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August 25, 2013
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Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly
Almost one month after …
Children-killer found hanging Guyana Quartz Sand Inc. - a story of resolve and initiative Sand being loaded onto a barge for export.
Cynthia Singh
Amaila project …
Govt. refused to make financial disclosures - APNU GuySuCo terminates Deputy CEO's contract
Passionate about cooperatives and community… Jennifer Conway is a 'Special Person'
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Kaieteur News
Sunday August 25, 2013
Sunday August 25, 2013
Kaieteur News
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Semi-nude man found dead near friend's premises es - Foul play suspected
E
arly yesterday m o r n i n g , residents of Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara were greeted with the unpleasant sight of a semi-nude body lying face down in a mud puddle. It was that of wellknown resident Robert Manna called 'Jake' The 54-year-old man's remains were in front of his friend's house at 3893 Third Street, Westminster. His pants were below his knees, and there were visible wounds to the back of the head. Residents believe that the father of two was beaten
and sodomized by some of his “drinking buddies”. The man's relatives told Kaieteur News that he had left his First Street home on Friday night, and had been “drinking rum, and watching the cricket” with several other persons, at the aforementioned friend's house. Manna's body was discovered at around 06:00hrs by a female resident who was, at the time, taking her goats out for a walk. An alarm was raised and many persons rushed to the scene.
Food for thought A mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee A mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar & the 2 cups of coffee. A Professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, they sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes". The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. "Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things -- your God, family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions -- things that if everything else was lost and only they remained your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else -- the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal." Take care of the golf balls first -- the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand." One of the students raise her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”
Manna's son (right) and brother (middle) look at his remains as other persons stand in close proximity
Dead: Robert Manna “When we come, all the man behind did showing. Poor Jake…he don't trouble nobody. Is right in front he friend house them find he to, and Jake does do anything fuh he friends them,” one resident said. Many suspect that Manna might have had an argument with the men he had been drinking with, after which he was beaten in the front yard before being taken to the street and sodomized. Persons also believe that the man drowned as a result of his face being forced into a puddle of muddy water. “That is what happened, because it had blood stain and suh in the yard. He hand bury down in the loom, and from the backup that back up behind he foot, yuh could see clear, clear that Jake kick up before he dead. It look like dem bury he face and drown he in the
water to. Not only dat, it had other footprints at the side of the body. Yuh could see the impression of wha happen,” the man's brother Philip said. Manna's friend Ramesh, owner of the house in front of which the body was discovered, was arrested after the police were informed. The man reportedly told ranks of La Grange Police Station that he did not know what happened to 'Jake', and that he (Ramesh) was drunk the night before. While Kaieteur News could not get to speak to Ramesh, residents of the area said that prior to the arrival of the police, the suspect told them that he had a few friends over for drinks, and they were having fun watching
cricket, after which he fell asleep and did not know what occurred. There were no eyewitnesses. The police in a press release said that investigations are
continuing into the circumstances surrounding the dead of Manna, whose body bore suspected marks of violence. A post mortem examination is expected to be conducted soon.
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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
Ethanol Potential
Ethanol has appeared once again on the horizon of our efforts to expand our production possibility frontier in agriculture. A Bioethanol Demonstration Plant has been constructed and was commissioned at the GuySuCo Albion Sugar Estate in Berbice, last week. It is the fruit of a joint venture between the Government of Guyana (GoG) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Albion and several other GuySuCo sugar estates had long been producing “alcohol” as rum, but we should know that this is chemically the same as ethanol. t is the fruit of a joint venture between the Government of Guyana (GoG) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Albion and several other GuySuCo sugar estates had long been producing “alcohol” as rum, but we should know that this is chemically the same as ethanol. What is essentially different between the two substances is the quantity of water that is allowed to remain in the distillate from the base molasses, and this has to do with their end use. In the alcohol used for drinking, the percentage of ethanol is around 40% (dubbed as “80 proof”) with water making up the balance. In the ethanol that will be used in motor cars as a partial substitute for petroleum or in its entirety, the alcohol is brought to a much higher level of purity of 99.9%. It is also called “anhydrous” alcohol to indicate that it is free of water. To achieve this, a third manufacturing process of “dehydration”, that is, the removal of water from the distillate of the fermented molasses, is added to the other two used in ordinary distilleries. What is important, however, is that we have at last embarked on a process that has been on the cards at least since 1998, when a strategic plan for the expansion of the sugar industry was unveiled. Rather than sell-off the massive amount of molasses that is created as a by-product in the production of sugar from sugar cane, it could be used to produce the much more value-added ethanol. Brazil took a lead in this process in a strategic way following the first oil crisis in 1973 and is today the world leader in the production of ethanol as a fuel. Early on, Brazil mandated that 10% of the fuel in its cars (dubbed E10) would be ethanol, and this quantity was added at the pumps. With this level of ethanol added to the petroleum, there is no need for the modification of the engines that would be necessary if the percentages were higher. As is evident from its eponymous name, the facility at Albion is intended to “demonstrate” the feasibility of the anhydrous process and to also train personnel in the production of the ethanol. The E10 product will also be tested on some GuySuCo vehicles. We believe this is a very prudent move, in view of our problems in dealing with what was thought to be a manufacturing process that we thought our workers were able to assimilate. Once we have mastered the technology and the logistical demands, we should be able to launch the full-scale ethanol production plant that was envisaged in the 1998 Sugar Plan. Some years ago, during his visit to our country, then Brazilian President Lula had promised the donation of a commercial ethanol production plant. Now that we have launched the Demonstration plant, we should contact the Brazilian authorities to consummate the promise. This plant should be able to process all our excess molasses beyond our contracted quantities from the other sugar estates. When Skeldon is brought up to its optimum production levels, then its molasses should be used to produce alcohol as rum, through the construction of a regular distillery. There is always talk of Guyana becoming a major producer of ethanol. However, we must not hang our hat where it is clear our hand cannot reach. For production of ethanol beyond our present molasses excess, we will have to grow additional sugar cane and process it directly into ethanol. We know to our cost, our difficulty in growing and harvesting sugar cane. We should leave this to the private sector. There has already been one project in the pipeline by Ansa McAl for some time. Today another private proposal will be inked. We wish them all success.
Sunday August 25, 2013
Kaieteur M@ilbox Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com
We have a living legend in our midst DEAR EDITOR, I am so pleased that someone remembers Eusi Kwayana (Freddie Kissoon’s column, Kaieteur News, August 23, 2013.) Recently the government and people of Guyana erected a monument to honor the 1863 East Coast slave rebellion. Commendations to all who made this happen. I wish to remind you that we have a human monument still living among us, namely, Eusi Kwayana. Is anybody thinking about this? Like Mr. Kissoon at the Friendship Primary School celebration, I too become privy to “facts that . . . few people in today’s Guyana know” whenever I speak with Eusi, as we do from time to time. This experience is sometimes burdensome as you want to have it placed in the open and let it become common knowledge. Here are
just a few of them. In the 1950s, Eusi told Cheddi that he (Eusi) was not going to run as a candidate in the upcoming elections. I am not really a politician, I do not care to hold office, I much prefer to be on the ground working side-by-side with the people—was how Eusi explained his position. Cheddi’s response was, if you are not running, I am not running. To this day, Eusi has kept that faith, shunning the trappings of office while continuing to serve outside of traditional institutions—and pro bono. When Nelson Mandela was released from prison, I was ecstatically proclaiming the achievement of Mandela and what a man he is. Eusi saw more than I did. He said to me it is not only Mandela, tribute must be paid to De Klerk (the South African Prime Minister) as well, in that he got white
South Africans to accept majority black rule. I was stunned that this “blacker than black” freedom fighter would r e c o g n i z e t h e w h i t e e n e m y ’s contribution to peace and freedom. Here is an incident that occurred at the Guyana Marketing Corporation, where Eusi held a titular position. An employee, who evidently was the party’s man on the job, had “chucked” another employee for not paying up contributions to the party. The matter was reported to Eusi, who expressed utter disgust at such behavior. The party man was relieved of his duties. Eusi told me that to this day no one ever called him to complain or ask about the firing. As Kissoon learned from Eusi, “you must speak out for principles and moral values, even if it means upsetting the mango cart.” No (Continued on page 6)
Sunday August 25, 2013
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Kaieteur M@ilbox
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Sithe’s notification of its decision to walk constitutes enough grounds for the revocation of the licence DEAR EDITOR, The debate on the Amaila Falls Hydropower project continues to rage two weeks after Sithe Global, the project sponsor, declared that it had pulled out. Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon later pronounced the project dead but then dismissed calls for the revocation of the licence to Sithe by seeming to joke about the value of a licence of a dead project. Dr. Luncheon knows that it is in Guyana’s interest and power to revoke the licence and that once the licence remains valid and unrevoked the Government has no control of the designated project site. He must know too that Sithe’s notification to the Government of its decision to walk constitutes more than enough grounds for the revocation of the licence. Dr. Luncheon’s apparent throw-away remark raises the question whether Sithe is waiting to walk back in, given the prospective profits it planned on earning from the
project. Even by Sithe’s own standard of high returns on private equity capital, the Amaila project represented a dream deal. The public might have been led to believe that Sithe is an equity investor. In fact Sithe was allowed to design the project documents so that the repayment of its cash and in-kind investment would be effected through the monthly all-in charge to be paid by GPL. Sithe then is not an equity shareholder but the holder of redeemable preference shares enjoying total control of all aspects of a project, the prohibitive price tag of which stands at US$858 million. A closer examination reveals that a not insignificant part of this amount includes payments to or payments contracted by Sithe. Sithe effectively wrote all the project documents – the shareholders’ Term Sheet, the Implementation Agreement, the Power Purchase Agreement and the Assignment of Receivables Agreement. It was surprising
enough to learn that Sithe would be receiving a tax-free 19% return on its investment. But worse was learning that the 19% is paid each year calculated on the original sum deemed to have been invested, rather than the reducing balance after each repayment. In the last five years of the project when Sithe’s investment would have been substantially repaid, it would receive interest at rates ranging from 76% in year 16 to 380% in year 20. Can you imagine any bank in which you deposit $100,000 and then withdraw $90,000 continuing to pay you interest for twenty years on the $100,000? That is what our negotiating team agreed to. And that is not all. Sithe also insisted on being paid an equity participation fee of 2% of the total project cost, or more than US$17 million. In effect, from Sithe’s point of view, the higher the cost, the higher the fees it would be paid. Sithe also got Guyana to agree to pay them for services to oversee the project construction a fee of US$60,000
per month, in addition to being reimbursed for the cost it would actually incur. When all the transactions are taken into account, it becomes clear that Sithe planned to invest considerably less in the project than $150 million but would be paid interest as if it did. And on top of all of that, the Government agreed that Sithe would set up its own Operations and Maintenance Company to run the project, no doubt with a hefty markup. Finally, Sithe would be in charge of the money and the books while Government was given limited or no voting rights in the
proposed company. One defender of the Sithe project asked me whether I wanted the Chinese to come in and take over the project from the Americans. Another asked me whether I preferred
a Guyanese mismanaged c ompany like GPL - the Chairman of which incidentally is the person heading Guyana’s negotiations with Sithe - to replace Sithe (Continued on page 6)
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Sunday August 25, 2013
Kaieteur M@ilbox
A contradictory call by the Guyana The attainment levels of our hinterland students have improved Gold and Diamond Miners Association DEAR EDITOR, It is good to know that our hinterland schools are putting out students who are fully matriculated as in the case of sixteen year old Mary Parker who got passes in ten subjects at this years CXC
examinations. The fact that she managed to obtain six grade ones and a grade two is indicative of the significant progress made in terms of the quality of education delivery in the hinterland schools which
under the previous PNC regime were severely starved of educational resources. Under the PNC administration St. Ignatious Secondary was offering a mere five subjects at the basic level of proficiency which effectively denied students any chance of matriculation. The same was true of Santa Rosa Secondary in Region One and Paramakatio Community High School in Region Eight with the latter not preparing students for the CXC examinations. There can be no doubt that the attainment levels of our hinterland students have improved considerably since the coming to office of the PPPC administration. Hydar Ally
DEAR EDITOR, The Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) has certainly exposed itself in a recent media statement where at a meeting with President Donald Ramotar called for the appointment of the acting Commissioner of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), Mr. Rickford Vieira to be confirmed as Commissioner. Mr. Editor, I find this call for the confirmation of the acting Commissioner by the GGDMA contradictory as the GGDMA represents miners, while the GGMC is the regulatory body that ensure compliance through monitoring and enforcement of the Mining Act and Regulations. It creates the
Sithe’s notification... From page 5 as the project manager. My answer is that what I want is the best alternative energy deal for Guyana (including hydroelectric power), one that meets certain criteria: the longer term interest of the country; transparency; the best value for money; economic viability; reliability of supply; tariff reduction now rather than some years into an uncertain future; and adequate but not excessive returns to investors. And of course, I want a better-managed GPL. Having read the terms sheet between Sithe and the Government, the drafts of the Implementation Agreement, Power Purchase Agreement and the Assignment of Receivables Agreement, the two studies on Amaila conducted for the Government by Guyana Kaehne Consulting
Ltd of Canada and Mercados Energeticos Consultores of Argentina, and having met with Mr. Brassington and his two advisors to pore over his numbers, I am more convinced than ever that the deal which Sithe sought to strike with Guyana did not meet those criteria. Mercados in particular raises the troubling possibility that Amaila cannot be relied on to provide year round power and that GPL will have to operate on a dual system of thermal and hydroelectric power. Until that document came into the public domain, the extent of that danger had not been an issue, except as one of the six types of outages with which consumers could be faced as a direct result of the project. These documents are useful to any discussion on Amaila and the way forward. Christopher Ram
impression that the GGDMA and the GGMC are bed mates for mutual benefits. It’s similar to having criminals electing a Commissioner of Police. While the GGDMA in its statement called for the appointment of a Commissioner of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, the Association indicated that a confirmed Commissioner is needed to manage and give direction to the mining industry, especially the Gold and Diamond Sector, to address falling gold prices, rampant illegal mining and the upsurge of criminal activities in the hinterlands of Guyana. If the acting Commissioner in his current capacity cannot function and
issue directions effectively, why should the government consider his appointment as the Commissioner? I do hope that the Government does not act in haste and fall prey to the GGDMA’s request to confirm the acting Commissioner, but rather evaluate his abilities to carry out his functions and responsibilities with the guidance of the Board of Director and the Subject Ministry. Being in an acting appointment does not prevent anyone from performing their duties. Therefore, I am of the conviction that confirmation of the acting Commissioner or any other Government officer should be based on merits of an individual. Terence William (Snr)
We have a living... From page 4 honcho from the party dared to call him. You had to come straight and clean when dealing with this colossus. Even though he is not against you, he would cut you down before you open your mouth if yours is an unprincipled thing. At the Guyana Marketing Corporation again. Evidently there was a glut of pigs in the country at the time. Burnham asked Eusi to take some of the excess pigs from his wife’s (Viola’s) farm. Eusi explained that he couldn’t as there were other people in front of him on the waiting list. The man doesn’t bend, regardless of who! Many readers are too young to know of the virtual one-man crusade Eusi led against corruption at the time, citing even Hamilton Green for appearance before the Ombudsman. Wish the likes of Eusi were in Guyana now. An attempted strangulation of Eusi in the streets of Georgetown did not succeed. However, the scars remain to this day. Only a few years ago his throat ailment was assessed by a specialist to have
been caused by a chokehold from a jiu jitsu expert. I sometimes amuse myself by placing Eusi in the position of certain world leaders to chart how differently he would act. Let us have him be Pervez Musharraf, former President of Pakistan. Musharraf claims in his autobiography that the special U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte (“the Ambassador of Death”) threatened him that if he does not cooperate, the U.S. would bomb Pakistan into the stone age. Negroponte does not deny the story. If Eusi was in Musharraf’s shoes, Eusi would have chased him out of his office and told him never to come back. Eusi would have done that without any thought or concern that as a result the U.S. would have destabilized the country, overthrown the government, and assassinated him (Eusi). Kissoon’s column has given me reason to recall some of the things dear to me. In a word, we have a living legend in our midst. Though marooned thousands of miles from the center, and now in his mid-80s, he soldiers on. People of Guyana (inside and outside) take heed and rejoice that you live in the same time and occupy the same planet as Eusi Kwayana. P. D. Sharma, Los Angeles
Sunday August 25, 2013
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Almost one month after…
Children-killer found hanging from tree Almost one month after he hacked his two children to death and maimed his wife, the badly decomposed body of 26-year-old Richard Lord was discovered hanging from a tree on the Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo foreshore yesterday. The discovery was made a little after 12:30hrs by a group of fishermen who were catching crabs in the area. Given the advanced state of decomposition, it is believed that Lord hanged himself shortly after he killed his children. Police in a press release said that around 12:30 hrs, the decomposed body of Richard Lord was found hanging among a clump of trees on the Zeelugt foreshore. The release further stated that Lord was wanted by the police for questioning in relation to the murder of Kimberley Houston and Tarif Lord. On August 01, last, Lord went berserk and slaughtered his five-year-old daughter, Kimberley Houston and twoyear-old son, Tarif Lord. His wife, 21-year-old Bibi Nazarena Houston’s right hand was severed and three fingers from her left hand were cut off by Lord. Days after Lord committed the brutal murders, there was speculation that his body was seen hanging from a tree, but this was not confirmed until yesterday. When Kaieteur News visited the scene, there were scores of curious onlookers all around, waiting to get a glimpse of the decomposed remains, which had people placing their hands over their nose to avoid the stench. Lord’s body was found hanging from a tree by the neck, while his head was on the muddy dam below his feet. A pair of pants was still on the body. According to an eyewitness, “Since Thursday we de smelling something stink everytime the breeze blow, but we didn’t pay it any mind because we dealing with fish and crab, so as a fishermen certain smell don’t hit yuh suh, but this thing smell like dead cow.” He added that yesterday he noticed vultures circling in the air and became suspicious and began investigating. He further said that when
Dead: Richard Lord one of his co-workers went into the heavily forested area in the vicinity of the seawalls he discovered a decomposed body hanging from the branch of a tree about 30 feet off the ground. “After he call all ah we, we look up and see the body but it de done decompose because it had all kind ah thing crawling pon it and with a set a fly”, the eyewitness said. He added that after taking a closer look, he and others realized that the body was hanging without a head, so he immediately called the police. “All me life I never see a body hang from the neck and the way he body smell you would know that it been up there a li’l while, is just that because of the heavy bush that deh bout here nobody wouldn’t recognize it,” the man noted. Meanwhile, Lord’s wife who is being protected by the Ministry of Human Services was unaware of the discovery up to late yesterday afternoon but her mother, Bibi Khairool Houston expressed satisfaction when she received the news. “I just finish eating lunch and a li’l girl come and ask me if I didn’t hear they found Richard Lord and I said no, and then she told me that they found him in the bushes by the seawall,” the woman stressed. She added that she and one of her daughters hurried to the scene to confirm the news, “When we reach there, the police didn’t want me to go, but my daughter went and she said that his head fall off, his body shrink and it black, black.” Kaieteur News was told that the suspect was found with the same pants he wore when he committed the murder.
“It look like the same time when he kill them, he run in the bushes and hang himself and if the police had searched good, they would have found him,” the older Houston said, while adding that she is somewhat happy. “Today (yesterday) I found peace… All the time I was living in fear, because he told me that he will come back to burn my house down and every night I go to bed, I am wondering when he would come to do that,” Khairool Houston stressed. When this newspaper contacted the dead man’s father, Albert Lord, he said that he was not surprised at how his son met his demise. “I know that he would have committed suicide.” The man went on to defend his son, stating that he was living a miserable life. The body of Richard Lord is currently lying at the Ezekiel Funeral Parlour.
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Amaila project…
Govt. refused to make financial disclosures - APNU The People's Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) is willing to kill the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project rather than make full disclosures on the related financial arrangements. This is firm view of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)'s Joseph Harmon. “A real look into the financial arrangements inked under the guise of transformational projects would reveal clearly where all the thieving is going on. They don't want to give us all of the arrangements,” said Harmon, who has also questioned the pronouncements that the project is dead. He said that APNU is yet to see any official documentation of a wrap up to the company Amaila Falls Hydro Inc. Harmon, an Attorney-at-Law, stressed that “there is a process involved in closing a company and not because Sithe Global has withdrawn, means the project or company is dead.” He reminded that government held a stake in Amaila Falls Hydro Inc, the company that was created to build the US$858M Hydro Electric Plant. During the past week, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon stated that the project is dead, even as President Donald Ramotar insists that he is looking for other investors. With regard to government refusing to turn over the financial arrangements made for the project, Harmon told Kaieteur News this was a specific request made by APNU. “This is crux of the matter, but the government has blatantly refused. While the government did make available some of the information regarding the project that was previously withheld under the guise of confidentiality, this remains the case with the financial arrangements. They said that is confidential,” said Harmon, who maintains that all APNU received was “bits and pieces” of information. “What we want to know is who is being paid what.”
He cited as an example the US$35M being paid in lenders' fees and advisory services, “we don't know who this is being paid to. According to information provided by Sithe Global, the project cost at the time of their pull out stood at US$858M. Of that money, Guyana was said to be putting in US$100M, Sithe Global had committed US$158M while Amaila Falls Hydro Inc. secured a loan from China for US$500M. Another US$100M was being sought from the Inter-American Development Bank. The servicing of this debt comes at a cost of US$97.1M. This is in addition to the US$35M being paid in lenders' fees and advisory services, paid to an undisclosed entity. Financing of the money being borrowed also comes with 'debt political risk insurance' to the tune of US$187.7M. Among the many criticisms surrounding the project was its financial structure, including a 19 per cent rate of return for Sithe Global and another 8.5 per cent rate of return for the Chinese loan. While government has consistently maintained that it did not incur any debt with the manner in which the project was being pursued, it had approached Parliament with a request to raise the debt ceiling on which it could guarantee repayments for loans made to public corporations. Government initially asked for the debt ceiling to be raised to $150B, which it said would only be triggered should the Guyana Power and Light Inc. fail to make its payments to Amaila. Those payments were in the vicinity of US$120M annually. The Government subsequently amended its request to raise the debt ceiling to a lower figure of $130B and said that this was a requirement of Sithe Global. The parliament, with the support of the opposition party, Alliance for Change (AFC), eventually approved an increase to $50B.
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Sunday August 25, 2013
GuySuCo terminates Deputy CEO's contract Contract terminated: Rajnaraine Singh
I
n what could be deemed the first sign of a shakeup at the struggling Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), the contract of its Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Rajnaraine Singh, has been terminated. But the move is not going down well with some sections of the Corporation, with criticisms that Government may be looking
in the wrong direction and targeting the wrong people. Singh, who served as a director of GuySuCo's board between 2002 and 2007, was appointed to that position in 2009. Kaieteur News was told yesterday that on Wednesday, Singh was notified that the termination clause in his contract was being put into effect. Under the contract, both parties can serve a three-month notice to end ties. Singh will be staying on for the next three months. Singh is a former Chairman of the Guyana Forestry Commission, and heads the boards of the Guyana National Shipping Corporation and the National Agricultural and Research Extension Institute. He has also served on the boards of the Guyana Power and Light Inc. and the Guyana Water Incorporated. He confirmed that he was informed of the decision on Wednesday.
Sunday August 25, 2013
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Sunday August 25, 2013
Passionate about cooperatives and community… Jennifer Conway is a 'Special Person' By Leon Suseran
J
ust mention the existence of credit u n i o n s a n d cooperatives in Guyana and the name 'Jenny' Conway immediately comes to mind. She has dedicated a large portion of her life to building and shaping this vital financial institution and ensured its longevity and
“I got the chance to look at issues that I would be able to channel to the relevant authorities to make lives better for the people.” sustenance over the years of which she was in its charge. Her service, too, around her community, built her a reputation that is strong and binding, especially through her long years of service in the much respected Lions
Club. This week, we introduce you to Jennifer Conway, born at Number 40 Village, West Coast of Berbice to Alfred Faucett and Elfrida Fortune-Arthur. 'Jenny' attended the
Lichfield Primary School followed by the New G u y a n a H i g h , Comprehensive High and Johnson's High. She, like many others, wrote the College of Preceptors Exams thus enabling her to pursue her professional career. She desired to become a nurse. This desire was nurtured by folks in the village, but her real love was in the field
of
Jennifer Conway secretarial work and related studies in short-hand and typing. Conway migrated to Bermine Housing Scheme in New Amsterdam. “I didn't really give nursing much thought growing up, as there were not many opportunities at the time to enter that field. So as I advanced in age, I thought that I would maybe look at secretarial studies.” She did courses in Cooperatives and enrolled for classes at the Kuru Kuru College in 1978 where she pursued Credit Union and Management and learned the whole gamut about the operations of the former. During this period, Conway became involved with the Committee of Management of the Credit Union, a position which she held for the next twelve years. She was an avid and dedicated farmer, too. And this earned her a winning place in the farming and gardening competitions back in the day. “I just like farming. I grew up in cash crop and cattle farms-- my grandparents used to take me to the farms...so when I came to New Amsterdam, when I wasn't employed, I did farming.” She did this on her own, since her husband had his full-time job. She made the news in a Guyana Chronicle article of November 26, 1984, “Agriculture is the base for feeding family, says Urban Garden Winner.” Conway explained that from the sale of the first crop of tomatoes, her family was able to purchase a length of hose. “All surplus of green vegetables and milk from our two cows were distributed to relatives and sold around the community.” She was a dedicated farmgirl back then and endorsed domestic agricultural
practices, the bedrock for supporting families. Upon completion of studies at Kuru-Kuru, she became employed with the Berbice Mining Enterprises (Bermine) in the inventory section as well as the benefits office and accounting department. Afterwards, she became acquainted with popular New Amsterdamer Mrs. Brenda Johnson, who was a dedicated community worker and nurse, and who was also actively involved with the People's National Congress (PNC). Johnson invited Conway to PNC meetings and later took her around to do community work in the town. Conway was subsequently employed with the PNC as a Field Officer. “Those years were memorable. I recall visiting house-to-house to do the census. More importantly, I got the chance to look at issues that I would be able to channel to the relevant authorities to make lives better for the people. “I think I had the opportunity to see poverty in its true sense. I worked as a Field Officer in the depressed area of Angoy's Avenue, and going there to just check, you weren't only doing political work, you were going to check to see why the children weren't attending school and if there was any way that you could have helped.” “I would have done that along with Brenda Johnson and the welfare group. We worked assiduously during this period and helped to improve the lives of the persons living there, and I tried to help in whatever way I could... I enjoyed that and I continued to be a community worker.” In 1997, having gained immense training and (continued on page 51)
Sunday August 25, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 19
AMAILA HAS BEEN AN EDUCATION FOR THE PEOPLE
A
P N U i s confounding itself in trying to defend why it refused to pass supportive legislation for the Amaila Falls hydro project. APNU is resorting to all manner of excuses as to why it would not at this stage support the project. Those excuses fall into certain general patterns. Firstly, they claim that the government has not convinced them that the cost of electricity would be lower for consumers; then they contend that they are unsure about the financial architecture. They also have introduced the argument that they would support hydroelectric power as part of an overarching energy policy that considers various alternative sources of energy. None of these arguments is worthy of a serious response, because it represents an attempt by APNU to justify its failure to support this project and thus achieve the national consensus that the developers demand in order to proceed. APNU had long admitted to not having the competence to analyze large scale projects and what it is doing is simply piggybacking on some general criticisms that have been made in the hope that this will be seen as the basis for its non-support of the legislative measures which it voted against and which led to the developer pulling out. APNU had one year to make known its concerns about this project. This was the most transparent and inclusive of any major project ever undertaken in Guyana in that the government released documents to the opposition, held
consultations on the issue and even had confidential briefings between the opposition parties and the developers. If there were concerns during this yearlong process, APNU had adequate time to raise these and seek answers. According to the government, none of the concerns that it is now raising were ever brought to its attention and in order to avoid the inevitable fallout, APNU is attempting to piggyback on the criticisms made by local accountants. These accountants may be highly qualified in their field, but just as how you cannot deem a bookkeeper as an accountant, you should not baptize an accountant as a financial expert. The title of financial expert requires a whole range of different skills, one of which is expertise in investment. To add insult to injury, APNU is now suggesting that if the local private sector is confident about the project they should invest their monies in it. The fact of the matter is that even after twenty years of economic liberalization, the local private sector remains small and so emaciated from the repressive days of the Burnham regime that it is incapable of raising even half of the amount of money that is required to construct the project. In the 1990s, the then local telephone was sold for what some considered a pittance. Yet, no local investor could have even afforded that sum, so miniaturized was the local private sector at that time. The local private sector therefore cannot raise the monies that are needed and this is why foreign direct investment is needed for a project of this nature, unless of course some major economic power such as
India or Brazil is sold this project and given the rights to develop it. If they do, you can however be sure that it will not be under a BOOT mechanism. In short, after twenty years, the facility will not be transferred into local ownership. The blame game as to who is responsible for the demise of what was supposed to be the largest investment in Guyana will continue. APNU will shoulder a great deal of
blame, but it was always asking too much to expect this grouping to have approved any major development project in this country. The PNCR has gained notoriety for jeopardizing the future of Guyana and should never be relied upon to act in the national interest. But the government also squandered a wonderful opportunity to gain consensus when it dismissed a suggestion from the
Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry for an independent assessment to be undertaken of this project. A positive review would have enhanced the chances of a national buy- in of the project. Unfortunately, the usual arrogant approach to suggestions made from outside of the government was displayed and in the end APNU did not come on board and the developer
walked. It is not, however, the end of the world. This whole experience has allowed the Guyanese people to witness for themselves different faces of politics. And it has been an education in many ways and one that the people will remember way into the next election.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday August 25, 2013
Sunday August 25, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 21
Ravi Dev Column
Capitalism with a human face A few centuries ago the west stumbled on a new way of organising production – dubbed “Capitalism”. Even its most severe critic agreed that it delivered undreamed of wealth and improvements in living conditions for some. But unfortunately, at the same time, debilitating byproducts such as the exploitation of others and the ravaging of both the social and physical environments were unleashed. After trying and experiencing failure with its antithesis, communism in our lifetime, the search for a “middle way” is preoccupying policy makers. Its early grand chronicler Adam Smith described capitalism’s central feature, the profit motive that fuels the supposedly impersonal “market”, in 1776 as follows: “It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their selflove, and never talk to them of our own necessities but of
Beware!! Some people bent on enriching themselves are going to attempt to do what is least desirable. There has been a stated policy that government funds should be spent in a most transparent manner. However, this is not the case as some of the very funds are sneaking into an entity that not so long ago was the subject of criticisms. But there are people, as I said, who do not worry too much about criticisms. Before long, sections of the
their advantages.” Over the years, however, deliberate confusion over Smith’s usage of the term “self-interest” as the “invisible hand” that would guide the market to deliver the “goods” that society needs, has contributed greatly to the debilitating by-products of capitalism. Twenty-seven years before he wrote his magnum opus, Smith had produced “The Theory of Moral Sentiments” in which he clearly defined self-interest not as selfishness or greed, as some would have it, but as an innate psychological need to win favour with other members of our society. To improve one’s lot is not ineluctably to oppress others. Self-interest is in inextricably intertwined with the societal interest. When he revised the latter book after the Wealth of Nations had been published, it is important to note that he did not alter his original formulation of what he thought was “self-interest”: self interest and moral sentiments are coterminous. It is a subtle point that
bears development at this time when the excesses of capitalism is roiling the western nations where capitalism has been successful. All of us are innately pushed to “better” ourselves, but this is ambition not greed. Greed is the uncontrolled, unmediated primeval id which will bring down the whole edifice, destroying those that believe they can “game” the system. Greed must be tempered into moral “self-interest” of the Adam Smith formulation: being socially directed. But we cannot ignore the reality that nowadays our methods of socialisation throw up many individuals who are only driven by their id and greed. But we cannot afford to throw out the baby with the bathwater as the USSR and China discovered. In addition to the demons of the id, (what Lord Keynes called “animal spirits”) we recognise also that none of the institutions that we design around our values will ever work perfectly - hence imperfect socialisations to begin with. Macro-institutions were therefore created over the
international community will begin to pay keen interest, largely because of reports from the civic-minded people in the society. And once more, the state would become involved in
ways not unfamiliar, but in the end, the people always win. ** A river tragedy is looming because of the movement of people to the mining areas, because the rivers are creating conditions favourable to mining. This time, a speeding vessel would collide with one transporting ration to the mining fields. There is going to be yet another call for the authorities to licence those operating boats in the mining areas.
years to temper those exigencies. And so in matters economic markets became increasingly regulated (especially after the great depression of the 1930s) so as to mitigate the inevitable excesses precipitated by greed and “imperfect markets”. The neo-liberalism that became ascendant globally in the 1980s, however, insisted that Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” meant “no hand” in the workings of that muchabused term, “free markets”. And the regulations were thrown out of the windows. But they spoke from both sides of their mouths. Take, for instance, the creation and issuance of money which is regarded as the sine qua non for the creation of markets in the modern sense of the term. These have been regulated, by definition, from the earliest days, either by the institutions that issued them in the first place or later by
governments. One can’t very well have everyone creating money and expect markets to function. The problem is that those who ritually invoke the ethereal “free market” do so only when the regulation in question hinders their efforts to make excess profits over what other regulations allow them to make in the first place. Karl Marx’s early critique of capitalism (“Das Kapital” 1867) was remarkable for its prescience in highlighting several of its inherent contradictions, but the attempts to institutionalise his insights failed miserably in our own lifetime. It would appear that, ironically, Marx was too unrealistic about human nature. To paraphrase Churchill’s aphorism about democracy, capitalism is evidently the worst type of economic system - excepting for all others that have been tried and failed.
Ravi Dev
While we must work on inculcating more cooperative values at the individual level through our socialisation mechanisms, we have to get back to vigorously regulating the markets to satisfy the social good. We wonder, once again, why those that rail about corruption in Guyana today do not question the premises of the system that make much of the corruption inevitable. P.S. My deepest sympathies and condolences to the family of Mr Doodnauth Singh. He was a Kshatriya (fighter/warrior) in every sense of the word.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday August 25, 2013
Is this man the Robb Street strangler? By Michael Jordan My colleagues sometimes tease me about my underworld connections. Let’s say upfront that those ‘connections’ don’t exist. But I do have a knack for contacting murder suspects and other desperate fugitives. And they talk. You can’t survive in this profession if you can’t get people to talk to you. ‘Frenchie’, the obsessive seaman who murdered his girl in Herstelling, confessed his crime to me. I can still hear the rage in his voice as he spoke about repeatedly stabbing the woman he felt had jilted him. I spoke to the chap that some still believe killed his rival in a shack at Land-ofCanaan a few months ago, and with a former friend who may have murdered a schoolgirl when we were all young men. I’ve spoken by telephone with the Cummings Lodge husband who almost killed his reputed wife last Tuesday (August 20). And tomorrow (August 26) it will be exactly two years since I spoke to the man that police think strangled old Mr. Rachpaul. He cried. He told me he was framed. Then he disappeared. Rachpaul’s Drug Store is located in a three-storey building at Lot 75 Robb Street, Lacytown. There’s an old restaurant at the middle flat. The restaurant proprietors live in the top flat. Rachpaul’s Drug Store is in the bottom flat, and it is there that harmless, 84-year-old Harold Rachpaul had been tending to his customers since the sixties, when you could buy chicken fried rice for a dollar. Mr. Rachpaul lived alone in an apartment behind the drug store. At around nine o’clock on the evening of Thursday, August 18, 2011, Mr. Rachpaul’s eldest son, Leonard, paid his dad a visit. But according to the son, just as he was about to enter the compound, he observed a man hurrying towards a yard next door to his father ’s property. That yard, he says, is a haven for drug-smoking vagrants. The man Leonard Rachpaul saw was Ryan Kissoon, called ‘Dahl Belly’ a security guard who worked at a popular business place on the opposite side of Robb Street. Kissoon would sometimes buy cigarettes and other small items at the drug store. According to Mr. Rachpaul’s son, on seeing
MURDERED DRUG STORE OWNER Harold Rachpaul him, Kissoon stopped briefly as if in surprise, then proceeded to enter the yard where the vagrants loitered. Leonard Rachpaul told me that he put his father’s dinner on the stove. Afterwards, he placed the hot meal by his father’s television set. At the time, the Rachpauls had one large dog and two pups. According to the son, he put the largest animal in a pen. However, before leaving, his father asked him to release the dog. At around eight o’clock the following day, Leonard Rachpaul, accompanied by his son, returned to open the premises. According to Leonard Rachpaul, he stopped to speak to someone, while his son went to Mr. Rachpaul’s apartment. Shortly after, his son ran out of the yard and began to scream. Leonard Rachpaul followed his son into his elderly father’s apartment. On entering, they saw that a vault was open and the contents, including close to $1M in cash and phone cards, were missing. But the most disturbing thing was the body in the bedroom. Old Harold Rachpaul lay on the floor near bed. He was wrapped in a bed-sheet. His hands and feet were bound with the electrical cord from his iron. He had been gagged and strangled. Leonard Rachpaul said that the dog that he had released before leaving the previous day was now penned. The son tried to revive his motionless father, then ran over to the Police Consumers building for help. According to the son, he suspected that the killers attacked his elderly father shortly after the drug store
WANTED: Ryan Kissoon
owner had placed his dog back in the pen. He surmised that the intruders then took his father back to the apartment, and to pacify them, Mr. Rachpaul opened his safe and handed over his money and other valuables. He was then slain. Detectives began to question employees and residents in the immediate area. Asked if he had any suspects in mind, Leonard Rachpaul immediately told police about security guard Ryan Kissoon’s strange behavior. His suspicion was that Kissoon, possibly with the help of addicts from the nearby premises, had scaled the fence and attacked his father as soon as the elderly man had penned his dog. They decided to question Kissoon. But the security guard could not be found. Detectives obtained Kissoon’s cell phone number and asked him to come in for questioning. The guard refused. Detectives later learn
that the guard had left his job. As luck would have it, I got a cell phone number a few days after Kissoon disappeared. I dialed it. Ryan Kissoon answered. I asked him about Mr. Rachpaul’s murder. He cried and told me that he was innocent. He told me that he had four small children, and yes, there was a time when he had been on the wrong side of the law. He’d been remanded twice for armed robbery but was never convicted. But he’d changed his lifestyle. He’d worked as a guard for over a year at the Robb Street establishment near to Rachpaul’s Drug Store. “I got to be a madman to be working right there and do something like that. I change. I working. I does draw my box hand, I does work for fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) a week, I does draw my leave money…thirty thousand dollars ($30,000); I content with that,” he told me. So where was he on the
night that Mr. Rachpaul is believed to have been killed? According to Kissoon, he was on duty outside his employer’s premises on Thursday, August 18, 2011, up to midnight (Friday, August 19, 2011). He said that footage recorded on the security cameras on his former employer’s premises would verify his story. He claimed that shortly after midnight, he went to “take a five” in the yard near Rachpaul’s Drug Store. After resting, Kissoon said he returned to his worksite, and his employer’s cook arrived at around five o’clock that morning. He said he later opened the premises and assisted the cook in cutting up some vegetables. The former guard stated that at around one o’clock that afternoon, he received a call from someone who identified himself as a policeman. The caller requested that ‘Dhal Belly’ submit himself for questioning in connection with a murder. According to Kissoon, he told his employer about the development, and asked the businessman to accompany him to the station. “I tell he to come in with me, that the (security) cameras will pick up everything, and he refuse.” The suspect said that he then told the police that he would only submit himself for questioning if he could hire an attorney. Police subsequently searched his home and briefly detained his sister. Police ranks began to call his mobile phone and request that he submit himself for questioning. According to Kissoon, he refused to be questioned “because I afraid they would knock (charge) me for
The building in which the businessman’s body was found
something I didn’t do.” The suspect claimed that during one of his previous arrests, police ranks “beat me so bad that I admit to things that I never do.” Asked about possible suspects, he suggested that police look at three other people who might have information about the murder. He said that two of the individuals were ‘junkies’ who slept at night in a yard near Mr. Rachpaul’s home. A few days later, I dialed Kissoon’s phone number. The calls went to voicemail, and that’s the way it’s been since then. In October 2011, Police issued a wanted bulletin for Ryan Kissoon, called ‘Dhal Belly’, in connection with Harold Rachpaul’s murder. He’s still to be located. According to the bulletin, Kissoon is of East Indian ancestry, is 171 cm in height and his last known address is Tucville Squatting Area, Georgetown. The police have asked persons with information that may lead to Kissoon’s arrest to contact them on telephone numbers: 225-2227, 225-8196, 226-7065, 227-1149, 225-6411, 911 or the nearest police station. But is Ryan Kissoon really the Robb Street strangler? Some apparently have other theories. Leonard Kissoon himself told me that there are some who have suggested that the killer is in fact someone who was close to his father. He refutes this suggestion. “You hear (people say) that is an ‘inside job’. But I tell you from the bottom of my heart that these things (his father’s assets) are not left for me.” The slain man’s wife and other children are overseas. Meanwhile, Leonard Kissoon runs his father’s drug store. He’s purchased more dogs and raised the concrete fence that he believes that the intruders scaled before attacking his father. Yet, he says that he still lives in dread that the men who snuffed out his father’s life may return. If you have any information about this or any other unusual case, please contact Kaieteur News by letter or telephone at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown offices. Our numbers are 22-58465, 2258473 and 22-58458. You need not disclose your identity. You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email address mjdragon@ hotmail.com
Sunday August 25, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 23
== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ==
Donald Ramotar will not have another opportunity to make history Let us leave out the short stint at the presidency that Mr. Samuel Hinds and Mrs. Janet Jagan had. They just passed unnoticed. That leaves four Presidents. Of the two, Forbes Burnham and Cheddi Jagan have gone down in history. Untold numbers in this country believe that Forbes Burnham and Cheddi Jagan form a big part of Guyana’s history therefore their legacies are large. They have large amounts of detractors, but neither President Desmond Hoyte nor President Bharrat Jagdeo has eclipsed the way Guyanese feel about Burnham and Jagan. Of Hoyte, the nation is divided. Sections of the nation see him as great, others don’t think so. But it is difficult to reject the proposition that he has a large legacy too. If I was to offer an opinion, I would say Hoyte is just below Burnham and Jagan. The Guyanese people recognize Hoyte as the politician that opened up Guyana to the modern world after a period of political and economic depression.
Mr. Bharat Jagdeo had twelve years of power and it is really incomprehensible to think that after twelve years, this very young president has not moved way beyond Burnham, Jagan and Hoyte. I am absolutely sure that Mr. Jagdeo is living every day in mental agony that he has not written his name in Caribbean history. He had all the opportunities to do it, but why he did not cannot be discussed in a short column like this. Professor Clive Thomas has made an astute observation that Mr. Jagdeo was indeed interested in leaving a legacy and he chose to go down in history as the President that gave Guyana hydropower. I tend to agree with the esteemed professor. I do not think there is a Prime Minister or President that enters the office of power and not say to him/herself - I am going to do something by which this country will remember me. Now quite a number of them did not succeed, but I believe they had that thought when they governed.
Professor Thomas said Jagdeo chose hydropower. It may or may not allow him a legacy from which he can enter the history books. What cannot be denied before we leave this discussion on Jagdeo is that he had the opportunity to be among Forbes Burnham, Errol Barrow, Michael Manley, Eric Williams, Cheddi Jagan, Vere Bird and George Price, among others, in the CARICOM region. Enter Donald Ramotar. I cannot accept that Mr. Ramotar is so short-sighted that he believes that he will be the PPP’s candidate in 2016. Even if Mr. Ramotar fights fiercely to retain the candidacy, it will create formidable divisions in the PPP structure itself. Two scenarios are likely to emerge. One is that Mr. Ramotar gets his way but the party is so fractured that it will have profound electoral consequences. Alternatively, the party gives Mr. Ramotar an ultimatum that he will accept. No one knows if Mr. Ramotar will even serve out
his first term if there is a crescendo for holding early elections. Whether Donald Ramotar stays until 2016 or goes before, this most senior PPP leader must know that time waits for no one. He has a pathway of history waiting for him and he should walk boldly in that direction. Mr. Ramotar could join Burnham and Jagan and Hoyte or even go beyond them and even carve his name in Caribbean history. If you look at the Caribbean after the immediate post-colonial leaders moved off, no notable names show up with the possible exception of P. J. Patterson of Jamaica. I think Caribbean people would choose him in a survey if they have to pick a Caribbean leader from the nineties onwards. What can Ramotar do to carve his name on the face of Guyanese history? The book of doables is large, but one old cancer stands out – political and ethnic unity. Guyana is not going to go into the future, will not have a future, its people will remain pessimistic, its people will
forever wander around the world (with the Caribbean always suspicious that they want to stay illegally in their country) until we arrive at some form of unity among ourselves. It does not have to be power-sharing, although that is a preferred road. An attempt of a short period of a national government involving more than just the political parties should be given a try. Whatever the shape, Mr.
Frederick Kissoon Ramotar should boldly move in the direction of inclusive governance as a matter of priority. The PPP and PNC just have to sit down and work together. It is the last hope.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday August 25, 2013
Book Review: The Cat of Muritaro Tales of Horror reap high marks CRITIC: Dr Glenville Ashby The Cat of Muritaro is a compilation of eight fantastical tales culled from the belly of Caribbean folklore. Peter Halder, a former journalist pens a fast-paced, gnashing and melodramatic oeuvre that will terrorise the young and innocent while tantalising the curiosity of occult aficionados. Although the setting is Christianburg, Alberttown and Stabroek in British Guiana, the phantasmagoria belongs to every Caribbean folk who was spoon-fed with characters of the spirit world. Admittedly, this book is not for everyone. Some shy away from this genre for obvious reasons. But experience has taught me
that the supernatural is part of the Caribbean archetype. Hadler speaks to the reader in the vein of the griot, making ‘Muritaro’ a part of our oral tradition. His prose is lucid and unencumbered with the extraneous detail and flattery of creative writing. In the same breath it can be faulted for being a tad short on suspense, and light on the flavourful Guyanese argot that generates richness and authenticity. However, when such vernacular graces the pages we are in for a mouthful. “When cow ah go ah slaughter house, it nah care where it s-t,” and “when duck catch fish, it forget that gun ah wait for it.” And “boat gone ah waterfall, it can’t turn back,” proves equally instructive.
There are brilliant moments when Halder weaves comedy and sheer horror. He handsomely moulds and interfaces psychotic and antisocial behaviour into a lugubrious and disturbing tapestry. It is magical. ’Muritaro’ tells more than a story of ghosts, possessions, discarnate souls, blood-curdling creatures and necromancy. It speaks of a people, mores, a belief system and a wondrous imagination. That there exist elementals and pretas (hungry ghosts) is beside the point. What is noteworthy is the realism and the pointed credence afforded the supernatural. It is distinctly Caribbean and Halder wears his nationality and culture on his sleeves. Seeped in gore, this is an offering that is also laden with timeless aphorisms. The perils of greed couldn’t be more forcibly presented in “The Flower from the Grave” which emerges as the gem of the lot. It is vividly chilling and suspenseful. Here, spirits accompany the protagonists, Bertie and Mavis, to the cemetery - protecting them from evil and the unquiet dead - as
they embark on removing a lilac from a grave. The conjuration of the spirits courtesy of Seemour, the spiritualist, is captivating:”Come to me, come to me you good spirits of eternity, heed my call. I only need two in all to hear my command and obey my demand, two good jumbee go to this man Bertie at two in the morning when the darkness is flowing. Be with him and wife, to and from the cemetery And protect them from evil and injury. My request is your command. What I told you to do is my demand.” Attacks are parried repeatedly, thanks to these invisible helpers and the undertaking is a success. But Seemour’s magic comes at an exorbitant price. Parting with five hundred dollars troubles Bertie. Upon delivering the mead, he falls to the power of avarice and murders the spiritualist. He too meets a swift and ghastly end as her spirits erupt with vengeance. Throughout, there is a healthy dose of timeless aphorisms. The biblical warning: “Those who live by the sword die by the sword, is ever present. For sure, the irrefutable realism of karma is the overriding message. Despite their occult prowess, Halder’s characters are blighted and their demise is as revolting as the suffering they unleash on others. In the world of magic and evil, victory is ephemeral, a flash that evaporates with deadly consequences. In “Obeah Woman,” the “eye for an eye” doctrine or the proverbial “what you sow is
what you reap,” is doubly embedded in the reader’s psyche. Surely, Arissa, the protagonist, who sought retribution for being arbitrarily dismissed from her job, meets the same fate as her tormentor. May be she never absorbed the meaning of “Vengeance is mine” sayeth the Lord. Divine Justice cringes when Arissa threatens her boss: ”I take an oath before you today that you will regret until the day you die what you did to me today...I will live long enough to spit on your grave, you mark my words.” Halder rarely abandons
the overriding plot. But there is some levity, especially in “The Dwarf of Christianburg.” Here, an Amerindian, yearning to marry a much older woman defends his decision with the witty comment, ”...but no addah woman live round here. For me is a case of stale, stale bread or no bread at all...Dem say the oldah the guitar the sweeter the tune...” For the most part, comic relief surrenders the reins to unbridled evil, classism, colour and race in “The Obeah Woman.” And in “Flower from the Grave,” there is nostalgia, a feeling for the simplicity of yore as Halder poignantly details the typical Caribbean wake, replete with the hymnal tones, dominoes, food and strong drinks. Finally, some will recoil at the barbarity of “Devlin,” the main character of the eponymous title whose evil knows no bounds. More discerning readers will find Halder’s work wearily repetitious, almost cut from the same fabric. But for those who relish a generous serving of the supernatural, it just doesn’t get better than the Cat of Muritaro. The Cat of Muritaro by Peter Halder. Franklin and Franklin Publishing, Brooklyn New York, 2013 ISBN 978-0-9884987-0-9 Available: Amazon.com Rating: Recommended
Sunday August 25, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 25
MY COLUMN
Life’s sweet surprises When people said that the world was getting smaller, what they meant was that it was taking less time to get from one point to another. Then someone said that the world was a village. It took some time for me to understand that more often than not, in any corner of the world that one travelled, one would actually meet somebody he knew, just as he would in a village. I happen to be on vacation and more often than not I would just find time to sleep and to catch up on my reading. There would be the odd time when a friend or a relative would drag me along to some function or the other. And so it was that my brother who resides in Canada decided to drag me along to a funeral in Brooklyn. The drive was long; very long because my brother merely cruised along at speed limit pace—just over sixty miles an hour. Everyone has GPS (Global Positioning System) so even if you never went to a place, all you have to do was punch in your destination and this piece of equipment would direct you along the way.
Funerals these days can be fun. It turned out that the woman who died was one of my cousins. Her sister was as casual as they come and she had lost nothing of her Guyanese behaviour. So there we were at their home, after the service at the funeral home, with a barbecue grill ablaze and all the liquor in the world to pass the time. There were many people at the home and it was impossible not to fall into conversation. So there I was talking to a young girl who was talking about coming home to teach and so gain some experience. I told her that I was working in the local media and as would often happen, people would always want to know what it was that I covered. Media people in North America specialize in beats. Last year when the Georgetown Public Hospital commissioned its new neonatal department, there was a young doctor out of Canada. He had accompanied Dr Suresh Singh, the man behind the project. I remember interviewing him. He had Guyanese roots—his mother was Guyanese. The little girl
with whom I spoke at the funeral was his sister. The village life went even further. The girl said that her Guyanese descendants were some people named Hill. I told her that way back when, I worked with a headmaster named Thomas (TJ) Hill. She screamed. “That was my grandfather.” She called her mother. This woman once worked at the Guyana National Cooperative Bank and I remembered her—Roxanne Hill. Then there were the sisters. I remembered that their only brother was killed in the vicinity of the National Cultural Centre by a vehicle driven by one of my schoolmates whom I shall not name at this time. Last year, I happened to go to the Last Lap—the tail end of the Caribana festival held every year. Not surprisingly, I ran into some people who had fallen off the world. There was I just walking around drinking some strange beer and eating all manner of snacks when a man came up to me. I looked at him and told him that I knew him. “Wha’ you mean you
know me Adam?” This was my batch mate, Kenrick Douglas, from the Government Teachers’ Training College. I had not seen him in more than forty years. Of course, many people would not find this unusual. I go to the annual Queen’s College/Bishops’ High School function and meet friends and class mates from way back. It is always a joy trying to catch up on the missing years. Some of them I may never see again. There are the odd times when someone surprises me on the subway or at a bus stop. I am tempted to believe that I meet more people with whom I once associated in North America than I would in Guyana. Such are the joys of travelling. There are also bittersweet moments. Some of my sisters and a brother decided to take my 89-year-old mother on a boat cruise. This cruise was travelling from New York to
New Brunswick in Canada. It was five days well spent and before we disembarked and headed back to the concrete jungle, we vowed to do it again next year, and on a bigger scale. This time we were eighteen in all. A woman died just before we got off the boat in New York. She was cancer-stricken and had invited all her children to take this cruise with her. One son did not make it, but there she was with her other children and some grandchildren. Her son later told me that she wanted to sing karaoke and she got the chance on the boat. She had a fine time. Three hours before the boat docked at the New York harbour this woman drew her last breath. Some said that she died happy. With some 3,500 people on board not many knew that the woman had died. I did, because the man knew my niece and they had
Adam Harris chatted during the cruise. And from this distance I saw the unraveling of the Amaila hydroelectric project, the continued killing of women by heartless spouses, the senseless speeding on the roads and the ensuing crash that claimed a life, the drowning, and even the gun crimes. But these episodes paled into insignificance when I convinced myself that life is short and that I should make the best of every day. Those incidents can wait a few days more when I come home.
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Hydro ‘gone a falls’…Now let’s move on! By Khemraj Ramjattan AFC Leader The role of reliable and competitive electricity rates in the economic development of any country cannot be overstated. Given our abundant natural resources, reliable and cheap power will be a catalyst for rapid economic growth. Over the years many investments, local and foreign, have been deterred by the high cost of power in Guyana. This challenge has never been lost to the political directorates past and present. However, the many initiatives and proposals sent in to the
political directorates have not been given any serious consideration as they ought to. With its current high cost of power, Guyana needs to explore all sources of power, fossil-based as well as renewable such as hydro, wind and solar, all of which have attractive possibilities. Any hydropower facility would bring tremendous benefit to Guyanese. This country pays the highest rates for electricity; and, for the most unreliable supply. Though myself and the AFC are getting a good pounding from certain quarters, I maintain that the Amaila Falls project may have been a
good for Guyana. And this notwithstanding its current configuration may not have immediately resulted in lower electricity rates. No doubt it needed reworking and this reworking would have come after the IDB due diligence. I was aware of its imperfections, namely, the high cost of borrowing, the high political risk premium, foreign exchange risk (the loan is denominated in Chinese currency which is currently overvalued, any depreciation in relation to the US dollars will hike the cost of the project), inadequate hydrology data, and so on. These are serious questions which I felt would have been answered by the experts from the IDB. But now that all of that is history, these questions should be taken back to the drawing board. Further, an independent feasibility needs to be carried out by a competent and reputable firm, followed by an open international tender for a design, build and operate facility before any commitment of taxpayers’ resources is made. At every
stage of this process a reputable firm of experts must be in charge. It was a lack of transparency, and independent professional advice that resulted in what many social commentators called a sub-optimal deal. Now that this hydro ‘gone a falls’, to use the local term, Government needs to define a clear energy policy directed through an Independent Authority free from political influences. Such policy should include sources of fuel other than diesel and heavy fuel. It must include Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). Either of these could replace Diesel and Heavy fuel currently used by GPL, at significant reduction in fuel generation cost. I am advised that a cost of 11 cents per KWH could be achieved, which compares with the projected Amaila Falls rate under the now redundant Power Purchase Agreement with GPL. This Energy Policy should include legislation that authorizes Private Power
Companies (PPC) to stimulate private sector investments in independent power generation for supply to GPL. Again, political direction should be removed from the licencing of PPC. I am aware of too many credible investors interested in power generation being turned off by unscrupulous and corrupt demands from politicians in the present PPP leadership. For more than 21 years the PPP Government has failed to provide reliable power supply while spending billions in taxpayers” money; and, should therefore stay out of generation. GPL also needs to be more efficient in its operations or needs to be privatized. As has been demanded by so many, any restructuring of GPL must start with the removal of the entire Board of Directors and its replacement by a Board of competent professionals. The current Board has no regard for cost control and efficiency. The move to LNG or CNG should have been made a long time ago. This lack of entrepreneurial leadership and competence is
what we will now pay for. It continues to spend scare resources on diesel and heavy fuel generation when all around us and the entire world is moving to LNG and renewables. There is no Amaila Falls in Barbados or Jamaica, Antigua or even little St. Kitts and Nevis. Yet the cost of power there is lower and there are never any blackouts. The present GPL believes that it will continue to pass its inefficiency and incompetence in the form of higher tariff to an already over-taxed populace. The AFC rejects the continuation of this vulgar modus operandi of GPL and will hesitate to support calls for the further subsidisation of GPL, a further tax of the Guyanese consumer. I believe that in our coastal and city areas, wind, solar and LNG should be pursued until we manage to get financing for a major hydro, like Amaila, in the near future. Private sector investment ought to be attracted here with suitable fiscal and other incentives.
Sunday August 25, 2013
Kaieteur News
Meet the beautiful Cynthia Singh who is an aspiring entrepreneur. She describes herself as simple, quiet and easy going. Her advice to young people is that they should be themselves and not give into peer pressure.
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APNU pledges support for efficient hydropower development A Partnership for National Unity – APNU – pledges its total support for the development of Guyana’s hydropower potential for the benefit of all our people. APNU iterates its complete commitment to contributing to a real solution to Guyana’s short-, medium- and long-term energy requirements. The Partnership supports local and foreign direct investment in hydropower development and other natural resources. It will respect, unreservedly, the rights of investors in accordance with the Investment Act No 1 of 2004, which states, “The government shall protect investments and the prosperity of investors in accordance with the laws of Guyana.” APNU asserts that the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) administration must accept full responsibility for the current controversy and confusion surrounding its failure to win the wholehearted support of the nation to advance the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project - AFHP - beyond its present stalled stage. APNU blames the PPPC for poor consultation, poor planning, poor implementation and poor management of the arrangements for the AFHP over the past eight years, since negotiations started with Synergy Holdings Inc. APNU has made several recommendations for the PPPC administration to develop Guyana’s abundant hydropower potential in an efficient manner. APNU is adamant that, in the final analysis, the Government of Guyana
must give the public adequate assurances of the final tariff for electricity supplied to the average consumers, the final cost of the project, the design of the plant, and the capability of the Guyana Power and Light Inc. to deliver electricity to consumers. APNU proposes, as a start to move the process forward, the establishment of a Potaro-Basin Development Authority – PBDA - of which the AFHP can be the first, but not the sole, component. APNU is aware that AFHP on its own is inadequate to meet Guyana’s medium- and long-term energy needs. APNU calls on the PPPC administration, therefore, to adopt a holistic scheme to place the development of the Potaro Basin on a sound basis. APNU sees the proposed Authority as a specialised corporate organisation that is adequately equipped, resourced and staffed to enable it to plan and manage the development of a hydroelectric project. It calls on the government, therefore, to prevent further damage to the project by restricting the role of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to the activities for which it was originally established. APNU restates its concern that, up to the present, no comprehensive proposal on the AHFP has ever been presented for consideration, debate and approval of the National Assembly. APNU, therefore, did not support the Hydro-Electric Power (Amendment) Bill 2013, No 15/2013 and the Limit on Amount Outstanding under
Guarantees given under the Guarantee of Loans (Public Corporations and Companies) Act when they were brought before the National Assembly, at its 62nd Sitting on Wednesday 7th August. These measures are fragmentary and still do not present the project in a holistic manner. The Partnership, in those circumstances, found it impossible to give its unequivocal support for a project when only two peripheral matters had been presented for its deliberation. APNU voted against the bill and the motion because it was not prepared to support a project the financial architecture of which was likely to condemn Guyanese to excessive indebtedness. The Partnership did not support the measures which failed to provide assurances that the final cost of power to the consumer will be appreciably lower than the current tariff. They were, nevertheless, approved by majority vote of the People’s Progressive Party Civic and the Alliance for Change. APNU has had engagements with the Government of Guyana, the Inter-American Development Bank and representatives of the Blackstone and Sithe Global Groups on the proposed AFHP. APNU has also engaged citizens and stakeholders with respect to three areas – economic analysis, environmental security and the capability of Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) to deliver electricity from the AFHP. APNU supports the continuation or resumption of engagements with the Inter-
American Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank (IBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) for funding. It proposes, also, that transparent arrangements be initiated to raise capital from the domestic private sector and the diaspora through infrastructure bonds. APNU calls on the government to publish immediately, all memoranda and agreements signed and licences awarded to individuals and entities in relation to hydroelectric development. It proposes, further, that a transparent and reasonable process be established for the award of licences for hydropower development. The licence for the AFHP must be re-awarded through an open process. APNU strongly recommends the appointment of a GPL board of directors that will restore the confidence of the stakeholders and the public in that corporation. The new board should introduce a revised management structure intended to radically improve arrangements for reducing technical and commercial losses by 2015. The PPPC administration and GPL must give an undertaking to reduce the tariff to domestic consumers and to industry, in keeping with the planned fall in costs of power generation. APNU calls on the PPPC administration to present to the nation its proposals for the hydropower development of the Potaro Basin without further delay. APNU restates its concern about financial arrangements for the project and particularly the final tariff to average consumers, the final costs of the project and GPL’s ability to deliver affordable electricity to consumers. APNU pledges to continue to work towards a project that will bring cheaper, more abundant hydroelectricity to the Guyanese people.
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SUNDAY SPECIAL FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER RALPH RAMKARRAN SAYS… AUTHORITARIAN POLITICALCULTURE RESPONSIBLE FOR AMAILAFAILURE Days after the developer and key partner, Sithe Global, pulled out from the Amaila Falls Hydro Project, former Speaker of the National Assembly Ralph Ramkarran accused the administration of failing to hold healthy debate, and it was because of this that the Project became a victim of the country’s political culture. “The new Cheddi Jagan Airport and the Specialty Hospital are now in jeopardy. It is not known how the PPP came about the idea that it can move these projects forward in the National Assembly without a far higher degree of collaboration and trust,” Ramkarran wrote in his weekly column posted on his website, conversationtree.gy, last Saturday evening. Blaming the “authoritarian political culture” for Amaila’s failure, Ramkarran who resigned last year after decades in the hierarchy of the PPP (People’s Progressive Party), said it is this culture that gave Guyana the Skeldon Factory, the new Cheddi Jagan Airport and the Specialty Hospital with no ‘healthy political debate’ or consultation, and “Amaila with initially little more than nominal disclosures.” Government only made disclosures when the matter hit the National Assembly. “These flowed more freely only when Opposition votes in the National Assembly became necessary. Amaila was conceived, planned, negotiated and announced without any consultation or ‘healthy political debate,’ first as a fait accompli, then followed by a scramble for ex post facto support from the Opposition,” Ramkarran noted.
Kaieteur News
SPARENDAAM PLANE CRASH… SITHE GLOBAL OBLIGATED TO SETTLE LEGAL COMMITMENTS BEFORE PACKING UP – OPPOSITION - VICTIMS STILL TO RECEIVE COMPENSATION Now that the US developer of the Amaila Falls Hydropower project, Sithe Global, has announced its withdrawal, there are calls for the company to settle its legal obligations with victims of the April plane crash at Sparendaam which left a 69year-old woman homeless. Speaking at a forum on the Amaila Falls Hydropower project last week Friday at St. Stanislaus College, Economist Professor Clive Thomas, also called for all licences issued and agreements signed between Government and the developer to be suspended and made public. The forum on the way forward on the project was organized by the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) and is part of a series on major issues, the moderator, Dr. David Hinds disclosed. Also part of the panel was Carl Greenidge, a former Finance Minister and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament. Professor Thomas stated that he has been receiving calls that the matter of the plane crash still remains unsettled. These and other legal obligations have to be settled at the soonest, he urged. On April 13, two men were on board the ill-fated twinengine Piper Aztec, with registration N27-F, on a technical survey mission related to the Amaila Falls Hydropower project. Apparently, Sithe Global, responsible for managing the construction of the project, sub-contracted Digital World Mapping to conduct surveys.
MONDAY EDITION AMAILA REPRESENTS ALIABILITY FOR TAXPAYING DOLLARS … GOVT. ADMITS THIS BY LOOKING TO GUARANTEE GPL PAYMENTS- RAM, GASKIN The Guyana Government, by its action in seeking to raise the debt ceiling in order to guarantee payments by the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) for the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Plant, has acknowledged the debt implications of the project. Government in a public statement on the matter and through various pronouncements by its officials maintained that it is not doing any borrowing for the project. Financial Analysts, Christopher Ram and Ramon Gaskin have since responded to critics publicly by stating that, “by going to the National Assembly to increase the debt ceiling in connection with Amaila, the Government acknowledged the debt implications of the project.” The fact is that the Government, not Sithe Global, is guaranteeing to the Power Purchase Agreement which requires GPL, a fully-owned state company, “to pay a monthly Capacity Tolling Fee that includes the payment the debts and their related costs, the annual repayment of Sithe’s capital and its returns, and the operations and maintenance cost of Sithe’s operating company.” According to Ram and Gaskin, “by the Government’s own reckoning, the debt elements alone exceed US$2B over 20 years…Since the Government agrees to pay that debt if the company defaults, this is what accountants call a contingent liability.” In addressing the claim by government that there will be a reduction in the tariff that will be charged to consumers
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of electricity, the two maintain that it will in fact be increased by 23.6 per cent. CHILDRENAMONG SEVERALINJURED AS DRAG-RACING BUS CRASHES Fifteen passengers, including two children, were injured at around 19:30 hrs Sunday after the driver of a drag-racing minibus crashed on the East Bank Public road near Agricola. Among the injured were S h a r l i n e B o u r n e , f o u r, Cynelle Moore, 10, Kevin, Althea Bourne, 31, Kadeen Bourne, 3, Lily Park, 30, Asif Juman, 21, Shawn Bourne, 31, Lorson De Younge, 25, De Santos, Trinell De Younge, 24, Rocky Moore, 44, Mikisha Moore, 1, Kenwin Isaacs, 18, Dania Abrams, 15, Zahid Ali, 25, and Montel Lavencia, 18. The accident occurred in the vicinity of the Alpha Hotel at Agricola Public Road.
TUESDAY EDITION US ENVOY URGES POLITICAL PARTIES TO MEETONAMAILA - SAYS PROJECT’S DEMISE WILL DAMAGE COUNTRY’S FUTURE INVESTMENTS The United States Ambassador to Guyana on Monday called on political parties to meet on the Amaila Falls hydro project, warning that the country’s attractiveness to investments could be badly damaged if it is killed. A statement by Ambassador D. Brent Hardt, entitled “Op-Ed on the Amaila Falls and International Investment in Guyana” and issued by the US Embassy, also said that any future investments in the energy sector will make investments riskier and cost more. “While the window to prevent such an occurrence is small and closing fast, we call on all political parties to come together in the national interest to support a project that all parties have long agreed is necessary to boost Guyana’s competitiveness and improve the lives of its people with less expensive and more reliable energy,” the Ambassador said. Sithe Global, a US company, announced two Sundays ago that it was pulling out after the National Assembly remained divided on the US$858M project slated to be built in Region Eight. While the Alliance For Change (AFC), backed Government on two Bills, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) voted against it. Sithe Global, which was partnering with Government on what would be the largest infrastructure project in the
history of Guyana, had tied the issue of unanimous agreements by the Parliamentary parties to financing by the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB). FIGHTAGAINST VIOLENT CRIME LACKS LEADERSHIP – APNU With reports of violent crime almost reaching epidemic proportions, the main opposition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), is of the opinion that enough is not being done to comprehensively fight the scourge that is plaguing Guyana today. The party in a press statement on Monday said that it has noted with grave concern the increased attacks by bandits on business owners, especially those who conduct their operations in rural communities. “The Partnership calls on the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Ministry of Home Affairs to act now to restore confidence in the business community and the general public. Business owners, potential entrepreneurs and all citizens need to feel a sense of safety and security, something that is sadly lacking in Guyana today,” APNU said. These assertions come several weeks after the Ministry of Home Affairs had also noted the recent spike in armed robberies and had expressed its deep concern over the development. Referring to crime figures released by the police up to the end of June this year, which indicate that 472 cases of violent crimes were reported, APNU said that it (Continued on page 55)
President Donald Ramotar and Agriculture Minister Leslie Ramsammy examine a section of the plant
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Depression with diabetes U.S. agency says Michael Jackson may speed mental decline estate owes $702 million in taxes In a study of middle-aged and older people with type 2 diabetes, declines in thinking and memory that are often linked to later dementia happened faster in those who were depressed compared to those who were not. Over less than four years, U.S. and Canadian researchers saw significant differences between depressed and nondepressed diabetes patients in the erosion of a wide range of cognitive abilities. “Depression appears to be an important risk factor for dementia and cognitive decline among patients with diabetes,” Dr. Mark Sullivan, professor of psychiatry at the University of Washington and lead author of the study, told Reuters Health in an email. Both diabetes and depression have been found to raise the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia later in life. But whether depression is a cause or an effect of cognitive decline remains unclear. Diabetes can damage organs, especially the kidneys, eyes, nervous system and brain. The disease also raises a person’s risk for having a cardiovascular “event” such as a heart attack or stroke. More than one-quarter of Americans older than age 65 have diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. An estimated 6.5 million Americans in this age group suffer from depression, according to the National Alliance for Mental Illness. To assess the role of depression in cognitive decline among older diabetes patients, Sullivan’s team looked at data on nearly 3,000 people over age 55 with type 2 diabetes and risk factors for cardiovascular events. On average, participants had had diabetes for about 9 years. Tests of cognitive abilities were given to all participants at the study’s beginning, and again at 20 months and 40 months. One test measured psychomotor speed, or how long it takes the brain to register a stimulus, process it and respond. Another looked at the ability to remember words over time. A third test measured executive
functioning, or how the brain uses memories to plan actions, pay attention and inhibit inappropriate behavior. Researchers determined whether an individual was depressed using a 9-question form patients filled out themselves. More than 2,600 people completed the tests at all three time points. Sixty-two percent of these never had scores indicating depression. Eighteen percent were depressed at the start of the study, 16 to 17 percent were depressed at 20 and 40 months and five percent had scores indicating depression at all three time points. Researchers found that people with symptoms of depression at any point were more likely to be women, younger, non-Hispanic whites, overweight or obese, and to have higher blood sugar, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein, or “bad” cholesterol, than others. Yet, the researchers report in JAMA Psychiatry, depression was linked to greater cognitive decline regardless of other risk factors. These included age, gender, race, obesity, smoking, alcohol use, previous cardiovascular events, as well the types of diabetes and heart disease medications the participants were taking.
The estate of pop music legend Michael Jackson owes $702 million in federal taxes and penalties, the Internal Revenue Service charged in U.S. Tax Court, accusing the estate of undervaluing some of the star’s assets by hundreds of millions of dollars. The dollar amounts in dispute had not been previously disclosed in the court challenge that the Jackson estate filed in July to a bill from the IRS, the U.S. tax-collecting agency. At issue is the wide difference between what the estate said Jackson’s legacy was worth versus what the IRS determined was its taxable value. An IRS spokesman and lawyers for the estate declined to comment. Jackson died on June 25, 2009, the date of the estate tax return. His estate’s beneficiaries are Jackson’s mother, Katherine, his three children and charities. The estate’s 2009 tax filing said the total Jackson estate had a $7 million taxable value. In May, the IRS issued the estate a tax deficiency notice for $505.1 million in taxes and $196.9 million in penalties,
according to Tax Court documents dated Tuesday. Jackson’s image and likeness were valued by the IRS at $434 million. The estate said its taxable value was $2,105. The largest taxable item was the estate’s stake in some of Jackson’s recording assets, listed as MJ/ATV Publishing Trust interest in New Horizon Trust II, which was valued at $469 million by IRS. It was not valued in the 2009 estate filing. The IRS’s alleged tax deficiency also includes some items that were overvalued by the estate.
Ben Affleck to play Batman in ‘Man of Steel’ sequel
Ducks were bird flu ‘melting pot’ Ducks were the melting pot of viruses that led to the new bird flu emerging in China early this year, according to Chinese scientists tracking the evolution of the virus. Ducks picked up viruses from migrating birds and passed them onto chickens. The study, published in the journal Nature, showed humans were probably then infected with H7N9 due to contact with chickens at live poultry markets. There have been 133 human cases of the bird flu and 43 deaths. The team, including researchers at the Shantou University Medical College, were trying to trace the root of the outbreak. They took samples from 1,341 chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons, partridges and quail as well as faecal and water samples from live poultry markets. By comparing the similarities and differences between the genetic codes of influenza viruses in each of the animals, scientists can work out how the virus evolved and spread. Their report said: “Domestic ducks seem to act as key intermediate hosts by acquiring and maintaining diverse influenza viruses from migratory birds. “This probably led to outbreaks in chickens resulting in the rapid spread of the [virus] through live poultry markets which became the source of human infections.” MARKET DANGER There have been very few cases since
China introduced controls on live poultry markets. The authors added: “To control H7N9 and related viruses ultimately it is necessary to reconsider the management of live poultry markets in urban areas.” The study also uncovered a similar bird flu called H7N7, which appears able to infect mammals. The scientists said this group of H7 bird flus may “pose threats beyond the current outbreak”. Commenting on the research, Dr Peter Horby, from the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Vietnam, said: “This kind of microbial forensics is essential in helping us piece together the origin of novel avian influenza viruses such as H7N9. “When combined with analyses of poultry production and marketing systems, it can help us identify practices that might reduce the risks of H7N9 and other novel viruses reemerging. “Whilst this brings us closer to understanding the pathway to emergence, more detective work is needed to fully reveal the ecology and source of H7N9 viruses, which seem to be concentrated in live poultry markets but elusive elsewhere in the production chain. “The discovery of a novel H7N7 lineage that can infect ferrets reminds us that even if H7N9 does not return, there are risks lurking amongst the great diversity of avian influenza viruses.” (BBC)
A Jackson estate spokesman said the IRS’s appraisal values “were based on speculative and erroneous assumptions unsupported by the facts or law.” The Jackson estate has paid $100 million in taxes, he said on Friday. Under Tax Court rules, the Jackson estate will not need to pay any taxes or penalties unless the court rules in favor of the IRS. Jackson died at age 50 from an overdose of the surgical anesthetic propofol while rehearsing for a series of comeback concerts in London. (Reuters)
Actor Ben Affleck will play Batman in an upcoming Superman sequel that will see the two caped crusaders face off against each other, film studio Warner Bros Pictures said on Thursday. Affleck, 41, will take on the role of reclusive billionaire Bruce Wayne, Batman’s alter-ego, in director Zack Snyder’s 2015 sequel to this year’s Superman reboot “Man of Steel,” starring 30-year-old British actor Henry Cavill. “We knew we needed an extraordinary actor to take on one of DC Comics’ most enduringly popular super heroes, and Ben Affleck certainly fits that bill, and then some. His outstanding career is a testament to his
talent and we know he and Zack will bring new dimension to the duality of this character,” Greg Silverman, president of creative development at Warner Bros Pictures said. The announcement that two iconic comic book heroes will face off against each other was made by Snyder earlier this year at San Diego’s annual Comic-Con, a convention celebrating comic-book and pop culture. “It’s beyond mythological to have Superman and our new Batman facing off, since they are the greatest super heroes in the world,” Snyder said. The director’s “Man of Steel” has been a successful reboot of the Superman franchise this year, making $650 million at the global box office. The yet-to-be titled sequel, slated for release on July 17, 2015, will reunite “Man of Steel” stars Cavill, Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane. Affleck joins a list of actors who have donned Batman’s black mask and cape, including Michael Keaton, George Clooney and most recently Christian Bale in Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy. Both Batman and Superman are part of the DC Comics universe, which is part of the Warner Bros Entertainment division, a subsidiary of Time Warner Inc. Nolan’s “Dark Knight” films, which explored a darker and more complex portrayal of Batman, made more than $2 billion at the worldwide box office between 2005 and 2012, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com. Affleck, who directed and starred in this year’s Best Picture Oscar winner “Argo,” will also be in upcoming gambling drama “Runner Runner,” opposite Justin Timberlake. (Reuters)
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China-Taiwan issue trumps Caribbean co-operation By Sir Ronald Sanders
C
hina may still be classified as a “developing” country because of its per capita income, but that is as far as the description is pertinent. In almost every other way, China is in the league of developed nations. The World Bank gives China's per capita income in 2012 as US$6,091. By comparison, with the exception of Haiti (US$771), Guyana (US$3,584), Belize (US$4,577) and Jamaica (US$5,472), the per capita incomes of C a r ib b ea n Community (CARICOM) countries are greater than China's. Even so, it is difficult to regard China as a “developing” country in the common understanding of that term. China continues to define itself as “developing” because of its need for diplomatic support from developing countries for the issues that are important to it in the international community. These are Tibet, human rights, Taiwan and reform of the global economic institutions that would give China a stronger standing. Over the last three decades, the infrastructure of a great portion of China has been upgraded. Its major sea ports and airports are far superior to those in many industrialised nations, and while the latter are crumbling and in need of major rebuilding, China's new infrastructure has been constructed for the future. Further, China's internal transportation system – its highways, railways and bullet trains are modern and futuristic. Above all else, the Chinese people remain disciplined, hardworking and thrifty, contributing immensely to China's global competitiveness and to the healthy finances of the Chinese government. Chinese savings at the end of June this year stood at US$16.3 trillion. China is already a magnet for financial services and Information Technology (IT) businesses. The government has now announced plans to fully connect China to the internet in two years' time with urban and rural broadband speeds reaching 20 megabytes per second (Mbps) and 4Mbps respectively. Consequently,
the value of IT businesses is expected to increase by US$2 trillion. China is the world's second largest economy after the United States. Even with the slowing down of its economic growth from a ten per cent average over the last two decades to a projected 7.5 per cent this year, China is expected to become the world's largest consumer market within the next five years, according to a Standard and Poor's report. A further indication of the wealth in China is a report by Forbes Magazine in March which puts China as the home of the second largest number of billionaires (122) after the US (442). The China Daily also reports that the number of millionaires in China this year is 1.05 million. This is not to suggest that all of China has been modernised and is free of poverty. The Western area of China lags behind the development of the East. But this, too, is changing. Since 2000, the Chinese government has embarked on a programme to develop the West, covering more than half of the country's land and almost a third of its population. It has now decided to introduce “differentiated” policies for the region that will include huge spending on infrastructure. The government has announced that it will move “labouri n t e n s i v e a n d environmentally friendly industries from the coastal region to the West”. Already, three Western cities have grown faster than their wealthier counterparts in the East. All of this is to say that China is a strong economy whose growth may have slowed, but it has slowed to a rate that every other nation fervently wishes it had. China will continue to grow and it will remain an economic powerhouse. With US$3.4 trillion in foreign reserves, China also has an interest in investing in projects around the world that would not only give it multi-national companies, but also a wider and diversified portfolio for a return on its money. Apart from the mineral and forestry resources that China wants, Caribbean businesses cannot take advantage of the Chinese market.
Access to affordable capital, costs of transportation, insurance, labeling in Chinese and marketing are beyond the capacity of the relatively small companies in the region. Of course, opportunities that are available for companies to integrate their production to penetrate the Chinese market (and others) are not even being considered. Absent, the capacity of
the private sector in many Caribbean countries to export to the Chinese market, China will continue to enjoy a huge balance of payments surplus with CARICOM countries. China had a balance of trade surplus with the 15-nation Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries of US$3 billion in 2012, according to China's trade figures. Only Jamaica, Guyana
and Trinidad and Tobago, which have resources such as forestry and minerals that China wants, could reasonably expect to export meaningfully to China. But, on present form, their exports will hardly compensate for the imports from China that now flood their markets leaving them with balance of payments deficits in 2012 of US$755.4 million, US$173.4 million and US$172.5 million respectively.
Sir Ronald Sanders And since the balance of trade surplus in China's favour is not likely to be reduced in any significant way, the sum of US$3 billion, which President Xi announced last June would be made available to Caribbean countries as concessionary (continued on page 52)
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AMAILA FALLS HYDRO - A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR PRESIDENT RAMOTAR TO LEAVE A LASTING LEGACY By Ralph Seeram
I
f you want to know who your true friends are tell them you are moving and you “need a hand”. Suddenly they will have a bad back, not feeling well, or have another engagement that prevents them from coming to your assistance. This is truer in the U.S. It is even worse if they know you have a two-storey house or live on floors beyond the ground floor.
Mind you, those same friends will turn out in “full force” if you invite them to a party, they will have no problem with that ”bad back” winding down to the ground to soca. I once went to help a friend move to an apartment. When we arrived at the apartment complex I asked him where his apartment was. He raised his hands and pointed in a 45-degree angle; he was moving to the third floor in a building with no
elevators. It was summer; the temperature was in the 90s. Since then I made it a point to ask what floor a friend is moving to. If it's beyond the first floor, I would have a “bad back”, the truth is I do have a “bad back” and after a hernia operation a few years ago, I was restricted from lifting heavy weight. With the above in mind, when I moved into my twostorey townhouse recently, I decided to hire two “muscle” men to move, not depending
on friends. Even then there could be problems. On my way to pick up the rental truck, one told me he has a sick brother and can't come, the other sent a message that he is in jail. Fortunately I had a plan B-- two back-ups that owed me money and were eager to work it off, and believe me, they earned the money in the 95 degrees heat that day. Now what does this have to do with President Donald Ramotar and the Hydro project? First he is seeing
who his friends are in this Amaila flap. He is finding out that even your foes can be your friends if it suits their interests. The AFC came to his corner…the private sector also. It was very interesting to read three different versions of speeches at the recently held National Economic Forum. Kaieteur News headlined “World renowned scientist calls for full disclosure on Amaila” and subtitled “wants President to set up a task force to create a National Energy Policy”. Over at the Chronicle it was “Private sector and academic 'bigwigs' extol merits of Amaila project: - outline macroeconomic benefits to Guyanese”. At the Guyana Times, they had this “Guyana faces dark future without hydro” research scientist. As you see, everybody has his agenda in this Hydro project and is exploiting it for personal interests. It took reading the three papers to fully understand what was said at the forum. That's the problem with this Amaila Falls fiasco, everybody is pushing his agenda and interest, be it government or opposition. What is not adequately
addressed is the interest of Guyanese as a whole and more specifically the interest of the electricity consumers who will be stuck with the repayment bill. The PPP has come out with statements to the effect that those taxpayers are only investing US$20M and have nothing to lose. As for that investment, the country would own the project in 20 years free and clear, in addition to reduced rates and a huge saving in foreign exchanges due to reduced fuel imports. Here is the problem. Technically it is not costing the government; it is the electricity consumers through tariffs who will have to foot the bill. The opposition is questioning the cost of the project and the expected reduction in costs as well as the way the contract is structured. Don't believe the nonsense from Sithe Global that they pulled out because APNU is not on board, they realize the public is now aware of the unfavourable terms of the contract, unfavorable to Guyanese interest; they are aware that even if the opposition vote in favour then get in power they (continued on page 56)
China-Taiwan issue ... From page 45 loans, is simply not enough compensation. China will undoubtedly enjoy another trade surplus of US$3 billion this year and the next. In this context, Caribbean countries should develop a strategy for their economic relations with China that would secure aid for trade, concessionary loans for national infrastructure projects and pan-Caribbean projects that would benefit countries nationally and regionally. The strategy should also pursue investment by Chinese companies in financial services, tourism facilities and manufacturing not necessarily for the Chinese market, with such investment financed by the China Development Bank and the China Export-Import Bank on soft terms and conditions. But, Taiwan remains the fly in this ointment. In August, in the wake of China's President Xi's visit with 9 CARICOM leaders in June, Taiwan's President Ma
Ying-jeou toured four of the five CARICOM countries with which diplomatic links continue. He has pledged ongoing economic assistance to each of them, and they have all pledged loyalty to Taiwan. This suggests that CARICOM should now accept that regional cooperation has been trumped by division on the ChinaTaiwan issue, and the nine independent countries with links to China should proceed to formalise an economic partnership agreement with China outside of the CARICOM Tr e a t y, b u t w i t h t h e concurrence of the five member states tied to Taiwan. The alternative is the present beggar-thyneighbour practices from which the Caribbean is not a winner. (The writer is a Consultant, Senior Research Fellow at London University and former Caribbean diplomat)
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Sunday August 25, 2013
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From page 37 shows that much more needs to be done to address what has clearly become a national epidemic of violence. The party emphasised that it had recently called for the establishment an Interpersonal Violence Unit. “The Partnership takes this opportunity to renew this call for such a unit and to reiterate our lack of confidence in the leadership of Mr. Clement James Rohee as Minister responsible for public safety.” WEDNESDAY EDITION SUPPORT FOR HYDRO NOTAUTOMATIC FOR AMAILA – CARL GREENIDGE The political opposition remains deeply divided on the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project despite pleas from the US Ambassador to Guyana, D. Brent Hardt for consensus or risk damage to future investments in the country. Financial spokesperson for APNU, Carl Greenidge, in his response to the envoy’s statement firstly pointed out that the Amaila Project is an undertaking in which a USbased firm stands to benefit substantially. Ambassador Hardt had said that the demise of the project is likely to diminish Guyana’s future attractiveness to international investors, and make future investments in the energy sector riskier and more costly. Greenidge, a former Finance Minister, responded by saying “we also are aware that the consequences of a badly negotiated major project such as Amaila can be even more deleterious than delays caused by the requirement to effect improvements in the architecture.” On the matter of the Ambassador’s perception of implied support for the project by the opposition political parties, Greenidge told Kaieteur News, “I am completely unaware of APNU having taken any public position in support of Amaila and am intrigued as to how the Ambassador came to the conclusion that until recently APNU had been supporting the Amaila hydroelectric project.” $85M BIOETHANOL DEMO PLANT COMMISSIONED In light of Sithe Global’s withdrawal from the Amaila Falls Hydro Project, President Donald Ramotar has reiterated his pledge to “look for other partners” in pursuit of cheap and alternative energy. He was at the time addressing the gathering at a ceremony held to commission the $85M Bioethanol Demonstration Plant at Albion
Surendra Engineering will proceed in the near future, with the latest addendum of an un-named construction consultancy to supervise proceedings. Ramjattan said he sees this new development as wholly outrageous and dangerous for a number of reasons.
Estate in Berbice, a project which he said is geared at generating energy at a lower cost. It is being undertaken by the Government of Guyana in partnership with the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB), while Green Biofineries of Brazil and WhiteFox Technologies Limited of Canada were contracted and subcontracted to install the components of the plant. Kaieteur News understands that this is the first time that WhiteFox Technologies Limited has built a Bioethanol Plant anywhere in the world. Nonetheless, the facility will be handled by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), employees of which were trained in the field of bioethanol production. It was noted that during a workshop, 50 participants from 15 corresponding entities such as the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), were taught how to manage the plant during operation, bioethanol quality control, plant maintenance, and safety guidelines. The main objectives of the plant are to demonstrate the production of fuel grade ethanol locally, provide the source for demonstration of ethanol as a vehicle fuel, and develop a facility for the training of local personnel in bio-fuel technologies. THURSDAY EDITION AMBASSADOR LOOKING OUT FORAMERICA’S BUSINESS INTEREST IN AMAILA – GTUC Brent Hardt, the US Ambassador to Guyana, is looking out for America’s business interest, which is among his responsibilities, according to President of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), Lincoln Lewis. Lewis is among the latest to respond to the American Ambassador’s appeal for support of the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project as he called for consensus among the political parties locally. According to Lewis,
Guyanese must not be misguided by the Ambassador, “for at the end of the day, it is we, the taxpayers who will have to live with the consequences of a decision of this magnitude, not properly thought out and can subject itself to probity.” Ambassador Hardt, in voicing support for the Amaila Falls initiative said, “until recently, the project, which has been under development for six years under Sithe Global, appeared to enjoy the implicit support of all political parties…In recent weeks, however, the project suddenly became enmeshed in political battles that had little to do with the potential of the project to generate cheaper, more reliable, and more environmentally friendly energy for decades to come.” COCAINE FOUND IN RICE SHIPMENT A 20 ton shipment of Guyanese grown rice that was destined for Venezuela as part of the two countries’ PetroCaribe rice deal has been confiscated by anti-narcotics officials of the Dominican Republic who say that more than 70 kilogrammes of cocaine was found stashed in the bulk consignment. The drug discovery onboard the in-transit vessel has tasked local and foreign authorities with ascertaining the origin of the illegal substance. Ranks of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) are therefore collaborating with their foreign counterparts in Jamaica and the Dominican Republic (DR) to determine whether the narcotic was placed in the rice bags before or after it left Guyana. Head of CANU, James Singh told Kaieteur News on Wednesday that a shipment of rice was intercepted in the Spanish-speaking nation on August 13, onboard the MV Azuria. The drug was contained in 69 packages, weighing a total of 73.34 kilograms. The vessel is said to be a Liberian-flagged
cargo ship. The rice shipment had departed Guyana on August 2nd and docked in Jamaica before moving on to the Dominica Republic where the narcotic was found and laboratory tested. Investigators say that the drug could have been sneaked on board what has been confirmed as a legitimate shipment of rice from the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) at any of the three ports mentioned. Declining to go in-depth on the ongoing probe, Singh said however, that the agency is yet to discover whether the drugs came from Guyana and whether the necessary security checks were made on exit. FRIDAY EDITION GOV’T SHOULD SELL AMAILA SHARES IMMEDIATELY– PROFESSOR HUNTE …MINORITY STAKE IN COMPANY PRESENTS SIGNIFICANT RISK “It is indeed mystifying to say that a large investment project is profitable without a due diligence report being available for public scrutiny…this is unheard of in financial markets.” This is the assertion of renowned Professor and former head of the Guyana Agricultural and Industrial Development Bank (GAIBANK), Dr Kenrick Hunte, who believes that Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh, is not being forthright on the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project’s investment and as such is clouding the issues involved. Dr Hunte in his response to Dr Singh, said that the Finance Minister has highlighted a series of unsubstantiated benefits to be derived through taking a minority stake in the project and should these become a reality “this will be path breaking in the fields of finance, accounting and economics. A Nobel Prize will just be a handshake away.” Dr Hunte has since said that given the factors involved, the Guyana Government should either sell
its shares in the project or make all the information available to the National Assembly. He was at the time responding to Dr Singh’s assertion that there is no debt being incurred by the Guyana Government in the current structure of the project. “The fact that Amaila is a large investment that involves hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ dollars; and the fact that it will encumber for many years to come a significant share of our natural resources and patrimony, information on this project cannot be restricted to a few individuals.” AFC CONDEMNS “CORRUPT” SPECIALTY HOSPITALDEAL Leader of the Alliance for Change Khemraj Ramjattan says that his party condemns what it considers as the corrupt deal for the construction of the Specialty Hospital, further calling for its halting and retendering. Ramjattan at a party press conference Thursday said that he noted the recent remarks by the Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, that the Specialty Hospital construction by
SATURDAY EDITION “MY INTEREST LIES WITH GUYANAAND ITS PEOPLE”- DAVID GRANGER A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), in response to the US Ambassador’s call for unanimous political support for the US$858M Hydro project, said that there are two interests being brought to the fore. On Friday, the party’s leader, David Granger indicated that those two interests are that of the United States of America and of Guyana. Granger, in no uncertain terms, said that his interest lies with Guyana and to the people of Guyana. “He (Ambassador) is a diplomat, represents a state, and I can understand that it is in his interest to advance the business of that state he represents. But I also have obligations to the Guyanese population and I represent their interest …There is the American interest and the Guyanese interest I know where my interest lies. I am not surprised by his statement; he is a civil servant, paid to do that.” Several days ago, US Ambassador to Guyana, D. Brent Hardt, called for all political parties to meet and for all to support the Amaila Falls Hydro Project. The envoy warned that the country’s attractiveness to investments could be badly damaged with the demise of the Amaila Falls project.
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Car/Van driver 40yrs plus. Husband and wife live in duties. Laboures - call:2271830 Kitchen help, butcher and cleaner- Call:231-5866/2315857 One boy to work in Interior 18-30- $70,00- Call:664-5199 (from 8am-6pm) serious enquiry only Cleaner- Call:225-3234 One live in maid must know to cook & clean, preferably from country side or interiorCall:666-6836 One experienced driver to work in interior to drive bus & lorry- Call:666-6836 Bar attendant/ waitress, age 25 and over with requirements (shift work)Call:226-0036 Linden highway farm looking for workers- Call Corniluse on 641-1544 or 650-0105 Experienced sewing machine operators- Call:220-4337
CAR RENTAL A i d a n ’s C a r R e n t a l & Pickup- Call: 645-7981/ 698-7807 Progressive Auto Rental - cars from $4000 per day. Call 643-5122, 225-8711; email www. progressive autorental. com Premio, vitz call: 679-7139 Car Rental- Call: 643-1131/ 225-3234
Working single female to share room- Call:644-5444 Attractive live in waitressCall:327-0252/674-4665 Driver, salesperson, male merchandiser & porter needed, bring resume ( include reference) & passport photo at Vegetarian Gardens - Tele: 227-7714 One experienced general domestic, must know to cook tasty Creole dishes. Must be honest & trustworthy- Call:656-6388
VACANCY
PROPERTY FOR SALE
LAND FOR SALE
24 Hour East Coast Guyoil needs night pump attendants, salesgirl & office assistant- Call:6889611/684-2838
Property for sale in Enterprise E. C. Demerara Call: 627-5416/611-7437
House lot for sale: Friendship, Diamond EBD & drafting of house plans call:223-0733, 223-0730, 6928513
Refrigeration, A/C Technician. Call 231-0655/ 683-8734 Cashier, porter, sales clerks: Apply with written application @ 2J’s General Store 148-149 Regent road Bourda, G/Town- Call:2252350 1 Receptionist, within the vicinity of Vreed-en-Hoop to Parika. Tel: 638-1627 1 Secretary, 1 Clerk & 1 Office Assistant- Contact the office on 265-3586 2 able bodied labour workers to work on farm at Yahurawara- Contact the office 265-3586 Fabricator We l d e r, security officers, kitchen assistant, 1 cook, host/ hostess & cleaners: Interested persons can contact tel:603-3993 Porters, skidder, tractor, moulder operator, wood mizer operator and lorry driver- Call Richard 609-7675/ 233-2614 DRESSMAKING Classes in Designing and Sewing Schoon-Ord, W.B.DCall Sharmela (CanadianTrained) @ 626-2629
Experienced male counter servers, waiters, cashiers, roti/ puri cooks & pastry makers: Apply @ Hacks Halaal 5 Commerce St. Cooks, assistant cooks, waitresses and bartenders to work in Kitty area- Call: 226-7054/ Cell:610-8269 1 Handy Man, 1 Small Engine Mechanic 3 yrs experience- call: 233-2408 One experience Hire car driver- Contact Mrs. KhanCall:226-7948 or 686-6648 Wanted experienced Taxi drivers & experience Dispatcher @ Princess Hotel- Call:265-7076/6165419 Boys to work at Wash bay in Kitty- Call:227-5751/6270980 Receptionist age 25 and over (shift work). Room attendants & maids age 25 and over (shift work)Call:223-6284/225-9211 Male & female to work in Electronic store: Guyana Variety store & Nut Centre 38 Cummings street, Alberttown
Sunday August 25, 2013
FOR RENT Coolers and ScaffoldCall:657-0424 Cement mixer (Ransome)Call:681-5988/672-6000 Executive apartments/ houses- Call:223-8479/6473768 www.spaceseek.gy Apartments $50,000: Bills inclusive. Limited space available- Call:223-8479/6473768 www.spaceseek.gy One bedroom apartment, very clean & grilled $30,000 @ Charlestown- Call:2262856/604-1788 3 Bedrooms downstairs, 1 Self-contained: Newly renovated: Yard space: Located in Diamond H/ Scheme- Call:613-0028 2-Two bedrooms apartments @ Avenue ‘B’ Diamond $35,000- Call:658-5452 Business Spot at 14 Peter’s Hall E.B.D- Tel: 233-5110/ 6680309
Lodge, corner property with business- Call:223-7181/6274900 ‘BB’ Eccles- Concrete house 3 bedrooms upstairs, downstairs 2 self contained apartments, 2 bedrooms each toilet & bath $28MCall:227-8409/660-4764 Furnished building in the interior, fully equipped along with six rooms- Call:604-6999 House and Land @ D’Edward, W.C.B.- Call: 6892973/698-3703 Property for sale by owner located at Regent Street, Georgetown- Call:225-1831 Houses for sale on E.C.D & E.B.D- Call:223-8479/6473768 www.spaceseek.gy West Ruimveldt $5M, West Bank $22M, East Bank $15M, Section ‘K’ $42M- Call Diana @227-2256/626-9382 VERSAILLES: Furnished 5 bedrooms, self-contained rooms, modern facilities, generator, beautiful landscape, gated community- Call:592-6248704/ 592-684-9203 One two storey concrete building & land 48 x 500ft @ La Jalousie public road, W.C.D- Call:269-0778 serious inquires Paradise, E.C.D: Concrete modern 2 bedrooms, front and rear verandah. Concrete fenced large lot- call:2252626/ 225-3068 Paradise, E.C.D: Concrete modern 2 storeys, 4 bedrooms- 2 masters. Concrete fenced large lotcall:225-2626/ 225-3068 Haslington, E.C.D: Building ‘A’, concrete/ timber modern 2 storeys, 7 bedrooms, grilled & fenced. Building ‘B’, 3 apartments, fenced- call:2252626/ 225-3068 Two storey house, six bedrooms & two kitchen @ block ‘8’ Tushen, E.B.ECall:650-2982 2 Storey transported property at 311 Herstelling, E.C.D- Call Sonalall @ 718843-1691 or Datsy @231-2284
SALON Make Up Courses, Artist Trained & Certified in Trinidad. Call: 660-5257, 647-1773
Land @ Marudi Creek 35 acres. Suitable for farming/ sand pit- Call:664-9701/6426056 Land @ lot 50 area ‘H’Albion Corentyne, Berbice- Call:6470357/651-1735 Warakabra, Linden Highway: 1,409’ x 403’ or 13.73 acres. Concrete house thereon. West of Highway- Call:6194152 Parfaite Harmony $1M & $800,000- Call:675-7292 Ameila’s Ward, Linden $1MCall:613-1810/697-2550 Lot 648 Friendship, East Coast Demerara: Size 9,321 Sq.Ft. Price Neg- Call:2590227 House lots 50’×118’ New Hope, E.B.D: Serious enquires only. No prices on phone- Call:266-2711/6094594 2369.664 Sq/ft of land @ Victoria village, E.C.DCall:225-2626/225-3068 32 Acres for sale, Lot 5 Content Mahaicony, E.C.D: US$175,000: Call:813-3194 2 1 9 : rpooran@tampabay.rr.com
LEARN TO DRIVE Soman & Sons Driving School , First Federation Building Call 225-4858, 6445166,622-2872,615-0964
AMAILA FALLS HYDRO A GREAT... From page 52 will revisit the contract, which repays them their money in five years, but they still receive interest for 15 more years. Look, all the stakeholders agree that the Amaila Falls project is in the best interest of Guyana. There is no question about it; there is complete consensus on that. What is needed is consensus on the terms of the contract, financing and implementation. In my last article, I suggested some sort of a commission to revisit the entire project. Professor Suresh Narine called for a National Task Force. The PPP must realize that it made some PR blunders in selling this project to the public. This is a massive project and should not have been kept in the dark for so long. Now is the time for President Ramotar to show statesmanship, now is the time for the President to show that he is President of all Guyana by establishing a National Task Force comprising all stakeholders, especially its critics. Let them come up with a solution; it's a win-win situation for the President. A national consensus will inspire investor confidence; you will be able to arrange better financing terms. The Chinese are sitting on billions of dollars that they want to invest; they will be willing to take less than that 8.5% interest rate. After all they are lending already for far less. Mr. President the “ball is in your court”; the present contract is dead, not the project, now is the time for you to shine, take charge. You did not negotiate the present contract, but you have a great opportunity to put your stamp on a new one favourable to the Guyanese public, while leaving an indelible legacy. You will be surprised how many new friends you will have, if they have an opportunity to participate, do that and you won't need any friends to move you, next election.
Sunday August 25, 2013
Kaieteur News
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Guyana Quartz Sand Inc - a story of resolve and initiative By Dale Andrews While the name Guyana Quartz Sand Inc. is not known to many, the company is fast carving out a huge reputation for itself in the local and regional sand and stone industry. With a new one-of-its-kind conveyor off-loading and onloading system, located on the East Bank of the Demerara River at Soesdyke, Guyana Quartz Sand Inc. has managed to overcome great challenges. Such were the challenges that had it not been for the perseverance of its owner and his dedicated Guyanese staff, along with the confidence shown by a local bank, Guyana Quartz Sand Inc. might not have been in existence today and securing the employment of more than 35 workers. It would be safe to say that the new facility was realized out of adversity
suffered by Joseph Bhaskaran, a Sri Lankan-born Canadian citizen, who can now claim the right to be a Guyanese. A previous facility which was built by Bhaskaran is presently the subject of a controversial litigation, brought on by his former business partner, and maybe, it was a good thing that it happened that way. Guyana Quartz Sand Inc. now has the capacity to load 70,000 tonnes of sand per month on to barges destined for various Caribbean markets and an off-loading facility for stone that could handle 20,000 tonnes monthly. Construction of the facility commenced in June last year, using almost exclusively local material. Three months later, after toiling day and night, the workers were loading the first barge of sand for export. In a recent interview with
the businessman, to coincide with the launching of Mining Week, this newspaper learnt that he initially had not started out to deal with sand, or for that matter, in anything to do with the Mining Sector. Joseph Bhaskaran came to Guyana in 1991, and married a Guyanese with whom he has a son. Initially, he had owned an ice factory and a seafood processing plant which was located in Berbice, a project which he had financed through personal funds and a mortgage from the then Guyana Agricultural and Industrial Development Bank (GAIBANK). In 1998 he sold that business and moved his seafood operation to Coverden, East Bank Demerara, where he also operated a sawmill. In 2006, he ventured into the then
lucrative scrap metal-buying business and began exporting the commodity to other parts of the world, and it was during this period that he met a foreigner who would later become his business partner. Together, they ran a company called Start Metal Trading Inc., and using the facility near the bank of the Demerara River, which had acres of space for storage of material, the venture was profitable. “But during the procurement of scrap metal, I discovered that a lot of good materials were being exported as scrap, materials that can be utilized in the local workshops. So I came up with the idea to utilize the materials locally by creating a new business, JB Metals and Fabrication Workshop. The nature of the business was to
produce impellers, hammers, cutterheads, etc. to primarily the gold mining industry and also supply steel plates and piles to metal fabrication workshops throughout Guyana,� he told this newspaper. During that time the government had instituted a ban on the exportation of scrap metal and Bhaskaran used his ingenuity to continue to make money. His business continued to grow
at a rapid rate and the businessman continued to look for additional ways to utilize the wharf facility that was constructed to facilitate the scrap metal export business. But by then the scrap metal deal he had with his foreign partner had begun to show signs of declining and Bhaskaran soon came up with another business idea: that (Continued on page 58)
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Guyana Quartz Sand Inc - a story of resolve and initiative From page 57 was to sell Guyana quartz sand to the lucrative Caribbean market. “I became interested in exporting sand via the conveyor system utilizing the wharf and I also had components and I possessed the knowledge to build the conveyor system.” However, he did not have the finance readily available, since it would have cost a whopping US$800,000. Try as he might, securing the finance for such a huge project posed a huge challenge, but he could not let the opportunity slip through his fingers. Eventually, using money from his own pocket, he ventured into the unchartered waters of building a sandloading facility. He was in luck, though, for he managed to acquire material for the project from a very favourable source. He had identified the major components for the conveyor system in the East Montgomery Mine site in
Joseph Bhaskaran Linden. “I applied to the Prime Minister to purchase the materials. He came and visited my fabrication workshop and wharf location at Coverden in July 2008. …following that visit, my proposal was accepted by Cabinet and I was awarded approximately 10,000 Metric tonnes of scrap metal in the East Montgomery Mine site,” Bhaskaran explained. That was the real
beginning of hard work. Soon Bhaskaran was able to secure some financing from his local bank, the Bank of Nova Scotia, along with a hire purchase agreement with Jumbo Jet, enabling him to acquire the sand pit and machinery necessary for the business. Using local expertise, Bhaskaran completed the construction of the conveyor system and commenced the loading of sand for export in February 2009. Money started to flow in, and before he knew it, Bhaskaran began encountering difficulties with his partner, leading to a bitter
Guyanese ingenuity at work: Local fabricators work on the construction of the Guyana Quartz Sand Inc. conveyor system. fall out that end up in the court. In fact, Bhaskaran was personally barred from the Coverden, East Bank Demerara facility. But the facility continued to load sand, resulting in the partner trying to forcibly bring a halt to the operations. With the help of some Presidential Guards, the partner invaded the facility and commenced a demolition
job which was only halted when the police intervened. In the meantime, the facility at Coverden had wound down operations. An ensuing court battle almost forced Bhaskaran to lose faith in the business, but realizing that many of his adopted countrymen were being put out of a job, he sought to find a solution to the situation.
Also realising that the court battle to settle his problem with his partner over the Coverden facility would take time, Bhaskaran made a decision to establish a new sand-loading operation at another location; this time at Block R ,Soesdyke, also on the East Bank of Demerara. Again he had to seek financing for such another huge venture. Such was the confidence in Bhaskaran’s initiative that this time the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) bought into the project. It shelled out a whopping $187M (approx. US$940,000) for him to build a more advanced conveyor loading system. The new facility is now operating to capacity with the capability of expansion. During the time that Bhaskaran was not operating, another facility further up the East Bank of Demerara had become the only facility sand -loading facility in Guyana. (This facility cannot off-load) Now that the Guyana Quartz Sand Inc is up and running, Bhaskaran was able to reclaim most of his customers, bringing back healthy competition in the sector. “I am not here to put anybody out of business. I don’t have a problem with my competitor, we have a smooth relationship. I believe that there is enough business for both facilities to survive,” Bhaskaran pointed out. He was grateful to the local financial institutions, especially the GBTI, which continues to show confidence in local businesses. “I also want to thank my employees, who toiled day and night for months to construct this facility. They certainly show that Guyana has an abundance of talent that is not being fully utilized,” Bhaskaran said.
Sunday August 25, 2013
Kaieteur News
Western and regional defense chiefs to meet to discuss Syria LONDON/AMMAN (Reuters) - The military chiefs of the United States, its main Western allies and Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are meeting in Jordan in the coming days to discuss the situation in Syria, defense officials said yesterday. The meeting, planned two months ago, is the third that the top military officers have held on Syria this year, but it has gained new urgency since a nerve gas attack reported to have killed hundreds near Damascus this week. A Jordanian defense source said the defense chiefs of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Canada and Italy were expected to attend, along with those of Turkey, which has already seen the conflict spill over its border, and Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which are both supporting Syrian antigovernment rebels. “This meeting comes as
part of ongoing continued s e c u r i t y, m i l i t a r y a n d political coordination to assess the current events in Syria and their repercussion on the security of the region in general,” the source said. A Pentagon spokesman said the U.S. Central Command and the Jordanian armed forces were co-hosting the regional defense talks from August 25 to 27, and that the conference had been planned since June. Wednesday’s chemical weapons attack, in which between 350 and 1,000 or more people are reported to have been killed, has increased the pressure for foreign intervention in Syria’s twoyear-old civil war. The United States has said it is repositioning naval forces in the Mediterranean to give President Barack Obama the option for an armed strike on Syria, although officials stressed
that Obama had not decided on military action. Washington has already stationed F-16 fighter jets and Patriot missiles in Jordan, which has received about a quarter of the 2 million Syrian refugees who have fled abroad, and is considering providing Jordan with manned U.S. surveillance aircraft to help it monitor its border with Syria. A European defense source said events in Damascus had given the meeting a new urgency. “We had been expecting to talk mainly about stabilizing Jordan,” he said. “Instead, it will be dominated by Syria. It’s all really waiting on the Americans and what they decide they want to do.” “There have been discussions, but so far they have been very inconclusive. As the scale of what happened in Damascus becomes clear, that may change.”
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Pakistan releases Indian prisoners as it strives to improve ties WAGAH, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistan released 337 Indian prisoners, most of them fishermen, yesterday in the latest sign that Pakistan’s new government wants to improve rocky ties between the nuclear-armed neighbors. But the push by Pakistan’s civilian government to improve relations with India has been undermined by a series of clashes that began this month along their border dividing the disputed Kashmir region.
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif says better relations with India are key to restoring a flagging economy but it is Pakistan’s military that traditionally sets foreign and security policies, even during periods of civilian rule. The prisoners, including fishermen detained for straying into what Pakistan sees as its waters over the past two years, were allowed
to go home through the Wagah border crossing, between the Pakistani city of Lahore and India’s Amritsar. “Pakistan and India were one country in past, they should compromise with each other and live peacefully like brothers,” said fisherman Kailash Nathu, 17, who was heading home after being arrested in January. Another Indian
fisherman, 30-year-old Shabbir Usman, said India should now release Pakistani prisoners. “Pakistan and India should sign a treaty for not arresting innocent fishermen. If they sign such treaty, it would help strengthen friendly relations,” he said, surrounded by grinning colleagues as they approached the border crossing. But an Indian foreign ministry spokesman said New Delhi would not make a reciprocal gesture. “Release is only of those who have completed prison terms and have been identified as nationals. This is normal process and not a reciprocal one,” the Indian spokesman said via a telephone text message ahead, of the release.
Sunday August 25, 2013
Kaieteur News
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“Limacol Caribbean Premier league was the bomb! Now what?” Colin E. H. Croft So, we have come to the final in the inaugural final of Limacol Caribbean Premier League. This is a fitting climax, as the most consistent teams, overall, in the competition, have come to the top, ably led by West Indies stalwarts Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle. Without even considering their team-mates, this is full redemption for Sarwan, discarded by West Indies after Champions Trophy 2013, Pollard for his initial unacceptance in his adopted team in Barbados, and for Gayle, whose very importance still does not seem to register with some. However, now that we have tasted from this wonderful chalice of cricket – T-20 version – what else is there to look forward to, to replace this dazzling excitement that we have experienced? Yes, the initial Limacol Caribbean Premier League has been truly, stunningly brilliant; for colour, for intensity, for enjoyment and pure unadulterated fun, and even for, generally, players’ magnificent efforts. So, even if you were dead, you should all thoroughly have enjoyed the event over the last six weeks! But, everything; good and bad; must eventually come to an end, whenever that end arrives. After the last several weeks of an event that has, most definitely, capsulated what the entire Caribbean has been known to be about,
Fans enjoy the CPL
Fans enjoy the CPL action carnival atmosphere everywhere, relatively careless and carefree existences, consummation of
all things human, and those man-made too, total titillation, what happens next? Oh, of course life will go
Everest beat Transport in Banks Malta U-13 opening fixture
Everest Cricket Club defeated Transport Sports Club by 7 runs as the Banks Malta Supreme U-13 25 overs competition commenced yesterday with one match at the Everest Cricket Club ground. The competition regulations state that the batting side shall be divided into pairs and each pair shall bat for five overs; each dismissal shall result in 10 runs being deducted from the total. Each team shall commence its innings with a score of two hundred runs and the wining team will be the side scoring the higher number of runs after the deductions for the dismissals has been made, and the host by virtue of having fewer
Adrian Hinds dismissals (10) emerged the winner. Transport Sport Club batted first and scored 369 off their allotted overs, but suffered 11 dismissals. Adrian
Hinds top scored with 38 which included four sixes. He and Mark Baptiste (10) added 46 for the tenth wicket to beef up their team’s total. Toney Ajoda supported with 12 as Latchman Ramroop effected three dismissals for 37 runs, while Sachin Bhola had two dismissals for 35 runs. Everest Cricket Club responded with 366 in 25 overs but endured ten dismissals. Damien Persaud stroked four fours in a top score of 20, while Yeudistir Persaud made 18 with four fours and Latchman Ramroop 14 (3x4). Joel Spooner, Jalen Chancellor and Romario Persaud managed two dismissals each. The competition continues tomorrow.
on, as it inevitably would and does, but the entire Caribbean façade will be sorely missing a relatively new form of ultraentertainment, a fanciful facet that has never been seen, in this heightened guise, in these celebrated parts. I know that we have had the then eye-opening, even enjoyable too, Stanford T-20 Series from 2006 to 2008, as staged and financed by now disgraced financier R Allen Stanford. But those events were restricted to being played out in only one country, Antigua & Barbuda, with no “outside” international cricketers involved at all, initially, except in the final of “Super Series”; 2008; when the Stanford Superstars took on England in the “20-20 for 20 million dollars!” Limacol Caribbean Premier League has been a vastly improved and timely updated venture of the T-20 event itself, one that is, hopefully, unlike Stanford’s, which died with his incarceration, here to
stay! So, what exactly will follow this now, as regards cricket entertainment and absolute full adrenaline rush? Adrenaline is a strange phenomenon, an actual real element of living, described in bio-chemistry as “a hormone that is secreted by the adrenal medulla, in response to stress, and increases the heart rate, pulse rate, and blood pressure, and raises the blood levels of glucose and lipids.” In other words, under severe external stimuli, one could actually feel, even act and perform, like Superman, if you have correct amounts of adrenaline coming forth, for whatever reasons. Have you ever been chased by a big, bad dog, or someone acting similarly to that dog, perhaps with machete in hand? Somehow, feet fly, not unlike that super guy, to take you to safety, most times! That is the effect of adrenaline, but, conversely, there is no way to turn it off, as one does with running water from some pipe. That is why so many sports-persons, generally, and folks actively involved in extreme sports, like skydivers, even Formula 1 drivers and fighter airplane pilots, live so fast, some even dying quite young. Sometimes, there is great inability to harness, curtail, that extremely rush; that absolute, euphoric high! Super cricket and superb displays of everything Caribbean are what we have had. Now, the let-down will be quite cruel! I did not fully understand “adrenaline rush” until I was 26 years old, 1979/80, probably the prime of my actual and cricketing life. Strangely, I was not even fully aware of the
Colin E. H. Croft phenomenon when I first played, aged 23, for West Indies in 1977. That could have been put down to simply taking things for granted as an enterprising youth-man. I had first toured Australia at the end of 1978 in another similarly ground breaking cricket-entertainment situation, in Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket, featuring West Indies, Australia and Rest of the World. But it was when West Indies toured Australia, 1979/ 1980, that I really became fully aware of real effects of adrenaline, for, among other things, this was the first tour ever by West Indies to Australia that the hosts had lost to us tourists. That in itself brought out all sorts of emotions. After captain Clive Lloyd had set Australia over 600 to win Test No. 3, at Adelaide, we set about getting them out, which we; Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Joel Garner and yours truly; duly did early on Day 5. Try as I did, I could not turn off the euphoria, so my son, Lee, who will be 33 next October, became reality! LPCL 2013 has left us with severe headaches and cravings for very much more, of anything! More likely than not, most of us will have to use the main sponsor’s product to cool our hot heads. Enjoy!
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Rain washes out fourth day’s play at The Oval BBC Sport - Rain prevented any play on the fourth day of the final Ashes Test between England and Australia at The Oval. There was heavy overnight rain, which remained persistent through the morning and afternoon, and play was eventually called off just after 16:00 BST.
England had reached 247-4 by the end of day three in reply to Australia’s first innings total of 492-9 declared. The hosts lead the series 3-0 and have already secured the Ashes, with the urn to be presented after play today. Ian Bell (29) and Chris Woakes (15) are the not-out batsmen overnight after
England struggled to score quickly on day three. While the hosts still need 46 more runs to avoid the follow-on, the game looks overwhelmingly likely to finish as a draw. BBC Weather’s Nick Miller said: “Tomorrow will be better - after morning showers, the afternoon looks largely dry with sunny spells - warmer too.”
Sunday August 25, 2013
Shehzad’s record 98* sets up 2-0 sweep ESPNcricinfo - Ahmed Shehzad established several records on way to plundering Zimbabwe for an unbeaten 98, which sealed a 2-0 sweep of the Twenty20 series for Pakistan. Shehzad bettered his best T20 international innings of 70, achieved in the previous game, to make the highest score in the format by a Pakistan batsman, going past Misbah-ul-Haq’s 87* against Bangladesh in Karachi in 2008. Heaving the ball repeatedly over the leg-side boundary to become the first from his country to hit six sixes in a T20 innings, Shehzad added 143 for the second wicket with Mohammad Hafeez, making it the highest T20 partnership by a Pakistan pair. The previous best was 142 for the first wicket between Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt against Bangladesh at Gros Islet in the 2010 World Twenty20. Shehzad’s innings was yet another example of how much damage top-order
batsmen can cause in T20s, if they take a bit of time instead of throwing their bats at everything from the first ball. The first five that Shehzad played were all dots, from the offspinner Prosper Utseya. To the sixth, Shehzad charged out and lofted over long-on for six. This ability to come up with the big hit would define Shehzad’s innings. More than a third of the 64 deliveries he faced were dots, and he was on 11 off 18 at one stage, but the heave over midwicket was always around the corner. It was Nasir Jamshed who got Pakistan going with 23 off 17, after being put down at slip on 7. He mishit Shingi Masakadza for mid-off to take a running catch in the sixth over, and that was to be it for Zimbabwe for the innings. Barring a couple of leading edges off Hafeez that did not carry, they didn’t really come close to taking another wicket. In Zimbabwe’s defence, whenever Shehzad and Hafeez mishit the ball, it never came close to carrying
to the deep fielders. And their fast bowlers never got the yorkers right, sending down length deliveries and full tosses instead, which Pakistan put away with ease. Shehzad favoured the leg side overwhelmingly, 73 of his 98 coming in that region, including 10 of his 12 boundaries. Considering most of them were fullblooded swings across the line, the timing and placement he managed on the shots was commendable. Shehzad needed just 22 deliveries after reaching his fifty to come within two runs of a century. Three of those were dots off Brian Vitori in the 16th over. The other three were swung for boundaries down the ground. He entered the last over on 86 and powered Vitori over long-on first ball. The hundred within sight, a determined but tiring Shehzad laboured back for successive twos next. He wanted two off the fourth ball as well, but Hafeez was in no mood for gifting a run-out chance to Zimbabwe.
Sunday August 25, 2013
Kaieteur News
Guyanese athletes set to invade Peru for 1st South American Youth Games By Franklin Wilson A large contingent of young promising athletes will leave these shores next month seeking to make the Golden arrowhead proud when they represent at the inaugural South American Youth Games set for Lima, Peru from September 9 to 29, 2013. While funding for athletes travel has continue to bug athletes and teams from consistently honing their skills at higher levels that would not be the case this time around as the Organising Committee has provided the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) with sixteen (16) free tickets for the athletes. Some further assistance is being lobbied for by the GOA to obtain a few more tickets. The local body headed by Mr. K.A Juman Ya s s i n w i l l a l s o b e chipping in with funding for the Guyana contingent. Chef de Mission will be experienced Administrator and GOA Member Dr. Karen Pilgrim. At these inaugural games there will be some 213 events (Men’s 109; Women’s 91; Mixed 13) with fourteen countries participating including Guyana. The others are Argentina, Aruba, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela and hosts, Peru. Peruvian Olympic Committee President Mr. Jose Quinones Gonzalez has promised that the Games will be of the highest degree of
- 7 disciplines to be represented
Dr. Karen Pilgrim excellence. The South-American Youth Games is part of the South American Sports Organisation (ODESUR) strategic planning, and seeks the development of sports throughout the region. The initiative is aligned t o t h e Yo u t h O l y m p i c Games and follows the same schedule of sports, age range and philosophy towards the strengthening of sport practice and the encouragement of culture and the promotion of ethics and education of the youth. Following are the names of the athletes, the events they will participate in and officials selected by the various associations. Athletics Athletes: Jason Yaw
(200m, 400m); Dequawn Vancooten (100m); Tirana Mitchell (100m, 200m); Andrea Foster (1500m, 3000m) Official: Julian Edmonds Badminton Athletes: Ambika Ramraj, Narayan Ramdhani (both in individual event, plus “multinational” mixed doubles) Official: Gokarn Ramdhani Boxing Athletes: Tefon Greene (49kg); Travis Fraser (69kg); Joel Williamson (56kg); Michael April (52kg) Official: Sheridan Thomas Cycling Athletes: Akeem Arthur (Road Cycling, Mixed Relay); Alonzo Ambrose (Mountain Bike); Shaquel Agard (Road); Stepano Husbands (Mountain Bike); Crystal Lambert (Mixed Relay) Official: William Howard Swimming Athletes: Hannibal Gaskin (50 and 100 free, 50 and 100 butterfly); Onika George (50 and 100 Free; 50 and 100 Back); Omar Adams (50, 100 and 200 free, 50 fly) Official: Sean Baksh Table Tennis Athletes: Shemar Britton, Chelsea Edghill (both in individual event, plus “multinational” mixed doubles) Official: Linden Johnson Weightlifting Athletes: Sheriah Melville (over 63kg); Darren Williams (77kg); Denoila Bristol (53kg) Official: Sean Cozier
Republic Bank Under-17 Inter-zone cricket starts tomorrow in Berbice The long inclement weather period is seemingly coming to an end and the Berbice Cricket Board has quickly taken to opportunity to organise some cricket action in the Ancient County. The BCB is taking the opportunity to run off the 2013 Republic Bank Under-17 Inter-zone Cricket Competition which will begin tomorrow at the Albion Community Centre Ground. As usual, Berbice has been divided up into four geographical zones -West Berbice, East Bank/New Amsterdam/Canje, Lower Corentyne and Upper Corentyne. The competition, now in its fifty year, will consist of one-day-two innings matches each of which will start at 09:00 hours with the first innings of each team limited to sixty (60)
Overs. The two semi-finals are scheduled for tomorrow and Tuesday with Lower Corentyne taking on West Berbice at Albion tomorrow, while the other one between defending champion East Bank/New Amsterdam/Canje and Upper Corentyne is fixed for the Cumberland Ground on Tuesday with Albion being an alternative venue. Three of the squads have been named with West Berbice, Lower Corentyne and East Bank/New Amsterdam/ Canje naming their players. Upper Corentyne was still to name their players. The squads are: West Berbice: Grisean Grant captain, Adrian Singh, Mohan Deodat , Randy Wade, Navendra Mahadeo, Akeem Miller, Shawn smith, Jason Johansen, Bramdat Singh,
Loris Ramnarine, Imran Imitiaz, Terrence Dhanraj, Kishun Arjune and Parmanand Ramdhan. Lower Corentyne: Daniel Lewis (captain) Balchand Baldeo, Ritesh Omrow, Brandon Persaud, Joshua Harrichan, Jason Anderson, S. Dookhna, Navendra Permaul, Kevindra Persaud, Asif Ali, Asif Khan, Veeramootoo Senwansane, Daniel Samaroo and Joshua Gobin. East Bank/New Amsterdam/Canje will come from - Shimron Hetmyer (captain), Leon Andrews, Jerome Andrews Jnr, Clifton Lindie, Steve Deonarine, Filon Crandon, Kyle Michael, Kevin Sinclair, Devon Anderson, Jalim Jafar, Isaiah Lewis, Omar Weatherspoon and A. Thomas. (Samuel Whyte)
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Berbice Cricket Board Inter County cricket preparations start today The Selection Committee of the Berbice Cricket Board has called up 30 cricketers for three 50-Overs trial matches in preparation for the upcoming Senior InterCounty 50-Over Competition which is scheduled to start on September 11th, 2013. The first trial match is scheduled for today at the Albion Community Centre, the venue for all of the matches, with the other two matches slated for Tuesday and Wednesday. Among the players called up are Assad Fudadin, Veerasammy Permaul and Narsingh Deonarine all of whom have represented West Indies in the past year as well as former West Indies opening batsman Sewnarine Chattergoon. The two teams will be captained by Fudadin and Permaul, subject to their availability. Permaul’s squad: Veerasammy Permaul captain, Kandasammy Surujnarine, Arthley Bailey, Narsingh Deonarine, Joemal LaFleur, Seon Hetmyer, Delbert Hicks, Eon Hooper, Jason Sinclair, Keion De Jesus, Shawn Pereira, Kevin Ramdeen, Keon Joseph, Keyron Fraser and Yudendra Harrinarine. Fudadin’s squad reads: Assad Fudadin captain, Shimron Hetmyer, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Devon Clements, Rajiv Ivan, Jonathan Foo,
Anthony Bramble, Krishnadat Ramoo, Akshay Homraj, Anthony D’Andrade, Devendra Bishoo, Gudakesh Motie Kanhai, Clinton Pestano, Romario Shepherd and Devendra Thakurdeen.
The matches are scheduled to start at 09:00 hours each day and the players named must report to the ground not later than 07:45 hours on the playing days.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday August 25, 2013
Jamaica’s Tallawahs steal the show - trash Guyana Amazon Warriors by 7 wickets By Zaheer Mohamed The Jamaica Tallawahs defeated Guyana Amazon Warriors by seven wickets with 15 balls to spare to lift the inaugural Limacol Caribbean Premier League (LCPL) T\20 tournament last evening in Trinidad and Tobago. Chris Gayle and Andre Russell featured in an unbroken fourth wicket stand of 62 as the Tallawahs successfully chased 128. The Tallawahs were flawless at the toss and asked the Guyana Amazon Warriors to bat in front of another sellout crowd which graced the Queens Park Oval to witness an exciting climax to the LCPL. Lendl Simmons and Williams Perkins added 20 for the opening stand before Perkins, who slammed one four and a six, attempted to
loft David Bernard Jnr over the ropes and was well caught by Danza Hyatt for 14 in the fifth over. Lendl Simmons smashed the first ball bowled by Nikita Miller over mid wicket for a six, but the Warriors suffered another setback when Tillakaratne Dilshan was bowled off the inside edge off Bernard before he had scored to leave the score at 27-2. Denesh Ramdin was promoted up the order, but the Tallawahs bowlers made scoring difficult with controlled bowling. However, Ramdin pulled a short ball from Andre Russell to the mid wicket boundary then smashed him for a maximum the next delivery before Simmons drove Miller through cover for four to bring up their half century partnership. Simmons then lofted Miller to long off where Kumar Sangakkara took a
comfortable catch at 79-3; he departed for 40 which came off 44 balls with three fours and two sixes. Sunil Narine joined Ramdin and deposited Muttiah Muralitharan over mid wicket for a maximum before he was run out for 09 to make it 94-4 in the 17th over. Chris Gayle put the Warriors under further pressure when he bowled Ramdin for 29 which came off 34 deliveries and contained two fours and one six to leave score at 94-5. James Franklin and Chris Barnwell tried desperately to give their team a decent total in the closing stages of the innings, Franklin hit Gayle for consecutive sixes before Barnwell straight drove him for a boundary in the final over as the Warriors who allowed 62 dot balls ended on 128-5 off their allotted 20 overs. Franklin ended unbeaten on 17 while
Sukhpaul Business Enterprise on board for Upper Corentyne 20/20 cricket
Swarendra Sukhpaul (Suren) at left, and Rajendra Sukhpaul, third left, hands over the sponsorship to Dennis D’Andrade, while executives and others share the moment. The previously postponed Mohabir Baljeet Sukhpaul (Beto) Memorial 20/ 20 cricket competition organised by the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association (UCCA) and sponsored by Mr. Swarendra Sukhpaul (Suren) and Mr. Rajendra Sukhpaul, sons of the late Mohabir Baljeet Sukhpaul, will be replayed on Sunday 1st September at the Skeldon Community Centre Ground. The tournament, which was scheduled for earlier in the year, was postponed due to the inclement weather. With a change of the weather pattern the organisers and sponsors have taken the opportunity to make use of the seemingly favourable turn in the weather pattern.
The day’s activity will be played in memory of the late businessman who passed away on March 29, 2012. The teams involved will be the four zone winners in the Upper Corentyne area from the current 40-over competition now being played. The Trophies and sponsorship cheque to the tune of $155,000 was handed over to the President of the UCCA Mr. Dennis D’Andrade at a simple presentation ceremony held at the Sukhpaul’s Gas Station in Corriverton recently. Starting time 9:00hrs, the winner and runner up will receive a substantial financial reward and trophies. There will also be trophies for man-
of-the-match in all the games. All proceeds from activity including gates, drinks and food rights will go towards the development of cricket in the Upper Corentyne Area. The executive members of the Upper Corentyne Steering Committee which was formed December, 2012 are: Mr. Dennis D’Andrade, President, Sydney Jackman -Vice President, Winston Roberts Secretary, Vicky Bharosay Treasurer, Mr. Krishna Rengasammy assistant Secretary/Treasurer. The committee members are Mr. Chatrapaul Lionel, Ramnarine Dowlat, Lynden Murray, Aftab Aliahmad and Krishnand Jaichand. (Samuel Whyte)
Barnwell was not out on 09. Bernard was the most successful bowler with 2-18 for 4 overs, while Miller and Gayle had one each. Muralitharan and Vernon Philander although failed to take a wicket backed up well conceding thirteen from four and eight from three overs respectively. Chadwick Walton and Chris Gayle began the Tallawahs response, watchfully as they added 26 for the opening stand before Walton who smashed Dilshan to the cover boundary and hoisted him for a straight six was trapped leg before by the Sri Lankan in the fourth over for 13. Gayle and Kumar Sangakkara brought up their team fifty in the tenth over, but Barnwell gave the Warriors hopes when he had Sangakkara well caught by Franklin at mid wicket for 13 at 61-2. Malinga was brought back and had immediate success when he sent back Jermain Blackwood caught and bowled for 03 to leave the Tallawahs at 67-3 in the 12th over. Gayle smashed Barnwell with disdain to the cover
Chris Gayle led the Tallawahs. (CPL)
boundary while Russell got an outside edge to third man for four; he then followed up with a six over extra cover before Gayle finished the over which cost 20 runs with a four to third man which resulted from an outside edge. Russell then stroked Malinga to the long off fence, but Malinga responded with a toe crushing yorker which Russell somehow managed to keep out before Russell caressed him for another boundary to bring up the triple figure mark. The duo batted
Dave Bernard get the big wicket of Tillakaratne Dilshan. (CPL)
Lendl Simmons hits out during his top score for the Warriors. (CPL)
sensibly and saw their team home as they ended on 129-3 in 17.3 overs. Gayle ended unbeaten on 47 off 48 balls with six fours while Russell made 33 not out off 18 balls with five fours and a six. Malinga, Dilshan and Barnwell grabbed one apiece for the Warriors. Scores: Guyana Amazon Warriors 128/5 (20/20 ov); Jamaica Tallawahs 129/3 (17.3/20 ov). Result: Jamaica Tallawahs won by 7 wickets (with 15 balls remaining).
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JAMAICA’S TALLAWAHS STEAL THE SHOW trash Guyana Amazon Warriors by 7 wickets
Mc Kay thrashes field to win 35-lap contest; Anthony takes junior race
Individual winners are joined by the other top performers and race officials for this Kodak moment.
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