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Kaieteur News
Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
Making more money from the internet On December 25, 2014, Airtel, India’s largest mobile operator with over 200 million active subscribers dropped a bombshell: it wanted to charge customers extra for using services like Skype, Viber and Google Hangouts even though they had already paid for Internet access. If customers wanted to use a service that used Internet data to make voice calls - something known as VoIP - they would need to subscribe to an additional VoIP pack, the company said. Airtel was double-dipping and customers were furious. The tweets flew thick and fast. In less than four days, Airtel backtracked on its plans. It would wait, it said, for a consultation paper about net neutrality that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) would publish soon. Net neutrality sounds like a scary term but what it means is simply this: on the Internet, all bits are equal. What you do with the data you pay for - watch a YouTube video, send a WhatsApp message or make a Skype call - is entirely your prerogative. In an ideal world, your Internet service provider should not prioritise certain kinds of bits over others. A neutral Internet is a utility like electricity - if your power company, for instance, doesn’t have a say in how you use the electricity it provides, why should an Internet service provider get to decide what you do with the bits you pay for? Right now, thanks to the rise of apps like WhatsApp, which eat into operators’ SMS revenues, and video-streaming services like YouTube and Netflix, which consume massive amounts of bandwidth, these principles of openness and freedom are being challenged around the world. In the United States, for example, video-streaming service Netflix was forced to pay Comcast, the country’s largest Internet service provider, to retain its access to consumers or risk being throttled. The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) only recently voted to regulate broadband as a public utility - no splitting the Internet into fast and slow lanes as operators had wanted. The FCC was promptly sued by the United States Telecom Association, a trade group that represents some of the country’s largest Internet providers. Indeed, the paper begins by classifying everything on the Internet as we know it - Skype, Viber, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Instagram, Hike, Amazon, Flipkart, Ola, Facebook Messenger, BlackBerry Messenger, iMessage, online games, music streaming services like Pandora and more - as OTT, telecom industry jargon for “over-the-top” services. “It’s ridiculous,” says an Indian administrator. “All these services are the whole reason why we pay these service providers for Internet access in the first place.” So how will having a non-neutral Internet affect you? For starters, you can say goodbye to paying a flat fee for using a certain amount of data each month and accessing whatever you want. Your Internet will be sliced up into “packs” - extra money for a YouTube pack, for instance, another charge for a WhatsApp pack, another to access Google search, and on and on it goes. It’s important to remember that it’s not just telecom companies that are interested in a non-neutral Internet in India. According to the TRAI consultation paper, 83 percent of India’s Internet users access the Internet from their mobile phones. This massive audience is crucial for multibilliondollarcorporationslikeTwitter,FacebookandGoogle. In February, Reliance Communications and Facebook partnered to launch Internet.org in India, a service whose ostentatious aim was to bring the Internet to the next billion people. In reality, Internet.org grossly violated net neutrality by offering free access to a handpicked list of websites and social networks for free, while making users pay for others; Google bundled free data with its Android One phones; and WhatsApp tied up with multiple providers across the country to provide “WhatsApp Packs.” Right now, businesses and companies are free to operate whatever services they want over the Internet. “Features become full businesses,” says one entrepreneur. “That freedom will get constrained by this approach to maximise revenues by restricting. Telecom operators should be seeking to maximise revenues by making us use more of the Internet. They’re slicing the pie instead of growing the pie.”
Tuesday April 07, 2015
Letters... Where your views make the news
Development of Guyana's Energy Sector DEAR EDITOR, In response to my KN letter of March 27 on the above referenced subject, Teri Phang, an apparent sidekick of Prime Minister (PM) Hinds, attempted to portray him in a letter of April 1 which appeared in the media as the PPP Government's Minister who has overseen the investment of billions of dollars in rehabilitation and modernization of Guyana's energy sector including the electrical utility - Guyana Power and Light (GPL) with drastic transformation. Since 1992 the PPP Govt. and by implication PM Hinds, have never produced a comprehensive strategic plan to develop the energy sector and in the process satisfy Guyana's growing electricity needs, as GPL has been increasing/upgrading its generating and transmission capacity only when a crisis situation develops and not to meet any planned or predicted demand to satisfy the domestic and
industrial requirements of the country. Construction of the Vreed-en-Hoop power plant to provide an additional 20MW bears this out, as the electricity demands for the Tuschen and La Parfaite Harmonie housing developments had outstripped supply, resulting in regular breakdowns and blackouts of GPL on the West Coast. Leguan and Wakenaam Islands have largely been inhabited by Guyanese/East Indian farmers who have been strong supporters of the PPP over the years. During the 1980's the then PNC Govt. through GPL provided the Islanders with part-time electricity for the first time. However, the people soon became dissatisfied with the service, but nothing was done to upgrade the system until 2014 when because of the forthcoming elections on May 11, the PPP Govt. decided to provide the Islands with full-time electricity as an inducement for expected support at the
polls from the faithful. During his tenure, PM Hinds has indeed overseen the PPP Government's investment of billions of dollars on GPL, but instead of making it a reliable and efficient supplier of electricity, the utility has suffered from poor management, became heavily indebted, and has been operating from one crisis to the other as it provides its consumers with daily doses of black-outs and breakdowns not only in Georgetown but the Essequibo Coast, Corentyne and elsewhere in the country. PM Hinds and his PPP colleagues made GPL a political football, as they approved subsidized electricity for pensioners, Lindeners and others, while spreading the high costs levied for operating and debt servicing of the utility to the remaining poor and rich customers alike. He failed to plug the losses of electricity due to
thefts and system leakages. Instead of resolving these and the many other problems GPL faced, he shifted his attention to reduce the cost for electricity by exploring other possible less expensive sources - wind, solar and hydropower - but he got nowhere, as the decision as to which source should be pursued for development rested with the President and his Ex, who have been calling the shots. Therefore any serious negotiations with power brokers were outside his ambit. In the end he became frustrated as he realized that he was making no headway to develop the energy sector in any meaningful way, contrary to the drastic transformations Teri Phang claimed he made. His make-believe caught up with him as he recoiled into his laid back temperament of 'going along to get along' and which eventually did him in. Charles Sohan
In a modern service, training in “police work” is not enough DEAR EDITOR, The report on the recent graduation ceremony for 113 recruits of the Guyana Police Force (I thought the name was changed to Guyana Police Service) caught my attention as I read the Kaieteur News online on 1st April 2015. I perused the article hoping to gain some information on the content of the courses making up the “rigorous training” to which recruits were said to have been subjected. Mention was made of courses such as Tactical Services and Junior Accelerated; courses a noninsider might feel comfortable of making fairly accurate guesses on their content. The other three courses mentioned - 320, 321 and 30B suggested nothing to me, and therefore I could not ascertain how exposure to these would adequately prepare these new officers for responding competently to the contentious issues of the day. Issues that the police in Guyana are frequently required to respond to and unprofessional behaviour they are frequently accused of as they relate with citizens. As I understand it, some of the major areas of discontent with the Guyana Police Force are:
a) Abusive behaviour by its ranks towards citizens; b) Inability to deal appropriately with cases of spousal abuse; and c) Corruption among its members Some of these areas of discontent with the police are not peculiar to the Guyana Police Force, other police agencies around the world are confronted with similar problems. The difference, however, is that in the case of Guyana, citizens are not aware of the structured programs in place to give members of the police force the capacity to respond in socially acceptable ways to the said concerns. In the United States of America, much like what obtains in Guyana, there is
regular protest against police abusive behaviour against citizens – offenders and nonoffenders. Thus many state police agencies have sought to use the media to inform citizens of what they are doing in an effort to improve the service provided. For example, many departments aggressively seek to increase the number of females in their ranks, this is because female officers tend to be much less aggressive than their male counterparts and therefore there are much fewer accusation leveled at them for using excessive force. Female officers are said to be better at defusing situations that hold the potential of escalating into violence. They also have
been seen as displaying better communication skills and noted for responding more effectively to incidents of violence against women. If these findings are correct then it might be in the interest of Guyana Police Force to consider a similar approach. Increasing the number of its female members would make it possible for patrols in Guyana to always comprise officers of both sexes. In a modern police service, training in what is called “police work” is not enough. When a police officer is on his/her own patrolling our streets he/she has to make decisions that tests his general intelligence – when is a warning (Continued on page 23)
Pick up after your dogs DEAR EDITOR, Last Wednesday afternoon I took my rescue dog Carlisa (on a leash) for a walk. As your readers can recall, several years ago Carlisa was rescued from drowning in a trench in front of the former home of our President and First Lady. As Carlisa and I got to Shiv Chanderpaul Drive and Regent Street she stopped to do “her business”. I immediately reached into my pocket and got out a plastic bag and picked up the poop. As we were about to carry on walking, a young man came up to me and said “Miss, you must be from abroad because I never see anyone picking up after their dogs”. I smiled
and continued walking. I got to thinking about what the young man said to me and I could not agree more. Every day we home owners are faced with messes left by dogs of irresponsible owners. It is not only the parapet, but walking on the seawall one has to dodge dog poop. Animal owners need to become more aware of the importance of picking up after their dogs, it is not only environmental pollution but it can spread diseases. Help keep our city clean; please, if you take your dog for a walk use a leash and take a poop and scoop bag to pick up after them. Syeada Manbodh
Tuesday April 07, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news
Forward to the Past Community and Religious -the APNU/AFC Vision Leaders must make a stand DEAR EDITOR, Dreams die hard for the Grangers of this world and so it is for the Retired Brigadier. Granger swore of his membership of the PNC during his military career when competing with Carl Greenidge for the leadership of the PNC. Somehow he felt the membership in the PNC was not incompatible with his oath as an officer of the GDF. I guess it would be too hard now to ask the General Secretary of the PNC to confirm whether indeed Granger had been a member of the PNC while in the military. That might be too uncomfortable with the Dr. Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry breathing down his neck. But the Burnhamite policies he now advocates point to his intellectual mentor. Like many Latin American Political Organisations, the APNU has increasingly become openly Military run. Its leaders are formally Retired Military Officers and their Military minds are forever at work. Like Burnham, he, Granger craves power, but he has never acknowledged nor repented for his active support and participation in Burnhamite PNC Government excesses, and as he conducts his political campaign, Guyanese can see why his dream
is to reintroduce these policies. His dream is to succeed where Burnham failed. Like Burnham, he embraces the military. He would discipline Guyana starting with the youths and their return to National Service. Like Burnham his planned Government would have the commanding heights of the economy and the Private Sector will know its place. He plans to nationalise the privately owned and run Berbice River Bridge Company. Like Burnham, he has led APNU to embrace the Burnhamite political credo ‘All or None: Control or Destroy’. He has used APNU in the entire 10th Parliament to delay, frustrate and prevent the development of Guyana. He was prepared to destroy Guyana’s gains if he could not get his way. Burnham held on to his policies and doomed Guyana. He died in office. It is a great pity that Granger’s dreams of Burnham policies did not die then too. So today Guyana is faced with an aged Burnhamite follower planning to plunge Guyana into the past, a past of failed policies, savage repression and loss of hope for the future. Dr Roger Luncheon Head, Presidential Secretariat
DEAR EDITOR, I guess I really cannot help it, but I am following Guyana politics and its leading up to elections on May 11, as if it was a sporting event. Despite my residing overseas, my interest stems from the fact that I am a diehard Guyanese from the core, beyond the shore and lots more. Admittedly, one gets the impression that I am a political junkie of sorts, and I’ll settle for that appellation. Although I enjoy the strategy of politics, I have seen how it effortlessly manages to bring out the worst in us humans. The daily newspapers relentlessly inundate readers with juicy titbits, exposure of dastardly deeds, lascivious acts, sexual impropriety, racial undertones, underhand deals about the candidates, sometimes even infringing on the privacy rights of their spouses, ex-lovers, cohorts, consorts or other
family members. The list of misdeeds goes on ad infinitum. This is all designed and geared towards swaying the voter(s) towards a particular political party and candidate, while succinctly playing with their psyche. It is blatantly apparent that the voting populace in Guyana has been beaten into a stupor, and the yet unsolved or not-to-be-resolved murder of political activist, Courtney Crum Ewing, serves as a further stupefying entity. While the political storm surges forward, and on the horizon the high stakes loom even higher -the poignant question that springs to the forefront of the mind of interested onlookers is: “where are the community leaders/ religious leaders in all this?” Are they as equally moribund as the citizens? Or has the situation reached the level of “everyman for himself, and God for us all?” The storm
rageth, carest not thou that the nation perish? Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States of America said, “Keep the Church and State forever separate.” Is this taking place in Guyana? Does the church have a role to play in leading the country towards racial reconciliation, diversity, and unity? Everyone would agree that we need this now more than ever. Separation of church and state is an American concept that has been practiced in some countries, but is this the panacea for all countries? Corruption is rampant in Guyana to the point where it has earned an indisputable place on the Top Ten Most Wanted List. In fact it is ranked first among the many other evils that have dogged this beleaguered nation. Silence in the (Continued on page 23)
DEAR EDITOR, A few days ago two respectable Guyanese drew attention to the poor facilities available at Guyana’s openair crematoriums, with particular reference to Babu Jaan (ref. Christopher Ram on 1/4/15 and Vishnu Bisram on 3/4/15). In advocating for improvements, Mr. Bisram wrote: “Trinidad and Mauritius cater for the needs of funeral attendees and could be role models for Guyana”. I have also seen open-air crematoriums outside of Guyana; with all due respect and a sense of nationalistic pride, I can say that the Blairmont Crematorium & Memorial Garden, situate south of the Blairmont Estate sugar factory, on the West bank of the Berbice River in Guyana, compares, if not surpasses, the best in terms of the ‘garden’ ambience as well as the range and quality of services provided for the mourning families and the funeral attendees. For example: The two pyres are surrounded by a Viewing Pavil-
ion comfortably seating at least 200 persons as well as many tall trees under which some attendees currently choose to stand; we will soon install benches under these trees. Attached to the Viewing Pavilion is a Memorial Room where patrons can hang framed photos of the cremated persons as a memorial spot to which they can return occasionally, e.g. the death anniversaries, father’s & mother’s days etc. to light candles/agarbati and pray, sing or reminisce. Under the Viewing Pavilion is another room that can be used as a meeting/comfort room for the family members; it can also be used for any final preparation of the corpse before the cremation. Also under the pavilion are five flush toilets, one for VIP’s, two for women, two for men, plus three urinals and three wash basins with running water. Additionally, there is a well stocked Refreshment Centre All the above are within a one-acre plot of
nicely landscaped land covered with manicured lawns, beautiful flowering plants and palm trees. Currently under construction is another innovative concrete structure intended to accommodate token amounts of the ash from the pyre which patrons who wish to do so can deposit and have engraved the names and DOB/DOD of the cremated persons as a perpetual memorial spot, like the memorial Room mentioned above. Adjacent to the Crematorium & Memorial Garden site is an all-weather concreted Car Park big enough for at (Continued on page 23)
Someone in the police Why look overseas when a good force is a blatant liar model for crematoriums is here
DEAR EDITOR, The Guyana Police Force has issued a denial of the description of a roadblock I saw outside the Cove and John station as carried in my column of Thursday, April 2, 2015 I quote from the police statement; “The Guyana Police Force further states that the police roadblock was not withdrawn following the intervention of Mr. Freddie Kissoon and then later replaced as is implied in the article. The roadblock continued in progress until it was assessed to be tactically appropriate to conclude the activity.” That statement is blatant fiction and an egregious lie. Here is a second description of what happened. In the car was the Vice-Chairman of the University of Guyana Workers’ Union, Khemraj Narine. Mr. Narine was in the driver’s seat. I was in the passenger front seat. It was my car. In the back seat were Leon Hunt, Carlyle Goring and Delton Dalton. All three are election campaign workers for the Alliance for Change. The police were on both the southern and northern sides of the public road. Since we were traveling west, the policeman nearest to our car would be the one on the south. He looked into
the car as we slowed, then, waved us on, this is, to proceed. We didn’t. I told him he wasn’t wearing an identification badge. Just then the policemen on the north were stopping vehicles at random. I came out of the car with Hunt and Goring. Narine and Dalton remained seated. I told the officer in charge that he was stopping motorists at random; the police car was not visible to drivers; not even one rank had name and number tags. An argument ensued for about ten minutes and the police withdrew into a side street that leads to the police station. They drove the car away. We waited to see their departure, then we left. As the ranks were leaving, a woman on a bicycle rode into the street that leads to the station. She violently cussed me down. Hunt shouted at her telling her that maybe she is a prostitute for the police. If the Commissioner of Police was misled or he doesn’t believe me, I would suggest he have a private word with Narine, Hunt, Goring and Dalton. His subordinate can contact me for their mobile phone numbers. The police officer who rejected my version was either misled or is a barefaced liar. Let me repeat for readers
and the Guyanese public. The roadblock was improper, with only one redeemable feature. It was near to a police station. The police car could not have been seen by oncoming motorists. Drivers were not searched based on reasonable suspicion. The ranks did not have name tags. It was midnight. After I came home, I rang the station. They told me that the roadblock was in progress as we spoke on the phone. What the police did was to return to their illegal road structure after we left. Inspector Gravesande told me he called it off after I complained over the phone to the ranks at Cove and John. I am assuming that calls to the stations are taped. I am also assuming that commonsense would have dictated that the tapes be listened to before the police rejected any version of any events. I am not going to insult the Commissioner and his senior ranks by defining for them what the words “remove” or “withdraw” mean. But I will emphasize that the roadblock (Continued on page 23)
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Tuesday April 07, 2015
Jagdeo bypassed experienced Indian firm for Chinese Former President Bharrat Jagdeo, looking for a contractor to build a modern, state-of-the-art sugar factory at Skeldon in the 2000s, made a strange move. He chose an inexperienced Chinese contractor that had no history of building such a sugar factory over an internationally recognized Indian firm. The government had announced that two tenders were received for the Skeldon sugar factory- one from Walchandnagar Industries Limited (WIL), of India, and the other, China National Technical Import and Export Corporation (CNTIC) - which was known more for importing vehicles into China. The decision to go the way of CNTIC was taken by Jagdeo. The Indian company’s bid came in US$30M cheaper than that of the Chinese firm. The Chinese exceeded the construction deadline by almost three years, completing the project in 2009. The project cost, under the Chinese firm, escalated from US$112M to over
- pays extra US$30M to build Skeldon factory
President Donald Ramotar Former President Bharrat Jagdeo
An aerial shot of the Skeldon factory which was constructed by a Chinese company and commissioned in August 2009. US$200M. The monies to finance the entire project including the factory and field expansion, under the direction of Jagdeo, came from the World BankUS$56M; Export/Import of China- US$32M and US$25 from the Caribbean Development Bank. But even then the factory
was not working as it should. Government accepted the malfunctioning Skeldon factory in August 2009. Months later Jagdeo gave the same Chinese company another major contract. This time it was the US$40M-plus to install the new transmission power lines along the coast. These power lines stretch
It’s Nomination Day
All political parties to contest the May 11 polls will today make their way to the traditional venue, City Hall, to formally submit their respective lists of candidates to Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield. In 35 days, Guyanese will head to the polls to elect national leaders in the Regional and General Elections. At least ten parties have signaled an interest in contesting. Earlier, the electoral body reported that preparations for elections are well underway. Today is Nomination Day. Though the Fire Department declared the 125year-old City Hall building, located at Avenue of the Republic, Georgetown, a fire hazard, as is customary, the event will be held there. In the run up to today, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) hosted a meeting aimed at sensitizing the players in the political sphere to the technical and other mandatory requirements that need to be met on or before Nomination Day to pave the way for them to constitutionally contest the elections. Representatives of A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/
from Parika, in Essequibo to Moleson Creek on the Corentyne. The Indian company has constructed more than 80 turn-key sugar factories and has modernized more than 100 facilities to boost efficiency and production capacity. It had a proven track record in the diffuser technology, similar to what the current factory has. The Chinese firm had virtually no experience in building sugar factories. That company had to purchase components from all over the world, including Louisiana, US, to construct the factory. He has since been taking significant flak for his role in the growing scandal which
refuses to go away. To date, no one has been held responsible for the failures. Sitting on GuySuCo’s Board of Directors at the time was current President Donald Ramotar. In the 90s, Government recognizing that GuySuCo was producing excess sugar, came up with Skeldon modernization project, including a new factory, and expanded fields, to target the CARICOM markets. It was a good idea with plans for a sugar refinery as well. Guyana and GuySuCo plugged more than US$70M. Skeldon, despite its newness, has been recording the worst performance of all the older factories in Demerara and Berbice, the cane growing areas of Guyana. Its efficiency, or lack of, saw the factory requiring more than double the industry’s average of canes to produce one tonne of sugar last year. GuySuCo, at this stage,
Dr. Raj Singh, CEO of GuySuCo has been forced to hire at significant costs, several experts, including Indians and South Africans to correct the deficiencies of the factory. The issue of sugar is a serious one for political parties contesting the elections. None of them wants to touch it, except to promise the 16,000-plus workers that the industry will remain alive despite other CARICOM countries abandoning production.
Calls for public vetting of Elections Day staff not practical - GECOM
C), the Independent Party, Guyana National Congress, Theocracy Party, Liberation Party, Guyana Small Man Party and Organisation for the Victory of the People, were among those present. The Chief Elections Officer had explained that the activity was statutory. “The law requires of us, as the body, and you, as representatives of political parties, to ensure the processes required, every step of the way, are followed to the letter of the law,” Lowenfield had told the politicians. Guyana’s constitution mandates that every
contesting political party must submit each of the Lists of Candidates on Nomination Day, one National Top-Up List, at least six Geographical Constituencies’ Lists and the Regional Democratic Councils’ Lists that the given party may seek to contest on Nomination Day. The various Lists of Candidates must comprise registered voters who are eligible to be elected as members of the National Assembly. One third of the Candidates validly nominated must be female. The agency’s current Preliminary List of Electors (PLE) stands at 567,125.
Officials of the Guyana Elections Commission, (GECOM) are unwavering in their stance that the organization will conduct elections with limited involvement of political parties as it relates to determining policies which govern the electoral process. GECOM’s response follows repeated calls by the People’s Progressive Party PPP/C to allow public vetting of Election Day staff. GECOM’s Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally noted that this will not happen since it is not practical to the interest of the Commission’s operations to publish the names of elections day staff for public scrutiny. Dr. Surujbally further held that the Commission has guidelines in place to handle the recruitment process in a professional manner. The Elections Commission
GECOM’s Chairman, Dr. Steve Surujbally Chairman, in reference to Article 161 (B) of the Constitution, said that political parties have limited power over the policies implemented to monitor an electoral process. Such
decisions, Dr. Surujbally says lies solely in the hands of GECOM. According to the Constitution, the role of political parties and their nominees in the conduct of elections by the Elections Commission shall be limited to their participation in determining policy, monitoring the electoral process and the conduct of the election, but does not include active management of the electoral process. Recently the PPP/C General Secretary, Clement Rohee, based his call for the public vetting on the “fact” that the PPP has seen in 2011 the “unprofessional and biased acts by a few Presiding and Assistant Presiding Officers towards PPP supporters, Polling Agents and Candidates, especially in Georgetown.” Rohee (Continued on page 24)
Tuesday April 7, 2015
Kaieteur News
Lufthansa says not obligated to report crash pilot’s medical record (Reuters) - Lufthansa said yesterday it was not required to inform German aviation authorities about Andreas Lubitz’s former depression because he qualified as a pilot before stricter reporting rules went into effect in 2013. Lubitz, a co-pilot at Lufthansa’s budget division Germanwings, is believed to have deliberately crashed a plane into the French Alps and killed 150 people. The question of what Lufthansa knew about any psychiatric problems may be a factor in its liability in the crash. Germany’s Allianz estimates that insurers will end up paying $300 million in
claims and costs related to the crash. Lubitz broke off pilot training for several months in 2009. When he resumed his training, he told the Lufthansa pilot instructors by email he had overcome a period of severe depression. He was first certified to fly commercial planes in 2012. Under European regulations, pilots with psychiatric conditions should be referred to the licensing authority by aeromedical examiners, who may then decide to restrict the pilot’s licence. The Luftfahrtbundesamt (LBA), the relevant German authority, on Sunday said it had “no information at all”
before the crash about Lubitz’s depression. Lufthansa said that a provision in the new regulation, introduced in Germany in April 2013, safeguarded certain preexisting fit-to-fly certificates and medical certificates issued by specialized aviation doctors. Aeromedical centers or aviation doctors could therefore issue extensions to such medical certificates even after the new rules came into effect, the airline said. “A general and separate duty to refer to the LBA did not therefore arise as a result of the change in the legal position,” Lufthansa said.
A general view of debris from the wreckage of the Germanwings Airbus A320 which crashed, near Seyne-les-Alpes. (REUTERS/FRENCH INTERIOR MINISTRY/DICOM/Y. MALENFER/HANDOUT)
Yemen’s Aden suffers amid clashes, aid deliveries delayed (Reuters) - Explosions shook the suburbs of the Yemeni port city of Aden yesterday as residents reported a foreign warship shelling Houthi positions on the outskirts of the city. Street fighting and heavy shelling has for several days torn through the city, the last bastion of support for Saudibacked president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Twelve days of bombing by a Saudi-led coalition has failed to halt the advance of the Iran-allied Houthis that has triggered a growing humanitarian crisis for residents in central districts now cut off from the mainland. Relief from outside appeared distant as the International Committee of the Red Cross told Reuters that it had yet to arrange a flight to deliver 48 tons of medical supplies despite gaining Saudi approval for the aid on Satur-
day night. Food, water and electricity shortages have mounted throughout the country but especially in Aden, where combat has shut ports and cut land routes linking the city to the outside. “How are we supposed to live without water and electricity?” pleaded Fatima, a housewife walking through the city streets with her young children. She clutched a yellow plastic jerry can, like dozens of other residents on the streets and in queues seeking water from public wells or mosque faucets after supplies at home dried up. The International Committee of the Red Cross, which for days blamed the Saudi-led coalition for delays, told Reuters on Monday that Saudi Arabia had granted permission for an aid shipment before midnight on Saturday
but problems in chartering planes would likely delay the aid’s arrival to the Yemeni capital for at least a day. “We are still working on getting the plane to Sanaa. It’s a bit difficult with the logistics because there are not that many companies or cargo planes willing to fly into a conflict zone,” said Marie Claire Feghali, a Red Cross spokesperson. “We have very high hopes, given the clearance from the coalition and also the Yemenis, that we will be able to get the 48 tons of medical supplies in tomorrow or the day after,” Feghali said. Eight Houthi fighters were killed in an air strike before dawn in the suburbs of the northern city of Saadah, home of the Shi’ite Muslim movement which spread from its mountain stronghold to take over the capital Sanaa six months ago.
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THIS CHILD DOES NOT DESERVE THIS! To this day, I do not know how it happened. But the fact that it happened, has taught me an important lesson in life about not breaking a promise to a child. It was always my practice that whenever I made a trip to the city, I would return with goodies for my grandchild. She would look forward to me bringing back her favourite pastries and sweets on my sojourns to the city. Thus one day, I made a promise to her that I bring her a special treat. I promised her ice cream. I do not know how it happened, but I simply forgot on that day to bring back the ice cream. I will never forget the look on the poor child’s face when she discovered that I had not brought the ice cream. If you had cut me that day, you would have been hard pressed to find blood. I had forgotten to do something and the guilt was overwhelming. She said nothing but the hurt was all over her face. I had broken a cardinal rule: never break a promise to a child. My conscience has never recovered from that lapse in memory on my part. I had shattered a child’s expectations. This is the
unkindest cut of all. This past week I recalled this story about my broken promise to bring back ice cream when I read about the horrible manner in which the top CSEC student in Guyana has been treated by the government. This child who brought glory and honour to Guyana, who no doubt wrote all of those subjects - I believe it was nineteen- in the expectation of winning the coveted President’s Award Scholarship to study at a university of her choice in a field of her choice, was informed by letter from the Public Service Ministry that she can pursue studies either in Guyana, China or Cuba in three fields. This reversal of what the child had expected, this shattering of a child’s dream, is not a case of a lapse in memory on anyone’s part. It was lapse in judgment, a clumsy lapse in judgment. It should never have happened. There should never have been also the insulting attempt at justifying why the child was offered a scholarship to study in Guyana, Cuba or China. That attempt sought to place the foul up as resulting from the
fact that there has been no Appropriation Act since the National Assembly has been dissolved. That explanation is an insult to the people of this country and to the child. Even if there is a problem with the fact that there is no voted provision for the scholarship, why not write to the child informing her that the matter will be resolved after the elections. But this is not what the government did. No, it was offering the child a
completely different scholarship than the one she had expected. The explanation offered by the government does not hold water with me or for that matter with scores of Guyanese who are deeply upset with what has happened to this child’s expectations. There has been a foul up. All governments make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes and has lapses of judgment. Even the Peeper who has a memory of an elephant messed up when he
forgot to buy that ice cream and hurt his grandchild’s feelings, an act that haunts me onto this day. All governments should be big enough to admit to their mistakes. No one is perfect. What is important is not to deny the foul-up but to make it right. You will get more credit for making a wrong right than if you have not in the first place done a wrong. The government should make it right and not do what it has done to this child.
Make this thing right! Honour your obligations! Do not hide behind pitiful excuses. Make things right! Admit a mistake was made, admit to fault in judgment and remedy this situation! This child does not deserve this! (To be continued)
The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) will, on Nomination Day-todayresent to the nation its List of Candidates to represent the Party at the General and Regional Elections on May 11. In a missive it released to the media, the PPP said that the list will reflect the diversity of Guyana and will be surely made up of persons “who are aptly competent to continue to take Guyana forward.” The PPP/C described itself, in the missive, as a
political force that is clearly identifiable through its commitment to democracy, freedom, diversity, nonviolence, gender equality and global sustainable development. The Party boasted that its track record has been one “sprouting with real development of which the evidence is overwhelming across the ten Regions.” The Party said that a casual comparison of Guyana today against two decades ago, would realize that positive
transformation exists. In fact, the PPP said that under its administration there have been daily efforts to do something or the other to ensure a better life for all Guyanese. The Party sought to assure Guyanese that its main objective “is not to give glorious promises that cannot be realized, but to give society real tangible goals which are already in the pipeline. In the next five years our Party-led government and leaders will continue to foster
positive sustainable management practices. Our framework is predictable with policy implementation flowing from a societal consensus for function and desired outcome. As our Party seeks re-election, we should be judged by our fiscal development and infrastructural track record which has transformed the lives of all our citizens. The choice that you make on May 11 will determine whether Guyana continues on its developmental path.”
PPP promises competent and diverse list of candidates
Professor Harold Lutchman is JAGDEO REALLY APNU+AFC Rep of List of Candidates Dem boys seh...
SMART GUYANA
Imagine Granger had a fridge that was wukking. He decide to get a bigger one suh he hire Donald fuh fix up this big fridge. But Donald know bout TV. He never fix a fridge. Donald tek $100,000 fuh do de wuk. But fuh some reason de fridge never wuk good. Donald hand it over and Granger tek it. Things spoiling in de fridge and Granger decide to call Donald. He can’t find Donald nowhere. But he find Donald when he stove did want fixing. He advertise and Donald tun up. Granger either had to be a scamp, had runnings wid Donald or plain stupid because he give Donald that contract, too, fuh another $100,000. If that sound like a joke, dem boys want you think wha happen wid de Skeldon sugar factory. De company wha build it never build one and when dem hand it over to de government it wasn’t wukking good. It still ain’t wukking. Dem boys remember when Rob de Earth was de Minister. When dem ask bout Skeldon he tell dem how he suing de company. Was nuff talk and nutten bout talk because he boss Jagdeo give de same company another contract. Wha surprise dem boys was that de company was more dear than de one from India which build more sugar factories that dem got flies following dead dog. Why Jagdeo pick dem ain’t had to guess. If you want protect you money de best people to keep it is dem who paying you. Dem boys sure that just like how dem cricketers does have dem money in foreign banks and not all in dem own bank, is just suh nuff government people got money in foreign banks. Dem boys willing to bet that none of dem got money hide away in America. De money deh in India and China. Every month de arrangement is fuh de foreign bank to transfer some money to de local bank. Dem should have a law fuh people to explain why de money coming in every month. And dem boys seh that dem ain’t talking bout motherin-law; father-in-law, son-in-law or daughter-in-law. Jagdeo ain’t got none of dem in-law. He got a special in-law though. De Germans seh that got dieb in richt. Fuh dem people who don’t know de meaning of that phrase, it mean thief-in-law. Talk half and thank de Germans.
A Partnership For National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition has agreed on former Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Professor Emeritus, Harold Lutchman, as the perfect man to be the Representative of its List of Candidates. This list is to be handed to the Guyana Elections Commission today. Prof Lutchman is now the ultimate man with authority to determine which members of the coalition will represent it in Parliament subsequent to the May, 11 General and Regional Elections. The Cummingsburg Accord, which was signed by APNU and AFC on February 14, to secure favourable conditions under which both Parties will head to the polls under one banner, stipulated that the Representative of the List must be taken from civil
“Like any lawyer I had lots of questions, but once those were answered I was satisfied and I accepted”- Lutchman society. The coalition agreed that the Representative of the List will be assigned other responsibilities such as ensuring that the tenets of the Cummingsburg Accord are upheld by both of the political groupings. According to the Representation of the People Act (Chap. 1:03) the “Representative of the List” has to be a candidate of the Party and either be so designated or be the person whose name appears first on the list of candidates. Today being Nomination Day, Professor Emeritus Lutchman will submit the List to GECOM at an official ceremony to be held at City Hall. During an interview
yesterday, the Attorney at Law said that he was approached last week by the coalition. He told Kaieteur News that he had numerous questions, all of which were answered to his satisfaction and as such, he decided to accept the offer. Professor Emeritus Lutchman said that he has plans to exercise his duties in full consultation with top members of the coalition. He added that he is one who holds strongly to the belief that power must be exercised and not abused. He said that he does not see his new position as a powerful one. Lutchman was a trade unionist and is a trained political scientist.
Professor Emeritus, Harold Lutchman
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday April 07, 2015
=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===
“Kit” Nascimento: A Tennessee Williams character This country is a wasteland that has no parallel on Planet Earth. In the 21st century, a man who created infamy in the first half of the 20th century and who failed miserably in the next fifty years in achieving any fame or favourable recognition in the pioneering of innovative politics or contributing in even a tiny way to pioneering journalism, is the media consultant for a number of important state sector institutions, private sector organizations and the tourism industry. A virtual non-entity as a media personality the last twenty years whose career parallels the recurring theme in Tennessee Williams’ plays, Nascimento is nearing his nineties. This is where the
insanity becomes Faustian. How can any country in the 21 century with a population that has sixty percent of citizens under the age of 35 employ a man nearing his nineties to be a PR person and he has not even a positive track record much less a brilliant career? What has happened to those lovely Guyanese women with their communication degrees whose beauty and brains Vogue magazine would employ immediately? What happened to those bright Guyanese men with their communication degrees and dapper clothes who can bring spotlight to a press conference? Nascimento’s employment in the public relations world in Guyana is
testimony to the poor wasteland this country has become since 1999. That a section of the business community and the public sector employ a PR consultant who is nearing his nineties, tells you what a hell hole this country has become. Its barrenness and parched landscape have chased away its young people. With the enduring reliance on Nascimento by these firms and institutions, it becomes a mystery when you think that the government and the PPP (are one and the same- the late David De Groot worked for the PPP but was paid by the Government) turned to Olive Gopaul to interview Elisabeth Harper for her introduction to politics and not to Nascimento. What went
wrong there? Why not Nascimento? Who decided on Gopaul and not Nascimento? Could it be that Harper may not have understood his accent? Like Gail Teixeira, Nascimento has an accent that is baffling given the long time he spent in Guyana since a child. Could it be that Nascimento had an influence on VS Naipaul? After two years of residency in the UK, Naipaul adopted an Oxford accent. I am not an admirer of Brian K. Tiwarie for reasons that I will leave for discussion after the elections on May 11 this year, but Tiwarie did use commonsense in choosing Alex Graham to do his PR work. Graham has a degree in communications, is fifty years younger than Nascimento, is urbane and courteous and is always dressed for the occasion. In my opinion, Nascimento’s sartorial appearance always appears incongruous with the status
of a PR figure. His choices mirror mine – the hippie look. I hate to admit it but this is where Nascimento and I have something in common. I really don’t like the similarity however inconsequential, given Nascimento’s political track record over the past countless years in Guyana. I have always stood on the side of liberation, freedom and justice. I believe Nascimento is yet to embrace such a tradition. I should erase that sartorial connection between me and Nascimento ASAP. I may very well ask my friends in corporate Guyana to give me money to buy some Alan Flusser pinstripe trousers, Kenneth Cole shirts, Gucci loafers, Armani neckties, Guy Laroche cologne. The trouble with receiving that money to distance myself from Nascimento is that Ramon Gaskin and GHK Lall are going to cry foul – I have
Frederick Kissoon compromised and contaminated my character. Of course I could beg Gaskin’s boss, Brian Tiwarie. Mr. Nascimento, it seems, has reverted atavistically to the sixties when he was a socalled media guru. The Kaieteur News has complained that he insulted its reporters. Oops! I should use the word, “allegedly.” Don’t want Nascimento to sue me. If he did that, given the backlog, the case may come up long after Nascimento is gone. Let’s face it; Nascimento is in advancing years. If the Kaieteur News is correct, Mr. Nascimento should be shunned by the private media whenever he hosts a press conference unless he apologizes. This behaviour should not be tolerated by the media; certainly not from an aging has-been like Nascimento. One suspects after the election, that Nascimento would become a forgotten relic. For those too young to know what has become of Nascimento, please read any of the Tennessee Williams tragedies or see the movie version. I have all. I could loan you your choice.
Tuesday April 07, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday April 07, 2015
Guyana records 2,100 murders under Jagdeo, Ramotar - Granger After stating their demands, Essequibians were promised that under a new coalition government the citizenry will see serious constitutional reform, better social infrastructure, education, improved internet access-which was very relevant to slothful service received by the coastal community, better roadways, and among other things, a strong united government to bring all these plans to reality. They heard this last Saturday when A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) “unity train” stopped at Damon Square, Anna Regina, for the party’s most recent political rally which attracted thousands. It was Presidential candidate, Brig. David Granger, who focused on social, educational and security development. Prime Ministerial candidate Moses Nagamootoo ensured strong leadership in a unified manner, while Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes insisted on constitutional reform. Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine encouraged a strong revolt via the ballot box against a failed regime. On Volda Lawrence’s list was the social ills which she insinuated results from a broken system. Brig Granger said it is time for Guyana to plot its future. The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has been unable to secure Guyana’s future. “We are the ones with love and unity; we are the ones
Presidential candidate David Granger
Some of those who came out to hear the message who care and we are the ones that will make the Essequibo bigger than Trinidad and Tobago.” Granger said that Essequibians need to be safe from crime and all forms of violence. “This country will never be safe under the PPP...because they don’t care. Under APNU+AFC we are going to have a first class police force that cares about you and your children,” Granger said. Under Jagdeo there were the worst murders, Granger said. Under the last two Presidents—Jagdeo and Ramotar— there were over
2,100 murders in the country; a history making record given the time span. Granger said “when elected,” he will make sure that children are educated. After 23 years of the PPP, half the children in the country are failing their subjects, Granger said. Students will not row a canoe to school, a school boat will be provided and every child will get a meal in school, he promised. On communication, Granger said that some citizens still have to climb coconut trees to get cell phone connection. “The information super highway is
an entitlement,” he pronounced, “Not a privilege.” Granger told Essequibo that Guyana needs a caring government. “But your government is keeping you backward.” He spoke about energy sources such as electricity generated by the wind in Essequibo and the village’s various agricultural issues; with rice being most topical. He urged that a new government will bring social reform and institutional development to the coastal region and help them attain their true potential. Nagamootoo urged
Zeelugt woman found safe, was hiding from abusive husband Police were able to locate 20-year-old Samantha Alli, who went missing after her husband allegedly beat her up, and tossed her out of her Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo, home two Mondays ago. According to relatives, Alli who is the mother of one, sought refuge at a friend’s home which is located in another Region, because her husband whose name was given as “Leon”, had threatened to murder her. “He said he would kill her so the girl is afraid. She went to stay by her friend…She left her friend house and went [somewhere else], and is when
she went back to her friend’s house, that she end up at the police station, and she contacted the family to let us know she is safe,” the relative related. Alli decided to go into hiding following an altercation with her husband, who is said to be a route 32 minibus conductor. The relative explained that Alli’s mother, Kumarie “Sunita” Mhaaramie, received a call from one of her daughter’s neighbours, informing her that the woman had been missing since March 30, last. She said that the
neighbour told “Sunita”, that Leon, “beat she up and throw she clothes on the road.” The relative added that the family is concerned about Alli’s safety, since Leon has constantly been beating her, from the time she got involved with him at the age of 16. “Is steady he does beat she, kick she up and all kinda things. Everybody from around the area knows this… she never try to leave him because she watching that they got a child, so she nah lef he, because they got a child…” the relative explained. Her husband, according to the relative, has already made good his threat to take the couple’s three-year-old son away from his mother, and has moved another woman into their marital home. Leon was said to be detained at the Leonora Police Station following his wife’s disappearance.
Samantha Alli soon after no evidence was found linking him to her disappearance. The relative told this newspaper that their next step is to approach the welfare department, in order to seek protection from the abusive man. This comes at a time when many nongovernmental organisations have been speaking out against instances of domestic violence, and trying to implement initiatives which would effectively address the issues of both the abusers and victims.
Prime Ministerial candidate Moses Nagamootoo Guyana to judge the current administration by its deeds, then sentence it on May 11. He said that the testimonies of the people such as Natram, who was stripped naked during a protest over paddy prices last year; Robert Badal, victimized hotel owner and Sam Bacchus, businessman, are among the cases for which the PPP government must be sentenced. The Prime Ministerial candidate said that after Dr. Cheddi Jagan died- so did the party. “It is now being run by a pack of wolves that have devoured all that it once stood for.” He said it is also time for a new government, with leaders that can be trusted, that will seriously attend to their affairs, address the crime situation, widespread corruption; waste a squandermania of taxes, a decent minimum wage, pension and social assistance for single parents. Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine repeated the 2011 election cry that “there is no place for Donald.” He established that, ‘Donald’ becoming President was an absurdity.” “For the last four years we have been ruled by King Donald the Absurd.” Revolt against violence against wives, sisters and even grandmothers, the member said. He spoke of the recent murders of women including the beheading of an East Coast Demerara businesswoman and asked that May 11 be the day to
avenge the death of Courtney Crum-Ewing who was gunned down while urging voters to come out on Election Day. Attorney Hughes was especially passionate that for Guyana to go forward united, the constitution must undergo reform. He said the country is almost 50 years old and most of that time was spent divided. The first and most important change, Hughes noted, was the constitution. “The days when we elect people who are in effect Kings or Queens to govern us because they are not responsible to us, immune from suit or have absolute power are over. Never again as citizens of this country will we ever allow anybody to enjoy the executive power that is vested in them under this constitution.” Essequibians heard of changes to housing provisions and education. Volda Lawrence provided telling statistics from international reports about social life in Guyana; with suicide being a major challenge to the country. She linked the problems to an ailing system and concluded that Guyanese are not happy. Lawrence also touched on racism and on human behaviour that is essential for a nation’s development when she focused on Human services. The speaker was adamant about a change in social behaviour and posited that change will come under the “unity government.”
Tuesday April 07, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 21
Rampaging bandits captured after robbery spree The police are expected to conduct identification parades and charges are likely soon as investigations continue into the spate of robberies conducted on Thursday evening by three men in the East Bank Berbice, East Canje areas. Three men who allegedly committed a series of robberies were nabbed by police who acted quickly upon receiving the reports about the roving gang. During the escapade, one victim who put up a fight was shot while a pastor and his family were also robbed. The bandits who were armed with a gun and cutlasses, began their reign of terror around 20:30 hrs at the home of Sunfarjeet Seepersaud, 50, at Glasgow Housing Scheme, East Berbice. Seepersaud, speaking to the media from his hospital bed, stated that on the night of the incident, he was having dinner when the family was attacked. One of the bandits quietly slipped upstairs and told them to remain quiet. As the bandits slipped into the house the door closed behind them. Seepersaud said that he started to scuffle with the bandits. He said that he took an insect spray can and hit one of them. The bandits then shot the man who was putting up a fight even as Seepersaud called out to his son to bring the cutlass. They then made good their escape. The injured man was then rushed to the New Amsterdam Hospital. The bullet is still lodged in his abdomen. They escaped with a cell phone and some cash The bandits then proceeded to a nearby house
The Caribbean Cuisine Restaurant which was robbed by the bandits to confront Stanley McKenzie as he was parking his motor vehicle. They took away his motor vehicle and drove to East Canje, around 21:00 hrs where they invaded the home of Karmanand Ramash, 53, a pastor and school teacher. From that attack, they escaped with approximately $300,000 in cash and jewelry. During the 15-minute ordeal, Ramesh stated that, he and his family came home from a Good Friday service and was having a snack in the bottom flat of the house when the three bandits invaded their home. They were forced to lay face down. During the ordeal, the thieves threatened to take his grandson’s life if they did not provide more valuables. The bandits then went over to the Caribbean Cuisine Restaurant where they held up the bartender and took away her cell phone and $20,000 before escaping. The bandits then travelled to Lot 1027 New Area Canefield, East Canje, where they invaded the home of Emaan Singh and his family around 21:25 hrs robbing them of their cash, jewelry and
cell phones before fleeing the scene. A relative stated that Singh and a friend were having dinner when three men, two of whom were fully masked and one unmasked, entered their home. The bandits just appeared in the house and told them to lay down. The family was gun butted, cuffed and kicked in their backs and Singh was slapped behind his head. The bandits also took away an Iphone worth $240,000, a Samsung Galaxy phone, a Samsung tablet, over $300,000 in jewelry, $120,000 in local cash and US$14,000. The bandits also escaped with overseas automated teller machine cards and Singh’s driver’s licence. The police are now looking for a fourth man who they believe is the mastermind behind the spate of robberies. The car allegedly used in the robbery was found abandoned in a cross street next to a burial ground in Cumberland. It is suspected that the car is the same one that was stolen earlier from Stanley McKenzie.
Buxton butcher is notorious wanted... From page 3 head and throw everything in de sea,” Ramsaywack stated. He said that he was planning to go to Linden but the lack of funds prevented his timely escape. “And besides, I didn't kill she. I didn't know dat dis would'a get so big,” he said. He claimed that he did not want his ailing mother to know about his activities, since it could have a negative impact on her health. When told that he could spend the rest of his life in prison, Ramsaywack smiled and said, “Well, wah I gon do?” Ramsaywack has given a detailed statement to the police and is expected to be taken before a court soon. He was part of the infamous “Pop Corn” gang, which included the likes of Tameshwar Khemraj called
Pastor Ramesh and family
“Ramboo”; Abdulssalam Azimullah called “Sato”; Davendra Harricharran called “Bara” and Deon Fraser called “Bucko”. He is wanted in Berbice for a number of crimes, including shooting at police officers. Ramsawack had also managed to escape during another robbery where one of his accomplices was captured. He was identified as the man who was with former national junior athlete, Cortez Fraser, when Fraser was captured by residents on April 25, 2014 in a botched robbery at No. 50 Village, Corentyne. Meanwhile, police have almost wrapped up their case following the capture of Ramsaywack's two other accomplices. One of the suspects, Ritchie Roseman, 16, was captured on Sunday at Vigilance,
while the other Zachariah Alexander, 31, was held in a house at Melanie Damishana. Kaieteur News understands that Roseman was held after he tried to jump out of a minibus at Vigilance. According to reports, the suspect had joined the bus at another village and did not realize that it was being driven by a policeman who recognised him. The cop drove the bus to the Vigilance Police Station where he alerted his colleagues that the suspect was inside. Roseman was quickly captured as he tried to escape. This newspaper also understands that acting on information yesterday, the police swooped down on a Melanie Damishana house and apprehended Alexander. The men are expected to be taken before a Magistrate soon.
IS EASTER TAKING ON NEW LOOK IN GUYANA?
Families at Joe Vieira Park yesterday
By Abena Rockcliffe I can recall whilst growing up, I paid keen attention to my brothers as they made their Caddie Ole Punch (a kite made with paper and pointer) way before the month of April even showed its face. We had no choice but to make those kinds of kites because my parents would only buy kites very close to Easter for fear of them being destroyed before the actual day. The story was the same for basically all my friends. We all looked forward to holidays like Easter, Christmas and Phagwah mostly because they attracted fun activities. But in recent years I have seen that kite flying is losing its popularity. The only time I see kites in the sky is a day or two before Easter Monday and on the day itself. Even when the kites go up now, it’s definitely not in the numbers like when I was a child; which is not so long ago. These days, fewer children seem to see the beauty in decorating the sky. While in previous years many families came out in their numbers to fly kites, it now seems that this trend is slowly dying in the city since every year the number of families turning out to the
National Park, the Seawall, the Botanical Gardens and open spaces to take part in the kite flying festivities has significantly decreased and that trend is continuing as the years progress. Last year and the year before Easter celebrations saw a significantly lesser amount of kite flying activities as such, were somehow put on the back burner; while the traditional picnics dominated. One man, Michael Gibson told Kaieteur News yesterday, “The changing of the times is even evident on these holidays.” He said that in his time,
“We would fly kite from the time Jesus born to when he died. January month is most breezy so soon Christmas done is time to fly kite.” He attributed the loss of interest by the now-a-day child to technology. Gibson said, “In my day, we use to make our toys; we would have made kites, arrow and bow and other things, but these days the children don’t want those. They want technology and not just any technology, the one that their friends have.” Notwithstanding, at least the three Fs remain dominant in the Easter celebrationsFood, Fun and Family.
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Kaieteur News
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Tuesday April 07, 2015
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Tuesday April 07, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 23
Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news
Guyana has become a hopeless hellhole under the PPP DEAR EDITOR, In 1942, the 32nd President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt said “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." This is a profound statement and a critical indicator of development such as life expectancy, educational attainment, realization of economic goals, and inter-generational advancement. Today, children are born into a Guyana that is massively corrupt and deeply in debt. Having taken his/her first breath, that child already owes hundreds of thousands of dollars to assorted international financial institutions such as the Inter-American Development Bank and the Caribbean Development Bank. Guyana’s foreign debt is in the millions of US dollars (more that 70 percent of its GDP) and frequent devaluations of its already valueless currency result in a skyrocketing of the debt by several millions weekly. Our dollar is not worth anything in comparison to the US dollar. In fact, it has been said that Guyana’s currency
is not worth the paper it is printed on. It is considered monopoly money by many. A child born today in Guyana will likely leave high school without passing the required five Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate subjects—the benchmark academic exit achievement for students and standard requirement to matriculate into most tertiary-level institutions. Seven out of 10 students who graduate, do so without passing a single science subject (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology). In Guyana, a mother and her baby have a 50/50 chance to survive the miracle of birth. The country’s public hospitals are deplorable and this is why members and their families in the PPP often seek medical treatment in the United States for simple ailments. They do not have confidence in the medical staff and facilities at the public hospitals. Today, the children of Guyana are born into a society where income inequality is worse than Haiti and poverty is second only to that island nation. Nearly 45 per cent, one in two, or some 340,000 Guyanese are living below the poverty line. Their
chances of having proper health care beyond birth have rapidly decreased, since most of the public hospital services are in a ramshackle state, with fewer and fewer Guyanese being able to afford even basic health care at the private hospitals. The same is true for education, where more than 6,000 children drop out of schools every year and the chances for many others to graduate high school are slim. Guyana’s economy is among the sickest in the Caribbean. In real terms, Guyanese are no richer today than they were in the 1970s and 1980s. And most of the country’s enduring problems, like its public finances, corruption, high levels of crime, crumbling infrastructure, poor health care and deplorable education system, are the result of over a decade of bad governance and neglect by the PPP regime. Guyana is where it is today primarily because of the abominably low and immoral standards, thievery of state resources, and the vulgar and abusive behaviour of those in authority. Corruption is a debilitating disease, a cancer of the worst type. It has consumed our country. Why is this possible? It
In a modern service, training in... From page 4 appropriate, is removal from the scene of one of the disputing parties for a period likely to be adequate for defusing a potentially violent incident? Such decisions call for a certain level of intelligence. Since in 1967, the President’s Commission of Law enforcement and Administration of Justice here in the USA advised that the aim of all police departments is to have all personnel be the holders of at least a first degree from a university. It is an extremely high standard that even today has not been satisfied, but at least it indicates an appreciation of the level of education that is required for satisfactory policing today. In Dallas, some police departments require proof that recruits have successfully completed no less than 45 semester hours of college study. Alright, Guyana is a poor country, but certainly we need to set our standards a bit higher. Police officers have tremendous power, their actions or lack of same can have tremendous effect, one way or the other, on persons’ lives. To give such power to law enforcement officers who have not successfully completed secondary school and are the holders of at least 6 subjects at CXC, including English, is really criminal
behaviour. I remember some years ago the police were said to have entered a home on Charlotte Street and “beat and kick up” a number of the occupants who were all females, some of them pregnant. If the accusation was true, what kind of animals were these policemen? Recently I read of a case in which a young lady alleged being subjected to unprofessional conduct at the hands of a dentist. On lodging a complaint to the police, she was reportedly told by an officer “if the dentist was a young man yuh wouldn’t ah complain” or words to that effect. Then Freddie Kissoon in his article of 1st April 2015 shared his experience with the police when he phoned a station on East Coast Demerara requesting to speak with the officer in charge. These are merely some of the more innocent transgressions of the police in recent times and represent the level of service that an offer of US$200 per month will buy. Over the years, when senior officers of the police force, and even the Minister of Home Affairs, seek to defend themselves from accusations of not doing enough to improve the service provided by the police, their response has rarely changed. They feel
comfortable telling the nation that this government spends more money on equipping the police (meaning providing vehicles and weaponry) than any previous government. An appreciation and understanding of the complexity of the problem seems totally beyond their mental grasp. I really do think that Minister Rohee wants to see the Guyana Police Force attain some level of competence and be the recipient of citizens’ respect. But let’s be honest, based upon some of the comments he reportedly makes at various forums, it is hard to feel confident that such a mind would allow him to be helpful in this matter. Perhaps I am unfair; perhaps the honorable Minister is smarter than his utterances suggest. Perhaps courses like 320, 321 and 30B might have been designed to adequately provide this graduating class of recruits the competence to respond to the challenges identified above. After all Assistant Commissioner Balram Persaud did tell the gathering at the graduation ceremony that the ranks joined the force as “raw material” and that “the rough stone that came in was cut and polished, so that the product that we are sending out is a gem stone of unmatched quality”. Claudius Prince
is because those in power by and large are not a moral and self-respecting group. Rather, vulgarity, cuss-downs and race-bait politics have become the hallmark of the regime. Incompetents and the least of their intellectual apostles are often placed in top leadership and management positions. The chronic negligence of Georgetown, education, especially UG and the public schools and health care, are classic examples of how the country’s public institutions have been hijacked and de-
stroyed by the least able. City Hall, according the Fire Chief, could collapse at anytime. Nepotism and cronyism are evident in every one of these institutions. Many of the PPP’s unqualified and inexperienced supporters have been rewarded with top positions because of years of loyalty and service to the party. While it is standard for party loyalists to be rewarded with jobs in most if not all advanced liberal democracies as a rule after acquisition of State power, such persons are invariably qualified and
competent. Guyana under the Jagdeo/ Ramotar regime is the capital of glaring exceptions. The practice of bad governance is totally responsible for Guyana’s dwarfed development, corruption, high unemployment and extreme poverty. They are the worst and the most reviled and vulgar of all the presidents. Jagdeo has become a nuisance to society. He can do the rest of the nation a big favour by just leaving the political scene. Asquith Rose
Community and Religious... From page 5 face of evil is evil itself. Throughout history, churches have served as a place of worship and as a community bulletin, a people’s court, counselor and also as a place for political activism. If a change is to come about on May 11, then the church and its leaders have an important part to play. We have seen, heard and read about the young people killing each other on the streets for the smallest slights, and the frequency is attaining further deadly proportions. And there is absolutely no doubt that currently this heady mix of youth disaffection, anger, poverty, poor parenting, educational underachievement and a lack of godliness and morality has combusted into a cocktail of
public disorder. The church especially is a great tool for social transformation, and as such is desperately needed to bring about the change that all Guyanese need to see and can no longer wait for. Believe me, time is not on their side. . As the clock slowly ticks and the calendar slowly slips unnoticed towards May
11, may all the events of the past, the dishonest actions, and strong-arming behaviour of the government spur the community and religious leaders into greater action, with unparalleled zeal and fervour, the likes of which has never been seen in the political history of my Guyana Eldorado. Yvonne Sam
Why look overseas... From page 5 least fifty cars. The Blairmont Crematorium & Memorial Garden is a West Berbice community project spearheaded by a committee of local residents under the leadership of yours truly and legally registered with the Government as a Friendly Society, with Demerara Bank Ltd as its
banker. All funding has been/ is being raised through voluntary corporate and individual donations with official and public acknowledgements, including on the wall of the Memorial Room. The public can visit and see for themselves. Nowrang Persaud
Someone in the police... From page 5 was removed after we drove up and had an arguments. Or put another way; the police withdrew. I will go further and say that after the removal or withdrawal, the police came back on the street. That then is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The Guyana Police Force is a troubled institution that has lost the respect and the con-
fidence of the Guyanese nation. The Guyana Police Force is permeated with characters whose competence, immorality and unprofessional conduct and illegal behaviour have destroyed the image of the force. In my humble opinion, only a new government can save the police force from ignominious decline. Frederick Kissoon
Page 24
Kaieteur News
Tuesday April 07, 2015
Angry driver, Ambassador’s assault sparks Govt. protest A top Foreign Ministry official is to meet with staffers in Suriname following a widely reported incident in which Guyanese Ambassador, Keith George, was assaulted by police on embassy grounds. Over the weekend, Government strongly condemned the incident, calling for action. “The Government of Guyana has registered its deep concern over this unprecedented act and expects that measures will be taken to not only ensure that there is no recurrence of these gross violations of international law, but that the proper action will be taken by the Government of Suriname against those who violated the principles laid down in the Vienna Conventions. The Government of Guyana hopes that because of the fact that the relations between Guyana and Suriname are exceptional good, the Government of Suriname will provide an expeditious explanation for
this incident.” On Friday, based on reports from Suriname, Kaieteur News broke a story in Guyana in which it was reported that Ambassador Keith George was assaulted by police after he intervened in an altercation. In a statement, the Foreign Ministry explained that at about mid-morning on Wednesday, a male who had parked his vehicle in front of the gate of its embassy in Paramaribo, in clear sight of a “No Parking” sign, behaved in a disorderly manner when he was requested to remove it. “He became angry at that request, exited his vehicle and assaulted the security guard on duty. The Ambassador’s chauffeur intervened to rescue the security guard and was the subject of verbal abuse from the driver of the parked vehicle.” According to the Ministry, the man continued his verbal abuse and exposed himself in public. The Ambassador instructed his staff to summon the
Surinamese police. “Two uniformed ranks arrived and as per the provisions of the Vienna Conventions, the Ambassador invited the two ranks onto the premises and introduced himself to both policemen. The Ambassador and two other staff members briefed the policemen on what had transpired and caused the request for assistance – also in keeping with the provisions of the Vienna Conventions.” The Ministry said that the two officers proceeded beyond the gate of the Embassy, presumably to address the matter for which they were called. “After speaking with the man who had been behaving in a disorderly manner and who had publicly exposed himself while facing the Embassy, the policemen reentered the premises and declared that they had to arrest the Ambassador’s chauffeur.” When the Ambassador inquired why his chauffeur
Media in tricky situation over lack... From page 13 document, they should live up to that code. She said that the media, in an attempt to be fair, must report on what politicians say during their elections campaign. However, she added, this places media operatives in a tricky situation when the time comes to report inflammatory or controversial statements. “It's either you're selling the story short to the public by not giving them all, but then you're also caught between ethical lines because you have to be responsible,” Raghubir said. Imran Khan, Chief Communications Officer for APNU+AFC, was also a part of the interview and noted that some segments of the media would deliberately omit from their reports controversial statements made by politicians.
Khan noted the “kick ass” comment of former president Bharrat Jagdeo at Babu Jaan in early March. “Some segments of the media did not – and I believe purposefully so – report some of the comments made at Babu Jaan,” Khan said. “That in itself tells you that a judgment was made that this is unacceptable; this is unacceptable language for public use and elections campaigning,” he added. He further said that media houses are forced to make judgments on whether words coming from many politicians are acceptable for public consumption. Raghubir and Khan both agreed that regardless of whether Guyana was in an election period or not, politicians should not be given a “free pass” to make libelous or inflammatory statements to
the people of Guyana. However, PPP Parliamentarian, Manzoor Nadir, opined that elections were a “silly season” in which “people will say a number of things; passions will run high”. Nadir added that at the end of day the electorate would make its displeasure known through voting. “Politicians understand that they have to conduct themselves in a manner which will ensure that they earn respect; I feel they are doing so,” he said. He continued, “Passions will run high and the electorate will evaluate this. While there are codes of conduct that people sign on to, some people will push the edge. The bottom line is going to be the voter. And many times the voter tells us strongly in the ballot box that they didn't like what we were doing.”
Suriname’s Foreign Minister, Winston Lackin was being arrested, one of the two policemen stated that he was the suspect in relation to an injury suffered by the driver of the vehicle parked in the entrance to the embassy. “The Ambassador informed both ranks that they could not effect an arrest on the premises of an embassy and if there is an issue it must be addressed through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The policemen declared that it was Surinamese territory and that the Ambassador was obstructing police work. The Ambassador stood his ground by standing in front of the officers who, in clear violation of the Vienna Conventions sought to effect the arrest and in the process, again in clear violation of the Vienna Conventions, grabbed on to the Ambassador’s clothing, ripping his shirt.” The Ministry said that the policemen continued their efforts to effect an arrest, on the premises of an embassy that is inviolable under
international law, in spite of the physical assault on the person of the Ambassador. Government pointed out that it was in contravention of international law. Officers from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Suriname later arrived at the embassy. “While the Ministry has been informed that the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Suriname and other senior officials of the Surinamese Government have contacted and met with Guyana’s Ambassador about this incident, the Ministry notes that so far, the Surinamese police have not provided any information on the action they have taken or plan to take against the man who was behaving disorderly, and is therefore perturbed as to why the Surinamese police are interested in the Ambassador’s Chauffeur who was not involved in an altercation with the man in question.”
Ambassador Keith George In fact, the Ministry said, the altercation that took place was not between the chauffeur and the man who parked the vehicle, but between the latter and the security guard on duty who was choked and pressed to the ground by the irate driver. “Meanwhile, the Director General (Ag) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will shortly be traveling to Paramaribo to meet with the staff member who has been traumatized by the actions of two members of the Suriname police.” Guyana has had informal cross border relations for decades now with Suriname. Hundreds of Guyanese live there and a ferry service has improved trade and travel. The two Governments are working to build a bridge across the Corentyne River.
Calls for public vetting of Elections... From page 6 described the refusal by GECOM to publish the names of polling day staff as a “very sinister and undemocratic act against the Guyanese people.” He said that as a significant impact on the transparency and integrity of the electoral process, hence, much emphasis must be placed on recruiting experienced, qualified and neutral persons to fill these positions through a transparent process. The PPP/C General Secretary further held that a process that involves the electorate, through public vetting will only serve to boost confidence in the system. Dr. Surujbally noted that it is “a worrisome thing,” that the PPP would call for
public vetting of polling day staff since the Commission has received no official complaints or tangible evidence from any political party regarding misconduct of workers on elections day. He added that it would be an unprecedented and uncalculated move by the Commission given that during the elections period, GECOM becomes the chief employer of thousands of persons. Dr. Surujbally said that arguably 90% of those who apply after “due process,” are employed by the Commission to fill temporary positions on elections day. Meanwhile, GECOM’s Deputy Chief Elections Officer, (DCEO) Vishnu Persaud noted that public
vetting has the potential of dissuading persons from working with GECOM, since the possibility exists that persons can be victimized in the wake of the elections. He further explained that employment by the Commission follows adequate guidelines and best practices to ensure that the candidates with the desired knowledge, skills and experience are appointed to fill the various positions. The DCEO said too, that certain things are taken into consideration before persons are employed. He explained that one such consideration is the address of the applicants, since persons are usually appointed to fill positions in their respective communities. This is to ensure that “we have right people in the right places, “Persaud said.
Tuesday April 07, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 25
Kite flying celebrations around the country sees good turnout Thousands of Guyanese flocked the Number 63 Beach yesterday in what has become an Easter Monday tradition. Hundreds of vehicles lined the famous beach as a traffic mayhem commenced at the Beach entrance, with traffic ranks attached to the ‘B’ Division having had to control traffic flowing from the directions of New Amsterdam and Skeldon. On the beach, several sounds and colours were evident, as music coming from various sound systems and vehicles pounded the atmosphere. Families could be seen enjoying the atmosphere, eating and imbibing, while several vendors sold their foods and beverages. Beverage giants such as Banks DIH had booths while the kids enjoyed trampolines, face painting, merry-go-round and other games. Others opted to enjoy the warm, brown waters of the beach, as they enjoyed swimming. Then there were the kites that illuminated the Corentyne skies. Passing through the crowds shortly after 14:00 hrs was President Donald Ramotar and a team of government ministers, including Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh; Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy; and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mr. Anil Nandlall. They were also accompanied by Region Six Chairman, Mr. David Armogan. Several persons took the
…thousands flock No. 63 Beach
One family picnics in the National Park
opportunity to have photographic moments with the President, as he was even stopped and presented with a kite that bared the colours of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic and the images of the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan and Mrs. Janet Jagan. The Guyanese leader then visited the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) booth to present the winners of the Kite competition with their trophies and prizes. The winner of the Most Unusual Kite Category was Mrs. Nandranie Kishun. She won a trophy and a night for two at City Inn Hotel of
Man missing after boat collision in Pomeroon A diver is currently searching for the body of 21year-old Kelton Benjamin who was hit and thrown into the Pomeroon River last evening. Benjamin is feared to have drowned. Kerlesia Benjamin, the missing lad’s sister, explained that she and 15 other persons from Churches on the Essequibo Coast as well as those from the “Heaven Light Church, located in Dartmouth, were with her brother traveling by boat to the Friendship Ground, in the Lower Pomeroon River to attend a Church concert. Benjamin said that another boat which was driven by Owen Gonsalves was traveling to Charity when he collided with their boat, causing her brother to fall overboard. Kerlesia added that her brother was the only person who went under. She said that moments after the incident, the other occupants in their boat were rescued by some residents of the Pomeroon. She said the driver of their
boat, Barry Fraser, sustained minor injuries to his foot. He and members of the Church on Monday had launched an intense search for her missing brother. Young Benjamin stated that her brother worked in the interior, but was living with his parents at Coffee Grove on the Essequibo Coast. The police at the Charity Outpost have detained Owen Gonsalves, the boat Captain. From his accounts, Gonsalves noted that he was transporting passengers to Charity, Sunday evening, around 19:20 hours when Fraser’s boat swerved into his path causing the collision. Gonsalves is maintaining that visibility was poor at the time. He said that after the collision, he turned back to see what assistance he could have rendered to the Church members before heading to Charity, where he lodged a report about the incident to the police. Members of the Church who witnessed the accident also lodged similar reports with the police.
Corriverton. Her kite was octagon- shaped bearing images of developments under the PPP/C Administration over the past 22 years. Speaking to this newspaper, she said she has been participating in such competitions over the past years and that her winning kite is 18 years old, only that she keeps sprucing it up each year, making little modifications. The Second Best Unusual Kite award was presented to Totaram Tillack. His kite was in the shape of a jet plane. The smallest kite, which one had to really look closely to see, was presented by Ms. Felicity Smith of New Amsterdam. She won herself a trip for two to tour the Essequibo River, as well as a trophy. The second- smallest kite award was presented to Brandon Shivpaul, while Keerat Tassim won the largest kite category, with a 60- foot gigantic kite. He won himself a trip to Kaieteur Falls. And the final winner for the afternoon was Y. Dhanraj who won Second Largest kite
award, adorned with the colours on the flag of Guyana. The awards and prizes were handed over by President Ramotar, assisted by President of GTA, Mr. Indranauth Haralsingh. NATIONAL PARK TURNOUT SEES DRAMATIC INCREASE Easter Monday has come and gone and though there has been a consensus that Easter has been on the decline over the years, the sheer number of people at the National Park yesterday told a different story. There were many personalities evident as Kaieteur news took a walk around. The usual turnout of picnicking families and screaming children were present, as well as the commercial element. Many Guyanese, viewing Easter as a golden business opportunity, took to the park with their goods. There were beverages, ice-cream and of course, kites for sale, though if the truth be told patrons would have already come armed with their kites. One icicle vendor gave an
abject lesson in marketing. As patrons passed him, his favorite catchphrase caused many heads to turn. “Its long, it’s hard, get it before it gets soft!” He would shout, holding up an icicle, to the amusement of the patrons. A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Presidential candidate David Granger also showed up with his Youths for David Granger group, greeting patrons as he made his rounds. There were chants of support until Granger was out of sight. ‘West Side’ Park attracts modest kite flying crowd Easter Monday is a national holiday that represents, within the Christian Religion, the day that Jesus Christ was resurrected. Christ, believed to be the saviour of the world, had three days earlier been crucified, according to biblical stories. However, like a number of other holidays, observed nationally, the celebration of Easter has become more than just about the Christians. As such the kite flying activities across the country sees persons from various race, religions and ages participating. In fact, Easter Monday over the years has become a ‘family outing’ tradition. This was particularly evident at the Joe Vieira Park, West Bank Demerara, yesterday. Situated at the western end of the Demerara Harbour Bridge, the ‘West Side’ Park, while not filled to capacity, as in previous years, saw a modest crowd of colourfully decked individuals who chose that location to celebrate. The celebration at the Joe Vieira Park has for many years been the place to be for kite flyers from various sections of Region, many of whom reside in proximity. However, those who choose to celebrate there have not been limited to residents within the Region.
In fact this publication was able to find out that among those at the Park yesterday came from as far as Diamond, East Bank Demerara and even Georgetown. Nevertheless, the venue, though uneven, ash-covered (due to recent burning of overgrowth in preparation for the celebration) and too soft in some sections, certainly was a celebratory atmosphere. The sunny weather, complete with winds conducive for kite flying, allowed for kites, in different colours and sizes, to become easily airborne. There were, however, some kite flyers who had immense difficulties getting their kites off the ground. But while kite flying was the main feature of the day, it certainly was not the sole pastime engaged by those who flocked to the Joe Vieira Park. Although foods and drinks were on sale in abundance, there were several who opted to bring their own in order to have a good old fashion picnic with their family members. Some chose strategic spots under trees to partake in their Easter meals or simply sip on a beverage or perhaps quite a few. Blasting music transformed the environment into a party environment. But the presence of trampolines, fully occupied by children, gave the impression of a Children’s Fun Park. There was rarely a sad face. But while it seemed safe in terms of security within the Park, the presence of Community Policing ranks were very evident. Outside of the Park too there were police ranks managing the very modest traffic. And word from several from those celebrating yesterday at the Park was that they were more than satisfied with the choice they made – the Joe Vieira Park. (See photos on page 19)
Page 26
Kaieteur News
Tuesday April 7, 2015
Parents want speedy resolution to Barbados teachers’ dispute with CXC BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – The National Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (NCPTA) says it will deliver letters to the Ministry of Education and the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) on Tuesday as efforts continue to find a solution to end the action taken by teachers who say they will not to submit final marks for students who have undergone the School Based Assessment (SBA) programme.The Barbados government has already warned teachers they could face disciplinary action if they maintain their position saying it regards the position adopted by the Barbados Secondary Teachers Union (BSTU) and the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) as “unreasonable”.The teachers are demanding adequate
compensation for conducting the SBA programme being administered by the regional examination body.The NCPTA said it wanted to bring all stakeholders to the table to find a solution to the problem and held a meeting with union officials over the weekend.NCPTA president Shone Gibbs said the most important thing at this stage is dialogue as no resolution could be reached unless those involved talked out the issue.Last week, Gibbs said his organization was mindful of the teachers’ concerns and wanted a speedy resolution to the ongoing dispute.”This is a national issue. It involves all of our children, all our schools and my call is for (to) maintain the status quo this year and let us have discussions, lets engage all parties and I believe it is high time
BSTU president Mary Redman that all the parties involve , unions, CXC, ministries, come together and definitely trash out this issue.”Last week, the Caribbean Union of Teachers (CUT) warned of an escalation of the teaches action to include other Caribbean countries.
Race a major factor in Trinidad and Tobago general election – opinion poll The electorate in Trinidad and Tobago continues to be polarized by race as the country gears for a general election no later than September this year, according to an opinion poll published here on Monday. The poll, published in the Trinidad Express newspaper and conducted by Solution by Simulation Limited (SBS), said if a general election were held now, the main opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) would receive 31 per cent of the votes as against 26 per cent for the coalition People’s Partnership administration.But the pollsters found that the electorate continues to be polarised by race with very few voters of African descent supporting the Indo-dominated coalition People’s Partnership and few voters of East Indian descent supporting the African-based PNM, although large segments of these groups indicate that they are undecided. The poll found that the undecided voters are as high as 33 per cent.The poll conducted between March 23-25 with a margin of error of minus or plus four per cent, noted that the PNM continues to hold a lead among voters of mixed descent although 45 per cent of this group is undecided.” The battle for the 2015 election may largely centre around a competition to turn out voters at higher rates, the favourability ratings of the party leaders, and the segment of the population who
continue to reject both major parties,” the pollsters found.” This poll continues to confirm that the biggest drivers of political preference are ethnicity and the popularity of the party leaders. Notwithstanding the Partnership’s slight drop in popularity (in favour of undecided) the Prime Minister’s favourability rating remains very high at 50 per cent, and the Leader of Opposition’s favourability is a modest 40 per cent.” Trinidad and Tobago has a population of 1.3 million comprises with Indo Trinidadians comprising 37.6 per cent of the population while the Afro-Trinidadians comprise 36.3 per cent.Reacting to the outcome of the poll, deputy leader of the United National Congress (UNC) Dr. Roodal Moonilal, said he remained confident that the present government would be returned to power. The UNC is the biggest partner in the coalition and Moonilal told the Trinidad Express newspaper “I take all polls seriously and the findings of this poll as with others would strengthen us to work harder to deliver goods and services to the people of Trinidad and Tobago and uplift the quality of life for all.” I’ve also taken note that what the poll found was that the PNM was unable to move, they are locked within their own column and they cannot move further because the poll suggests that the undecided is still there to be convinced and the PNM has not been able to convince the unde-
cided to support them so their figure has not moved,” he said, noting that the coalition has yet to put its election campaign into “high gear”.But PNM vice-chairman Colm Imbert has dismissed the poll findings as “unscientific,” noting that Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar enjoys a higher favourability rating than Opposition leader Dr. Keith Rowley.” It is scientifically impossible to have a party or a coalition polling at 26 per cent and the leader who is the persona of that coalition polling 50 per cent, that’s absurd, it’s unscientific, it’s nonsensical,” said Imbert.Imbert said in the United States, telephone surveys have been discredited and the general view of telephone polls is that they do not give an accurate picture.” If a stranger calls you on a telephone out of the blue and tells you they are doing a political survey, the instinctive reaction most people would say they don’t want to answer at all and those who participate would be worried at exactly who is at the other end of the telephone line. Is it really a professional pollster or is some political party pretending to be a polling organisation so they not going to get a accurate response,” said Imbert.Leader of the Independent Liberal Party (ILP), Jack Warner, said the poll confirmed his earlier position that the undecided voters would determine the election of the 2015 general election.
Tuesday April 7, 2015
Kaieteur News
Mutombo headlines Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015 (Reuters) - Dikembe Mutombo, an eight-times NBA All-Star who was famous for swatting away opponents’ shots and wagging his finger at them, was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Monday. Mutombo, a shot-blocking Congolese center whose legendary finger-wagging motion became one of the most recognized gestures in the game, was a four-times NBA Defensive Player of the Year and led the league in blocked shots for five straight seasons. Mutombo played in the NBA from 1991 until 2009, re-
cording 11,729 points, 12,359 rebounds, and 3,289 blocks during 18 seasons spent mostly with Denver, Atlanta and Houston. Three-times College Coach of the Year John Calipari, longtime NBA referee Dick Bavetta, four-times NBA All-Star Spencer Haywood, seven-times NBA All-Star Jo Jo White and three-times WNBA most valuable player Lisa Leslie were also among the 11 members named to the Class of 2015. They joined the five directly elected members who were announced earlier this year. The Class of 2015 will be
NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo enshrined at the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts on Sept. 11.
Tuesday April 07, 2015 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Your emotions could be quite strong today, Aries. You may find it difficult to act without having intense feelings come into the picture. Be careful about speaking without first thinking how your words will affect other people.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Try to stay on the lighter side today, Libra. This may be easier said than done. You're the bridge that connects an island to the shore. The water is rising and the island is about to be completely submerged.
TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Other people may find it difficult to deal with today's intensity, Taurus, but you will be quite adept at fitting into whatever situation comes your way.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You may be trying to deal with things in a neat, orderly manner today, Scorpio. Try not to get too frustrated if things don't work out exactly the way you'd like.
GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Issues of the heart may be a bit difficult to deal with now, Gemini. Try not to completely shut off the channels of communication while you work on dealing with these issues.
SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Just when you thought you had love and romance all worked out in your head, Sagittarius, something or someone steps in to put your heart in a whirl once again.
CANCER (June 21–July 22) You may get frustrated today when people don't seem to act rationally. To you, Cancer, the issues may be perfectly cut and dried. Keep in mind that not everyone sees the world the way you do. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Go deeper beneath the surface today, Leo. You may get along just fine with the way you now handle things. Keep in mind, however, that you aren't likely to progress down your path until you turn up the intensity. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) You may wonder why it is that you can gain control of so many parts of your life, but nothing seems to go right when it comes to romance?
CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) Be careful of letting your heart get carried away today, Capricorn. Extreme emotions are likely, making you very aware of your environment and what other people are thinking about you. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Be prepared for an emotional backlash that's likely today if you get too possessive about your romantic partner, Aquarius. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You may feel blocked on all sides today, Pisces, with no escape hatch. There's a strong set of forces acting in such a way as to make you feel responsible for some mess that has occurred in your life. Remember that when it comes to partnerships.
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Mercedes bringing aero improvements to China LONDON (Reuters) Mercedes will bring aerodynamic improvements to this week’s Chinese Grand Prix after a full analysis of why the Formula One world champions lost out to Ferrari in Malaysia, according to technical head Paddy Lowe. Sebastian Vettel’s triumph at Sepang, in the German’s second race for Ferrari after leaving Red Bull, ended a run of eight successive wins for Mercedes. The victory was Ferrari’s first since 2013 and dispelled fears that Mercedes were so far ahead they could win every race this year. Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff said that Malaysia had been a “wakeup call” for his team after world champion Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg had chalked up a comfortable
one-two in the Australian season-opener. “We’ve spent time analyzing the weekend in Sepang to identify areas for improvement,” Lowe said in a team preview of Sunday’s race in Shanghai. “The most significant weakness was our tire management during long runs.” Lowe said exceptionally high temperatures in Malaysia had helped Ferrari and worked against Mercedes but it was essential to have a car which performed at all circuits and in all conditions. “So there is work to be done on that front,” added the Briton. “It is now clearer than ever that there is serious competition for this world championship, so we will continue to work flat out for perfor-
mance gains. We have a range of new aerodynamic developments for Shanghai and are targeting an improved performance from Malaysia,” he said. China, with generally low temperatures, will be a different challenge but one that Mercedes have taken in their stride in the past. Championship leader Hamilton won there last year while Rosberg took the first victory of his F1 career in China in 2012. “There is always room for improvement and we’ve been working hard to analyze everything for the next race in China,” said Hamilton. “The circuit itself is a different challenge to Albert Park and Sepang — but it’s one I really enjoy and it suits my driving style quite well.”
The last boxer to beat Floyd Mayweather now lives on $435 a month in Bulgaria Yahoo News – The Business Insider - (William Scott Davis) His last loss in any match came in the semi-finals of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. The fighter who beat him was then 27-year-old Serafim Todorov, a Bulgarian boxer who was considered one of the best and most experienced boxers in the Olympics. Sam Borden of the New York Times caught up with Todorov, and his life couldn’t be more different than Mayweather’s since the fight. While Mayweather is now the highest-paid athlete in the world, Todorov lives on a monthly pension of $435. He and his wife are both unemployed after working at supermarkets and sausage factories, Borden reports. Todorov’s neighborhood in Bulgaria is ridden with drug dealers and “underworld bosses” who have offered Todorov positions, but he has turned them down. It’s a far cry from where Todorov was in the 1996 Olympics. Todorov beat Mayweather in a close 10-9 decision, which was later appealed by Mayweather and the US team, who believed that Bulgarian judge Emil Jetchev was judging unfairly. According to Borden, Todorov had a chance to cash in on his win. He says he was approached by three men after the fight who offered him a professional contract, but he turned them down outright. Here’s how Borden tells it: The other two men leaned in, one of them holding a pen. But Todorov pushed it away.
“Without considering, I said no,” he said. “I just said it quick, like that. No.” He looked down. “You know what happened next? The two men went over to Floyd and started talking in English.” Todorov says he later had an offer on the table to transfer
his nationality to Turkey for the 1997 world championships. If he had won the gold, Turkey would have paid him $1 million. But the deal fell through at the last minute. He has barely competed since. “It was stupid. I came back and I found hell,” Todorov said.
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday April 7, 2015
USACA Global Operations Director Rahul Sharma satisfied with Guyana tour By Sean Devers Founded in 1999 by Ashook Patel the United States of America Cricket Academy (USACA) is now a major part of the cricket landscape in the United States and in 2003 was adjudged winner of the Best Junior Development Initiative ICC Global Award. Affiliated to the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA) and located in New Jersey, the Academy in association with the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) recently completed a oneweek tour to Guyana where three of their age group teams (U-13, U-15 & U-18) participated in six rounds of matches
with three games being contested each day. They USACA teams played matches against Guyana’s U-15 and U-17 teams, County sides, Association teams and Clubs sides and matches were held in West Demerara, East Coast, Berbice, Georgetown, and at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence on the East Bank. According to USACA Global Operations Director Rahul Sharma, the main aim of this tour was to provide the under-18s with the exposure of playing in different conditions and pitches while at the same time experiencing new Cultures as the players prepare for the ICC 2016 under19 World Cup in Bangladesh. But first they need to win the qualifiers when they come up against Canada, Bermuda and Suriname in the division one tournament. The winner automatically qualifies for the World Cup next year January, while the runner-up team has another chance of qualifying for the event which includes the 10 full members of the ICC and six Associate teams. American players can make the USA team or an Americas X1. Sharma informed that two
Rahul Sharma Linden Fraser
Chetram Persaud
Ricardo Powell
USA National selectors made the trip to Guyana to have a look at the player’s performances in a foreign environment. “Chairman of Selectors Barney Jones and Wesley King were here but had to return home before the tour ended. They had to return to the US to pick a provisional 30-man squad for encampment before an 18-man squad is short listed in June,” Sharma disclosed. The American U-18s seemed a very professional group of players and most of them showed tremendous tal-
ent although they struggled to adjust from the ‘matting’ pitches in the USA to the low and slow turf tracks they played on in Guyana. Gauranshu Sharma, Sagar Patel, Jash Patel, Neil Tagore and Skipper Chetram Persaud are among the players that caught the eye. “I am pretty much satisfied with the trip which has given us a good idea of where we are now that the 13 players in contention for the World Cup have had an opportunity to play here,” the 44-year-old Sharma added. “The biggest difference
for us is the pitches. We play on matting pitches back home since in America there are only four turf pitches in LA, where most of the ICC tournaments are played. There is one in Houston and a few in Florida. The pitches here (Guyana) are slow and kept low and was not too conductive to getting big scores,” Sharma said. “We toured India last December with the under-17 and under-19s but we added the under-13s for this trip because we want to create a feeder system. Since there is no youth league back home a lot of the younger players don’t get enough opportunities,” Sharma continued. According to Sharma, the U-13s learn from being around the senior guys and education is always encouraged. In India, 13 year-olds get contracts for a minimum of 48,000 Rupees (US$1,000) per season. If they play for their districts the money goes up. The youngsters in India get time off from school, free meals and free gear. “The Government in the US does nothing for the development of cricket while the local Government would only upgrade a venue as a business investment and would want to know what the community gets out of the deal. How many major tournaments would be played there? How would the hotels benefit?.... and such like,” Sharma informed. He said that the ICC has started a ‘Let’s Play Cricket’ mainly in the New York, New Jersey area which introduces the basics of cricket in the schools with plastic balls and bats. Sharma added that schools are now training PE teachers for t10 schools cricket and explained that now more and more school’s
Guyana’s next marathon: It’s all about the Mission! Leading distance athletes combine to host event at Santa Mission Nov 14 Within a mere 45-minute boat ride across the Demerara River, along the picturesque Kamuni Creek lays an Amerindian village known as the Santa Mission. Tourists from Europe, Asia, North and South Americas stop only to see the crafts sold at the local gift shop at Santa Mission, or to take photographs next to the old tree. If they are lucky they may get a tour of the Santa Mission Elementary School and say hello to the local children. What they cannot see or learn about the village in a 15minute tour is what Guyana’s next Marathon hopes to accomplish. The mission of Guyana Trail Marathon, Half Marathon &10K, to be held on November 14, 2015, is to bring athletes and amateur runners around the world for a cultural awareness of the Amerindian community and to raise funds for the local Elementary School. The
founders of the race are some of the top long distance athletes locally, which include Cleveland Forde & Alika Morgan, Coach Leslie Black, amateurs like Marc Anthony, and foreign expatriates like Kelly R. The race is set to start and finish at the Santa Mission, where the participants are invited to stay either at the newly renovated Santa Mission EcoLodge, or simply camp with their tents or hang hammocks. For some visitors staying in town at places ranging from small hotels to the Marriott International is also an option. The race registration will include transportation from Georgetown to the start line, a race T-shirt, finisher medal, a light meal at the end of the race, and of course like many traditional races, water and snacks along the route. Pasta dinner as a tradition for most races will also be
served the night before, during the orientation. Saturday, November 14, 2015 will be Guyana’s first ever trail Marathon, a unique race to run in the trails owned and maintained by the local Amerindian village. What the race hopes to accomplish is to put a highlight on the Mission, to preserve their heritage, culture and education. As 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the community, all local businesses are invited to participate as sponsors. However, the race will not be a commercialization effort and is not aimed at boosting revenues or highlighting any specific business. Because this effort is all about them: it is all about their Mission! Interested athletes can register at www.guyanamarathon.com. For all questions please contact the organizers at guyanamarathon@gmail.com.
cricket is being played in New York. The USACA’s ultimate aim is for every American born child to understand and play cricket but Sharma said that in terms of getting cricket to compare with other sports like Basketball and Baseball is very hard because the US is so large and its difficult to get everyone involved so tours like this helps to solve some of those problems. “We are trying to provide as much exposure as possible to the players and we have been to Trinidad, Barbados, England and India and the biggest moment for us on this tour was playing at the National Stadium since it’s important that if any of these players play at the International level they would have had some experience of playing at these venues,” Sharma feels. Almost a decade ago the USA qualified for the 2006 under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka and Sharma’s wish is for the USA to once again qualify next year. “The Academy has produced a number of quality players and in 2004 we had William Perkins. We spend thousands of dollars every year on cricket and we manage funding on our own. Because of the passion for the game, we get together to make these trips happen,” Sharma said. Sharma reveled that he is not satisfied with the pace of progress of the development of cricket in America. “A lot more has to be done and school’s cricket needs to be played. We beat Bermuda twice and Canada in the last ICC under-17 tournament but our biggest challenge is to get the players to know each other before we embark on major tournaments that’s why tours like this one is so important,” Sharma concluded.
Tuesday April 7, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Millington leads debutant Bakewell Slingerz past Alpha United to K&S title Pele down Riddim Squad for third place
Action in the K&S final at the National Stadium Sunday night between Slingerz and Alpha. (Slingerz FC) Devon Millington scored both goals for debutant Bakewell Slingerz as they defeated main favourites Alpha United 2 – 0 at the Guyana National Stadium on Easter Sunday as the Vergenoegen based club pocketed $2M and the 25th Kashif and Shanghai Football title. The win meant that after falling three times to the ‘Hammers’, Slingerz have finally beaten their foes in a match that was highly anticipated and regarded as the biggest final in the history of the Kashif and Shanghai tournament. Also, Slingerz became only the second local team after Topp XX (1994/1995) to win the tournament on debut. The promoters described the meeting between the two
sides as the Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao of local football and a after a 30 minutes delay due to power failure to three light towers at the Providence venue, fans ‘dream final’ was on the way. By virtue of their dominance in local football over the years, Alpha United went into the contest rated number one and Coach Wayne ‘Wiggy’ Dover’s men had the games’ first attempt on goal. Skipper Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson manoeuvred his way between Colin Nelson and King Solomon Austin but his shot from just on the edge of the six yards box was hit too hard and went over the bar and into the VIP area. A minute later, Richardson again then got around his
defenders and this time picked out Sheldon Holder whose attempt was also hit too hard and went wide of the goal. In the 14th minute Vurlon Mills, could’ve given Slingerz the lead when he slid around defenders Kirk Duckworth and Jamaal Smith with some smooth footwork but his shot went trickling past the goal mouth after it had already beaten Ronson Williams in goal for Alpha United. The crowd rose to their feet in appreciation and remained when Mills, this time from a free-kick taken by Tichard Joseph from approximately 25 yards out, connected his header that forced Williams to make a save. Several attempts by both teams came up short and saw
the first half finishing goalless and the huge crowd at the venue didn’t had to wait long for the game’s first goal when the second stanza resumed. Millington 11 minutes into the second half (56th minute) intercepted a pass from Holder some 25 yards from goal on the right side of the pitch and used a ‘Cristiano Ronaldo’ like ‘step-over’ to get the ball on his ‘sweet foot’ and hammered a shot past Williams who had no chance of getting a glove on the ball. Pandemonium broke out in the stands as Millington and his teammates celebrated. However the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) club Championship bound Alpha United quickly responded when Panamanian Manuel Vargas latched on to the ball
30 yards out and like his club’s alias, hammered a right footed strike that forced Akel Clarke to pull off a brilliant save. Alpha United kept their foot on the gas in their hunt for an equaliser but Bakewell Slingerz defenders were resolute to the task at the back. With time ticking away for Alpha United, Millington knocked the wind out their sails with his second goal of the night in the 90+3 minute. The fourth official had signalled five minutes of extra time added to the contest and Alpha United already in desperation mode; threw every player forward, including goalkeeper Williams after winning a corner kick. Alpha’s plans and strategy to get an equaliser
would also see them conceding their second goal when Millington picked up a loose ball from the corner kick and raced past Jamaal Smith followed by Shevane Seaforth who was unsuccessful in stopping the Slingerz talisman that was left with a empty goal to score in since Williams could not reach back between the uprights in time. It was a goal that once again sparked jubilation around the ground given the fact that it meant that Slingerz FC won the Kashif and Shanghai tournament in their first outing. Meanwhile, in the third place playoff Pele defeated Riddim Squad 2 – 1 to take home the trophy and $500,000 while the Mocha Arcadia side had to settle for $250,000.
Jamaica increase Carifta Games medal tally to 47 Jamaica Obsrever - JAMAICAN teams swept the sprint relays Sunday night as they pulled away in the medals table at the 44th Carifta Games at the Kim Collins Stadium in Basseterre, St Kitts. The Jamaican teams did one better than last year when they won three of the four 4x100m relays and closed the day on 47 medals — 23 gold, 14 silver and 10 bronze — but it looks unlikely they will beat the 80-plus medals won last year in Fort de France, Martinique. The Under-20 boys’ 4x100m team of Raheem Chambers, Michael O’Hara, Chad Walker and Nigel Ellis ran 40.39 seconds to beat The Bahamas, who clocked 40.41 seconds with Trinidad and Tobago third in 40.55 sec-
onds. The Under-20 girls’ team of Jeanine Williams, Yanique Thompson, Saqukine Cameron and Natalliah Whyte ran 45.20 seconds to easily win over The Bahamas in 45.59 seconds, and Trinidad and Tobago in 47.64 seconds. IAAF World junior champion and National Junior Record (NJR) holder Jaheel Hyde easily won the Under20 boys’ 400m hurdles on yesterday’s third day to remain unbeaten in the event over the last two years. Hyde, who set a NJR 49.02 seconds last weekend at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Championships, was easy as he cruised to a 50.96-second clocking to add the gold to the Under-18 title he won last year in Fort de
Jamaica’s Kimone Shaw France, Martinique. Hyde’s teammate Marvin Williams repeated his silver medal from last year, running 51.11 seconds with Barbados’s Stephen Griffiths
taking the bronze in 51.77 seconds. Jauvaney James, who is running the event for the first time this year, won the silver in the Under-18 boys’ section in 53.18 seconds, behind Barbadian Rivaldo Leacock in 51.34 seconds, with St Kitts/ Nevis’s Aljani Bridgewater taking bronze with 53.44 seconds, just ahead of Jamaica’s Timor Barrett, who ran 53.55 seconds. Junelle Bromfield set a new meet record 59.55 seconds to win the Under-18 girls’ event, adding to her 400m gold from Saturday. She beat the 59.72 seconds set by Jamaican Shenice Cohen last year in Martinique, while Shanique Walker, also of Jamaica, took the silver in 1 minute 02.40 seconds while
Trinidad’s Cheziah Phillips was well back in third in 1 minute 07.98 seconds. It was also first and second in the Under-20 girls’ race for Jamaica’s Andrenette Knight, who was second last year, winning in 1 minute 00.52 seconds and Shannon Kalawan taking the silver in 1 minute 01.01 seconds, with Jonel Lacey of the British Virgin Islands third in 1:01.26 minutes. Earlier in the day Shiann Salmon won the Under-18 girls’ high jump with 1.73m to edge The Bahamas’s Doneisha Anderson (1.71m) with four athletes including last year’s champion Lamara Distin of Jamaica tying for third with 1.68m. Pakito Dudley took the bronze in the boys’ Under-18 triple jump with a wind-aided
14.68m (2.4m/s) behind Tamar Green of The Bahamas winning with 15.21m (0.1m/s) with Guadeloupe’s Enzo Hodebar second with 15.11m. A week after jumping 7.73m at Champs, Obrien Wasome could only manage 7.41m (1.2m/s) for silver in the Under-20 boys’ long jump behind Trinidad’s Andwuelle Wright’s wind-aided 7.44m (2.1m/s), while St Kitts and Nevis’s Nathaniel Huggins was third with 7.15m (0.7m/s). Odaine Lewis was sixth with a best of 7.20m (1.0m/s). Keemon Lawrence won the Under-18 boys’ 3,000m in 8 minutes 55.64 seconds, beating teammate Shemar Salmon with 9 minutes 03.06 seconds, and Dominic Dyer of the Cayman Islands with 9:09.41 minutes.
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Kaieteur News
Tuesday April 7, 2015
Explosive Kings XI aim to go one better ESPNcricinfo - Kings XI Punjab underwent such a positively radical change in the 2014 season - not only in assembling an enviable lineup of overseas cricketers purpose-built for T20 cricket, but also in extracting the best out of their local talent - it was no surprise that, apart from minor tinkering, they did not touch the squad ahead of the new season. So from a batting that was explosive right through the tournament last year - they had the best runrate for any team across IPLs - more entertainment is in order. George Bailey, the captain who did not get to spend much time in the middle last season, scored 257 runs at a strike rate of 135.26, fairly good numbers in their own right. But consider this: five batsmen scored more than him and all at a higher strike rate, with Glenn Maxwell - 552 runs at a strike rate of 187.75 leading the pack. There were three Indians in that list Virender Sehwag, expectedly, along with two surprises in Manan Vohra and Wriddhiman Saha. That batting order has been further beefed up by the addition of M Vijay. Despite not having played a lot of lim-
ited-overs cricket recently, Vijay’s reputation has been enhanced internationally after a fruitful year in Tests, and he will provide the solidity Kings XI sought from Cheteshwar Pujara last year, minus the drag. Kings XI have retained the core of their bowling too, with only L Balaji missing from last year ’s squad. Shardul Thakur watched from the sidelines last season as Axar Patel, Sandeep Sharma and Rishi Dhawan achieved considerable success and were among the wickets. After a fantastic Ranji season, in which he finished as the joint highest wicket-taker, Thakur, too, can hope to be in the starting XI of a TRPgrabbing team. Last season, it was a case of everyone coming together in perfect sync to make a perfect multi-punch combo and the credit for that went to the man behind the scenes. Sanjay Bangar, a quiet face at the Kings XI team table during the 2014 auction, had been behind designing an almost-perfect squad while others spent millions of rupees chasing big names. At the end of the seas o n , B a i l e y a p preciated Bangar’s role by saying, “Ev-
erything you see and like about Kings XI starts with Sanjay Bangar.” This season, more than entertainment, what the Bangar-led team management would want is a perfect finish. Big players Last season, Glenn Maxwell personified how Kings XI played their cricket - unhindered, unbridled aggression - and a year since then, as his 53-ball 102 against Sri Lanka in the World Cup showed, there is no sign of a change in style. He complained about losing momentum after being rested in the latter half of last season, but the crowds will be expecting him to smash the ball into the stands every single game this time. Mitchell Johnson may not
Strong 23-man squad selected for T&T 15’s clash this weekend The Guyana Rugby Football Union released the names of twenty-three (23) players that will represent Guyana in its North Americam 7 Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) 15’s clash against Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) in the Twin Island Republic on Saturday, April 11. Guyana is the defending champions and will advance if they beat the Trinidadians outright, a feat that was attained the last time the two teams met in Guyana. The full squad is: Rondell McArthur Prop Forward UG Wolves Jason Tyrell Prop Forward Pepsi Hornets Rickford Cummings Hooker Pepsi Hornets Dwayne Schroeder Lock Forward GDF Vallon Adams
Lock
Forward Rockaway Fish Head, NY Richard Staglon Flanker Trinidad Caribs Jamal Angus Flanker UG Wolves Jermaine Prowell No. 8 GDF Ryan Gonsalves Scrum Half Pepsi Hornets Peabo Hamilton Fly Half Trinidad Northern Theodore Henry Center Yamaha Caribs Kevin McKenzie Center Sunshine Coast Falcons, Brisbane Claudius Butts Wing Trinidad Harvard Avery Corbin Wing GDF Ronald Mayers Full Back Trinidad Northern Jacques Archibald Prop Forward UG
Wolves Kevon David Lock Forward Yamaha Caribs Delroy Gordon Prop Forward Pepsi Hornets Troy Arjoon Prop /Hooker Brooklyn Rugby Club Blaise Bailey Wing Pepsi Hornets Lancelot Adonis Fly Half/ Full Back UG Wolves Leon Greaves Scrum Half Pepsi Hornets Randy James Center/Wing Woodland Rugby Club, Texas Officials Robin Roberts Manager
have been menacing last season nor was he the side’s leading wicket-taker but there was no questioning the fact that he was their leader. Wi t h a n e x p e r i e n c e d Johnson to advise them on the field, Sandeep and Dhawan, without express pace, managed to snare 31 batsmen between them. Johnson had an average
World Cup until he ramped up in the knockouts and was the leading wicket-taker in the final, which bodes well for Kings XI. Bargain buy Kings XI entered this year’s auction with only a minor requirement - a replacement for Cheteshwar Pujara and they found a solid batsman in M Vijay for Rs 3 crores. Vijay was a good buy, but check this out: the team bought Yogesh Golwalkar, a 35-year-old legspinner, for Rs 10 lakh. What Pravin Tambe has shown is that one doesn’t need major cricket league pedigree to succeed in the IPL. Golwalkar may sound like Kings XI’s Tambe-like pick, but the bowler has a solid first-class experience, with 45 games and 21 List A matches. In his eight-year career that ended in 2008, he
played most of his cricket for Madhya Pradesh but was also called up by county side Middlesex as a replacement for Stuart Clark. Availability Everyone available. Support staff Head coach - Sanjay Bangar, Bowling coach - Joe Dawes, Fielding coach - R Sridhar Likely XI 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 M Vijay, 3 Manan Vohra, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 George Bailey, 6 David Miller, 7 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 8 Axar Patel, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Sandeep Sharma 11 Rishi Dhawan/ Shardul Thakur 2014 finish Runners-up. Had one hand on the trophy after scoring 199 in the final, but the grip slipped once they failed to control Manish Pandey.
GDA Int’l tourney
Spartons, Rage, Specialist through to final Guyanese teams Spartons, Rage and Specialist collided last night in the final of the Georgetown Dominoes Association (GDA) international tournament at Faye Joseph residence, Gaulding Place, South Ruimveldt. After battling with a number of local sides as well teams from Barbados and Antigua, Spartons, Rage and Specialist gave their supporters much to cheer about on Sunday night last
at the National Gymnasium as their registered semifinal victories. Spartons scored 77 games to beat Eight Miles of Barbados on 70 and All Season Racing Service 67. Kanhai Samaroo made 14 games for the winners, while Cheryl Warrell made 17 for Eight Miles and R. Naidoo 17 for All Season. Rage chalked up 86 games to overcome TNT with 76 and Mix Up on 62. Ron Callendar marked the maximum 18 games
for Rage while Jack Sardina made 17. Ryan Boodhoo was Mix Up leading player with 18 games; Mark Welch made 15 and Sean Morgan 14. Specialist recorded 82 games to finish ahead of Dream Team 77 and Thunder 65. The winning team will pocket a trophy and G$1M, the runner up a trophy and $500,000, third place a trophy and $300,000 and fourth place a trophy and $200,000. (Zaheer Mohamed)
Kenneth Grant-Stuart Coach Ms. Abiola Blair Physiotherapist
Action in one of the semi final matches.