Guyana chronicle 17 04 14

GUYANA No. 103801

THURSDAY APRIL 17, 2014

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

GUYANA’S MOST WIDELY CIRCULATED NEWSPAPER

PRICE: $60

Amended Budget 2014 passed…

INCLUDING VAT

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Opposition knifes $37.5B that will stymie development and pose challenges for all Guyanese

Government MPs at last night’s press conference. Seated from left are Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Home Affairs Minister and PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee, and Government Chief Whip and Presidential Advisor on Governance Gail Teixiera. (Adrian Narine photo)

Opposition disapproves Government did not withdraw from sub-committee 15 of $5.2B for OP 4

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Minister Edghill says President ‘starved’ of funding

‘We were deliberately shut out from the process by the Opposition,’ according to Teixeira

GRA staffer remanded over cocaine-in-mail trafficking Page 9

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 17, 2014

APNU protestors chant ‘Budget got to chop up’…

Amerindians continue vociferous protests to demand rights

By Vanessa Narine

AMERINDIANS yesterday continued, for the third day, their vociferous protests of

the 2014 budget cuts that directly impact their development, outside Public Buildings.

And for the second day,

they were countered by a band of demonstrators claiming to represent A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

Given the near-violent

confrontations on Wednesday, police officers yesterday used barricades to cordon off the two protest areas.

In addition to the repeated

tribal chants, the Amerindians employed the use of other indigenous tools, including drums, to sound their disappointment at the Parliamentary Opposition’s actions.

Last Thursday, the combined Opposition in the National Assembly voted down $1.1B for the Amerindian Development Fund (ADF), $6M for rehabilitation of buildings, $13.5M for the purchase of boats and engines, $20M for the purchase of vehicles and motorcycles and 3M for the purchase of furniture and equipment – the entire capital budget of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs.

Also disapproved was the $185M designated for hinterland airstrips under the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.

General-Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party, Clement Rohee, was treated to harsh words when he joined the Amerindian protestors to register support for their cause.

The APNU band shouted ‘Rohee is a murderer’ as he walked by and hurled other insults at the General-Secretary and Minister of Home Affairs. He was joined by Minister of Human Services

and Social Security, Jennifer Webster.

The Opposition supporters shouted ‘the Budget got to chop up’ and ‘Budget cuts racial’, among other taunts thrown at the Amerindian demonstrators.

However, the Amerindians maintained their stance as they continued to vehemently make clear their desire that their rights to socio-economic development be respected.

Former Chair of the National Toshaos Council (NTC), Yvonne Pearson, told the Guyana Chronicle that the Amerindian group has a right to protest the Opposition’s disapproval of important funding, which will have negative impacts on communities and livelihoods.

The Amerindians were vehement in shouting, ‘We demand what is ours’, ‘Stop cutting our budget’, ‘We want development’ and ‘Opposition is a waste, we need development’.

Yesterday’s protest by Guyana’s first people was the final day and coincided with the end of the Parliamentary Committee of Supply’s detailed review of the allocations in the 2014 Budget.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 17, 2014

Amended Budget 2014 passed…

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Opposition knifes $37.5B that will stymie development and pose challenges for all Guyanese

By Vanessa Narine BUDGET 2014 was passed by the National Assembly last night, with amendments by the combined Opposition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC), which effectively cut $37.5B from the allocations of $220 M. Government Members of Parliament (MPs) after the vote for the passage of the Appropriation Bill, the 2014 Estimates, registered their disappointment over the cuts and contended that the impacts would pose dire challenges to the people of Guyana.

At a press conference following the passage of the amended 2014 Budget, held in Committee Room of Public Buildings, Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds, stated that key financing to advance the development of the Guyanese people and, by extension, the country, have been cut, when the 2014 allocations were building on eight years of consecutive economic growth and progress.

He cited in particular the impacts on Guyanese youth, the Amerindian people, and the blow to major transformational projects.

UNAVOIDABLE CONCLUSION Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh added that the cuts represent the Opposition’s callous and irresponsible acts against the Guyanese people.

He concluded that the Opposition’s agenda is a clear one, one to sabotage progress, stymie development and derail transformational projects that have the potential of improving the lives of all Guyanese.

Singh stressed that he is of the firm conviction that the Opposition’s agenda is to retract Guyana’s progress to extract political gains.

“The nation must condemn this in the harshest possible terms,” he said.

The Finance Minister referenced the final item that was

disapproved of by the combined Opposition, the 18.5B for initiatives under Guyana’s pioneering Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), which included provisions for the Amaila Falls Hydro-power project (AFHP), and underscored the lack of reason in objecting to the provision.

“You would have thought the absurdity of the position would have been clear,” he said, explaining that the combined Opposition’s arguments against the project was that the international partners approve the project first before the National Assembly gives its support.

Singh pointed out that in no jurisdiction will the country proposing a project be able to gain the support of partners without being able to convince them that the country itself is ready to move ahead with the project.

He stressed that the 2012 Budget cuts sent “adverse” signals to the partners involved in the project, but Guyana was fortunate to be able to maintain their interest, which is something that cannot be assured unconditionally, given the current state of events.

The Finance Minister made it clear that if the line of questioning by the Opposition was to be examined, the record would reflect that no question was left unanswered and every opportunity was made to allow for greater scrutiny of areas where there were contentions.

RED HERRING Asked about the Opposition’s request for contentious allocations to be “delinked” from groupings of allocations that the Opposition had no problem approving to prevent ‘collateral damage’, Singh vehemently rejected this as a red herring.

He was clear in stressing that the allocations, in the way they were grouped, remain unchanged from “time immemorial” and any assertion to indicate otherwise is a misrepresentation of reality.

“There has been no change…saying otherwise is a blatant misrepresentation of the facts,” the Finance Minister stressed.

He added that the ‘delinking red herring’ is an attempt to distract the Guyanese people from the callous and irresponsible actions of the combined Opposition, an attempt to “hoodwink” the nation.

“I have all confidence that the Guyanese people will not absolve them (the APNU and the AFC) of this responsibility,” Singh said.

He noted too that the Government’s position on the cutting is that all the areas are all quintessential to the improving the welfare of the Guyanese people and developing the nation as a whole.

CUTS Last night the areas that came under the combined Opposition’s knife include: $18.5B for the LCDS initiatives; $450M for loans for University of Guyana Students; $725M for the poverty alleviation programme; $7M for the different rights commissions; $795M for the Basic Needs Trust Fund; and $4M for support to non-governmental organisation and the private sector.

On Tuesday, under the allocation for the Office of the President, the cuts include: $245M for the Presidential Guard services; $95M for the provision of developmental and humanitarian aid among other initiatives; $10M for the Office of the First Lady;$73.5M for the Guyana Energy Agency; $119M for the Guyana Office for Investment (GoInvest); $122M for the Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST);$17M for the Integrity Commission; and $28.5M for the Office of the Commissioner of Information.

Last Friday, the other cuts made included: the Specialty Hospital – $910M; upgrading of Regional and District Hospitals, including Port Kaituma, Kwakwani, Linden, Bartica, Eye Surgery Operating Room at Linden etc.

– $360M ambulances, ATVs and Boats – $42M; surgical equipment and instruments – $32M; the Amerindian Development Fund – $1.1B; other Amerindian Programmes, See page 8

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 17, 2014

Opposition disapproves of $5.2B for OP Minister Edghill says President ‘starved’ of funding

By Vanessa Narine

THE allocation in the 2014 Budget for the operations of the Office of the President is $6.1B: $5.2B for administrative services, $830M for presidential advisory services, and $65M for defence and national security.

And the combined Opposition, on Tuesday night, voted down a significant portion of the allocation, the entire $5.2B for administrative services, leaving several programmes in jeopardy.

Minister within the Ministry of Finance, Juan Edghill, in an interview, acknowledged that the vote was predicated on contentions with the subventions of $139M for the Guyana Information Agency (GINA) and the $81M for the National Communications Network (NCN).

However, he made it clear that what the Opposition’s vote has achieved is to starve the President of

funding.

Edghill said, “It is unbelievable that an Opposition, regardless of politics, would deny the Office of the President sums of monies for its administrative services…to collapse this budget is essentially to collapse allocations for the President to work effectively.... what they have essentially done is to starve the President of funding.”

GINA DEFENCE The Minister made it clear that while the arguments on the allocation to NCN can be understood, the contentions over GINA are completely misplaced, since the entity is, as the name implies, the Government’s information arm.

He noted that in his Budget presentation he made an attempt to point out that the operations of GINA are routine when compared to countries around the world.

President Donald Ramotar himself commented on the allocations to the two

agencies last week and stated that the contentions of the Opposition regarding the allocations are purely matters of “vindictiveness” and are without any objective reasoning.

He alluded to GINA’s function of updating the Guyanese people on the works and progress of the current Administration and said any reduction to its spending can be read as the Opposition attempting to “muzzle” the Government.

The President also stated that when it comes to NCN, the words and actions of the combined Opposition contradict each other.

He made reference to an incident where APNU MP, Sydney Allicock, was bullied off NCN by his colleagues, last week. Allicock, who had been invited by the network to appear alongside Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, on the live programme ‘Budget InDepth’ last Friday night, was instructed by APNU’s Chief

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Whip, Amna Ally, to “get off that TV.” Edghill echoed similar sentiments on Tuesday night.

On the assertion that the Government is “bundling” off the allocations for GINA and NCN with other items that the Opposition is not opposed to, he made it clear that Budget 2014 is presented in the same manner as previous budgets.

“It is the same format each year. Every year this is how the budget is formatted….there is nothing new,” he stressed.

The Minister stressed that the Opposition’s irresponsible position has now put a host of other projects and agencies in dire jeopardy.

IN JEOPARDY The allocations voted down for the other agencies affected include: $245M for the Presidential Guard services, $95M for the provision of developmental and humanitarian aid among other initiatives, $10M for the Office of the First Lady, $73.5M for the Guyana Energy Agency, $119M for the Guyana Office for Investment (GoInvest), $122M for the Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST), $17M for the Integrity Commission, and $28.5M for the Office of the Commissioner of Information.

According to Edghill, the latter two allocations are offices called for by the combined Opposition and are now denied funding to undertake its mandate.

He said, “The Commissioner of Information’s office is what they asked for…

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on one hand you ask for it and when the Government delivers, on the other hand you take away the funding.

“It is the same thing with the Integrity Commission.

You cannot run around the place shouting corruption and when the mechanism to address corruption is put in place, you starve it of funding.”

The Minister added that in terms of Guyana’s advance in the field of science, the IAST is looking at a “fantastic proposal” to phase out the use of mercury, which will see Guyana coming in line with international standards, and using coconut as a replacement in the mining sector.

Ahead of a 2020 ban on the use of mercury in the extraction of gold, IAST Head, Dr. Suresh Narine, is pre-

has major impacts for the Guyanese people, according to Edghill, is the $95M allocation for the provision of developmental and humanitarian aid, as well as other initiatives.

He said, “This is not an insignificant allocation…

This is where ordinary Guyanese seeking assistance can come to the President and appeal for help…It is from this fund that he can dispense help to people who need it.”

Also affected is the Information and Communication Technology programme, which addresses the installation and commissioning of the wireless and terrestrial networking system from Moleson Creek, Region Six, to Anna Regina, Region Two; the continuation of the One Laptop per Family Programme (OLPF), a programme under which over 34,000 laptops have been disbursed; and the purchase of equipment.

Cuts under Office of the President’s Budget

* $245M for the Presidential Guard services * $95M for the provision of developmental and humanitarian aid among other initiatives * $10M for the Office of the First Lady * $73.5M for the Guyana Energy Agency * $119M for the Guyana Office for Investment (GoInvest) * $122M for the Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST) * $17M for the Integrity Commission, and * $28.5M for the Office of the Commissioner of Information. scribing the use of activated carbon from coconut shells as a viable alternative. In a detailed presentation at the 10th Biannual Mining and Quarrying Conference at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal, last year, the Guyanese-born Trent University professor said activated carbon is widely used for the recovery of gold across the world and would prove very economical for the country, with a recovery rate of 80 per cent.

Another programme that

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Edghill made it clear that the repercussions of the Opposition’s vote are real and carry serious consequences.

The other cuts made to date include: the Specialty Hospital – $910M; upgrading of Regional and District Hospitals, including Port Kaituma, Kwakwani, Linden, Bartica, Eye Surgery Operating Room at Linden, etc. – $360M; ambulances, ATVs and Boats – $42M; surgical equipment and instruments – $32M; the Amerindian Development Fund – $1.1B; other Amerindian Programmes, such as ATVs, Tractors, etc. – $40M; the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) modernization project – $6.6B; Civil Aviation – $50M; and Hinterland Airstrips – $185M.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 17, 2014

Bolivia files at UN court its claim over Chilean sea

(BBC News) PRESIDENT Evo Morales of Bolivia has submitted legal documents to the United Nations’ highest court in support of his country’s claim to regain access to the sea from Chile.

Mr Morales personally handed over the 200-page dossier, and said Bolivians would “never give up” their sea claim.

The International Court of Justice in The Hague could take years to issue its ruling, which will be binding.

Landlocked Bolivia lost access to the sea in a war won

by Chile in 1883.

President Morales said he hoped the UN court would side with his country.

“As a peaceful country, we have gone to international courts to ask for justice over a historical claim,” he told a news conference in The Hague.

“Bolivia is very confident and hopeful in [the decisions taken by] the International Court of Justice. We trust that Bolivia will soon have sovereignty again in the Pacific.”

‘RESTART DIALOGUE’ Last year, Bolivia asked the UN court to order Chile to negotiate over at least part of the 400-km (240-mile) strip of Pacific Coast that it lost in the war.

Govt official made sexual advances …male victim files report with police:

(Trinidad Express) ANOTHER Government official is at the centre of a sex scandal.

The alleged victim, a man, is claiming the official made sexual advances to him when he visited his home in North Trinidad last year.

The man filed a police report at a police station within the last two weeks. He claimed the incidents happened last year, in the months of January and October.

Mr Hall, who gave the Express permission to use his last name, said he had known the official since 2010.

“Mr....... and I had a very good, brotherly type of relationship that I look up to as a friend and a brother,” Hall said.

Hall, 27, dressed in a black jeans and white shirt with a black blazer, spoke with this newspaper at Express House in Port of Spain yesterday.

He said he went to speak to the official about a personal matter that he needed advice on in January last year.

“He told me to come and see him, and as I would have entered and walked towards the sitting area, he would have come and asked me what you have there, making approaches to me; he would have stretch forth and pulled my penis and ask me what you have there,” Hall said as he gesticulated with his hands to demonstrate his point.

Despite the first incident, he said late last year (in October) , he went to seek advice from the official because one of his friends had got in a jam.

“She told me she was going to have an abortion, and I said let me talk to someone to get some advice on what you should do.

“I had just finished running around the Savannah and later, I went to his home. I was sitting on the chair and he was sitting next to me and we were having our conversations.

“I think at that point in time, I was really broken down because of the situation I was going through at the point in time. And he came and he was there, playing with my nipples and then raise up my jersey and then nibble on my nipples.

Brazil sends troops to Bahia state after police strike

(BBC News) BRAZIL has sent thousands of federal troops to maintain order in the north-eastern state of Bahia after police there went on strike over pay.

Shops and supermarkets in the state capital, Salvador, have been looted and public transport was severely reduced following attacks on some buses.

The Brazilian city is due to host six matches during this year’s football World Cup, which begins in June.

Another strike in 2012 led to a spike in murders and other violent crimes.

Back then, more than 130 people were killed and 12 officers were arrested, including the leader of the current labour dispute, Marco Prisco.

He was accused of inciting acts of vandalism by his colleagues, but later released.

The 2012 strike lasted 12 days, and troops were also sent to the streets of Salvador, Brazil’s third most

populous city.

PUBLIC SAFETY The police started their latest protest on Tuesday night after failing to reach an agreement with the government in a dispute over higher pay and better conditions.

“If they meet our de-

mands, the strike will end today,” announced Mr Prisco.

The government said it was doing everything possible to meet the strikers’ demands.

“Our intention is to talk.

Firstly, we are concerned about the safety of the population,” Bahia’s Secretary of

Public Safety, Mauricio Barbosa, was quoted as saying by the G1 news portal.

Most schools and universities closed on Wednesday.

Fewer buses were also circulating in Salvador after bus drivers refused to go to work for fear of being attacked.

Troops were also deployed in 2012 during a police strike that led to a spike in murders

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 17, 2014

GUYANA

So sad for Guyana and Guyanese

EDITORIAL

PNC historically suppressed Amerindians in Guyana AT the beginning of January 1969, just three weeks after the December 1968 rigged elections in Guyana, a group of large ranch owners in the Rupununi Region, supported by a number of Amerindians, broke out in open rebellion against the oppressive PNC Government in the savannah area near the border with Brazil.

It is reported that they were United Force (UF) supporters who were angry at the expulsion of their party from Government, and the PNC leadership’s move to wrest land away from Amerindians and ranchers to distribute among themselves and friends, and police ranks’ excessively brutal treatment to Amerindians. This is according to a report in Guyana.org, which states, inter alia: “In determining the causes of this insurrection, some analysts subsequently have pointed to various factors, including frustrations over the recent rigged elections which returned the PNC to power, and opposition to the proposed demarcation of Amerindian lands as set out by the Amerindian Lands Commission.”

Whatever role these factors played cannot be fully determined, but it was clear that the rebels expressed their non-allegiance to the State (under the PNC Burnham illegal dictatorial regime).

The repercussions were brutal, as Burnham crushed the Amerindians beneath the might of the thuggish ranks of the GPF and the GDF that then were enforcers of the regime’s atrocities against the citizenry.

Reports of terrible atrocities being committed against Amerindians in reprisal actions by GDF and GPF ranks, with hundreds of Amerindian women being raped; a 12-year-old being gang-raped so brutally that she subsequently died; and elderly men and young boys being brutally beaten and even killed.

Most of the victims were Roman Catholics, but the PNC Government, although it was denying these reports, refused to allow the priests to travel to the hinterland communities to look after the welfare of their church members.

The PNC Government also rejected the request of then Opposition leader, Dr. Cheddi Jagan, to travel to the Amerindian locations where the atrocities were reported to have been committed; and even PPP Amerindian members were refused entry into their own villages.

According to Guyana.org, “After the uprising was

THIS 911 service has not been working for years. Minister Rohee contracted an American expert to come and look at it. He paid them big money, and yet there is no resolution.

Most Guyanese by now know the rich people have direct contact to the top policemen, so they get help, but the poor have to suffer. 911 can’t work because the public believes that the same people are out there trying to attack those Amerindians who are protesting.

Officials should close their eyes and imagine what would have happened if all the adults at that wake night where the bandits struck were armed, and some with high power weapons. Would these three gun-totting terrorists have risked attacking those innocent un-armed citizens in that case?

But the criminal brigade continues to win because of Opposition support. The rapidly deteriorating credibility of the Colwyn Harding story again raises serious questions about the integrity of the Chairman of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Nigel Hughes. If Nigel Hughes doesn’t get his way on this Harding matter, the Government must put out bulletins so that all Guyanese, especially their supporters, can be on full alert for just such an occurrence as occurred when he issued warning of consequences if the President did not fire Minister Rohee within 48 hours, before the events occurred on the Agricola Public Road.

The placards of the PNC supporters trying to intimidate the peaceful Amerindians that claim “APNU running things” is what PNC supporters are telling all other Guyanese all across Guyana: ‘Awe PNC running things.’

The PPP is not getting the idea as yet about snap election, but they got to look out for PNC rigging and their criminals.

Peter Perasud is right to go to the UN to seek justice, because

the PPP cannot fight the PNC with their inimitable style of violent and hypocritic politics. PNC will over run PPP and its people at will soon, because the PNC is seeing PPP leaders as weaklings and because of that party’s history one knows that it is only a matter of time before they will go for blood and it is the ethnic majority that, as it has always done. PPP getting some people to protest here and there is no match for the PNC/APNU/AFC. It is unconstitutional for opposition to cut Government estimates. Case closed. Many Guyanese are asking why the PPP is pussyfooting and seems to be on its knees begging the opposition PNC not to cut the estimates.

Is the PPP not seeing how PNC passed money for police and army, and the regions because of Region 10?

About Ramkarran’s contention that the jury system needs to be dropped and not reformed: “OH me mumma, is only now dis creature who barn in PPP stable waking up to reality?”

Is it only now that this ex-PPP member is discovering that the jury system in Guyana is a scam? ID parade to identify criminals is a total scam too, because most often it is the wrong people police deliberately choose to line up, so no wonder the victims don’t recognise them. ‘KIT N Kin’ will always work no matter how PPP try to reform whatever. So reform Police? Reform the GDF? Reform those that sell drivers licences? Reform those PNC supporters who work in PPP Government-run institutions and sabotage the systems? Reform people in public offices who demand bribes or make life miserable for PPP supporters?

Reform those that are running City Hall?

Cleaning the Augean stables would be easier.

crushed, claims were made by numerous Guyanese, including some Rupununi Amerindians, that, particularly in the northern savannahs, the security forces had harassed and even killed a large number of Amerindians in putting down the revolt and in their subsequent “mopping up” operations which continued weeks after the revolt ended.

“Actually, many Amerindians were so fearful of the security forces that they fled over the border to seek refuge in Brazil. The allegation of harassment and killings was subsequently denied by the Guyana Government and the administration of the Guyana Defence Force, both of which claimed that no one was killed in the suppression of the rebels.

“The Roman Catholic Bishop of Georgetown, the Reverend R. Lester Guilly, was allowed by the Ministry of Home Affairs to make a four-day observation tour of the southern Rupununi Savannahs to see the condition of the Amerindians, most of whom were Roman Catholics. However, he was not allowed to visit the northern Rupununi, where the rebellion actually took place and where the atrocities were being reported to have been committed.”

The report continued: “However, the Leader of the Opposition, Dr. Cheddi Jagan, who had applied to the Government to visit the Rupununi District, which was now designated a restricted area to non-Amerindians, was refused permission by the Ministry of Home Affairs to visit the area to examine the situation.

“As a result of this refusal, the PPP sent two of its leading Amerindian members, Eugene Stoby, a Member of Parliament, and Basil James to the Rupununi by the Guyana Airways passenger flight to make on-the-spot observations.

But on landing at the Lethem airfield, they were detained by the GDF authorities and sent back on the return flight to Georgetown where they were rigorously questioned by the police before being released.”

The PPP felt that the Government’s statement that no Amerindian was killed in the crushing of the rebellion was untrue, since it was apparent that the army met resistance which caused it to burn down a number of buildings in which mainly Amerindian rebels had entrenched themselves. It would be unique, the PPP stated, for an army to crush an armed rebellion without inflicting any loss of life on the rebel forces.

Observers had posited that the revolt had its origin in a

combination of factors: Resentment by the people of the Rupununi against the PNC Government for the electoral fraud and the eviction of the United Force from the coalition; dissatisfaction with the Government’s high-handed action in connection with their leased lands; and police brutality against Amerindians, including the wanton rape of their women.

During early February 1969, the PNC Government rushed a National Security Act through the National Assembly in the face of strong opposition from the PPP. The Government claimed that the Act was aimed at curbing subversion in the country. During the debate in Parliament (on the National Security Act of 1969 to restrict the movement of persons within Guyana and to prevent Guyanese leaving the country), PPP opposition members pointed out that in the vast Rupununi area (following the short-lived uprising), the Government imposed, administratively, a complete ban on persons entering the area. The charge was made that the Government had something to hide; it was not telling the whole truth about the situation in the Rupununi, particularly with respect to the treatment of the Amerindians.

There was much speculation as to the number of deaths.

The PPP sent two of its Amerindian members -- one an organiser, the other a Member of Parliament -- to investigate.

They bought airplane tickets from the Guyana Airways Corporation and duly boarded the plane. Shortly after they landed, however, they were rounded up by police and sent back to Georgetown. Even priests who had served in the area were hustled out and prevented from returning.

The Government had actually sealed off the entire area, long after there could be any military justification for this.

Only Government officials and certain PNC activists were allowed in.

This, then, is the PNC’s history of treating with Amerindians: Isolating them from the rest of the citizenry, and battering them physically, socially and financially, through stangling their economic enterprises.

Their latest act, then, should come as no surprise to those who have followed their history of treating with ordinary Guyanese in general, and Amerindians in particular. This latest malicious strangulation of their communities merely replicates their historical suppression of Guyana’s First Peoples.

TED KING

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 17, 2014

The hypocrisy of the ‘C’ Division despicable Freddie proves it’s serious about stamping out crime

IF YOU live in New York, and you wake up one morning to find snow on the ground, it wasn’t dumped there by a few trucks, as a friend mockingly suggested a few weeks ago. Instead, the science of assumptions and deductions would dictate that although you did not see nor hear the snow fall, it must have snowed overnight.

Freddie Kissoon’s column of April 15 commented on the Hon. Education Minister’s refusal to apologise to the then APNU Parliamentarian, Jaipaul Sharma for a comment that was directed to his father, CN Sharma.

He wrote: “In claiming that she could not apologise to Sharma because of her sympathy with rape victims, Manickchand was hoping to bend and shape public opinion in her favour, away from the fact that Mr. CN Sharma is not convicted of rape; that the case is still in the courts, and it was highly injudicious to pronounce on something that is sub judice.”

This minister has no need to “bend and shape public opinion in her favour” on any matter; her impeccable record, fighting for the rights of women and children, is well documented, and something she can truly be proud of.

On April 16, 2010, Kaieteur News published the following: “Proprietor of the

CNS TV Channel 6, Chandra Narine Sharma, was last evening questioned by police ranks at Eve Leary after he was invited there following reports by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security’s Child Care and Protection Department of multiple rapes committed on four underage sisters.

“Following a bout of questioning, he was taken to the Brickdam lockups where he collapsed, and was subsequently hospitalised at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

“Earlier in the day, formal reports were lodged against Sharma at the Brickdam Police Station and Eve Leary Headquarters after the reports had been made to the Child Protection Agency.

“That arm of the Human Services and Social Security commenced investigations of its own and unsuccessfully sought to remove two young girls (ages five and nine) from their home facilitated

by Sharma adjacent to his business place, located at Robb and Wellington Streets.

“Sharma has since retained the services of Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes, who escorted him to Eve Leary last evening. The action comes in wake of revelations that a 13-year-old girl in a sworn affidavit signed

by Justice of the Peace and Commissioner of Oaths to Affidavits Lachman Narine, dated April 12, 2010,

recounted a most harrowing tale of repeated rape and sexual molestation of four sisters over several years.”

Is Freddie questioning the accuracy of this article?

This case may yet be tried to determine CN Sharma’s guilt or innocence. But there is sufficient circumstantial evidence, including a sworn affidavit from a 13-year-old, to connect it to a conclusion of fact.

But unlike CN Sharma, former President Bharrat Jagdeo was never arrested and charged with anything, yet Kissoon has already tried and convicted the architect of Guyana’s economic recovery in his perverted mind that must be as unkempt as his appearance.

Freddie Kissoon has his own agenda, and that is to use his columns in Guyana’s largest selling newspaper to discredit the PPP/C Administration, even if he has to shamelessly lie and libel himself to satisfy the political base of the Opposition.

I often ask myself, “How can anyone hate so much?”

Where was Kissoon’s outrage when the monsters who murdered 12 innocent villagers of Lusignan, including five children, walked free? Is he silent on these murders because the alleged jury-tampering scheme by his attorney friend paid off?

Or is it because the victims were all Guyanese of Indian

Still waiting for justice to be served THE Regional Education Officer in a rural district in Guyana was giving me severe difficulties to get a transfer. I brought the matter to the Deputy Chief Education Officer (Administration), and she indicated to me that she is very busy and will address the matter later.

I took the matter to the Secretary of the Teaching Service Commission, Mr Pulandar Kandhi, and he also acted inappropriately in my matter.

The Regional Education Officer, who had refused to grant my transfer, called to find out the reason why my transfer was granted; Mr Kandhi told me to resign and he will reinstate me to a school in Georgetown. The matter was brought to the attention of the Ministry of Education and the Guyana Teachers Union, and to date no justice has been given to me.

RAYANN PERSID

descent?

We all know how he feels about this sector of the population. Where is Kissoon’s outrage when the Joint Opposition voted to deny our native Guyanese the $1.1B budgeted for Amerindian development?

Kissoon cited public outrage against Minister Manickchand in the pages of Stabroek News, but that’s nothing new. Stabroek News is not objective to this Administration, and is considered the mouth-piece of the Opposition.

Those persons who criticise the Hon. Education Minister for not stooping to Opposition demands and pressure for her to apologise to Sharma are the very same ones that would have sided with Pontius Pilate if Jesus was a minister in this Government.

Freddie Kissoon has no shame. At least, under the PPP/C Administration, he’s prosperous enough to be living in a big mansion in an affluent neighbourhood, and could now easily afford to buy any book he wishes to read.

HARRY GILL

I WRITE to openly congratulate the Commander and Deputy Commander of ‘C’ Division of the Guyana Police Force for their initiative to go into communities and meet with residents to address crimes, and to generally close the gap which currently exists between citizenry and the Police.

After a successful evening in Beterverwagting, led by Senior Superintendent Kissoon, Assistant Commissioner Griffith and his Deputy, Mr. Kissoon, were very frank and incisive during their engagement in Enmore on Tuesday evening.

Residents complained against the attitude of ranks at the Enmore Police Station, and both senior officers promised to initiate steps to improve the image of the Division.

As evidence of their commitment, several interventions were made yesterday morning (Wednesday), whereby certain ‘hot spots’ in Enmore were raided.

Residents promised to work along with the police to provide vital intelligence in the fight against crime, while the police committed to treating with confidentiality sensitive information given to them.

Commander Griffith assured residents that police fan-outs are ongoing, and Hope West and Foulis will be venues targeted in the near future.

JAINAUTH BHIKHARI Chairman, Enmore/Hope NDC

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Opposition knifes $37.5B that will stymie development and pose ....

From page 3 such as ATVs, Tractors etc. – $40M; the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) modernization project – $6.6B; Civil Aviation – $50M; and Hinterland Airstrips – $185M. SUB-COMMITTEE The Finance Minister also addressed the establishment of a sub-committee of the Parliamentary Committee of Supply, where the cuts were made during a detailed review of the 2014 allocations.

He noted that at all times the Government was open to talks, regardless of the fact that it was a suggestion of the Speaker of the House, Raphael Trotman, which was made last Wednesday and not in accordance with the Standing Orders which guide the proceedings of the National Assembly.

Since being set up, the Committee met once on the following day, on Thursday, and a subsequent meeting on Friday was cancelled by the Speaker himself after A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Chief Whip, Amna Ally, failed to meet its side of the agreement. According to the agreement, the issues of contention are to be presented to the sub-committee at 9:00am each day for discussion.

Singh contended that with no exhaustive list of concerns, there could be no negotiation, as the Government could not reach a compromise one day on an issue, without knowing what the other issues could be brought on another day.

He explained that with no list, the compromise would be a blind one, which simply could not be done.

The minister stated that the Government’s position has been one of compromise and engagement, while the Opposition’s stance has been contrary.

NEXT STEP Singh said the next step would be to review the constitutional avenues for a move forward on the matter and the reliance on the final ruling of the Acting Chief Justice, Ian Chang, as well as the advice of the Attorney General, Anil Nandlall.

In January this year, Acting Chief Justice, Chang ruled that the National Assembly has no right to cut the national budget. The Chief Justice handed down his decision in the High Court on January 29.In the Preliminary Ruling given in June 2012, the CJ had ruled that the National Assembly had a role to either approve or disapprove of the National Estimate, not to cut them.

A Notice of Appeal of Chang’s decision was since filed in February by lawyer and Leader of the Alliance For Change, Khemraj Ramjattan, on behalf of Speaker of the National Assembly, who was listed as the appellant in the court.

The Finance Minister, noted, however, that even if these avenues allow for the restoration of the monies cut, this is not the ideal state of affairs one would like to see in any country, particularly as it concerns the message that is being sent to the international community.

According to him, last night’s vote has done “grievous harm” to the nation, particularly when it comes to answering the questions of the people whose needs immediate funding is needed to address.

“What do you say to the patient in Port Kaituma,” he asked, making clear that the consequences and damage of “postponed development” are real impacts that will resonate with the Guyanese people in their everyday lives.

The AG and Minister of Legal Affairs echoed similar sentiments.

Nandlall noted that the legal options will be examined and discussions at the Cabinet level will have to be undertaken before a way forward is decided on.

He referenced the acts in the National Assembly as an “implosion” as it relates to the separation of powers of the Executive and the Legislature.

The AG explained that the Executive is charged with the financial management of resources of the state, whereas the Legislature is responsible for oversight in ensuring accountability and transparency, not marring development.

The next Cabinet meeting of the current Administration is scheduled for Tuesday and the National Assembly is scheduled to meet again on May 15.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 17, 2014

$778M budget for Natural Resources Ministry approved

By Vanessa Narine

THE Parliamentary Committee of Supply, on Tuesday night, approved the $778M allocation for the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment.

But not before honing in on the fact that there were no monies allocated for road works to assist the mining community.

Subject Minister Robert Persaud said such undertakings are done through a consultative approach with sector stakeholders by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), which is within the legal ambit of its functioning.

Alliance For Change (AFC) Member of Parliament (MP) Moses Nagamootoo and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Shadow Finance Minister Carl Greenidge requested explanations on why the GGMC money is not funnelled to the Consolidated Fund and approved by the National Assembly before it is spent and what were the criteria for the determination of the jobs.

The miffed minister exclaimed that the Government is seemingly ‘damned if we do and damned if we don’t’.

He reiterated that the agency’s focus on road projects and its spending on them is provided for in the GGMC Act. Persaud stated that access to mining areas, through undertakings to address road works, is support by GGMC, working with a number of entities and the determination of priority Minister Robert Persaud roads, given urgency and necessity, are made based on representation from stakeholders, including regional officials.

“There is that collaboration,” he emphasised.

The minister added that the GGMC’s involvement in road works has been years old and the completed infrastructural developments are not restricted to use for those in the sector but also for the public.

Persaud said there is no unilateral form of behaviour that is “extra-constitutional” and any such assertions are misrepresentations.

He pointed out that there is a committee that monitors the works, which go through the public tender process.

On what is the basis for determining how much the GGMC spends on roads, the minister said the spending is based on its resources and yearly budget.

APNU MP Joseph Harmon asked for a list of the roads done in 2013 and those proposed for 2014 and the minister committed to providing it.

Spotlighted for scrutiny, too, was the $112M subvention to

the Guyana Land and Surveys Commission (GLSC).

BANK BALANCE AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan questioned why $119M was being spent from the ministry’s $778M when its bank balance, at the end of 2013, was $112M. Persaud answered that a look at the proposed expenditures of the Commission for 2014 would show a total of $492M, which is insufficient even when the bank balance and the subvention were put together.

He noted, too, that as it relates to the projected revenues, this is an estimated figure and, as such, a reduction of the subsidy could affect the work of the Commission.

The minister pointed out that the Commission is not “keeping” the bank balance but the completion of the many ongoing projects is a mandate it supports.

He added, too, that within the year, other activities can come up.

Ramjattan also questioned the factoring in of “miscellaneous receipts” as a contributor to covering the expenses of the Commission.

Persaud answered that the Commission’s budget is focused on ensuring adequate sums are allocated to satisfy the needs of the Guyanese people in proper land management.

Among the other areas questioned were the spending on the ministry’s staff, travel, vehicles, security, training and sponsorship to the University of Guyana (UG).

The minister replied that the ministry does roll out training programmes and the beneficiaries of these vary as well as the stakeholders who can be involved.

He said: “Last year, we launched Guyana Mining School, funded by GGMC and close to 125 miners, particularly small scale miners, benefitted.”

FIELD SPONSORSHIPS Persaud added that the GGMC and the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), as well as related agencies, field sponsorships to both UG and the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) for specialised skills programmes but this is not done by the ministry.

“This is a responsibility of the Public Service Ministry,” he stated.

The minister reported that several new employees are presently attached to the ministry, graduates returning from Cuba and a legal adviser who was on a Government scholarship, as well as a technical officer on monitoring and enforcement.

He disclosed that the $9.9M travelling expenditure is to increase enforcing of compliance.

About increased security costs, Persaud alluded to a $3M increase to $12M, explaining that the ministry’s move to new premises warranted more expenditure in this area, as the ministry had benefitted from the security arrangements at Office of the President when it was housed there.

Following those answers, the Speaker called for the vote on the allocations to the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment and the sums allocated to administration, natural resource management and environmental management current and capital costs.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 17, 2014

Old Kai: Chronicles of Guyana...

Same ol’ PNC dictatorship under Granger as APNU is exposed - for trying to silence the voice of Amerindian picketers

OLD Kai stands in solidarity with my Amerindian brothers and sisters who have taken the initiative and remained resolute in letting their voices be heard outside the National Assembly.

The AFC/APNU alliance has adopted a stone-hearted approach to the cries of Amerindians, including the mothers out there, casually dismissing their concerns when questioned by the media.

The remarks by Leader of the Opposition David Granger in the ‘once-upon-a-time newspaper’ sums up the contradictory position adopted by the Opposition in denying Amerindians funding for their developmental plans. “We do not feel it is a justifiable use of the money, and we voted against it because we feel it must be accountable,” he said.

The first part of his statement indicates they do not feel the targets of these projects justify the use of the money, but then he goes on to state that they voted against funding because there must be accountability.

So, on the one hand, the excuse is the impact of the project, or lack thereof, but they did not cut funding because of that; rather, it was out of concern for accountability.

He provides no specific areas of concern, other than the bland statement that the projects can be used by the Government for political purposes. Earth to Granger, we can use that excuse on practically any project funded by the Government, but, where is the evidence to justify your actions?

It is important to note that the Legislature or National Assembly plays a crucial role in matters of accountability; in fact, a member of the Opposition is always the permanent Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee, which looks into all aspects of Government expenditure. It was the PPP/C Government, when they had a parliamentary majority, which established this committee as an oversight body.

The Opposition can also request specific details of projects; ask questions of ministers under which they fall; or call before them, at the PAC level, those who implement projects of concern to question them about specifics. But alas! The AFC/APNU wants Guyanese to forget they have this avenue to focus on issues of accountability so they can deny the projects all together.

This is what Granger intends when he promises ‘a good life for all’.

You cannot ‘shoot first and ask questions later’; there must be some proof to justify denying development to such a critical segment of our population! Sadly, none has been provided by the one-seat dictatorship in the National Assembly.

Imagine! This is after no less a person than Granger himself, during his budget presentation, highlighted the urgency of providing assistance to hinterland communities, as they are the poorest in our country!

Now here it is they are denying those development projects to these very communities; projects which would create employment; projects which would provide economic opportunities for villages, and improve their standard of living.

We are now informed that the Opposition has since moved to deny Amerindians the construction of Internet Opposition Leader hubs in their villages under David Granger the PPP/C Government’s ICT project, and also slashed funding for the One Laptop Per Family initiative, which also directly benefits Amerindian families.

This project, under Office of the President, is aimed at empowering families; providing other means of opportunities to prepare Amerindians to use ICT to develop their economic and entrepreneurial ventures, as outlined under the Amerindian Development Fund. Now, both initiatives have been denied to our Amerindians, compliments of the Opposition.

Let us be reminded that it was the same ol’ Granger who, in his Budget speech, stated that “Hinterland… poverty is pervasive…and educational standards are lower than the rest of the country….the problem, of

course is that this Budget simply does not furnish the funds to confront the most serious challenges facing families. These are the unavailability of jobs for young school-leavers everywhere…”

How can this nation ever trust a leader who makes such a commitment and then readily abandons it a few days later? To crown it all off, the disdain that the Opposition has for Amerindians was very much in evidence when they let loose their ‘usual suspects’ from Congress Place to intimidate and abuse the Amerindian picketers on Tuesday. This wicked agenda by the Opposition failed. But what was most interesting is the comment offered by David Granger in Stabroek News when questioned if the unruly elements were organised

by APNU. We are told by the newspaper that the ‘protestors berated the government and Amerindians…”

Granger, in response, is quoted as saying: “APNU did not organise a formal protest yesterday.” All Guyana know it was not a ‘formal protest’, as it was the usual rag-tag bunch they get to be their enforcers. The last time they were deployed by APNU was when the PYO youths picketed outside the National Assembly over the Amaila hydro-project. They had also failed to intimidate those youths then.

What this shows is the low level of tolerance the Opposition has for dissenting views against them or their policies, and the fact that they are still willing to use intimidatory tactics to silence Guyanese; in this case, our Amerindian peoples.

The AFC, for all their initial hype that they will usher in a change in politics, has sided with the APNU in encouraging this type of intimidation and stilling of critical voices and, of course, their crucial support in denying Amerindians the resources to accelerate their development.

Where are the Amerindian leaders in the Opposition when the APNU is using its thugs to harass and intimidate their fellow Amerindians who are simply practising their democratic rights by airing their concerns through lawful picketing action? Is attacking Amerindians the way in which Granger intends to show how serious he is about A Partnership for National Unity?

Old Kai is not surprised, as it is the Same Ol’ PNC-APNU, Same Ol’ Granger.

GRA staffer remanded over cocaine-in-mail trafficking A GUYANA Revenue Authority (GRA) employee was remanded to prison yesterday by Magistrate Ann McLennan for allegedly trafficking cocaine in mail at the Georgetown Post Office Corporation (GPOC).

Clive David, 28, of Lot 2 Princes Street, Lodge, Georgetown, pleaded not

guilty to the offence that said between April 9 and 11 at the Georgetown Post Office Corporation (GPOC), Robb Street, he had 647 grammes of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

Police Corporal Dinero Jones, prosecuting, said on April 9 around 13:00hrs police attached to the Narcotics Branch,

Eve Leary, conducted a routine check on a mail bag bound for JFK Airport, United States.

During the check, five sealed envelopes containing cocaine were found.

During an alleged confession, David stated that he was given the illegal substance by a Yankee and promised a

payment of US$1,000 to post the prohibited substance to the US. Investigations were carried out and Yankee was arrested. During questioning Yankee denied the allegation by the defendant, stating that he never gave him any mail to post.

The prosecutor said the defendant was aware

Defendant Clive David of the substance in the envelopes and investigations are incomplete since

an analyst report is still outstanding.

Jones objected to the pretrial liberty of David, citing that no special reason was given to the court by the defence.

He was represented by attorney-at-law Mr. Lancelot Patrick Perriera who failed in securing bail for his client. He noted that his client was employed with GRA for over nine years.

However, the prosecutor in response said that the defendant being an employee of GRA should have known better. Bail was refused and the case is to be called again on May 19.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 17, 2014

More than 15,000 students to conclude writing NGSA examination today

By Rebecca Ganesh-Ally MORE than 15,000 students from all Administrative Regions of Guyana will, today, conclude writing the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) examination which began yesterday.

Minister of Education, Ms. Priya Manickchand, in a message to all the “boys and girls” taking the two-day exam, exhorted them to do their best and put into practice all that they have studied and were taught.

“Read each question thoroughly and be very careful as you answer them. For the multiple choice papers, choose only one answer for each question and remember it must be the best answer.

Be focused and don’t be nervous. Take deep breaths if you feel at all scared,” she advised the candidates.

Prior to the start of the NGSA tests yesterday morning, Minister Manickchand visited Graham’s Hall Primary School, East Coast Demerara, where 178 of the total countrywide were sitting the tests.

In her encouragement to the students, she said: “All that you are doing today, you already know; don’t be nervous at all. All the questions on the paper are from areas your teachers would have already covered with you. I do wish you all success.”

Manickchand also, in her brief visit so as not to disrupt the children writing their

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand giving words of encouragement to students of Graham’s Hall Primary School writing the NGSA exams, yesterday

examination, suggested to them that each answer must be the best.

Earlier, she had reminded them to take pencils, rulers, erasers, timetables and candidate numbers to be used

for every subject.

Minister Manickchand, in an invited comment, remarked that the students have been preparing for the exams for some time and the questions will reflect

areas already taught by their respective teachers.

She said the performance by schools outside of Georgetown is excellent because of the conscious efforts to equitably distrib-

ute services throughout the country.

“That is, if we have text books in Georgetown, we have the same in Berbice, Essequibo and elsewhere.”

Manickchand declared

that Guyana has achieved Universal Primary Education, which means in ever “nook and cranny” across this country, children of age can access a primary education.

Kidnapping/murder of Enmore businessman Dem driver incensed that Sparendaam Rajendra Singh West police refuse to release his vehicle

By Leroy Smith

THIRTY-EIGHT-yearold Reshi Pasha of 10 Old Road, La Grange, West Bank Demerara is furious that he is unable to earn a living because Sparendaam police refuse to release his vehicle which they have impounded after detaining him for 72 hours.

In an interview with this newspaper, the father of two related that police had arrested him last Friday while he was working his taxi in Kitty

and was in the process of picking up one of his regular customers.

Pasha said that after the police had bolted into him and his customer, they searched his customer ’s apartment before questioning them at the Sparendaam Police Station in relation to the kidnapping and subsequent murder of businessman Rajendra Singh. He had to spend that night at the Turkeyen Police Station lockups.

He told this publication

that he did not know of the businessman’s misfortune, had never previously met the businessman, and knows no one who is familiar with the businessman.

After being questioned by the police, Pasha said, he was locked up; but he recalled being threatened by the ranks that he would be shocked to speak, or they would kill him if he did not say what he knew about the kidnapping of the businessman.

After his release, he said, the police have been reluctant to return him the vehicle he had been using, which does not belong to him. He said he only works taxi with the vehicle.

Contacted yesterday, a source at the police station related that the vehicle cannot be released because the file is still with the DPP’s Chambers for advice. The source related that the man was released because his 72-hour detention period had expired; but release of his vehicle would be decided upon only on advice from the DPP. The men who are charged with the kidnapping and killing of businessman Rajendra Singh were to appear in court yesterday, but were a noshow. This publication was informed that the file was still at the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions, and was not returned

RESHI PASHA

to the police in time for the matter to be filed for court yesterday.

It is expected that, during the course of today, the matter would be called in the Magistrates Courts.

Focus on Chile/CARICOM partnership THE GOVERNMENT of Chile pledged “continuing development support” for the Caribbean Community during a just- concluded official visit to the South American Republic by CARICOM’S Secretary General, Irwin LaRocque.

In what is viewed as the strengthening of friendship, the President of Chile, Michele Bachelete, and Secretary General LaRocque reviewed progress in the advancement of the “Plan of Action” that guides technical cooperation arrangements between the 15-member Community and the government in Santiago.

LaRocque stressed CARICOM’S deep appreciation for Chile’s “meaningful efforts at cooperation” and also extended the Community’s sympathy to President Bachelet for the tragic loss of life and property resulting from the recent fires in the Valparaiso area.

Accompanied by Assistant Secretary General for Foreign Affairs and Community Relations, Ambassador Colin Granderson, La Rocque also took the opportunity for an update from the Assistant Director General of the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation, Raoul Benitez, on next month’s 33rd Regional Agriculture Conference scheduled for Santiago from May 7-9.

Among major issues to be addressed are: “governance for food security and nutrition”; “challenges for sustainable development and adaptation to climate change” as well as the “repositioning of family farming” based on work done by the FAO and the Economic Commission for Latin America. (RS)

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 17, 2014

Budget for Public, Police and Teaching Service Commissions approved unanimously

By Derwayne Wills

THE Supply Committee of the National Assembly on Tuesday approved the budgetary estimations for the Public and Police Service Commissions as well as the Teaching Service Commission.

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds delivered on behalf of these Commissions.

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament, Basil Williams began the round of interrogation

directed to the Prime Minister who was tasked with justifying the allocations to those commissions.

Williams inquired why both the Public Service Commission and Police Service Commission were grouped under the same heading since they are provided for separately in the constitution.

The Prime Minister said he was uncertain as to whether Williams was asking a legitimate question since the two Commissions are operated under one Secretariat.

The Chairman of the Committee of Supply of the Na-

File on teacher/student sex case with DPP

By Leroy Smith CRIME CHIEF Leslie James confirmed on Tuesday that the police are continuing their investigations into the rape allegations levelled against a teacher of a private school which has since closed its doors.

Approached for a comment, James told the Guyana Chronicle that the matter is still engaging the attention of the police and the Child Care and Protection Agency, and the file has been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions for advice.

The police have, since early March, been investigating the issue after the 14-year-old female student confessed that she had had sex with her teacher in exchange for extra lessons.

A citizen of the United Kingdom, the girl had told this newspaper, in the presence of her guardian during an interview, what had transpired between herself and the teacher.

Among other things, she related that she had had two sexual encounters with the teacher in which he had penetrated her without using a condom, and that he had ejaculated in her before administering contraceptives pills to her after the encounters, which also included oral sex.

The teacher, son of a very popular East Coast Demerara pastor, has since denied the allegation. In an earlier interview, the teacher told the Chronicle that he knows exactly why the young student was crying rape, but he refused to divulge

information, stating that he would speak only when the time is right.

After the matter was reported to the headteacher of the school, the teacher in question was handed over to the police, and investigations had commenced.

The teacher has since refused to comment further on the matter, relating that he was advised by the police and his lawyers to discuss the issue with nobody.

Meanwhile, as a result of that sex scandal, parents began taking their children out of the private school until only sixteen students had remained out of an enrollment of close to one hundred; thus forcing the administrators to close down the school.

When news of the school’s closure became public, the director of the school, who is also fingered in the attempted execution of her husband, denied that it was the sex scandal which caused its closure. She told the Guyana Chronicle that, because of the issue between herself and husband, and the reports in the press on the matter, students began asking their parents to take them out of the school.

After announcing the school’s closure to the children, contact was made with the Ministry of Education, and arrangements were made to have the students writing the Caribbean Secondary Examinations Certificate receive their timetables for the May/June 2014 examinations, thereby enabling them to sit those exams.

Strange-looking fibreglass object washes ashore at Devonshire Castle A STRANGE-looking fibreglass object, which reportedly washed ashore at Devonshire Castle on the Essequibo Coast late Tuesday, is causing quite a stir and no end of speculation in the Cinderella County.

According to reports, the object, which was washed ashore by Tuesday afternoon’s tide, has attracted quite a large following, with many surmising that it may very well be part of the missing Malaysia Airlines plane that disappeared more than a month ago while en route to China.

Chairman of the Region, Mr. Parmanand Persaud, who inspected the find Wednesday morning, said it looks like part of a plane, but cannot make any pronouncement on it as yet.

Reports are that several officers of the Guyana Coast Guard also visited the area and inspected the strange-looking object. (Rajendra Prabhulall in Essequibo)

The strange-looking fibreglass object which washed ashore at Devonshire Castle late Tuesday

tional Assembly, Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman interjected, noting that to his knowledge both the commissions had been merged in budgetary presentations for previous years so that format has been observed for quite some time.

Williams further pushed for a response as to whether the commission is constituted at this point and if not, demanded an explanation as to the wages and salaries provided for in the estimates. Presidential Advisor on Governance, Gail Teixeira exclaimed, “you know very well that it is not commissioned.”

Williams resumed by asking why there is an allocation for a commission that has not been commissioned. And Teixeira responded to the question by affirming that even though the commission is nonexistent, the secretariat still accrues some amount of cost.

The Chairman of the Committee of Supply then moved for the approval of the estimates, and this was met without any objections from the Opposition.

Teaching Service Commission Similarly, the Teaching Service Commission’s budgetary estimations were passed by the Committee of Supply but only after a few questions of scrutiny from the Opposition.

APNU Member of Parliament Volda Lawrence asked the Prime Minister about the increase in travel and subsistence accrued to the addition of $1M from the last year even though there was a decrease in staff by some six staffers.

The Prime Minister added that these allocations were accountable to the members of the Teaching Service Commission.

Other questions regarding the estimations for the Teaching Service Commission were aimed at infrastructural development and were rationalised by the Prime Minister to the satisfaction of the Opposition.

The Chairman of the Committee of Supply then moved for the estimates to be approved and this was done unanimously.

Guyanese fined for stealing electricity in Antigua

(ST. JOHN’S, Antigua) GUYANESE Orland Wilson, 26, pleaded guilty to fraudulently diverting, obstructing, and consuming electricity from the Antigua Public Utility Authority (APUA) when he appeared yesterday in the St John’s Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Ngaio Emanuel.

Facts of the case are that Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officers executed a search warrant for an unlicensed firearm and a 42” flat screen TV at Wilson’s home in Villa at about 6.45 am on April 13th, and not only did the lawmen find a television matching this description, but they noticed that a red tag was attached to the APUA electricity meter on the house. Sergeant Findley asked Wilson about the tag, and he explained that APUA had disconnected the electricity in January, but since he did not have any money, he cut the tag off, opened the meter, and removed the plastic which was preventing the flow of current; in effect reconnecting the current before replacing the red tag.

Wilson was arrested and charged; a report was made to APUA, and the electricity supply to the house was disconnected again.

On the charges of obstructing and diverting current, Wilson was reprimanded and discharged; but for the unlawful consumption of electricity, he was fined $900 EC Dollars ($66,252 Guyana Dollars). The court ordered the father of two to pay $500 EC Dollars ($36,806 Guyana Dollars) forthwith, and the balance must be paid on or before May 1, failing which Wilson would be jailed for three months.

The police are continuing their investigation involving the television.

(Reporting by caribarenaantigua news, published by OferShaked)

12

NAACIE sugar workers end strike

…but warn about further action if agreed salaries not paid

By Ravin Singh THE small section of the sugar workforce within the bargaining unit of the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) that went on strike last Wednesday has returned to work at their respective estates.

However, GuySuCo was warned that if salaries which were agreed upon are not paid, industrial action will continue to be pursued by the Union.

General Secretary of NAACIE, Kenneth Joseph, in an interview with this newspaper Tuesday explained that the 137 workers from a bargaining unit of 1,000 workers who participated in the three-day strike

(Wednesday-Friday) turned out to work Monday last.

A bulk of 39 came from Blairmont Sugar Estate. He noted too that calls from GuySuCo demanded the estates not to permit the workers who were on strike to work in the factories. As a result, they were locked out of the estates on Saturday and not allowed to work.

The General Secretary also expressed his disappointment in their category of workers in GuySuCo not being paid according to agreements while the Union has done all they think was in the interest of the production of sugar and in the interest of Guyana as a whole.

He claims that the industrial action which was taken on April 9th was done in keeping with an ultimatum

sent by the Union to GuySu- advice.

Co informing them of their “We will insist that our intention to do whatever it members be paid according takes to cause the corporation to pay salaries to their members in keeping with the Norman McLean Arbitration Award and Collective Labour Agreement dated July 8, 2011.

As a result, NACCIE stressed that the strike by their workers was not unofficial as the corporation was made aware that industrial action would be taken if the demands of the Union were not met.

NAACIE previously explained that the cor- G e n e r a l S e c r e t a r y o f poration was still resist- NACCIE, Kenneth Joseph ing the proper implementation of the Tribunal Award to fairness and the agreement along with the year of ser- and will represent this matter vice agreement between the at all levels,” the union said. parties despite the Union’s Efforts to contact CEO of GuySuCo, Mr. Raj Singh to clarify the claims of the sugar workers being restricted from working last Saturday and the other allegations by NACCIE, proved futile.

NAACIE assured that their position is non-negotiable and they could take their action to the streets and will proceed to seek solidarity from other Unions in the regional and international sphere.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 17, 2014

NGSA exam results will be issued June 27 -Manickchand

By Rebecca Ganesh-Ally THE Ministry of Education has taken steps to relieve parents of the stress when it comes to collecting their children’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) examination results, since for the first time they have been informed in advance that the results will be issued on June 27, 2014.

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, yesterday disclosed that the results for the NGSA results will be made available on June 27 this year.

“We are in a far better place than we ever were and this year, even before the children started their exams, they already know when results will be is- Minister of Education, sued. This was something Priya Manickchand our sector needed to standardise and we have done so. It in now within our calendar and it’s the first time also that we have done this.”

Minister Manickchand also related that the Ministry is expecting to see results similar to what they have been receiving for the last few years since the sector has now been able to distribute services across Guyana.

She said, “Schools outside of Georgetown are now able to compete with Georgetown schools and this is because of our conscious efforts to equitably distribute services throughout the country - that is if we have textbooks in Georgetown we have the same in Berbice, Essequibo and elsewhere.”

This year 15,500 students were registered to sit the NGSA exams yesterday and today.

Minibus/car collision in city leaves woman with broken leg

- other persons suffer minor injuries

By Rebecca Ganesh-Ally

A FEMALE minibus passenger is reported to have suffered a broken leg when that vehicle collided with a car early yesterday morning at Charlotte and King Streets, Georgetown.

The collision also left a number of other persons suffering minor injuries.

According to reports, a Route 40 (Kitty/ Campbellville) minibus which was travelling north along King Street collided with a car, PPP 3170, that was heading west along Charlotte Street sometime after 07:00hrs.

Guyana Chronicle was informed by witnesses that the driver of the minibus had been stopped earlier by a policewoman and ordered to go to the Brickdam Police Station because the bus had a passenger overload.

The policewoman then rode off on the way to the station, expecting the driver to follow her. However, he sought an opportunity to escape as he sped off but moments later his plan was foiled when he got into the accident, another law enforcement officer related.

At the scene of the accident persons in the large crowd could be heard expressing condemnation of the way minibus and taxi drivers use the roadways and called for the exercise of greater caution.

The scene of the early morning The bus driver and the conductor were accident at Charlotte and King taken into police custody.

Streets.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 17, 2014

GECOM gets $3.3B approved in National Budget

By Vanessa Narine

THE $3.3B allocation for Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Administration and other related costs was approved on Tuesday night by the Parliamentary Committee of Supply that is reviewing the 2014 National Budget in detail.

In the process, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, who fielded queries about the provisions, said he has been advised that GECOM is in a state of readiness for the staging of elections if called, be it local government or general, whichever is first.

Of the allocations, $1.7B is set aside for the Commission and $1.6B for elections administration. Both sums cater to employment costs for 337 employees and other ex-

penses, while $126.7M is earmarked for the provision of buildings, a trestle, vehicles, boats, engines, office

Dr Steve Surujbally, Chairman of GECOM furniture and equipment.

The money is intended to allow for GECOM to

exercise general direction and supervision over the registration of electors and the administrative conduct of all elections of members of the National Assembly, the Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs) and more local authorities in Guyana.

Local government elections have not been held in Guyana since 1994 and, before then in 1970.

Subsequent to 1994, such balloting could not have been conducted because of the coincidence with the general and regional elections of 1997.

RIGOROUS DEBATES Guyana is expected to host local government elections, again, on or before August 1, 2014, following a vote in the National Assembly, after rigorous debates over the importance of it to de-

mocracy.

The National Assembly has passed the Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment) Bill 2013,

Mr Vishnu Persaud, GECOM’s PRO which states that the voting must be conducted on or before August 1, 2014.

The August date was arrived at through an amendment to the Bill, proposed

by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

APNU, as well as the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) have both indicated their readiness for the vote.

As recent as Monday, PPP General Secretary, Mr. Clement Rohee disclosed that, at the party’s Central Committee meeting last weekend, extensive discussions took place on local government and national elections, too.

He stated that the PPP’s

preparedness to face the electorate whenever elections are called was also discussed and, during that caucus, much emphasis was placed on strengthening the party, both organisationally and ideologically, in order to respond, effectively, to the challenges on the ground.

One of them, Rohee said, is the disposition of the combined Opposition, APNU and the Alliance For Change (AFC).

WORK PLAN Public Relations Officer of GECOM, Mr. Vishnu Persaud told the Guyana Chronicle that the Commission already has a work plan to facilitate hosting of local government elections when called.

He added that GECOM would need six months’ notice to have that plan operational.

Mr. Keith Lowenfield was, recently, appointed the new Chief Elections Officer (CEO), a post that is integral to the highly anticipated hosting of local government elections, as well.

He is required to play the key leadership role in the Secretariat of the GECOM, with responsibility for implementing all aspects of its operations and ensuring that results achieved are consistent with the laws of Guyana and the policies determined by the Chairman Dr Steve

Surujbally, and Commission.

The CEO will act as the Commission’s primary point of contact to the staff

Mr Keith Lowenfield, Chief Elections Officer members of the Secretariat, whose activities include the registration of registrants, the distribution of identification (ID) cards, the provision of information and guidance on electoral operational matters to community organisations and other stakeholders.

The new CEO is also required to represent the Commission’s policies and activities in interactions with stakeholders and other interest groups, including political parties, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), donor and international agencies, in matters relating directly to the operations of GECOM.

Man accused of threatening to kill brother A THIRTY-EIGHTYEAR-OLD man of Lot 48 Princes Street, Wortmanville, Georgetown, who was charged with threatening to kill his brother was Tuesday placed on $20,000 bail by Magistrate Ann McLennan.

Brian Matason pleaded not guilty to the charge, particulars of which said on Wednesday, April 9 at Princes Street, he made use of threatening language to Mark Matason whereby a breach of the peace may

be occasioned.

The unrepresented defendant told the court that he is a teacher at Campbellville Secondary School and listed a number of subjects which he teaches.

H o w e v e r, P o l i c e Corporal Dinero Jones, prosecuting, indicated to the court that he was informed by the investigating rank (IR) that the defendant is not a teacher.

He said this information was confirmed from the school and also he noted that both brothers live at the same address.

Defendant Brian Matason The prosecutor did not object to bail and he was bonded to keep the peace pending the determination of the matter. The case was transferred before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry for May 15.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 17, 2014

$18.6B agreed for nine State entities

By Clifford Stanley

PARLIAMENT, last Tuesday evening, unanimously approved expenditure totalling $18.6B for nine State entities, including the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Legal Affairs.

Approval of the expenses was in the closing session, as submitted after the relevant heads had given answers to questions from Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) who sought clarification on several related areas.

The Opposition Parliamentarians indicated their willingness for the spending to be allowed after the explanations and clarifications sought were provided.

Of the sums allowed, the largest allocation given the nod was that for the Army, totalling $7.92B ($7.2B as current and

$653.4M as capital).

The current category included wages and salaries, equipment and supplies, education subventions and training, among others, for defence and security support.

In the capital category was provision for the purchase of motor vehicles, boats and engines, and for dredging, boat houses, a floating base, surveillance system and training school.

SECOND BIGGEST The second biggest expense was for Office of the Prime Minister, a total of $4.6B of which $4.3B is allocated for capital spending and $220.4M for current.

These included employment costs, materials, equipment,

supplies, fuel, lubricants and transportation, among others, for the Prime Minister’s Secretariat.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was allowed $3.4B, $3.3B for current and $90M for capital expenses towards projects for the development and promotion of foreign policy and the development of foreign trade.

The fourth largest amount was $1.4B agreed for Parliament itself, divided into $1.36B for current and $70M for capital expenditure.

Five more agency budgets for which were accepted are Public Service Ministry ($829.8M), Ministry of Legal Affairs ($288M), Public Prosecutions ($111M), Office of the Ombudsman ($35M) and the Public Service Appellate Tribunal ($19.1M).

Speaker commends both sides as ...

Assembly unanimously delinks Supreme Court from Budget agencies

By Clifford Stanley THE National Assembly, last Tuesday night, unanimously agreed to remove the Supreme Court from the schedule of Budget agencies so its finances can be drawn directly from the Consolidated Fund.

That action insulated it from the financial control of the executive arm of Government.

The facilitating motion was moved by Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, who said he was doing so in keeping with a commitment from Government with respect to treatment of the Supreme Court’s budget in alignment with those of the other agencies listed in the Third Schedule to the Constitution entities referred to in Article 222A. Initiating the move, he said he had also placed the allocations for the Supreme Court into a single lump sum of $862.6M. This means that the Court now has the authority to manage its subvention in such manner as it deems fit for the efficient discharge of its functions; this management subject only to conformity with financial practices approved by the Assembly to ensure accountability.

The law also states that all revenues received by the Finance Minister Court shall be paid into the Dr. Ashni Singh Consolidated Fund.

“The terms and conditions applicable to grants and donations vested in the entity shall be approved by and disbursements made through such appropriate Government agencies or departments as determined by the National Assembly,” the Article states.

Speaker of the House, Mr. Raphael Trotman, disclosed that Article 222A of the Constitution stipulates that these requirements are in order to ensure the independence of the entities listed in the Third Schedule, including the Supreme Court.

DIRECT CHARGE He said the Article states that the expenditure for each of those entities shall be financed as a direct charge on the Consolidated Fund.

This charge is determined as a lump sum by way of an

annual subvention approved by the National Assembly as part of the process of determination of the National Budget.

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Mr. Carl Greenidge, pointed out that the removal of the Supreme Court from the list of Budget agencies was not intended to remove the possibility of discussions on its budget in the National Assembly.

“What it removes is the possibility of amending their subvention line by line,” he explained.

The Finance Minister concurred with that view, stating: “I think that the crafters of our new constitution were very deliberate in their choice of language when they said the allocation is determined as a lump sum by way of an annual subvention approved by the National Assembly after a review.

“I think those words are significant in their inclusion.”

Speaker Trotman said: “I wish to commend both the Minister of Finance and the Opposition who took the time to sit in discussions so that we may arrive at this historic first step. I reiterate that anything and everything can be settled and be resolved if we put our minds up to do it, even if it means having heated discussions, at the end of which, we will have achieved something.”

‘Tupac’ remanded for allegedly assaulting ex-paramour RANDY ‘Tupac’ Bowen of Lot 17 Prince William Street, Plaisance, East Coast Demerara, was remanded to prison Tuesday by Magistrate Ann McLennan for assaulting ex-paramour.

The defendant, a water vendor on Plaisance Park, pleaded not guilty to the offence that said on April 12 on Regent and King Streets, Georgetown, he unlawfully assaulted Keziah Hinds, so as to cause her actual bodily harm.

Police Corporal Dinero Jones, prosecuting, said the virtual complainant (VC) and the defendant once shared a relationship but no longer live together. He said Hinds is also a vendor on Regent and King Streets. On that day he approached Hinds and an argument developed between them.

The prosecutor said the VC told him to remove but he refused and pointed his finger to her face. She then walked away and he pulled her back and stabbed her twice to her leg with an ice pick.

The prosecutor successfully objected to bail, citing the seriousness of the offence and fact that the defendant gave contradicting address to the court.

Bail was refused and the case was put off to May 16.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 17, 2014

Government did not withdraw from sub-committee

‘We were deliberately shut out from the process by the Opposition,’ according to Teixeira

By Vanessa Narine GOVERNMENT Chief Whip, Ms. Gail Teixeira, has vehemently rejected assertion from the combined Opposition that the Government withdrew itself from the negotiations of the sub-committee of the Parliamentary Committee of Supply, which up to last evening was conducting detailed reviews of allocations in the 2014 Budget.

The sub-committee was set up on Wednesday at the suggestion of Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. Raphael Trotman, and was vested with responsibility for negotiating contentious allocations in light of the ruling of the Acting Chief Justice on the National Assembly’s right to cut the National Estimates.

In January this year, Acting Chief Justice, Mr. Ian Chang, ruled that the National Assembly has no right to cut the national budget. The Chief Justice handed down his decision in the High Court on January 29. In the preliminary ruling, given in June 2012, the CJ had ruled that the National Assembly had a role to either approve or disapprove of the National Estimates, not to cut them.

According to Ms. Teixeira, since its inception on Wednesday, the sub-committee met once on the following day, Thursday, and a subsequent meeting was cancelled by the Speaker himself after A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU) Chief Whip, Ms. Amna Ally, failed to meet its side of the agreement.

According to that agreement, the issues of contention were to have been presented to the sub-committee at 9:00 hrs. in the morning, prior to the day’s sitting in the National Assembly, for

discussion.

“We were shut out from process…We were deliberately shut out by the Opposition’s breaking of the agreement,” Teixeira said, adding that if no areas of discussion to be addressed were submitted, there could have been no talks.

She stressed that Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) must not misinform the National Assembly of the workings of the sub-committee, and by extension, misin-

exhaustive list of the Opposition’s concerns.

He stressed that to date, no such list has been produced and it is “impossible” to identify areas of compromise, unless the areas of concern are known.

According to him, with no list, there is no basis for discussion.

The Finance Minister roasted the Opposition for wanting the Government’s side to come to a blind compromise.

Government Chief Whip, Ms. Gail Teixeira form the Guyanese people.

Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds, echoed similar sentiments and cited several other agreements that were not honoured by the Opposition, including the agreements reached prior to the 2012 cuts to the national Budget.

MEANINGFUL TALKS Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh, said the Government has said more than once that meaningful talks cannot be held unless the Government has an

Dr. Singh added that APNU’s Chief Whip, Amna Ally, last and only list of concerns included four “vague” items with no statements as to what was being requested - if it was a reduction or an entire cut.

In a prior comment, the Finance Minister said, “It is difficult to say you are interested in compromise when you are not willing to say what issues are worrying you…This has not been done….How do I know when I compromise today (that) tomorrow another 10

things won’t come up… The appetite for compromise depends on the scope of the compromise being demanded.”

The Minister made it clear that there has been no commensurate Opposition response in terms of a genuine willingness to compromise.

“We are willing to engage,” he stressed. “We are willing to compromise, and have indicated the abundance of the Government’s willingness to compromise.”

Singh was pellucid in maintaining that there can be no blind compromise.

He restated the Government’s need to have a clear idea of all the issues of concern to the Opposition, and a specific contention, so the Government can be able to rationalise its position going forward.

Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh

White Water Village businessman remanded on charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm A BUSINESSMAN of White Water Village, North West District who was charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm was refused bail Tuesday by Magistrate Ann McLennan.

Aaron Ramascindo, 28, pleaded not guilty to the charge, particulars of which said on Sunday, April 13 at White Water Village, he inflicted grievous bodily harm to Angelo Poliah.

Police Corporal Dinero Jones, prosecuting, said both men live in the same village and on the day in question the virtual complainant was passing by the defendant’s home with another person. Suddenly Ramascindo’s dog ran out from his yard barking at Poliah.

The prosecutor told the court that the defendant came out from his yard and an argument developed which led to a scuffle. He then reportedly picked up a piece of wood and hit Poliah several times to his foot, which resulted in a fracture.

The prosecutor successfully objected to the pretrial liberty of the defendant, citing the seriousness of the offence and the case will be recalled before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry on April 23.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 17, 2014

Local aeronautical school secures fir

By Clifford Stanley

THE Art Williams & Harry Wendt Aeronautical Engineering School (AW&HWAES) secured another first for itself and Guyana recently.

At the invitation of the Trinidad and Tobago Minister of Tertiary Education and Skills Training, Senator Fazal Karim, the Guyanese staffers travelled to Trinidad and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the University of Trinidad & Tobago (UTT) towards establishing a strategic working partnership with the latter.

A media release from the Aircraft Owners Association of Guyana (AOAG) disclosed that the

AW&HWAES signatories to the MOU, inked last month, were representatives of the Guyana School, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Captain Malcolm Chan-a-Sue and Executive Manager Nalini Chanderban.

Trinidadians present at the signing were its Minister of Transport, Mr. Steven Cadix; the Minister of Communications, Mr. Gerald Hadeed and the Minister of Land & Marine Resources, Mr. Jairam Seemungal, together with the Chairman of the Board of Governors of UTT, Mr. Curtis Manchoon and its President, Professor Dyer Narinesingh.

The MOU states, among other things, that the AW&HWAES and the UTT will pursue a “mutually beneficial educational and research relationship for the develop-

ment and growth of the local and regional aviation sector.”

COLLABORATIVE ACTIVITIES Both parties agreed to promote advancement in the quality of aviation education and competency development delivered to students, through collaborative activities, learning and exchanges among faculty, students and staff.

The two organisations are to promote, as well, mutually beneficial activities in the areas of human resource development in the aviation sector and work together towards the globalisation of higher education.

The MOU commits the signatories, too, “to the establishment of various types of cooperative programmes; student and/

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 17, 2014

rst for itself, Guyana or faculty exchanges, joint programmes development, joint marketing and promotion, in the Caribbean, curriculum design, joint research, and any other activity deemed to be beneficial to both institutions.�

They will also share equipment and laboratory facilities and develop a framework for articulation between the programmes of the respective parties.

UTT and the Engineering School, headquartered at Ogle Airport, East Coast Demerara and owned and operated by the Aircraft Owners Association of Guyana (AOAG), will enter into separate pacts for the delivery of training with MOUs for each programme to be offered.

In keeping with the MOU, the AW&HWAES, will stage its Ab-Initio Programme for Trinidadian students at the UTT, in Trinidad from September 2014.

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AT THE SIGNING: Sitting from left: Professor Dyer Narinesingh – President, UTT, Senator Fazal Karim, Minister of Tertiary Education and Skills Training T&T,Captain Malcolm Chan-a-Sue, CEO, Art Williams & Harry Wendt Aeronautical Engineering School; Mr. Curtis Manchoon, Chairman of the Board of Governors, UTT. Standing from Left: Mr. Steven Cadix, Minister of Transport and Mr. Jairam Seemungal, Minister of Land and Marine Resources and Mr. Gerald Hadeed, Minister of Communications, all of T&T

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 17, 2014

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 17, 2014

‘Buss Rice’ fined $40,000 for stealing two door mats

By Geeta Rampersaud CHRISTOPHER ‘Buss Rice’ Mason, with no fixed place of abode, was Tuesday fined $40,000 by Magistrate Ann McLennan for stealing two door mats.

He pleaded guilty to the charge that said on Friday, April 11 at Lot 120 Public Road La Penitence, Georgetown, he stole two door mats valued $1,600, property of Nafeeza Bal-

Convict Christopher ‘Buss Rice’ Mason

ram.

Police Corporal Dinero Jones, prosecuting, said the virtual complainant was at a friend’s home when she saw the defendant removing the items stated in the charge and placing them in a bag.

The unrepresented defendant asked the magistrate to be lenient in her decision. If the convict defaults in paying the fine, he must serve six months in jail.

Man charged over use of threatening language A PART-TIME taxi driver of Lot 82 ecuting, said both the virtual complainant West Front Road Housing Scheme, and the defendant are known to each and Georgetown, was placed on $20,000 reside in the same neighbourhood. surety when he appeared The prosecutor did not in court Tuesday on threatrelate to the court how the ening language and offenissue developed between sive weapon charges. the two men nor did he L e o n To t a r a m , 3 1 , oppose bail. pleaded not guilty to both The defendant in his charges. The particulars effort to explain his reason of one charge said that on for having the knife said Saturday, April 12 at Midthat he usually assists his dle Road, La Penitence, father in the mornings to Georgetown, he had in his clean fish at a wharf. possession one knife without He was bonded to be lawful authority or reasonon good behaviour pendable cause. ing the determination of The other charge stated the trial. The unreprethat on Monday, March 31 at Defendant Leon Totaram sented man was ordered First Street, Alexander Vilto post $10,000 surety lage, Georgetown, he made use of threat- on each charge and will have to make ening language to Shawn Yassin, where a his next court appearance before Chief breach of the peace may be occasioned.

Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry on Police Corporal Dinero Jones, pros- May 16.

Labourer to pay $15,000 fine, do community service for ganja possession DWAYNE Isaacs Rildey of John Fernandes Squatting Area, Georgetown, was fined $15,000 together with four weeks’ community service by Magistrate Ann McLennan Tuesday on a marijuana possession charge.

The 21-year-old labourer pleaded guilty to the offence of having three grammes of marijuana in his possession on April 13 at James Street, Albouystown.

Police Corporal Dinero Jones, prosecuting, said on that day police were on patrol through James Street when they stopped the defendant and carried out a search on his person.

During the search the illegal substance was found in his left side pants pocket.

The prosecutor said he was told of the offence, arrested and charged. He was ordered to perform the community service at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, but in default he would have to serve four weeks’ imprisonment.

Convict Dwayne Isaac Ridley

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Food for the Poor, UNICEF sign agreement to assist school children in rural areas

By Alex Wayne

Below rates for April 16, 2014 Currency

Buying

Selling

G$/US$ G$/GBP$ G$/CAD$ G$/EURO$ G$/BDOS$ G$/EC$ G$/TT$

205.98375 345.74372 187.29388 284.91672 101.86969 75.45903 31.57281

208.43594 350.06816 189.45467 288.51703 102.89094 76.21551 31.88933

For Thursday April 17, 2014 -05:00hrs For Friday April 18, 2014 -05:30hrs For Saturday April 19, 2014 -05:30hrs

AT a recent ceremony in Food for the Poor’s boardroom United Nations Children’s Fund, (UNICEF) and Food for the Poor (Guyana) Incorporated (FFP) signed an agreement whereby school children in Regions 1, 7, 8 and 9 will benefit significantly from FFP’s assistance whenever essential items are available.

As a part of the agreement, the Ministry of Education, who also signed later, will be responsible for uplifting and transporting equipment and materials to the various regions mentioned above.

Signing the Agreement on behalf of UNICEF, Ms. Audrey M. Rodrigues, Learning and Development Officer, said that she was glad to ink the cooperation agreement between FFP and UNICEF. She went on to say that with the technical expertise of UNICEF and the resources of FFP, the children of Guyana will be served in a structured way.

She concluded by saying that the use of items and any collaborative projects will be properly monitored.

In his response, Mr. Kent Vincent, Chief Executive Officer of FFP, expressed satisfaction with the signing of the agreement as Regions 1, 7, 8 and 9 are difficult areas to be reached by FFP, thus with the help of the Ministry and UNICEF, the children in these areas will be well served.

In concluding, Mr. Vincent said that he expected great things this year and the years to come with this collaborative effort.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 17, 2014

Aries March 21 - April 19

Relationships go through transitions, and it’s not healthy to resist them. You need to stay open to change and understand that just as you grow as a person, they do too. You want the best for your friends and loved ones, so you need to support their experiments and cheer when they need it. If someone’s new endeavour is taking up their free time, so be it. You can’t expect them to keep their life exactly the way you’d like it to be, can you?

Give them freedom and they’ll give it back.

Taurus April 20 - May 20

There is no reason for you to keep hiding your light under a bushel -- showing off isn’t a crime, you know. If you have done something worth noting, you need to let some people in your life know about it! Too bad if it makes someone feel jealous. If they can’t handle the truth, that is their problem, not yours. You can’t worry about coming off as egotistical.

Let them think what they want to think. All you can do is plump up your ego by letting yourself be proud of what you have done.

Gemini May 21 - June 21

It’s going to be a sunny day in more ways than one, as daylight breaks through the fog of confusion that’s been preoccupying you for so long. A short conversation will clue you in to some changes that are happening at work -- a new arrangement will affect you a lot more than you thought, but not for a while. Focus on your health today, and remember that prevention is the most economical way to fight illness. Be sure to get a good night’s sleep!

Cancer June 22 - July 22

If you’re feeling indecisive about accepting an invitation that’s just come your way, you can always turn to the people you love for advice and insight. They are tuned into the big picture much more closely than you are -- so find out from them what you should do.

Relying on loved ones is important to do from time to time, even when you’re working on something personal. Trust the viewpoint of someone who knows you well. They can help point you in the right direction.

Leo July 23 - August 22

Reflections can’t just be found in mirrors, you know. If you want to catch a glimpse of your true self today, you need to be honest and accept your imperfections. Trying to pretend you are perfect isn’t fooling anyone, and it could limit your growth. Put away your ego and you will be able to learn a valuable lesson about your insecurities. Who you are is not predetermined. You are a work in process. You can make all the changes you want to make, you just have to start.

Virgo August 23 - September 22

Are you feeling pressured to be social right now when really all you want to do is cuddle up on the couch and watch televisions? Listen to yourself and follow your mood, despite what other people may say. After all, one person’s lazy is another person’s relaxed. So do not listen to others who are focused on things that just don’t matter to you right now.

They need to learn how to negotiate and reason with you -- and you don’t have to make it any easier for them.

Libra September 23 - October 22

It’s not wise to exert yourself too much today, so slow down. You will be faced with some very tantalising social invitations, but you need to be very picky about which ones you choose to accept. Even a quiet night out could snowball into a very foggy morning. You know the usual suspects, so look out for familiar patterns. The leopard cannot change its spots, so if a friend who usually walks on the wild side wants you to walk there with them, say ‘no.’ You’re not up for it.

Scorpio October 23 - November 21

Any endurance-oriented activities you have scheduled early in the day should be pushed back to the afternoon, if possible. Unfortunately, your energy won’t be as strong as you’d like it to be until later in the day. It is going to take a few hours for you to get revved up, but once you do, you will be hard to stop! This strength and momentum will carry you into the evening and fall off just as you’re ready to go to bed. You’ll enjoy a sound sleep.

Sagittarius November 22 - December 21

Honesty is a powerful force, but it can be used for good or evil. So be judicious about who you tell the cold, hard truth to today. Not everyone is capable of handling it. In the afternoon, one glance at the clock could make you feel a bit overwhelmed -- there won’t be enough hours left in the day to do what you wanted to do. Instead of trying to cram it all in, try to figure out a backup plan. That way, you’ll avoid stress and still get done what you need to get done.

Capricorn December 22 - January 19

Do you have a lot to do today? Well, the first thing you need to know is that you will get a lot more accomplished if you just accept things the way they are -- instead of wasting time complaining that they are not what you want them to be. Just deal with the resources you have -- they may not be enough, but you are never going to have everything you need. Luckily, you have enough ingenuity and creativity to improvise. You need this pressure to rise to your great potential.

Aquarius January 20 - February 18

It’s okay to be more vulnerable, especially with the people who show their vulnerabilities to you. Not only is it the best way to make a significant connection with someone, but it is the also the best way to relieve your worried mind. Sure, it’s never easy to let yourself be emotionally exposed, but it is seldom the wrong way to go. There is a fine line between protecting yourself from rejection and isolating yourself from the people who care about you.

Pisces February 19 - March 20

Doubting yourself is absolutely normal -- in fact, it’s healthy. When you doubt your actions, you apply a healthy skepticism to your decision making and help perfect it.

Luckily, today, any doubts you have will be quickly erased. Today will be full of signs and affirmations that you are on the right path -- despite what other jealous people might be telling you. You are swimming with sharks now, but you are in no danger as long as you keep moving forward.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 17, 2014

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Jamaica Anti-Doping officials concede to errors in drug testing K I N G S TO N , J a m a i c a (CMC) - The Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) has conceded that some procedures carried out while collecting samples for testing last year were not consistent with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) International Standards.

JADCO made its concession in a statement yesterday after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) blasted Jamaican anti-doping officials for the mishandling of a drug test by sprinter Veronica Campbell-Brown.

Three-time Olympic gold medallist Campbell-Brown had a successful appeal to her two-year ban on the grounds that international standards were violated during her

sample collection.

“JADCO acknowledges that some procedures carried out in the sample collection process on May 4, 2013, at the Jamaica Invitational Meet at the National Stadium, in Kingston, Jamaica were inconsistent with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) International Standards,” said the statement from JADCO. CAS has cited errors in the collection and handling of the Campbell-Brown’s urine sample last year that could have resulted in its contamination.

“Specifically, no partial sample kits were used in the collection process,” said JADCO. “We therefore, take this opportunity to state that there is no documentation in exis-

tence at JADCO, indicating that WADA gave the Commission permission to deviate from the standard, which is applicable to all signatories of the WADA Code”.

Eight Jamaicans, including former 100 metres world record holder Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson, failed doping test last year forcing a major overhaul of doping procedures highlighted by the resignation of the entire JaDCO board and the appointment of a new executive director.

Additionally, Doping Control Officers (DCOs) are being recruited and trained to boost JADCO’s personnel.

JADCO is soon to sign a Joint Training Initiative Agreement for 15 months with the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES)

and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

“Currently, the restructured JADCO, working in concert with its recently appointed Chairman and Board of Commissioners, continues to refine and upgrade its operational procedures to remove any weaknesses in the system,” the statement said.

“In order to further strengthen the capacity of its testing programme, JADCO has taken the necessary steps to fully adhere to all the WADA International Standards, as we are now in possession of the partial sample kits”.

The Jamaica Government recently approved a 63% increase in budgetary support to JADCO for the 2014/2015 financial year.

Hampshire batsman Carberry retains England hope MICHAEL Carberry has not given up hope of retaining his Test place, despite criticising the England management.

The opening batsman played all five Ashes Tests in Australia but questioned the England coaches and selectors after being left out of the subsequent one-day series and World Twenty20 “In terms of where I stand with England, I’ve said what I’ve said and I stand by it,” he told BBC Radio Solent.

“The ball is in their court as to whether they want to pick me.”

Carberry, whose unbeaten century helped Hampshire to a County Championship win over Gloucestershire on Wednesday, was an ever-present in the Test side whitewashed 5-0 by Australia.

The 33-year-old ended the series as England’s third-highest run-scorer, with an average of just over 28.

But, in an interview with the Guardian last month, he

criticised the England management for not telling him why he did not play in either the one-day series or World Twenty20 that followed.

“If I get a call-up, then I’ve always been proud to represent my country,” said Carberry.

“It’s what gets me out of bed every day. But I don’t make those decisions.”

However, he said his main focus right now was helping his county win promotion from Division Two. If Carberry is to keep his place in the Test side, he believes he will have to continue the form that saw him score an unbeaten century against Gloucestershire.

“Everyone’s path into the team is different,” added the left-hander, who says he has been working hard on his game with Hampshire coach Dale Benkenstein.

“I’ve had to churn out the runs, then churn out some more and then churn them out

Kolkata open ...

From Backpage the ball wasn’t quite coming on, the asking rate kept on increasing.

They put on 61 off 45 deliveries, but when Rohit perished to a tumbling Kallis catch off Morkel in the 16th over, the game was virtually over.

Mumbai needed 63 off 28, but their big-hitting all-rounders, Kieron Pollard and Corey Anderson, had a horrid time against the guile of Narine, who ended with figures of 4 for 20 to ensure a resounding win for Kolkata. (ESPN Cricinfo)

some more, so this is no different to any other year.”

Carberry reached his 100 with two sixes but very nearly missed out on a ton after James Vince came in and

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With Hampshire needing just 12 to win, Carberry revealed the pair reached an agreement for Vince to slow down his scoring.

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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 17, 2014

Court keeps Srinivasan out of BCCI THE Supreme Court has turned down N. Srinivasan’s reinstatement request, and has revealed that he is one of the 13 named in the sealed envelope submitted to it by the Justice Mudgal committee.

In response to the BCCI counsel CA Sundaram’s argument that the court was responding only to prima facie evidence and not secondary evidence, Justice AK Patnaik for the first time revealed details about the sealed envelope.

He said that there were 13 names in the sealed envelope, Srinivasan’s name was the 13th, and he had 12 allegations against him, with annexures to each of them.

“It seems that Mr Srinivasan has not taken the allegations seriously,” he said.

A day before the court hearing yesterday, Srinivasan had filed an affidavit, asking the court to reconsider its interim order that removed him as the BCCI president while the probe into the alleged corruption in the IPL was on.

The court, though, reiterated that a fair probe would not be possible with him discharg-

N. Srinivasan’s is one of the 13 names in the sealed envelope, Justice Patnaik says. ing any duties inside the BCCI. It further asked the BCCI to come back to the next hearing, on April 22, with constructive corrective measures.

The measures could involve a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe, any other independent probe or a BCCI probe that will be a vast improvement on the one that cleared the IPL of every charge before the Mudgal committee was asked to step

in.

The court, though, did not impose an independent probe.

“We are not considering the SIT because we don’t want the CBI or the police or the media to throw mud on cricketers,” Patnaik said.

“Reputations of cricketers and great names are at stake.

What happens to the reputation of the players who are representing the country and Indian cricketers of the future? Cricket has to be

clean but institutional autonomy has to be maintained.”

There was some relief for the BCCI. Sundar Raman, the chief operating officer (COO) of the IPL, whose future was to be decided by acting BCCI president Sunil Gavaskar, was allowed to continue in his role.

Gavaskar stated that he was not in a position to take a decision on Sundar as he did not know the details of the information that investigating agencies had against Sundar.

The hearing on April 22 will also look into several matters related to the many ramifications of the IPL corruption scandal. Patnaik said the court will look into the amended clause in the BCCI constitution that allowed Srinivasan to own a team in the IPL as well as Srinivasan’s being sent as a BCCI nominee to ICC meetings.

There is also a possibility that G Sampath Kumar, the Chennai police officer whose deposition formed part of Mudgal Committee’s report, will be asked to depose before the court on April 22. The details of his deposition were

found in Mudgal committee member Nilay Dutta’s additional comments to the main report. Dutta is a member of the Assam Cricket Association.

The Deccan Chargers may be introduced as part of the arbitration pertaining to the matter of their resurrection The court will also appoint an amicus curae, a lawyer who is not part of the case, to report to them about the existence or otherwise of transcripts and recordings of the depositions to the Mudgal committee. So far it is understood, that the court has been provided with minutes of the 52 interviews conducted by the panel in the course of its investigation.

The BCCI’s counsel had previously contested Mudgal Committee’s findings and had requested for the tapes the findings were based on.

The case dates back to June 2013 when the Cricket Association of Bihar secretary Aditya Verma raised charges of conflict of interest in the formation of BCCI’s two-member inquiry panel into the IPL corruption issue.

A Bombay High Court ruling later termed the probe panel “illegal”. The BCCI and the CAB filed petitions in the Supreme Court against this order, with the CAB contending that the Bombay High Court could have suggested a fresh mechanism to look into the corruption allegations.

The Supreme Court then appointed a three-member committee, headed by former High Court judge Mukul Mudgal and comprising additional solicitor general L Nageswara Rao and Assam Cricket Association member Nilay Dutta, in October 2013, to conduct an independent inquiry into the allegations of corruption against Srinivasan’s son-inlaw Gurunath Meiyappan, India Cements, and Rajasthan Royals team owner Jaipur IPL Cricket Private Ltd, as well as with the larger mandate of allegations around betting and spot-fixing in IPL matches and the involvement of players.

The committee had submitted its findings to the court on February 10. (ESPN Cricinfo)

Jonathan Agnew: New coach must transform England culture WHOEVER gets the job of England coach once candidates have been interviewed this week will have a huge job on his hands, following one of the most traumatic periods in the team’s recent history.

He must rebuild a side that was humiliated by Australia in all forms of the game over the winter, plot a strategy for success in next year’s World Cup and home Ashes series and present a vision of how he is going to identify potential match-winners for the future.

But above all, England’s new coach needs to oversee a sea change in the culture of the team.

The side that went to Australia were arrogant and complacent. They tried to come across as hard, aggressive and macho, with a win-at-allcosts mentality, but they were nowhere to be seen when the going got tough.

Now is the time to go back to square one, to create a culture in which players genuinely recognise the honour of playing for England.

Look at the Australians and the way they all buy into the iconic status of the baggy green.

England have numbers on their shirts and caps, denoting where they stand in the long list of those who have played for the team.

But do the players ever stop to think about what the number means and the deeds of those who have gone before them?

Peter Moores is one of England’s coaching contenders. not a top-of-the-range foreign coach who would clearly be We always hear the playworth pursuing. He has a ers trotting out soundbites decent record with Sri Lanka, about how proud they are to Kolkata Knight Riders and play for England, but I think New South Wales but is not an the true sense of that pride outstanding candidate. has been lost.

Nottinghamshire’s Mick I just hope this winter has Newell would bring great been a real wake-up call as far county pedigree and is well as playing and representing your country is concerned.

What the team needs now is a good, hard-working, skilful set of players who want to play cricket hard SAO PAULO, Brazil (Reubut in the right way. ters) - Marco Polo del Nero With that blueprint in mind, was elected unopposed as the I’d be surprised if the board did new president of the Brazilnot go for an Englishman to replace Andy Flower and, in ian Football Confederation my view, I see it as a straight (CBF) yesterday but the fight between Ashley Giles and current vice-president will Peter Moores. only take office in April 2015.

Australian Trevor Baydel Nero, head of Brazil’s liss is among the candidates, biggest and most powerful but I think appointing him state federation, Sao Paulo, would be a knee-jerk measure. and a member of FIFA’s exUnlike Gary Kirsten, he is ecutive committee, will take

respected, but I just don’t see him as an England coach. That is no reflection on him but I think they are going to want someone who has played international cricket or has good experience of being around the international scene.

In many ways, Moores has the biggest card to play.

In his first tenure as England coach, he paid the price for not being able to work with Kevin Pietersen.

Now he has a free hand and can justifiably argue that he deserves another crack of the whip in this post-Pietersen world.

Moores is a very technical and deep thinker, who is very into processes. He would not exactly bring a breath of fresh air after Flower, but he has been around the game for a long time and is highly

regarded by the current squad of players.

As for Giles, I think it would be unfair for the defeat by the Netherlands in the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh to count against him.

It was a huge embarrassment, but these nightmare results happen in T20. The last time England lost to the Dutch - at Lord’s in 2009 - they won the Ashes a few weeks later.

What struck me in Bangladesh was how far the players and other people in the England set-up really wanted Giles to get the job.

Although that is not a reason to give it to him, it does suggest he is pressing the right buttons off the field.

Clearly results have not been great, but the teams he has had to choose from have not been the strongest and

he has repeatedly been asked to run a one-day series at the fag end of a Test series when everyone is exhausted and switched off.

Whoever is given the job next week, I am sceptical whether they will be able to oversee the team in all three forms of the game for a sustained length of time.

The realities of life kick in and it becomes impossible.

Flower was originally in total control but gave up the one-day and T20 roles when he was in a strong position after winning in India. No-one blamed him for taking that decision.

These coaches are expected to be away from home for unreasonable lengths of time and eventually something has to give.

Brazil elects new CBF chief to take office in 2015 over from Jose Maria Marin.

The 81-year-old Marin replaced Ricardo Teixeira in 2012 after he resigned following a string of corruption allegations. del Nero said he was the candidate of continuity and vowed there would be no brusque changes in an organisation many have criticised as outdated and inefficient.

“My administration

will follow the same line as now and there will be few changes,” he said, calling Marin’s presidency “exemplary”.

“I don’t know exactly how it will be but it won’t be much different from now,” he added.

The CBF, one of the main players in organising the 2014 World Cup, also voted to name its new headquarters in Rio de Janeiro

after Marin. The HQ will be inaugurated on June 4, eight days before the host nation kicks off the World Cup against Croatia.

Preparations for the tournament have been shambolic, with three stadiums still to be completed.

Some airports and public transport will not be ready in time for the opening match in 57 days.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 17, 2014

29

Corinthians handed World Cup stadium but work still to be done

By Andrew Downie SAO PAULO, Brazil (Reuters) - Corinthians have taken formal control of the stadium that will host the opening match of this year’s World Cup but officials said on Tuesday there is still a lot of work to be done before the arena is ready to host big games.

“I am enchanted, I am in love, there’s emotion, passion, dreams,” Corinthians president Mario Gobbi said at the official handing-over ceremony. “I need to pinch myself to see if all this is for real.”

Gobbi, however, called the delivery by construction firm Odebrecht “a symbolic act” and said there “is still a way to go and we need to work together.”

Corinthians soccer club president Mario Gobbi Filho. which three workers were The Arena Corinthians was supposed to have been finished last December but the already slow construction work was delayed further by two separate accidents in

killed.

The former Corinthians president overseeing the project said work was so late there would likely be time for one match there before Brazil’s

World Cup opener against Croatia on June 12.

Corinthians are scheduled to play Figueirense in a Brazilian first division match there on May 17 although they could also face Atletico Paranaense on May 21 if soccer’s world governing body FIFA asks for a second test event, said Andres Sanchez.

He said other smaller events featuring children’s teams and matches between construction workers would also take place to give the authorities a chance to run tests in front of thousands of specially invited fans.

OVER BUDGET The stadium, scheduled to host six games at the tournament including a semi-final,

will cost almost one billion reals (268.00 million pounds) and come in at 14 to 18 percent over budget, Sanchez added, making it among the most expensive of the 12 World Cup grounds.

It was designed to seat 48 000 fans but another 20 000 temporary seats are being installed for the World Cup. The makeshift grandstands behind both goals are still under construction and there is work still to be done inside the stadium, including finishing the luxurious VIP areas where 150 dignitaries will be seated.

“Don’t worry, nothing is going to fall on anyone’s heads,” the always combative Sanchez assured reporters.

One of the biggest concerns now is the area around

the stadium and the access roads, many of which are still incomplete. Large parts of the surrounding area are filled with mechanical diggers, rubble and labourers.

The city’s vice-mayor promised that those areas, some of which were started more than a decade ago, would be finished by the end of May. Workers must also provide the temporary installations needed to handle the large number of dignitaries, sponsors, security and media attending matches at the stadium.

Even though there are 58 days until the opening match, Corinthians and FIFA have still not said who will pay for the installations or when work will begin on installing them.

Man City title hopes in tatters after Sunderland draw

By Michael Hann LONDON, England (Reuters) - Manchester City’s Premier League title hopes were dealt a crushing blow when they were held to a 2-2 draw by bottom club Sunderland at the Etihad Stadium yesterday.

Everton suffered a shock 3-2 home defeat by mid-table Crystal Palace at Goodison Park to put a huge dent in their bid for a top-four finish.

City, champions in 2012 and runners-up to neighbours Manchester United last season, failed to respond to their 3-2 defeat at leaders Liverpool on Sunday and stayed third in the table on 71 points from 33 matches, six behind Liverpool and four adrift of Chelsea with only one game in hand.

“We did not play well but we had in our mind the game

against Liverpool,” Pellegrini told Sky Sports.

“It is not enough because we have Liverpool and Chelsea on top of the table and we needed to add three points - will see in the future what will happen but our chances are less.”

Sunderland remained rooted to the bottom of the table with 26 points from 33 matches, six points adrift of 17th-placed Norwich City.

“We deserved better,” manager Gus Poyet said.

“We conceded a goal after two minutes at Manchester City and every single person in the world expected us to lose from there.

“But we passed the ball and created chances. We kept believing.”

After the damaging defeat by Liverpool, City knew anything other than a win would seriously dent their title hopes and a slick passing move en-

abled Fernandinho to fire them ahead after two minutes.

But with talismanic midfielder Yaya Toure missing through injury, City lacked a cutting edge and Sunderland striker Connor Wickham was in the right place on 73 minutes to convert Emanuele Giaccherini’s left-wing cross and score his first Premier League goal since 2011.

City have won just twice in their last eight games against Sunderland and Wickham put Gus Poyet’s side in front after 83 minutes when he beat Joe Hart at his near post.

But Sunderland’s hopes of a shock victory were dashed when goalkeeper Vito Mannone spilled Nasri’s shot into his own net two minutes from time.

Goals from Jason Puncheon and Scott Dann gave Crystal Palace a 2-0 lead at

French Open prize money gets three-million euro boost

PARIS, France (Reuters) - The French Open prize money pool has risen to 25 million euros ($34.54 million) after the country’s tennis federation announced a three-million euro increase to overall winnings on Tuesday.

The FFT added that the men’s and women’s champions would benefit from a 10 percent rise in earnings, each banking 1.65 million euros for winning the singles titles in Paris.

“This noticeable progression of the Roland Garros prize money is part of the four-year plan for the 2013-16 period,” tournament director and FFT general director Gilbert Ysern said in a statement.

Last year, Wimbledon had a total prize pool of 22.56 million euros, while the U.S. Open had a $33.6M purse.

This year’s Australian Open prize money pool was $33M.

Goodison Park before substitute Steven Naismith pulled a goal back for Everton.

LATE CONSOLATION Cameron Jerome’s strike restored Palace’s two-goal advantage and Kevin Mirallas grabbed a late consolation for Roberto Martinez’s side.

Everton’s defeat, which followed a run of seven wins in a row, left them on 66 points from 34 matches, a point adrift of fourthplaced Arsenal with four games remaining.

“It’s a real disappointment, a result which is hurtful,” said Martinez.

“The first half we were fearful, the way we conceded the first goal shows that.

They didn’t have the threat to score three goals.”

Victory for Tony Pulis’s Palace continued their surge up the table and they are in 11th place with 40 points.

“It was an excellent performance from us today,” Pulis told the BBC. “To get 40 points is a fantastic achievement for this group of players. But we owe it to the Premier League to remain competitive until the end of the season.”

Palace, seeking their fourth consecutive league win, took the lead after 23

minutes when Yannick Bolasie escaped from left back Leighton Baines and put a cross into the box which goalkeeper Tim Howard failed to deal with and Puncheon applied a clinical finish.

Winger Bolasie gave Everton another scare when he smashed a 20-metre strike against the base of the post, but Palace extended their advantage on 49 minutes when Dann headed in from a corner.

Martinez introduced Naismith in the hope of clawing a goal back and it worked as the Scottish striker poked the ball home on 61 minutes.

Guyana Cup Fever horse race to run off on Easter Sunday THE Port Mourant Turf Club will come alive this Sunday with the running off of the 8th Annual Guyana Cup Fever horse race.

The one-day activity has already attracted some of the country’s top thoroughbreds who will be competing for the millions in cash and trophies from 13:00hrs.

Eight highly anticipated races are carded for the day.

The feature race will be the ‘C’ and Lower for horses over a mile and the winner will ride away with $2M. The second-placed winner will receive $1M, third $500 000, and fourth $250 000.

The Three-year-old Guyana and West Indies-bred winner will take away $1M in the 1200-metre race. The second-place prize is $500 000, third $250,000, and fourth $125 000.

The Four-year-olds event for Guyana and West Indies-bred horses, over 1600 metres, carries a winner’s prize of $700 000.

The E ‘1’ and Lower 1300-metre race carries a winner’s prize of $600 000. The G3 and Lower horses will gallop over a distance of 1300 metres for a first prize of $500 000.

The I2 and Lower race will be run over 1000 metres with a first prize of $300 000 while the J2 and Lower winner will pocket $200 000 also over 100 metres.

The ‘H’ and Lower will run over 1200 metres with the winner taking home $350 000.

30

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 17, 2014

Champions Barbados praised for professional approach BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) - Barbados head coach Hendy Springer has complimented his players’ professionalism following their capture of the WICB Regional 4Day League.

The Bajans were crowned regional first-class champions for the 22nd time on Monday ending the tournament with 82 points ahead of second-placed Trinidad & Tobago on 80 points.

They have achieved the “double” having won the NAGICO Super50 tourna-

Barbados head coach Hendy Springer ment which was played in Trinidad & Tobago in February.

“It is indicative of the

effort that the players have put in over a period of time and it is good that we have won and brought some glory to Barbados cricket again,” said Springer.

“Barbados has a rich cricket history and it is important that these young men continue to respect that legacy and that history and strive to perform and do well for their country”.

Under the captaincy of Kraigg Brathwaite, the champions played six matches and had wins against T&T, Guyana, Jamaica and

GFF/Banks National Premier League

NA United, Mahaica Determinators in winners’ row as league ends on Tuesday evening

NEW Amsterdam United and Mahaica Determinators secured victories on the final day of the Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF)/Banks National Premier League which climaxed on Tuesday evening at the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) ground, Thomas Lands.

New Amsterdam United thrashed Young 9-0 to chalk up three points wile Mahaica Determinators registered a 2-0 win against Silver Shattas to earn three points also.

The win for New Amsterdam United takes them to 20 points in the points table and prevents them from being relegated, while their opponents on Tuesday (Young

Achievers) remain on three points and will definitely be relegated.

New Amsterdam United played all 15 matches and won six while losing eight and drawing one which they won via penalty shoot-out.

They scored 38 goals and conceded 26.

Young Achievers played their 15 matches winning one and losing 14. They scored 10 goals and conceded 40 for a goal difference of 30.

Mahaica Determinators, on the other hand, ended the tournament with 15 points and will be relegated.

They played all 15 matches, winning four, losing eight and drawing three.

They scored 13 goals and conceded 26 for a goal dif-

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ference of minus 13.

The other teams relegated are Santos and BV/ Triumph.

Santos accumulated 17 points from their 15 matches. They won three, lost seven and drew five, three of which they won in the resulting penalty shootout. They scored 18 goals and conceded 28 and ended with a minus 10 goal difference.

BV/Triumph, on the other hand, secured 17 points on the points table with four wins, eight losses and three draws, two of which they won in the penalty shoot-out. They scored 19 goals and conceded 34 for a goal difference of minus 15.

Leeward Islands.

They drew against the Combined Campuses & Colleges and lost to Windward Islands.

“This result – winning the 4Day tournament to add to the one-day title – is just the beginning of things we want to achieve as we go along,” Springer pointed out.

“Earlier in the year, we set out a plan and we worked hard to reach those points we set. It was a total team effort … we had some guys who stood out and we will use

this as motivation as we push on to the business end of the season.”

Springer said the high point of the season was their victory over Trinidad & Tobago at Kensington Oval.

“Trinidad are always worthy opponents,” he said.

“We had to beat them and get full points and we went out and achieved that.”

Barbados will now face Jamaica at Kensington Oval in the semi-finals of the Final Four; while Trinidad and Tobago clash with Windward

Islands at Queen’s Park Oval in the other semi-final.

The winners of this phase will take home the Headley/Weekes Trophy named in honour of West Indies batting legends George Headley and Sir Everton Weekes.

“The focus is to look to win the game,” said Springer.

“But we are looking at the process ... paying attention to details. We will treat them with respect but we will look to play some ‘strong’ cricket”.

Inter-ministry tapeball competition and fun day gets under way Sunday

THE Office Assistants of the various ministries have organised a 10-over tapeball competition in recognition of Senior Office Assistant of the Ministry of Home Affairs, James Lewis, who will be retiring on April 30.

According to Lewis, a former youth football coach, the competition will involve eight ministries playing against each other at the National Cultural Centre Tarmac from 10:00hrs on Sunday.

Lewis said the eight ministries involved are: Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, Office of the President, Health, Finance, Public Service, Culture, Youth and Sport and Legal Affairs.

Trophies have been donated for the occasion by Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee, Minister of Public Works Robeson Benn, Minister of Culture,

In photo, James `Cool’ Lewis (right) accepts the Minister of Home Affairs trophy from former Assistant Commissioner of Police Ovid Glasgow at the Ministry of Home Affairs yesterday.

Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony, Local Government Minister Norman Whittaker and Minister of Human Services Jennifer Westford.

According to Lewis, apart from the tapeball competition, there will also be a domi-

noes competition as well as other fun day activities. He said there will also be lots of beverages and food on sale throughout the day.

Lewis, a Senior Office Assistant, who has served as a public servant for 34 years has decided to call it a day.

CONCACAF blocks Warner from selling Centre of Excellence

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) - The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) is seeking compensation from former football executive Jack Warner for the Centre of Excellence in Trinidad which he claims to own.

CONCACAF has filed three documents in the Trinidad and Tobago High Court challenging Warner’s rights to ownership of the Centre which also comprises a Stadium and a swimming pool.

Media reports from Trinidad suggest that Warner, who held the offices

of vice-president of FIFA and president of CONCACAF until his suspension and eventual resignation, is reported to be seeking a purchaser for the Centre of Excellence on the international market.

CONCACAF is attempting to block Warner from mortgaging, leasing or selling the Centre of Excellence and is seeking a judgment for repayment of the funds advanced to Warner for the property.

Warner has claimed the land on which the Centre of Excellence stands was a gift from former FIFA president Joao Havelange.

Jack Warner CONCACAF however had always contended that Warner deceived the body into believing it owned the property, a basis it said it used to invest in its purchase and construction.

Legal documents claimed that CONCACAF made a financial contribution of US$16M towards the purchase of the property and construction of the Centre of Excellence.

According to the legal notice, monies were provided “for the purpose of and in connection with its functions as the regional soccer federation for North and Central America and the Caribbean, with the intention that the Centre of Excellence and the said lands on which it is constructed and all improvements thereto would be owned by CONCACAF”.

GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday April 17, 2014

31

CARIFTA Games team wings out for Martinique today

By Tamica Garnett

SEVEN athletes and three officials were scheduled to wing out early this morning, beginning their journey to the island of Martinique where the team will participate in the 2014 Junior CARIFTA Games, to be held from April 19 to 21.

The party was expected to leave Guyana at 06:.00hrs, and those departing were athletes Jevina Sampson, Cassey George, Natricia Hooper, Avon Samuels, Jason Yaw, Kade Pearce, Kevin Abbensetts; coach Sham Johnny, assistant coach Glendon Pantlitz, and team manager Mayfield Taylor-Trim.

The ten-man contingent represents part of the team that will represent Guyana at the event. The other part of the team comprises athletes Kadecia Baird, Brenessa Thompson and assistant coaches Shawn Dietz and Matthew Martin, all of whom will be travelling from the United States of America.

At a press conference held yesterday at Olympic House, president of the Guyana Athletics Association of Guyana, Aubrey Hutson, took the opportunity to express confidence in the team ahead of their departure.

“This team, for me, is leaving on a high note and much is expected of them.

The athletes have given us constant assurance that they will go out there and do their best, and I am hoping that everybody comes back with some weights around their necks.” Hutson said yesterday afternoon.

Also present at the meet-

ing was coach Johnny, in addition to a few of the athletes who will be travelling this morning.

The athletes disclosed that they were very confident ahead of their performance, and conceded that they will be going out to put their best foot forward. Johnny concurred that Guyana will be well represented this year.

“I think the squad is well prepared, and we will be productive. Everybody on this team is capable, and I think the athletes will give a good account of themselves.” Johnny ascertained.

In comparing the team to last year’s, Johnny said that indeed much more is expected from the team this year noting that in the very least Guyana will have a much stronger relay team this year.

Guyana will be in the female Under-18 4x400m relay, which will be run

by George, Hooper, Sampson and Samuels.

George, one of last year’s medallists, will also participate in the 1500m and the open 3000m; Sampson and Samuels will run the 200m and 400m. Yaw will also be in a 200m and 400m but in the Boys Under-18 category. Abbensetts and Pearce will be in the Boys Under-20 category.

Abbensetts is set to run the 100m and 200m, while Pearce will be in the high jump and triple jump.

Baird will be in the female Under-20 200m and 400m, and Thompson will be in the 100m and 200m.

The team is expected to return on the afternoon of April 22.

Kadecia Baird

Sport CHRONICLE

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

CARIFTA Games team wings out for Martinique (See Story on today page 31)

Kolkata open IPL-7 with thumping victory

By Siddarth Ravindran ON a green Abu Dhabi pitch that had plenty of bounce, Kolkata cruised to a big win over defending champions Mumbai in the opening game of the season.

The biggest difference was the impact made by the teams’ overseas players: Lasith Malinga was the only one who delivered for Mumbai, but for Kolkata Jacques Kallis set up the innings with a 72, Morne Morkel squeezed the chase with a burst of 2-0-2-0 at the start of the innings, and Sunil Narine scalped four as he became the quickest bowler to 50 wickets in the tournament.

Kolkata, on choosing to bat, began poorly with their captain Gautam Gambhir scratching around for an eight-ball duck that was ended by a pinpoint Malinga yorker. Manish Pandey, whose most famous feat remains his breakthrough century in the 2009 season, grabbed his chance at No. 3, and put on a 131-run stand

West Indies spinner Sunil Narine is on song again, taking 4 for 20.

with Kallis .

It was slow going early on, with only four fours and a six in the first 10 overs. Kallis has regularly faced questions over the pacing of his innings in Twenty20s, and when he was 34 off 31 in the 14th over, the murmurs were at their loudest, especially as Kolkata had a bunch of hitters waiting for their chance.

On the next delivery, Malinga put down a sitter off Kallis at short fine leg. It prompted a series of big hits from Kallis. He ransacked 37 off his next 13 deliveries, including two sixes and a four off a Pragyan Ojha over.

Pandey, who hasn’t quite lived up to the Twenty20 reputation earned by that out-of-the-blue knock, also quickened his pace after getting to his half-century, even slugging a Malinga slower ball for six. After a couple of seasons in which he has struggled to hold

down a spot in the XI, this innings should give him a bit of a run in the side. After his dismissal, Malinga struck twice in his final over, before Suryakumar Yadav played a couple of innovative strokes to lift Kolkata to 163.

The last time Morkel played an official T20, he was taken for 50 runs in three overs. He was up against Michael Hussey, the highest run-getter of the previous season.

Morkel exploited the bounce in the pitch to drain away any momentum the chase could gather, and Hussey had one of his worst outings as he pottered around for 13-ball 3 before falling to Narine.

Ambati Rayudu and Rohit Sharma, two of the stalwarts of Mumbai over the years, tried to up the scoring but against an attack that didn’t give away much on a surface where

(See page 27)

Jamaica Anti-Doping officials concede to errors in drug testing (See Story on page 27)

Jacques Kallis slog-sweeps in his top score of 72 for KKR.

(See Story on page 26)

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Veronica Campbell-Brown THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014