Kaieteur News

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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: 225-8491, 225-8458, 225-8465 Fax: 225-8473 or 226-8210

Editorial

Beating the immigration system One of the methods Guyanese use to gain citizenship of the United States is to do fake marriages to citizens. Many of them succeed but these days it is not so easy. A few years ago, a Guyanese woman returned home to marry her brother and she would have succeeded had she not made a simple mistake. She had listed him as a kin when she first applied for resident status in the United States.

The rules have changed but today we publish a case of ten such weddings –or should it have been one wedding?

NEW YORK: Liana Barrientos, a woman who had 10 husbands, admitted that she wed one man in return for cash and helping him get citizenship. This was unveiled in a Bronx courtroom. Most of her husbands immediately applied for citizenship and some, when denied, divorced her and refiled with different wives, Prosecutors said.

And one husband, from Pakistan, was later deported in connection with terrorism threats against the United States, the authorities said. Barrientos is still married to him - and to three other men, a Prosecutor said. The details behind Barrientos’ marriages and choice of husbands began trickling out Friday as she was arraigned on fraud charges in state Supreme Court. Barrientos, 39, pleaded not guilty and stood tight-faced beside her lawyer, Christopher Wright, as an Assistant District Attorney, Jessica Lupo, described her case.

“The concern here,” Lupo said, “is that these men are individuals from ‘red flag’ countries such as Egypt, Turkey, Georgia and Pakistan.” Immigration attempts from countries so described are under heightened scrutiny because of possible links to terrorism. Barrientos’ lawyer did not speak to reporters after the hearing. None of her husbands appeared in court.

Barrientos married nine of the 10 men between 1999 and 2002. She is charged with fraud only in the case of her 10th husband, whom she married in the Bronx in 2010. She wrote on her marriage licence that she had not previously been married, Prosecutors say. She faces up to four years in prison.

A spokesman for the Federal Department of Homeland Security said Barrientos came to the department’s attention after agents with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services “spotted irregularities” in immigration cases connected to her.

A spokeswoman for the citizenship agency, Katie Kaplan, declined to discuss Barrientos’ case but said, “There are a number of ways we can stumble upon something that looks not quite right.”

“Often officers who are adjudicating cases notice certain patterns of people in repeating cases or repeating stories,” Kaplan added. Lupo, the Prosecutor, said that when first questioned, Barrientos said her only husband was her most recent one, an immigrant from Mali.

Last fall, Lupo said, Barrientos was confronted with a pile of marriage licences by Homeland Security investigators and conceded that she had married one other man, from the former Soviet Republic of Georgia.

“She admitted going to an interview with him and giving him pictures as well as other documentation and receiving money for those actions,” Lupo said.

Barrientos got a “couple of thousand” dollars, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security said.

The Georgian, Vakhtang Dzneladze, was actually the seventh man Barrientos had married in New York State. He got his citizenship in 2006 and divorced her in 2007, Lupo said.

Barrientos’ eighth husband, Rashid Rajput, was deported in 2006 after a federal investigation “regarding making threatening statements toward the U.S.,” Lupo said.

The authorities would not say if the other nine husbands have faced legal trouble. Barrientos was released without bail, and is due back in court on May 18. She declined to speak to reporters as she left the courthouse. Two hours after leaving court and about 15 blocks away, Barrientos was arrested on charges of entering the subway system without paying. She and a 19-yearold relative, Tracy Barrientos, walked through an open emergency gate at the 149th Street-Grand Concourse station, said Officer Sophia Mason, a police spokeswoman.

Sunday April 26, 2015

Kaieteur M@ilbox Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com

Let us as one people tell the PPP to ‘stand down’ DEAR EDITOR, Many Guyanese have had their minds twisted and corrupted by the hate inspired by the PPP for Burnham and the PNC. The PPP, by peddling fear and hatred, has become a reproach to Guyana, intent on setting us against each other for their political ends.

I lived in Burnham’s time, aged sixteen at the time of his death. I went with my father to cut cane one of the plantations, lined up at GNTC on Regent street for milk and whatever else, drank sugar water, ate cornmeal and plantain flour porridge without milk, ate rice flour bread, rice balls, endured all the blackouts, waited two weeks at the Georgetown Hospital to have my dislocated elbow attended to, and suffered just about everything everyone during that time went through.

But look at me. I don’t hate Burnham or the PNC. As a matter of fact, it was Burnham’s own call for us to ‘Organize for Production and Defense,’ among his annual speeches and other addresses to the nation, which focused my mind on our economic problems as a young adult.

I came to understand that Burnham was caught in the global politics of the time. Socialism at the time was a bad experiment, a tragic mistake, and a very bad episode in the lives of Guyanese at the time. This is in addition to the contributions of our local political climate, as recently highlighted in other sections of the media. But there is nothing that can be done about any of this. We have to move on. Guyana has to move on. At stake right now is our own future, with the PPP intent on

continuing its government of corruption, coercion of the judicial system to protect its perverse, corrupt and abusive government officials and ministers.

We decide on May 11 whether to condemn ourselves to living under the PPP’s elitist government of abuses and its program of underdevelopment as it continues to drag its feet on job creation and the generation of higher paying jobs. This along with the withholding of local government elections and implementation of poor infrastructural projects that facilitate the PPP’s systematic feeding of itself, its friends and families. Here we need only look at the numerous family members the PPP has absorbed into its ranks for reinforcing its elitist government of (Continued on page 6)

Sunday April 26, 2015

Kaieteur News

Kaieteur M@ilbox

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Kaieteur M@ilbox

Someone needs to get down into the gutter with Jagdeo and sling some mud to his racially divisive rhetoric DEAR EDITOR, David Hinds’ letter “The coalition seems to have no answer to Jagdeo - SN April, 22, 2015”, is an excellent analysis of the conduct of the opposition in the run up to the May 11 polls.

Indeed, it appears that amongst some coalition supporters the mere existence of the coalition has created some euphoria of a victory on May 11. From all appearances Mr. Jagdeo’s insertion into the campaign seems to not only have caught the coalition off guard but has left them unable to respond appropriately.

The response seems to be no response at all “Opposition won’t respond to Jagdeo ‘lies’ Trotman - SN April 22, 2015".

This strategy seems to be flawed for many reasons but one important one stands out.

If media reports that many attendees at the PPP’s rally in Berbice last weekend left after Mr. Jagdeo spoke and did not wait for Mr. Ramotar are true, this indicates that PPP supporters are willing to listen to Mr. Jagdeo spill his racially divisive bile, even more so than they are willing to listen to Mr. Ramotar.

Under these circumstances the opposition coalition needs to adopt a new strategy towards Jagdeo. The opposition cannot continue to treat Mr. Jagdeo as a mere distraction.

Someone needs to get down into the gutter with Mr. Jagdeo (the place where he seems so comfortable) and sling some mud without resort to the racially divisive rhetoric that he seems so comfortable spilling.

Editor, it is not coincidental that whenever the PPP seems to be having a bad week Mr. Jagdeo appears and makes his offensive

statements, whether it is comparison of his lifestyle with the lifestyle of Dr. Jagan or attacking our military veterans.

Every time Mr. Jagdeo opens his mouth with his racial nonsense he should face an interrogation on his own abysmal failures during his 12 years of misrule.

The public needs to see Mr. Jagdeo as incapable of defending his tattered record in office. The pervasive corruption, nepotism, entrenchment of cronyism, the continuous expansion of the narco-economy and the embrace of admitted drug kingpin Shaheed “Roger” Khan, the devastation of the bauxite industry, African Guyanese marginalization and discrimination, the spiteful and vindictive attitudes to government critics including denial of economic opportunities, the alarming rate of maternal deaths and general state of health care delivery, the executive’s overreach into the judiciary, the giveaway of national resources to friends and family, the forest giveaway to Asian loggers who operate with impunity and outside of the conditions of their licences and permits, crime; including, but not limited to the multitude of unsolved murders and the hundreds of extra judicial killings, the near collapse of the nation’s only university and NIS, the world war 2 berbice river bridge constructed in the 21st century and its ownership structure, gifting 15 million USD to Fip Motilall to build a road in virgin forest when he never so much as built a sweat, the disaster that is the skeldon sugar factory, the perilous state of education and the general lack of opportunities

for young people among other failures of the Jagdeo/ Ramotar have to be put center stage. This election has to be more about the country putting distance between the failures of Jagdeo/Ramotar than anything else.

The coalition needs to outline its plans for the future prosperity of Guyanese with representative, inclusive and accountable governance as a cornerstone. It also has to present to Guyanese a plan to deal with the malfeasance in public life that has been such a feature of the Jagdeo/ Ramotar years.

So while looking forward, it must be careful to demonstrate to the public that the thievery and thuggery of the Jagdeo/Ramotar regime will be eradicated.

I think that the coalition lost an opportunity when Mr. Jagdeo brought houses into the campaign. The instant Mr. Jagdeo waved what he purported to be Mr. Greenidge’s transport, he opened himself for and interrogation into his own house issues.

Notwithstanding Mr.

G r e e n i d g e ’s own emphatic response to Jagdeo’s claims “Greenidge says house purchase was not corrupt; challenges Jagdeo to call in police - Demerara Waves, March 29 2015”, the optics a picture of Mr. Jagdeo’s cottage at Unity juxtaposed against a picture of this Pradoville 2 mansion would have provided an effective rebuttal to Mr. Jagdeo’s fodder.

There is also the issue of the 20 million Pradoville 1 house which was eventually sold for about 130 million about a decade after construction. It might have done the country a great deal of good if Mr. Jagdeo’s real estate acumen could have been transported to his stewardship of the nation’s purse. When chartered accountant Christoper Ram raised the issue of capital gains taxes surrounding this (questionable – the buying and selling prices were so far apart) transaction, Mr. Jagdeo’s defenders cited presidential immunity from taxes. Any decent human being in those circumstances

notwithstanding any immunity from paying taxes (Ram contended that the taxes should have been paid) would have contributed the taxes due to a charity or group of charities as a magnanimous gesture. Mr. Jagdeo, a man with no wife or no known children, after gaining a windfall wouldn’t even drop a few cents off at the Dharmic Shaba.

Mr. Jagdeo’s continues to attack military service, no doubt hoping to “drum” up racial fear. In accusing the army of not going behind criminals “Jagdeo questions wealth of former Army Chief KN April 23, 2015”, Mr. Jagdeo neglected to mention what course of action he as the commander in chief took to address this alleged lack of action. In this election season his childish instincts are on full display. You have to take everything he says with more

than a grain of salt. If however, he is capable of any truth, I could well see why Brigadier Collins objected to Best succeeding him as Army Chief of Staff (COS).

Jagdeo would no doubt have expected a little more loyalty and gratitude from someone whom he removed four senior officers in order to have elevated to the appointment of COS. If as Mr. Jagdeo is suggesting that Best’s house involves some illegality, Jagdeo should provide whatever information he has to the police, then again Mr. Jagdeo is really the last person in Guyana that should be talking about houses as he himself ought to be subjected to an investigation over the sale of the Pradoville 1 house. The opposition coalition needs to rethink its strategy towards Mr. Jagdeo.

Marlon Cumberbatch

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Kaieteur News

Kaieteur M@ilbox

Sunday April 26, 2015

Kaieteur M@ilbox

Are we to understand that PPP women are Many Customs officers being trained in the art of public stripping? are singing Bob Marley’s

DEAR EDITOR, I join with others in expressing utter disgust at Minister Ramsaran’s abuse of Sherlina Nageer.

But I have to say that I am not the least surprised. For the last 23 years we - all of us - have allowed the PPP to criminalize others while they, the PPP, have used the cover of the government and state to abuse and intimidate others without sanction.

Some of us have been crying out as loud as we could, without success, for some acknowledgement that political abuse and violence and have now become systemic in Guyana.

Sometimes we are shut down by the press. WPA’s Professor Clive Thomas has long pointed to the criminalization of the State

under the PPP. The rhetoric of President Jagdeo and to a lesser extent, Minister Rohee and Dr. Luncheon along with the utterings of Minister Nandalall and now Minister Ramsaran, should not be seen as isolated rantings.

It is part of a political subculture that is grounded in a convergence of political arrogance, revenge and domination.

It comes from the same place that those racially laced Chronicle editorials came from. It is for that reason that I cannot accept the qualified and measured condemnations coming from Presidents Ramotar and Jagdeoand the PPP women.

Until they repudiate the culture of abuse, arrogance and domination that has

taken root in their party and the government and state it oversees, they should be dismissed as insincere.

One of my Buxton Elders just drew my attention to the stripping part of Minister Ramsaran’s attack on Ms. Nageer. He threatened to have his women strip Ms. Nageer.

Without diminishing the gender significance of the minister’s attack on the sister, let us, for a moment, move the conversation beyond the attack on womanhood.

When a government minister-a person in authorityspeaks about collective political action in that way, the society must take notice.

Are we to understand that PPP women are now being trained in the art of public stripping as a political tool? Did the crowd in front

of the court have instructions to do more than peaceful protest? Clearly from the Minister’s utterings he was there as a PPP official leading the protesters.

This is not the first time we are hearing of stripping.Let us cast our minds a bit further back. Last year a male rice farmer from Essequibo was reportedly stripped while protesting. Is there more in the mortar? I have my strong suspicions.

Minister Rohee has sternly warned the Coalition, and by extension its supporters, that there would be big trouble if they rig the election. In other words, if the PPP loses it would mean the elections were rigged. And there would be trouble. We shall soon find out.

David Hinds

“Real Situation”

DEAR EDITOR, Many Customs officers are singing Bob Marley’s song “Real Situation”. The last part of that song aptly described the prevailing sentiments and perspectives of those officers.

Here is the last stanza: “There ain’t no use: no one can’t stop them now Everybody struggling ain’t no use ain’t no use Ain’t no use you even try Ain’t no use got to say byebye Ain’t no use! Ain’t no ain’t no use no one can stop them now” There is a morbid gang of three that derives sadistic pleasure by playing Russian roulette with officers’ lives.

They see sugar workers as an assured voting bloc regardless of how they are treated DEAR EDITOR, This society must read the aggression the PPP brings to this campaign as it seeks reelection for what it is. In everything Bharrat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar governments have done they have demonstrated to us that they see Guyana as their plantation and the citizens their subjects.

The controversies that continue to surround shady dealings and disrespect by ministers and public officials are condoned, followed by efforts to sweep them under the carpet regardless of public outcries, which are indicative of these men lack of respect for the people.

The promises that are today made by them can never be seriously considered for they have had years to do what is right but refused to accept that the path they have travelled is wrong.

A case in point is the sugar industry. Every ill Cheddi Jagan spoke of about the plantoclass and the exploitation of the people, we are witnessing today under

the Jagdeo/Ramotar leadership. This industry continues to see billions of dollars being pumped into it with no sound economic plan to arrest its decline, save jobs and ensure an industry that can compete internationally.

The act of Jagdeo and Ramotar to place the blame on the European Union for the crisis in sugar is wicked and misleading, since it is CARIFORUM which includes Guyana that signed the Trade Agreement that agreed to cut sugar prices in return for modernising the industry and diversifying the economy.

What these men have done is disregard this agreement and engaged in acts inimical to the industry, economy and workers’ wellbeing, including denying private cane farmers what is justly theirs. In fact, these two men have taken the money and spent it as they like.

Guyanese must not be fooled by their rhetoric. Sugar is being used as a political football to the point where the current Chief Executive Officer (CEO), who enjoys a Cadillac lifestyle on the backs of workers/taxpayers, is today on the PPP List of Candidates for the 11th May elections.

It is every citizen’s duty to be concerned about and speak out on what is taking place in sugar because in addition to drawing down from the Consolidated Fund, the legacy of this industry runs deep in the veins of every Guyanese whose forebears were enslaved and indentured. The attempt by Jagdeo and Ramotar to present a picture that sugar is of special interest to them

given that the industry is dominated by Indians who are traditionally PPP supporters is masking their contempt for the workers and the importance of the industry to the nation’s economy.

Sugar directly affects the communities from Parika to Crabwook Creek. It has direct bearing on our Treasury which continues to pump money into it, and through indirect employment/work as value-added. For years these men have ignored the decline in the industry because they see sugar workers as an assured voting bloc regardless of what they do to them or how they treat men, and have in fact made this group a political weapon to perpetuate bigotry in their obsession to live on the backs of citizens For years GuySuCo’s books have not been audited and the management with the support of the government refuses to place their accounts before Parliament so the nation can know how our moneys are being spent.

Billions of dollars are owed to NIS, which represent workers’ contributions that GuySuCo has not paid over, putting at risk workers’ and the Scheme’s wellbeing.

President Ramotar’s recent promise to Berbicans that should a PPP government be returned he will invest $20B showcases personal greed, not an interest in the industry.

Citizens and workers of this country must be aware.

When Jagdeo was talking about investing over US$200M to build the Skeldon Factory in what was touted as Sugar Modernisation, he was

cautioned against it by voices of reason. Instead he ignored those voices, went ahead, singularly selected an illequipped contractor, threw all our money down the drain, as Skeldon remains a white elephant underperforming and cost this nation the largest single investment.

Skeldon has now become an albatross around the necks of taxpayers and sugar workers and bears testimony of these men squander-mania.

This nation must lay the blame squarely at the feet of Jagdeo and Ramotar for the sick industry.

Their admittance that sugar workers are leaving the job and their families to go perform hazardous jobs in the gold mining sector is indicative that they had no plan for the industry, save and except putting their hands on the people’s money.

These men had years to correct the ills (Ramotar served on GuySuCo board) and have already spent more than $20B. For them this is not about the survival of the industry, wellbeing of this nation and workers; it about them and their cohorts.

For instance the monthly salary GuySuCo CEO is equivalent to wages of hundreds of workers on an estate. He is guarantee perks of travel allowance, medical expenses, direct power line to his residence and it matters not if the community is plunged into darkest he gets light while the sugar workers and their families stay in the dark or light candles or flambeau. That CEO drives in a top of the line vehicle and is allowed to be chauffeured

while sugar workers are transported in crowded trucks under worse conditions than cows that are transported to the slaughter house. Industrial accidents in this industry continue to be alarming and are the nation’s highest in any workforce.

While the CEO is entitled to jump on plane when he falls ill, sugar workers have to contend with the dispensary where service continues to deteriorate. This is a return to the lifestyle of the plantocracy that Jagan railed against but Jagdeo and Ramotar have the temerity to ask workers and Guyanese for another chance. Another chance for what?

To now make Guyanese workers indentured servants and slaves? Must these men be given another chance to continue plundering the nation’s resources to live a life of luxury as the masses grow poorer and are deprived?

The call by Jagdeo and Ramotar to support them is not about we, the people.

It is about using the people to entrench themselves, which in the process sees the people’s rights transgressed, laws violated, disregard for accountability and the nation’s resources plundered.

Jagdeo and Ramotar have made the elections about them. The citizens in return must make the elections about us. Your vote is your power and a power to use to safeguard and protect your wellbeing. Our vote must be used as a referendum on the Jagdeo/Ramotar leadership.

Lincoln Lewis.

Many officers are enduring this situation because of their years of service and their families to maintain. Morale in Customs is at the all time low.

Being vocal is met with viciousness and victimization.

They are not managing by principles and adherence to best practices but by fear and intimidation.

They have perfected the blame game. Each of them denies making any decisions that adversely affects officers’ lives and ritually and habitually shifts the blame when asked while their signatures are seen on documentations of their devious decisions. If their decisions were impartial, there would been no need for this letter. However, each of them have their own small clique that enjoy preference treatment and privileges.

There is a jargon in Customs circles that is called “coverage” or an officer is referred to as “the deputy head boy or girl”. While this not a new phenomenon, but the blatant partiality is glaring and brazen.

Another ritual at Customs is senior male Management staff sleeping with junior female officers. I will say much on this; suffice to say it is wrong. What is disgusting right now is the calculated move by one of the gang members to have his sexual liaisons transferred back into Customs operations at the expenses of hard working and committed officers that made the sacrifice to further their studies with the hope of being promoted at some point in time. It is a real sad situation, ain’t no use.

Disgruntled GRA employees

Let us as one people...

From page 4 corruption and abuse come May 11. Or we can opt for the APNU+AFC Coalition which comprises individuals dedicated to fighting the PPP’s abuses and injustices, individuals committed to delivering on our desire for a better life and prosperity and a government committed to eliminating corruption within the corridors of government.

On May 11, let us all get on board and play our part in taking this country forward, TOGETHER. Let us as one people tell the PPP to ‘STAND DOWN’!

Our Future Belongs to Us. Let Us Claim It Now! Craig Sylvester.

Sunday April 26, 2015

Kaieteur News

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Plug to be pulled on 19 channels

Chairman of the Broadcasting Commission Professor Hopeton Dunn (left) and Executive Director of the Commission Cordel Green address members of the media on copyright compliance directive to cable television operators in Jamaica.

Jamaica Observer - Come May 31, 19 cable channels are to be removed from the roster offerings. This follows a directive issued by the Broadcasting Commission, as cable providers do not possess the requisite agreement to air these channels. The channels to be removed from local service are primarily movie providers from the Encore, Showtime and Starz suites.

Professor Hopeton Dunn, chairman of local regulator Broadcasting Commission, said the decision to issue this directive has come following intensive rounds of meetings with operators and their umbrella group, the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and others, with a view to arriving at a fully regulated system and the elimination of unlicensed channels from cable in Jamaica.

“Cable operators have been directed to remove these channels and provide subscribers with notice of the

discontinuation and an explanation of the reasons for doing so. Cable operators must also make whatever arrangements become necessary based on the terms of contracts with subscribers including refunds and channel substitution where applicable,” said Dunn at a news conference at the Commission’s New Kingston offices Friday.

The chairman said the Commission did not want to seem heavy-handed in its decision, explaining that the breaches by local operators “has been elevated to a contentious trade issue, threatening the reputation of Jamaica”.

“We are protecting Jamaica. We don’t want to be seen as a rogue agency, but this is simply not the way forward. What we are about is copyright compliance not just for the international content providers. Jamaican content providers of music and film have a legitimate expectation that their rights will be protected. The

question of piracy works in every direction,” said Dunn.

Meanwhile, Executive Director of the Commission Cordel Green called for a new model in the negotiation process between international channels and local cable operators.

“Agreements for most of these channels do not include Jamaica. The fact that Jamaica lies in the satellite footprint of the United States gives rise to illegal activity and undermines efforts to enforce copyright compliance... there is need for a new model,” said Green. The channels involved in the first phase of the clampdown are: Encore Black; Encore Family; Encore Love; Encore Suspense; Encore WAM; Encore Classic; Encore Drama; Encore Mystery; Encore Movie Plex; The Movie Channel Xtra Showtime East; Showtime West; Showtime TOO; Showtime 2; Showtime Showcase; Starz Comedy; Starz West; Starz Kids & Family; and Starz Multiplex.

Brazil’s Rousseff says Petrobras can ‘turn page’ on scandal Sao Paulo (AFP) President Dilma Rousseff said Friday that the release of financial results which showed Petrobras lost $2.1 billion to corruption would allow the state oil giant to “turn a page” on the largest graft scheme in Brazilian history.

Petrobras on Wednesday released its long-delayed audited accounts of a growing scandal that has enveloped the company, triggered the resignations of its chief executive and entire board and badly wounded Rousseff’s government.

“I believe that the

Dilma Rousseff

approval of these results is very important and allows Petrobras to turn a page and get back on track,” Rousseff said, adding that Petrobras, Brazil’s largest company, “has exceeded all questions related to management issues.”

Stock markets have reacted positively to the publication of the 2014

financial results — an attempt

by Petrobras to claw back confidence - after a delay of months. Prosecutors accuse Petrobras executives of colluding with construction companies to massively inflate contracts and bribe politicians, including members of Rousseff’s Workers’ Party (PT) and its allies.

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Sunday April 26, 2015

Sunday April 26, 2015

Kaieteur News

PPP/C yet to reschedule Theatre Guild public forum More than a week after the People’s Progressive Party/Civic’s (PPP/C) postponement of a public forum with citizens at the Theatre Guild, organisers have still heard no word from the party as to when they will reschedule the event.

Speaking to organisers of the public forum, the Guyana National Youth Council (GNYC), a new date for the PPP/C to take the stage, has not yet been organised.

On April 15, the PPP/C was scheduled to take part in a public forum organised by the GNYC and the Guyana Women’s Roundtable (GWR) to address questions on issues surrounding women and youth policy. However the party reportedly rescheduled due to issues with space and air conditioning at the Parade Street, Kingston location.

A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), was first to take part in the public forum the Monday of that week.

Representing the coalition was Presidential candidate David Granger and AFC executive member Catherine Hughes, who answered questions on their plans for Guyana should they win at the polls come May 11.

The coalition had entered the forum with the understanding that PPP/C incumbent President Donald Ramotar and Prime Ministerial hopeful Elisabeth Harper would have also been part of the public forum.

APNU+AFC has since rubbished the PPP/C’s reason

...as pressure mounts for political debates

Prime Ministerial hopeful, Elisabeth Harper and incumbent President, Donald Ramotar. for postponing the event, with Hughes expressing disappointment at the overall turn of events, since her party went forward with facing the public’s questions on their scheduled day.

Hughes was quoted as saying, “It is disappointing to the organizations who would have organized the event. It is disappointing to civil society who turned out in their numbers on Monday.

We used the same facility.

The air conditioning could have been a bit cooler, but I don’t think it was a deterrent.”

She however, expressed hope that the PPP/C will stay true to their commitment to the event and “will hold them to their word” with relation to rescheduling the event.

The PPP/C is yet to release a formal statement on when it will reschedule the public meeting. While the forum was not designed as a debate, this news comes as each political party faces

pressure from international bodies to engage in political debates to address issues that will affect Guyana in the next five years.

The Private Sector Commission had proposed a debate between Presidential and Prime Ministerial candidates, however, that too has been at a standstill with PPP/C declaring that it will not allow Harper to take the platform against APNU+AFC Prime Ministerial candidate Moses Nagamootoo.

The public forum was meant to be part of the GNYC’s Vote Like A Boss voter education campaign, to give citizens the opportunity to interact with presidential and prime ministerial candidates contesting the Regional and General Elections. Since officially launching the campaign last March, the organisation executives have said that they have received an “overwhelming” response

from the public, especially first time voters.

As part of their voter education campaign, GNYC has organised “mock polling stations” to train first time voters on making sure their ballots are valid on Election Day. “The mock polling stations have been a hit with everyone, especially first time voters and those who haven’t voted in a long time,” said one GNYC executive member. She explained that the mock polls use popular phone brands, instead of the symbols of political parties, to help in the training process.

Moreover, some of the organisation’s activities also include training sessions on how to read party manifestos.

These sessions are aimed at teaching voters how to analyse party manifestos with regard to how they address policies they wish to enacted, especially those relating to youth issues.

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Dem boys seh...

Don’t ask wheh de money come from Since 1999 when Janet step down and Jagdeo step up every project this son of a gun put hand pun was a secret and a deception.

In de fuss years he was careful in his dealings because he was testing de waters. That was when he give away de GPC fuh next to nutten. When he get through wid dat he give de man almost all dem drug contract fuh Guyana.

Within de last two weeks he give away US$15 million in drug contract. Luncheon who announce de thing suh shame that he refuse fuh tell Guyana who is de supplier, like if Guyana ain’t already know. That is only one project dem boys talking about during he first term.

In he second term was Wild West. He behave like a bull going to slaughter house and ain’t give a heck wheh he kaka.

Was a grabbing spree, snatching up anything and everything.

He start wid de Skeldon factory wha he seh cost US$200 million that de Indian company offer to build fuh half de price.

Nobody ain’t got to go to school to understand wha happen deh. Then he tek US$100 million wha he seh he spend fuh bring transmission line and cable from Brazil. De real cost was half.

De real cost of the new airport expansion is US$50 million.

He claim de cost is US$150 million.

De Berbice Bridge dem seh cost US$40 million when that coulda build fuh less than US$20 million.

De Amaila Falls project start off at US$450 million, within months it reach US$900 million. Imagine had they gone through wid that deal. You do de Maths. He and Brassington seh that de Marriott cost US$60 million. When it coulda build fuh less than half.

And dem boys can prove that beyond de shadow of a doubt.

He seh he spend US$27 million fuh 90,000 laptops to give away to poor people. Dem boys coulda buy dem and distribute dem fuh less than US$7 million.

De US$12.5 Enmore packaging plant wha up to now ain’t package one ounce of sugar. That coulda cost US$3 million.

Wid that mansion he surround heself with and live in no one should question wheh he get money from to build that.

Talk half and this is only some of de things dem boys remember off de cuff.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday April 26, 2015

PPP/C launches manifesto at Marriott

The People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) launched its manifesto: Guyana Version 2.0 in grand style yesterday at the Georgetown Marriott Hotel. The event attracted members of the Diplomatic Corps and many faithful supporters.

The event was chaired by Foreign Affairs Minister, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett.

Minister of Home Affairs,

Clement Rohee, was the first on the agenda. Rohee, the PPP/C General Secretary said that the manifesto is a fiveyear plan to promote development in every facet of the nation and to address critical issues affecting the populace so as to achieve a more secure and prosperous environment.

Rohee said that the PPP/ C’s proven track record “did

not come by accident” but through hard work despite the hindrances it received in the Parliament by the “honeymooning couple”—A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC).

If the opposition had the nation’s interest at heart, “Guyana could have progressed by leaps and bounds,” he said.

Nevertheless, with all the struggles it faced with the APNU+AFC, the General Secretary asserted that the PPP/C still remains the most influential party in the land and for those who have doubts; he expressed confidence that his statements will be justified when the May 11 results are announced.

Rohee told his audience that the carefully crafted manifesto is more than a declaration of policies. After a cultural dance, PPP/C Prime Ministerial Candidate, Elisabeth Harper, provided an overview of her party’s action plan for the people.

Harper said that the PPP/ C is committed to ensuring that the electorate is given a

higher standard of living through new far reaching programmes that will provide the opportunities for better life for all Guyanese.

Her party envisions Guyanese being able to have greater access to improved social services, affordable housing, more job opportunities and an environment that is safe and promotes the respect for women’s rights.

She noted that one of the key pillars of a nation is education hence the PPP/C intends to ensure that the school curriculum equips young people with the requirements of the new frontiers for economic growth. Harper said that along the line of boasting the country’s progress in the education sector, her party also intends to increase the number of trained teachers in the system, implement an enhanced early child education programme, improve the quality of tertiary education that is offered at the University of Guyana and establish centres for science, technology, engineering, arts and economics among

others. As it relates to the party’s plan’s for health, the Prime Ministerial Candidate said that the PPP/C wants to complete the specialty hospital, expand services such as neurosurgery, renal health and diabetic retinopathy services, expand doctor-provided home-based care across Guyana, expand the health fund to support persons who need to pay for health care and upgrade regional hospitals.

She said that while there is more in store for this sector, the PPP/C also wants to complete the $250M maternity building at the GPHC by 2016.

Harper then turned her focus to the housing sector.

In this area, the PPP/C she said, wants to implement a national housing policy that promotes sustainable housing development and facilitate the construction of turnkey (5000) homes.

For sports she revealed that there are plans in store to construct three new regional multi-purpose facilities in Berbice, Essequibo and Linden and in the field of culture, related

laws will be revised.

Considering her party’s commitment to youth, the Prime Ministerial Candidate said that the PPP/C plans to continue single parent training programmes in areas such as garment manufacturing, continue training through the Board of Industrial Training, an average 3000 young people annually as well as implement special support arrangements for young married couples.

She also elaborated on the initiatives in store for child care, the indigenous people, the homeless, women empowerment and the development of men.

The Prime Ministerial Candidate concluded that the PPP/C’s vision for Guyana is one which sees the accelerated development for all in peace and comfort.

PPP/C Presidential Candidate, Donald Ramotar, showcasing aspects of his party’s manifesto, emphasised that the event was not one to be interpreted as selling the electorate false hopes or empty promises. He said that the launching was no elections gimmick.

Sunday April 26, 2015

Kaieteur News

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Cell phone scams continue Guyanese across the country are being defrauded of huge sums of cash as the wave of cell phone scams continue.

One customer, who asked to remain anonymous, told this newspaper that her sister was called early one morning and told that she was the winner of $900,000 from Digicel. The woman said that the person on the other line, a man, indicated that to claim the prize $10,000 in credit needed to be purchased and the number from the cards messaged to a specific number.

In turn, the man said that she would receive two messages; one to confirm that the credit was received and another to provide a code to uplift the prize money. The man, who identified himself as Chris Persaud, also asked for a national identification number.

“As soon as he said that, bells start ringing in my head,” the woman told Kaieteur News.

She said she continued the conversation with the man who subsequently told her to collect her prize money at Digicel’s City Mall location.

However, she said, she was certain that it was all a scam.

The woman is one of countless Guyanese who have been approached with something too good to be true. Sometimes the scam is apparent and lucky persons manage to avoid being

…Digicel customers advised to “be smart” defrauded. Others are not as fortunate and lose large sums of cash before they can realize what has happened.

When contacted, Digicel’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) Vidya BijlallSanichara said that little can actually be done by the company to tackle the scam artists since the issue does not originate with Digicel. She said that the issue has been one that has been ongoing for quite a while now.

She said, too, that advisories and messages were often sent out to Digicel customers advising them to be wary of scams.

However, she said, despite the repeated warnings customers still fall prey to scams. She said that attacking the issue is difficult as the scam artists would quickly dispose of the SIMs once Digicel is on their trails.

She further explained that the fraudsters would ask for information such as addresses, correct spelling of

names and national ID numbers to make the scam seem more legitimate. She added that the process of handling the fraudsters is made difficult by a long process, which includes the involvement of the police.

“We can only advise people to be smart; persons would come in and demand their cash back but there’s nothing that can be done because this wasn’t something that came from Digicel,” BijlallSanichara said.

The Public Relations Officer is positive that Digicel employees are not involved in the scams. “I can safely say that our employees aren’t involved. They know they can be severely reprimanded or even face legal actions,” she said.

Bijlall-Sanichara indicated that she could not give an estimate of how many persons have called in to report scams. She also said that the other local network, GT&T, is also affected.

20-year-old man sexually abuses 3-yr-old Family members are livid and want swift action to be taken against a drunken 20 year old relative who sexually molested a three-year-old toddler on April 17, last at No. 60 Village on the Upper Corentyne.

The child’s mother reportedly left the toddler in the care of an 18-year-old relative, who is also a housewife, and went to conduct some business at Skeldon.

During the time the 20-year-old man who is a relative came home in a drunken state and went into the house. The children were left watching television while the woman tended to some other chores outside.

She subsequently went inside to check on the children and to her agony she saw the accused with his pants down and his penis exposed in front of the toddler. The woman, reportedly in a rage, took a hammer and dealt the accused a severe blow to the head. The child was subsequently taken for medical examination and the accused arrested.

Investigations are ongoing.

Sunday April 26, 2015

Unregistered minivans will lose tax concessions

Minivans like the Toyota Noah and Voxies could face demands for full taxes to be paid.

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has warned vehicle importers who have shipped in Toyota minivans for public transportation under a special arrangement, to register them before May 15 or be made to pay the full taxes.

GRA said, yesterday, that it has noted with concern the “lacklustre manner” in which some taxpayers, especially auto dealers and importers, are approaching the importation, modification, and registration of certain minivans to be used as public transportation and which are registered in the ‘B’ series.

Based on an agreement between the GRA and the Guyana Police Force (GPF), small passenger type minivans such as the Toyota Noah and the Toyota Voxy were allowed to be registered in the ‘B’ series for use as public transportation for a period of five years.

This concession was allowed on vehicles imported up to December 31, 2014.

“ F u r t h e r, t h i s t a x concession was granted with the condition that the vehicles would have been modified to accommodate 10 persons including the driver, within two weeks from the date that the tax exemptions/concessions were granted.”

The tax agency said that while most of the beneficiaries have complied with this stipulation, many importers are now defaulting on this agreement.

“This has led to several hiccups and delays in the processing and finalization of these concessions with the GRA Tax Exemptions, Processing and Verification Division and information shared with the GPF.” GRA said that the minivans imported under the special arrangements prior to December 31, 2014, are advised to have their vehicles registered on or before May 15, 2015.

“Any request to have these vehicles registered after May 15, 2015 will be denied by the GRA and the importer/ owner will be required to pay the full difference of taxes owed to the state.”

GRA stressed that the minivans which have already

been registered for use as public transportation will be allowed to continue operations for a maximum period of five years.

“Moreover, owners of these vehicles are reminded that under the terms and conditions of this agreement, they are required to submit their income tax returns annually to the Post Approval Section of the Law Enforcement and Investigation Division of the GRA, to confirm that they are using the vehicle for public transportation and that they are tax compliant.”

GRA said that failure to comply will result in the nonissuance of future Road Service Licence and the prorated taxes will become due and payable.

“As was previously stated, i n c a s e s w h e r e motor vehicles which fall under the above category were already registered by the GRA, they must be fitted with not less or more than 10 seats. These vehicles will be examined by the GRA before any renewal of their Motor Vehicle Licences, to ensure that they are in conformity with the required standard.”

Sunday April 26, 2015

Kaieteur News

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Berbice Bridge waived toll for major rallies Management of the Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated (BBCI) said that it waived tolls for both of the major political parties during rallies kept in the Ancient County.

According to Chief Executive Officer of BBCI, Omadat Samaroo, both the ruling People’s Progress Party/Civic (PPP/C) and A Partnership for National Unity plus Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) had written the company asking for waivers for the rallies.

“This was approved by BBCI and the two major political parties were issued with almost equal amounts of toll waivers,” Samaroo said in his statement.

“The Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated sees this gesture as a continuation of its corporate social responsibility to ensure that Berbicians are not denied the opportunity of hearing the programmmes that are likely to be of greater benefit to them and the country.”

BBCI said it not only plays the role of collecting tolls and facilitating vehicles crossing the bridge and vessels transiting through the retractor opening and

CEO of Berbice Bridge, Omadat Samaroo under the high span but also discharges its corporate social responsibilities.

“More importantly, BBCI plays an integral part in the development of the nearby communities through its support to education, sports, supported national events and many charitable and non – charitable organizations in Regions Five and Six.” Over the last weekend, motorists travelling to Berbice were reportedly asked by staff if they were heading to the rally which reportedly drew an enormous crowd.

The ones that answered in the affirmative were waved through while others were reportedly charged the normal toll.

However, there were no details of where the orders to waive tolls came from.

The Berbice Bridge itself has been facing problems. It had reportedly written to the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), a shareholder, indicating that it was unable to pay dividends for last year.

Also said to have shares in the bridge are the Hand-inHand Insurance Company, New Building Society, Demerara Distillers Limited, Beharry Group of Companies, Queens Atlantic Investment Inv (QAII), owned by Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop, best friend of former President Bharrat Jagdeo.

NIS, although sitting on billions of dollars in reserve, is facing long-term problems if it does not raise the number of contributions from employers and their workers.

Currently, its expenses outstrip revenues.

In a letter to the NIS, the bridge said that last year that it did not record a profit in 2014.

Sunday April 26, 2015

Min. Ramsaran’s behaviour mirrors Jagdeo and Nandlall - APNU+AFC ...crosses every boundary of decency The Women and Youth Groups of A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition has added their voices to the many others which have registered utter disapproval of the ‘slap and strip threat’ made recently by Minister of Health, Bheri Ramsaran.

Last Monday, Ramsaran verbally abused and threatened activist Sherlina Nageer because she, from all indications, touched a nerve as she questioned him about his presence on a protest front when the country’s health sector was in crisis .

In expressing its disgust with the Minister’s comments the coalition on Friday said, “Ramsaran’s behaviour crosses every boundary of decency. He has once again demonstrated the crassness and total disrespect for this nation’s women. We are now convinced that this is an entrenched culture within the halls of Freedom House.”

The APNU+AFC coalition recalled “countless incidents of similar behaviour by former President Bharrat Jagdeo” and the “utterly vulgar, expletive-laced and condescending descriptions of a young reporter by the incumbent Attorney General, Anil Nandlall… We still cringe when we listen to the recent threats Ramsaran issued to Nageer.”

The APNU+AFC described the governing People’s Progressive Party/ Civic as a crew of “foulmouthed, disrespectful, uncultured officials” who have shown Guyanese time and time again that they have abrogated unto themselves the right to mistreat citizens.

“The PPP/C is providing Guyanese with the reasons to remove them from the leadership of this country.

They have taken the trust and confidence that our people gave to them to lead us onto a path of development and enlightenment, and turned that trust into embarrassment at home and abroad, into verbal abuse of ordinary citizens, professionals and even of high ranking personages of the like Dr. Yesu Persaud.

“This abuse has to stop now. We have grown tired of their constant spewing of racist rhetoric and their indulgence in hate mongering. The PPP/C is a stain on Guyana’s international image,” said APNU+AFC.” Last Monday Minister Ramsaran was leading a protest demonstration outside the Whim Magistrate’s Court,

Women’s Rights Activists, Sherlina Nageer

Minister of Health, Bheri Ramsaran

UK High Commissioner, James Quinn

US Charge d’Affaires, Bryan Hunt

Corentyne, Berbice, in support of former President Bharrat Jagdeo whose matter was being heard at the time inside the court.

As he was being interviewed by reporters, Ramsaran said that those who mounted the protest were representing Jagdeo and were against the “wife beater” Christopher Ram. At that point, Nageer interjected, questioning Ramsaran as to whether Jagdeo hasn’t abused his wife as well. She went on to ask the Minister why he was wasting time on a protest line when he has more important issues to attend to with regard to Guyana’s health sector. Responding to Nageer’s questions, Ramsaran shouted, “Shut your mouth and get out my face.” He subsequently called Nageer a “little piece of s**t” and boasted that he would very well “slap her ass, just for the fun of it and have some of his women strip her here.”

While the Women and Gender Equality Commission remains silent on the issue, several sections of society came out against it.

Among those who have condemned the Health Minister are President Donald Ramotar and his running mate, PPP/C’s Prime Ministerial Candidate Elisabeth Harper, Education Minister Priya Manickchand, former President Bharrat Jagdeo and the youth and

Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr. Nicole Giles women arms of the APNU+AFC, Red Thread and the envoys of the ABC countries.

“DISGRACEFULAND UNACCEPTABLE” - UNITED STATES Speaking to an online news agency, US Charge d’Affaires Bryan Hunt had stated that such statements have no place in a country like Guyana, that has a high rate of domestic violence and sexual and gender-based violence.

Hunt was recorded as saying “In a country that has a domestic violence rate as high as Guyana’s and a sexual assault rate as high as Guyana’s, it is downright irresponsible for any senior politician to make the statement to any woman, in public or in private, that the Minister of Health made the other day. It is completely (Continued on page 65)

Sunday April 26, 2015

Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

THE SUN

The sun, the sun, oh the sun Without it we would all be glum The sun,the sun, oh the sun you see God made the sun for you and me

Sunday April 26, 2015

Granger urges mobilization of Region Three masses -- Former MP blasts PPP/C for education policy

by Christopher

The sun wanted to give us warmth and light Because of this, it is very bright The sun, the sun, it keeps us warm Billions of years ago, the sun was born Never, ever, look directly at the sun For if You do this, you’re done The sun will blind you as fast as light It doesn’t matter how much you fight Even when it is night We still miraculously receive sunlight Sunlight reflects to the moon, then reflects to us You will always get light, so don’t make a fuss The sun still has 4.5 billion years to go When it’s gone, OH NO!!!

But don’t worry that’s a long time from now When it’s gone: KABOOM, KAPOW But don’t worry about that stuff 4.5 billion years, I don’t bluff We all should be happy though, we’ve got the sun It keeps us healthy and alive, everyone

A section of the crowd at the Vreed-en-Hoop stelling.

The West side, the Region Three leg of A Partnership for National Unity plus Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) campaign rallies saw thousands coming out in support last Friday night as the coalition sought to woo a region that handed them one of its worst vote returns in the 2011 elections.

The rally was held at the Vreed-en-Hoop stelling.

Among the speakers were APNU+AFC presidential candidate Brig. David Granger; veteran teacher and former Member of Parliament, Cheryl Sampson; Prime Ministerial candidate Moses Nagamoottoo and performances from the Mighty Rebel, who drove the crowd into frenzy with his lyrics.

Leading up to David Granger’s entrance to the podium, the chants of “Granger! Granger!” grew to a crescendo until he was finally unleashed unto the

crowd.

Declaring that he had come to play hardball with them, Granger opened by chastising the Region for allowing the PPP/C to take the majority in 2011.

“Region Three, you are a great region, but you put your destiny in the hands of the PPP in 2011. And what did you get? You get a high rate of road fatality, a high rate of murders, a high rate of school dropouts and low prices for your paddy. That is what you get from the PPP/C!” “In November 2011 (you) gave the PPP 66% of the votes and give APNU/AFC 33% of the votes. Region Three, the PPP take you all for granted. They believe (in) old Region Three. You voted for them and what did it get you?

Will you vote for them again?”

Reminding them of the fate of assassinated political activist Courtney CrumEwing as he ventured into Diamond, urging residents to

vote against the PPP/C, the presidential candidate extolled his west side supporters to venture into any district, including perceived PPP/C strongholds and urge them to come out and vote.

“We have to mobilize.

Just as you mobilized tonight, you have to mobilize all along this region, up to Parika, up to the West Bank.”

“This is not a racial vote or an ethnic vote. This is not a businessman vote. This is a vote for every member of Region Three because, (if) you go down the streets into the alleyways, I want you to meet every person, Amerindian, East Indian, Portugese, and Chinese, and ask them to vote for APNU+AFC.” “We must paint this entire region green and gold!” he declared, much to the excitement of the crowd.

Granger also issued a plea to those who had the advantage of a vehicle, to assist others in getting to the polling station.

He welcomed everyone, no matter which party in the coalition had their support, to vote collectively for the APNU+AFC. Cheryl Sampson, Chairman of Georgetown Inservice Centre of Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) also took the stage to rapturous cheers. Sampson

was highly critical of aspects of the education sector.

Stating that every child had a right to free education, Samson talked about the shift from this policy to one that has led to the detriment of the education sector.

“There has been a shift, we know, under the PPP we care Government. The university of Guyana campus was not built by the PPP/C and because they did not build it, they don’t care what happens to it. They have not refurbished our institution.

An APNU+AFC government will fix it.”

Sampson, a teacher by training, stated that at the nursery level of the education system, the current Minister of Education adjusted the entry age from three years nine months to three years three months, so that her daughter can benefit. “Then, because she knew the education system at nursery level was in peril, she sent her daughter to a private school.”

“What is happening in the nursery school? We have many three year, three months children who, the authors know, that three years nine months was the right development time for a positive level. Now we got them running around in pampers, giving teachers more trouble for the same small pay.”

Continued on page 70

Sunday April 26, 2015

Kaieteur News

HAPPY TALK, hard bargaining

Contrary to what some might say, the Summit of the Americas was a success for President Barack Obama. His steps towards the restoration of official relations with Cuba garnered applause from across Latin America, and praise from President Raúl Castro. Having walked back his deeply unpopular declaration that Venezuela posed a threat to US interests and security, President Obama was able to largely deflect criticism of his sanctions on several Venezuelan officials.

As a result, the major headline to come out of the Summit revolved not around leaders’ attacks on his Venezuela policies (which were admittedly abundant), but instead focused on his warm handshake and private discussion with President Castro. Now that the handshakes and happy talk have receded, however, what remains is the delicate task of bargaining with the Cubans – one that will require months, if not years, to complete.

On April 14, Obama sent Congress a notice that in 45 days he would remove Cuba from the United States’ list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, allowing for Cuban use of international exchanges for their monetary transactions (something prohibited under Cuba’s current status). This will satisfy one of Raúl Castro’s initial demands, permitting further talks

between the two nations to pursue the goal of establishing full diplomatic relations. The US position is that the Cuban government must permit US diplomats unrestricted access to the island and its people, and that there be no restrictions on Cubans who wish to deal with the US embassy.

This would allow US officials to meet with Cuban dissidents and provide them with unlimited opportunities to challenge the current government, which Raúl Castro will not allow.

For their part, Cubans will take aim at Guantanamo Bay and an end to the embargo.

House Republicans are certain to object to this as long as Castro’s leftist government controls Cuba. Castro, for his part, will never allow the US to interfere with internal Cuban affairs, and is not likely to permit unrestricted speech and assembly on the island, especially for dissidents who seek to overthrow his government.

These demands leave both sides far from an agreement and demonstrate the difficulty in reaching a deal that satisfies the two countries’ opposing agendas.

Obama, for his part, will not be able to make significant changes to relations with Cuba as long as the Republican-controlled House and Senate oppose lifting the economic embargo.

However, recent speeches by three Republican candidates for president have indicated an intra-party divide on the issue. Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida oppose lifting the embargo, while Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky, has gone on record stating that

The society can expect to see more guns coming out. Indeed there are too many around and they are in the wrong hands. Another group of young men patrolling the city on motorcycles and targeting people who are walking around with lots of cash, will pounce on a businessman.

They will try to escape but the police and some public-spirited citizens would hamper the escape.

Only one will escape. ** The election campaign is on and coming out of it would be another accusation of incitement. A speaker is going to make an accusation about an attack against its members. An investigation would reveal

that there was no such attack. Instead two men would be involved in a heated discussion that had nothing with politics. ** Another fire is going to threaten a household.

People will once more look skywards toward the electric wires but an investigation would be needed before a conclusion could be reached.

By James A. Baer, Senior Research Fellow at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs and Ryan O’Regan, Research Associate at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs

lifting the embargo was “probably a good idea.”

While Senator Paul is hardly representative of mainstream Republican ideology, business leaders in the US have also stated their agreement with lifting the embargo.

US Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue, for example, has stated that his organization favors lifting the embargo because it represents government interference with business.

US public opinion, too, appears to be strongly in favor of reversing Washington’s long-standing feud with the Castro government.

Unfortunately, the realities of primary politics will likely render progress on US-Cuba relations a nonstarter for most Republican candidates. With the GOP in control of both houses of Congress, legislation to end the embargo is unlikely to make headway until the 2016 elections come to a close (if it is introduced at all).

That leaves President Obama with a narrow range of options in responding to Cuban demands, and he may have already given as much

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President Obama’s meeting with Raúl Castro at the Summit of the Americas was very important

as he can provide through his executive authority. This is why his meeting with Raul Castro at the Summit of the Americas was so important: it provided both leaders the opportunity to take the measure of the other and to establish the rapport necessary to see their countries through the trying years to come. Both face significant opposition to rapprochement at home and each man wants to be sure that every concession will benefit his country.

Raúl Castro is well aware that Cuba is in need of foreign capital, and must address serious degradation in the island’s technological and physical infrastructure. The limited resources of his cashstrapped government make it imperative that it open to global markets, as Cubans, frustrated by their own limited opportunities, leave the island for jobs in Spain, Latin America, and the United States.

This flight of human capital must be alleviated, and disgruntled citizens must placated, but no concessions can, in the eyes of the government, threaten the primacy of the Communist Party in Cuba. His

negotiations with the US have given him increased stature in Latin America and the possibility of technological assistance by the US. He must now gauge how far he can go in permitting economic change without inducing political upheaval.

The handshakes, smiles and happy talk of Panama

have pleased both leaders.

Now, their diplomats must sit down and discuss the myriad issues that have separated the two nations for more than fifty years, while defending any rapprochement to internal opposition. One can expect these talks to be long, and often tense – but ultimately successful.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday April 26, 2015

He loves shoelaces and

WOMEN’S JEWELLERY

- This clever and elusive man just might be a borderline serial killer

By Michael Jordan There’s a quiet and rather pleasant chap out there with a liking for shoelaces and women’s jewellery.

He’s believed to have killed a girl named Nazaline Mohamed in 2007 and dumped her in a coal pit. He also may have killed another girl named Sandra Harvey, in the same way, seven years before.

He likes to take his pretty victims to the Wisroc backlands. He ties them up and strangles them.

He’s clever, persuasive…elusive. He’s lain low for several years, but something tells me he may be getting restless again.

They say that it was on December 9, 1999, that Sandra Harvey left a Vryman’s Erven, New Amsterdam, Berbice location, reportedly to meet her husband at Aroaima, Berbice. She reportedly ended up in the company of another man and the two travelled to Wisroc by hirecar.

At Wisroc, the two reportedly disembarked, leaving the driver in the car.

Sometime later, Harvey’s companion reportedly returned to the vehicle alone.

But the driver reportedly noticed something troubling: Harvey’s friend was wearing her jewellery.

Later, the suspicious driver reportedly contacted one of Harvey’s sisters and expressed his fears for the young woman’s safety. The relatives began to investigate and it was then that they realised that she had never arrived at Aroaima.

They began to scour the area at Wisroc where Harvey was reportedly last seen, and it was then that they reportedly learned some troubling facts about Sandra Harvey’s male friend.

According to police reports from Linden, the 23year-old ‘friend’ had turned to crime while still in his teens.

He was reportedly in the habit of luring young women to remote areas and sexually assaulting them. Close associates said that he was highly superstitious and would rub ointments on his body, since he felt that this would protect him from the police.

He reportedly walked with a limp, owing to the fact that someone had once shot him in the leg.

Some months before Sandra Harvey disappeared, another young woman from Linden was raped and left tied

Odingo Green

up in the Wisroc area. She reportedly identified the rapist as Sandra Harvey’s friend.

They persuaded the victim to help them locate Sandra.

Although terrified, the woman led the relatives to the spot where her ordeal had occurred. Not far from that spot, the searchers found Sandra Harvey’s body bound to a tree.

About two weeks later, detectives arrested a suspect in a Leopold Street hotel. His name was Odingo Green; and he’d lived at Berbice, Georgetown and Wisroc. He was reportedly found with the slain Sandra Harvey’s jewellery. His defence was that she had given it to him.

He was charged with murder and, on April 26, 2004, convicted and sentenced to death by Justice Dawn Gregory-Barnes.

But Green appealed his sentence and the Court of Appeal ordered a retrial.

This was done before Justice Jaynarayan Singh who ruled that the prosecution had no case against the accused. Green was freed on May 12, 2005.

During a telephone interview, Green indicated to me that he was a reformed man.

Then, on February 2, 2007, 21-year-old Nazaline Mohamed was at her family’s Lot One, East Ruimveldt Front Road home, when a black car stopped outside. A man, whom the family knew, and a woman were inside the car. Nazaline packed her passport and a few other belongings in a haversack.

Wearing several pieces of jewellery and a white top, blue denim pants and a pair of slippers, Nazaline, who

occasionally travelled to Barbados, informed her mother, Jenny Martin, that she was going out.

The mother became concerned when Nazaline failed to return next day, or to contact the family by phone.

On February 12, 2007, two Linden residents went to Third Phase, Wisroc, to clear a plot of land. They observed several ‘carrion crows’ on a nearby tree and on the ground near a coal pit.

The men moved closer to the coal pit and saw that a woman’s body, with legs bound, was thrust head-first into the pit. They immediately summoned the police.

When the remains were hauled out, detectives saw that someone had tied a belt around the victim’s throat.

They were unable to identify the victim, but assumed that she was of African ancestry. An autopsy revealed that the woman had died from ligature strangulation. She was then buried as an unknown.

Meanwhile, Nazaline Mohamed was still missing.

Her relatives became even more worried when they tried to contact her on her cellular phone and a man answered.

According to the relatives, the man told them that they would have to look for Nazaline “in a coal pit.”

At the time, the missing woman’s relatives were unaware of the grisly find at Wisroc.

On February 15, Jenny Martin and other relatives visited the East La Penitence police station and reported her missing.

Police ranks then informed them of the body at Wisroc.

The relatives travelled to

Linden and Jenny Martin immediately identified a pair of blue denim pants and a blouse that the slain woman had worn, as clothing that Nazaline was last seen wearing.

She also identified a clump of dyed blond hair, which had come from the corpse, as Nazaline’s.

She also learnt that the victim bore a red and green flower-shaped tattoo at the navel. This was similar to a tattoo Nazaline had.

They now knew without a doubt that the woman in the coal pit was Nazaline Mohamed.

According to reports, Nazaline, and the couple in the car, had traveled to Wisroc and had stopped briefly at a house in the community.

Following up on these leads, detectives searched the house where the trio had allegedly stayed. They found a suitcase containing women’s clothing, but found no trace of the suspects.

The prime suspect was none other than Odingo Green, the same man who was convicted and freed, three years prior, for the murder of Sandra Harvey.

Police got a break some 13 months later when, in March 2008, a Guyanese man going by the name of “Orlando Lewis” was apprehended in Suriname. Orlando Lewis’s real name was Odingo Green.

Surinamese Police brought Green back to Guyana and handed him over to Guyana Poliec Force Inspector Ray Geness at Moleson Creek Police Outpost, where he maintained that his name was Orlando Lewis.

But at the Central Police Station in New Amsterdam, he was identified as “Odinga Green” by Superintendent Chapman, following which he was escorted to CID, Eve Leary, and then to Linden.

When told by Assistant Superintendent of Police Julius Wright of the allegation that he had murdered Nazaline Mohamed, Green gave an oral statement in which he admitted to taking her to Linden, but that they had gone there “to buy weed”.

He was then charged with murder.

The murder trial of Odingo Green, now 36, began on September 8, 2012 before Justice Franklyn Holder.

The Prosecution’s case, led by Senior State Counsel Judith Gildharie-Mursalin, together with Diana Kaulesar, was that on the evening of

Nazaline Mohamed (L) and Sandra Harvey February 2, 2007, Green had arrived at Mohamed’s home with a car where Mohamed and her friend, Desha, called ‘Black Girl’, joined the car.

Mohamed’s mother, Jenny Martin, asked her why she was wearing all her jewellery and she said it was because Odingo told her that she should wear all because she “had to look nice where she was going”. Upon enquiring where she was going, Mohamed told her mother “Cayenne”. She was never heard from again.

Some 10 days later, the decomposing remains of a woman were discovered in an abandoned coal pit at Third Phase, Wisroc.

An autopsy was performed on the body by Dr. Nehaul Singh, following which the body was buried at a cemetery in Linden.

But despite the testimony of prosecution witnesses, on Sep 24, 2012, Justice Franklyn Holder ruled that the prosecution had not made out a case against Odingo Green.

He was once more free.

Like I said before, there’s a quiet and rather pleasant chap out there with a liking for shoelaces and women’s jewellery.

He’s believed to have killed a girl named Nazaline Mohamed in 2007 and dumped her in a coal pit. He also may have killed another girl named Sandra Harvey, the same way, seven years before.

He’s lain low for a few years, but I truly, truly fear he may be getting restless again…

If you have information about an unusual case, you can contact Kaieteur News at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown location. We can be reached on telephone numbers 2258458, 225-8465, 225-8473 or 225-8491. You need not disclose your identity.

You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email address: mjdragon@hotmail.com

Sunday April 26, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 27

== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ==

Annette Arjoon, Mike Mc Cormack, and the fault, dear Brutus I was in the head office of the Alliance for Change last Tuesday evening in a very animated conversation about whether the PPP’s leadership, sensing it will lose the election will try to derail it, when my mobile phone rang.

The caller was from Region 6. The man asked for my help. First he wanted to know if the police can impound his sheep. I told him I think it should be the NDC but I wasn’t sure.

He explained that the police are constantly impounding his sheep and he feels he is being victimized.

If you think that it was funny that someone deep in the heart of Region 6 can call on me for help who lives deep in the heart of Georgetown then you are wrong.

There are many, many implorations I get from very far about harassment and victimization. A man called from Region 6 about a traffic cop that was targeting him. I couldn’t understand what I was supposed to do from as far away as Georgetown.

These people have no other avenue to turn to except

the media. These people do not know about the existence of any human rights organization in this land, yet in Guyana we have a thirtyyear-old entity named the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) headed

by Mr. Mike Mc Cormack and his wife Merle who have been at its helm since it was founded.

The GHRA is well funded and has a large office on Hadfield Street, in Stabroek.

What exactly the GHRA does from Monday to Sunday, this columnist doesn’t know, but this I know - my work is to study Guyana, so I would know most of the active organizations that operate in the sphere of human rights.

Given the alarming rate of human rights violations, the GHRA needs to do more. I now offer readers a sad, tragic case that the GHRA, all

associations concerned with rights and the media need to get involved with. I am reproducing the entire news item “Anjanie Gouden The wife of missing cargo handler David Bisnauth, who was in the Air Services plane which disappeared in Region Eight last December, has come forward for the first time.

Anjanie Gouden, 43, said since Bisnauth went missing, neither the authorities nor the airline has contacted her or offered any help whatsoever.

“Nobody never, ever call me to tell me what is going on,” the woman said in an interview. Bisnauth was onboard the aircraft went it disappeared off air traffic control radars on December 28, 2014. The other person on board was the pilot, Nicky Persaud. After the authorities cancelled a search for the plane in January, a private

search was launched to find the plane. Leading that effort is Frank Singh, the Father-inlaw of the pilot as well as the pilot’s father, Cecil Persaud.

Bisnauth’s wife came forward to speak after she said she noticed that a billboard which was mounted on Main Street, Georgetown was removed. I want the search to continue,” she said.

The woman said since no one contacted her in all of the four months since the plane’s disappearance, she depended on the news media for information. And so, she said she felt the search had ended when she noticed the billboard was removed.

Bisnauth, 51, was employed by Air Services Limited three years ago and lived in the company’s facilities at Mahdia. He fathered two children with Gouden. The woman said he

was the sole breadwinner of the family and since his disappearance she has had a rough time making ends meet.

She said the most difficult is getting finances to meet the school needs of the couple’s two children Devi, 14 and Dave, 9. (end of quote) This news item was carried on Tuesday. At the time of writing (Saturday morning), I have not read or seen a response from Ms. Annette Arjoon, the General Manager of Air Services Limited. I stand corrected if Ms. Arjoon has responded, but I haven’t seen it and I have been looking for Ms. Arjoon’s response since Tuesday.

If I am to assume that what Ms. Gouden has said is true, then this is an urgent case that the Guyanese nation must give immediate attention to.

Why it doesn’t sound true is

Frederick Kissoon because Ms. Arjoon once won an award from Trinidad for her efforts in the conservation of the turtle population at Shell Beach.

She is the wife of Stabroek News’s weekly social commentator and prominent former calypsonian, Dave Martins (can’t say I ever loved that kind of music; maybe I was a conservative ghetto boy).

I am tempted to say that surely if Arjoon-Martins can save turtles she should save Ms. Gouden and her children.

Maybe Dave Martins can do a column on Ms. Gouden.

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Sunday April 26, 2015

Rise of the vulgarians There seems to be no limit to the vulgarity of ministers of the People’s Progressive Party government.

President Donald Ramotar, addressing a political rally in Aishalton, is on record as having publicly scolded a schoolteacher in a vulgar manner that constituted disrespect for indigenous people. The man had simply questioned the former President’s [Jagdeo’s] record in office. Ramotar, responded, “You don’t know anything about Jagdeo; if he been hay he mighta slap yo, coz you stupid.”

Ramotar is no stranger to

strong language in public.

Addressing the solemn, annual commemoration ceremony for Cheddi and Janet Jagan, at Babu Jaan, Corentyne, he insulted his former, long-standing colleague Moses Nagamootoo for comments made about Guyana’s debt, “referring to him as “the jackass Nagamootoo.”

Ramotar, during the election campaign in November 2011, had told a rally at Whim Village on the Corentyne Coast: “[Moses] Nagamootoo…was expecting Ramjattan to make him VicePresident! Ramjattan is a

puppet! Ramjattan is a sham…So, if Nagamootoo think that Ramjattan gon make him Vice-President, Lauraah!

Priya Manickchand, former Minister of Human Services and Social Security made her mark as a ‘vulgarian’ during the term of office of Hillary Clinton as US Secretary of State. Hours after the release of the US international Trafficking in Persons Report in July 2010, the PPP administration convened a press conference.

Placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for the fourth consecutive year, Guyana was described as having a “significant” number of persons who had been trafficked. Manickchand is reported to have described the Report as “crap” and said it was “based on sheer ignorance and eye pass.”

Several of her cabinet colleagues joined the chorus to express their rehearsed outrage.

Manickchand most recently displayed her ‘vulgarian’ behaviour at a reception marking US Independence Day in 2014 that was also intended as a farewell function for outgoing US Ambassador Brent Hardt.

Minister of Health Dr Bheri Ramsaran is the most recent PPP ‘vulgarian.’

Ramsaran, as he was being interviewed by reporters at Whim, Corentyne, was asked by a female rights activist why he was wasting time on a protest line when he had more important issues to attend to with regard to Guyana’s health sector. Responding to Nageer ’s questions, Ramsaran shouted, “Shut your mouth and get out my face.” He subsequently continued to direct more obscenities at the young woman.

Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall was heard in a recording to be asking

repeatedly about the identity of the young woman and further intimated that his relative was interested in a sexual encounter with her.

Nandlall used vulgar, offensive and disrespectful language to implicate the young woman in an inappropriate sexual relationship. There was much more. Former President Bharrat Jagdeo, widely regarded as the father of public abuse, set the tone for other cabinet members to emulate. The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Media Monitoring Unit (MMU) recently reported that Jagdeo’s remarks at a Memorial Ceremony held for former President Dr. Cheddi Jagan were racially divisive.

The controversial part of the speech read “…they shout about racism of the PPP, but they practise racism. They whisper campaigns. In the last elections they went to some of the Afro-Guyanese villages and beat some drums at 6 o’clock in the morning and say let us throw out these

‘coolie’ people. Get up, go out and vote, throw out the ‘coolie’ people. That’s the kind of language they use.

Anybody from our party who uses that sort of language, we will kick them out. This is our approach.”

The MMU, after reviewing the remarks, took the position that it was obvious that Jagdeo was using a racial mobilization incident that allegedly occurred during the 2011 elections to make the point that racism will not be tolerated by his political party, the PPP/C. It is clear that some PPP cabinet ministers have degraded the high offices of the Republic with their invective and vituperative language. The frequency and vulgarity of their offensive statements in public places and against certain persons suggest that there is a deeper disdain and reckless disregard both for their office and the people.

The PPP ministers have brought the entire nation into disrepute. Their crass, coarse and crude choices of words in their public statements have been a major cause of the collapse of confidence in the PPP.

Sunday April 26, 2015

Kaieteur News

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MY COLUMN

In the midst of rumours and scandals I have been around for quite a few elections and I have seen and heard a lot. I remember the elections of 1992 when rumours flew fast and furious.

Although for the first time there was counting at the place of poll, I heard that people were finding ballot boxes in homes.

There was nothing so outlandish after, but there were rumours that could have sparked unrest. Last week there was talk about people in a village hurling missiles and a bottle containing corrosive substance at a truck that was taking people home from a rally hosted by the People’s Progressive Party.

If indeed that had happened then one could have expected people in another community which happened to be supportive of the ruling party could have retaliated in kind. However, there was no such untoward incident.

One of the dailies did not wait, choosing to splash the report on its front page.

Needless to say, the nation was surprised, because we have come to believe that such behaviour represents something from the past.

I was alive during the disturbances of the early 1960s and I recall that when there were reports of something happening to one person in a community, rest assured that there was a tit for tat. Between 1963 and 1964, more than 200 people died. Eventually the news media while reporting on every beating or killing took great pains to hide where the incident occurred. In this way they saved many lives.

So there it was with none other than the former president, Bharrat Jagdeo, telling a press conference that he could not understand why there were people who were wishing away the attack on the truck. Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, reporting on the supposed incident, did say that he got a report while he was heading

back to the city.

For my part, I opted to check with people who live in the area where the attack was supposed to have taken place. They told me that they knew nothing of the incident.

They also told me that there was a blackout at the time and people were off the road. I then asked whether it was possible that people from outside the community came in and did their mischief.

I must say that the people with whom I spoke told me that things like that couldn’t happen in Berbice because someone is always looking outside, especially since bandits launched a rampage in the county.

I called the police and initially, they told me that they could not confirm or deny. I persisted and learnt that there was never an attack. Instead there was brawl on the truck and some people got injured.

The people themselves spoke with the authorities. They told a similar tale.

After a week I would have expected a comment from the people who actually spread the rumour to the media and even accusing the opposition of demonstrating its penchant for violence.

That was only one bit of madness. There was the assault of a woman who had gone to Berbice to observe the proceedings. She saw the Minister of Health in a picket line and approached him to enquire why he happened to be picketing when there were problems within his Ministry.

In the end she got a mouthful from the Minister. So out of place and lawless was the Minister’s outburst that the diplomatic community was forced to comment. They damned the Minister.

One diplomat even said that had that happened in his country, the Minister would have been a Minister no more. In fact, he would have been expelled from the party.

The government did react. President Ramotar chided the Minister as did some of the other Ministers.

The PPP got into the act but introduced a caveat. “The Minister was provoked.”

There were others who added their bit. Like the PPP, they contended that the media were to blame. This was a classic case of the party circling its wagons.

Then there were the rallies.

It would seem that each party is trying to outdo the other for bragging rights about who would attract the largest crowd. There were the trucks and the minibuses that transported people from outside the rally area. There was even a case of denying

that people were transported.

Minister Rohee told the press that the people came from the catchment area.

I remember asking him about children being present and while he admitted that there were many children, he suggested that people may want to put a spin.

I have come to recognize that while crowds offer some comfort to the political party, the bottom line is that these people should register, and ensure that their names are on the voters’ list.

There was an attempt this time around to have the

politicians present their platform to the people. It is sad that some of them did not grasp the opportunity, choosing to shy away from questions. In one case a party said that it was protecting its candidate from insults, even though it had made it a practice to insult the opposition candidates.

Tongues are wagging.

There is talk that the government is nervous, but I also know that the opposition is also nervous. No one can boast of being certain of victory. People just have to wait for a few more days.

Adam Harris People say that President Ramotar consulted pandits to arrive at the date, the same way parents consult them about naming their children.

These are interesting times.

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Sunday April 26, 2015

A progressive business plan to rescue farmers and produce

Twenty-three years in government and the PPP/C is just waking up to the realization that small- and medium-sized businesses play a pivotal role in the growth of most economies.

In twenty-three years of presiding over the economic fortunes of Guyana, incumbent President Ramotar has finally come to terms with this reality, at least via a verbal acknowledgement.

He made some references to SME development in his speech to about 200 business owners gathered last week at the GMSA’s Business Luncheon.

Without providing any details, Ramotar is reported to have said that he “hopes” that small businesses will be able to move forward “without too much bureaucracy” … this from an incumbent President who has ‘presided’ over the affairs of state for the past three years.

He spoke about the private sector being involved in the National Competitiveness Strategy Council, and participating in partnership with the

Government in the construction of a strategy paper to help Guyana to navigate through the CARICOM marketplace where our manufactured products are uncompetitive due to high costs of production.

A National Competitiveness Summit was held, but no National Trade Policy evolved. The high level of governmental bumbling and incompetence on matters of trade and economics is hard to comprehend in the face of the Private Sector’s clear understanding of the international marketplace and the existing barriers to trading Guyana’s products.

It was not too much to hope that in this 21st Century, with information on cheaper but technologicallyadvanced equipment for product-line manufacturing, power generation, open markets and other trade data so readily available, Guyana’s community of small business owners including farmers

would have been larger and viable. But that is not the case today. It will, however, be the ‘case’ tomorrow under a Coalition government.

The business support bodies have long been requesting assistance from the government to remove the bureaucratic hindrances (Customs, Compliance certificates, excessive taxes and charges) they encounter on a daily basis, but to no avail.

Now on the 2015 campaign trail, the incumbent President talks the talk of small business (SME) development in which they had previously shown little interest. And he went on to declare that a new PPP government post-election will issue new licences for more commercial banks.

This one is new, and it is left only to time to tell whether this promise will go the way of ALL other election-time PPP gaffes, i.e. nowhere.

The Coalition has made known its stated position,

that in government one of its key priorities would be to provide the infrastructure to develop new and existing businesses, and to work closely with neighbouring South American countries and CARICOM to improve Guyana’s dismal revenue statistics. It is common knowledge that Guyana spends much more on imported goods than we earn from exported products.

This imbalance is hard to comprehend when this country can boast of the most arable land in this hemisphere.

Our capacity for food production outstrips that of any other country in CARICOM. Our cattle farmers have been experiencing torrid times though. Over the past 10–15 years they have been finding it extremely difficult to transport beef and pork from the hinterland regions, especially from Lethem that used to be the hub of cattle farming, to the larger markets in the city and along the

coast. As a result, the number of cattle farmers has dwindled and so have their valueadded industries, e.g. leather tanning and salted beef establishments. We have ascertained that markets do exist in the Caribbean region for milk and meat products.

The Coalition’s trade facilitators intend to approach the rebuilding of the cattle industry with some priority.

It is heart-rending to observe the thousands of pounds of harvested plantains, bananas, pumpkins, eddoes, yams and other agricultural products that are abandoned and left to rot on the Parika Stelling because farmers in the East Bank Essequibo, the Wakenaam, Leguan and Hog Islands, along the Essequibo Coast and in the fertile Pomeroon find it too costly to transport their goods from farm to markets in Georgetown and Berbice.

They complain that they are forced to sell only a portion of their produce below

break-even prices and the rest is left to rot on the ground or at the stelling. Their losses could be tallied to millions of dollars per week.

A visit to the farming communities on the Mahaica River and creeks tells a similar tale. Huge quantities of lemons and cherries that retail at such high prices in the city are left to rot on the ground because of the growers’ inability to move the produce from farm to market.

These are the areas that require governmental intervention, including the provision of affordable transportation facilities to move farm produce to markets and ports, and by sustaining bi- and multilateral trade talks and agreements with CARICOM states as well as the governments of Brazil’s southern regions.

Guyana’s population is small and our soil is arable.

The opportunities for our farmers/growers, agroprocessors and cattle owners to earn a lot more revenue from their produce are numerous if they receive the right kind of governmental assistance, the enabling environment that includes paved roads leading into farms and communities, and the realization of that contentious plan to properly surface the corridor linking Linden with the Guyana/ Brazil border town of Lethem.

The benefits that this road could bring to Guyana are numerous.

Guyana was told long ago that the governments and exporters in Roraima State, Manaus, São Paulo, Amazonia, Brasília and other southern Brazilian states were very willing to pave this and other main roads in Guyana.

The rationale is simple - a route through Guyana’s territory to the Atlantic Ocean is shorter and less costly for them than trucking their produce through thousands more miles to their own Atlantic sea ports.

It is incomprehensible why the PPP/C government has dilly-dallied for years on the Brazilians’ 2009/10 proposal to: 1) pave this important corridor, and 2) to establish a Free Trade Zone at Lethem complete with capacious silos and warehouses.

The possibilities for the development of Annai and the hundreds of communities in Regions 9 and 10 abound.

The Coalition will revisit this beneficial Brazilian offer even though our neighbours have already turned to other coastal South American countries, including Suriname.

Sunday April 26, 2015

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SUNDAY SPECIAL

attend to as government’s point man on health.

In response, Ramsaran shouted, “Shut your mouth and get out my face.”

The exchange continued between Nageer and Ramsaran, and the activist pointed out that “we have children and women dying under your watch and what are you doing here wasting time. You have a responsibility to the People of Guyana and their health…this is a waste of taxpayers’ dollars, my money is paying your salary.”

JAGDEO’S US$15 MILLION LIE – TOLD NATION IN OCT. 2010 FUND WAS TAX DOLLARS, NOW 2015 SAYS IS PETRO CARIBE LOAN In October 2010, the administration of former President Bharrat Jagdeo launched a new project entailing an ambitious 10-kilometre drainage canal to reduce flooding on East Coast Demerara.

The $3.6B canal was said to be the largest project to be funded directly from the Public Treasury, Jagdeo had told a large crowd of invitees during a ceremony in the backdam, along the East Demerara Water Convervancy (EDWC, in October 2010.

There had been questions over the technical aspects of the project which is nearing completion and due to be commissioned shortly.

Now more than four years later, Jagdeo has shockingly disclosed that the Hope/ Dochfour Canal project is actually being constructed from a loan that Government took.

Meeting with angry rice farmers last week on the Essequibo Coast, Jagdeo reportedly referred to the ricefor-oil Petro Caribe agreement with Venezuela signed between Guyana and Venezuela in 2009.

He said that Guyana is not the only Caribbean country that has access to the Petro Caribe arrangement, but other countries have been utilizing the financing for programmes that exist.

He said that US$15M from the loan was used to finance one single project—Hope Canal. It would be the first time that Government or Jagdeo has admitted that the monies used to finance the canal is actually a loan.

GMSA CANCELS RESERVATION AT PEGASUS, SWITCHES TO MARRIOTT Owner of Pegasus Hotel, Robert Badal, is lamenting the politicization of the private sector bodies including the Guyana Manufactures and Services Association (GMSA) and the Private Sector Commission (PSC).

He told Kaieteur News that these bodies are highly influenced by the government and that this is becoming clearer as the days go by.

As he sought to give credence to his point, Badal pointed out GMSA’s most recent action.

The entrepreneur said that GMSA had made a booking to hold a luncheon with President Donald Ramotar at Pegasus’ Savannah suite dur-

THURSDAY EDITION RAMOTAR FLOORED BY QUESTIONS AT GMSA BUSINESS LUNCHEON

ing the later part of this month.

However, without notifying the management of Pegasus, GMSA moved the event to the Marriott “allegedly on the instruction of the President Ramotar.”

Badal recalled that, in a similar manner, private sector bodies as well as government offices were directed or coerced to hold functions at Princess Hotel soon after its opening in 2007.

MONDAYEDITION JAGDEO SPREADS FEAR AT ALBION RALLY TO WIN BACK BERBICE PPP frontman in the election campaign, Bharrat Jagdeo told last Sunday’s Albion rally of the ruling People’s Progressive Party that the opposition alliance with former military personnel is something to be feared. ”When they link up with the Military and come into your homes and start kicking the doors down and when they come after you, who is going to be there…?” he questioned.

He said that APNU has its entire Executive being dominated by ex-army ranks and officers. “There can be no professionalism as was done in the past.”

He said Berbicians should feel fearful about that t h o u g h t .

The presence of the former military people who have pledged their support to leader of the opposition coalition is being used to scare voters, APNU retorted.

One opposition leader said that people are not fools.

If the former military people or today’s soldiers were to kick in people’s doors there is nothing to stop them from doing that today.

Instead, the army had been going after the criminals who have tormented the nation.

PPP/C SHIELDS HARPER FROM DEBATE WITH NAGAMOOTOO Expressing fear of its Prime Ministerial Candidate Elisabeth Harper being subjected to ‘disrespect’, the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic has rejected the invitation for her to debate with Moses Nagamootoo, her counterpart in the Opposition.

The PPP/C noted Sunday that while it has accepted the invitation for a public Presidential debate from the Private Sector commission, their decision to not entertain the Harper-Nagamootoo debate is final.

The party noted that this “campaign of disrespect” started with the “most repugnant utterances” from Nagamootoo against Harper during the APNU+AFC’s rally in Whim, Berbice. The PPP/C said it strongly condemns Nagamootoo’s alleged statements at that election crusade.

It also expressed disappointment that it has since been continued by the opposition’ campaign machinery.

TUESDAYEDITION WHYSHOULD GUYANA HAVEAPRIME MINISTER WHO RUNS/HIDES FROM A SIMPLE DEBATE? – TROTMAN “One of the qualities of any good leader is mettle.

Moreover, when someone decides that he or she wants to be a part of a country’s leadership and hold the future of hundreds of thousands of citizens in his or her hands, that person must accept and embrace the fact that mettle is no longer just an asset, it is a necessity.”

That is the sentiment expressed Monday by A Partnership for National Unity and

Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Campaign Cochair, Raphael Trotman as he responded to the reasons put forward by the incumbent People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) as why it’s Prime Ministerial (PM) candidate will not debate her counterpart.

Last Sunday, PPP/C issued a statement to the effect that it will not allow its PM Candidate, Elisabeth Harper to be involved in a political debate against APNU+AFC PM Candidate, Moses Nagamootoo and fear was the reason put forward for this decision.

The Party expressed fear that Harper would be subjected to ‘disrespect.’

The PPP/C noted that while it has accepted the invitation for a public Presidential debate from the Private Sector Commission, their decision to not entertain the Harper-Nagamootoo debate is final.

The reason for this, it posited, is that there has been an ongoing campaign of vile attacks against women candidates of the PPP/C, especially towards Harper through the daily newspaper letters and articles being managed by the Opposition.

WEDNESDAYEDITION ELDERLY OVERSEASBASED GUYANESE SHOT, ROBBED …SHORTLY AFTER TOUCHING DOWN IN GUYANA A British-based octogenarian got a rude welcome to Guyana when he was ambushed, shot and robbed by bandits shortly after arriving outside his sister’s home from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, (CJIA) Timehri. Glendon Cadogan, 83, underwent emergency surgery Tuesday morning to treat gunshot wounds.

The incident occurred around 09:30 hours at Shirley FieldRidley Square, Guyhoc Gardens.

Police say their investigations revealed that Cadogan had travelled from the CJIA and was confronted by three men, one of whom was armed with a firearm, who drove up in a motor vehicle as he was entering his sister’s yard. The men held him up and demanded a bag that he had in his possession.

The elderly man resisted and was shot to his abdomen and left arm by the perpetrators, who subsequently escaped with the bag.

MINISTER RAMSARAN VERBALLYABUSES, THREATENS TO SLAP FEMALEACTIVIST Minister of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran verbally abused activist Sherlina Nageer and later issued a carefully worded apology for his gross indiscretion. The activist felt the wrath of the Minister because she, from all indication, touched a nerve as she questioned him about his presence on a protest front.

It all occurred in Berbice on Monday. Ramsaran was leading a protest demonstration mounted outside the Whim Magistrate’s Court, Corentyne, Berbice, in support of former President Bharrat Jagdeo.

As he was being interviewed by reporters, Ramsaran said that those who mounted the protest were representing Jagdeo and were against the “wife beater” Christopher Ram. At that point, Nageer interjected, questioning Ramsaran as to whether Jagdeo hasn’t abused his wife as well. Further, she asked the Minister why he was wasting time on a protest line when he has more important issues to

With less than three weeks to the May 11 polls, members of the business community cornered President Donald Ramotar with tough questions, a few relating to the gifting away of Guyana’s forests to Chinese companies.

At a business luncheon hosted by the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), the Head of State on Wednesday told a packed audience of his glorious plans to stimulate further growth for the nation should he be re-elected.

After his 30-minute episode of great promises for the business sector, Ramotar faced the concerns of Howard Bulkan, Managing Director of Bulkan Timber Works in the “Question &Answer” segment. Bulkan said that Guyana’s timber industry remains a gateway to one of the richest natural resources, “But the Asians are here in a big way and just shipping logs and more logs and our prime species, too, and there is no processing and no transfer of skills.”

The entrepreneur asked Ramotar that should his party emerge successful in the upcoming polls, if he would continue with this same policy.

The second part of his question focused on fiscal concessions. Bulkan argued that members of the GMSA have always advocated for a level playing field. “We don’t get the concessions the Asians get so when will the playing field be levelled?”

His questions earned him a resounding round of applause from the audience.

FRIDAYEDITION MORE BANKING LICENCES IS UTTER FOOLISHNESS - RAM, DR. THOMAS, GREENIDGE The recent promise by President Donald Ramotar to the (Continued on page 50)

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Sunday April 26, 2015

Alcoholics and substance abusers are not outcasts - says Rehab Manager as Salvation Army celebrates 120 years

By Sharmain Grainger At 14 years of age many children are in school benefiting from a much needed education that will likely help craft their future.

This is however not true for Eon (not his real name).

This lad is currently enrolled in the Rehabilitation Programme at the Salvation Army’s Men’s Social Centre at Kingston, Georgetown, fighting a Marijuana addiction.

Marijuana also known as cannabis, or simply ganja, is a herb that many have maintained has health benefits, but a well known fact is that its abuse can be calamitous.

What might surprise some of you is that Eon is no “deh bad” youth. He was brought up in a well-to-do family and was attending one of the most prestigious schools in the city. It might have been in the very elitist environment he had access to, that he was first exposed to the illicit substance to which he eventually became addicted.

Many saw him as a boy with a very bright future, but the result of his addiction was him becoming mentally challenged.

Fortunate for him he has been able to access the sixmonth long rehabilitation programme offered by the Salvation Army and word is that he is well on his way to recovery.

But he is certainly not the only teenager battling an addiction to marijuana.

Among the clients that have been enrolled in the aforementioned programme are several other youths, including a 12-year-old.

Currently there are clients between the ages of 14 and 62 accessing the programme.

While most of the clients have found themselves addicted to marijuana, Programme Manager for the

Programme Manager of the Rehab Centre, Major Ulrick Thibaud past four years, Major Ulrick Thibaud disclosed that there are also some who are fighting cocaine and alcohol addictions. Some clients even battle multiple addictions.

But according to him, marijuana is the most prevalent of addictions seen at the Centre. In fact, he intimated that many of the young people addicted to marijuana are convinced that it is not even an issue.

However, their families are convinced otherwise, given the onslaught of irrational behaviour that has been linked to their substance abuse.

“Although some of them (clients) become mentally challenged as a result of marijuana smoking, they still believe that it is not a problem,” Major Thibaud said during an interview.

Given the devastating impact that marijuana can nurture, he is particularly concerned about the growing discourse, locally, regionally and internationally, relating to the legalization of marijuana.

“I would never agree with something like that…although there is talk about medical marijuana. In terms of young people just

The Salvation Army’s Men’s Social Centre at Kingston, Georgetown

From left: Major Emmerson Cumberbatch, Commissioners Gerrit Marseille and Eva Marseille. taking marijuana to feel good about themselves, it is still an abuse problem for our generation.”

As he shared his concerns, he alluded to cases

“Rehab is not for bad people, it is for people who make mistakes.” where some youths become addicted to illicit substances merely from their weekend socialization activities.

“They might go to parties on Friday or Saturday nights and they enjoy themselves drinking, and some overdo it, and alcohol is a gateway to drugs. When they are drunk, people could offer them anything and they will go with it,” Major Thibaud said.

He moreover stressed his conviction that legalizing marijuana is “nothing but a bad move, because it can mean more young people’s lives will be in danger.”

THE PRICE OF RECOVERY While the programme attracts a monthly fee of $50,000, there is another factor that often comes into play – stigmatization. According to the Programme Manager, many people in society see a person suffering from an addiction as an outcast. He however asserted that addicts are not merely the “junkies” on the street, since there are many celebrities and others who have high statuses in societies across the world who have had the need to access drug rehabilitation programmes.

He therefore underscored that “rehab is not for bad people, it is for people who make mistakes.”

“Some people believe that the programme is for vagrants, it is not…we have lawyers coming to this programme, we have very educated people who have made this mistake and then they come to us and we help them.”

Explaining the cost the rehabilitation programme

attracts, Major Thibaud said that it caters to three meals a day for the client, remuneration for staffers and maintenance of the facility.

The Rehab Programme also benefits from an annual subvention from Government amounting to $10 million.

The subvention, according to him, is, among other things, used to help those addicts who can illafford to pay for access to the rehabilitation programme on their own. He however noted that there are some persons who are financially-able, who still try to access the programme at no cost. This, however, is shrugged upon, since aid is only afforded to those who genuinely cannot afford to meet the cost.

ATYPICAL DAY IN REHAB Speaking specifically of the rehabilitation programme, Major Thibaud asserted that it is certainly not a vacation.

Without giving precise details, he informed that patients are afforded treatment for their addiction(s) and are exposed to the services of expert drug counselors. The programme also benefits from the services of volunteers, including doctors and religious leaders.

“It is a very busy programme. We keep you busy; it is not about relaxation,” he insisted as he shared a typical day’s agenda for the clients.

Although they are mostly confined to the 6-7 Water Street facility, Major Thibaud noted that clients are exposed to a considerable number of activities to keep them engrossed.

As early as 06:00 hours (6 am) clients are awakened to engage in exercise routines to ensure that they maintain physical fitness, and they are also assigned chores. In addition to basic educational sessions, the clients are exposed to daily interactive counselling sessions. Meals

are served at precise times daily.

The Rehab programme, which sees collaboration from the Ministries of Human Services, Home Affairs and Health, has over the years proven to be very successful, although there have been some instances when clients relapse, according to local Salvation Army Commander, Emmerson Cumberbatch. He admitted that there have been occasions when clients, who have not fully recovered, would seek after their addiction of choice soon after they are afforded their freedom.

STRATEGIC COLLABORATIONS For this reason, Major Thibaud noted that the programme works in even closer collaboration with the Ministry of Health, since substance abuse is a health issue.

“From time to time we have to take them to the hospital. Some of them have to get psychiatric attention…and so we have a great collaboration with the Ministry of Health,” he stated.

He however noted that the Salvation Army has also been reaching out to the school system through the Ministry of Education. This sees counsellors of the programme visiting schools in order to educate students and even their teachers about the dangers of alcohol and substance abuse, with a view to encouraging them to refrain from its clutches.

One of Guyana’s top performing schools, Queen’s College, has been among the regular targets of the Salvation Army/Education Ministry Drug Abuse sensitization programme.

“Our aim is to let them know that they don’t have to turn to drugs to feel good about themselves. That is what a lot of young people (Continued on page 49)

Sunday April 26, 2015

Kaieteur News

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Cause behind African migrant flood has terrifying implications for the world

By Michael Werz and Max Hoffman (Reuters – Opinion) The migrant crisis in the Mediterranean is symptomatic of deep dislocation in the Sahel region and sub-Saharan Africa — dislocation exacerbated by climate change.

Climate change is affecting such basic environmental conditions as rainfall patterns and temperatures and is contributing to more frequent natural disasters like floods and droughts. Over the long term, these changing conditions can undermine the rural livelihoods of farming, herding and fishing. The resulting rural dislocation is a factor in people’s decisions to migrate.

Migratory decisions are complex, of course, and nobody would argue that climate change is the only factor driving them. But climate change cannot be ignored.

The second-order effects of climate change — undermined agriculture and competition for water and food resources — can contribute to instability and to higher numbers of migrants.

Italian coastguard and Armed Forces of Malta personnel in protective clothing carry the body of a dead immigrant off the ship Bruno Gregoretti in Senglea, in Valletta’s Grand Harbour (REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi) These are the conclusions of our regional report on Northwest Africa, published in 2012, which examined the root causes of tragedies like that of the drowning deaths of up to 700 migrants attempting to reach Europe by boat via the Mediterranean.

We found that underlying climate and demographic trends can squeeze the margins of life at the family

and community levels, contribute to decisions to migrate, heighten conflicts over basic resources and threaten state structures and regional stability.

We also found that climate challenges, longstanding migratory routes and security concerns are linked to the Maghreb, the Sahel region and the Niger Delta in compelling ways.

In northwest Africa,

The Boat People's Plight and...

From page 38 may have the acuity of mind or the temerity to respond aptly to such belittling talk.

Things could get worse.

Over the past few months, Bahamian immigration officers have been carrying out island-wide sweeps, searching vehicles, business places, and residences, and carting off several undocumented migrants, mostly Haitians, but also Jamaicans, Filipinos and Chinese, including very young children, who are taken to Nassau's detention centre for possible repatriation.

(For whatever reasons, Guyanese are hardly ever targeted in these operations.

However I once endured a scary confrontation when six heavily-armed policemen turned up at my Nassau home at one a.m. looking for illegal immigrants.

Thankfully, it took just a minute to convince them that my family and I weren't, neither were we hiding any. My Guyanese accent may have helped.)

But for thousands of Haitians and a handful of other expats, the threats of arrest, detention and deportation are very real. Bahamian immigration officials and ordinary Bahamians complain that the

Haitian 'problem' is overwhelming the country's social services, including health and education, and hampering its tourist-based economy.

Some also cite national security concerns, stemming in part from cross-nation smuggling/human trafficking, and from cultural differences in language (Many Haitians speak French Patois) and religious practice (voodoo) as being responsible for the Haitian-Bahamian muddle.

Despite all of this, Haitians by the boatload continue to traverse Caribbean waters, head for The Bahamas or Florida, and thwart the efforts of Bahamian and American maritime authorities to stop them. This has been going on since the late 1950s, during the era of 'Papa Doc' Duvalier's regime, and shows little sign of easing.

Like the Vietnamese boat people of the 1970s and the recent African/Middle East exodus via the Mediterranean, the threat of capture or death is subsumed in the simple and visceral promise of a better life. Death, it may be concluded, is preferable to misery.

And what about the Guyanese exodus over the past several decades? Yes, we too have been fleeing our

homeland, first to the 'Motherland' then overwhelmingly to 'Uncle Sam'. Both Mother and Uncle have been kind to us. And it was logistically easy, with a stagnating population of three-quarters of a million souls, to make the transition to greener northern pastures.

However, unlike the majority of boat-people migrants, Guyanese do return home occasionally, if only for the purpose of holidaying or flaunting their recently-acquired materialism. Nevertheless, some opt to stay, to invest or 'give back' to their birth land, to spend their final days, and to ensure eternal rest under tropical skies.

The Haitian refugees have little such option. From a country wracked by political upheaval, poverty and natural disaster, they continue to haemorrhage, fleeing in makeshift boats. They continue to flounder on the open seas and lose their lives. They continue to surge northward, and they continue to beat the odds in whatever new settings they encounter.

I identify and commiserate with those who continue to struggle and with those who 'make it'. In this context, “Je suis Haitian!”

climate change will exacerbate difficulties in areas already facing numerous environmental and developmental challenges.

Overall, up to 250 million people in Africa are projected to suffer from water and food insecurity in the 21st century.

In the Sahel region, threequarters of rain-fed arable land will be greatly affected by climate change.

Droughts and flooding are already more frequent in Niger and northern Nigeria, along with temperature rises that jeopardize crucial rural activities.

The Niger River faces diminishing flows of roughly 10 percent, which numerous new dam projects will only

worsen. If current water consumption trends continue, withdrawals from the Niger basin will increase sixfold by 2025, with profound implications for Nigeria. Lake Chad, which supports 25 million people, is drying up and is one-twentieth of its size in 1960.

Northern Algeria, home to most of the country’s population and agriculture, may see rainfall reductions of 10 percent to 20 percent by 2025. Rainfall in Morocco is expected to decrease by 20 percent by the end of the century.

And as previously mentioned, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa are tied together by longstanding and well-established migratory routes. As early as 2011, research indicated that about 65,000 migrants passed through Agadez, Niger, on their way north to Algeria, Morocco and Europe each year. As climate change takes a toll on farming, herding and fishing, undermining livelihoods and contributing to decisions to migrate, these numbers could grow larger.

Nigeria is losing more than 1,350 square miles of land to desertification each year, a pace that may increase with climate change. With 70 percent of Nigeria’s population reliant on agriculture for its livelihood, and 90 percent of Niger’s workforce reliant on rain-fed agriculture, desertification represents a fundamental threat to rural life. Indeed, the line at which rainfall maintains

sufficient groundwater for farming has been shifting south in recent years, according to United Nations reports.

These are not the abstract complaints of climate scientists; this is profoundly disruptive in a region dependent on agriculture. In Niger, frequent droughts have impoverished many and contributed to migration.

When faced with deteriorating conditions, humans have long turned to migration; it is a basic adaptive mechanism.

And these trends in combination with rapid projected population growth throughout the Sahel region and West Africa are increasing the strain on the countries along this migratory route.

Niger has the world’s second-highest fertility rate, with a median age of just 15 years, and its population is expected to quadruple in the next century. Nigeria’s population, meanwhile, is expected to double by 2040.

Population growth increases the strain on already scarce natural resources like water, land and food and further contributes to migratory decisions.

Any effort to address the migrant tragedy playing out in the Mediterranean must address and incorporate these deeper-root causes.

Though the warning signs have long been evident, policymakers still tend to focus on the symptoms rather than the causes.

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Kaieteur M@ilbox

Sunday April 26, 2015

Kaieteur M@ilbox

PRESIDENT RAMOTAR SHOULD DEMAND MINISTER BHERI RAMSARAN’S RESIGNATION DEAR EDITOR, Bharrat Jagdeo has not only rammed both of his feet into his mouth at the PPP rally at Albion last Sunday, he also rammed his tongue down his throat at his Freedom House press conference when he said that he did not physically abuse his common-law wife and former first lady, Varshine Singh at State House for eight years. First of all, Jagdeo should be ashamed in that it took him six years to respond to his wife accusations of the abuse and the trauma she went through at State House.

Second, for him to tell the nation that the only time he committed physical violence against women was at age ten when he fought his sisters is deceptive. Also, he has always portrayed himself to be the victim when in fact, he is the initiator of all his evil and vindictive wrong doings too numerous to mention.

It should be made clear that no one has ever accused Jagdeo of physically abusing his wife and he knows that. It is the former first lady,

Varshine Singh who said that Jagdeo used high-tech domestic violence against her for eight years by locking her out of their marital bedroom at State House only after a week of their marriage, by refusing to support her and by using his power as president to sabotage every project she under took.

Plain and simple, this type of devious behavior is what experts characterized as mental abuse, which is some cases is just as bad or as worse than physical abuse.

Jagdeo has not only verbally and mentally abused his wife, but he also lied to the nation for almost a decade that he was married when he was not.

And during their divorce proceedings, he lied to the court that he was poor and cannot meet the demands of financial support for his wife, but shortly after the divorce, he built a mansion.

And Guyanese do not believe Jagdeo when he said that he condemned the actions of the Minister of

Health, Bheri Ramsarran for threatening physical violence against Sherlinga Nageer for exercising her democratic rights.

Rather than addressing the issues raised by Ms. Nageer, Minister Bheri Ramsaran has chosen to verbally attack her and to physical strip her naked as well. He has learned well from Jagdeo who has set a very low bench mark for the way women should be treated in Guyana.

If Jagdeo is honest and is so concerned about the Minister’s vulgar and abusive behavior against Ms. Nageer,

then he should ask Ramotar to demand his resignation. Neither Jagdeo nor Ms. Harper who also condemned the Minister’s disgraceful and vulgar behavior against Ms. Nageer would have demanded his resignation, because it is in the DNA of the PPP leaders to constantly abuse, mistreat and degrade women. And they will only apologize when they are caught on tape or video as was the case of the taped conversations between Anil Nandalall and Kaieteur News reporter, Leonard Kildarie. In the case of Ms. Nageer, an apology by the

Minister is not enough, he should definitely resign.

The only reason Jagdeo condemned the minister’s behavior is because of the election campaign and they wanted the women’s votes. Had it not been for the current election campaign, Jagdeo, Ramotar and the entire Freedom House gang, including the female leaders would have praised Minister Bheri Ramsaran for his unrighteous behavior.

Clearly, the President has made a terrible mistake by reprimanding and not getting rid of the Minister and for putting Jagdeo as the front

man in the campaign but they have no choice, because it is Jagdeo and not Ramotar who is running the country. Jagdeo’s racist and fear mongering statements and character assassinations are part of his DNA and so is his poor leadership.

He is an oppressor who does not have the moral fortitude to defend the rights of women. Now they are making another grave mistake by not demanding the resignation of the vulgar and abusive Bheri Ramsaran.

Dr. Asquith Rose, Chandra Deolall and Dr. Merle Spencer-Marks.

A response to Freddie Kissoon’s take on the impending presidential term limits ruling DEAR EDITOR, In your Sunday, April 19 edition, columnist and writer Freddie Kissoon intimated that he has no confidence in the impartially of Chief Justice Ian Chang (CJ) considering

prior rulings the Chief Justice made some of which appeared to be neither here nor there, the resulting ambiguity resulting in continued illegalities some may argue.

I agree with Mr. Kissoon’s general thesis. However, there are a few other contextual elements which must be highlighted for us to get a clearer picture as to why it is more than likely the CJ will pronounce on the constitutionality of term limits in a way that creates ambiguity, vagueness and thus creating a scenario that could ultimately lead to the reinstallation of former President Bharrat Jagdeo.

I therefore take Freddie’s observations further and project that the impending ruling will create the opportunity for Bharrat Jagdeo to be reinstalled as President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

Some have been arguing that he will be a Vice President, then replace either Donald Ramotar or Elizabeth Harper as President or Prime Minister, but this I believe is too obvious.

Editor, what follows is a list of contextual elements which not only makes it clearer for all to see how this is playing out but highlights the implications and

seriousness of the upcoming CJ ruling; Freddie may be correct in his projections after all. Here goes: (1) the timing of the challenge – why now, why not three or more years prior, what about between 2011 elections to the dissolution of Parliament? (2) Bharrat Jagdeo is listed as President of Guyana on the Revised List of Electors, his address is list as State House – you mean to tell me in three plus years he didn’t change his address to reflect his current place of abode?

Similarly, the former President’s name is also on the People’s Progressive Party’s (PPP) list of candidates. (3) Bharrat Jagdeo has been the PPP’s chief spokesperson and attack dog during the election campaigning, he was not as visible, verbally abusive and divisive during the 2011 campaigns.

Clearly he understands that the PPP is losing much support in Guyana and abroad, he also understands that should the PPP Government be removed from office, he and many Government officials and questionable associates may be subject to criminal investigations. (4) The PPP Government has been attempting to question the

integrity of GECOM’s preparation and capacity to host the upcoming national and regional elections.

It has been one flimsy excuse after another, it is not hard to see that apart from the divisive rhetoric of the former President and other PPP campaign voices that part of the thinking is to create an atmosphere of fear within the citizenry and doubt about the integrity of the electoral process and results.

I believe these efforts will continue until the Election Day. One hopes that the over 2,200 polling stations are properly secured and citizens are protected from attempts to disenfranchise them come Elections Day. Doing this presents an opportunity to challenge the both the process and results, thereby delaying any pronouncement.

Finally, the PPP Government believes in zero sum politics, no room for meaningful negotiations.

The main concern is a majority in Parliament so once again they and Bharrat Jagdeo can have their way with the resources and treasury of this country.

Add the foregoing to the recent patterns of rulings by the CJ either directly or indirectly in favour of the PPP Government and the puzzle becomes clearer.

The recent ruling to withhold spending of InterAmerican Development Bank is merely a bone he has thrown to the Opposition, an attempt for the CJ to show that he is not always on the side of Government.

The intent of course is to foster complacency within the Coalition camp.

Concerned citizen

Sunday April 26, 2015

Kaieteur News

Alcoholics and...

(From page 34) believe, they have to do drugs to feel good or great about themselves; to feel nice they have to do drugs,” Major Thibaud emphasised.

OVERACENTURY OF SERVICE The Rehab programme is one of the many ways that the Salvation Army has been offering its services in Guyana.

“It is part of our Ministry, to help those who need help…we can’t solve people’s problem, but we can help them to minimize their problems,” said Major Thibaud of the work of the Salvation Army which is rooted in Christia n teachings. He however asserted that there is no discrimination in terms of the services offered, since persons from other religious backgrounds can also access its services. In fact, he noted that most persons that have accessed the Rehab programme thus far are linked to religions outside of Christianity.

Currently the organization is celebrating 120 years of existence in Guyana having been introduced here on April 24, 1895.

At a press conference held on Friday at its Alexander Street, Georgetown headquarters, Commander Cumberbatch spoke of ongoing celebratory activities to commemorate the

significant milestone.

He was in the company of Territorial Commanders, Commissioner Gerrit Marseille and his wife Commissioner Eva Marseille, who are here to join the celebrations which are set to conclude today with a Thanksgiving Service and Recognition and Praise meeting in the Savannah Suite of the Pegasus Hotel.

“With the limited resources that they have, they are doing quite a good job,” said Commissioner Gerrit Marseille, of the local operation.

His wife, however, reflected that “we are never satisfied when we see the needs in Guyana and other countries; we are not satisfied…we always say this and better we’ll do.”

The anniversary observances kicked off Thursday with a Civic Welcome, followed by a Youth Extravaganza on Friday at the Theatre Guild and a Fundraising Dinner and Open Air Meeting, also at the Pegasus Hotel, yesterday.

The activities also included discussions which were intended to examine how the Salvation Army could expand and improve its services being offered in Guyana.

Already under consideration is a Rehab facility to cater specifically to women addicted to alcohol and illicit substances.

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(From page 31) business community to grant more Commercial Bank Licences once he is re-elected has been deemed as “absolute madness”.

Chartered Accountant, Chris Ram, renowned economist Clive Thomas and A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU) Shadow Finance Minister, Carl Greenidge, all said that Ramotar’s announcement is utter foolishness.

Greenidge is challenging the President to reveal to the business community, “What really is his hidden agenda in bringing more banks into the country.”

At a luncheon hosted at the Marriott Hotel on Wednesday by the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), Ramotar said that once he is re-elected, the People’s Progressive Party /Civic would grant more Commercial Bank Licences.

The President said that since 1990, the government has not given out any other commercial banking licences, because the size of the economy at the time was very small.

Ramotar said that by granting more, it will stimulate competition which would hopefully lead to reduced interest rates that would benefit the business community.

While the banking system is doing well, Ramotar said that he still detects some amount of conservativeness, but assured his audience that government would definitely seek out reputable banks to improve this situation.

Kaieteur News

US WADES INTO MINISTER FOR ‘SLAPAND STRIP’THREATS - ANOTHER TAPE SURFACES AS PRESSURE MOUNTS FOR HIS RESIGNATION Even as he has received criticism from at least one member of the diplomatic corps, dozens of political commentators and even members of his own party, Minister of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran has once again lashed out at women rights activist, Sherlina Nageer.

Mere hours after issuing a public apology for his “harsh words” the previous day, Ramsaran on Thursday launched another tirade against Nageer. This time the Health Minister was recorded labelling Nageer a “miscreant,” saying that she was in need of “psychiatric help.”

As he addressed a meeting of Regional Health Officers at the Main Street Plaza, Georgetown, Ramsaran, who is also a People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) candidate, was heard on a recording saying “So we have these miscreants who sometimes they are supported by the international community because they are rights activists; right to come spit in my face but not collect two slap, you understand me, or one of my ladies who love me, wreck her up, you understand me?” ”Well you know I’m Bheri best, all the ladies like me.

Suppose one of my big strong

women seh “wuh yuh do we doctor, wuh yuh do dis innocent lil man?’ Wacks! Wacks!

Then she’s going to become a hero; some of us will make sure we give her a medal.

Right, spit in my face. I don’t know if she got rabies or what.

I know she was rabid. That woman needs psychiatric help. She needs psychiatric help,” Ramsaran emphasised in the second recording.

US Charge d’Affaires Bryan Hunt is reported to have told online news agency, newssourcegy.com, that such statements have no place in a country like Guyana that has a high rate of domestic violence and sexual and genderbased violence.

“In a country that has a domestic violence rate as high as Guyana’s and a sexual assault rate as high as Guyana’s, it is downright irresponsible for any senior politician to make the statement to any woman, in public or in private, that the Minister of Health made the other day. It is completely unacceptable.”

Hunt went on to state that “there is no possible reason or rationale to threaten sexual violence against anyone, but especially against a woman, given Guyana’s very serious gender-based violence problem”.

Though he said he was pleased at the response of Ramsaran’s colleagues who took him to task for his comments, he considered the conduct “quite frankly to be a disgrace.”

Hunt explained that while it was important and appropriate for the Minister to apologise for his conduct,

Sunday April 26, 2015

Minister of Health, Bheri Ramsaran

Women’s Right Activist, Sherlina Nageer

US Charge d’Affaires, Bryan Hunt

“what would have been more appropriate was for him to never have made the statement in the first place”.

“Do I think it is enough? I don’t think you can un-ring a bell. I don’t think you can take back the damage

even a member of the political party. The language employed by the Health Minister is one Quinn believes that has no place in the 21st century.

As the UK envoy focused on the recording that surfaced on Monday last, he said, “To be brutally frank, what the Minister of Health said was disgraceful.

The language he used and more importantly the sentiment that it is acceptable to use violence, in particularly sexual violence against a woman, has got no place whatsoever in the 21st century.”

Quinn’s remarks come seven weeks into his appointment as High Commissioner in Guyana, but he is not the first diplomat to speak out on the incident.

Speaking to an online news agency, US Charge d’Affaires Bryan Hunt had stated that such statements have no place in a country like Guyana, that has a high rate of domestic violence and sexual and gender-based violence.

Hunt was recorded as saying “In a country that has a domestic violence rate as high

as Guyana’s and a sexual assault rate as high as Guyana’s, it is downright irresponsible for any senior politician to make the statement to any woman, in public or in private, that the Minister of Health made the other day.

It is completely unacceptable.”

And according to a statement from the High Commission of Canada Friday evening, the Commission had noted with great disappointment the comments made by Minister Ramsaran.

“The remarks uttered are disturbing and the High Commission of Canada condemns any form of abuse, including verbal and threatened, towards women. Threats of violence against women are never acceptable.”

The High Commission said that the struggle to fully attain women’s rights, in Guyana and around the world, is an ongoing battle that must be won.

“Such incidents weaken the progress that has been made. Global statistics produced by the UN, reinforce the need to strengthen women’s rights…”

SATURDAY EDITION UK, CANADA JOIN US IN CONDEMNING MINISTER’S ‘SLAPAND STRIP’THREATS Minister of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran’s ‘slap and strip’ threats to women’s rights activist, Sherlina Nageer was nothing short of disgraceful, High Commissioner of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to Guyana, James Gregory Quinn, said Friday.

As he addressed members of the media at his Bel Air Gardens, Georgetown residence, the UK diplomat was frank in sharing his views on the much discussed exchange between the Health Minister and Nageer.

The UK envoy said that had this been his country, Dr. Ramsaran would no longer be a Government Minister or

Sunday April 26, 2015

Kaieteur News

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Long Lasting Insecticidal Gastritis (inflammation of the protective lining of the stomach) Nets use in malaria control

By Dr. Kumar Sukhraj Inflammation in the protective lining of the stomach is called gastritis. A sudden severe inflammation of the lining of the stomach is called acute gastritis while long-term inflammation that can last for years, if left untreated is called chronic gastritis. A less common form of the condition, erosive gastritis, typically doesn’t cause much inflammation but can lead to bleeding and ulcers in the lining of the stomach. Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium that infects the lining of the stomach and is the most common cause of gastritis. Erosive gastritis is caused by the excessive use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen and naproxen. Substances like alcohol and cocaine can be contributing factors as well. Other, less common, causes of gastritis are: · stress caused by severe injury, illness, or surgery · autoimmune disorders · digestive disorders like Crohn’s disease · viral infections If you regularly use common pain medications like aspirin, Advil, or Aleve, or if you take more than the recommended

Dr. Kumar Sukhraj dose, you may wear away the lining of your stomach. Having a thin or damaged stomach lining raises your risk for gastritis. Being older also increases your risk. That’s because the stomach lining thins naturally with age.

The symptoms of gastritis may not be noticeable in everyone, however the most common symptoms are: · nausea and vomiting · a feeling of fullness in your upper abdomen, particularly after eating · indigestion If you have erosive gastritis, you might experience different symptoms, including: · black, tarry stool · vomiting of blood or material that looks like coffee

grounds. If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms and signs you need to visit your doctor. Your doctor will perform a physical exam and ask you questions about your symptoms and your family history. Your doctor may also recommend a breath, blood, or stool test to check for H. pylori.

The treatment for gastritis depends on the cause of the condition. If you have gastritis caused by NSAIDs or other drugs, avoiding those drugs may be enough to relieve your symptoms. Gastritis as a result of H. pylori is routinely treated with antibiotics that kill the bacteria. In addition to antibiotics, several other types of medication such as, acid-blocking medications, acid-reducing medications, and antacids are used to treat gastritis.

Please feel free to send an email to kumarsukhraj@yahoo.com or call 6228032 for further enquiry and discussion on the topic. Patient education plays an important role in the diagnosis and management any illness. Please look forward for a continuation of the discussion on common health issues in the next publication.

(From the Desk of the Vector Control Director, Dr Reyaud Rahman)

Long-lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLIN) are used mainly for malaria control. It kills mosquitoes which land on it because of the insecticide which is in the fabric of the net. LLIN provide protection to individual users who sleep under them. When a high proportion of people sleep under these nets they also play a role in controlling a wider population of mosquito vectors, thus reducing transmission and the risk of malaria to different localities and regions.

LLIN are used as a vector control intervention in Guyana and our main objective is to ensure full coverage of all population groups in areas where they are the chosen method for malaria prevention. However, the manner in which full coverage should be achieved may vary with the epidemiological characteristics and operational situation in particular areas.

In areas of intense transmission, for example, where young children and pregnant women are the most vulnerable, full protection of these groups is the immediate priority during progress towards

full coverage. In localities where there is higher transmission, we focus on covering the entire locality to ensure 100 percent protection.

Specific criteria is adhered to when distributing LLIN such as pregnant women, children under five years old, the elderly and persons in highrisk regions or who work in malarious localities. It is strongly advised by the World Health Organization to distribute these nets free of charge to malaria endemic regions as is done in Guyana.

While regular nets can form a protective barrier around people sleeping under them, it must however be noted that nets treated with an insecticide are much more protective. The insecticides that are used for treating LLINs kill mosquitoes, as well as other insects. The insecticides also repel mosquitoes, reducing the numbers that enter the home or sleeping area and attempt to feed on people. In addition, if high coverage is achieved, the numbers of mosquitoes, as well as their length of life will be reduced. When this happens, all members of the community, camp and endemic malaria regions are protected, regardless of whether or not

Dr. Reyaud Rahman they are using a net. To achieve such effects, more than half of the people in a community must use a LLIN. The LLINs distributed in Guyana can last for more than three years and withstand over 20 washes without losing its effectiveness. Nets should not be kept in sunlight or washed with bleach as this would breakdown the insecticide which is embedded in the fibres. All LLINs distributed in Guyana are fully approved by the World Health Organization Pesticide Evaluation Scheme and safe for use.

Sunday April 26, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 65

Ramsaran’s behaviour mirrors Jagdeo and...

(From page 14) unacceptable.”

The US Charge d’Affaires reasoned that there is no “possible reason or rationale to threaten sexual violence against anyone, but especially against a woman, given Guyana’s very serious gender-based violence problem”.

“I think the damage is much more severe than what the activist heard or the offence that she took at the remarks. I think it conveys a sense from a senior government official that somehow sexual violence is

something that is appropriate to use, appropriate to threaten, and somehow societally acceptable and it’s not. It can’t be,” Hunt told the online agency.

The excuse offered by Ramsaran was deemed unacceptable by the US envoy who made it clear that he does not believe that there is any possible provocation that any woman could have made that would legitimately result in a response in which a senior government official threatens that woman with violence.

“The Minister’s conduct

was beyond, it was disgraceful…”

“Should he resign out of his own volition? I’m not going to prescribe to the Minister what he ought to do, but what I will say is, in the United States if one of our candidate officials were to have made that sort of comment, that person would have been expected to resign without question.

Hunt held that the same principle would hold true across any number of countries that a Minister making that type of inappropriate remark for

whatever reason, would have chosen voluntarily to step down.

HAS NO PLACE IN 21ST CENTURY -UNITED KINGDOM Additionally, High Commissioner of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to Guyana, James Gregory Quinn described Ramsaran’s remarks as nothing short of ‘disgraceful.’

The UK envoy told members of the media on Friday that had this been his country, Dr. Ramsaran would no longer be a Government

APNU+AFC to invest in Region Three's...

From page 3 health, agriculture and youth policy.

Nagamootoo said that the current administration has been ignoring the potential the Region Three agricultural sector with the recent woes of rice farmers and the difficulties the sugar industry faces.

“In many years not a single land scheme has been open to give people farming land. Land for aquaculture to rear fish, land to build small factories,” said the Prime Ministerial candidate.

He related the story he faced with a farmer in Belle Vue who wanted to diversify his crop yields. Nagamootoo said that the farmer tried to sell his goods to the Georgetown market, but was not gaining a profit on his sales due to transportation

expenses.

The APNU+AFC politician said that his party's vision will be to invest in agricultural manufacturing plants in the Region, so that farmers in Canal Polder will be able to produce crops at a profit while feeding the nation.

He said that their vision is to create small manufacturing centres so that farmers can have a market to sell their produce and “to have the Guyana Marketing Corporation come to farmers and not leave farmers to the mercy of the government.”

Addressing corruption The coalition's co-leader also said that the country's state of underdevelopment had to do with the current administration's mismanagement of public funds, and it is for this reason

an APNU+AFC government would establish a Public Procurement Commission.

According to Nagamootoo, the commission will hold the spending of the country's treasury accountable. “We want to bring the Public Procurement Commission so that all contracts (with the government) will be fair.”

To further stomp out corruption, Nagamootoo said that an APNU+AFC administration will further establish a Code of Conduct for its Ministers, and improve the functioning of the country's Integrity Commission.

“Our ministers and officials must declare their assets. They must say how much they got when they got in, so we will know how much they got when they going out,” said Nagamootoo.

He reiterated the party's intentions of reforming the country's constitution as he said “too much power is concentrated into one person's hands”.

The politician paid tribute to former US Ambassador to Guyana, George Jones, who played a pivotal role in Guyana's 1992 General and Regional Elections. He went on to relate the significant role his old friend played in promoting democracy in Guyana, and allowing for former US President Jimmy Carter to be part of the observer mission back then.

Nagamootoo recalled the 1992 election as “one of hope and promise”, alluding that the presence of former President Carter this time around has reinvigorated the promise of change in this year's elections.

An unforgettable experience in Panama...

From page 18 up, I was out to explore my immediate environs. The area was bursting with businesses, culture, art and craft, and mouth-watering food. I felt reborn.

On my first night, I sought to discover the Panamanian delicacies in almost every nook and cranny. This trend continued until I left a week later.

My first stop was a Don Lee Restaurant, providing a sort of Spanish twist on Chinese food, which sold for US$5 to US$7. Several cook shops offering varying degrees of spicy and tasty black and red peas with stewed chicken, rice and garlic bread for just about US$2, were also a great treat.

Italian restaurants in the neighbourhood were also too heavenly, and the sounds of approval I made when eating convinced some Panamanians that perhaps I had Italian roots and was there to grade the food.

Breakfast and Dinner kings such as Manolo's became some of my favourite places. Food there, in my opinion, was very affordable

Besides the food, Art and craft in Panama is full of life.

Their creators enjoy blending bold colours into handbags while chains and earrings are made from leather, pieces of plants and even cow horns.

For that moment, I reminisced about the respect for creative arts in Guyana and hoped that the same reverence can be adopted some day.

Knowing a little more than the formal greetings in Spanish I believe would have perhaps made my trip way more informative. I didn't see the sun-kissed beaches, but I did absorb the beauty of old parts of the Panamanian city, the sassy night life and one of the engineering wonders of the world—The Panama Canal.

The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. At the Miraflores Visitors Center, tourists get the opportunity to have a front row seat to marvel at just how mammothsized ships are passed between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through large separating gates.

SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS On April 10 and 11, my time was consumed by the Seventh Summit of the Americas.

It was certainly a unique opportunity to engage in exchanges with Englishspeaking reporters from around the world, especially those from CCTV, BBC, CNN, and journalists from newspapers in Spain, Panama, Ecuador and Bolivia.

They were very forthcoming on their disappointments regarding the Summit, gave crucial insight into international reporting, world politics and shared their personal experiences with the consequences of being an aggressive reporter.

In fact, I saw firsthand what this type of aggression was. I still remember the scores of reporters who hovered around the entrance of the Center like irritated bees awaiting the Presidents of Ecuador and Bolivia.

So anxious were they that when the mere heads of the delegations came through the door, they were confronted

by an unrelenting school of sharks, throwing one question after the other. The reporters refused to move until they got answers.

It was unlike anything I have seen in my three years in the media. It was inspiring to say the least. This event, a life lesson in so many ways, also saw heads of government speaking about the progress and challenges facing their countries as well as the historic meeting of Cuban President Raúl Castro and US President Barack Obama.

My last days in Panama were spent shopping in the Multiplaza and Allbrook Malls, both of which were extremely affordable.

But even though Panama was truly a mesmerizing fusion of the old and new, addictively rich-tasting foods, and somewhat sober night life, I still missed Guyana. So much so that I was packed on Sunday night for a Tuesday morning flight.

Make no mistake, I was truly impressed with Panama, but I suppose as the old saying goes, there really is no place like home.

Minister or even a member of the political party.

“To be brutally frank, what the Minister of Health said was disgraceful. The language he used and more importantly the sentiment that it is acceptable to use violence, in particularly sexual violence against a woman, has got no place whatsoever in the 21st century.”

He went on to state, “If that had been a UK Minister who had said that, he would no longer be a UK Minister and he would no longer be a member of the political party.”

THREATS AGAINST WOMEN UNACCEPTABLECANADA Meanwhile, the High Commission of Canada on Friday said “The remarks uttered are disturbing and the High Commission of Canada condemns any form of abuse, including verbal and threatened, towards women.

Threats of violence against women are never acceptable.”

The High Commission said that the struggle to fully attain women’s rights, in Guyana and around the world, is an ongoing battle that must be won.

“Such incidents weaken the progress that has been made. Global statistics produced by the UN, reinforce the need to strengthen women’s rights…”

“All partners should be unwaveringly committed to advancing the rights of women. Political leaders have a special responsibility

because they have the largest platforms, influence and decision-making ability. The High Commission of Canada hopes that leaders recognise the critical role they play in governance, including providing leadership and empowering the citizens of Guyana, including women.”

Despite this, his party, the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) stated that the Health Minister’s actions were being blown out of proportion.

Of note, it was mere hours after issuing an apology for his “harsh words” that the Minister launched another tirade against Nageer.

As he addressed a meeting of Regional Health Officers at the Main Street Plaza, Georgetown the Health Minister was recorded labeling Nageer a “miscreant,” and that she was in need of “psychiatric help.”

Last April, the Health Minister had similarly come in for criticisms after he made unwanted sexual remarks to a journalist of this newspaper.

Ramsaran reportedly told the 22-year old journalist who sought an interview, “I want you to know that I am a bachelor and I can still get an erection.”

Also, a few years back, a PPP member who worked at the Ministry of Education had alleged that she asked him to drop home her 14-yearold daughter but instead he took her to an East Coast Demerara village where he reportedly fondled her private parts.

Strength does not come from winning.

Your struggles develop your strengths.

When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength. - Mahatma Gandhi

Page 66

Kaieteur News

Man granted bail for stealing cell phones A man was released on $75,000 bail yesterday when he made an appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer a charge of simple larceny.

Malcolm Harry, 23, denied the allegation which stated that between March 15 and April 18, at Stabroek Market, he stole five cell phones valued in excess of $170,000,

property of Kwame Sinclair.

Police Corporal, Sean Gonsalves, told the court that the defendant is employed by the victim. He added that on numerous occasions Sinclair would notice that phones were missing from his store.

So he decided to install cameras to catch the culprit.

Upon reviewing footages from the camera the defendant

was caught removing the phones.

A search was then conducted on his person and two of the phones were recovered in his haversack.

Gonsalves did not object to bail but asked that it be granted in a substantial amount.

The matter will be called again on June 1.

No bail for man accused of stealing $4,000 An Alberttown man allegedly stole money, some $4,000, property of Michael Thom on April 22. He was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Priya SewnarineBeharry for allegedly stealing money.

Anthony Charles of Fourth Street, Alberttown, the defendant, pleaded not guilty

to the charge and told the court that Thom is fabricating the story.

His Attorney, Paul FungA-Fat asked the Magistrate to release his client on reasonable bail because he is not a flight risk.

However, Police Corporal, Sean Gonsalves objected to the defendant being granted

his pre -trial liberty because he has pending matters of a similar nature before the court.

He also added that while the defendant was out on bail he allegedly committed this offence.

Charles will make his next court appearance on April 27.

Sunday April 26, 2015

Police constable remanded on cocaine charge A police constable attached to the narcotics branch of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) made an appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on Friday, charged with conspiring to traffic a narcotic.

The police are alleging that on April 13, last, at East Bank Demerara, Norrell Hyman, of 47 De Kinderen Village, West Coast Demerara, conspired with persons unknown to traffic cocaine.

He was refused bail and remanded to prison until April 27, by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.

Hyman’s lawyer, Adrian Thompson, told the court that the charge leveled against his client is misconceived. He stated that on the day in question the defendant was in a motor car

with another person travelling to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).

The lawyer continued that Hyman was picked up at one point on the East Bank thoroughfare and dropped off at another point. He said that the charge stemmed from an allegation someone made against him.

Thompson added, too, that the individual is currently remanded on a drug trafficking charge.

The Attorney asked that his client be released on bail in an effort for him to continue his studies.

However, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Stephen Telford, recounted a different story.

He related that the defendant was executing duties on the day in question at the airport.

He added that after alleged drug trafficker Arthur Manget

was busted with cocaine at the airport, further investigations were carried out after Manget made an allegation against Hyman.

Telford pointed out that the defendant joined a motor car at Land of Canaan in which he (Manget) was a passenger. He further noted that Hyman took a picture of Manget with the intention of sending it to the airport to facilitate him passing through security check point.

Manget was remanded to prison last Thursday, after he denied attempting to traffic 9.670 kg of cocaine at the CJIA. On April 13, last, Manget was at the airport when his suitcase was placed through a scanner. Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) ranks observed a strange object in the man’s luggage hidden in false walls.

E’bo gets relief from blackouts Two backup Caterpillar engines were transported to the Essequibo Coast on Friday to facilitate residents, particularly those at Fairfield with electricity, on the southern half of the

Essequibo Coast.

From reports, the backup engines would be used to supply electricity to residents on the southern feeder, while the Wartsila engine at Anna Regina Power plant would be

used to generate electricity to residents on the northern section of the Coast.

Last week residents experienced power outages twice daily due to continuous maintenance works being carried out on the engine.

When the two backup caterpillar engines are installed Essequibians are expected to be supplied with efficient electricity.

A mini health check is the first step to donating blood

Sunday April 26, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 67

Debates, provocateurs and feminism

By Ralph Seeram Never knew so many people in Guyana had feminists cause at heart; never knew so many people in Guyana cared about violence against women, be it sexual or otherwise, or abused women. This week they all came out of the “woodworks” following Health Minister Bheri Ramsaran’s sexist remarks, against Sherlina Nageer.

First let me state clearly that Minister Bheri was wrong, regardless if he was provoked or not. His first mistake was to engage in an argument with a woman. Men must understand you can’t win an argument with a woman, especially an aggressive one. If this were two ordinary Guyanese in a street cuss down the remarks would have gone unnoticed.

But the Health Minister is no ordinary person, He is a Cabinet Minister, so he has to be held to a higher standard.

A politician of all people has to have the “thickest skin”, as one friend said, a rhinoceros skin. Politicians have to learn how to disarm hecklers, because it’s part of the turf. Some politicians would have listened out Nageer. Let her blow out all her steam, and with a comedic delivery calmly tell her something and walk away.

Politics is a rough business, and politicians must be prepared to deal with the “rough and tumble” of the job. A Sam Hinds or a Roger Luncheon would have handled it differently.

I watched a video of Nageer’s confrontation with the police when protesting in front of the Marriott where she forcefully pulled away herself from a senior policewoman, showing no respect for the officers. She should have been arrested there and then.

It’s the “silly season” which will end in another two weeks or so. Some time ago I wrote an article on sexual and domestic violence against women in Guyana. I mentioned about women trapped in abusive relationships because of financial and economic circumstances. I appealed for persons or organizations to contact me so that I can inform women what relief or resources are available to them.

I got one response, and it was an organization based in Georgetown (don’t they all).

It would have been of no help to people in the outlying areas.

I see the U. K. Commissioner James Quinn, Canadian High Commissioner Dr. Nicole Giles and the U.S Charge d’Affaires Bryan Hunt all have an opinion on the statement by Dr. Ramsaran. It is nice to know they are very concerned about domestic abuse and sexual violence against women in Guyana.

I would like the embassies to collectively pool their efforts to build women shelters in the outlying areas in Berbice, Demerara and Essequibo; places where women can seek refuge from abusive men where they can be cared for, counseled and protected, where they can be given assistance so they can escape the slavery they are trapped in.

And while they are at it, make provisions for teenage victims of sexual abuse, boys and girls. These are the areas the diplomats can make substantial contributions, if they are serious. Press conferences and press

releases will not solve the plight of those they profess to advocate for. Turning to a different subject, if you are to believe the opposition, the PPP Prime Ministerial Candidate Elisabeth Harper is afraid to debate Moses Nagamootoo.

First of all, in the context of Guyana, debates don’t win elections, it just an opportunity to hurl insults and embarrass your opponent. Debates these days are not in the mould of the John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon debates of 1961, where Kennedy turned it to his advantage and went on to defeat Nixon.

What is there to be afraid of in debating Nagamootoo?

He is the easiest person to debate. He has no credibility.

If Nagamootoo had got the PPP nomination for Presidency, he would have been the President and head of the PPP, the same party he is criticizing, the same party that is so evil to him today.

Would he have resigned as President if he did not agree with his party?

Don’t forget he has been with the PPP for 40 odd years, been there with Bharrat Jagdeo, never heard a peep from him until he lost the PPP nomination, then the PPP became this big bad party. So he jumps to the AFC with demands, got them, then sensing that the PPP might be vulnerable, he made a pitch to the PNC to be the Presidential candidate saying he can pull PPP Indian votes in Berbice. He settled for the Prime Minister slot provided he get some of the Presidential powers.

What’s so hard to debate an opportunist like

Nagamootoo? It’s always what Moses Nagamootoo wants, nothing about the interest about the electorate.

All one has to do is collect all his speeches over the years criticizing the PNC and throw them in his face and ask him how he can “be in bed with the same people” he despised vehemently all those years, how he can reconcile his position.

I can destroy Nagamootoo within minutes of a debate. The man absolutely has no credibility whatsoever.

One of the themes of APNU is to forget the past,

let’s move forward. APNU is basically the PNC in another form. The PNC has been desperately trying to bury its dictatorial past, trying to get away from that stigma. But APNU and its supporters have been busy on social media putting out negative stories of the PPP going back to the 90’s.

Seems like forgetting the past is only a one-way street for them.

Personally, I believe everything should be on the table, so next week I will deal extensively with the past so that voters can make an informed decision come May 11.

Does the PNC need to apologize for the past? Let’s find out next week.

Ralph Seeram can be reached at email: ralph365@hotmail.com and Facebook

Page 68

Kaieteur News

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Shalom Enterprise @ Lot 2 Croal Street, enquire about an international drivers permit “join us on facebook” Tel: 622-8162; 227-3869

Male & female shop assistant to work in the interior salary $80,000 monthly, age 25-35 Call: 664-5199

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International Cruiselines, receptionists, cooks, waitresses, carpenters, cleaners, storekeepers, electricians, welders Contact Professional Recruitment Agency - 2316296, 650-9880 One responsible couple to live/work as caretakers at private resort in Present Hope Parika. Tel:231-0363.

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One Accounts supervisor: must have solid experienced and relevant qualifications.

Send applications & CV to rtilak@adamantiumholdings.com Three wash bay attendants to work in Georgetown – Contact Terry: 227-5169 One mature and knowledgeable live in maid, preferably from country area Tel: 691-7790 Domestic maid @ Diamond H/Scheme –Contact: 6268003; 227-8529 Labourers for wood concession – Tel: 618-0487.

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Sunday April 26, 2015

SALON

VEHICLE FOR SALE

FOR SALE

Make Up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, Black Opal and Sacha cosmetics. Call: 647-1773/660-5257

Toyota Prado, Price$4.7M Neg. Call: 643-2403

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Apply in person.

Live in waitress to work in bar –Tel: 604-6606 2 Male, 3 female general workers @ Land Of Canaan E.B.D & G/Town - Tel: 225-6337 Chainsaw operator – Tel:618-0487

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Sunday April 26, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 69

IAC reveals big plans for Arrival Day (From page 68)

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IAC Executive committee at Aagman Indian restaurant during the Press briefing yesterday.

As the May 11 polls loom closer and the political tension rises in Guyana, the Indian Arrival Committee, yesterday, held a press conference at Aagman Indian Restaurant on Sheriff Street, Campbellville, to inform members of the media of their plans for Arrival Day 2015.

IAC founding member, Raymond Azeez, told media operatives that the entire month of May will be used to celebrate and reflect on the arrival of Indian Indentured labourers in Guyana in 1838, and promote togetherness amongst all Guyanese at a time when the political tension is high.

Founding Member, Evan Radhay Persaud, said that in promoting togetherness during this time, the IAC “will stress at every Mela to the audience that they must behave with decorum leading up to the elections, which is only a few days after these Melas… that they must obey the laws of Guyana and must remain peaceful.”

Established in 2003 to deal with concerns of persons of Indian origin, and promote Indian culture in Guyana, the non-profit organisation has been staging grand cultural celebrations, annually, in observation of the May 5 holiday.

The theme under which this year’s festivities are being held is Hamara Guyana, translated as “Our

Guyana”. According to IAC Executive member Aditya Persaud, this follows suit with decade long activities held in celebration of the arrival of Indians in Guyana, and the gathering of persons from the country’s three counties; Demerara, Essequibo and Berbice.

This year will see IAC hosting three Cultural Hamara Guyana Concerts, the first being on May 1 at the National Stadium Providence (including a Choka Fest). The second concert will be staged on May 2 at the Anna Regina Community Centre Ground, Essequibo, and the grand finale on May 5 at the Albion Sports Complex in Berbice. All activities commence at 15:00 hours.

Persaud discussed the much anticipated artist line up for the events, which he

labelled as “family oriented”, since they start early and end early, and no alcoholic beverages will be on sale.

He announced that on May 1, Berbicians Terry Gajraj and Marissa Deodat would be flying in especially for this event. They will be performing live at the stadium at Essequibo, Anna Regina Community Centre Ground and at Albion.”

Also expected to perform at the various concerts are K.I and his full 10-man band, Sally Sargam, Neval Chatelal and Ravi B straight out of Trinidad, Guyana-based dance groups; the Nachgana Dance Academy, Shelita Dance troupe, and Roshini Boodoo and her dance troupe. The Shakti Strings band is also expected to be providing musical sounds for the Hamara concerts.

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Page 70

Kaieteur News

Sunday April 26, 2015

Operate public health sector like a business The operation of the public health system must be subjected to business principles. This assertion was made recently by, Dr. Surendra Persaud, who has insisted that “you have got to run

things with good governance; you are providing a service.”

The medical practitioner is named as a candidate for A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change

(APNU+AFC) which is contesting the National and Regional Elections set for May 11, 2015.

Moreover, he, as a representative of the party, appeared on the Wednesday

evening ‘Plain Talk’ televised talk show hosted by Attorney-at-law and Chartered Accountant, Christopher Ram. In his contribution to the programme, Dr Persaud noted

– says medical practitioner that “if you talk to a business person whatever business they are running, when they budget and say what am I going to have next month or next year, they are going to base the size of their shelves or what they are going to order or what they are going to purchase based on a projection.”

According to him, from the removal of a patient’s appendix to the provision of blood pressure tests to the offering of diabetes care must be included in a plan and well budgeted for. “You have got to allocate and you have got to know how many (cases) you are going to take care of,” outlined Dr. Persaud.

While such a process must apply to almost any business or organisation, he shared his conviction with Ram that the public health sector does not provide evidence of such an operation.

“I have asked a fundamental question for a few years and I am still to get an answer. Can someone tell me what the cost of an appendectomy is in the public (health) system? Can someone tell me what the cost is to see a patient? Since this is public, one would expect this information to be in the public domain (but) to the best of my knowledge it is not,” stressed Dr. Persaud.

Even as the doctor emphasised the importance of strategic allocation of resources, Ram interjected by asking of him the relevance of the process outlined. To this Dr. Persaud, a private medical practitioner noted that “in my practice if I know that I am going to see so many patients or I project I am going to be doing this many surgeries per week it drives everything else. It drives how many staff I have, it drives how I plan, it drives how I utilise the theatre...”

Even as he stressed that an acceptable level of planning is not evident in the public health system, Dr.

Dr. Surendra Persaud, APNU+AFC Candidate Persaud pointed to worrisome developments such as “...pictures of two women and two babies in one bed. I think we all agree that that smacks at a lack of planning.”

He however insisted that “the challenge...is not just increasing beds; it’s how you manage (health) care,” As he continued to stress the need for an improved health care system, Dr. Persaud observed that developed countries have opted to change the way medicine is practiced. He, in doing so, alluded to a time during his training when once a patient was seeking elective surgery they would be hospitalised for two days prior. This was done, Dr. Persaud noted, in order to prepare that patient for surgery even as he added that “we were optimising you...the surgeon would start you on tea, water and jello and not until a lot of things happen would we feed you (solid food) then get you home.”

But according to the medical practitioner, the situation that obtains today is that “we bring you in on the morning of your surgery, you have your surgery and after some of these surgeries we are sending you home in the afternoon and that is in both the private and public sector.”

Granger urges...

From page 16 “Between Nursery and Primary school the foundations for development must be laid. When our children get to Secondary School, they still can’t read. There is need for both Academic development and skills development. But this Government saw fit to bring in the SSRP (Secondary Schools Reform Programme) and they threw out the Community High Schools.”

She stated that by doing so, the advancement of students who were late developers was stymied.

“This Government, having got rid of technical education at the community level, decided to open up Technical Institutes. They do one-year programmes. Now you tell me, what training the students could get from one year that can see them going into the job market?”

She also blasted the fact that even teachers at the Nursery school level, with no technical experience, could be allowed to teach in technical colleges.

The rally closed with the Presidential candidate and his wife, Sandra Granger, greeting supporters assembled at the edge of the stage in truly rock star fashion.

Sunday April 26, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 71

GCCI calls for peace and calm ahead of elections At its 125 TH Annual General Meeting at Duke Lodge, President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) Lance Hinds issued a call for peace, calm and stability, in the present inflammatory political climate.

“The Chamber was deeply concerned at the prorogation of Parliament, since it prevented the passage of legislation critical to the growth of businesses. The chamber understands and respects that our political process is extremely robust and aggressive. It is critical, however, that our stakeholders work together to ensure that this process is peaceful and provides comfort to all of the electorate.”

He said that as the nation is about to celebrate 50 years of independence, stability, reliability and a positive climate are critical elements to a successful economy and investment plans.

He spoke of the GCCI blueprint for economic framework, designed to create

PM Sam Hinds in conversation with US Charge d’ Affairs Bryan Hunt and British High Commissioner James Gregory Quinn an enabling environment for business development in Guyana. He also detailed several partnerships the GCCI had with other organizations and the Caribbean Development Bank.

These, he said, would

have contributed to the GCCI getting alternate revenue streams, since the organization could not always turn to its members for monetary support, as well as outreaches to several organizations.

Some $355,000 was donated to the University of Guyana, to help in its 50th anniversary celebration, while $1.5 million worth of breathalyzers were handed over to the Guyana Police Force to boost its fight

Former magistrate Fazil Azeez shot Former Magistrate Fazil Azeez is listed in a stable condition at a city hospital after he was shot by a man who mysteriously fled leaving a bag of money behind.

The incident occurred yesterday around 11:00 hours at the Eccles Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara where Azeez is constructing a house.

Azeez was shot one time in his stomach and underwent emergency surgery and up to last night he was resting comfortably. Kaieteur News understands that the shooter went to the construction site under the pretext of looking for a job.

The contractor in charge of the worksite told this newspaper that he and Azeez had just returned to the site from purchasing materials when the man came up.

He said that he was a bit suspicious of the man judging from his appearance but he did not pay too much emphasis on that especially since he had already told the man that he did not need more employees.

The man then approached Azeez who was about to leave the premises and made the same request.

“De boss (Azeez) call me and ask me if I need any more worker…I tell he ‘no man, I full’, and I walk and go back inside and all I hear something like a squib and I turn back and see he (Azeez) lie down,” the contractor stated.

Another worker stated that he was at the back of the

site when he too heard the gunshot. “I hear, pai! And me suspect is a gunshot fire deh.

Next thing i see people running down at de back hey saying, ‘Oh God, watch de man just shoot Mr. Fazil’.

When me watch through deh me see a man runnin going up de road so, like he tie up he head,” the employee stated.

Although the man fled without taking anything from Azeez, his employees are convinced that the man was

there to commit a robbery but abandoned his mission after Azeez resisted and the workers threatened to confront him.

“Ah de money he come fah yes, it gat to be. After he see is a set of workers and I rush out…but after I see Mr. Azeez lie down pon de ground, i back off,” the contractor told this newspaper.

Azeez was picked up and rushed to the hospital where

he was immediately admitted.

The police were summoned and they recovered a spent shell, on which they will be carrying out ballistics tests.

Azeez was a broadcaster at the Guyana Broadcasting Corporation before serving several years as the General Manager. He then pursued studies in law and later became a magistrate for a few years before returning to private practice.

against drunk driving.

Keynote speaker at the event was Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, who lauded the role that the GCCI had played in cultivating a conducive business atmosphere.

Speaking of the increasing growth in the economy, he expressed the need for Guyana to continue along that same development path.

He also defended the Berbice River Bridge. He said that at the time that the location was chosen, it was determined to be the best possible location. He also spoke up in support of its current toll system, which, he said, was really the lowest they could come up with. He also referenced the current low toll that benefits the users of the Demerara Harbour Bridge.

He issued forth a challenge that youths in general take advantage of the opportunities that exist in the country. He wished that “he was young again, to take advantage of all the opportunities” in Guyana.

According to him, Guyana has need for young people to stay and develop it, rather than leave for other shores.

Hinds also touched on the current political environment.

“I don’t see this country as divided or splintered. I think that is the wrong description.

That description suggests that we were at some time united. And that coming back together as one should be natural and relatively easy.

But we are from six races from different continents, thrown together, not to make a nation, but to satisfy the needs of the plantations.”

The GCCI is the oldest private sector representative organization in Guyana.

Established in 1890, it is a non- profit organization of business people. The chamber represents both large and small businesses, from virtually every sector.

The duties of the GCCI include representing the business community and advocating policies designed to stimulate trade and investment.

Page 72

Kaieteur News

Sunday April 26, 2015

Costa Rica and Jamaica strengthen trade ties

Alexander Mora, Minister of Foreign Trade, Costa Rica (left) and Anthony Hylton, Jamaica’s Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce shake hands after signing an agreement between Jamaica and Costa Rica.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica’s minister of industry, investment and commerce, Anthony Hylton, and Costa Rica’s minister of foreign trade, Alexander Mora, signed an agreement last week in Costa Rica to cement a trading partnership between both nations.

The Jamaican and Costa Rican governments seek to take advantage of the countries’ close locations, improve their existing trade relationship and create opportunities for further economic development. Both

countries want to ensure a transparent commercial framework for the planning of future trading activities and investments. The agreement will also enhance Jamaica’s trading position in the existing free trade agreement signed between Costa Rica and CARICOM in 2004.

Hylton, who met with Mora at Costa Rica’s ministry of foreign trade, emphasized the importance of the agreement to Jamaica’s trade and overall economic interests stating, “This is a symbol of partnership

between Jamaica and Costa Rica and I look forward to improving our trade relationship. It will enhance our existing ties and provide an opportunity for more cooperation and exchange of valuable trading information.”

Mora expressed his desire to create what he considered to be a strategic alliance with Jamaica as there is significant scope for cooperation in the areas of free trade, investment, logistics, tourism and culture.

(Caribbean News)

SHOW ME YOUR MOTION …Bacchanal over Howai debate as PM takes on Rowley Trinidad Express - Prime Minister Kamla PersadBisessar was Friday forced to abandon an effort to interrupt a motion of no confidence against Finance Minister Larry Howai, with House Speaker Wade Mark being forced to ask the PM to hold her fire.

Persad-Bissessar had attempted, following Finance Minister Larry Howai’s defence of himself, to cite Section 32 of the Standing Orders and bring Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley before the Privileges Committee for his “reckless” motion.

The PM had barely got a sentence in when Rowley, Diego Martin East MP Colm Imbert and Opposition Chief Whip, Marlene McDonald, began to voice their objections.

McDonald got on her feet, and told the House Speaker that what was happening in

the House was “an abuse” and that it could not be allowed as there was a motion in progress. Rowley also got to his feet, and he stated: “This is a debate that is ongoing. I ask you to protect the House.”

Mark was forced to concede when the Opposition bench refused to accept any reliance on Section 32 and Mark, after asking the Prime Minister to hold her fire, said he would consult with the clerk of the House.

It wasn’t long afterwards, during Imbert’s contribution, that Persad-Bissessar left her seat and was about to leave the chamber when Mark motioned to her to allow him a moment.

Mark and PersadBissessar conferred for a few minutes, before the PM left the chamber.

The cross-talk continued during Imbert’s contribution,

with Imbert telling the other side to “sit down” and be quiet and on several occasions begging the protection of the Speaker.

Imbert was eventually allowed to say his piece relatively uninterrupted and he went on to accuse Howai of failing to address the fact that the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) had itself made allegations that insider trading occurred an attempted takeover by Mexican company, Cemex, of Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL), while Howai was the chief executive officer of First Citizens Bank (FCB).

Imbert brought to the House a printout of a 2008 advertisement by the SEC, which does not name Howai but states that it had investigated such allegations and sought the opinions of senior counsel in Ontario, Canada and Barbados.

Sunday April 26, 2015

Kaieteur News

11 stories reportedly under scrutiny so far in NBC’s Brian Williams investigation Months after Brian Williams admitted to falsely claiming he was onboard a helicopter hit by rocket fire in Iraq, three NBC executives reportedly gathered in a Rockefeller Center conference room to talk about their embattled anchor.

So far, unnamed sources told the Washington Post and the New York Times, the network’s internal probe has identified 11 occasions when Williams apparently bent the truth about his reporting.

NBC decided to suspend the “Nightly News” anchor back in February and launch an investigation into Williams’ work after the Iraq admission sparked an

onslaught of accusations of embellished reporting.

Everything from Williams’ Hurricane Katrina coverage and SEAL Team 6 stories to anecdotes about his college years were suddenly subject to scrutiny.

And as NBC News senior investigative producer Richard Esposito and his team of journalists tasked with combing through Williams’ record seem to have discovered, several of the revered reporter’s stories were, in fact, too good to be true. According to the New York Times, one of the incidents uncovered in the probe relates to Williams’ coverage of Arab Spring

protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. The specific details of this and the other embellishing episodes, though, are unclear.

Also unclear is whether NBC will ever release its findings to the public — a decision the Post noted will likely hinge upon whether the network ends up reinstating Williams or letting him go for good.

Though we may never know the results of the investigation - which is still ongoing - the future of Williams’ once-illustrious career depends on it. In the meantime, the nightly news man will remain suspended without pay until August.

Greece, lenders must reach deal by early May, Deputy PM tells paper ATHENS (Reuters) Greece and its lenders must reach a reform deal by early May to address Greece’s need for cash, Deputy Prime Minister Yannis Dragasakis said in an interview with a Greek newspaper published on Saturday.

Shut out of international markets and locked in talks with its European Union and International Monetary Fund creditors over its proposed reform-for-cash deal, Greece risks running out of cash within weeks. But euro zone finance ministers warned its leftist government on Friday that it would get no fresh aid until it agrees to a complete economic reform plan.

Athens must pay the International Monetary Fund almost 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) in May. It has said it wants to honor its obligations and needs lenders to offer something in return.

“There is clearly a potential and an imperative need for an interim deal to be concluded in the first days of May, if not within April,” Dragasakis said in an interview with Avgi newspaper, the mouthpiece of the leftist government of Alexis Tsipras.

“We are mainly requesting that the current liquidity problem be recognized as a problem of common responsibility and that it be jointly addressed”, he said. “Otherwise, the country’s ability to smoothly

service its external obligations would be in an ever growing contrast to Greek people’s survival.”

Greek lawmakers approved a decree late on Friday to force state entities to lend cash to the central government in spite of protests by municipalities and labor unions.

The protests added to pressure on Tsipras, whose decision to battle lenders has become increasingly unpopular. According to a Kappa Research poll published in To Vima newspaper on Saturday, 72 percent of respondents said the country must strike a deal with its creditors versus 23 percent who were in favor of a clash. Tensions with lenders and slow progress have

prompted speculation that the government may be forced to call a snap election or a referendum if Greece fails to reach agreement with its lenders. But the government has ruled out such an option for now.

Asked by Kappa what the best options for Athens were in case of an impasse, 44 percent of Greeks wanted the government to handle the issue without seeking any kind of a fresh popular mandate. About 33 percent were in favor of a referendum, while 19 percent wanted a snap election.

Another poll by Alco for Proto Thema newspaper showed that 63 of those polled were concerned about a Greek default versus 32 percent who were not.

Page 73

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Kaieteur News

Sunday April 26, 2015

Patricia Sanasie execution…

Daughter positively Death toll 1,400 and IDs mother’s killer climbing in Nepal quake

Three months after she was gunned down in front of her home, investigators are now preparing to charge a man who they are convinced was the killer of business woman Patricia Sanasie.

Kaieteur News understands that on Friday police detained a man, Richard Stanton called ‘Ritchie’, who they say is the prime suspect in the woman’s murder that occurred in January this year.

The man has since been positively identified by the woman’s daughter, who flew into Guyana yesterday morning for that purpose before flying back to the United States of America a few hours later.

The man was detained shortly after the killing but was released after 72 hours when no one came forward to identify him.

At that time, Sanasie’s daughter who was with her in the car when she was murdered had left the country, citing safety concerns.

However, this newspaper understands that investigators arranged for the daughter to return briefly to Guyana to identify the suspect who was being

Patricia Sanasie constantly monitored.

Police had reviewed a number of surveillance tapes but were unable to come up with anything substantial that could have pointed them to the killer initially.

It is not too clear how investigators got on to Stanton but a source revealed that his arrest was based on

information received by the police.

The suspect has reportedly denied killing Mrs. Sanasie but according to a source close to the investigation, he is expected to be taken before a magistrate tomorrow.

On January 12th gunmen clad in black executed the 43 year -old woman who was the wife of auto parts dealer, Deokaran Sanasie, called Monkey Ram outside her Lot 129 Atlantic Gardens, East Coast Demerara home.

Investigators believe that the killing was a paid hit.

The shooting occurred almost a year after her husband survived a similar attempt on his life.

Sanasie and her husband, owner of Ram’s Auto Sales, had been embroiled in a prolonged dispute, after gunmen shot him outside a Fourth Street, Alberttown business on February 14, 2014. The husband had accused his spouse of hiring the gunmen to execute him.

The couple had been separated.

Sanasie had been expressing fear for her safety, laying blame on her husband who fled to the United States of America since late last year and has not set foot back in Guyana.

Although the dead woman’s relatives believe that her husband was responsible for her death, investigators have so far been unable to link him to the paid killer.

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Tens of thousands of people were spending the night in the open under a chilly and thunderous sky after a powerful earthquake devastated Nepal on Saturday, killing nearly 1,400, collapsing modern houses and ancient temples and triggering a landslide on Mount Everest. Officials warned the death toll would rise as more reports came in from far-flung areas.

Inspector Yuvraj Khadka of Nepal’s national police force said that rescue effort was continuing through the night and the death toll had reached 1,394 people. The magnitude 7.8 earthquake, which originated outside the capital Kathmandu, was the worst tremor to hit the poor South Asian nation in over 80 years. It strong enough to be felt all across the northern part of neighboring India, Bangladesh, Tibet and Pakistan, where a total of 50 people died.

As Nepal trembled, residents fled homes and buildings in panic. Walls tumbled, trees swayed, power lines came crashing down and large cracks opened up on streets and walls. Clouds of dust began to swirl all around.

Within hours of the quake, hospitals had filled up

with hundreds of injured people. With organized relief and rescue lacking, many survivors were brought to hospitals by friends and relatives in motorized rickshaws, flatbed trucks and cars. Residents used their bare hands, crowbars and other tools to dig through rubble and rescue survivors.

More than two dozen aftershocks jolted the area after the first quake, which struck just before noon. At the time, Shrish Vaidya, who runs an advertising agency, was in his two-story house outside the capital Kathmandu with his parents.

“It is hard to describe. The house was shaking like crazy.

We ran out and it seemed like the road was heaving up and down,” Vaidya, 46, told The Associated Press. “I don’t remember anything like this before. Even my parents can’t remember anything this bad.”

Once the first shaking stopped, Vaidya thought his family could return indoors by evening. But the jolts kept coming, and they felt safer outdoors.

“It’s cold and windy so we are all sitting in the car listening to the news on FM radio,” he said. “The experts are saying it’s still not safe to go back inside. No one can predict how big the next aftershock will be.”

So the family ate dinner outside with the headlights of their car providing light.

Vaidya was grateful his wife and 10-year-old son were on holiday in the U.S.

In his largely affluent neighborhood of low-rise, sturdy homes in suburban Kathmandu the damage was relatively light. In other parts of the city where the buildings are older and poorly built people were not as lucky.

Forecasts called for rain and thunder showers later Saturday and Sunday and the temperatures were in the mid50s (14 Celsius), cold enough to make camping outside uncomfortable.

Thousands of people were spending the night at Tudikhel, a vast open ground in the middle of Kathmandu, just next to the old city that is lined with historic buildings and narrow lanes. Now it is in ruins. People lay on plastic sheets or cardboard boxes, wrapped in blankets. Mothers kept their children warm; some lit fire with whatever wood they could find. Most were eating instant noodles and cookies.

Deepak Rauniar, a shop worker who was there with his friends, said: “We are too scared to go back to our apartment. It is surrounded closely by houses, most of them old. The houses could collapse while we are still sleeping.”

Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, who was attending a summit in Jakarta, tried to rush back home but made it as far as Bangkok where his connecting flight to Kathmandu was canceled because the capital’s international airport was shut down for commercial flights.

Sunday April 26, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 75

Govt. and Berbice Bridge Co. conspire to conceal deep financial problems - Ram There seems to be mischief afoot and a conspiracy involving Azeena Baksh, Registrar of Companies; the Berbice Bridge Company Inc. (BBCI); and Dr. Ashni Singh, Minister of Finance to conceal information from the public about the company.

According to accountant, Christopher Ram, writing on his online blog, chrisram.net, one year after the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) had invested nearly $1B in preference shares in BBCI, the company wrote the scheme telling General Manager, Doreen Nelson, that it would not be receiving any dividends for 2014 because “the company had not made any profits”.

“One of the regulatory controls of companies is disclosure to the public, mainly through an annual return. The problem is that BBCI has not filed any returns with the Registry since 2011 and has resisted every attempt to have it comply.

“The reason has become clearer over the past month with the Minister of Finance giving the company cover not to file for some time yet, even though he has no such power under the law.”

Ram insisted that even if the Minister had such power, the company had not met the conditions set out in the Companies Act for any extension of filing date.

“The law requires that an AGM (Annual General Meeting) be held in each year and that no more than 15 months may elapse between two AGMs. It also requires that within 42 days of the AGM, the company must file with the Registrar, its annual return together with its audited financial statements, the report of the auditors, and the report of the directors.”

He said that The Act also requires that the accounts to be laid at the AGM must be dated no more than six months before the meeting.

“That means that the AGM of a company with a yearend date of December 31 must be held no later than June 30 of the following year.

The Minister with responsibility for the administration of the Companies Act, in this case the Minister of Legal Affairs, may extend the period of fifteen months, or permit a company to hold its AGM in a calendar year other than the one in which the meeting should be held.”

BREACHES He said that there are a number of catches that expose the Registrar, the Minister of Finance and the directors of the BBCI in the

Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh

Accountant, Christopher Ram

recent “extension”.

“First, any application must be made before the period or year has elapsed; requires the payment of a prescribed fee; and so far as the date of the accounts is concerned, the directors of the company have to make an application to the Registrar for any extension of the sixmonth period. My perusal of BBCI’s public records at the Commercial Registry does not disclose any evidence that any of these requirements was met.”

Ram said that he became particularly interested in the returns and audited accounts when he learnt from the Private Sector Commission that the NIS had bought $950 million worth of preference shares in BBCI from NICIL which was running out of cash to finance the construction of the Marriott.

“In early March, having checked the public records of BBCI and confirmed that the company was still delinquent with its filing, I spoke with and wrote the Registrar asking that she carry out her duties and demand the outstanding returns and accounts.”

The accountant said that

to her credit, Baksh wrote the company on March 17, last, making a demand for the years 2012-2014 and authorised that he be provided with a copy of the circular Notice of Default.

He said that instead of complying with the Default Notice, however, the company responded in a letter marked “Private and Confidential” that the Minister of Finance had given the company up to June 15 to hold any of the outstanding Annual General Meetings.

“For her part, instead of responding to the company to let them know that she could not accept the letter since the Minister of Finance has no such authority under the Act and that in any case, her approval in respect of the date of the financial statements had not been sought, Ms. Baksh refused to place the letter in file which would make it accessible to the public.”

STRANGE REASONS Ram said that the “strange reason” the Registrar gave me was that the letter was marked “Private and Confidential”. It would create a dangerous precedent if all a company

has to do to avoid its information being placed in the public domain is to head it “Private and Confidential”.

“I am convinced that this saga is not a routine regulatory matter and that the so-called approval by Dr. Ashni Singh has as its improper motive keeping financial information on the Bridge Company away from the public. It should not escape notice that the Bridge Company wrote the NIS stating that there was no profit in 2014 even before the year had ended.”

The accountant said that ever since its early years when NICIL was its financial regulator and Winston Brassington its company secretary, BBCI had been making defective annual returns and presenting improperly prepared accounts, matters which he has raised on numerous occasions in the past.

“Eventually, time catches up on creative accounting which now appears to have happened. The letter by the company to the NIS stating that it was not in a position to pay dividends on the preference shares signals a

much deeper problem, one of cash insolvency.” Ram criticized the Government for instead of enquiring into the matter which can potentially get worse, much worse, “it is conspiring with the company to conceal information and break the law with the Registrar whose appointment

has not been without questions, willing to play along.”

The bridge was commissioned in December 2008 with a mixture of private and public funds.

Disclosures that the NIS investment was not seeing any returns has rankled the Opposition.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday April 26, 2015

A Sport and Art legend, ‘Caribbean...

(From page 81) years”.

In 1957, the last time he played internationally on the GCC grass courts, Guyana won the Brandon Trophy, beating Jamaica in the final.

Ian was unbeatable that year, playing undefeated throughout the tournament and with team-mates Derek Phang, Edgar Readwin and Ivan Phillips, was the toast of the country’s lawn tennis fraternity.

On the local circuit, his skill was unmatched, and his match-play so superior, that after winning the National Singles title in 1956 for the first time, his court-craft and dominating style earned him the crown ten more times, the last in 1973, setting a record that stands to this day.

During this period, he was never beaten at the National level and this feat remains unmatched.

This period also saw him winning the Men’s Doubles title with various partners, nine times.

Such was Ian’s love for the game, that in 1984 he came out of retirement and, in tandem with another stalwart, veteran Roy Dookum, captured the National Men’s Doubles crown and went on to retain it the following year, when their combined ages were 105.

Mc Donald made his debut for the West Indies in the first Davis Cup tie in 1953 against the United States in Jamaica, and from thereon, was a regular member of the team, being named captain on several occasions against the

USA, Canada, Cuba and Yugoslavia.

During his long career Ian won several sports awards, being favoured both by his adopted country and farther afield.

But his biggest thrill was in 1957 when he won the Guyana Sportsman of the Year award jointly with middle-distance runner George De Peana.

Ian was also as effective a coach as a player. When Guyana last won the Brandon Trophy at GCC in 1976, it was his experience and knowledge that contributed a great deal to the team’s success.

The Aries-born legend describes his tennis career as exciting and gratifying and says, “On the way from so long ago to now, there have been occasions memorable to

Sunday April 26, 2015 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Ground yourself today, Aries.

Lay a solid foundation for the future. This is a very critical time in which you must think realistically about your future success.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) There's a powerful force moving through your life that can't be ignored any longer.

Adjustments may be needed in order to take full advantage of the energy at hand. .

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Use your powerful sense of intuition today, Taurus.

Whether you realize it consciously or not, the oceans are creating a tsunami of power that won't be ignored.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Seize today, Scorpio. This is the day you've been waiting for. Don't back down from the intensity. You have the power to get ahead in whatever it is you wish to accomplish in this lifetime.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Respect your superiors today, Gemini. There's great wisdom to be learned, so keep your eyes and ears open.

Hasty actions are bound to get you in trouble.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Your quest for the new and unconventional, the latest gadgets, and the best technology may come into conflict with a sobering force today, Sagittarius.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) It's OK to cry today, Cancer.

Releasing is critical to receiving. If you have no sense of fear and restriction, it may be hard for you to experience joy and expansion.

CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) For dreams to be actualized, they must have a vehicle through which they can manifest, Capricorn.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Do something that inspires the passion within you, Leo. Don't be discouraged by setbacks - be motivated. Use discipline and patience to set your dreams in motion.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Take control of your power today, Virgo. Strip any excess baggage out of your life.

Things are coming to a critical climax now.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Combine your discipline and expansiveness today and see what manifests. Concentrate on your investments and home.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) This is no ordinary day for you, Pisces, certainly not one in which you should sleep late.

Get up and get moving. There are opportunities on your doorstep just waiting for you to grab them.

Ian McDonald me that would take a score of articles to recount. All I can do today is to bring nostalgically to the tennis times I remember best of all”.

In addition to representing Guyana at tennis and squash, the sportsman showed another part of his diverse self…he dearly loved cricket. He delivered the Inaugural Frank Worrell Lecture at the London Metropolitan University in 2005 and was a member with P.J. Patterson and Mister McIntyre, of the Patterson Committee on the Governance of West Indies Cricket in 2008.

As if he was competing with himself, Dr. Mc Donald’s love of the arts also saw him excelling in this field.

Besides his prowess with a lawn tennis racquet and his erudite analyses on a wide range of issues, he is also a renowned poet, author, literary and art critic, as well as a

GSSF hosts another ...

(From page 82) expressed sincere thanks to the management of Ken’s Mufflers on the ECD for making their workshop open on Easter Sunday for members of the GSSF to demonstrate their skills off the range, as they cut and welded steel needed for the match. Sincere thanks were also expressed to members: Nicholas Deygoo of National Hardware, Mohamed Qualander of Queensway for provision of Armscor Precision ammunition.

The GSSF, an affiliate of the Steel Challenge Shooting Association (SCSA), continues to pioneer this simple, yet actionpacked shooting sport to local pistol shooters by organising such matches on a regular basis. More on the G.S.S.F.canbefoundonourwebsite www.guyanasportshooting.com

brilliant writer on the game of cricket. His love for literature and writing began when he was a schoolboy.

He has authored over 200 articles, speeches and lectures on sport over the decades.

With regards to his writings, he authored The Humming Bird Tree, which was reprinted many times and made into a BBC film in 1992.

He has also been a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature since 1970.

A poet also, he has contributed to magazines in the region and internationally for over fifty (50) years.

Dr. Mc Donald has also been a Founder and a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Theatre Guild of Guyana, as well as a director.

He was a member of the management committee of the National Art Collection from 1994 to 2014 where his contribution was invaluable.

The legacy left by Ian Mc Donald is a national treasure.

His achievements as a sportsman and a person should be a beacon to this nation’s youth.

Sunday April 26, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 77

Sunrisers support cast fails in small chase ESPNcricinfo - Two teams with ordinary investments in Indian domestic batsmen came up against each other in Mumbai, and it all came down to which team’s weaker batsmen would do worse. Mumbai Indians’ Parthiv Patel, Unmukt Chand and Ambati Rayudu scored 29 off 28, which was more or less evened out by the collective 50 off 46 scored Sunrisers Hyderabad’s KL Rahul, Naman Ojha and Hanuma Vihari. In a small chase, though, with the youngsters struggling, the experienced but one of the least evolved international cricketers over the last eight years, Ravi Bopara made the telling contribution, scoring 23 off 27 on a flat pitch as Sunrisers saw all the good work with ball undone.

With Mumbai refusing to put their best batsmen in the first half of the top six, Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard again had to bat under immense pressure. On a pitch that 180 was chased easily, Mumbai managed just 157 against the four-pronged swing attack of Dale Steyn, Trent Boult, Bhuvneshwar

Lendl Simmons tonks the ball for six, Mumbai Indians v Sunrisers Hyderabad, IPL 2015, Mumbai, April 25, 2015 ©BCCI Kumar and Praveen Kumar.

Sunrisers, though, rely heavily on their openers Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner - but despite a start of 45 for 1 in five overs, the rest contrived to lose by 20 runs.

Mumbai did enjoy some good fortune against the rampaging Sunrisers openers, who first dismantled

Harbhajan Singh, the first bowler used by Mumbai, and then looked like running away with the game. When Warner went to ramp a Lasith Malinga bouncer it came off the pitch a little slower, which meant he ended up guiding it squarer than he wanted and gave third man a catch.

In the sixth over Dhawan absolutely crunched a pull

Golden Jaguars fine tuning for Suriname friendly on Thursday night

By Franklin Wilson Guyana’s Golden Jaguars christened the new football field at the recently commissioned multi-million dollar Leonora all-weather athletic track on Friday afternoon last as they fine tune preparations ahead of their international friendly match against Suriname on Thursday evening in the Dutch speaking nation.

Commenting on the session and more importantly the game, Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz said that the game is important from the standpoint of the home based players getting playing time ahead of the World Cup Qualifiers with Guyana set to take on St. Vincent and the Grenadines in their first of the home and

away tie in St. Vincent on June 10 next. ”It is so important for the pool of players to play close to 90 minutes as much as possible which will help them widen their capacity and its helps us because in international football sometimes players become unavailable, and even accumulate cards.

So going into June as many players that can play 90 minutes for us it’s important for us and this game against Suriname gives that opportunity.”

With the Olympic qualifiers also slated for the end of June where Guyana has been drawn in Group 2 to be hosted

by Aruba from June 24 – 28 along with Antigua & Barbuda and Cuba, Shabazz said they have been very strategic and deliberate with inviting Under-

23 players. ”We’ve been inviting Under-23 players to come in and around the squad to have a bite of what it feels like. It’s really exciting times and the more work, we welcome it. We are going to the Normalisation Committee to increase the staff because we need a couple of more hands on board.

Training squad: Vurlon Mills, Daniel Wilson, Steffon Ramsay, Derrick Carter, Kevin Beaton, Sheldon Holder, Kevin Layne, Amos Ramsay, Jamal Smith, Clive Nobrega, Solomon Austin, Colin Nelson, Adrian Butters, Konata Mannings, Dwain Jacobs, Eon Alleyne, Joshua Brown, Kris Camacho, Akel Clarke, Pernell Schultz, Jason Cromwell.

The Golden Jaguars during their training session at the Leonora Football Field on Friday afternoon.

Lasith Malinga is mobbed by his team-mates, Mumbai Indians v Sunrisers Hyderabad, IPL 2015, Mumbai, April 25, 2015 ©BCCI off Mitchell McLenaghan, but straight to midwicket.

Now, with the asking rate not steep, with a flat pitch and a quick small outfield on offer, it was a good chance for Sunrisers’ lesser batsmen to finish the chase off and boost their confidence. However, Dhawan’s wicket brought six o v e r s o f n o b o u n d aries courtesy Rahul, Ojha and Bopara. They struggled to score even at a run a ball. Ojha perished, Bopara absorbed dots, and the first boundary came came via a top edge when

Rahul played a desperate slog sweep. That, though, proved to be an exception to the rule as J Suchith and Harbhajan pushed in another tight over to make it 59 required off 36 balls.

This was still a regulation chase with seven wickets in hand at the Wankhede, but Rahul and Bopara were in an almighty struggle, almost as if in quicksand. The harder they tried the worse they timed the ball. Eventually Rahul fell to a McLenaghan slower ball.

Bopara hung on till the 18th over but managed to hit only

one boundary before another McLenaghan slower ball accounted for him. Malinga then finished the game off with style, picking up three wickets off a single over, but Sunrisers’ middle order should know it should never have come down to the tail.

Scores: Mumbai Indians 157 for 8 (Simmons 51, Pollard 33, Bhuvneshwar 3-24, Praveen 2-35) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 137 for 8 (Dhawan 42, Malinga 4-23, McLenaghan 3-20) by 20 runs.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday April 26, 2015

“West Indies bowlers need better pitches!” fast bowling. One could see one’s reflection any first morning, so slick were those tracts there; like mirrors; but batsmen with ability also got many runs there too!

Antigua’s Recreation Ground was as great cricket arena, small, quaint but so much fun. With a reputation of allowing batsmen to get many runs, ala Brian Lara’s 375 and 400 no in Tests there, bowlers got wickets too, if they were good triers.

QPO, by 1981, was as unpredictable as rains over the Northern Range, pitches with spectacular, dark histories.

Plans were flexible as early as the first morning, even before the toss was spun.

In 1971, Roy Fredericks was bowled by the first ball of Test No. 2 of that 5-Test series, delivered by Syed Abid Ali, a delivery that did not bounce at all after pitching – a real, true “ground-eater!”

India won by seven wickets, winning that series by that Test; 1-0.

Off-spinner Jack Noreaga had WI’s best Test one innings return too; 9-95; but India, with world class spinners Bishen Singh Bedi, Erapali Prasanna and Srnivas

Venkataraghavan, still beat WI. In 1974, England beat WI in Test No. 5, by just 26 runs, that series drawn 1-1, due to late Tony Greig’s unbelievable match figures; 69.1-17-156-13; bowling simple off-cutters and off-breaks.

Contrast those to 1976, when India, set 403 runs to win, achieved that incredible total; 406-4; beating WI by six wickets, crowning Sunil Gavaskar, whose exploits started in 1971.

Yours truly even had a good input at QPO, getting 829 v Pakistan in 1977, the tourists still making 180. WI won, but not before Pakistan’s Salim Altaf had removed (Sir) Vivian Richards and Gordon Greenidge with similar “shooters”, as Abid Ali had done to Fredericks in 1971!

Many who witnessed it still consider Holding’s first over to England’s Geoff Boycott in Barbados in 1981 to be the greatest and fastest initial over for any Test, that Kensington Oval pitch bouncy, fast but steady, the

Kraft Toucan Industries Ltd Junior Squash Skill Level tournament continues

ESPNcricinfo - Brendon McCullum was at the forefront of a cavalier batting approach, the Kings XI bowling and fielding withering under his charge, as Chennai Super Kings posted a total substantial enough to take them to No. 1 in the league. The 97-run victory brought them level with Rajasthan Royals on ten points, but ahead on net run rate with a game in hand.

Kings XI, on the other hand, slipped below Mumbai Indians to the bottom of the competition.

These two teams had played each other three times in the 2014 season and on every occasion Kings XI had made more than 200 to beat Super Kings. This time, however, without Glenn Maxwell who was dropped because George Bailey returned as captain, Kings XI were restricted to their second lowest 20-over score in eight IPL seasons. They stumbled to 95 for 9 as the Super Kings’ rejuvenated spinners Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin shared five wickets for 36 runs in eight overs after an ordinary start to the tournament.

From the moment Dwayne Smith flayed the first ball of the game from legspinner Karanveer Singh to the cover boundary, Super Kings were always on top of the contest.

It was the beginning of an opening stand of 50 in 4.4 overs, during which Smith waylaid Karanveer for 22 in an over and McCullum smacked

Colin E. H. Croft Present West Indies pitches are killing our fast bowlers and spinners too!

I often wonder if (Sir) Wes Hall, Michael Holding, Joel Garner, (Sir) Andy Roberts, Malcolm Marshall, Ian Bishop, Patrick Patterson, me – Colin Croft - (Sir) Curtly Ambrose, Charlie Griffith, Roy Gilchrist and Courtney Walsh, the most aggressive and productive fast bowlers WI ever had, would have enjoyed bowling on these bare flats presently disguised as WI Test pitches.

Sir Vivian Richards’ stadium in Antigua & Barbuda and Grenada’s national stadium at Queen’s Park had one thing in common. Neither pitch helped WI’s bowlers.

Both pitches remained docile, not even deteriorating.

With luck, Kensington Oval in Barbados would be more bouncy and bowler-friendly!

In 1970’s, 1980’s, even 1990’s, Caribbean pitches favored neither home nor touring teams, but produced positive results. Indeed, had it been India, Australia, England or Pakistan, WI was regularly up against a wall, but there

The Guyana Squash Association, in collaboration with its corporate sponsor Digicel continued the Kraft Toucan Industries junior Skill Level tournament at the Georgetown Club on Friday evening with matches in all eight groups.

Group A saw Alec Melville and Nyron Joseph cruise to straight set victories over Larissa and Akeila Wiltshire respectively. In Group B Shomari Wiltshire avenged his sibling’s losses by a similar margin with a win over Anthony Islam (11/3, 11/2, 11/6); while Alexander Cheeks overcame a rousing effort from Daniel Islam to complete a 3-0 victory.

Rebecca Lowe and Makeda Harding were the sole victors of group C; while in Group D Samuel InceCarvahal prevailed in a hard fought encounter over Lucas Jonas 3-2 (11/6, 4/11, 10/12, 11/3, 12/10), while easing past Ethan Jonas 3-0. Demetrius DeAbreau and Michael Alphonso both went unchallenged in 3-0 victories over Zachary Persaud and Lucas Jonas salvaged some pride on the evening by defeating Dominic Collins 3-1.

Jason Gomes rebounded from a first match loss to Madison Fernandes on Wednes-

were wins and losses!

In 1981, playing England in the Caribbean, after beating them 1-0 in England in 1980, all expected our pitches to have different characteristics, challenging bowlers and batsmen to adjust.

Port of Spain’s Queen’s Park Oval was notorious as the most spin-friendly pitch here, that fact often back-firing on WI. Yet faster bowlers got wickets there too.

Bridgetown’s Kensington Oval was the fairest, fast but true. Batsmen who were adventurous and skillful, and bowlers who had diligence and know-how, got runs and wickets.

Guyana’s Bourda Oval was a difficult pitch for bowlers, fast or slow, to operate on, that strip being as flat as a runway, still the best batting track ever produced in the Caribbean. However, that same pitch indirectly produced noted off-spinner Lance Gibbs and fast bowler “Bomber” Croft!

At Bourda, in 2003, Shiv Chanderpaul scored the fifth fastest Test century, against Australia. Australia won.

Sabina Park, in Jamaica, was easily the best pitch for

day by defeating Kirsten Gomes 3-1 in Group E; as Fernandes extended her current form to beat Abosaide Cadogan in straight sets, three games to none.

Group’s F,G and H produced more one sided results as all of Gareth DaSilva, Nathan Rahaman, Chad DeAbreau, Liam Carpenter, Mohryan Baksh, Isabella Ramjohn and Louis DaSilva achieved victory in straight sets. The tournament continues this weekend at the same venue.

Third Night’s Results: Group A Alec Melville beat Larissa Wiltshire 3- 0 (12/10, 11/6, 12/ 10) Nyron Joseph beat Akeila Wiltshire 3-0 (11/7, 11/6, 11/5) Group B Shomari Wiltshire beat Anthony Islam 3-0 (11/3, 11/ 2, 11/6) Alexander Cheeks beat Daniel Islam 3-0 (11/7, 16/14, 11/4) Group C Rebecca Lowe beat Maya Collins 3-0 (11/8, 11/7, 11/3) Makeda Harding beat Sarah Lewis 3-1 (11/3, 11/3, 7/11, 11/8) Group D Samuel Ince- Carvahal beat Lucas Jonas 3-2 (11/6, 4/ 11, 10/12, 11/3, 12/10)

Michael Alphonso beat Zachary Persaud 3-0 (11/5, 11/ 7, 11/6) Samuel Ince-Carvahal beat Ethan Jonas 3-0 (11/7, 11/9, 12/ 10) Lucas Jonas beat Dominic Collins 3-1 (6/11, 11/8, 11/5, 11/ 9) Demetrius DeAbreau beat Zachary Persaud 3-0 (11/7, 11/ 6, 11/7) Group E Jason Gomes beat Kirsten Gomes 3-1 (11/6, 5/11, 11/5, 11/ 5) Madison Fernandes beat Abosaide Cadogan 3-0 (11/3, 11/2, 11/2) Group F Gareth DaSilva beat Haley Carpenter 3-0 (11/2, 11/3, 11/ 8) Nathan Rahaman beat Aliyah Persaud 3-0 (11/9, 11/ 6, 11/8) Group G Chad DeAbreau beat Geovanna DoSantos 2-0 (11/ 1, 11/1) Liam Carpenter beat Teija Edwards 2-0 (11/7, 11/7) Mohryan Baksh beat Beau Fernandes 2-0 (11/5, 11/ 2) Group H Isabella Ramjohn beat Noah Rahaman 2-0 (13/11, 12/ 10) Louis DaSilva beat Shiloh Asregado 2-0 (16/14, 17/15)

perfect pitch for cricket. Reportedly, people even died from that over!

Yet, sometimes forgotten is that Clive Lloyd, (Sir) Viv and Graeme Gooch each got centuries, the latter’s 116 probably the best innings ever played against Holding, Roberts, Garner and Croft.

In 1999, at K-O, Australia’s Steve Waugh made 199, Ricky Ponting 104 and WI’s Sherwin Campbell 105, yet Brian Lara’s 153 no, to bring WI a onewicket win, is still considered the best innings ever played in the Caribbean, with Australia’s Shane Warne, Glen Mc Grath, Jason Gillespie and Stuart Mc Gill in attendance.

Sabina Park, 1977, (Sir) Andy tore the protective left pad from Pakistan’s Zaheer Abbas’ leg; out LBW. Yet, despite much speed from that gilded pitch, Asif Iqbal made a tremendous 135 in a losing cause.

Similarly, ARG, in its first Test, 1981, had Peter Willey getting a superb 102 no, Sir Viv 114 and Boycott 104, yours truly getting 6-74, a

good mix of useful batsmanship and determined bowling.

WI pitches “back in the day” were different!

Hall, Holding, Garner, Gilchrist et al no longer play, but present WI’s fast bowlers are not quick enough nor good enough to get 20 wickets, even with help from spinners.

Hence, they need assistance from pitches, not these present-day graveyards! Enjoy!

E-mail - c.e.h.croft@gmail.com

McCullum, spinners take CSK to No. 1

Brendon McCullum pulls for six, Chennai Super Kings v Kings XI Punjab, IPL 2015, Chennai, April 25, 2015 ©BCCI Sandeep Sharma around. exit MS Dhoni and Ravindra McCullum was dropped Jadeja, who were sent in ahead

by Mitchell Johnson on 21, of Dwayne Bravo and Faf du and made Kings XI pay, slash- Plessis, finished the innings ing and pulling to 66 off 44 with a 48-run stand in 28 deballs. He had got to his fifty - liveries.

32 balls - with two pulls off Super Kings had looked Johnson: the first not per- on course for more than 200 fectly timed to the midwicket at one stage, but their total boundary, the second su- of 192 was a formidable perbly pulled over deep one. square leg. By the time he The Kings XI chase was a w a s d i s m i s s e d , S u p e r procession. Virender Sehwag Kings had got to 116 in chipped Ishwar Pandey to 12.1 overs. mid-off in the first over, and McCullum had added 66 Shaun Marsh was trapped for the second wicket with lbw by Ashish Nehra in the Suresh Raina, who had two sixth. With the score 39 for 2, bits of good fortune. The first Dhoni brought on his spinwas on 8 when umpire Johan ners after the fielding restricCloete didn’t see an edge to tions and Jadeja and Ashwin the wicketkeeper, and the ended the contest. second was on 13 when Scores: Chennai Super Johnson put down another Kings 192 (McCullum 66) catch. Raina didn’t punish beat Kings XI Punjab 95 for Kings XI as severely as 9 (Jadeja 3-22, Ashwin 2-10) McCullum did, but after his by 97 runs.

Sunday April 26, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 79

Golden Jaguars and Suriname dare to dream big

By Santokie Nagulendran When Guyana, aka the Golden Jaguars, play Suriname this Thursday in Paramaribo, it will mark the fourth International game for the Guyanese National team this calendar year. To put that in perspective, that’s more competitive games in the past four months than the whole of 2013 and 2014 combined, which is both a credit to the brisk work of the FIFA Normalisation Committee and an indictment on the part of the previous administration led by Christopher Matthias.

Being geographical neighbours and both having had a unique colonial history in regards to South America, it is no surprise that when it comes down to football, Guyana and Suriname are also on a similar trajectory at this point in time: hugely optimistic of the future thanks to the potential of overseas recruitment.

The Golden Jaguars made

headlines in the Caribbean recently, and indeed, England, when they recruited exPremier League stars Neil Danns and Matthew Briggs to the National team, and the two stood out in a clinical 2-0 victory against Grenada.

With more players of Guyanese origin currently playing in England rumoured to be interested in joining the Golden Jaguars, it will be intriguing to see how far the team can progress in 2018 World Cup qualifiers, having been unbeaten so far in the three friendlies they have played this year.

Suriname, on the other hand, have always been aware of their potential that has remained so close but yet so far.

Dutch legends such as Clarence Seedorf, Ruud Gullit, and Edgar Davids have all been players that could have featured for Suriname if the Dutch Government had allowed it. Legal rulings however, currently prevent Dutch-born citizens of Surinamese descent from ac-

quiring a Surinamese passport, and any person from Suriname who moves to the Netherlands has to relinquish their Surinamese passport.

This law has effectively stopped Suriname from tapping into their potential, and their team at the moment therefore can only feature players currently based in Suriname.

However, with a recent Bill being put to the Dutch Government, there is optimism in Suriname.

They have appointed Dean Gorré, a former player in both Holland and England, as their Head Coach, and have identified over 100 players around the world who are eligible to represent Suriname, with a substantial amount declaring interest in joining the team.

A recent friendly was held in December between a Surinamese ‘dream team’ and Trinidadian club W Connection, whereby players of Surinamese-descent based in countries such as Holland, Greece, Cyprus and Bulgaria,

Persaud guides Demerara to GCB/ RSI inter-county 50-over title

By Zaheer Mohamed Akshaya Persaud stroked a fluent 90 off 116 balls to guide defending champions Demerara to a five-wicket victory over the select U17 team in the final of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)/Raj Singh Insurance Brokers ( RSI) inter-county U19 50-over tournament yesterday.

The left handed Persaud slammed five fours and four sixes and sheared in a 150- run third wicket stand with Tevin Imlach as Demerara successfully chased 223, ending in 224-5 in 47.4 overs in hazy conditions at Everest Cricket Club. The pair came together after their team lost Vivian Albert (01) and Ronaldo Renee (02) and carefully steadied the chase.

Imlach slammed six well timed fours, but lost concentration after reaching his half century and was dismissed by

Sagar Hatheramani for 69, while man of the match Persaud was removed by Kevin Sinclair shortly after.

Demerara then lost Malcolm Hubbard run out for seven before Sherfene Rutherford and Travis Persaud saw their team home without further hiccups; Rutherford who finished the game with a six off Sinclair, struck three fours and a similar number of sixes to end unbeaten on 43, while skipper Persaud was left not out on four. Ronaldo Mohamed, Richie Looknauth, Sagar Hatheramani and Kevin Sinclair took one scalp each. Earlier, Raymond Perez and Joshua Persaud added 36 for the opening stand after the U17 team decided to bat on a good pitch, before pacer Carlton Jacques sent back Persaud for 18.

Perez (23) timed the ball well before he was caught at the wicket by Imlach for 23 off left arm pacer Daniel Basdeo.

The U17s then lost Adrian Sukwah (00) and Timothy Mc Almont (02) before Bhaskar Yadram and Sinclair featured in a fifth wicket partnership of 43. Yadram went for 27, while Sinclair departed for 35. The second block of power play only yielded 13 with Ronaldo Mohamed and Ramnarine Chatura at the crease. After the loss of Chatura (15) and Ashmead Nedd (00), Mohamed took the bowlers to task, smashing an unbeaten 69 off 32 balls. He shared in a ninth-wicket stand of 74 with Richie Looknauth (06*).

The right handed Mohamed hit eight fours and two maximums to guide his team to a challenging total, despite losing nine wickets.

Mohamed took 18 off the 46th over bowled by Travis Persaud to commence his assault- the last five produced 63 runs. Basdeo claimed 3-18 and Persaud 2-47.

Members of the victorious Demerara team display their accolades with members of the GCB and sponsor.

were invited to feature in a ‘dream’ Surinamese team made up of players who would be able to represent Suriname should the law change.

The match played out to a 1-1 draw and W Connection won on penalties, but the game highlighted the talent that Suriname could utilise if the law is changed when it is reviewed in June of this year.

For now though, Suriname will rely on their domestic-based squad to face Guyana, who will also be utilising young, domestic players in this game taking place outside of the FIFA International window.

Suriname, similar to Guyana, have played little International football over the past two years: they exited the Caribbean Cup in the first round of qualification (same stage as Guyana), yet have had a strong 2015, recently winning the ABCS Tournament in February, a competition between Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao and Suriname.

The two sides have met

each other 30 times over the course of history, and Suriname have won 18 of those ties, so history favours them. However, with momentum in the camp, and confidence at a high in the Golden Jaguars under the mentorship of Jamaal Shabazz, Guyana should be confident of a victory.

The majority of the Surinamese team play for club side Inter Moengotapoe, a side which Alpha United, the Guyanese league champions featuring numerous Golden Jaguars, defeated just over a week ago, giving an indication of how this tie will turn out.

Both Suriname and Guyana are nations looking at the long-term development of their teams via recruitment of diaspora, and as such, in a few years’ time, a tie between Suriname and Guyana could represent a battle between the two strongest sides in CFU. Whilst this game will not feature a full-strength Golden

Santokie Nagulendran Jaguar side, it represents an opportunity for players on the fringes of the team to claim a stake in the first XI for the all-important World Cup qualifier in June against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

More importantly however, the game on Thursday continues the consistency of regular competition for the Guyanese National Team, and that can only be a good thing for the development of the sport in Guyana.

Five-man Eagles soar above Patriots

BEATEN! Eagles’ guard, Kheon Evans beats his defender to the rim for a left-handed lay-up at Burnham Court, Saturday night.

Fielding exactly five players, Starr Computers Eagles soared above Melanie Patriots Friday night in the Under23 Division of the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) ‘Kings of the Hard Court’ Competition on Burnham Basketball Court.

Eagles managed their ‘fouls’ with precision since foul trouble would have evicted the basic team from the contest, owed to them being down to four players, to fly away with a 69-54 win against a more formidable East Coastbased Patriots team.

Rolston Richardson dropped 16 points, while Daroll Williams and Kheon Evans scored 14 points apiece; capping the complete team effort, Travis Belgrave and Kwesi Thompson added 13 points and 10 points respectively to ensure a winning start for Eagles.

Shaquille Eversley was the lone player in the double figures for Melanie Patriots, which fielded a full-fledged team. Eversley had 16 points while David Alder added eight points. In the Open or Division I competition, Plaisance

Guardians caged Eagles with a 79-56 victory on the night.

National point guard, Nikkoloi Smith was the high-point man with 29 points while the veterans, Mark Richards and Kwame Fox had 18 and 17 points respectively.

For Eagles, Mark Wills scored 15 points with Courtney Taylor putting in 14 points. The event is the first for the newly elected GABA and will be played at three courts. The other two venues are Plaisance Community Centre Court and National Gymnasium.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday April 26, 2015

James Anderson inspires victory BBC Sport - James Anderson inspired England to a nine-wicket win over West Indies on the final day of the second Test.

Anderson took three wickets, two catches and ran out Jason Holder with a direct hit as the home side slipped from an overnight 202-2 to 307 all out.

That left England 143 to win, reached with an unbeaten 81 from Gary Ballance and Alastair Cook’s 59 not out.

Victory in Grenada, a first Test win overseas since 2012, gives England a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

The unlikely circumstances of the victory - England needed to take eight

wickets on a docile pitch quickly enough for a run chase to be possible - are not the only reason for Cook’s side to be delighted.

It comes on the back of a disastrous World Cup campaign, the threat of “enquiries” from incoming England and Wales Cricket chairman Colin Graves if they do not succeed

in the Caribbean, and after the make-up of their attack for this match came under fire.

But there are still issues to be addressed for the final Test in Barbados, not least the position of Jonathan Trott at the top of the order.

After making a first-innings half-century, Trott fell for his second duck since re-

Busta Soft Shoe Football Competition

Queen Street produce inspiring display against Ballerz -West Front Road, Festival City, Cross Street also advance After a slow start to the inaugural Busta Soft Shoe Football Competition, both the fans turnout and the quality of play has built up as witnessed on Friday night in Round of 16 action, at the GFC ground.

In what was easily the biggest crowd to date, Cross Street set the tone for what could be described as a night of rivetting action when they registered an upset over Alexander Village, defeating them 3-1 to book a quarterfinal place.

Samuel Hunte opened the scoring for the victors after five minutes when he pierced the defence and the goalkeeper, firing his effort into the left side of the goal from close range.

Ronaldo Dover increased their advantage four minutes later after blowing past an opposing defender to beat the goakkeper to his left.

Oozing with confidence Cross Street strengthened their position following an 11th minute strike off the boot of Dellon David, who reached on to a clinical pass from the wily Dover to finish past the keeper.

However, Sheldon Profitt’s straight red card in the 22nd minute for stomping on the chest of an opposing player while he was lying on the field could prove pivitol in their next game.

His departure was had effect almost immediately as Alexander Village dominated possession and won a penalty kick following a hand ball infraction which was nonchalantly converted by national player Jermin Junor in the 27th minute of play.

That was as far as they would get as time ran out to secure Cross Street berth in the next round.

The next encounter between the highly touted Ballerz and Queen Street of

Action in the clash between West Front Road and North East La Penitenceon Friday night, at the GFC ground.

Meredith was again on Tiger Bay produced a shocking result in the favour of the the receiving end of a clinical latter who destroyed their delivery following a neat exopponents by an embarrass- change that involved the busy Alfred one minute later ing 6-2 margin.

Darren Harris’s 5th minute to extend their lead to 5-1.

Ballerz’s Dorville Stewart strike gave little indication of what was in store after he pulled one back in the 27th but Keoma prodded in from close range minute, after the goalkeeper had made Gravesande and Alfred left no a partial save from a stinging doubt about the outcome after netting in the 28th and shot.

Their talisman Deon 29th minutes respectively.

In the encounter that folAlfred made it 2-0 two minutes later, hitting a powerfully lowed, West Front Road restruck left-footer into the far covered from a lacklustre corner immediately evoking opening first half to beat brief panic in the opposition’s North East La Penitence 2-0.

Both teams played tentacamp.

Ballerz managed some- tive at the beginning and went how to regain their compo- to the break goalless, before sure to decrease the deficit by the second period saw more one when the influential chances being taken as they Sceyon Hope showed a flash looked for a result in regulaof his skill, easing past a tion time.

Michael Oie, who has tackle to unleash a powerful shot into the roof of the net muffed several opportunities suddenly came alive and proin the 11th minute.

However, one minute duced the first goal of the (14th) prior to the half, game when he fired past the Godfrey Powers restored advancing keeper after beQueen Street’s two-goal ing let through on a onecushion after his right footed on-one breakway in the attempt deflected off the foot 25th minute.

Three minutes later, of a defender, before trickling Randolph Wagner added a over the goalline.

James Meredith was not measure of security when he going to be left out of the blasted in after finding himrampage and he buried a per- self in a similar situation as fect pass from Alfred three Oie. They held on for the reminutes after the resumption to continue Queen Street’s maining two minutes to earn a spot in the quarter-final. dominance.

The final game of the night proved to be heartbreak for the exciting Albouystown unit that had stood toe-to-toe with a strong Festival City combination, before succumbing in the final munite of play due to a breakdown in the defence.

Played in slippery conditions following brief showers, both teams saw their shots being nullified by brilliant goalkeeping with Festival City’s Troy Carrington called upon to effect two astounding saves to keep his team in the battle.

Albouystown’s frustration would continue as Carrington had to dive full stretch to deny the diminutive Roy Cassou deep into the final period.

Festival City’s Dwayne Lawrence then produced the dagger one minute from full time to sink the hearts of Albouystown supporters and also earn a place in the quarters.

Prowling just within the box, Lawrence received a pass from Wayne Wilson, before hammering his effort into the goal.

The final whistle sounded shortly after handing them a hard fought victory.

Action resumes today with the final set of matches in the round of 16 phase, at the same venue.

The first game at 20:45hrs will see Broad Street take on Kitty Weavers, before Sophia collide with North Ruimveldt from 21:30hrs.

West Back Road then tackle Bent Street from 22:15hrs, before Sparta Boss square off againstGlobe Yard in the feature contest at 23:00hrs.

The winning team will receive the championship trophy and $600,000, while 2nd, 3rd and 4th placed finishers collect $300,000, $200,000 and $100,000 respectively.

turning to the side in the first Test. In a three-ball stay, he survived an lbw review before chopping Shannon Gabriel on to his stumps.

That was the only low point of an England day that was dominated by Anderson’s brilliance with the ball and in the field.

As the home side resumed 37 ahead, the tourists were relying on the second new ball to create opportunities and Anderson, a week on from becoming England’s leading wicket-taker in Test cricket, provided the catalyst through an exhibition of aggressive swing bowling. Fourth-day centurion Kraigg Brathwaite could only fend a vicious short ball to gully before Shivnarine Chanderpaul was superbly caught by a diving Cook at first slip after Ian Bell parried the initial chance.

And, when Marlon Samuels failed to withdraw his bat from an away-swinger, Anderson had 3-1 with the new ball in overall figures of 4-43. As pressure on West Indies increased, Anderson was barely out of the game, first holding a loose drive from Jermaine Blackwood at midoff from the bowling of Chris Jordan, then doing the same at mid-on to dismiss Kemar Roach off Moeen Ali. In between was perhaps the most spectacular of the

lot, a direct hit of the nonstriker’s end from mid-off to defeat Holder’s lazy attempt to return to his ground.

Home captain Denesh Ramdin briefly halted England’s charge, but missed a Moeen full toss to be lbw, with Gabriel pinned two balls later to complete a much-improved display by the England off-spinner.

Though Trott went in the second over, England’s chase was never in doubt as Cook and Balance shared an unbroken stand of 142.

Cook scored almost exclusively square of the wicket to notch his fifth half-century in eight Test knocks, looking much more fluent than his first-innings 76.

Ballance accelerated towards victory, finding the boundary through 360 degrees and becoming the thirdfastest England batsman to 1,000 Test runs.

He was dropped on 15 at slip from Samuels’ off-spin, but, even by then, West Indies were beaten.

Scores: England 464 (Root 182*, Ballance 77, Cook 76, Trott 59, Bishoo 4177) and 144 for 1 (Ballance 81*, Cook 59*) beat West Indies 299 (Samuels 103, Broad 4-61) and 307 (Brathwaite 116, Bravo 69, Anderson 4-43) by nine wickets.

McPherson leads FAPC to Commissioner Inter-Division T20 crown Sherwin McPherson slammed an attacking half century to guide Felix Austin Police College (FAPC) to a fivewicket victory over A Division in the final of the Guyana Police Force Inter-Division Commissioner T20 competition yesterday at Police Sports Club ground, Eve Leary.

Batting first, A Division managed 111 all out in 19.3 overs. Jason Heyliger led with an accomplished 56 aided with seven fours. He and Kelvin Leitch, who made 18, added 64 for the fifth wicket to resurrect the innings after they were reduced to 14-4 in the three overs.

Rocky Hutson claimed 38 off four overs and Stephen Harris 3-18 from four.

McPherson and Jason Mc

Almont (10) featured in a first wicket stand of 36 to set the foundation for the chase. Mc Almont clobbered ten fours in a top score of 69, while Eon Rodrigues chipped in with 14.

FAPC ended with 113-5 off 18.4 overs. Trevor Benn, Heyliger and Richard Leacock picked up one wicket each.

FCPA pocketed a trophy and $200,000 and A Division a trophy and $150,000. Tactical Service Unit received $100,000 for finishing third.

Man of the match McPherson took home $25,000 and $20,000 for being the best batsman in the final.

Hutson claimed $20,000 for being the best bowler in the final. The competition was sponsored by Anand Persaud Dental Clinic of Eccles.

The victorious FAPC team with Commissioner Seelall Persaud in the centre.