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Kaieteur News
Friday January 03, 2014
Letters... Where your views make the 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
A perennial impediment In this new year, we have to be candid and accept that the major impediment to the development of our dear land has been the inability of our people, especially our political elite, to arrive at a social covenant that is seen as fair by the masses of our people. For too long we have not been actually speaking to each other but rather we have been mouthing words at each other. This year we have to resolve to do better. The following perspective on “dialogue” is taken from the programme on resolving intractable conflicts – and you no doubt will agree that it appears that they are talking about us, Guyanese. “People often lack the ability to converse about subjects that matter deeply to them without getting into a dispute. As a result, public discourse about divisive issues is often characterised by destructive debate that can lead to group division and violence. This is often because parties are operating from different interpretations of facts and events that may not even be fully understood by the parties 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. In many cases, while one person is talking, the other person is thinking of what he will say when it is his turn to talk. Effective communication is blocked by competition, prejudice, and fear, and parties’ ways of relating start to deteriorate. They tend to make impassioned statements about the issues and to focus on moral or logical flaws in the other side’s position. Opponents often rely on rhetoric, and become defensive in the face of evidence that their position is invalid or that an opposed opinion is valid. They also tend to stereotype each other and misunderstand each other’s positions, causing them to become increasingly polarised. As a result, the atmosphere of conversations is often threatening, characterised by personal attacks and interruptions. Even if parties are secretly undecided about any aspect of the issue, they will not voice these reservations. They may fear that if they do not hold on to their positions, they will look weak or be criticized by their compatriots. These destructive shouting matches do not help to address long-standing conflicts over public issues. 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 polarised ways of relating pose significant barriers for collaboration, and make informed and empathic problemsolving impossible. Opportunities for social learning are often lost. In addition, because such conversations are filled with rhetoric and accusations, the public is exposed to a very limited discourse in public debates. This detracts from the involvement and education of citizens.” Dialogue has no fixed goal or predetermined agenda. The emphasis is not on resolving disputes, but rather on improving the way in which people with significant differences relate to each other. The broad aim is to promote respectful inquiry, and to stimulate a new sort of conversation that allows important issues to surface freely. While opponents in deep-rooted conflict are unlikely to agree with each other’s views, they can come to understand each other’s perspectives. When people enter into conversations with others, they bring with them basic assumptions about the meaning of life, their country’s interest, how society works, and what is most valuable. Most of these basic assumptions come from society and are rooted in culture, race, religion, and economic background. As a result, people coming from different backgrounds have different basic assumptions and values, and these clashing views and perspectives often lead to conflict. Dialogue attempts to expose these assumptions and the thought processes that lie behind them. It calls on participants to pay attention to their thinking, feelings, assumptions, and patterns of communication. However, this can happen only if people are able to listen to each other without prejudice and without trying to influence one another, and are ready to abandon their old ideas in the face of new and better ones. Therein lies probably our biggest obstacle.
FIGHTING INJUSTICE IS NOT LIMITED TO ETHNIC CHARACTERS DEAR EDITOR, Mr Frederick Kissoon is of Indian origin although he does not take Indian positions except in cases of injustice. I know that he is seen as a controversial writer and thinker. He has suffered and not only recently for his opinions and his readiness to express them. Many will say that he is only one of the voices condemning injustice. True, but there is a kind of injustice that he has stood alone in condemning. There are two or three writers who feel that they can write whatever they like about Africans. I am told that Mr Jonathan Adams recently
responded to one of these gentlemen. Before that, Freddie Kissoon took them on and defended, publicly, his African fellow Guyanese from disrespectful and undignified comment.. Was he being anti-Indian in order to be fair? No, not at all. He was simply being fair and being human. In fact, although it will not be readily seen, he was doing a service to the whole idea of being Indian, and was serving what is best in the Indian personality. In the same way when an Africa dares to speak out against the excesses or injustice of his or her own
race it is my conviction that that African, he or she, is representing the best in the African personality. Who can forget the timely statement by Andaiye “Not in my name!” It may have saved us much pain. This is the real reason they do not want Kissoon in any capacity at the University of Guyana. I myself have kept silent on these demeaning attempts, regarded as fair by media, to give the worst possible picture of Africans. I believe that those writers are using the media to get their plan going by inviting retaliation so as to unite their ethnic base for some purpose. All I have said is that
there are also Indian stereotypes and that I will not repeat them. But that does not stop the mischief. It goes on and on, for the reason I have stated. These well educated people are deceiving themselves if they pretend not to know the dangers of stereotyping. In closing at the break of the new year let me say, in fact, let me warn, that if the more sincere advocates of racial dignity who fail to make public as necessary their sense of fairness to the Other, then we are working for a state of affairs that will be less frightening only than a natural disaster. Eusi Kwayana
The GMSA acknowledges the GEA as a worthwhile partner in this project DEAR EDITOR, The GMSA, more especially members of the Steering Committee of the GMSA/IDB Energy Efficiency Project, have taken note of the article which appeared in the Kaieteur News edition of November 30, 2013 under the caption “Manufacturing Companies reject GEA’s Audit Offer”. The news item emanated from the Energy Management Workshop held at the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre on November 28, 2013. While we appreciate the media coverage of that crucial workshop, the slant of the KN article suggested that there was a measure of antagonism and friction between the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) and the Manufacturing Sector which is represented by the GMSA. This response to that article is intended to put into proper perspective the tone of the Workshop, particularly the comments made by the participants who were drawn from both the Public and Private Sectors. That Workshop was the third in a series of five that were conducted in Georgetown, Berbice and Essequibo. They constituted part of the Public Communication and Information Dissemination component of the jointly funded Energy Efficiency & Energy Management Project. This Private Sector project was structured to include the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) that serves as the regulatory agency on national energy matters. The GEA has served as a key resource since the inception of the project in 2012, and an integral partner
in all phases of its implementation. The GEA’s Engineers played an important part in the Technical Consultancy Support provided to the five (5) Pilot Companies through two (2) Regional Energy Experts, and the Agency’s Chief Executive Officer serves as a member of the Project Steering Committee. The workshop mentioned above was designed to share the Consultant’s (Dr. Carl Duncan IEng, MIEE) findings from his In-Plant exercises (measuring and monitoring equipment performance, etc.) as well as his recommendations for better efficiency to ultimately reduce overall energy costs. Representatives from the pilot companies and others in both the public and private sector including Electrical & Mechanical Engineers, Accountants and Administrators, were invited to discuss their companies’ energy installations and strategies for monitoring and conservation. It was the examination of the concept of Energy Audits and the use of certain online software programmes that prompted a spin-off discussion on companies’ understandable reluctance to expose their sensitive information online which could become available to competitors and Government Agencies. They were assured that the recommended software was designed with passwords and other types of security features. In this regard, they were reluctant to accept the GEA’s offer to come into their companies to conduct Energy Audits. GMSA Director and Project Administrator,
Clement Duncan, in his summation at the end of the one-day Workshop, acknowledged the concerns of the participants and sought to assure them that the role of the GEA in this Project was based on the Agency’s national mandate and regulatory responsibilities. He explained as well that the term “Energy Audit” is not synonymous with a financial audit, and that it entails merely measuring energy input and output
against the ratings of equipment, and assesses overall efforts to manage equipment usage and efforts at energy conservation. The GMSA acknowledges the GEA as a worthwhile partner in this Energy Efficiency Project which itself has national implications for large and small companies in the Public and Private Sectors. Clement Duncan Project Administrator & Chairman, Project Steering Committee
A humanitarian at heart & deserves a national award DEAR EDITOR, Please allow me a space in your letter column to share with this nation and give my support towards a great son of this soil. Over the past decades he gave his life towards the development of all human beings and his country. He stood up for all, no matter their status in life. He truly represents all and encourages many to make a difference in their lives and for their country. He lives with dignity, no matter what people say of him and push towards his cause on this earth. He was awarded by the Government of United States of America under the Obama administration for this commitment to humanitarian contribution to all and received many more awards locally and internationally. This man is truly a great human and Guyanese and he is no other than a son of the soil and belongs to Berbice, he is Dr. Verasammy Ramayya
MP. On December 22nd, 2013 I happened to visit this man’s home where he was continuing his humanitarian life by hosting an annual Christmas party for the Children and elderly of East Berbice. I was not that medically fit but I decided to take the trip and was shocked, as I entered his yard to see so many children from different walks of life and ages gathered together under his roof for Dr. Ramayya’s Annual Christmas Party. Dr. Ramayya has shown this true love for humanitarian work, no matter of race, religion and status in life. He is a true Hindu devotee, but still care for the others no matter religion. At the corner of his yard is a small Hindu Temple, and outside decked with various Hindu religious pictures and one with his late wife (who, has, over the years supported his various humanitarian efforts and struggle for the (Continued on page 5)
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Rice millers facing one-week deadline Letters... Where your views A humanitarian at to submit licencing documents Guyana would be looking to repeat last year’s recordbreaking rice production but it may an uphill task. The country produced in excess of 535,000 tonnes, which translated to about 113,000 more than the 2012 figures. It was the highest ever production for rice on record for Guyana. Officials are now crunching projection figures, saying that it may be difficult to reach that again. Already, the regulator, Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), has started moving to ensure millers are fully licenced, in preparation for the crops, the first which is currently being sown. According to a notice in the state-owned, Guyana Chronicle on January 1st, the licencing process for this year has commenced effective yesterday. Millers across the country have until next Friday (January 10th), to submit
reports of what it owes farmers and what they intend to purchase this year. Millers have to also ensure that their scales and moisture meters are fully calibrated before the purchasing of rice from the first crop. GRDB, under new regulations introduced to protect farmers from delays in payments, had mandated that payments to farmers have to be made within certain times, failure of which could attract interest and even see a revocation of the licences. On October 21st, the Ministry of Agriculture had reported that Guyana surpassed the 500,000-tonne production mark. At that time, it would have been 100,000 tonnes more than what was produced the previous year. Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, did not rule out a 600,000-tonne production. “Indeed I would say to
everyone that should we be able to find the markets, not the market that would take our rice, because we have enough people who want our rice, but the markets that would pay us the price we want for our rice, then we can reach 600,000 tonnes within the next year or maximum two years.” The Minister made it clear that the production by farmers came not as a result of increased acreage, but as a result of higher yields. “We consistently now surpass five tonnes per hectare, that used to be another magical goal that we are now reaching routinely, and we believe that we can reach six tonnes per hectare.” Guyana had two successive years (2011 and 2012) of production of more than 400,000 tonnes of rice. The 412,000 tonnes set for 2012 was surpassed by 10,000 tonnes. A total of 334,000 tonnes were exported, while
in 2011, the production was 402,000 tonnes. New rice varieties and management strategies such as the six-point practices have been credited for higher yields of rice. Farmers, for a long time, have been complaining of markets and delayed payments. The situation took a turn for the better after the country and its oil-rich neighbour, Venezuela, struck a lucrative rice-for-oil deal. With that market, participating farmers and millers would be paid by GRDB from monies that had been destined to pay back Venezuela for oil sold under the PetroCaribe agreement. The agreement has been seen as boon to the rice industry which has surpassed sugar in terms of foreign earnings. The country has been actively attempting to find new markets also, especially in the region.
Man remanded for beating pregnant wife A lover ’s spat which allegedly stemmed from an argument over a cellular phone landed a McDoom, East Bank Demerara couple before Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court yesterday. On December 21, the 32year-old unemployed man, Renshan Munroe, allegedly assaulted his reputed wife Latoya Hinds at Lot 6 Public Road, McDoom. He pleaded not guilty to the charge. The woman attempted to offer no evidence in the matter. However, her effort to essentially abort the case was fruitless as the Prosecution readily objected to this. Corporal Seon Blackman, representing the prosecution, interjected as he recalled that the two had appeared on several occasions where Munroe was charged for the same offence. According to Blackman, the woman had repeatedly chosen the same course of action. He opined that the situation could have been more serious and warned the
- Magistrate overrules woman’s attempt to offer no evidence court that this could likely escalate into something more detrimental since the charge is a result of an ongoing situation between the two. Blackman said that on the day in question, they had an argument over a cellular phone which caused the accused to become annoyed. As a result of his annoyance, he reportedly dealt the pregnant woman a cuff to her abdomen. The prosecution offered objections on account of the serious nature of the offence as well as the penalty attached to same. Blackman also noted
the victim’s condition. The accused told the court that as a result of matters past, he was recommended for counseling. He added that though he is currently unemployed, he was scheduled to join the workforce in the mining industry on Monday. Though the Magistrate had already ordered him held, the woman attempted to plead for him. She begged the court to let him go saying “Is me and he alone wheh we deh. If he go who gun support me? Y’all ain’t understand.” However, the Magistrate
did not change her position on bail. Munroe was remanded to prison where he will await his next court date, January 6.
heart & deserves...
From page 4 people). This party is just one of his ways of giving back to the society but for a man that lost his wife just about a year ago, it is really outstanding of him to continue this venture all alone, making sure that the decades old tradition continues so as to make his cause in life worth living and also to made this late wife being remembered at this time by the children and all others. It’s outstanding to see a man put religion aside just to make others happy. He shows his real side and how we can have unity and care for each other no matter what. This strong Hindu Devotee makes the children feel cared for as he allowed Christian carols and hymns to be sung in his yard and also for prayers to be given by Christian Pastors. This doctor is a sound example for this nation. Dr. Ramayya over the
years has stood up against injustices to sugar workers and helped them fight for better wages and working conditions. He assisted many people who are being abused by the Guyana Police Force, and represents many that had issues with GPL and GWI. He shed light on the working conditions of our nurses and doctors. He visits many communities and highlights their problems. He is respected by Berbice for his fight against injustices towards our people. This great humanitarian deserves to be awarded with a National Award for his outstanding service to this nation. Let’s not put into consideration politics and reward a man that truly deserves to be awarded for his gigantic deeds, and that man is Dr. Verasammy Ramayya MP. Abel Seetaram
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After 48 years… Woman, 20, shot dead by ex-lover, 40 Yesu Persaud hands - suspect nabbed en route to Suriname over reins of DDL DEAD: Carlissa Matthews
A 40-year-old man shot his 20-year-old exlover dead, after cornering her outside the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) outlet in Water Street on Old Year’s Night. Carlissa Matthews, of Lot 2284 North Ruimveldt Housing Scheme, was shot to the back of the head shortly before midnight on Tuesday. She died at around 02:15 hrs on Wednesday (New Year ’s Day) at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). The suspect, identified as Jermaine Maynard, of Leopold and Cross Streets, Werk-en-Rust, fled the scene, but was captured at Springlands at around 08:00hrs yesterday, while attempting to escape to Suriname. He was reportedly nabbed at the ‘back track’ crossing, and was about to board a boat when he was held. Kaieteur News understands that acting on information, ranks staked out the area, and made a move when they were certain that the fugitive was within their grasp.
Carol Kennedy, the victim’s mother, said that her daughter, who has a five-year-old son, suffered repeated physical abuse at the hands of the suspect, during their approximately twoyear relationship. She alleged that Matthews had made repeated complaints to the police, but never allowed police to press charges. Ms. Kennedy said that her daughter eventually severed the relationship about six months ago, but the suspect continued to harass her. Media reports also show that Matthews was herself charged with grievous bodily harm committed against Maynard on October 26, 2013. But the case was dismissed after Maynard declined to give evidence against her. Carol Kennedy, a Stabroek Market vendor, told Kaieteur News that she, her daughter, and others were hanging out near the KFC outlet on Old Year’s Night when the suspect, who was also in the area, called her daughter. Ms. Kennedy alleged that the ex-boyfriend had been calling her daughter frequently on her cell phone. “He was constantly ringing her cell phone, and she (eventually) decide to go to him to keep him quiet.” Ms. Kennedy said that she was backing the suspect and her daughter, who were chatting nearby and never heard the gunshot that killed her daughter. “Then I hear a little boy say ‘look that man got a gun and he shoot that girl.’” On turning, Kennedy saw her daughter lying motionless on the ground, with the exboyfriend standing nearby. She alleged that the suspect stood over her daughter and attempted to shoot again. “He go over and try to shoot fire at her, but the gun just clicked.” According to Kennedy, Matthews’s exboyfriend then fled into nearby Longden Street. The mother, accompanied by one of her sons, pursued the suspect to America Street, but the fleeing suspect held a cyclist at gunpoint and escaped on the man’s bicycle. Ms. Kennedy’s fiancé took the badlyinjured woman to the GPHC. There, a doctor ordered a CT scan, but then pronounced the victim brain-dead. The mother said that she passed away at around 02: 15 hrs. Ms. Kennedy recounted that she accompanied police to the suspect’s Cross (Continued on page 24)
Mr. Yesu Persaud (left) shakes hands with the new Chairman, Mr. Komal Samaroo By Kiana Wilburg Business guru, Mr. Yesu Persaud officially handed over the reins of Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) to Mr. Komal Samaroo yesterday. Mr. Samaroo, who has served in the capacity of Managing Director for several years, expressed his enthusiasm to fulfill the responsibilities of his new position with integrity. Mr. Persaud will now serve in the capacity of advisor. The occasion was facilitated in DDL’s Boardroom in Kingston, Georgetown. In his remarks, the 85year-old reminded that DDL was a company which he adopted in a state of bankruptcy. But with much patience, investment and careful execution of plans, it was transformed into an entity that produces internationally-renowned spirits, under the popular brand name “Eldorado Rum” The ability to take a product from being literally unknown to international
acclaim is one that was also inherited by Samaroo. Persaud said yesterday that he passes on the baton to a most competent person, who worked feverishly behind the scenes. Samaroo, he pointed out, was away for some eight years in North America, creating a market for the Eldorado Rums. “The Company is on firm ground… Samaroo and I have worked together for several years and he knows everything that I know. And after 48 years, I decided that the time is now right for me to leave the scene and hand the mantle over to him. “I’m not getting younger. I have other things which I will be working on such as The Trust Company (Guyana) Limited. I will not be leaving the scene totally, but will remain an advisor. I will always be available to give advice when needed...” “DDL is capable and competent now…Samaroo and I have come a long way and to create a brand from zero in this competitive world is not something easy.”
DDL, he reminded, now produces and distributes a number of beverages including internationally recognized brands such as Pepsi, 7Up, Mountain Dew and Gatorade. Samaroo expressed that his work in North America has helped him in understanding the nature of the international market and as such, has been able to develop a methodology on how to access those markets. “In the last few years we have seen significant growth. In 2012, we grew by 23 percent and I anticipate that the 2013 report will show that we have grown in excess of that. We are on a strong growth path.” However, in light of the growing incidence of alcohol abuse, Samaroo firmly asserted that while DDL produces one of the most well-known and acclaimed spirits, it will continue to encourage persons to always drink responsibly. “As a company, our policy is to encourage the responsible consumption of alcohol. It is not in the interest of our company for people to abuse alcohol. We prescribe international best practice as it relates to investment in rehabilitation centres for alcoholics. We would like to say that we believe we have a social responsibility and we will continue to stand by that commitment to assist where we can. There is only so much you can do when managing a complex company, but we will be supportive of any wellmanaged effort that provides that service.” At a press conference last year, Dr. Persaud had expressed concern about (Continued on page 24)
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GRIFFITH PLANS MASSIVE CRIME OVERHAUL Trinidad Guardian - T&T will witness “massive and radical changes” as National Security Minister Gary Griffith implements several new policies to reduce crime, increase public confidence in the Police Service, modernise data collection systems and boot out rogue police officers. Griffith also hinted at recommending that some of the country’s “archaic laws” be changed. “This year is going to be a very important year...I intend to transform the whole national security structure, reduce the fear of crime and fire all those rogue police officers,” he said in a telephone interview from New York. Griffith travelled to New York for a meeting to discuss strategies to deal with T&T’s crime and national security issues with John Huvane, the chief executive officer of the Giuliani Security & Safety, which is owned by former New York mayor Rudolph “Rudy” Giuliani. He said the meeting, which lasted “a few hours well,” took place on Old Year’s Day and he was due home yesterday. Griffith said plans discussed also included partnering with the New York
Rogue Cops to be Fired Police Department for training programmes for T&T’s officers, upgrading the country’s Crime Scene Unit, developing a state-of-the art DNA system and a more efficient computerised system throughout the Police Service. Another key area discussed, he said, was accountability and performance in the Police Service. Saying he had been “bombarded” by calls from concerned citizens about the conduct of some police officers, Griffith said this ranged from the abrasive manner in which they spoke to members of the public to a lackadaisical attitude when taking a report. “There have been reports where officers have refused to give their identification numbers, of officers abusing people in roadblocks...this must be stopped and I intend to take very firm action on this,” he said. “I don’t think anybody should get upset with what I am saying...I am not here to stroke anybody’s ego.” In giving a recent example of untoward police behaviour, the National Security
Increase in price for certificates next month Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon, on Tuesday announced that Cabinet has granted approval for the General Register Office (GRO) to increase the cost of birth, death and marriage certificates. Dr. Luncheon said that with effect from February 1, 2014, persons seeking to acquire any of the documents would have to pay a cost of $300. In November, Cabinet also
approved increases for the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) for its postage rate for domestic and international services. Effective from November 18, the new rates became applicable. They are: for the first 20 grams, domestic rate $80, Caribbean - $130, Central North and South America $150, Great Britain - $160 and Asia, Africa, Europe and Australia - $200.
Minister said he was told of an incident where a woman was chopped by her husband and went to a police station to make a report. But days passed and nothing was done by the police. “The attacker eventually went to the station to turn himself in...The officer at the front told the man he was not the one who took the initial report, so he (the attacker) had to come back to the station,” Griffith said. “That officer should have been dismissed one time or suspended for months.” He insisted, however, that the majority of officers were “outstanding and went above and beyond the call of duty.” “But there are some rogue elements who continue to give the profession a bad name and they must be dealt with,” he warned. At the end of 2013, there were 407 murders, compared to 380 last year. Acknowledging there has been an increase in this category of crime, Griffith said part of the problem was “turning a blind eye and awarding gang leaders contracts.” He said under his watch this would be eliminated. But he admitted there could be expected repercussions. “If and when all these contracts are taken away, what we would have is the pothounds fighting for the scraps,” he said. “There is just a small majority of criminals of this country’s populations who are terrorising citizens and there are about 5,000 to 10,000 criminals.” Saying he had no intention to “play politics” with fighting crime, Griffith added: “I am doing what is right. What I am doing is laying a foundation so that whoever comes after me would have a very sturdy base.”
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Government accused of using technicalities in dismissing workers BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - CMC - The National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) has accused the Freundel Stuart government of using technical maneuvers ahead of the January 15 date for trimming the public service by an estimated 3,000. NUPW general secretary Dennis Clarke said as many as 500 workers attached to the Drainages Division had been sent home on the last day of 2013. “They would have been given fixed term contracts and in a lot of cases with the people from the Drainage, their fixed terms contracts would have come to an end on the 31st day of December. “Nobody is looking at the fact that these are persons who would have been on for four, sometimes five years, in a temporary situation, who, in my view, should have been appointed to the post that they were in,” Clarke said. “That is the methodology being used to get rid of these people, which means then that they are not coming to the table to sit with the NUPW and the BWU BARBADOS Workers Union) to work things out. “These people are members of either of the unions and we should
Dennis Clarke have been at the table, looking at how we are going to deal with these particular situations,” Clarke said. “They never had permanent employment. They had these contracts that they would renew and renew and renew. One needs to ask, now, what is going to happen to these people and their children? “We will sit and listen to them and we will take information and we will get to the Ministry of the Civil Service to look at the approach to ensure that we have a process similar to what happening in 1991 and what happened in 1982. That is
what we are aiming for,” Clarke said. Meanwhile, the BWU says finding a job will be a tough proposition in the future. BWU general secretary Sir Roy Trotman in his New Year ’s message said that given the layoffs in the public service, Barbadians may find themselves challenged to get employment. “We are educating persons but we are not able to find the areas of employment for them. We have a significant challenge where we have several people even with tertiary qualifications and no place where we may engage them,” he said. He said in such circumstances, the government must understand it was the main employer and it was either “going to employ people and pay them, or you are going to have them unemployed and feed them at the public’s expense in your public institutions, including in your jails”. Last year, the Stuart administration said that the plan to cut public service jobs would result in the government saving as much as BDS$143 million (One BDS dollar = US$0.50 cents).
PM trips for 2013 to exceed $50 million Jamaica Gleaner - It now appears certain that the Government spent more than $50 million to send Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller and her team on foreign trips last year. This is more than half the money ($99 million) the Government allocated to the Office of the Children’sAdvocate for recurrent expenditure for the entire fiscal year. The exact travel spend is expected to be provided to Parliament in response to questions from
Opposition Leader Andrew Holness before the end of this month, but already, The Gleaner has confirmed some $30 million in expenditure with more, much more, expected to be tallied. Information received from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) through the Access to Information Act (ATI) confirmed a spend of just over $9 million for seven overseas trips between March and July. In addition, the Government spent a further $20 million to send the prime minister and a team to China. Simpson Miller also travelled to Japan and South Africa in trips costing multiple millions after The Gleaner received the ATI figures from the OPM. The March to July trips included Simpson Miller leading delegations to Haiti for the Summit of Caribbean States in April before going to Ethiopia in May for the 50th Anniversary of the African Union Summit. In Ethiopia, Simpson Miller joined world leaders including French President Francois Holland, Brazilian President Dilma Rouseff and United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, to commemorate the formation of the African Union 50 years ago. On that African trip, Simpson Miller was accompanied by Dr Deborah
Hickling, Director of Operations, Prime Minister’s Support Unit and Permanent Secretary at the OPM, Onika Miller, with the OPM reporting that it cost taxpayers just over $5 million for the three. There was no indication from the OPM as to the cost for security personnel and other support staff who accompanied the prime minister on this trip. Simpson Miller and her team also travelled to Venezuela twice during the March to July period for the funeral of its leader Hugo Chavez and the inauguration of his replacement Nicolas Madura. However, those trips appear not to have put a significant strain on the country’s purse as OPM reports indicate that travel was not financed by the Jamaican Government. OPM officials, led by Dr Carlton Davis, a senior adviser to the prime minister, have also defended the expenditure on the foreign trips. According to Davis, the prime minister’s overseas trips are warranted and necessary for Jamaica to pursue its “social economic or political objectives”. That is not being argued by Dr Ken Baugh, opposition spokesperson on foreign affairs, however he is questioning the method used by the OPM to determine which trips should be attended by the prime minister.
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The PAC should determine whether there is bias in prequalification rules The opposition’s resistance to government’s no-objection to the award of contracts has backfired. So preoccupied were the opposition parties with trying to remove this no-objection that they missed, entirely, the fact that removing the right to no-objection does not remove control of public procurement from the hands of government. Instead of wasting time with trying to avoid the government have a noobjection, the opposition parties should have granted to the government the prerogative to exercise the no-objection, if only for the sake of bringing into being the Public Procurement Commission (PPC), whose appointment they wish to see and whose oversight is necessary to monitor the systems and procedures to ensure that the system is fair, transparent and competitive. However, in exercising its constitutional mandate, the
Public Procurement Commission cannot develop its own rules of procurement. Its mandate to make regulations must not be confused with setting the rules of procurement. The Public Procurement Commission monitors and reviews systems to ensure that things are in accordance with the law. Also, unlike the impression that has been created by the opposition parties, the Public Procurement Commission does not award contracts or hear appeals relating to the award of contracts. They may entertain complaints and make recommendations based on their findings, but they cannot overturn any award. The role of the PPC is oversight in nature. This oversight does not, however, necessarily guarantee that the systems in place are fair to all concerned or that they promote competition for the tendering of goods and services. This
is where the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) comes in. This committee can force a reform of biased systems and procedures by summoning hearings into how public monies are spent. Indirectly, they can use this prerogative to assess whether, for example, a system of prequalification is biased towards any contractor. The opposition parties which chair the Public Accounts Committee must now investigate whether the system of prequalification of contractors for the supply of goods and services is not rigged in favour of any company in relation to contracts in the health sector. For many years, one company has hogged the bulk of the value of contracts in the health sector. In early years this was achieved without competition through a waiver of tender board procedures and through selective tendering. Those who felt discriminated against
Passengers get mid-air scare as aircraft door bursts open Passengers on board an Air Services Limited (ASL) flight from Matthews Ridge, North West District, got the scare of their lives when the upper portion of the door of a Cessna aircraft burst open shortly after takeoff early yesterday morning. The pilot was forced to return to the airstrip to get the problem rectified amidst the screams of the panic-stricken passengers. The company’s management confirmed the incident, but indicated that although it was a worrying development it should not be blown out of proportion, since the pilot followed the necessary procedures to ensure the safety of all the passengers. But that was little comfort to an obviously shaken female passenger who contacted this newspaper immediately after touching down safely at the Ogle Airport. The woman, who asked not to be named, recalled that she boarded the flight shortly before 08:00 hours yesterday along with about 12 other passengers. She explained that shortly before take-off, she overheard someone telling the pilot that there was a problem with the door of the aircraft. “While they trying to lock it, the pilot turn and say the light still on pon de monitor, but he turn and say when we reach to town, he gon let dey
fix it. We didn’t really know what was going on, we don’t know nothing about plane,” the woman explained. She said they eventually took off and as they were about three minutes into the flight, over an area called White Creek, “all hell broke loose”. “Is in de air we deh, a couple hundred feet up in de air, the door fly open because it didn’t lock properly…and everybody on de plane start screaming, children start vomiting. The plane start to wobble and the pilot turn back,” the passenger recalled. She said that one of the other passengers, who is related to her, had to hold down the opened door, reportedly to assist the pilot to land the plane safely. The woman, who resides
in the city but operates a business in the North West District, is adamant that given the earlier observation before the aircraft took off, the pilot should have ensured that all was well before taking to the skies the first time. She said that she was coming out to see her children after the Christmas holidays and really thought that she would not have made it. “I was telling myself that this is it for me. I scream and I say I wouldn’t see me children. It is not no nice experience for a plane door to fly open with you while you in de air,” she stated. According to the woman, she saw another female passenger clutching her baby tightly, thinking that they would have been sucked (Continued on page 11)
had little recourse, because there was no procurement tribunal in place. There is still none in place, even though the Constitution makes provision for the creation of such a tribunal. In the face of mounting criticism about how the bulk of the value contracts in the health system were awarded, the government moved to prequalification. The same company which for years had enjoyed selective tendering and waiver of tender board procedures was prequalified, thus perpetuating the situation in which it hogged the bulk of public expenditure for medicines in the local health sector. The time for prequalification has once again arrived and without any instructions from the Public Accounts Committee to reform the rules of prequalification, there has emerged criticisms that the prequalification criteria is biased in favour of the same firm which for years has hogged the contracts in the public health system. This situation is one that
requires urgent action. It is for the Public Accounts Committee to summon hearings on the system of prequalification and to urge that a fair system be implemented. The system of prequalification was never intended to suppress competition in the award of contracts. But this is exactly what obtains now, because one firm enjoys a virtual monopoly on the supply of medicines in the health sector. Apart from the issue of whether this firm benefits from rules that are tilted in its favour, it must be a source of deep concern for one company to control eighty per cent of the market for the supply of medicines in the health sector. What happens if that company should follow the example of CLICO and be forced into bankruptcy? This will result in severe problems in the health sector. The fact also that one company holds such an overwhelming share of the drugs supplied in the health sector shows that
prequalification is not promoting competition. This goes against the very grain of what the Public Procurement Act was intended to achieve. It is time for the Public Accounts Committee to summon an emergency meeting and to examine whether the points systems for the prequalification of companies to tender for contracts in the health system is biased in favour of any company. This may not change anything, but at least the PAC would have pronounced on this issue and issued its instructions. If the PAC’s instructions are disregarded, then the opposition parties, which hold the majority in the National Assembly, can refuse to approve spending for contracts in the health sector when the National Budget is presented, unless any biased rules are amended.
Page 10
Kaieteur News
Friday January 03, 2014
== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ==
My person of the year is Justice William Ramlal I don’t know Justice William Ramlal. I have only said ‘hello’ to him about three times when I saw him on the corridor of the High Court. Justice Ramlal gave judgement against me twice that I did not agree with, but I never wrote about it. I respected his right to see the law differently from my lawyers. The first was when as the
lead judge in a Full Court decision, he upheld the injunction that then President Bharrat Jagdeo secured through the Chief Justice, preventing my column from making any reference or repeating the term, “ideological racism.” I felt that my lawyer, Khemraj Ramjattan, had argued a good case of “publication in the nation’s interest.”
The second time was when he awarded Juan Edghill cost when my legal team did not file their affidavit in time. Edghill sued me for contempt of court and for the seven times the matter was called in front of Justice Ramlal, Edghill himself was not present. On those seven occasions, Justice Ramlal did not request his attendance
Dem boys seh...
SOME OF DEM THIEVES GUN LOSE DEM HAND Is de New Year. People mek resolution and some of dem does keep most of the resolution. Fuh all who keep dem one resolution, de reward was a free ticket to de show at de Stadium. Fuh dem who keep two or more resolution de reward was special. Dem gun get steady trips to dem tourist resort. But dem have some who mek a resolution fuh continue thiefing. Dem boys got an award fuh dem. Dem got a special package that gun bring some people from de Middle East. These people coming wid dem curve sword. Customs gun give dem special permit to bring de sword. Dem ain’t got to wonder wha de sword is for. De Good Book seh that people must not thief but it seh suh in fancy language. “Thou shalt not steal.” De sword is fuh cut off dem one hand because de law is that if a man thief and he right handed then cut off de lef hand. If he left handed then is de right hand gun get cut off. Now dem boys know that de set wha dem got now promise fuh thief all de time. Dem is de people who gun mek visitors feel like Guyana
got sheer cripple, because is nuff one foot and one hand people dem gun see. But some good might come out of all this. De Waterfalls boss man seh that he might mek Guyana a tourist destination. He gun ask people fuh guess how dem people got one hand and one foot. All who seh that is because of violence gun have to pay US$500. Who seh that is because of disease gun pay US$100 because thiefing is not a disease, is a sickness. All who seh is judicial action gun get two free tickets to visit Guyana at elections time when it look like everybody mad. Dem gun also get front seat to see dem crook who manage to get ketch by Uncle Sam. Dem boys know fuh sure that some of dem going to face Aunt Dora this New Year. Dem boys will not rest. Fuh any rest dem have to return all de money dem snatch, de property dem tek, all wha dem covet, including de airwaves. That gun be extremely hard. Talk half and tell dem crooks to prepare to lose dem hand.
which I think out of respect for the court, he should have ordered. I was annoyed at the fact that I had to pay the cost out of my pocket. Those two occasions were my only encounters with Justice Ramlal. Outside of that I know nothing about his career or life. But at the end of 2013, he made a decision on the bench that should earn him the admiration of every Guyanese who cares about justice and the rule of law. It was a brave judgement for which he should be commended and which should serve as a guiding post for all judges in the future. Justice Ramlal awarded $2M in damages to a lawyer (at the time), Navindra Singh, for wrongful arrest and detention. I disagree with the small amount for two reasons. One is that it is a mere US$10,000. Wrongful arrest should carry much more damages. Secondly, the sum should have been more than $6 million to deter power drunk police personnel from behaving as if we live in Chato’s Land. There are good, professional police officials in this country. The Commissioner of Police is a far more professional person than Mr. Henry Greene whom he succeeded. But the police force is replete with bad eggs who have no respect for proper conduct and even the very laws under which they seek
to arrest citizens. I could write books in my experience as a human rights activist on police misconduct in arresting and detaining innocent citizens, many of them too poor to sue the police. And even when they do and win, their legal fees would cost more than what the judges will award. This is what makes Justice Ramlal’s judgement so important I refer to a mere $100,000 that the Chief Justice gave to a bus owner that Mark Benschop and I hired to transport school children to protest a police killing in Patentia. The driver was slapped with three charges and put on bail, yet Commissioner Henry Greene impounded his livelihood - his minibus. Then Opposition Leader, Robert Corbin, sued the police, and a mere $100,000 was awarded by the Chief Justice. Mark Benschop passed up an opportunity for suing the police for over $20M when he was allegedly assaulted and had his vehicle badly damaged by a person who now sits in the PPP central committee, yet it was Benschop who was arrested, charged and detained. In front of a senior police officer, the accused who assaulted Benschop threatened my life. Mark Benschop and I should have sued the police for $50M when they detained us at Brickdam for three days and three nights for two
Frederick Kissoon minor traffic offences. This is the kind of naked power many police officers display in this country, and judges are too lenient. I did a column rejecting the High Court’s compensation of six million to an underage boy who was tortured by the police and had his reproductive parts burned. This was shocking cruelty for which the policemen should have been jailed and the boy assigned at least twenty million dollars. It was a heinous and dastardly act. Is Justice Ramlal’s nononsense decision the beginning of attempts to rein in some reckless, recalcitrant and dangerous police officers? This columnist will say most boldly, our policemen and policewomen are terribly paid, and they should not endanger their lives for such paltry sums. But the hard-working police in Guyana are stained by those who in the name of the law commit terrible wrongs against the poor and powerless in Guyana.
Friday January 03, 2014
Kaieteur News
Page 11
Sithe Global licence expires, but E-governance project two administration remains resolute years behind schedule The licence to develop the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Plant that was sold to Sithe Global by Makeshwar ‘Fip’ Motilall’s Synergy Holdings Inc, has expired. The December 31, 2013 expiration was confirmed by Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, who at his postCabinet Press briefing on Tuesday last said that the failure to get the project off the ground last year crowned the negatives for the year. Nonetheless, he said the administration is resolute in its pursuit of the project and said that Government is in talks with other parties in that regard. Dr Luncheon told media operatives that in the absence of the required prerequisites, the Sithe Global licence would logically expire. He explained that receiving a licence is not just about placing a signature, but rather, is a culmination of a series of interventions and engagements to the extent that a design for a specific project is in place According to Dr Luncheon, Sithe Global did not pursue an extension of the licence it had held. He pointed out that the nation would not wake up to find that Amaila Falls is no longer in existence, and as such, the dream of developing a hydropower plant at that location will continue to be a focus of the administration. He said that Amaila Falls is at present the best location for the development of such a facility. “We are continually engaging interests both from our neighbours and further afield in having this reality realised.” He cautioned that at present there is nothing close to the definitiveness of the project that was in place
Public Works Minister, Robeson Benn
Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon
when the political opposition voted down the related legislation last year. “Indeed, work continues to have an adequate and appropriate design that closely follows the design that ended up being rejected by the opposition’s one-seat majority. We are nowhere close to where we were in 2013 when we went to Parliament seeking approval for moving ahead.” Public Works Minister Robeson Benn, a day before the comments by Dr Luncheon, had also lamented the loss of the project. According to him, “the most critical issue for the development of Guyana is the establishment of cheap power” The Minister said that the reason why the nation will continue to be poor qualitatively over the next decade or more is because the 165M Amaila Project may not be built within that time. Benn posited that should Guyana be able to get cheap power out of Amaila, then monies saved could be plugged into other developmental projects. He said that with Amaila, the nation would be able to forego the importation of fossil fuels and that can be
reinvested elsewhere. “The most critical issue for the development of industry and making life more wholesome and more bearable for people is the establishment of cheap hydropower at the Amaila Falls.” Asked whether Government would have done an effective enough job to gain the “buy-in” of the political opposition, Benn opined that with the current opposition, he does not believe that they buy- in to the extent that what they would want would ever be possible on any project “The political opposition may be looking for its own pound of flesh in respect of each and every developmental project.” He referred to critical projects such as the Amaila Access Road and Hydro Plant, the expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and all critical development projects which, if unrealised, would see the nation failing to achieve the standard and quality of life that it should have. Asked about the discussions taking place with interested parties to pursue the project, the Minister said, “I can’t say at the moment
Suffering from extensive delays, the Guyana Government e-governance project, where it has begun stringing a fiber optic cable from Brazil to land in Georgetown, has had to be modified. This is according to Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon, who on Tuesday last told media operatives that the modification to the design of the cable was necessitated in order to ensure the integrity of the cable. He explained by stating that the view is that 10 kilometres (km) lengths of the reels of cable were probably too long to ensure the integrity at minimal risk, hence shorter lengths are now being utlised in some sections. He said that the project has now started to utilise 4km lengths, specifically in areas where the 10km lengths have been exposed to damage and breakages. Dr Luncheon said that where the 10km lengths are intact and integrity tested, those will remain in place, but in other areas where there is a sustained basis for thinking, a shorter length would be easier to secure and maintain its integrity, and those are being switched out. Dr Luncheon said that as it relates to the stations that are conceived and being developed to propagate signals in specific areas, work has gone a very far way in establishing them. He said that the administration is also looking to have them be provided with the necessary paraphernalia that they need and have them ready and waiting to enter into service. With the project already two years behind schedule, Dr Luncheon said that the administration is looking to have the project wrapped up
Passengers get mid-air scare as... (From page 9) through the open door. To compound matters, after taking off for the second time, they encountered bad weather throughout the flight to Ogle. The woman said that she sat through the entire flight a nervous wreck. “This plane was dancing up and down. I never pray all de time I going to Northwest and I never cry, but I cry this time.” She said that she did not report the incident to the company’s office at Ogle when the plane landed. “All I wanted was to go to the toilet and then get home and lie down. Right now
I’m trembling, I am nervous. My heart is still palpitating. It was a very bad experience, one that I never had before. It was scary,” she stressed. She is convinced that if the aircraft was higher and further away from the Matthews Ridge airstrip, a certain disaster would have occurred. But despite the woman’s obvious fear and anxiety, ASL officials said that given the experience of the pilot, at no time was the safety of the passengers compromised. A senior ASL official explained that the aircraft is not a pressurised one and as such, nothing could have been sucked out, even though the
door was open. The official pointed out that although the door warning indication light was on, all the preliminary operating procedures were applied prior to the departure of the Cessna 208. “Our pilot came out and physically examined the door….this was not a scenario where the plane would have fallen out of the sky. The pilot is a seasoned pilot and he knew what to do
in such a situation.” The official said that the company empathised with the passengers, since the experience can have a psychological effect on them. He assured, though, that there is an ensuing investigation in conjunction with the Civil Aviation Department and the manufacturers of the aircraft. “The incident warrants an investigation,” the ASL official told Kaieteur News.
We are life savers, you should be one too! Donate blood today!!
…breakages force modification to cable - Dr. Luncheon this year. The E-Government Project consists of the setting up of a Data Centre, a transmission network and the data network. The Data Centre, or control centre, is being housed in the compound of Castellani House, in the same building that is used for the Central Intelligence Agency. The Transmission Network stretches from Moleson Creek on the Corentyne Coast to Charity on the Essequibo Coast. The cable runs from Lethem in the Rupununi through Linden to Georgetown. It consists of a fibre network and microwave network. Fibre will be available from Lethem to Georgetown, Moleson Creek to Parika, while microwave will be available from Moleson Creek to Charity. From Parika to Moleson Creek, the network allows a fallover from fibre to microwave for all sites. By way of the access network, all major Government facilities in the
coverage areas will be connected via fibre and/or 4G wireless Cellular services. According to handouts provided to the media, approximately all major Government agencies and offices are within the coverage area. The Project team said the network is designed to be easily extendable and will provide a range of services such as “EHealth” allowing for video consultation, movement of information from one health centre to another and tracking disease outbreaks. Regarding security, the project would allow quick transmission of information including video and data between police stations. In education, the project would set up an “E-library” which would allow for access to textbooks and other teaching aids that can be used by students and schools, thereby lowering cost. Poor families who cannot pay for the internet would be hooked up to the internet at (Continued on page 24)
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Kaieteur News
Friday January 03, 2014
Friday January 03, 2014
Kaieteur News
Page 13
Police hunting man who allegedly impregnated 11-yr-old Ranks of the Guyana Police Force in Region One are seeking the whereabouts of a 19-year-old man who reportedly impregnated an 11year-old girl. The girl, this publication understands, is currently eight months pregnant and has been a patient of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) since Tuesday (December 31). The man at the centre of the situation, once apprehended, is expected to be charged with rape of a child, in accordance with the new Sexual Offences Act,
according to Deputy Director of the Child Care and Protection Agency, Ms Stacey Fraser. Reports of the pregnant child were first reported to the Port Kaituma Hospital. Fraser disclosed that it was soon after the matter had gained the attention of the Child Care and Protection Agency that efforts were made to not only report it to the Police, but also to have the child brought to the capital city. The Deputy Director said too that the Agency had learnt that since the child was
10 years old her parents had sent her to live with the man who works in the backdam at Falls Top, Port Kaituma. Reports are that efforts to capture the young man with whom the child lived were hindered because he was in an inaccessible area – due to inclement weather – when attempts were being made to arrest him. According to Fraser, although the Child Care and Protection Agency has had to deal with a number of cases of child rape, she does not recall dealing, in the recent past, with any case where the child was that
young. However, she noted that the Agency is well aware that in some far-flung regions, young girls engaging in sexual activities is accepted as a norm. Moreover, Fraser said that the Agency has a constant role to “get the message across that this is not acceptable. It is hard to change the way people think, because these things might have been going on for generations, so we have to educate people about the laws, because it is always difficult to see a child getting a child,” said Fraser.
Another case currently gaining the attention of the Child Care and Protection Agency involves another pregnant girl from the Port Kaituma location. She, too, is currently a patient at the GPHC. Fraser told this publication that while there are reports that the girl is 12 years old, she is adamant that she is 17 years old. Efforts to investigate the matter, Fraser said, have seen moves being made to ascertain the girl’s true age by tracking her through the school system. This publication was also
informed that another possible rape charge looms in a case which involves a 14year-old girl from Laing Avenue, Georgetown. Reports are that the girl who was required to undergo an abortion was also seen at the GPHC. It is however not clear whether the abortion was optional or compulsory due to medical complications. The latter matter has not yet been brought to the attention of the Child Care and Protection Agency, but according to Fraser, efforts will be made to investigate the reports.
Friday January 03, 2014
Kaieteur News
VACANCY
PROPERTY FOR SALE
Writer needed. Web and article copywriting. US$1,000/month. www.capitaltyping.com/ gypro for details.
VERSAILLES: Furnished 5 bedrooms, self-contained rooms, modern facilities, generator, beautiful landscape, gated community - Call: 592624-8704/ 592-684-9203
24 Hour East Coast Guyoil needs night pump attendants, salesgirl & office assistant - Call: 6910894/684-2838 Porters, skidder operator, wood mizer, sawmill operator, timber grant manager & chainsaw operator CallRichard:609-7675/233-2614 1 Lorry driver apply @ Alabama Trading, Georgetown Ferry Stelling. Salesgirls and porters apply @ D. Singh & Sons – Tel:226-0881 Receptionist, Cleaners, Security & Manager within the vicinity of Parika – Vreeden-Hoop. Tel:638-1627
FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. – CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 One bedroom apartment for rental Located at 229 Section A Block X Diamond - $40,000 – Tel: 643-9286 Business space @ 78 Hadfield Street, behind Brickdam Police Station, upstairs Kissons - Tel:2236284 Fully furnished apartment in Nandy Park, suitable for a single person or coupleCall:619-4824 for further information.
One two- storey concrete house, Ave A DiamondTel:643-5161
Experienced roti/puri cooks, curry cooks, pastry makers, counter servers, handyboys & cleaners - Apply @ Hacks Halaal, 5 Commerce St.
One two storey business property (Transported) @ Brickery Public Road E.B.D Tel: 660-8128
1 Couple or small family to live and work on live stock farm @ New Hope E.B.D 2662711, 609-4594
Property for sale - Call: 6275416
Live-in waitress, bartender and going and coming cooks - Tel:643-9007; 664-1804
4 Corner property Broad & Charles St – Tel:677-3406 Transported property : House + property for sale by owner @ Lot 153 Sparendaam Scheme - Call: 592-220-8573; 592-672-2348 3 Bedrooms house in Cane Grove – Tel: 642-6744 Price Negotiable
FOR SALE / FOR RENT American pool table - Tel: 277-0578 Vacant corner lot 58"X30" @ Garnette & Republic Streets, Newton Kitty Tel:645-0616
Workers for land dredge - Tel: 694-2310 Porters on W.C.D - $20,000 weekly – Tel:684-8231 IAE @ 194 Camp St – CXC 2014. Full-time, morning, lessons & adults classes: Mathematics, English A, Business & Science Subjects – Tel: 683-5742; 223-0604
BOND CLERK FOR WHOLESALE FOOD COMPANY.ATLEAST3CXC ENGLISH&MATHEMATICS. EXPERIENCEDONLY,VALID POLIC CLEARANCE & REFFERENCES - TEL: 231-8529
1 Toyota NZE corolla, AT192, AT212, AT170, IST, Funcargo, Rav-4, Hilux pickup 4x4 - Tel: 644-5096; 697-1453 5Pcs Harley Davidson Motorcycles gas model 50cc key / pull start all = $295,000 or 1pc $70,000 621-4000, 2273939 2008 Fielder – unregistered Tel: 617-2891
7Pcs Trike Can-Am style Motorcycle, 200cc new, unregistered $350,000 neg or credit, Wholesale Tel 2273939, 621-4000
One dragline operator – Tel:613-6613
Experienced Cashier, willing to work shift. Reference from previous employer. Apply @ Fortune House Restaurant, 98 Sheriff St. Handyman to work 9am-8pm. Apply @ Fortune House Restaurant, 98 Sheriff Street. 1 experienced cook for interior, male or female, also jet man, marack man. Call 8am-5pm – Deo: 655-7991 Urgently needed 1 plot of land to buy in Parfaite Harmonie, Herstelling & Eccles -Tel: 218-5591; 675-7292 Attractive live in waitress Call: 604-8277; 228-5129 One experienced excavator operator to work in interiorContact:681-6044
WANTED
Unregistered Toyota Sienta (2004) 1500cc and 7 seater – Tel: 617-5536
Girls to work as waitress in bar. Age 18-25yrs – Tel:2564096
Kitchen Assistants come into Dian’s Deli opposite Kitty Market
SALON Make Up Courses, Artist Trained & Certified in Trinidad. Call: 660-5257, 647-1773
ALYEA AUTO SALE: PREMIO 2004, ALLION 2008 NEW SHAPE & CARINA 212 @ 40 CROAL STREET STABROEK – TEL: 231-7284; 622-3823
1 Madza PPP series-Tel: 668-6329
Ogle - $90M, AtlanticVille $54M, Atlanic Gardens $40M, C. Margot - $32M, La Grange – $40M – Resouvenir - Contact :231-2199; 618-7483 Bel-Air - $55M, Prashad-$40, $54M, Subryanville - $55M, Meadowbrook - $45M - Tel: 231-2199; 618-7483
VEHICLE FOR SALE
One live in maid – Tel:6568930; 682-0951
One male & one female live in domestic – Tel:613-6613
Marack man, jet man & cook - Call: 622-9833
EDUCATIONAL
One French Speaking Nanny to work part time, Job experience and recommendation required Tel: 688-0639
Prime commercial property, Albertown, 3 lots with business, (Nut Centre) best offer. Tel 621-4000, 2273939
One steel building 5000 square ft, 3000 PSI floor. Just outside of Georgetown, East Bank Demerara - Contact: 619-2475 One Vegi Shop to rent, one shop Merrian Mall – Tel:6426381; 223-6862
WANTED Magazine writers needed. Email resume & CV to teshawnalall@gmail.com. Contact: 629-2206
Page 23
1½ & 2 Ton Canters with power gate, unregistered, $ 2 . 4 M & $ 2 . 7 M - Tel: 617-2891 1- LN 170 Hilux pick-up. Excellent condition! - Tel: 663-3537 Raum PNN Series - $1.6M – A/c, Alarm, woman driven, music – Tel:696-4695 1- Toyota E-Touring Wagon. A/C, mags, music, alarm, roof rack. Tel: 618-8040 Stretch limousine, Lincoln Town car, fully powered $6.5 million or credit available Tel 227-3939, 621-4000 Nissan Maxima, fully powered need repairs sold as is $295,000 cash 227-3939, 621-4000 2002 Rav 4 PNN series, fully loaded – Tel:694-6537 Hilux Surf 4 Doors, minor parts needed, sold as is $695,000 cash Tel: 227-3939, 621-4000
One experienced female shop attendant to work in interior – Contact: 681-6044
Leroy Trident Car 250 CC, 4 doors, power window, keyless entry $495,000 cash or credit Tel: 227-3939, 621-4000
One experienced male shop attendant to work in interior, contact:6816044
2 - 2007 Toyota Avensis - Tel: 698-0674
One live-in maid between age 30-45 - Contact:681-6044
Experienced hire car drivers at Gems Taxi Services - Tel: 226-1200; 225-5075
LAND FOR SALE
LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY $19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. Live and pluck chicken - Tel: 220-9203; 650-4421
2- Acres cultivated, 2-1 Acres cultivated, 7 Acres cultivated, citrus, house, fish pond, storage at ParikaCall: 226-7968
Diving Suites – Tel:265-3449; 613-5158 One 210 Hyundai Excavator with one complete 6" Dredge and also 4" Dredge Contact: 650-2391 PORK wholesale only, whole half and quarter carcass - Tel: 266-2711; 609-4594 Live/pluck chicken call:6504421, 220-9203 One boat cupeller R-H -24" – Contact:676-8324
MASSAGE American Style massage services- Call:678-7499 The Gent’s Spa: Let beautiful sophisticated masseuse pamper you: New masseuse available- Call:657-5979
Blankenburg Public Road WCD (38X150) & (39X150) $16M each - Tel:666-3619 High Income Land (100ftX50ft)-Parafaite Harmonie $2M & $800,000 Tel: 218-5591; 675-7292 10 Acres of Land @ Long Creek – Tel: 699-3723 In Eccles, $6M negotiable – Tel:616-6000 ½ Acre residential land at Yarrowcabra - Price: $3M Tel: 611-1018
12 Pure bred German Shepherd pups – Six [6] weeks old – Tel:638-5778 Spare for washing machine, microwaves,fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, pumps, etc call: 225-9032,647-2943 One foreign used Massey Ferguson 290 Tractor for sale Tel: 696-5997 1 Farm @ Yarakabra 20.1 Acres – Tel:265-2586 Soluble fertilizers, Calcium Nitrate, Potassium and much more – Tel:611-6478 Fishing boat Length- 30" , Width- 6½ & Depth- 3½ with 15HP Tohatsu engine - $1.4M Tel: 690-7231; 697-0648 1 smoothie machine,2 ice machine- Contact:2310655,683-8734 1 Stall @ Stabroek Market Tel: 658-0115; 718-757-8031 1-500 Ton Cargo Ship – Tel:676-6933 Tibitean Terrier- Pups for sale: (Fluffy) - Tel:655-0054; 226-4166 60FT Antenna (Mass) for Radio, TV, Cellular, with cables, brackets, sky light $400,000 Tel:227-3939, 621-4000
One cook for family in interior – Contact:681-6044
CANTER DRIVER WITH E X P E R I E N C E , REFFERENCES & POLICE CLEARANCE ALSO SALESMAN WITH CAR FOR WHOLESALE FOOD COMPANY - TEL:231-8529
FOR SALE
Builders and Home Owners (1) Beeson Windows and Doors are located at New Eccles Industrial site Tel# 622-4197 Diesel Generator silent 28,000 watts SDMO John Deere engine, missing Fuel Pump, Panel, Avr $850,000 Tel: 227-3939, 621-4000
FOR SALE Pool table imported complete with Ques, baals racks $80,000, also kids pools table $75,000Tel: 621-4000, 227-3939 Exercise equipment, complete gym, heaters, Abs machine, and more 621-4000, 227-3939 One male & one female American Akita (Adult) mating pair - $600,000 - Tel: 639-8924; 227-4674 TV Sale 27" To 73" some working and others need checking, all sold as is Tel 621-4000, 227-3939 Chicken Hatchery (Robbins), 28,000 eggs capacity fully ready, $ 5.5 million or credit availableTel: 227-3939 621-4000 Clarke forklifts 3pcs 2000, 3000, 4000 Lb, lifting capacity $350,000 and up Tel: 227-3939, 621-4000 Diesel Generator, 3 cylinder Lister pitter (England) key start, 15,000 watts $595,000 cash 227-3939, 621-4000 Generac Generator 15,000 watts portable, $475,000 cash Tel 227-3939, 621-4000 1 RZ longbase mini-bus. Excellent Condition – Price: $1.2M. First Owner!!– Tel:666-4999 or 698-6898 Large plucked chickens, wholesale only $300 per lb – Contact:266-2711, 609-4594 (Continued on page 24)
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Kaieteur News
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“We don’t believe that he hang heself, and I think we can prove it.” This was the assertion made by Marva La Cruz, the sister of the 31-year-old miner whose body was found hanging in a cell at the Acquero Police Station, North West District (NWD). According to the woman, she arrived at the mortuary shortly after Vivian La Cruz’s body was taken there, and there were multiple “black and blue” marks on his upper body. “I don’t understand how he got dem marks. If they say that he kill himself, how come he body look like they beat the crap out of he? I don’t understand this,” the woman said. She noted that her brother’s death will not be left alone, since his family intends on getting him justice. The dead father of one
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Relatives believe foul play involved had resided at Zeeburg, West Coast Demerara. His body was discovered at 21:30 hrs on Saturday last. According to police, La Cruz was found hanging from a metal bar in his cell by one of the legs of his pants. They said that he was the only prisoner in the lockups at the time. Vivian La Cruz had been arrested the same day following a report made against him of unlawful wounding committed on his girlfriend at Kwebana, NWD. His body is at the Charity Hospital Mortuary awaiting a post mortem examination. Marva La Cruz said that while she is not certain what the situation with the girlfriend is, she is sure that her brother would not kill himself like that, especially since he has a son to look after. She told Kaieteur News last evening that her brother would go into the interior locations “every now and
again” to do mining, and that he is not known to have problems with anyone. “Vivian peaceful and I certain that he wouldn’t kill heself like that. And since I see dem marks, I am even more sure about that,” the sister contended. She is hoping that the results of a post mortem would prove that Vivian La Cruz was beaten. La Cruz’s demise is the latest in a series of recent tragic deaths in Guyana’s hinterland that is engaging the attention of the police there. One week earlier, another miner was discovered dead with a gaping wound to his neck along the Five Star Trail, Port Kaituma, North West District. The dead man was identified as Timothy Adams, 57, of Port Kaituma, NWD. His body was taken to the Port Kaituma Hospital mortuary. Two weeks earlier, Clement David who was
Woman, 20, shot dead by... From page 6 Street, Werk-en-Rust home, but found no trace of the alleged killer. Kaieteur News managed to contact the suspect, Jermaine Maynard, on his cell phone at around 20:00 hrs on New Year’s Day. During a brief conversation, the alleged
killer blamed the ex-girlfriend and her mother for the rift in the relationship. Asked why her daughter put up with the abuse for so long, Ms. Kennedy said that the suspect would “beg pardon and ask for a chance.” “Everybody in the family would lean with him and give
him a chance.” However, Matthews eventually became ‘fed up’ and left her abusive boyfriend, who continued to try to rekindle the friendship. “She go to the interior and he follow her…he refuse to give up,” the dead woman’s mother reflected.
E-governance project... (From page 11) community centres in various areas, such as in the hinterland. The project came about following an audit which showed that the government’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure was weak. In 2009, the Government signed an agreement with China’s Huawei Technologies Ltd, which advanced the (From page 23) CAKES & PASTRIES: Catering & cake decorations – Tel:600-2955
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Friday January 03, 2014
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project. Through the EGovernment project, the government is seeking to enhance the Government services offered to the populace, but also radically transform the ICT infrastructure of Guyana and bring it more on par with the rest of the Caribbean. The project team said that over the course of the project several changes were made. The biggest of these were switching from WiMax and EVDO technologies to LTEAdvanced and using a modular data centre approach over the traditional data centre. The infrastructure will be using Dense Wavelength
Division Multiplexing (DWDM) technology to provide a robust and easily scalable backbone network. The system is designed for 10 years use before upgrades are required. This is the primary link connecting Guyana, through Brazil, to the internet. The project will then deploy Fibre and LTE Advanced cellular sites to provide access for users in the major population centres. It is estimated that all major Government offices and institutions will be within the coverage area serving an estimate 40,000 to 60,000 households.
suspected to be in his 40s of Baramita, NWD, was discovered dead along the roadway at Baramita with several marks of violence to his head. According to information, the man was seen consuming alcohol at a popular shop in the neighbourhood. A piece of wood was reportedly found in close proximity of the body. Earlier in the month,
Terrance France of Oronoque, Port Kaituma, NWD was found by his colleagues in a mining pit at 8 Miles, Port Kaituma, with several chop wounds about the body. Added to this, the decomposed body of Andre Hercules was also found in a mining pit at Long Island, Middle Mazaruni, Region Seven. His feet and hands were bound.
Bail for woman accused of smuggling SIM cards into Prison On Tuesday, two Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards were discovered in a box of food which a civilian was attempting to deliver to a prisoner at the Georgetown Prisons. A 24-yearold waitress was brought before the courts on the matter. Appearing before Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court was Tamara Norton, of East Ruimveldt, Georgetown, who the prosecution claimed attempted to convey a forbidden article into prison. When the charge was read to her, she refuted that on December 31, she took two SIM cards into the Camp Street Prison. The said articles are forbidden. The Prosecution was represented by Police Prosecutor Corporal Bharat Mangru who objected to her being granted bail citing the serious nature and the
prevalence of the offence. Mangru also offered objections on account of the fact that the prison is a confined area. He said that had the items made their way into the area of confinement, “it could have posed a serious threat and danger to society”. When the 24-year-old addressed the court, she said that the prisoner she visited is a man whom she had previously shared a relationship with. Though they are no longer together, she explained that she was asked by his mother to deliver a box of food to him. The woman claimed to have had no knowledge of the SIM cards being hidden in the box of food. She stated that she only knew of it when she was confronted by officials. Magistrate McGusty granted bail to the tune of $50,000. The matter will be called on January 22.
Yesu Persaud... From page 6 problems at GuySuCo which have followed that corporation into the new year. And the New Chairman shared those sentiments when questioned by this publication. “Because our business depends on molasses, which we get from the sugar company, the question of continued and uninterrupted supply remains an issue of
concern. So far they are supplying and we are getting our requirements, but the margin of excess that existed before has reduced and we are watching the situation. While we are worried we hope it does not decline further. We do have commercial discussions with the company and they have given us the assurance that they will continue to meet the requirements.”
Friday January 03, 2014
Kaieteur News
China denounces U.S. for sending Uighur ‘terrorists’ to Slovakia BEIJING (Reuters) China’s Foreign Ministry criticized the United States yesterday for sending the last three Uighur Chinese inmates at the Guantanamo Bay detention center to Slovakia, saying they were “terrorists” who posed a real security danger. Yusef Abbas, Saidullah Khalik, and Hajiakbar Abdul Ghuper are the last of 22 Muslim minority Chinese nationals to be moved from the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba, according to the Pentagon. Slovakia’s Interior Ministry confirmed that it would take in the three. Uighurs are a Turkicspeaking Muslim people from China’s far western region of Xinjiang. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said the three were members of the separatist East Turkestan Islamic Movement, which Beijing labels a terror group. “They are genuine terrorists. They not only threaten China’s security, they will threaten the security of the country that receives them,” he told a daily news
briefing. “China hopes that the relevant country ... does not give asylum to terrorists, and sends them back to China as soon as possible.” Qin added that China did not appreciate a recent U.S. State Department call for Chinese security forces to exercise restraint following the latest outbreak of violence in Xinjiang, also blamed by Beijing on “terrorists”. “These remarks neglect the facts and are feeble,” he said. “We urge the United States to abandon their double standards when it comes to terrorism, and immediately stop saying one thing and doing another, to avoid sending the wrong message to violent terrorist forces.” The United States said it was grateful to Slovakia for its “humanitarian gesture.” Most of the Uighurs at Guantanamo were captured near the PakistanAfghanistan border in late 2001, and were believed to have trained with the Taliban. But U.S. officials have deemed they pose no threat to the United States.
In 2008, a U.S. court ordered that they be released. They have been resettled in El Salvador, Switzerland, Bermuda, Albania, and the Pacific island nation of Palau. The U.S. government has said it will not return the Uighurs to China because they would face persecution there. Many Uighurs chafe at restrictions on their culture, language and religion, though the government insists it grants them broad freedoms. The region has been beset by violence with at least 91 people, including several police, killed in unrest in Xinjiang since April, according to state media reports. China has blamed some of the violence on Islamist militants with connections to foreign groups, including al Qaeda, plotting holy war. Many rights groups and exiles say China exaggerates the militant threat to justify its firm grip on energy-rich Xinjiang, which abuts Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
Netanyahu downbeat as Kerry returns for peace talks JERUSALEM (Reuters) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered a gloomy assessment of peace prospects with the Palestinians yesterday as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry began his 10th visit to the region in pursuit of a deal. “There is growing doubt in Israel that the Palestinians are committed to peace,” said Netanyahu, speaking with Kerry at his side and accusing Palestinian officials of orchestrating a campaign of “unabated incitement” against Israel. In the days before Kerry’s latest trip to Jerusalem, Palestinian leaders have likewise accused Israel of trying to sabotage the talks aimed at ending their decades-old conflict. Kerry focused his remarks on a continued U.S. push toward a final peace agreement, which Washington hopes to achieve by April, and his shorter-term pursuit of a framework deal that would pave the way for a permanent accord. He said Israeli and Palestinian leaders were nearing the point, or were already at it, where they would have to make tough
decisions, and he pledged to work with both sides more intensely to try to narrow differences on a framework agreement. Guidelines in such an accord would address core issues such as the borders of a future Palestinian state, security, Palestinian refugees and the status of Jerusalem, Kerry said. “It would create the fixed, defined parameters by which the parties would then know where they are going and what the end result can be,” he said. “This will take time and it will take compromise from both sides, but an agreed framework would be a significant breakthrough.” On key issues in the conflict, leaders from both sides have sounded far apart this week. Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin yesterday rejected the creation of a Palestinian state based on the lines pre-dating the 1967 Six-Day War, in which Israel captured and occupied Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank. “The Jordan Valley must be under Israeli sovereignty forever,” he said, referring to the border area with Jordan, from which Palestinians want
a full Israeli withdrawal. “The 1967 borders are Auschwitz borders,” Ha’aretz newspaper quoted him as saying, suggesting that a return to the narrower boundaries that existed before the conflict would lead to the destruction of Israel. On Tuesday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas renewed a call for all Israeli settlers and soldiers within the lands captured in 1967 to be withdrawn, saying he would not hesitate to reject a bad deal. “We will say ‘yes’ to any ideas suggested to us which meet our rights. But we will not fear and will not hesitate for a moment ... to say ‘no’, whatever the pressure, to any proposal which detracts from or doesn’t fulfill the higher national interests of our people,” he said in a speech. Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat last month said a framework agreement could allow the talks to be continued for another year. However, earlier this week, he said the U.S.brokered talks were “failing”, and threatened to haul Israel before the International Criminal Court.
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The New York Times, Guardian urge clemency for Edward Snowden Edward Snowden is a heroic whistle-blower who exposed wrongdoing by U.S. government spy agencies and deserves clemency — or even a full pardon from President Barack Obama. That’s the argument in a pair of editorials published yesterday by the New York Times and Britain’s the Guardian newspaper, pressing Obama to drop his insistence that the former National Security Agency contractor end his exile in Russia and come home to face trial. “When someone reveals that government officials have routinely and deliberately broken the law, that person should not face life in prison at the hands of the same government,” the Times argued. “President Obama should tell his aides to begin finding a way to end Mr. Snowden’s vilification and give him an incentive to return home.” The Times declared that Snowden’s disclosures — the largest unauthorized publication of national security secrets in U.S. history — had proven that the NSA has “exceeded its mandate and abused its authority.” The daily — one of the few news outlets the president is known to read regularly — said Snowden forced a national debate on the government’s powers to spy on its citizens (and those of other countries).
Edward Snowden “He may have committed a crime to do so, but he has done his country a great service,” the Times argued. “It is time for the United States to offer Mr. Snowden a plea bargain or some form of clemency that would allow him to return home, face at least substantially reduced punishment in light of his role as a whistle-blower, and have the hope of a life advocating for greater privacy and far stronger oversight of the runaway intelligence community.” (The Times also took a shot at the “shrill brigade” of Snowden’s fiercest critics, those who argue without “the slightest proof” that he did profound damage to American national security, and noted that Obama’s own outside NSA review panel recommended sweeping
changes.) While the Times stopped short of calling for a full pardon, the Guardian did not. “It is difficult to imagine Mr. Obama giving Mr. Snowden the pardon he deserves,” the daily wrote. Asked for comment on the brace of editorials, White House national security spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden referred to previous administration appeals for Snowden to return home and face trial. But the Guardian suggested that the Obama administration might wait until after the Supreme Court weighs in on the lawfulness of some of the NSA’s signature programs, a near certainty because of conflicting rulings in federal courts. If the Supreme Court finds that Snowden’s disclosures have value, “is it then conceivable that he could be treated as a tra i t o r o r common felon?” the Guardian asked. “ We h o p e t h a t c a l m heads within the present administration are working on a strategy to allow Mr. Snowden to return to the U.S. with dignity, and t h e president to use his executive powers to treat him humanely and in a manner that would be a shining example about the value of whistleblowers and of free speech itself,” the Guardian said.
Thousands march in Hong Kong in escalating battle for democracy HONG KONG (Reuters) Thousands protested in Hong Kong on Wednesday pressing China to allow full democracy in the city as a battle intensifies over Beijing’s attempts to control the outcome of a planned direct election for the city’s leader in 2017. Beijing had promised direct elections in the former British colony as the goal for 2017, but the devil is in the details of the rules governing who can run. Pressure has been building between democratic forces in the financial hub, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997, and China’s stability-obsessed Communist Party leaders who fear a rival democrat being voted into office. Protesters at the annual New Year’s Day democracy rally shouted slogans demanding full democracy in 2017, with a key condition
being the open nominations of candidates so that anyone, including China critics, can run for office. But Chinese officials and leftist newspapers have rejected that, citing the city’s mini-constitution that states all nominees must be endorsed by a 1,200-strong election committee, which is stacked with Beijing loyalists. “There’s more and more interference (from Beijing),” said Tsang Fan-yu, a designer who was at Wednesday’s protest with his seven-yearold son for their sixth consecutive year. “We have to come out to make our voices heard. The form of democracy Beijing wants is unacceptable. It’s fake.”A cluster of banners read “Real Universal Suffrage. No pre-screened election”, while protesters also called on the city’s embattled and pro-Beijing leader, Leung Chun-ying, to step down after
a series of scandals. “We want to see Hong Kong people have a genuine choice in electing their leaders,” said Anson Chan, a respected former head of the civil service, who was at the rally. Discord over the city’s democratic future could culminate in a protest this summer called “Occupy Central”, seeking to shut down the central business district of one of Asia’s most important financial centers. “No direct election? See you in Central!” read one of the banners. A New Year civil referendum was also launched to gauge the public’s preferences for the 2017 poll, with some 50,000 Hong Kong residents having voted by late afternoon. “Hong Kong’s political future has now come to a critical moment,” said Johnson Yeung, one of the rally organizers.
Friday January 03, 2014
Kaieteur News
Egypt airs what it claims is terror confession
CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian authorities produced yesterday what they said was a confession by the son of a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood, trying to bolster accusations that the Islamist group has links to al-Qaidainspired militants. In a news conference, the interior minister aired the recording said to be of Yahia Mongi, son of a Brotherhood lawmaker, in which he says he joined the Ansar Beit alMaqdis or Champions of Jerusalem group. Mohammed Ibrahim said Mongi was part of a sevenmember cell that carried out a suicide bombing of a provincial security headquarters last month. The Ansar took responsibility for the blast, as well as other attacks. The charge that the Brotherhood has links to Ansar Beit al-Maqdis is central to the government’s case for labelling the group, from which ousted President Mohammed Mursi hails, as a terrorist organization. The confession is the first purported piece of hard evidence produced by authorities to make the link. Human rights advocates say that police frequently use torture and other means of coercion to produce confessions, relying on them in lieu of other evidence to convict defendants in both ordinary criminal and security trials. The Brotherhood denies
Mohammed Mursi that it practices violence and accuses police of plotting the attacks to find a pretext for a heavier crackdown on its members. The news conference came as a court set Jan. 28 as the opening d a t e f o r Mursi’s trial along with 130 others in connection to a 2011 jailbreak. It is the third set of charges that Mursi faces. Also, a court in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria sentenced seven secular-leaning activists to two years in prison on charges related to a protest. Minister Ibrahim said Mongi’s role was surveillance and hosting the Ansar’s leader. He listed names of Muslim Brotherhood members alleged to have crossed to the Gaza Strip and received training from Hamas, the militant group that rules
the territory. When they returned to Egypt, the minister said, they carried out a number of other attacks including shooting antiIslamist protesters. Ibrahim said the group “opened channels” with Hamas after the country’s 2011 uprising, which brought down autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak. The minister said the Palestinian group provided “logistical support” training and developed technology such as devices to jam planes’ detection systems. He did not provide any evidence for the claims of training and support. The Brotherhood does have longstanding ties with its offshoot Hamas, and did ally politically with more radical groups during M u r s i ’s t i m e i n o ff i c e , including some ex-militants from groups that attacked police, tourists, and others in the 1990s. The military-backed interim government has meanwhile cracked down hard on Brotherhood. Hundreds of its supporters were killed in a bloody crackdown on protest camps and in street demonstrations demanding Morsi’s reinstatement. Its leaders face a long list of charges, many punishable by death. Meanwhile, a Cairo Appeals Court announced yesterday that it set Jan. 28 as the date for Mursi’s trial.
California grants law licence to immigrant SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The California Supreme Court granted a law licence yesterday to a man living in the United States illegally who graduated from law school and passed the state bar exam. The decision means Sergio Garcia can begin practicing law despite his immigration status. Garcia had challenged a 1996 federal law that bars people living in the country illegally from receiving professional licences from government agencies or with the use of public funds, unless state lawmakers vote otherwise. Shortly after the court heard arguments in the case, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a state law that authorized the granting of the licence. The new law went into effect Jan. 1. Garcia arrived in the U.S.
Sergio Garcia illegally 20 years ago to pick almonds with his father and worked at a grocery store and in the fields while attending school. The case has pitted the Obama administration, which opposes licensing Garcia, against state officials who
have supported him. The Obama position in the case came as a surprise to some, since it adopted a program that shields people who were brought to the U.S. as children, graduated from high school and have kept a clean criminal record from deportation and allows them to legally work in the country. At a hearing in September a majority of the state Supreme Court justices appeared reluctant to grant Garcia the licence, saying the law prohibits them from doing so unless the Legislature acts. The court is in charge of licensing attorneys in California. Lawyers for the federal government argued that Garcia was barred from receiving his licence because the court’s budget is funded by public money.
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T&T veteran journalist US promises to make Haiti a priority Therese Mills dies at 85
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – CMC - Therese Mills, a veteran journalist and Editor in Chief of the newspaper – Trinidad Newsday, died on Wednesday following a brief illness. In a release, Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar offered condolences to Mills’ family and colleagues “It is with deep sadness that I learnt of the passing of a real stalwart in the field of journalism. She was a woman of substance, a woman of power, who earned the respect of everyone, in Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean, and the world.” She added that “Mrs Mills changed the way journalists functioned, and I am sure all those journalists who passed through her hands over the past 68 years, can attest to this today.” The Prime Minister said journalism, and Trinidad and Tobago as a whole, have lost
Therese Mills a truly remarkable woman. “Mrs Mills was a guiding light to many young persons who wanted a career in journalism. She demonstrated that there was room for a third daily newspaper in Trinidad and Tobago, although there were influential persons who said otherwise, “ the Prime
Minister said. The Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MATT) also extended condolences . “Mrs Mills´ contribution to national education, entertainment and opinionshaping through news and opinion was recognized by the state in 1987 with the Humming Bird Medal (Silver). In 2012, she received the nation’s second highest award, the Chaconia Medal (Gold), also in recognition for her outstanding contribution.Since taking up the challenge at Newsday, she was able to guide the paper to its pinnacle, being the most-read paper for eight consecutive surveys,” MATT said in a release on Wednesday. Respected journalist and former colleague at the Guardian, Jones P Madeira said Mills epitomized journalism at its best in this country.
PETROTRIN confirms sabotage for two oil spills PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - CMC – The state-owned oil company, PETROTRIN, yesterday confirmed that there were about 11 oil spills in the south of the country, but indicated that at least two of them had been the work of saboteurs. PETROTRIN chairman, Lindsay Gillette, told a news
conference that in the two cases, special pieces of equipment were needed in order to have the oil flow from the tanks. He told reporters that there was ‘strong evidence” to show “willful acts of sabotage” insisting that the facilities were “deliberately tampered with”. He said the two facilities
in question do not support “any sort of negligence at all”. He said one of the facilities, run by Trinity Exploration Production, a joint venture partner with PETROTRIN, “two of the plugs were removed and you would a very large wrench to remove that plug physically for that oil to flow”
WASHINGTON – As Haiti celebrates its 210th anniversary of political independence, the United States says it will continue to make the impoverished, French-speaking Caribbean country “a priority. In congratulating Haiti on its Independence Day anniversary on Wednesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said, on behalf of President Barack Obama, that Washington “joins you today in commemorating the courage and spirit of independence of all Haitians, as well as the ties of friendship and family that bind our peoples together “On this special day, I extend best wishes and reiterate our strong commitment to help all
Haitians, as they chart a path toward greater peace, security and prosperity,” he said. As a former US Senator, Kerry said he was “proud” to introduce bipartisan legislation in the Senate to help Haiti rebuild after the January 12, 2010 massive earthquake. He also said he was delighted to help the country “develop in a way that creates an opportunity to emerge better off and better prepared. “And that’s why I worked closely with dozens of families in Massachusetts to expedite adoptions of Haitian orphans that had already been underway before the earthquake,” Kerry said. “As Secretary of State, I will continue to make Haiti a
priority.” Kerry said he spent more than 30 years representing Massachusetts as Lieutenant Governor and Senator, adding that he is also “proud to this day that my state is home to the third largest HaitianAmerican community in the United States. “I was proud that my daughter’s first work as a doctor was in Haiti, where she experienced firsthand the determination and resilience of proud Haitians who cared so deeply about their country’s future,” he said. “Having known and worked so closely with this exceptional community, I hold a special appreciation for Haiti’s journey,” the US Secretary of State added.
Opposition will not support additional taxes – Holness KINGSTON, Jamaica — Leader Andrew Holness yesterday declared that the Opposition will not support the imposition of additional taxes being contemplated by government at this time. “The tax package imposed by the Government in February 2013, which was designed to raise J$15.9 billion, has so far been unsuccessful and, in the present fiscal context, the recently reported tax revenue shortfall of J$8.13 billion for the eight month period, April to November 2013 is very worrying, but a predictable consequence of poor policy and ineffective implementation,” Holness said. “The government must realize that taxpayers in any economy have a taxable limit, and the Jamaican taxpayer is now at that limit,” he added
In a statement yesterday afternoon Holness pointed out that the finance minister, by his own admission has conceded that the government is “pursuing a contractionary fiscal policy”. “It should therefore have been clea r to the government that additional taxes and increased tax rates would not yield sustainable increases in tax revenues sufficient to meet their fiscal targets. “The government cannot on the one hand shrink the economy, while on the other hand, expect to get more taxes out of it,” Holness argued, adding that the only solution to our fiscal dilemma is to grow the economy. He called on the finance minister to set out the government’s strategy for achieving such growth.
Andrew Holness
Friday January 03, 2014
Kaieteur News
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Beyond A Boundary turns 50 Mustak XI... From page 30 victories. “Len Hutton was the framework of CLR’s campaign to make Frank Worrell captain,” Selma James continued. “It was really the common man who comes from below who is the superior. He makes his way up to the officer class. That’s what happened to Len Hutton and that’s what happened to Frank Worrell.” The breadth of “Beyond a Boundary”, and its maxim which has entered the English language “What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?” is staggering. James gives exquisite pen
portraits of Headley, fast bowler George John, opening batsman Wilton St. Hill and his close friend Learie Constantine. Constantine, a great allrounder whose test figures do not do justice to his prowess, was unable to get a job in Trinidad. Consequently, James wrote, he “revolted against the revolting contrast between his first-class status as a cricketer and his thirdclass status as a man”, and emigrated to England where he made his name in the Lancashire Leagues and eventually became the first black peer to sit in the House
of Lords. “Beyond a Boundary” also visits classical Greece, berates English historians for ignoring the impact of the Victorian cricket colossus W.G. Grace and argues that cricket is an art form as well as a game comparable to “the theatre, ballet, opera and the dance”. “There is a chapter on Wilton St. Hills, that’s a chapter of a novelist,” said Selma. “There’s a chapter on W.G. Grace, that’s a chapter of a historian. There’s a chapter on ‘What is Art?’, that’s a chapter of an art historian. I knew that he had studied each of the
Friday January 03, 2014 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Point your aggressiveness in the right direction today. That shouldn't be too hard since you know and understand the meaning of a job well done and what's required to get things accomplished. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Today isn't a day to lounge around. There's a very important practical matter that must be dealt with before you can engage in any lighthearted activities. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Try to keep your emotions in check today. It's possible that you could become extremely angry and do some damage to yourself and others around you. CANCER (June 21–July 22) You may feel like someone is trying to rain on your parade. It's important not to forget who you are now. Don't be surprised if you feel a negative pull from someone or something.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) There's aggressiveness to you today, but this feeling can be useful to you and what you have going on. There's a practical force helping you stay grounded and realistic about certain issues. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) There's increased emotional tension today. You may be at the forefront of the action as you take things higher and farther. Have a map handy or you could wind up alone in the middle of nowhere. SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) Don't hold back today. You're the right person for the job in about every situation you encounter. You'll have the instincts required to move on a project, see what needs to be done, gather the resources, and get the ball rolling. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Strong feelings may arise through relationship dynamics today and you’ll be better off if you can share what’s on your mind.
LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Today is a terrific day for you. You're able to accomplish a lot during the day, leaving the night open for excitement with others. Once you take care of the necessary things, feel free to grab a big helping of fun.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) Don't be surprised if you feel like you're being poked with a stick today, as something urges you to get moving. There's an aggressive energy moving about and making demands on everyone.
VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Promote balance and harmony today by letting off a bit of steam before you try to engage with others and their dramas. Secure yourself in a stable environment where you can vent your concerns, punch pillows, or jog around the block.
PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Pull yourself together, and figure out what it is your heart desires. There's an aggressive force tugging at your heartstrings today. Unless you have it firmly in your mind what it is you want and feel, you'll be easily pulled off track. Stay grounded and you should be OK.
subjects. He had his own view and it was an original view. “As an historian he not only knew English history, he knew French history. CLR was the sort of person who would read a book and read it many times.”“Beyond a Boundary” and C.L.R. James’ unifying vision formed part of a movement which in sport was to lead to a boycott of South African sports teams until Mandela was released after 27
years in prison and black power salutes on an Olympic podium in 1968. “‘Beyond a Boundary’ did a very good job for the West Indies, not merely for cricket but for the West Indies,” said Selma James. “It really was a deeply anti-racist book in the sense that it helped people who loved cricket to be less racist. It helped them and I think that was crucial.” (Reuters)
Ferrari ask fans to wear.. From page 32 his Manager Sabine Kehm said that the 44-year-old ‘remained stable’ on Wednesday after two brain operations. His family, who have remained by the German’s bedside since the accident on Sunday, have also issued a statement on the driver’s official website thanking fans for their support. The message read: ‘Following Michael’s skiing accident, we would like to thank the people from all around the world who have expressed their sympathy and
sent their best wishes for his recovery. They are giving us great support. We all know he is a fighter and will not give up.’ Schumacher remains in a medically-induced coma following the accident, in which he hit his head against rocks while skiing in Meribel. There was genuine fears for his life on Sunday and Monday, and while the situation remains critical, doctors reported a slight improvement in his condition on Tuesday and the fact he has remained stable since offers encouragement. (Mail online)
From page 35 Persaud and Shoaib Namaz stabilize the chase somewhat with stand of 45 for the third wicket. Khemraj then bowled Namaz for 18 (2x6) while off spinner Afraz Abjal had Persaud taken in the deep for 21 (4x4). Ragnauth tried to keep his team in the hunt with a robust 41 which contained three sixes and one four, but the rest of the batting failed to fire and Nazeer XI were bowled out in 17 overs. Satnarine Sahadeo supported man-of-the-match Khemraj with 2-22. Mustak XI received the winning prize of $65,000. The game was sponsored by overseas based Guyanese and former members ofAllstar Softball team Faraz Abjal, Afraz Abjal, Krishna Persaud and Surendra Ramotar.
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Kaieteur News
Friday January 03, 2014
Beyond A Boundary turns 50 London, England - Fifty years ago Martin Luther King departed from a prepared speech to electrify and exalt a quarter of a million people packed into Washington by inviting them to share his dream of a nation in which all men and women would finally be equal regardless of colour. During the same year, Nelson Mandela faced the gallows when he went on trial for sabotage waged during an underground campaign to
force the South African authorities to abandon their vicious racial separation laws. And in England, West Indian migrants queued for hours in the hope of watching a cricket team captained by a black man conquer their colonial masters five years after the Notting Hill riots had highlighted growing racial tensions throughout the country. As if to underscore a tumultuous year, an extraordinary book,
subsequently acclaimed by the English poet, cricket writer and broadcaster John Arlott as the finest ever written about the game of cricket, was also published. Like all sporting classics and, as its title explicitly promises, “Beyond a Boundary” by C.L.R James is about far more than a ball game. It is instead based on the “clash of race, caste and class” on and off the field in Britain’s former slave colonies.
Khan reveals he HAS signed Mayweather deal …but is waiting on star to commit to Las Vegas mega-fight
Mayweather posted this picture to show what he would do to Khan if they fight in May Amir Khan has signed a contract to fight Floyd Mayweather Jnr but is waiting for the American superstar to put pen to paper for their mega-fight on May 3. As Sportsmail exclusively revealed in October, the 27year-old from Bolton is set to hit the jackpot with a dream bout against the unbeaten world light-middleweight champion in Las Vegas. But Khan has voiced his frustration that a deal has not yet been agreed. ‘I am the one who signed the contract, I’ve signed my part of the contract, they’ve not signed theirs,’ he said. ‘If he wants to fight Amir Khan then he
should sign it.’ Marcos Maidana, who dethroned Adrien Broner as the WBA welterweight champion earlier this month and who lost to Khan in 2010, has emerged as another possible opponent for Mayweather, although the Brit remains a firm favourite. ‘If he wants to face someone I’ve beaten then so be it,’ added Khan. ‘He wants to fight someone who makes him look good but styles make fights.’ Khan, who was opening a brand new stateof-the-art boxing and MMA centre in Dubai on Monday night, also revealed he would be prepared to fight Manny Pacquiao now the pair have
different trainers. Khan shared Freddie Roach with the Filippino icon but left the Wild Card gym to join forces with Virgil Hunter last year. And he hopes he could bring the fight to Dubai where he has a loyal following. ‘I’d fight Manny,’ he said. ‘Look, it’s business. We are friends and respect each other, but I would definitely consider the fight, and I am sure he would too. ‘To bring it to Dubai, too, that would be huge. I am ready for whatever. Have I ever turned down a fight? Never. I fight whoever is put in front of me.’
The final chapter of James’s masterpiece describes the triumph of the 1960-61 West Indies team in Australia led by Frank Worrell, the black Barbadian who went on to captain the wonderful 1963 side in England. Before the team was selected James had carried out an unsparing newspaper campaign in his native Trinidad to get Worrell installed as captain in place of the incumbent white man Gerry Alexander. “I would have been able to keep it up for 50 weeks, for there was 50 years’ knowledge of discrimination behind it and corresponding anger,” wrote James. George Headley, the Jamaican maestro who carried the hopes and aspirations of black English-speaking West Indians on his shoulders during the 1930s when he systematically subdued the best bowlers fielded by either England or Australia, led West Indies in a home test after World War Two. But neither he nor any other black man was given the honour of leading a West Indies side overseas until Worrell was finally chosen as captain for the Australia series. Alexander, a fine wicketkeeper-batsman and a dignified man who excelled under Worrell, remains the last white man to captain West Indies. After a succession of stumbling performances in the state matches, Worrell’s men went on to play a full part in the first tied test match and were unlucky to lose the series to the unofficial world champions. More importantly, their exuberance, skills and total commitment to attacking cricket revived a moribund game and a crowd equivalent in size to the one which listened to King poured on to the streets of Melbourne to bid them farewell. “Clearing their way with bat and ball, West Indians at that moment had made a public entry into the comity of nations,” James concluded. A glance at the index to “Beyond a Boundary”, indicates the breadth and scope of the interests and life of a Marxist intellectual who was born in Trinidad in 1901 and died in the London suburb of Brixton in 1989. Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky, who James knew, precedes England fast bowler Fred Trueman. Black American boxer Joe Louis, victor over German Max
C.L.R James Schmeling in a world title fight which gripped the world’s imagination as it hurtled towards a global war, is followed by Toussaint L’Ouverture. L’Ouverture, the slave who became the architect of the Haitian revolution, the only successful slave revolt in history, is the protagonist of James’s epic 1938 book “The Black Jacobins”. In a play based on the book, American singer, actor and civil rights activist Paul Robeson played the part of L’Ouverture. To the bewilderment of some otherwise admiring American reviewers, James, who was expelled from the United States because of his communist beliefs during the McCarthy era, cites his three primary influences as English literature, cricket and the fierce moral code of Thomas Arnold’s Rugby School, which demanded strict adherence to the laws of games and the officials’ decisions. Before he was 10, wrote James, he was a British intellectual. James’s widow Selma, who typed the manuscript of “Beyond a Boundary”, grew up in Brooklyn where the summer game was baseball, chronicled evocatively in another sports classic “The Boys of Summer”. Coincidentally, Roger Kahn’s account of the 1950s’ Brooklyn Dodgers and their post-baseball lives contains at its heart the struggles and ultimate triumph of Jackie Robinson, the first black man to play in the major leagues in the modern era. Selma accompanied James to England after his expulsion from the United States and was intrigued by cricket, the
summer game spread by England to its various colonies where it was further shaped by native climes and characters. A feminist and anti-racist activist, writer and lecturer she took time out from her busy schedule at the Crossroads Women’s Centre in London’s Kentish Town recently to share her memories of James and “Beyond a Boundary”. “It (cricket) gives deep insight into human personality,” Selma James said. “It’s exciting. I found it really exciting. It tells me about human beings and that’s what interested me. I’m not a sportswoman, and I never was, but the important thing was that cricket gave you important insights into human personality.” One of the personalities was Yorkshire opening batsman Len Hutton, who stoically defied the might of the Australian fast bowlers in the immediate post-war year before becoming the first professional cricketer to captain England. While West Indies cricket, as James describes with a dispassionate but forensic clarity in the opening chapters of “Beyond a Boundary”, was blighted by racism, caste and class. English cricket for much of its existence was divided by class. Amateurs (called gentleman) occupied one dressing room, professionals (known as players), the other. Only amateurs had the honour of captaining their country, until the authorities bowed to the inevitable and a p p o i n t e d Hutton, who promptly led England to home and away Ashes (Continued on page 29)
Friday January 03, 2014
Kaieteur News
Page 31
GFA / Banks Beer KO Cup
Champions Slingerz FC bloat coffers by $4million; Tigers beat Army to claim third place By Rawle Welch Slingerz FC appearing in their first Georgetown Football Association (GFA) / Banks Beer Knockout Cup managed to survive an obstinate performance from Santos to register a close 3-2 win and in the process bloated their coffers by $4million as champions of this year’s tournament which ended late Wednesday night, at the National Stadium. Played before a crowd estimated to be in the vicinity of 9,000, the feature clash provided a fitting climax to the tournament which is in its third year as both teams treated the fans to a gripping contest, trading goals in rapid succession until a moment of magic by the irrepressible Devon Millington in the dying moments of the game firmly established the final score line until the final whistle sounded. The new champions reached the final after benefitting from an own goal in their semi-final encounter against Western Tigers and who many felt had played way below their best in difficult conditions needed to raise their level against a Santos team that had shown no fear for any of their opponents throughout the competition. The West Demerarabased side coached by former national centre back Charles ‘Lily’ Pollard were quickly into their strides with the wily national left back Walter ‘Boyd’ Moore and Millington combining beautifully in some testing incursions deep into the Santos half. Millington in particular was a thorn in the flesh of the Santos right back and it required capable defending from the experienced Jermaine Fraser supported by former national goalkeeper Richard
Reynolds to keep Slingerz off the score sheet. Millington a formidable striker with sleek footwork and plenty speed repeatedly worked over his markers that had the team’s supporters shouting with understandable optimism as they sensed a goal was near in coming. It was a wonderful exhibition of football up to that point and it eventually resulted in the first goal of the game courtesy of the same combination of Moore and Millington. It all started with Moore picking up possession in his half of the field and proceeded to weave his way past one tackle, before laying a pass to the lively Millington, who then evaded two flailing attempts to impede his forward propulsion, before firing low to beat Reynolds stationed on the near post in the 11th minute. It was a disappointing effort from the experienced goalkeeper. Santos, who had looked unsettled and overawed by the occasion, hit back four minutes later through Christoff Wensly who ran on to a long ball delivered from inside their half trapped it neatly, before unleashing a powerful left-footer past the outstretched hands of Slingerz’s Ronson Williams to silence the opposition supporters. It was the perfect response by the labeled underdogs who by virtue of their previous performances were not to be underestimated. The half came with the duel deadlocked at 1-1 and the large turnout braced themselves for a final period of intense rivalry. Once again, Slingerz came out and showed menacing intent with Moore looking
dangerous on the overlap, while Millington continued his torment of the Santos backline, but it was national striker Vurlon Mills, who had been kept relatively quiet up to then that, provided the goal of the game. It resulted from a cross from the left flank that had some pace on it and the speedy striker eluded his marker and flew through the air to deliver a rapier-like header past an out of positioned and surprised Reynolds to give his team the lead after sixty-one minutes. However, for the second time in the game, Santos’ riposte was quick and decisive as Wensly took full advantage of a mix-up between two Slingerz defenders as they contemplated whose responsibility it was to either leave the ball to go into touch or clear it and he cracked the
of the winning prize of cricket gear hasn’t escaped us either, as it will go a far way in helping us to outfit our team for the 2014 schoolboy cricket season.” Meanwhile, tournament Manager Oneil Cruikshank believes the time is right for the competition and expects a good showing from the schoolboy cricketers. “I have always felt that there was a place on the cricket landscape for a schoolboy T20 tournament, even though I’m aware that
this would be to the chagrin of the purists,” Cruikshank said. “However, we can’t fight natural progression forever, and at any rate, these boys are alrea d y e x p o s e d t o this format by playing and viewing it on television. Given the teams involved, I am expecting a very competitive tournament, and though only for three days, I am also expecting that it will be an exciting affair.” (Jamaica Gleaner)
Action in the clash between eventual champions Slingerz FC (in orange and black) and Santos at the National Stadium on Wednesday.
WICB President backs... From page 35 been exposed to the T20 format through localised and even national competitions, and most follow it on television too.” Barnes said his players are raring to go. Training very hard “The youngsters were very excited when we broke the news to them about our involvement in the SIG event, and they are training very hard with the aim of winning the competition in its first go,” he said. “The matter
two, before firing a left-foot shot into the far corner with Williams unmoved to level the proceedings again. It came in the 62nd minute of play. That occurrence instead of deflating Slingerz seemed to ignite them as they went on a relentless hunt to regain the ascendancy that left Santos’s defence battered and bruised and hanging on for dear life, but to survive in that mode was always going to be a difficult ask, especially against the likes of Mills, Millington and the overlapping Moore and it
proved true as Slingerz got the go ahead goal in the dying moments of the game, one minute before full time to be exact from Millington, who completed a brace which allowed them to claim the top prize and bragging rights for one year. Santos for their efforts received $2.5 million and a trophy. In the third place playoff, the Tigers conjured up enough fortitude to beat the Guyana Defence Force 21. It was a solid result after missing out on a final berth due to an own goal in their semi-final engagement
against eventual champions Slingerz. On target for the winners were Hubert Pedro in the 21st minute and Rensford Coleridge in the 36th. The soldiers’ solitary strike came off the boots of Delroy Fraser, who netted in the 83rd. The Tigers carted off $1.5 million, while the Army took home $1 million. The presentation of prizes will be done on a date to be announced. After the final, fans were entertained by Jamaica’s I-Octane, Mingles Sound Machine and other local artistes.
Guillen, Mohammed skippers for three-day trial match Trinidad and Tobago’s preparati o n s f o r t h e regional First Class competition will continue a f t e r t h e N e w Ye a r ’s holiday with a three-day trial match at National Cricket Centre in Balmain, Couva. The match bowls off on Friday and the national selectors, chaired by Alec Burns, will take a close look at T&T’s prospects ahead of the 2014 regional tournaments. Team “A” will be captained by Justin Guillen with Adrian Barath and Amit Jaggernauth in their line-up, against Jason Mohammed’s Team “B”, which includes West Indies pacer Shannon Gabriel and openers Evin
Lewis and Nicholas Sookdeosingh. T&T selection panel includes longtime administrator Lalman Kowlessar, former West Indies selector Raphick Jumadeen, and former T&T players Narine Bedhesi and Roland Sampath. The T&T training squads have already engaged in three 50-over matches over the past weekend at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain. Several players who showed good form, including Ranga Latchana, Kevon Cooper and Imran Khan, will be looking to maintain their momentum as T&T prepares to host the Regional 50-Over Tournament from January
30. SQUADS Team A—Justin Guillen (captain), Adrian Barath, Vikash Mohan, Ranga Lachana, Petrock Nicholas, Steven Katwaroo, Daron Cruickshank, Marlon Richards, Amit Jaggernuath, Vishal Naipaul, Kavesh Kantasingh, Sherwin Ganga, Kissoondath Magram; Kelvin Williams (Coach). Team B—Jason Mohammed (captain), Evin Lewis, Nicholas Sookdeosingh, Kjorn Ottley, Jonathan Augustus, Imran Khan, Yannick Ottley, Yannic Cariah, Nicholas Pooran, Derone Davis, Ancil Bhagan, Tevin Robertson, Shannon Gabriel; David Williams (Coach). (Trinidad Express)
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Kaieteur News
India and Pakistan to clash in final A hat-trick from the legspinner Karamat Ali, followed by Sami Aslam’s 75, powered Pakistan Under-19s into the final of the Under-19s Asia Cup after they edged Afghanistan Under-19s by two wickets in Sharjah. Karamat dismissed Mohammad Mujtaba, Hashmatullah Shaidi and Sayed Shirzad off successive deliveries in the 46th over to finish with 5 for 33 and bundle Afghanistan out for 196. Afghanistan, choosing to bat, had made a solid start as the openers Shahidullah and Ihsanullah hit 43 inside nine overs, but four wickets in the space of 10 overs left them stranded at 70 for 4. Shaidi and Waheedullah Shafaq led the recovery with a fifth-wicket stand of 87, but once Shafaq was removed for 48, the team again crumbled. Afghanistan entered the 46th over at 182 for 6 and with Mujtaba and Shaidi at the crease, they would have looked to push on towards a competitive total. However, Mujtaba’s attempt to clear the infield off the third ball of the over could only find Saud Shakeel at the midwicket fence. Shaidi had crossed over during the wicket to take the strike, but he too failed to go the distance, hitting Karamat straight to Imam-ul-Haq at the deep s q u a r e l e g b o u n d a r y. Karamat then completed his hat-trick with a googly
to bowl Shirzad out for a duck. Set a paltry target, Pakistan lost Shayan Jahangir in the second over, but Aslam marshaled the innings by striking eight fours and two sixes, and adding 107 for the second wicket with Imam. However, Aslam’s wicket in the 24th over led to Pakistan slipping from 111 for 1 to 133 for 4. Hasan Raza and Hussain Talat chipped in with crucial contributions to stop the slide, but both of them were dismissed in the 45th over and Pakistan were soon left precariously placed at 195 for 8 with 13 balls remaining. Kamran Ghulam, however, held his nerve and took the team over the line with a backfoot punch through the covers for four. Pakistan Under-19s 199 for 8 (Aslam 75, Imam-ul-Haq 42) beat Afghanistan Under19s 196 (Shaidi 51, Karamat 533) by two wickets India beat Sri Lanka India Under-19s overcame a tense chase thanks to a half-century from Ankush Bains to beat Sri Lanka Under 19s by three wickets to progress to the final. Bains had retired hurt in the first over but walked out to bat in the 34th with India still 97 runs adrift with five wickets in hand. He struck his first ball back for a four and continued finding the boundary with the regularity needed to tackle a required rate which
had reached 5.75. India’s tail was exposed, with none of the top-order batsmen able to convert their starts, but Bains balanced run-scoring along with shielding the lesser batsmen, ensuring the asking rate did not rise past seven. No. 9 Kuldeep Yadav, who had been instrumental in keeping Sri Lanka to a modest 223, gave Bains company in a 58-run, seventh-wicket stand which took India to the threshold of victory. Bains fell to a run-out, but Yadav struck the winning runs in the final over and remained unbeaten on 22 off 26 balls, with three fours. Sri Lanka’s batting effort revolved around halfcenturies from Hashan Dumindu and Kusal Mendis. Their 94-run, second-wicket stand, accumulated at a sedate pace, promised a better total but the middle order failed to capitalise. Five of their batsmen could not get past single figures as left-arm chinaman Yadav picked up three wickets and Deepak Hooda and Sarfaraz Khan chipped in two each. Anuk Fernando ushered Sri Lanka to the full quota of overs with an unbeaten cameo, but the target proved just a touch too little. India Under-19s 224 for 7 (Bains 54) beat Sri Lanka Under-19s 223 for 8 (Dumindu 60, Kuldeep 3-49) by three wickets. (ESPNcricinfo)
Friday January 03, 2014
Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova to meet in Brisbane Maria Sharapova will continue her comeback from a shoulder injury against world number one Serena Williams in today’s Brisbane International semis. The Russian, 26, ended her 2013 season in August, but beat Kaia Kanepi 4-6 6-3 6-2 to make the last four. Williams, who won 78 of her 82 matches last year, overcame ninth seed Dominika Cibulkova 6-3 6-3 in her quarter-final. Sharapova’s meeting with Williams will be the first since they appeared to criticise each other ’s personal lives. In an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine in June, Williams criticised an unnamed top-five player for being boring in her interviews and questioned the character of her boyfriend. Sharapova, who is dating men’s world number 2 3 G r i g o r D i m i t r o v, responded by telling Williams that she should restrict her comments to her own reported relationship with French Coach Patrick Mouratoglou. In December the four-time Grand Slam winner hinted at the continuing poor relationship between the pair when she said that, while she respected Williams on the court, it was “different” outside the sport. Sharapova, who has not
Arsenal grab late victory, City and Chelsea win Late goals from Nicklas Bendtner and Theo Walcott spared Arsenal’s blushes and kept them top of the Premier League in a 2-0 victory over Cardiff City as title rivals Manchester City and Chelsea also won on Wednesday. The conclusion of the congested festive schedule saw a tired display by the Londoners who looked set to draw a blank for the second straight home game before Bendtner bundled home in the 88th minute and Walcott wrapped up the points in stoppage time. Manchester United’s difficulties returned as the champions were beaten 2-1 by Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford, their sixth league defeat and fourth at home in a stuttering season. Their rivals Manchester City briefly went top after
subduing a battling Swansea City 3-2 away while Chelsea beat Southampton 3-0 on the road and Liverpool won 2-0 at home to Hull City. Arsenal, with 45 points from 20 games, stayed one point clear of Manchester City and two ahead of Chelsea in third with Liverpool a further four points off the pace. Everton’s Leighton Baines converted an added time penalty to rescue a 1-1 draw at Stoke City as the Merseysiders dropped to fifth, while 10-man Newcastle United stumbled to a 1-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion. Spurs, who took a 2-0 lead with goals from Emmanuel Adebayor and Christian Eriksen before Danny Welbeck pulled one back for United, moved above their opponents into sixth. David Moyes’s United team are now
11 points adrift of the leaders. ARSENAL FORTRESS After Arsenal’s last home game ended in a goalless draw against Chelsea, the fans were fearing another shutout at The Emirates that would have shunted them off top spot. Cardiff City, playing in front of former Manchester United forward Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who sat alongside owner Vincent Tan and is expected to become their new manager, defended stoutly before the home side’s pressure told late on. “I think we were mature, intelligent and resilient,” Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said. “We want to make this place a fortress and take the points no matter what the others do.” The result kept Manchester City at bay after they showed their title credentials with a fifth
consecutive league win. City came out on top thanks to second-half strikes from Yaya Toure and Aleksandar Kolarov after Swansea’s Wilfried Bony had canceled out Fernandinho’s early opener. Bony grabbed a stoppagetime consolation for Swansea who are now without a win in six league games. Chelsea’s misfiring forwards had failed to find the target away from Stamford Bridge during the whole of 2013, but the hoodoo was broken on the hour at St Mary’s when Spaniard Fernando Torres headed home from close range. Willian smashed home a second from the edge of the area and fellow substitute Oscar, who had a hand in all three goals, added the third with a clinical finish after being sent racing through on goal. (Reuters)
Serena Williams
Maria Sharapova
beaten Williams since 2004, has taken just one set in their past nine meetings and trails 14-2 in their career head-tohead record. “I think I got to win a few times in order to call it rivalry,” she admitted. “I haven’t had a lot of success against her in the past. “It’s the first tournament of the year. I came here wanting to play as many matches as I could and obviously wanting to play the best.” The tournament’s other semi-final has also gone with
seeding with Belarus’s Victoria Azarenka meeting Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic for a place in the final. Second seed Azarenka overcame the loss of a second-set tie-break to see off Switzerland’s Stefanie Vogele 6-4 6-7 (7-9) 6-1, while fourth seed Jankovic recovered to beat Germany’s Angelique Kerber 6-7 (6-8) 63 6-1. In the men’s draw, home favourite Lleyton Hewitt, 32, overcame f i f t h s e e d Feliciano Lopez 7-5 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals. (BBCSport)
Ferrari ask fans to wear red for silent tribute for Schumacher’s 45th birthday Ferrari have called on fans to dress in their team colours of red for a silent tribute outside the hospital where former driver Michael Schumacher is being treated today. The seven-times Formula One champion remains in a critical condition and in an induced coma after hitting his head on a rock in a skiing accident in the French Alps. Schumacher turns 45 today, and the Italian team, where he won five consecutive world titles between 2000 and 2004 have urged their fans to mark a vigil
for the Formula One legend outside the Grenoble Hospital. A statement on their website read: ‘In these difficult days and on the occasion of his birthday, the Scuderia Ferrari Clubs want to show their support for Michael Schumacher by organising a silent and respectful event all in red at the Grenoble University Hospital Centre.’ Yesterday, and for the first time since the accident, there has been no official update on Schumacher’s condition after (Continued on page 29)
Friday January 03, 2014
Kaieteur News
Page 33
Anderson hits fastest ODI century in mismatch
A record that stood for more than 17 years was finally broken on New Year’s Day in 2014. Corey Anderson bludgeoned the West Indies bowlers to score the fastest ODI century, off just 36 balls, eclipsing the record of 37 set by a 16-year-old Shahid Afridi in 1996. Anderson finished unbeaten on 131 and such was his savagery that he even managed to overshadow Jesse Ryder, who motored to the sixth quickest ODI century of all time. The pair powered New Zealand to a scarcely believable 283 in just 21 overs. This, after there were fears of yet another washout. The chase turned out to be a mere formality as West Indies limped to 124 for 5, having lost the game in the head the moment they walked back to the dressing room for the short innings break. Irrespective of the format, this was the fastest ever international century. While it’s true that the grounds in New Zealand are not the biggest, many, if not all, of Anderson’s hits would have cleared the rope at any venue across the world. He blasted 14 sixes, two behind Rohit Sharma’s world record of 16 and New Zealand’s sixes tally stood at 22, another world record. India hit 19 sixes in the same match in which Rohit smashed 209 against Australia, but that was off 50 overs. New Zealand managed all those in just 21. West Indies’ bowling figures were similarly remarkable, for the least expensive economy rate was 11, by Nikita Miller. Anderson and Ryder, both powerful left-handers, were proving hard to distinguish in the middle. Dwayne Bravo inserted New Zealand in what he thought was good bowling conditions but New Zealand batted like they were on a different planet. Length balls were punished, the fuller ones scooped and the shorter stuff biffed square of the wicket. The margin for error was so little that the exasperated attack failed to find the right lengths to contain the batsmen. Toe crushers seemed the only solution, but there were hardly any. Walking in at the fall of Ross Taylor’s wicket in the eighth over, Anderson scored his first boundary by pulling Bravo one bounce to deep midwicket. He then sent Sunil Narine several rows over deep midwicket and it was the first of several hits in the region. There was a competition for spectators, wearing orange t-shirts, to bag
Jesse Ryder smacks the ball through the covers, New Zealand v West Indies, 3rd ODI, Queenstown, January 1, 2014© AFP $100,000 for taking onehanded catches. Anderson and Ryder gave the crowd plenty of chances, but none of the spectators could win the jackpot. Even the umpire had to take cover when an Anderson biff off Jason Holder scorched to the straight boundary. Two bowlers who bore the brunt of Anderson were Sunil Narine and Ravi Rampaul, who conceded four sixes in an over each. Against Narine, Anderson employed the slog and cleared the area between deep midwicket and long-on. One of those landed several yards behind the last row of spectators and another brought up his fifty, off just 20 balls. Rampaul was punished for bowling too full and he gave away four consecutive sixes, including one that looked like a mis-hit, but still had enough mileage to clear long-off. Narine and Rampaul conceded 24 and 26 respectively and the prospects of scoring the fastest ODI century was more than a reality, as Anderson ended the Rampaul over needing 16 off seven balls. Given his manic scoring rate, the world record was seriously under threat. Consecutive boundaries took him to 93 of 33, the second of those, off Lendl Simmons, being an ungainly slash to backward point. He ended that over on 95 off 35 and nothing less than a six was needed off his next ball
to seal the record. As it happened, the planets were aligned at the right moment and Anderson brought up the record with a massive slog over long leg off Miller. Anderson broke the very record that announced Afridi to international cricket - his first innings for Pakistan, in his second match, at the Nairobi Gymkhana against a Sri Lanka attack that had only months earlier helped win them the World Cup. Afridi’s knock ended at 101 but Anderson didn’t stop there. An audacious slap over cover off a Bravo slower ball that looped ever so slowly outside off was symptomatic of the control he had over the bowling. In the midst of Anderson’s carnage, it was easy to forget the significance of Ryder’s century, more for himself. This was only his second match for New Zealand since the horrific incident outside a Christchurch pub last year where he was assaulted and hospitalised. Ryder was miraculously back on his feet before the domestic season and won his place back in the ODI squad. The initial pyrotechnics from Brendon McCullum set it up for Ryder to swing his arms. True to his style, Ryder’s shots were effortless. He was able to loft through the line with ease, pull the seamers nonchalantly when they bowled too straight. Half-volleys were pierced wide of the packed
Corey Anderson is congratulated by Dwayne Bravo for his record-breaking ton, New Zealand v West Indies, 3rd ODI, Queenstown, January 1, 2014© AFP off-side field and a six over long-off brought up his fifty off 23 balls. Three boundaries in an over off Bravo helped him speed towards his century and he got there with a single to short fine leg in the 19th over. It was also the sixthfastest ODI ton, off just 46 balls. The match was a no-
contest by the end of the fourth over, with West Indies tottering at 19 for 3. There was no choice but to play in fifth gear, and in the process fell to fielders in the deep. Ryder, who could do nothing wrong, too helped himself to a wicket. Bravo helped himself to 56, but it was inconsequential his side was totally outclassed. With the series
tied at 1-1, the teams head to Nelson, another popular holiday destination. They will hope for better weather. Those who braved the cold in Queenstown and stayed on were truly rewarded. New Zealand 283 for 4 in 21 overs (Anderson 131*, Ryder 104) beat West Indies 124 for 5 (Bravo 56*) by 159 runs. (ESPNcricinfo)
Mayweather wins $112,000 after giant bet on American college match Floyd Mayweather Jnr isn’t exactly short of a bob or two. The undefeated fivedivision world champion is reported to be worth more than £200million, but still clearly enjoys a flutter. And he topped up his savings account yesterday when he put $50,000 down on Michigan State to beat Stanford in the annual New Year’s Day Rose Bowl college football game in Pasadena, California. Michigan promptly triumphed over Stanford, 2420, which saw Mayweather pocket $112,500 at odds of 5/ 4. And a very happy Mayweather, who was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, took to Twitter to share his good fortune with the world, claiming ‘always bet on green’ referring to the green kit of Michigan. Mayweather has the nickname Money and has set
Mayweather lives up to his ‘Money’ nickname with a bumper withdrawal at a Las Vegas bank up a website called The Money Team that retails clothing of the same name, so a win at the bookies only enhanced his reputation for being a cash expert. Mayweather has won all 45 professional fights in his career, the last victory coming
over Mexican Saul Alvarez in September. Both Forbes and Sports Illustrated listed Mayweather as the highest paid athlete of 2012 and 2013. [embedhttps://twitter.com/ FloydMayweather/status/ 418627140553146368] (Mailonline)
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Kaieteur News
Friday January 03, 2014
Chico/K&S Elite, Next Generation Schools’ Football c/ships
Christianburg triumphs on penalty kicks over Ash Academy; losing teams salvage pride with several incentives By Michael Benjamin Despite its most valiant efforts after scoring the equalizing goal late in the match, Ash Academy failed in its bid to overturn an e a r l i e r l o s s t o Wi s m a r / C h r i s t i a n b u r g Secondary School and the latter entity triumphed 4-2 on penalty kicks to take the spoils when the final in the inaugural Chico/K&S Elite, Next Generation Schools’ Football championships concluded at the Georgetown Football Club Ground Wednesday evening last this was after both teams finished regulation time on one goal apiece. For its efforts, Wi s m a r / C h r i s t i a n b u r g Secondary received $1.2M towards a developmental project for the school and the Sam Hinds trophy while each player received a replica trophy donated by Mohammad’s Enterprise. Ash Academy went home with a $750,000 cheque for similar developmental works for their institution while
Waramadong Secondary woefully mauled St Georges Secondary 9-0 to clinch the third place prize of $500,000 for their school’s special project with their opponents receiving $250,000 for similar purposes. Waramadong Secondary was back on the podium shortly after receiving the third place prize when it won the Fair Play team prize while their striker, Linden Joseph scored the most goals in the tournament and was duly rewarded for that feat. Another Waramadong p l a y e r, M y l e s A l b e r t dominated the mid field cordon and was duly adjudged the best in that department. Coach of the winning team, Anthony Stephens, received the trophy for being the best in this department while his opposite number of Waramadong received the official match ball similar to the one to be used in the imminent Brazil World Cup. United States based company, Caribbean Cargo, donated two computers for
the two best teams coming out of Linden and this prize was won by the champions and Mackenzie High. The best goalkeeper award went to Yannick S i m o n o f t h e Wi s m a r / C h r i s t i a n b u r g Secondary School while Ash Education defender, Kevin Layne, received the nod for being the best in his department. The hard work of the referees certainly did not go unnoticed and each official received a special prize for services rendered. The President’s College team was booted out of the competition after a humiliating 12-0 loss to Ash Education but received a consolation boost to their morale after receiving the prize for the best dressed team. The youngest player in the tournament was Nicholas McArthur who represented the Queenstown Secondary and is just one month shy of his 12th birth anniversary; he was given a special prize.
Shane Luckie represented the winning team and eventually copped the Most Valuable Player prize, a kindle device, donated by Attorney-atLaw, Stephen Fraser and a one month stint with one of the semi-professional league teams in Trinidad and Tobago. Earlier, Luckie had opened the account for Wismar Secondary with a vicious left foot strike that breached the Ash Academy’s defense and goalie in the 4th minute. They remained in the ascendency for the larger part of the game and just when it appeared as though that goal was decisive, Akeemo Watts equalized in the 76th minute, a goal that eventually forced the game into penalty kicks. Wi s m a r / C h r i s t i a n b u r g Secondary scored four of their five shots while Ash Academy scored twice. Waramadong had a field day with Lyndel Joseph scoring a helmet trick in the 10th, 32nd, 68th and 88th minute. Whazir Bascome contributed in the 39th and
47th while Deon Rodriques emulated that feat in the 12th and 79th minute. Myles Albert’s contribution came in the 71st minute. Chief Education Officer, Olato Sam, viewed the finals and delivered short remarks at the prize giving ceremony. He complimented the organisers while declaring that it was the best junior tournament he had witnessed for some time. “All of the participating teams should feel proud of having been a part of this
experience,” exhorted Mr. Sam even as he noted that benefits will only be derived if the participants utilize the lessons learned during the tournament. Minister within the Ministry of Finance, Juan Edgehill, was also in attendance and assisted in the distribution of prizes while Kashif Mohammad give a brief overview of the tournament while reciting a particular experience in Linden with a young player that gave him (Kashif) special satisfaction.
CONCACAF statement on death of Akeem Adams CONCACAF is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Trinidad and Tobago defender Akeem Adams at the age of 22. Adams died on Monday in Budapest, Hungary after being hospitalized following a heart attack in September and subsequently undergoing several operations. He fell into a coma on Saturday after suffering a massive stroke. A promising young player who had represented Trinidad and Tobago’s national teams at youth and senior levels, Adams had joined Hungarian club Ferencvaros in August. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends as they grieve this loss,” said CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb. “We also extend our support to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association and those in the football community who are affected by this tragic loss of a talented player, and much loved and respected young man,” added Webb. Born April 13th, 1991, Adams first entered the
Akeem Adams national program at the Under 13 level and went on to represent his country at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in South Korea in 2007 and the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Egypt in 2009. Adams made his senior international debut for his country on March 19th, 2008 against El Salvador, and played his final international match on January 22, 2011 against Finland at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
Kaieteur News
Friday January 03, 2014
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Shewdas should pay GAPF fine By Edison Jefford Disgraced Guyanese Powerlifter, Gumendra Shewdas should hand over the monies he collected under false pretence after winning a gold medal at the World Championships to help pay fines he incurred on the local federation following his suspension for doping. Shewdas had won a gold medal in the 53kg class at the World Junior and Sub-Junior P o w e r l i f t i n g Championships in Killeen, Texas in August last year. However, an in-competition test confirmed the presence of Methylhexaneamine and Oxilofrine in his system. Both substances are prohibited performance enhancement drugs, according to the World AntiDoping Agency (WADA) that had facilitated the test of Shewdas’s urine sample at its accredited lab in Cologne, Germany. As a result of the adverse d r u g d i s c o v e r y, t h e International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) banned Shewdas for two years, commencing October 21, 2013, and fined Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPF) Euro $2000 as a consequence of their international rules. GAPF President, Peter Green has since pleaded with the IPF for more time to pay
Peter Green the fine, which was granted. However, it remains unclear whether, or not, Green also lobbied Shewdas to pay for what the IPF called “costs relating to the adjudication of the doping violation”. Following his return, The Indian Arrival Committee (IAC) awarded Shewdas $500,000; Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) at Springlands also presented him with a cheque while The Upper Corentyne Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UCCCI) hosted him at a special dinner where more gifts followed as a result of his achievement – his achievement was annulled since it is now in the open that banned substances influenced that performance. Shewdas should be made to understand the
Frank Anthony consequences of his actions in the strongest possible means. Shewdas’s inconsideration has left an already cash-strapped federation in a quandary that will result in local powerlifters being unable to compete overseas this year. Green’s lobbying of the IPF Executive for more time for the GAPF to pay the fine is tantamount to letting Shewdas go with a slap on the wrist for such a serious offense. Further, his stance, t h u s f a r, i s a n underestimation of the severity of the offense in sport. Shewdas is the first highprofiled and international case for Guyana in the fight against doping in sport, thus Green is peculiarly placed in
a position to vindicate the GAPF and by extension, most local athletes from the scrutiny of having access to illegal substances. When the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) filed doping charges against renowned former cyclist, the now disgraced seven-time Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong in 2012, the International Cycling Union did not only ratify USADA’s decision, but Armstrong was also stripped of the seven titles and asked to repay prize monies won while doping. There are many other examples that can be cited to show how seriously countries and governing sport associations respond to doping issues. Shewdas cheated, and thus the response from Green ought to be nothing short of stern, rather than mundane, which we have seen with his comments on the matter todate. In addition to the monetary gifts Shewdas received, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport had responded first with a gala luncheon at New Thriving Restaurant; we await the response from the Ministry in light of this new development, which has embarrassed Guyana.
WICB President backs schools T20 West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) President Dave Cameron has come out in support of the SIG High Schools Invitational T20 cricket competition that is set to bowl off today at Chedwin Park in St Catherine. Eight schools from across the island will be competing for the first prize of $100,000 in cricket gear. Cameron believes the inaugural staging of the competition will excite young, aspiring cricketers. “The schools T20 will continue to add more excitement and variety to schools cricket as we seek to improve and increase the participation of youngsters in the sport,” he said. The competition begins tomorrow with St Elizabeth Technical High School down to take on Excelsior High in the opening match. Manchester versus Jamaica College, St Jago versus Vere, and Kingston College playing Eltham complete the schedule of matches on the day. The semi-finals are due to take place on Saturday, with the final set for Sunday. The competition is also getting much support from the initial invitees. Manchester coach Barry Barnes said his school was
Dave Cameron eager to be part of the competition. “When we were approached by the organisers to be part of this festival we didn’t have to think twice about it. First, we had heard that ISSA (InterSecondary Schools Sports Association) would be introducing a schoolboy T20 cricket competition at some point in this schoolboy cricket season, and we were also looking to get in some practice,” Barnes said. “Beyond that, though, we here at Manchester believe this will aid, not h i n d e r, t h e p l a y e r s ’ development,” he added. “Most of them have already (Continued on page 31)
Mustak XI hammer Nazeer X1 in 20-overs softball game Khemraj grabs 5-25 for winners
Krishna Persaud (left) presents the winning prize to skipper Mustak Mohamed in the presence of players from both teams. A controlled spell of spin bowling from Gurnauth Khemraj guided Mustak Mohamed XI to a convincing 70-run victory over Nazeer Mohamed XI in a feature 20 overs softball
game played on Sunday last at Belle Plaine, Wakenaam. Leg spinner Khemraj grabbed 5-25 from 4 overs to plot Nazeer XI’s demise as they were bowled out for 138 in reply to Mustak XI’s 208
all out in 19.2 overs. Mustak XI batted first watched by a fair size crowd after winning the toss but lost two early wickets before Tulsieram Ramadeen and Navishaul Pooran steadied
the innings with a third wicket stand of 66. Pooran belted three sixes and two fours in a top score of 46 while Ramadeen smashed three sixes in scoring 33. Vijay Persaud
then picked up three quick wickets before a late blitz by Faraz Abjal saw Mustak XI to their eventual total. Abjal stroked four sixes in 27 while Persaud finished with 4-26, Chandrika
Ragnauth 2-30 and Derwin Daniels 2-31. Nazeer XI reply got off to a bad start losing the wickets of Krishna Persaud (04) and Daniels (05) before Roopnarine (Continued on page 29)
t r o Sp GFA / Banks Beer KO Cup
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Champions Slingerz FC bloat coffers by $4million; Tigers beat Army to claim third place
New GFA / Banks Beer KO Cup champions Slingerz FC pose for a photo op with the winning trophy shortly after defeating Santos 3-2 in the final on Wednesday night at the National Stadium
Chico/K&S Elite, Next Generation Schools’ Football c/ships P.34
Christianburg triumphs on penalty kicks over Ash Academy; losing teams salvage pride with several incentives
Shewdas should pay GAPF fine
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Gumendra Shewdas
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