Kaieteur News

Monday December 03, 2012

Kaieteur News

Woman killed in West Dem. hit and run - suspect turns self in after wife detained Police have detained a minibus driver in connection with a hit-and-run accident on Saturday night at La Union, West Coast Demerara which claimed the life of a 44-yearold woman.

Bibi Salima Khan, of Canal Number Two, West Bank Demerara, was reportedly struck by a minibus at around 19:00 hrs while standing in a poorly lit section of La Union public road. She died on the spot.

The driver fled the scene but another driver who had witnessed the accident gave the police the licence number of the suspect’s bus.

Police visited the man’s home yesterday morning but were unable to locate him.

However, this newspaper understands that he eventually turned up at the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station after traffic ranks took his wife into custody.

A source said that the suspect alleged that he was driving on La Union Public Road on Saturday night when he spotted an object on the roadway. He alleged that he

Dead: Bibi Salima Khan swerved from the ‘object’ and stopped, but continued driving after he exited his vehicle and failed to see the ‘object’.

The dead woman’s sister said that she was asleep Saturday night when a woman awoke her with the news of her sister’s death.

Simpson said she immediately went to the West Demerara Regional Hospital but was told that no such case

was taken there. She was advised to check the Ezekiel Funeral Parlour.

“When I go there I see my sister in the fridge.”

The woman said that she was told by police officers that her sister was struck down in the vicinity of Crane by a mini bus.

She lamented that her sister left home early Saturday to visit a friend in Den Amstel, West Coast Demerara but never returned.

The grieving sister claimed that when she enquired about her sister’s whereabouts the day of the accident she learnt that the friend her sister had gone to meet was in another village so Khan, who has one child, decided to visit another friend in the same area and the two had a “drink.”

According to the sister, the friend told her that he had put her (Khan) in a bus at Den Amstel so that she could go home but he does not know how she ended up in the area where she was struck down.

A post mortem is expected to be done today.

Page 3

- promises adequate power supply for Xmas Guyana is being promised an adequate supply of electricity during the Christmas season as Guyana Power and Light (GPL) has begun to energize the US $5M submarine cable which runs across the Demerara River.

GPL‘s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bharat Dindyal assured that “Georgetown is already covered for the season.”

Dindyal explained that the cable has already been powered from Kingston to the Substation in Vreed-en-Hoop and completion is likely within the next two weeks.

The CEO stressed that West Demerara will be benefitting tremendously from the cable which is said to weigh over 100 tonnes that has the capacity to deliver over 150MW. The cable was brought to Guyana in February and was laid mid March.

The project was part of GPL’s programme to improve the network across the country and make it ready for

a planned 165 megawatt hydro electric facility at Amaila Falls, Region Eight.

But that project has been suffering numerous hindrances and according to engineers, does not seem to be likely completed anytime soon.

This newspaper understands that GPL will also be adding a new Wartsila Sub- Station at Vreed-EnHoop which will allow for the closure of the substation at Versailles.

The old submarine cable which linked the Garden of Eden power plant to West Demerara has been problematic with constant interruptions to power recorded in recent times, Dindyal had previously stated.

The submarine cable is but one component of the US$42M upgrade to the system being undertaken by the Chinese contractor Years ago, during the time of Guyana Electricity Corporation (GEC), there was

GPL Boss: Bharat Dindyal an 11KV cable which was sunk in the Demerara River and was connected from the Kingston Power Station to the West Demerara facility.

This cable was damaged by a ship’s anchor and subsequently abandoned.

When the cable arrived, Dindyal had emphasized that it will be sunk to a depth of some three and a half meters into the river bed while at the ship’s channel, the cable will make its way some seven meters down to avoid the possibility of damage.

Page 4

Kaieteur News

KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana.

Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

Editorial

Need for Political Dialogue Our politicians have frittered away the first year after elections in shouting away at each other across the aisles of Parliament and in the streets of our communities. This is in addition to the just as dangerous verbiage hurled under ‘bottom houses’. As we enter this second year, we hope the season of goodwill that is now upon us will influence our politicians to ease up with the screaming and begin to dialogue with each other.

As one expert in the field of conflict resolution pointed out, “Dialogue means we sit and talk with each other, especially those with whom we may think we have the greatest differences. However, talking together all too often means debating, discussing with a view to convincing the other, arguing for our point of view, examining pro’s and con’s. In dialogue, the intention is not to advocate but to inquire; not to argue but to explore; not to convince but to discover.”

These destructive shouting matches between our politicians do not help to address long-standing conflicts over public issues such as for instance, the dispute between the government and the Opposition as to whether Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee can be ‘gagged”. Moving the matter to the Committee of Privileges will not change anything since both sides will simply repeat their previous arguments.

Repetitive communication that is based in entrenched positions tends to close people’s minds to new ideas. Parties simply argue more loudly and refuse to be receptive to others’ views. These polarized ways of relating pose significant barriers for collaboration, and make informed and problem solving impossible. Opportunities are often lost to find common ground on which the nation’s business can be dealt with positively.

In addition, what we have witnessed is that since the shouting matches are filled with rhetoric and accusations, the public is exposed to a very limited discourse. This detracts from the involvement and education of citizens. In order to move toward productive collaboration, which is what all three parliamentary parties promised after the last elections, our political parties need to find new ways of relating to each other. Ways that help them to more fully understand the beliefs, meanings, values, and fears held by both their opponents and themselves.

It was our hope that the Tripartite Talks launched by President Ramotar early in the day would have become a site of dialogue such as we are advocating. But we would advise if these Talks are re-launched, the ground rules should be that they are based on ‘dialogue’ and not ‘argument”. Therefore before they sit down to negotiate or discuss resolutions to our deep-rooted, identity- or valuebased conflict, they must indicate they are willing to partake in such a conversation. Unless this occurs, as we have seen, public discourse about divisive issues will once again be characterized by destructive debate that can lead to further group divisions and violence.

It is more than likely that if new Tripartite Talks are to lead to sustainable progress there might be the need for a mediator trained in conflict management. This is because our parties are operating from different interpretations of facts and events that may not even be fully understood by themselves. When public conflicts are long lasting and involve seemingly irreconcilable differences of identity, worldviews, and values, parties tend to cling to their own positions and denigrate views of the opposing side. They rarely ask each other questions or genuinely listen to what the other side is saying.

Our country’s future is delicately poised at this time.

We are ill served even if it were simply to be marking time, for the rest of the world is marching ahead. But in the last year, we have actually moved backwards on several fronts.

Events at Linden and Agricola have greatly dissipated that intangible commodity so important for national progress: social capital. A real dialogue among our political leaders will go a long way to get our development program – on all fronts, political, social, economic and cultural - back on track.

Monday December 03, 2012

Letters... Where your views make the news

Gold Smuggling in Guyana had been institutionalized for a lot of Years DEAR EDITOR, The history of the modern Gold Mining Industry in Guyana is synonymous with gold smuggling. From the very first day of Golden Star (subsidiary of Cambior Inc) setting up operations in Guyana, the plan to evade royalties began. The Guyana Government was cheated not only on royalties and excise taxes, but on dividends.

The late President Hoyte addressed a meeting at the Wi n d o w s - o n - t h e - Wo r l d restaurant in New York City (107th Floor, WTC) in the summer of 1991 to tell the world of his progress in transforming the socialiststrapped Guyanese economy into a free market e c o n o m y. O n e o f t h e Hoyte’s major highlights was the progress of a new industry, gold-mining. He cited production figures, and for emphasis said: “That is what we know about, we have no idea how much was smuggled out.”

Here was the President of Guyana speaking to a world audience that included the U.S Assistant Secretary of State, Sally Cowal, and he was suggesting openly that gold was smuggled out of Guyana. A publiclytraded Canadian-registered company, whose shares t r a d e o n the NYSE and Canadian stock exchanges had begun huge mining operations in Guyana in the late 1980s.

Sometime in 1995, I worked as a yellow cab driver in New York City. Entered a passenger who told me he

lived in Seattle, Washington.

“Where are you from?” he asked.

As soon as he heard Guyana, he became excited at the prospect of talking of his foreign adventures and began calling out several names of Ministers and the former head of the Army, who then worked as head of Security for Golden Star.

“How did you know this country so well?” I asked.

“You’ve got to be some kind of Intelligence Officer connected with Western Embassies in Georgetown,” I teased.

A revelation popped out.

“I was the guy they hired to fly out the gold.” There began a not-so-rare event where much intelligence is gathered of secret operations in exotic places around the world. Only in a New York City yellow cab.

This pilot revealed to me that he flew over 50-flights laden with gold out of the country. And, this took place over a five-year period that covered both Hoyte’s and Cheddi Jagan’s secondcoming to power in 1992.

I recognized it was a rare gem of intelligence I had just received. But what can I do with it? Who in the Guyana Government would listen?

And, who would act?

A major responsibility of any government anywhere in the world is to be a good custodian of its natural resources, on behalf of the citizens of the nation. When a government neglects that responsibility they are both reckless and irresponsible –

as well as potentially being corrupt.

This gold smuggling business had been institutionalized for all the years Golden Star operated in the country. They operated with impunity.

This latest news of an US$11million heist of smuggled Guyana gold on a Guyana-registered ship in Curacao was not the first.

And, the Guyana Government spokesmen don’t have a clue.

Government officials are confused as to whether it is legally-shipped gold (“GG does not authorize such shipment by boat”); not realizing that smuggled gold would leave by any means necessary.

Another government official talks of “zero tolerance” of gold smuggling.

The citizens may ask: Where are the customs-controlling

system and licensing system?

– and would say, What a joke!

How does a government ensure it collects all its royalties and excise taxes? Of course, by having “better control” – licensed and supervised operations. Fortyyears ago I worked at a company called Booker-BDH at La penitence, Georgetown.

This company manufactured over two dozen pharmaceutical products.

Posted like a sentry in the manufacturing plant was a Customs official, who watched and recorded every unit of the product manufactured – and the company had to pay up all its due excise taxes, down to the last unit of the product.

Government needs to have similar control over the gold-mining industry.

Mike Persaud

Lands and Surveys charges are a rip-off DEAR EDITOR, The machine which copies maps and plans at the Lands and Surveys Department was only recently repaired after causing massive frustrations to the public during the months of its non-service.

Now that the Lands and Surveys copier is functioning, their charges for copies are a rip-off on Guyanese citizens. A copy of a plan done at this Department, costs at least eight times more than the same copy done by private copying businesses.

Would the CEO of the Lands and Surveys Department, the Honourable Minister responsible for this Department and the Leader of the Opposition and his Shadow Minister urgently review this matter and bring some relief to the public? If they do, would they kindly make a public statement so that the public could be informed.

Victoria Giles

Monday December 03, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 5

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

Mr. Ramotar and the PPP seem to tolerate corruption DEAR EDITOR, President Ramotar often gets upset whenever he is criticized for not leading from the front and showing the people a clear, coherent direction of his economic plan, his strategies to fight and reduce corruption and crimes, and where he intends to take the country. His most recent statement on December 2 in Kaieteur News “We can’t say that one man can click a finger and stop it [corruption].

We can probably make noise and try to make propaganda by going on the spot and those kinds of things, but the real way is to establish systems and close whatever gaps there are,” have once again questioned his poor leadership style and placed it on the public agenda for serious scrutiny.

For him to make such a silly statement after being in office for a year, not only highlights his ineptness and lack of leadership skills but also shows that the Jagdeo/ Ramotar cabal tolerates corruption and will do little or nothing to bring an end to it.

In essence, what Mr. Ramotar is telling the nation is that corruption has become so embedded in the system that his minority PPP regime does not know how to fight it and has no strategy/plan to do so at the moment.

Further, for Mr. Ramotar to say that “To really bring an end to corruption, we have to not only have the system, but the system has to be managed and policed properly to ensure it works”, clearly suggests that he is weak and non-productive and lacks the courage and decisiveness to implement policies to fight and reduce corruption. Why after one year in office, Mr. Ramotar has not put a system in place to bring corruption to an end?

His seeming silence on corruption, infrequent connection with the people and no sound economic program to jump-start the economy and improve the lives of the poor and the working class must be taken to mean that he is tired, wornout, confused and preoccupied with the Jagdeoites, to maintain control of his minority government. We instruct Mr. Ramotar not to listen to the Jagdeoites who have enriched themselves with the state resources but to take note of his three former PPP colleagues, Ralph Ramkarran, Moses Nagamootoo and Khemraj Ramjattan on how to end the corruption curse on the nation.

By now one would have expected Mr. Ramotar to use the power and prestige of his office to mobilize broad

public/private partnerships to jump-start the economy and put in place some serious policies to end corruption, which has plagued the nation for over a decade.

This is urgently needed, particularly in light of the fact that his minority government is going to be hard-pressed to pass the 2013 budget, which is being prepared by the Finance Minister without any serious consultation and input from the majority opposition.

As the nation awaits the 2013 budget, a lot is riding on a clear and decisive policy direction from Mr. Ramotar and his minority regime on the reduction of crime and corruption. It is long overdue!

But Mr. Ramotar and his PPP cabal seem bent on making the Rohee affair the most important issue in the country while ignoring the sufferings of the poor and the working class and the unbearable living conditions of the mothers and children of Plastic City.

Why Mr. Ramotar and his cabal continue to put all their energies and focus to defend the incompetent Minister of Home Affairs, only they know.

Honestly, we are not sure about the outcome on Rohee at the Privileges Committee but the details of aspects of the inquiry thus have some concerns. We hasten to stress that these concerns stem from years of Rohee’s poor performance and incompetency as the security Tsar of the country.

By admitting that he is not a security visionary and does not intend to become one, will not help his cause. The Police Force needs a competent, visionary and experienced leader, who is willing to implement some drastic reforms to solve and reduce the menacing crime rate.

One indisputable fact is that the Police Force and the country will be better off without Rohee, who is bent on punishing those under his command for speaking the truth.

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ramnarine is a classic case of his spiteful actions. Such actions have divided the Police Force. The Police Force needs togetherness, not divisiveness. A professional Police Force is the best asset this minority PPP-led Government and the citizens and non-citizens of Guyana can hope to have to reduce crime and corruption.

The propaganda, distortions and untruths that are being staged on NCN-TV by some in the PPP will not cut it. Thus, we say to Mr. Ramotar to man-up and accept the decision of the majority in Parliament on the no-

confidence motion and move on with the people’s business.

To do otherwise is to ignore the wishes of the majority, which could undermine Guyana’s democratic process. We caution the minority PPP regime not to show its twofaces; that is to claim that they believe in democracy but seeks to undermine it when it does not work in their favour. This is hypocritical.

Finally, this business of the PPP projecting Mr. Ramotar as someone who can lead the nation is empty and self-serving.

Mr. Ramotar does not have the gift of leadership or the requisite skills and ability needed to lead the nation.

Decisive and courageous political leadership is badly needed to reverse the stagnant economy, growing crime menace, rising corruption and the expanding

illegal trafficking of drugs.

There is no excuse for political leadership that lacks vision and the courage to take bold actions (especially with respect to crime and corruption) to solve the serious problems of the day.

Mr. Ramotar is just a regular politician who says what the people want to hear but will not do what they want done.

He is yet to stake his reputation on anything that will benefit the poor and the

working class other than to sing the Jagdeo praises. He is no great leader and certainly no Moses Nagamootoo. We have always said from the get go that he was a poor and hopeless leader and that remains true today.

Unfortunately, for the people of Guyana, they have to put up with him for at least the next three to four years.

Dr. Asquith Rose and Harish S. Singh

Page 6

Kaieteur News

Monday December 03, 2012

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

The destruction of Region 10 was well planned and executed DEAR EDITOR, Times have changed and we must move on. It is time for bold and big projections/plans as we move forward to build a better Region10. Over the last 22 years, Region 10’s economic, social/cultural, physical, educational and emotional institutions were destroyed and became non-existent.

The destruction of Region 10 was well plan and executed. The population and

the leaders of Region 10 played a significant role in the destruction of the stated institutions of Linden and Region 10.

Region 10 and mostly Linden can no longer sustain itself despite the fact that bauxite, timber and other products are being produced and sold for enormous profits.

There is no economic relationship between Region 10 and the industries therein.

Most of the money generated

by these industries, move from or through Region 10 to other Regions of Guyana and overseas.

The leaders and residents of Region 10 must accept that these times are different. There is no more Guybau, Guymine, and Linmine. There are no more Gaibank, Coop Bank and other similar financial organizations.

There is no more Mackenzie High School as it was intended. There is no

more Industrial Area as planned in 1960’s and 70’s.

There is no more Kashift and Shanghai football tournament. There are is no more musical bands in Linden. There are no more Christmas parties and bonuses in Linden and Region Ten. Presently, we have poverty and malaise. Prime Minister Sam Hinds suggested that Linden is no longer a mining town. The Prime Minister maybe is

correct.

The mining of bauxite no longer produces the jobs and/ or the money needed to carry the town. Bosai does not invest in Linden; the profits are sent out of Guyana and Linden/Region 10. My question to the Prime Minister is; what is our new economic designation? In their efforts to survive, the residents and visitors have resorted to corruption and dishonest relationships.

Region 10 needs to establish an Economic Council with a mandate to come up with bold and big ideas for its overall development.

The Economic Council must be made up of independent professionals, politicians and laymen.

Normally, I would have included Trade Unions but our Unions are toothless and non-involved in the overall development of Region 10 and Linden.

The Unions representing workers are based in Georgetown and other regions. I will recommend five persons, who can be the heart and soul of this Council.

Aubrey Norton (uncorrupted politician capable of working with the government) , Charles Ceres (uncorrupted businessman & technical professional), Stephen O. Simon (accountant and a man of meritorious upbringing), Terrence Evelyn ( a former successful town engineer and mining expert) Vincent Adams (proven track record as an administrator) as the Chairman.

The other four or five members can come from the Regional Administration and the Business Community.

The Economic Council will work with the Government to determine our designation. A decision must made by the

Government as whether or not Linden/Region 10 is a mining town/region.

This will definitely establish how the Economic Council can move forward.

These are some ideas from a layman.

Re-vamp the Linmine Secretariat to become the center of our development plan. No more LEAP and such poor conceived organizations.

The money will be used to complete projects with the Linmine Secretariat providing technical assistance, and supervision of the job.

Linmine should be responsible for buying and selling of electricity, not Bosai.

The plan will be that Linmine will expand and produce its own electricty.

The Linmine Secretariat will be responsible for all construction and repairs to roads and bridges in Region 10. Independent contractors will work with Linmine to ensure timely and excellent completion of jobs.

Also, we have political groups, historians, sociologists and social activists with a unified cry that Afro-Guyanese will kill Indo-Guyanese if Linden and Region 10 residents decide to fight for changes. The events in 1963 and 1964 saw the destruction of lives in Linden and Region 10.

After nearly fifty years, no Indo Guyanese was killed by an Afro Guyanese under the same circumstances. In Linden/Region 10, the blacks live in harmony with the East Indians. The cowards use the media to proclaim their vicious lies and opinions of Afro- Guyanese with intent to stifle our economic, social/ cultural, educational, physical and emotional development.

Clyde H. Clarke

Give Rohee some respite DEAR SIR, The PPP/C has been particularly unfortunate in its Ministers of Home Affairs. At the moment, there is Mr. Rohee, who is causing the Opposition no end of concern. But before Rohee, there was one who makes Rohee look like a gentleman of integrity and quality.

That pre-Rohee Home Minister had two serious criminal charges against him before the PPP took him into their Cabinet. That man was charged for stealing and embezzling large sums of money from a prominent state agency and barely escaped jail.

And as Minister, his grossness as well as his propensity for reprehensible behaviour increased. The governments of the USA, Britain and Canada found his

behaviour so “unacceptable” that he was banned from travelling to North America. The PPP later found him employment by posting him to a Third World country.

Unlike other infamous Ministers, people keep away from him for very good reason. His pernicious doings are featured on the Internet and the International Community continues to have him under surveillance, plus many of the persons he harmed in many ways are sworn to have their own back.

Considering this preRohee Minister was a hundred times worse, could the Opposition think of giving Rohee some respite and order an inquiry into this infamous Minister?

R. Edmunds

Monday December 03, 2012

Kaieteur News

Taxi driver shot by female “passenger” In what can be deemed a very strange occurrence, taxi driver Dale Cameron was shot in his head and left leg at around 21:00 hrs last night by a female ‘passenger’.

The incident occurred at Crane, West Coast Demerara. The wounds did not appear to be life threatening.

Cameron, 39, of 130 Belle West, West Bank Demerara reportedly told investigators that he picked up a woman who was dressed in black , at Blankenburg.

He said the woman requested to be dropped off in Crane. However, while approaching the turn at Crane, Cameron said the woman pulled out a gun and shot him

twice. Cameron sustained a gunshot wound behind his left ear which exited through the right side of his neck and another gunshot wound to his left foot.

The man also told investigators that after being shot he drove the car into a nearby canal and the woman quickly exited and ran away.

Nothing was taken away from the injured man, who made his way to the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station in a taxi where he made a report.

C a m e r o n t h e n w e n t t o t h e We s t Demerara Regional Hospital and was subsequently referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Former NCN cameraman dies in accident Former National Communications Network (NCN) cameraman Ronald Livingstone was killed on Saturday after his motorcycle collided with a car at Ogle East Coast Demerara.

Livingstone, 37, of Lot 2240 section C Diamond Housing Scheme passed away at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation around 23:00 hrs on Saturday.

The driver who struck and killed the father of five is in police custody at the Sparendaam Police Station.

He reportedly told investigators that he did not see the motorcyclist.

The former NCN cameraman was employed at the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) at the time of his demise.

Livingstone’s wife was too grief-stricken to speak yesterday.

But Amanda Nandram, a neighbour, said Livingstone’s wife received a telephone call from a policeman who told her that she was urgently needed

Ronald Livingstone at the GPHC. Nandram stated that when they arrived at the hospital, Livingstone’s wife was called inside the Accident and Emergency Unit and she was informed of the accident.

The neighbour said that a doctor explained to Livingstone’s wife that her spouse underwent a CT-scan and that he had sustained injuries that left him braindead.

According to Nandram, the father of five had travelled

to Ogle, East Coast Demerara to do some work and was returning home when the fatal collision occurred.

Meanwhile, the Guyana Press Association yesterday extended condolences to the family of the former GTV/ NCN Cameraman and Video Editor.

The GPA statement described Livingstone “as one of the most humble and respectable young men one could ever meet. He was a diligent worker who had an eye for quality and it showed in the quality of work he produced over the years.

“Though he left the media fraternity and focused on private production work, he would still willingly share his knowledge with colleagues and served as a guide to those young media professionals in the technical and news gathering field.”

“The GPA would like to extend our deepest condolences to his wife and children and other family members.”

Page 7

Education Ministry, Peace Corps launch YES project to address HIV-AIDS The Ministry of Education, to address the issue of the HIV-AIDS epidemic and its prevalence in ‘in-school’ youth has trained 41 persons from Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and Ten to go into schools and conduct informative sessions with the aim of effecting behavioural changes of zero new infection.

A GINA statement said that the project which is being done in collaboration with Peace Corps, is christened, YES; Youth Educators Safe Guarding Our Workforce and was launched on Friday in the boardroom of the National Library where trained volunteers pledged their support to the project and were also awarded certificates for their participation.

Present at the ceremony was Chief Education Officer, Ministry of Education Olato Sam, Programme Manager, National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS,) Dr. Shanti Singh, HIV and AIDS Prevention and Control Coordinator, Janelle Sweatnam and Peace Corps Response Volunteer, Lindsay Kurth.

Sam said that such collaborative efforts are needed when moving the issues of broader significance to national development. He said that one single ministry cannot do it, what is needed is broad-based inter-sector support. To this end, he applauded the Peace Corps for supporting the initiative.

The CEO also said that due recognition must be given to the young people who decided to become involved in the project. He also had advice for the Y.E.S volunteers. “It is very important that as you sit here

CEO, Ministry of Education, Olato Sam presents one of the volunteers with her certificate. to internalise the tremendous responsibility that we have placed on your shoulders…You are now ambassadors; you are going out into the trenches to try to address an issue that is of national significance. I think if you can appreciate that and treat it as such, you will recognise this is a call to serve and that you are in essence giving a very valuable service to this nation to begin to address something that is of epidemic p r o p o r tion globally and certainly one of major concern from the national development,” he said.

Peace Corps Response Volunteer, Lindsay Kurth explained that informative sessions were conducted with the volunteers and they were taught among other things the basics of HIV and AIDS, effective communication, what a youth educator is and how to be an effective youth educator.

Kurth said that the YES Project has three ultimate goals, to build the capacity of the in-school youth, remove risky behaviour and replace them with healthy

behaviour and to achieve zero new HIV infection from in-school youth.

She explained that the volunteers will be provided with a package to aid their work as they go into the schools. This includes a primary and secondary school manual and guidebook that deals with HIV and AIDS among other things. The volunteers will take these tools and go into Grades 5, 6 and 9 of the schools each week and conduct an hourlong session with the students and build their capacity.

Each volunteer committed one school year of service, and some volunteers would have committed to working with more than one school.

Dr. Singh also addressed the volunteers and provided crucial statistics to render guidance as they go forward.

Information such as the fact that 49.1 percent of all new cases of HIV that were reported to the Ministry of Health in 2012 came from youths aged 15 to 34 and the fact that young people are sexually active from as early as 14 years.

Page 8

Kaieteur News

Patients flee NA Hospital after sewage system overflows The new ‘state of the art’ New Amsterdam Hospital is in a deplorable state and some staffers are threatening to down tools.

Some wards in the hospital have been flooded since Saturday and there seems to be no quick remedy in sight, forcing patients to abandon the wards and hospital.

Worst hit are the hospital’s Maternity Ward and the Male Medical Ward. According to information, the sewage system at the hospital has malfunctioned forcing the water to back up into the wards. The pregnant mothers had to abandon the wards as the water rose as much as 12 inches. The situation was the same in the Male Medical.

Up to press time yesterday no effort was being made to remedy the situation. The water has become discoloured and has started to emanate a stench.

Some patients were placed in other wards and others discharged from the facility. Relatives of some of the patients also removed their family members.

Kaieteur News observed newborns and their mothers who should have been in Ward Nine sharing Ward Five

Monday December 03, 2012

Rains stall sugar production, good for rice field preparation Desilting exercises ongoing at outfalls

Maternity patients forced to share one bed with pediatric and burn patients.

That ward usually houses 14 patients, but at present has about 40 beds, with two and even three patients sharing one bed.

By Sunday afternoon, most of the patients had abandoned the facility.

The nurses and ward maids have started to complain and are refusing to work in the unhealthy, cramped and congested conditions. They expressed fear of an outbreak and some even threatened to down tools if the situation is not remedied soon.

While the current rainy weather is generally favourable for agriculture production it has adversely affected the sugar industry and the grinding of cane has slowed.

According to Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, since the last two weeks in November, very little grinding is being done at estates because of the weather. He added that over the past six days no cane has been burnt. He is unable to say how much the recent heavy rain has affected the industry at this juncture.

Meanwhile, the intermittent showers that are expected to become continuous until February 2013 are favourable for the rice industry and cash crops.

Dr. Ramsammy related that farmers are currently preparing rice fields for cultivation and the rains would avert the usual

challenge of not having sufficient water to irrigate lands.

In relation to the Mahaica/ Mahaicony/Abary farming area that is usually prone to flooding, he said that farmers will have to play their part in pumping water from farmlands into canals. NDIA has dispatched machinery along the coastland to desilt the various outfalls.

Dr. Ramsammy assured that NDIA is utilizing the intermittent showers to carry out desilting works. He explained that desilting during the dry season is difficult since water is necessary to flush the silt. In addition, silt accumulates more during the dry season.

According to the Minister, once we get 2.5 inches of rainfall over a 24 hour period in certain areas flash flooding may occur.

Some areas that may be exposed to flooding are: East

Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy Coast Demerara communities; rice producing areas in Regions Three and Five; and in some areas in Region Six. He noted that though primary focus is being placed on the Coastlands the Ministry is still monitoring weather conditions in the interior, and said that more emphasis will be placed on this area in January.

Colombian Trade Fair graces Guyana’s shores

Some of the items on display The Colombian Trade Fair One Stop Shop is one with a difference as it affords Guyanese an opportunity to purchase products that are not available locally.

The trade fair, which has traveled to various Caribbean nations for the past 30 years, is in Guyana for the first time.

Twenty Colombian entrepreneurs are here to offer their services to the local populace. Organizers of the exhibition promise to leave customers satisfied with their purchases as a wide variety of products are being offered.

One of the organizers, Jai Piñeras said that the commodities on sale range from beauty products to electrical appliances.

“We have traveled to countries like the Bahamas, Curacao, Honduras and Cuba

because we have a lot of stuff to offer the men as well as the women and this is the only place that persons can have a demonstration before they make their purchases.”

The idea, he says, is to introduce Guyana to products that are not available locally. He said that the exhibition began two weeks ago and will continue until most of the stock is gone.

“We work for 12 hrs everyday so people can check us out anytime. So far, we had a good response from the shoppers but we expect to sell off all our merchandise in the coming weeks.”

Some the items on sale include jewelry, culinary utensils, handyman tools, electrical appliances, cleaning devices as well as skin care and beauty products made

from all natural resources.

One such merchandise is the mother of pearl skin care product which has already become popular among the ladies.

One of the sales personnel noted that the product which is made from calcium shell found in the Peruvian waters is designed to eliminate pimples, scars, stretch marks, wrinkles and tattoos in addition to cleansing and exfoliating the skin naturally. One customer noted that the products on sale are enticing and the workers are friendly.

“They definitely know how to market what they’ve got because it seems they have somethi n g for everyone they certainly have what it takes to solicit consumers.”

Monday December 03, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 9

The roads are becoming dangerous even for motorists Two persons tragically met their deaths on our roadways this weekend. The first was well known in media circles, the second better known in her community.

The response to these deaths will be yet another road campaign by the police during which many drivers are going to be harassed.

Then it will all subside and everything will return to what it was, until the next series of shocking deaths.

The police have no strategy as to ensuring safety on the roads other than to punish drivers for minor infractions and maintaining a visible presence on the roads just after major accidents.

These approaches, backed by hefty fines under the law, encourage extrajudicial settlement of fines, a practice that is well-known in Guyana and which has seriously tarnished the image of the Guyana Police Force.

The high fines that were introduced under the Hoyte administration were done following a spate of road accidents and were based on a flawed understanding of how measures to deter road accidents and promote road safety were to be implemented.

The thinking behind those draconian fines was inconsistent with the objectives they served because rather than deter motorists, they have become the basis for the corrupting dishonest traffic ranks.

A fine or penalty should not be punitive beyond what

is necessary to achieve its objectives, and the objective of traffic fines were never to allow certain corrupt traffic policemen to ask motorists whether they were going “ lef or right”.

They were intended to force motorists to be more responsible on our roadways, but this deterrent effect has not been a c h i e v e d a n d therefore a new approach needs to be taken, if only to save the Guyana Police Force from being the object of public disfavor over the actions of those dishonest persons within the organization who utilize the powers they have under the law, backed by these hefty fines, to extort bribes from motorists for the ranks’ personal enrichment.

There has to be a rethink of road safety in the country and it must involve a number of dimensions. Firstly, the fines should be reduced so that they do not serve as an incentive for corruption.

Imagine the plight of an ordinary driver who takes home a mere $10000 per week.

The driver is stopped on the roadway and rather than face a criminal charge, the fine of which can be more than four times his weekly salary, he opts concede to the traffic rank who demands $5000 dollars.

This means that this poor man, barely surviving on his $10,000 per week has just lost half of his weekly income.

What other option does he have then rather than give in to the bribe demand. How will

Dem boys seh

Follow de gold train and de trail When dem boys hear that Curacao got people who smart de whole Customs, dem call dem friends and announce that Guyanese tek over. And is true. De real police tell de newspapers that dem had information bout all de gold pun de boat and dem ain’t tell nobody.

But somebody talk and de news reach other people outside. All de gold get thief and was more than 400 pounds. And dem boys seh that de thiefing of de gold coincide wid de word that Easy Come Easy Go trying to fly again and that Sonny want money.

But everybody know that Sonny deh hiding in de States and that dem got two big men in Guyana who had share in Easy Come Easy Go. De detectives put two and two together and dem come up wid a master plan.

Dem check and dem find that de King Bee out of de

country and he best friend also not in Guyana. Dem find out that certain immigration records show something strange but dem can’t announce that yet. But dem got a good idea who plan de gold thiefing. De fact that all de people pun de boat was Guyanese shoulda tell de story from de start.

All dem got to do now is see who coming back to Guyana and when. Dem got to listen out to hear when de Feds ketch Sonny, which gun happen before Christmas and dem got to see if Easy Come Easy Go will fly again fuh Christmas.

Dem boys she that people shouldn’t get fool because dem hear that Rob Earth asking fuh help to find out wheh de gold gone and wheh it did come from. He know but he want to know if anybody else know.

Talk half and watch out when de real story buss out.

he otherwise be able to feed his family. If he goes to court he faces sterner penalties and will have the added expense of hiring a lawyer. The traffic fines should therefore be reduced.

Secondly, the police should not be handing out tickets for offences which are not serious. A person’s rear light may have stopped working and that person may not know until it is discovered by a traffic rank.

Instead of handing that person a ticket, why not urge the driver to go and get it fixed and then turn up to the station to show that the job has been completed. There has to be greater humanism in the system.

Do you know what a difference it will make to the public image of the police if

when a speeding motorists is stopped, he is warned to slow down rather than be handed a hefty ticket or charge. The police will gain tremendous respect for the consideration shown.

The riot act should not read for every infraction, only for very serious ones. If this happens, the police will obtain greater respect.

Thirdly, traffic police should not be secreting themselves behind trees and turns so as to lure motorists into speeding and then pouncing on them. This is entrapment and is not consistent with best practices of police organizing. Instead of this objectionable method, the police should have a physical and highly visible presence on the roadways.

This alone will encourage

motorists to slow down. It will also demonstrate to the public that the police are interested in proactive methods to reduce lawlessness on our roadways rather than entrap motorists.

Finally, the accidents this past weekend demonstrate the need for social engineering when it comes to public roads. Major public road should not have businesses.

Yet it seems that the planning authorities continue to approve businesses along major public roads. This will invite serious problems because it means that persons will be found walking or riding on these road at all hours and this increases the risk of accidents.

Imagine you are driving at the designated speed limit

of 80 km per hour and as you approach an area someone rides right into your path with a bicycle. How are you going to brake in time to avoid that.

Thus even motorists face dangers on our roadways becaus e w h e n t h e y h o t someone, you can bet your bottom dollar that the driver has to spend the night or longer in the lockups and just to get bail he may be even asked to “ leave something” for somebody in the station.

There should be a ban on all new businesses on public roads and within twenty five years these roads should be free of all business.

Page 10

Kaieteur News

Monday December 03, 2012

Enterprising and Independent women

By Enid Joaquin Irene Bacchus Holder comes from the mold of those women, for whom home management alone is simply not enough. Irene always wanted to do something which involved more than cooking, doing dishes and laundry, and being teacher, nurse-maid to her family.

“I don’t like being totally dependent upon a man- that irritates me. I didn’t want to have to go to my husband every time I needed a new dress or pair of shoes or things like that, that is simply not my style. So I was always looking to do something whereby I could establish myself and become financially independent.”

That ‘something’, turned out to be pyrography: purchasing blocks of woodcutting them, shaping, sanding and lacquering them, and finally hand-painting them.

The end products would be beautiful jewel boxes, bowls, platters, rolling pins, and table lamps, with Irene’s unique hand painting embellishing them. This array

of items has been exhibited and sold both at home and abroad, and has seen Irene’s transition from resourceful housewife to shrewd entrepreneur.

Her aim at present is to secure an overseas market for her rolling pins.

NO WOMAN’S WORLD. A visit to Irene’s factory will jar the average person, upon seeing the piles and piles of wood amidst the dust and machinery that covers almost every available space.

This is not your typical worksite, with the manager sitting demurely at her desk, but one where you’ll most likely find her cutting or sanding wood.

And she certainly cuts a unique picture, dressed in faded blue jeans and jersey and a face mask sitting atop her windblown and disheveled hair, as she turns out a piece of her prized wood.

But despite the dust and seeming disarray, Irene wears a perpetual smile on her face, lending to it a look of serene content.

She apologizes profusely

Ms. Bacchus displays some of her creations

Hard at work: Irene Bacchus Holder in her workshop for what she calls the obvious mess of the place, which I told her is to be expected, considering her work.

Irene speaks of her current occupation, with the passion and pride of one who

has surely found their true purpose in life.

STARTING OUT “I used to buy these jewellery boxes and other trinkets from a woman that used to do hand painting on

them; so after she left, the guy that used to supply her with the boxes, asked me if I could do it ( hand paint), and I said yes, even though I had never done it before.

“And that is how I got

started, with the encouragement of my brother who sent me a wood burning pen with interchangeable tips.

That was over ten years ago.

However initially, I ordered (Continued on page 12)

Page 12

Kaieteur News

Ramsammy concerned Hope Canal project may not be completed by deadline Minister of Agriculture Dr. Leslie Ramsammy is concerned that critical aspects of the Hope Canal project may not be completed by the June 2013 deadline.

But he expressed optimism that the contractors could meet the deadline if they increase the pace with which works are being expedited. In fact, these two components are stalling the progress of works on the actual canal by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA).

According to the Minister, NDIA utilizing its own machinery has carried the construction of the actual canal almost to the conservancy.

However, NDIA has to wait on the completion of the head regulator and the bridge to move forward. In addition,

the sluice, which is being built

by Contractor Courtney Benn, has to be constructed.

Dr. Ramsammy related that currently NDIA is shaping the dam and installing geotextile material in the canal and this is expected to be completed by the June 2013 deadline.

According to the Minister, BK International is responsible for the construction of the head regulator. The contractor needs to accelerate the pace of the project. He added that there is a little concern about the contractor’s ability to meet the deadline. A lot of works were executed in September, October and November.

The construction of the Public Road Bridge is the responsibility of DIPCON Engineering Services Ltd.

The contractor has made some progress from September to date but works are progressing slowly. As such, the Ministry is concerned that there may be difficulty in completing the project within the contract duration.

Meanwhile, the construction of the High level Outfall Sluice Structure at the Atlantic Ocean end (North of the Hope Secondary School) is the responsibility of Courtney Benn Contracting Services Ltd. Dr. Ramsammy related that they are no longer concerned that the contractor would not meet the June deadline. In fact, the contractor has increased the pace of works and pile driving which is an important aspect of this component and is almost completed.

Monday December 03, 2012

Dr. Luncheon hospitalised after fall Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon has been admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.

According to sources, Luncheon sustained injuries during a fall and later complained of severe pains.

A press statement from the Office of The President said that the elderly politician was admitted to the GPHC at around 11:00hrs yesterday. It was noted that Dr.

Luncheon’s condition was not serious, but he was kept for observation and to conduct a number of tests.

“Dr. Luncheon had a mishap at home on Friday, November 30, 2012, and went to work as per normal.

However, yesterday he developed pains and was rushed to the hospital. He is expected to be discharged by Monday.”

Luncheon was also hospitalized last year.

Dr. Roger Luncheon

Irene Bacchus Holder, creating...

(From page 10) the boxes from the same young man that used to supply the lady. But then I thought it might be better if I could produce my own things from scratch, as he was becoming unreliable, and that is what I did.”

She said that she started to make her first Simarupa boxes with the help of two trainees from the Linden Technical Institute, who helped her to develop her products.

Her first work station was located inside the LEAP building on Republic Avenue, but after outgrowing that location, she subsequently moved to her present location, in the old Guyana Stores building, aback the Toucan Call Centre.

Irene has sold her unique array of wooden items to places such as Guyana Stores, and other Georgetown businesses over the years.

“But the main problem is that people don’t like to paynot the people at Guyana Stores, but the other businesses- they would take your things and then it’s a problem to get your money.

However though I’m self taught, I can safely say that I’ve developed my techniques to the point where I can enter art competitions and

exhibitions.”

Only last year she applied for and was successful in acquiring funding from the “matching Grant” initiative, which enabled her to participate in trade shows in Germany , France and California.

She noted that in California, all of the things were sold out on the very first day of the exhibition.

“One lady came and she just bought out everything, but then she was gracious enough to allow me to keep them on show for the duration of the exhibition. And I can tell you I got a lot of glowing compliments; the people really love our woods. They go crazy- to them; our woods are really exotic.”

So it was really a good experience for me. I also participated in several other trade fairs overseas, and my work was always well received.

Some of the countries I’ve done exhibitions in include Germany, the US, Canada and France. I’ve also travelled to the Caribbean for several exhibitions and sold quite a few pieces.”

Irene said that she has however not pursued the Caribbean Market in a while as sales have dwindled.

She has been

participating in Guy-expo every year, but said that every year it’s mostly more of the same.

I have never really picked up any orders from Guy-expo, because to me people basically just go to look, they hardly buy anything.

The only thing I really sell there is my lucky seed key rings which are very popular, so I make a lot of those just for the occasion.”

Apart from making hand painted gift and novelty items, Irene is also a talented seamstress, and does batik and cake decorating.

She points out that before delving into pyrography, she used to sew and hand paint clothes, which she sold to a boutique owner in Georgetown.

Currently, Irene has an outlet for her products at 73 Robb Street Lacytown. The place is called “Amazon Authentic Art Gallery”.

Irene said that she chose to establish the place in Georgetown as there was hardly anywhere where one could find authentic and beautiful artwork which featured our beautiful woods.

Apart from her own pieces, Irene says that she also allows other artists to showcase and sell their pieces there.

Monday December 03, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 13

The darkness deepens “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.” This line from the Sermon on the Mount comes from Matthew 5:6 of the King James Version of the Bible, the simplest of language, the most beautiful and moving prose, words that reach deep into the heart and soul.

The problem, as Martin Luther King said about equal rights in his “I have a dream” speech, is that it is a promissory note and while it might strike a responsive chord from the harps of the angels up there in Heaven, down here on earth it is a deep discord especially when you take on the establishment.

Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh, an academic and social activist, thought that those who had ears to hear and were not minding his plea for a review of a highway project that would disrupt the lives of many people in one of the agricultural areas of South Trinidad, would be moved to listen if he embarked on a hunger strike or “fast”.

Hunger is a slow death but not half as slow as the Government to at least empathise with Dr. Kublalsingh’s idealism, if not his cause, and not half as fast as their counter-attack on his motives, character, mother, family and credibility.

The Minister of National Security in Trinidad and Tobago (TNT) is Jack Warner of FIFA fame. True to form his immediate response was to make Dr. Kublalsingh a political football and kick him while he was down, debilitated and desiccated.

Mr. Warner has been described by the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as a person who “appears to be prone to an economy with the truth.” There was Warner on a hastily erected antiKublalsingh political platform describing Dr. Kublalsingh as a “conman” and treating the crowd to some gallows humour, “They say the Prime Minister is killing Wayne

Kublalsingh, but he is killing himself and he better do it quickly!” Mr. Warner, who may now have to face an Enquiry for not telling the truth in Parliament and is reported as being investigated by different national and international law enforcement agencies, disclosed that Kublalsingh was staying at homes in Maraval, a northern suburb, and Marabella in South Trinidad and “eating more hearty than you”. He embellished his claim further, “My advice is that when he (Kublalsingh) goes to his secret homes in Maraval and Vistabella he has a hearty meal. I am even advised that last week he was lying on the back seat of his vehicle eating a doubles. And it was not even a Debe doubles.”

For the benefit of my nonTrini readers, Debe is a village in the centre of the highway storm and a “doubles” is a sandwich made with two small fried flatbreads and curried spicy chick-peas or “channa”. If there are three instead of two flatbreads it is called a “triple”. This also described the attack on Dr. Kublalsingh’s veracity and intentions.

First they doubled up on him. The Minister of Works, Emmanuel George, a former Disc Jockey known as “Hurricane George” lashed Dr. Kublalsingh like Sandy on the Jersey shore. Consistent with Warner’s determination to make the matter a political football, George blamed Kublalsingh for “moving the goal post”. Then they mounted a triple threat.

Environment Minister, Dr. Roodal Moonilal, got his kicks from attacking the Kublalsingh family. A newspaper report quotes Moonilal as saying, “There is something surreal about this family. It appears to be a cult.

Kublalsingh’s mother has not intervened to save the life of her son. We must keep an eye on this family. What they did this week was bad but they have now gone into radical political expression.

There is one more step, the next step is violence.”

Moonilal added, “Wayne is a fraudster, a trickster and a hoaxer. This fella has given instructions that his family can do what they want, but they have to make sure that he don’t die. He wants to crawl to the grave but not jump in. The day after we lower the price of 7,000 food items he decide to stop eating.”

Despite all these attempts to stir up the people with the spectre of violence, the Government through former Disc Jockey George is playing the same tune again and

again accusing Dr. Kublalsingh of “using emotion to fight his cause.”

Wikipedia’s definition of a hunger strike is instructive.

It says that a “hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change…the hunger strike is often terminated by the custodial entity through the use of force-feeding.”

Like the beloved Apostle Matthew, Wikipedia did not

take into account the Trinidad Government. First of all, neither Kublalsingh nor Matthew, or even the Almighty for that matter, can provoke any feelings of guilt in the TNT Government.

Wayne Kublalsingh can hunger and thirst for all he wants but, as one of my colleagues commented, if you know where a highway is going to be built and can buy the land cheaply, it is a question of gilt versus guilt.

He also pointed out that it is not Kublalsingh that is being

force fed but the people who believe Warner and the others.

My view is that the Trinidadian pronunciation of the word “fast” holds the key. In this sense while Wayne is fasting the Government is on a massive “farce”. *Tony Deyal was last seen saying that given Jack Warner ’s reputation, if Minister George wants to know who really moved the goal post he should check with Jack.

Monday December 03, 2012

DTV CHANNEL 8 08:55hrs. Sign On 09:00hrs. GMA 10:00hrs. Live! With Kelly and Michael 11:00hrs. The Ricki Lake Show 12:00hrs. The View 13:00hrs. World News 13:30hrs. The Young and the Restless 14:30hrs. The Bold and the Beautiful 15:00hrs. The Talk 16:00hrs. Beverly Hills, 90210 17:00hrs. MacGyver 18:00hrs. World News 19:00hrs. Greetings and Announcements 20:00hrs. Channel 8 News 21:00hrs. DTV’s Christmas Spectacular

Kaieteur News

23:00hrs. Hawaii Five-0 (New Episode) 00:00hrs. Sign Off NTN CHANNEL 18/ CABLE 69 05:00h - Sign on with the Mahamrtunjaya Mantra 05:15h - Meditation 05:30h - Queenstown Masjid Presents Quran This Morning 06:00h - R. Gossai General Store Presents Shiva Bhajans 06:15h - Jettoo’s Lumber Yard Presents Shiva Bhajans 06:30h - Muneshwar Limited Presents Shiva Bhajans 06:45h - Double Standard Taxi Presents Shiva Bhajans 07:00h - RRT Enterprise Presents Shiva Bhajans 07:15h - M & M Snackette

Presents Raja Yoga Discourses 07:30h - Dr. Balwant Singh’s Hospital Inc Presents Shiva Bhajans 07:45h - The Family of The Late Leila & David Persaud Presents Shiva Bhajans 08:00h - Timehri Maha Kali Shakti Devi Mandir Presents Shiva Bhajans 08:15h - NTN This Morning Live with Reyaz Husein 09:30h - Indian Soap:- Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuyien 10:00h - Indian Soap - Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke 10:30h - Indian Soap - Rab Se Sohna Isshq 11:00h - Indian Soap - Pavitra Rishta 11:30h - Indian Soap:- Punar

Monday December 03, 2012 ARIES (March 21 - April 19): Building something would be very useful for you to do right now. It could even strengthen your relationships! Even if you don't know how to use a hammer and couldn't tell a nail from a snail, you still can (and should) create something today. ******************* TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): Accept any and all invitations you get today without hesitation -- especially the ones that come from unlikely sources. Your enthusiasm will show people how secure you are in yourself, which will add to your glowing reputation. ****************** GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): You can't let a stick-inthe-mud personality drag you out of your good-time groove today! Sure, they're going to be moody if they don't get what they want, but do you really care if they get their nose bent out of shape? ******************** CANCER (June 21 - July 22): All of the peaks and valleys of your life will feel twice as steep and deep, respectively, today. The good events will feel twice as nice, and the bummers will feel double-bummery. ********************* LEO (July 23 - Aug. 22): So what if things are not going exactly the way you wanted them to, today? Just keep pushing forward. Your persistence will pay off! This situation is taking more time than you planned for, but perhaps your expectations were a bit too optimistic? ******************* VIRGO (Aug. 23 - Sept.

22): Are you getting nervous about an upcoming family gathering? That's silly -- these are the people who always

see the best in you (or at least try to). ********************* LIBRA (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22): Get ready to have your regular routine disrupted -there is a storm brewing.

While this trouble is far enough offshore that it won't cloud your sunny life, its ripple effects could stir things up for people you really care about. ********************* SCORPIO (Oct. 23 Nov. 21): Your practical side has had too much control over your decision making lately, and it's time for you to stop deliberating every single decision in such an analytic way. ******************** SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 Dec. 21): In order to handle today's ups and downs more healthily, you need to try to stay as detached from the situation as possible. Remain calm about what is going on. .********************* CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 Jan. 19): An authority figure who has been acting as your mentor might start becoming a bit more officious and a little less personal today -- but do not take it personally! ******************** AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 Feb. 18): It's okay if things are easy for you from time to time -- in other words, don't feel guilty if a task or test that stressed out a friend was as easy as a walk in the park for you. ********************* PISCE S ( F e b . 1 9 March 20): If you are working on building a better love relationship, practicing open communication is essential.

You can't wait any longer to tell someone what your true feelings are.

Viivaah 12:00h - Gina News 12:15h - DVD Movie:KAAFILA (Eng: Sub:) *ing Sunny Deol 15:00h - NATGEO 16:00h - Drying Tears Live with Pastor Edson 16:30h - Devotional Time 17:00h - Headline News 17:45h - Ganesh Parts Presents - BHAGAVAD GITA ( Discourses in English) Serial 18:15h - Birthday Greetings / Anniversary / Congratulations / Death Announcements & In Memoriam 18:30h - HARE KRISHNA TODAY 19:00h - Ricks & Sari Presents Bed Time Songs Live with Joel 20:00h - Justice - Debating Same - Sex Marriage 21:00h - Indian Soap:- Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuyien 21:30h - Indian Soap - Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke 22:00h - Indian Soap - Rab Se Sohna Isshq 22:30h - Indian Soap - Pavitra Rishta 22:30h - Indian Soap - Punar Viivaah 23:00h -.Sign off with the Gayantri Mantra MTV CHANNEL 14/ CABLE 65 06:00h Islamic Perspective 06:30h The Diary 07:00h DAY BREAK ( live) 08:00h Dabi’s Musical Hour 08:30h Avon Video & DVD music hour 09:00h Current affairs 09:15h Top Notch Music Break 09:30h Caribbean Temptation music break 10:00h Amanda’s music break 10:30h BBC World News 11:00h Salvation Message

Page 15

with Pastor Kelvin 11:15h National Geographic 12:00h The View 13:00h Village Talk 13:30h The Young and The Restless 14:30h Days of our lives 15:00h General Hospital 16:00h The Bold and the Beautiful 16:30h Cartoons 17:00h Birthdays & other Greetings 17:15h Death Announcements/ In Memoriam 17:30h Sitcom 18:00h Aracari Resort Hour 19:00h CNN News 19:30h News Update 20:30h Getting it Right 21:30h English Movie: Christmas with the Kranks 23:00h News Update 23:30h English Movie: Christmas with the Kranks continues Sign Off NCN CHANNEL 11 05:00h – Inspiration

05:30h – Newtown Gospel 06:00h – NCN News (rb) 06:30h – Feature 07:00h – Guyana Today 08:00h - Weekly Digest 08:30h – Feature 09:00h – Stop the Suffering 09:30h_ Cartoons 10:00h_ CCTV 11:00h _ History 12:00h _ CNN 12:30h – NCN Newsbreak 12:35h – Feature 13:05h _ Movie 16:00h _ Cartoons 17:00h _ Anderson 18:00h – NCN News Magazine – Live 18:30h – Pulse Beat 19:00h _Al Jazeera 19:30h _ NCD & You 20:00h – 3d/daily millions/play de dream/lotto draw 20:05h _ NCN Newsbreak 21:05h – We Linkin 21:35h – Excellence Dazell Show 22:05h – NCN Late Edition News 22:35h – Caribbean Newsline 23:00h _ Movie

Page 16

Kaieteur News

Monday December 03, 2012

Monday December 03, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 17

Page 18

Kaieteur News

Monday December 03, 2012

West Papua tribal leader tells world about injustice in homeland

By Latoya Giles Tribal Leader Benny Wenda is on a mission around the Caribbean to sensitize the region about the modern day colonialism in the country of West Papua, a province of Indonesia covering the western peninsula of the island of New Guinea.

Wenda who escaped from prison in the country and was granted political asylum in the United Kingdom, recently visited Guyana along with Human Rights lawyer Melinda Jankie to highlight the many issues faced by the persons living there. On Friday last Wenda sat down with Kaieteur News and explained the situation.

Wenda explained that West Papua used to be part of the Dutch East Indies. He said that after World War 2, the Dutch Empire became the new nation of Indonesia.

However, Wenda said that the Dutch argued that West Papua was never part of Indonesia and had an entirely different culture and history.

He said that on December 1, 1961 West Papua declared its independence. Wenda said that real trouble came three months after; the Indonesian army invaded his country. He said that although the international community intervened,

western governments chose to appease Indonesia and accept its occupation rather than risk political crisis.

In 1969 Wenda said that United Nations presided over a referendum on independence, which he said was “clearly a sham”. He said that the Indonesian occupiers announced that the “Papuans were too backwards to cope with democracy”. Wenda alleges that the Indonesian forces rounded up and forced 1,026 representative Papuans at gunpoint to vote to join Indonesia.

He said ironically this was called the “Act of Free Choice”. Wenda said from since 1961 to now it has been an annexation of the people of West Papua who have suffered constant misery. He estimated that almost 400,000 people have died as a direct result of the Indonesian occupation. He said that much of the land which was owned by his people was taken by the state and given to national and multinational companies for the purposes of mining, logging or oil extraction.

Wenda said that even non- violent dissent has been criminalized and anyone who calls for independence or even

raises the Papuan Flag is imprisoned. Wenda was sentenced to serve 25 years imprisonment after he raised the flag back in 2003. He was granted asylum in Britain in 2003, after escaping from a Papuan prison while on trial. His name was placed on Interpol’s list of wanted people back in August of this year.

Moreover Wenda said that many people have not heard about this since West Papua is a closed society. He said all foreign journalists are banned.

A number of Human Rights groups, lawyers, foreign politicians and even tourists are either banned from entering the country or restricted to small areas where they are closely monitored by the police.

Since being granted asylum in the UK, Wenda has started the “Free West Papua” campaign. The campaign claims that abuses are regularly committed by the Indonesian authorities against the indigenous Papuan people, many of whom are involved in the separatist movement. He said that Papuans need outside help and international support if they are to succeed in their struggle for freedom.

The campaign is based in

Tribal Leader Benny Wenda and Human Rights Lawyer Melinda Jankie.

Oxford, UK. Human Rights Lawyer Melinda Jankie said she was giving a presentation several years ago in London when she came into contact with Wenda. Jankie said that she was shocked after she heard Wenda’s presentation.

“A majority of the human rights lawyers who were present were not aware of the situation, and that was an indication of how secret it was’ Jankie told Kaieteur News.

Thereafter she became Wenda’s legal advisor and also for the people of West Papua.

Jankie explained that there is a parliament in West Papua which has been

banned and this is the decision making body for the people of West Papua.

The attorney said that when she started looking into the interest of Wenda and the people of West Papua no other lawyer wanted to take up on it. She said that the referendum which Indonesia claims happened was a sham.

“There was no referendum they threatened to kill the people if they didn’t declare for Indonesia” Jankie told Kaieteur News.

She said that under those circumstances that are truly illegal, if one was look at the law it is clear as day, it’s a colony.

Jankie said that as a lawyer one’s duty is to uphold the rule of law nationally and internationally, prompting her to launch the “International Lawyers for” West Papua in Guyana in 2009.

She said that since its launch there are over 50 lawyers worldwide trying to get the message out. Jankie said that issue is not really for the United Nations to sign on to a petition but for more countries to understand their international rule of law.

Both Jankie and Wenda will travel the Caribbean to get their message out and gain support. The next expected stop is Barbados.

Monday December 03, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 19

Netanyahu brushes off world condemnation of settlement plans JERUSALEM (Reuters) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday brushed off world condemnation of Israel’s plans to expand Jewish settlements after the Palestinians won de facto U.N. recognition of statehood.

“We will carry on building in Jerusalem and in all the places that are on the map of Israel’s strategic interests,” a defiant Netanyahu said at the weekly cabinet meeting.

In another blow to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, Israel announced it was withholding Palestinian tax revenues this month worth about $100 million.

Israel said the reason for the move was a Palestinian debt of $200 million to the Israeli Electric Corporation, an obligation that has existed for some time.

Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz cautioned last month that if the Palestinians went ahead with the U.N. bid Israel would “not collect taxes for them and we will not transfer their revenues”.

Yasser Abed Rabbo, a senior Palestinian official, said confiscation of the tax funds due the cash-strapped Authority, vital to meeting its payroll, was “piracy and theft”.

Stung by the U.N. General Assembly’s upgrading of the Palestinians’ status from “observer entity” to “nonmember state”, Israel said on Friday it would build 3,000 more settler homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, areas Palestinians want for a future state, along with Gaza.

An Israeli official said the government also ordered “preliminary zoning and planning work” for thousands of housing units in areas including the socalled “E1” zone near Jerusalem.

Such construction could divide the West Bank in two and further dim Palestinian hopes, backed by the United States and other international sponsors of the Middle East peace process, for a contiguous country.

“It would represent an almost fatal blow to remaining chances of securing a twostate solution,” United

Benjamin Netanyahu Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement on Sunday.

Israeli officials said it could up to two years before any building begins in E1.

At the cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said the “unilateral step the Palestinians took at the U.N. is a gross violation of previous agreements signed with Israel”. The government of Israel, he added, “rejects the General Assembly’s vote”.

The upgrade, approved overwhelmingly, fell short of full U.N. membership, which only the Security Council can grant. But it has significant legal implications because it could allow the Palestinians access to the International Criminal Court where they could file complaints against Israel.

Israel’s settlement plans, widely seen as retaliation for the Palestinians’ U.N. bid, have drawn strong international condemnation from the United States, France, Britain and the European Union.

“The recognition of Palestine as a state changes a lot of the facts, and aims to establish new ones,” Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told a cheering crowd in the West Bank city of Ramallah on his return from the United States.

“But we have to recognize that our victory provoked the powers of settlement, war and occupation.”

Netanyahu heads a prosettler government and opinion polls predict his Likud party will come out on top in Israel’s January 22 parliamentary election,

despite opponents’ allegations that his policies have deepened Israeli diplomatic isolation.

“All settlement construction is illegal under international law and constitutes an obstacle to peace,” the EU’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement on Sunday.

The United States said the plan was counterproductive to any resumption of direct peace talks, stalled for two years in a dispute over settlement

expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, both captured by Israel in a 1967 war.

Netanyahu says Israel, as a Jewish state, has a historic claim to land in the West Bank and to all of Jerusalem.

Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state. Israel considers all of the holy city as its capital, a claim that is not recognized internationally.

Israeli Housing Minister Ariel Attias said that within weeks the government would publish invitations for bids

from contractors to build 1,000 homes in East Jerusalem and more than 1,000 in West Bank settlement blocs.

“E1 is in planning, which means sketches on paper,” Attias told Army Radio. “No one will build until it is clear what will be done there.”

The E1 zone is considered especially sensitive. Israel froze much of its activities in E1 under pressure from former U.S. President George W. Bush and the area has been under the scrutiny of his successor Barack Obama.

Benny Kashriel, mayor of the Maale Adumim settlement adjacent to E1, told Army Radio building “will take a year or two”.

Yariv Oppenheimer, head of the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now said: “If we build in E1 the two-state vision will truly be history ... it is a strategic point that if built, will prevent the Palestinians from having a normal state.”

Approximately 500,000 Israelis and 2.5 million Palestinians live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Page 20

Kaieteur News

Monday December 03, 2012

Egypt’s top court shuts down, blames Islamist protesters CAIRO (Reuters) Protests by Islamists allied to President Mohamed Mursi forced Egypt’s highest court to adjourn its work indefinitely yesterday, intensifying a conflict between some of the country’s top judges and the head of state.

The Supreme Constitutional Court said it would not convene until its judges could operate without “psychological and material pressure”, saying protesters had stopped the judges from reaching the building.

Several hundred Mursi supporters had protested outside the court through the night ahead of a session expected to examine the legality of parliament’s upper house and the assembly that drafted a new constitution, both of them Islamistcontrolled.

The cases have cast a legal shadow over Mursi’s efforts to chart a way out of a crisis ignited by a November 22 decree that temporarily expanded his powers and led to nationwide protests against him and his Muslim Brotherhood group.

The court’s decision to

suspend its activities appeared unlikely to have any immediate impact on Mursi’s drive to get the new constitution passed in a national referendum on December 15.

Judges supervise voting in Egypt, and Mursi will need them to oversee the referendum.

But in a blow to the president, an influential body representing judges decided on Sunday not to oversee the vote, the state news agency reported. The Judges’ Club’s decisions are not binding on members, however.

Vice President Mahmoud Mekky said on Sunday he was confident the judges would perform that role, despite calls by Mursi’s critics in the judiciary for a boycott.

Three people have been killed and hundreds wounded in protests and counterdemonstrations over Mursi’s decree.

At least 200,000 of Mursi’s supporters attended a rally at Cairo University on Saturday. His opponents are staging an open-ended sit-in in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the cradle of the uprising that

Supporters of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi rally in front of the Supreme Constitutional Court yesterday. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh toppled Hosni Mubarak in February 2011.

The National Salvation Front, an alliance of liberal, leftist and socialist opposition groups, called for protests in Tahrir Square on Tuesday against Mursi

holding the referendum on what it branded an “illegitimate constitution”.

Mursi and the Muslim Brotherhood, which propelled him to power in a June election, hope to end the crisis by pushing through the new constitution hastily adopted by the drafting assembly on Friday. The next day the assembly handed the text to Mursi, who called the referendum and urged Egyptians to vote.

“The Muslim Brotherhood is determined to go ahead with its own plans regardless of everybody else. There is no compromise on the horizon,” said Hassan Nafaa, a professor of political science at Cairo University.

Outside the Supreme Constitutional Court, Muslim Brotherhood supporters rallied behind the referendum date. “Yes to the constitution,” said a banner held aloft by one p r o t e s t e r.

Chants demanded the “purging of the judiciary”.

The interior minister told the head of the court that the building was accessible and that the protests were peaceful, according a statement from the ministry.

The protest reflected the deep suspicion h a r b o r e d b y E g y p t ’s Islamists towards a court they see as a vestige of the Mubarak era. The same court ruled in June to dissolve the Muslim Brotherhood-led lower house of parliament.

Since then, several legal cases have challenged the

legitimacy of the upper house of parliament and the 100member constituent assembly that wrote the constitution.

Those against the upper house have focused on the legality of the law by which it was elected, while the constitutional assembly has faced a raft of court cases alleging that the way it was picked was illegal.

Mursi believes securing approval for the new constitution in a popular referendum will bury all arguments on the legality of the constituent assembly, as well as controversy over the text it worked through the night to finish on Friday.

It will also override the November 22 decree that drew concern from Western governments and a rebellion by sections of the judiciary.

The decree shielded Mursi from judicial oversight.

While the Islamists’ critics, including representatives of the Christian minority, have accused the Brotherhood of trying to hijack the constitution, investors appear to have seen Mursi’s moves as a harbinger of stability. They were also relieved that Saturday’s mass Islamist protest went off calmly.

The main stock market index, which lost a tenth of its value in response to Mursi’s November 22 decree, rallied more than 2 percent when the market opened on Sunday.

“The events that took place through the weekend, from the approval of the final draft of the constitution and the president calling a referendum, gave some confidence to investors that political stability is on track,”

said Mohamed Radwan of Pharos Securities, an Egyptian brokerage.

But opposition parties have been infuriated by what they see as the Brotherhood’s attempt to ram through a constitution that does not enjoy national consensus.

Mursi’s opponents warn of deeper polarization ahead.

Liberal figures, including former Arab League chief Amr Moussa, pulled out of the constituent assembly last month, as did Christian representatives.

The draft constitution contains Islamist-flavored language which opponents say could be used to whittle away human rights and stifle criticism. It forbids blasphemy and “insults to any person”, does not explicitly uphold women’s rights and demands respect for “religion, traditions and family values”.

New Yo r k - b a s e d Human Rights Watch said the draft constitution protected some rights while undermining others.

The text limits presidents to two four-year terms, requires parliamentary approval for their choice of prime minister, and introduces some civilian oversight of the military - although not enough for critics. Mubarak ruled for three decades.

Mursi described it as a constitution that fulfilled the goals of the revolution that ended Mubarak’s rule.

“Let everyone — those who agree and those who disagree — go to the referendum to have their say,” he said.

The Islamists are gambling that they will be able to secure a “Yes” vote by mobilizing their core support base.

Monday December 03, 2012

Kaieteur News

Fire! fire! NO WATER! Jamaica Gleaner - A recent mapping survey conducted by the Jamaica Fire Brigade – in tandem with the National Water Commission – has revealed that close to 5,000 (roughly 40 per cent) of Jamaica’s 13,000-strong network of fire hydrants are out of commission.

This means that almost 1,300 fire hydrants have fallen into the not-working line since the last survey was done six years ago.

Data contained in a report prepared by Assistant Commissioner Samuel McIntosh, the Brigade’s chief fire-prevention officer, revealed that the number of fire hydrants across the island jumped by roughly 13 per cent from approximately 11,699 in 2006 to 13,207 in 2012.

In April 2009, it was reported that more than 3,600 of the country’s 11,699 fire hydrants were in a state of disrepair.

The latest hydrantmapping survey started in October 2011 and was estimated to take three months to complete. But the mapping programme was not completed until July this year.

According to the survey, some 62.8 per cent (or 8,288 fire hydrants) were adjudged to be in working condition.

“During the period 2006

to present, numerous reports were received of hydrants being in disrepair, knocked out or removed.

“In the same period, thousands of new hydrants were installed due to improvement on the road network or subdivision plans approved across the island,” read a section of the report.

“It was, therefore, necessary for another survey to be done to get a more accurate count of the hydrants across the island,” the report added.

Laurie Williams, commissioner of the Jamaica Fire Brigade, told The Sunday Gleaner that the fire service is concerned about the number of hydrants that are not working.

“That is why we currently have two teams permanently assigned to first carry out the light servicing that may be needed to bring the hydrant up to working condition or heavy repairs to correct the same on an ongoing basis,” said Williams.

He added: “The fire hydrant is the first source that is visited to replenish the fire unit when there is a fire in an area. Therefore, if they are not working, a secondary source would need to be found and that might be a distance away.”

Williams also advanced that there are clear and present

dangers associated with leaving the scene of a fire to find a river, sea or another open source of water to refill the unit.

“Any delay in firefighting – be it at initial stage or during the extinction process – will allow the fire to expand and additional resources (units and workers) will need to be found to control a worse situation that could have been prevented if the nearest fire hydrant to the scene was working,” he said.

The fire chief also told our news team that every Jamaican has an important role to play in the preservation of the hydrants.

He noted that the hydrants are sometimes placed in the not-working category after persons cover them with construction material and other debris.

Acts by some Jamaicans also disfigure the barrel of hydrants or damage the flanges.

“It is shown in these instances that the citizens have a key role to assist in keeping the hydrant in a working status and to report them if they are not working to the Brigade,” said Williams.

However, the commissioner of the Jamaica Fire Brigade also pointed out that in some instances, wear and tear is responsible for non-functioning hydrants.

US Senate votes against indefinite detention for Caribbean immigrants WASHINGTON, USA – CMC - The United States Senate has voted in favour of barring the government from imprisoning Caribbean and other nationals who are US citizens and permanent residents and are arrested and held in indefinite detention without trial.

The Senate voted 67 to 29 in adding the measure, sponsored by Senators Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, and Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, as an amendment to the National Defence Authorization Act, now pending on the Senate floor.

“What if something happens, and you are of the wrong race in the wrong place at the wrong time, and you are picked up and held without trial or charge in detention ad infinitum?” said Feinstein during the floor debate.

“We want to clarify that that isn’t the case — that the law does not permit an American or a legal resident to be picked up and held

Dianne Feinstein without end, without charge or trial,” she added.

Feinstein said the amendment is aimed at clarifying that the US government not put US citizens arrested domestically in military detention.

She said she limited the amendment to citizens and permanent residents, otherwise known as green card holders, because she

thought the language would “get the maximum number of votes in this body.”

But some legislators have objected to the amendment, saying that US citizens arrested inside the United States on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack should be held under the laws of war and interrogated without receiving the protections of ordinary criminal suspects, like a Miranda warning of a right to remain silent.

Other civil liberties and human rights groups, such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Human Rights First, have also objected to the amendment.

They say that it is too limited to American citizens and green card holders, rather than to all people.

“Senator Dianne Feinstein has introduced an amendment that superficially looks like it could help, but in fact, would cause harm,” said Chris Anders of the ACLU.

Page 21

Persad-Bissessar say it’s not easy being PP leader Trinidad Guardian - Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar says it isn’t easy being the leader of the People’s Partnership. She said, “I am in command as your PM.” She said in the last 30 months her Government was tested, vilified, scrutinised, questioned and praised.

Despite the criticisms, she said she and her Government continued to have a favourable rating from the citizenry.

Persad-Bissessar said, “It has not been easy to be leader of the Partnership but with the strength I derive from you, with the promise I have made to make life better for you and your children, with the knowledge of how much faith and trust you have in me, with the vision for a secure and prosperous future for all, I persevere for you and for my country, our country.”

She was speaking at the meeting of the United National Congress (UNC) at Rienzi Complex, Couva, Saturday. She said she

belonged to the people and nation while holding the position of political leader and Prime Minister.

She had a message for those within the partnership who felt there was no togetherness and who did not think “we are one —we sink or float together.”

The electorate, she said, would chew and spit out such individuals or political groups who were seen trying to betray the trust placed in the partnership. “This is why sometimes contrary to your own desires as members of the UNC, I have borne the pains of insults, the stress of threats and sometimes what amounts to blackmail of my leadership,” the PM said.

She said the partnership was voted into office on the promise of ensuring wider participation in political decision-making and that her Government virtually encouraged citizens to express their views on all matters without fear. She said, “Show me one person who

Kamla PersadBissessar has been sacked from his/her position for criticising the Government.

“This attitude of protecting the right to freedom of speech and association on our part is what has placed the Government under the microscope. “We do not believe that criticism of the Government is a vote against the Government.”

Page 22

Kaieteur News

IMF delegation holding talks with St. Lucia CASTRIES, St. Lucia CMC - A delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is here holding talks with government and other stakeholders on the economic developments in the country.

A government statement said that the visit of the team is part “of the annual Article IV discussions on economic developments and macroeconomic policies of the government”.

The mission ends its visit here Friday.

In its last report on St. Lucia in August last year, the Washington-based financial institution said that the implementation of the ValueAdded Tax (VAT) by April 2012 would be a critical pillar of the fiscal adjustment, supported by efforts to contain public sector wage growth, reform the public pension system, streamline tax incentives and exemptions.

The Kenny Anthony government which implemented the VAT in October said that the IMF has repeatedly advised the St. Lucia government on the need for fiscal consolidation.

It recalled that in 2008, the IMF had expressed concern regarding the effects on competitiveness of

Kenny Anthony excessive wage increases as the government began wage negotiations for public servants.

The IMF had indicated the importance of limiting wage increases to facilitate fiscal consolidation and dampen second round increases in inflation, particularly as the authorities do not have an independent monetary policy that can be used to achieve these goals.

In addition, civil service reforms should be undertaken, which would offer some scope for savings while providing greater differentiation in the pay scale between higher- and lowerskilled workers.

The government said

“this issue will undoubtedly, once again, be high on the agenda for discussions with the IMF”.

The Anthony government said that the challenge for the island, “which it will share with the IMF during the Article IV consultations, is to facilitate sustained growth in the economy through strategic investments in key areas, some traditional like tourism, agriculture, construction and public infrastructure rehabilitation, and some new or emerging such as the creative industries, renewable energy, and information and communications technology (ICT).

“Moreover, the Government has to ensure that the revenue base grows at a quick enough pace to sustain much-needed investments in education at the early childhood and postsecondary levels, health care, national security and social safety nets.

“Therefore, a critical imperative for the Government, over the short to medium term, will be to exercise wage restraint and discipline in order to prevent a deterioration of the fiscal position to a point where the aforementioned urgent development needs cannot be met,” the statement said.

Monday December 03, 2012

Govt. down-playing impact on negotiations with IMF Jamaica Gleaner - The Finance ministry is downplaying the impact of the departure of Dr Wesley Hughes on the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

With the negotiations now at a delicate stage, Hughes was part of the Government’s technical team which travelled to Washington last week to continue the talks.

But he left office last Friday to be replaced by Devon Rowe, who spent the past three years as director general in the finance ministry.

“The departure of Hughes is not major as we are very close to completing the negotiations and preparing the letter of intent that we will be submitting to the IMF this month,” a senior source in the finance ministry told The Sunday Gleaner. “Hughes was a key negotiator but he was part of the team and the rest of the team remains in place,” added the source.

Finance Minister Dr Peter Phillips had initially promised the country that the Government would have an IMF deal in place before year end.

Dr Peter Phillips

World Justice Project gives Jamaica failing grade Jamaica Gleaner - An American non-profit organisation assessing the administration of the rule of law in several upper-middle income countries has ranked Jamaica poorly for its efforts to promote open government and manage security.

The Washington-based World Justice Project (WJP) has ranked Jamaica 23rd out of 30 countries in its 2012 Rule of Law Index, noting that open government is one of two main weaknesses. The WJP measures open

government by looking at how stable, clear and publicised laws are in a country and whether administrative proceedings are accessible to the public, including drafts of laws and regulations.

The organisation notes that security administration is the country’s other main weakness, underscoring that the island is ranked 24th of the 30 countries surveyed in the report. It states that vigilante justice and organised crimes were among

the areas in need of urgent attention. The WJP says although the island’s justice system was independent and largely free from corruption, the dispensation of justice was slow and ineffective. It adds that police abuses and conditions at correctional facilities are a source for concern. The Index provides scores and rankings for eight areas of the rule of law. The project team interviewed 97,000 people and more than 2,500 experts around the world.

Monday December 03, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 23

Page 24

Kaieteur News

Monday December 03, 2012

South Africa on brink of clinching series in Perth PERTH (Reuters) - Hashim Amla scored 196 and AB de Villiers 169 in a batting exhibition that drove South Africa to a commanding lead of 631 runs before they were dismissed for 569 on the third day of the third test against Australia yesterday.

Australia were left needing to better the record for a successful fourthinnings chase by 213 runs to record an improbable win or bat for two more days to force a draw and save the series.

The hosts had eaten into their target to the tune of 40 runs without loss by the close of play with openers David Warner (29) and Ed Cowan (nine) having survived a sometimes nervous last hour.

After the first two tests in Brisbane and Adelaide ended in draws, South Africa only needed a third in Ricky Ponting’s last test to ensure they remained the world’s number one side.

They will now be expected to do considerably

better than that and become the first team since the West Indies in the 1980s and early 1990s to win consecutive series in Australia.

De Villiers said the Proteas were taking nothing for granted, however.

“We know we have a lot of hard work to do tomorrow, it’s a good wicket. If the test match goes the full length, they will come close,” he told reporters. “We are not arrogant in any way whatsoever. It won’t be easy.

We know the Australian batsmen are dangerous players and won’t be giving it away.”

Amla’s brilliant innings was one for the purists, while de Villiers started slowly before accelerating after he reached his fifty to bludgeon the Australian bowlers with every shot in the book.

Picking up where he left off on Saturday when he helped the tourists plunder 206 runs in the extended third session, Amla got the single he

needed to reach his 18th test century from the third delivery of the day.

Peppering his innings with some sublime cover drives for a good few of his 21 boundaries, Amla’s comfort at the crease had echoes of his unbeaten 311 against England at the Oval in July.

Australia’s pace unit, acclaimed after ending South Africa’s first innings for 225, toiled in the sunshine looking for a breakthrough but their best efforts only slowed the flow of runs.

It took a brilliant catch from Mitchell Johnson off his own bowling to dislodge Amla shortly before tea as the 29-year-old was approaching a double century after 350 minutes and 221 balls.

EXTRA PEP Johnson (4-110) found a little bit of extra pep with the new kookaburra and when the South African drove the ball back at him, he snatched it out of the air for a second superb caught and bowled of the innings.

Dean Elgar was despatched lbw by Johnson four balls later for a pair of ducks on his debut but the day already belonged to South Africa’s batsmen. De Villiers had moved reasonably cautiously to his 50, with the exception of one huge six off spinner Nathan Lyon that hit the second deck of the stand at long on. He upped the pace with a string of quickfire boundaries to reach 89, then graduated to

his 14th test century in stunning style with three successive reverse sweeps for four, again off Lyon.

Faf du Plessis (27) and Robbie Peterson, who failed to score, came and went before Johnson’s fellow leftarmer Mitchell Starc (6-154) finally removed de Villiers caught behind. The 28-yearold was clearly furious with himself for having fallen short of the double century after his innings of 169 off 184 balls with 21 fours and a trio of sixes.

Ponting had earlier bowled one last test match over at the cost of three runs to huge applause from the 13,000 crowd at the WACA, but the chance of finishing his career with a victory was surely gone.

The 418 scored by West Indies against Australia in 2003 was the highest successful fourth innings run chase in test cricket, while South Africa scored 414 to win the corresponding test at the WACA four years ago.

“It’s just batting session by session. We’ve got to believe we can do it,” said Australia coach Mickey Arthur, who was in charge of South Africa in that 2008 test.

“We’ve got to believe we can bat for two days. It’s a new ball wicket. If we get through the new ball, you never know what might happen.”

Scores: Australia 163 and 0 for 40 need another 592 runs to beat South Africa 225 and 5 for 569 (Amla 196, de Villiers 169, Starc 6-154).

Monday December 03, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 25

GOA Sports Administrators Course concludes

Participants displaying their certificats after the closing ceremony.

The Guyana Olympic Association Sports Administrators Course concluded yesterday with a simple ceremony at Olympic House, High Street, Kingston. The eighteen sports officials that took part in the course which started on Thursday were presented with certificates.

They were given lectures on topics such as Values and Ethics in Sports, Challenges facing Sports in developing countries, Women in Sports, Sports and the Environment,

Sports and the Law, Drugs and Doping in Sports, Conducting Meetings and How to prepare Budget for sports delegations.

Associations that took part in the course were from Athletics, Football, Karate, Cycling, Volley Ball, Table Tennis, Swimming, Net Ball, Weightlifting and Squash. Charles Corbin, Claude Blackmore, Kit Nascimento, Abigail Caleb, Wanda Richmond, Ivor O’Brian, Noel Adonis, Justice Roxanne George, Emily Dodson, Hector Edwards and Mayfield Taylor-

Trim were the facilitators.

Meanwhile, Trim in an invited comment said that the course was geared to enhance young sports administrators’ managerial skills and was pleased with the response. Claude Blackmore gave a review of the course, while President of Guyana Olympic Association K. A. Juman Yassin delivered the feature address. The course was sponsored by Olympic Solidarity.

Page 26

Kaieteur News

Monday December 03, 2012

Regal XI are GFSCA over 40 and Open Champs Regal XI defeated Herstelling XI by 32 runs, while their over-40 counterparts overcame Floodlight XI by 46 runs as the Guyana Floodlight Softball Cricket Association nationwide competition concluded yesterday at the Everest Cricket ground.

Regal XI batted first in front of a fair size crowd and posted 144-8 off their allocation of 15 overs.

Richard Latiff was their leading run getter with 38, while Rickey Sargeant and Saheed Gittens supported with 19 and 17 respectively.

Tikaram Narine claimed 2-24 and Shameer Hussain 2-39.

Herstelling XI were then restricted for 112 in 14.2 overs.

Omesh Narine top scored with 35 as Premnauth Motilall captured 4-21 and Troy Kippins 3-9.

In the over-40 final Regal XI took first strike and mustered 1398 in their allotted 20 overs Troy Kippins led with 35, while Mahendra Arjune chipped in with 24, Jadesh Bhoj 22 and Tony Amerally 18. Rama Khan took 2-16.

Floodlight XI in reply managed 93 in 20 overs.

Younis Yusuf 29 and Wayne Jones 14 were their principal scorers. Mahesh Chunilall bagged 5-17 and Amerally 3-27.

Mike’s Well Woman got the better of Trophy Stall in the female final. Erva Giddings 22 and Kavita Yadram 21 guided Trophy Stall to 70-4 in 10 overs after batting first; Zola Telford snared 2-10.

Mike’s Well Woman then responded with 71-8 in 10 overs with Akaze Thompson 18, Onika Wallerson 13 and Heseena Mohamed 11 being their main run getters as J. Nero grabbed 2-14.

The winners were presented with Trophies and $100,000 each, while the runner up teams received trophies and $50,000. Yusuf (MVP in the over 40 competition), Latiff (MVP open) and Shian Goodluck (female) collected the award and the $5,000. Mahesh Chunilall and Premnauth Motilall took the awards for being the players in the final in the over-40 and open categories and Kavita Yadram grabbed the player of the final in the female competition.

The competitions were sponsored by Mike’s Pharmacy,

Mike’s Wellwoman take female title

Members of the victorious Regal over 40 over team displaying their prizes

Survival Supermarket, Ramchand Auto Spares, Anel Enterprise, Moto Trend, Pitama Enterprise and Trophy Stall.

(Zaheer Mohamed)

K&S inaugural Under-13 Round Robin Football Lien championships kicks off soon All systems are in place and the organizers of the K&S yearly football extravaganza are set to launch the inaugural Chico Junior U-13 Round Robin Football Lien tournament, scheduled to get underway from December 22 - January 1 next.

Eight teams, Marian Academy, North Georgetown Primary, Tucville Primary, West Ruimveldt Primary, Beterverwagting Primary, Grove Primary, Uitvlugt Primary and Company Road Primary, will vie for a notch on the trophy, each aspiring to clinch the honours.

Activities will be coordinated by Guyana Football Federation Competitions Coordinator, Lawrence ‘Sparrow’ Griffith who intimated that the tournament would be played under strict FIFA regulations, over a five days period. The team winning the trophy on three consecutive occasions gets to keep it.

Meanwhile, the K&S organizers have revealed that the finals of the above tournament will be played simultaneously with the senior tournament but at the Georgetown Football Club Ground.

Messi one short of Muller’s record after 11th double of season Daily Mail - Lionel Messi scored twice as Barcelona made the best start in the history of the Spanish league with a 5-1 home win over Athletic Bilbao.

The La Liga leader’s 13 wins and a draw in their opening 14 matches surpasses Real Madrid’s 12 wins and two draws at the start of the 1991-92 campaign.

Messi’s 11th double of the season leaves him one goal shy of Gerd Muller’s record of 85 for club and country in one year, set in

1972. Barcelona led 3-0 by half-time thanks to goals by Gerard Pique, Messi and Adriano. Cesc Fabregas and Messi scored after the break.

Elsewhere in La Liga, Valencia sacked coach Mauricio Pellegrino after the 5-2 defeat at home to Real Sociedad left them languishing in 12th place in La Liga, club president Manuel Llorente said.

‘We have been exchanging opinions, debating and we have taken the decision to sack Pellegrino,’ Llorente was quoted as saying on the Spanish club’s official Twitter feed.

From page 29 concomitant result was vast improvement of the local teams to the extent that they started to defeat their higher ranked Caribbean counterparts.

He credited the innovative spirit of his team for the intervention of former technical Director of the Golden Jaguars, Jamaal Shabazz, whose technical skills piloted the Golden Jaguars to the second and third rounds of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

We were not bringing in any profits but merely inspired by the prospects of local players acquiring opportunities to advance in their game,” said the K&S Director. Names such as Charles ‘Lily’ Pollard, Collie Hercules and Colin Nelson among others were as beneficiaries of such initiatives. It was while highlighting these achievements that Mr. Muhammad made a pitch for Dover’s appointment. Further, Mr. Muhammad took pride over his company’s achievement of hosting the great football legend, King Pele at the 20th edition of the

tournament.

It was during Shabazz’ tenure with the Golden Jaguars that Dover’s skill came to the fore, and the former Technical Director decided to place him under his tutelage. Now that Mr. Shabazz has given up the position to focus on similar developmental programmes in his home country, Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. Muhammad is adamant that Dover is quite capable of filling the vacancy. The Trinidad coach has subtly endorsed this view when in an emotional gesture he peeled off a yellow jersey he was wearing at the time and handed it to Dover, a symbol of trust and confidence in his ability.

Meanwhile, representatives of 16 participating teams were also present at the forum and were presented with kits consisting of hoses, trunks, jerseys and other paraphernalia. They were then briefed on the rules and other matters relevant to their participation and the smooth running of the tournament.

Participating teams receive...

Monday December 03, 2012

Kaieteur News

Page 27

Diamond Mineral Water International Indoor Hockey Festival

Rampaul’s best Hikers’, Canada Academy dominate finals fails to ignite WI KHULNA, Bangladesh – Career-best bowling from Ravi Rampaul failed to inspire West Indies, as a maiden hundred from Anamul Haque gave Bangladesh the impetus for a 160-run victory in the second One-day International yesterday here.

The Windies suffered a batting meltdown, as they unsuccessfully chased 293 for victory on a hard, easypaced Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium pitch. Darren Bravo got the top score of 28 and new ODI vice captain Kieron Pollard made 25, but none of the visitors’ other batsmen reached 20, as left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak snared 3-19 from five overs and offspinner Sohag Gazi collected 3-21 from 7.1 overs for the Bangladeshis.

Sunil Narine mistimed a cover drive at a delivery from Sohag and was caught at short extra cover for 10 to formalise the largest victory margin in terms of runs for the hosts in ODIs with 113 balls remaining.

The result meant that West Indies now trail 0-2 in the five-match series, which switches this coming week to the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in the Bangladesh capital of Dhaka for the last three matches on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday before a Twenty20 International next Monday brings the tour to a close.

Rampaul had grabbed 5-49 from his allotment of 10 overs to lead the Windies attack, but Anamul upstaged him with a fluent 120 from 145 balls that included 13 fours and two sixes, earning him the Manof-the-Match award, and his captain Mushfiqur Rahim supported with 79 to lay the foundation for Bangladesh to post 292 for six from their allocation of 50 overs, after they were sent in to bat.

The Caribbean made a sluggish start in the face of steady, if not menacing bowling from the Bangladeshi bowlers, and were soon 32 for two in the eighth over, after Lendl Simmons was caught at long-off for nine and Chris Gayle was caught behind for 15.

Marlon Samuels came to the crease and just when it

appeared that he had settled, he was caught behind off Sohag for 16. This sparked a collapse that saw West Indies decline from 63 for two to 78 for six in the space of 23 balls between the 15th and 19th overs.

Dwayne Smith was dubiously lbw for a three-ball duck to Razzak, although TV Replays suggested he insideedged the ball onto his pad, Darren Bravo was caught behind essaying a cut off the same bowler, who also bowled Devon Thomas for a second-ball duck.

There was token resistance from Pollard, Windies captain Darren Sammy, Andre Russell, Narine and Rampaul, as the home team collected the last five wickets fell for 32 in the space of 39 deliveries.

Earlier, the visitors failed to keep the pressure on the Bangladeshi batting, after Russell had danger-man Tamim Iqbal caught at deep mid-wicket for five and Rampaul had Naeem Islam caught at fine leg for six.

West Indies were put on the back-foot, when Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim joined Anamul and put on 174 for the third wicket. Rampaul made the breakthrough in the 36th over, the second of the Batting Power Play, when Mushfiqur was caught at mid-wicket from a tame pull.

The Bangladesh captain struck eight fours and one six from 87 balls.

Rampaul added the scalp of Nasir Hossain caught at cover for four in the 39th over, the penultimate of the Batting Power Play, which yielded two wickets for West Indies for a cost of 20.

But the Windies let things slip in the closing overs, as Anamul late cut Narine to reach his milestone from 138 balls before he, Mominul Haque with 31 and Mashrafe Mortaza with 18 unleashed in the closing overs to beef-up the home team’s total.

Scores: Bangladesh 292 for 6 (Anamul 120, Mushfiqur 79, Rampaul 549) beat West Indies 132 (Bravo 28, Gazi 3-21, Razzak 3-19) by 160 runs.

GCC’s Leonard George presents the winning trophy and first prize on US$500 to Hikers Captain Brian Asgregado in the presence of teammates last evening.

All three finals in this year ’s Diamond Mineral Water International Indoor Hockey Festival produced some thrilling action, but in the end Hikers won two of them, while first time visitors Toronto Academy won the other when competition ended yesterday, at the National Gymnasium.

In the Men’s final, Hikers defeated GCC 3-1, while in the Women’s championship game, Toronto Academy beat Magnolias of Trinidad and Tobago 6-2 and Hikers got the better of GCC 5-4 in the Veterans final to crown a very successful tournament.

In the Men’s final, after a even start where both teams had early chances to score, Hikers took the lead on the stroke of half time when the skilful Jerazeno Bell dribbled one defender, before hitting a back flick past the advancing Pardeep Kunar in goal.

That gave Hikers a 1-0 lead at the break.

Once again both goalkeepers were made to made brilliant stops in the second period, before the speedy Robert France’s goal in the 36th minute gave Hikers a 2-0 cushion and that was stretched even further when Aroydy Branford netted their third two minutes later.

That goal with two minutes left on the clock signaled the end of any hope GCC may have harboured to win the match.

However, Orland Semple’s goal on the stroke of full time saved some face

for GCC, but it all happened too late and Hikers took home the trophy and US$1,000.

The Women’s final followed a similar pattern before the Canadians coached by Guyanese Jonathan Roberts turned on the heat in the 8th minute through a goal from Ally Evanyshyn, who went on to net two more in the 12th and 27th minutes to complete a hat-trick.

She was supported by a brace from Kaelan Watson in the 26th and 29th minutes and Chelcie Mendonca’s 22nd minute strike.

For Magnolias, Mika Tang scored in the 2nd minute, while Stacey Sui-Butt added the other in the 13th minute.

The Veterans final went to Hikers as they outlasted GCC in a thrilling affair.

Brian Asregado netted in

the 1st minute, before Devin Munroe in the 5th and 26th minutes, Sheldon Corlette in the 33rd and Tristan Gomes in the 45th minute completed their tally.

Phillip Fernandes in the 10th minute, Alan Fernandes in the in the 13th and 31st minutes and Devin Hooper’s in the 38th minute effort completed their tally.

At half time the two teams were tied at 2 all.

Page 28

Kaieteur News

Monday December 03, 2012

GAPF Senior’s “Judgment Day” - Kingsrow Barbel Club is Best Gym

Rahim is Best Lifter, sets new Caribbean, local DL records; Mars betters old squat record

Winston Stoby

Karel Mars

Vijai Rahim

Following is the list of competitors and their scores Name Class Squat Bench Press K. Mars-Loncke 84kg 147.5 62.5 Gumendra Sewdass 53kg 177.5 85 Sohal Hussein 53kg 135 85 Vijai Rahim 59kg 227.5 107.5 Suraj Shewdas 66kg 190 97.5 Fabian Ketwaroo 66kg 205.5 97.5 Winston Stoby 74kg 250 142.5 Paul Adams 74kg 230 137.5 Anis Ade-Thomas 83kg 255 122.5 Shawn Henry 83kg 225 135 Nigel Phillips 93kg 272.5 135 Chris Richards 93kg 220 130 Karel Mars 105kg 327.5 200 Mervin Richards 105kg 282.5 150 Farouk Abdool 120kg 290 187.5 Owen Thomside 120kg 22.5 165

Kimberly Mars

Guyana’s junior powerlifting sensation Vijay Rahim capped a fine year on the competitive scene when he captured the Best Lifter prize at the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPF) Senior Championships dubbed “Judgment Day” yesterday at the Saint Stanislaus College

Auditorium.

On a rainy day in the capitol city, Georgetown, the 20-year-old Rahim who hails from the Ancient County of Berbice and a member of the Hard Core Gym, competing in the 59kg class recorded a Wilks Points total of 498.662 to beat out Karel Mars (Buddies Gym) 495.963 and

Masters M2 World Record holder (Dead Lift) Winston Stoby (479.424) of Kingsrow Barbel Club for the Best Lifter accolade.

In the battle for the Best Gym trophy, Kingsrow Barbel Club of Georgetown defeated the opposing gyms and walked away with bragging rights until the next seniors.

Rahim’s performance was all the more devastating as he broke his own local and Caribbean dead lift record with a new mark of 232.5kgs.

His best squat was 227.5kgs,

while he achieved 107.5 in the bench press for a total 576.5.

Rahim, who won double gold at the Caribbean Championships in April as well as a silver medal at the IPF/NAPG Championships in August, ended up being the lone competitor in his category after his gym mate Kevin Bridjlall failed his first and third squat attempts, all three bench press and his only dead lift attempt.

Mars (Buddies Gym), competing in the 105kg division ruled the roost with bests of 327.5kg (squat),

Dead Lift 150 190 147.5 232.5 197.5 170 267.5 230 290 230 227.5 207.5 282.5 240 282.5 255

Total 360 452.5 367.5 576.5 485 470 660 597.5 667.5 590 635 557.5 810 672.5 760 642.5

200kg (bench press) and a dead lift 282.5 to win this category ahead of gym mate Mervin Richards; Fazim Abdool of Hardcore Gym (Berbice) bombed out after failing to get any of his squat attempts.

Mars was the other athlete to set a record at the championships, a new squat record of 282.5kg.

Stoby, continues to prove that age is truly just a number, competing in the 74kg class, the 53-year-old Warrior also the oldest competitor won ahead of Paul Adams also his gym mate with a Total of 660.

Wilks Points 329.184 444.038 355.630 498.662 418.119 372.804 479.424 441.553 449.494 393.825 411.416 366.054 495.963 422.061 443.840 369.823

The lone female athlete was Kimberly Mars-Loncke (84kg) of Buddies Gym whose total was 360; squat 147.5kg, bench press 62.5kg and dead lift 150kg.

Other category winners were Gumendra Sewdass (Total Fitness – Berbice) in the 53kg category; Suraj Shewdas (Total Fitness – Berbice) in the 66kg category; Anis Ade-Thomas (Total Fitness Berbice) 83kg division; Nigel Phillips (Hard Core) 93kg category and Farouk Abdool another Hard Core Gym member who ruled the roost in the 120kg class.

Monday December 03, 2012

Kaieteur News

Sammy looks for change of fortunes KHULNA, Bangladesh – Darren Sammy said West Indies will have to dig deeper if they are to bounce back in their One-day International series against Bangladesh.

The Windies captain said he hoped his side could have a change of fortunes when they return to the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka for the last three ODIs of the series (all day-nighters) this coming Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium.

Career-best bowling from Ravi Rampaul failed to inspire the visitors, as a maiden hundred from Anamul Haque gave the hosts the impetus for a 160-run victory in the second ODI on Sunday at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium here.

Sammy said it was not beyond his side to win the last three ODIs and clinch the series, but they would need to improve significantly. “We are going to regroup, but it’s probably a good wake-up call for us, and we’ll have to come back harder. “We are 2-0 down, but we’re not out. It would not be a wise thing to count us out because we have been in similar

Darren Sammy

situations before and we have bounced back.”

He added: “Bangladesh have played some good cricket and are showing us how to play one-day cricket on these pitches. They have assessed these conditions well and have played accordingly.

“We have to take a page out of the book, if we are to win the next one and the two after that.”

Sammy said West Indies

had not played to their potential, failing to build significant partnerships and bowl to their plan.

“The brand of cricket that we have been playing, we should play much better,” he said. “What we have displayed in the last two matches is not what we know we are capable of doing.

“Bangladesh have seized the opportunity and we are on the back-foot now. It doesn’t mean that we can’t

go to Dhaka and the change of scenery could bring a change of fortune for us, and keep the series well alive. To be able to achieve this, we definitely have to improve in all areas.”

Sammy said though the Bangladesh spinners have taken the bulk of the West Indies wickets in the two matches, he did not think his side had any trouble with playing spin.

“I think it is about being more selective,” he said. “If you look at the calibre of players we have, once we stay at the crease we are going to score runs, but we keep getting out. . .so far we haven’t been able to put good partnerships together.

“We have had our troubles against spin in the past, but we get better once we spend time at the crease and so far none of our batsmen have done so.

“You just got to play what you see and be patient. We know we are a good boundary-hitting team and once our batsmen spend time at the crease, like we showed in the preceding Test matches, it becomes easier for us to play.”

Page 29

K&S Football extravaganza

Participating teams receive promised football kit from K&S - Director endorses ‘Wiggy’ Dover for coach’s post Less than one week after Technical Director of the Golden Jaguars tendered his resignation, Director of the K&S football organization, Kashif Muhammad, has commended the work of his understudy, Wayne ‘Wiggy’ Dover, and posited that local football administrators should consider elevating him to the vacated position.

Mr. Muhammad was joined by his fellow Director, Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major, at a press conference at the Princess Hotel International, Providence ECD, Saturday morning last. The forum was convened to brief the participating teams of the yearly K&S football extravaganza as well as to give them the promised football kits.

He chronicled the arduous journey from the early days of the tournament when he and his sidekick, Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major

decided to arrange a small ‘scrubby’ between 4 Linden teams, Top XX, Botofago, Central Hikers and Milerock, that carried a winning purse of $4,000, put up by beverage giants, Banks DIH Ltd. He spoke of the further inclusion of Georgetown teams such as Santos FC and subsequently, Camptown FC. “As the years progressed we became more innovative,” said Mr. Muhammad.

The K&S Director remembered the unacceptable situation where local ball weavers were unable to hone their skills among qualitative opposition thus stymieing their advancement. “We opened the doors where local players were given opportunities to play in Trinidad and Tobago among their counterparts in those semi-professional and professional leagues,” he further disclosed. The Continued on page 26