Chronicle 11 14 2015

GUYANA

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

No upsurge in crime - police No. 104372

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2015

GUYANA’S MOST WIDELY CIRCULATED NEWSPAPER

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INCLUDING VAT

– say ‘spiral’ headline claim absurd

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$100,000 from the President President David Granger makes the first donation in this year’s Salvation Army Christmas Appeal during the launch of the organisation’s year-end programme on Friday (Delano Williams photo)

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…as Salvation Army launches Christmas kettle

Gov’t slams At least 120 Rohee race- dead in Paris baiting terrorist attacks P.8

– on ethnicities of GECOM staff

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 14, 2015

Hundreds wowed at Courts’ annual Christmas Tree light-up

By Clestine Juan

HUNDREDS gathered yesterday in Main Street, Georgetown and its environs to witness the annual Courts Christmas Concert and Tree-lighting ceremony, as usual, presented by the furniture and appliances mega-store’s main branch on Main Street.

This year’s theme for the activity was ‘Feel like a kid

again’. The programme formally commenced with the singing of the National Anthem, after which a series of entertainment pieces regaled the crowd, which filled almost the entire main street area.

Proceedings were chaired by radio personality Nurriyih Gerrard and DJ Akelo Elliot, and the appreciative crowd was entertained by acts such as the National School of Dance, Happy Feet Dance

First Lady of Guyana, Mrs Sandra Granger

Group, Courts Choir, Jovinski Thorne, Carlvin Burnett, the 2015 Soca Monarch Jomo Primo, and the National Steel Orchestra.

Tourism Minister Cathy Hughes did the grand honours of activating the switch that turned on the lights, done by an app via her mobile phone.

That act magically trans-

A section of the gathering at the light-up

formed the shadowy street into a luminous lane.

The minister joined First Lady Sandra Granger in wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas, and thanked Courts for signalling the beginning of the festive season in Guyana.

“The lightning of the tree signals Christmas -- a time of love, joy, hope and sacrifice,”

said First Lady Mrs Granger, as she went on to make a biblical reference taken from the Book of St Matthew, chapter 2 verses 9-11.

The First Lady was also gifted a $100,000 cheque towards her Women Across Differences (WAD) organisation.

Courts Managing Director Clyde DeHaas thanked all Guyanese, particularly customers, for their participation in the evening’s activities, and encouraged them to continue to shop at Courts for a chance to receive the grand prizes the superstore has to offer for the holidays.

Winner of the Courts’ ‘What would you do with $1M’, Fanela Persaud, entered the competition through her cash purchase of a gas stove, won one million dollars, and told the audience that she

was giving the money to her parents for the Christmas.

Her win ushered in what some considered as the most “magical” part of the evening’s proceedings.

Courts also crowned its Road Show singing and dancing champions, the Euphoria Dance Group and Jaeuonah and Ronnel, who proved to the audience why they were crowned the Courts’ Road Show 2015 champions.

Santa and his team made a grand appearance on a well-lit and beautifully decorated truck as they shared sweets and other goodies to children. Santa and his team brought along a huge amount of confetti, which contributed to making the event even more magical and ushered in the Christmas feeling with a bang.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 14, 2015

...as Salvation Army $100,000 from launches Christmas kettle the president

Members of the head table at the launch of the Salvation Army’s Christmas Appeal: From left are Mr. Edward Boyer; His Excellency President David Granger; Captain Yangil; Mr. Ulrik Thibaud; Board Member Lawrence Farley and Major Carolinda Cumberbatch

By Shirley Thomas PRESIDENT David Granger is urging persons to give generously to the Salvation Army’s kettles, as the organisation seeks to raise much needed funds over the next six weeks to help bring hope and joy to the lives of needy children and other less fortunate persons.

“They [children] are the future and if we don’t look after children of course, we would jeopardise our own future…,” the President declared.

President Granger made this call yesterday during the launch of the Army’s Annual Christmas Appeal, made on the lawns of Guyana Stores on Church Street. The Head of State who was the Special Guest at the ceremony was at the time delivering the feature address at the function held under the theme: ‘Sharing is Caring’.

Expressing his pleasure at being able to honour the invitation to be the Special

Guest at the function, President Granger said the nation has always been happy to be associated with the Salvation Army for over 120 years.

CHARITY Referring to the theme of the event, which speaks to ‘sharing’ and ‘caring’, the President said that it was also about charity, stressing, that we have to give because in giving we ourselves get.

“So in my brief remarks, I will like to ask each person here to give generously because it will come back to you…It will come back to you in fewer children who are homeless; fewer families who are in distress; fewer citizens who are poor and can’t afford to send their children to school and fewer families who are able to share that good life.”

The President said that in addition to ushering in the campaign, he had occasion to gratefully acknowledge the work that the Salvation Army has been doing for over 120 years in our country.

Reflecting on the birth of Christ who came to earth in very humble circumstances, he said that one of the most outstanding aspects of Christmas itself is not just the miraculous nature of Christ’s birth, but also that he came as a child.

CENTRALITY OF CHILDREN “And for that reason, he said, many families throughout the western world regard Christmas as a festival for children, adding that we would like to feel that the launch of the campaign today, is also a recognition

of the centrality of children in our lives. “They are the future and if we don’t look after children of course, we would jeopardise our own future,” the President affirmed.

He posited that in giving, we ensure that we create a climate in our country – a climate in which we learn to respect each other and love and share with each other.

On this note, he suggested that the occasion was a special function, not only for children, but also for caring.

REDUCE INEQUALITY Meanwhile, President Granger observed that the

Salvation Army is renowned in the western world for its war against poverty. Noting that in Guyana, poverty is one of our greatest challenges, he proposed that if Guyana is to move forward we have to reduce inequality.

Against the back drop of Guyana having a very small population, the President said he is convinced that if we remove those inequalities more people will graduate into the middle class; more people would be able to go to school; more people would be able to enjoy that good life that we have promised them.

Extending kudos to the Salvation Army for the work they undertake in Guyana, the President said: “I regard your efforts today – not only as an aspect of Christian charity, but also as an economic venture to reduce and remove inequalities, so that more people would be able to

gain education; more people would be able to participate more fully in the economy and thereby enjoy that good life.”

And noting some of the activities in which the Salvation Army will be involved over the next six weeks leading up to Christmas, such as visits to old folks homes; visits to those in need; visits to the hospitals; and assisting children to participate in that ‘good life’ with toys, with food, he urged them to continue the good work and called on others to join in such activities.

In concluding, President Granger, on behalf of the Government of Guyana, officially launched the Christmas Appeal by making the first donation of $100,000 to the fund.

Others among the distinguished gathering making donations included British Turn to page 9 ►

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday November 14, 2015

Port Kaituma boy air-dashed to GPHC

By Shauna Jemmott

A TEN-YEAR-OLD Port Kaituma boy was flown to the city early yesterday morning and is receiving medical attention at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) after a venomous snake bit him on the leg late Thursday.

Reports reaching the Chronicle state that Ryan Fredericks was flown to Ogle Airport in a Ministry of Health medivac operation around 02:00 hrs yesterday in a critical condition with blood streaming from his mouth after a labaria snake bit him. He was then transported to the city hospital.

GPHC Public Relations Officer Mitzy Campbell told this newspaper yesterday afternoon that the child was receiving medical care and while his condition is being

- after bitten by labaria snake

carefully monitored, he was considered to be stable up to press time.

Meanwhile, a source close to Roraima Airways said around 23:05 hrs Thursday night, flight dispatcher Bholanauth Baijmath received the medivac call from Ministry of Health staff Michael Gouveia and despite unfavourable weather conditions, the team comprising Captain Collin Martin, Gerri Gouveia Jnr. and Dr. Bholan Persaud of the Ministry of Health departed Ogle Airport around midnight for Port Kaituma on the 8RGRC Roraima Airways aircraft.

The Guyana Chronicle learnt of the incident yesterday after Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Roraima Group of Companies, Captain Gerry Gouveia in an inspiring comment on Facebook, commended the team for having the

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child’s life at heart, while risking their own.

Contact made to Captain Gouveia confirmed that the child was bleeding from his mouth and needed urgent medivac to city hospital.

After receiving the life-threatening strike, the boy was rushed to Port Kaituma hospital, some 120 miles away in the jungle of Region 1 (Barima/Waini) and was in dire need of emergency help.

Gouveia said at the time the call was received by his flight dispatch staff, “they all got out of their beds, dashed to the airport, and prepared the aircraft. The pilots were awakened and within minutes the Roraima Medivac plane was airborne, making its way across the rainforest, punching (through) the rain.

“The weather was deteriorating, raining with thunder storms...the runway had no lights, but ‘a life’ was hanging in

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the balance,” Gouveia pointed out.

DARK-NIGHT LANDING He said in Port Kaituma, police collaborated with residents and prepared the runway lining it with various kinds of vehicles including All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) to provide lights for a dark-night landing which was considered “difficult.”

“The Roraima pilots skilfully and with great precision landed on the dark jungle runway, and air-dashed that boy to life saving medical care in record time,” he said, adding, “Another life saved in the dead of the night.”

Gouveia commended the efforts and cooperation of his pilots and support staff at Roraima. He said that he was “emotionally proud” since their “dedication and commitment to Guyana and serving Guyanese are way beyond the call of duty.” The boy was accompanied to the city by his father Deon Fredericks.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday November 14, 2015

Dr Smith elected to second term as CDB President THE Board of Governors of the Caribbean Development Bank have re-elected Dr. William Warren Smith to a second five-year term as president.

This decision was confirmed on November 6 last, with the new term officially beginning on May 1, 2016, the CDB said in a statement. The Caribbean Development Bank represents the 27 member countries of the regional multilateral financial institution.

Dr. Smith was first elected President of the CDB on October 29, 2010, and assumed office on May 1, 2011. At that time, many of the Bank’s borrowing member countries (BMCs) were dealing with a myriad of highly complex development problems, made more acute by the Great Recession of 2008. It was evident that recovery would require extraordinary effort, informed by new thinking and approaches to Caribbean development. Operationally, some aspects of the Bank’s business model required adjustments that would increase the CDB’s development effectiveness and responsiveness

to the changing needs of its members.

Dr. Smith, the CDB’s fifth president, committed to making the Bank a more creative and reliable partner, responding effectively

Dr. William Warren Smith, CDB President to countries’ needs to build resilience against external shocks. Improving responsiveness meant strengthening the CDB’s internal governance; introducing additional measures to facilitate greater transparency and accountability; portfolio diversification, and improving operational efficiency. Other reforms included: establishing a centralised Office of Risk Management; a new independent Office of Integrity, Compliance and

Accountability; and upgrading the Internal Audit, Independent Evaluation, Corporate Communications and Information Disclosure functions of the Bank.

Throughout the period, the CDB has actively promoted private sector-led growth and stability by assisting BMCs to design, finance and implement robust macro-economic programmes. The Bank has also been encouraging measured debt relief for small island developing Caribbean states which demonstrate willingness to embrace the requisite fiscal and structural reforms.

As a way of equipping countries to confront the ongoing threat of climate change, CDB has sought accreditation to the Green Climate Fund and the Adaptation Fund. Concerted effort has also been made to identify partnerships and funding for suitable climate resilience projects, especially in the areas of renewable energy, energy efficiency, and climate adaptation.

The Bank has been encouraging countries to improve competitiveness through energy diversification, which includes

accessing indigenous, renewable sources. Much support has been directed to supporting Eastern Caribbean States’ exploration of their geothermal energy potential. To lead by example, CDB has undertaken further green initiatives at its head offices, which include the installation of a solar PV plant that would generate 20% of the Bank’s electricity needed.

Looking ahead to the next five years, Dr. Smith maintains that strengthening economic and environmental resilience to safeguard growth, while driving down poverty in Caribbean countries, will remain paramount.

He noted that the Caribbean’s development agenda will be informed by the new sustainable development goals of the global community.

Man admits stealing daughter’s jewellery

By Clestine Juan “Ya Worship it’s the truth, I did take she things because I been in debt to a man.”

These were the words of 50-year–old Richard Binis after pleading guilty and being slapped with a six months’ jail term for the theft of his daughter’s jewellery.

Binis appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan yesterday, on a larceny charge which alleged that on November 10, 2015, at Lot 7 Second Street, Meadow Bank, East Bank Demerara, Binis stole a quantity of gold and silver jewellry – totalling $103,000 property of Meryl Fraser.

According to the facts, Fraser returned home around 13:30 hrs and saw her father asleep on her veranda. Binis was then awoken by the virtual complainant and offered food. She invited him inside, while she went about her house doing household chores.

Moments later Fraser went into her bedroom and found her father snooping around. She then chased him out of her house. After Binis had gone, the woman discovered her jewelery box and valuables missing. When he was arrested and held at the Ruimveldt Police Station, he confessed to the crime. Chief Magistrate McLennan sentenced the father to six months’ imprisonment. The shackled man muttered a muffled “Thank you” before being whisked away to the Georgetown Prisons.

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Guyana

EDITORIAL

Working together for human development A BIPARTITE conference was recently held in Georgetown and it drew participation from the trade union and employer communities. It had the prime objective of addressing the challenges to CARIFORUM, labour, the private sector and employers with regard to fulfilling their obligations under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).

The conference was organised by the Caribbean Congress of Labour (CCL) and the Caribbean Employers Confederation (CEC), with support from CARIFORUM and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

This conference had its genesis in the recognition by the two social partners (CLC and CEC) that they have a responsibility -- separately and collectively, nationally and regionally -- to make a significant contribution towards the full realisation of the EPA existing between the European Union (EU) and CARIFORUM. Ensconced in this agreement is a chapter that deals with a conscious shift from the way things have been done in the past, to that of using internationally acceptable tools that deal with respect for rights as a major pillar in human development.

The agreement further commits stakeholders to ensure that delivery of goods and services conform to specific internationally acceptable guidelines.

For instance, if sandals are being produced, the guidelines are not only on the quality, but the conditions under which they are made; which include shunning forced labour, child labour, poor occupational health and safety practices, and exploitative wages.

Guyana should have no difficulty in working towards addressing and overcoming challenges which pose a threat to the development that CARIFORUM is committed to achieving. As a country, there exist constitutional structures, the

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday November 14, 2015

I predicted that the PPP would disintegrate Dear Editor, I PREDICTED, long ago, after Dr Cheddi Jagan had died, that the PPP would disintegrate. This is a party with which I spent 40 years of my life, and later had to leave because of a greedy set of so-called leaders.

It is sad to see how they are destroying Cheddi’s legacy and the party he formed when he came back from the United States in 1943 and started to fight for the poor and downtrodden.

Cheddi paid a lot of attention to statistics, unlike these new leaders, who only think about accumulating wealth off the poor people’s backs.

Cheddi and his wife, Janet, were honest leaders, nothing ever filled their eyes; and the two of them were dedicated to securing independence for Guyana to free the country from the shackles of imperialist and capitalist oppression.

These are some of the struggles that motivated me as a little boy of just about 11 years old to follow Cheddi, and every time I heard he was coming to speak at Lima Dam turn, which was popularly known as Bourda Green, I would

leave my father’s home to hear Dr Cheddi Jagan and LFS Burnham speak.

They were the most dynamic speakers I have ever heard. Both of them would share the same political platform. There was no breakaway faction then, it was one PPP, and all the races would attend in large crowds.

Jagan’s legacy was rich, he and Burnham were born leaders, unlike the leaders of today. Cheddi inspired me a lot because of his simplicity and honesty, and this had motivated me to become a member of the PYO at 16 years old. I started to attend youth meetings in the village at Cyril Inderpaul’s house at Lima Dam. The meeting place was then moved to Vi s h n u B h a g w a n d e e n father ’s house, and then later to Pandit Chowby’s residence. We had formed a judo, boxing and acrobatic youth group to perform and raise money for the party at all PPP-sponsored Phagwah fairs because we loved Cheddi. In those days, the organisers were Ishak Basir, Toolsie Mangra, Bhola Persaud and Harry Persaud Nokta. Basir and his wife

most important of which is the mandate of inclusionary democracy; and should these be applied, they can make the goal attainable. The conventions and charters to which both the EU and CARIFORUM countries -- inclusive of Guyana -- subscribe, also serve as a guide in helping us to achieve compliance.

Guyana should, however, be mindful that these ambitions are not without their concomitant timeframes, which the country must be mindful of in order to ensure positive international standing. If Guyana defaults on expectations in this regard on any specific item -- for instance, in the production of rice -- the entire exportation of this product to Europe can come to a standstill. As such, it is required that every production and service agency be conscious and conscientious of their roles, inter-relationships, and what is expected of the country.

Further, in that the CARIFORUM Agreement encompasses elements that factor in the Green Economy to which Guyana has turned attention -which sets out to bring about sustainable development, a better environment, address poverty and be mindful that activities are conducted within the sphere of respect for citizens’ and participants’ rights -- this society can be on the cusp of setting another milestone.

Guyana, as a member of CARIFORUM and other regional and international bodies, whose management is guided by laws, conventions and charters considered

Sabra were the most active; they did a lot of fundraising by holding excursions in The Pomeroon and at Shell Beach.

These were some of the people that I can remember who helped build the PPP from scratch. At a meeting in the regional boardroom at Region 2 when Bharrat Jagdeo was President, he came to meet with Essequibians during his second term in office.

I remember quite clearly Comrade Basir rising to the floor to raise a question and Jagdeo, in a hostile manner, telling him to sit down. Comrade Basir, a longstanding stalwart and founder member of the Jagan party, was so embarrassed that he walked out of the meeting and went home.

That was the turning point when the party moved from being democratic to being authoritarian. I saw that the end was near and that freedom of speech in the party was coming to an end. Later, Basir was expelled from the party for speaking out against Jagdeo’s attitude, and was debarred from attending the Diamond Congress.

He was turned away at the gate, and had to return home while all the other leaders stood there without uttering a word.

Then came Donald Ramotar ’s election as president. He went on to head the first minority government in Guyana, and with another election -on May 11, 2015 –- the PPP was booted out of office by the AFC+APNU coalition, after being in government for 23 years. This was the beginning of the end of the PPP. Certain basic facts started to become established, the PPP was getting weaker than ever, increasingly more and more party members started to walk away after the PPP lost the 2015 general and regional elections; and worst of all, the new crop of leaders started to move away from Jagan’s policies and legacy. Apart from the competing of interests at the leadership level, there are growing contradictions between the PPP leadership and its rank and file membership.

Yours faithfully MOHAMED KHAN

foundational for working together in ensuring the development of all humankind, shoulders responsibility which requires compliance with these statutes by which all member states are bound.

As the administration focuses on strengthening the education system, education and training can become potent tools in forging togetherness and compliance with external relations and the rights, roles and responsibilities of respective stakeholders and their importance to human development.

Guyana, which has, from 1905, blazed the trail in agitating for fundamental rights and freedoms -- such as the right to self-determination, joining a trade union of choice, and collective bargaining -- has more than sufficient experience to be a model country. In working together, it has to be factored in for consideration and respect that ours is a diverse society. For diversity is no hindrance to human development, given universal conventions, charters and agreements; and constitutions have laid the guidelines for using the uniqueness among us as strengths to also further achievement of goals. At the end of the day, we are Guyanese. And though coming from different historical experiences, we have demonstrated the capacity and capability to live and work together for our development in relative harmony.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday November 14, 2015

A cleaned-up Georgetown is looking good!

Dear Editor, I WOULD like to congratulate the management of the Balwant Singh Hospital on East Street, Georgetown for the way they maintain the environment outside that establishment. The trees are beautiful, and the place is spotless.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all the hospitals, institutions and private businesses

in Georgetown did likewise? The city could use more trees, and if every business kept its environment clean, government money for maintenance would go much further.

Thank you management of the Balwant Singh Hospital for setting a good example!

To all the other businesses in Georgetown, I appeal: Don’t wait for others; just do it yourself.

It is so nice to drive around the city and see so many cleanup projects underway. Maybe we should start a cleanup competition to see which establishment could make its environment the most beautiful.

Oops, I just drove my vehicle into a huge pothole approaching South Road and Camp Street. It is half the width

of the street. I have seen many vehicles trying to dodge the pothole and almost colliding into other vehicles that are trying to turn north on Camp. Would the Ministry of Public Infrastructure please look into this matter urgently?

Yours faithfully, SYEADA MANBODH

Winds of change are blowing in the aviation industry Dear Editor, THE struggle at Ogle International Airport is not due to greed, preferential treatment, or power over the helpless; it is all strategic positioning by one operator over the others for long-term benefit should the winds of change blow in Guyana.

One set of operators have decided to play by the rules and position themselves whereby there were no political affiliations and no appearance of illegal activity

or compromise of integrity. The other operators played political games. Many said and did nothing under the guise of an aviation business.

Now the winds of change are here in Guyana. The law-abiding rises above the rest to bask in the sunshine, and the others struggle to stay relevant as the winds of change blow in our country.

The winds of change are blowing in the aviation industry, and only the law-abiding will survive. There are no more handouts

from the government; kickbacks are being eradicated; non-traditional financing has been eroded; and the AML/CFT Bill has been signed, with the DEA Office slated to be open in Guyana by January 1, 2016.

Let us see who ends up surviving the storms and the same winds that affected Captain Khamraj Lall’s money jet. Now that operators have to run a real business without the ‘accustomed trimmings’, let us sit back and watch the fight over the scraps. It will get worse before the law-

abiding rises from the ashes as the playing field gets levelled for all to play by the rules.

I hope the aviation operators stop whining and complaining, and now play by the rules. The AML/CFT Bill is here, along with a fully staffed DEA Office and a new government with an anti-corruption and anti-drug platform.

Regards BALRAM BHAGWANDIN

Rohee complains that the media is being too hard on the PPP Dear Editor, BOTH the Stabroek News and the Guyana Chronicle recently came out firing on all cylinders. Lengthy editorials reflected the thinking of the Editorial Boards of these two dailies.

The target was the PPP’s staunch defence of Cheddi Jagan’s legacy associated with the Red House. That party is being accused of pandering to a culture of “dominance instinct”, of being “undemocratic” and “antiJagan” “Jagan,” they claim, “would have wanted Red House to be shared”. They seem to know Jagan better than the leadership of the PPP. One cynical letter writer suggested, “Put Jagan’s records at Congress Place and Burnham’s at Freedom House.” He called for creation of one PPP/PNC Party Headquarters, named “Common Place” or “Common House”, where PPP and PNC apparatchiks would cohabitate. He ended by calling for Jagan’s remains to be removed from Babu Jaan and be put at the Seven Ponds Place of Heroes, and for Burnham’s remains to be placed at Babu Jaan.

The cynics have jumped into bed with the

critics. The demand “from above” is clear: “either the PPP shares it or vacates it”. Jagan, they declare, has no right being there alone; Red House must be shared with Burnham and Hoyte is the cry.

History has been turned on its head; logic is turned upside down, and authoritarianism rears its ugly head. Recall Fanon’s ‘Wretched of the Earth’: “By a kind of perverted logic, it turns to the past of the oppressed people and distorts, disfigures and destroys it!”

Jagan’s followers are being pressured to accept Burnham and Hoyte as co-leaders of the PPP, and this is being pursued in the context of a crusade to reverse/revise the annals of Guyana’s political history. And the recent statement that “Guyana needs a second independence” must not go unscrutinised. Its objective seems altruistic, but the subterfuge can be pernicious.

Intellectual heresy has replaced objectivity and consistency. Nothing of historical significance seems to matter these days, save only what is associated with the Burnham era on the one hand, and all that is anti-PPP and anti-Jagan on the other. This is clearly the flavour of the day.

Post-mortem report - in granny missing murder trial

By Michel Outridge

THE June 30, 2011 murder trial of septuagenarian Clementine FiedtkouParris continued yesterday in the High Court before Justice Navindra Singh with several police witnesses testifying.

The most interesting revelations were that the crime scene photographs were all defective and the original post mortem report lodged at Alberttown Police Station was missing.

The first police witness, Lance Corporal Desmond Johnny who is the Crime Scene Examiner/Photographer said he went

to Lot 42 Robb Street after he received instructions from his senior officer. He gave a detailed description of the location of the house which he entered and observed what appeared to be blood on one of the chairs in the living room. A bullet and a bullet hole were prominent in the wooden wall.

He told the court that the bedrooms were not ransacked and he took possession of two a .38 bullets found at the scene and also took photos of the crime scene before he went back to Brickdam Police station.

He said that he later discovered that the films (photos) were defective and had to be discarded.

Nowadays, in certain quarters, it appears anathema to speak out or to write in favour of the PPP, and much more so to have such views published in certain newspapers. An aggressive psychological war is being waged for the hearts and minds of the Guyanese workers, farmers, the women and youth.

A section of the media continues, with the role being anti-PPP while the PPP was in government to being anti-PPP now that the PPP is in the opposition. Ganja and cocaine are not only being trafficked physically -- for instance in pepper sauce, fruits and vegetables -- but are being trafficked in the pages of certain sections of the media as a journalistic psychotropic substance to twist the minds of readers. Historical distractions, defamations and degradations are inching their way into the psyche of the gullible and the unsuspecting supporters and sympathisers of the APNU+AFC, who, in their innocent naivety, either cast the plague on the houses of both the PPP and PNC, or, with a sense of total abandonment, simply respond in whatever way they deem fit to what is told to them by their political leaders.

Media-generated stereotyping of the

The second police witness, Sergeant Eon Jackson, who is attached to the Firearms and Ammunition Examination Section at Eve Leary said he examined the two special bullets fired from either a .38 revolver or a .357 revolver. Only private security and the Guyana Police Force use those bullets, he said.

He contended that under examination, both bullets were fired from the same weapon and from one bullet a whitish substance was seen but not tested.

The third police witness, Detective Constable Rondell Gouveia of Alberttown CID told the court that on July 30, 2011 he received information of the alleged murder of Fiedtkou-Parris and went with a party of policemen to secure the crime scene.

He told the court that he made a copy of the original and lodged the original at Alberttown Police Station. It is now missing.

Orin Hinds, called ‘Redman’, of Burnham Boulevard, Mocha, East Bank Demerara;

PPP and its leaders by the rulers has become the order of the day, the objective being to control and adjust the flow of information to the public to keep a particular picture of the PPP in their heads. A culture of sycophancy and subservience is being promoted by the Granger-led administration, and the trend in certain quarters seems to be “go along to get along.”

This culture of sycophancy is gradually infecting sections of Guyanese society, and its depth and pervasiveness is dangerously inching its way into the pages of sections of the media; and as a result, it is helping to play the game dictated from the top by the APNU+AFC. But the fightback by the PPP to undermine this sycophancy is exemplified in the movie “Any Given Sunday”, with Al Pacino and Jaimee Foxx, the coach and the Quarter Back respectively, who, together with the “Sharks”, fought back valiantly to win the game.

CLEMENT ROHEE General Secretary People’s Progressive Party

Kevin October called Troy’, of Second Street, Agricola, East Bank Demerara; Cleon Hinds, and Roy Jacobs called ‘Chippie’ or ‘Black Boy’ of Evans Street, Charlestown, are currently facing Justice Navindra Singh and a mixed 12-member jury for the murder.

According to the indictment, the four men murdered Clementine Fiedtkou-Parris pursuant to an arrangement whereby money was to be passed from one person to another.

On the evening of June 30, 2011, two men went to Fiedtkou-Parris’s Robb Street home asking for ‘Auntie,’ a title by which she was called. They were directed up a side step and as Fiedtkou-Parris emerged from her bedroom, one of the men pulled out a gun and shot her several times to the upper part of her body.

The men then jumped into a waiting car while the injured woman was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 14, 2015

Gov’t slams Rohee Police ‘E’ Division reports minimal fatalities race-baiting – on ethnicities of GECOM staff

Minister of Social Cohesion, Amna Ally

PPP General Secretary, Clement Rohee

MINISTER responsible for Social Cohesion, Amna Ally has firmly rejected what she described as the “irresponsible and divisive query” made

by General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Clement Rohee, that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) reveal the ethnicities of its employees.

In a press release, the minister said “it is a sad commentary that the PPP has chosen to once again divide this nation on the basis of ethnicity.”

She declared further that “the sooner politicians realise that we are all Guyanese and resist attempts to divide Guyana along ethnic lines, the sooner

Guyana will be taken to a higher level in fostering social cohesion.”

“It is indeed unfortunate that the PPP’s General Secretary resorted to the politics of division in his examination of the employment practices at GECOM. “The labour laws of Guyana are clear, there must be no discrimination in hiring based on race, gender or religious beliefs. We are confident that GECOM has followed and continue to follow the law of the land,” the Minister of Social Cohesion noted.

“It is therefore ridiculous,” she said, “for Mr. Rohee to trump-up this question of ethnicity which has the potential of further

dividing us as a nation.”

“Let me take this opportunity to inform the General Secretary of the PPP that this government believes in equal opportunity for all. We believe that employment opportunities must be given to those who satisfy the requirements for the positions for which they apply.

We want opportunities for all Guyanese. We expect that those who are qualified for positions are going to be the earners of opportunities,” Ally asserted.

She said further that “as Social Cohesion Minister, I call on the PPP and its General Secretary to discontinue their efforts to divide the Guyanese community with the ploy of ethnic discrimination.”

“Under this A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Government our goal is to promote national unity. We want long-lasting love. We want our Guyanese brothers and sisters to see ourselves as one, working together to build one nation, and a better life for all. I call on you [Mr. Rohee], not to instigate racial prejudice, but instead let us work together to make Guyana a better place,” the Minister of Social Cohesion concluded. (Ministry of the Presidency)

Drunken, habitual wife-beater jailed for 12 months

By Sherah Alleyne A MAN who habitually beat his wife was yesterday jailed for 12 months by city magistrate Annette Singh for assaulting his reputed wife Sujata Persuad.

Make Singh, a 48-year-old mason of 150 Regent Street, Georgetown received the sentence after he pleaded guilty to the assault on Persuad thereby causing her actual bodily harm.

Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonzales in his submission to the court stated that the defendant was charged before on three other occasions for similar offences against the virtual complainant. He was currently

completing 200 hours of community service after he pleaded guilty to the third assault charge.

The police facts stated that on November 7, 2015, the defendant while under the influence of alcohol slapped and cuffed his wife about the body. The matter was reported and the defendant was arrested and charged. A medical certificate was also produced to the court.

The virtual complainant had gotten a protection order against the defendant on a previous matter but he disregarded the order.

The magistrate advised the wife to report to the police if Singh continues to disregard the order after he is released.

– as 2015 Road Safety Month is celebrated AS Guyana celebrates Road Safety Month, the Traffic Department of the ‘E’ Division Police (Upper Demerara/Upper Berbice), has proudly reported only two road fatalities for 2015, compared to six for 2014; and this even though the division has no traffic lights!

Statistics for serious accidents which did not involve loss of life are also exemplary, with only one being reported for this year, and two for last year.

Police ‘E’ Division Headquarters are located in Linden, Region 10, and the Sergeant in Charge, Shawn Massay, is proud of this outstanding achievement because it compares well with what has obtained countrywide.

He revealed an intention to continue striving for a reduction in road fatalities in the division under his watch, and is determined not to be complacent as activities for Road Safety Month get underway.

“We have commenced our activities for Road Safety Month 2015, and are preparing for the official launching,” he mentioned. Antic-

ipating a continued good record during this period, the division is determined to have everyone both involved and benefiting from its activities.

Painting of pedestrian crossings around Linden is already underway, as are Road Safety lectures at schools as far away as Kwakwani and Ituni. And schools that do not have pedestrian crossings at their main entrances have patrol officers placed there to guarantee safe crossing for students.

Patrol officers within the division are, moreover, on serious lookout for lorry drivers and night drivers who might be operating while under the influence. In the absence of traffic lights, traffic patrols are being placed at busy locations, such as Republic Avenue, to regulate movement of traffic and pedestrians in an effort to create an accident-free zone in Linden.

‘E’ Division is anticipating a formal launching of Road Safety Month as it continues to keep fatalities off its roadways, and Sergeant Massay is determined to reduce the fatality figure

to nil, and is recommending to the relevant authorities that certain measures be implemented to have Linden and Region 10 become fatality-free territory.

“We need better lighting at the One Mile main access road, as is established on the Amelia’s Ward main access road. In Linden, where there is a fog system, the visibility is very poor during the early morning hours, and this can be causation for accidents.

In addition to this, the installation of traffic lights at the ‘Five Corner’ area is needed earliest, as the area is normally congested during peak hours,” Murray lamented.

The Wismar/Mackenzie Bridge also needs serious attention, he said, as it is currently operating under a onelane manual system, which can be deemed unsafe for the users. It is recommended that the bridge be expanded, or another bridge be built to minimise the congestion of users.

‘E’ Division Police are determined to fulfill their mandate to serve and protect persons under their charge.

Road Safety Month is being observed under the theme, “Be wise, stay alive.

Stop Speeding, Don’t drink and Drive”; and for the year, more than 100 persons have died in more than 85 road fatalities countrywide.

(Vanessa Braithwaite)

Major Surinamese trading company launches showroom in Guyana

– Red Wing line of safety products to be on the local market VERENIGDE Surinaamse Holdingmij (VSH)-United Guyana Incorporated officially opened its showroom two Fridays ago (November 6), with a grand cocktail reception at its local operating office at Lot 103 Carmichael Street, Cummingsburg, Georgetown.

Registered in Guyana since July of this year, VSH has been working assiduously to prepare for the launch of its newly-established company; and a recent release has said the company will shortly be introducing its ‘Red Wing’ line of safety products --footwear, garments and accessories which are known for their durability and comfort.

Aiming to help customers find appropriately-fitting footwear, the showroom will also be featuring the I-Step foot scanning technology & Eatrex insoles, first of its kind to be featured on Guyana soil. VSH-United (Guyana) Inc. would, moreover, be reselling a line of office

In photo, from left, are Chairman of the Board, Roy Khoadin; Ambassador from Suriname to Guyana, Mehroen Nisa Kurban-Baboe; and Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin at the ribbon-cutting launch ceremony

printers and consumables.

Opening hours for the Guyana branch, managed by Country Sales Manager Mr. Dwayne Scott, are between 08:00 hours and 16:30 hours from Monday to Friday.

Since its inception as a trading company in 1958, VSH-United has become one of the most diversified

groups in Suriname. Its major activities include shipping agency, port terminal operations, trading, manufacturing, and real estate development and management. VSH-United is also involved in the insurance and hotel businesses through associated companies.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 14, 2015

$100,000 from the...

High Commissioner Gregory Quinn; Captain Gerald Gouveia; Major General (ret’d) Norman Mc Lean; Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Ramesh Dookoo and other members of the PSC. Meanwhile, President of the Salvation Army Advisory Board, Mr. Edward Boyer, in welcoming President Granger stated: “On behalf of the Advisory Board and its members, we are especially honoured today to have our Special Guest, the President of Guyana, President David Granger to the launch of the

annual Salvation Army Kettle Appeal which signifies the start of Christmas.”

Mr. Boyer said it was especially gratifying to welcome the President, since his life mirrors the Salvation Army. “Like the Salvation Army, giving has always been paramount in your life.

You’ve given a lot to our country through your distinguished service in the armed forces… Like the Salvation Army which always serves people, you have continued to serve this nation at the highest level, with a passion at a time when most people

would refrain from a vigorous and hectic life. You have decided to take up the mantle and continue to serve our nation especially at an extremely challenging time in our history.”

He added that the President’s life, his decency, integrity, which are hallmarks of the Salvation Army, all provide additional credibility to the Salvation Army for advocacy of its fundraising.

Mr. Boyer said that through donations made to the kettles, together with other sources of funds, the Salvation Army continues

President David Granger addresses the gathering

British High Commissioner, Greg Quinn makes his donation while members of the private sector await their turn

Major Carolinda Cumberbatch delivers a token of appreciation to President David Granger

From page 3

to make direct compassionate and hands-on service to thousands of people each year in Guyana. These funds restore hope and dignity to those who might otherwise remain invisible in our society,” he said.

Hosted by Divisional Leaders, Majors Emmerson and Carolinda and officers of the Guyana Division, the programme was richly spiced with musical renditions from the Guyana Police Force Steel Band; performances by the Divisional Timbrel Brigade; and carol singing led by officers of the Division.

Immediately after the launch, kettles were posted at strategic places around Georgetown, with an appeal by Major Carolinda Cumberbatch for citizens and others to give generously to the fund, and so help make Christmas bright for the less fortunate.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 14, 2015

92 Carnegie students acquire wide range of skills – 18-year-old Reanna Philadelphia graduates as valedictorian

By Shauna Jemmott

EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD Reanna Philadelphia received the valedictorian award when ninety-two students graduated Thursday after completing a range of programmes at the Carnegie School of Home Economics and Craft Production and Design Division.

The graduation exercise was held at the National Cultural Centre (NCC) under the theme “Live Your Dreams”.

Philadelphia, a resident of Plaisance, East Coast Demerara was also awarded a distinction for being the best graduate in Commercial Food Preparation. She has also acquired training in visual arts, garment construction, soft furnishing, home economics and household management, all areas in which she is now particularly versed.

The graduation exercise saw a number of students receiving surprise awards of

Minister of Tourism Cathy Hughes delivering the feature address at the Carnegie School of Home Economics graduation exercise

distinctions and credits, many carting off trophies and gifts for their outstanding accomplishments.

Meanwhile, guest speak-

Tourism Minister Cathy Hughes receives a special gift from Carnegie Vice-Principal Myrna Audry Lee

er, Minister of Tourism Cathy Hughes as well as teachers and students of Carnegie and many parents in the audience expressed satisfaction at the performance of the students.

Minister Hughes, in delivering the feature address, said she was upbeat on establish-

A section of the Carnegie graduating class of 2015

ing a bond with the institution which offers training in areas that correspond with the work of her ministry.

To the delight of the minister and everyone else in attendance, the work of garment construction students were on display during a fashion show which was part of the ceremony. Students and a parent displayed the impressive pieces, causing Hughes to express interest in hiring some of the students as personal designers.

TOURISM DEVELOPMENT In encouraging Guyanese to support fashions “made right here in Guyana,” the Tourism Minister said that unfortunately some still underestimate the importance of Guyana’s fashion industry.

“Gone are the days when people walk into a store and buy a dress that is made in China,” she said, drawing applause.

According to Hughes, the

Guyana National Newspapers Limited (GNNL) General Manager Michael Gordon presenting an award, compliments of GNNL, to Asenna Moonsammy, one of the most outstanding graduates (Cullen Bess-Nelson photos)

work she has seen is fit for pushing tourism development as the students seem to be headed into a strong, educated and motivated workforce which in turn would result in an excellent tourism industry.

‘SIGNATURE’ CRAFT ITEMS The minister made an impromptu proposal for Carnegie to design three samples of ‘signature’ craft items which reflect and promote Guyana’s tourism product, which she could carry as gifts for other international dignitaries on her diplomatic missions abroad.

In a brief recap of the institution’s history, Hughes recognised the efforts of former principals, particularly the first one, Ms. Bryant, whose careful management and untiring efforts towards building the trade school against all odds since 1933

inspired the country’s British colonial government to assume total responsibility just four years after.

She commended the institution’s teachers today, describing them as “indispensable” and suggested that they deserve joyous rewards for their time, effort and knowledge since they have “dedicated their lives to a calling which may have great personal satisfaction but miniscule financial reward, (but) to them we must say thank you.”

The immediate plans to rebrand, retool, re-staff and expand the institution’s curriculum to target a larger number of young women “are in consonance with the government’s trajectory for our women’s development” Hughes said, adding that Carnegie’s upgraded programmes are designed particularly to meet “new and increasing demands of the hospitality and tourism industry.”

Meanwhile, in delivering the charge to the graduates, member of the Board of Directors of Carnegie, Renata Chuck-A-Sang urged that they should seek and pursue opportunities for personal and professional growth, always conducting themselves in a manner that would bring high esteem to their profession.

She also encouraged them to accept constructive criticism and praise with humility and gratitude.

Valedictorian, Reanna Philadelphia said the graduation is a launching path that will project them to their goals, and she encouraged everyone to absorb as much knowledge as possible while measuring their success with joy. “Let’s go forward to live our dreams,” she added.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 14, 2015

Special UN Envoy on official Minister of State tours Global mission in Guyana to discuss Seafood Distributors HIV response initiative

From left, UN Special Envoy for HIV in the Caribbean Dr. Edward Greene, First Lady Mrs. Sandra Granger and UNAIDS Director to Guyana and Suriname, Dr. Martin Odiit after their meeting, yesterday

MINISTER of Social Cohesion Amna Ally was yesterday paid a courtesy call

by Special Envoy of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General in the Caribbean Region, Dr. Edward Greene who is currently on a six-day official mission in Guyana. Dr. Greene was accompanied by UNAIDS Country Director to Suriname and Guyana, Dr. Martin Odiit.

The purpose of this mission is to discuss with key government officials, issues in relation to the Fast-Tracking of HIV Response 20152020 initiative. This is part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals agenda and the UNAIDS Extended Strategy 2016-2021.

Meanwhile, the team also met with First Lady Mrs. Sandra Granger at her office.

During that engagement Dr. Odiit assured Mrs Granger that the UNAIDS stands ready to support her in her advocacy and efforts.

The First Lady, in an invited comment, said “moving forward there is now a clear picture of what strategies can be used to aid UNAIDS work to reach their goal of ensuring that by 2030, 90 percent of people with HIV are tested and 90 percent of those tested are on treatment.”

The Joint UN Pro gramme in HIV/AIDS

brings together the efforts and resources of 11 organisations to unite the world against AIDS. It is coordi-

nated by the UNAIDS Secretariat, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. (Ministry of the Presidency)

Saturday, November 14, 2015 - 05:30 hrs Sunday, November 15, 2015 - 05:30 hrs Monday, November 16, 2015 - 08:30 hrs

MINISTER of State Joseph Harmon, on Thursday conducted a tour of Global Seafood Distributors, where he got a firsthand look at the daily operations of the facility, which provides employment for about 15 persons in the West Ruimveldt area.

The tour was conducted

by Chief Executive Officer of the Company Mrs. Allison Butters-Grant, who had extended the invitation to Minister Harmon, some time ago.

After the tour, Minister Harmon said he was pleased with the operations as the government is keen on supporting “productive activities and productive enterprises”. He lauded Mrs. Butters-Grant for the contribution, not only to the community in which the company operates, but also the country as a whole.

“I’m very proud of the work being done here; I have seen massive transformation. This is a company that we are proud of and we want to give them the

Pictured here are Minister of State Joseph Harmon and Chief Executive Officer of the company Mrs. Allison Butters-Grant during a tour of the facility

support of the government so that they can expand,” Minister Harmon said.

Global Seafood Distributors has been in operation for just over a year and currently offers employment to both men and women, who clean, package and prepare fish for

local supermarkets and for export. Mrs. Butters-Grant said in the coming months, with support from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Business, she is hoping to expand and start producing more value-added products since space is a major impediment.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 14, 2015

Ministry to take Bai Shan Lin to court Logging company accused of being ‘disrespectful’

By Ariana Gordon THE Ministry of Social Protection’s Labour Department will be moving to the courts to ensure that Bai Shan Lin International Forest Development, the Asian logging company operating in Guyana, complies with the country’s labour laws. The company, according to the ministry, has allegedly been violating workers’ rights.

On Thursday morning representatives of the company were instructed by Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection Simona Broomes to pay 18 workers monies owed them forthwith as attempts at negotiations with the company had drastically deteriorated.

“This is disrespectful, we will proceed to the court,” said Broomes.

The company’s directors were invited to a meeting with Minister Broomes on Thursday but instead, the company’s Human Resources Manager, Finance Controller and another Chinese employee and an interpreter arrived for the meeting that began just after 10:00 hrs in the ministry’s boardroom.

Two of the company’s representatives at the meeting were non-English speakers.

A disappointed Minister Broomes shortly after entering the boardroom was in-

Minister Simona Broomes and Chief Labour Officer, Charles Ogle

formed that no director from the company was present for the meeting.

“I am very disappointed.

I have noted the level of disrespect that Bai Shan Lin has been showing to the Department of Labour over the years and also to the union as well,” said the minister.

She said the “lack of respect” by Bai Shan Lin would not be tolerated. The Ministry of Social Protection through Francis Carryl, a consultant to the Labour Department wrote a letter to Managing Director Hong Bo Chu on November 9, inviting him to a meeting on Thursday November 12 at 10:00 hrs.

The letter was preceded by a phone call by Minister Broomes, who was informed that a letter must be written requesting a meeting with a specific representative of the company.

“The lack of respect by Bai Shan Lin is evident in so many ways and I cannot tolerate such behaviour from any company. There has been a continued absence of the directors of the company to meetings.”

The logging company, according to reports in the media, was this week permitted by government to continue exporting logs despite failing to meet another deadline to begin processing logs here. The company had requested an additional two years to acquire wood-processing equipment.

The company is being taken to task for allegedly owing workers approximately $4.1M in severance payment.

The letter issued by the Ministry of Social Protection had said, “Please be advised that an alternative Turn to page 13►

Representatives of Bai Shan Lin listen to Minister Broomes on Thursday

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 14, 2015

‘Salesman’ absconds with truckload of goods – police, employers on the hunt for him

By Leroy Smith THE police and a business couple from Regent Street, Georgetown are seeking to locate 52-year-old Davy Tennessee Nelson of Linden, Region 10, to whom the couple had entrusted a canter loaded with goods for distribution after he had reported for work last Sunday; but he absconded from work, taking the cash and the canter truck with him.

Since pulling what appears to be a disappearing act last Sunday, the ‘salesman’ made contact with his employers on two occasions, but has since ceased all communication with them; and unconfirmed reports are that the man is using the can-

ter truck to transport arms and ammunition across the country.

Speaking with this publication on Friday at her store, the businesswoman said the man had been in their employ for the past seven years, but would be employed only between the months of November and January to assist the business couple with the Christmas bustle. He would use the canter truck to deliver goods across the country, and over the years, they have never had any issue with the man or his work ethic.

The businesswoman said that whenever the man worked with the company during the Christmas season, he would be working only on Saturdays and Sundays, assisting the couple in the

distribution of their goods and services.

Last Saturday, the man showed up for work and was asked to go and sell goods and perform certain services.

He returned as per normal, handed over his day’s sales and checked off the goods returned. On Sunday, the man again showed up for work; and when he had not returned to his employers by a certain time, they telephoned him to determine his location. The man informed his boss that he was on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway, and that the truck was stuck in the sand.

His employer encouraged him to take his time, as he had said he was waiting to be assisted out of the stuck position by a generous

Davy Tennessee Nelson

motorist. After some time had passed and there was no communication from the man, his employers called him again, and this time were told that he was at Mahaica.

The employers say the

man had sounded as though he was at a drinking spot then, but repeated calls to him thereafter went unanswered, and they decided to contact the police.

Persons have indicated to the business couple that they are familiar with the man, and that he is originally from Linden. What the business couple has also learnt was that the various addresses the man had been giving them over the years when he worked for them were all false, so they have no real way of tracking his movements.

The couple had, at one point, received an anonymous call, which stated that the man is a good man and does not really want their goods, but is using the canter truck to transport arms across the country, according to the businesswoman.

She said that they have been attempting to have a hearing with Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, in relation to that claim, but his secretary told them to write him a letter, and if they have a worthy case he would agree to meet with them.

Davy Tennessee Nelson is said to have in the mining town of Linden, a business which was gifted him by his father before he died. His father has been described as “a pleasant man”. The business in Linden is reported to be a pharmacy.

The two business persons are asking anyone who may have information on Davy Tennessee Nelson or on his whereabouts to please contact the nearest police station, or contact them on telephone number 225-4995.

At least 120 dead in Paris terrorist attacks

(REUTERS) - Gunmen and bombers attacked restaurants, a concert hall and a sports stadium at locations across Paris on Friday, killing at least 120 people in what a shaken French President Francois Hollande called an unprecedented terrorist attack.

A Paris city hall official said gunmen systematically slaughtered nearly 100 people attending a rock concert at the Bataclan music hall.

Anti-terrorist commandos eventually launched an assault on the building, killed the gunmen and rescued dozens of shocked survivors.

Some 40 other people were killed in up to five other attacks in the Paris region, the city hall official said, including an apparent double suicide bombing outside the national stadium

where Hollande and the German Foreign Minister were watching a friendly soccer international.

Paris Public Prosecutor Francois Molins said the overall death toll was at least 120. Five assailants had been “neutralized”.

The apparently coordinated assault came as France, a founder member of the U.S.-led coalition waging air strikes against Islamic State fighters in Syria and Iraq, was on high alert for terrorist attacks ahead of a global climate conference due to open later this month.

After being whisked from the soccer stadium near the blasts, Hollande declared a nationwide state of emergency - the first in decades - and announced the closure of France’s borders to stop perpetrators escaping. The Paris metro railway was

French fire brigade members aid an injured individual near the Bataclan concert hall following fatal shootings in Paris, France, November 13, 2015.

(Reuters/Christian Hartmann)

closed and schools, universities and municipal buildings were ordered to stay shut on Saturday. However some rail and air services are expected to run.

“This is a horror,” the

visibly shaken president said in a midnight television address to the nation before chairing an emergency cabinet meeting.

He later went to the scene of the bloodiest at-

Ministry to take Bai Shan... officer of the company below the level of a director would not suffice. Kindly make every effort to be present.”

Minister Broomes noted that company representatives were required to have in their possession cheques to pay workers. However, this too was an unfulfilled promised by the Chinese company.

Thus far, two workers have been paid a collective sum of $586,785 according to a receipt produced by Bai Shan Lin; 16 other workers are yet to be paid. According to a payment plan agreed by the Ministry of Social Protection, the company

was scheduled to make a payment of over $500,000 in September and $1M in October, November and December respectively.

However, Carryl told the Guyana Chronicle that the sums presented in a proposal by Bai Shan Lin were not accurate and have to be revised as the formula used to calculate monies owed the workers is not accurate.

“The calculation is wrong…they used the wrong formula. They have gone to do a comprehensive payment plan and return with a list this afternoon,” he said.

The consultant explained that just as the Company

is attempting to frustrate the Ministry of Social Protection, so too it did with the Guyana Labour Union (GLU), the union representing workers attached to the company. The issue of payment of monies to workers has been ongoing for a number of years.

There exists an agreement between the Guyana Labour Union and Bai Shan Lin dated 2009 to increase remuneration for workers.

The company is in breach of the agreement.

“Additional persons are coming to the Department of Labour to lodge complaints against the company. All of the complaints we have

From page 12

for this year dates back to April,” said Carryl.

The consultant explained that representatives of the company continuously make false promises. It seems that he said that the negotiations are not making progress.

PROPOSAL The logging company produced a proposal dated September 10, that laid out a payment plan that should have been executed since then. “The proposal was never honoured and has been disregarded,” said Minister Broomes.

“When somebody works, you are not doing them a favour…they are entitled

tack, the Bataclan music hall, and vowed that the government would wage a “merciless” fight against terrorism.

All emergency services were mobilized, police leave was canceled, 1,500 army reinforcements were drafted into the Paris region and hospitals recalled staff to cope with the casualties.

It was unclear whether any gunmen were still on the loose.

Radio stations broadcast warnings to Parisians to stay home and leave the streets and urged residents to give shelter to anyone caught out in the street.

The deadliest attack was on the Bataclan, a popular concert venue where the Californian rock group Eagles of Death Metal was performing. The concert hall is just a few hundred meters

from the former offices of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, which was the target of a deadly attack by Islamist gunmen in January.

Witnesses in the hall heard the gunmen shout Islamic slogans and slogans condemning France’s role in Syria.

“We know where these attacks come from,” Hollande said, without naming any individual group.

“There are indeed good reasons to be afraid.”

and have rights by law. It is because of your disrespect I said I’d like to meet with no less a person than a director.

I will take this as a further disrespect and ask you all to leave. I will not meet with you; I did not request to meet with you but forthwith the monies owed are to be paid,” Minister Broomes said as she left the meeting.

“It is clear, Bai Shan Lin’s disrespect. Is this how you treat workers? You here as their representative, can understand my language clear, convey it strongly. It is a disrespect. I want the payments for the persons.”

Minister Broomes told this publication that the situation with the logging company is a “regrettable” one.

“The Department of Labour in the past has had several

issues with Bai Shan Lin. They have always treated them [labour officers] in a disrespectful manner. They don’t care. The persons that they are sending can’t make decisions, so what has been happening over the years, is a back and forth. Even if you write them they don’t respond. This is clear disrespect.”

The minister said the company’s disrespect towards her is blatant. “I have looked at the matter and I called myself; and the managing director through the Human Resource Representative said he will not be accepting a meeting by a phone call, you have to write him formally and you have to state exactly who we want to see.”

HIGH ALERT France has been on high alert ever since the attacks on Charlie Hebdo newspaper and a Kosher supermarket in Paris in January killed 18 people.

Hollande canceled plans to travel to Turkey at the weekend for a G20 summit.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 14, 2015

Special measures to deal with Christmas traffic – assures Traffic Chief

By Vanessa Braithwaite CHRISTMAS policing arrangements are already underway to minimise accidents through the festive season.

With figures showing a 22% decrease in road fatalities compared to last

year, the Traffic Division is determined to keep this figure at a minimum during the upcoming busy Christmas season.

Fulfillment of this mandate is anticipated through special traffic policing arrangements throughout all divisions in Guyana. Ad-

dressing the audience at the presentation of Christmas Policing, Superintendent Dion Moore proudly announced a decrease in road fatalities compared to this period last year. “For the year there were only 87 fatal accidents resulting in 103 deaths compared to last year’s 111 fatal accidents resulting in 120 deaths,” announced the Traffic Chief.

Being cognisant of the fact that pedestrians occupied the highest rung of road fatalities mainly caused by speeding and inattentiveness, special emphasis will be given to traffic-congested areas during the festive season where shopping and social activities are most dominant.

In the ‘A’ Division, focus will be on Regent Street, Water Street, the Stabroek area and Main Street amongst others. “Patrols will be placed in these areas so that persons can

experience free and uninterrupted road use in Georgetown and its environs,” said the Traffic Chief, adding that vehicles will be escorted by traffic ranks along the East Bank roadways.

Special emphasis will be placed on the prevention of persons driving under the influence of alcohol, speeding, and the use of handheld mobile phones while driving. In addition, traffic ranks will be clamping down on the overloading of mini buses, illegal soliciting of passengers and failure to

wear seat belts.

Even though the traffic division is experiencing financial challenges, it is determined to utilise whatever they have to curb the tragic on-going situation within the ‘A’ division.

Another challenge being experienced by this department is the paucity of street lights which help to cause night accidents.

The division says it stands committed to serve all citizens of the country through intense policing during the holiday period.

Linden trio on $100,000 bail each

– on break-and-enter and larceny charges PRESTON Skeete, a 19-year-old mason of 1103 Central Amelia’s Ward, Linden; together with 29-year-old Lennox Estwick of Lot 636 Central Amelia’s Ward and porter Jermain Michell of Lot 1640 Central Amelia’s Ward, appeared yesterday before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, charged with break-and-enter and larceny.

Particulars of the charge alleged that on November 06

at Lot 1572 Central Amelia’s Ward, they stole a quantity of Cheryl Whims’ electrical and personal items to the value of $436,000.

The trio denied the charge.

Skeete was also charged with being in possession of stolen articles at his home on November 09, a charge which he denied as well.

Police Prosecutor, Corporal Deniro Jones, did not relate facts of the charge to the court, but explained that

all the items were recovered at Skeete’s residence. He also did not object to the trio being granted pre-trail liberty.

Each accused was therefore ordered to post $100,000 bail on each charge, and the matter was transferred before the Linden magistrate for November 25.

In April last, Skeete was released on $300,000 bail

by City Magistrate Fabayo Azore on a charge of larceny of a minibus and car in Linden. (Clestine Juan)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 14, 2015

No upsurge in crime - police – say ‘spiral’ headline claim absurd

By Leroy Smith CRIME Chief Wendell Blanhum yesterday told media operatives and senior police officers that crime in this country is not spiralling out of control as is being suggested in one section of the local media.

Senior Superintendent Blanhum was at the time speaking at the annual Guyana Police Force presentation of its Christmas Policing Programme held at the Officers Training College.

Since the announcement of the election results in May this year, the Guyana Times newspaper has been constantly reporting that crime has been spiralling out of control, citing reports of both minor and major crimes.

The Crime Chief did not name any media house in debunking the assertion that crime is spiralling out of con-

trol.

However, the facts cited

by Blanhum point to the Guyana Times newspaper as being deliberately engaged in attempting to make the Guyana Police Force look bad and incapable of addressing the crime situation.

Meanwhile, according to the facts provided to the media yesterday, the crime situation in the country over the last five years has not been much different from what obtains at present but statistics now indicate a lower crime rate compared to selected periods previously, the Crime Chief noted.

He said that it was unfair for a section of the media to be attempting to compare the present crime situation with what obtained during the 2002 period.

Additionally the Crime Chief also presented a crime analysis after the elections of

2006, 2011 and 2015 which again showed that nothing much has been different.

“I mentioned that when I took over the office of Crime Chief in June of this year we were at a 13 per cent increase of serious crimes and the figure fluctuated, historically if you’re at the period between June, July and August,” the Crime Chief said.

Blanhum noted that the fluctuation was historical given the time of the year when there is increased commercial activities such as regional and international shows that are held locally and persons with criminal intent use that period to commit unlawful activities.

Meanwhile, the Crime Chief acknowledged that at present the Guyana Police Force is addressing an eight percent increase in serious crimes which is down from 13 per cent. In this category are offences such as robbery

ing they would have been at a twenty per cent increase by now. He is optimistic that by the end of the Christmas Security arrangement, there should be just a 0.2 percent increase in serious crimes.

“It goes to tell you that all these headlines that we were bombarded with that crime is spiralling out of control and crime is uncontrollable and nothing is being done and we lack the capacity to effectively deal with serious offenses is nothing short of being absurd,” Blanhum declared.

Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum

with violence, larceny from the person, rape, burglary, armed break and enter and larceny.

He stressed that when the situation is examined all is not lost considering where the significant increases were coming from.

According to Blanhum, had the police not been able to control what was happen-

He told the gathering also that from evidence gathered, the police at ‘A’ Division have accounted for a large percentage of the serious offences but that is expected with the high level of economic activities in the division.

Meanwhile, the police at the Essequibo and Linden districts recorded the least amount of crimes in terms of percentage. Those divisions are headed by Commanders Kevin Adonis and Calvin Brutus respectively.

Homeless man gets eight months jail for stealing garbage bins A HOMELESS man was yesterday sentenced to eight months in prison by City Magistrate Alex Moore after he appeared before him charged with stealing two garbage bins from the Mayor and City Council.

Andrew Duncan pleaded guilty to the charge which stated that he stole two bins, property of the City Council valued $17,000 each - all to a total of $34,000. He had previously been charged on two occasions for simple larceny, and given those facts, the magistrate passed his sentence.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 14, 2015

Mid-afternoon fire at Prospect renders family of eight homeless

By Ariana Gordon

FIRE of unknown origin completely destroyed the upper and lower storeys of a wooden and concrete structure at Prospect, East Bank Demerara just before 16:00 hrs yesterday, leaving homeless Sookram Sewcharan (49), a machine operator at the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation (New GPC INC.), and his family of seven members.

Sewcharan told the Chronicle that he left work at approximately 16:00 hrs for his Lot 214 Prospect, East Bank Demerara home, and as he was riding home, neighbours alerted him that his house was on fire.

“I was coming from work, and when I come here, this is what I see,” the distraught man related. He said his wife was at home with their grandchildren at the time of the fire.

“As I was riding home, the people said ‘Uncle, come, look yuh house on fire!’ When I got here, the fire engine was here already,” a shocked Sewcharan revealed. “My wife was at home at the time. She just told me she smell something and she sent my son to check. He see the room upstairs on fire,” Sewcharan said.

Sewcharan said the ac-

Relatives and friends examine the rubble

count narrated to him by his wife, Sayeeda Aziz, and son, Sunil Sewcharan, indicate that the fire started in one of the three bedrooms in the upper flat of the house. “They said it started in the back bedroom, my son Sunil’s room,” the older Sewcharan told Guyana Chronicle.

Though he could not estimate his loss, Sewcharan said his house was furnished with all modern amenities.

“I can’t estimate my loss… everything was in there; everything! We had everything inside the house…

Everything! Everything!” he declared.

Sewcharan has been living at the Prospect house all his life, and is unsure of his next move. When this publication visited the location, Sewcharan and his family were found at his father’s

house located obliquely from where his had stood.

“I don’t know what I will do now; I have to figure that out. I have relatives, my father lives opposite,” he said.

When he arrived on the scene, the Guyana Fire Service was already in position, but three-quarters of the house had already been destroyed. Sewcharan noted that the Fire Service had experienced some problems in obtaining water from a nearby trench, forcing a second fire tender to arrive on the scene.

Meanwhile, his wife Aziz received what appeared to be minor burns to her left hand.

The 50-year-old woman told the Guyana Chronicle that she was making dinner when she smelled the smoke.

Aziz could not say what could have possibly caused

the fire. The bedroom where the fire is believed to have started was occupied by Sunil Sewcharan, and according to his father, the room was equipped with only “a point and switch” that Sunil uses to charge his mobile device.

The family said they have not had any electrical troubles of recent, and could not understand how the house caught fire, given that no one was upstairs at the time the fire started.

Sewcharan’s five-yearold grandson was reportedly standing at the bottom of the stairs leading to the upper flat of the house when the smoke was observed.

Residents of Prospect expressed dissatisfaction with the Guyana Fire Service, noting that the entity failed to arrive on the scene prepared.

Sookram Sewcharan, his wife Sayeeda Aziz, their daughter and son and older grandson after the fire

“I am not saying the house won’t have burned down, but what I am saying is that if they had come prepared it may not have been destroyed so; they may have been able to save something,” one resident said.

Another resident explained that the fire tender took half an hour to arrive on the scene. According to the resident, who wished to remain anonymous, a fire tender from Diamond, East Bank Demerara arrived first on the scene. However, that tender was ill-equipped to deal with the fire, as it had no water. Attempts were, however, made by firefighters on that tender to get water from a nearby trench.

A second fire tender was sent to Prospect, reportedly from Georgetown. “They don’t have water in the tank

when they come. The one that came from Georgetown had water; the one that came from Diamond, can you believe they come from Diamond and they did not have any water in the tank? How GT one come with water and them own come without?

Come on! They tek half an hour to come!” one resident said angrily.

However, a rank from the West Ruimveldt Fire Station explained to this publication that fire tenders do not ever leave the stations without water in their tanks. The rank said the water in the tank is equivalent to a 450-gallon black tank, which allegedly can be “exhausted” within two and a half minutes of fighting a fire.

Attempts to contact the Diamond Fire Station proved futile.

OAI calls NATA version of events highly distorted, misleading, unfair OAI fiasco…

By Svetlana Marshall OGLE Airport Inc. (OAI), in firing back at the founders of the National Air Transport Association (NATA), is contending that NATA has presented the nation with a highly distorted, misleading, and patently unfair description of the operations of the Ogle International Airport.

Air Services Limited (ASL) General Manager, Annette Arjoon-Martins, and Chief Executive Officer of Roraima Airways Inc., Captain Gerry Gouveia, announced on Wednesday the formation of NATA, contending that it was birthed out of a “draconian” document which was presented to the

From L-R: Communications Consultant to the Ogle Airport Kit Nascimento OAI Board Chairman Michael Correia and OAI CEO Anthony Mekdeci speaking to reporters at the Ogle International Airport

OAI Board of Directors for implementation of rigid rules, which include the possible seizure of aircraft if operators default on their payments.

OAI Board Chairman Michael Correia, in expressing his disappointment at the

NATA action, told the press on Friday that Captain Gouveia, though not authorised to speak on the matter, given that he is not a member of the board, is stirring trouble by alluding to a leaked document -- the Airport Operators

Agreement, which has been represented to the board for approval.

In alluding to the Minutes of the Board meeting which was held on October 9 last, Correia said the proposed agreement was drafted by

Attorney-at-Law Melinda Janki, in consultation with management of the airport and major aircraft operators, after receiving legal advice that it is critical to safeguard the operations of the airport through a legally binding agreement between management and operators.

“Approximately a year ago, Captain Malcolm ChanA-Sue, whose aviation credentials are without question, as Aviation and Safety Consultant to the airport and director/shareholder of OAI, was tasked with drafting an Operators’ Agreement with the legal assistance of Ms. Melinda Janki, a highly respected civil lawyer. The draft was modelled on the international practice obtain-

ing in a privately owned and operated airport.

“In fact, the agreement was modelled on the Standard Terms and Conditions for Operations at the London City Airport,” Correia explained.

It was further pointed out that the provisions outlined in the London Airport Agreement with regard to the payment of fees and the airport’s lien on operators, aircraft and equipment are virtually identical to those proposed for the Ogle International Airport. The same applies for payment of fees, liability of operators, and liability of the airport.

“We have heard one operator suggest that Ogle AirTurn to page 19 ►

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday November 14, 2015

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27 stranded Arap 18

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 14, 2015

– by Iwokrama and North Rupununi communities

TWO adult and 25 juvenile Arapaimas were safely moved from a drying pond located upstream the Essequibo River from the Iwokrama River Lodge. The dedicated team of Iwokrama staffers and community residents spent the day of November 10th, 2015 carefully transferring the fish to the river body.

Iwokrama management was informed of the stranded Arapaima on November 2nd by officials from the Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) and sent a monitoring team the next day, led by the Head Ranger, to investigate.

The Iwokrama Centre in a statement yesterday, said one adult Arapaima and several juveniles were seen in the pond that was drying out and very muddy. Concerned Fair View residents, who reside within the Iwokrama Reserve on 22,000 hectares of their titled land, later reported that they had seen not one, but two adults in the pond.

With the critical dry season currently being experienced in that region due to the El Nino effect, the partners soon realised that if the fish were not moved from the pond, they would perish. Consultations were quickly held with relevant partners including the North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB) community experts, Fisheries Department, EPA and researcher Dr Lesley de Souza to come up with a rescue plan.

An expert team of local fishermen from Fair View, Kwatamang and Rewa Villages and Iwokrama staffers executed

Two Juvenile arapaimas in a tub (Lakeram Ha

‘TO THE RESCUE’: Kevin Edwards, Everton Allicock, Rojas J that was rescued and later released into the

paimas rescued

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday, November 14, 2015

the rescue mission on November 10th. Iwokrama said special protocols were applied to ensure safe transfer to the river.

The Arapaima is the largest freshwater scaled fish in the world and is legally protected in Guyana.

The NRDDB, in collaboration with Iwokrama and other partners, developed an Arapaima Management plan, which is legally recognised by the Government of Guyana. This plan has recently been revised.

Iwokrama remains resolute that collaborative management, with a focus on strong partnerships, valuing traditional knowledge and investment in capacity building, is the route to successful natural resource management. This action shows the immense potential of indigenous resource conservation and

aynes photos)

management.

The Iwokrama management is grateful for all the support that was received for this effort and is very heartened with the level of commitment shown by the partners, especially the communities to save these very special animals.

According to the statement from Iwokrama, members of the Rescue Team were: 1. Micah Davis, Iwokrama, Head Ranger (Toka Village) 2. Kevin Edwards, Iwokrama, Tourism coordinator (Kwaimatta Village) 3. Lakeram Haynes, Kwatamang Sr. Council and NRDDB treasurer

4. Stephanu Honorio, Rewa Village Council 5. Dennis Edwards, Iwokrama boat captain/Fair View 6. Bernard Williams, Iwokrama boat captain/Fair View 7. Rojas Jonas, Fair View Village 8. Dora Jonas, Fair View Village 9. Lucy Marslowe, Toshao, Fair View 10. Everton Allicock, Fair View Village 11. Ivor Ignacio, Fair View Village 12. Samantha James, Iwokrama, Outreach Manager/Kwatamang Village 13. Rockland Leo, Fair View Village 14. Deon Bernard, Fair View Village 15. Carmella Williams, Kwatamang Village

22 shade houses set up across Linden – to expand subsistence farming

By Vanessa Braithwaite

Members of the rescue team at work

Jonas and Stephanu Honorio with the second adult arapaima e Essequibo River (Lakeram Haynes photo)

OAI calls NATA version of events highly... From page 16 port, which is both an international and domestic-regulated airport, cannot be compared with a ‘First World airport.’ That, of course, is nonsense. Ogle Airport Inc. was established precisely because the airport did not comply with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards, and would have otherwise been shut down had it not been privatised,” the OAI Board Chairman posited.

However, he said that even if the board approves a revised document, management of the airport would still have to seek approval of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) before anything could be implemented.

In support of the proposed agreement, OAI Chief Executive Officer, Anthony Mekdeci, told reporters that there have been several instances in which aircraft operators have failed to pay their fees, resulting in the airport operating at a loss.

“The airport is trying to find a mechanism so that it can collect its revenues….We are only making recommendations based on the liability of the airport. If I don’t do that, shareholders will start asking me ‘why are you not collecting the money?’ Because I have no way of enforcing the collection, because I am billing people after the fact,” the CEO lamented.

It was emphasised that the provisions being made in the proposed agreement are in keeping with international standards, and have not been pulled out of thin air. “Aviation is the most regulated industry on the planet, after nuclear, and this is because it is a cross-border activity, because airlines can travel from country to country, and the business is not a business centred in any one country. So all countries in which aircraft travel would have to buy into the rules and regulations…so Guyana is not isolated…. We are a part of that International Civil Aviation Community,” he added.

TWENTY-TWO shade houses have been established for farmers across Linden in a project being spearheaded by Partners of the Americas (POA) (Guyana Chapter) in collaboration with the Caribbean Self-Reliance International (CASRI).

A shade house is a structure enclosed by agro nets or any other woven material to allow required sunlight, moisture and air to pass through the gaps. It creates an appropriate micro climate conducive to plant growth.

The structure is used to help in cultivation of fruit and vegetable nurseries, flower plants, etc.; and to protect against pest attack as well as from natural-weather disturbances such as wind, rain, etc.

Meanwhile, 31 Lindeners on Wednesday participated in an agricultural cluster assembly that equipped them with the skills to expand their subsistence farming.

In light of Linden’s limited employment opportunities, Partners of the Americas undertook a project that engaged persons interested in agriculture to earn incomes by expanding their farming.

This project which is geared towards granting them structural and technical assistance, saw delegates being presented with certificates which they can present to any agricultural organisation to seek employment opportunities.

The network facilitator urged them to engage in market research and networking so as to ascertain the demands of customers and how they can best satisfy their needs.

Market promotion and public awareness were also advocated through social media, television programmes and other communication media. Failure to do so would allow other producers out of the region to meet the demand of their customers.

In order to avoid such competition, the farmers were encouraged to participate in continuity farming and to harvest in stages rather than to continue ad hoc farming.

They would have to develop a strategic plan of action so that customers would be guaranteed quality produce in a timely manner.

The delegates were then presented with a plant harvest calendar to further guide them, and they were advised about ‘best practices’ while cultivating so as to reap fertiliser-free produce.

The network manager highlighted the importance of integrated pest management through natural techniques to avoid using synthetic pesticides.

NETWORK CLUSTERS In addition, they were encouraged to form clusters within the region to develop a better relationship with other farmers to ascertain the demand and supply.

They were also told about organising tours to other regions to enable an interchange of knowledge with different farmers.

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Aussies dominate as Warner hits unbeaten 244

By David Gray

PERTH, Australia - David Warner dominated, dissected and demolished New Zealand with his maiden double-century to drive Australia to 416 for two at the close of play on a one-sided opening day of the second Test at the WACA yesterday.

Picking up where he left off in the first Test in Brisbane, the opener scored 244 not out for his third century in three innings, as the hosts dominated New Zealand’s bowlers, as ruthlessly as they had done in the 208-run victory at the Gabba.

Usman Khawaja claimed his maiden Test century in the first Test and got his second yesterday but even his sometimes sublime strokeplay had to play second fiddle to his fellow left-hander’s brilliance on a sweltering day in Perth.

“The way he’s batting at the moment, he’s making it look so easy,” Khawaja told ABC radio.

“Test cricket isn’t easy, no matter who you play against. It’s just really nice to watch, I hope it continues for a long time. You don’t want to waste good form.”

Khawaja was caught

by Tom Latham in the covers off Doug Bracewell and departed for 121 to end a 302-run partnership with Warner shortly before stumps, leaving skipper Steve Smith (five not out) to resume on day two.

Warner, once dismissed as a Twenty20 slogger, was batting on the same ground where he hit a 69-ball centu-

… Another Test ton for Khawaja

ry on the way to his previous career-highest score of 180 against India in 2012.

This innings was the work of a far more experienced batsman, howev-

er two fours and the addition of his first six but his celebrations were muted compared to that for his century, indicating that his real target still lay ahead.

David Warner jumps for joy after his maiden double-century.

er, even if it started with similar aggression when Warner clattered the first two balls he faced for four to either side of the ground.

Having established his dominance, however, his batting became more circumspect and he was happy to reach his fifty off a single.

The 29-year-old had put on 101 with Joe Burns when his new opening partner chopped a Matt Henry delivery onto his stumps to depart for 40 just before lunch.

CELEBRATORY LEAP Warner was by no means done yet, though, and he brought up his 15th Test century by hammering his 12th four over mid-wicket. The 150 came from 182 balls with anoth-

His second six took him to 197, and after a single from the 236th ball he faced got him to the milestone for the first time, Warner performed another celebratory leap before raising his bat and helmet to the sky.

At stumps, he had faced 272 balls and hit 22 fours and two sixes.

New Zealand’s day had

started well with key paceman Tim Southee passed fit to play but it rapidly went downhill after skipper Brendon McCullum lost the toss.

Fielding a four-pronged pace attack after Henry replaced injured all-rounder James Neesham, the Black Caps were unable to muster any movement from swing or seam to test the Australian batsmen.

McCullum was also culpable for using up New Zealand’s two DRS reviews on marginal lbw calls and leaving them without one when Khawaja appeared to get an edge on a Mark Craig delivery and was caught behind.

Khawaja had another life just before tea when Bracewell let the ball through his hands on the boundary and he made the most of his reprieve in the final session as Australia racked up the highest score ever on the opening day of a WACA Test.

“It wasn’t our best day of Test cricket and we know we’ve got to come out tomorrow and be better,” said Latham.

SCOREBOARD AUSTRALIA 1st innings

Fall of wickets: 1-101, 2-403.

J. Burns b Henry

40

Bowling: T. Southee 19-1-73-

D. Warner not out

244

0, T. Boult 17-0-99-0 (w-1), M.

U. Khawaja c Latham b Bracewell

Henry 16-0-75-1, D. Bracewell 121

16-0-57-1 (nb-4),

S. Smith not out

5

M. Craig 14-0-77-0, K.

Extras: (lb-1, nb-4, w-1)

6

Williamson 3-0-11-0, M. Guptill

Total: (for 2 wickets, 90 overs) 416

3-0-7-0, B. McCullum 2-0-16-0.

Hales fires as England level one-day series

DUBAI, (Reuters) - Alex Hales made an excellent 109 to lead England to an emphatic 95-run victory over Pakistan in the second one-day international in Abu Dhabi yesterday that levelled the series at 1-1.

The tall opener struck three sixes in his maiden ODI hundred and shared century-partnerships with Jason Roy (54) and Joe Root (63) as England amassed 283 for five after winning the toss.

Eoin Morgan’s men laid the platform to post a score in excess of Alex Hales 300 but lost three celebrates his wickets in the last maiden ODI five overs, Pakicentury in stan fast bowler Abu Dhabi.

Wahab Riaz finishing with three for 43, following a clever late spell.

England fast bowler David Willey then claimed two early wickets and Chris Woakes ripped through the middle order as Pakistan collapsed to 50 for five.

Sarfraz Ahmed hit 64 in 76 balls but it proved in vain as Woakes ended with four for 33 and Willey took three for 25.

The third match in the four-game series is on Tuesday in Sharjah.

SCOREBOARD ENGLAND innings J. Roy c Malik b Riaz 54 A. Hales stp. S. Ahmed b I. Ahmed 109 J. Root b Riaz 63 E. Morgan c B. Azam b Irfan 29 J. Buttler b Riaz 11 J. Taylor not out 9 M. Ali not out 2 Extras: (lb-3 w-3) 6 Total: (for 5 wickets, 50 overs) 283 Fall of wickets: 1-102, 2-216, 3-256, 4-270. 5-274.

Bowling: M. Irfan 10-0-46-1, An. Ali 9-0-48-0, Y. Shah 9-0-70-0 (w-2),W. Riaz 10-0-43-3 (w-1), S. Malik 6-0-42-0, I. Ahmed 6-0-31-1.

PAKISTAN innings Az. Ali b Woakes 22

B. Azam lbw b Willey 4 M. Hafeez c Buttler b Willey 0 I. Ahmed c Willey b Woakes 5 S. Malik c Taylor b Woakes 13 M. Rizwan b Rashid 17 S. Ahmed c Buttler b Woakes 64 An. Ali c Woakes b Ali 23 W. Riaz c Buttler b Willey 5 Y. Shah not out 16 M. Irfan b Topley 0 Extras: (b-7, lb-8, w-4) 19 Total: (all out, 45.5 overs) 188 Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-10, 3-24, 4-46, 5-50, 6-80, 7-145, 8-163, 9-181.

Bowling: D. Willey 8-0-25-3, R. Topley 9.5-1-33-1 (w-1), C. Woakes 8-0-33-4, A. Rashid 10-032-1 (w-1), M. Ali 10-0-50-1 (w-2).

Integrity versus Unity ...

From back page in Guyana, in an attempt to turn a positive and trusted corner, must be wary of these characters amid the laments for wholesome change.

A look at the composition of Team Integrity shows a different picture with a question mark by some within the fraternity of just one candidate, who was recently named among the Regional Development Coaches of the GFF and was also recently elected to the helm of a member Association. This individual, despite his critics, continues to find a place in the structure of the sport.

Outside of that, there are only positive things that could be said of the Wayne Forde-led Team and their impressive manifesto, which clearly identifies the vision for football development.

Add to that the provision of employment for players, sponsorship of the first annual Summer Camp for Youth Soccer at Fruta Conquerors, providing free bottled water for all teams for the past ten years, upgrading floodlights at the Tucville ground, investing in hiring a Youth coach for Conquerors and just completing a deal to very soon construct a new quality stand at the Tucville ground.

These are some of the personal contributions of Forde.

“I have not seen a manifesto for Team Unity but have listened to most of and interviewed leader Nigel Hughes on his vision and he too has presented a quality plan forward, though I was amused on one occasion when he was being interviewed on Radio - he could barely remember the members of his slate. I immediately asked myself, having

followed most of the activities of the two slates: How ready is Team Unity?

The moral readiness and sincere commitment to the sport of both Hughes and Forde are undeniable having devoted time and assistance over the years, but the thirst for the power to control football in Guyana by a particular clique of very little moral standards and who believe they have the right to dictate, is casting doubts in the minds of the dear followers of the game.

The moral responsibility rests in the hands of those who will cast their secret votes as directed by their respective membership and the heavy price and burden for doing otherwise will rest on their consciences for life.

The upper level of Team Integrity’s slate is as solid as a rock and with a diverse representation at the lower level, the ‘Beautiful Game’ is set for a bright future like never before should the voters do the right thing that is best for football.

While we must agree that the game is in urgent need of Integrity and Unity, not only here but globally, there can only be one winner today.

‘For the good of the game’ and in the presence of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), Antiguan Gordon Derrik who is expected to attend the Congress, let the process be clean and there be no repetition of previously aborted Congresses under the last president.

All 22 members are expected to be represented by two delegates each but only one vote per member will be allowed and the dress code is formal for a prompt 11:00hrs start.

Racing Tips Irish Racing Tips Punchestown 08:25 hrs Gitaane Du Berlais 09:00 hrs Outlander 09:35 hrs Guitar Pete 10:10 hrs Definite Earl 10:45 hrs Quantativeeasing 11:20 hrs Beau Mome 11:55 hrs Avenir D’Une Vie South Africa Racing Tips Kenilworth 08:30 hrs Cavallino 09:05 hrs Red Moon At Night 09:35 hrs Lanner Falcon 10:10 hrs Equity Kicker 10:45 hrs Same Jurisdiction 11:20 hrs Space Launch 12:00 hrs Speedy Chestnut English Racing Tips Wetherby 08:20 hrs Bedale Lane 08:55 hrs Vodka Wells 09:30 hrs Snapping Turtle 10:05 hrs De Vous A Moi 10:40 hrs Bowdler’s Magic 11:15 hrs Kuda Huraa 11:50 hrs Brave Buck

Uttoxeter 08:30 hrs Captain Chaos 09:05 hrs April Dusk 09:40 hrs Go Conquer 10:15 hrs Western Breeze 10:50 hrs Loughalder 11:25 hrs Neworld 12:00 hrs Call To Order Cheltenham 08:40 hrs Oceane 09:15 hrs Vicente 09:50 hrs Knockanrawley 10:25 hrs Art Mauresque 11:00 hrs Atlantic Gold 11:35 hrs Medley Lamarr 12:05 hrs Tobouggaloo American Racing Tips Aqueduct Race 1 Firestar Race 2 Longfor the City Race 3 Mia and Molly Race 4 Three for Me Race 5 Governor Malibu Race 6 Indebted Race 7 Mr Speaker Race 8 Indiansa Stones Race 9 Bank Float

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday November 14, 2015

Platini left off ballot, as FIFA approves five for presidential election FIVE candidates have been approved to run for FIFA president in the upcoming special election, FIFA announced on Thursday.

Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa, Jerome Champagne, Gianni Infantino and Tokyo Sexwale will appear on the ballot.

UEFA chief Michel Platini, who was once considered a favourite to succeed Sepp Blatter as FIFA president, was not included on

the ballot as he remains suspended due to an ongoing investigation by the FIFA ethics committee.

Musa Bility of Liberia was also not approved by the electoral committee upon review of “the content of the integrity check report relating to him”.

FIFA says each candidate underwent a background check of corporate records, litigation cases, bankruptcy proceedings and potential regulatory

UEFA chief Michel Platini

actions taken against the candidates.

Sheikh Salman has denied allegations that he played a role in the jailing and torturing of Bahrainian soccer players who peacefully protested his family’s rule in 2011. A candidate’s eligibility can be appealed in the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The election will be held on February 26 when 209 member associations will vote for their next leader.

Upper Corentyne 4R Bearings 20/20 final set for tomorrow THE Crabwood Creek Sports Complex will come alive tomorrow with the 4R Bearings 20/20 final, organised by the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association (UCCA). It will be the biggest final to be played at this venue in the last two decades.

TOTARAM PERSAUD This competition features 20 teams from Yakusari to Crabwood Creek and was played in four zones on a round-robin basis home and away (IPL style).

The top two teams then advance from each zone to the knock-out stages of the competition.

For the semi-finals at the No. 69 Vikings ground

the crowd was huge and the final is expected to attract an even bigger crowd.

The action will start with a rival encounter between Crabwood Creek Sports Club and No. 48 Challengers in a 15/15 match at 09:30hrs then at 13:00hrs the two neighbouring clubs, No. 70 ‘A’ and No. 69 Vikings, will battle for the 4R trophy and $100 000. The runners-up will receive $25 000 and a trophy, man-ofthe-match in the final - a trophy and cash incentive, MVP of the competition – a trophy and cash incentive. Trophies will be presented to all batsmen who scored centuries and all bowlers who took 5-wicket hauls.

Admission is $200 but children under 12 years will not have to pay. There will be 50 gate prizes as an added incentive for patrons. A popular sound system will be in the house with ball-by-ball commentary.

There will also be a wellstocked bar with lots to eat.

The full squads for all the teams are as follows: No. 70 ‘A’ Team: Omesh Khemraj (captain), Naeem Yacoob,

Rayan Yaccob, Tameshwar Ramoutar, Chris Bollers, Omesh Kumar, Thameshwar Kumar, Kumar Mathura, Devendra Jaggernauth Alim Haniff (wicketkeeper), Naresh Prashad, Akash Persaud & Kameshwar Ramjit.

The manager is Niran

NAEEM YACOOB Yacoob.

No. 69 Vikings Team: Sachin Ramrattan (captain), Viendra Gooniah, Wadikar Ramrattan, Totaram Persaud, Latchman Roopchan, Imran Khan (wicketkeeper), Surendra Rajaram, Vishwanauth Lalbeharry, Deon Bramdit, Yaad Prahalad, TrishanNarinedat , Chandrakant

Narsingh & Vivendra Gooniah. The manager is B. Nandalall.

Crabwood Creek Sports Club: Darshan Challitar (captain), Errington Lionel Seegobin, Quadeer Khan, Bisram Sukhram, Mahendra Bhola, Dwight Holder, F. Hussain, Mahesh Toolsie, Lakeram Tamasar, Naresh Deo, B. Singh, Devendra Chandradat & Humesh Harrylall. The manager is Mr Dennis De Andrade.

No. 48 Challengers: Joshua Brijblas (captain), Balram Persaud, Balram Samaroo, Muneshwar Lallu, Alvin Diaram, Narine Boodnarine, Akesh Homraj C. Persaud, H. Homraj, Jaipaul Seenauth, David Itwaru, J. Baijnauth, T. Persaud, P. Shaw, P. Budnarine & M. Ramnarine. The manager is Chaitram Persaud.

The UCCA would like to take this opportunity to thank Crabwood Creek-born Ricky Deonarain of 4R Bearings of Georgetown, for sponsoring this competition.

The competition was the biggest-ever played in the Upper Corentyne and was well organised by the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association.

Three players penalised in PCL Round 1

ST JOHN’S, Antigua – The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) confirmed on Thursday that Dave Bernard Jr, Kevin Stoute and Shane Shillingford have been penalised under the Code of Conduct, following the first round of the Professional Cricket League (PCL) Regional 4-Day Tournament which ended last Monday.

Bernard and Stoute were reported by umpires Peter Nero, Jonathan Blades and Ryan Willoughby during the match between Barbados Pride and Jamaica Scorpions at Kensington Oval, for Level 1 breaches of the code.

They both showed dissent at an umpire’s decision by appealing excessively for an lbw decision which was given not-out.

Shillingford was reported by umpires Nandkumar Shivsankar, Joel Wilson and Imran Moakan during the match between Windward Islands Volcanoes and Guyana Jaguars at the Guyana National Stadium, also for a Level 1 breach of the code.

Shillingford was penalised for conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game, when he attempted to bring the game into disrepute through pointing at his elbow during an appeal for caught while he was batting in the 45th over of the Volcanoes’ second innings, deliberately attempting to influence the umpire’s decision.

All three players were fined 10 per cent of their match fees, after they admitted to the offence and accepted the imposition of the proposed sanction.

Petama Enterprise/ Motor Trend Softball results/fixtures RESULTS of matches played in the Petama Enterprise/Motor Trend softball tournament last Sunday..

Fishermen Masters def: Enterprise legends by 10 wkts. Enterprise Legends 153-8 off 20 overs. N. Roopdeo 24, S. Yadram 20, Jagdesh Persaud 4-24, David Harper 2-24. Fishermen Masters 159-1 off 18 overs.

Ramo Malone 63 n.o. and J. Persaud 55 n.o.

Park Rangers def: Floodlights Masters by super over. Park Rangers 24 & Floodlights Masters 8.

Park Rangers and Floodlights Masters played to a tie. Floodlights 188 all out. Imtiaz Mohamed 45, R. Singh 22, A. Beharry 21, Talesh Ramoutar 2-24, R. Narine 2-20. Park Rangers 188 all out. Mohamed Rafeek 65, R. Narine 28, Richard Kellawan 5-28 and Wayne Jones 2-19.

Parika Dedenders def; Floodlights Legends.

Parika 150-10 off 20 overs. D. Kannan 47, Kabesh Persaud 37 and Hardat 3-15. Floodlights Legends 143 all out. Mohamed 4-24.

Wellwoman def; 4R Lioness by 47 runs. Wellwoman 112-8 in 10 overs. Reneka Isaacs 28, Susan Davanand 25, Latoya Smith 22, and Gangadai Singh 3-24. 4R Lioness 65-9 off 10 overs. Amanda Semple 3-12 and Joan Vansertima 2-2.

Regal Masters def: Savage Masters XI. Regal Masters 174-8 off 20 overs. Fazleem Mohamed 41, Rudolph Bakee 66, M. Chunilall 22, Rudolph Perreira 2-14 and Eon Lovell 3-19. Savage Masters 94 all out. T. Ramsayawak 26, E. Lovell 13, Fazleem Mohamed 3-22 and A. Boodhoo 2-15.

Regal def: Farm. Regal 83, without loss in 8.1 overs. Navin Singh 34 and K. Joseph 13. Farm 78-912.4 overs. P. Khan 16, W. Yusuf 15, Rohit Dutchin 2-8, Fazal Rafeek 3-5 and R. Latiff 1-19.

Wolf Warriors def: Young Guns by 8 wkts.

Young Guns 95 all out. Narine Bailey 3-15. Wolf Warriors 96-2 off 7 overs. Amit Rai 43 n.o. and A. Karim 34.

Fixtures for Sunday November 15: DCC ground 09:30hrs - Regal Masters vs Park Rangers.

12:30hrs - Fishermen Masters vs Parika Defenders.

33

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday November 14, 2015

GISE, Star Party and Trophy Stall/ Eagles United, GCA first division cricket on today Winners Connection play to 0-0 stalemate

By Stephan Sookram THE Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA), in partnership with General Industrial & Supplies Enterprise (GISE), Star Party Rentals and Trophy Stall, will continue to push ahead with its cricket development agenda through on-field action, this time in the form of a two-day first division tournament commencing today.

Today’s fixtures will pit the Gandhi Youth Organisation (GYO) against their Malteenoes Sports Club (MSC) counterparts while the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) will host GNIC in the opening rounds of the two-zone tournament.

During the launch on Thursday, president of the GCA and former Guyana and West Indies cricketer, Roger Harper, reminded all present of his organisation’s vibrancy, and referred to the recent tournaments which are aimed at keeping cricketers active.

He added, “The sponsors would want to sit back some day and say this person, who is now playing for the West Indies came out of our competition in 2015.”

(Second to left) GISE’s Verne Van Lange hands over sponsorship to GCA president Roger Harper (third from left) in the presence of GCA Competitions Committee chairman Shawn Massiah (fourth to left).

Meanwhile Competitions Committee chairman Shawn Massiah indicated that the competition should encourage batsmen to bat for extended periods in order to develop patience.

“Players are to endeavour at all times to conduct themselves in keeping with the true spirit of the game, observing the highest standard of cricket. Players are expected to accept the umpires’ decision at all times and refrain from showing dissent. All players shall be

bound by the GCA code of conduct,” Massiah continued.

Meanwhile, batting and bowling points will be awarded with a maximum of 10 points to teams for making 350 and bowling out the opposition while fast bowlers will need to bowl 25% of the total innings’ deliveries.

Also present during the launch, representative of GISE, Verne Van Lange, said “We understand that we can play a role as the sponsor, in supporting the development

of cricket for those who play cricket for fun, for those who enjoy watching cricket and for those who may one day be representing our country or better yet our region.”

The competition also caters to persons of any gender to take part as well as allowing runners to be used by injured batsmen.

The winning team will collect $100 000, while the runners-up receive $50 000.

Incentives for several individual performances will be up for grabs.

GCB/BANK DIH/DIGICEL NSSCL

Chase Academy, St Stanislaus College book semi-final spots CHASE Academy and St Stanislaus College got past School of the Nations and Christ Church Secondary respectively, to book their semi-final place in the North Georgetown Zone of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) National Secondary School Cricket League (NSSCL)-sponsored by Bank’s DIH Ltd’s Coco Cola Rainforest Water along with Digicel.

At DCC ground, Chase Academy disposed of School of the Nations after routing them for 77 in 19 overs, thanks to another fine spell by national Under-15 leftarm spinner Ashmead Nedd who bagged 4-11. Supporting him in the bowling department was off-spinner Dwanye Dick who took 2-12.

Chase Academy then raced to their target in just four overs, as Joshua Persaud struck 28 not out and Nedd showed his batting ability by scoring 22 not out.

Over at Everest ground, St Stanislaus College beat Christ Church Secondary by 4 wickets.

Christ Church won the toss and elected to bat, but they could manage only 149 all out in 26.1 overs, with Aaron Beharry scoring 37 while Alphius Bookie made 35.

In reply, St Stanislaus College got to their target in 24.4 overs while losing 6 wickets in the process. Kennard Moonsammy and Terrence Singh led the run chase with a well-played 48 not out and 33 not out respectively. Bowling for Christ Church, Junior Phillips collected 4-32.

Matches continue Monday in the South Georgetown Zone as Freeburg Secondary play Central High at Everest and South Ruimveldt come up against Lodge High.

In the West Bank Demarara Zone, Goed Fortuin Secondary take on Unique Academy at Wales.

Ashmead Nedd

EAGLES United were able to play their best football, despite not scoring, but being able to hold their opponents, and in the process sharing the points, as they halted the winning streak of Winners Connection with a 0-0 stalemate.

Neither side looked like coming out on top, but clearly the Winners Connection could rue the lone clear chance they had in the second half, through their leading striker Rawle ‘Boney‘ Gittens, whose shot beat the Eagles goalkeeper, but crashed onto the crossbar and rebounded harmlessly into play.

The battle between Botofago and Silver Shattas was enterprising indeed for the constant good crowds who watch these games, and the end result in favour of Silver Shattas must have been hard for Botofago to accept.

But it was Botofago who opened the scoring in the game, a goal coming as early as the 2nd minute through forward Tevin David, who shot well to score and give his side a decisive 1-0 advantage.

Rocked back by this early setback, Shattas were able to recover somewhat, and with one minute before the half-time whistle came, they were rewarded.

A corner kick taken by Michael Wilson, who scored a double in this game, swirled past the flailing hands of Botofago’s goalkeeper Eldridge Williams, to score and knot the scores 1-1.

The first period ended with the scores level and it meant that neither Botofago nor Silver Shattas wanted to lose the initiative. Both teams battled fiercely on offence and stoutly defended with all their hearts. Eventually, Wilson was able to get in that vital goal, which sent his team into the lead. By virtue of this it could have been the decider as in the 80th minute, it did happen.

From about 25 yards out developing on the left side Wilson’s right-footed hammer again went past Williams to score as the Shattas shattered any hopes of Botofago remaining unbeaten in this UDFA First Division League championship, coming away with a 2-1 victory.

The championship continues tomorrow with another double-header. In the first game Milerock and Amelia’s Ward clash while in the other Topp XX battle Net Rockers at the MSC ground.

NOTABLE DATES

DENNIS Andries secured the first draw of his career on November 14, 1978. At the end of the eight-round contest Andries was found equal on points with Englishman Les McAteer, who was a former Commonwealth middleweight champion.

It was the fifth victory in six fights for the Guyanese orthodox boxer. Born on November 5, 1953, Andries started professional boxing on May 16, 1978. He became the European light heavyweight champion, the World Boxing Council (WBC) light heavyweight champion and later the Commonwealth cruiserweight champion.

He won the WBC title following a split decision victory over J. B. Williamson on April 30, 1986. Andries made one successful defence before meeting Thomas `Hitman’ Hearns in March 1987.

The `Hitman’ came with only live rounds and grabbed the crown via a 10th round TKO. However, Andries bounced back and was again named WBC champion when he TKOed Tony Willis on February 21, 1989 to take the vacant title.

Although born in Guyana, Andries never fought at home. His career spanned 18 years and Andries had his last fight on December 14, 1996. He left with a record of 49 victories (30 KOs), 14 defeats and two draws.

34

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday November 14, 2015

WICB: Take a lesson from DeKlerk’s and Mandela’s playbook

By Rudi Webster AT the April meeting in G re n a d a b e t w e e n t h e West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and CARICOM’s Cricket Governance Subcommittee both parties willingly agreed to the establishment of an independent committee of eminent West Indians to examine the administrative and governance structure of the WICB. After long discussions and some touchy and contentious exchanges the WICB eventually agreed that it would accept and implement the recommendations of that committee. WICB and CARICOM’s Cricket Subcommittee jointly selected the independent committee.

After three months of interviews, consultation and deliberation, the five-person Committee submitted its report in which it stated that the standards of corporate, collective ac-

countability demand the immediate resignation of the entire management of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), the dissolution of the current Board structure, the appointment of an interim Board, and the adoption of a new governance framework.

This must have been quite a shock to the Board.

Looking at its recent record, one wonders if it will in fact honour its commitment.

One gets the impression that Cameron and some of the members of the Board will renege and fight to the bitter end to keep the Board intact in order to preserve their power and status. The words of Cameron in an internet post some time ago in response to widespread public criticism are not those of someone who is prepared to compromise or give up power easily. He said: “They’ve criticized you. They’ve doubted you. They’ve lied on you. They’ve done all

they can do, but one thing they can’t do is stop you.”

The Board seems to thrive on crisis and destructive conflict. After all, most of its disasters are self-inflicted. It has been in perpetual warfare with its players, the West Indies Players Association (WIPA), the president of WIPA, and even its head coaches. Let’s hope that the Board is not preparing for warfare with regional prime ministers who are the elected representatives of the Caribbean people. Such an approach could and probably would be disastrous.

In a recent article in Cricinfo Tony Cozier asked the question: “Will Cameron give up power for the sake of reform?” This is a serious question that Cameron should constantly ask himself, and think through very carefully.

During the apartheid transitional period, Prime Minister Sandiford and I went to South Africa as guests of

President DeKlerk, the leader of South Africa’s apartheid government. The day after Prime Minister Sandiford left South Africa, President

WICB president Dave Cameron Deklerk invited me to his office in Pretoria. We spoke for about thirty minutes after which he took me into the Cabinet room and said to me, “This is where apartheid

was born and this is where it will die.” I told him that although a large proportion of the white population did not agree with what he was doing, his decision to give up his power for the peaceful reform and transformation of his country was a sign of great leadership.

He admitted that the alternative, bloodshed and possible civil war was too painful and horrifying to contemplate.

Soon afterwards, Nelson Mandela took over the leadership of the country and a new South Africa was born.

Without Deklerk’s co-operation this smooth transition would not have been possible. Mandela’s job would have been much more difficult. Later on, they were both awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their commonsense, wisdom, co-operation, actions and common purpose.

The meaning of any situation depends on the way you look at it. When you change your perspective of a situation you automatically change its meaning and with that, your thoughts, decisions and actions. Cam-

eron and his directors should take a leaf out of President Deklerk’s playbook.

They should as a matter of urgency change the way they look at the current crisis and its possible outcomes. It would then be easier for them to change their thinking and attitude and give up their power and position for peaceful reform and the common good of West Indies cricket.

This unselfish action would not win them a Nobel Peace Prize but history would view them kindly and portray them as the saviours and redeemers of West Indies cricket, not the destroyers.

Let’s hope that the WICB agrees to the holding of the urgent meeting that the prime ministers have requested. Let’s pray that commonsense and wisdom prevail. Let us also remind the WICB that the true measure of wisdom is the ability to see and understand things from many different perspectives as well as the capacity to respond sensibly and appropriately.

African heavyweights held to goalless draws in World Cup qualifiers

By Mark Gleeson

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (Reuters) - The small Comoros Islands and kingdom of Swaziland enjoyed a rare outing in the World Cup spotlight yesterday by holding two of African football’s established powers to goalless draws in the first leg of their second round qualifying ties.

The Comoros, in only their third World Cup campaign, were denied a famous victory over Ghana in Moroni when they had a late effort from Al M’Madi ruled out for offside, which television replays showed to be a erroneous call from the linesman.

Halifa Soule struck the post for the Comoros early on but the same upright denied Ghana’ Emmanuel Agyeman Duah and Dede Ayew in quick succession in the second half in hot and humid

conditions.

Ghana remain heavily fancied to advance after the second leg in Kumasi on Tuesday but the Comoros, ranked 177th in the world, will have done

EDGAR SALLI much to earn well-deserved respect.

The 130th-ranked Swaziland also proved combative as they held

Nigeria in their match at the Somhlolo Stadium where John Obi Mikel came closest to scoring as he hit a curling free kick against the woodwork.

But Cameroon, who have been to more World Cups than any other African country, wasted no time dealing with minnow opposition as they scored three goals in a four-minute spell before half-time to win 3-0 away in Niger.

Stephane Mbia, Vincent Aboubakar and Edgar Salli all netted as Cameroon played the first match since they parted ways with German coach Volker Finke last month. Cameroon, whose appearance in Brazil last year was their seventh at a World Cup, had former international Alexandre Belinga in charge of their side for the first time.

African champions Ivory Coast were weakened by the absence of sever-

al key players, including Yaya Toure and Wilfried Bony, but still won 1-0 in neighbouring Liberia with Belgian-based striker Cyriac Bohi Bi scoring on the stroke of halftime.

South Africa conceded a goal to teenage striker Gerson after just 90 seconds but went on to register a 3-1 away victory over Angola in Benguela.

SOFT PENALTY The 2010 World Cup hosts replied through Tokelo Rantie and Thamsanqa Gabuza and a soft late penalty converted by Andile Jali, who then got sent off after his provocative celebrations angered the home crowd.

Tunisia came from a goal down to score twice in six minutes midway the second half to beat Mauritania 2-1 away.

Wa h b i K h a z r i a n d Yassine Chikhaoui scored after captain Oumar

Ndiaye had given Mauritania the half-time lead in Noukachott. Kenya scored after just nine minutes through Michael Olunga with a close-in header to beat the Cape Verde Islands in Nairobi but will take only a slender 1-0 advantage to Tuesday’s return leg. Faisal Salah converted a penalty for Libya as they beat Rwan-

da 1-0 in Sousse.

The civil strife and uncertain security situation in the country means Libya are forced to host their international matches in neighbouring Tunisia. World Cup qualification continues in Africa over the weekend and on Tuesday, after which 20 countries will emerge from the knockout rounds to play in the group phase, which starts late next year.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Saturday November 14, 2015) COMPLIMENTS OF THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & AUDREY’S TASTY SNACKETTE-176 Charlotte Street, Georgetown (Tel: 226-4512)

Answers to yesterday’s quiz: 46 4

Today’s Quiz:

What was Marlon Samuels’ aggregate and average in the recent WI/SL ODI series?

How many players were involved in the recent WI/SL three-match ODI series?

Answers in tomorrow’s issue

35

GUYANA CHRONICLE Saturday November 14, 2015

Singh’s unbeaten century rescues Jaguars on day one

VISHAUL SINGH

By Kizan Brumell

VISHAUL Singh slammed his second first-class century against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes as his defiant innings pushed Guyana Jaguars to 218-5 at stumps on day one of their WICB Professional Cricket League (PCL) Regional 4-day match at the Guyana National Stadium.

Singh is unbeaten on 111 with Christopher Barnwell (19) at the other end. Hurricanes used eight bowlers yesterday but West Indies Under-19 fast bowler Alazarri Joseph stood out as he tore through the defending champions’ top order.

The visitors won the toss but gave the home side first strike. Assad Fudadin got Guyana their first five runs of the match then fell leg-before-wicket to Joseph. The very next delivery the Guyanese captain Leon Johnson nicked a lively delivery from Joseph to Orlando Peters at second slip without scoring, Jaguars were 16-2.

Five runs later, Rajendra Chandrika (7) was back in the pavilion, another victim of Joseph, caught by Steve Liburd at first slip. The 18-year-old pacer eventually ended the day with 3-44 from 13 overs.

Singh and Shivnarine Chanderpaul took Guyana to lunch at 76-2 and began the repair in the second session. They featured in a 171-run partnership that lasted the session after lunch and nearly the entire final session before the latter fell to Jacques Taylor.

At tea Guyana were 135-3, a well-staged recovery.

As they approached the 200-run mark Chanderpaul (65) came forward to defend and pushed one to Daron Cruickshank at cover who took a good out-stretched catch to break the partnership.

Raymon Reifer entered with the score on 192-4 and was bowled by Rakeem Cornwall for duck. Christopher Barnwell replaced him and had a shaky start but got into his stride and made it to the close of play after some 94 overs were bowled for the day.

The match resumes today at 09:30hrs.

Russia suspended after overwhelming IAAF vote

By Mitch Phillips LONDON, England (Reuters) - Athletics’ governing body has voted overwhelmingly to suspend Russia from the sport for widespread, state-sponsored doping and the ban will include the 2016 Olympics unless the country can demonstrate a major change in their approach and controls.

After a three-hour teleconference yesterday, hosted by its president Sebastian Coe, the International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF) council voted 22-1 in favour of the sanction, with the Russian representative not able to vote.

The meeting was called to discuss Monday’s report by the independent commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which recommended the punishment - unprecedented for doping offences.

The report alleged “systemic” collusion between Russian athletes and both the country’s federation and anti-doping authorities and a “deeply-rooted culture of cheating” that enabled athletes to take performance-enhancing drugs without fear of being tested.

The report recommended suspending the Russian federation until a “new framework” was in place.

“We will get the change

we want and only then will Russian athletes return to international competition,” Coe told reporters after yesterday’s call.

“This is not about pol-

IAAF president Sebastian Coe itics; this is about the protection of clean athletes. I cannot overstate the feeling around the conference call this evening about sending the strongest possible message that we can.

“This has been a shameful wake-up call and we are clear that cheating at any level will not be tolerated.

“But we discussed and agreed that the whole system has failed the athletes, not just in Russia, but around the world.”

REQUIRED CHANGES Asked if Russia would be able to make the required changes in time to return for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics next August, Coe said: “It is entirely up to the Russian federation.

Our verification team will be tough and will want to make sure that before there is a re-introduction to the sport for their athletes and the federation those changes have taken place.”

Russia will be stripped of hosting the world race walking and world junior championships next year while the first competition to be affected by the ban is the European cross-country championships in France on December 13.

The main athletics events in 2016 are the world Indoor Championships, the European athletics championships and the Olympics.

Russia are one of the superpowers of the sport and finished second behind the United States in the track and field medal count at the 2012 Olympics in London.

“To regain membership to the IAAF the new federation would have to fulfil a list of criteria,” Coe said.

“An inspection team will be led by Independent Chair, Rune Andersen, an independent international anti-doping expert (Norwegian) and three members of

the IAAF Council who will be appointed in the next few days.”

Stephanie Hightower, president of U.S. Track and Field and an IAAF council member, said of the “extraordinary” decision: “In light of the evidence, suspension was the only proper course of action. This sends a clear message to clean athletes that protecting them and protecting the sport, with a culture of accountability, is our top priority.

“Although this is a difficult time, in the long term, the sport ultimately will be stronger for it.”

SUSPENDED MEMBERS The IAAF has previously suspended members, including South Africa

Shivnarine Chanderpaul

SCOREBOARD

G U YA N A J A G U A R S f i r s t innings A. Fudadin lbw b Joseph 5 R. Chandrika c Peters b Joseph 7 L. Johnson c Liburd b Joseph 0 V. Singh not out 111 S. Chanderpaul c Cruickshank b Taylor 65 R. Reifer b Cornwall 0

during its Apartheid regime, Afghanistan, Vanuatu, Algeria and Gabon, but none of those were drugs-related.

Coe’s predecessor as president, Lamine Diack, is being investigated by French police over allegations he received bribes to cover up positive doping tests of Russian athletes but yesterday’s meeting did not discuss that issue.

Other aspects of the IAAF’s actions regarding Russia were withheld from the commission’s report on Monday, as they form part of an investigation by Interpol into international corruption involving officials and athletes.

Coe accepted, though, that the IAAF was also in the dock.

C. Barnwell not out 19 Extras: (nb-2, w-3, lb-4, b-6) 15 Total: (for five wickets, 95 overs) 218 Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-16, 3-21, 4-192, 5-193 Bowling: Tonge (11-3-21-0), Joseph (13-0-44-3), O Peters (51-11-0), Cornwall (36-14-63-1), Cruickshank (6-1-21-0), Taylor (19-8-39-1), Bonner (3-1-6-0), S Peters (2-1-8-0).

“The IAAF, WADA, the member federations and athletes need to look closely at ourselves, our cultures and our processes to identify where failures exist and be tough in our determination to fix them and rebuild trust in our sport,” he said.

“We find ourselves in a shameful position tonight and we need to look at ourselves.

“We have also addressed the failings of our own organisation and we have discussed strong, strong changes there,” added Coe, who said he had asked Paul Deighton, the former CEO of the London 2012 Olympics, to oversee a programme of changes within the governing body.

“The architecture of anti-doping has failed athletes worldwide,” Coe added.

Letter to the Sports Editor

Dark days for Unity

TEAM Unity’s last-minute attempt to disguise who they truly are would not convince the voters. Conversely, it’s sending a Red Flag to the voters.

On Ras Allan La Rose’s show, ‘Real Football Vibz”, Mr Hughes indicated that he was very comfortable with the entire team. What has changed forty-eight hours before the vote? Nothing. This unorganised group, calling themselves ‘Team Unity’, have shown their true colours to the voters. Do not be misled by these actions since it can be undone at the last minute using the common excuse line that it was a ‘premature mistake’. Make no mistake this is a well-calculated and thought-out plan

to pull wool over the voters’ eyes Secondly, to declare their plans or the lack thereof today, for the future of Guyana’s Football is totally unacceptable and irresponsible. This last-minute attempt to convince the voters is the proverbially drowning man clutching at a straw.

Now that the voters are truly informed about the lack of vision, unity and most of all the lack of organisational skills of this not-so-Unity Group, it’s time to deliver the knock-out punch to Team Unity.

Vote Team Integrity!

CONCERNED

Sport CHRONICLE

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

Russia suspended after overwhelming IAAF vote See story on page 35

Integrity versus Unity for football power … Today is ‘D’ Day

By Ras Wadada

‘D’ DAY for the much awaited elections in the history of the Nation’s football is finally here. Sometime after noon today there will be an eruption of joy and celebration at the Marriott

Team Unity Nigel Hughes Hotel in Kingston, when the official winner of the twoslate race for governance of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) is announced.

VISHAUL SINGH

After weeks of intense campaigning among the 22 eligible voting members of the GFF, both slates - Team Integrity and Team Unity – are confident of prevailing at the polls and this has triggered much more interest and debating within the stakeholders of the ‘Beautiful Game’, not only here in Guyana but also abroad and on Social Media .

Indeed there have been direct character attacks on some of the candidates, some justifiable while some are totally false.

The leadership qualities of both presidential candidates are unquestionable, but there are members on both slates that have been continuously questioned by stakeholders.

In fact, the calls for Team Unity to revisit and rethink their slate if they hope to triumph took some effect two days ago when a particular candidate announced that he was shifting position, which of course is not permissible.

The way to go is to withdraw and not to create distractions, if you are sincere.

This particular candi-

date is not alone on the distasteful list of the football-loving Nation, but has company in another, who was a key figure in lucrative secret deals during the 2014 World Cup campaign and

clearly demonstrated his incompetence at Management as was revealed recently when Guyana was fined four thousand Swiss Francs (over $800 000.G) for playing an

ineligible player.

Also Guyana’s chances of getting past St Vincent in the 2018 World Cup qualifier were dashed by the failure of the said Management to se-

cure Guyanese Nationalities and clearance for UK-born players in time.

The ‘Beautiful Game’ See page 31

Ministry of Tourism on board with GMR&SC

Team Integrity Wayne Forde the squandering of millions of dollars under the regime of a now president of a member Association, all yet to be investigated.

The other candidate of Team Unity in question has

Singh’s unbeaten century rescues Jaguars See story on page 35

Minister of Tourism Cathy Hughes hands over the sponsorship cheque to GM&RSC secretary Carey Griffith (right) THE Ministry of Tourism yesterday came on board with the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) through a sponsorship donation of just over $1M. During a simple yet significant ceremony at the Ministry’s Camp street office, Tourism Minister Cathy Hughes handed over a cheque to Committee Secretary of the GMR&SC, Mr Carey Griffith.

In giving his remarks, Griffith, no stranger to the track said, “It’s a fantastic gesture by the Ministry of Tourism.

GMRSC and all the racing fans and enthusiasts are very happy with the fact that the Ministry of Tourism has come on board.”

Griffith noted that the contributions will go towards helping the club in a large way.

Meanwhile, Minister Cathy Hughes indicated that she was more than happy to come on board with motor racing.

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“When we look at Sport Tourism, we recognise that it’s a very important sector in our tourism niche marker. For a very long time, the GMR&SC have been playing a very vibrant role as we know they have been around for many years and we recognise that they have helped this industry grow,” continued Hughes.

The minister added, “I want to take this opportunity to welcome all the visitors and teams from overseas. I heard we have over one hundred persons here for motor racing and, of course, the spin-off effect is that we have a lot more people from within the region that are also coming to this great race meet on Sunday.”

Tomorrow’s event, which features the final leg of the Caribbean Motor Racing Championships, will take place at the South Dakota Circuit. (Stephan Sookram) SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2015