Kaieteur News

Monday April 27, 2015

Kaieteur News

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Letters... Where your views make the news...Letters... Where your views make the news

Many in our own communities Why are these apologists not are committing these crimes interested in a thorough DEAR EDITOR, This is my first letter on my political perspective of the current and upcoming election. I choose to write to you and hope you will share this with your reading audience. For this, I extend my eternal gratitude. The incident that forced me to charter in a territory I rarely do was fueled by the recent incident involving PPP’s representative Dr. Bheri Ramsarran as he was using his voice of wisdom, encouragement and reason to appeal to the Nation of Guyana to keep supporting our current PPP regime. I understand he is a candidate leading the people of Guyana and he has no doubt PPP is going to win the election. When we represent a team, we must at all times put our personal opinions aside and ensure we speak on behalf of the team. I am not sure if Dr. BheriRamsarran spoke on behalf of his team, but I can assume he was. If that is the case, then the team leaders should hold him fully accountable and consider removing him from the team, unless of course the team is okay and was not offended by his remarks. I am a leader of many teams and if a team member steps out of the moral and ethical guidelines of our team, then he or she is out of the team. However, if their actions align with the team, of course I will keep them in the team because they accentuate our purpose, goals and objectives. I interview many candidates for job openings and through my years of training I learned that the best you will ever see a person is when they want something from you, such as in an interview when they want a job. If this was the best representation of the PPP, Dr. BheriRamsarran, then you the PPP leaders have a long way to go. You allow this person to roam free and wear your PPP badge on his arm to represent you? Remember, we are as only as strong as our weakest link. Is he the weakest link or do you have weaker links? What do you do with the weakest link? Put him in a mansion and pay him generously for life? Now let’s get back to the activist Ms. Sherlina Nageer. I am not going to tell you that she was the victim in this situation. I listened to this tape several times and I can tell you without a doubt, the Activist was provoking the Minister. I am on the border whether she is a verbal abuser or not. I still am thinking about that. This should be a lesson for other activists. Not because you have a passion for a cause it gives you the right to face off with anyone at any time. Respecting others is a key to a democratic society. If we want Guyana to be a democratic nation, we

must be able to live amicably with our opponents. The best party or candidate would win. We have to allow each party to show what they can bring and the people decide. I think Ms. Nageer was rude and out of line to interrupt the Minister. It was total disrespect for the position he holds. Now, don’t think I am going to tell you that the Minister was correct in his response. He was 100% wrong. He forgot that he was representing a nation and most disturbingly, he threatened to strip the activist. That was what threw me into writing this letter. He revealed his true self and for that he MUST be removed from his position. Removing him will set the example for the PPP that they have a zero tolerance for disrespecting the PPP regime. If he is not removed, then that tells me that the PPP is okay with his behavior. No press release or apology will mend the fact he said he could strip her. I would be sad to see that he is not removed. Let’s now get back to my personal views on the PPP or APNU or AFC or Coalition. I hold nothing against you guys. Believe me when I say that. I met all heads of parties and I know some more personal than others. I am almost family with KhemrajRamjattan. He taught me in school and I respect him. He cannot deny that. Still love you Khem…but man you have not done anything to show me you want to prevent and stop the killing of our women. I asked you specifically when you came to Orlando, Florida for support. Granger, I met you twice and I really think you are a calm and collective person. You are a gentleman, but where is your voice on domestic violence? You both are so busy opposing the PPP, you forgot about me and the cause. Now for his Excellency, President Ramotar, how many times do I have to personally invite you to join me in support of advocacy against domestic violence? I sent too many a letter, too many faxes; I even walked into your Presidential Compound and had guns pointed at me, but you never came to even one of our events. Is that how you demonstration your advocacy against violence? Why is that? Now, I hear you have a new sidekick, Ms. Elizabeth Harper. Do you think she will respond to my pleas? I will continue to try, but history always predicts the future. Hopefully she has a mind of her own one that is not being classically conditioned by the PPP. I would be remiss not to reiterate the definition of ‘Insanity’; if you did what you always did, you will always get Continued on page 23

investigation of the past?

DEAR EDITOR, Ryhaan Shah and overseas Guyanese’s sudden awakening and dramatic media obsession with Guyana’s pre-1992 era is rather coincidental with PPP’s fledging campaign material. Having known of Ms. Shah’s past work with NCN for a number of years with the PPP government I am not surprised at her stance. Most of PPP’s campaign material is an invocation of the ills associated with the 1960s, 70s period for which there has been very little account of who is culpable. What is perhaps most noticeably missing from Ms. Shah’s analysis, to make it balanced, is the post 1992 period which saw similar rights of Guyanese transgressed. For the PPP and the Ms. Shahs, it is as if what the PNC supposedly did in the past justifies the PPP disasters. I could list the litany of destructive incidents which occurred in these now two demarcated periods, but it would take more than a bale of toilet paper. For too long politicians and so-called independent voices have exploited both periods with baseless lies. Little has been presented in the form of well documented information to provide for a honest discussion. Missing is an honest independent review of the past which could allay past fears and clear up doubts and speculation which are now on the table. Hiding past information is not in the interest of both young and old, since many older folks also make ill-informed decisions based on the sketchy information of our

history. Perhaps these analysts prefer not to have the past properly documented, since they could control the content to suit their own interest. Recognizing our troubled past has been very difficult for both parties, at this point both feel looking backwards would be political suicide. The PNC’s past has perhaps been more widely documented, owing to the PPP’s reflexive campaign strategy and therefore mostly told through the lens of the PPP. What is missing are independent eyes examining the past, and perhaps to what extent the PPP has been culpable of troubles prior to 1992. Post-1992 PPP’s governance has been a myriad of scandals, beginning with the stone scam to the Agricola protests, the unknown post-elections violence, the Marriot, and Skeldon debacles, but one should also examine whether the PNC are also to be blamed during this period. Sometime in 2009, then leader of the opposition, Robert Corbin, called for an inquiry into the past mayhems, going back from 1992 to present! The PNC led an opposition motion in Parliament for such an inquiry to be held. Civil society, then Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Gerry Gouveia, all supported this call. What was shocking, apart from the killings of young

people which occurred in 2004, this phase included the periods of post-1992 elections, post-1997 elections violence, the jail-break and Buxton ‘uprising’ of 2002, periods in which it is widely felt had a PNC flavour about it. So it begs the question why would the PNC be willing to have such an investigation, which could potentially find them culpable? But, lo and behold, it was the PPP which has been in power for over 20 years, which failed to launch such an inquiry. Why then is the PPP afraid to launch an inquiry which could unearth the devils in the post-1992 era and maybe find their main rival, the PNC, in a potentially weakened position? Have the PPP also been involved in something sinister? When David Granger repeated this call of his predecessor to inquire into the past, Khemraj Ramjattan sought to have the time period extended to include 1964 to 1992. That would have ensured a complete inquiry of Guyana historical ills. However, this again fell on deaf ears; although one thinks the PPP would be extremely happy to have pre-1992 investigated. But, shockingly, once again the PPP refused to budge, and instead singled out one moment in history, the death of Walter Rodney, to have an inquiry. Continued on page 23

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Kaieteur News

Monday April 27, 2015

APNU+AFC to enhance creative industry and cultural policy The A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), is looking to increase public funding and enhance cultural awareness should the party win the upcoming May 11 General and Regional Elections. This was revealed at a public forum held at the Theatre Guild, Kingston, where Presidential hopeful, Brigadier (retired) David Granger, and APNU + AFC member Catherine Hughes addressed questions from attendees. A question was posed to the candidates whether more emphasis would be placed on the local creative and cultural industry along with the steps their administration would take to grow these industries, should their party win the election. To this, Hughes responded that the party intends to make available to more schools the facilities and equipment necessary for

APNU+AFC Presidential Candidate, David Granger

APNU+AFC member, Catherine Hughes

art programmes to develop. She used the example of musical education in schools, saying that most institutions do not have the necessary equipment to sustain such a programme. “Most schools do not have a music department with equipment. The schools that actually have instruments are some of the top schools. So

we need to start improvement within our entire school structure. We need to start bringing music back into our schools so we can start nurturing individuals and the talent from that age,” said Hughes. Hughes continued to say that the Secondary and PostSecondary levels of education are in need of the

necessary training facilities to improve the creative industry in Guyana. She used the Theatre Guild as a prime example of young people coming together to develop the country’s cultural integrity. This, Hughes said, exhibits the necessity for funding to be injected into similar organisations, particularly private and youth-centric like the Guild. “In places like Trinidad, in the area of video production every year the budget allocates ‘x’ number of dollars whereby producers are able to create local documentaries and films. They have an opportunity to put forward their work and be connected to others in that field. The same thing is happening in the area of music, developing more plays and more performances in the area of dance,” related the AFC Executive Member. Hughes said that there has actually been very little

investment in the area of the creative industry, thus the more funding there is in that particular industry, the more young people will be able to “run with it”. Elaborating on the issue of cultural awareness, Granger posited that the country needs to re-evaluate the approach it takes to culture. He related the question to the role culture plays in administering medical service to indigenous communities in hard to reach parts of Guyana. The Presidential candidate cited instances where he would campaign in remote regions of the country and meet Guyanese whose first language was not English. Granger explained that administering medical treatment to someone who speaks Wapishiana would be difficult for a trained doctor from somewhere like Cuba. “You are bound to have misunderstandings in how to

treat the patient. We have nine indigenous languages and people on the Coast don’t have a clue about them,” said Granger, “We need to standardise how we address culture.” In his address to the audience, Granger said that the country has no cultural policy, since persons are hardly aware of Guyana’s culture. He said that with the exception of select cultures, Guyanese are ignoring its rich cultural background. “You hardly hear about important festivals like Chinese Immigration and Portuguese Immigration... we need a holistic approach to culture and not just cherry pick certain parts of it,” related Granger. He said that by educating the general public on the country’s indigenous people and its minority groups, it eliminates the cultural problems that fester in Guyana.

GPHC pediatric heart surgeries to begin this week In January 2015, Dr. Rodrigo Soto of the Baby Heart Foundation approached the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation with big plans; his dream was to provide cost-efficient surgeries to children suffering from heart diseases. Three months later, Dr. Soto’s dream of seeing children and their parents benefit from surgeries for heart diseases right in their home country is being realized. For the next few weeks, an 18-member team will be performing surgeries, right at the GPHC. During a recent press briefing, Health Minister Bheri Ramsaran deemed the undertaking “a small but powerful event”. He added that the initiative was “one big step forward” and had been in the making for some time. According to Ramsaran, the Baby Heart Foundation

has been doing great things across the world for children. He said too that Guyana was fortunate to have established a partnership with the Foundation and he gave his Ministry’s commitment of maximum support. Ramsaran further said that the collaboration with the Foundation will address issues that had previously been challenging, including the funding for overseas surgeries. “This initiative will see us addressing our challenges and we’ll able to manage everything right here. This is a good day for Guyana,” Ramsaran asserted. He added, “Practically, all of this is pro bono…this will make a significant impact on a small and relatively poor country like ours.” Dr. Soto explained that overseas surgeries cost about US$6,000 and he emphasised that cost-efficient

(Left to right) CEO of GPHC Michael Khan, Minister of Health Bheri Ramsaran, CEO of Baby Heart Foundation Dr. Rodrigo Soto, Guyana Pediatric Cardiology Steering Committee member Dr. Debra Isaac, and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Shamdeo Persaud surgeries were not only beneficial to parents but also the country’s healthcare system. He further said that planning the surgeries in such a short period of time had been “a huge undertaking” but he was pleased by the outcome. He emphasised that once a complex system is developed, the experience

gained by locally trained physicians will not only benefit persons with congenital heart diseases but the entire Guyanese population. He further expressed hope that more locally-based operations will be conducted and in turn boost Guyana’s sustainability in the field. Similarly, Dr. Debra Isaac

of the Guyana Pediatric Cardiology Steering Committee, indicated that the time will eventually come when Guyanese doctors are able to perform pediatric heart surgeries locally and build a self-sustainable programme. Over the next few weeks, a number of children will be screened and evaluated by the team to determine which will be selected for surgery. About 18 surgeries are expected to be conducted. Dr. Isaac said that those who are undergoing evaluation are from six months to 21 years old. These persons come from

all across Guyana, including Wales, Linden and Santa Mission. According to Ramsaran, much of the equipment had been presented by the Baby Heart Foundation. Furthermore, the hospital is working along with the national blood bank to provide adequate blood needed for the surgeries. The Baby Heart Foundation is a non-profit organisation that has been around for about seven years. The foundation has already worked with more than 7,500 children in 32 countries.

Monday April 27, 2015

Kaieteur News

After crisis warnings, Labour says no deals with Scottish nationalists (Reuters) - Britain’s Labour Party yesterday ruled out a post-election deal with Scottish nationalists after Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservatives said such a tie-up could spark the biggest constitutional crisis since the 1936 abdication of the king. The policy shift, by Labour leader Ed Miliband, was designed to blunt what has become Cameron’s main attack line before the May 7 election, a contest that is shaping up to be the country’s closest and most unpredictable since the 1970s. The stakes are unusually high: Cameron is promising a European Union membership referendum which could see the world’s fifth largest economy leave the trading bloc, while Scottish nationalists are pushing for a deal with Labour which opponents fear could pave the way for another independence referendum. With Labour and the Conservatives level in most polls and neither on track to win an outright majority, Cameron has gone from talking up his economic achievements to warning that a tie-up between Labour and the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) could lead to a UK break-up. Miliband had previously ruled out a formal coalition

Ed Miliband with the SNP, but had left the door open to a looser arrangement. On Sunday, he went further, ruling out an informal deal known as a ‘confidence and supply’ arrangement. When asked if he would negotiate with the SNP after the election if he failed to win a majority, Miliband told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show: “I’m not interested in deals no.” “I want to be clear about this. No coalition, no tie-ins. I’m not doing deals with the Scottish National Party.” The shift - which rules out Labour ruling as a minority government relying on the SNP in parliament on an issue-by-issue basis narrows Miliband’s room for manoeuvre and reflects his

concern that the Conservative message is “cutting through,” in particular to English voters worried about Scottish influence. It suggests that Labour would adopt a different strategy if it fell short of a majority and try to rule as a minority government challenging the SNP, which is also left-wing, to vote it down. The calculation would be that the SNP would not do so because it would struggle to explain to its own supporters why it had brought down a left-wing government to make way for a right-wing one. The Conservatives, who have struggled to turn an economic upturn into extra voter support, have stepped up their warnings about what they say would be the risks of a Labour-SNP deal. Theresa May, Cameron’s interior minister, on Sunday said such a pact could trigger Britain’s biggest constitutional crisis since the 1936 abdication of King Edward VIII, an episode that roiled the ruling class. “Miliband would be in government on the coat-tails of (SNP leader) Nicola Sturgeon. They would be calling the tune – people who don’t want the UK to exist and want to destroy our country,” May told the Mail on Sunday newspaper.

U.S. Secretary of State Kerry to meet with Iran foreign minister today WA S H I N G T O N (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif today in New York, a senior State Department official said yesterday. The meeting on the sidelines of the five-year review conference on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty that begins today will come as the United States and five other global powers try to secure a final nuclear deal with Iran by a June 30 deadline. Kerry will also meet today with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, the State Department official said. Under a tentative deal reached April 2 between Iran and the other countries, Tehran, which denies seeking nuclear weapons, agreed to slash the number of uranium enrichment centrifuges it operates and to allow more intrusive inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency in exchange for sanctions relief. Diplomats need to iron

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) and Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif pose for a photograph before resuming talks over Iran’s nuclear programme in Lausanne March 16, 2015. REUTERS/Brian Snyder out details about the timing of sanctions relief, the future of Iran’s atomic research and development program, the exact nature of the IAEA’s monitoring regime and what kind of uranium stockpile Tehran

will be allowed to keep under any final deal. U.S. Republican senators have pledged to try to toughen a bill giving Congress the power to review a nuclear agreement with Iran.

A mini health check is the first step to donating blood

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Kaieteur News

Monday April 27, 2015

Monday April 27, 2015

Kaieteur News

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WHAT LEGACY? The PPPC has been accused of departing from the legacy of Cheddi Jagan? What is this legacy that we are speaking about? Cheddi Jagan was Premier of Guyana during colonial Guyana. He was the father of the independence and nationalist movement. He never led Guyana to Independence. The nationalist movement split under his leadership. For that he must not be faulted because everyone knows, though not everyone concedes, who was responsible for splitting the nationalist movement and by implication working class unity. Cheddi Jagan had a torrid time as Premier, particularly between 1961 and 1964 when British and American imperialism and their lackeys unleashed a campaign of violence and destabilization against his government which eventually led to the

PPPC being ousted from government in 1964. For twenty eight years, Jagan toiled away in the political wilderness, always cheated but never defeated. In 1992 when the democratic winds swept the world, he was once again restored to power but died without completing a full term in office. One has to therefore ask: Just what legacy are we dealing with when it is contended that the PPP has strayed from the legacy of Jagan? He had no time to build a legacy in his incomplete term that commenced in the latter part of 1992. What legacy could he have built in such a short period? He spent the greater part of his political life out of office and therefore if we are speaking to his legacy it can hardly be about his time as President between 1992 to when he died. The legacy therefore has

to be the completeness of his political life both in and out of office. He was known as a frugal man. He has rightly been described as an anti-racialist. But his greatest and unquestionable commitment has been to the working class of this country. Jagan was a man of ideals. He was also a man of the working class. When people therefore claim that the PPP has strayed from the legacy of Jagan they can only mean one thing and one thing alone: the party has strayed firstly, from his ideals and secondly that the party has strayed from the working class. In making a case that the PPPC has strayed from the ideals of Cheddi Jagan, reference is often made to the fact that the present leaders of the PPP do not practice the so-called simple and frugal lifestyle of Cheddi. Cheddi, we are told, lived in a simple house. Well,

Dem boys seh...

De ocean embarrassing de Marriott De election fever heating up; dem party presenting manifesto which is really a list like when people going to de shop. De list got wha dem planning to do but it ain’t saying when dem gun do it. De last elections had manifesto too and to dis day de party that win ain’t keep all dem promises. In fact, it ain’t keep none. It do things wha every government had to do like build schools although de schools ain’t build till was election time. It repair roads but again, is election road because de road does bruck up as soon as de election done. Dem clear some drain and then dem build de Hope Canal which ain’t done but which dem seh that it done. However, de biggest shock dem boys get was when Brassington open de Marriott. Dem had big speech and red carpet. Dem had wine and tour but dem boys notice that de elevator wasn’t going up to certain floor because it woulda mek de tourist dem shame. Nuff of de rooms ain’t finish. De guest wha dem had mek de mistake fuh ask fuh de pool. De people run to Brassington who run to Donald fuh find out wha fuh tell de man. Is when he come back and bow down to de man to apologise that de man realize

that dem ain’t got no pool. Brassington tell de man that de pool ain’t finish. De man den ask fuh a beach umbrella and a deck chair; de same Brassington tell de man that de beach ain’t finish. Wha he didn’t tell de man that all dem truck load of sand that dem throw fuh mek a beach end up in de ocean. De high tide come and wash away de sand. De man ask fuh go pun de roof and dem tell he that it ain’t finish. Brassington now telling de people who

wukking pun de airport expansion fuh hold up because dem want more sand fuh mek another beach at de Marriott. Is shame pun shame. To fool de public and mek dem believe that de Marriott functioning, de Pee Pee Pee go and launch de manifesto there again. De only thing new was de Marriott because was de manifesto from de last election dem bring back. That is wha dem boys seh. Talk half and hope that de Marriott ain’t another white elephant.

everything in life is relative and by the standards of his day, the house that Cheddi lived in was not that working class at all. By today’s standards of course it is. The area where he lived may have started out as swampland but by the mid 1970’s the area was considered an up-end area. Cheddi in fact never really lived amongst the working class. When he came back to Guyana he settled in a middle class area in Queenstown with his wife. But this does not mean that he had bourgeoisie tendencies. It also does not detract from his unwavering commitment to the working class of this country. And this is the point that was being made at Babu Jaan.

It was not an attempt to compare Jagan’s house with any other person’s mansion. There can be no comparison with these two. There can be no comparison with the company kept. There can be no comparison about lifestyles. The point being made was Cheddi lived in an up-end area. But the fact that he lived there did not take away from what he stood for politically. It did not mean he could not struggle for the working class. He did continue to struggle for the working class. The point being made is that we should not judge a man by where he lives - and by extension by the size and opulence of his house - but by the things he stands for. I suppose however if one lives

in opulence this has to be factored into what a man stands for. In the context of the legacy of Cheddi however, the more relevant question is whether the present crop of PPP leaders share the same ideals and zeal about the working class as Cheddi did; whether they are made of the same stuff as Cheddi or whether they have strayed completely from the working class and are now simply crony capitalists. The answer to that question will help you decide whether Cheddi’s legacy is being trampled upon.

Monday April 27, 2015

Kaieteur News

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BAREFOOT BANDITS ROB YCG launches youth GOLDSMITH AT GUNPOINT entrepreneurship and locking him in. The men then made good their escape on foot. After a while, Ramphal managed to free himself by ‘popping’ the trunk open. The shocked man immediately alerted other vendors who rendered him some assistance. He pointed out that many of them had licenced firearms and weapons to chase the gunmen. However, according to the goldsmith the police arrived in a timely manner but were unable to apprehend the thieves. Ramphal added that persons in the community saw the men roaming the streets and called the police. “Them police reach quick but them send them rice farmers with cutlass fuh catch them man,” the still traumatized Ramphal recalled. Ramphal indicated that this was the first time he had been robbed since doing business in the market.

A Crab Wood Creek goldsmith was relieved of over $2.5M in jewellery by four barefooted, masked gunmen, three of whom were armed with guns, around 11:30hrs yesterday at a market in Black Bush Polder. Gurupaul Ramphal, 27, of Lot 27 Grant, 1804 Crab Wood Creek, was ambushed and robbed minutes after entering his Toyota Premio Car. Kaieteur News understands that Ramphal, who has been plying his trade for over five years, had just concluded conducting business at the market and was about to make his way home, when he was attacked by the brave bandits. In his recount of what transpired, the goldsmith explained, “I was sitting in my car when two men jumped out from the bush and confronted me at my right side window with a gun.” The man recalled that he contemplated driving away

but was unable to do so, as he would have had to reverse to maneuver about the narrow road. And besides he was fearful for his life as the bandits threatened, “anytime you drive, we gun shoot you.” Ramphal added that three of the bandits instructed motorists on both sides of the road to abandon their routes. After the motorists complied, two of the men then held him at gunpoint, while another held a sharp cutlass to his neck, while dragging him out of the vehicle into a bushy corner. Two of the men then began to ransack his car and removed a bag containing gold, silver and diamond jewellery and over $215,000 in local and US currency. One of the gunmen demanded that he hand over his wallet, which he did. After searching through the wallet, Ramphal was handed back his driver’s licence.

Women’s rights activist Sherlina Nageer is to file a complaint with the police today regarding Health Minister Dr. Bheri Ramsaran’s recent threats to slap her and have her stripped. Nageer told Kaieteur News yesterday that she has been advised to give a statement to Crime Chief Leslie James, and made it clear that she hopes that this would lead to police having Dr. Ramsaran charged. Asked last week whether the embattled Minister could be charged, Crime Chief Leslie James had said that “anyone can be charged” if a report is made and sufficient evidence is provided. The women’s rights activist also revealed that she plans to join protestors outside the Office of the President between 11:00 hrs and 13:30 hrs to force the sacking of the Health Minister, as well as the firing of Attorney General Anil Nandlall over the recorded threats he had made to a Kaieteur News journalist.

- protest planned outside OP for Ramsaran’s sacking

Gurupaul Ramphal He said, too, that while he was in the bushy corner with the two men, he overheard the other two accomplices saying, “Shoot that man and kill he.” Not satisfied with their gain, the men then removed a part of Ramphal’s music system from the car trunk, before pushing him inside

Nageer to meet police on Health Minister’s ‘slap and strip’ threats

Sherlina Nageer “We are asking the President to deal with the abusers and two of the main miscreants in his government; to fire them,” Nageer said. Dr. Ramsaran landed in hot water last Monday after he was recorded berating Nageer, who had queried his presence outside the Whim Magistrate’s Court, with other PPP supporters, in support of

former President Bharrat Jagdeo. Responding to her query Ramsaran had told Nageer to “shut your mouth and get out my face.” As his tirade continued, the Health Minister also called the activist an “idiot”, told her to “F off”, referred to her as a “little piece of s**t”, then stated that he could “slap her ass,” and “have some of my women strip her here…” And even after issuing an apology, Dr. Ramsaran was recorded labeling Nageer a “miscreant,” and saying that she was in need of “psychiatric help.” His behavior has been condemned by some members of the diplomatic

corps, dozens of political commentators and even members of his own party. President Donald Ramotar had denounced Dr. Ramsaran over his verbal abuse of Nageer. According to Ramotar, “the statements and behaviour of the Minister do not reflect the high-standards I have set for Ministerial conduct nor the public’s expectations of an office holder. It is outright disrespectful and improper. I intend to have further discussions with the Minister on this matter.” But the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) had accused the “opposition media” of blowing the matter out of proportion.

programme

For young entrepreneurs, getting started in business can sometimes be difficult. Particularly in Guyana, this difficulty is amplified and is compounded by hindrances such as little experience or no funding. However, Youth Challenge Guyana (YCG), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) is hoping to alleviate the issues faced by Guyana’s young entrepreneurs by launching a Youth Entrepreneurship Training Programme. “We’re breaking new grounds with this group,” Executive Director of Youth Challenge Guyana Dimitri Nicholson said. He, along with Marco Chan and Emily Rowe of the Western Ontario University, believe that the programme is one desperately needed in Guyana. The programme is a collaboration between YCG and the Leaders’ Project that is run out of the Western Ontario University. Nicholson explained that it is a three-week training course in entrepreneurship and business management for persons who want to be entrepreneurs and who are already entrepreneurs. Initially, the programme was to be held in Buxton but was changed to SASOD’s Charlotte Street location in Georgetown to attract more persons. Rowe explained, “It’s a really interactive way of learning business…it can be really important for a number of people in different countries, and different economies can take local problems and work on that.” Chan, who had been a part of the project when it was launched in Ghana, said it was a wonderful experience for him to learn how to understand the ways different people perceive things. He added that the project would

often be adapted for different countries. The programme will be facilitated by four to five persons, all from Canada. It will focus on how young entrepreneurs can find opportunities along with the basics such as accounting and marketing strategies and operations. “We’re trying to give them a toolbox on how to manage a business really effectively and organise. Each day we’ll touch on a different topic and give them a sort of plan,” Nicholson said. The programme will target 20 to 30 youths from Monday to Friday. The participants will also be exposed to an interactive method of learning business and entrepreneurship, and is open to anyone who wants to learn about business. Local companies are also onboard to share their experience and advice they have for the young entrepreneurs. After the first training, YCG will continue to work with the young entrepreneurs. “We will have mentors who can follow up with them to make sure that the areas they would have learnt would have been effective in their business. The persons that we would use as mentors are likely to be other people in business and who are studying business,” Nicholson said. The project is the first partnership between YCG and the university. The university’s leaders’ project has been running for 24 years and has worked with a number of countries, including those in Europe and Africa. Other local NGOs had previously embarked on youth entrepreneurship programmes. However, much has not been heard of these programmes in recent years.

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Fear is Jagdeo’s main strategy for the recovery of power - Ramkarran ...Jagdeo’s intimidation of Commodore Best is the latest effort designed to maintain a climate of fear As more observer missions and members of the diplomatic community publicly voice concern over the campaign strategies employed by political parties, the People’s Progress Party/ Civic (PPP/C) has come under particular scrutiny from former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran, for their use of “inflammatory language” at their rallies. Ramkarran had been a leading member in the PPP/C for decades, and was elected to be Speaker of the National Assembly in 2001 and 2006 but has since left the party. In a recent column published on his blog, conversationtree.gy, entitled “Pit bull politics”, Ramkarran posited that this move to employ such language began with former President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, at the PPP/ C’s Babu Jaan, Port Mourant, gathering last March. “The pit bull politics of aggression and personal vilification were launched this elections season, as it was at the last elections, with Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo,” wrote Ramkarran. He continued to say that such tactics were used in the 2011 elections with the party focusing on the People’s National Congress Reform administration and abuse of political opponents. The 2011 elections, according to Ramkarran, were characterised by “the excessive use of hostile and accusatory language.” In his post, the former Speaker posited that the PPP/ C viewed the aggression and abuse adopted in the last elections as insufficient in the party’s bid to win Parliamentary majority. Ramkarran wrote that the party has thus concluded that by intensifying inflammatory language and instilling more fear in its support base against the Opposition, it will, this time, retrieve the Parliamentary

majority. The first instance of this, Ramkarran pointed out, came at the Babu Jaan rally during a speech made by Jagdeo. In the speech, the former President related an alleged incident from the last election where opposition supporters intimidated PPP/C supporters through the use of drums and racist language. Jagdeo has since been sanctioned by the Media Monitoring Unit of the Guyana Elections Commission and brought to court by attorney-at-law Christopher Ram for his statements which seemed to incite racial tensions. However, Ramkarran noted, that such language did not stop there for the Former President. “The most egregious of Dr. Jagdeo’s assertions was his claim that with the alleged large number of former military officers supporting the APNU+AFC, if the latter party wins the elections, ‘they’ would be kicking down the doors of PPP supporters,” said Ramkarran. According to him, such language conjures up imagery of a time in the 1970s and 80s, steeped in tensions between Guyana’s two major ethnic groups. “Then there is also the policy of personal destruction that we have all experienced after criticising Dr. Jagdeo,” continued Ramkarran. He related the instance whereby Commodore Gary Best, a former Chief of Staff, expressed his political preference for the APNU+AFC coalition. To this end, Ramkarran posited that Jagdeo may feel that Best is being “ungrateful”, as it was under his administration that he was appointed Commodore and subsequently Rear Admiral. This, according to Ramkarran, could be the reason for

Former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran Jagdeo’s public questioning of the Rear Admiral’s acquisition of his home, “ignoring the possibility that he might also have acquired it just as Dr. Jagdeo acquired his own home –by saving.” “This is blatant intimidation of Gary Best because there is nothing the President can do to a citizen for exercising a constitutional right,” wrote Ramkarran. “The intimidation of Commodore Best is the latest effort designed to maintain a climate of fear created by the intimidation and personal abuse, and sustained by selective implementation.” Ramkarran said that this “strategy of aggression” came about early in Jagdeo’s Presidency, citing his infamous insult of former President Janet Jagan in 2006 over the restoration of advertisements to the Stabroek Newspaper. According to Ramkarran, the PPP’s silence on that incident and current behaviour are testament to the party’s adoption of aggressive strategies in its leadership. “The election strategy, consisting of the type inflammatory language complained of by the diplomatic and observer communities and the PSC (Private Sector Commission), is not going to end because the instillation of fear in PPP is Dr. Jagdeo’s main strategy for the recovery of power,” concluded the former PPP/C member.

Monday April 27, 2015

Religious bodies join calls for politicians to be more responsible during elections As the date of the upcoming General and Regional Elections draws closer, members of the religious community have joined calls for politicians to be more responsible and cognizant of the rhetoric being used during the campaign periods. Secretary of the Justice of Peace Commission, (JCP) of the Catholic Church, Lawrence Latchmansingh emphasized the importance of those contesting the elections to sign the Code of Conduct, which is intended to dissuade politicians from making divisive and inflammatory speeches while campaigning. The JCP representative said that politicians should be very careful of what they are saying during this sensitive period since it can lead to violence and unnecessary unrest in the country. The Catholic body had recently, launched a campaign initiative to monitor the content of political speeches at the public meetings in the final stages of the run up to General and Regional Elections on May 11. Although the sect accounts for more than 70,000 of the Guyanese population, Latchmansingh said that both Catholics and nonCatholics have since expressed interest in joining the initiative. Similarly, the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sahba, (GHDS)’s Jagmohan Persaud noted that like everyone else

in the country, the Hindu community would hope that politicians will be sober and responsible not to breach the law or cause any uneasiness, which will disrupt unity in the country. “We expect at the end, our country will be able to continue the journey as a nation and people are sober and healthy. We anticipate no tense situation, or that politicians will do anything, say anything unwelcoming,” Persaud said. Fazil Feroze of the Central Islamic Organisation, (CIOG), noted that at this stage of the elections period, it is very important to let good sense prevail. “Everyone’s emotions are running very high and people need to let good sense prevail. They (politicians) need to appeal to less emotion and study more of issues of how our country can go forward after elections,” Feroze said, noting that “elections is only one day, and afterwards, we have to live.” He expressed the need for politicians to “tone down” on the campaign trail. Feroze said that politicians should be more careful in the heat of moment, since they can sometimes be misinterpreted. The CIOG representative noted however, that the election season has been violence free thus far. He expressed hope that the observer bodies will help to monitor the elections. Recently, former

President, Bharrat Jagdeo was cited by the Media Monitoring Unit (MMU) for making ‘racially charged’ comments at Babu Jaan. Jagdeo was also criticized for telling Berbicians at a rally that the opposition alliance and former military personnel could link up and terrorize them. Members of the various sectors including the Diplomatic Corps and the Private Sector Commission, (PSC) have also called on politicians to tone down and avoid inflammatory or provocative language during the lead up to elections. Even as the days inch closer to elections, rallies and public meetings have already produced their fair share of controversial language. The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has noted that most of the political parties contesting the elections are yet to sign the code of conduct prepared by commission. Chairman of the Commission, Dr Steve Surujbally noted that the elections body would only be allowed to “name and shame,” political parties found in default after they would have signed the document. Dr. Surujbally is optimistic that the political groups will sign on to the document, even as the election inches closer. He noted though, that the contending groups should be mature enough to conduct themselves properly.

Bandits rob another overseas based Guyanese hours after arrival Just five days after bandits shot UK-based Glendon Codogan, another overseas-based Guyanese was the target of a similar robbery hours after arriving in the country yesterday. Police said that USbased Guyanese Frank Mangal and two others were robbed at gunpoint at around 04.00 hrs at Success,

East Coast Demerara, by a group of men who escaped in a white car. The victims were reportedly relieved of US and local currency, documents and other valuables. A source said that two friends picked up Mangal at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri yesterday morning. The

group then travelled to Success, where they were unloading Mangal’s luggage when a white car reversed towards their vehicle. According to reports, five men exited, held the trio at gunpoint and relieved them of their valuables before escaping. It was just last Wednesday that 83-yearold, British-based Glendon Codogan was ambushed, shot and robbed in Shirley Field-Ridley Square, Guyhoc Gardens shortly after leaving the Cheddi jagan International Airport . Police have managed to smash some of the so-called ‘airport gangs’ several months ago. Two interdicted policemen were charged some months ago in connection with some of these attacks. But the attacks on returning Guyanese seem to be raising its ugly head again.

Monday April 27, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 21

BRIAN LARA - A BLADE APART The Nation Newspaper published this article on March 30, 1993 and my column has appeared in that paper, the Trinidad Express, the Jamaica Gleaner and the Kaieteur News since then. My readers and I throughout the Caribbean and the Diaspora have now headed into our twenty-third year together. In this article, a year before Brian Lara broke the batting record set by Sir Gary Sobers (he did it twenty-one years ago), I predicted that he would. Blades have changed a lot since then, of course, but perhaps that would be my next article. Brian Lara had struck again- not just form, not just fours, but another century. And if I did not hurry to the office, the boss would think that I too had struck- and like the Star Wars Empire (or the New Zealand umpires, beloved of Michael Holding) would strike back. Even as I lathered up, getting ready to shave, the cricket and Lara were still on my mind. Perhaps I should write something, I thought. Should I write about the sound of sweetly-timed shots and call it Lara’s Theme? Or of passing Sir Gary’s record 365 runs and call it Lara’s Dream? If he eventually (or inevitably) becomes West Indies captain would it be Lara’s Team and would he, the “Prince” of Port-of-Spain become the Prince of Sides? (The real Prince of Tides is an oyster-man in Orange Valley, Central Trinidad). Razor in hand, I mused some more. Why are cricket bats referred to as blades? Perhaps it has to do with the fact that cricket, like so many of our other sports, is essentially a war game, a surrogate for our atavism, a release for our hostility, replacing armed combat between tribes and nations. If the bat is a blade and our batsmen are swordsmen, how do they compare with the Knights of old? We have Sir Gary and Sir Frank but what about our other cricketing lords and knights? Where are our Gawains and our Lancelots? Who is Mordred or more dread? Is Brian our new Arthur and are we creating a cricketing Camelot? If this is so, what blades have

our heroes wielded or wield now? Undoubtedly, Gary Sobers would have batted with Excalibur, the most famous sword of the lot. Seymour Nurse’s blade would be a “cutter” (also Bardadian for “sandwich”) and on his day, off his back-footed best, he did not “eat nice” at all. Gordon Greenidge would have a “collins” (“lens” for short) the preferred weapon of Bajan cane-cutters (and bandits) with its wickedly sharp blade on one side and a curved hook on the other side- cutting or hooking Gordon levelled any opposition. The bludgeoning Viv Richards would have an executioner’s sword with a two-handed grip like the ones used by the Samurai- sharp, merciless and (on the heads of his opponents) severe. Richardson, who has cut down to size the teams of every cricketing country, would use a scythe, with its slightly curving hook. At his best he is indeed a scythe for sore eyes, a beauty to watch, incomparable. The hook is both his strength and, many times, his downfall. Desi Haynes, like Coach Kanhai before him, seems to be on a second-career, a kind of Trac Two, moving from pure attacking to a judicious mix of defence and attack, sheet-anchoring major West Indies innings. The bat of the diminutive Gus Logie would be a “bayonet” or shortsword beloved of the hardslogging infantry in all-out attack. The smouldering Simmons stands like the Sword of Damocles, a constant threat- deadly if ever he bursts the slender thread and tension holding him back. What about the other great batsmen of the world? Tom Graveney, who in the twilight of his career was able to take apart our fearsome duo of Hall and Griffith undoubtedly used a halberd, a fearsome combination of spear and battle-axe. Colin Cowdrey had a “pike”, an infantry weapon that was replaced by a bayonet. “Pike” also means “to withdraw timidly from”, which is what happened to him when he faced Hall and was clean-bowled retreating

almost to where the squareleg Umpire stood. Gavaskar, the “Little Master” used a scalpel, and Haniff Mohammed, the great Pakistani batsman, a scimitar, the sharp curved sword of the east. Ian Chappel would use a “chopper” and Javed Miandad, a saber- sharp and deadly as the teeth of the saber-toothed tiger of old and as “cheeky” as the scars left by sabers on the faces of German duelists. Old movie fans might think of the hard-hitting, match-winning Imran Khan as “The Saracen Blade.” Wasim Akram, with his prominent proboscis, can be likened to the great swordsman Cyrano de Bergerac. The swashbuckling, one-eyed, piratical Colin Milburn would have used a cutlass. Alan Border with his upright stance would use a “kris”, a wavy blade. Remember Larry Gomes and his dirk or dagger- no big, flashing blade but a “chooker”? The great Lawrence Rowe, who developed an allergy to grass (on the cricket ground), in his hey-day had a sickle- what is called a grass-knife- his shots cutting through the turf with tremendous timing. The hard hitting Bajan all-rounder, Tony White, struck some huge sixes. His bat would be like an old-fashioned straight razor- white-handled, of course. Andy Ganteaume, who scored a century in his debut Test Match and was never selected again, must have used a disposable. But what would Lara use? What would be his blade, his choice of weapon? As I put aside my razor and look outside, the supersonic Concorde is descending at the Grantley Adams Airport, smoothly cutting through the clouds. That is the kind of blade he would have- high-tech, soaring through the skies- like the Stealth-Bomber, virtually unstoppable and merciless in execution. I have it- smooth, sensitive, sharp- the latest, literally on the cutting-edge. Lara’s blade has to be the new Gillette Sensor. *Tony Deyal was last seen saying that considering how he was bowled behind his back by Aamer Sohail, Lara must never forget his

Keisha Fraser is Miss Linden... (From page 19) Massiah– Miss Amelia’s Ward; and Nickita McFarlane– Miss Watooka. Among the prizes, was the first prize of a trip for two to Jamaica. The First Runner-up will receive a full scholarship to the University of Guyana. Prizes will also be awarded for Best Smile, Best Body, Miss Congeniality and Best Gown. The Queen and her Runners-up will receive their prizes on a date to be announced later The Linden Town Week Queen automatically qualifies to enter the Miss Guyana World. Town Week officially opened yesterday with much pomp and ceremony at the Georgetown/ Linden bus park. (Enid Joaquin)

Right Guard. DON’T YOU GET OUT TILL YOU PASS 365— SOBERS Sean Nero Published: Friday, October 17, 2014 Cricket legend Sir Gary Sobers autograph’s a bat which will be auctioned at the Children’s Ark, Batting for Kids Silent auction, at the Hyatt Regency, Port-ofSpain, yesterday. PHOTO: KRISTIAN DE SILVA West Indies cricket legend Sir Gary Sobers yesterday revealed that he gave Brian Lara, the reigning batting champion, his blessings to break his (Sobers) world record of 365 not out, back in 1994. Lara broke Sobers’ 36year-old Test score of 365 runs with an inning of 375 against England at Antigua recreation Ground in 1994. Speaking at a charity luncheon hosted by The Children’s Ark held at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad, on Dock Road in Port-of-Spain, yesterday, with the theme Batting for Children he said, “When I went to Antigua that particular day, I think I was celebrating 50 years of Test cricket and I remember Brian was about 230-odd runs and

when he went back into the dressing room.” The elder batsman went into the dressing room and said to him, “Look! You don’t get out. Don’t you get out till you pass 365! You go out there and you get it. Every time somebody got 200, the phone would ring, the reporters would ring and they would say so you think he can break your record. I got a little bit fed-up with that so I

thought that Brian deserved some of that.” Sobers added, “I told him that. So when he broke it, I was very pleased for him, because records are there to be broken. I wasn’t one of those players who looked into making records and breaking records. My whole make-up in West Indies cricket or any team that I played for was to play for the team; to do my best.”

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Kaieteur News

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Monday April 27, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 23

Letters... Where your views make the news...Letters... Where your views make the news

Who are these women who are prepared to strip another woman in public? DEAR EDITOR, The verbal abuse and threats against Rights Activists, Ms. Sherlinger Nageer by Minister Bheri Ramsaran, dubbed the “slap and strip” Minister have left all decent citizens aghast except for those supporters of the PPP who blindly support the party. The big question the people should ask the PPP in this election campaign is why in this poor small country there is always scandal, corruption, mismanagement, theft, the denigration of women and threats of violence against the critics of the government from PPP officials including ministers as in the case of the “slap and strip” Minister. The Minister publicly expressed views on women reflect his disrespect for them, backwardness, perversion and ignorance in the 21st century. But his threats to slap and strip naked, Ms. Nageer is only one of many incidents by Ministers in the PPP who seem to believe that they are above the law because they are the “untouchables.” By any standards, local or

international and even in Guyana’s debased political culture, Bheri Ramsaran verbal abuse and threats to get his women to strip her naked is not only disgraceful but have exceeded all the known boundaries of what is permissible in society. Who are these women who are prepared to strip another woman in public? However, the PPP seems to have an obsession with slapping people. It was not long ago that President Ramotar told an Amerindian citizen that former President Jagdeo would have slapped him had he been present. Subsequent to that, another Amerindian citizen was actually slapped by a member of the Presidential Guard for scolding the president for his criticism of the PNC record and challenged him to address the record of the PPP. Also, in this election campaign, it is common for the desperate and paranoid leaders of the PPP to call the citizens stupid or idiots. The leaders of the dictatorial PPP regime are of the firm opinion that this kind of disgraceful behavior is

Many in our own... From page 5 what you got and don’t expect a different result. My parents were devoted PPP supporters from Black Bush Polder. My parents told me not to trust PNC. They told me not to trust ‘Black People’. News for you, my best friends at Manchester High School, now Winifred Gaskin Memorial, were all Blacks from mostly Alness. I was scared to tell my parents that my best friend was Marcy Smith from Alness. When I could not catch the bus they allowed me to stay over, fed me and gave me clothes for the next day at school. They never touched me, they never raped me, they never ‘interfered with me.’ But guess what, some East Indian men tried to touch me and I still think PNC was going come into my home kill and rape me. Now how stupid is that? I recently did a memorial banner for women killed resulting from domestic violence. Ready for this? Ninety percent of the women were killed by East Indian abusers. What does that tell you? Don’t answer please. Do not put yourself in a corner. I really do not want to hear the denial. Here is my reality. Our own East Indian Communities are committing our crimes against their loved

ones. Our own East Indian communities think that Blacks are going to kill us. We are killing ourselves! PPP is a representation of the majority of the East Indian Communities. The controlling regime has the power to set judicial guidelines and policing guidelines. Don’t be fooled. They have the power! But they are so busy fighting the opposition, they forgot about you and your dead daughter, child, parent or mother. I am East Indian. I am Hindu. I am woman. I was told to not trust Black People. I was conditioned. I have chosen to change. I love all mankind. I love humanity. I love respect. I love accountability. I love freedom. I love democracy. I love my country. I am still East Indian. I am still Hindu. I left my country because it did not support the things I loved. Time for a change. Take a chance. Make a choice. If you vote for the same party, you will ALWAYS get what you have gotten. If you are okay with what you have, keep the current regime. If not, change your vote and change who you support. SukreeBoodram, MBA, CPA, Mother, Survivor of Domestic Abuse, A Guyanese to the core

normal. So reprimand of the “slap and strip” minister by the do-nothing president and the conceited and phony condemnation of him by Jagdeo and Ms. Harper are hypocritical to say the least. They are not serious about addressing violence against women, gender equality and the denigration of women because if they do, then they should, with one voice called for the Minister to resign pronto. Instead, they have stated that the Minister was provoked and his remarks were taken out of context. If this is not being deceitful and two-faced, then we do not know what is? Last year, the Minister of Education cuss-down the US Ambassador at his residence and President Ramotar did not discipline her. Shortly after, Attorney General threatened the lives of Kaieteur New Publisher, Glen Lall, Editor in Chief, Adam Harris and their entire staff, and attempted to pimp a young female reporter for one of his relatives and the President said that the AG statements were taken out of context. Now we have the Minister of Health who verbally abused and denigrated Ms. Nageer and threatened to get his women to strip her naked and the president gave him a “pat” on his shoulder. Clearly the modus operandi of the selfish, greedy and power drunk leaders of the PPP is to put their interests first and those of the people and the country last. Minister Bheri Ramsaran apology is insincere because two days after abusing and degrading Ms. Nageer, he showed his utter contempt for women as a whole in Guyana when he called her a miscreant and stated that she needs

psychiatric help. This suggests that he had no remorse for his boorish behavior. If there is anyone who needs psychiatric help is the “slap and strip” Minister of Health and several others in the PPP and not Ms. Nageer. Lest we forget, neither Jagdeo nor Ramotar has fired anyone for theft, degrading women or for being involved in corruption which is defined as the use of public office for private gain. In fact, the PPP is known for promoting those who breach the laws and violate the rights of the people. Such devious behavior is inevitable in the PPP which have been excused on the grounds of group think, ethnic favoritism and racial preference and has continued to flourish in the party becoming the norm rather than the exception. So President Ramotar statement that he has established high standards for ministers is utter nonsense. He does not know the meaning of “high standards.” Ultimately, because of the many evil and wicked acts associated with the PPP, it circumvents all the tiny things they have done by any seemingly well-intention. It is high time that the people as a nation, especially the youths, demand real accountability from those in the corridors of power who use threats and abusive language against those who expose their evil acts. The PPP leadership is preoccupied with vulgarity, bullyism, character assassinations and untruths and the people should stand up in defiance of their evil and wicked acts. The Jagdeo/ Ramotar regime has and continues to misrepresent the truth, ruins high moral

Why are these apologists... From page 5 Why then would the PPP seek to exclude the periods 1964 to 1978, and 1980 to 1992? What are they afraid of? For the PPP to refuse to inquire into the past suggests the PPP is equally culpable of what transpired before 1992. The Walter Rodney inquiry, for which the PPP may have had its own motive, is perhaps the best example so far, of what we believe to be true may not be true! It took the PPP 23 years to set up an inquiry into one incident of the past, the Walter Rodney inquiry. My perception of who killed him has certainly changed. I was 100% certain the PNC did it, but now it has become less clear who was responsible. The theory of an accidental killing never crossed my mind and as such opened my mind to all possibilities, could it have been a job of foreign interest not keen on having the Cold war further destabilised? These inquires are very useful in highlighting missing details which so many analysts and politicians currently seek to exploit. AFC-APNU coalition should set up an independent commission of inquiry, similar to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission established in South Africa, into the past 50 years from 1964, to remove speculation and political exploitation. Latchman Singh

standards and character, assaults and violates the rights of the people, steals from the poor and vulnerable, and erodes public confidence. It is time for the people to wage a war on wrong doings and the evil acts committed against innocent citizens by Ministers and other senior PPP officials by supporting the APNU+AFC Coalition whose aspiration is to lead them towards a true democracy, social justice, fairness and equality with rights and freedoms for all,

especially for the poor and downtrodden. If the citizens continue to accept the notion that threats against them and the denigration of women by senior members of the PPP are an inevitable part of their politics, then what legacy are they leaving for the young people, especially females? The youths are the arrows to shoot into the future if Guyanese are to succeed as a community and as a nation. Dr. Asquith Rose, Chandra Deolall, Dr. Merle Spencer-Marks

(From page 22)

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Monday April 27, 2015

Kaieteur News

Desperate Nepalese sleep in open as aftershocks spread fear

People rush for safety during a strong aftershock after an earthquake, in Kathmandu, Nepal yesterday. Rescuers dug with their bare hands and bodies piled up in Nepal yesterday. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Thousands of desperate Nepalese spent another night in the open in the early hours of today, terrorized by strong aftershocks that continued to shake the country two days after a massive quake struck, killing almost 2,500 people. Across the capital, Kathmandu, and beyond, exhausted families whose homes were either flattened or at risk of collapse laid mattresses out on streets and erected tents to shelter from rain. The sick and wounded also lay out in the open, unable to find beds in the city’s overwhelmed hospitals. Outside Kathmandu Medical College, surgeons set up an operating theater inside a tent. People queued for water dispensed from the back of trucks, while the few stores still open had next to nothing on their shelves. Crowds jostled at one pharmacy to snap up medicine. High in the Himalayas, hundreds of foreign and Nepalese climbers remained trapped after a huge avalanche killed 17 people in the worst single disaster to hit Mount Everest. A total of 2,460 people were confirmed killed in the 7.9 magnitude quake, making it the worst such disaster to hit Nepal since 1934 when 8,500 died. Thousands more were injured. The death toll is likely to climb as rescue workers struggle to reach remote regions in the impoverished, mountainous country of 28 million people and as bodies still buried under rubble are recovered. With so many people sleeping in the open with no power or water and

downpours forecast, fears mounted of major food and water shortages. Across the country, hundreds of villages have been left to fend for themselves. “We are overwhelmed with rescue and assistance requests from all across the country,” said Deepak Panda, a member of the country’s disaster management. Several countries rushed to send aid and personnel. India flew in medical supplies and members of its National Disaster Response Force. China sent a 60-strong emergency team. Pakistan’s army said it was sending four C-130 aircraft with a 30-bed hospital, search and rescue teams and relief supplies. A Pentagon spokesman said a U.S. military aircraft with 70 personnel left the United States yesterday and was due in Kathmandu today. Australia said it was sending a specialist urban search and

rescue team to Kathmandu at Nepal’s request. Britain, which believes several hundred of its nationals are in Nepal, said it was delivering supplies, medics and search and rescue teams. But there has been little sign of international assistance on the ground so far, with some aid flights prevented from landing by aftershocks that closed Kathmandu’s main airport several times yesterday. In the Himalayas, hundreds of climbers were still feeling tremors yesterday powerful enough to send snow and boulders cascading toward them. The huge and deadly avalanche on Saturday triggered by the earthquake caused panic at Everest base camp, a sprawling “city” of tents from where mountaineers set off for the world’s highest peak.

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Fighting escalates across Yemen, air strikes on capital Sanaa ADEN/CAIRO (Reuters) - Air raids, naval shelling and ground fighting shook Yemen yesterday in some of the most widespread combat since a Saudi-led alliance intervened last month against Iranianallied Houthi militia who have seized large tracts of the country. There were at least five air strikes on military positions and an area near the presidential palace compound in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa at dawn yesterday, while warships pounded an area near the port of the southern city of Aden, residents said. “The explosions were so big they shook the house, waking us and our kids up. Life has really become unbearable in this city,” a Sanaa resident who gave his name as Jamal told Reuters. The strikes on Sanaa were the first since the Saudi-led coalition said last week it was scaling back a campaign against the Houthis. But the air raids soon resumed as the

Houthis’ nationwide gains had not been notably rolled back, and there has been no visible progress toward peace talks. Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter and arch Sunni Muslim regional adversary of Shi’ite Muslim Iran, feels menaced by the Shi’ite Houthi advance across Yemen since last September, when the rebels captured the capital. The Houthis later forced President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi into exile. The Saudi-led intervention aims to restore Hadi and prevent Yemen disintegrating as a state, with al Qaeda militants thriving in the chaos and one of the world’s busiest oil shipping lanes off the Yemeni coast at risk. Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan visited King Fahd airbase in Saudi Arabia’s Taif on Sunday and reaffirmed his country’s commitment to the Saudi-led coalition.

“Our only choice is victory in the test of Yemen,” the official WAM news agency quoted him as saying. Fighters loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh have been battling alongside the Houthi rebels. In London, Yemeni Foreign Minister Riyadh Yaseen rejected a call for peace talks issued by Saleh on Friday and said the Saudiled military operation had not ended. “These calls are unacceptable after all of the destruction Ali Abdullah Saleh has caused. There can be no place for Saleh in any future political talks,” Yaseen told a news conference. “There will be no deal with the Houthis whatsoever until they withdraw from areas under their control,” Yaseen said. Eyewitnesses in Aden said foreign warships shelled Houthi emplacements around the city’s main commercial port and dockyard, the first time they had been targeted.

Monday April 27, 2015

Clinton Foundation admits making mistakes on taxes (Reuters) - The Clinton Foundation’s acting chief executive admitted yesterday that the charity had made mistakes on how it listed government donors on its tax returns and said it was working to make sure it does not happen in the future. The non-profit foundation and its list of donors have been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks. Republican critics say the foundation makes Hillary Clinton, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016, vulnerable to undue influence. After a Reuters review found errors in how the foundation reported

Hillary Clinton government donors on its taxes, the charity said last week it would refile at least

five annual tax returns. “So yes, we made mistakes, as many organizations of our size do, but we are acting quickly to remedy them, and have taken steps to ensure they don’t happen in the future,” Clinton Foundation acting Chief Executive Officer Maura Pally said in a statement. The errors appeared on the tax forms 990 that all nonprofit organizations must file annually with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service to maintain their tax-exempt status. Pally said the foundation did accurately report its total revenue but government grants were mistakenly combined with other donations.

Putin says ‘no regrets’ over Crimea annexation Moscow (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an interview broadcast yesterday to mark 15 years in power, said he has no regrets over Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea as it overturned “a historical injustice.” “I think we did the right thing and I don’t regret a thing,” Putin said of his decision to take back the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine, during the interview in a state television documentary. “When we defend our (interests), we go to the end,” he said. Explaining the motivation behind Crimea’s takeover, Putin said it was righting a historic wrong after Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev transferred the peninsula from Russia to Ukraine in 1954, then only a symbolic move since both were in the USSR.

Russia’s annexation of Crimea and subsequent charges that it is supporting pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine have plunged relations with the West to Cold War-era lows. Putin, who served as president from 2000-2008 then spent four years as prime minister before resuming the top job in 2012, accused the United States of directly contacting and providing logistical support to North Caucasus separatist militants. In the documentary “President,” on Rossiya 1 television, Putin cited intelligence from Russian special services that there “were simply direct contacts between fighters from the North Caucasus and representatives of US special forces in Azerbaijan.” He said he told the US president of the day who told him: “I’ll kick their ass.” He did not name the president.

Vladimir Putin “But within 10 days, our — my subordinates, the FSB (security service) heads, received a letter from their colleagues in Washington saying: ‘We have had and will have relations with all the opposition forces in Russia and we consider we have the right to do this and we will do this in the future’,” Putin said.

Obama pokes fun at political friends and foes at White House dinner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - At the gathering he jokingly called “a night when Washington celebrates itself,” U.S. President Barack Obama took light-hearted aim on Saturday at a range of political friends and foes, including the people running to succeed him. Obama’s comedy routine at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner included a sly dig at Hillary Clinton, the current front-runner to be the Democratic candidate in the 2016 presidential election. Noting that some Americans are living in a time of uncertainty, Obama said, “For example, I have one friend just a few weeks ago, she was making millions of dollars a year and she’s now living out of a van in Iowa.” Clinton, who as a former secretary of state, former senator and former first lady is one of America’s best known figures, travelled

around in a van this month in a deliberately low-key trip to the state that holds an early contest in the election primary season. Obama, now in office for six years, is a polished performer at an event that draws journalists, politicians and celebrities to a cavernous ballroom in the Washington Hilton. Some of his jokes are stock, including a reference to how much his time as president has aged him. “I look so old,” he said this year, “that John Boehner has already invited Netanyahu to speak at my funeral.” Obama was angered when Boehner, the Republican leader of the House of Representatives, invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak to Congress last month against a nuclear deal with Iran that the Obama administration was negotiating with other world powers.

Monday April 27, 2015

Kaieteur News

Street-light stress - Billions of dollars burnt by malfunctioning lamps The Gleaner - The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) is denying claims by the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) that more than 11,000 street lights across the island are staying on 24 hours each day for up to six months, leaving taxpayers with a multimilliondollar bill. In its determination on the tariff request from the JPS released in January, the OUR stated that more than 12 per cent of street lights across the country, which are supposed to automatically switch on at dusk and switch off at dawn, are instead remaining on throughout the entire day, adding to the hefty $3 billion paid yearly by the local government ministry for the service. The report pointed to 38 street lamps in a 10-mile radius in the Corporate Area which stayed on all day and more than 70 others in sections of St Catherine and St Thomas. Checks by The Sunday Gleaner found that of the 38 lights in the Corporate Area mentioned in the OUR report, at least 30 of these remained on during the daytime, three months after they were pointed out. These included lights at Oxford Road, Jarrett Lane, Upper Elletson Road and Windward Road. Alongside these, The Sunday Gleaner spotted more than 27 other street lights clearly lit during the day. These include five such on Half-Way Tree Road, and three in a virtual circle at the intersection of Constant Spring Road and Hope Road. “That light on from as long as I’ve been out here,” said one street vendor who operates her small stall metres away from a well-lit street light on Upper Elletson Road. The OUR’s report noted that the worrying trend for most of these 24-hour street lights is that they stay in a malfunctioning state up to six months at times, wasting more than $104 million in property tax revenues and thousands of kilowatt-hours of energy. But responding to questions from The

Sunday Gleaner, the JPS said it is still in discussion with the OUR regarding the street light survey results and the methodology used to arrive at the sample locations selected for the audit. The company said while it repaired 27,698 malfunctioning street lights across the island in 2014 - including day-burning lights - it is constrained in its ability to carry out repairs because of limited resources resulting from significant arrears in street light payments. “Although the Government has been making an effort to honour its commitment for street light repairs, the arrears are now equivalent to approximately one year’s billing,” the company said in a written response to questions from The Sunday Gleaner.

South Korea, Caribbean strengthen investment, trade ties SANTIAGO,Chile (CMC)- The investment and trade ties between Latin America and the Caribbean and South Korea have grown stronger in recent years, according to a new publication by the Economic Commission for Latin American and the Caribbean (ECLAC). The study says the Republic of Korea has become a significant source of foreign direct investment (FDI) for the region, even surpassing China between 2000 and 2011. Between 2003 and 2012, the FDI flows originating in that Asian country grew from US$4 billion to US$27 billion dollars, said the study, entitled “Economic relations between Latin America and the Caribbean and the Republic of Korea: Advances and Opportunities”. At the same time, the study said South Korea’s participation in the region’s exports rose from 1.1 percent in 2000 to 1.3 percent in 2013,

while its weight in terms of imports went from 1.8 percent to 3.1 percent. According to ECLAC’s document, the Republic of Korea went from being one of the world’s poorest countries in the early 1960s to being, by 2014, a highincome economy, an industrial, exporting and scientific power, and a society with high levels of social cohesion and educational achievement. Today, it has a market of 50 million inhabitants and per capita income that tops US$28,000, the study said.

South Korea’s experience, spanning six decades, offers numerous lessons for Latin America and the Caribbean and for developing nations in general, according to the report. The study indicated that the main lesson to be gleaned from the Korean experience is that, regardless of the global economic context’s ups and downs, achieving development depends on the quality and coherence of a country’s public policies. It added that the promotion of green growth and the emphasis on the creative economy are examples to be followed for LatinAmerican and Caribbean nations. ECLAC said South Korea’s green growth strategy has put it at the “global vanguard”, in terms of progress towards more sustainable patterns of production and consumption, while the policies that foster the creative economy have enabled the country to capitalize on its strengths in education, science and innovation.

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Kaieteur News

Kamla: No one will jumbie me to call an early election

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar at the UNC’s 26th anniversary celebration at Rienzi Complex yesterday. At left is her husband Dr. Gregory Bissessar. Trinidad Express - Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar did not announced the election date yesterday. Speaking at the United National Congress’ 26th anniversary celebration at Rienzi Complex Couva, Persad-Bissessar told supporters: “there is speculation today that I am going to call the election date today. But listen to me carefully. The last time a man try that, he lost an election when he called it before time”. She said: “I will give you the assurance I will call an election when election is due. No one will jumbie me to call an election before it is due. They can jump high, they can jump low. No election date before it’s time”. United National Congress (UNC) deputy political leader, Dr Roodal Moonilal sent a message to Peoples National Movement (PNM) Colm Imbert that while the PNM made plans, it was Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar who delivered on them. Speaking at the UNC 26th anniversary celebrations at Rienzi Complex in Couva, Moonilal said the Solomon Hochoy Highway extension to Point Fortin was promised by the PNM many years ago. But it was a Kamla Persad-Bissessar led Peoples Partnership Government that delivered and will continue the highway to Point Fortin. “I want to tell Imbert that the PNM plans but Kamla Persad-Bissessar builds. “ The sod was turned for construction of the $7.5 billion road network a year after the Peoples Partnershio Government was voted into office.

Imbert was critical of the Prime Minister’s announcement last week that should the Peoples Partnership win another term in office, a causeway would be built between Port of Spain and Chaguaramas. Imbert said that it was a PNM plan. Moonilal said Persad-Bissessar stood her ground in the face of protests and said the highway would be built. Minister of Works and Infrastructure Surujrattan Rambachan said two segments of the highway – Mon Desir to Rousillac and Rousillac to La Brea would be opened on Wednesday. And he said construction would soon begin on the highway from San Fernando to Mayaro. Moonilal warned citizens that PNM political leader Dr Keith Rowley posed a threat to Trinidad and Tobago and should not be voted into office in the upcoming general election. He said the People’s Partnership had brought change to the country and will move to win the 2015 general election. Moonilal said the Peoples Partnership Government was prepared to stand and defend its members. He told supporters that when the PNM filed a motion of no confidence in Finance Minister Larry Howai in Parliament on Friday, there was no walk out. He said Government Ministers stood ready to defend Howai. Some of the people who helped form the United National Congress (UNC) have pledged to create a group within the political party to assist the People’s Partnership to win the 2015 general elections.

Monday April 27, 2015

Work permits issued to foreigners only when necessary, says Agriculture Minister ST JAMES, Jamaica (JIS) – Minister of Agriculture, Labour and Social Security Derrick Kellier has reiterated the Government’s stance on the issuing of work permits to foreigners to work in Jamaica. Addressing a groundbreaking event for the launch of the Melia Braco Village in Trelawny last Friday, Minister Kellier said the Government will be unrelenting in its efforts to ensure that work permits will be issued based on the guidelines that govern the system. He said in issuing work permits to foreigners, priority will be given to the protection of Jamaican workers and will only be issued in cases where they are absolutely necessary. “The Ministry administers a rigorous work permit regime with priority given to the protection of employment of Jamaican workers. But, I venture to say that when gaps arise in the availability of local skills for foreign

Derrick Kellier investment initiatives, if we are not to frustrate the progress of these projects, then such skill gaps will have to be filled by workers from elsewhere,” Minister Kellier said. He noted further that the Government recognises that the best way to ensure Jamaican workers are given priority treatment during the employment of workers is to create the necessary platforms for high-level

training for these workers. He added that his ministry is in dialogue, with a number of training agencies with a view of ensuring that Jamaican workers receive the highest level training which will ensure that they are equipped for employment. “We are also working closely with HEART/NTA and Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) to identify the skills that are needed and to train our workforce…ready for employment in investment projects,” Kellier said. Under a 15-year lease management agreement with the Government through the National Insurance Fund, Melia Resorts, a Spanish-based company will be operating the former Braco Village Resort in Trelawny. The resort will become known as the Melia Braco Village with 250 new rooms being added to the existing 225. The property is scheduled for opening in December 2015.

US cancer institute signs agreement to import vaccine developed in Cuba HAVANA, Cuba - CMC – Cuba’s Center of Molecular Immunology and New York’s Roswell Park Cancer Institute, have signed an agreement to export to the United States, a therapeutic vaccine against lung cancer developed. “The agreement will allow us to limit ourselves to clinical trials of the vaccine when we get to New York,” said Candace Johnson, the director of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Johnson was part of a trade delegation from New York, led by governor, Andrew Cuomo, to explore business options here, in addition to promoting exchanges in education and research. “We are excited to bring the vaccine to the US and treating patients. This would not have been possible without this trade mission,

which facilitated the initialing of the agreement face to face, “said Johnson. The vaccine against lung cancer was created in Cuba in 2011 after 15 years of research with patent rights worldwide. The vaccine – Cimivax, reportedly doubles as a

treatment for lung cancer. The vaccine is registered in Cuba and Peru, although countries like Brazil, Argentina and Colombia are in the process for registration, and others such as the UK and Australia have conducted clinical trials.

Stuart: ‘We’ve done good for Barbados’ Daily Nation - Prime Miniater Freundel Stuart said yesterday that while the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) had not been perfect “we’ve done good for Barbados”. According to Stuart, over the last 60 years Barbados had been able to make strides in several areas, including education, conditions of employment, succession rights for children born out of wedlock and protection against domestic violence because of the party’s “hindsight, insight and foresight”. Stuart, who is president of the DLP, made the comments during a service at St Paul’s Anglican Church to launch celebrations of the party’s 60th anniversary. At the service, the DLP gave awards to ten

Freundel Stuart longstanding members – Doriel Green, Paula Jones, Michael Sobers, Decourcey Headley, Lionel Brewster, Phyllis Linton, Richard Matthews, Lance King, Gwendolyn White and Emmerson Jones.

Monday April 27, 2015

Kaieteur News

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CARICOM, WICB agree to Neymar and Messi help 10-man Barca beat Espanyol establish panel to review structure

Barcelona’s Neymar (left) is tackled by Espanyol’s Lucas Vazquez during their Spanish first division soccer match, near Barcelona last Saturday. (Reuters/Albert Gea) BARCELONA (Reuters) Neymar scored the opener to continue his rich vein of form as Barcelona won a onesided La Liga derby against Espanyol 2-0 despite the

dismissal of Jordi Alba early in the second half Saturday. The Brazilian followed up his two goals against Paris St Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday by

slotting home after Luis Suarez dummied an Alba cross inside the area to open the scoring after 17 minutes. With Barca picking holes in the Espanyol defence, Lionel Messi doubled the lead from a tight angle after 25 minutes. Alba was shown two yellow cards in succession after 53 minutes for a lengthy protest with the referee, but Espanyol failed to apply any concerted pressure on the Barca backline in the remainder of the match. Xavi came on for the final three minutes for his 500th La Liga appearance for Barca and deep in stoppage time Espanyol’s Hector Moreno was also sent off after being given a second yellow card. Barca lead La Liga with 81 points, five more than Real Madrid who play Celta Vigo on Sunday. Later on Saturday, third-placed Atletico Madrid, on 69 points, take on Elche.

Ramdin - We paid the price for collapse CMC - ST.GEORGE’S, Grenada - Skipper Denesh Ramdin says West Indies have paid the price for losing six wickets in the first session of play on the final day of the second test match against England at the national stadium here on Saturday. The homeside mustered 84 runs in that unlucky first session when wickets stumbled and they never recovered in the face of a devastating new ball spell from seamer James Anderson. In the end, Ramdin’s men suffered a heavy nine wicket defeat to the Englishmen who now lead the three match series one nil. “I believe that losing six wickets in one session that is where we fell down,” declared Ramdin in the post-game news conference. “I think we fought hard for the first four days. Some tough days at the office but losing six wickets and this spell with the new ball really cost us today”. Resuming the final day on 202 for two – a lead of 37 runs overall – West Indies lost their last eight wickets for 105 runs, to be all out for 307, shortly after lunch. Opener Kraigg Brathwaite, unbeaten overnight on 101, fell for 118 and his departure in the seventh over of the morning with the score on 224, was followed by six wickets tumbling for 62 runs in quick

time. “Having partnerships and going on should have been very important but they keeping coming at us,” said Ramdin, a wicketkeeper batsman. “They have a good bowling lineup.. but we can’t take it for granted but we should have just carry out and score more runs and not let the game get away from us”. West Indies and England play each other in the third and final test at Kensington Oval in Barbados starting May 1. Ramdin is hoping the pitch at the oval will be helpful to both batsman and bowler. “So far we got two good pitches that went right down to the last days as the test match went. Hopefully the

Denesh Ramdin grounds man could give us something like that that could bounce and spin more or something,” said the Windies captain. “That’s is quick and fiery and both teams will have good use of it because both teams have good fast bowlers as well”.

Retailers make a killing... From page 31 Pacquiao,” he said. Even street vendors are making a killing selling lower-priced Pacquiao T-shirts, with vendors in Divisoria district in downtown Manila saying customers often buy by the dozens. The Philippines widely regard Pacquiao, also an elected congressman, actor, TV game show host, recording artist, and a player-coach in professional basketball locally, as a national idol. Thousands of fans often pack covered gymnasiums and public parks to watch free screenings of his fights on large LED screens throughout Manila and May 2 will be no different. Eight-division champion Pacquiao, 36, is seen as the underdog to 11-times five-division world boxing champion “Money” Mayweather, 38. Pacquiao’s followers, however, are convinced he will make history. “I believe he will win, he will defeat Mayweather with his speed. Pacquiao is fast on the ring,” Yap-Tan said.

WICB - CARICOM and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) have agreed to establish a panel to conduct a review of the governance structure of the board. This was the key outcome of a near five-hour-long meeting between the CARICOM Cricket Governance Committee and the Directors and Management of the WICB. The chairman of Caricom, Perry Christie, prime minister of The Bahamas and CARICOM Secretary General Ambassador Irwin La Rocque also attended the meetings which took place last Monday, April 20, at the Spice Island Beach Resort. President of the WICB, Whycliffe “Dave” Cameron led the board’s team, which included the vice president and other directors. The Cricket Governance Committee, which initiated the meeting, was established by the Heads of Government to review the administrative and governance structure of WICB with a view to involving greater stakeholder participation. It comprises the prime minister of Grenada, Keith Mitchell as chairman; the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Brown and the prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves. The Cricket Governance Committee and the WICB have also agreed that the panel will submit its recommendations within three months of the

Whycliffe “Dave” Cameron commencement of its evaluation. Upon receipt of the report, both sides are intent on collaborating with each other with a view to reversing the current negative trends in the sport and its governance. The panel will comprise a member of the legal profession, a West Indies cricket legend, someone from

academia, a member of the private sector and an individual with intimate knowledge of the work of the WICB. Both parties expressed satisfaction at the outcome. “I think the meeting was very productive and very positive. We have agreed on a way forward. I think we have a shared vision and all of us want to see West Indies perform at the highest standard. We are committed to making this happen,” said Cameron. In brief remarks after the meeting, Prime Minister Mitchell said, “We were able to meet with the directors of the WICB to express the view of the necessity for change, and I think we have reached a conclusion in that respect...which will chart the way forward. We will be working together with the WICB and all concerned to move West Indies cricket forward.”

Chelsea edge closer... From page 35 38th minute but his first-time shot was too close to Ospina who blocked. Experienced striker Didier Drogba, 37, came on for the dazed Oscar at the start of the second period but the pattern of play remained the same. The Ivorian had one tame shot easily saved before Arsenal’s best chance of the game fell to Mertesacker but the German defender lashed his shot well wide after Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois’s punch-out dropped at his feet. Wenger sent on Danny Welbeck to try and grab a winner and the forward scuffed a great chance in the dying minutes as Arsenal’s fans headed for the exits and Chelsea’s began singing “We’re Going to Win the League.”

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Kaieteur News

Monday April 27, 2015

Bayern win Bundesliga Lewis Hamilton stays top of 2015 title with four games left Sunday Times Sport Rich List

Bayern Munich players acknowledge their fans after winning their German Bundesliga first division soccer match against Hertha Berlin in Munich April 25, 2015. (Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach) BERLIN (Reuters) - Treble-chasing Bayern Munich won a third straight Bundesliga title after VfL Wolfsburg lost at Borussia Moenchengladbach on Sunday to leave the champions with an unassailable 15point lead with four games left. Bayern, who have now claimed a total of 25 German league titles including one before the Bundesliga’s creation in 1963, beat Hertha Berlin 1-0 on Saturday but had to put the champagne on ice until after second-placed Wolfsburg’s game on Sunday. Gladbach’s Max Kruse scored in the 90th minute for a 1-0 victory that ended any mathematical chance of Wolfsburg catching the Bavarians. It also put second place in danger with Gladbach four points behind on 57 in third. The Bundesliga title is the second for Bayern coach Pep Guardiola in his second season at the club, as the Spaniard chases a repeat of the league, cup and Champions League treble they won months before he arrived in 2013. “It is something magnificent to defend our title and I can only congratulate our coach and players,” said Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in a statement. “They did it extremely well in a year after a World Cup where many of our players were competing.” Bayern, domestic double winners last season, face Guardiola’s old club Barcelona

in the Champions League semi-finals next month and have also reached the German Cup last four where they take on Borussia Dortmund next week. “You can compare the 25th title to a silver anniversary,” Germany great and honorary Bayern president Franz Beckenbauer said. “They played an outstanding first half of the season despite the energy-sapping World Cup. A 25th title needs special mention.” Despite being plagued by injuries to key players throughout the season, including Bastian Schweinsteiger, Franck Ribery and Philipp Lahm, Bayern showed nerves of steel as they dismantled every domestic opposition in the league. They took charge from the start as rivals Borussia Dortmund, last season’s runners-up, imploded, with Wolfsburg emerging only briefly as title contenders before the gap to the top grew even more. “It’s amazing to win three league titles in three years with Bayern,” midfielder Javi Martinez, one of those sidelined with injury for months this season, wrote on Twitter. “Today is a very happy day.” Bayern have lost twice so far and conceded 13 goals in 30 matches, a record for this stage of the Bundesliga. “Have no doubt, we will have big celebrations,” Rummenigge said. “But everything at the right time. Then we will party.”

BBC Sport - Lewis Hamilton is still the richest sportsman in Britain with a fortune of £88m but Wayne Rooney has overtaken Jenson Button to sit second in the 2015 Sunday Times Sport Rich List. Formula 1 champion Hamilton, 30, lives as a tax exile in Monaco and his wealth has increased by £20m since last year. Manchester United and England captain Rooney’s overall wealth is up by £12m to £72m, £1m ahead of F1 driver Button. Tennis player Andy Murray is now fourth with amassed earnings valued at £48m. The 27-year-old Scot, who was a 2015 Australian Open finalist, overtook

QPR defender Rio Ferdinand, whose earnings total £44m. Next is Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, who is valued at £42m and will leave Merseyside to join LA Galaxy at the end of the season. Rooney, 29, is set to join former Manchester United midfielder and exEngland captain David Beckham as the only British footballer to amass a fortune of more than £100m. In seventh, basketballer Luol Deng, 30, is the highest-placed Briton based in the United States. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is the richest manager in Britain with a fortune of £40m, £2m ahead

Lewis Hamilton (AFP)

of Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, who he faces on Sunday in the Premier League. Northern Irish golfer R o r y M c I l r o y, 2 5 , h a s amassed £10m in the last year after success in the Open Championship and the US PGA Championship to also take his earnings to £38m. He is tied in 10th with Wenger, Manchester United assistant manager Ryan Giggs and veteran golfer Sir Nick Faldo. THE SUNDAY TIMES RICH LIST 2015 1 Lewis Hamilton (motor racing) £88m (£68m in 2014) 2 Wayne Rooney (football) £72m (£60m) 3 Jenson Button (motor racing) £71m (£63m) 4 Andy Murray (tennis) £48m (£40m) 5 Rio Ferdinand (football) £44m (£44m) 6 Steven Gerrard (football) £42m (£37m) 7 Luol Deng (basketball) £40m (£36m) 7 Jose Mourinho (football) £40m (new) 9 Frank Lampard (football) £39m (£37m) 10= Sir Nick Faldo (golf) £38m (new) 10= Ryan Giggs (football) £38m (£36m) 10= Rory McIlroy (golf) £38m (£28m) 10= Arsene Wenger (football) £38m (new)

Foo, Permaul spur Albion to first... From page 33 When Guyana wicketkeeper Anthony Bramble was trapped LBW by Perreira for a first-ball duck the hosts had slipped to 77-3 and hopes of restricting Alboin to a ‘gettable’ score was revived. However, that was not to be as Foo and Latchaya joined forces in an enterprising partnership that took the game away from the visitors. Foo played an array of robust shots and left his crease to walk all the way to mid-off to have a few ‘words’ with Perreira. Foo then clobbered the leg-spinner back over his head and out of the large ground while Latchaya was elegantly destructive; effortlessly dumping Perreira for six and then giving himself room to cut him sweetly for four as the partnership flourished. Latchaya was in full flow when he took on the arm of Fudadin at long-off, attempting a double in the last over and was run out for 67

at 229-4 after reaching the boundary four times and clearing it three times in his 62-ball knock. Foo eventually finished on 88 from 89 balls with six fours and three sixes as Fudadin ended with 2-45 for RHTYSC, who began their innings under a clear night sky under high quality flood lights. The atmosphere was festive as the crowd, which increased in size and was being entertained by the sound system which provided pulsating music in between overs and when Baldeo struck in the first over as Crandon fell to an absolutely stupendous catch by Motie, diving full length to his left, the partisan crowd celebrated noisily. Fudadin (6) played a masterful square drive off of Joshia Dhanai but had his stumps scattered next ball to leave RHTYSC on 19-2 before the busy Akshay Homraj and Hicks revived the position with an intelligent 58-run third wicket stand before Baldeo

got rid of Homraj (22) to start a batting collapse. Renwick Batson was run out for a duck before Troy Mathieson, who came off the mark with a six off Motie, was LBW to Permaul as RHTYSC slumped 92-5. Three runs later Hicks’ defiance ended when he was taken by Motie at mid-on to give Permaul his second wicket and send Hicks on his way after he had faced 71 balls and hit three fours in his responsible innings. The last three batsmen did offer much resistance as Albion, playing in their fourth final, marched to their first title although, with victory assured Perreira, who was last out for 40 with four fours and a six, was given some free runs with even Bramble taking off his pads to bowl an over of ‘optimistic leg-spin’ much to the delight of the Albion fans who left the venue with a big smile on their faces and lots of rum in their stomachs. The game was broadcast live on NCN Radio.

Monday April 27, 2015

Kaieteur News

Spit Fire wins despite questions to take President’s Cup at Port Mourant Score’s Even, badly beaten for second straight race

Finance Minister Ashnie Singh presents the beautiful President Cup to Aesiha Shariff for Spit Fire’s victory in the feature A class event. Jockey Randolph Richmond is perched on the Spit Fire as others share the moment. By Samuel Whyte Fortunes favour the brave and that was the thought of owner of Mr. Mohammed ‘Nankoo’ Shariff, owner of Spit Fire, as he threw caution to the wind and entered the animal in the feature ‘A’ class and lower event in the President’s Cup horserace meet at Port Mourant yesterday despite some questions from connections of the Jumbo Jet Stable following the closeness of the finish with Jack in My Style. Spit Fire, which came in to the country some time last year with much reputation, has been showing tremendous form since its entry. Entered as a D3 animal it moved up in class to challenge the bigger animals and did not disappoint. As the horses raced out of the starting gates in the 1700M event Score’s Even took to the front being hard pressed by Spit Fire with Jockey Randolph Richmond on board. As the race got deeper, Score’s Even was still pressing for the lead as Spit Fire held on. Into the far turn Spit Fire took over with Jack in My Style and Run Nana Run gaining ground as Score’s Even started to fade. Into the homestretch Jack In My Style with Colin Ross on mount drew up alongside Spit Fire as the animals thundered down to the

finishing line. It was Spit Fire with Richmond urging it on which was able to draw on some final reserves to nose ahead and win its biggest pay day of $1.2M and the President Cup which was presented by Finance Minister Ashnie Singh. Jack in My Style got second ahead of Run Nana Run with Score’s Even bringing up the rear. The Jumbo Jet connections questioned the final result with the horses seemingly in a dead heat. However, the win was awarded to Spit Fire, but the officials may have relook at the decision in fairness to all concerned. Release the Beast of the Jumbo Jet Stable with Ross riding won the E1and lower event. The G2 and lower event saw Bridal Stone Corner with Richmond of the Marcel Crawford Stable producing a good run down the homestretch to take top honours. The winner of the H1 and lower and 3 years old West Indies Bred maiden event saw She So Special of the Jumbo Jet stable winning a close battle from Cat Messiah. Affinity won the J3 and lower event, while the K class and lower event was won by Massapaquea Dr of the Selso Crawford Stable. The top stable on show was the Jumbo Jet stable, while Richmond was adjudged the top jockey. Full details tomorrow.

Banks DIH supervisor Needesh Basdeo presents the Banks DIH trophy to the owners of Bridal Stone corner for its win in the H Class event.

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Kerber shocks Wozniacki in Stuttgart final Stuttgart (Germany) (AFP) - Germany’s Angelique Kerber extended her winning streak to 11 matches with a three-sets win over Caroline Wozniacki to win the Stuttgart claycourt title yesterday. Having knocked out three-time champion Maria Sharapova in the second round, Kerber recovered from losing the final’s first set to earn a 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 victory over former world number one Wozniacki. “I fought hard until the end and drained all my reserves of energy,” beamed Bremenborn Kerber. “I am mega-proud to have won here in front of a home crowd.” Since winning the Charleston tournament a fortnight ago, Kerber carried her impressive recent form onto Stuttgart’s clay courts. Her win over Sharapova was the first time the Russian had tasted defeat in Stuttgart in her fourth appearance at the German venue. The first set of Sunday’s final was all Wozniacki, who broke Kerber in the fourth game then held her serve to take a 4-1 lead before the set was eventually served out. The German rallied to control the second, blasting her way out to a 3-0 lead before breaking the former world number one in the sixth game for a 5-1 lead to serve out the set. Both players traded breaks in the third before Wozniacki looked to be heading for her second tournament victory of 2015 at 5-3. But Kerber made her shots count and with the Dane under immense pressure on the base

Germany’s Angelique Kerber celebrates after defeating Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki in the final of the WTA Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, southwestern Germany, yesterday. (AFP Photo/Thomas Kienzle) line, Wozniacki was broken in the ninth and 11th games to give the German victory in just over two hours.

Retailers make a killing ahead of Pacquiao-Mayweather megafight MANILA (Reuters) Sales of Manny Pacquiao boxing gear and effects have soared as much as 10 times ahead of his May 2 megafight with Floyd Mayweather, with Philippine retailers struggling to cope with demand from fans snapping up any paraphernalia they could find. Online and front-end retailers are seeing record sales of Pacquiao T-shirts, boxing gloves, figurines, caps and jackets, with buyers stocking up on items they believe could at least double in value if he wins what is seen as the highest grossing bout in history. “Many are buying because prices might rise further if Manny wins. So while the fight is still days away, they are already buying these items,” said 50-year-old Carole Lynn Yap-Tan, who has been selling Pacquiao items online for four years. Yap-Tan said her sales via Ebay have jumped 10 times since February when the megafight, which took five years to arrange, was confirmed. Prices of Pacquiaoautographed boxing gloves, the best-selling item, have also risen at least 50 percent, said Yap-Tan, with buyers coming mostly from the United States, and a few from

A store employee holds up a stand with miniature figurines of boxers Manny Pacquiao (right) of the Philippines and Floyd Mayweather Jr. of the U.S., at a mall in Manila last Thursday. (Reuters/Romeo Ranoco) Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. Team Pacquiao store, owned by the boxer himself with branches in Manila and the southern Philippine city of General Santos, has seen its sales nearly triple, a record not seen during Pacquiao’s previous fights. “If we only had more stocks, we could report more sales,” said Team Pacquiao

sales representative Honey Gervacio. Carlo Libut, an Australiaborn Filipino and a Pacquiao fan, bought 4000-pesos ($91) autographed boxing gloves for his collection at the Team Pacquiao store. “First of all, I love the sport, boxing. And my whole family loves it, my dad loves it, and I’m a big fan of Manny Continued on page 29

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Kaieteur News

Monday April 27, 2015

GSA/Digicel Toucan Industries Ltd Junior Nishikori retains Barcelona Squash skill level tournament - Day 4 title with battling win Seasoned players dominate action

Kei Nishikori of Japan holds up the Japanese flag as he poses with the trophy after beating Pablo Andujar of Spain, yesterday. (Reuters/Gustau Nacarino)

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Kei Nishikori was crowned Barcelona Open champion for the second consecutive year after a hardfought 6-4 6-4 victory over surprise Spanish finalist Pablo Andujar yesterday. It was the ninth career title for the topseeded Japanese, who again showed his improved endurance as he battled to come out on top against the world number 66. “I didn’t think about winning the tournament at the start of the week because of the strength of the players here, especially the Spanish, but now I am very happy,” Nishikori told reporters. “I knew that Andujar has a good backhand and my plan was to move the ball around a bit. It worked well in the last few games and then with the final shot I closed my eyes and it went in.” Andujar broke serve in the opening game with Nishikori making uncharacteristic mistakes and the score was 2-2 before either

player held serve. Nishikori found himself being dragged out of position by Andujar, who had beaten third seed David Ferrer in the semifinals but, despite racking up 13 unforced errors, he still managed to break his opponent again at 5-4 to win the first set. Nishikori continued to make mistakes as the Spaniard went into a 2-0 lead in the next and then survived a break point to go 3-1 ahead. Yet the Japanese world number five rallied to level at 4-4 before, in Andujar’s next service game, a double fault gifted Nishikori match point and a backhand down the line gave him victory. Nishikori exploded on the tennis scene last year, reaching his first ever Grand Slam final at the US Open and he will be among the favourites to win the French Open next month. Strong from the back of the court, he is well suited to clay courts, also having reached the final of the Madrid Open in 2014 where he had to retire injured against Rafael Nadal.

The Guyana Squash Association, in collaboration with its corporate sponsor Digicel continued the Kraft Toucan Industries Junior Skill Level tournament at the Georgetown Club on Saturday in another round which produced a mixture of exciting matches and expansive victories. The more skilled players of Group A demonstrated the gulf between themselves and their opponents in a series of one sided matches, with Ben Mekdeci, Nyron Joseph and Akeila Wiltshire winning convincingly. Group B’s Shomari Wiltshire and Alex Cheeks won 3-0 and 3-1 respectively, although the 3-1 final score betrayed the competitive nature of the match between Cheeks and Anthony Islam, who, but for the second set, fought gamely. Rebecca Low displayed her poise in a 3-0 win over Sarah Lewis, while Makeda Harding overcame second and third set losses to Maya Collins to hold on to a 3-2 victory to round off the matches in Group C. Ethan Jonas dominated group D, losing only a single set in three victories over Demetrius DeAbreu (3-1), John Phang (3-0) and Zachary Persaud (3-0) respectively.

Jamaica’s women outstanding at Penn Relays PHILADELPHIA, United States — Jamaica’s female relay teams warmed up for next weekend’s IAAF World Relay Championships in The Bahamas, winning two of three events including retaining the 4x100m event in the USA vs The World Series at the Penn Relays Saturday. The Jamaican women just missed a third win, but were beaten on the line in the 4x200m by one seven thousandths of a second after clocking the same 1 minute 31.98 seconds as the USA. The 4x400m team of Christine Day, Patricia Hall, Anastacia Leroy and Stephenie-Ann McPherson ran a world-leading 3 minutes 26.58 seconds to easily beat the USA team anchored by Dee Dee Trotter (3:28.42 minutes) and third-placed Australia (3:32.31 minutes). McPherson split 50.47 seconds on the anchor leg after Day opened with 52.2 seconds and handed off to Hall, who ran 52.4 seconds. Leroy was timed in 51.55 seconds. The 4x100m team of

There were two wins each for Samuel Ince-Carvahal, including a hard earned 3-2 win over Michael Alphonso; Dominic Collins and Lucas Jonas. Both Collins and Lucas Jonas were tested in 32 victories over John Phang, who consistently proved to be an worthy opponent. There were more straightforward victories in Groups F, G and H where James Mekdeci, Nathan Rahaman, Liam Carpenter, Beau Fernandes, Chad DeAbreu, Mohryan Baksh, Louis DaSilva and Isabella Ramjohn romped to victories. The tournament was set to continue yesterday with a further 19 matches across the 8 groups. Day 4 Results: Group A Ben Mekdeci beat Larissa Wiltshire 3-0 (11/2, 11/6/11/7) Nyron Joseph beat Alec Melville 3-0 (11/7, 11/5, 13/11) Akeila Wiltshire beat Larissa Wiltshire 3-0 (11/7, 11/ 6, 11/7) Nyron Joseph beat Larissa Wiltshire 3-1 (11/9, 11/ 4, 10/12, 11/9) Ben Mekdeci beat Akeila Wiltshire 3-0 (11/1, 11/3, 13/ 11) Group B Shomari Wiltshire beat Daniel Islam 3-0 (11/9, 11/8, 11/3) Alex Cheeks beat Anthony Islam 3-1 (12/10, 11/ 0, 9/11, 11/8) Group C Rebecca Low beat Sarah Lewis 3-0 (11/6, 11/2, 11/3) Makeda Harding beat Maya Collins 3-2 (11/2, 10/12, 8/11, 11/3, 11/7) Group D Samuel Ince-Carvahal beat Zachary Persaud 3-0 (11/

1, 11/4, 11/6) Dominic Collins beat Zachary Persaud 3-0 (11/3, 11/ 4, 11/2) Dominic Collins beat John Phang 3-2 (11/8, 5/11, 7/11, 11/ 8, 11/9) Demetrius DeAbreu beat Michael Alphonso 3-2 (11/4, 11/9, 10/12, 6/11, 11/7) Michael Alphonso beat Dominic Collins 3-2 (11/7, 6/ 11, 12/10, 9/11, 11/3) Lucas Jonas beat John Phang 3-2 (1/11, 11/9, 11/9, 9/ 11, 11/5) Lucas Jonas beat Demetrius DeAbreu 3-1 (4/11, 11/5, 11/4, 11/5) Ethan Jonas beat Demetrius DeAbreu 3-1 (8/11, 11/2, 11/6, 11/7) Samuel Ince-Carvahal beat Michael Alphonso 3-2 (11/8, 7/11, 11/13, 11/5, 11/9) Ethan Jonas beat Zachary Persaud 3-0 (11/6, 12/10, 11/ 0) Ethan Jonas beat John Phang 3-0 (13/11, 11/7, 11/4) Group F James Mekdeci beat Gareth DaSilva 3-0 (11/7, 11/ 5, 11/1) Nathan Rahaman beat Haley Carpenter 3-0 (11/7, 11/ 4, 12/10) Group G Liam Carpenter beat Chad DeAbreu 2-0 (11/7, 11/9) Beau Fernandes beat Geovanna Do Santos 2-1 (11/ 8, 8/11, 11/4) Chad DeAbreu beat Teija Edwards 2-0 (11/7, 11/8) Mohryan Baksh beat Liam Carpenter 2-1 (11/6, 9/11, 11/ 8) Group H Louis DaSilva beat Noah Rahaman 2-0 (15/13, 13/11) Isabella Ramjohn beat Shiloh Asregado 2-1 (11/9, 9/ 11, 11/8)

Over-40 softball 10/10 cricket

Savage Masters victorious at DCC

Jamaica’s Kerron Stewart (right) hands the baton to Sherone Simpson as they romp to victory in the women’s 4x100m event at the Penn Relays Saturday. (Photo: Collin Reid courtesy of team Jamaica Bickle, VMBS, Supreme Ventures and Digicel) Kerron Stewart, Sherone Simpson, Schillonie Calvert and Natasha Morrison clocked 43.70 seconds to beat the USA (43.79 seconds), with Nigeria third in (43.22 seconds).

Despite two strong legs from Schillonie Calvert and Morrison, it was not enough as a super run from the USA’s Porscha Lucas led the Americans to a narrow victory.

Shericka Williams led off the team and handed the baton to Sherone Simpson, who carried to Calvert. Morrison, who was on anchor, fell hard at the end and suffered bruises to her face.

Ramo Malone led Savage Masters to two victories against Floodlight X1 last Friday under lights at the DCC ground in Queenstown in two 10 overs, Over-40 softball cricket matches. In the first match, Malone hammered 63 and got support from Randolph Perreira who made an unbeaten 20 and Nadir Baksh who chipped in with 18 to lead Savage Masters to 140-3 off their allotted 10 overs. Floodlight X1 could only reach 91-3 when their 10 overs expired despite 30 not out from Ricky Deonarine and 27 from Greg De Franca as Shawn Comacho took 2-16 for Savage Masters who won by 49 runs. In the second match, Floodlight X1 reached 102-9 with Budnah Persaud top scoring with 18 as Malone grabbed 321 and got back-up from Perreira 2-13 and Bhowanie Ramotar 2-22. In reply Savage Masters romped to a seven-wicket win by reaching 104-3 with two balls to spare with Mohamed Rafeek scoring 32 and the consistent Malone getting an undefeated 19.