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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
SAVING OUR YOUTHS All over Guyana youths are bored and are rebelling against the status quo. Many are unemployed and have become frustrated and despondent with the system that has ignored their plight. The APNU+AFC government ought to know that youths are impatient and will not wait forever on the government to address their problems. Every adult was once a youth and like the youths of today, they too were impatient and have made some terrible mistakes, so all is not lost with the youths. The nation must not give up on the youths but must always strive to help them. Criticizing the youths, especially in light of their criminal activities and shootings that have ended tragically for some, and the concern voiced generally about the high level of crime will not help, but saving them will and should be the focus of the nation and the government. Allowing them to go astray is not an option.There are still many assertive youths in the country who are doing everything possible to make a meaningful contribution to society. For example, many have and continue to make a positive difference in their lives and are hoping for an end to the crime wave. Others are seeking to further their education at tertiary institutions. And there are those who are taking matters into their own hands and not waiting for handouts from the Government. And yes, some have turned to drugs and crime, but this should inspire the nation to do more to save them. The government must do all it can to help youths because they did not one day just wake up and turn to drugs and criminal activities. Unfortunately, the signs were there for all to see but they were ignored. Many were being groomed to become criminals when they were much younger due to the lack of rules, proper structure, role models, morals, discipline and parental upbringing—all of which have contributed significantly to their current state. The justice system, especially the prison is also a contributor to the criminality of youths. Years of incarceration among hardcore criminals have served to make them tougher and their mindsets worse. While Guyanese continue to voice their concerns about the daily reports of violent crimes and murders in the country, they ought to know that these criminal activities were always there and all that has occurred recently is more youths are involved, thus causing crimes to multiply and spread throughout the country. But the crime situation in Guyana is no different to that of other countries. Every criminal act produces pain, disappointment and suffering, but if the people should look beyond the surface, they would realize that such acts also provide opportunities to help save the youths. It is like a recurring cancer that will get worse if treated with the same ineffective medicine. Saving the youths is in everyone’s best interest, but no one organization or institution can do it. The Government, the justice system, schools, churches, societal organizations, media and families must work together to save the youths. Each of these institutions has the power needed to stimulate and turn them away from drugs and crimes. They need a moral foundation on which to build their lives, therefore, the church must continue to reach out to them, especially the hopeless youths who do not see a bright future for themselves. The education system has also contributed to their anti-social behavior. In fact, studies have shown that there is a connection between high school dropouts and crime. School dropouts would find it difficult to get a decent job, yet they will want the finer things in life and would do what is necessary to obtain those, including committing crimes. Some youths believe that they are being forced into a school system whose curriculum is not relevant to their surroundings, upbringing and background.The nation has created the problem and it has to find the solution. The pressure is building up and if the government does not step up and provide an outlet for the pressure to escape, there will be dire consequences. Saving our youths should be the government’s highest priority.
Sunday August 30, 2015
Kaieteur M@ilbox Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com
There must be a national policy to deal with the roaming legions of drug addicts DEAR EDITOR, I can remember it as clear as yesterday. I was standing at the Sussex Street bridge at Barr Street, with some friends and I told them “before I sell a brethren crack, I would rather put a ‘nines’ to his head and pull the trigger.” Economics have led many down a dark road, with some it was pure callous greed. Some confessed it was a springboard to finances needed. In the m a j o r i t y, t h e p e o p l e enveloped by cocaine as
beneficiaries cannot be described as ‘evil.’ Consumed by vanity can be fixed on many, but Mama Koka will make you evil eventually, as we have witnessed it do with many lawyers, law enforcement and politicians before our eyes in Guyana. I remember dozens of situations of families struggling with members that cocaine had transformed into monsters. I can call numerous names of young citizens who have perished because of drug addiction, I
can recall the efforts of Mrs. Doreen de Caries of Stabroek News around 1997, who tried to save a young soul in her employment. She implored me to volunteer and train him in fine Arts, and he had talent. She bought art equipment for him, but then, I was taken for a ride by an observing staff member who showed me a yard in Robb Street Bourda that sold drugs, he implied that we were fighting a losing battle and we lost it, we lost that young man to drugs. Under
the management of the PNC, this scourge would never have grown into the epidemic it has become today. The ‘Baby Arthur’ incident at Buxton in 1994 was enough for any serious, people oriented Government to pay attention and act, the PPP did nothing. The APNU-AFC administrations have not inherited a National Policy on any substance a b u s e , i n s a n i t y, o r a functional, responsible Psychiatric/de-tox Programme to improve on. (Continued on page 5)
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For Ethnic Impact Statements
Mr. Ramjattan needs to focus on crime, not curfew
DEAR EDITOR, I found it very positive that in its Manifesto, the APNU/AFC coalition in its “Foundations for Development” asserted that it will be “Ethnic Impact Statements of Cabinet Decisions and Government Departments.” The following, first written in 2003, offers one perspective on this subject. “In all societies, not unreasonably, the policies and subsequent activities of any incumbent government will be evaluated critically: governments, after all, are elected to run the State to secure the goals of that society. This scrutiny would be even more vigilant, especially in poor countries, by those who may have voted against the government, to discern whether the government was unduly favouring its supporters. It has become common, therefore, for governments in democratic countries – where public opinion matters – even rich ones, to announce ahead of time what impact their policies will have on specific constituencies – be they, as in the U.S., labour, business, African-Americans, HispanicAmericans, and so on. The more divided and polarized the society is, the more critical will be the evaluation of the government’s policies, since the premise of the government being the handmaiden of “one side” is even more credible. One of the major bones of contention in ethnically polarized societies is the use of the State to favour the ethnic group that has put the government into office: the perceived or real discrimination becomes the occasion, if not the cause, of many a battle. The PNC since 1992 consistently accused the PPP of
practicing racial/ethnic discrimination against primarily its African supporters. The charges of “marginalisation” from the African community have been the primary fuel in the ethnic conflagrations since 1998. The agreement signed by President Jagdeo and Mr. Hoyte in 2001 and the Communiqué of 2003 between the President Jagdeo and Mr. Robert Corbin, were attempts to answer such charges. But we have seen that they simply lead to additional charges and counter-charges over implementation. For over a decade, we have been arguing for the introduction of an “Ethnic Impact Statement” by the Government before it implements any of its policies and programs. We have all accepted (hopefully) the need for “Environmental Impact Statements” before we embark on programs that will affect the physical environment. The policy is an acknowledgement of the fragility of our environment and the importance we place on its health and survival, for our own health and survival. I would hope that we would acknowledge that our social environment is as important (and as fragile) as our physical environment. After all, it has been vividly demonstrated over the past five years that the destruction of our social environment is the direct destruction of “us”. One cannot get closer to home than that: with the environment at least the effect is a bit indirect and delayed. While we know that the ethnic problem goes beyond governmental actions, the fact of the matter is that we have to begin there. It is a question of justice.
No matter which party forms the Government, all accept that Governmental actions have to be conducted on behalf of all the people. Since, based on our history, we know that governmental actions will be scrutinised by the populace for its ethnic impact (recently, scholarships to Cuba and contracts on the Skeldon Factory’s foundation) what is the harm of scrutinising the possibilities ahead of the implementation? The activities of the Government are part and parcel of our “national patrimony”. In fact, in Guyana – as in most of the third world – Governmental activities unfortunately comprise most of the national patrimony – and this is part of the reason why it is scrutinised so closely and emotionally. Who would deny that the national patrimony must be distributed equally to all citizens? (Excepting, as Rawls proposed, when an unequal distribution would benefit our most disadvantaged – but it remains a question of justice.) If such “Ethnic Impact Statements” could be crafted and issued before the announcement and implementation of policies and programs, they would precipitate discussion and debate, which could be utilized to modify the policies or programs before they become political mobilisational tools. To wait for the inevitable ethnic post mortem is to ensure there will be trouble. Big trouble .The old cliché still holds: justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done. An “Ethnic Impact Statement” on Governmental activities would go a long way to ensuring the latter happy condition. Ravi Dev
DEAR EDITOR, Recently Mr. Ramjattan was recorded saying that he wants bring forward the 2am curfew to 12am. This is a total waste. The real issues to stop crime need to be addressed such as eliminating corruption from the police force, increasing police salaries, providing proper training to tackle crime, imposing stricter penalties for crime, solving more crimes, increasing capacity of the force by developing state of the art facilities and equipment, etc. There is an ever ending list of things that need to be done to tackle crime in Guyana and a curfew stands at the bottom of the list (if it does make the list). A curfew gets people home earlier, it does not stop crime. Criminals rob and kill anytime of the day or night. A curfew doesn’t stop them. Also a curfew does not stop people from drinking alcohol (as mentioned by Mr. Ramjattan). They will just drink it earlier! At the end of June 2015 the Guyana Police Force recorded a 9% increase in serious crimes in comparison to
the same period in 2014. At the end of July 2015 a 10% increase in serious crimes was recorded in comparison to the same period in 2014. A total of 79 murders were recorded at the end of June 2015 in comparison to 69 murders at the end of June 2014, an increase of 14%. A total of 94 murders were recorded at the end of July 2015 in comparison to 80 murders at the end of July 2014, an increase of 18%. There has been an increase of 74% in the number of reports of rape with 207 reports at the end of June this year compared to 119 for the same period last year. Break and Enter and Larceny and Burglary have shown an overall increase of 9%.There has been an increase of 68% in the number of reports of rape with 243 reports at the end of July this year compared to 145 for the same period last year. Break and Enter and Larceny and Burglary have shown an overall increase of 9%. This information clearly indicates that there has been an overall increase in crimes in Guyana compared to the same period last year. Mr.
Ramjattan and the new Government need to step up and solve the real issues that cause crimes. I take this opportunity to call on Mr. Ramjattan and the new Government to tackle the real issues that cause crimes (as listed above). There are also other issues that cause crime such as high unemployment rate, high illiteracy rate, poverty, peer pressure, etc. The police are unable to tackle crime since they are underpaid and underequipped. Many policemen turn criminals as the evidence suggests. This is due to a better package as a criminal; more incentives. If the crime rate does not decrease migration will continue to escalate. I am a young professional willing to stay and work to develop my country but the way things are going I’m seriously considering to migrate and there are numerous other young people I know who share the view. When our brilliant young minds migrate, the country only be left with the illiterate, which of course will result in increased crimes. K. Ramkelawan
Depression! A plea for help DEAR EDITOR, Just a few days ago a physically healthy young man whom I know showed his friends some carbon tablets. Jokingly, it seemed, he said “I going and kill me self.” That was his last effort to find a life line but his friends laugh... Now the joke is replaced with tears and fond memories of the joker because he was smiling... He died hours after hugging his father one last time. Students of a city second-
ary have every reason to return to school but one of the crew will be missing. Last evening, a 16 year old girl left home as happy as ever.... She never went back home... She, too, drank a poisonous substance. Though they tried their best, medical professionals at the Georgetown Public Hospital could not grab her from the jaws of the excruciating death that eventually silenced her cries. “ I don’t want to die,
please don’t tell my father what I did.” He is overseas working out ways to return to mourn over the loss of his baby girl...Her issue? She was having ‘home problems’. Yesterday, too, another young lady from the same school attempted to end her happy facade of bottled up anguish of family and friends rejection. She is still fighting for her life after ingesting ‘carbon tablets’. (Continued on page 6)
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The police must be forthcoming There must be a national... and announce whether they have a recruitment strategy DEAR EDITOR, The short-sightedness of the Guyana Police Force in its rush to judgment never ceases to amaze. Imagine the GPF has information about its recruitment levels, fails to apprise the public of its challenges, but takes the time to be reactive (as in everything else) when it responds to a very informative letter by accusing the writer of ignorance. In the first instance what is so offensive about the writer Patrick E. Mentore’s suggestion that maybe the police can learn from the GDF in terms of how to recruit suitably qualified candidates? The mention that all its training centres are filled to capacity does not negate the points raised by Mentore including the need for a recruitment strategy and the elements intrinsic to such strategy. The police must be forth-
coming and announce whether they have a recruitment strategy and respond to the very salient points raised instead of hiding behind emotive statements. With respect to the issue of being able to house only 330 recruits at any one time, I would like to know if some consideration has not been given to reviewing the training curriculum and methods of delivery so that ranks will only spend three months in residence and the other three months in the field gaining practical exposure under supervision. What that could achieve is that another 330 could be inducted for a period of three and the cycle goes on. What this means is that instead of churning out 660 annually the force would be accommodating double the numbers in residence annually.The first 330 will be evaluated during their field
exposure for final grading at the end of their six-month introduction to the force. The police also mention that some drop outs might not have the required academic performance in the classroom, but does not say if - like the GDF, remedial classes in academic subjects are offered. Furthermore the force needs to explain if - like the GDF, it has a career path development plan so as to transform the thinking of those who went looking for a job in the first place, to become career police men and women. The force also needs to explain its rationale behind transferring ranks to certain areas of the force which effectively kills their chances for upward mobility. I think that there are times when the police should look before they leap and make utter fools of themselves. Edmund Syfox
Depression! A plea for... From Page 5 How can this be? Who is addressing these issues? Why don’t anyone see how hurtful their words and actions can be? The questions overpower me like a mudslide on a slippery slope. One word, DEPRESSION! A disease that is spreading like the amoeba and encapsulating all in its path! Something NEEDS to be done and It must
be done really fast...Hear the cries of your fellow mankind. WORDS and actions of rejection can cut deeper with lasting hurts that scream “DIE even by your own hands DIE!” And the rippled sounds amplify in the mind of those too human to be anything else. Is there a switch to turn off the free fall in that dark hole? Is there a life line that someone can hold... the world can be so cold. Can’t someone turn off this switch or fix the shortage and numb the numbness of a crude world designed by some to cause hurt to seem important? I understand that there is a conference slated for September 2. I pray that it does not turn out to be just a talk-shop of
intellectual quotes and no real solutions. Too many young people are opting out because of a sense of hopelessness. Mind in a whirlwind don’t know where to fit in...Friend, foe, family, kin... STOP THE tailspin... too many are dyeing! Trapped, kerfuffle in the twist of the mist... bombarded! How did one get into this? Right atop the self execution list...No help in sight, nowhere to turn...In a world of people let alone he/she burns...Soul searching flames extinguished, nine day wonders diminished. Laced with daggers tongues lash out, whispering spears from friends of doubt...intentions to destroy and the boy/girl becomes a toy of their Joy. Mondale Smith
From page 4 I know this because the demon ‘Mama Koka’ entered my domain some months ago and I have been to Hell. I did not grow up sheltered, so I had unorthodox resources I could tap into. When the time came, when I needed crucial help, I could find my way into the abyss of the drug yard to extract my own. This required that I roam the streets at the time that drug dealers told me the ‘Black-Joint’ was most potent, between 9pm to 5am. I believe even terrible experiences could provide life lasting information. In this case I learnt of, and witnessed from a personal perspective, the mind boggling world of drug addiction in Guyana and I have known that it has existed for over twenty years and did not arouse any official interest. The current Ministry of Health response is the same psychiatric facility the now Minister visited and found to be at a concentration camp operational level, (see Stabroek News June 8, 2015). I visited several offices. The courts warned me against committing any loved ones to the psychiatric ward. “God knows what could happen,” I was told. Officials lamented that persons on their staff were affected, but they had no practical direction to turn to. There are two rehab facilities throughout Guyana, one in Georgetown the other up the Coast. I had experiences with both; the Mon Repos facility is more effective by far, but these places cost money, serious money, with the transformations that addiction impose on its victims the family will suffer most; resources are depleted. Spiritual and mental equilibrium is torn and worst of it there’s no administrative structure to turn to. I must infer that prayer and spiritual dedication is significant. An underestimated per-
centage of violent crimes are committed by ‘drug induced psychosis’ and abusers at different levels. One of the last persons hung in Guyana, 1996 was a drug addict who killed a school boy, to steal his bicycle. Another killed a young man who was heading to his first day at work. Drug feuds have slain hundreds, domestic violence is rooted in economics and substance abuse, addiction deaths range in the thousands over the last two decades. Take one look at the Montrose murder accused, and it speaks for itself. Addicts are the cheap expertise for burning houses, contract killing, and any spite extension. Over the past two decades no public utterances or actions of significance emanated from any section of the PPP state. In Georgetown, Hundreds roam the streets, mainly 80 percent young males. I recall compiling a document on this in 1998, I took it to UNICEF, but their representative couldn’t get the Government to give it the publication green light. Later, I gave a copy to Patrick Mentore, then at the US Embassy. He told me that his boss didn’t know that Guyanese were that conscientious. That boss was however Thomas Carroll. I showed another colleague, Harold Hopkinson. He came back a few days later and told me to my astonishment that he had done a survey and there were not that many addicts. There was no interest in acting for reasons that we
now understand from the PPP and their confederates. However, some years later when my home was broken into, Hoppie did accompany me in search of the drug abuser, break and enter specialist, and there in a drug yard in Charlotte Street I saw a school friend ‘Sammy’, in a terrible state, horribly enslaved until his untimely death by the Mistress of that Yard.There must be a national policy and programme to relocate the roaming legions of drug addicts, and to interface with the hundreds of families at wits end at what to do. Rehabilitation cannot be a democratic process, it must be enforced in a civilized way. From my knocking at doors I’ve learnt that there are a small group of people who understand. I have learnt much from them; they know what is necessary, but there is no umbrella organization to facilitate the necessary actions. This young Government obviously has to repair the tremendous human devastation of the last, and be careful with the pretenders and ‘shut buttons’ so as to do this cost effectively. At ACDA I initiated an information data FACEBOOK Page called RESCU. We did one TV presentation and the after flow of parents and concerned citizens that reached out was alarming. Many with dark stories to which we could offer no help, or point to no direction within their circumstances. The responsible human thing has to be done. Barrington Braithwaite
GOVT. SHOULD EXPEDITE THOSE HOUSE LOT TITLES DEAR EDITOR, I read recently how pleased in a practical sense one Guyanese already is with this government over how his land issue has been expeditiously dealt with. The writer told of the interminable delays of the past under the former government.Let us hope for more such thank-you letters
to the editor, for it is suchlike that will ensure our new government’s success with ordinary people who have little resources to hire lawyers to interface with the Lands and Surveys, the Ministry of Housing and the Land Registry. Government should expedite those house lot titles across the country that have piled up, for those who could not or those who refused to corruptly ‘grease wheels’ as some who were promptly facilitated and who did not have to wait years for their titles. Mario James
Sunday August 30, 2015
Kaieteur News
Egyptian court sentences three Al Jazeera journalists to prison Reuters - An Egyptian court sente nced three Al
Jazeera TV journalists to three years in prison yesterday for operating without a press li cense and broadcasting material harmful to Egypt, a case that has stirred an international outcry.
The verdict, in a retrial, was issued against Mohamed Fahmy, a naturalised Canadian who has given up his Egyptian citizenship, Baher Mohamed, an Egyptian, and Peter Greste, an Australian who was deported in February.Rights advocates say their arrest was part of a crackdown on free speech waged since the army overthrew President Mohamed Mursi, a senior Muslim Brotherhood figure, in July 2013 following mass unrest over his rule.Judge Hassan Farid said the defendants, dubbed the “Marriott Cell” by the local press because they worked out of a hotel belonging to that chain, “are not journalists and not members of the press syndicate” and broadcast with unlicensed equipment.Baher received an additional six months in prison.
Al Jazeera journalists (L-R) Peter Greste, Mohammed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed stand behind bars at a court in Cairo. Reuters/Asmaa Waguih The state news agency MENA said that extra time was handed down because he was in possession of a bullet at the time of his arrest. The three men were originally sentenced to seven to 10 years in prison on charges that included spreading lies to help a terrorist organisation, a reference to the Muslim Brotherhood, which the military toppled from power two years ago.
The three defendants denied all charges, calling them absurd. Three other Egyptians, all students, also received three-year sentences for the same charges. Speaking on Al Jazeera in reaction yesterday’s verdict, Greste said he was shocked at the scale of the sentence. “Words really don’t do justice,” he said. “To be given three-year sentences is outrageous.
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Venezuela extends border closures with Colombia BBC News - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has extended border closures with Colombia to another six towns in the western state of Tachira. Mr Maduro also announced the deployment of an extra 3,000 troops in the area, which he says has been infiltrated by Colombian paramilitaries and gangs. The main crossings were closed a week ago after Venezuelan soldiers were injured in a shootout with smugglers.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos criticised Mr Maduro’s unilateral move. More than 1,000 Colombians have been deported and about 6,000 have left in fear since the border closures. Mr Santos said the treatment of “ordinary Colombians” by its South American neighbour was “unacceptable”. But Mr Maduro said the security operation initiated a week ago has unveiled evidence that Colombian right-
wing paramilitaries had infiltrated the area. “To clean up the area from the paramilitaries and drug trafficking I have decide to close the border of another six towns in the state of Tachira: Lobatera, San Juan de Colon, La Fria, Garcia de Hevia, Panamericano and Coloncito,” Mr Maduro said in a rally to his supporters in Caracas. Mr Maduro said soldiers had dismantled criminal gangs who had kept dozens
Soldiers have been helping Colombian families cross the Tachira River, which separates the two countries. of men as “economic slaves” ment are sold over the border soap, their meat, their milk in Colombia with huge profit and their medication,” said and women as “sex slaves”. Smuggling has been a margins.“Almost 80% of the Mr Maduro. Mr Santos called for an huge problem along the long, people who enter [Venezuela] porous border area for many through the Colombian bor- emergency meeting of forder come to take away all our eign ministers from the reyears. Items subsidised by petrol, our shampoo, the food gional Unasur bloc to disVenezuela’s socialist govern- of the Venezuelans, their cuss the crisis.
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Stalemate continues over New GPC, Hand-in-Hand controlled Berbice Bridge…
Give us 20 years extension or increase the tolls The current standoff between Government and the company that controls the US$40M Berbice River Bridge has taken a twist with the
latter asking for its agreement to be extended another 20 years or for the administration to consider hiking the tolls.
Dem boys seh...
PRAYER CAN’T SAVE JAGDEO Dem boys don’t like to promise a man anything. Dem accustom to promising ladies but dem did mek a promise to Jagdeo yesterday. Dem promise to teach him to pray so that when he go to jail he gun know what posture to adopt. He might like to pray wid he head down and he tail up in de air. And in jail men love dat sight. Three religious leaders was debating the best position for prayer. One of dem seh that de key was in the hands. He seh he always hold he hand together and pointed them upward as a form of worship. De second one seh that you got to go down pun you knees. That was the only way to really pray. The third one seh that all two of dem wrong. The only position in which to pray was to lie on the floor, flat on your face. That is wha he seh. While they talking, an electrician was fixing a light in de background, and listening. Finally, he couldn’t tek it no more. He blurted out, “Fuh me, de most powerful prayer I ever pray was while I was dangling upside down by my heels from a power pole, 40 feet above the ground!” Now that dem boys give Jagdeo options, he can choose which one he want, but fuh sure Brassington got to lie down flat pun he face because he knee can’t tek he weight and he can’t raise he hand too high. But even when he lie down, he face might not touch de ground because of de size of he belly. Dem boys give dem option to pray but dem ain’t getting no option to go to jail in de pumpkin jumpsuit. Already dem boys hear underneath de grapevine Uncle Sam asking fuh some of dem plus dem wife. One of dem wife done change she name, thinking she gun escape capture but little she know that she is one of dem who Uncle Sam want. She husband who spend a lang time toiling plus robbing de earth gone into hiding. Another one run and gone to de Maldives thinking he can hide but dem boys want he fuh know that Uncle Sam tentacles long and wide. Dem does reach everywhere on de planet. It was George de Second Bush who tell dem third world country that dem leaders mustn’t believe that dem can cheat and steal de people money and hide it in de States, to seek de best medical attention and wine and dine in Biscayne Boulevard. When he mek that statement he had Jagdeo, he best friend, and Brassington, he brother and best friend, Keith, in mind. Jagdeo was in charge at de time. Dem boys sure he had a hand in that disrespectful statement de Berbice Bridge put out. Talk half and watch how Soulja Bai and Moses gun react to this eyepass.
The toll reduction for cars, from $2,200 to $1,900, announced during the budget presentation by Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, was set for implementation on Tuesday, (September 1). It seems to be in limbo at the moment. Jordan had also indicated a 10 percent reduction on other categories of vehicles, in what he said was the first of a series of interventions. Toll charged by the Berbice Bridge Company Inc. (BBCI) has been a sore point for consecutive administrations of the
People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C). The coalition Government, in the lead up to the May 11, 2015 elections, had accused the previous administration of hijacking the Berbice Bridge Company Inc., deliberately structuring operations in a manner that allowed investors and their close friends with the least investment to take control. New GPC, a company with close relations to former
President Bharrat Jagdeo, has been allowed to nominate the directors, thus taking control of the company, although Government and the stateowned National Insurance Scheme (NIS) are the biggest investors. On Friday, Finance Minister Jordan disclosed that the prescribed toll reduction was in limbo because BBCI’s directors decided to take that matter to its shareholders.
Jordan believed that the Bridge company was deliberately delaying the implementation of the toll reduction. The reduction is estimated to see the bridge lose about $120M-$140M annually with Government promising to provide a subsidy to meet the shortfall. For this year, Government has allocated $36M. In a full page Continued on page 67
New GPC Director, Ravie Ramcharitar
New GPC’s Head, Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop
Director Keith Evelyn
NICIL’s Winston Brassington
- private investors tell new Govt.
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US$6.2M environmental tax judgment …
Guyana cannot re-examine decisions of the CCJ - Bar Association, women lawyers In wake of calls for the government to reconsider its decision to make good on payment of damages awarded to a Surinamese beverage company, the mass of the country’s legal minds has warned that Guyana is in no way free to re-examine the decisions taken by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). Yesterday, the Guyana Bar Association and the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers cautioned against any suggestion that Guyana can consider itself at liberty to “re-examine” decisions of the CCJ, the court which adjudicates trade disputes among CARICOM members. “That, we humbly suggest, is trying to urge that the court order be flouted. This could do serious harm to our reputation for the rule of law and as an investment destination,” the bodies of lawyers expressed yesterday. The two organisations reminded that the decisions
of the CCJ as constituted in the recent Rudisa case are final and not subject to appeal. The CCJ had awarded the company millions of dollars in a landmark court decision against the Guyana government. However, the Guyana Manufacturers and Services Association had raised concerns over government honouring the award. Prior to its amendment last month, the Customs Act had imposed an environmental tax – $10 on each disposable container – on Companies whose products Guyana imports. Rudisa had contested Guyana’s Environmental Tax levied against it when importing its soft drinks (Thrill) to Guyana, saying it was discriminatory and goes against the Treaty of Chaguaramus, which outlines free trade to signatory countries. The Company had weighed in on the fact that
local importers did not have to pay it and the CCJ had ruled in Rudisa’s favour, citing that Guyana had to honour its treaty obligations, and ordered that the claimants are entitled to repayment. The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), who governed at the time, had refused to honour the award, but the new government assured that the US$6.2M damages awarded by the court since May 2014 will be given to the company. The decision taken by the government recently has sparked a debate, with the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) calling for the decision to pay to be recanted. They asked the government to consider the “gross unfairness” to locals who would be “forced to pay twice” since they already pay Rudisa’s Environmental Tax with every purchase of the Thrill drink. The body highlighted the
competition the Surinamese company brings to these shores and appealed for fairness and equity, while noting that members of its group face “a slew of illegal non-tariff barriers” in countries in and outside of the Caribbean. Consequently, the government, through Minister of State Joseph Harmon, had made clear that it will in no way disrespect the ruling of the CCJ and will do as ordered. Yesterday, the Guyana Bar Association and the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers said they have noted statements in the media concerning the decision in the case. “Not only did the court find the tax a violation of the Revised Treaty of Chagauramas but from information available to the CCJ, Guyana knew since the eleventh meeting of COTED (Council for Trade and Economic Development) held on May 22 – 23 2001 that it
President of the Guyana Bar Association President of the Guyana Women Lawyers’ Association was in breach of the Treaty,” the body said. “We are disappointed that the GMSA could have been so careless with the truth and disdainful of the obligation on Guyana as a subscriber to the CSME to comply with a judgment of the country’s and the region’s highest court in relation to the CSME,” said the two associations. They stated that they have read the judgment handed down by the CCJ and
are satisfied that the GMSA has misinformed itself of all the evidence, including the re-examination. Further, the body pointed out that the GMSA statement also suggests that it has made the elementary mistake of failing to read the judgment of the court. “In the circumstances we consider that it would be responsible of the GMSA to take the appropriate action on its statement,” the release disseminated by the Presidents of the Guyana Bar Association and Guyana Women Lawyers’ Association, Christopher Ram and Sadie Amin respectively, ended.
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93 graduate from Guyana/Cuban Medical Scholarship Programme Ninety three students who completed their stint in the Guyana/ Cuban Medical Scholarship Programme and who are likely to commence service within a short while participated in an official graduation ceremony. The event was held at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre, and saw the attendance of Government Officials, including Minister of Health Dr. George Norton and Cuban Ambassador Julio Marchante. Delivering the feature address at the ceremony Minister of State, Joseph Harmon said he is looking forward to the continuation of the programme. “We are proud to inherit this programme and in …many years to come, it will be stronger,” Minister Harmon said. The Minister told the graduates that they have completed their studies at a very important juncture in Guyana’s history. “We have a new government that is committed and resolved to providing opportunities, facilities and
services equally, to our citizens on the coastlands as well as in the hinterland,” the Minister said. He further stated that a key element of this commitment is the delivery of health care services, as it is the administration’s belief that citizens in the hinterland and rural coastal communities are entitled to the same quality of services and facilities that are available in the urban centers. “We will do well to take a keen look at the overall Cuban Health Care System, second to none in the Caribbean and perhaps even Latin America, in developing a strategy for health care delivery to our hinterland and rural Guyana,” the Minister of State noted. Moving forward, Minister Harmon said the training techniques and systems, which the graduates benefitted from, would help the government in establishing a viable national health care system. In an interview following the graduation ceremony, Dr. Norton spoke of the future of the Graduate Guyana/Cuban
medical programme, which is in its closing stages. According to the Minister, there will now be a shift towards more Post-Graduate programmes. “We have so many graduate General Medical officers, the University of Guyana is here to stay, especially the school of medicine. I would prefer for us to invite specialist doctors from abroad to come as Professors at the University,” Dr. Norton said. The Cuban Ambassador, in his address, urged the graduates to promote the moral and ethical values they would have inculcated while studying in Cuba. Kaieteur News spoke to several of the new Doctors. One 25-year old, Dr. Steffi Beaton, stated her determination to fulfill her Oath and save as many lives as possible.
“The journey was long, with many challenges, but at the end I am satisfied with what I did. I worked hard to make myself and my parents proud. I made a lot of friends and I’m not going to take this as the end of my journey but will continue focusing and studying and try my best to be a good doctor and save lives,” the beaming Doctor said. The 2015 graduation also had within its ranks Dr. Shivanne Persaud, daughter of Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud. She was also enthusiastic in being granted the chance to serve Guyana with the knowledge she had gained. The 25 year old described her experience as traveling through uncharted waters. “There were no maps, everything was different. It was my first time away from home. I prepared as best as I
could, but when I got there I learnt that no preparation can be sufficient when it comes with dealing with the real deal,” she said. Now that the journey had finally ended, however, Persaud reaffirmed her Hippocratic Oath, something she promised to adhere to as well as other professional standards. The Governments of Guyana/Cuba Specialist Awards Scholarships Programme was established back in 2001 by then President Bharrat Jagdeo in a bid to present opportunities and
address the shortfalls in the local Health sector. Its establishment stemmed from a visit Jagdeo paid to Cuba’s former leader Fidel Castro. The scholarships were established in several disciplines, including Medicine and Engineering. Among the specifications for each batch sent out was the presence of students of Indigenous descent. They were also given a stipend of Cdn $50 per month and would also liaison with a student affairs officer in Cuba, who was appointed by the Government.
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Finance Minister disappointed with Jagdeo’s silence By Kiana Wilburg Finance Minister, Winston Jordan had his hopes set high on going head-to-head with Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo during the deliberations of the 2015 estimates for his Ministry. But he was sorely disappointed. Throughout that session in the National Assembly last week, Jagdeo, a former Finance Minister, was “as quiet as a church mouse.” Only two Opposition Members of Parliament attempted to grill Jordan; former Tourism Minister, Irfaan Ali and former Junior Finance Minster, Juan Edghill. Ali questioned the Finance Minister on matters unrelated to the line items in the estimates. He was told repeatedly by Jordan that he would not entertain his questions on statutory expenditure which encompasses salaries of the Ombudsman, Judges and the public debt. This is not examined by the National Assembly. Edghill on the other hand, asked three questions on the forensic audits being pursued by the government. He inquired about the terms of
- says questions which came from others were of poor quality reference used to employ some of the firms and auditors, a list of the said forensic auditors and the monies being paid to each. Jordan told him that there were 15 companies which were contracted through sole sourcing for the forensic auditors and they are being paid a total of $150M. “As for Ali’s questions, I refused to answer as they were out of order. You have to stay within the rules of the house. I was disappointed to say the least at the small number of questions and the quality of the questions. The questions asked seemed to have an agenda or were meant to embarrass someone. I was disappointed but it was not unexpected,” said the Finance Minister. But throughout the deliberations, the Opposition Leader was silent. After the estimates of the Finance Ministry were dealt with, Jagdeo rushed out of the chambers and held a press briefing. In the wee hours of the morning, the former Finance Minister voiced his concerns with regard to Jordan and his
Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo
Finance Minister, Winston Jordan
budget presentations. “What we just witnessed is the worst act of accountability that I have seen on the part of a Finance Minister ever in this country. He hid behind several rules of the National Assembly and refused to deal with the questions posed to him by members of our side.” Jagdeo added, “He refused to speak on the $5M he transferred to the Guyana Rice Development Board
prior to the budget and the $3.8B that was diverted to GuySuCo. We asked him where this money came from and he refused to say if it came from the Consolidated
Fund or the Contingency Fund or if it was from somewhere else.” The former President then revealed his “conspiracy theory” in this regard. He had said that the only reason Jordan could have refused to answer the questions is because he is guilty of spending monies without the approval of Parliament – the same “crime” the government, when in opposition, had accused the former Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh of. “This is money he refuses to account for. He has also refused to answer for where the $23B transfer to the rice industry is located in the Estimates. From our understanding, it is located as a public debt and he does not want to admit that. He has misled us all.” Jagdeo also blasted the
government for what he described as the “sole sourcing” of forensic auditors without pursuing public tender. He said that this, along with Jordan’s actions in the House, constitute some of the worst acts of corruption. He promised that he will do everything in his power to expose this to the Guyanese people. The Opposition Leader had said that even if he has to get the recording of Jordan’s behaviour and post it online via YouTube, he will do so. The Finance Minister however, refuses to respond to Jagdeo’s accusations. He maintained that Jagdeo had every opportunity within the Standing Orders to grill him on the line items within the 2015 estimates but chose to be silent. “How disappointing, and I had three thick books with answers waiting for him.”
Dr. Maurice Odle is new NICIL Chairman - Finance Minister declines to take post
Finance Minister, Winston Jordan has declined to take up the appointment as the Chairman of NICIL. As a result, Dr. Maurice Odle, a respected economist, has been appointed as the new Chairman. He is also the Chairman for the Tax Reform Committee which was formed two days ago by the Finance Minister. According to Jordan, Dr. Odle has served in various positions at the United Nations and Caricom with distinction. At Caricom, he was the economic advisor to the CARICOM Secretary General. The Finance Minister has no doubt that the economist will do the same in his new posts.
Dr. Maurice Odle
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Primary health care system in appalling state The appalling state of the public health system and its failing delivery structure will be remodeled with a fresh approach that seeks to promote the wellness of all citizens in a green economy, says, Minister of Public Health Dr. George Norton. Dr. Norton said that this will be done through the use of Information C o m m u n i c a t i o n Technologies to enhance accountability, transparency, and effectiveness, which he said was so lacking under the PPP/C regime. He said that the Ministry of Health is working on a project to incorporate the National Data Management Authority into its EGovernance operation. Dr. Norton said that the review of the public service Information Communication Technologies (ICT) would restore this Authority which was non-operational for two decades. He said that it will play a meaningful role in the Administration’s EGovernance’s initiatives. The Public Health Minister revealed that the health sector will include a National Electronic PatientCare Record (EMR) which will facilitate seamless provisions
of health care services to citizens throughout the public sector especially in the Hinterland and Indigenous Communities. The politician noted that the Oshi Center for Health and Social Policy of New York will be in Guyana from October 10 – 19 to conduct an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) pilot study at three sites to be identified here in Guyana. He reminded that the coalition’s manifesto under Health Systems and Services, promises that there will be the strengthening of health surveillance units, Data collections and Laboratories Services particularly in hinterland regions especially since the hinterland is becoming a geographic engine of economic development. Dr. Norton asserted that this will be fulfilled as he also intends to enhance the public health surveillance system in order to maintain and improve the evidence-base planning and decisionmaking to ensure value-for money in the utilization of t h e c o u n t r y ’s h e a l t h resources. With regard to improving sanitation, the Health
...to undergo drastic changes – Health Minister
Public Health Minister, Dr. George Norton Minister said that changes in this area will increase the Ministry’s capabilities to detect and respond to emergent threats. He said, “We have to be able to do so to avoid crisis situations such as that which has been referred to by the President of Guyana, David Granger only recently in his booklet entitled “DEATH IN THE NORTH WEST”. In that booklet, the President made mention of the regions’ large rivers being the source of drinking water. I quote ‘Herein lies the problem - when the water is
polluted, children die, especially from gastroenteritis’.” Dr. Norton stated that at that time in Port Kaituma, in just three months alone, the number of those afflicted was 529 including the death of three children. He said that this prompted a motion to be brought before this National Assembly to investigate this crisis by Granger, who was then the Leader of the Opposition. He reminded that the PPP/ C, true to form, voted it down. He said that not too long after, there was such another outbreak in the Wai Wai community of Masakeneri in Region Nine. The Public Health Minister said that this must become something of the past. He said that his Ministry will put systems in place to avoid these crisis situations of Guyanese becoming sick in specific communities in large numbers. “It is our commitment to provide accessible potable water and sanitation facilities consistent with the guidance from the health care system to the entire Guyanese nation.
There shall no longer be situations like that of the Patamona Village of Kamana, Region Eight. I was there only recently and it was found that the entire village was without access to potable water for a prolonged period of time,” The Minister added. The Public Health Minister also disclosed that he will be making moves to strengthen the delivery of primary health care services to promote greater integration of health services in general including environmental surveillance to meet the needs of remote communities in particular. Dr. Norton said that in eye care delivery for instance, of the entire Guyanese population only 47.2 percent had eye screening done in 2014. In dental care, only 31.9 percent of the Guyanese population had annual checkups last year. He said that the APNU/AFC Government will set out to correct these deficiencies. Dr. Norton said that the statistics for dental care is not surprising, particularly when one reads the 2014 report of
the Principal Dental Surgeon of the Ministry of Public Health. In that report, Dr. Norton related said that it shows how the Principal Dental Surgeon was clamoring for new additional equipment including portable dental chairs and dental units for outreach and schools program in all regions of the country. The Minister bemoaned this state of affairs and said that at least two portable dental chairs and dental units are needed in each of the 10 regions. He said that dental equipment, instruments and materials across the country are old and failing. “Only recently the sterilization room at the Cheddi Jagan Dental Centre was found to be in dire need of repairs and ventilation in some departments renders it most uncomfortable to work. This government is in the process of changing all of these conditions, all being in a state of neglect for years under the PPP/C,” the Public Health Minister stated. Dr. Norton continued, “It is most unfortunate that with all the deficiencies in dental health care and revelations that only a 31.9 percent of the Guyanese population had access to annual dental checkups, the past government found no problem in spending $2.1 M of taxpayers’ monies for dental work of one of its then Ministers. This is a scandal” The Public Health Minister emphasized to Kaieteur News that the poor conditions of public health care is worrying but pledged that his ministry is dedicated to making radical changes. He said that this has already started.
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Prime Minister’s wife opposes anti-pregnancy policy Sita Nagamootoo has voiced her strong opposition to the controversial “antipregnancy policy” which sees women within the disciplined forces and the City Constabulary facing termination as a result of getting pregnant. Rather than this age old policy, necessary facilities should be put in place to accommodate a pregnant woman, the wife of Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo stressed during a recent
conference on gender and women. Nagamootoo’s statement comes even as activists and the Social Protection Ministry continue attempts to remove the policy, which has been in place since the 19th century. The issue gained national attention earlier this month when three female City Constables were issued with letters of dismissal because they had “violated” the department’s policy which prohibited them from
“Women must not be forced into making a choice between bringing a child or keeping a job.” – Sita Nagamootoo becoming pregnant during their first two years of employment. The women were later reinstated following widespread protests. The policy was instituted even though the constitution and the Prevention of Discrimination Act along with the Termination of
Employment and Severance Pay Act expressly prohibit discrimination on the grounds of pregnancy. “Not so long ago I read into the local media that women were sent home because of this issue. For me, this reeks of gender insensitivity,” Nagamootoo said. She stressed that the policy was not only “out of touch with reality” but was also a gross violation of the human rights of women and girls to choose how they want to live their lives. “The answer to this problem is not to put out of the breadline women and girls who are facing this situation but rather for the authorities to provide necessary facilities that will allow for the care of the
newborn while mothers are able to continue working,” Nagamootoo said. She went on to say that measures must be considered to address practices and policies, laws and procedures and attitudes and beliefs that effectively serve to perpetuate and maintain gender inequalities within society. For this, she said, there must be a partnership between the genders. “It is crucial that women work with men to bring about changes in attitudes and behaviours within all social settings, including the workplace,” she emphasised. According to Nagamootoo, there are women in Guyana who are contributing meaningfully and who have “shattered the glass ceiling” and have made it to the top. On the other hand, there are many other women who experience shattered lives. These women, she said, are in difficult positions because many of them are without jobs and skills. She stressed that Guyana must
Sita Nagamootoo develop policies that will allow women to enter the world of opportunities and work just as easily as men do. Meanwhile, Nagamootoo noted the women who choose to work as caregivers, and said that they too must be afforded with a level of importance and respect rather than be seen as inferior. The Ministry of Social Protection is currently engaging the City Hall, the Guyana Defence Force and other organizations with similar policies in a bid to remove the discriminatory policy.
Four months later…
PI into death of GGMC engineer yet to commence
Rayon Paddy
Orin Arthur
An incomplete police file and outstanding ballistics report have been stalling the commencement of a Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the death of Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) engineer, Trevor Abrams. Having been on remand for four months, murder accused Steven Prescott, also known as ‘Assassin’ Rayon Paddy along with Orin Arthur will face City Magistrate Judy Latchman, early next month when the matter comes up again. The trio is accused of murdering Abrams on February 21, last, at Little Diamond, East Bank Demerara. Abrams, 32, of Lot 131 Samatta Point, East Bank Demerara, was riddled with
bullets on February 26, last, when armed men ambushed him and opened fire on his vehicle. The missing components have seen the matter being frequently adjourned and the men being further remanded to prison. When the accused made their first court appearance back in April, the Prosecution had informed the court that investigations were still in progress. Now, four months later, the files are still incomplete. According to Police Prosecutor, Sergeant Neville Jeffers, several statements are outstanding from the police, while he still awaits the results of the ballistics report. The constant adjournment of the matter has caused Attorney, Nigel Hughes to vent his
Murdered: Trevor Abrams
Steven Prescott frustration. The lawyer is contesting that the court should proceed with the evidence it has, while placing emphasis on the time (continued on page 69)
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Fainting: What you need to know about it By Dr. Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine Fainting is known medically as Syncope and is a very common presentation that you may witness or encounter at some point in life. It affects 3% of men and 3.5% of women at some point in life. Fainting is more common as you get older and affects up to 6% of people over age 75. The condition can occur at any age and happens in people with and without other medical problems. For the rest of our discussion we will use the medical term Syncope instead of fainting. WHAT CAUSES SYNCOPE? Syncope happens when the brain temporarily doesn’t get enough blood. One of the most common reasons this happens is called “vasovagal syncope.” If you have vasovagal syncope, your body has a reaction in which your heart beats too slowly or your blood vessels expand (or both). This can happen for lots of different kinds of reasons. People can have vasovagal syncope if they: * Have stress from fear or pain (for example, because they are injured or have blood taken for tests) * Stand for too long or are over-tired or overheated * Have an unusual reaction to urinating, coughing, or other body functions
Sometimes vasovagal syncope happens with no clear cause. People can also have syncope that is not vasovagal. This can happen due to the following problems: * The heart beats too quickly or too slowly because of problems with the heart’s electrical system or because of side effects from some medicines. * Something blocks the flow of blood in the heart. This can happen in people who have conditions called “aortic stenosis” (a valve disease) or “hypertrophic cardiomyopathy” (a heart muscle disease). * Your blood pressure drops when you stand or sit up. That can happen if you: * Do not drink enough water * Take certain medicines that cause your blood pressure to drop * Drink alcohol * Lose a lot of blood (for example, if you get hurt) * Have a medical condition that affects your blood pressure WHATARE THE SYMPTOMS OF SYNCOPE? The most common symptoms of syncope include: · Blacking out · Feeling lightheaded · Falling for no reason · Feeling dizzy · Feeling drowsy or groggy · Fainting, especially after eating or exercising
The Baccoo Speaks Pressure applied by the public will force the police to work even harder; not that they are not working. The problem is in Berbice and already the authorities have decided to take measures to deal with the issue. But as things go, criminals are bent on testing the authorities. The nation will see the first of the casualties before the end of the week. ** The roads are still dangerous as an errant motorcyclist will become the next casualty. This time the location will be in the western part of the country. It will be night and alcohol will play a significant role.
** Another political situation is developing, this time in one of the constitutional boards. The government will move to introduce changes in a board associated with the Ministry of Finance, but this move will be deemed unconstitutional. The action threatens to move to the courts.
· Feeling unsteady or weak when standing · Changes in vision, such as seeing spots or having tunnel vision · Headaches Many times, patients feel an episode of syncope coming on. They have what are called “premonitory symptoms,” such as feeling lightheaded, nauseous, and heart palpitations (irregular heartbeats that feel like “fluttering” in the chest). If you have syncope, you will likely be able to keep from fainting if you sit or lie down and put your legs up if you experience these symptoms. IS SYNCOPE DANGEROUS? In many cases it is not dangerous. But it can be dangerous if you fall and hurt
yourself when you faint. It can also be dangerous if you faint while driving. To be safe, check with your doctor or nurse before you start driving again after you faint. WHEN TO SEE A DOCTOR Anyone who faints should see a doctor. Most cases of syncope are not serious. But people can get hurt when they faint. Plus, in some cases syncope may be caused by a serious medical condition that should be treated. Knowing what caused you to faint can help you prevent it from happening again. Tell your doctor what happened before, during, and after you fainted. If someone was with you when you fainted, that person might be able to tell you what
happened. The following information is helpful: * What were you doing before you passed out? * How were you feeling before you passed out? * How long were you passed out? * How well did you recover? * Any past history of fainting? * A list of the medicines you take * Any medical conditions you might have HOW IS SYNCOPE TREATED? That depends on what is causing your syncope. In many cases, the main treatment is to avoid the situations that cause syncope.
Dr. Zulfikar Bux In less common cases, other treatment might be needed. For example, you might need a pacemaker if your heart beats too slowly and this causes syncope. A vital learning point to note is that fainting is not always normal and the older we get the more likely of it being a serious cause.
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By Michael Jordan Lena Somra can tell you almost to the hour when her troubles began. The time was 5 a.m., the day was Sunday, May 8, 2005, and someone was rapping at her front door. The insistent rapping continued even as she rushed to respond. “Wait nuh, I coming,” she said, certain that the impatient visitor was her 28-year-old son Rajesh, called ‘Sunil,’ who was a minibus conductor and the youngest of her six boys. But instead of Sunil, Mrs. Somra was greeted by the sight of two men on the front step of her Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara home. The men identified themselves as detectives. “Happy Mother’s Day,” one of the men said. But it couldn’t be a good day when two detectives appear at your door early in the morning. The cop confirmed this by saying: “We come to search your house.” They gave no
Rajesh Somra and Rookmanie Singh
reason for the request. Mrs. Somra asked if they had a search warrant. “No,” the policeman said, but he did have his Guyana Police Force identification. She eventually let the cops in and the men
proceeded to search the premises. They soon completed their search, but yet they still had not revealed the purpose of their visit. Somehow, though, Mrs. Somra sensed that it had something to do with her
Sunday August 30, 2015
youngest son. “What happen with Sunil?” she eventually asked. After asking her if she “had a good heart”, the detective said: “We suspect a suicide with Sunil and the girl.” The gist of it was that the detectives suspected that Rajesh Somra, called Sunil, had killed his girlfriend, Rookmanie Singh, a 24-yearold waitress who lived on the Lusignan, East Coast Demerara railway embankment. They also suspected that the minibus conductor had fled to his mother’s home where he had hidden and maybe taken his own life. The house where Rookmanie lived was empty and police had found no trace of the lovers. Shortly after the policemen left, the wife of the minibus driver with whom Rajesh Somra worked called Mrs. Somra. Hesitantly, the caller revealed that she had heard that Rajesh had been murdered and his body dumped in a trench at Lusignan. A frantic Mrs. Somra called her older sons, and they headed to Lusignan. But because the area was flooded by heavy rains, the sons urged their mother to return home by taxi. By then, the story of the couple’s fate was beginning to unfold. According to reports, at around 03:00 hrs that very day, Rookmanie’s closest neighbours heard her screaming. They then heard the sound of someone falling into the canal at the back of the young woman’s house. A neighbour then woke Rookmanie’s stepfather, Ramdat Mohan, and told the man that his stepdaughter might have come to harm. Mohan and others contacted the police, who told them to check on Rookmanie. The waitress was not in the house. But there was blood…lots of it. A search of the canefields behind the house yielded nothing.
By this time the sun was beginning to rise. Recalling that a neighbour had heard a loud splash in the nearby canal, the searchers began to focus in that area. Some of the men dived into the canal, and eventually, one of them came into contact with the seminude body of Rajesh Somra. A few minutes later, the men retrieved Rookmanie’s body about 45 feet away from where they had found Rajesh. She was still clad in her nightgown. Both victims appeared to have been struck in the head with a heavy object. Detectives who arrived recovered a bloodstained hammer nearby. According to some police reports, a bucket containing water that appeared to be mixed with blood was also recovered. The few clues seemed to suggest that the lovers had been murdered and dumped into the canal. Robbery was ruled out, and so the primary motive appeared to be jealousy. But who could have killed them? While relatives of the slain waitress said that the two had been living happily, other residents suggested that the lovers had a sometimes turbulent relationship due to infidelity. But the case took a surprising turn the following day. Post mortem examinations on the victims revealed that they had both died from drowning. They had not been hammered to death after all. And police came up with a new and perhaps even more bizarre theory on how the couple had met their death. It was now suspected that Rajesh Somra had arrived home during the wee hours of Sunday, May 8. According to this theory, he was under the influence of alcohol, and had tried to make love to his
girlfriend. Rookmanie refused, and a fight broke out between the couple. A source close to the investigation had told Kaieteur News that it is believed that Rookmanie picked up a heavy object to defend herself and struck Rajesh several times. When he retaliated, Rookmanie, who could not swim, fled outside and accidentally fell into the canal. The cops believe that Somra, who also could not swim, plunged into the canal to save Rookmanie, where they both drowned. But not for one minute is Mrs. Lena Somra buying this story. She says that while her son’s death certificate indicated drowning, it also stated that he had been struck with a blunt object. She believes that the blows would have rendered him unconscious, and that someone then dumped him and his lover into the same canal. But who could that ‘someone’ be? Mrs. Somra says that she was told that Rookmanie had a lover who was a member of a paramilitary organisation. She strongly believed that this man killed the couple. She suspects that she might have come face to face with this individual while making enquiries at a police station about the case. One of the things she had asked the police about was a pair of brown boots that were reportedly found on the steps of Rookmanie’s house on the day of the tragedy. Rajesh Somra’s mother is adamant that the boots did not belong to her son. She also believes that the bucket of bloody water reportedly found at Rookmanie’s house provides further evidence of foul play. But ten years is too short a time to wash away a mother’s grief. “Mother’s Day was very rough for me,” she admits. The police say that the matter is still open, but I stopped going at the station (to check). “You can’t get justice in Guyana.” If you have any information about this or any other unusual cases, please contact Kaieteur News by letter or telephone at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown office. Our numbers are 2258465, 22-58458 and 2258452. You need not disclose your identity. You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email a d d r e s s : mjdragon@hotmail.com.
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== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ==
Kissing sooner than later I don’t know if I will ever write a book on my life. I wanted to, many years ago, but it is yet to be done. If I ever write it, the caption above will be the title. The meaning of the title is that I embraced the dreams I saw in front of me and never thought of waiting to see how they would unfold. My name is trenchantly appropriate, Kissoon – always thinking of reaching for what you believe in sooner than later. If the book never comes off, I would ask my daughter to take this series of autobiographical columns and paste them together in book form after I am gone. This column here is part one of autobiographical snippets or the closest thing to a memoirs attempt. A caveat needs to be stated very early. I don’t know when there will be part two. So I will ask readers not to expect the second installment next week or next month. I have an assignment as a social commentator with this newspaper and it expects me to publish social analysis, not write on my life. I have known Glenn Lall a long time and I
could easily predict his reaction to a series on my life. I could see Glenn saying; “Is wuh nonsense dis maan writing all de time about heself.” These memoirs columns will not be in sequential order. I will not start with growing up in Wortmanville in South Georgetown and continue in that time frame up to the loss of power by the PPP in 2015. As the ideas come, I will write. Another caveat is in order. I will not comment negatively on certain people who are still alive, because libel suits and deep hatred could visit me. This is regrettable, because I have seen evil, irredeemableness and immorality in so many Guyanese that we look up to and consider admirable people. I am talking from the time I entered into political activism right to this date on the calendar. Some who are alive I will be candid about, like the editor of the Stabroek News. Those who are deceased, I will give my impression. For example, David de Caires was unapologetically elitist. J.O.F. Haynes was the best legal
mind this country produced but working closely with him at UG, I found out that he was not beyond temptation. I knew Vic Puran when we were very young. Vic’s inherent corruptibility cost him his life. Laurie Lewis knew Monica Reece’s murderer was guilty. I will be brutally frank with my life; for example, I love animals as equal as I do human beings. I love what my African-rights friends call, “white people music.” I will name my relative who tried to assassinate Peter Taylor in the sixties. There are those that helped to make me into what I believe I am; a multi-racial, fair-minded human being that hates to see others hurt others. The names would be many. I have met some good Guyanese. A few that should be named as early as this first column – Yesu Persaud, Father Andrew Morrison (deceased), Sister Mary Noel Menezes; Clive Thomas, Khemraj Ramjattan, Nigel Hughes, Boyo Ramsaroop (deceased), Brian Rodway (deceased), Fred Philips
(deceased), Alan Parris, Milton Brandford, Courtney Benn. Just in case you don’t know the last four, I will elaborate in future articles. I have to mention the opportunity Glenn Lall gave me. If I publish my memoirs, there may be more than one chapter on my relationship with Lall. I will have excellent things to say and I will be pungently critical. But at this early stage, I must say I am grateful to Lall. Certainly, there will be chapters on my life with Janet Kissoon. I married Janet on February 8, 1979 and if I had to live my life over again, I will marry Janet. An introverted person that is diametrically the
opposite in her personality compared to mine, Janet has been the fulcrum on which my continued existence rested. Janet sacrificed too much for me, and for that I will give my life for her. My daughter is the centre of my universe. Of course there will be nuff words on the regrets I have. They would start with my dad. I wish he didn’t allow alcohol to ruin his life. My father was a good person with a good heart, but his love for the bottle was a direct creation of the abject poverty we grew up in. My dad could have been more responsible. That stability would have provided my siblings with a better life. My siblings and I never saw a high school door. I
Frederick Kissoon resented the way my dad treated my mom. She deserved better. In her older moments, she had to live without things she deserved to have. That really pained me, especially after I came home in 1984 and the authoritarian hand of President Burnham denied me employment. Part two should appear in a few months’ time.
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Developing Tourism: Guyana South America UNDISCOVERED (Excerpted from the PostBudget Address to Parliament by Minister of Tourism, Hon. Catherine Hughes) Last week, this column highlighted the sections of the Minister’s Parliamentary address that spotlighted Guyana’s capacity to develop our Nature-based Tourism product and the niche products/activities that already exist. This week’s focus is on the Marketing initiatives that will be enshrined in the developing five-year Tourism Strategy and Policy. MARKETING The effective marketing of Guyana as a choice tourism destination takes priority. Considering what is/not in place, we are forced to start from scratch since this vital aspect of development seemed to have eluded the previous administration. This budget delivers on
the Coalition’s promise to provide more funding to market Destination Guyana which is the foundation of our plan to exploit the potential of this industry. I remember last year begging my friend, the former Minister of many industries including tourism, to increase the funds for marketing, and I even expressed my willingness to back him up in this house. Well, my offer was not accepted, but this Coalition government, in less than 100 days, has increased the total allocation to the Guyana Tourism Authority, the agency charged with marketing and enforcing standards and regulations, from $120M to $150M. This is the largest percentage increase in a Tourism budget ever. Over the next five years government has committed to doubling this allocation which will enable more Guyanese to earn from Tourism-related products and services.
The Ministry of Tourism through the Guyana Tourism Authority will implement the ACORN Marketing plan along with a Digital Marketing Strategy to promote Destination Guyana around the world. Our goals include: 1) Re-branding the country as: ‘Guyana - South America Undiscovered’ with clear, distinct messaging via printed advertisements, brochures, pamphlets, etc. and through promotional events 2) Expanding our sales and distribution network 3) C o n d u c t i n g comprehensive market research 4) Hosting Media Familiarization trips for selected international media from world-renowned publications and news agencies, plus travel trade writers and Guyanese in the Diaspora, to give them the Guyana experience first-hand 5) E n c o u r a g i n g
awareness of the multitude of local attractions by working closely with communities 6) P r o m o t i n g opportunities for domestic tourism 7) I n c r e a s i n g availability of and access to information through a welltrained cadre of marketing representatives. We anticipate that the overall Marketing plan and Digitized Marketing Strategy will achieve the following objectives:1) Increase arrivals and visitor spending 2) I m p r o v e international awareness of Destination Guyana 3) Broaden the spread of the Guyana brand enhance visibility and image 4) I n c r e a s e employment in the industry 5) Increase hotel & B&B occupancy 6) Improve kind and quantity of investments We are adopting a targeted market-led and market-driven approach which will ‘sell’ Guyana’s comparative advantages. Our strategy will see increased participation at key travel, trade, consumer and diaspora shows and events; a more up-to-date presence online; participation in more trade and media familiarization trips; better facilitation for film and documentary producers; full representation in key markets; and the production of a destination promotional video that will be widely distributed. Between September and December 2015 our representatives will attend two (2) Trade Shows - The American Birding Expo and World Travel Market to promote Destination Guyana. Since the May 11th elections, we took the opportunity presented at the ‘Last Lap Lime’ in Toronto, Canada which arguably had the largest collection of Guyanese at a single foreign event, to start the marketing
initiative, especially for our 50th Independence Anniversary. In addition, our activities to observe Tourism Awareness Month are currently being refined. Brand Advertisements will also be placed in upcoming editions of the ‘World Travel Market Trade Show’ catalogue, in ‘Guyana - Where & What’, and ‘Bird Watch’ magazine. Going forward to the 50th Independence jubilee we will target the Diaspora via the CAL In-flight and ‘Caribbean Beat’ magazines and the video reels shown onboard. PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT A tourism destination must refine the existing ‘supply’ of locations as well as develop new products in keeping with changing trends, needs and demands of global clientele. The Ministry will employ an integrated and inclusive approach to tourism product development. Our strategy will involve all respective Ministries and Regional bodies to, among other things, examine all existing essential infrastructure, facilities and amenities to identify areas for rehabilitation. The team will also propose incentives for tourism operators, et al, to encourage them to improve their products and services. This essentially will be a public/private partnership. Our strategy includes several initiatives to strengthen the participating institutions’ capacities to activate our plans in keeping with the National Tourism Policy, especially the Hinterland Tourism Development Plan, the Tourism Circuit Development initiative, and Investment Projects. It also involves increasing operating staff and training them to deliver high quality services. We expect that the
Minister of Tourism, Catherine Hughes Ministry will see an increased workload in the areas of Inspection and Certification of additional Tourism-related enterprises in the Rupununi, Linden, Berbice and Essequibo. Focal areas for training between September and December 2015 will be Customer Service, front office operation, awareness and sensitization plus First Aid for boat operators, taxi drivers and other first-contact service providers. The subject areas will include deportment, hospitality services, housekeeping, sales and marketing techniques. The Hinterland Tourism Development Plan will enable communities to become selfsufficient, create employment, and preserve their heritage and habitats through environmental education. Continuous Tourism Circuit Development is also planned for certain communities in Berbice, Essequibo and the Waini district. Simultaneously, data will be compiled on two particular niches - Sport Fishing and Nature and Adventure Tourism. The circuit development programme will specifically benefit Tour Operators who are better placed to identify new areas for sight-seeing. A comprehensive study of this market was done earlier this year. From the findings we will formulate a TourismSpecific Investment Guide to be used as an information and planning tool for prospective investors in Guyana. TOURISM SATELLITE ACCOUNTING – CONTRIBUTION TO GDP This administration is committed to implementing Tourism Satellite Accounting (TSA) to capture the total contributions that this important sector contributes to Guyana’s GDP. (To be continued with Accessibility and Connectivity, and the Hospitality Institute)
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My column
The government has tasks to fulfill It has been just over three months since the new government came into office and in that period there have been many disclosures that set tongues wagging. One had to do with the transfer of state-owned property to either private use or to people inside the previous government. There was the case of the transfer of cars allegedly initiated by former Public Service Minister Dr Jennifer Westford. This matter is before the courts, making it the first Minister from the former government to be prosecuted. Now we hear of more missing vehicles. Apparently, a check of the books is revealing that some of the vehicles bought during the tenure of the previous government cannot be found. There is talk that one highend vehicle that was in the control of Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh is missing. If it is, then I would assume that it would be found sooner or later. I don’t think that it was shipped across the Suriname border and sold. Neither do I think that it has been cannibalized. In the run-up to the elections the then opposition party spoke about the rampant corruption taking place in Guyana. It then promised that if elected it would jail the perpetrators. The words might have rung hollow, but the public expected the prosecutions. Even now many people are wondering whether they would see more prosecutions. During the parliamentary debate the announcement came that the former government had leased Red House to the People’s Progressive Party for 99 years at a cost of even less than a song. When this was done, the government of the day said nothing. Since that disclosure people keep asking me whether anything could be done. I am not legally inclined, so I cannot say, but speaking from a layman’s position I would want to believe that the lease could be revoked. But from my vantage point it became clear that even State House or Public Buildings could have been leased. Such was the casual manner that the government approached national business. The leasing of Red House might have been spurred by the fact that former President Bharrat Jagdeo had proclaimed that the PPP would never lose another election in Guyana. With that belief he was certain that his party could do
anything in perpetuity and there was nothing that the nation could have done. For example, against every sense of reasoning, the government undertook projects that were bound to be costly and most likely fail. The new Skeldon Sugar Factory is a case in point. Constructed at a cost of nearly US$200 million, to become the most expensive project undertaken by the country, it has failed to function as it was intended to. At the same time Guyana must make repayments. Thus we have a case of pouring good money behind bad. The Marriott Hotel is another case in point. At last count, it was losing $20 million a month. When the then Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh and head of the Privatisation Unit, Winston Brassington, announced the construction of the hotel they spoke of the facility breaking even within a few years and booming when actual work
began to bring oil to the surface. Former President Jagdeo then said that with the construction of the hotel there would be an influx of visitors to Guyana. That is still to be seen. And in the midst of all this, the nation expects the government to perform as though it has been in office for about a year. Indeed, no government can spend all its time chasing after the indiscretions of its predecessor. It must get down to serious business. With the passage of the budget, people expect to see movement in this direction. There must be job creating developments. The various road projects appeared to have ground to halt. Certainly, no government would ignore the fact that good money has been spent on the roads. It should not take long for tenders to be posted and contracts awarded. With speed the contractors would be scouring the country for
labourers. The housing programme is another area of employment. At the same time, this area would be moving to satisfy a promise made a long time ago by Guyana’s first executive president—a roof over the head. There is also a need for qualified public servants. We watched the decline in the nursing profession, the falling education standards, the depletion of the Guyana Police Force, and the absence of jobs for skilled artisans. Those are things that the new government has to correct and must do so in a hurry. At the same time there must be the continued pursuit of the recovery of money stolen from the public treasury. Just this past week I noticed a report about rampant gold smuggling. I know that people can smuggle gold across the border, but no prominent gold dealer is going to go that
route. It had to be that the gold was shipped out on small boats that quietly left Port Georgetown. I would suspect that in the same way money laundering was allowed to flourish, the gold smuggling was facilitated. I can only surmise that the new government caused the expose and probably dimmed the extent of smuggling. And President David Granger must be prepared to meet with the press. He is still to hold a press conference. Most heads of state would
Adam Harris have done so on the occasion of the first hundred days. In Guyana this task fell to Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo.
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The anatomy of a national ICT plan By Lance Hinds I wish once again to highlight the words of the Minister of Finance during the presentation of the 2015 Budget in Parliament. “One of the first initiatives, therefore, must be the establishment of an advisory body to develop the broad vision of this administration into a detailed plan that specifies the individual projects that must be implemented in order to realize our strategic objectives” In support of this
perspective, what is required is a national information technology plan that can serve as the long term roadmap for national development and the creation of an information society and knowledge-driven economy. The ICT plan first of all should be positioned as a strategic priority area in the overall vision of national development. It should be based on two fundamental pillars; the growth of ICT as an independent dynamic sector and the application of ICT as a cross-cutting component in
all other sectors in order to achieve rapid and sustained development. These sectors must include education, health, governance, science, innovation and the creative industries. A national, multistakeholder task force must be created to develop the ICT plan. This task force must consist of members from all the sectors that contribute significantly to national development and be tasked with the development of at minimum, a 10-year plan with a goal to make Guyana an ideal place to live, work and
engage in sustainable and profitable economy activities. There must be specific objectives, for example the staggered reduction of employment, improvement in the delivery of governmentrelated services, specific targets in terms of sector contribution to GDP based on specific inputs. I need not tell anyone that information technology is a sector that changes, evolves and disrupts society on an almost daily basis. The plan therefore must be in a sense, a living document. It must be based on a dynamic planning model that allows for flexibility and rapid change in recognition of the constant evolution of this industry. As part of its mandate, the task force must engage in the following activities: · Structured meetings to gather ideas on ICT issues and challenges facing Guyana and developing the vision for the full utilization of ICT in the long term development of the country. · Establishing working groups for the various dimensions of the ICT sector and coordination of all inputs. · Review of international best practices that can be used within the Guyana context · Development of an Action Plan with specific responsibilities and timelines There is a tendency in Guyana to engage in longdrawn-out consultative processes that end up with tons and tons of paper being placed on shelves with other tons and tons of paper. It is not necessary nor should it be tolerated. Some work has already been done and there are a lot of successful, comprehensive models in existence all over the Caribbean and Latin America. This must be an
agile, deliverables-based process with realistic but still aggressive timeframes. It is recommended therefore that the development of the ICT plan be structured as follows: · A situational analysis to gain a perspective on the current utilization and effectiveness of ICT in the various government and economic sectors. · A review of the existing legislative framework in terms of supporting the growth of ICT is also necessary; · Analysis of current state, strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats with feedback from key stakeholders including Government, businesses, and the wider community taken into account; · The development of a strategic vision and performance measurement framework; · The creation of the monitoring and evaluation methodology to ensure the success of the initiative; · Development of the ICT plan and a series of small group consultations, panel reviews and online consultations to receive and include all concerns and recommendations for the final delivery of the plan. The ICT strategy should surround itself around the following themes, strategic thrusts and initiatives: Innovation and human capital development – The thrust should be the fostering of a knowledge-driven, e-ready generation. This can be supported by initiatives like increased education delivery via e-learning and supporting the creation and promotion of local content. E-inclusion – The primary objective is the bridging of the digital divide. Initiatives should include increasing the accessibility and affordability of
Lance Hinds the relevant technologies and building the awareness of the benefits of the use of ICT. ICT Sector Development – This is the building of a sustainable, profitable eenterprise environment. Initiatives would include rapid, comprehensive capacity building and enabling the Production, Distribution, and promotion of local ICT products and services. Infrastructure – This is critical to the successful utilization of ICT in our society. Accessibility, Governance and Usage must be enhanced. Initiatives include instituting appropriate Governance structures to drive infrastructure planning and development and improving the regulatory framework for ICT sustainability and revenue generation and building Government infrastructure to facilitate a vibrant and sustainable egovernment system. E-Government - The primary objective must be to work as an efficient, integrated government. There must be a strategy to share ICT systems and processes in the interest of cost and to satisfy citizens with the effective, transparent delivery of a wide range of services. Private sectors and other stakeholder organizations must also participate in and benefit significantly from these services. The national ICT plan must provide a coherent, comprehensive network for the identification and marshalling of economic resources in keeping with our overall development goals. The return on the investment in technology, whether at the policy and infrastructure level, must be monitored, with existing programmes incorporated to ensure continuity. Clear strategies must be outlined to incorporate ICT into health, education and food production and other services critical to national development. The overall result must be a national plan of action that can be implemented in realistic phases throughout public and productive sectors to achieve the cherished vision of a progressive, developed and prospering society in Guyana. Lance Hinds is the current President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce. He is also the Chief Executive Officer of the BrainStreet Group, an ICT consulting and information services company.
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were reportedly shifted to Sparendaam on Sunday. Relatives said that they only learned of this when they went to take him dinner at around 17.30 hrs.
The accused, Colin Alleyne, being led away after he was remanded to prison SUNDAY SPECIAL MONTROSE GRANNY’S KILLER CAPTURED – TELLS POLICE RELATIVE PAID $700K TO KILL HER The cat and mouse game between detectives and a ruthless killer finally ended last Saturday with the capture of Colin Alleyne, the man caught on camera beating 77year-old Danrasie ‘Carmen’ Ganesh to death in her home almost a month ago. Alleyne was arrested at Guyhoc Park. Detectives had him under surveillance for about two weeks, and were aware that he was moving between Guyhoc Park and Timehri. A police official said that detectives were optimistic that they would have nabbed Alleyne before the week was up, and they were cautious about moving in too soon. When police took him into custody, Alleyne was wearing the identical garb the individual who killed Mrs. Ganesh was wearing: a pair of three-quarter camouflage pants, burgundy jersey and ‘Cayenne belt’. Alleyne, who has previous arrests for breakand enter, is said to have readily admitted to killing Mrs. Ganesh. Sources said that he then gave detectives a detailed account of how a male relative of Mrs. Ganesh paid him $700,000 to kill the old woman and steal documents pertaining to her property. Acting on this information, police detained the relative, as well as another man to whom the documents were reportedly given. The relative was detained at CID Headquarters, Eve Leary, and several relatives
turned up there, expressing shock at the man’s arrest, and insisting that he was innocent. They opined that the killer is framing their relative. According to them, the detained man is a painter and is not wealthy enough to raise the $700,000 that the killer claimed he was paid to kill Mrs. Ganesh. GPL’S LACK OF SUPERVISION OF CHINESE CONTRACTOR LED TO US$6M COST OVERRUNS An explosive evaluation report of sacked Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) Bharat Dindyal is continuing to raise worrying questions about the management of that stateowned company. The Board of Directors in a scathing report singled out three major multi-billion dollar projects which were badly mismanaged. GPL’s Infrastructure Development Project, which included the building of seven sub-stations and running new transmission lines along the Coast, was one project that the Board was unhappy about. This project had an initial contract period of 912 days and was expected to be completed in March 2013. The initial scope of works was prepared by GPL with significant input by the CEO. However, according to Chairman Winston Brassington, due to subsequent changes in the scope of works in November 2011, the completion date of the project was extended by a further 180 days, with a revised completion date of
September 06, 2013. As a result, the overall contract price jumped from US$32M to US$38M. The timeframe was again extended to March 2014 and then to October 2014. Brassington and the Board placed the blame squarely on Dindyal’s management. While a Supervising Engineer was hired, the Board insisted that as the client, GPL was responsible. MONDAY EDITION MONTROSE GRANNY MURDER…KILLER, ALLEGED PLOTTER BEING HELD AT SAME STATION – VICTIM’S RELATIVES RECEIVINGTHREATS Self-confessed killer Colin Alleyne and the man he said paid him to murder Carmen Ganesh are being detained at the same location, a situation that has caused relatives of the alleged plotter to express fear for his safety. Kaieteur News was told that ranks at the Sparendaam Police Station, where the suspects are being detained, have taken pains to keep them separate. Alleyne has been placed in the lockups, while his alleged accomplice, who is a close relative of Mrs. Ganesh, has been handcuffed to a bench outside the lockups. But the relatives are fearful that he will eventually be placed in the same cell. They claimed that Alleyne has been making threats to Mrs. Ganesh’s relative and is also threatening other family members. The men were first detained last Saturday at CID Headquarters, Eve Leary, but
NO “NORMALCY” FOR GUYANA&VENEZUELA ANYTIME SOON – FOREIGN MINISTER – RESOLUTION WITH SURINAME IN SIGHT Boasting about a markedly improved relationship with Suriname, Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge recently announced that outstanding “issues” related to the border with its eastern neighbour may soon be resolved. Greenidge made the announcement as he took the floor of the National Assembly to make his contribution to the National Budget Debates. While he revealed the good news about the neighbourly relations with Suriname, the same could not be said about Guyana’s relations with Venezuela as Greenidge declared that “normalcy” in that regard is nowhere in sight. When Greenidge turned his attention to the controversy in the National Assembly, he blazed the People’s Progressive Party for its anti-national, unpatriotic
approach to the entire issue, since it came out of government. Greenidge pointed to several articles where it was reported that the PPP was criticizing the “diplomatic mishandling” of the heightened controversy. “What the PPP does not seem to have grasped is that what Guyana does or does not do will not affect Venezuela’s aggressive disposition. Miraflores (The Palacio de Miraflores is the official workplace of the President of Venezuela) is marching to its own drum, and there will be no restoration of “normalcy” in relations any time soon.” TUESDAY EDITION HOUSE APPROVES $6.2B FOR MINISTRY OF THE PRESIDENCY – SIX ADVISORS EARNING $500,000 EACH – “UNCONSTITUTIONAL” BUDGET CRISIS STAVED OFF The business end of the 2015 National Budget got underway Monday with the House passing over $6.2B, but not before hours of wrangling whether sections of the National Budget 2015 was legal and whether Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo could sit in the National Assembly. The considerations of the
estimates were supposed to commence at 09:30hrs but were delayed until after 13:00hrs. The first situation had to do with Prime Minister Nagamootoo who was sworn in to perform the duties of President as Head of State David Granger was reportedly heading for Trinidad on a personal visit. As President, Nagamootoo is not allowed to sit in the National Assembly. During a press conference at midday sought to insist that he was still the Prime Minister, but just performing the duties of the President. He was in the National Assembly when the budget deliberations started. Another major issue was the clashing of two pieces of legislation which paved the way for a number of constitutional agencies to receive monies directly from the Consolidated Fund and not be dependent on a particular ministry. The budget estimates failed to take into consideration the law changes, the Opposition argued. The affected bodies include the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Public Service Appellate Tribunal, Public Procurement Commission, Teaching Service (Continued on page 45)
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(Excerpt from an address to the 11th Parliament by Hon. Volda Lawrence, Minister of Social Protection) The President, in his Address to the 11th Parliament alluded to the pauperisation of our nation and the intention of introducing social policies that will enhance the safety net for those in need of support, inclusive of better pensions for the elderly and increases in public assistance to support poor families. The President also mentioned the Government’s intention to harness and develop the creative energies of our people and support the development of our women and youth through the creation of jobs and educational opportunities in an effort to stem this crisis of poverty. The Ministry of Social Protection has begun the task of restructuring and
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Social Protection strengthening the various departments, filling long outstanding vacancies and prioritising our programmes; reviewing the programmes offered by our departments, such as the Women’s Institute, the Women of Worth, the Trafficking in Persons Department, the Coops Unit and the Board of Industrial Training (BIT). The Ministry is working to establish two new units, namely a public relations department and a statistical department. The time has come for the public to be kept informed of the work and assistance offered by the Ministry, notwithstanding the need to base our programmes on information and transparency. Our children’s homes will be refurbished to ensure that our babies are placed in a
homely setting and not one that upon your visit, will move you to tears. The same is anticipated for our indigent home which needs to be demolished. The Palms, our geriatric facility, needs to be rebuilt. To erect a new building will be costly, and we certainly do not have that money to pursue this at this time.However, it does not mean that we must not plan to do so when the funds are available. The Ministry is committed to the re-opening of a Legal Aid Clinic in the town of Linden and to building a halfway home for women. It is our intention to ensure that those persons who seek shelter at our various homes are assessed and given second chances through the use of the Hugo Chávez Centre.
The Ministry will be opening a probation and child welfare office on the East Bank of Demerara. This will facilitate our citizens who reside on the Soesdyke/ Linden Highway and those who live on the East Bank of Demerara. Presently the Ministry is exploring the establishment of a children’s home in the township of Linden. It is important that our children who are taken off of the streets or who come in contact with the law, have an alternative other than police stations, where there are no adequate provisions for them. The Ministry of Social Protection is also looking at new methods of payment to pensioners and public assistance recipients. Everyone is familiar with what takes place every month at various Post Offices across the country. The despicable conditions under which our womenfolk exist, the daily struggles they face in an attempt to combat domestic abuse, trafficking in persons, and the dire financial constraints which leave them at the mercy of the unscrupulous exploiters, have become increasingly clear and worrying. In the same vein, we witness the callous way in which some of our elderly are treated and how deprived they are of some of the social amenities. Our youths are just as vulnerable, and it is lamentable to see them sitting idly at the street corners. As the President stated, charitable handouts would not resolve this situation; the youths need to be mobilised
for entrepreneurial purposes and policies need to be implemented for the development of our womenfolk and the elderly. Our commitment and support to families is high on our agenda. However, notwithstanding the aforementioned, the Ministry is forging ahead to have a national mapping of our social issues, to prepare a strategy to address these issues and also to develop a plan of action with our national stakeholders. The President has intimated the need for a vibrant labour movement which would engender social security, thus providing for effective governance and national development. Most are aware of the rifts that have led to social conflicts resulting in a lessening of productivity. Our human resources are the source of our empowerment. All need to be involved. Our labour must be organised for social good. Our workers’ needs must be fully addressed to avoid erosion of their real wages, and one step in facilitating this is the re-establishment of cordial relationships with our Trade Unions. We cannot divorce them from the social process, thus the intention to revise relevant labour legislation and to support all legally constituted and functioning Trade Unions, so that they can better represent our workers. The Ministry has already removed the ban on the visitation and inspection by labour officers to places of employment. The Ministry of Social Protection is committed
Minister of Social Protection, Volda Lawrence to both employer and employee. It goes without saying that a happy worker, well represented and protected, will be a productive worker. We believe that, once families are adequately supported, the task of social protection becomes easier, and our country certainly needs this kind of worker and family to ensure its viability and social aggrandisement. Social Protection is often equated with social justice, and this administration will work fervently to bridge the divides among gender, people living and working in the hinterland and coast, ethnic groups and the poor, to ensure equitable access to opportunities for development. Some of the key areas of focus will be equitable access to health care, education, housing and job opportunities. These efforts will also fall under the much anticipated social compact that will be birthed from an inclusionary process to charter the course for Guyana for the next five years. On this course, Guyana will need the participation of every man and woman, boy and girl. The country can ill afford the consequences of violence, abuse in its many forms, illiteracy, school drop outs, teenage pregnancy, suicide, poverty and dysfunctional families, to name a few. We, in the social protection sector, therefore, commit to the task of rebuilding Guyana to a state where every citizen will feel socially protected, economically empowered and motivated into productivity.
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High blood pressure in pregnancy tied to family risk (Reuters Health) - For women with pregnancy-related high blood pressure, the higher risk of hypertension that follows them through life may be due not just to the episode in pregnancy but also to family risk factors, researchers say. Their study looked at 252 women who had high blood pressure during pregnancy, as well as their sisters and brothers who’d never had high blood pressure.
“We wanted to really be able to isolate a women’s pregnancy from her family history,” said lead author Tracey Weissgerber, who is also from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Overall, the researchers had data on more than 1,400 female and more than 900 male siblings, according to a report in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. About 72 percent of women who had high blood pressure during
pregnancy ended up developing it again before age 60, compared to about 62 percent of women who had never been hypertensive. After accounting for various other risk factors, the researchers found that compared to their sisters who’d never had high blood pressure, women with hypertension while pregnant were about 75 percent more likely to develop it again at some point. But still, for brothers and sisters
with no history of hypertension, having a sister who’d been hypertensive while pregnant meant a higher risk later in life for those siblings. The brothers also had an increased risk of cardiovascular events. These findings, the authors say, “suggest familial factors contribute to the increased risk of future hypertension in women who had hypertension in pregnancy.” More research is needed to
determine exactly why those women are at a higher risk, said Weissgerber and her colleague, senior author Dr. Vesna Garovic, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “We know that cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in women, but we don’t know a lot about sexspecific factors,” Garovic said. “Hypertension in pregnancy is an opportunity to identify these women early,” Weissgerber said.
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CASH CROP FARMER The bizarre murder of cash crop farmer Pamela Kendall took an even stranger twist Tuesday, with police taking the slain woman’s reputed husband into custody, while hinting that they are close to solving the case. Police detained Kendall’s spouse, Deoram Sookchand, reportedly after unearthing evidence that 56year-old Kendall may not have been the victim of a robbery attempt. Police appear to have been suspicious from the outset about the circumstances surrounding the ‘home invasion,’ which occurred at around 18.00 hrs on August 20 during a power outage. The slain woman’s husband confirmed that investigators had swabbed his hands for traces of gunpowder.
From page 31 Commission, Police Service Commission, Office of the Ombudsman, Office of the Parliament, Guyana Elections Commission, Supreme Court of Judicature, Judicial Service Commission, Rights Commission and the Ethnic Relations Commission. According to the Speaker, Dr. Barton Scotland, the Opposition wrote him indicating its concerns. It was finally agreed, after several meetings between the Speaker, the Government and the Opposition, that the estimates would be amended with the monies relocated and placed as a lump sum. There were also questions about special advisors at the Ministry of the Presidency. Questioned by Juan Edghill, Member of Parliament (MP) for the Opposition, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, disclosed that six advisors were on contract receiving over $500,000 each. The monies would exclude allowances like travelling, telephone and entertainment, which are standard and what prevailed in the previous administration, Harmon said. The advisors include Fred McWilfred, Professor Clive Thomas, Edward Collins, Aubrey Norton, Mark Archer and Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Gary Best. The monies passed included for the Ministry of the Presidency – Administrative Services, Presidential Advisory, Defence and National Security, Policy Development and Administration, Public
Service Ministry, Natural Resources Management and Citizenship and Immigration Services. WEDNESDAY EDITION TIMEHRI MAN REMANDED FOR MONTROSE GRANNY MURDER After keeping the court waiting for almost an hour, a smiling 27-year-old Colin Alleyne finally made his way before Sparendaam Court Magistrate Zamena Ali to answer a charge of murder, related to the death 74- yearold Danrasie Ganesh called Carmen. Alleyne who was slapped with the charge Tuesday following the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), had refused to appear in court with clothes provided for him by the police. The suspect, who did not retain an attorney to defend him, was not required to plead to the indictable charge, which stated that on August 1, he murdered Danrasie Ganesh in her Montrose, East Coast Demerara home. Images believed to be that of the suspect beating the elderly woman to death were captured on surveillance cameras in the house and it was this that led to Alleyne’s arrest. Before an almost packed courtroom, which included relatives of the dead woman, several police ranks, media representatives and curious members of the public, Alleyne stood in the prisoners’ dock, nervously
fiddling with his tie. He told Magistrate Ali that he is a welder who resides at Lot Seven, Timehri Cemetery Road. He admitted that he was previously charged on one occasion. Before remanding him to prison, the Magistrate enquired from police prosecutor, Inspector Hattie Anthony if she had anything to say. Anthony informed that investigations into the matter were still ongoing and requested four weeks for the matter to be brought back to the court. Magistrate Ali then set September 22 as the date for Alleyne to return to court. COPS DETAIN HUSBAND OF SLAIN
THURSDAY EDITION MULTI-BILLION$$$ GOLD SMUGGLING RACKET BLOWN WIDE OPEN – COLLUSION AT AIRPORTS, CUSTOMS BEING INVESTIGATED – GOVT. OFFICIAL – SMUGGLERS’ US VISAS REVOKED As world prices plunged last year, gold exports contracted 20 percent, with only 387,508 ounces declared to the Guyana Gold Board by licensed traders. Export earnings fell to US$470M. It was widely believed that scores of miners, disheartened by the price drop on the world market, pulled out, causing production to fall. However, there is emerging evidence that the huge drop is a direct result of a well organized smuggling racket that involved not only ordinary business persons but also licensed gold exporters. The
racket also involves senior officials and key personnel at the country’s airports. According to a senior Government official involved in the investigation, the coalition administration was alerted to the situation by the US authorities, since the issue goes way beyond mere smuggling. It also involves money laundering. This newspaper has since learnt that the US Embassy here in Georgetown has revoked the visas of a number of persons, including businessmen, licenced gold exporters, their workers and even members of their families. As a matter of fact, the prevalence of gold smuggling has been likened to that of the lucrative drug trade in Guyana, the Government official said yesterday. Both licensed and illegal gold traders are battling each other to take control of the trade. The situation has gotten quite worse over the last two years. It is estimated that between 10,000-15,000 ounces of gold per week is being smuggled out via the Ogle and Cheddi Jagan International Airports. Some more is being taken overland to the border at Corentyne to Suriname and via Lethem to Brazil. MURDERED CASH CROP FARMER… TESTS REVEAL GUNPOWDER ON HUSBAND’S HANDS Police have revealed that tests conducted on the hands of the husband of slain cash crop farmer Pamela Kendall confirmed traces of gunpowder. With this discovery, the man, Deoram Sookchand, is now the prime suspect in the woman’s murder. It also rules out robbery as a motive for the killing.
A significant amount of gold is being smuggled to Suriname, Government officials say.
Senior police officials explained that in keeping with standard operating procedure the man’s hands were swabbed for traces of gunpowder soon after investigations into the matter commenced, since detectives had not immediately ruled out Sookchand as a suspect. Kendall, a cash crop farmer, was reportedly shot shortly after she entered the back door of the family’s home, located near the Number 45 Village Public Road. She managed to run from her home, only to collapse in her brother’s yard, located a few houses away. Although initial reports suggested that the 56-year old Kendall was shot by bandits, Police appeared to have been suspicious from the outset about the circumstances surrounding the ‘home invasion.’ FRIDAY EDITION BUDGET PASSED …JAGDEO VOWS TO BE CORRUPTION WATCHDOG It was a grueling three days for Members of Parliament as the Opposition had about three days to scrutinize the Estimates of the 2015 Budget which saw them going past 3:00 a.m. on each day. But in the wee hours of Thursday, the House passed the amended Appropriation Bill which now authorizes the coalition government to spend some $181.7B – exclusive of the statutory sum of about $39B. Statutory money is not inspected or requires the approval of the House. This sum has first claim on monies in the Consolidated Fund. Statutory money includes the public debt and salaries for Judges and the Ombudsman. Any other money that does not fall into this category has to be appropriated for by the National Assembly. With its majority hold in the House, the government was successful in approving the $181.7B which it budgeted for. The only amendment made, was to the format of arriving at the said total in the Appropriation Bill. Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo immediately gave a sigh of relief and said, “I am happy that this is over. I knew that the House was competent to get the job done in three days and everyone worked really hard. Yes, we are disappointed with the behaviour of the Parliamentarians in the Opposition’s camp during the debate, but in the end we got the job done.” Outside the Chambers of the National Assembly was (Continued on page 51)
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Sleep-deprived kids are more tempted by food (Reuters Health) Children who don’t get enough sleep might be more tempted by food, a new study suggests. Five-year-olds who slept less than 11 hours a night were more eager to eat at the sight or reminder of a favorite
snack, compared to those who slept longer, researchers reported in the International Journal of Obesity. The children who slept less than 11 hours at night also had a higher body mass index – a measure of weight in relation to height – than
those who slept 11 hours or more. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 11 to 12 hours of sleep for pre-school children. “There is now accumulating evidence in both children and adults to
suggest that short or insufficient sleep increases reward-driven (‘hedonic’) eating,” said Laura McDonald, the study’s lead author and a researcher at University College London, in email to Reuters Health. “This is, of course, a concern,” she added, “given that we live in a modern ‘obesogenic’ environment” where tasty, high-calorie foods “are widely available and cheap to consume.” Previous studies have shown that too little sleep significantly increases the chances that a child will be overweight or obese, McDonald and her team point out. But less was known about how sleep affects daily calorie intake. “Some studies using brain imaging in adults have shown that sleep restriction increases responsiveness in reward centers of the brain in response to images of palatable food . . . however, no studies in children have examined whether sleep changes food responsiveness,” noted McDonald. The new study involved 1,008 five-year-olds born in 2007 in England and Wales.
The researchers had mothers answer a questionnaire about their youngsters’ responsiveness to food cues and their behavior toward food when they were presumably full, soon after eating. The average sleep duration for the children in the study was 11.48 hours. Among kids who slept less than 11 hours a night, food responsiveness was 2.53 on a scale of 1 to 5, compared to 2.36 for those who slept 11 to 12 hours, and 2.35 for those who got at least 12 hours of sleep a night. “In children who do not get enough sleep at night, limiting exposure to palatable food cues in the home might be helpful at preventing overconsumption,” McDonald said. The study found no link between sleep duration and whether kids were still willing to eat when they were full. While the study can’t prove that less sleep causes more eating, McDonald said another possibility is that the reverse might be true. “It is definitely a possibility that food responsiveness might impact sleep behavior,” she
said. “For example, it could be that children who are more food responsive are also more difficult to settle at night (when adults or older children might be eating).” Emerson Wickwire, director of the Insomnia Program at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, told Reuters Health by email that the study adds a new twist to research showing sleep is a risk factor for obesity. “The current study suggests a new potential explanation (hedonic eating) for weight gain among children who sleep less . . . in other words, kids in the study who slept less were more susceptible to unhealthy food cues in the environment,” said Wickwire, who was not involved in the study. Wickwire said the study also showed the importance of sleep for children. “We know that parents have a huge influence on the sleep patterns of five-yearolds. So really, it’s incumbent on parents to make sure their kids are getting enough sleep,” said Wickwire, a board-certified sleep specialist.
European heart experts okay longer use of blood thinners European heart experts yesterday endorsed the potential use of multiple blood thinning drugs for heart attack patients beyond one year, in a move that may boost demand for AstraZeneca’s Brilinta. New European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines state for the first time that use of so-called P2Y12 inhibitors
in addition to aspirin beyond one year “may be considered after careful assessment of the ischaemic and bleeding risks of the patient”. The move follows an assessment of two large clinical trials, known as PEGASUS and DAPT, showing that prolonged dual drug treatment can reduce the risk of repeat heart attacks or
strokes in patients with previous heart problems. Plavix, which was developed by Sanofi and Bristol-Myers Squibb and is now available as a cheap generic, is the most widely used P2Y12. But Brilinta has shown additional benefits and AstraZeneca is working to ramp up its use. Following the success of the PEGASUS trial, the British drugmaker is hoping for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for extended use of Brilinta as early as next week.
Sunday August 30, 2015
Kaieteur News
MILEY CYRUS SAYS SHE’S Pansexual, Not in a Relationship Launching her Happy Hippie Foundation earlier this year, Miley Cyrus told Out magazine that she doesn’t consider herself heterosexual, and doesn’t like to label herself in that context. She then told TIME magazine that she’s (happily) been in relationships with both men and women in the past, and told Paper magazine she’s “literally open to every single [sexual] thing that is consenting and doesn’t involve an animal and everyone is of age .” Developing on the theme further still, and adding a label after all, Miley explained to Elle UK in the magazine’s new issue that she’d call herself pansexual. And, refuting rumors of her churro-centric coupling with model Stella Maxwell somewhat, she said she’s not currently in a relationship. (E! News clarifies that she’s dating Stella, but “not exclusively.”) “I’m 22, I’m going on dates,” Miley says, “but I change my style every two weeks, let alone who I’m with.” (http://www. cosmopolitan.com:)
Dr Dre’s Apology To Women AMID VIOLENCE CLAIMS Dr Dre has issued a statement apologising to “the women I’ve hurt” - without specifically acknowledging claims he violently attacked women. The 50-year-old music mogul’s statement to the New York Times comes as attention builds on the decades-old allegations. Newly released biopic Straight Outta Compton about N.W.A, the influential rap group that made Dre famous, omits any mentions of the claims. The most prominent incident happened in 1991 when Dre allegedly attacked music journalist Dee Barnes at a nightclub. He was reportedly angry at her for a segment she hosted on N.W.A featuring Ice Cube, who had just left the group. Barnes claimed Dre slammed her head against a wall, kicked her, stomped on her fingers and tried to throw her down a flight of stairs. Dre - real name Andre Young pleaded no contest to criminal battery charges. He was reportedly sentenced to community service and probation, while a civil suit was settled out of court. Asked about the attack at the time, Dre told Rolling
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NICKI MINAJ’S Wax Figure Getting Bootyguards After Fan Takes Particularly Obscene Photo
Nicki Minaj’s fans have had enough of her wax booty getting violated by patrons at Madame Tussauds. The rapper’s new wax figure, which she dubbed as “iconic,” was unveiled earlier this month in Las Vegas, and features the bootylicious vixen on all fours from her “Anaconda” music video. So it was only a matter of time before the drunk Vegas coterie started misbehaving with the figure and shared the evidence over social media. Nicki retweeted a fan’s tweet to the museum of a photo—of a man with his face in all up in wax Nicki’s rear end—with the fan saying, “Srsly they need to stop.” The museum responded to the fan by saying a barrier had been added to prevent photos like the one the fan spotted. Madame Tussaud then later released a statement saying, “We
have been made aware of the inappropriate photograph that was taken at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas, involving Nicki Minaj’s new wax figure,” adding, “It is unfortunate that this visitor decided to behave so inappropriately and we apologize for any offense this has caused.” They concluded by saying, “We are taking immediate steps to ensure more staff are present in this area and that the set around this particular figure is redesigned so that a picture like this cannot be taken again.” Minaj tweeted thanks to the fans saying, “I don’t think u understand how I’m laughing right now. Like rlly Hittin ppl up, getting answers and s—t like wtf” adding, “Like I’m off in my own lil world n yall on here gettin results like how r u so cute?” (http://www.eonline.com)
ZENDAYA gives perfect response to internet trolls who called her parents ugly Stone: “I just did it, you know. Ain’t nothing you can do now by talking about it. Besides, it ain’t no big thing - I just threw her through a door.” Two other women, Dre’s former girlfriend Michel’le and musician Tairrie B, also claim he violently assaulted them. Dr Dre’s statement to the New York Times on Friday said: “Twenty-five years ago I was a young man drinking too much and in over my head with no real structure in my life. “However, none of this is an excuse for what I did. I’ve been married for 19 years and every day I’m working to be a better man for my family, seeking guidance along the way. “I’m doing everything I can so I never
resemble that man again.” He added: “I apologise to the women I’ve hurt. I deeply regret what I did and know that it has forever impacted all of our lives.” Apple - who Dre now works for after the tech firm bought his Beats Electronics company for $3bn last year also defended him in a statement to the paper. “Dre has apologised for the mistakes he’s made in the past and he’s said that he’s not the same person that he was 25 years ago,” Apple said. “We believe his sincerity and after working with him for a year-and-a-half, we have every reason to believe that he has changed.” (http://news.sky.com)
The ever-eloquent, queen of doing good Zendaya is shutting down ignorant bullies yet again…this time, in defense of her own parents. Earlier this week, a few Internet trolls shared a photo of the 18-year-old (how is she only 18?!) with her mom and dad, Claire Stoermer and Kazembe Ajamu. They began commenting about how “ugly” her parents are, and one user even went as far as saying she “would cry” if her parents looked like them. “First I’m gonna pray for you,” she wrote. “While you’re so concerned about what my parents look like, please know that these are two of the most selfless people in the world. They have chosen to spend their entire life, not worried about
trivial things such as looks and insulting people’s parents on Twitter, but instead became educators
who have dedicated their lives to teaching, cultivating and filling young shallow mind. (http://www.eonline. com:)
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From page 45 the Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, who was perturbed by Finance Minister Winston Jordan’s refusal to answer questions posed by one of his members. “What we just witnessed is the worst act of accountability that I have seen on the part of a Finance Minister ever in this country. He hid behind several rules of the National Assembly and refused to deal with the questions posed to him by members of our side.” Jagdeo said that he is intent on holding the feet of the government to the fire as a means of ensuring accountability. He has essentially vowed to be the “watchdog” of the people in and out of Parliament.
jaw and other injuries, while her husband received severe injuries, which caused him to lose an eye. In addition, McKenzie was charged with discharging a loaded firearm at Roy Peters, with intent to maim, disable, disfigure or cause him grievous bodily harm. McKenzie was not required to plead to the indictable charges after they were read to him by Magistrate Ann McLennan. He was subsequently remanded to prison and will be making his next court appearance on September 8, at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court. McKenzie’s co-accused, Damien Millington, Nicholas Narine and Anthony David will also be appearing in court on that day.
ROBBERY/HOME INVASION OF LAND COURT JUDGE… PARALYZED TERROR GANG SUSPECT ATTENDS COURT ON STRETCHER Suspected terror gang member Warren McKenzie had his first date with a court of law Thursday. The young man lay helplessly on a stretcher and had to be lifted up the court stairs by members of the Guyana Police Force before he could have faced the presiding Magistrate. The charges against McKenzie stemmed from the brutal home invasion and robbery perpetrated against Land Court Judge, Nicole Pierre and her husband Mohamed Chand. Pierre sustained a broken
SATURDAY EDITION BERBICE BRIDGE, CLICO INVESTMENTS WERE “CRIMINAL” – FINANCE MINISTER The business of the National Assembly was wrapped up Friday afternoon, with Finance Minister Winston Jordan reading the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill for a second time before it was passed. But since he was on the issue of tax, Jordan felt it necessary to speak about the state of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), with particular reference to the investments made by the company into CLICO and the Berbice River Bridge during the rule of the People’s Progressive Party Civic. The Finance Minister said
that the billion-dollar investments into those two entities have “hurt us all”. He described them as being rather “reckless” investments, but said that it is even beyond this. His colleagues on the eastern side of the House suggested to him, a more fitting term. They told him, “It’s not reckless, it’s criminal.” To this Jordan retorted, “Yes I like that word, criminal. It was indeed criminal.” The Finance Minister said that when Guyanese make their contributions to NIS, it is expected that during times of difficulty and old age, that money would be there to assist. He said that it is expected that NIS would be prudent with its investments, especially with taxpayers’ resources which are faithfully contributed every month. “So Mr. Speaker, all of us were hurt at the reckless investment by NIS into CLICO resulting in the impairment of over $5.6B. Between 2009 to now, NIS has lost $1.8B and if this was not criminal enough, NIS again made another suspect investment into the Berbice Bridge of nearly $1B to which they are still to collect income on,” Jordan said. MURDERAT NUMBER 45… BERBICE MAN CHARGED WITH KILLING WIFE A day after his wife’s funeral, police handcuffed Deochand Sookchand and led him into a city court, where he was accused of murdering his 56-year-old spouse-shot in the head at the couple’s Number 45
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Village, Corentyne home. Sookchand, a Good Hope Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), employee, was then remanded by Magistrate Ann McLennan after his appearance in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. It is alleged that on August 20, at Number 45 Village, Corentyne, Berbice,
the 51-year-old Sookchand murdered his reputed wife, Pamela Kendall. The unrepresented accused will be making his next court appearance on September 14, at the Whim Magistrate’s Court, Berbice. Initial reports had indicated that Mrs. Kendall, a cash crop farmer, was shot
in the face by a gunman who had forced his way into the couple’s home during a power outage. But a few days later, police arrested Sookchand after reportedly finding forensic and other evidence that implicated him to his spouse’s murder. Pamela Kendall was laid to rest on Thursday.
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Kaieteur News
Depression in LGBT community must be considered in nat’l mental health response - SASOD
A section of the audience engrossed in the viewing of the documentary. (SASOD photo) As Guyana moves forward in tackling its suicide epidemic, depression facing members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community must be considered in the crafting of a national mental health response. This is according to the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) which stressed the need to lessen the gaps in Guyana’s mental health approach following the recent screening of a documentary on depressed gay Black men. The screening of acclaimed documentary “You Are Not Alone” was hosted by SASOD in partnership with the Depressed Black Gay Men (DGGM) Inc. along with support from United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Advancing Partnerships and Communities Project. The underlying factors of depression, including its link to stigma-fuelled discrimination, were high on the agenda during the documentary’s screening. These factors included culture and, more specifically, discrimination of persons based on their sexual identity or sexual orientations. Additionally, it was noted that issues facing LGBT persons in other countries were similarly affecting those in Guyana. “Of particular significance is the prevalence of religiously-fueled homophobia against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Guyanese who, because of these vulnerabilities, are more susceptible to mental health stressors than their heterosexual counterparts,”
SASOD said before adding, “It is necessary to include and address these specific issues in the national response to mental health in Guyana.” Guyana’s struggle with suicide is not unknown; according to a 2014 World Health Organisation (WHO) report, Guyana has the highest suicide rate per capita with an estimated 44 suicides per 100,000 people. SASOD noted that the number of suicides committed by persons struggling with acceptance of their sexual identity and orientation is unknown. Meanwhile, the screening of “You Are Not Alone” was well received. The 2012 documentary is directed by Stanley Clay and takes a look at depression in gay Black men. The film does not only touch on depression but also takes a look and other factors such as alcoholism and drug abuse and sexually risky behaviour as forms of passive and active suicide i.e drinking poison, hanging, shooting or cutting oneself. “The film reveals aspects of society’s dark underbelly, exposing some of the most pernicious and destructive issues in many families and communities, including the denial of a person’s sexual identity and orientation, sexual abuse and trauma, religiously-influenced homophobia, discrimination, stigma and ostracism,” SASOD said. However, the screening was not only focused on watching the documentary. Following the screening, DBGM founder Antoine
Craigwell engaged in a postscreening discussion with the patrons. Craigwell is also the executive producer of the documentary. According to SASOD, a number of topics were discussed, including the effects non-acceptance or rejection have on LGBT persons. It was noted that this rejection, particularly from family members, can often lead to depression and eventually suicide. Additionally, the issue of religion, which was noted to be a cause of discrimination, along with childhood sexual abuse was raised as contributing factors. It was also noted that there was the need to discuss the myth that child sexual abuse leads to homosexuality among male survivors especially. Coming out of the discussion were several recommendations. These included the urgent need for more trained professional counselors, psychologists, and social workers who understand the cultural and ethnic dynamics of mental health in Guyana, and more community engagement and education on depression, suicide and other mental health issues. Craigwell stressed that families can become actively involved in suicide prevention when communities as a whole become informed and educated. These recommendations were similarly raised by the non-governmental organisation, The Caribbean Voice which recently hosted a conference on suicide and related issues.
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UG, Courts Guyana Inc. host annual ‘Reading is Fun’ programme - Urge parents to engage in story telling, reading to their children Reading is pertinent to helping students improve their literacy and communication skills. Experts say reading to children at the early stages of life will help them develop a love for words and vocabulary. Against this backdrop, the University of Guyana in collaboration with Courts Guyana Incorporated hosted their 11TH annual “Reading is Fun,” programme. Structured under the theme for the Developing Skills in Reading for Life Empowerment, the three weeks programme facilitated 52 children between the ages of 8 -13 years.
Throughout the programme, activities were aimed at motivating the children’s love for reading. The programme concluded on Friday with a formal ceremony at the University of Guyana, and the young participants, who hailed from the Cummings Lodge and Sophia, Greater Georgetown, were awarded certificates of appreciation. Offering an overview of the reading project, Senior Assistant Librarian of the Readers Services Division of the University of Guyana, (UG) Juneann Garnett noted that this year, in addition to
the regular emphasis being placed on improving the reading, writing, comprehensive and speaking skills, the children were introduced to another dimension of the programme; West Indian literature. According to Garnett, the children were introduced to this type of literature through storytelling. She said that for the first time, some children heard of Guyanese Folklore such as “Ole man pappy.” In this same vein, the UG official noted the importance of storytelling, and recommended that parents and guardians engage in this
practice with their children regularly. According to Garnett, storytelling and reading to children are more important since it is becoming clear that increased exposure to new communication and information technology is not only robbing our children of their imaginative skills but also their interest and knowledge of local culture and heritage. As such, she noted that parents should not allow children to take digital devices to bed but instead read bedtime stories to them, limit their television time, buy them books as gifts, create a reading timetable and let them join a library. Meanwhile, evaluating
the success of the programme, the facilitator underscored that children ages 8- 10 were able to read at their level and write well structured sentences, while a few others, ages 10 -13 were reading below their level. Speaking in general, she said however that the teachers, which included lecturers and students of UG’s Faculty of Education
indicated that the programme was successful; the students had a boost of self confidence as they were encouraged to share their ideas and were given positive feedback. Finance Director of Courts Guyana Inc, Neil Boucher in his brief remarks stated that the company is pleased to be associated with such a venture and will continue to offer its support in this regard.
Command changes at GDF Second Infantry Battalion Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col)Terry Benn, was formally handed command of Base Camp Stephenson to Lt Col Ramkarran Doodnauth, on August 28. The formalisation of the new command occurred at the Change of Command Parade which was held at the Base Camp Stephenson. Lt. Col Benn’s military experiences began with his enlistment in the National Cadet Corps of the Guyana National Service (GNS) where he rose to become a Cadet Leader. This son of a farmer, travelled to the GNS facility at Kimbia, as a Cadet Leader, where, mistaken for an Officer, he was roundly saluted by a Pioneer. That, he declared, was the defining moment which stoutly set his mind along the path of embracing a military career, much to his mother’s chagrin. “She had hoped that I would become a doctor or a lawyer,” he recalled. Yet, he did not immediately gravitate to the military, choosing first to clerk at the then Guyana Rice board, and later take a job at the National Insurance Scheme. Despite the detour, the military beckoned, and, at the invitation of then Prime Minister, Dr Ptolemy Reid, enlisted in the GDF. Lt Col Benn served under all eight Executive Presidents and Commanders in Chief, and under the command of six Chiefs of Staff. “During the 36 years of my service, I have served under some very good leaders and I have had many good soldiers under my command.
Lt. Col Terry Benn (right) hands over the base colours to Lt. Col Ramkarran Doodnauth. It was an honour to have served with and alongside such men and women who made the necessary sacrifices and placed the good of the nation and organisation above the needs of their relatives, friends and families. I am proud to have served this organisation and my country!” he said. Speaking of his imminent retirement from the Force, Lt Col Benn said that this is the time for the youth to step up. “It is my fervent belief that
they are more than up to the task. I have every reason to believe that the GDF will continue to distinguish itself as an organisation worthy of the nation’s expenditure. After all, the GDF is the stable band in this country!” he noted. “To the leaders I leave behind, remember that the GDF is a family and your soldiers are members of that family. Teach them the family traditions: who we are, what (continued on page 72)
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Give us 20 years extension or... From page 9 advertisement published in today’s edition of Kaieteur News, the company is denying that it is deliberately delaying the reductions. “This is not so. The BBCI is as anxious as all other Guyanese to provide the best service to the Berbice Bridge commuters at an affordable price.” BBCI, pointed out that just as the government was forced to defer several of its campaign promises based on the need to comply with existing laws, so too are the Directors of the BCCI constrained by the Berbice Bridge Act and Regulations. The bridge company said that it signed a legally binding contract with the PPP/C called the “Concession Agreement”. The statement noted that at the initial August 12 meeting, Government proposed a schedule of subsidies to commuters based on the existing toll structure. BBCI said that it stressed during the meeting with Government that it would like further discussions to take place on the proposal and an extension in the concession period from 21 years to 40 years: or for the Government to give consideration to an
application for an increase in toll made to the PPP/C Government on March 15, 2015. The company said that no agreement was reached with BBCI. “We cannot therefore understand why the Minister would suggest that “delaying tactics” are being employed. Other discussions also took place concerning the timing of subsidy payments but the BBCI team made it clear that nothing could be agreed until the matter is discussed by its full board and stakeholders. The company said that Government proceeded as if it was a done deal, simply to fulfill a campaign promise on the BBCI tolls. This was made without any consultations. BBCI also claimed that it lost $1.2B because it has not been granted an increase in tolls. The company said it could face insolvency if the process is not done right. “Directors of BBCI, have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of the company. Any agreement to a subsidy without honouring the toll adjustment formula set out in the Concession Agreement will result in the BBCI defaulting on its obligation to repay debt in
2015 and possible insolvency.” This year, over $500M in debt repayment to investors is required. ”Directors cannot change the agreements reached with the investors in the bridge as represented by the trustee for the debt and the shareholders for the equity. Such decision must involve an agreement with the trustee and the shareholders.” Any change in the Concession Agreement and the Toll Order which is made by the Government --the last one was made in 2009 by the Minister of Public Works-requires the approval of the Trustee and the Shareholders, BBCI claimed. The company said that it expects government to fully commit to honouring the legislation, concession agreement, and the rights enshrined in the various agreements related to the Berbice Bridge. “A subsidy divorced from honoring the BBCI Concession Agreement could very well result in bankruptcy for the BBCI.” The current directors of the company are said to be Keith Evelyn, Ravi Ramcharitar, Avalon Jagnandan, Gillian Burton, Egbert Carter, Paul Cheong, Cecil Kennard, and Maurice
Solomon. Jagnandan and Ramcharitar are both directors in New GPC. Government’s lead negotiator in the toll increase is attorney-at-law, Chris Ram, while for the BBCI, Ravi Dev, is representing New GPC on the board. Ram, earlier this year, wrote that Government, inclusive of the NIS, owns 76 percent of the issued shares of the company. NICIL, Ram said, owns what is called a Special Share
The Berbice Bridge
in the company and according to the Articles of Amendment of the company “no action can be taken by the Bridge Company, without the affirmative vote” of NICIL. While NIS has $950M in shares, Secure International Finance Company reportedly has $80M; Demerara Contractors $40M; Hand in Hand Motor & Life Insurance Company $40M and Colonial Life Insurance Company with $80M shares. Oddly, the shares that
were held by CLICO (Guyana) remain in the name despite the fact that CLICO is in the process of liquidation. Government reportedly was supposed to collect $104M annually in dividends from the Berbice Bridge but waived it after BBCI said it could not afford to pay because business was bad. In 2010 the company took in $1.1B in revenue. The Berbice River Bridge was designed by a European consortium, Bosch Rexroth B.V. and Mabey and Johnson.
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Sunday August 30, 2015
Sunday August 30, 2015
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Consumer Concerns
IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE - GUYANA RESTORATION PROJECT By Pat Dial The Guyana Consumers Association, like all consumer advocates worldwide, is deeply committed to improving the quality of life of all citizens. There is no disagreement in the Guyanese society that the quality of life has deteriorated and has been deteriorating over the last three or four decades. In both the print and electronic media over the last several months, there was very little, if anything, about addressing the issue of raising the quality of life in our society. The media were dominated by reporting on political matters and always with a quiet subterranean streak of pessimism. It was therefore a real joy to read Major General (retired) Joseph Govinda Singh’s recent address given at the
PI into death ... From page 16 the men have been on remand. As a result, Magistrate Ann Mc Lennan stressed that the court will be forced to start the trial without the file. A total of 20 witnesses are expected to testify when the PI begins. In addition, Rayon Paddy and Orin Arthur are jointly charged with the murder of Sterling Products Limited guard, Wilfred Stewart, which occurred on December 24, 2014, at Providence, East Bank Demerara. Stewart of Graham’s Hall, East Coast Demerara, was shot dead by gunmen who forced their way into the Sterling Products Limited Compound. The men are currently before the courts on several other charges ranging from possession of illegal firearm, possession of narcotics, abduction and robbery under arms. The men allegedly posed as cops and carried out robberies at Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara, on March 18, last.
Indigenous Peoples Rights and Resources Conference. General Singh was speaking as Chairman of the Guyana Restoration Project and his address was one of constructive creativity exuding an infectious forward optimism. It was the essence of Guyanese Nationalism and provided a platform on which all Guyanese, irrespective of their various divisive affiliations, could stand in spontaneous unity. It will be an injustice to summarize General Singh’s address, so I will quote in extenso from it. Guyana, as older folk nostalgically recall, was known as “El Dorado”, “the Land of Hospitality”, and Georgetown, the “Garden City”. “Guyanese life,” as General Singh remarks, “has suffered significant deterioration in many
aspects, including unplanned settlements, inadequate traffic control, garbage buildup and flooding in many areas.” He then highlights the causes of this deterioration: “Because of the many failures of society, the failure to enforce the laws and standards, lack of physical planning for growth and renewal, lack of routine and necessary maintenance, and general neglect of the poor, homeless, aged, disabled and other unfortunate ones.” Major General Singh then briefly adumbrated the goal of the Restoration and Rehabilitation Project: “The restoration of civic pride, making Guyana a hub for commerce, tourism and development and making Guyana into a land of great attractiveness and prosperity, and one which offers a good life for all citizens and
visitors.” He then focuses on the causes and solutions for two of the most depressing and demoralizing of Guyana’s problems - the regular flooding and the build-ups of solid waste: “The City of Georgetown and all six towns drain into the Atlantic Ocean. The situation is worsened by alleyways, main and lateral drains and drainage canals often being blocked by vegetation and solid waste. The problem is then compounded by lack of maintenance of sluices and outfalls. The Task Force plans to develop a drainage mechanism that effectively drains the country during periods of heavy rainfall; hence reducing the obstacles to economic activity as well as the health and livelihoods of citizens.”
In dealing with the problem of solid waste, Major General Singh pointed out that “solid waste was a byproduct of modern living that can have a negative impact on the quality of life of communities and the environment in particular. This problem is monumental in almost every Guyanese community and must come to an end.” He then briefly touched on the ways of dealing with the solid waste problem: “The Task Force will use welldeveloped best practices which can be employed in all areas of Guyana including predictable garbage collection, recycling, conversion of organic waste into compost and removal of derelict vehicles.” Major General Singh did mention other problems to be addressed by the Guyana
Restoration Project including traffic management, sustainable urban, rural and hinterland physical renewal; and welfare management of the homeless, addicted, and mentally challenged. The Guyana Restoration Project is at present going through its detailed planning and budgeting and this will be completed in October, and implementation will begin in November 2015. All Guyanese should identify themselves with and give wholehearted support to this Guyana Restoration Project since every single citizen will gain by its success. Government should also provide all required and necessary funds in a timely manner. The Georgetown M&TC should also lend its support and co-operation to the Project. GCA’s email:patdial26@mail.com.
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Sunday August 30, 2015
GUYANA “COOLIE BAI” NOW BECOMING AN INTERNATIONAL SINGING STAR By Ralph Seeram It was going on 9 pm; the 3000 plus crowd has been there about at least six hours, waiting patiently for the star of the show, the headliner, the feature singer, Romeo Mystic, more known internationally as the “Coolie Bai”. His popularity stems from his famous song “Coolie Bai, which seems destined to become a cult song. It’s a standard, a must if you will at all Guyanese weddings. The song has been so popular on social media, YouTube and Facebook. You Google the song and you find so many covers or versions of it. But there is only one Coolie Bai, and the crowd was willing to wait. Earlier, the show was opened by the royalty of Calypso, the Mighty Sparrow and Calypso Rose. These two legends opened the show, and for those of you who may not have heard Sparrow and Rose live, believe me, age has not diminished their voices. Sparrow’s melodious voice is still there, and when he opened with “THE CONGO MAN” the young crowd most of whom were not born yet when that song was released, sang the refrain “never eat a white meat yet”. And there was Rose with still a lot of fire in her voice and performance to her standard unforgettable “FIRE IN YUH WIRE” I mention these two icons, to show how far Romeo Mystic, has come
internationally, and headlining a show with these two legends. Romeo ‘Coolie Bai’ Mystic has been selling out shows in London, Canada, Barbados, and in various cities in the United States. He is appearing for the third time in New York this weekend, after successful shows in Minnesota. His show in Orlando earlier this month was his second in Orlando and saw one of his largest crowds. So who is this little “Coolie Bai” that is dominating the music overseas, especially in the Caribbean communities of the Diaspora? If you speak to Romeo Mystic, born Romeo Nerpaul, the first thing he will tell you is “I from Black Bush Polder”, with great pride. That is not so of many Guyanese, most of whom are ashamed to say the villages they are from. That has been my experience. Just look at Facebook profiles of Guyanese; more than half would say they from Georgetown. Romeo would tell you he had a rough childhood. His father was murdered when he was just 10 years old. With the breadwinner of the family gone, life was tough. His family depended quite a few times on the generosity of family and friends. Life was tough in Black Bush Polder; his mother eventually moved to Georgetown with relatives. Mystic actually began singing from a young age,
“Ah used to bust some bhajans but I started singing in church.” He spent his teenage years in the city and started to “hang out” by “Brutal Track Records” the same recording studio that Lisa Punch used. While he is mainly known for his “Coolie Bai”, he is actually a Reggae singer and a very good one at that. After listening to him live I can tell you that Mystic can hold his own against any from the birth place of Reggae, Jamaica. He is more la Beres Hammond kind of singer. Mystic says that Hammond is one of his inspirations. So when he comes on stage opening with Reggae songs, people are surprised that he is truly a Reggae singer. There has been great debate and controversy of the title and lyrics of his hit song “Coolie Bai”. But criticisms are misguided; there is nothing derogatory in the use of the words, the lyrics speak of the cultural behaviour, modes and attitudes of most Indians in Guyana. It’s the same old story; pay attention to the message not the messenger. It’s all social commentary, as Mystic told me all the great Calypso singers are social commentators and they reflect what is happening in the society. In the music world, there is a mini controversy whether the “Coolie Bai” song is Soca or a Chutney song. It’s really difficult to place
the song in a category, so I asked the man behind the beats, Ken “Dabeatmaker”Taylor, the genius behind the recordings at Brutal Tracks Recording Studios in Georgetown. The “dabeatmaster” would only say that it’s a fusion of beats, incorporating Soca, Chutney and Reggae. Another surprising fact is this young Reggae/Chutney/ Soca singer sings only his own songs. He is very adamant that he will not cover other people songs in his shows, this surprised me, and not knowing all the songs he sang were his own recordings, with
the help of Ken Taylor. According to him, he wants to build his career on singing original songs. Romeo Mystics prides himself as a rice farmer first, and a singer after. He disclosed that he has invested some of his earnings back in rice farming, buying tractor and equipment. He is still a rice farmer at heart. Well if the present trends continue, he may have to rethink his priority, because at present he probably spends more time touring overseas than at home, as demand for his performance increases. I posed this question to him, but he was
ahead of me; he already has “back up” plans, with a relative to oversee his rice cultivation. So when you at a wedding or rum shop, or on social media and you hear the “Coolie Bai” tune, just remember it is sung by a real coolie bai from Black Bush on the Corentyne. Don’t be surprised when you hear some of the best reggae songs if you YouTube him. After all he is one of the best Reggae singers to emerge out of Guyana. Ralph Seeram can be reached at email: ralph365@hotmail.com and Facebook
Carjackers torch stolen car - court hears A 16 year old boy was among five alleged carjackers, who were accused of stealing a number of cars. They made their first appearance at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court yesterday to answer to the charge of robbery underarms. The accused were Christopher Nicholson, 18, a labourer, of Tucville Squatting Area; Daniel Boutrin, 16, of Lot 157 Guyhoc Park; Renaldo McKenzie,35, of Lot 7 C Tucville and Mario Rodrigues, 17, a gold smith of lot 1 AGuyhoc Park along with Rosanna Gittens, 35, a mother of four. They were charged with robbing Dwayne Peters of one motor car PTT 243 valued $1 M, one HTC Cellular phone valued $28,000 and $10,000 cash, while they were armed with a knife in North Ruimveldt.
The vehicle is said to be the property of Roy Aaron. Further, it was alleged that they stole one motor car HC 786 from Hazel Edwards valued $800,000 property of Genevieve Williams. They also made off with one cellular phone valued $5,000, two drivers’ licenses valued $4,000 among other items all totalling $807,000. The final charge against them stated that on August 25, at Main Street, Georgetown, they set fire to motorcar PJJ 2432, property of Aaron’s Taxi Service. Police Prosecutor Corporal Deniro Jones opposed to bail, citing the seriousness and gravity of the charges. Jones told the court that the defendants are part of an established gang. He stated that it was a usual thing that they would use Gittens to hire
the cars to go to a prearranged area, where the men would surprise the drivers and hijack the vehicles. Prosecutor Jones stated that the police, acting on information, went to the location where the carjackers were. However, Jones said that it was the officers who were surprised because when the accused learnt that the police were near, they set fire to one of the vehicles. Moreover, Jones mentioned that they were all arrested and taken to the police station where further investigations were carried out. He said that sufficient evidence was available to charge the defendants. He noted that more charges are likely to be laid against the defendants. They were all remanded to prison and will make their next court appearance on September 18.
Sunday August 30, 2015
SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. – CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Guyana Passport application. Graphics design, Advertisement. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. PARTY DECORATING: balloon creation, back drops etc. for weddings, birthdays, anniversary etc. Make your event extra special! Tel Maya: 642-6664 REPAIRS AT LOW COST: FRIDGES,AIR-CONDITIONERS, WASHINGMACHINES,TVS, MICROWAVES,FREEZERSCALL:629-4946 OR 225-4822 REPAIRS & SPARE, FRIDGE, FREEZER, A/C, WASHERS, STOVES CONTACT NICK: 6831312, 627-3206 Floor sanding & Lacquering House plans, Estimate & painting, boat for Santa Mission - Call: 650-4362 Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezerCall: 610-5846 or 661-8158 Eagle’s fridge re-gas @ 99-100 New Market Street - $8,000 & washing machine repairs. Phone: 697-2969, 223-5818 Desmond Repair Services Fridge, AC, gas stove, microwave, washer, etc on the spot repairs –Call: (592)6788683; 687-9709 Licensed Custom Broker/tax consultant: tax compliance certificates, assistance with customs documentationsCall: 660-9478 Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building. visadocumentsgy@yahoo.comCall : 225-6496, 662-6045 Welding & fabricating, grill & Boat work –Call: 666-2101 Reliable transportation services for school children nursery age from Paradise E.C.D to G/Town return –Call: 668-4465 Looking for a good plumber? Contact: 675-6466, specialized in pressure pumps, water heaters and filter systems.+ K. Lakeram, building contractor: carpentry, masonry, drawings of plans, general maintenance – Call:216-0671, 622-0267, 6928 4 6 4 / klakeram.construction@gmail.com
Kaieteur News
WANTED Handy boys to work. Free live in accommodation and meals provide. Call: 628-1756; 2285655 Experienced Driver Apply @ Hack’s Halaal Restaurant with written application, 5 Commerce Street Part- time driver! Wednesday, Thursday & Friday – 1pm8:00p, Saturday & Sunday 10:00am-8:00pm – Contact: 643-5838; 223-3574 Domestic from G/Town 2-3 day per week age: 30-45yrs – Call: 641-3687 Contract Cars & Drivers Call: 227-1720, 227-1721 or 660-6102 Waitress to work on E.C.D, live in – Call: 220-1842 or 691-5518 Female caregiver for elderly female to work from 7:30am5pm, Monday –Saturday @ Residence, Pouderoyen, WBD –Call: 647-6075 Office assistant to keep records-Call: 660-9478 from 9am -4pm Live in maid/assistant salesgirl, E.C.D- Call: 6035416; 644-9802 Young couple looking to purchase property $12M Max within Georgetown/East Coast Demerara up to Lusignan –Tel: 622-6710 2yrs Experienced Seamstress – knowledge: flat/ over lockers/ Serger machines, meeting of deadlines/target a must- Contact: 270-1332 6am6pm & 645-5533 6pm-?
SALON
VEHICLE FOR SALE
PROPERTY FOR SALE
Make Up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, Black Opal and Sacha cosmetics. Call: 647-1773/660-5257 Salon & Spa @ Aracari Resort! Available Now: Hollywood herbal skin whitening cream, scrub & sun block. Phone: 264-3312 or 600-3927
1 Mazda Axela, PTT series, low mileage, e x c e l l e n t condition -owner migrating Tel: 649-0956 SmartChoiceAuto:Premio,Allion, Fielder, Carina 212, Bluebird Call: 652-3820; 665-4529 In Stock @ First Class Auto: 08 Premio, Allion, Runx, Axio, Bluebird, Sienta, Fielder, Rush –Tel: 609-8188, 638-3045
Property for sale, Grove $20M / Rent: $50,000 per month. Tel: 625-5461.
WANTED Live in waitress Call: 2285129 or 604-8277 1 Female to work in snackette & bar. Must know to cookbetween ages 20-35 -Call: 647-7432/ 223-5798 One live in maid must know to cook – Contact: 677-8484 One male store clerk, apply to K&B Mining Hardware Supplies, Lot 152 Church Street, Alberttown , Georgetown. Security to work at a mining firm must have military experienced –Contact: 2269768; 661-5307 1 Live in waitteress, must be honest and courteous, secondary education required. Salary $60,000 monthly -Call: 6103974 Experienced wash bay attendants living in G/Town, attractive salary-Call: 646-8748 Three wash bay attendants to work in Georgetown – Contact Terry: 227-5169 Labourers for wood concession -$5,000 per day – Call: 618-0487
One male to provide assistance for refilling bottle on the East Coast-Call: 6242391 or 222-5990 Live-in maid or waitress to work in Mahicony River-Call: 225-6571, 644-6905 Handyman to work on farm, preferably family person, live in accommodation –Call: 6199143; 614-8857 One cook to cook for family in the interior –Contact: 6778484. Part time handy man at Tudor’s Business, Linden, age 18-22 years –Call: 4445883 Wanted one person to work on a ranch to take care of cattle & sheep-Call: 619-9143, 614-8857 Live in couple husband: driving & mechanical skills, wife: Demestic. Excellent rates offered. Call: 227-1830 Gasoline Mechanic neededCall: 623-0318
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One Rav4 Good Condition $1.3 negotiable, One 5000 watt Honda generator $230,000 good condition Call: 609-6310, 641-7401, 2161948 Allion (2004) late PRR series in excellent condition. Never worked hire $1.6M Neg. Call: 679-9383 For Sales: Bus BRR 2501, 19 Seater pit-bull – Contact: 6893173 or 614-3947 We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 Tacoma- Call: 680-3154 AT192, 212, Allion, unregistered Premio, Hilux Surf, BNN, RZ & Pit-bull, 7 seater super custom. Cash / terms- Call: 680-3154 2000 Freightliner hauler, C12 Engine –Tel: 609-7257; 689-9041 BMW 320i, Toyota AT212, AT192, IST, EP-71 Starlet, 4 Runner, Canter, Honda 600 RR -Tel: 644-5096; 697-1453 EP 82 Starlet, AC 4 Doors, working standard rims, lady driven – good condition $550,000 – serious inquiries only - Call: 662-5052 1 Model M Truck with winch, big tire- Call: 692-9577; 6192406 PNN Toyota Raum, Alarm system, AC, 15" Rims, good condition- $1M- Call: 6177113
LAND FOR SALE $1.2M Parfaite Harmonie (80ftX50ft), $2.8M Diary (100ftX50ft), already & newly fenced, Zeelugt $1.5M Call: 611-7223; 604-2207 Land for sale at Farm E.B.D – Tel: 219-5526 15 Acres land situated at Naamryck East Bank Essequibo-Call: 655-9227 Professional Realty: we buy/ sell/rent/value your real estate –Call: 694-3875; 6490353, 654-6198 Lot 12 Mon Repos E.C.D Tel: 220-7330, 203-850-5235 ACCOMODATION Specials on room! Free breakfast, Wi-Fi luxuriously & comfortably @ Signature Inn, 82 Laluni Street, Georgetown - Tel: 226-2145; 227-5037
One fully loaded Toyota Raum with double sunroof, CD/MP3 player, full flair kit, etc - $1.4M negotiable – Tel: 610-4980 6X6 TM with 4,500 GLS fuel tank, free maintenance schedule -$6M- Call: 6706521/ 685-0166
Republic Park Phase 1- $48M, Prashad Nagar -$49M, 4 bedrooms -Call:609-2302, 6452580, 609-6516, House for sale @ Lot 180 Block 8 Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara, Price $25M negotiable –Call: 266-0309; 626-6555 Property for sale, business place at Kuru kururu, New Town on High Way- Call: 261-6282 or 676-4787 Pearl: Well built 1,995 SF concrete building on 58X165 lot, formerly used at meeting halls-$13.5M-Tel: 649-1670 2 Storey House at 33 Wren Avenue, South Ruimveldt (2 lots away from Royal Castle) -$25M negotiable –Call: 6609309 2-story concrete house on double lot. ECD. $28.5M Tel: 661-9431 Transported concrete, Block “8” Mon Repos E.C.D, top flat 2 bedrooms, bottom flat 2 bedrooms- $18M. Call: 6251514 office hours 231-7255 Property for sale, East La Penetance Arapaima Street $17M negotiable –Call: 6484420, 662-6173 One 3 bedrooms 2 storey concrete house @ 8 Street Foulis H/Scheme –Call: 2563360 or 685-8485 Four Bedroom House No73 Public Road, Corentyne Berbice- Suitable For Private Residence or Commercial Use- Contact 335-3347 / 6266245 Are you interested in selling your home? Call T &T Realty: 660-9478; 672-0865 North Ruimveldt- 2 Storey Wooden and Concrete house –price $9M-Call: 653-8082 2 Storey 45x35 concrete property, lower flat incomplete. Land 65x120 @ Diamond N/S 5th Avenue,E.B.D- Call: 629-4017 67 First Street Garden of Eden E.B.D –Tel: 639-8376
One Leyland Daf LF with 6 ton Hiab 2002 GTT series (New) price $5 million Call: 622-6746
One welding machine- Call: 687-7725 250 Rebel Motorcycle, one 250 nighthawk motorcycle, one Toyota 4X4 pickup for more information contact: 662-8715; 680-1198; 7715388-87 Fertilizer! 100% soluble fertilizer: potassium nitrate, calcium nitrate 20:20:220, also plant seed and soil. info@shigam.cm /Tel 6968538 One Honda D15-B Engine & Transmission –Contact: 645-8518 for info Galvanized nail platesContact: 645-8518 1 Complete six inch dredge inclusive of pick up and ATVprice 6,000,000-Contact: 6600422 XBOX 360 slim: 250GB & 320GB with games & controllers also PS4 with game & Controller-Call: 6838386 Back to School Sale: Dell/ HP laptop & desktop computers complete, from $55,000, free games and educational software @ Future – Call: 231-2206 1-16 inched Bore precisionly built pump on trailer –New $1.2M only, 1-8X8X4ft box Trailer. Call: 227-1830 One male and female pure bred German shepherd dogs –Contact: 654-6355 52ft complete cabin cruiser. In excellent condition- Tel: 592-654-2817, 592-622-2958. 1 Toyota Marino, PHH Series. Call: 675-7667 House and land at Diamond Housing Scheme, E.B.D – Price $7.5M –Call: 687-9107 Steel Fuel tank (holds 90 drums fuel) 6X6 TM ChassisCall: 670-6521; 685-0166 1 Imported pools table for sale-Call: 223-5273/4
One double Axle DAF truck for sale –Call: 612-5484, serious enquiries only, please! One Honda Civic, ESI model –Tel: 647-9338, 231-0849 Toyota Runx PMM Series, female driver, price -$1.8M negotiable, owner leaving country. Call: 692-4076 or 6795048
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. One 318 BMW never registered for $ 3M down payment $500,000 contact # 650-0402 or 616-0429
32 feet boat, 4’’ and 5’’ catguts seine, 15 Yamaha engine Tel: 668-9077 LEARN TO DRIVE Soman Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj BuildingTel: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997 FOR SALE/RENT American pool tables –Call: 277-0578 One two storey house constructed by Windsor Estates Tel: 618-4080
1 Back Cabin Boat 38ft, 7ft width, 8ft depth, 800 lb Nylon & 1- 15 HP outboard engine all excellent condition –Call: 260-2022, 646-1743 Great Deals on video games & all gaming consoles. PC, phone games & applications. Delivery also – Call: 672-2566; 265-3232 Continued on page 72
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Kaieteur News
Sunday August 30, 2015
Teen goes berserk, knifes Tiger Bay... TO LET House for rent furnish $80,000 monthly –Call: 6881342 FOR OVERSEAS VISITORS: FULLY FURNISHED 2 BEDROOM APARTMENTS (FRIDGE, STOVE, MICROWAVE, ETC) US $40 DAILY –TEL: 609-8132/672-8569 (MAX) Newly built 3 bedrooms, upper flat concrete house @ 11 St. Diamond H/Scheme$80,000 negotiable –Tel: 6292265 Rooms for person 50yrs and over – Tel: 628-3838 or 699-2727 Three bedrooms house at Dennis Street Sophia -$85,000 - Call: 621-7366 2-Two bedroom apartment for rent Mon Repos North, East Coast Demerara, price $60,000 –Call: 689-0123, 688-6005
From page 71
Toyota RAV 4, excellent condition, leather interior, manual gear # PHH 2748 – Call: 684-6794; 621-4976
EDUCATION I.A.E currently registering students for full time secondary school, lessons & evening CXC classes for adults- Call: 683-5742 Writing CXC, Add Maths, Eng, Bio, Human & Social Biology, IntegratedSciences in Jan/June, Form 1, 2,3,4,5 & worker/mature person-Call: 227-7850 Computerized Accounting Courses: Quickbooks, Peachtree, POS, FREE Job Training MicroGraphics -264305
Lessons: Maths, English, Eccles Apartment, short term Accounts, Physics, Social and office rental, include cable internet, Studies Administration, Location: AC, etc –Call: 233-2770 Campbellville –Contact: 6106087 Didn’t Well for CXC 2015: We Can Help Join Now- $2,500 per subject: MicroGraphicsVreed-En-Hoop: 264-3057
CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE AUTO RENTAL:CARS&SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 2193900, EMAIL: PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM Aidan’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up, cheapest rate, low security- Call: 698-7807 Wing’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up- Call: 690-6494
VEHICLE FOR SALE
Big Discount for 2015 CXC students, 9 Course Diploma In, Computer Studies $30,000.00- MicroGraphics: 264-3057 Princeton College Forms 1-5 (5000) CXC adult classes $1,500 a subject, Phonics/ Grade 2,4,6,9 lessons Call: 231-1209, 690-5008,657-7398
VACANCY Tudor’s Business Enterprise, Linden has vacancy for 3 sales attendants; age 25yrs & above-Tel: 444-5883 Experienced night bar attendant ages 30-40 @ Cool Square Restaurant/ Bar 30 West Ruimveldt H/E apply within. One experienced legal computer clerk- Phone: 6247087 or 258-0213 Bartenders & Waitress for Sports bar in V/Hoop- Contact: 684-5688 for more info Confidential Cabs have vacancy for a experienced dispatcher-Call: 231-4000 or 231-8601 Carnegie trained assistant chef/cook. Call: 225-7933 or visit us at 173 Sheriff Street Male Supervisor for housekeeping Dept. Male Security guard - Call:2250198 or 233 South Raod Lacytown. Waitress for bar live in or out - Call: 612-2522 Supervisor to work at Xenon Hotel in Charity, send application to rtilak@ adamantiumholdings.com Office clerk, porters, apply at Survival Wholesale Depot, Lot 10 Vlissengen Road
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(From page 63) from residents that his brother was seen “dipping and drinking gutter water on Friday.” Some stated that the teenager began acting strange and was accusing people of giving his mother drugs to smoke. “Is like he trip a lil while now but we never know he would do something like kill somebody. But lil before we hear Rastaman hollering for help, we see Christopher kill a cat,” one resident reported. Wayne Rodgers, another resident, showed a cut on his head and reported that he saw Stanley with a knife and when he turned away, Stanley attacked him. “When I get the knock from behind and I see me
blood, I start to run from he because he had a knife or he would’a kill me first. Next thing I know the man go in Rastaman shack and then I hear Rastaman hollering.” The berserk youth was taken to the Brickdam Police Station and was subsequently sent to the Accident and Emergency Unit of the Georgetown Hospital. There, Kaieteur News found him restrained on a gurney with handcuffs. At the hospital, a woman who identified the young man as her stepson said, “he is normally a good boy but of recent he started tripping out for a number of reasons and we tried to get him help.” The police are said to be investigating.
Command changes at GDF Second... From page 66 we have done, where we have been, and what makes us different from ordinary. Communicate. Make sure they understand the message. Be open to their ideas. Treat them with respect and help them to
grow into respectable citizens of this great nation!” he added. The outgoing Base Commander urged his successor to embrace the adventure ahead of him. “It will be a nerve-racking experience. All of your training and experience will be brought to bear. Your success will be determined by your ability to mould your staff into cohesive well-oiled machinery, capable of delivering timely and quality service to all the Units housed on the Base.” Lt Colonel Benn thanked all the Officers and ranks who played a part in his professional development and sustenance. He remarked that without all their efforts at guidance, discipline, teaching and being supportive, he would not have achieved much neither would he have made any significant contributions to the Force. He urged all the members of the force to make the most of their career with the GDF. “Accept every challenge; seek out every adventure and make good memories!” The Chief of Staff, officers and other ranks thank Lt Col Benn for his selfless and superlative service to the GDF and Guyana and wish him well in his future endeavours.
Sunday August 30, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Kamla: It’s false...bring evidence …PM responds to Jack on Carmona report
Sunday August 30, 2015
Storm Erika dissipates after killing at least 20 in Caribbean …Nearly 50 people have been reported missing in Dominica
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, centre, cuts a ribbon Friday to open the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Science and Technology (MTEST) Administrative Complex at Narsaloo Ramaya Marg, Endeavour, Chaguanas. Looking on from left, foreground, are Tertiary Education Minister Fazal Karim, Water Resources Minister Ganga Singh and chairman of the National Training Agency (NTA) Kelvin Mahabir. - Photo: ISHAMEL SALANDY Trinidad Express - Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar Friday denied knowledge of any background check and report on President Anthony Carmona prior to his appointment, which corruption accused Jack Warner claimed had been doctored on her orders. “I have absolutely no knowledge of any such report,” Persad-Bissessar said Friday following the opening of the new headquar-
ters of the Ministry of Tertiary Education and Skills Training (MTEST), at Narsaloo Ramaya Marg in Endeavour, Chaguanas. Independent Liberal Party (ILP) leader Warner, at a public meeting in St Joseph on Tuesday, had claimed a background check carried out on Carmona by the Special Branch had unearthed information on his personal life.
Roosevelt Skerrit does an aerial tour of the devastated areas ROSEAU, Dominica (AP) — Tropical Storm Erika dissipated early yesterday, even as its remnants began drenching parts of eastern Cuba. But it left devastation in its path, killing at least 20 people and leaving nearly 50 missing on the small eastern Caribbean island of Dominica, authorities said. In Haiti, one person died in a mudslide just north of Port-au-Prince, and at least four others were killed in a traffic accident that apparently occurred in the rain. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm had degenerated into a trough of low pressure by early yesterday after the mountains in Hispaniola knocked Erika below tropical storm force. Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said in a televised address late Friday that damage inflicted by the storm had set the island back 20 years. Some 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rain fell on the mountainous island. “The extent of the devastation is monumental. It is far worse than expected,” he said, adding that hundreds of homes, bridges and roads were destroyed. “We have, in essence, to rebuild Dominica.”
Nearly 50 people have been reported missing in Dominica, and that number is expected to rise, opposition leader Lennox Linton said yesterday after leaving a meeting with the prime minister and other politicians. The island’s airports remained closed, and some communities were still isolated by flooding and landslides. On Friday evening, Skerrit asked people to share their resources with each other as foreign aid trickled in. “This is a period of national tragedy,” he said. “Floods swamped villages, destroyed homes and wiped out roads. Some communities are no longer recognizable.” Before dissipating, Erika also knocked out power to more than 200,000 people in Puerto Rico and caused more than $16 million in damage to crops there, including plantains, bananas and coffee. In Haiti, authorities evacuated 254 prisoners in Gonaives to other locations because of flooding, and two people were hospitalized after their home in Port-auPrince collapsed in heavy rains. Four people died and another 11 were hospitalized in Leogane, just west of the Haitian capital, when a truck car-
rying a liquor known locally as clairin crashed into a bus and exploded. Authorities said it apparently was raining when the accident occurred. When the storm still seemed a threat, Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency for the entire state and officials urged residents to fill gas tanks and stockpile food and water. Erika was a particularly wet storm, and moved across a region that has been struggling with drought. The eastern Cuban city of Santiago was hit by about two hours of heavy rain as the storm was falling apart yesterday morning. Residents reported no flooding or other damage, saying they wished it would rain more to help alleviate a months-long drought that has hit eastern Cuba particularly hard. At 9:30 EDT yesterday, the remnants of Erika were located about 130 miles (205 kilometers) east of Camaguey, Cuba, and were moving west-northwest near 22 mph (35 kph) in a general motion expected to continue into the evening, the Hurricane Center said. The storm’s maximum sustained winds were then near 35 mph (55 kph).
Govt. ‘has raped the Treasury’ - Cost of vehicle authority programme went from $339m to over $1b, says Rowley Trinidad Express - The cost of constructing the Motor Vehicle Authority (MVA) ballooned from $45 million to $279 million, and the cost of the entire MVA programme escalated from $339 million to an estimated cost of over $1 billion.This is according to Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley, who described it as
one example of how the Government “has raped the Treasury” of this country. Speaking at a public meeting at the Massy Stores car park in St Augustine on Thursday night, Rowley said under former minister Colm Imbert and the People’s National Movement administration, there had been a proposal to have a modernised MVA.
Dr Keith Rowley
Sunday August 30, 2015
Kaieteur News
Myanmar bans parties from criticising army in state media Reuters - Myanmar has banned political parties from criticising the army or the military-dominated constitution in state media during campaigning for elections seen as a test of the country’s transition from military rule.The parties standing in the Nov. 8 elections will be allowed to broadcast 15-minute speeches on state television and radio, according to a statement by the Union Electi on Commission, and publish them
in
state-owned
newspapers.But the addresses will be vetted by the commission and the Ministry of Information and could be rejected if officials find that they violate the rules.Statements “that can split the Tatmadaw
or that can disgrace and damage the dignity of the Tatmadaw,” are banned, said the commission, using the term for the Myanmar military.
Myanmar pro-democracy and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi talks to the media as she attends a Parliament meeting at the Lower House of Parliament in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. Reuters/Soe Zeya Tun
Iran president opposes parliament vote on nuclear deal
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — President Hassan Rouhani said yesterday he opposes a parliamentary vote on the landmark nuclear deal reached with world powers because terms of the agreement would turn into legal obligations if passed by lawmakers.Rouhani told a news conference that the deal was a political understanding reached with the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany, not a pact requiring parliamentary approval. The deal also says Iran would implement the terms voluntarily, he said.The historic deal calls for limiting Iran’s nuclear pro-
gram in exchange for lifting economic sanctions. “If the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is sent to (and passed by) parliament, it will create an obligation for the government, it will mean the president, who has not signed it so far, will have to sign it,” Rouhani said. “Why should we place an unnecessary legal restriction on the Iranian people?” A special committee of parliament has already begun studying the deal before putting it to a vote. But the legality of such a move is in doubt because the government has not prepared a bill for parliament to vote on.
Hassan Rouhani
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Sunday August 30, 2015
Poll lead for Greece’s Syriza narrows as Tsipras presses for new mandate Reuters - Former Greek premier Alexis Tsipras urged supporters yesterday to give him a fresh mandate to complete the country’s political transformation, as polls showed his leftist Syriza party’s lead slipping ahead of elections next month. Tsipras abruptly resigned last week, days after clinching an 86 billion-euro ($97 billion) bailout package from Greece’s euro zone and International Monetary Fund lenders, aiming to crush a rebellion by far-left lawmakers and tighten his grip on power. Hopes the lenders might soon resolve differences over how to tackle Greece’s existing debt rose yesterday, when IMF head Christine Lagarde told a Swiss newspaper a form of restructuring rather than outright forgiveness should enable the country to cope. Euro zone creditors, notably Germany, have ruled out a write- down But Tsipras’ gamble in calling early elections, to be held on Sept. 20, could backfire, opinion polls suggest with most Greeks disapproving of his decision to seek a fresh mandate and how he handled the talks with creditors. Syriza led the opposition conservative New Democracy party by as much as 15.2 percentage points in May. But the gap has been gradually whittled down since and it dropped to 1.8 points in an MRB poll for weekly Agora published yesterday. Other polls also showed the lead narrowing, suggesting momentum may be shifting towards New Democracy.
Greek former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras waves during a meeting with members of his Syriza party in Athens, yesterday. Reuters/Stoyan Nenov An Alco poll for Sunday’s Proto Thema newspaper showed the gap between Syriza and New Democracy has shrunk to just 1.5 points. “At the start of the race towards the Sept. 20 vote, the game looks open to all outcomes,” the paper said. Another poll by Kapa Re-
search for Sunday’s To Vima newspaper gave Syriza a wider lead - 27.3 percent against 24.2 percent for the conservative opposition with 57.5 expressing a negative view on how the leftist government handled negotiations with the country’s international lenders.
Sunday August 30, 2015
Kaieteur News
MAYWEATHER INSISTS... From page 80 he said. “I’ve taken my time, kept my eye on the prize and done what I’ve had to do,” he said. “So I’m able to make a choice when to retire. Most fighters really couldn’t. “Boxing has always been work to me, a job,” he said. “If I could say anything to a youngster taking up boxing it would be to be smart and not take a lot of punches. “It’s called the sweet science for a reason. Hit and not be hit, make a lot of money without taking a lot of punishment. That’s what it’s about.” That slick defensive style has made Mayweather a target for some critics, as his choice of 40-1 underdog Berto for the bout touted as his last. “Berto can fight,” Mayweather said of the former welterweight world champion, who battled a severe
shoulder injury two years ago but returned to knock out Josesito Lopez in March. “He’s hungry. He comes to wage a war. There is never a dull moment when he fights, so I expect a hell of a fight out of him,” Mayweather said of Berto, who brings a record of 30-3 with 23 knockouts to the fight. “We’ll see how it all plays out.” Mayweather said the reaction to his superfight with Manny Pacquiao in May showed he’d be criticized no matter who he fought. “My last fight, all you guys put Pacquiao on a pedestal and look what happened,” he said. “I went in there and did what I needed to do, which is win. “This fight, no matter who the opponent, somebody would have something critical or negative to say. Some people are never satisfied. “But I’m satisfied.”
Regal, Herstelling, Speed Boat and... From page 83 25 as Richie Debidyal grabbed 4-6 and Reid 38. Speed Boat upset Wolf’s Warriors by 45 runs. Speed Boat scored 135-7 in 10 overs, batting first. Greg Singh slammed 51 and Ganesh Narine 35. Wolf’s Warriors were restricted to 90-5 in 10 overs. Vishnu Tammechandra made 19. Adventure of Essequibo Coast beat De
Hoop Sports Club by 43 runs. Adventure managed 123-8 in 10 overs, taking first knock while De Hoop responded with 80-9 in 10 overs. Adventure will take on Speed Boat in the first semi final while Regal will meet Herstelling in the second. Action gets underway at 09:00hrs while Caribbean Hotshots band will provide off field entertainment.
Sunday August 30, 2015 ARIES (MAR. 21APRIL 20) You will be able to talk about emotional problems with your partner. Sit back and observe, regardless of how hard that might be. TAURUS (APR. 21MAY 21) Investments will not be as they appear today. If you take on too much of a financial burden you may make yourself ill. GEMINI (MAY 22JUNE 21) This will not be the day to lend money to friends or family. Try to be patient and understanding. You will have the discipline and fortitude to accomplish what you want today. CANCER (JUNE 22JULY 22) Concern yourself with legal matters and formulating contracts rather than finalizing your objectives. LEO (JULY 23-AUG 22) Any attractions toward clients will be one sided and must be put right out of your head. Abrupt changes in your home may send you for a loop. VIRGO (AUG. 23 SEPT. 23) Your outgoing nature might work against you today. This is not the best time to take a risk, to gamble or spend money you really can't afford to part with.
LIBRA (SEPT. 24 -OCT. 23) Much can be accomplished if you compromise. Efforts made to improve yourself will turn out to your satisfaction. You can become obsessed with detail and must be sure to divide your time appropriately. SCORPIO (OCT. 24 NOV. 22) You may overspend if you travel today; however, the trip will be one to remember. Your personal life is going through a state of confusion. SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 23 -DEC. 21) You mustn't take on other people's responsibilities or you may find yourself irritable and exhausted. CAPRICORN (DEC 22.- JAN. 20) You can make extra money. Rewards will be yours if you put in the overtime required. Put your energy into learning new skills or picking up valuable information. AQUARIUS (JAN. 21 FEB. 19) Remain calm and you'll shine. Passion should be your goal. Your personal situation is fluctuating. PISCES (FEB. 20-MAR. 20) Don't divulge secret information. Take care of chores that have been hanging over your head. Your creative imagination will help you in coming up with unique ideas.
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Palace stun Chelsea as slick City set club record Chelsea Manager Jose Mourinho suffered only his second English Premier League defeat at Stamford Bridge as Crystal Palace clinched a shock 2-1 win over the spluttering champions yesterday. Mourinho was taking charge of his 100th home fixture in England’s top-flight, but Palace ensured that milestone won’t be remembered with any fondness by the Portuguese coach as they inflicted his first league loss on home soil since Sunderland’s victory in April 2014. It was the latest setback for Mourinho’s side, winners only once in their first four matches and already languishing eight points behind leaders Manchester City, who extended the last 100 percent record in the top tier with a 2-0 win against Watford at Eastlands. Just seconds after clearing a Gary Cahill header off the line, Mali forward Bakary Sako struck at the other end, sweeping high into the net from Yannick Bolasie’s cross to give Palace a 65th minute lead. Colombia’s Radamel Falcao looked to have rescued a point for Chelsea when the on-loan Monaco striker headed in a Pedro Rodriguez cross for his first
Action packed performances characterized... From page 81 Charles also turned in a courageous performance, albeit a losing one, after his opponent, Jamal Dowridge (HE) matched his blows right down to the last bell. The two pugilists really went after each other with wicked swings and in the end they both reflected the effects of the grueling bout which Dowridge prevailed. Keevin Allicock (HE) was also on winners’ row and he utilized just 1:11secs of the bout to dispose of Troy Charles (NOC) in their 111115lbs affair. Meanwhile, Patron of the tournament, Michael Parris, sat right throughout the proceedings and later assisted in the distribution of prizes. The Olympic bronze medalist was heartened by the performances of the young boxers and voiced the hope that they receive support of the government as well as the private sector in the realization of their dreams.
goal for the Blues in the 79th minute. However, parity was short-lived as defender Joel Ward headed home from Sako’s cross in the 81st minute to give second placed Palace their first win at the Bridge since 1982. At Eastlands, Raheem Sterling’s first goal for City since his £49m pre-season switch from Liverpool broke Watford’s stubborn resistance in the 47th minute as the England winger stabbed in Bacary Sagna’s cross. Fernandinho bagged City’s second goal in the 56th minute, the Brazilian lashing home after a one-two with David Silva to seal a club record 10th successive league win dating back to last season. Liverpool were beaten for the first time this season as West Ham United’s 3-0 victory gave the east Londoners their first league triumph at Anfield since 1963. In the third minute, Martin Skrtel’s poor headed clearance fell at the feet of Aaron Cresswell and his low
cross was prodded in by Manuel Lanzini, a 22-year-old Argentine midfielder on loan from Al Jazira. Slaven Bilic’s team doubled their lead in the 29th minute when Mark Noble side-footed home after Reds defender Dejan Lovren carelessly allowed Lanzini to seize possession. Arsenal clinched their second league win of the season as Fabricio Coloccini’s own goal gifted the Gunners a scrappy 1-0 success at ten-man Newcastle United. The turning point came in the 16th minute when referee Andre Marriner sent off Aleksandar Mitrovic after the Newcastle striker needlessly stamped on Francis Coquelin’s ankle as he stretched in a failed attempt to reach a loose ball. Wenger’s team eventually took advantage of their numerical superiority in the 52nd minute when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s low drive beat goalkeeper Tim Krul via a deflection off Coloccini. (FIFA)
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Kaieteur News
Sunday August 30, 2015
“Independence, sporting heroes and magnificent queens too!” Colin E. H. Croft ‘Usain Bolt is a real boss!’ Trinidad & Tobago celebrates its fifty-third Independence anniversary on August 31, so we could use that common T&T phrase to describe the unbelievable efforts and successes of ‘the big man’ who has bossed everyone at ‘Worlds’. In two tremendous races, USA’s Justin Gatlin was absolutely crushed by ‘de boss.’ The 1960’s were tumultuous and ambitious times for Caribbean countries; Guyana, Barbados, Jamaica and T&T getting independence from Great Britain that decade; while personally, August has been a happy and quite sad month too. I was also married; No. 2; on August 31. My young
queen – Shannon – was born August 29. Very sadly for us both, her mom – Gail – died this August 27. Life goes on, and World Athletics Championships 2015 have provided opportunities to focus on divergent, alternative situations, none more so than exploits of “Lightening” Bolt, whose country Jamaica also celebrated its 53rd Independence anniversary on August 06 last. There will always be comparisons; political, religious or otherwise; of Bolt and boxer Muhammed Ali, athlete Jesse Owens, swimmer Mark Spitz, footballer Pele, to name just a few. James Cleveland “Jesse” Owens had to overcome racial prejudice for his black
skin in native USA long before taking on deadly and selective politics of Germany’s Adolph Hitler, in order to win at Berlin Olympics 1936. Amazingly, Jesse still managed four gold medals which America and Germany too, had to very grudgingly accept. Still the greatest sporting, religious, even political hero of all time must be Muhammad Ali. Bolt is magnificent sportswise, but he never had to overcome racial, political or religious obstacles as did Ali, who overcame those, and refused induction into USA’s army, thus losing his world title. Having won gold at Rome Olympics 1960, Ali did the impossible in boxing, when, still a pup at twentytwo, he twice beat
Eaton overcomes fatigue to claim world record American Ashton Eaton retained the decathlon world title in the Bird’s Nest Stadium yesterday, breaking his own world record by scoring 9,045 points. After just five hours sleep, however, the 27-yearold admitted he had doubts over whether he could break the record. In the 10th and last discipline, the 1,500 meters, he needed the help of one of his rivals to drag him around the final lap in a fast enough time. Competing in his first decathlon for two years, Eaton had to run four minutes 18.25 seconds to score the 824 points required to break the world record. “I knew with 300 meters to go that I was behind, and I said, ‘Oh crap! I better go’,” Eaton told reporters. “I could see the Algerian Larbi (Bouraada) in front of me and I used him. I could tell, he sped up. I caught up again and he sped up again. So I thank him for that.” Eaton stopped the clock at 4:17.52 to score 829 points and break his old mark, set in 2012, by six points. The silver medal went to Canada’s Damian Warner with a national record 8,695 points and Rico Freimuth of Germany took bronze with 8,561. There had been little doubt through the second day that Eaton would win gold and it was all about whether he could better the record. The Olympic gold medalist had run 45.00
indestructible champion Sonny Liston in 1964 and 1965. Still undergoing severe religious persecution for his conversion to Islam and changing his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali, he won world’s heavyweight championships on two come-backs. Ali shook up the world by beating George Foreman in “The rumble in the jungle,” in Zaire 1974, still the biggest boxing upset ever, before beating Leon Spinks in 1978 to regain his title for the third time, having lost that very title to a Spinks upset months earlier. Being first to win seven Gold medals in the pool in one Olympics - Munich 1972 - put Spitz slightly ahead of similarly performing Michael Phelps, while Edson Arantes do Nacimento - “ Pele” - by efforts for Brazil’s winning FIFA World Cup 1958, 1962 and 1970, is ahead of my favorite footballer of all time, Germany’s Franz “Kaiser” Beckenbauer. But T&T’s multiOlympics medalist Ato Boldon’s opinion on NBC television, that “Bolt has transcended the sport,” was spot on. Bolt may not have only aided in the revival of athletics, but, after so many drugs scandals over the last decade, Bolt may have actually saved the sport overall! When Bolt won that 100 meters dash last week, his hardest race ever, USA’s
Michael Johnson, who also compares well to Bolt, after Johnson’s four Olympics gold medals at Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000, and eight gold medals at ‘Worlds’ from Tokyo 1991 to Seville 1999, made an astonishing observation on BBC television: “Half of the runners in that 100 meters final had bans and problems using performance enhancing drugs. This sport needs help!” Majestic queens all Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann FraserPryce, especially England’s Jessica Ennis-Hill and Kenya’s Vivian Cheruiyot, with honorable mentions to Jamaica’s Veronica CampbellBrown, Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba, Holland’s Dafne Schippers and USA’s Allyson Felix. Schippers is a sprinter converted from heptathlon. Being second to Shelly-Ann Fraser-Price in 100 meters, then dominating 200 meters, makes Dafne the athlete to anticipate in Rio Olympics 2016. What a conversion! Similarly, Felix converted from 200 meters, confident that she could go 400 meters with the same results; gold; her stellar win magnifying the embarrassing lack of production by USA teammates. “VCB” has been such a royal presence in world sprints for so long that we forget that she is only thirtythree. That she can still get bronze in that memorable 200
Colin E. H. Croft meters after starting her international career in 1999 is out-of-this-world. Keep going, girl! Genzebe Dibaba is trying hard not only to emulate her older sister, three times Olympic champion Tirunesh, but to actually outdo her sibling. One wonders what Genzebe can’t achieve, as she runs so smoothly for a middledistance runner. “Pocket Rocket” FraserPryce, since she is only five feet tall, was imperious in that 100 meters. If she can exclude injuries in the next year, she will dominate the 100 meters at Rio to augment her already bulging gold cache and crown a great career. But absolute heroines are heptathlon champion InnisHill and Cheruiyot, 10,000 meters winner. Both had babies last year, so to compete and win dominantly, especially EnnisHill with seven disciplines, and having probably the best abdominal muscles at the ‘Worlds,’ are truly miraculous. I lost a beautiful queen last week, but several magnificent athletic queens still persevere. Enjoy!
CAREBACO Individual Championships Ashton Eaton. Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach seconds in the 400 meters on Friday, the fastest ever by a decathlete during a multievent. Eaton finished the first day on 4,703 points, well ahead of medal challengers Warner Freimuth and the second German, Kai Kazmirek. His procession towards the gold continued on Saturday with a 13.69second 110m hurdles, a 43.34metre discus throw, 5.20 meters in the pole vault and a 63.63-metre javelin throw. “In the hurdles, it was really hard to get over nine and 10. I thought, ‘Jeez, I’m getting old.’ It was just kind of difficult,” Eaton said. “The world record thing? I knew I was on track, and I was just trying to have fun. But I got to the pole vault, and I was
getting tired and I thought ‘I don’t know if this thing is possible’,” he added. “Then in the javelin I got all fired-up. Where do you find that inner strength, I don’t know, but the important thing is to search for it, to dig, anyway. “In the 1,500, I was having doubts, I didn’t know if I could do it. It’s like two years since I did a decathlon like this, and it’s different from when I did the record in Eugene. This was 12-hour days.” With one day of the meeting to go, Eaton’s is the only world record to be broken at the Beijing championships. Eaton is married to Canadian heptathlete Brianne TheisenEaton, who won the world silver medal here earlier this week. (Reuters)
GUYANESE PLAYERS INTO FIVE SEMI FINALS The Ramdhani siblings, #3 Seed Narayan Ramdhani and sister Priyanna along with Tryese Jeffrey have all made it into the semi finals of various events when the Caribbean Regional Badminton Confederation (CAREBACO) Individual Championships continued on Friday and yesterday at Club Los Prados, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Advancing to the medal rounds were Narayan Ramdhani in Boys Singles. Priyanna Ramdhani has qualified in the Girls Singles, Girls Doubles and Mix Doubles in partnership with Tyrese Jeffrey. Results of quarter final matches are as follows: Boys Under-19 Singles Quarter-Finals: No. 3 Seeded Narayan Ramdhani (Guyana) defeated Palmer Shaquille (Jamaica) 21-14, 21-16. Boys Under-19 Doubles Quarter-Finals: No. 1 Seeded players Narayan Ramdhani and Jonathan Mangra (Guyana) lost to Joel Angus and Palmer Shaquille (Jamaica) 16-21, 19-21.
Girls Under-15 Singles Quarter-Finals: No. 1 Seed Priyanna Ramdhani (Guyana) defeated Mileki Acosta (Dominican Republic) 21-18, 13-21, 16-21. Girls Under-15 Doubles Quarter-Finals: Priyanna Ramdhani (Guyana) and Erisa Bleau (Suriname) defeated Chequeda De Boulet and Waynetta Thomas (Trinidad & Tobago) 2115, 21-13. Mix Doubles Under-15: No. 4 Seeds Priyanna Ramdhani and Tyrese Jeffrey (Guyana) defeated Jaison Marte and Kaina Lucero (Dominican Republic) 21-13, 21-11. Boys Under-15 Singles Quarter-Finals: Tyrese Jeffrey (Guyana) lost to No. 2 Seed Daniel Acosta (Dominican Republic) 21-12, 21-12. Boys Under-15 Doubles Quarter-Finals: Tyrese Jeffrey (Guyana) and Samuel Rosado (Dominican Republic) lost to Daniel Acosta and Edison Ramirez (Dominican Republic) 216, 21-7.
Sunday August 30, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 79
Bolt lands sprint sweep, FOOTBALLING LEGEND Farah the treble double Alex Bunbury determined to give back to Guyana! Usain Bolt needed a bit of help from his American rivals to win a third gold medal but Mo Farah secured a unique “treble double” all on his own on a dramatic penultimate night of the world athletics championships today. While Bolt’s place in the sporting pantheon was assured long before he won his 11th world title in the 4x100 meters relay, Farah took his spot among the greatest distance runners of all time with his third straight 5,000 meters title. The British Olympic champion’s brilliant victory gave him the 5,000-10,000 double for an unprecedented third major global championships in a row. “Tonight I had to dig deep, it hasn’t been easy, it’s never easy,” the 32-year-old said. “It’s just amazing, incredible, to achieve the treble double.” Ashton Eaton had earlier shown his American team mates how to win a title in style when he bettered his own world record in the decathlon, while the Jamaican women ran the second fastest 4x100m of all time to give their men something to aim at. A little over 20 minutes later, however, it looked like American Justin Gatlin might just get one over his Beijing nemesis Bolt. A botched final exchange between Tyson Gay and Mike Rodgers, though, saw the United States disqualified and the Jamaican add another title to those he won in the individual sprints. It was the fifth time the 29year-old had swept all three sprint titles at a major global championships going back to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and all the sweeter for the fact that it came at the end of an injury-disrupted season. “This is better because I proved everybody wrong,” Bolt told reporters. “Everybody had counted me out and said ‘he’s not going to make it, he’s done’. I came out here and proved you can never count Usain Bolt out, I’m a champion.” There were gold medals for Eastern Europe too with Marina Arzamasova of Belarus winning the 800 meters, Pole Piotr Malachowski taking the discus, Russian Mariya Kuchina the high jump and Slovakia’s Matej Tothin the 50 km walk. WORLD RECORD Olympic champion Eaton did all those disciplines bar the walk as part of his decathlon and when it came
Farah was congratulated on his success by fellow global athletics star Usain Bolt after the race.
down to the final event, the 1,500 meters, he needed to run four minutes 18.25 seconds to better the world record he set in 2012. “In the 1,500, I was having doubts, I didn’t know if I could do it,” he said. “It’s like two years since I did a decathlon like this, and it’s different from when I did the record in Eugene. This was 12-hour days.” With Algerian Larbi Bouraada acting as his pacemaker, however, Eaton stopped the clock at 4:17.52 to take his tally to 9,045 and break his old mark by six points. Farah was also fatigued after winning the 10,000m last weekend and he was perhaps grateful for a slow start to his race. His rivals have tried a variety of tactics to beat Farah over the last seven major global distance races and yesterday Caleb Ndiku went for a straight sprint over the final 800m. “I had a plan to kill everybody there,” the Kenyan said. Killing Farah is not so easy, however, and he surged past Ndiku on the final bend to claim a victory in 13 minutes 50.38 seconds that was marred only by the absence of his pregnant wife and three children. “Sometimes, as a parent, you don’t want to be away so much,” Farah said. “It hurts sometimes. I just want to go home and celebrate with
them.” There were plenty of celebrations on the track after 100 meters champion ShellyAnn Fraser-Pryce anchored the Jamaican women’s relay team to victory over 400 meters champion Allyson Felix and the American team in 41.07 seconds. While that race could not have been more straightforward, the men’s race featured botched handovers by the Americans and British and ended up with China’s sprinters on the podium for the first time. Gatlin, who finished second behind Bolt in the 100 and 200m, suggested the noisy crowd urging on the Chinese might have contributed to Rodgers being out of the exchange box when he finally took the baton from Gay. “Definitely disappointed,” said the 33-year-old. “We practiced a lot but the only thing we weren’t ready for was the volume of the stadium. We couldn’t hear the cues and that cost us the DQ.” Bolt, however, thought that the pressure of being favorites after they beat the Jamaicans in May’s World Relays in the Bahamas had taken its toll on the Americans. “It’s easy to chase people but it’s harder when you’re the one being chased,” he said. “Clearly they can’t handle being chased.” (Reuters)
UG whip GYO, TSC... From page 83 game resumed; McPherson and Budhoo (5*) saw TSC home. Wicket-keeper Christopher Vantull, who lives in New York where he plays, looked
very accomplished with the gloves and was one of the few bright spots on a depressing day for the Lawmen. The next round is scheduled for next weekend.
By Santokie Nagulendran Alex Bunbury is known as one of Canada’s greatest ever football players; the striker appeared 65 times for the Canadian National team and had a playing career which took him to Portugal and the English Premier League. Yet Bunbury was actually born in Plaisance, Guyana, and is now hoping to radically change footballing development in the country by building his very own Academy in Guyana, with the aim being to create hope and opportunity through both sports and academics. Having left Guyana aged nine, Bunbury moved to Canada, ‘’Cricket was my first love growing up in Plaisance, I started playing football age 12 in Montreal, Canada, because of my older brothers’’ Bunbury reminisces. After moving to Canada, Bunbury would go on to have an outstanding professional football career at club Hamilton Steelers, before eventually gaining a move to England, where he featured for London club West Ham United. However, it was in Portugal where he spent the majority of his career, excelling at club side Marítimo between 1993 and 1999, winning the prestigious ‘’Foreign Player of the Year’’ award in 1995, granted every year to the best overseas player in the Portuguese Premier League. Bunbury also featured for Canada’s National team, scoring 16 goals, many of which in 1994 and 1998 World Cup qualifying games, and is currently 8th in the list of Canada’s all-
Alex Bunbury time top scorers. To have a player born in Guyana achieve so much on a global footballing stage is truly remarkable. Now aged 48 and retired from playing, Bunbury wants to give back to his homeland, and has begun plans to develop a multi-million (US) dollar , state of the art academy known as ‘’The Alex Bunbury Sports and Academics Academy ’’ which he hopes will revolutionise sports and educational development in Guyana. Speaking on the project, Bunbury said the Academy will be, “Utilising athletics as a means to an end, preparing, supporting, and arming young people with confidence to embrace their surroundings and future with a sense of: hope, pride, belief and a foundation for success . This world-class facility with state of the art equipment will be designed for intellectual, physical and social education.” Whilst a location is currently being decided on, Bunbury emphasises that, “the facility will be at a centralised “home” location for all demographics, especially those in the
Santokie Nagulendran interior! The complex will consist of multiple offices for life-skills programmes, non-profit organisations, multiple after-school learning and study rooms, and an interactive learning and computer centre. The primary athletic programme is founded on the sport with the highest participation in the world with no age, race or gender barriers….Football.” Bunbury, aware that Guyana is a cricketloving nation, also stressed that cricket will be incorporated into the academy and be a major part of the initiative, as well as football, track and field, and basketball. Nor will the Academy be exclusive to young people either, Bunbury is clear in stating that Senior citizens and those with disabilities will also be catered for. Not daunted by the monumental task he has set himself, Bunbury is hoping to launch the Academy once, “our feasibility, business plan, master plan and model is completed. The goal is to have everything in place to present to the public as soon as possible.” Finally, when asked about a potential coaching role in Guyana, Bunbury, who has experience of working as a coach in the USA, said, “My number one priority is to bring the Alex Bunbury Sports and Academics Academy to my Homeland, however, nationally, I would like to help strengthen and develop our youth and senior level teams.” Despite having left Guyana as a child it is clear from what he says that Alex Bunbury still has a great affinity for Guyana and considers it home. With the development of the academy in its very early stages, it is hoped that progress will move at a rapid rate and hopefully, the academy will eventually be a place that changes the lives of many youths in Guyana for the better.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday August 30, 2015
MAYWEATHER INSISTS Joel Garner re-elected Berto will be his last foe AS BCA PRESIDENT The unbeaten American in the ring on Wednesday with Mexican boxer Ramon Montano at Mayweather’s gym in Las Vegas.
Los Angeles (AFP) Outspoken welterweight king Floyd Mayweather insists his September 12 showdown with Andre Berto will be his last bout. “Nobody knows what the future holds, but right now, I’m cool and comfortable and having no second thoughts at all about retirement,” Mayweather said at an open workout in Las Vegas on Wednesday. “I had a good career, I
won every world title, but boxing is wear and tear on the body. “It’s time to hang ‘em up. I’m looking forward to working with some up-andcoming kids, going on walks and taking vacations.” It’s a vision of retirement few who have watched his career can really picture for the ultra-competitive American, who will be trying to equal Rocky Marciano’s legendary record of 49-0.
A chance to go to 50-0 could prove irresistible, as could the chance to inaugurate the MGM Grand’s new 20,000-seat arena in Las Vegas next year. But for now the 38-yearold Mayweather says he’s glad his success gives him the chance to decide when to quit the ring - a choice many in the sport are denied. “I’ve truly been blessed,” (Continued on page 77)
Bolt and Gatlin headed to Brussels, but will not meet
Bolt and silver medallist Gatlin of the USA enjoy a conversation following their men’s 200m final on Thursday.
Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin will race again in Brussels next month, but not against each other, organizers of the Van Damme Diamond League meeting said yesterday. “No chance for rematch,” meeting director Wilfried Meert told Reuters in an email. “Will be Gatlin in the 100 and Bolt in the 200.” Bolt ended American Gatlin’s two-year unbeaten streak with victories in both
the 100 and 200 meters at the Beijing world championships, though his participation at the September 11 meeting in Brussels is contingent on fitness, his agent said. “Usain’s only scheduled race this year after Beijing is Brussels provided he comes through this meet fit and healthy,” Ricky Simms said in an email to Reuters. “When he gets back to Europe next week we will see how he
recovers from the exertions of the past week. “The big goal is Rio.” Bolt is expected to seek his third consecutive set of triple Olympic gold medals in Brazil next year. Prior to Beijing, Bolt and Gatlin had not met since September 2013 when the Jamaican won the 100 meters and Gatlin finished fourth in Brussels. Overall, Bolt holds an 8-2 advantage in career clashes. (Reuters)
Bridgetown, Barbados - Joel Garner has been re-elected as President of the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) for a fifth consecutive two-year term. At the 13th Special Meeting at Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Garner, a former Barbados Captain and West Indies fast bowling great, defeated Conde Riley 127 to 101 votes. There were two spoilt votes. Riley also lost to Garner two years ago (166-121). Deighton Smith was retained as First vicepresident as well, beating Calvin Hope 121109. There were five spoilt votes. Maurice Gaskin is the new Second vice-president. He was elected unopposed. That position had been held by Wendell Kellman. Gaskin served as Third vice-president in the last term. Erskine King then won the battle among four contenders for the post of Third vice-president. King, a former Barbados wicket-keeper/batsman and ex-Director of Sports at the National Sports Council, gained 77 votes. The others in contention were Calvin Hope (75), Patricia Greenidge (29) and Keith Simmons (21). There were six spoilt votes. Jason King remains Treasurer after he was unchallenged. Anthea Ishmael is still Secretary, defeating Jeff Broomes 104 to 91, with three spoilt votes. There were four unopposed nominations for positions as Board members - former Barbados and England batsman Roland
Joel Garner
Butcher, Ignatius Marshall, Hartley Reid and Kamal Springer. Intrigue surrounded the two persons to serve as Directors on the West Indies Cricket Board. In a battle between Garner, Smith and Riley, Garner got 116 votes, while Smith and Riley tied with 77. There was one spoilt vote. A second vote resulted in Riley edging out Smith 71 to 70. Smith and Butcher will be the representatives to WICB meetings. In a fourman contest, Smith earned 70 votes, Butcher 59, Kamal Springer 47 and Timothy Boyce 42. There was one spoilt vote. (bcacricket)
US Open men’s draw New York (AFP) - Men’s draw for the US Open, the year’s final Grand Slam tournament that begins tomorrow on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts (x denotes seed): Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) v Joao Souza (BRA) Leonardo Mayer (ARG) v Roger Federer (SUI x2) Nick Kyrgios (AUS) v Andy Murray (GBR x3) Kei Nishikori (JPN x4) v Benoit Paire (FRA) Stan Wawrinka (SUI x5) v Albert RamosVinolas (ESP) Tomas Berdych (CZE x6) v Bjorn Fratengelo (USA) Radu Albot (MDA) v David Ferrer (ESP x7) Borna Coric (CRO) v Rafael Nadal (ESP x8) Marin Cilic (CRO x9) v Guido Pella (ARG) Milos Raonic (CAN x10) v Tim Smyczek (USA) Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) v Richard Gasquet (FRA x12) Simone Bolelli (ITA) v David Goffin (BEL x14) Kevin Anderson (RSA x15) v Andrey Rublev (RUS) Illya Marchenko (UKR) v Gael Monfils (FRA x16) Matthew Ebden (AUS) v Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x17) Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) v Feliciano Lopez (ESP x18) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x19) v Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) Daniel Gimeno-Traver (ESP) v Dominic Thiem (AUT x20) US OPEN WOMEN’S DRAW Women’s draw for the US Open, the year’s final Grand Slam tournament that begins tomorrow on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts (x denotes seed): Serena Williams (USA x1) v Vitalia Diatchenko (RUS) Marina Erakovic (NZL) v Simona Halep
(ROM x2) Maria Sharapova (RUS x3) v Daria Gavrilova (AUS) Jamie Loeb (USA) v Carolina Wozniacki (DEN x4) Petra Kvitova (CZE x5) v Laura Siegemund (GER) Lucie Safarova (CZE x6) v Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) v Ana Ivanovic (SRB x7) Ana Tatishvili (USA) v Karolina Pliskova (CZE x8) Carina Witthoeft (GER) v Garbine Muguruza (ESP x9) Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP x10) v Denisa Allertova (CZE) Alexandra Dulgheru (ROM) v Angelique Kerber (GER x11) Belinda Bencic (SUI x12) v Sesil Karatantcheva (BUL) Teliana Pereira (BRA) v Ekaterina Makarova (RUS x13) Timea Bacsinszky (SUI x14) v Barbora Strycova (CZE) Katerina Siniakova (CZE) v Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x15) Sara Errani (ITA x16) v Mayo Hibi (JPN) Elina Svitolina (UKR x17) v Elizaveta Kulichkova (RUS) Andrea Petkovic (GER x18) v Caroline Garcia (FRA) Madison Keys (USA x19) v Klara Koukalova (CZE) Victoria Azarenka (BLR x20) v Lucie Hradecka (CZE) Oceane Dodin (FRA) v Jelena Jankovic (SRB x21) Timea Babos (HUN) v Samantha Stosur (AUS x22) Monica Puig (PUR) v Venus Williams (USA x23) CoCo Vandeweghe (USA) v Sloane Stephens (USA x29)
Sunday August 30, 2015
Kaieteur News
Action packed performances characterized Michael Parris Under-16 Boxing Tournament By Michael Benjamin There are just out of the nursery and was not expected to turn in classical performances, but what they lacked in skill, boxers of several gyms compensated with courage action packed performances when the curtains came down on the Michael Parris U-16 boxing championships, under the auspices of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) and the Demerara Distillers Ltd, at the Andrew Lewis Boxing Gym (ALBG) yesterday afternoon. Dozens crammed into the venue and were treated to several slugfests as the Simon Pures aspired to entertain. The crowd was not disappointed as the action started as early as the first fight when Shaquancy Wright of the Essequibo Boxing Gym (EBG) earned a well deserved decision over Harpy Eagles (HE) representative, Leslie Marques, to take the honours in the 64-69lbs division. That fight was really a semi final affair as Wright returned later on the programme to face his gym mate, Deron Williams whom he also defeated on points thus earning the championship honours. Wright’s performance pleased the judges who went on to select him for a special prize, a pair of sneakers donated by Milton Brandsford of Colours on Robb Street. John Dowridge represented the Harpy Eagles and pounded his way to a 49secs stoppage of Isaiah Jacobs of the Pocket Rocket Boxing Gym (PRBG) after a wicked two fisted attack. The bout was in the 111-115lbs category. His efforts did not go unnoticed and he was later adjudged best Boxer of the tournament. The PRBG was on a high and waltzed away with the prize for the Best Gym after another of its representatives, Omar Pollard, unleashed a two fisted attack and forced the referee to halt his bout against Traion Sealey (NOC) with only 57secs on the clock. Henry Belgrave also flew the flag for the PRBG with distinction when he survived a spirited attack from Devon Fraser (NOC) in the 120-127 division to come
out on top. The coaches also received some attention and Orrin London, brother of top female professional boxers, Pauline and Pamela, left the venue smiling with a large food hamper after he was adjudged the best coach of the day while referee/judge, Mark Drakes was adjudged the best official on show; he earned a hamper compliments of Nigel’s supermarket. Medford Wilson’s efforts as a judge/referee was also noted and he received a special prize donated by Nigel’s Supermarket. Leslie Marques is merely 11 yearsold and he fights out of the 64-69lbs division. He failed to get past A q u a n c y Wr i g h t b u t received a special prize for being the youngest boxer on show while Joshua Corbin of the Carryl’s Boxing Gym (CBG) pounded out a unanimous verdict over Shamal Gittens (NOC) in the 128-135lbs division to earn a unanimous victory. Omar Pollard (PR) was also in winners’ row and he forced the referee to halt his bout against Traion Sealey (NOC) in just 57secs of their 85-90lbs bout. Pollard returned later in the afternoon to chalk up another win, this time against Junior Hyman, who he stopped at 1:36secs of the 3rd round. The NOC boxers were not really up to par and surrendered all of their bouts. However, the courage of Okefi Husbands stood out when he faced Quincy Boyce (GDF) in the 140147lbs class. Husbands dug deep and came up with several unorthodox punches that hurt his man and pushed him on the back foot. However, the NOC pugilist just could not sustain the tempo and as the bout wore on he became susceptible to head and body shots that weakened him and forced him to recoil. He managed to make it to the end, which in itself was a great achievement. However, his performance failed to impress the judges and he dropped the unanimous verdict. Boyce returned later in the evening and added the scalp of Husbands’ gym mate, Kevin Benn to his resume. Another NOC representative, Chris (Continued on page 77)
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Persaud takes feature event as 39th “Teach then Young” cycle programme concludes
The respective prize winners with representatives of the sponsors and organisers.
R
obin Persaud u s e d h i s experience to good effect, capturing the feature School Boys and Invitational 35-lap event when the 2015 “Teach Them Young” Cycle programme concluded yesterday at the National Park. Persaud, who grabbed one prime, Junior Niles, Jamal John and Paul De Nobrega dictated proceedings from the onset as they separated themselves from the pack in the second lap. The quartet continued their dominance throughout the contest, but it was
Persaud who prevailed winning the battle in a time of One Hour 16 Minutes 32.56 Seconds. Niles took the runner up spot followed by John, De Nobrega, Raul Leal and Paul Choo-Wee-Nam in that order. De Nobrega captured three primes while Niles and John had two each. The veteran Under-50 5lap event was taken by Jude Bentley in a time of 12 Minutes 14.85 Seconds, Junior Niles placed second and Ian Jackson third; Bently took one prime. Linden Blackman won the Over-50 5-lap race while
Zab James carted off the boys BMX 9-12, 3-lap title. Alexander Leung took the boys BMX 6-9, 2-lap event ahead of Simon Cheo and John Niles respectively; Tharan Garbarran claimed the boys BMX 12-14, 3-lap crown along with two primes. The Juvenile 10-lap went to John who won the duel in a time of 25 Minutes 28.72 Seconds; Raphael Leung took the runner up spot ahead of Kemuel Moses. John and Leung took one prime each. Marcus Keiler took the top podium spot in the Mountain Bike 5-lap race in a time of 12 Minutes 44.50
Seconds. Makol Diaz finished second and Jason Herbert third; Keiler pocketed the lone prime.Speaking at the presentation ceremony, National Coach and Organiser Hassan Mohamed congratulated the winners and urged the youngsters to take the sport seriously as well as their Education. He thanked the National Sports Commission (sponsor) and Ricks and Sari who presented a cycle to Adeli Hodge for their support. This year marked the 39th year for the programme. (Zaheer Mohamed)
GT Beer/Petra Organisation Futsal Competition...
Sparta Boss vs. Albouystown should be a gem Action in the GT Beer / Petra Organisation Futsal Competition continues tonight with four more matches at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, starting from 19:00hrs. In the opening fixture, Alexander Village which will be led by the likes of Leon Yaw and Shem Porter takes on Globe Yard with Gordon Henry and Sherwin Grimes in their lineup. In the game to follow, Festival City tackles Kitty Weavers and this encounter should provide some
fireworks. Festival City is a very strong team and seems to be in ripping form with Eon Alleyne, Dwayne Lawrence and the experienced Solomon Austin expected to bear the brunt of their chances of a win, while Weavers’ quest for victory depends heavily on the performances of Sherwin Vincent, Nigel Denny and Travis Martin. The Kacy John-led Agricola unit then square off against Queen Street of Tiger Bay. John is expected to receive support from Gordon Grant and
Anthony Rollins, while Keoma Gravesande, James Meredith and Darren Harris will lead the charge for Queen Street. The curtains come down with what is anticipated to be a blockbuster duel involving Albouystown and Sparta Boss. Marlon Nedd and Roy Cassou are the players who could pose a threat for Sparta Boss, but the East La Penitencebased side is a star-studded one possessing the likes of Travis Grant, Denis Edwards and Sheldon Shepherd.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday August 30, 2015
Trophy Stall hands Anderson’s ton, Sinclair and Simpson overmain trophy for lead RHT Farfan & Mendes into semis Real Presidents Cup B Horse Race Meet BCB/Tenelec Inc. U-15 Cricket 2014...
erbice Under-15 Captain Kevlon Anderson, Junior Sinclair and Keith Simpson combined efforts to lead Rose Hall Town Farfan & Mendes Under-15s into the semifinals of the 2014 Berbice Cricket Board (BCB), Tenelec Inc. Under15 Tournament. Playing at the Area ‘H’ Ground, Rose Hall Town Farfan & Mendes obtained first innings points over a hapless Bush Lot Rising Star Team who then failed to turn up for the second day. Batting first after losing the toss, Rose Hall Town Farfan & Mendes rattled up and imposing 260 for 3 before declaring, Anderson led with an unbeaten 113, an innings which included eight boundaries. Fellow national Under15 Junior Sinclair batted well for 53 while Keith Simpson 30 and Brandon Corlette 22 not out supported well. Bowling for the visitors Navendra Prashad took 2-87 off 15 overs while Nicholas Shiurally claimed
deficit of 171 runs on first innings. Batting a second time, RHT Farfan & Mendes lost Surendra Budhoo for 5 and the promoted pair of Justin Gobin and Clement King Jnr. for naught each to be in a spot of bother at 25 for 3. But Sinclair (25) and Keith Simpson added 70 runs for the 4 wicket before Sinclair was bowled by Bhola for 30. Simpson and first innings centurion Kevlon Anderson then turned flayed the Bush Lot bowling attack to add a further 85 before the close of play. Simpson was unbeaten on 70 (6x4) while Anderson scored his second fifty of the match and was on 51 when stumps were drawn. He was denied an opportunity to score another century when Bush Lot did not turn up on the second day with RHT Farfan & Mendes enjoying a healthy lead of 351 runs with five wickets in hand. RHT Farfan & Mendes will now play Tucber Park in the semifinal on a date and venue to be announced by the BCB. th
The trio of Kevlon Anderson, Keith Simpson and Junior Sinclair. 1-30 off six overs. In reply Bush Lot Rising Star was given a rousing start by openers Adrian Ramnarine and Hanskumar Singh, the pair adding 50 in just ten overs before left arm spinner Keith Simpson removed Singh for 19 via the LBW route while Ramnarine
fell to the same bowler for a top score of 34 to have the score 57 for 2. None of the remaining batsmen reached double figures as off spinner Junior Sinclair claimed 5-8 off six overs; Simpson had 3-10 off seven overs. The visitors were dismissed for 89, a
RHTY&SC cricket teams to celebrate Rose Hall Town 45 Anniversary T
Mrs. Sunich of the Trophy Stall, presents the Presidents Cup to Organiser Fazal Hsabibulla.
T
he Village of Rose Hall was on September 20, 1970 granted the status of Township by the administration of the late Prime Minister of Guyana, L.F.S. Burnham. The Village was sold to fifty-seven (57) former slaves by Henry John Baird, a European planter and on September 20, 1970 became the fifth Town in Guyana. The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club (RHTY&SC), Guyana’s leading youth and sports organisation is based in Guyana’s smallest town and over the past 25 years has contributed to the development of the Township. The club serves residents of the Town by hosting 200 programmes/ activities annually under sports, culture, charity, pro-education, anti-drugs, antisuicide, honour/awards, youth development, community development, religious, social and personal development among others. To mark the Township’s 45 Anniversary, the RHTY&SC and its cricket teams, Rose Hall Town Farfan & Mendes Under-15, Bakewell Under-17 and Second Division, Pepsi Under-19, Metro Females and Gizmos & Gadgets Under-21 and First Division Teams will be organizing several activities. th
These include a T20 cricket match at the Area ‘H’ Ground, an Inter-Ward Basketball Tournament, unveiling of a 45 Anniversary Billboard, hosting of the Assuria Insurance 5-Overs Cricket Tournament, sharing out of footwear for less fortunate students across Berbice and the Launching of a Leaflet on the History of the Town. The teams would also be hosting a Medical Outreach Programme in conjunction with the New Amsterdam Public Hospital, an Inter-Primary School Spelling B Competition, an Evening of Music with the Guyana Defense Force Band and a Public Exhibition. Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster stated that the teams and the club would be funding most of the activities as a way of saying thank you to the Township for its support over the years. Foster also informed that the club would also be spearheading the construction of a Community Recreational Park for residents. This project would be a joint initiative with the Guyana Police Force ‘B’ Division, RHTY&SC and Residents under the “Say No to Crime Programme”. The project is currently in the planning phase and is expected to be
housands of race fans including His Excellency President David Arthur Granger, other top Government and Regional officials are expected to be in attendance at today’s eagerly anticipated ‘Real Presidents Cup Horses Race Meet. This event has been organized by the Rising Sun Turf Club (RSTC) in collaboration with Inshan Bacchus Business entity and friends and will see a total of nine (9) races being contested with over $7.5M in cash, trophies and other incentives at stake. Meanwhile, The Trophy Stall of Bourda Market in the City has sponsored the main trophy which was presented to Organiser Fazal Habibulla by Mrs. Sunich, wife of the owner; Mr. Ramesh Sunich. Over 85 of Guyana’s top horses will be matching strides today.
th
Bounty Farm sponsors the Guyana Darts Association FUNDRAISING BAR-B-QUE Hilbert Foster completed by March next year. Efforts would also be made to assist sports organisations and schools in the Town with sports gear/equipment. This gesture according to Foster, is geared towards clubs and schools promoting sports as an alternative to a life on the road for youths.
T
he Guyana Darts Association (GDA) will be holding a fundraising bar-b-que and lime today at the Malteenoes Sports Club, Thomaslands, sponsored by Bounty Farm Ltd. This activity is the first of many and is essentially geared towards garnering funds to meet the GDA’s overseas tournament commitments for 2016. A mini darts tournament is on the cards and all affiliated members are eligible to participate. The GDA wishes to express its gratitude to Bounty Farm Ltd. for their generous contribution to this venture.
Sunday August 30, 2015
Kaieteur News
GCA’s Noble House Seafood T20...
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Forbes Burnham Memorial Softball
UG whip GYO, TSC beat Regal, Herstelling, Speed Boat and Adventure Police in high tension finish through to FINAL FOUR
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he inaugural Forbes Burnham Memorial 10/10 knock-out softball competition will culminate today at the Ministry of Education ground, Carifesta Avenue with Regal, Herstelling, Speed Boat and Adventure battling for supremacy. They all recorded victories in their respective quarterfinal games which were contested yesterday at Everest Cricket Kwame Cross turns one to leg during his fluent innings yesterday. Club. Regal overcame Success Warriors by 92 runs. Batting first, Regal rattled up 172-4 in The Georgetown Cricket the innings. 10 overs. Chien Gittens struck Association’s (GCA) T20 A n d r e w Ly g h t t o p 59 while Fazal Rafeek made 19; Vishwanauth first division cricket competition scored with 20 before he was Geewan took 2-18. Success Warriors replied resumed inauspiciously bowled by Orin Fernandes, with 80-5 in 10 overs. Herstelling trounced yesterday at the Malteenoes who operated with a very South Star of Linden by 52 runs. Herstelling ground with the opening suspect action to leave the game of the ‘double-header’ Cops on 65-2. This was after being played without a former Guyana youth player prepared pitch, a 30-yard Norwayne Fredericks (9) circle making and no black was bowled by Kevin Ross, sight screen. who has been bowling with a The second match then suspect action for close to ended controversially as two decades. tensions escalated following Of the other Police a ‘not out’ verdict against top batsmen, only Steven Harris scorer Charwayne Mc (15) reached double figures Pherson with Transport as Suresh Budhoo captured Sports Club (TSC) 11 runs 5-10. When TSC began their emerara Queens started their trek away from victory. reply Shemroy Kendal (10) to championship honours when Suresh Budhoo In the first game was run out at 17-1 but Mc they swamped Kuru Kururu University of Guyana (UG), Pherson and Ryan Hemraj, Warriors 7-0 in their Group B led by Dennis Haywood’s 5who played the supporting encounter when the curtains went up on the 10, beat GYO by 29 runs and role with composed 30, put Annual Women’s Football Tournament last TSC, aided by a terrible decision together 74 for the second Friday evening. by the stand-in Umpire wicket before Hemraj was One match earlier in a Group A match, involving McPherson, who removed by former national Little Divas rebounded from being a goal finished unbeaten on 49, got U-19 pacer Seon Daniels at down to Foxy Ladies, in the 47 minute, to past defending champions 91-2. equalize the situation through an Abioce Police by eight wickets. McPherson was dropped Heywood penalty. On another sweltering at long-on in the same over Roshanna Grandison (17; 47), Melinda day in the City, UG, after on 35 with 26 needed from Scott (6; 10; 15) and Natubique Goppy (22; much speculation whether or 24 balls. With 11 runs to win 53) were the architects of the Demerara not the match would be in the 19th over, McPherson, Queens victory while Abioce Heywood cancelled, reached 116-3 then on 43, was clearly short netted a penalty in the 57 minute to equalize from a reduced 17 overs. of his ground when the for the Divas after Tiandi Smith had netted for This was after the teams, stumps were broken which Foxy Ladies in the 47 minute. who had to roll the pitch, would have left the score on The lasses played a determined game as agreed to play without the 103-3. fortunes swayed from one team to the next. marking on the field and the McPherson, who played Smith’s goal came after a marvelous solo run Dennis Haywood absence of a black sight some lovely shots in his where she dribbled past the opposition’s screen although the match (29) and Darnel Douglas innings, was walking off but midfielders and defenders to send in a dolly of was contested in colored (22) added 43 for the first was encouraged to return to a shot. The Foxy Ladies battled ferociously in wicket before the unrelated his crease when it was an attempt to equalize with Heywood being a clothes and a white ball. GYO were then bowled Persauds, Ravindralall (21) realized that the stand-in thorn in the sides of the Little Divas. out in 15.5 overs for 87 as and Mahendra (17) put Umpire at Square-leg, She made several breakthroughs down the Haywood, who was on a hat- together 41 in an unfinished wearing a pair of large red left flank but her efforts were thwarted by the trick, sliced through the fourth wicket stand for the Headphones, had not given opposition’s defense. It was after a spirited lower order like a knife students. the batsman out. This effort that Heywood was brought down in the In the second game sparked a heated on-field box and was awarded a penalty; she made no cutting butter. Only former West Indies w h i c h s t a r t e d l a t e t o v e r b a l c o n f r o n t a t i o n mistake and gently tapped the ball to the right U n d e r - 1 9 l e f t - h a n d e r facilitate the marking of the between members of the two even as the opposition’s goalie leaped to the Kwame Cross offered any ground but still remained a teams, some spectators and left. Heywood’s perseverance saw her resistance with a fluent 31 20-over per side affair, the Umpire, who insisted in making another breakthrough but her run was (4x4 1x6) before he was Police batted first on a track not changing his decision. prematurely halted after she collided with the bowled with a beauty from with a tinge of grass and After a lengthy delay the advancing goalie. The collision was fierce were dismissed for 111 off Umpire was replaced and the and both players lay huddled on the turf for pacer Micheal Shalim at 53-3. Earlier, Leon Williams the penultimate delivery of (Continued on page 79) several minutes while the medic worked
Rawl Reid (left) and Richie Debidyal took first strike and posted 130-8 in 10 overs. Rawl Reid stroked 55 and Shameer Fazal 21. O. Samuel took 2-26. South Star were bowled out for 78 in 9.2 overs in response. D. Bell got (Continued on page 73)
Third Annual Foxy Ladies Football Tournament...
Demerara Queens wins, Little Divas/Foxy Ladies battles to stalemate
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Abioce Heywood feverishly on their injuries. As luck would have it, those injuries were superficial and the match resumed shortly afterwards. The fierce rivalry continued but in the end the teams had to be content with their earlier goals as the match ended in a stalemate. Meanwhile, two teams, the New Amsterdam Warriors and the GDF, initially registered to participate have pulled out of the tournament and the organizers have had to reorganize the fixtures. As such, when the action resumes this afternoon, West Side Conquerors will take on Little Diva Flames while Eagles United oppose Kuru Kururu Warriors.
t r o Sp
Bolt lands sprint sweep, Farah the treble double
CAREBACO Individual Championships...
Guyanese players into five semi finals
The Jamaican quartet celebrate by taking selfies of themselves after the race with the Bird’s Nest spectators
Priyanna Ramdhani is flanked by Tyrese Jeffrey (left) and Narayan Ramdhani.
Like their male counterparts, the Jamaican women’s 4x100m relay team also won gold
Persaud takes feature event as 39th “Teach then Young” cycle programme concludes
Third Annual Foxy Ladies Football Tournament...
Demerara Queens wins, Little Divas/Foxy Ladies battles to stalemate Action packed performances characterized Michael Parris Under-16 Boxing Tournament
Winning gesture from Robin Persaud as he is about to cross the finish line.
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