, an 86-year-old farmer and Laluni’s oldest resident, was cleaning his patch of squash as the rains eased

last week. He lives in the more populated part of Laluni at Number Two, the section of the community where most persons commune. Torres has been living in the community since 1972, and farming is his main area of expertise.

He said that access to the city markets is one of the better reasons for his liking Laluni as a farming area.

Cash crop farming in the area became popular when the Demerera Tobacco Company (Demtoco) ceased cultivating tobacco there in the early 1990s. Farmers have since planted a variety of crops, including vegetables and fruits.

While access to markets is not an issue, better prices for goods have always been a concern for farmers in the area; but planting and reaping will not cease anytime soon at the self-sufficient community of Laluni.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 7, 2016

Dry weather affecting Indigenous villages in Region 9 -Ministry employing measures to bring relief

INDIGENOUS villages in Region nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Esequibo) are being hit severely with an ongoing dry weather season which is posing significant challenges for the villages and communities in that region.

This was according to the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs in a statement yesterday, where it was noted that there has been little or no rainfall in the Rupununi over the last sixteen weeks.

“Ponds have dried up and shallow hand dug wells are low on water while some have gone dry. In some places the rivers have also dried up due to the scorching heat and zero rainfall” the statement said.

According to the Ministry, the Deep-South villages of Shea, Aishalton, Karaudarnauwa and Achawib are carefully monitoring their agricultural crops. The Village leaders have placed priority on the health and education sectors in terms of the water distribution plan.

In the South Pakaraimas, Yorong Peru, Paipang, Taushida, Tiger Pond and Rukumuta are experiencing extreme difficulties as a result of the prolonged dry season. These communities, the Ministry said, are currently receiving support from the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) and the village of Karasabai. It was revealed that water is being transported in tanks from Karasabai with the assistance from the CDC. But in the North Rupununi, the situation is somewhat more favourable since the Rupununi River still has a fair level of water. However, at Rewa and Crash Water crossings, the water has dried up. And according to the Ministry, in the North Rupununi as in the Deep-South, the Health and Education sectors are being given priority in the water distribution plan.

Meanwhile, the South Central area has been without rainfall for at least thirteen weeks. It was noted that the Rupununi River in this area has partially dried up. As such, the Villages of Baitoon and Shulinab are carefully monitoring the

water levels in their wells.

River water is being used to supplement the scarce well water.

However, in the Central Rupununi district, the situation is somewhat favourable.

Although low, water levels in the wells are still adequate for the Village needs. But, according to the Ministry, the threat to agricultural crops is worrying. The Villages of Nappi, Kumu, Moco Moco, Simonie, Marcanata continue to ration their water supplies. “The Kumu and Moco-Moco creeks are fast drying up; the Kumu falls has already run dry” the statement added.

And given this challenging situation in this part of Guyana, the Ministry has sought to employ a number of measures to bring relief to the Indigenous Peoples who are suffering from these natural occurrences.

These include; * A public awareness campaign on water conser-

vation and health related issues is currently in action. * Frequent reports from Regional Councillors, Community Health Workers and Village Toshaos are being received at Lethem regarding the situation in the Villages. * Differently-abled and Senior Citizens are being carefully monitored and are the subject of frequent reports. * The Regional Health authorities are on high alert for possible health challenges which could arise. * Agriculture Extension Officers are also on high alert as the effects of the extreme dry conditions continue to affect the Region’s food production. * Village leaders have put measures in place to prevent the poisoning of creeks, streams and rivers for the harvesting of fish. * Bathing in creeks is now prohibited. * Villages are cleaning and increasing the depth of hand dug wells. * The Risk Reduction

Management Centre and the CDC have provided a number of 450 gallons water tanks and water pumps to aid in water distribution. * Water purification tablets, one gallon water bottles and water pumps are being sourced. * Plans are being formulated to address possible food shortage in the event of a further prolonged dry spell. * The Guyana Inter-

national Mission has commenced work on the construction of fifteen wells in the North Rupununi District.

This is a humanitarian effort

by The Full Gospel Fellowship, a charitable group based in Region One working to bring much needed relief to the Residents of Region Nine. * Additional wells could be sunk in other parts of the Region by the same group

contingent upon the availability of the requisite resources. * The Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs has recommended that the water harvesting project at the J.R Ranch at Manari in the Central Rupununi District be studied with a view to replicating it for the benefit of Indigenous Villages and communities in the Region.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 7, 2016

Greenidge heads CMAG delegation to Maldives FOREIGN Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge is attending a Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) meeting in the Maldives from February 6 to 8.

The delegation is led

by Greenidge, who is ViceChair of CMAG, and includes Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Amina Mohamed; and India’s Foreign Secretary, S. Jaishankar.

A statement from the Commonwealth newsroom said the delegation will be holding discussions with the government, opposition parties and other community leaders and representatives.

CMAG is a political body comprising nine foreign ministers. It acts on behalf of Commonwealth Heads of Government as the custodian of the Commonwealth’s fundamental political values, including democracy, the rule of law and human rights.

Commonwealth Secretariat spokesperson Will

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge

Henley said: “The purpose of the CMAG mission is to reach out to Maldives in a positive way. The mission is aiming to develop a firsthand understanding of the situation on the ground, and to consider how the Commonwealth can continue to assist in advancing Commonwealth values and principles, and to support Maldives in building stronger democratic institutions and culture.”

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 7, 2016

In aftermath of Lusignan massacre…

Hurting survivor turns to alcohol

By Shauna Jemmott EIGHT years after his most dreadful experience, a resident of Lusignan Pasture, who had suffered much in dealing with the devastation of a ‘massacre’ that left his entire family dead in their home in 2008, is grappling for strength to move on.

While a few family members of those lost in the slaughter have moved on positively, one man who lost his wife and sons has started another relationship, seeking solace in alcohol.

Tranquility was shattered in the quiet community of Lusignan pasture when about a dozen heavily armed men stormed four homes in the wee hours of the morning of Saturday 26th January 2008, unleashing wanton violence against the defenseless. Most of those attacked lived in cottages and the assassins were pitiless, slaying five small children and six adults in the close-knit neighbourhood.

Armed with shotguns and AK-47s, the killers entered Lusigan around 2:00 am and invaded five homes, killing Clarence Thomas, 48; Vanessa Thomas, 12; Ron Thomas, 11; Mohandai Goordat, 32; Seegopaul Harilall, 10; Seegobin Harilall, 4; Dhanwajie Ramsingh, 52; Seecharran Rooplall, 56; Raywattie Ramsingh, 11; Shazam Mohammed, 22; and Shaleem Baksh, 52.

Rajkumar Harilall, 44, had left his family at his home and went to Trinidad and Tobago less than two weeks before the trgedy. At the time he was 36.

When Guyana Chronicle visited Lusignan Pasture Thursday morning, he was at his construction job somewhere in the village.

DRINKING The woman he now lives with, Priya, said the loss Harilall suffered has transformed him into an alcoholic and he now consumes liquor, becoming drunk at least four times every week. Living with him is challenging for her too, but she understands his pain and loves him dearly.

She said the man began drinking rum about two years after his family was slayed, and cries bitterly many times. He would spend countless dollars on alcohol.

“He does cry. For this whole holiday when he see he nephew and them boy gon come and they talk, he does cry.

When you see he start drink, he nah kay how much money he drink out. Every week he wan drink… Three four day and so you know. Like he does tek them on.”

Harilall’s family lived in a small house at the time they were killed, and he has since

preserved the style of his house only adding paint. He has even kept under his bed, a microwave which was pierced with bullet holes. He has not done any repairs to neither the flooring nor walls which were damaged and has decided to keep even the bed and wardrobe which were bullet riddled.

“Everything was left there.

He nah want change up nothing and so. Everybody change up and do what they gatto do, but he doesn’t want to change nothing,” the woman told Guyana Chronicle.

The two boys who were murdered were his only children, and his conversations now entail wanting children again.

A 41-year-old woman, with minor complications is also praying for that miracle and the restoration of joy in Harilall’s life.

His drinking would sometimes become so overbearing that quarrels ensue and they would separate. This, she said, happens almost yearly, as the death anniversary of his children and wife approaches. The last separation took place December last, but it was brief.

She said when this happens the man will be thrown into further depression and consuming alcohol and not taking care of himself, he begins to lose weight again. That is when she would pity him and rekindle ties. The two were next door neighbours in their childhood.

“When me lef he me does sorry fuh he. He ah get fine fine.

All he eye ah gone in. Nobody nah really know what he does go through. You nah give am another headache, that he ah go get wan next headache?”

She said the two knew each other long and had a childhood attachment.

“Me and he know (each other) from since we small.

We (were) neighbor. You never know wha could come into he head. One time he say he gon put in fuh he visa and go away,” the woman stated.

He has no other close family around him and two years ago, while working, he almost lost his hand when he received a deep cut in the middle of his right palm, almost severing it.

Since then he sometimes finds it challenging working with the hand. Just after that, he suffered an attack of chickungunya, a mosquito borne disease.

Priya said on the night of the incident Harilall’s wife Goordat who was killed was in the home with their two sons and a nephew, Arjune Bhim, 11.

The woman heard a commotion at the Thomas’ home obliquely opposite and peeped out of her window, switching her lights on. The men must have heard her while she was telling her mother during a telephone call, that gunmen were on the attack nearby.

Goordat had opened the door after the men threatened and pulled all her treasures to hand them over when she was riddled with bullets in the bedroom. Her sons climbed on their mother’s lifeless body and were cold-bloodedly murdered too. Her nephew, Bhim, quietly sheltered himself under the bed.

“He does remember it every time, and he does drink nuff rum because of dah.”

Rajkumar Heralall’s reputed wife, Priya, points to a bullet-pierced wardrobe still in his bedroom where his late wife and two sons were slaughtered by men carrying high-powered rifles at Lusignan eight years ago (Photo by Delano Williams)

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 7, 2016

More than 70,000 fans love Cool Boyz

By Alva Solomon

THEY gathered over 71,000 fans since July 2014 when they posted an amateur video on Facebook. You will laugh at their skits.

The skits appeal to every aspect of the Guyanese society, and this trio from the Ancient County of Berbice continues to produce entertainment that will make you giggle the moment you see them on screen.

Meet the trio who go by the screen name “Cool Boyz”, a team comprising Damien Jagroop, Steve Utam and John Balkarran. Maybe the name “Pakalu”, played by Steve, rings a bell.

Hailing from Port Mourant, Corentyne Berbice, Cool Boyz have gathered a local fan base of the young

and the old, crossing boundaries with their skits conceptualized to perfection. But many seem unaware of who they are.

Jagroop, known by the moniker “Practa”, founder of the group, told the Guyana Chronicle recently that it all started in June 2014 when he made a video and posted it on his Facebook wall. At the time, many of his friends and followers found it appealing, and the video received numerous likes and views.

Later, Jagroop would include his fiends John and Steve. “We decided to video our jokes and pranks we share with each other on a daily basis and posted it up with no intention of getting so much of attention”, Jagroop added. As the video grew in popularity, the view-

Damian (right) and John sporting in costumes before filming, a few weeks ago

ers demanded that the trio create more skits. “And so we continued, and because it was the viewers’ requests, we got their continuous support, even up to this day”, he explained.

The videos are hilarious, and they provide much entertainment to the person in tune with today’s lifestyle, as well as the folks who recall yesteryear. Names such as “Halla like a cat”, “How to cook roti”, “Old people and computer”, and “Pin on pan aam” are only a few of the videos which have been circulating on social media and on the street-side movie stands.

They provide a mixture of old and new storylines, bringing back memories of the old laughs of the years gone by.

But what is the concept behind Cool Boyz? According to Jagroop, the name is simply an expression of who they are. “We are the average typical guys who film some of life’s everyday situations that we all may have experienced. And what makes it cool and hilarious is the fact that most people can relate to these scenarios”, he posited.

As actors, he said, the three feel appreciated that the viewers support their videos. In addition the three are happy that they can make a difference in the lives of their numerous fans. As regards the popularity they have received in recent times, he said it can at times be “very overwhelming”. However, they balance their individual lives and on-screen personalities quite well.

As regards the characters, they see each other as equals and being the most amus-

The trio on the set recently ing in many regards, since in their normal lives they behave as funny as they do on camera. ”Therefore it is

not difficult to get into character”, Jagroop mentioned.

The trio however, believes the character Pakalu, played

The DVD cover of one of the many video productions of Cool Boyz

by Steve is probably the most hilarious.

Their everyday lives are like anyone else’s. Both John and Jagroop are out of school, while Steve is still in secondary school. Jagroop manages a small business, Chuck & Son DVD Club at home, and he sells electronics and digital video disks (DVDs).

Jagroop undertakes the technical and managerial aspects of the group’s productions, including editing the videos and managing appearances at events. He also does editing as his parttime job.

John works at the Guyana Sugar Corporation’s (GUYSUCO) Skeldon office.

Annalisa Baldeo, a teacher by profession, recently appeared in several of the group’s videos, and is expected to cement her spot within the group since she has already demonstrated her “coolness” to the audience.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 7, 2016

Diego Alphonso, Administrator, Men's Affairs Bureau, speaks to students of Queen’s College about suicide, gender-based violence and anger management (Ministry of Social Protection photo)

Ministry steps up efforts to prevent suicide THE Ministry of Social Protection has intensified its efforts to prevent suicide by taking the message to schools, communities and workplaces.

This past week, a suicide prevention conference for staff was hosted by Qualfon and facilitated by Diego Alphonso, Administrator, Men's Affairs Bureau; and Adel Lilly, Gender Specialist within the Ministry.

The discussion also included gender-based violence and anger management.

Targeting youths, the Ministry supported Queen’s College for the launch of "Operation Safe and Sound", a special project by four students that seeks to address suicide in the school system. The students -- Angelina Boodhoo, Akarshini Singh, Shafeena Milton, Wei Jun Wong -- said the project aims at educating fellow students on the signs and symptoms of suicide, finding positivity in life, and how to get help.

Under the theme, “I am a Survivor”, Operation Safe and Sound is introducing “The Elder’s Sibling Program”, where a responsible, mature upper school student poses as a ‘sibling’ and lends emotional support, advice and academic help to a student of any age.

Alphonso congratulated the students for their initiative, noting that it’s worthy of emulation in other schools.

An outreach was also conducted at the Buxton Secondary School as part of the ongoing collaboration with the Community Policing Group of C1 Division, East Coast Demerara.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 7, 2016

Members of the rescue team during their mission this week to save the stranded Arapaimas near the Rewa River

Drought and fires plague Rupununi

THIS weekend, Annai’s Radio Paiwomak commenced broadcasting messages to Rupununi residents within the 65 miles of its radius regarding the hazardous effects of fires, some of which are being lit by persons, as the El Nino weather phenomenon continues to bake the region.

Reports are that fires, some of which were ignited by the sunny conditions experienced in the region several weeks now, have been raging across sections of the region.

Mike Williams of the North

Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB) told the Guyana Chronicle from Annai yesterday that cloudy conditions lined the skyline yesterday in an ongoing phenomenon experienced in the region and other parts of the country. He said the sunlight ‘peeped out’ around lunchtime yesterday, and residents are optimistic that the weather will change in the coming weeks.

Williams, returning to the area from the Coastland on Saturday, has said he observed several fires along the

trail near the communities in the Annai district. These include Central Annai, Surama, Wowetta, Rupertee and Kwatamang.

Wowetta borders the Iwokrama Rainforest protected area, and Williams said protection of the tropical reserve is of great importance.

“The fires can be detrimental to the eco-system and the general bio-diversity of the area,” he noted, adding that the broadcast on the radio frequency 97.1 includes information on the harm the fires can do to the protected

areas. In addition, he noted that the general savannah landscape is of importance to the region.

He said some fires are being lit by persons, while

others are brush fires caused by the hot and dry climatic conditions experienced throughout the region. “So we started broadcasting the effects the fires can have,

urging persons not to light fires,” he noted.

At the moment, the Rupununi is experiencing one Please turn to page 27

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 7, 2016

Leguan is heaven for farmers - resident

By Rabindra Rooplall ALTHOUGH rice farming is considered the main economic activity of Leguan, cattle rearing is centre stage as residents of the 215 square mile island take pride in their livestock.

Leguan, located at the mouth of the Essequibo River, has a population estimated at 6,000 with many also being fisher folks and farmers.

Speedboats ply the route between Leguan and Parika, and there is also a public ferryboat which transports persons, produce and vehicles twice weekly On a bright sunny day, with moisture in the wind and quietude in the atmosphere,

a cattle farmer with three decades of experience, Salim Rahaman, bathes his cows in the canal. These “creole breeds” are used for milking.

On the island, diary producing animals are often raised in subsistence and wide open farm systems. These animals are usually multi-purpose and grow and produce under difficult conditions, such as low inputs, minimum management, and in some cases harsh environments.

Rearing cows, sheep and goats has lots of potential for profit. Rahaman said he takes care of all issues relating to his animals’ health, such as worming and treating them for various ticks and infections.

He related that the av-

erage lifespan for cattle is between 15 years and 22 years. as such clean, fresh water must always be available to the cattle. Generally, a mature animal consumes between 10 and 20 gallons of water a day.

“You really have to take care of them like babies sometimes. If you have animals with walking difficulty, you must create an area to allow them to get to water easily. Dehydration in cattle is deadly,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Sachlin Shaw said his father is a cattle and rice farmer and he has also followed that route.

He said the weather was

Please see page 25 Cattle herder Salim Rahaman bathing one of his dairy cows to clean and prevent the animal from overheating in the sunny weather

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 7, 2016

Leguan is heaven ...

From page 24 not conducive to rice farming presently, but cattle-rearing had become a main area of focus.

“This rice crop, I’m not planting because there is no rain, so this crop is strictly cows, goats and sheep I’m focusing on. Strictly Zebu bulls I buy,” He explained “Leguan is a beautiful place, you can farm and mind anything you want, and you’re free to do anything agriculture.

And the best thing is you can leave your house and no one will trouble anything. This is a heaven for farmers.”

Another cattle farmer emphasized that the government-employed vet would travel to the island once a week, and while he did an excellent job, there was need for more vets. He said that if a vet was placed permanently at Leguan, the farmers there would be delighted.

Cattle and Ruminant Farmer Sachlin Shaw compartmentalizes the different breeds of sheep and goats for breeding.

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Sudoku

Last Thursday’s Solutions

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, February 7, 2016

Crossword

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE February 7, 2016

Cop hurt in D’urban/Smyth streets collision

By Clestine Juan

Injured policeman David Lall

POLICEMAN David Lall of ‘A’ Division sustained minor injuries about his body when his motorcycle and a minibus collided at the accident-prone junction of D’urban and Smyth streets yesterday morning.

According to Lall’s relative, who was wait-

Drought and fires plague ...

From page 23 of its worst droughts in years. This newspaper reported this week that the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) has activated a National Response Mechanism to address the acute shortage of water being experienced in some sections of the country as a result of El Nino weather conditions.

At a post-Cabinet media briefing on Tuesday, Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, reported that the situation was “grave” in Region 9 (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), where there continues to be an acute shortage of water.

It was noted that the CDC was expected to meet with Cabinet on Thursday to fully brief President David Granger on the issue.

Meanwhile the NRDDB reported yesterday that the body and its partners were able to rescue 25 stranded arapaima fish from the “ponds” formed in and around the Rewa River, and take them to an improved habitat. This newspaper has reported on the team’s mission, which began last weekend.

According to a release from the NRDDB, water levels are so low in the Rupununi that the rescue team had to push and drag boats for over a day and a half to reach the stranded arapaimas. Members of the rescue team included residents from the villages of Rupertee and Rewa, an Iwokrama ranger, an NRDDB executive, and 5 students from the Bina Hill Institute. Fuel, rations, boats and engines were contributed by partners, including the NRDDB, Iwokrama, Dr. Lesley De Souza, Samantha James, Rewa Eco Lodge and families of team members involved.

The team successfully removed 25 adult fish, a few of which weighed over 350 lbs, from the dry ponds. The release stated that Ranger Peters reported that a seine was used to catch the fish, which were then placed in a canoe and dragged through the dry pond and the forest to the Rewa River. He said that all the fish were tagged so that they could be identified and tracked in future. This is part of research being conducted

by Dr De Souza, who is working along with Rewa Eco Lodge to study arapaima fish and their behaviour.

This research will also provide information on how best Rewa can sustainably conduct sports fishing for arapaima without detriment to the fish.

The arapaima is the largest scaled fresh water fish in the world, and Guyana’s rivers are a last stronghold for these endangered fish. Arapaima can grow over 8 feet long and weigh in excess of 400 lbs; and unlike other fish, they come to the surface to breathe air, otherwise they drown.

ing outside the operating room at the Georgetown Public Hospital, the officer left home early yesterday morning riding his motorbike to work. The relative related that around 08:00hrs he received a phone call telling him that Lall was involved in a collision with a minibus.

According to several persons who converged on the scene, the injured man was travelling on his motorcycle along D’urban Street when he collided with the minibus that was travelling on Smyth Street.

The collision threw the biker face down onto the roadway.

Eyewitnesses rendered immediate assistance to the injured police officer as he lay writhing in pain.

They lifted him into a vehicle and transported him to the hospital. Lall sustained injuries to his head and arms.

According to some onlookers, the policeman ap-

peared to be in the wrong since the minibus was already crossing the junction when the motorbike approached. However, others argued that the officer had the right of way along D’urban Street and therefore the bus driver should have slowed down and allowed him to pass.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, February 7, 2016

Warner, Marsh help Australia chase down 282 DAVID Warner’s 79-ball 98 and a restorative partnership between Mitchell Marsh and John Hastings helped Australia set up a series decider against New Zealand with a four-wicket victory in the second oneday international at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium.

Having been thrashed by 159 runs in Auckland, Steve Smith’s men were able to complete a successful runchase on Saturday as they surpassed the Black Caps’ total of 281-9 with 21 balls to spare - thanks largely to an opening stand of 122 between Warner and the recalled Usman Khawaja (50).

New Zealand hit back with four wickets in the space of seven overs and

Australia were in trouble at 197-6 when Mitchell Santner (3-47) removed Warner and Matthew Wade (2), who fell to a sensational boundary catch by Adam Milne, in quick succession.

However, Marsh (69 not out off 72 balls) and Hastings (48 not out off 47) shared an unbroken alliance of 86 in 14 overs - the latter reaching a career-best ODI score - to deny the hosts a series win and ensure there will be all to play for in the third contest at Hamilton tomorrow.

Marsh had earlier claimed the wickets of Martin Guptill (31) and Henry Nicholls (4) on his way to figures of 2-30 from six overs, while Hastings (0-42 from 10) proved econom-

Hales out for 99 as England seal five-wicket win

PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa - England opener Alex Hales fell one short of a second one-day International century as his team completed a comfortable five-wicket victory over South Africa yesterday.

The hosts won the toss in the second game of the series and posted 262 for seven in their 50 overs on a slow wicket that produced nothing like the run-fest of Bloemfontein three days earlier.

Hales took England close to their target with a patient 99 from 124 balls as they reached 263 for five from 46.2 overs.

The touring side now lead the five-match series 2-0 with the third game in Pretoria on Tuesday.

AB de Villiers returned to form as he top-scored for South Africa’s with 73 from 91 balls, supported by Faf du Plessis (46) and JP Duminy (47).

Seamer Reece Topley recorded career-best bowling figures for England of 4-50 from nine overs, including the early scalp of Hashim Amla (4).

England lost opener Jason Roy (14) early in their reply, but Hales, usually an explosive opening batsman, played an innings of accumulation rather than brute force, scoring just eight boundaries.

He fell one shy of his ton when he was caught by South Africa wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock off the bowling of Kyle Abbott after the ball brushed his glove.

England still needed 61 to win but were steered home by an excellent 48 not out from 28 deliveries by Jos Buttler.

He was ably supported by Moeen Ali (21 not out) as the pair put on 61 in just five overs against the wilting home attack to turn a tense run chase into a stroll.

SCOREBOARD

SOUTH AFRICA Innings H. Amla b Topley 4 Q. de Kock lbw b Stokes 22 F. du Plessis c Jordan b Rashid

46 A. de Villiers c Jordan b Stokes

73 J. Duminy lbw b Topley 47 R. Rossouw c Buttler b Topley

11 F. Behardien not out 23 K. Rabada c Morgan b Topley

12 K. Abbott not out 7 Extras (lb-8 w-9) 17 Total (for 7 wickets, 50 overs) 262 Fall of wickets: 1-4 H. Amla,2-53 Q. de Kock,3-98 F. du Plessis,4-205 A. de Villiers,5-206 J. Duminy,6-225 R. Rossouw,7-245 K. Rabada Did not bat: M. Morkel, I. Tahir Bowling: R. Topley 9 - 1 - 50 4(w-2),D. Willey 7 - 2 - 33 - 0(w-1), B. Stokes 9 - 0 - 54 - 2(w-2), A. Rashid 10 - 0 - 43 – 1,

M. Ali 10 - 1 - 41 - 0(w-3),C. Jordan 5 - 0 - 33 - 0(w-1).

ENGLAND Innings J. Roy b Abbott 14 A. Hales c de Kock b Abbott 99 J. Root b Abbott 38 E. Morgan c de Villiers b M. Morkel 29 B. Stokes b M. Morkel 0 J. Buttler not out 48 M. Ali not out 21 Extras (lb-11 w-3) 14 Total (for 5 wickets, 46.2 overs) 263 Fall of wickets: 1-20 J. Roy,2-117 J. Root,3-169 E. Morgan,4-176 B. Stokes,5-202 A. Hales Did not bat: C. Jordan, A. Rashid, D. Willey, R. Topley Bowling: K. Abbott 9 - 1 - 58 - 3(w1), K. Rabada 9 - 0 - 35 – 0, M. Morkel 8.2 - 0 - 31 - 2(w-1),I. Tahir 10 - 0 - 66 – 0, F. Behardien 6 - 0 - 35 - 0(w-1),J. Duminy 4 - 0 - 27 – 0.

ical. There were also two scalps for debutant leg-spinner Adam Zampa, while Josh Hazlewood enjoyed late success to finish with 3-61.

Kane Williamson’s 60 represented the most significant contribution in New Zealand’s innings, while Santner and Milne impressed down the order with 45 not out and 36 respectively.

An unchanged New Zealand won the toss and made a characteristically fast start - Brendon McCullum thumping three sixes, having been dropped on nought by Glenn Maxwell, before being bowled by Scott Boland (2-61) for 28 off 12 balls.

Guptill also survived a tough chance to Hazle-

wood, but Australia nevertheless pegged the Black Caps back as Marsh struck twice.

Zampa (2-57) then had the ever-reliable Williamson caught in the covers

by Smith for his first international wicket and also accounted for Grant Elliott (32) before some late hitting boosted the home total.

The in-form Khawaja, playing his first ODI in almost three years, and Warner combined to give Australia a dream start to their chase.

However, the exit of Khawaja, who offered a return catch to Santner, triggered a mini-collapse as Smith (2), George Bailey (0) and Maxwell (6) fell in quick succession.

SCOREBOARD NEWE ZEALAND Innings M. Guptill c Khawaja b M. Marsh

31 B. McCullum b Boland 28 K. Williamson c Smith b Zampa

60 H. Nicholls c Wade b M. Marsh

4 G. Elliott c Maxwell b Zampa

32 C. Anderson c Wade b Hazlewood 16 L. Ronchi c M. Marsh b Boland

19 M. Santner not out 45 A. Milne c Smith b Hazlewood 36 M. Henry b Hazlewood 0 T. Boult not out 2 Extras(lb-4 w-4) 8 Total (for 9 wickets, 50 overs) 281 Fall of wickets: 1-35 B. McCullum,2-88 M. Guptill,3-95 H. Nicholls,4-158 K. Williamson,5-164 G. Elliott,6-193 L. Ronchi,7-205 C. Anderson,8-266 A. Milne,9-266 M. Henry Bowling: J. Hazlewood 10 - 0 - 61

- 3(w-1), J. Hastings 10 - 1 - 42 0(w-1), S. Boland 10 - 0 - 61 – 2, A. Zampa 10 - 0 - 57 - 2(w-1), M. Marsh 6 - 0 - 30 - 2(w-1),G. Maxwell 4 - 0 - 26 - 0 AUSTRALIA Innings U. Khawaja c&b Santner 50 D. Warner lbw b Santner 98 S. Smith c Ronchi b Henry 2 G. Baileyb Henry 0 G. Maxwell b Boult 6 M. Marsh not out 69 M. Wadec Milne b Santner 2 J. Hastings not out 48 Extras (lb-2 w-6) 8 Total (for 6 wickets, 46.3 overs) 283 Fall of wickets: 1-122 U. Khawaja,2-133 S. Smith,3-133 G. Bailey,4-144 G. Maxwell,5-191 D. Warner,6-197 M. Wade Did not bat: A. Zampa, J. Hazlewood, S. Boland Bowling: T. Boult 9.3 - 0 - 66 - 1(w3), M. Henry 10 - 0 - 57 – 2, K. Williamso 2 - 0 - 16 - 0(w-1),A. Milne 9 - 0 - 58 - 0(w-1), M. Santner 10 - 0 - 47 – 3, G. Elliott 3 - 0 - 20 - 0(w-1)

GFA STAG Premier League to kickoff today

By Rawle Toney EIGHT of the city’s top clubs, under the umbrella of the Georgetown Football Association (GFA), will participate in the 2016 STAG Premier League, which gets on the way with a double-header today at the GFC Ground.

With Ansa McAl behind their STAG Beer brand as the League’s primary sponsor, the tournament’s opening day at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) Ground will see Santos taking on Sunburst Camptown from 18:30 hours, followed by a clash between Western Tigers and Riddim Squad at 20:30 hours.

Beacons, Police FC, Northern Rangers and Flamingo are the other teams

in the league which has seen Ansa McAl pumping millions of sponsorship dollars into the running of the GFA event.

“Football isn’t only being played at the (GFF) Elite League level; we (Ansa McAl) want to see football being played throughout Guyana” said Ansa McAl’s Public Relations Officer Darshnie Yussuf at the League’s launching yesterday.

Already being sponsors of leagues being played on the East Bank and East Coast of Demerara, as was well as in West Demerara Football Association (WDFA) jurisdiction, Yussuf highlighted that “we’re lending the support because while the STAG Elite has the cream-of-the-crop, this is us helping other play-

ers and teams to reach to that level or even higher” “Ansa McAl wants to own structured football at all levels; we’re willing to support once it’s done in a structure manner and one where the players will be the ones benefiting in the long run” said Yussuf.

Meanwhile, ‘A’ Division Commander and President of the GFA Assistant Comissioner Clifton Hicken, after thanking Ansa McAl for their support, said that the playing of the league is one form of his administration full-filling parts of its mandate.

“This is our first approach to Ansa McAl and we were greeted with open arms. Next year, we want to see more of our teams in the Elite League

but in order us to do that, we will have to build capacity in terms of developing more first division players at a club level” Hicken highlighted.

Hicken also added that “Like Ansa McAl, we’re asking other stakeholders to come on board because we’re seeing the benefits from developing football at all level and, if you have the youths of this country do something constructive with their energy, I think society will develop in terms of morals and we’ll have less perpetrators of violence”.

The league will be played outside of the dates occupied by the Guyana F o o t b a l l F e d e r a t i o n ’s (GFF) STAG Elite League, according to GFA Vice President Frank Paris.

Thomas, Amsterdam for Olympic Qualifiers -participation based on sponsorship

NATIONAL middleweight champion Dennis `Menace’ Thomas and light heavyweight boss Desmond Amsterdam have been selected to represent Guyana at the Olympic Qualifiers set for Buenos Aries, Argentina next month.

The two are expected to travel to the Spanish speaking South American country to attempt to break a 20-year jinx.

However, their participation at the important competition is dependent on if the Guyana Am-

ateur Boxing Association can secure $M1.3G needed for the team’s airfare, accommodation and meals.

The Qualifiers are scheduled to be held from March 8 to 20 in the Argentine capital. President of the GABA Steve Ninvalle said yesterday that his organisation was on the ropes financially following the 13-nation Caribbean Development Tournament held here last November.

He noted that at present

one airline ticket to Argentina cost over two hundred thousand dollars and that letters requesting assistance have been sent off to potential sponsors including the National Sports Commission(NSC).

Thomas is a policeman by profession and is one of the most experienced amateur fighters in the country. He has won the National middleweight champion title three years in a row. He was voted GABA Best Boxer in 2014 The 23-year-old Amsterdam

hails from the Guyana Defence Force and is yet to be defeated in 15 fights. He secured a gold medal at the Caribbean Development Tournament. GABA has also named the country’s two Three Star coaches Terrence Poole and Sebert Blake to accompany the boxers.

The team is expected to leave Guyana on March 6.

John Douglas remains the last boxer to represent Guyana at the Olympics. Douglas participated at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, February 7, 2016

Australia’s Watson joins IPL’s Bangalore for $1.4 million

MUMBAI, (Reuters)-Australia’s Shane Watson attracted a top bid of $1.4 million and will join the Bangalore franchise for the next edition of the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament, while former England batsman Kevin Pietersen was bought by newcomers Pune.

All-rounder Watson was in high demand in yesterday’s auction for the cashrich tournament, the ninth dition of which will be played from April 9 to May 29.

“Incredibly excited to join such a great franchise.

Looking forward to joining up with my new team mates in April,” the 34-year-old said on Twitter.

Watson will join a Bangalore team boasting power-hitters Chris Gayle, AB

…Delhi Daredevils buys Windies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite for US$ 626 000 de Villliers and Virat Kohli as well as Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc.

Aaron Finch, Australia’s captain in the shortest format, went unsold in the first round but was picked up by Rajkot at his base price of 10 million rupees ($147,000) after being invited back in the auction.

In-form New Zealand opening batsman Martin Guptill was also unsold in the first round of auction for marquee players.

South Africa fast bowler Chris Morris, valued at 5 million rupees, fetched 70 million from Delhi after three franchises showed interest in him.

Delhi won another bidding war for West

Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite for 42 million and England wicketkeeper batsman Jos Buttler went to Mumbai for 38 million.

Pune, to be led by India’s limited-overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and coached by former New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming, outbid fellow newcomers Rajkot to land Pietersen for 35 million rupees.

Pune and Rajkot were unveiled as the new teams in the Twenty20 competition, replacing Chennai and Rajasthan who were suspended for two years for their role in an illegal betting scandal.

All-rounder Pawan Negi, who was named in India’s World Twenty20 squad on

the second wicket.

Pant added a further 62 for the third wicket with Sarfaraz Khan before fall-

the 300-run mark.

Fritz Coetzee was the pick of Namibia’s bowlers, taking 3 for 78, but went at more than seven an over, as did four other players.

Namibia began their huge run-chase promisingly, as the openers SJ Loftie-Eaton and Niko Davin razed 59 inside 10 overs. However, the dismissal of Davin opened the floodgates, as the team went on to lose wickets at regular intervals, eventually getting bowled out for 152.

Left-arm spinner Mayank Dagar shone with figures of 3 for 25, while Anmolpreet snared 3 for 27; Namibia were dismissed in 39 overs.(ESPN Cricinfo)

Pant ton fires India into U-19 World Cup semi-finals

RISHABH Pant continued his fine run of form in the Under-19 World Cup, slamming his third successive fifty-plus score to guide India into the semi-finals following a 197-run win against Namibia.

Pant, who had blasted the fastest U-19 international half-century during the win against Nepal, scored 111 off 96 balls with 14 fours and two sixes, powering his team to a mammoth 349 for 6.

India, opting to bat, did not make the best of starts, though, as the captain Ishan Kishan was dismissed for 6 in the third over. However, Pant and Anmolpreet Singh led a recovery, put up 103 runs for

Rishabh Pant ing in the 29th over. Still, Namibia failed to dry up the runs, as Sarfaraz (76), Armaan Jaffer (64) and Mahipal Lomror (41*) all chipped in with handy knocks to lift the team past

Notable Dates

F E AT H E R W E I G H T Forbes Lindon David was TKOed by Dominica Republican Antonio Diaz on February 7, 1997 in New York USA. David, an orthodox Guyanese boxer, had lost his last four bouts. It was the second time that he had battled Diaz with the result being the same.

The last ring date against

Diaz was David’s third fight in the USA a country that later became his permanent residence. The courageous David whose sibling Pascal David had dealt Andrew Murray two stunning defeats, was roughed up by country Gary St Clair in September 1996 on the way to a TKO loss.

David joined the professional ranks in 1994

and secured victories over Anthony Fawcett and Stephen Rose. A victory over Linden Arthur in February 1995 remains his last win in the ring as he then went in to a spiral decline, losing nine bouts.

David will turn 50 on May 26, the same day Guyana celebrates its Golden Jubilee Independence anniversary.

Friday, attracted the highest bid among Indians and was bought by Delhi for 85 million rupees.

India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who fetched 160 million rupees at last year’s auction, will play for the Hyderabad franchise after being bought for 70 million.

Shane Watson

Carlos Brathwaite

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SUNDAY CHRONICLE, February 7, 2016

INSIDE EDGE

By Edwin Seeraj IN November 1969 a young Indian batsman -- yet to celebrate his 21st birthday-made his Test debut at Kanpur against the visiting Australians.

From all reports he was a neat, wristy player who relied heavily on timing and touch and possessed a wide array of shots on either side of the wicket.

He had made a double-century two years earlier in his first first-class match playing for Karnataka against Andhra and his consistency and class influenced the selectors to promote him into the Test arena.

He was looked upon as a quality batsman who would take India into the decade of the 1970s and beyond as the ageing stalwarts gradually made way for the younger stars.

Gundappa Ranganath Viswanath, playing in his first Test and batting at number four in the order after India had won the toss and elected to take first strike, strode to the wicket on the first day with India well placed at 167 for the loss of two wickets.

When he joined the opener Ashok Mankad, he must have harboured thoughts of duplicating his performance on his first-class debut and compile a century in his initial Test.

With just four runs added, Viswanath saw Mankad depart and with two new batsmen at the crease, the pressure was building on the Indians. At the same score, the debutant played

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From Zero To Hero

tentatively at the right-arm fast-medium bowler Alan Conolly and was caught by Ian Redpath without bothering the scorers.

India were eventually bowled out for 320 to which the Australians replied with 348 principally through Paul Sheahan’s 114.

Gundappa Ranganath The Indian top order again gave the team a solid start and Viswanath made his entrance second time around at 94 for two.

The nervousness and tension of the first innings had gone and after a sedate start he went on to dominate the innings of 312 for seven wickets declared, ensuring that there was only time enough for the Aussies to battle for a draw.

In the process, he made amends for his first-innings failure, registering a truly stylish 137 off 354 deliveries, laced with 25 elegant boundaries. His was the seventh and final wicket to fall, leg before wicket to the off-spin-

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ner Ashley Mallet, triggering tumultuous applause and a standing ovation;the direct opposite of what occurred on his departure in the first innings.

From this platform, Viswanath steadily moved onwards to become one of India’s most glamorous batsmen of his time, culminating in a glittering career of 91Test matches-87 of them consecutively-accumulating 6080 runs and 14 classy centuries at the highly respectable average of 41.93 runs per innings.

Among his most notable batting exploits were an unbeaten 97 out of an all-out 190 at Madras in 1974-75 against a rampaging Andy Roberts (7 for 64)the next best score being Ashok Mankad’s 19; knocks of 83 and 79 against New Zealand on a Christchurch greentop in 1975-76; a century in the Trinidad Test of 1976 which carried his team to a record victory; and his 124 out of 255 against Alvin Kallicharran’s West Indians at Madras in 1978-79.

The second and only other Test debutant to go from ‘zero to hero’ is the Pakistani Mohammed Wasim who played his first match, aged 19, against the touring New Zealanders in Lahore in November, 1996.

After New Zealand crumbled for 155, batting first on winning the toss, Wasim entered the fray with the Pakistanis precariously placed at 37 for four to join the

seasoned campaigner, Salim Malik. He only spent three minutes at the crease and faced three deliveries as Simon Doull, the right-arm medium pacer who had taken three of the first four wickets, bowling Wasim to make Pakistan 37 for five.

However, the home team managed to recover and put together a score of 191, thus earning a handy 36-run lead. New Zealand fared far better in their second innings and were bowled out for 311 setting Pakistan a tricky victory target of 276.

Like in the first innings, Pakistan were in early trouble, and by the time Wasim made his appearance the situation had reached crisis level at 42 for five. He, nevertheless, buckled down to the task at hand and led a remarkable recovery which took his team to within 45 runs of victory when the last wicket fell.

In the process, he added 75 for the seventh wicket with the longstanding wicketkeeper Moin Khan and a further 76 for the eighth wicket in partnership with the tail-ender, Mustaq Ahmed.

But more significantly, Wasim reversed his failure in his first outing by fashioning a counter-attacking and mature unbeaten 109 made in 215 minutes, from 165 deliveries and studded with 17 cracking boundaries. Moin Khan’s 38 was the next best score in the innings.

Wasim only played a pal-

try 18 Tests mainly because of inconsistency and poor form which followed his debut performance. However, he did record another century-a huge 192 against Zimbabwe in 1998-but a below-par average of 30 runs per innings and a penchant to getting out to injudicious shots combined to cause his sidelining.

The South African, Andrew Hudson, is in a similar league with Viswanath and Wasim only that he went from ‘hero to zero’ instead.

He was one of ten South Africans having their first taste of Test cricket when they engaged the West Indies in the historic one-off match in Barbados in 1992 to mark his team’s re-entry to the highest form of international cricket after an absence of 23 years because of his country’s abominable and disgustingly intolerable apartheid policies.

Asked to bat first, the West Indies edged their way to an uneasy 262 and the South Africans immediately set out to compile a huge total and gain a substantial lead.

The opener, Hudson, was the man identified to hold the innings together and blunt the attack of the fast bowling quartet of Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, Patrick Patterson and Kenneth Benjamin.

He played the role admirably, batting for nine hours, to be the seventh man outbowled by Benjamin for a solid and disciplined 163

out of a total of 345 all out.

Indeed he was the hero of the first innings.

Behind by 83, the West Indies just went past their first innings effort to be all out for 283. Set 201 for victory in more than ample time, on a pitch that was still relatively good for batting, South Africa had the distinct advantage as Hudson and his partner arrived in the middle early on the fourth afternoon.

Hudson was so confident that, unlike in the first innings, he now decided to take the first ball from Curtly Ambrose. He survived the first but then edged the second to Brian Lara at slip--gone for a duck--leaving the South Africans at nought for one.

The visitors lost another early wicket but closed the day’s play at 122 for two with the captain Kepler Wessels and Peter Kirsten well entrenched.

The situation changed dramatically on the final morning as Ambrose and Walsh combined to utterly destroy South Africa’s batting, claiming the remaining eight wickets for only 26 runs and in the process carrying the West Indies to a frighteningly famous victory.

Hudson had the consolation of being jointly named Man-of-the-Match and it was the commencement of a career that ended in 1998 with 35 Test appearances, over 2000 runs, three more hundreds and an average of 33.45 per innings.

Ellis, Dennis, Stone claim double titles at Western Champs

ST ELIZABETH Technical High School’s (STETHS) Nigel Ellis and Sachin Dennis, along with Petersfield’s Kevon Stone were Digicel Grand Prix sprint double winners at Western Champs yesterday.

All three were impressive at the Montego Bay Sports Complex.

Ellis, who ran a record 10.20secs in the 100m, blew away the field in the 200m to win in 20.40. He missed out on cutting down Usain Bolt’s record of 20.32.

Hujaye Cornwall, Ellis’ teammate, was second in 20.98 and Jordane Jackson of Herbert Morrison, third in 21.32.

Stone, winner of the Class 2 100m in 10.80, returned to top the 200m field in 22.08, way ahead of his teammate, Sean Kalawan.

Dashinelle Dyer of STETHS took third place in 22.34.

Dennis was very fast in the Class 3 200m final,

winning in 22.32s ahead of William Knibb’s Andre Bent 22.53.

Dennis had earlier topped the 100m in 11.03.

In Class 4, Devante Heywood of Munro College, won in 24.11 ahead of Brian Roach of Lacovia in 24.72.(Sportsmax.com)

37

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, February 7, 2016

Leicester rock Man City to race clear, Spurs second this most unpredictable of seasons. “ We h a v e t o t r y i n this crazy league but there are some big teams who have to win,” he told reporters.

“The spirit is fantastic but I’ve said this from my first moment here in Leicester.”

By Justin Palmer

LONDON, (Reu-

ters)-Leicester City’s unlikely assault on a first Premier League title gathered momentum with a ruthless 3-1 demolition of Manchester City helping them storm five points clear at the top yesterday.

Defender Robert Huth scored twice and Algerian magician Riyad Mahrez fired his 14th league goal of the season as Leicester sent a clear message of intent to those who still doubt they have the quality to become champions.

Bookmakers have now made Claudio Ranieri’s men, 5,000-1 outsiders at the start of the campaign, favourites to go all the way.

To t t e n h a m H o t s p u r moved above Manchester City into second place, Kieran Trippier scoring in a 1-0

Leicester City’s Robert Huth celebrates scoring their third goal as Manchester City players look dejectedAction Images via Reuters / Jason CairnduffLivepicpton win over Watford at White Hart Lane.

Leicester have 53 points from 25 games. Spurs are on 48, one ahead of Manchester City. Fourth-placed Arsenal, who visit Bournemouth on Sunday, have 45.

Elsewhere, Newcastle United clawed their way out of the relegation zone after Aleksandar Mitrovic netted in a 1-0 home victory over

West Bromwich Albion.

Norwich City dropped into the bottom three after a 2-0 defeat at basement club Aston Villa while Sunderland, in 19th place, scored twice in the final eight minutes to draw 2-2 at Liverpool.

Ranieri’s Leicester face Arsenal at the Emirates next weekend and the Italian said all the pressure was now on the league’s big guns in

TOO HOT TO HANDLE Leicester’s energy and attacking verve proved too hot for City to handle at the Etihad Stadium, the hosts perhaps still digesting the news that Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola would be replacing Manuel Pellegrini as manager next season.

Poor marking allowed Huth to convert Mahrez’s free kick after three minutes to rock the home team who struggled to respond in rain-lashed Manchester.

Mahrez then showed why he, along with team mate

Jamie Vardy, should be a leading contender for Player of the Year honours when he doubled Leicester’s lead following a swift break, taking N’Golo Kante’s pass to advance and fire the ball past Joe Hart.

Huth’s header from a corner on the hour made it 3-0, ensuring Sergio Aguero’s late reply proved of no consequence.

Pellegrini made no excuses for Manchester City’s chastening defeat.

“A lot of things went wrong. We played against a very good team,” the Chilean said. “It’s fair to give them the merit they have.”

Like Leicester fans, followers of Spurs will dare to dream that their side can finally land a first top-flight title since 1961.

Full back Trippier, set up by substitute Dele Alli, scored his first goal for the club after 64 minutes to extend Spurs’ winning run

to six games in all competitions.

“We need to be calm. We are in a very good position in the league but the philosophy from the beginning of the season has been to go step by step,” said manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Sunderland staged the comeback of the day at Anfield where thousands of Liverpool fans walked out in the 77th minute in protest against rising ticket prices, the timing symbolic with the club intending to charge a top price of 77 pounds ($111.65)next season.

Liverpool, with goals from Roberto Firmino and Adam Lallana, were 2-0 up when many of the home fans left and they at least missed their side’s capitulation as efforts by Adam Johnson and Jermain Defoe, a minute from time, earned Sunderland a point.

MoE/NSC sponsored beginners table tennis programme to conclude Friday THE Ministry of Education-Department of Sport/ National Sports Commission/GTTA Beginner’s Table Tennis Coaching Programme which is currently underway at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue,will conclude on Friday.

The activity which is the brainchild of the Guyana Table Tennis Association and which got the blessings of the Ministry of Education under which Sports fall started on January 18.

The programme attracted 17 schools for the first session, namely Christ Church,

Dolphin Sec, School of the Nations, New Champbellville Sec, North Georgetown Sec, North Ruimveldt, Queens College, Marian Academy, St Georges, St John’s College, St Rose’s, Tucville Sec, Kingston, Queenstown, Sophia Special School, St Barnabas Special School and Freeburg Sec, with over 275

BVA/Fyrish VC team up to stage one day tournament today

THE Berbice Volleyball (VBA) Association and the Fyrish Volleyball Club of Berbice has teamed up st stage a one day tournament for both male and female clubs in the Ancient County beginning at 09:00hrs at the Fyrish Volleyball Court, Corentyne, Berbice.

According to a release, the BVA in its efforts to take the sport to higher heioghts in 2016, will be staging a number of volleyball tournaments, seminars/workshops and outreach programmes.

In that light, it is continuing its busy schedule

with the staging of a one day open tournament for both males and females teams today at the Fyrish volleyball court.

The tournament is expected to attract the top teams in Berbice. Among them are Port Mourant Training Centre, one, two and three, Three Door Strikers, Port Mourant Jaguars, Albion United, No 53 Survival, Tain Humanitarian, Corriverton Jets and host Fyrish.

Two female teams have also been entered for the competition namely Black Birds Volleyball Club and Corriver-

ton females.

The tournament is all part of the BVA’s push to spread the game to all parts of the county.

Teams are asked to turn up with their uniforms and balls if possible.

Prizes, trophies and other memorabilia’s are up for grabs and will be presented to the top winning and runner up teams and outstanding individual players including the best setter, best spiker, most discipline team and the team in the best uniform.

The day’s competition will be played in three parts -Senior, females and junior.

students in total benefiting from the basics of the game.

Schools identified for the second session are, Bishop High, Brickdam Sec, Central High, Charlestown Sec, East Ruimveldt, Richard Ishmael Sec, South Georgetown Sec, St Joseph’s High, St Mary’s High, St Stanislaus College,

Tutorial High, David Rose and Lodge Sec. According to a GTTA release, the objectives of the programme are to develop and improve the level of table tennis in schools; to help students with the basic skills; to help students to be better prepared for future tournaments; to increase the

number of participants involved in table tennis by 25%; to identify players for future tournament; to create an integrated coaching programme that incorporates the coach education and players development.

The coaches are Xenophon Goliah, Michael Kellman and Linden Johnson.

BCCI to make Delhi T20 venue decision tomorrow

NEW DELHI, (Reuters)-New Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla ground has three more days to acquire the necessary paperwork to retain hosting rights for matches at the World Twenty20 tournament starting next month, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) said on Friday.

The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) failed to get the requisite clearances from various civic authorities in order to host a T20 match between India and Sri Lanka on Feb. 12, forcing the BCCI to transfer the contest to Ranchi.

Delhi is scheduled to host four matches in the March

BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur

8-April 3 tournament, including a semi-final on March 30, but could lose out completely due to an inability to abide by bureaucratic routine.

“We discussed it in the recent International Cricket Council (ICC) meetings held in Dubai and we said 30 days prior to the World Cup (we will make a decision),” BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur told reporters.

“So on Feb. 8, we will make a final call on DDCA. We have already decided on a plan if they fail to get any NOCs (No Objection Certificates) or court orders to host the matches.

“Ticket sales will start on the ninth.”

38

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, February 7, 2016

GBL pilot programme working wonders in Berbice

By Stephan Sookram WITH more focus being placed on sport in schools and getting more children involved in sport, one discipline has devised a clever way to draw in new talent and promote their sport while not hurting the system.

The Guyana Baseball League (GBL), under the stewardship of current president Robin Singh, has successfully devised a twofold way to ensure that the sport system is reinvigorated in schools while talent searching among students continues.

Singh, speaking to Chronicle Sport contended that by using a pilot school, Berbice High School, and incorporating

“

Guyana, they (the GBL) had opted to use the Physical Education subject as a means of transmitting it, with Berbice Schools show-

(CSEC).

“When we lobbied CSEC to have baseball as one of the option sports on Physical Education (PE),

The pilot project has worked well; we have taken a schools and been able to get the sport on the curriculum legitimately” - Guyana Baseball League President

the sport at the grass root level into the curriculum, they have been able to successfully blend sport and education while unearthing talent.

“Getting sport back into school our way has been the physical education examination,” contended Singh.

When baseball was being spread throughout

ing the most enthusiasm, hence Berbice High as the pilot project.

The school which has been involved with the sport for the second year running this year, has been utilizing the sport as part of their Caribbean Examinations Council’s (CXC) Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate

we got it on the first year so that It could have been used as a demonstration sport, that’s last year (2015), and we had 30 students sit very

“

At the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) level, Singh says that four persons are utilising it as part of their exams, while as it relates to fourth formers, they pilot school has over thirty and at the third form level close to one hundred children have expressed an interest.

“Basically for this year’s exam, once a week I’m

added the GBL Boss.

Meanwhile, the relevant stakeholders have sat up and taken note of the GBL’s advancements with Singh confessing that the National Sports Commission (NSC) has offered to assist with three more pilot programmes in the ancient county.

According to Singh, “they have liked the pilot program and are going

Getting sport back into school, our way has been the physical education examination”- Robin Singh, Guyana Baseball League President

successfully. This year, 34 are going to use baseball,” said Singh.

taking the guys up from Georgetown to let them see how it’s done in Berbice,”

to support three other programs, so we are going to expand from one

a student gets ready to deliver a pitch

GBL president Robin Singh shows some new students the batting stance.

school to four. I’ve got a couple primary schools in Berbice again who are interested. We’re growing slowly.”

On the aspect of coaching, Singh said, “It’ll take about three months or twelve sessions to deliver baseball to a new coach starting from ground zero, who has no idea what the game is. It’s a very complex

game.”

Nonetheless, he has Georgetown on the body’s strategic plans with an eye to employing the same Berbice methods in the Garden City.

“The pilot project has worked well; we have taken a school and been able to get the sport on the curriculum legitimately,” he concluded.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Sunday February 07, 2016) 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) 19 Tests (2) Roy Fredericks Today’s Quiz: (1) Who is the first WI to take a Test hattrick?

(2) Who is the first WI to take a wicket with his first ball in ODI cricket?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

Teams fit, raring to go for Super Bowl 50

By Larry Fine

SAN FRANCISCO, (Reuters)-The Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos gathered at Levi’s Stadium for team pictures yesterday after proclaiming themselves fit and raring to go for Super Bowl 50.

Carolina had a key question mark heading into the final week’s preparation for Sunday’s National Football League title game in Pro Bowl linebacker Thomas Davis, who broke his right arm in their conference championship two weeks ago against Arizona.

Head coach Ron Rivera said he expected Davis, who had a dozen pins inserted in his forearm after having surgery the day after the NFC clash, to start after practicing fully this week.

“He actually took a shot on the arm yesterday and said ‘Hey, I’m fine. That felt pretty good,’” Rivera said.

Three Panthers players on the injury report – Davis, defensive end Jared Allen (foot) and running back Mike Tolbert (knee) – were all full partici-

pants in Friday’s practice and all officially listed as probable for the Super Bowl.

Denver had three players limited in practice on

(knee). All will start today.

“It’s been a good week,’’ said Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak told a pool reporter in Stanford on Friday. “It’s been

Denver Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak addresses the media at press conference prior to Super Bowl 50 at Santa Clara Marriott. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Wednesday, but all 53 practiced fully on Friday for the second straight day, including safeties T.J. Ward (ankle) and Darian Stewart (knee), and guard Louis Vasquez

a good two weeks, really. You see they’re ready.”

Carolina coach Rivera said his team’s energy level picked up with each day of

practice, typical for the 17-1 team.

“That’s the one thing we’ve seen,” Rivera told a pool reporter in San Jose. “We’ve seen that build-up.”

Quarterbacks on both teams have been sharp.

During the full-team drills pitting Cam Newton and the offense against the scout team, the football hit the ground just once.

Over three days of practices, Newton had just two incompletions – the other being a deflected pass over the middle – during team drills.

Denver veteran Peyton Manning, 39, has also been impressive.

Only one of Manning’s throws against the Denver scout team defense was incomplete on Friday, continuing the strong form he has shown since arriving in the Bay Area.

“This is as good as he’s looked all year long,” Kubiak said after Thursday’s practice when Manning drilled a deep ball to Emmanuel Sanders and later hit Demaryius Thomas on a long pass.

39

SUNDAY CHRONICLE, February 7, 2016

Milo U-20 Schools Football Tournament…

Chase’s Academy blows away St. Winifred’s 8-0

ANOTHER sterling performance for Chase’s Academy as they destroyed St. Winifred’s 8 – 0 yesterday when the Milo Under-20 Schools football tournament continued with four matches at the Ministry of Education Ground, Carifesta Avenue.

However, only three matches were fully contested since the final match between Tucville and East Ruimveldt was ended prematurely after it was discovered that both sides were fielding players over the age limit.

Tucville Secondary was in the midst of an emphatic come back following four quick-fire goals to put them ahead, 4 – 2, before the referee called the game to a halt. After a brief discussion which involved the supporting referee staff and coaches of both sides, the game was blown off.

Meanwhile, Chase’s Academy featured in the penultimate match of the

day where doubles from Josiah Charles and Jeremy Garrett led the way.

Charles found the back of the net in the 45th and 53rd while Garrett was successful in the 55th and 63rd.

Curtez Kellman (5 th ), Keith Caines (31st), Job Caesar (56th) and Amoniki Forde (70th) accounted for the victors’ other goals.

In the match that preceded, Kingston Community High sank Cummings Lodge 4 – 2. Leonardo Wilson drew first blood for Cummings Lodge in the 14th minute but Kingston answered in the 23rd minute when Shawn Grovesnor scored.

An own goal compliments of Cummings Lodge put Kingston up by one in the 30th minute before Elroy George equalised in the 39th minute.

Vincent Thomas stepped in late in the second half and beat the custodian in the 60th and 64th minutes as Kingston

cruised to a two-possession win.

The day’s opening match was a close one by Dolphin Secondary won 2 – 1 ag2inst St. Mary’s High.

They battled to a goalless first half but the second 35 minutes saw Kingston step it up a notch.

Akeem Daniels got the score line moving when the scored in the 44th minute then his teammate Derrick Ross doubled the lead in the 62nd minute. Four minutes later Colin Denny pulled one back for the opposition but they did not put enough work to find the equaliser.

Today, the tournament continues with three matches as Houston take Part of the action between Cummings Lodge and Kingston on North Ruimveldt at Community High in the Petra organized Milo U-20 Schools Football 11:00 hrs then Brickdam Secondary clash with North Georgetown at 12:30 hrs before the final match kicks off at 14:00 hrs between Lodge Secondary and St. Joseph High School.

Rutherford, Forrester slam centuries..

DCC, GCC to clash in GCA/NBS final

By Rajiv Bisnauth Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) youngster Sherfane Rutherford’s all-round brilliance enabled his club to comfortably crush Everest Cricket Club by eight wickets in their semi-final match of the George-

Sports Club by 74 runs in the other semi-final playoff.

The talented Rutherford took 4-50, and then smashed an unbeaten 107, inclusive of seven fours and eight six-

Winston Forrester’ es. The home team reached 182-2 in 26 overs, in reply to Sherfane Rutherford Everest 181.

Left- arm spinner Ashtown Cricket Association mead Nedd also claimed four (GCA)-sponsored New wickets for 32 runs, while Building Society second off-spinner Dennis Squires division 40-over cricket took the other two wickets. tournament yesterday.

Troy Gonslaves made a DCC will now reach the top score of 52 (4x4, 1x6), Georgetown Cricket Club(G- while Akshaya Persaud CC) in the final at a date chipped in with 38, inclusive and venue to be confirmed, of five fours and a six for the after GCC whipped Transport visitors.

Over at GCC, Winston Forrester’s innings of 107 set the tone for an easy victory for the host. After deciding to bat first, GCC reached 219-6 off their 40 overs.

Forrester played the attacking role, with 11 fours and two sixes after a few early wickets in favourable sunshine.

Forrester timed the ball well before his innings came to end off 75 balls. Martin Pestano-Bell, who stroked two fours, contributed 25, while Devon Lord hit three fours in his 22. Manny Ford and Stephen Wilson scored 16 runs apiece.

Bowling for TSC, Oslyn Batson (2-46), Shawn Massiah (2-33) and Azeem Azee (2-38) were the successful bowlers.

GCC bowlers then combined together to bowl out TSC for 147 in reply. Lord (3-18), Forrester (2-16), Deonarine Seegobin (2-22) and Wilson (2-22) were the main destroyers for GCC. Charwayne McPherson top scored with 31, while Massiah contributed 27 in a losing cause.

Final report on selection interference is in -WICB

ST. JOHN’s, Antigua - The report of the findings from the “alleged interference” in the selection process for the senior men’s team is in.

The report also features a seven-point recommendation going forward.

Interviews were conducted with nine West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) personnel and the three cases which were under scrutiny was one home Test series against Australia; one away one-day international series against Zimbabwe (which was cancelled) and the away ODI series against Sri Lanka…all in 2015.

The findings stated that the actions of the President and Vice- President to support the selection of Shivnarine Chanderpaul for the home series in May last year, were personal statements and were done without approval of the Board of Directors.

The other findings reported support the roles of the Director of Cricket and the Selectors and that they were following the existing selection policies and guidelines.

The seven-point recommendations spoke to a number of areas for improvement to include but

WICB vice-president Emmanuel Nanthan not limited to: · Providing mediation for the Selection Panel · Clearly defined roles for the team and individuals separately · Refining of policies on selection · Advising the public on selection criteria · A closer look at performance standards An update to the terms of reference for the Selection Committee The report which was conducted by Human Resource Specialist, Colin Barnett, was presented to the

Executive Team and will be used as a guide going forward. The report is also an agenda item for the Board of Directors regular quarterly meeting, set for March in Antigua. Barnett also sits on the WICB’s HR Committee.

The next major international assignment for the WICB is the men’s and women’s ICC World Twenty20 Tournament in India from March 8 – April 3.

The women’s squad which is currently in camp in Barbados will go to South Africa before going on to India, while the men’s team will participate in a camp in Dubai later this month.

Teams fit, raring to go for Super Bowl 50

GFA STAG Premier League to kickoff today See Story on Page 34

General view of Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos helmets with NFL Wilson Duke football at Super Bowl 50 sculpture at Twin Peaks. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports(See story on Page 38.)

Persaud cites endurance as CMRC warm up

Ansa McAl’s PRO Darshnie Yussuf, hands over her company’s cheque to GFA President Clifton Hicken, while other representatives of the company and the Association look on.

Thomas, Amsterdam for Olympic Qualifiers

Desmond Amsterdam

Dennis Thomas

Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216.

See Page 34

By Stephan Sookram Racers and fans alike are eager for today’s season opening Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC)’s endurance meet, billed for the South Dakota Circuit,Timheri.

Group three driver Danny Persaud is using this endurance meet as the first of many warm- ups in his quest to take the Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC) , set to begin in May. Today’s race,according to Persaud, will dust the cobwebs off the racing, saying, “This three- hour endurance is really important to me as a racer. It will test my fitness behind the wheel and will gauge my fitness heading into the CMRC season.”

“Apart from that, as a racer, almost any local event that I can compete in I try to get to the start line. The adrenaline and the thrill of racing on the track is something that I can’t really explain,” contended Persaud.

The driver, who finished fourth in the 2015 CMRC group three standings, contended that this is essentially the start of his personal preparation for the year.

“I know it’s a bit early to speak about the CMRC and its competition, but I view this as my litmus for the upcoming season.

Last season I didn’t do well in the CMRC standings; my team worked hard but we didn’t get the results.This time around its going to be different,” said the driver.

He will return to the wheel of the Toyota Starlet with which he entered motor racing at the group two level. His mechanic Anil Persaud is slated to be his co-driver come race day.

In keeping with tradition, cars will be classed into groups based on engine capacity and will compete for three hours along the largest of the three tracts In an added attraction for fans, there will be several threelap superstreet races where street -cars will be allowed a race along the smaller track.

The GMRSC has also announced that admission is free and the event begins at 10:00hrs.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2016