Guyana chronicle 20 11 14 by Guyana Chronicle

GUYANA No. 104017 THURSDAY NOVEMBER 20, 2014

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‘Guyana can become a developed country – President in my lifetime’ Ramotar Page

President Donald Ramotar

General election looms…

Unicomer opens

US$6M distribution centre – testimony to confidence in the economy

Page

APNU, AFC reject President’s invitation for talks Page

Industrial action by GPSU at Guyana Geology and Mines Commission Page

Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh; Vice Chairman & Executive Vice President of Unicomer Group, Guillermo Siman; President of Guyana, Donald Ramotar and Managing Director Unicomer Guyana, Clyde de Haas during the tour of the New Distribution Centre in Eccles. Mexican Ambassador to Guyana Francisco Olguin in the background

James Bond role in confessed drug trafficker release under scrutiny Page 10

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday November 20, 2014

Unicomer opens US$6M distribution centre – testimony to confidence in the economy

Vice Chairman & Executive Vice President of Unicomer Group, Guillermo Siman greets President Donald Ramotar on his arrival at the Centre

The official cutting of the ribbon by President Donald Ramotar, Managing Director Unicomer Caribbean, Mario Guerrero; Vice Chairman Unicomer, Guillermo Siman; Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh; Managing Director Unicomer Guyana, Clyde de Haas; Housing & Water Minister, Irfaan Ali; Mexican Ambassador, Francisco Olguin and GCCI’s President Lance Hinds

On a lighter note during his remarks Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh entertains all. (Front Row) GCCI’s President Lance Hinds; Managing Director Unicomer Guyana, Clyde de Haas, Housing & Water Minister, Irfaan Ali; Managing Director Unicomer Caribbean, Mario Guerrero; Vice Chairman Unicomer, Guillermo Siman and President Donald Ramotar

UNICOMER Guyana, parent company of Courts Guyana, yesterday officially opened its new US$6M distribution centre at Plantation Eccles, deeming the facility one of the most stateof–the-art facilities of its kind in the Caribbean. This new facility measuring some 60,000 square feet sits on four acres of land in the Eccles Industrial Site on the East Bank of Demerara. It is fully automated and has the capacity to accommodate 18 loading trucks and 20 containers can also be stored on the premises. This facility will now be able to employ 50 persons. Speaking at the ceremony held at the centre’s location in Eccles, Managing Director

of Unicomer Guyana, Clyde de Haas explained that the centre took approximately one year to construct and boasts the latest in technology and equipment. Noting also that this centre has three times the storage capacity as that of the old facility, de Haas said that this will ensure that the company is able to meet and maintain adequate stock levels to supply all stores, “with this being the Christmas season the demand is more,” de Haas noted. He explained that the company had outgrown the distribution location in Montrose and therefore the company needed to seek other alternatives. He thanked the Government of Guyana and the Housing Minister for as-

sisting in making such a milestone in Unicomer’s history becoming a reality. He reiterated that Courts Guyana is here to stay and noted that the company is looking to further expand in Guyana. “We are in 20 countries presently within the Caribbean, Central America and South America and with the opening up of this facility now, we are looking to further expand here with more stores,” said the Vice Chairman and Executive Vice President of Unicomer, Guillermo Siman. He noted that when Courts Guyana opened its doors some 20 years ago, the stores rapidly expanded to suit the market. Echoing the words of de Haas, he noted that the previous location had outlived its usefulness. “In the quest to improve our services, Guyana became a priority for us, hence the reason for us to construct a modern 60,000 square-foot centre,” he noted, explaining Turn to page 3 ►

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday November 20, 2014

‘Guyana can become a developed country in my lifetime’ – President Ramotar PRESIDENT Donald Ramotar yesterday at Unicomer New Distribution Centre asserted that with investments such as this one, “The whole idea is to make Guyana a modern and developed country.” Speaking at the official opening of the Unicomer Distribution Centre located in Eccles, President of Guyana, Donald Ramotar stressed: “As I have said before, although I am no spring chicken any longer I still believe I have enough in me left to witness Guyana moving from a middle-income developing country as it is so described to being in the not-too-distant future as a developed country.” He noted that for the country to achieve such a status it has to be a joint effort: “This project itself is a grand partnership among the Government, private sector and other stakeholders to work together to make us a modern society.” Noting too that

President Donald Ramotar delivers his remarks at the Unicomer Distribution Centre in Eccles

the development of people is essential, since achieving this is heavily dependent on people’s development. “This is what we have been doing, we have invested heavily over the years in our people, since we wanted to provide investors with a work force that is highly educated.” He urged persons to pe-

ruse the Government’s budget and see for themselves that “most of our budget is placed in the social sector; we place emphasis on this sector and education takes the biggest bite. With this investment done over the years, we are able to see that this is having a positive impact on our economy as a whole. Over the last 20 years only 30% of our children were able to attend secondary school and obtain an education, today we are almost, after achieving universal primary education, on the verge of achieving universal secondary education,” the President boasted. Noting that there needs to be greater improvement in the education sector, especially in our interior locations, since this can become one of the major areas of development, he said. The President related that the Government is currently working with the University of Guyana to put some of the courses online, so as to remove some of the im-

pediments of remoteness that the interior locations face. The Head of State explained that “We have also been spending a lot of money on technical education too; we now have institutes in many parts of the country that we never had before and this is what we have been planning for, so that we can give our people more skills in the anticipation that we were close to having cheap energy.” President Ramotar explained that it is very well known that this is one of the most important factors that have not allowed Guyana to go forward as fast as it could have and “the fact is that we don’t have cheap energy in our society.” He added that despite the recent setback with the Amaila Falls Hydro Project, “we are still determined that we will have that project built here in Guyana so that we can provide cheap energy for the development of a strong

Unicomer opens US$6M... the reason to invest in such a massive distribution centre. He explained further that there are 18 distribution doors enabling the trucks or offloading to be done in a timely manner in keeping with efficient customer service. “This is an investment of over US$6M into this project and along with our continued wish to expand here, it demonstrates our confidence in the economy of Guyana,” Siman stressed, and assured the Government that the Unicomer Group will continue to invest in the development of the country. Lance Hinds, President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), noted that he expected nothing less from Courts Guyana since the company is poised to deliver where their social responsibilities are needed. “As our economy grows, as it evolves, as it becomes more and more competitive, it is becoming more critical that we apply effective supply and logistics management for efficiency and effective customer assurance and support,” he noted. He explained that we are in an exciting time here in Guyana and this opening follows a series of new private sector initiatives from both local and overseas investors and noted that only last Sat-

A section showing the vastness of the New Distribution Centre

urday another distribution centre was opened. Asserting that there was commencement of new businesses in the mining sector and only recently one of the largest oil companies opened an office here in Guyana, Hinds said “it seems that every time you make a turn in the chambers some large company or large overseas delegation is visiting and asking us how they can get involved in the market,” Hinds said. Guyana has become a significant place of interest, he noted. Only recently, while attending an international conference, it was quoted that “Guyana will become one [of] the next economic tigers.” Further, the 2014-2015 Caribbean Export Outlook Magazine further provides some insight into how this

could become a reality. “The question to us then is this: “If all of these entities are investing and expanding and also investors continue to show interest, this then shows that faith is [being] shown in this economy,” he said, while asserting that we are at the crossroads of making history in Guyana; and how we navigate our country from here henceforth will show all what we are made of. Minister of Housing and Water, Irfaan Ali, alluded to the fact that one year ago we could not walk here but today we are commissioning a state-of-the- art distribution centre. He stressed that Courts Guyana has been the leading entity and played an integral role in upholding their corporate responsibility, sponsorship of national

industrial manufacturing sector and a strong processing sector.” Noting, however, that with this achievement we can have our agricultural sector soar. “We have a progressing agricultural sector and we can easily develop an agro- industrial complex,” he said. “We need to connect the north and south of our country with all-weather roads, we need to have a paved highway from Linden to Lethem so that we can take advantage of the huge South American market that is just close to us, but we need more than that and infrastructure is expensive,” the President posited. He also stressed that we have seen it manifested that Guyana has really become a bridge between the Caribbean and South America. The Head of State also emphasised that the country is in need of a deep-water harbour, noting that with this in place our country can then export our products in bulk and also take advantage

of other avenues that will open up to Guyana. “We also need another very expensive infrastructure that we have to invest in and that is the deep-water harbour; with the expansion of the Panama Canal this will revolutionise maritime trade and we therefore have to be prepared to take advantage of it,” he stated. Tourism, he noted, itself has such huge possibilities: “This product we have here is second to none and if we develop this product it can be a major contributor to this country’s economy. This is a thriving sector and if given the chance to achieve its full potential, will become the future of this country’s development. “Let us all work together to achieve in the shortest possible time a status of a developed country,” the Head of State emphasised, as he concluded his remarks. (Rebecca Ganesh-Ally)

From page 2

President Donald Ramotar standing with Managing Director Unicomer Caribbean, Mario Guerrero; Vice Chairman Unicomer, Guillermo Siman; Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh; Managing Director Unicomer Guyana, Clyde de Haas; Housing & Water Minister, Irfaan Ali; Mexican Ambassador, Francisco Olguin and GCCI’s President Lance Hinds

events and partnership. He congratulated the local team on a job well done and encourages the company to continue contributing to the development of the country. Dr. Ashni Singh, Minister of Finance, related that at the turning of the sod for the distribution centre, he made note of the confidence the company has in the country’s economy. “Celebrate as a country that major regional and hemispheric companies like Unicomer have found Guyana to be an attractive destination for their investments and believe that Guyana has a bright future for their companies and the fact that you have taken the steps to take the investment forward means that you are optimistic of the future [of] Guyana,” he said. He expressed that just taking a drive to get to the

centre today, will let one know of the massive investments within this sector where thousands of homes are either under construction or have been constructed. “There has been a transformation here and this is a good example of the transformation under way for Guyana and there are many more such examples,” Dr. Singh explained. Only recently, a mining company without any much publicity invested hundreds of millions of United States (US) dollars and will almost double our gold production when it starts production in 2015, and this company has also some 700 jobs for our people; he said that this too shows investors’ confidence. He added that “We should applaud ourselves as a country, that in the rebuilding of Guyana, investors around the

world and within the Region are once again confident investing their money in Guyana and this has been the result of responsible policies adopted by this Government; but is also a result of bold entrepreneurial decisions of the private sector. This Government is firmly committed to continuing the work to preserve and further enhance the environment for investors,” he stressed. Dr. Singh further reiterated that our country has attracted many investors but one aspect that is holding the country back is that “we cannot offer cheap electricity,” this he alluded will benefit our investor and our people. President of Guyana, Donald Ramotar congratulated Unicomer and Courts Guyana on this historical achievement as he officially commissioned the Centre. (Rebecca Ganesh-Ally)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday November 20, 2014

Deadly snowstorm hits northern US

(BBC News) A MASSIVE snowstorm has wreaked havoc in the north-eastern US and left seven people dead, five in upstate New York. After sweeping across the Great Lakes, the storm dumped 5ft (1.5m) of snow in the Buffalo area, with more forecast. The storm caused five deaths in that area - one in a car crash, one trapped in a car and three from heart attacks. Freezing temperatures were recorded across all 50 US states, including Florida and Hawaii, and there were

Snow covers a street at daybreak in Buffalo more deaths elsewhere in the country. “We have tried to get

out of our house, and we are lucky to be able to shovel so we can open the door,” said

Linda Oakley, a resident of Buffalo. “We’re just thinking that

in case of an emergency we can at least get out the door,” she added. “We can’t go any further.” Residents were reported trapped in their homes and cars, and strong winds and icy roads caused motorway accidents and forced school closures in parts of the US. A women’s basketball team from Niagara University was left stranded on a roadway for hours before being picked up by authorities. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo deployed more than 100 National Guard members to assist in clearing

roads and removing abandoned vehicles. The National Weather Service said some places could top the record for a single-day of snowfall, which is 6ft 4ins (1.93m). Train service in parts of New York state was suspended on Wednesday, while long stretches of highway near Buffalo were shuttered. As well as the fatalities in New York, there were two other weather-related deaths reported in New Hampshire and Michigan. About 20 people have died across the US since Saturday.

Putin greets new U.S. envoy with demand not to interfere (Reuters) - PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin greeted the new U.S. ambassador to Russia on Wednesday with a demand for Washington to treat Moscow as an equal

partner and stay out of its internal affairs. The new envoy, John Tefft, said in a written statement after presenting his credentials that he wanted to strengthen

“people-to-people” ties but there were serious differences over Ukraine. Their comments underlined the chasm between the former Cold War enemies as

New U.S. ambassador to Russia John Tefft (L) shakes hands and presents his credentials to Russian President Vladimir Putin during a ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow, November 19, 2014. (Credit: REUTERS/Mikhail Klimentyev/ RIA Novosti/Kremlin) Tefft succeeds Michael McFaul, who was behind President Barack Obama’s planned “reset” in relations with Russia and whose posting was marked by controversy and tension. Putin met Tefft with a slight smile and they then stood stiffly beside each other posing for photographers during a Kremlin ceremony for new ambassadors. “We are ready for practical cooperation with our American partners in different fields, based on the principles of respect for each others’ interests, equal rights and non-interference in internal matters,” Putin said in

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a short speech. His remarks were blunt though less fierce than some of his earlier criticism of Washington, which he has accused of trying to dominate world affairs and suppress Russia. The United States and the European Union have imposed sanctions on Moscow following its annexation of the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine and over its backing for separatists in the east opposed to Kiev’s rule. In a statement issued after the ceremony, Tefft said he was committed to maintaining “open and frank lines

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of communication” with the Russian authorities. “We have serious differences over Russia’s policy in Ukraine. As President Obama said at the G20 summit in Brisbane, we hope Russia will choose ‘a different path’, to resolve the issue of Ukraine in a way that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and is consistent with international law,” he said. “We would prefer a Russia that is fully integrated with the global economy; that is thriving on behalf of its people; that can once again engage with us in cooperative efforts around global challenges.” Moscow approved the appointment of Tefft even though Russian officials said privately he was not entirely to their liking. Tefft was the United States’ ambassador to Georgia during its short war with Russia in 2008 and was the U.S. envoy to Ukraine for nearly four years until July last year. He was deputy chief of mission in Moscow in the second half of the 1990s. Other strains in ties are differences over regional conflicts such as the civil war in Syria, arms control and human rights issues, and Putin’s treatment of opponents.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday November 20, 2014

Ebola outbreak: Doctor becomes ‘first’ Cuban diagnosed

Cuba has contributed more medical workers to fight Ebola than any other country (BBC News) A CUBAN doctor working in West Africa has been diagnosed with Ebola, officials have said. The medic was in Sierra Leone when he caught the virus and is due to be transferred to Geneva for treatment, according to Cuba’s health ministry. He is believed to be the first case from the Latin American country. Cuba has received widespread praise after sending more than 250 medical staff to West Africa, with 200 more prepar-

ing to travel there. Since the disease’s outbreak, the island nation has sent more frontline staff to afflicted regions than any other country. Its efforts have been praised internationally, including by officials in the United States, which has maintained an economic embargo on Cuba for more than five decades. More than 5,000 people have died in the current Ebola outbreak - almost all of them in West Africa.

Honduras beauty queen Maria Jose Alvarado found dead THE bodies of Honduran beauty queen Maria Jose Alvarado, 19, and her sister have been found nearly a week after the two women disappeared. Ms Alvarado and Sofia Trinidad, 23, vanished on Thursday after being seen leaving a party near the northern city of Santa Barbara. They were shot and their bodies buried in a field by a river, police say. Two men have been arrested, and one of them has reportedly confessed to killing and burying the women. Ms Alvarado had been due to compete in the Miss World contest in London. The organisers of the contest joined in paying tribute to the dead women. The impoverished Central American state’s record of violent crime has again come under scrutiny. ‘Confession’ Plutarco Ruiz, said to be the boyfriend of Ms Trin-

Maria Jose Alvarado idad, was detained along with another man, Aris Maldonado. Mr Ruiz confessed to shooting the two women and then burying their bodies with the help of Mr Maldonado, Honduras National Police director Gen Ramon Sabillon told media. The bodies were found in the village of Cablotales, near the River Aguagua, police announced earlier. The two women were last seen alive in a car without a licence plate as they left a birthday party on 13 November.

Another flood alert issued for east coast

(Trinidad Express) THE Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service yesterday continued a flood alert for parts of eastern Trinidad severely affected by a week of rainfall. A bulletin issued at 9.30 a.m. by meteorologist Shakeer Baig said that the high tides will be peaking at 1 p.m. and there is more expected rainfall to hit areas where there is already saturated ground.

Baig stated in the bulletin: “Latest reports from the Water Resources Agency and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management indicate that some low-lying areas in eastern Trinidad, specifically along the Manzanilla/Mayaro Road remain inundated at this time. Current Meteorological analyses and data obtained from Numerical Weather Prediction Models suggest that intermittent

Rescued teens leave hospital (Trinidad Guardian) THE surviving two sisters of the Brasso Seco family who were abducted on the night of October 26 were discharged from the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, yesterday, four days after they were rescued from their abductors by police. The T&T Guardian visited the Hibiscus Ward Tuesday and was told Felicia, 17, and Jenelle Gonzales, 19, had been discharged just before visiting hours began.

A close relative said the girls were feeling much better, considering the ordeal they went through. The relative added that the sisters, who have finally been told of the deaths of their loved ones, are now being kept at an undisclosed location under police guard for their safety, given that Azmon Alexander, the man labelled this country’s most wanted and the key suspect in the abduction and murders of the family and their neighbour, is still on the run.

pockets of rainfall activity with accumulations likely to range between 10-25 millimeters over the next 6-12 hours in some districts are expected. “ “Given the occurrence of high tides peaking at just after 1 p.m. and the anticipated rainfall, as well as, the already saturated ground, ongoing runoff will continue to be slow in those areas still inundated; hence the Flood Alert is being

continued for eastern Trinidad. Citizens in general and those residing in Manzanilla in particular, are asked to be vigilant in their activities. All necessary measures MUST be taken to preserve life and property”, it stated. The meteorologist again emphasised that Trinidad and Tobago is not under any tropical storm, watch or warning at this time.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday November 20, 2014

GUYANA

EDITORIAL

The Opposition’s deconstructive filibustering THE joint Opposition’s continuum of anti-developmental gerrymandering and deconstructive filibustering, especially during the Tenth Parliament, has had unfortunate consequences for the developmental paradigm crafted by the PPP/C Government for the upward mobility of the citizens of the land. A popular adage, that has become a cliché’, “talk is cheap”, sums up the preponderance of verbiage that continues, like the garbage in a ‘Hammie’ Green-run city, to befoul the senses of the nation whenever the Government formulates a project that is structured to impel the socio-economic progress of Guyana and its citizens – short, medium and long term, on an upward trajectory. They pronounce, they object, they in turn formulate strategies for stymieing every transformative project that

would eventually take Guyana into an unparalleled realm of progress and prosperity; not to mention peace. And they talk, mostly in threatening language, about the negative impacts they perceive that these projects would have on the country and on the country’s economy and social development. And the solutions that they offer? Nil, nada, none! The grandiose schemes that they proffered in their respective manifestos seem to have degenerated into so much fluff, because one does not need to be in Government to work with people in empowerment programmes. And here respect is due to Faith Harding, whose bid for leadership of the PNC – consequently the Opposition, was thwarted by what insiders said were massive manipulations of their internal electoral systems. She did not rest on

her laurels and today she can stand proudly up as a real leader who, out of the box of political power, has been empowering the vulnerable in a multiplicity of ways. She does not ‘talk the talk’, unlike her former windy party colleagues, but ‘walks the walk.’ Leadership is about empowering and uniting people and catalysing, through words and actions, positive changes in society. Sadly, however, Guyana’s joint Opposition has no qualms in appealing to ‘kith and kin’ to do subversive things in the nation, meant to incite a conflagration that would propel them, by default, into the corridors of administrative power. That the catastrophic fallout has always diminished Guyana’s human capital, in every possible way, matters not a whit to them, because, through engagements with the media fraternity they achieve one of

their primary goalposts – fame; or infamy, depending on one’s perspective. While Government formulates strategies for job and wealth-creation within developmental constructs, the Opposition opposes on some unreasonable and inexplicable basis or another; then they grandstand in pretended concern over not enough jobs for young people, especially those graduating from the University. They complain about the crime rate in Guyana, then blasts the Government and police when the criminals are apprehended and/or killed in the act of committed violence on the persons or citizens of the land. They criticise the Government for micro-managing systems within administrative constructs, then blasts Government officials for not intervening in matters that should be dealt with by principal and/or the PTA.

They criticise the Government for providing institutions without the requisite quality of service delivery, then blasts Government officials when punitive actions are taken against healthcare workers who are derelict in their duties. They criticise the Government for theft and corruption in Government institutions then organise public rallies and protest actions when punitive actions are taken against the thieves in the public service and City Hall; and the list is endless. They cut the National Budget, which stymies and even reverses the Government’s job and wealth creational initiatives, which has in many instances resulted in many Government workers losing their jobs,

and subsequently losing things, including homes and vehicles that they had acquired through hire purchase and derailing many programmes, already in train, meant to enhance the lives of individuals, communities, and the society at large. This latest call to boycott the State Media (Chronicle, NCN and GINA) is another senseless attack on the ordinary Guyanese man, woman and child, because the resultant impacts will in many instances obliterate opportunities for employment, promotion, and even increases in wages and benefits, with all the implications on the lives and quality of lives of Guyana’s human resources; whom the joint Opposition only recognises as ‘collateral damage.’

Ruel Johnson seems to be genealogically related to Rip Van Winkle I WISH to refer to a letter in another section of the media on November 6, under the headline, ‘Ramotar, Nandlall and silence from certain quarters’, by Ruel Johnson and to say that I fully agree with him that all organisations and civil society should speak out on the issue under that headline. However, it was not necessary for Mr. Johnson to awaken the Guyana Bar Association, the Guyana Women Lawyers Association, the Guyana Human Rights Association, Red Thread, GTUC, Transparency International and the like, to join with the Opposition parties to eyeball the issue as a sumptuous meal to try and devour Mr. Nandlall. He knew that all of them are innately connected. So now in his letter, Mr. Johnson is jabbing the other section of society to come on board to sit at the table with him and those of his character on the issue. For one moment or the other, they do not have to factor in the genesis of Nandlall’s private Guyanese colloquial

gaff. Some people conveniently ignore the fact that the reaction to bullying and maliciousness of all sorts leads to unbearable behaviour. The atrocities of World Wars One and Two where over 87 million persons were killed were driven by such unreasonableness and aggression. Even to a lesser extent of that sort, the great poet Alexander Pope exclaimed in his ‘Rape of the Lock’: “what mighty conquests rise from trivial things!” The likes of Mr. Johnson seem to be genealogically related to ‘Rip Van Winkle’, but trained in computer technology to enable them to click their mouse to choose sleep or wake to view prevailing issues. They certainly clicked their mouse to tightly shut their eyes for many years now on the issue of the clandestine involvement of Attorneys-at-Law Sheila Chapman, Avril Trotman, and Raphael Trotman in the fraudulent purported sale of over 750 acres of land,

sawmilling equipment and buildings, etc, in my possession. All my umpteen prods at the Legal Practitioners’ Committee, the Guyana Bar Association, our newspapers, the Internet and elsewhere to wrench their eyes open in order to comment or take appropriate action on this matter have so far shamelessly failed. I am hereby reiterating my request for Mr. Johnson and his apparent coterie to access a story on the internet legal irregularities frustrating a land issue and other items on this matter. In anticipation of any questions as to the reason why this matter is not in the High Court, please be informed that I had secured the services of Attorney-at-Law (name given), whom I had trusted and

loved, but now I understand the reason why I feel betrayed by him to let my case suffer for want of the necessary legal procedures. As I mentioned in the first paragraph of this letter, I do support Mr. Johnson’s call for all organisations and civil society to speak out on the Nandlall issue. But at the same time I am also fervently asking them to broadcast their opinions on the malfeasances of all the other perpetrators who I have mentioned. As for me, after juxtaposing all the above matters, I can only conclude that the Nandlall issue pales into insignificance. The credits that are due to Nandlall far outweigh the sins of many of us. PRAKASH PERSAUD

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday November 20, 2014

Atrocious, reprehensible behaviour of Probation Officer at Enmore

WE as concerned residents of Enmore are extremely dissatisfied with the behaviour portrayed by a probation officer stationed in our community who is responsible for the pension and public assistance distribution. When senior citizens or disabled persons visit the office to seek the service of the said probation officer, instead of being treated politely and with respect, they are

met with harsh disrespect and a rather animalistic behaviour. On several occasions she manhandled those persons who seek her assistance. Many times she would arrive late at monthly Board meetings and turn down several people by saying that she could only tend to twenty five persons. Despite pleas from the people who had to expend money for travelling, she still sends the others home.

As a result of her atrocious behaviour that led to residentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; dissatisfaction, numerous letters have been sent to the Minister of Human Services and other relevant authorities. However, to date no action has been taken. The period for 2015 pension distribution has started and residents have to return to face the same terrible, disrespectful and often hurtful behaviour of the said officer.

In providing a service as a government worker one must do so with respect for the job, act responsibly and to some extent, selflessly. If residents cannot get some sort of satisfaction when they visit the probation/social security officer then to whom will they go? In this regard we hope for change and voice our concern. CONCERNED RESIDENTS

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday November 20, 2014

OPPOSITION THREATENS VIOLENCE -Using tactics borrowed from the playbook of Hitler’s bible of terror AS the Opposition continues to reel from President Ramotar’s Prorogation of Parliament, the combined Opposition leadership has reached into its proverbial arsenal to select its prized weapon in political campaign of intimidation against the populace: “forced allegiance” – its political badge of honour. Contrary to Brigadier (rtd) David Granger’s revival hymn: “We are a peaceful people; we are a righteous people; we are a law abiding people not looking for trouble” at the Square of the Revolution, and his calling on the uniformed officers to desist from interfering with the rights and liberties of law-abiding citizens to assemble and protest, he seems to have no intention of being an honourable man to be held to his words, and merely issued such a statement for public consumption. No sooner after the Opposition leader’s statement, a message purported to be from a representative of the Opposition camp posted a warning to the Guyanese public via a social media site. It appeared attached to one Lurlene Nestor - a known social media propaganda operative. In no uncertain terms the message spells out the riot act in raw political menace: The business community is hereby put on notice that they are to pledge full allegiance and obedience to the Opposition and its agenda. Such

allegiance must be demonstrated by displaying an appendage at your establishment, which should be visible at all times. No business entity, large or small and everything in between, irrespective of locality, will be exempted from this mandate. Be further advised that compliance officers will be on active surveillance to document non-compliant entities; those found not displaying the allegiance appendage - out of compliance, will be duly noted as a refusal to pledge allegiance and would be subject for reprisal. “We did it before and we can do it again. This is how we do it.” A forthright reminder of the past, make no mistake about it. The Opposition has disrobed from its saintly revolutionary rhetoric delivered under the shadow of national hero Cuffy’s monument to cry for Guyana, a public consumption gimmick, and soon swaddled itself with armour apparel. This is a sermon to be spread by the sword. It bears the insignias of the Opposition’s campaign trademark of instilling fear and intimidation in the hearts of the populace. A ghastly reminder, reminiscence of the forced coercion campaign of Desmond Hoyte who evangelised from the pulpit at Congress Place for “slow fyaah, mo’ fyaah,” an indication that the allegiance sought has not been attained, so that professional protestors could wreak havoc

by unleashing Operation “slash and burn,” against law-abiding citizens and businesses failing to acquiesce to the Opposition’s demand. It is spine-chilling, to say the least, to hear of the Opposition’s threats, sanctioned through its surrogates, of coercion and intimidation, one which mirrors that of Adolf Hilter’s Nazi campaign of systematic terror, forcing Jews to wear a star patch, sewed into the clothing as an emblem so that they could be singled out for intimidation and persecution. In the 1930s, Nazi operatives stood outside Jewish-owned businesses to prevent persons from patronising them and the ‘SS’ enforcers painted ‘Juden’ on Jewish store windows as an appendage for persecution. In the Guyanese context, the absence of an appendage would yield the identical result. These are tactics borrowed from the playbook of Hitler’s bible of terror, which the rogue Opposition’s terror legion has resuscitated to spread homegrown terror. Other Opposition coalition operatives, too, were no less timid to reveal their non-clandestine love affair to extract “forced allegiance.” Dr. Roopnaraine made no secret of the coalition’s intent to orchestrate similar assault against a free press for their independence. Threatening to suppress the flame of press freedom, the good doctor

went on to identify media houses and issued a severe castigation of their role; overtly hinting that the media houses should renounce their oath of neutrality and pledge allegiance to the rogue Opposition. Equally hair-raising, Carl Greenidge added his voice to the forced allegiance campaign, and placed before the firing squad foreign businesses and the investment community, particularly the Chinese and Indians, as top priority to extract allegiance from or suffer the reprisal. However, it would be an interesting scenario if and when APNU/PNC meets with the international Asian community, and come face to face with the ambassadors of these respective countries and they demand an explanation of Greenidge’s venomous spouting against their nationals. Oh, it would be a priceless moment. Clearly, the combined Opposition has embarked on a campaign of forced allegiance to foster polarisation and force a political camp designation; proselytising their message of intimidation in hopes of ushering in a continental divide, racial and otherwise, which would give them the opportunity to label persons and entities as non-supportive and extract a price for that refusal. Their ‘methodus’ bears an uncanny resemblance to U.S. President George Bush’s illegal war of invasion, which he precip-

itated with these infamous words in a speech before Congress in 2001, “You are with us or you are with the terrorists.” This became the genesis by which his administration curtailed personal liberties and freedoms in the name of making America a safe place. We now know the outcome of that sermon on the mountain. But the junior Bush had greater ulterior motives for the utterance of those words. He sought to bring the political line of demarcation under his control and forced-camp designation. No one could have afforded to stand under the banner of neutrality, refuse to be an ally to his cause or contradict his political wisdom. His orders were to be a unilaterally painted enemy combatant or deemed unpatriotic for having a competing view. A decade later the world at large still suffers the side effects of his political prescription. The writing is on the wall. Thuggery, coercion and intimidation - the hallmark of the Opposition have been retrieved, dusted off and resurrected from the Opposition’s old play book, to be its holy grail of their political gambit. Mr. Granger’s PNC and the likes thereof will divorce themselves from the compulsion brigade for public consumption purposes; but its surrogates will be known by their insignias. FAIUZE ALI

AFC crumbling internally under Ramjattan’s spineless leadership THE Oppositions’ woeful cries of ‘dictatorship’ and ‘undemocratic’ by Mr. David Granger and his AFC allies are being cunningly used in the streets and Square of the Revolution to stir up racial strife and hatred to whip up the frenzy of their supporters and to incite them against the PPP/C Government. President Donald Ramotar should never be compared to the late dictators Forbes Burnham and Desmond Hoyte. They not only became cruel dictators through the massive rigging of elections but they have condemned us to the level where it became a criminal offence for us to put basic food items on our tables. They pauperised an entire nation, raped the Treasury, and raped, plundered and murdered those who threatened their evil existence. People flee from this country just to ensure that they were not murdered! Yet, Burnham’s henchman, Mr. Granger never once labelled Hoyte or Burnham as ‘dicta-

tors’ and as being ‘undemocratic’. People like Mr. Ramjattan and Mr. Nagamootoo fiercely fought against those dictators but now their greed for power and personal aggrandisement has blinded them and are now willing to facilitate the return to dictatorship but this time it will be Granger, the man who graduated with honours from the Burnham and Hoyte’s School of Dictatorship. Mr. Granger should be ashamed to hold up a placard which spoke about ‘dictatorship’ and ‘undemocratic’- he is the epitome of such terms! For 28 years the PNC Government guaranteed that Parliament would follow the dictates of Burnham and Hoyte they not only controlled Parliament but stifled and killed the will of the people of this country. These people cannot forget their conditioned past. Just listen to Ms. Lurlene Nestor and Dr. Roopnarine, the man who is now afflicted with the Burnham Touch! Messrs Ramjattan and Nagamootoo cannot fool the Indians

in this country by sending Mr. Hughes and Mr. Patterson to represent the AFC on the APNU platform at Square of the Revolution. The Indians have long realised that soon after the 2011 Elections there was a de facto coalition between APNU and the AFC. Nagamootoo’s involvement in the Linden and Agricola unrests which targeted Indians who were beaten, sexually assaulted and robbed remains indelible in our minds and cannot be erased simply by not making a presentation at APNU’s Rally. Furthermore, AFC’s Leader Mr. Ramjattan has erased all doubts about a coalition with APNU when he emphatically stated (on DTV channel 8 on November 15) that the AFC has entered into an ‘interim coalition’ with APNU. So what is the message that Mr. Ramjattan is sending to the Indians in Berbice? Ramjattan is effectively saying that Indians should vote for us (AFC) since we did not go to APNU’s Rally, it was Mr. Hughes and Mr. Patterson-two Black persons - so

we have not betrayed the Indians. On March 8, 2012, I warned Mr. Ramjattan about his deceitful behaviour in dealing with racial issues in the AFC. When there was a racial problem between Dr. Ramayya’s Whim Group and Mr. Hintzen’s New Amsterdam Group (this problem still exists) he sought to send Mr. Trotman to deal with the issue. I wrote to him that, ‘your perception that New Amsterdam is Afro-Guyanese based and implied that an Afro-Guyanese should deal with them is erroneous. People must be made to see above races and if you as the leader feel that you should put a Black person in a predominantly Black area, then you are not doing anything to erase that race-based perception…Trotman should not be seen as fostering Black peoples’ interests and Ramjattan should not be seen as fostering Indian interests, if this trend continues then I envisioned a bleak future (not unlike what happened to Jagan and Burnham)’. I further

mentioned the fact that Dr. Ramayya did not want Mr. Benschop to speak at a meeting at Hampshire, an Indian community, but as Chairman of that meeting I allowed him to speak, much to the ire of Dr. Ramayya. (I have the e-mail I sent to Mr. Ramjattan.) On December 4, I sent an e-mail to Mr. Ramjattan which reflected my surprise when this same Dr. Ramayya thanked APNU supporters for voting for APNU (DTV 8). It is now beyond a shadow of a doubt that internally the AFC is crumbling and that Ramjattan’s spineless leadership is being exposed. It has long been evident that there are two opposing factions within the AFC, one which is Pro-PNC and one which is Anti-PNC and they are now moving in diametrically opposite direction. Hence, Ramjattan’s vacillation will only serve to hasten this devastating movement which will result in the demise of the AFC. TURN TO PAGE 9

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday November 20, 2014

General election looms…

APNU, AFC reject President’s invitation for talks

– HPS says rejection of President’s invitation for talks will be seen as final position

THE combined Opposition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC), have rejected President Donald Ramotar’s invitation, issued via a letter on Tuesday, for talks following the prorogation of Parliament. General Secretary of APNU, Mr. Joseph Harmon, told the Guyana Chronicle yesterday that the main Opposition considered the President’s invitation during a meeting of its Executive Council and their position is that there will be no talks. “We have said this before and our position remains the same, APNU will not engage the President in talks unless

President Donald Ramotar

the prorogation of Parliament is lifted.” The AFC Leader, Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan, echoed

AFC crumbling internally ... FROM PAGE 8

NO DEMOCRACY IN THE AFC The AFC has long ago proven that on a pro-rata basis, it is the most corrupted political party this country has ever seen and just like Mr. Granger, Mr. Ramjattan and Mr. Nagamootoo should never talk about ‘democracy and dictatorship’. In 2012, after a long inquiry into the allegations of corruption, cronyism and rigging of elections by Dr. Ramayya, the Leader of the AFC pushed the findings of the General Secretary, Mr. Sixtus Edwards, under the rug and claimed in a press release that it was about ‘miscommunication’ and ‘misunderstanding’. On April 19th, 2012, I e-mailed Mr. Ramjattan as follows: ‘Ramayya is a dictator who is afraid of critics and does not want to relinquish power…he is not only unaccountable for Party funds but he is now alienating hard-working members….’ Mr. Ramjattan did not reply to this e-mail and on April 23rd, 2012, I then emailed him thus, ‘As the Party’s Leader, your silence is deafening on this matter. Where is the transparency and accountability in Berbice? We owe the PPP and PNC an apology’. Then at the AFC’s Conference in 2012 an inaccu-

rate and unaudited financial statement was foisted upon the undiscerning delegates. I have written exhaustively on this in my previous letters to the media. Moreover, it was at this Conference that the Elections were ‘rigged and fixed’ to get rid of the then General Secretary, Mr. Sixtus Edwards and to facilitate the entry of Hughes and Nagamootoo. Mr. Ramjattan and Nigel Hughes were selected, not voted, for the positions of Leader and Chairman. At that same Conference Mr. Edwards spoke about the need for financial accountability within the Party so they got rid of him. I spoke about that and they got rid of me as well. This is AFC’s brand of democracy! The AFC and the APNU need to do immediate introspection and evaluate their illogical conclusions about President Ramotar and his Government. His Excellency has made the correct decision in light of the prevailing circumstances and democracy is alive and well in Guyana. The learned lawyers in the AFC and APNU should have studied our Constitution well before embarking of such a self-destructive route. HASEEF YUSUF AFC Councillor (Region 6)

similar sentiments. In an invited comment, Mr. Ramjattan told the Guyana Chronicle that his party has not received a letter from the President. “I have not received a letter and I do not think I want to receive a letter. If a letter does come, I will have to pull a ‘Janet Jagan’ (the late former President of Guyana) and throw it over my back,” he said, referring to Mrs. Jagan’s rejection of a court order preventing her coronation as President, which she threw over her shoulder at a ceremonial event at State House after the 1997 elections. The combined Opposition’s rejection of President Ramotar’s invitation comes after the Head of State has, as recently as last Friday, expressed optimism that the combined Opposition will reconsider their ‘first position’, in which they rejected the possibility of talks. FINAL POSITION Meanwhile, Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon, told the media that the rejec-

Dr. Roger Luncheon

ain’t bite” the current Administration and it can “pull the plug” on the 10th Parliament, via dissolution, if efforts to engage the two Opposition parties fail. President Ramotar has repeatedly stressed that he has no intention of re-proroguing Parliament.

tion of the President’s invitation to APNU and AFC for talks will be considered the combined Opposition’s final position on the matter. Dr. Luncheon, speaking yesterday at his weekly post Cabinet press conference at the Office of the President, Shiv Chanderpal Drive, added that no agenda was set for the proposed talks, given the Opposition’s stance, but an invitation was made in earnest and once this is responded to the “when, what, where and how” will be addressed.

CLEAR POSITION In proroguing Parliament last Monday, he was also emphatic that the move to prorogation was intended to pave the way for greater dialogue among political parties, while keeping the 10th Parliament alive. The effect of ending the first session of the 10th Parliament via prorogation is the termination of the business of the National Assembly. As a result the AFC sponsored no-confidence motion was not considered. Also, APNU had, prior to Monday, signalled its intent to support the push through of the motion. Had it not been for the proclamation to prorogue Parliament, if the no-confidence motion was passed, Guyana would have been headed to early general elections within three months. According to the Head of State the move to prorogation was intended to pave the way for greater dialogue among political parties, while keeping the 10th Parliament alive. However, Mr. Ramotar has made it clear that if these efforts prove futile, there will be a move to early general elections. The last general elections were held in November 2011.

“GOAT AIN’T BITE” “We stand ready to engage the Opposition,” he stressed, adding that “goat

THREE OPTIONS Dr. Luncheon highlighted that in the face of political gridlock, which has charac-

Joseph Harmon

terised the 10th Parliament, the President had three options: dissolve the Parliament and move straight to early general elections; allow the AFC no-confidence motion, a debate that the Government would have won, even if it lost the vote with its minority in the National Assembly; or prorogue Parliament and allow for dialogue in the interest of the nation. “The President chose prorogation,” he said. Responding to a question, the HPS acknowledged that there may be a sentiment in some sections that a resort to prorogation could translate to the scoring of “political points” for the Government, to say that the Government made every effort to engage the combined Opposition. However, he made it clear

Khemraj Ramjattan

that this does not reflect the “fundamental aspirations” of the Guyanese people. “There is an interest in having this problem (political gridlock) solved,” Dr. Luncheon said. The prorogation is constitutionally provided for in Section 70 (1) in the laws of Guyana and can last up to a maximum of six months. The law reads: “70 (1) The President may at any time by proclamation prorogued Parliament. (2) The President may at any time by proclamation dissolve Parliament. (3) Parliament, unless sooner dissolved, shall continue for five years from the date when the Assembly first meets after any dissolution and shall then stand dissolved.” OPPORTUNITY LOST The HPS noted that Cabinet at its meeting on Tuesday

bemoaned the fact that if the President’s invitation for talks was rejected, the decision would represent a lost opportunity. He explained that this sentiment, the loss of a “golden” opportunity, extended to the fact that there are several important areas of work in the National Assembly that ought to be dealt with at the earliest, as opposed to having them carried over to an 11th Parliament, which would be constituted after general elections. Some of these matters include: the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) (Amendment) Bill, which is in Parliamentary Special Select Committee; the second readings of the Education Bill 2014, the Land Surveyors Bill 2014 and the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill 2014 are up for a second reading. Also among the Bills scheduled for a first reading are the Food Safety Bill 2014 and the Motor Vehicles Insurance (Third Party Risks) (Amendment) Bill 2014. Other important matters before the National Assembly include the appointment of members for the Rights of the Child Commission (ROC) and the Women and Gender Equality Commission. “Cabinet felt that there needs to be some understanding of the result of this choice (rejecting the invitation for talks…as opposed to what dialogue offers…this (dialogue) would be giving us a chance, even if it is a last chance,” Dr. Luncheon said. The HPS added that a response from the combined Opposition could come in a week or less. “We would like to have a timely response…I would think that at least for the Administration, and dealing with the leader of the Opposition, who is a reasonable political…I would want to expect an answer soon. I do not believe that Mr. Granger belongs to that ilk that would see benefit in dragging this out,” he concluded.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday November 20, 2014

Industrial action by GPSU at Guyana Geology and Mines Commission STAFFERS of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, with the support of the Guyana Public Service Union, commenced industrial action on November 17, 2014, on the issue of wage increases even while the negotiations with the management of the Commission was ongoing. Cognisant of the impact of such action, the management, along with the board of directors, continued its effort to take a number of initiatives to address this issue. The first of such initiatives was a meeting which

was held with the union, the Commission and the Ministry of Labour to have intervention by the entity responsible for labour relations. The commendations of the Ministry of Labour was that the union and workers should cease their strike action and resume work while allowing for the continuation of the negotiating process; this initial intervention proved futile and the industrial action continued. The second initiative was a meeting between the board of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and the

eadership of the GPSU, so that the union can articulate the issues surrounding and leading to the current impasse and industrial action, and efforts made to resolve it. At this engagement, the union was advised that the proposal for staff remuneration in 2014 was modified to reflect payments based on functions and performance rather than across the board payments. It was agreed that given the information provided by the board, the union would revert to its membership, and in the spirit of ensuring that the impasse be overcome,

James Bond role in confessed drug trafficker release under scrutiny THE role of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament (MP), James Bond, in the recent decision of a magistrate to grant a confessed drug trafficker, Leonard Bacchus, a suspended sentence, is being questioned. Sparendaam Magistrate, Mr. Alex Moore granted the suspended sentence of five years to Bacchus and he was ordered by the court to pay a fine of $2.5M by June 30, 2015. Bacchus admitted to trafficking 67 kilogrammes of cocaine. Bacchus was arrested along with his son and wife in 2011 when the police raided their home following a tip-off that the family were in possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. A police raid unearthed $300M worth of narcotics, which was concealed in the false bottoms of kunds (Hindu religious urns). The drug was found in Bacchus’s Block 20 Enmore/ Haslington New Scheme, East Coast Demerara (ECD) home. Since his arrest three years ago, Bacchus had changed his initial plea from guilty to not guilty. Upon changing his plea, APNU’s Bond was retained as his legal representative. The ruling has since attracted much attention and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Hack, has indicated that she intends to appeal Moore’s ruling. The last legal mind to comment on the case was no less than the Head of the Guyana Bar Association, Ronald Burch-Smith, who stated that the ruling is “highly unusual,” given the circumstances. “It is highly unusual. I don’t know what he heard or what the situation is exactly,

James Bond

but [in] the normal course of things, this would not happen,” Burch-Smith has been quoted as saying, adding that the offence carries a mandatory jail sentence, as well as a fine. The Bar Association head has also expressed support for the DPP’s decision to appeal the ruling. Several other professionals in the legal fraternity have commented to the Guyana Chronicle on the ruling and contended that “something is amiss” or “nefarious” to say the least. Under the Narcotics Act, if found guilty or pleading guilty, the penalty for the offender is a fine of not less than $30,000 or three times the market price of the narcotics, together with a jail term of no less than three years and no more than five years. APNU’S POSITION Bond’s defence of the confessed drug trafficker has been up for greater scrutiny given his party’s position on the issue of narco-trafficking and the rate of crime in Guyana. APNU Leader, Brigadier (rtd.) David Granger, was slammed by fellow politicians for terming Guyana a “narco-state”, during April’s budget debate. According to him, Guyana is now closer than it has ever

been to becoming a “narco-state,” based on the revelations of Guyana’s narcotic linkages and the Government’s “inability” to enforce drugtrafficking measures. He, with the support of his party, has called for several Commissions of Inquiry (CoIs) to address several crime-related matters. Despite the negative commentary from the Opposition camp, relative to ongoing efforts to address narco-trafficking and the rate of crime, even the usually critical USA State Department International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) in its 2014 report on Guyana states: “As a matter of policy, the Government of Guyana does not encourage or facilitate the illicit production or distribution of narcotics or psychotropic drugs or other controlled substances, or the laundering of proceeds from illegal drug transactions.” The report further describes Guyana an active partner in the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), a security partnership between the United States and Caribbean nations that seeks to substantially reduce illicit trafficking, advance public safety and citizen security, and promote social justice. Additionally, Guyana is party to the Inter-American Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters; the Organisation of American States (OAS) Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (OAS/ CICAD); an active participant of the CICAD Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism (MEM), which monitors and reports on member states’ compliance with CICADS’s Hemispheric Drug Strategy and its related Plan of Action.

the industrial action would cease and negotiations would resume. It was also agreed that the union would formally communicate to the Commission its position by 10:00 hrs on the 19th November, 2014. Unfortunately, the industrial action continued on the 19th November, 2014, and a second meeting was subsequently held between the union, Commission and the Ministry of Labour, where the Chief Labour Officer outlined specific terms and conditions as is customary for such situations. GGMC management agreed to the

terms of resumption proposed by the Ministry of Labour, while the union had additional requests and asked for more time to consult with its members. Notwithstanding the foregoing, GGMC management, following a second meeting with the Board of Directors, approved the payment of an interim 8% for all staff for the fiscal year 2014. The union, however, advanced a different position that would lead to the resumption of duties, and this was not supported by the GGMC management or the Ministry of Labour.

As a result the Union once again requested time to consult with its membership on the new development. The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission noted the press statements by politicians on this issue, and wishes to categorically state that it rejects any political interference in this situation. The Commission is prepared to let the natural process and spirit of negotiations continue and follow the due process established to address such situations without the politicising of matters.

Heavy overnight rain leaves build-up of water in villages on Essequibo Coast

…but no cause for alarm - Regional Chairman CHAIRMAN of Region 2, Mr. Parmanand Persaud has said that heavy overnight continuous rainfall has left several villages along the Essequibo Coast and rice cultivation areas with a high build-up of water. Mr. Persaud who visited the villages early yesterday morning said the situation is not alarming. According to the Regional Chairman, the high buildup of water in some of the villages and low areas was due mainly to several sluice channels being blocked with tons of sling mud caused by the constant accretion in the Atlantic Ocean. The Chairman who inspected the sluice at La Union said the Administration did a lot of work to clear the silted-up channel. He said the sluice was put into operation early yesterday morning and residents/ farmers between Annandale and Queenstown will get immediate relief in terms of drainage. The Chairman said further that fields which were recently sown with rice will also receive adequate drainage. Persaud said work is currently ongoing at the Taymouth Manor sluice while the channel of the Capoey sluice is being cleared of sling mud. He said the Three Friends sluice channel is currently experiencing problems with draught because of the accretion that is taking

One of the mobile pumps acquired from India

place in the ocean. The Chairman said a mobile pump that is next to the sluice at Three Friends is in operation to help drain the excess rainfall water from rice fields and residential areas. The Chairman said at Anna Regina, the pump is in operation to drain the high build-up of water from the commercial centre of the town, the market and housing schemes at Anna Regina, Henrietta and Richmond. He said also that the sluice at Anna Regina is in operation but is only working at 20% draught because of the accretion problem. The Chairman said the sluices at Lima and Devonshire Castle are out of operation because the channels are silted up with sling mud caused by the accretion in the Atlantic Ocean. He said the Hampton Court and Windsor Castle sluices are in full operation

along with Perth, Dartmouth and West Bury. EXCAVATORS Meanwhile, the pontoon with the two excavator machines on board will be sent to Devonshire Castle shortly to excavate the silted up channel. Some farmers have welcomed the heavy rainfall that is assisting them to flood their fields so they can prepare quickly for sowing while others who have recently sowed their fields with paddy are worried that their young plants can suffer if the water is not drained off quickly from their fields and drainage canals. The Regional Chairman has said that the administration is working round the clock to have the excess rainfall water drained off quickly so the young rice crop can be saved and residential areas kept dry.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday November 20, 2014

$30M contract for fingerprinting and cross-matching services for GECOM approved

A CONTRACT for the provision of fingerprint cross- matching services to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), valued at $30M, has been awarded and has received Cabinet’s no-objection. The disclosure was made by Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon yesterday during his weekly post Cabinet press conference at the Office of the President, Shiv Chanderpal Drive. Additionally, he noted that Cabinet gave its no-objection for another contract, valued at $23.9M, for the construction of a GECOM registration office at Crane, West Coast Demerara GECOM’s Public Rela-

tions Officer, Richard Francois, was unable to respond to queries by this newspaper when asked for greater details of the two contracts. “At this point I am unaware of such a contract,” he said. When contacted a second time, he was unavailable. However, the Guyana Chronicle was reliably informed that the fingerprinting and cross-matching services will continue to be offered by Cogent Systems which is a leading international provider of Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS) based in California, USA. This company has been the same company that has offered fingerprint cross-matching services

to GECOM as far back as 2009. Also relative to the second contract, this newspaper understands that the new office will house approximately 13 persons in a 40 feet by 60 feet building, who were previously housed in a rented office at Poudreyen, West Bank Demerara. Given the value of the contracts, Cabinet’s no-objection was needed. Contracts above the $15M mark are taken to Cabinet for its statement of no-objection. Currently, the procurement process is decentralised at the level of ministries, regions, district tender boards and the Ministry of Finance’s tender board.

Teen among four assisting in murder probe of NA mechanic AS the police continue their investigation into the murder of Richard Dey, who was gunned down a stone’s throw from his home at Rodney Dam, Mount Sinai, New Amsterdam, four persons, including a 19 year old are in custody assisting sleuths at the Central Police Station. According to reports, the teenager was detained after a sim card belonging to the deceased was recovered from him. The teen had previously discovered the bloodied body of the mechanic, and had alerted the man’s wife. However, Ongel Lindie had reportedly told reporters that a cellular phone was all that was missing from her husband’s personal belongings. Meanwhile, Government Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh failed to perform the post-mortem after the investigators along with the body of the deceased were unavailable at Anthony’s Funeral Home at Fort Wellington. The forensic pathologist had earlier testified at the Berbice Assizes, and had motored to the West Coast Berbice location, before the arrival of the corpse. However, the post-mortem is expected to be conducted before the end of the week. In the meantime, last Saturday, Dey, the 40- year- old father of two, had moments before dispatched bags of

goodies to several friends in honour of his son’s first birthday. He had returned home with his wife Ongel Lindie, and their two children, just after 20:30 hrs. However, two hours later he left the home and was walking toward his car which was parked some 100 metres away when he was attacked. Sources revealed that just before Dey was shot, someone was overheard saying, “Let me see what the [expletive] you will do now,” before an explosion was heard. According to information, after the shot was fired the injured man’s wife called out to him, but got no response. Seconds later, a teenager, who would frequent the unlit walkway, reported to the man’s wife that Dey was lying motionless on the track, with what seemed to be blood gushing from a wound to his neck. In Dey’s left hand was a cigarette and a lighter, while his right hand clutched his car key. His cellular phone was the only article missing. Reports reveal that his wife had called the number moments after hearing the gunshot, but the call was transferred to voicemail. She, having peered through the window, saw the car parked and had assumed that her husband was seated within talking to someone on the phone. However, after receiving the report

Richard Dey

from the teen, she ventured outside, and aided by a light from a cellular phone saw her husband lying motionless in an earthen drain. However, while the family continues to be tightlipped, his associates described him as an arrogant man who had lost respect for persons. On August 28 last Dey, armed with a piece of lumber, had inflicted several lashes about the body of a man of unsound mind at Pitt Street, New Amsterdam. Relatives of Seon George said their loved one suffered multiple fractures, resulting in him wearing Plaster of Paris on the lower extremities; Dey was never charged. A week prior to his death, he was overheard arguing with a known character, who had threatened to “done he dance.”

Penitent burglar fined $15,000 after break-in at Meadow Bank A MEADOW BANK man yesterday was fined $15,000 on a charge of break and enter and larceny when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. Defendant Anil Basil appeared before Magistrate Ann McLennan and pleaded guilty to the charge that said on November 14 at Meadow Bank, he broke and entered the dwelling house of Jadesh Parej and stole household

items along with other articles, a total value of $78,500. Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield told the court that on the day in question at around 08:00 hrs, Parej secured his house and left for work. On his return around 17:00 hrs he discovered the southern door opened and the articles missing. Subsequently, the matter was reported to the Ruimveldt Police Station and an investigation was carried out

and the defendant admitted to the crime and was charged. The defendant told the court, “I’m sorry for what I did and I asked forgiveness.” However, it was noted that some of the items were returned and the two parties agreed for Parej to be repaid for his losses. Basil was ordered to pay the fine with an alternative of three weeks imprisonment at the Camp Street prisons.

US$ 44.3M contract awarded for rehab of WCD/EBE highway THE US$44.3M (GY$9.2B) contract for massive rehabilitation of the West Coast Demerara/ East Bank Essequibo corridor, from Vreeden-Hoop to Hydronie, has been awarded and has received Cabinet’s no-objection, according to Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon, at a news conference yesterday. And Chief Roads and Bridges Officer of the Public Works Ministry, Ron Rahaman, told the Guyana Chronicle that the contract was awarded to Surrey Paving and Aggregate Co. Limited, in association with BK International. The award of the contract followed the approval of the bidding document by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) in early September. CDB ENGAGEMENT A total of 31 kilometres of roadway are expected to be rehabilitated, while 28.5 kilometres of foot-paths for pedestrians and 20 kilometres for cyclists will be developed under an agreement between the Government and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). Additionally, the CDB is

doing a review of the massive project. The partnership with the CDB is the fourth road- improvement project, with a financing cost of US$46.7M and Rahaman explained that this sum includes the civil works, supervision and studies. At the launch of the project in March this year, subject Minister Robeson Benn explained that the primary objective of the project is to increase efficiency and safety of road transportation along the West Coast Demerara/ East Bank Essequibo corridor. Benn pointed out that infrastructural development has a multiplying effect on socio-economic advances in the country, particularly in rural communities. “There has been significant growth,” he said, adding that constrained infrastructural development poses real challenges to growth. DIFFERENT ROLES Benn’s ministry, as per the CDB agreement, will be tasked with maintenance, which was identified by the CDB as a risk to the sustainability of the completed works. The Government will

also be expected to report annually on their maintenance works, particularly since the project monitoring and evaluation component of the agreement is key to ensuring the standard and quality of such undertakings. Additionally, a project management team will be supported by a steering committee and the ministry – all of whom report to the CDB. The Project Coordinator is Kester Hinds, while the CDB focal point is Glen MaCarvell. The project has several components, including: the actual road works; road safety awareness at the level of schools and communities; capacity- building; engineering services and project monitoring and evaluation. The project has a life of five years; however, the actual road improvement works are expected to be completed within two years. These actual road works are expected to begin, after the contract has been signed, in early 2015, but it is expected that preparatory works, including the establishment of a site office and surveys, will commence before the end of this year.

Cabinet gives no-objection to contracts for several infrastructural projects HEAD of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon, yesterday disclosed that several projects for infrastruct u r a l w o r k s i n d i f f e rent sectors have received Cabinet’s no-objection. Speaking at his weekly post-Cabinet news conference, which was held at the Office of the President, he outlined details of five of the projects, which include: ● A $421.9M contract for upgrades to roads and access bridges from Parika to Ruby, East Bank Essequibo, has been approved;

● A $141M contract for the procurement of vehicles and other hardware for Community Policing Groups (CPGs) across the country; ● A $57.4M contract for the supply and installation of three 625-KVA generators at Shelter Belt, Vlissengen Road; and ● A $445.5M contract for the supply of 1,818,440 litres of 60-70 bitumen for the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB). Contracts above the $15M mark are taken to Cabinet for its no-objec-

tion. Section 54 deals with Cabinet’s involvement in reviewing the award of procurement contracts and the phasing out of its functions with the establishment of a Public Procurement Commission (PPC), in the interest of decentralising the procurement process. Currently, the procurement process is decentralised at the level of ministries, regions, district tender boards and the Ministry of Finance’s tender board.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday November 20, 2014

Cop facing charges of assault, discharging firearm, threatening language, perverting course of justice A POLICE constable attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was yesterday placed on $240,000 bail after appearing in court on two counts of assault, discharging a loaded firearm, threatening language and perverting the course of justice. Shawn Roberts, 29, of Lot 117 Kuru Kururu, Soesdyke, pleaded not guilty to all the charges before Magistrate Ann McLennan. Particulars of the first charge said on September 2 at Eccles, East Bank Demerara, he unlawfully assaulted Johnlon Knights. It is also alleged that on the same day at Eccles, he discharged a loaded firearm

at Leroy English with intent to maim, cause harm or disfigure. Roberts is also to answer to the charge that said on the same day at Eccles, he made use of threatening language to Knights. It is further alleged that on the same day at Eccles, he assaulted English to cause him actual bodily harm. And finally, the fifth charge said on the same day at Eccles, East Bank Demerara, he attempted to pervert the court of justice by removing spent shells from a crime scene. The defendant was represented by attorney-at-law, Mr. Peter Hugh. He requested bail for his client stating that he served as a police

Defendant- Police constable Shawn Roberts

officer for nine years and has no pending or prior matters. Meanwhile, Police Prosecutor, Gordon Mansfield did not oppose bail but asked that bail be granted in a substantial amount in addition

to the condition that the defendant should report every fortnight to the CID. However, bail was granted and the matter was transferred to the Providence Magistrate’s Court for December 15. On Tuesday last, another police constable attached to the CID was also charged with perverting the course of justice. Jermaine Charles (no address given) appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman and pleaded not guilty to the charge that said on September 2 at Eccles, EBD, he attempted to pervert the course

of justice by removing spent shells from a crime scene. Charles was ordered to post $200,000 bail on that charge when he appeared before Magistrate McLennan yesterday. His matter was also transferred to Providence Magistrate’s Court for the same day as for Roberts. It was reported that Police Constable English was ‘accidentally’ shot by another Police Constable at Eccles, East Bank Demerara following a high speed chase, which started on the West Bank of Demerara and ended on the East Bank carriageway.

Police confirmed that English was shot in his right arm and foot but did not go into the details while stating that the circumstances surrounding the shooting are being investigated. The police ranks involved in the shooting were not familiar with each other, as they were both in plain clothes and were chasing a car driven by the son of a popular businessman. The two police ranks were in separate vehicles chasing the businessman’s son, who allegedly cause the car of a senior police officer to careen off the road.

Gold miner put on $90,000 bail over wounding charge A GOLD miner was yesterday placed on $90,000 bail by Magistrate Judy Latchman after he appeared in court on a wounding charge. Michael Douglas, 40 years, of 111 Miles, Mahdia, pleaded not guilty to the charge that said on Monday, November 17 at 111 Miles, Mahdia, in the Essequibo Magisterial District, he unlawfully and maliciously wounded Deon Giles. Police Prosecutor, Joel Ricknauth told the court that on the day in question the

virtual complainant (VC) borrowed a torch that is used to melt gold from Douglas. However, the defendant alleged that Giles stole some gold from him. As a result a fight ensued and the defendant drew a cutlass and Giles received injuries on his left hand. Representing the defendant is attorney-at-law, Mr. Adrian Thompson. In a bail application, he told the court that his client is married with eight children and has no prior or pending matter before any court.

According to the defence counsel, he was instructed that his client also received injuries and was supposed to seek a medical certificate. He added that Douglas lost a tooth as a result of the altercation with the virtual complainant. The Police Prosecutor did not oppose bail but requested that the matter be transferred to the Mahdia Court. Bail was granted and the matter stands adjourned for today before Magistrate Ann McLennan.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday November 20, 2014

Former Trinidad Deputy Police Commissioner training 21 security officers for Amalgamated AMALGAMATED Security Services (Guyana) Inc. began training of its first batch of security officers on Monday and leading the exercise is former Deputy Commissioner of Police from Trinidad and Tobago, Davis Douglas. Douglas is a man with 38 years of experience in the Police Service as well as 10 years in Amalgamated. He is being ably assisted by Cortland Gordon, a former Guyana Police Force officer, who has 36 years of experience in training. DRUG TESTING The trainees have already undergone preliminary academic testing, passed an initial interview, and have also passed their mandatory drug test. They must now successfully complete three weeks of training and pass their interim and final exams. The last hurdle will be a management interview which they must successfully negotiate before being deemed fit enough to wear the Amalgamated uniform. Distinction in academics is not enough to succeed since an aptitude for problem

solving, diligence and the attitude towards excellence itself are important hallmarks of natural leaders and persons who will excel in the challenging field of private security. Â Â The 21 trainees, including seven females, are not only drawn from Georgetown but hail from as far as Linden and the East Berbice regions. Many have prior experience in the uniformed services such as the police, military, fire or prison services while others come from private security companies. Some have no experience in the security industry whatsoever but Amalgamated discriminates against none. Training will consist of such routine security topics as Access Control, Guarding, Conducting Patrols and the like. To impart superior knowledge and to inculcate superior skills and performance, however, Amalgamated will have a specialist instructor to convey knowledge with respect to Customer Service and the UN Declaration of Human Rights. The course is scheduled to end on Friday the 5th of December. Amalgamated Security

The security officers who are being trained

Services (Guyana) Inc. is part of a larger family of companies that is headquartered in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. There are operations also in Grenada, St Lucia and Barbados. More information about Amalgamated can be obtained by visiting the website www.assl.com.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday November 20, 2014

CFCN makes 88 counselling interventions in selected communities A REVIEW of the Cops and Faith Community Network (CFCN) which was launched by the Ministry of Home Affairs on September 09, 2013, as a pilot project in ten identified communities, has shown that up to October, 2014 there were a total of 88 counselling interventions by the Guyana Police Force supported by members of the religious community. The pilot project was

CFCN is now moving forward from being just a crime prevention effort to one of social intervention in society. launched in communities in Police ‘A’ Division (Georgetown/ East Bank Demerara), ‘B’ Division (Berbice) and ‘C’ Division (East Coast Demerara). OFFENCES According to a Ministry of

Home Affairs (MOHA) press release, the interventions involved 46 males and 42 females between the ages of 10-and 17-years-old, who were detained for offences such as assault, assault causing actual bodily harm, throwing missiles, simple larceny, wander-

ing, use of indecent language and threatening behaviour. In all the cases these youths were counselled by the religious leaders, and following the involvement of their parents/guardians were warned and sent away. However, charges were made in two instances, but in one instance the matter was dismissed after the victims offered no evidence, while the other was sent to the New Opportunity Corps (NOC). CRIME PREVENTION The MOHA initiated the CFCN as another crime prevention measure intended to deal with youths who come into

conflict with the law on a first time basis, and involving minor offence, as a preemptive intervention to the New Opportunity Corps (NOC). Discussions between the Guyana Police Force and religious leaders have resulted in three other projects being undertaken. These are the establishment of: A Suicide Hotline where depressed persons can call with the view of receiving counselling; the Force’s Chaplaincy which was the concept of using the CFCN to provide chaplaincy services to members of the Guyana Police Force, particularly those ranks who have traumatic experiences;

and the provision of a liaison between the victims and relatives of victims of serious crimes and the police, specifically in relation to counselling and a feedback on investigations. Towards this end, in July, 2014 Pastor Patrick Doolichand was appointed the Force’s Chaplain and a three-day Level 1 Community Service Chaplaincy Training Programme was conducted by the Guyana Police Force in collaboration with the CFCN in September, 2014. The CFCN is therefore now moving forward from being just a crime prevention effort to one of social intervention in society.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday November 20, 2014

Commander Hicken hosts Christmas party for EBD children

OVER 1,500 children from Grove, Kaneville and Samantha Point on the East Bank of Demerara were treated last Sunday to a Christmas party which was sponsored by Force Commander of ‘A’ Division, Senior Superintendent, Clif-

ton Hicken at the Grove Community Centre ground. At the party the children were treated to lunch, drinks and snacks as well as gifts from Santa Clause. In addition, there were other delights such as SpongeBob, Mickey Mouse, Spiderman and Ben-

10 at the party as well as fun on the trampoline. At the Christmas party there were Deputy Commissioner, Balram Persaud, other divisional commanders, Commander Hicken’s wife, Ms. Indira Hicken and parents and guardians of the

Santa Clause as he presents a gift to one of the many children

children. Speaking at the Christmas party, Hicken said that he loves to help children as they are the future leaders of tomorrow and helping them in anyway will always be his goal. The commander said that

there is much more to be done for the community of Grove and by extension the entire division that he controls. His wife Ms. Indira Hicken who has been supporting the children said that she was happy that it was a wonderful

party and she enjoyed her time with the children who were at ages 4-16. Since taking over the Division, Hicken has implemented various programmes, one of which was dubbed the best, ‘Project Impact’ in Albouystown.

Commander Hicken and his wife, Ms. Indira Hicken, pose for a photo with the kids at the Christmas party

Fleeing bandits open fire on NAREI official – were hiding in abandoned building on compound

The family stand in front of their home as they await the return of the police before entering the building

A D M I N I S T R AT I V E Manager of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute ( N A R E I ) , Wy l o c k S a hadeo, was on Tuesday afternoon briefly hospitalised after the back of his head was grazed by a bullet fired by a fleeing bandit. The incident occurred

in the compound of NAREI at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara. The Guyana Chronicle was informed that the senior manager along with several other personnel from the facility were heading to check a building in the compound from where it was reported strange sounds were

emanating. The building is occupied by a senior agriculturalist and his family, who were not at home at the time of the incident. Speaking with this publication on Tuesday afternoon in the compound, Chief Executive Officer of NAREI, Dr. Oudho Homenauth said that over the past two weeks, persons

who reside on the premises have been reporting that their homes were being broken into and articles being stolen. One official reportedly lost a firearm from his home recently and that matter has been reported to the police and is still being investigated. According to Dr. Homenauth, persons have been observing that houses which have been abandoned for several years had missing louvres replaced and blinds put up, even in the absence of documentation by the administration of the institution that the building was assigned to anyone. He said that this spoke of one thing only, that is, that persons who have been breaking the homes of residents on the premises were concealing themselves in the abandoned houses, monitoring the movements of individuals and would usually break into their homes when they are not at home. This was further supported by the fact that yesterday three bandits were able to make their way into

The police after returning from the NAREI compound in search of the bandits

the home of a resident seconds after the last occupant of the home had left the building, even as security guards which are posted to the rear of the compound did not report any instance of person(s) trespassing. On Tuesday while one resident was at home in her apartment she heard a noise coming from another building and hurried over to the administration building to enquire if permission had been given for workers to be present in the compound to carry out works on any of the buildings. By the time the team approached to check on the report, the men had already made their way to the home of another resident; after checking the building from which the noise was initially coming, the offi-

cials made their way to the house where three bandits were present, but that was not known to the officials until a young lady saw movements in the building and raised an alarm. This resulted in the bandit discharging a round which hit the administrative officer. The bandits who had gained entry to the building by removing several louvres close to the back stairs then rushed out of the house and made good their escape. The police arrived shortly and went in pursuit of them but to no avail. The recent incidents have reportedly left residents on the premises in shock, as the administration makes arrangements to beef up security at the institution even further.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday November 20, 2014

50 graduate from GPF

– Grove Kaleidoscope training programme

– Deputy Commissioner impressed with students’ work

Deputy Commissioner, Balram Persaud presents the Best Student Award

FIFTY students comprising 28 girls and 22 boys last Sunday graduated from the Grove Kaleidoscope 10week training programme which was sponsored by the Guyana Police Force ‘A’ Division Commander Senior Superintendent, Clifton Hicken and his wife, Ms. Indira Ramkisoon-Hicken at the Grove Community Centre ground. The students hailing from the communities of Grove, Kaneville and Samatta Point, East Bank Demerara, were all presented with the various pieces of clothing and designed products they had

made. Attending the closing ceremony was Deputy Commissioner Mr. Balram Persaud; Commander ‘E’ Division Superintendent Calvin Brutus; and Deputy Commander (Ag) ‘A’ Divisional Deputy Superintendent, Wayne DeHearte, among others. At the closing ceremony, the students showcased all that they had learnt which included fashion designing, dancing and singing. They also displayed the designed clothing they had made. Deputy Commissioner, Balram Persaud said that he was impressed with what he saw the students put out; he added that when he saw the students’ commitment as manifested in their work, it made him want to help communities more, which will continue to happen. “Mr. Hicken through partnership in the force has had an idea of what he was doing and great ideas need wings. He has seen the formation of many projects that is a force policy to bring communities closer to us and almost all his projects have

Commander Hicken and his wife, Mrs. Indira Hicken at the closing ceremony

[been] deemed successes,” Persaud said. However, the man who has been on the front line of the training programme, Commander Hicken, said that he was happy with the outcome of the programme; he said that every youth has talent and deserves a chance even if it is for a second time. The commander added that there is nothing that makes you happier than when you can invest in someone and he/she makes the best of it. “Much has been given,

The students showcasing some of the clothing they made

much is expected; we designed this programme not to feed you with fish but for you to catch fish so it can be sustained. We will close this programme for the Christmas season, but we will open another in another community at the start of the New Year,” Hicken said. The commander also said that he is comfortable with the budget that was spent to develop the students, because what they have seen is testimony to the talent that the community of Grove has.

ANSA McAL Trading awards ‘Stag Command Centre’ winners in fourth drawing STAG customers continue to win grand prizes in the ANSA McAL Stag Command Centre promotion. Nine very happy customers carted off their prizes at the presentation ceremony for the fourth drawing, held yesterday at the ANSA McAL Trading Office at Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara. Public Relations Officer of ANSA McAL Trading Limited, Darshanie Yussuf,

at the presentation said that the response to the promotion has been overwhelming from the very first drawing, as was evident from the copious amounts of entries they had received. She congratulated the winners and disclosed that there will be an additional drawing to be held in Bartica on Saturday, when an additional nine winners will be selected. The Bartica drawing, she said, was unplanned, but as

ANSA McAL takes pride in listening to its customers who have been expressing their desire to have a drawing for the customers of Bartica, the Stag Team have decided to take an extra drawing to their supporters. The Stag Command Centre promotion gives lucky winners the opportunity to win the grand prize of a Tacoma jeep and consolation prizes of 50” TVs, pool tables, lounge chairs, foosball tables and

Stag coolers filled with Stag beer. The final drawing will be staged in Georgetown in the second week of December. While the promotion will run for two months, persons must be 18 years and over to enter and are expected to enter three Stag crowns with their names, addresses and telephone numbers in an envelope and drop them into any of the 65 promotional boxes located at outlets nationwide.

A fraction of the winners in the fourth drawing of the ‘Stag Command Centre’ flanked by PRO of ANSA McAL, Darshanie Yussuf on the right and Stag Beer Brand Representative, Sean Abel

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday November 20, 2014

Guyana imposes travel restrictions for four West African countries SIERRA Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Mali are the four West African countries that Guyana has imposed travel restrictions on, in face of the Ebola threat. Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon yesterday confirmed this, adding that

Guyanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s initial position of imposing travel restrictions for all West African countries has been changed. His comments were made during his weekly post Cabinet press conference at the Office of the President, Shiv Chanderpal Drive. Dr. Luncheon added that

this position was agreed on following conclusion of the 17th Special Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which was held in Trinidad and Tobago on November 4, 2014. Guyana was represent-

ed at the meeting by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds who, according to Dr. Luncheon, briefed Cabinet on the outcomes of the meeting on Tuesday. The meeting in Trinidad, according to a communique issued at the meeting, accepted that the likelihood

of penetration of the Ebola virus disease in the Region is low, based on the low level of traffic from affected areas. While there have been no reported cases of Ebola in the Region, it was agreed that there needed to be strengthening of the Regional Public Health capacity to confront the possibility of an outbreak of Ebola. The meeting endorsed the measures taken so far by CARPHA; the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO); the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Secretariat and the Government of Cuba, to establish and strengthen regional capabilities to confront Ebola.

10-POINT ACTION PLAN The Heads of Government also adopted the following 10-Point Plan of Action to Stop Ebola, including the need to: 1. Strengthen effective, coordinated measures at ports of entry to prevent Ebola from entering our Community, including harmonising travel restrictions; 2. Strengthen health systems including training, equipment, laboratories and containment, and enlist the participation of airlines in the Region in transporting specimens and response teams; 3. Create a Regional Rapid Response Team (Carib REACT) able to reach any member state in twenty-four (24) hours to support the national response team to contain/stop an outbreak early on; 4. Launch an intensive public education campaign for citizens of the Region, visitors and those outside; 5. Organise a comprehensive resource mobilisation effort, including a possible Stop Ebola There and Here (SETH) Fund, to which governments, citizens and businesses here and abroad may contribute; 6. Finalise and implement the harmonised regional operational response plan by

end-November, coordinated with national response plans; 7. Participate in capacity-building efforts at the global and regional levels to gain experience for our benefit; 8. Establish a Regional Coordinating Mechanism on Ebola (RCME) with CARPHA as Chair, including the CARICOM and OECS Secretariats, IMPACS, CDEMA, and inviting Cuba to participate. The RCME will report to the Lead Head of Government on Health, the Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, with the immediate responsibility to develop a comprehensive Regional Strategy to address Ebola preparedness in collaboration with PAHO/WHO; 9. Invite PAHO/WHO, the United Nations, other development partners and contributors to a meeting within one (1) month to expand the effectiveness of our collective response; and 10. Review and reinforce the effectiveness of these measures as implemented, at the Inter-sessional Meeting of Heads of Government in February 2015, and again at the Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in July 2015. The Heads of Government also agreed on the need for enhanced coordination of the measures proposed in the 10-point plan, with clear responsibilities accorded to regional institutions and international organisations based on competencies. The meeting mandated CARPHA to complete the national assessments in collaboration with PAHO/WHO and other international development partners and to develop a more comprehensive estimate of the resource requirements of the Region to support an enhanced resource mobilisation plan. The Communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s responses to Ebola are being coordinated by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday November 20, 2014

Climate Resilience Strategy and Action Plan being developed under the LCDS as its fourth performance based payment under the Partnership. This brings Guyana’s total earning to US$ 150 million since the Partnership started in 2009. These earnings are being channelled in priority investments, like the CRSAP, which aim to help

A CLIMATE Resilience Strategy and Action Plan (CRSAP) is currently being developed by the Government of Guyana through the Office of Climate Change (OCC), to provide a comprehensive framework for addressing climate change adaptation and resilience in Guyana. This framework will help Guyana to address direct and indirect impacts associated with extreme events, as well as emerging, indirect, slow-onset climate impacts and hazards. The project is being developed in partnership with Conservation International Foundation Guyana (CI-Guyana) with support from the Kingdom of Norway. Acclimatise, a UK based consultancy group has been contracted to develop the CRSAP. According to a statement from the OCC, the inception meeting for the project was held during the first week of November, 2014 and in the following weeks ahead; a ‘Stocktaking for National Adaptation Planning’ session and other stakeholder sessions will be held. The CRSAP is especially timely given that Guyana has already begun to feel the devastating impacts of climate change such as hotter days and more intense rainfall. In recent years, the country has experienced extreme weather events that have resulted in high levels of flooding along the coast and in some inland areas.

It was close to a decade ago that Guyana experienced the highest rainfall record since 1888, which resulted in the most severe flooding in the country’s history. In his address at the UN Climate Summit in September, 2014, President Donald Ramotar alluded that, “as a low-lying coastal state, we are particularly vulnerable to devastating climate change impacts. Adaptation activities and building resilience to improve our ability to cope are indispensable elements of our climate strategy.” Making the economy resilient to climate change and reducing Guyana’s vulnerability and exposure to climate change is one of the key goals of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). Climate change adaptation and resilience building were identified as priority under the LCDs projects and a series of measures were identified. The CRSAP supports this vision and will, inter-alia, help to identify current climate risks and determine options for building resilience and adapting to climate change. In addition, the CRSAP will help to prioritise adaptation and resilience projects. The CRSAP is a key project that is being funded under the Guyana – Norway agreement. The agreement continues to make significant progress and in October 2014, Guyana earned US$35 million

Guyana achieve its longterm developmental goals. Climate change is a key defining issue of our time that will get worse if countries do not take action now. At this stage, many of the most vulnerable countries of the world are moving towards the devel-

opment of National Adaptation Plans and Projects to help them to cope with the impacts of climate change – the CRSAP is especially timely in this regard. At the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference to be held in Peru in Decem-

ber, countries including the most vulnerable to climate change like Guyana will continue to call for greater global action to address climate change and for increased support for the very important issue of climate change adaptation.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday November 20, 2014

Leaning utility pole at Cresent St. causes residents much worry Aries Consider taking a more conservative approach to your actions today, as well as to the way you dress. Others may be rather put off by something that comes across as too flashy. Fashion is apt to be a significant concern for you now, which is fine. Don’t underestimate the power of personal appearance.

Taurus Romantic relationships may not exactly be going as well as you’d like, but don’t get discouraged. Hang in there and you will find that things eventually come around your way. You may need to strengthen your internal sense of confidence, since it’s doubtful that you will get much support from interactions with the people around you.

The utility pole leaning dangerously at Cresent Street, West Ruimveldt RESIDENTS of Cresent Street, West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, reported that they are very concerned about a utility pole that has been leaning for sometime and although the relevant utility company was informed, nothing is being done to rectify the situation. One woman told this publication that the utility pole which is supporting several electrical wires (conductors) is leaning

dangerously close to a playfield that is utilised by children and youths in the community and she like other residents are very fearful it may fall anytime soon. The woman added that the utility company should visit and fix the problem before an accident happens, as this is the right thing to do because children are around there all the time and people have to pass there also.

Unpaid traffic tickets campaign coming soon THE Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday reported that they are in the process of reconciling traffic tickets issued by the Guyana Police Force and the corresponding fines paid by motorists to the Magistrates’ Courts for the years 2013 and 2014. A press release said that from the information gleaned thus far, quite a number of motorists have not been paying

their fines. On completion of the reconciliation exercise, the Ministry will be instituting measures to recoup outstanding fines, MOHA added. The release stated that those delinquent motorists who still have unpaid traffic tickets are advised to pay the required fines without delay or contest those tickets in court.

Gemini It could be that you’re trying to communicate with someone in a matter regarding love and romance and it simply isn’t working. You’re apt to feel like you need a translator in order to get your message across. Both you and your partner need to share responsibility for making sure that the lines of communication remain open. Be practical yet sensitive in your approach. Cancer This is a fantastic time for you for love and romance, even if there’s a bit of coolness between you and the person you care about. It’s possible that there needs to be an element of distance now for you to really appreciate the good thing you have. If you aren’t involved with someone now, you should find that you’re in a good position to make a move toward someone you feel strongly about. Leo It’s one thing to be a friend and it’s another to feed someone’s ego just to make him or her happy. Make sure that you aren’t telling someone lies just because you know that that is what he or she wants to hear. A true friend is someone who is honest at all times, even if it means that you may temporarily hurt that person’s feelings. Virgo It’s critical that you not try to gain the love and appreciation of another by controlling their decisions. It’s time to let the people around you set their own rules and boundaries. Give that special person space to decide what’s best, then you can take action accordingly. It may be that you discover things about this person that you probably would never have known if you called all the shots.

Libra You might need to put on the brakes today when it comes to love and romance. Don’t think that this means you have to break off any sort relationship that’s in the works, but realise that you may need to take a more realistic approach to how you handle it. The problem is that you may be getting so caught up in the fantasy of things that you aren’t tending to practicalities.

Scorpio Things should be going quite well for you today, and you will find that aspects of your life that may have felt disconnected in the past are finally slipping into place. Have faith that all your painstaking planning and organising is finally going to pay off. This is especially true in love and romance. Spend intimate time with a close partner tonight. Sagittarius Restriction and discipline might not be your forte, but realise that this may be exactly the type of thing that you need the most. Try not to expend your energy in too many directions. Focus and channel your efforts into the things you consider the most important. Make sure that most of your day is spent tending to these things. Have you hugged your loved ones lately?

Thursday, November 20, 2014 - 14:30 hrs Friday, November 21, 2014 - 14:30 hrs

Capricorn Appreciate the good things you have today. Don’t let another day go by without really paying homage to the people who’ve helped you grow along the way. Take a walk. Climb a tree or help a child build a tree house. Connect with your spiritual side that finds satisfaction in where you are now instead of always feeling a need to search for something bigger and better. Aquarius When it comes to matters of love and romance, you may need to tone things down a bit. An aggressive approach now may drive your loved one further away from you instead of drawing him or her closer. Remember that love is a two-way street. Don’t just do things the way you’d like to do them. It’s crucial that you consider your partner’s thoughts and feelings every step of the way.

Pisces You may find that your love is incredibly magnetic now. All you need to do is be yourself and suddenly people flock your way. There are terrific opportunities for you to strengthen the bonds you have with the people you care about the most. Solidify your relationship with soft romantic words and actions. There is an extra sensuality to your mood and actions now.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday November 20, 2014

Four records ... From page 31 Back on the track â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the 800m, run under cool, but chilly conditions and on a water-logged track saw some exciting action, wherein Carifta Games gold medalist Cassie George was an easy winner in the Girls Under-16, stopping the clock at 2:20.4, unchallenged as she crossed the line. The Girls U-20 saw an upset as a cool and little known Rupununi athlete by the name of Mary Leandrew stayed back in the pack, made her move on the back stretch to eventually overhaul Sasha James and won the event in a time of 2m:37.9secs, with Cassie Kirton third. Shaquille Smartt of Upper Demerara won the Boys Under-20 in a time of 2mins 01.7 secs, Kwesi Blair won the Boys U-18 2m: 03.5secs and Andrea Foster (ECD) the female crown in 2m: 22secs, even as Donovan Washington clocked 2m: 07.1secs to take the Male Teachers Under-31 800m. The action continues today from 09:00hrswith the heats and 200m finals, 1500m and medley relays and the 4x100m male and female sprint relays.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday November 20, 2014

Finch drives Australia to victory over South Africa (REUTERS)-Australia’s Aaron Finch hit his fifth one-day international century to drive the hosts to a 73-run victory over South Africa in Canberra on Wednesday and a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. Finch put on 118 for the first wicket with David Warner (53) and went on to score 109 on a good Manuka Oval wicket before being bowled by Proteas skipper

AB de Villiers. Shane Watson hit a bright 40 but it fell to Steve Smith to haul Australia out of a mid-innings slump with a sparkling unbeaten 73 from 55 balls that gave Australia an imposing total of 329 for five. South Africa are rarely daunted by any target and openers Hashim Amla (102) and Quinton de Kock (47) started at a brisk pace at the

ground where they will play Ireland in a group match at the World Cup next year. Their opening stand ended with 108 on the board when De Kock got a top edge to a Josh Hazlewood delivery that was caught by Mitch Marsh but Amla dug in as a couple of wickets fell at the other end to reach his 17th one-day century. By now he had been joined by De Villiers and their partnership looked like it might give the tourists a series lead going into the final two matches, in Mel-

New Zealand stays in touch SCOREBOARD New Zealand 1 Innings 403 st

Pakistan 1st Innings (O/night 34 for 2) S Masood b Sodhi 13 T Umar stp Watling b Craig 16 Azhar Ali b Sodhi 75 Y Khan c Craig b Neesham 72 Misbah-Ul- Haq* c Taylor b Boult 28 Assad Shafiq c Taylor b Southee 44 Safraz Ahmad+ not out 28 Yasir Shah not out 1 Extras (b 1, lb 2, nb 1) Total (for 6 wickets off 109 overs) 286 Fall of wickets 1-28 (Shan Masood), 2-32 (Taufeeq Umar), 3-145 (Younis Khan), 4-195 (Misbah-ul-Haq), 5-220 (Azhar Ali), 6-279 (Asad Shafiq) To bat: Zulfiqar Babar, Ehsan Adil, Rahat Ali Bowling: T Boult 22-8-46-1 (nb1) T Southee 21-3-41-1 M Craig 24-5-94-1 I Sodhi 30-765-2 J Anderson 7-0-26-0 J Neesham 5-1-6-1

Racing Tips

South Africa Racing Tips Vaal 08:25 hrs Commodore 09:00 hrs Triple Beat 09:35 hrs Carry On Alice 10:10 hrs Zortziko 10:45 hrs Inventive Girl 11:20 hrs By Jove American Racing Tips Aqueduct Race 1 Guggenheim Race 2 Complicated Race 3 Pura Vida Zen Race 4 N. F’s Destiny Race 5 Omagoddonna Race 6 Sean and Matt Race 7 Zandar Race 8 Girlaboutown Race 9 Hushhushmushmush Irish Racing Tips

NEW ZEALAND kept a firm grip on the second Test in Dubai after some timely interventions from their seamers yesterday. Three times Pakistan, 1-0 up in the three-match series, looked to have gained a foothold back in the game with one partnership over a hundred and two half-century stands, but each time they were pegged back, as a result they closed the third day still 122 runs adrift in their first innings at 281 for six. A positive start to the day saw Azhar Ali and Younis Khan put on 113 either side of lunch as they moved on from their overnight 34 for two, but just as they were looking to make significant inroads into their opponents’ lead Younis (72) slapped a long hop from James Neesham straight to Mark Craig at cover. The fall of that wicket did not slow Pakistan’s Thurles 08:25 hrs As De Ferbet 08:55 hrs Hidden Cyclone 09:25 hrs Drumacoo 10:00 hrs Valyssa Monterg 10:30 hrs Deano 11:05 hrs Western Promise 11:35 hrs Bellshill English Racing Tips Market Rasen 08:30 hrs Horsted Valley 09:00 hrs Viva Steve 09:30 hrs Richmond 10:05 hrs Henryville 10:40 hrs Definitely Better 11:10 hrs Veyranno 11:40 hrs Multimedia Chepstow 08:40 hrs Geton Xmoor 09:10 hrs Annaluna 09:40 hrs Cruising Bye

advance, however, as Misbah-ul-Haq then joined in a 50-run stand before the taking of the new ball after tea produced another breakthrough. Having attacked with a number of in-swingers, Trent Boult got one to move away and take a thick outside edge to remove Misbah for 28 before Azhar’s stoic stay was finally ended after more than five hours at the crease. Leg-spinner Ish Sodhi hurried one through to trap the batsman lbw for 75 but even then Pakistan bounced back once again as Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed combined in a 57-run seventh-wicket partnership. The return to the attack of paceman Tim Southee late on paid dividends as in the penultimate over of the day he induced an edge to slip from Shafiq four runs short of his half-century. 10:15 hrs Steel Summit 10:50 hrs Johns Luck 11:20 hrs Islandmagee 11:50 hrs Don’t Tell Pa Wincanton 08:50 hrs Fuse War 09:20 hrs Dance Floor King 09:50 hrs It’s A Close Call 10:25 hrs Handazan 11:00 hrs Pressies Girl 11:30 hrs Allerton 12:00 hrs Band Of Thunder Arab Emirates Racing Tips Meydan 10:45 hrs State Law 11:20 hrs Tahaamah 11:55 hrs Etijaah 12:30 hrs Brazen 13:05 hrs Need To Know 13:40 hrs Centrifugal

Aaron Finch

bourne tomorrow and Sydney on Sunday. The match turned, however, when they were dismissed in successive overs, Amla clean-bowled by Hazlewood (3-51) and De Villiers trapped leg before by Kane Richardson for 52. Australian left-arm paceman Mitch Starc took four for 32 in mopping up the South African tail, which was shortened with the tourists on 256-9 when spinner Imran Tahir failed to bat after picking up a knock in the field.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday November 20, 2014

EBSC are the ECCB / TROPHY STALL U-19 CHAMPIONS FOR THE THID successive year, Enterprise ‘Busta’ Sports Club (EBSC) were crowned the East Coast Cricket Board (ECCB) / Trophy Stall Under-19 champions after they defeated Better Hope Sports Club by 34 runs at the Better Hope Community Centre last Sunday. Winning the toss on a bright sunny day, EBSC elected to bat with a large crowd in attendance, but lost both openers in Bhaskar Yadram and Sewchan Gangaram early, to be 8 for 2, before Afzal Rohoman and Zaman Rasheed steadied the innings and pushed the score to 50 for 3, before Rohoman was dismissed for 27 (4x4). Rasheed went for 14 making way for Captain Vivian Albert with the score on 66-4, who together with Pradesh Balkishun, worked the ball around to reach 103 for 4 in the 18th over before Albert was dismissed for 28 (3x4, 1x6), followed by Balkishun for 30 (4x4). EBSC were heading into trouble with the score on 131 for 6,

Enterprise ‘Busta’ Sports Club team strike a pose with ECCB president Bissoondyal Singh (2nd left) and other executives. losing Shivnarine Gobin (02), but Danesh Ally staged a mini recovery and pushed them to 150 for 7, before they ended on 190 all out in 38 overs, with Troy Mangal blasting a five ball 19 (2x6, 1x4). Chandra Mohan 3 for 30, Kishan Sookram 3 for 39 and

Silvan Kowlessar 2 for 40 did the damage with the ball for Better Hope, who lost Vickram Paul (02) at 8 for 1, when they began their reply. Prakash Debidyal replaced him and together with Randy Dhanraj, pushed the score to 49 for 2 before

Dhanraj was bowled for 28 (2x4, 2x6), followed by Debidyal who went for 23 at 69 for 3. Reaz Mohamed 32 (4x4) and Sookram 19 (1x6) looked to repair the damage, but when they were both dismissed to leave the score on 130 for 5, Mohan offered resist-

ance with his 18, but the task was too much for the lower order batsmen and the home side crumbled for 156 all out. The unplayable Bhaskar Deodat finished with 4 for 8 and Yadram 2 for 40, doing the damage with the ball for the eventual champions. At the presentation ceremony, President of Better Hope Sports Committee Jagnarine Singh who presented the ‘Player-of-theMatch’ trophy lauded the ECCB and its president Bissoondyal Singh for the excellent work done throughout the East Coast. ECCB president Bissoondyal Singh commended both teams for reaching the final and congratulated the EBSC for wining the prestigious Trophy Stall competition especially for the third consecutive year, as he also expressed gratitude to Mr. Ramesh Sunich for sponsoring the tournament and for his continuous contribution towards the development of the youths on the East Coast.

PCB writes to ICC about Amir ban Cornwall wants revamping of Leewards By Umar Farooq THE PAKISTAN Cricket Board (PCB) has written a letter to the ICC requesting that the governing body review the conditions of Mohammad Amir’s spot-fixing ban. The letter, sent to the ICC on yesterday, requested that 22-year-old Amir be allowed to return to domestic cricket before his five-year ban ends in September 2015. A PCB spokesman told ESPNcricinfo: “The PCB has officially sent a letter to ICC, asking it to review the ban on Mohammad Amir in light of the revision in the [ICC’s] anti-corruption code.” As per the revised anticorruption code, banned players could be allowed to return to domestic cricket before the end of their penalty if they meet certain criteria. The letter was directed to the ICC’s anti-corruption unit chairman, Ron-

Mohammad Amir nie Flanagan, who can While the PCB has been sanction the early reinte- in discussions with the ICC gration of banned play- over Amir’s case for a while ers based on a number of now, it is reluctant to extend factors, including the level the same treatment to Salof remorse shown by the man Butt and Mohammad player, their cooperation Asif, who were also banned with the ACSU’s educa- - for longer periods - after tion programme, and how the spot-fixing scandal. helpful the player has been Unlike Amir, who in terms of disclosing rel- pleaded guilty during the evant information. criminal investigation in According to the PCB, London, Butt and Asif conAmir, who was banned for tinued to insist they were his role in the spot-fixing innocent, even in the face scandal of the 2010 Lord’s of evidence against them, Test, has met all the condi- confessing only after they tions and so qualifies for had lost all option of apreintegration. pealing against their bans.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Former Antigua and Leeward Islands cricket captain, Wilden “Polo” Cornwall, believes cricket within the sub-region needs to be rebuilt and that the injection of new blood into the squad is one way of putting the game back on track. Cornwall’s statement comes following the team’s innings and 10-run defeat at the hands of Guyana Jaguars in the WICB Regional 4-Day competition within three days last Sunday. The former batsman, who has applied for the Leeward’s coaching job, said should he be given the role, he would seek to “make changes.” “You got to get some licks and you have to rebuild Leeward Islands cricket and that’s my way to go. Other players might feel hard done because of the changes, but changes have to be made. We cannot sit back and continue getting licks with the same set of players over and over. It’s not that I am going to go in there and throw away everybody,” Cornwall said. “Secondly, I would make sure that Leeward Islands cricket, from the grassroots level, is structured properly because we need players to come through,” he added. The player, who made 1959 First Class runs and bagged 106 wickets, added that the newly revived Leeward Islands tournaments must also be revisited. “We have just finished a tournament

which, for me, wasn’t satisfactory enough when preparing for a tournament of this magnitude. I think that, not making any excuses and it’s good to see Leeward Islands tournament has come back, they probably need to revisit it and not just to play a few games, but to get good benefit out of the players because going up against Guyana who have obviously prepared for the tournament, the results speaks for itself,” he said. The time has come, Cornwall said, for individual countries to place emphasis on the development of players before putting all of their energies into Leeward and West Indies cricket, both of which will benefit in the long run. “Personally, if I was coaching Antigua team, winning should not be my first priority right now, but to get players to understand Leeward and West Indies; this is what I am here preparing you for, for these two events because when you win Leeward Islands tournament, you don’t even get a trophy, you don’t get anything so to me, winning is out the window right now. We have got to move on and we have got to go past that and look at the bigger picture,” the former player said. Leewards will now travel to St Kitts where they will take on Trinidad & Tobago Red Force in their next match while Guyana will take on the Windward Islands Volcanoes. (First Published in the Antigua Observer)

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday November 20, 2014

Commander Hicken donates football gears to Grove Hi Tech FC By Asif Hakim GUYANA Police Force’s ‘A’ Division Commander Senior Superintendent Clifton Hicken last Sunday donated football uniform and gear to the Grove Hi Tech Football Club, whose president Kevin Anthony along with some of the players were on hand to receive. Speaking at the donation ceremony, Anthony thanked Hicken for the donation, saying the team will be working to its best and will make good use of the gear since there will be an upcoming match against Police Football Club soon. He also said that he is happy for the donation and that he hopes the commander continues to support not only them but other football clubs throughout Guyana. Commander Hicken in an invited comment said since he was a little kid growing up, he liked sports and in his days when he worked at the Tactical Service Unit (TSU) of the Guyana Police Force he once represented the Police Football Club, which made him love the sport of football even more. “I love helping people especially children. We don’t know in the future if one of these players from the Grove team might be one of Guyana’s biggest stars, but I will continue to promote sports throughout Guyana, helping other clubs,” said Hicken.

President of Grove Hi Tech Kevin Anthony (left) proudly accepts one of the jerseys from Commander of ‘A’ Division within the Guyana Police Force Clifton Hicken, while some of players display a few.

GNRA to fire off handgun championships this weekend THE GUYANA National Rifle Association (GNRA) Smallbore section’s Annual year-end handgun championships will fire off this weekend at Eve Leary with the first of two days of competition featuring some of the country’s top shooters. The .22 Pistol shoot will take place on Saturday at the Tactical Services Unit (TSU) ranges starting at 14:00hrs, where participants will battle for supremacy at three ranges - 5, 8 and 12 metres for an overall aggregate of 166 points. “Several of the top handguns shooters will be in contention” said Smallbore

captain Dale Hing, while on next Sunday, November 30, the action will switch to the Timehri pistol range for the three-stage Practical Pistol championships starting at 09:00hrs. Among the leading shooters expected to be in contention are Hing, Dr. Johan DaSilva, Mortland Smith, Ray Beharry, Gordon Richards and Harold Hopkinson who have all participated in the recently held Suriname Open IPSC sanctioned Level 111 shooting championships in the neighbouring republic. Several promising shooters will also be looking to make their mark in

Dale Hing the final tournament for this year, while those who are interested in competing can contact Hing for further details.

Lumumba to manage Team West -Stag Beer Futsal

THIS SATURDAY’S final of the Georgetown Football Association’s Stag Beer Futsal competition has gotten a shot in the arm with the announcement of a red-hot exhibition grudge match between two All Star teams. Word from the organizers state that teams representing East and West Georgetown would clash for a prize that is yet to be decided, with Team West being headed by Hits and Jams founders Rawle Ferguson and Kerwin Bollers and includes Aaron Fraser of Wartsila, Troy Mendonca of Guinness Bar, Frank `English’ Parris and former nation-

Odinga Lumumba al cricketer Lennox Cush. Presidential Advisor on Community Development Odinga Lumumba is Team

West Manager/Coach, who will have players such as Manu Durant, Chris Barnwell, Lawrence `Sparrow’ Griffith and three of Ansa McAl top brass in Troy Cadogan, Nigel Worrel and John Maikoo. Saturday’s final would see Alpha United, who has brushed aside all five of their opponents to date, coming up against Riddim Squad for the $400,000 first prize, for which they are heavily favored to cart off against a team who defeated Black Water and Santos on their way to the final. The competition is being sponsored by Hits and Jams, Ansa McAl and Elaine’s Ville.

Notable Dates Brian Muller, rated high on the all- time best middleweight list of Guyana, knocked out fellow countryman Albert Brown in the 13th round on November 20th, 1982. It was the second time that year that Muller had defeated Brown. The first fight in May ended with a Muller victory on points after 12 rounds. Following the last win over Brown, Muller, a gifted southpaw, met and defeated Reggie Ford. He would later move to the USA and ended his career in 1986 with a record of 20 victories, three loses and one drawn fight.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday November 20, 2014

GUINNESS ‘Greatest of De Streets’

Gittens nails home 7 seconds stunner for North Ruimveldt -Sparta too good for Festival City Street Fighters By Calvin Roberts FRUTA CONQUERORS’ mid-field/striker Gerald Gittens transferred his skills from the big field to the small hard court of the Demerara Car Park last Tuesday night, to score a seven seconds stunner for North Ruimveldt in their contest against a determined Tucville line-up. The two were meeting in the second match on the opening night of action in this year’s sixth annual Petra Organisation/Banks DIH Guinness ‘Greatest of De Streets’ Futsal football competition, which has at stake, $400,000 to the winner and a place in the national playoffs set to be hosted next year. After seeing Permanent Secretary within the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport Alfred King conduct the ceremonial kick-off following brief remarks, and North East LaPenitence defeating South Ruimveldt 2-1 on penalty kicks, the two North Georgetown based ward teams took to the playing surface. The shrill sounds of the referee’s whistle was dying away into a starlesssky night, when the crowd roared and the DJ from King Scorpion Sound System announced the scoring of the goal off the boot of Gittens,

Gerald Gittens the third fastest in this year’s tournament. However, Tucville did not let the early goal deter them and with a determined spirit, snared the equaliser, thanks to the efforts of Dennis Edwards’ 5th minute strike, before Colin Daniels sealed the win for North Ruimveldt with his 22nd minute goal. Damion Wilson’s 2nd minute goal was all Bent Street needed to defeat Castello Housing Scheme, with Alexander Village using ‘Sudden Death’ penalty kicks to defeat Charlestown 3-2 after a 1-1 finish, with Andre Trotz 6th and Wendell Pedro (7th) scoring for Charlestown and Alexander Village respectively. Shem Porter can blame no one but himself, as he

Part of the action between Bent Street (yellow bib) and Castello Housing Scheme missed several goal scoring opportunities for Alexander Village during regulation time, while Trotz missed his ‘Sudden Death’ kick from the spot for Charlestown. Through goals from Paul Port (3rd) and Devon Hyman (23rd), Island All Star edged East Front Road 2-1, with Kasey John scoring for the losers who lacked coor-

dination and communication, in the 13th minute. After the Guinness break, Laing Avenue met Albouystown ‘A’ and lost 1-0, with Stefan McLean scoring for the victors in the 19th minute; 2012, Georgetown and national representatives Back Circle defeated California Square 2-1 on Sudden

Change of playing hours for two Guyana Jaguars matches DUE TO the rapid fading of light in Guyana at this time of the year, the West Indies Cricket Board advised yesterday that it has approved a change of playing hours for the second and third round matches in their inaugural Professional Cricket League Regional 4-Day tournament to be played at the Guyana National Stadium, involving the Leon Johnson led Guyana Jaguars. Friday’s second round encounter against the Windward Volcanoes and next weekend’s third round fixture against the Barbados Pride, will now commence at 09:30hrs and conclude

FRANCHISES 1. Guyana Jaguars 2. Jamaica Franchise 3. Barbados Pride 4. T&T Red Force 5. Windwards Volcanoes 6. Leewards Franchise

at 16:30hrs, with lunch being taken from 11:30hrs to 12:10hrs and tea from 14:10hrs to 14:30hrs. The post lunch session will be played from 12:10hrs to 14:10hrs, while the final session on each playing day for both matches will be contested between 14:30hrs to 16:30hrs. The Jaguars are presently leading the points table with 17 points, following their innings and 10 runs first round victory inside three days over the Leeward Islands, with Jamaica franchise team following closely behind on 16 points and Barbados pride third with 8.

Apart from the Guyana Jaguars versus Windwards Volcanoes second round encounter, two other matches will be played from tomorrow and will see Leewards franchise opposing Trinidad and Tobago Red Force and Jamaica franchise going up against Barbados Pride. Cricket fans are reminded that NCN’s Voice of Guyana and 106 FM will be bringing live coverage of the Guyana Jaguars matches which will be played at the Guyana National Stadium, compliments of the Guyana Cricket Board and other sponsors. (Calvin Roberts)

17 16 8 5 3

M 1 1 1 1 1

W 1 1 0 0 0

L 0 0 0 0 1

T 0 0 0 0 0

I 0 0 1 1 0

A 0 0 0 0 0

ADP 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0

BAT 2 1 2 0 0

3 3 3 2 3

Death penalty kicks in a heated contest, as both teams were au fait with each others playing styles etc. The final game of the night saw Sparta Boss, led by Slingerz Football Club striker Devon Millington, defeating a game and purposeful Festival City Street Fighters 1-0, with Millington scoring the contest’s lone goal in the 2nd minute of play. The action will continue tonight at the Albouystown hard court with eight more matches, featuring Globe

Yard taking on Adelaide Street Charlestown, Sophia North meeting Festival City Warriors, Stevedore Housing Scheme ‘A’ going up against Leopold Street and Hope Street-Tiger Bay clashing with Durban Street. Following the Guinness break, defending champions Queen Street-Tiger Bay will meet West Back Road, West Front Road and Cross Street will do battle, Broad Street Bullies will try to bully their way past Riverview, followed by Albouystown ‘B’ meeting Sophia South to culminate things.

CRICKET QUIZ CORNER Compliments of THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market &The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL CO. LTD-83 Garnette Street, Campbellville (Tel: 225-6158; 223-6055) Answers to Tuesday’s quiz: (1) 32 Tests (1930-2005) (2) Colin Cowdrey (ENG vs AUST, Edgbaston, 1968) Today’s Quiz: (1) How many Test matches Carl Hooper played? How many were at Bourda? (2)Which two of these WI wicketkeepers never made a Test match hundred? Deryck Murray; Ridley Jacobs; Junior Murray; David Williams; Jeff Dujon Answers in tomorrow’s issue

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday November 20, 2014

54th National School’s Athletics, Swimming and Cycling Championships

Prime Minister Hinds officially opens C’ships -Lyte calls for more corporate support

THIS year’s 54th Annual National School’s Athletics, Swimming and Cycling Championship was officially declared open yesterday by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds who, during his address, urged the hundreds of competitors to play in the spirit of the games. “You’re a part of history now and I know some of you will create some (history) of your own” exclaimed Prime Minister Hinds at the opening ceremony of the Games, held at the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Headquarters,

Camp Ayanganna. According to the Prime Minister, the championships has played a pivotal role in helping to give young and upcoming athletes a platform to start their journey to becoming professionals or to help them stay fit. “On behalf of the President (Donald Ramotar) who is on other duties, I extend best wishes to the athletes and those participating in the Championships. I know the Government has long supported the championships and we will continue to give whatever support is

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds speaks during the Opening of the National Schools Championships required to help in sustainPresident of the Guyana ing the games,” said Prime Teachers Union (GTU) Mark Minister Hinds. Lyte, in his remarks, thanked

Four records smashed, three equalled on rain affected day By Leeron Brumell FOUR NEW marks were set in athletics after day two in the 54th Annual National Schools Track and Field Championships at the Camp Ayanganna ground yesterday, two of which were set under lights, with sprint sensation Tevin Garraway speeding off with the Boys Under-20 100m title record. The West Demerara athlete stopped the clock on a wet outfield at 10.5 seconds, erasing the old mark of 10.6 seconds that was first set by Julian Edmonds of North Georgetown 22 years ago in 1992, when the meet was held in Linden and one that was equalled by North Georgetown’s Kevin Abbensetts last year. Abbensetts finished third in this year’s final behind Quincy Simpson of North Georgetown who finished second, but it was a dream race for Garraway who got out the blocks well and was fast in command and too fast to catch, with Simpson stopping the clock at 10.7 and Abbensetts .2 seconds behind. There was also a new mark set in the Girls Under-16 100m, with Upper Demerara’s Onassha Rogers winning same in a time

of 12.2secs, erasing Deja Smart’s 2012 record of 12.3 that was also equalled by Jevina Sampson last year. In the Under-18 sprints – Upper Demerara’s Compton Caesar added his name to the records – equalling the 10.7 records, first set by Chavez Ageday in 2010 and equalled by Keon Lynch (2011) and Jason Yaw 2013 – all of East Coast Demerara. The Girls Under-18 100m time of 12.3 seconds was also mirrored by Sampson who joins Tirana Mitchell, who first set the mark in 2012, running for South Georgetown at Providence, while West Demerara’s Binka Joseph equalled Ianna Graham’s 2006 record of 13.3secs. In field events, specifically the jumps - Upper Demerara’s Donovan Francis stole not only the gold but broke the record on his third and final attempt in the Boys U-20 triple Jump. The 18-year-old Francis snatched victory from North Georgetown’s Kareem Purch when he put together, a hop, step and jump for a distance of 13.67m, beating Curtis Gravesande’s 11 year old record of 13.54 that was set in 2003. Purch, who also held records

in the Under-16 and 18 divisions, had to settle for the silver, doing so with his final attempt that measured 13.28m with Corentyne’s Paul Williams taking the bronze. In the Girls Under-18 class, East Georgetown’s Natricia Hooper shattered the old 10.60m record landing in the pit 11.95m, while Upper Demerara’s Kelanie Griffith with 10.72m also broke the mark but her efforts were deserving of the silver, followed by Tyiann Garnett with 9.91m for third. Griffith returned in the Long Jump to take gold on her final leap – 5.18m to boot Freeman who led from the first round, from the gold medal position with her 5.12 with Javina Sampson (4.92m) in third. In other selected results in the Jumps on the day, Upper Demerara’s Chantoba Bright won the Girls Under—16 Triple Jump (10.65m), Jemeica Scott took the Discus on her final throw upstaging Upper Demerara’s Shaquida Johnson. Johnson led with her 19.10 final attempt, but saw her smiles and gold medal waltzing away, when Scott released the circular plate at a distance of 19.62m, with District 12’s Deslyn Leitch (18.52m) finishing third. Turn to page 26

the Government for their support, adding that without their intervention, the championship would not have been possible. Lyte further noted that the GTU would welcome more support from the Government with regards to putting more funds into the system so that they can hire more Physical Education teachers which will spill off into the championships being more competitive. He also made a call on corporate Guyana to also invest in the Championship, stating, “That’s the only way

we can make the championships what it really should be.” The championship actually got on the way on Tuesday, with the staging of the 10K road race, Cycling and Swimming as well as some preliminary track and field events. North Georgetown, who won the swimming championships, are the overall defending champions, while Corentyne are the defending champions for cycling, Upper Demerara for track and field and West Demerara in the teacher’s category.

District 11 (North Georgetown) are this year’s swimming champions NORTH GEORGETOWN District 11 etched out its usually preliminary lead in the National School’s Championships when it championed the swimming segment, which was completed on Tuesday last at the National Aquatic Centre, Liliendaal. Packed with some of the nation’s leading junior swimmers, including national champion Leon Seaton, North Georgetown ended with 429 points, defending their title and finishing a whopping 176 points ahead of their nearest contenders. The North West District took second with their 253 points and left Upper Demerara/Kwakwani District to take third after they finished with 226 points, while Cuyuni/Mazaruni managed 174.5 points, with Rupununi and Essequibo Coast/Pomeroon both garnering 145 points to round off the top six finishers. North Georgetown was strongest on the Boys side where the male team finished with 230 points, led by Seaton’s win in the Under-12 category, for which he captured gold in the 50m freestyle (31.62s) and 50m backstroke (39.44s). In the Boys Under-16 age group, North Georgetown’s dominance was also evident as Nathon Hackett set a pace that his contenders found hard to keep up with, winning the 50m freestyle in 31.33secs, settling East Georgetown’s Nkosi Beaton’s 33.20 seconds to second place. Hackett was even harder to overtake in the 50m butterfly,

where his 38.45secs finish was way ahead of the 45.64 seconds clocked by South Georgetown’s Julian Griffith. In the 50m backstroke, it was Rupununi’s Jeff Leonard that clocked 43.22secs to come in second to the 36.62 seconds that Hackett produced. Further wins from Phillip DeNobrega and Jamaal Skeete in the Boys Under-18 category, Daniel Scott in the Under-16 and Noel Raekwon in the Under-10 underlined North Georgetown’s aim to be unquestionably the points’ leaders. On the distaff side, North Georgetown’s Accalia Khan, Tiffany DeMoura and Kristen Odel dominated the girls’ Under-16, 18 and Open categories respectively, with Khan taking the 50m freestyle (31.84s), 100m freestyle (1:13.12s) and 50m backstroke (35.18s), while DeMoura took first place in the 50m freestyle (34.34s), 100m freestyle, and 50m breaststroke (49.87s) The points standing for swimming were as follows: North Georgetown (429), North West (253), Upper Demerara/Kwakwani (226), Cuyuni/Mazaruni (174.5), Rupununi (145), East Coast and Pomeroon (145 each), East Georgetown (126), South Georgetown (122.5), West Demerara (50), West Coast Berbice( 47), East Bank Demerara (43), New Amsterdam/Canje (17), East Coast Demerara (12) and Potaro/ Siparuni and Corentyne (10 each).

Sport CHRONICLE

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

GUINNESS ‘Greatest of De Streets’

Gittens nails home 7 seconds stunner for North Ruimveldt

-Sparta too good for Festival City Street Fighters

Devon Millington

See story on page 30

54th National School’s Athletics, Swimming and Cycling Championships

Record run! Upper-Demerara’s Onassha Rogers dips for the line in the Girls U-16 100m Final.

Four records smashed, three equalled on rain affected day

North Georgetown teacher and former national Sprinter Candyss Odle lights the Championship Torch.

See story on page 31

Tevin Garraway of West Demerara powers across the finish line unchallenged on his way to claiming the new record in the marquee event. Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 2 2 6- 3243-9 (General); Editorial: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216. Fax:2 2 7- 5208

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2014