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KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
Editorial Justice Ramlall’s judgement It can perhaps be forgiven if the cynics among us don’t believe that the recent judgment by the erudite Justice William Ramlall in favour of plaintiff Navindra Singh (who coincidentally is now a sitting High Court judge) will have a salutary impact on the attitude and behavior of the members of the Guyana Police Force. Many will be wondering if the administration of the GPF will take note and put in place the type of remedial measures to prevent a recurrence of the “obnoxious, outrageous, and outright abuse of police powers.” It doesn’t require any great mental powers for anyone to agree with the opinion that members of the force who act in a similar manner should be made to suffer the financial consequences if we are to ever see a reduction (at the very least) of unlawful police conduct. Yes crime in all its manifestations must be appropriately dealt with but this sentiment does not give any member of the police force the right to act in ways that surely bring discredit to the service. The situation is not helped by the apparent unwillingness of the force administration to sanction erring ranks. This seeming intransigence is probably rooted in a misplaced belief that if sanctioned, ranks would become demoralized or ineffective. If the truth is to be told, policing in Guyana is increasingly being seen as largely ineffective anyway. What should surely exercise the minds of the police strategists is the question of how to get out of this quagmire. Ranks are not held accountable from high to low and therefore it should come as no surprise that we are in for many more instances of the ubiquitous .32 pistol or revolver found on the dead persons of suspected criminals who were on their way to commit a crime, but decided to commit ‘suicide by cop’. As much as we all deserve a professional and modern police force which can only evolve through reform, this ideal will elude citizens in the absence of attitudinal changes manifested in leadership by example. It is no use asking citizens to work with the police when some sections of society perceive the police as shakedown artists and agents of oppression. The police hierarchy needs to walk the talk and stop mouthing nice sounding bromides about concern for the rights of all. The GPF administration is doing their members an injustice by failing to take stern action against rogues in uniform. It is quite possible that the senior GPF members feel that misconduct once revealed and proven will reflect adversely on their ability to manage the force. If no changes are discerned in the hierarchy; if senior members are just marking time to retirement, there will be a perpetuation of all that is unacceptable in a law enforcement organization, and reforms will fail. The GPF is likely to encounter several obstacles on its way to reform and these include ignorance about the reform; non-supportive attitudes to reform; non-implementation of reform processes which result in lack of institutionalization or incorporation into the force’s policies and procedures. But perhaps the greatest threat to the GPF reform is the elephant in the room called resistance. Efforts to implement policing reforms have sometimes failed in the face of resistance in the form of executive level inaction referred to above. Then there is the hostility generated by the police skepticism about civilian involvement in any program which defines the work of the police or requires an evaluation of police performance. What must not be ignored is the possible fear of dilution or diminution of position power and authority if the anecdotes are to be believed. But just as important will be the resistance to reforms which require the performance of old tasks in new ways and new tasks that were never envisaged when they took the oath of office. For many people this is like asking them to take a plunge in unknown waters. Not to be ignored is the possibility that the lower rank and file will see promised reforms as another gimmick in the absence of organizational commitment and political will demonstrated by realistic budgetary allocations and professional accountability. Finally, we must consider the resistance which could emanate from some sections of society (particularly depressed communities) who might not readily understand the goals or tactics associated with the new models of policing, and whose experiences of political machinations has left them unprepared but cautiously optimistic for the implementation of professional approaches to policing.
Kaieteur News
Monday December 09, 2013
Letters... Where your views make the news
Anti-business posturing by the PPP is destroying Guyana’s fragile economy DEAR EDITOR, Upon the passage of the political baton from Jagdeo to Ramotar two years ago, several members of the legitimate business class thought that they will finally be allowed to conduct business with little government interference, paying their fair share of taxes and thus contribute to Guyana’s economic growth and the well being of the masses. However, they quickly realize that the playing field is not level for all to have a fair shot at success. But when President Ramotar announced that he will form a committee headed by reputable businessman, Clifford Reis to review the tax regime and opportunities for tax reforms, these business persons felt inspired and convinced that he is supporting the business
community. They believed that the days are over when businessmen like Yesu Persaud were publicly abused and rebuked by the corrupt political class. They were wrong, since all of the pro-business announcement by President Ramotar was just another smoke screen and propaganda as the PPP regime remained resolute in its anti-business posturing. Only members of the business community who are part of the Jagdeo circle and are tied to the PPP at the hip are allowed to conduct business in a fashion that resembles a dictatorial oligarchy. These so-called PPP businessmen are allowed certain privileges and are given the green light to do whatever they want, including free electricity, free
land, huge tax exemptions, concessions from paying VAT and duty free exceptions. Some are even offered interest free loans from the government and are given huge contracts like the $3.5 billion contract given to purchase drugs for the public hospitals. This beneficiary, who has and continues to have full access to the state resources, has become so rich and powerful that he is issuing directives to the Office of the President, something Dr. Luncheon finds very distasteful and resents. Furthermore, the PPP circle is truly insane since they have done nothing to address the corporate tax rates to the manufacturing sector, the high rate of VAT chargeable to the people, mainly to the housewives of Guyana, many of them are single mothers, and the PAYE
rate for the workers. The uncaring PPP circle continues to play a very dangerous game with the lives of the people, especially the poor and the working class who can barely afford to feed their children and put a roof over their heads. Instead, they have done everything possible to accommodate their rich friends and relatives, including giving them radio, television and cellular phone frequencies for a pittance and all sorts of incentives that are not afforded to those who are not friends. The PPP circle is bent on denying the poor masses their basic right to work and to live a decent and affordable life. I want them to know that the people have had enough of these PPP con-men with their con-plans and their congames, and their time to exit Continued on page 5
I am so happy Ian is making a difference DEAR EDITOR, Several months ago I got a call from a visiting Guyanese/Canadian businessman. He told me he reads my Letters to the Editor on the Internet and wanted to meet me in person. I didn’t know what to do since you hear so many stories about strange people on the Internet but from my experience, dog lovers are usually nice persons, so I gave him my address. He came to my gate and we started telling dog stories and hit it off immediately. His name is Ian Tennessee. He confirmed he is an animal lover and said he wanted to help me in my volunteer work in any little
way he could. I quickly thought of a hundred different things I needed but not wanting to frighten him with a long wish list, I told him my urgent need was for dry and canned cat & dog food. Ian has turned out to be a super great person and regularly sends me dog food, face masks for picking up disease dogs and for garbage collectors and other items needed by low income animal lovers. A couple months ago, while visiting the Rupununi, I was having dinner at the Oasis, near Annai in the North Rupununi, when I noticed a tall, thin woman hanging around the tables. I spoke to her, asking if she wanted
Vote out all and sundry who are messing with Town and Country DEAR EDITOR, We are now experiencing a different type of flood. We the residents are being flooded out with the blame game. Who is responsible for the recent flash floods; the City Council did not prepare for the flash flood; people should vote out the Town Council etc. In his haste to condemn, Minister Ivelaw Whittaker mentioned that people should vote the Council out. We would be happy if that ensures us that the Town Clerk would be thrown out too. Vote out all and sundry, all who are messing with Town and Country. Vote out the corrupt officials in
Government. Make them pay back what they stole and utilize the money to fix the drainage and sewerage systems. I think most citizens know that the Government is starving the City Council to make a case that the officials are unable to run the affairs of Georgetown. This has been an ongoing exercise for years now. So what is new? They prefer to let us drown in garbage so they can have their way. Is this the caring Government? Is this a Government of Guyana or a Government for a few Guyanese? Sandra Nagar
something to eat. To my surprise she said she was waiting on scraps for her dogs because she has no food for them. I said, “You must really love those dogs”, she said, “They love and protect me.” That night I gave her some money and my remaining food for her dogs. I returned to ‘garbage city’ thinking of that poor woman and how, in her life, her dogs come first. So, the next time my good friend “Ian” sent dog food, I sent a full bag to the Rupununi to be shared with her and another family. Recently, a friend stopped by the Oasis in the Rupununi and saw Bernadette and asked how her dogs were doing. He said the lady was so happy she couldn’t stop smiling as she told him how her dogs enjoyed the food. She gave vivid details about each of her six dogs and
the expressions and sounds each made as they tasted the wonderful multi-flavoured dog food. I am so happy Ian is making a difference in her life. Ian, using his own finances, recently sent several bags of dog chow. I shared it out with animal owners in the city who have dogs but little income. Of course, I sent two large bags to families in the Rupununi. Editor, every day I am approached by people needing help with their animals; their major requests are for food, payments to vets for spaying and neutering, medication for skin problems and help in transporting dogs and paying $1000 fee for euthanasia of sick dogs, among others. Dalai Lama XIV said. My religion is simple. My religion is kindness. Syeada Manbodh
Paul Clarke is the victim of double standards DEAR EDITOR, Permit me to express my dismay at some of the statements made by Minister Ganga Persaud. He claims that Paul Clarke was not considered because of his previous job termination by the Inter American Development Bank. Now as I remember, one Mr. Mentore was fire by the American embassy (read the Thomas Carroll book and you will know why), but yet he was hired by the government to fill a very crucial post in the ministry of home affairs. Rohee himself said, being dismissed by the US Embassy should not be grounds for not hiring Mentore. Now, is the non appointment of Mr. Paul Clarke on termination grounds not a clear case of double standards. I wonder what is the Minister’s qualification for the job as Minister. He seems to be intellectually incapable and comes over as a bully. Michael Anthony
Monday December 09, 2013
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news... Letters... Where your views make the news
Where is the tape Jagdeo claimed he has about the PNC’s involvement in criminal activities at Buxton? DEAR EDITOR, A few years ago, then President Bharat Jagdeo made a startling declaration to the country that he had a tape in his possession to show that the PNC was involved in the criminal activities at Buxton. He also claimed that he knew the identity of those in the PNC and of the armed bandits who were involved in kidnapping, drug smuggling, murder and armed robbery and he would make the information public. If Jagdeo is telling the truth, then why he, as President, allowed the country to descend into such raw and inhumane criminal acts against innocent citizens. Which president in his right mind would have allowed criminals to take over the country? More than five years have elapsed and Jagdeo has not released the tape as yet. Where is the tape Mr. Jagdeo? You need to present it to the public in order to save the little credibility you have left? Although Jagdeo’s claim was a fabrication, a sham perpetrated by him and his cronies to scare the PNC, it nevertheless found currency in a population gullible enough to believe anything, even Jagdeo’s own fibs. I believe that there is simply no way that these criminals were anywhere smart enough to mastermind
a crime wave that reaped havoc on the nation for almost four years without help from those in the authority. They did not have the intellect and were not barefaced enough to commit such massive crime and yet walk in public in the nation’s capital without disguise. The fact that the criminals did not even attempt to hide or evade the public clearly shows that they had the support of certain individuals in the administration. This is the reason why a former Minister of Home Affairs had to resign. This leaves the question then as to whether any tape existed at all and whether Jagdeo had ever told the truth on anything. It is easy to say that he did not, knowing the truth about his bogus marriage, all the corrupt practices that took place during his presidency and the secret deals he signed with the various foreign companies that benefited his wealthy friends and relatives at the expense of the poor and the working class. So whatever the genesis of the epidemic of crime, it has transcended those in Buxton. As the nation descended in criminality between 2002 and 2006, the people had lost trust in just about everything, including the leaders, and especially Jagdeo and his ruling cliche. During this period, Guyanese had lost
their closeness, their serenity, civility and trust in the regime and the police force. These were replaced with a nation at war with itself which the PPP/C administration allowed. In every aspect of his political life, Jagdeo had embarrassed himself with unseemly pronouncements and approaches destined to elicit combative response. And his raw and unsolicited cuss-down of the media and those who challenged him proved that he was destined to fail as president. The upshot was a society seething with anger where everyday disagreements, inevitable in the society, turn murderous very quickly. It was a period in which armed bandits and organized gangs roamed the streets with impunity and with the blessings of those in authority. It is at this juncture that the convicted drug baron, Roger Khan’s loyalty to the regime fits in. He intimidated, kidnapped and murdered those who had opposed the regime with the promise of repayment. And it is here that the truth was unmasked, for he was the prime mover in the narco-trafficking activities in Guyana. The PPP unethical actions, put together, weave a tapestry of corruption, Continued on page 23
Anti-business posturing by the... From page 4 the scene is fast approaching. I call on all Guyanese to be alert, aware and militant, because the time will come when they will have to take a stand against this corrupt and inept PPP regime and use any and every legal means necessary to get rid of them, including voting them out of office. Under this regime, everything that could go wrong went wrong and this range from corruption, crime, murders to t h e p o o r e s t health care and educational system to floods, blackouts, garbage pile-up in the city, unclean water supply, horrible streets/ roads, and to a corrupt and unprofessional police force. Everything this regime touches has turned sour and what did not turn sour became rotten.
How can a President live with himself when fifteen mothers and babies are dying each year during child birth in Guyana in this modern era? Any leader with a conscience with take steps to make sure that no mother dies from child birth again. This is the sign of a good, decent and caring leader, which does not exist in the PPP. How can a president having three square meals per day and a solid roof over his head, go to bed and knowing that thousands of single mothers and children are starving and do not have anywhere proper to sleep? How can a president be happy and govern a country in which the vast majority of youths do not have a job or know where their next meal is coming from? How can a president tell the
international community that Guyana is developing when mothers and new born babies are dying at childbirth, when the country’s public hospitals cannot even save the life of a fly and when the country’s only university has collapsed? In the simplest terms, I am telling the people of Guyana that the PPP does not care about their well-being; and they do not care if the people live or die. They only care about the well-being of themselves, their family and rich friends. But let them know as Bob Marley clearly stated “we are going to chase those crazy baldhead out of the town.” Now is the time for the people to listen to Bob Marley and rise up against this corrupt, uncaring and anti-working class PPP regime. Name supplied
WHO IS SPEAKING THE TRUTH – Minister Webster or Dr. Luncheon? DEAR EDITOR, By the time one finishes reading this letter, the PPP Government would have borrowed more money in the name of the people to squander on another “Highway to Nowhere” Project like the now failed white elephant Skeldon Sugar Factory, the idle Enmore Packaging Plant, the dried-up Amalia Falls, the unfinished Marriott Hotel, and the dilapidated Supenaam Stelling, among others. Their most recent plan was to rob the taxpayers of hundreds of millions of dollars in the disguise of trying to provide a Solid Waste re-cycling GHOST Plant that they claimed would have cost US$30 million when more accurate estimates have shown that the actual cost would have been US$6 million. Most of the PPP-driven MoUs and Agreements since
the Jagdeo/ Ramotar cabal took over, would have failed proper scrutiny of any Public Procurement process. Can anyone imagine what G$190,000 could have done for a program to re-house that mother in Plastic City so that her children can have a complete night’s rest without having to worry if the rain will wet them because of their leaky roof? This is the kind of poverty issues that people like Minister Jennifer Webster and her cabal cannot identify with; resulting in them only callously thinking of their pockets and their rich friends rather than the people—the poor and the working class. It is brave of Dr. Roger Luncheon to expose the fibs told by Ms. Webster and Mr. Ramsammy but it would be wise for him to watch out; the Jagdeoites have got their eyes on him now. Dr Luncheon made it clear
that Minister Webster “was present at a number of cabinet meetings where the subject of the Solid Waste recycling plant was discussed.” Dr. Luncheon also stated that the Minister at no time excused herself from those meetings and she did not inform the President or the cabinet of her daughter’s involvement in the recycling company. This is a classic case of conflict of interest and public corruption; where someone uses one’s office (one’s meetings) and position of influence in an attempt to enrich oneself with insider information. Nowhere in the world Continued on page 23
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Monday December 09, 2013
Transparency International march against corruption in GT today - invites political leaders, public to participate Today is “International Anti-Corruption Day” in accordance with the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and Transparency International Guyana Inc (TIGI) has organized a march today against the scourge. The march will commence from 10.00hrs from the Umana Yana to Parliament Buildings and back. According to President of TIGI, Anand Goolsarran, “this is an event that is open to participation by the public.” He indicated that TIGI has extended invitations to the President, Prime Minister Sam Hinds, Presidential Advisor Gail Teixeira, Opposition Leader David Granger, Dr. Rupert Roopnarine, Public Accounts Committee Chairman, Carl Greenidge, and Alliance for Change (AFC) Leader Khemraj Ramjattan, to join in the march. An invitation has also been extended to the Private Sector Commission and the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce. According to Goolsarran, “We of course encourage all Members of Parliament, nongovernmental organizations, the trade union movement and the general public to participate in this day of observance.” He noted too that the Conference of State Parties to the Convention held its Fifth Session in Panama on November at the end of last month, and one of the outcomes of the session is the launch of the new campaign for 2013 under the theme “Zero Corruption – 100 per cent Development”. The focus of the campaign is on how corruption hinders efforts to achieve the internationally agreed upon Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); undermines democracy and the rule of law; distorts markets; erodes the quality of
UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon life and allows organized crime and other threats to human security to flourish. Guyana acceded to the UN Convention in April 2008. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), “this day is an opportunity to raise awareness about corruption and its devastating effects on societies worldwide. Governments, private sector, non-governmental organizations, the media and ordinary citizens around the world are joining forces to fight this crime. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) are at the forefront of these efforts”. According to the TIGI President, “as we observe the International Anti-Corruption Day, let us remember: (a) the proportion of people worldwide whose income is less than US$1.25 a day; (b) the unemployed, including women and young people; (c) those who suffer from hunger; and (d) the 1.2 billion worldwide who live in extreme poverty. Perhaps the best way to remember these unfortunate victims is the observance of a day of fasting which we encourage as many people as possible to undertake.” Meanwhile, UN Secretary
General, Ban Ki Moon, in his message in observance International Anti-Corruption Day, said that corruption suppresses economic growth by driving up costs, and undermines the sustainable management of the environment and natural resources. He noted that it breaches fundamental human rights, exacerbates poverty and increases inequality by diverting funds from health care, education and other essential services. “The malignant effects of corruption are felt by billions of people everywhere…It is driven by and results in criminal activity, malfunctioning state institutions and weak governance. “ According to the UN Secretary General, “Good governance is critical for sustainable development, and vital in combating organized crime…Every link in the trafficking chain is vulnerable
to corruption, from the bribes paid to corrupt officials by dealers in arms and drugs to the fraudulent permits and licenses used to facilitate the illicit trade in natural resources.” He said too that corruption is also rife in the world of sport and business, and in public procurement processes. “In the last decade, the private sector has increasingly recognized its role in fighting corruption. A Call to Action launched by the United Nations Global Compact and partners is mobilizing businesses and Governments to engage in t r a n s p a r e n t procurement...Guidelines are also being developed to help business fight corruption in sport sponsorship and hospitality.” He said too that the UN is strongly committed to fulfilling its own obligations and. “Operating in some of the world’s most unstable
environments, the UN faces multifaceted corruption risks that can undermine our efforts to advance development, peace and human rights…We have developed a robust system of internal controls and continue to remain vigilant and work hard to set an example of integrity.” According to Ban Ki Moon corruption is a barrier to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and needs to be taken into account in defining and implementing a robust post2015 development agenda. The UN Convention against Corruption, adopted 10 years ago, is the paramount global framework for preventing and combating corruption. Full implementation depends crucially on effective prevention, law enforcement, international cooperation and asset recovery. “On this International Anti-Corruption Day, I urge Governments, the private
TIGI President, Anand Goolsaran sector and civil society to take a collective stand against this complex social, political and economic disease that affects all countries…To achieve an equitable, inclusive and more prosperous future for all, we must foster a culture of integrity, transparency, accountability and good governance,” the UN Secretary General said.
Royston King mulls lawsuit over Sooba’s appointment By Zena Henry The second most qualified applicant interviewed for the post of city Town Clerk has engaged in legal proceedings against the Local Government Ministry for the “unconstitutional” appointment of Ms Carol Sooba to the senior position. The Guyana Local Government Officers’ Union (GLGOU) and the interviewing panel that saw the four candidates for the post are also likely to face legal proceedings as the Mayor and City Council’s (M&CC) Public Relations Officer, Royston King, seeks redress for what he says is the “unprofessional and
Town Clerk Carol Sooba
Royston King
improper” treatment of the applicants. King, in a letter to the Local Government Ministry, requested that the office show reasonable cause as to
how “the least qualified applicant”; Carol Sooba, was appointed Town Clerk over the two most qualified applicants for the post. King’s letter asked the Ministry to
provide a full report on the interview held on November 22, and the “methodology used for the selection and appointment of Ms. Sooba to the post of Town Clerk.” He reminded the Ministry that the arbitrary appointment of Sooba “has serious implications to the professional and personal development of individuals who work in such public offices...” Additionally, King is likely to take legal action against the interview panel and the GLGOU for its poor representation of him as a member. The PRO said in an invited comment that he has been with the City Council (Continued on page 19)
Monday December 09, 2013
Kaieteur News
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Unaccounted $8,000 million…
MONEY USED FOR ADDITIONAL STAFF AND PROMOTIONS - Ashni Singh Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh, responding to an article by the Kaieteur News, which said that he failed to account for just about $8000M over the past five years, has offered an explanation that AFC leader Khemraj Ramjattan says “has more holes than a cast-net.” According to Leader of the Alliance for Change (AFC), Khemraj Ramjattan, who debunked the Finance Minister’s response, this does not hold water when one looks at the actual estimates of the Budget for the revision of wages and salaries. It defies logic, fact, and the norms of the budgetary process, and even common sense, he added. Dr Singh in his explanation of the unaccounted monies in the budget over the years sought to argue that as a matter of policy, and of practical necessity, the National Budget only provides allocations to meet the cost of posts filled in budget agencies at the time the National Budget is finalised. He said that should a budget agency promote or recruit new staff, increase salaries or otherwise adjust salaries during the course of a year, that budget agency must revise its budgeted allocation to meet its shortfall. According to Dr Singh, “The shortfall is met by what is described as an interdepartmental warrant of funds provided by the Ministry of Finance from the revision of wages and salaries allocation to the agency where the shortfall has arisen. “This treatment of financial allocations for positions that are unfilled at the time of preparation of the national estimates or other employment cost shortfall is long established and honoured by time.” Ramjattan sees the explanation as leaking more
..his explanation has more holes than a cast net, Ramjattan than a cast net and defies logic. He said that even a cursory examination of the Annual Estimates Approved by the National Assembly, would expose the Finance Minister. According to Ramjattan, the staffing details in respect of each budget agency is illustrated in the budget and represented under line items. “The Minister proposes and Parliament has approved for each of those agencies and programmes,” Ramjattan said. He used as example, the staffing details for Office of the President which is represented at page 29 of the National Estimates, and points to a 5.8 per cent increase in staff. According to Ramjattan, an analysis of the voted provisions for the revision of wages and salaries point to a 21.3 per cent increase in employment cost. He said, too, that the Ministry of Natural Resources and E n v i r o n m e n t ’ s Administration, which is represented on page 122 and 123 of the Estimates, shows that the staffing strength went up from 10 to 14, a 40 per cent increase. “When one looked at the voted provision for this increase of four staffers one saw an 80 per cent increase in wages and salaries. There was a line item captioned Total Wages and Salaries. It shows wages and salaries moving from $22 M to $40M. The AFC leader noted, also, that for Region Three, there is just a five per cent increase in staffing strength while the voted provisions represent a 10 per cent increase in employment cost under Total wages and
AFC leader, Khemraj Ramjattan
Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh
Salaries. Ramjattan said that perhaps most glaring, is over at the Ministry of Social Services and Social Security, Agency 48, Programme 482. According to Ramjattan, the staffing strength at that agency went down from 352 staffers to 285 staffers, a decline of 20 per cent, but under the monies voted for under Total Wages and Salaries, there is a 15 per cent increase from $291 M to $336M. There were 67 less staffers; but employment costs shot up by $45M! “So we have made the adjustments for increased staffing and consequential increases Wages and Salaries as a result of these staffing, at the time of passing of Budget. “The line item dealing with Revised Wages and Salaries is a wholly different thing. This line item for 2013 was $4,4B for a 15 per cent increase for all the employment costs of all staffers for all Agencies and Ministries which we would have taken in the projected increase of staffers for 2013! We would have already by March 2013 determined how
many staffers there will be in all Agencies and Ministries. “It could never be that from March 2013 to December 2013 there could be so many more staffers contracted or so many promoted to offset approximately $2,2M. Utter nonsense! This is a huge scam that has been stumbled upon here.” Ramjattan said that he
has every reason to believe that this situation is reflected across each of the Government agencies for which monies would have been voted for in the yearly estimates. The AFC Leader charged that the budgetary allocations for Revision of Wages and Salaries for public servants are now being regarded as a slush fund given that over the past five years there is more than $8B unaccounted for. According to Ramjattan the amount budgeted for Revised Wages and Salaries for 2013 represents an almost 15 per cent increase for public servants and not the five per cent that is being touted by Government. “This is a deception being perpetrated by the Ministry and is wholly wrong this does not accord with the norms of the budgetary process at all.” He said that according to the party’s calculations at this stage it is proving that for the past several years there has
been a huge difference between what was allocated for revised wages and salaries and what was actually paid out.” “A substantial amount is definitely not accounted for,” said Ramjattan. The AFC will certainly be asking questions in Parliament “now that our confidence has waned so terribly as a result of this development… “We are now appreciating why the President does not want to assent to that amendment to the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act, namely section 85, which expands “official” to mean the Minister.” Under this amendment the Opposition is looking to expand the category of government officials that can be held accountable for the misuse of public funds. “He (Minister of Finance, Dr Ashni Singh) is the one who ought to be made culpable for any delinquencies on this score, rather than the other officials there.
HUNGRY THIEF CAUGHT RED-HANDED
Snackette thief Sitaram Singh
After breaking into a snackette to eat and drink to his heart’s content, a thief was caught red-handed at around 21:00 hrs yesterday while trying to escape with a quantity of goods. Amanda Pereira said that her snackette, located on the Houston, East Bank Demerara waterfront, has been broken into about four times. Because of this, Pereira said that she would make steady checks to ensure that everything is intact. Last evening, accompanied by her boyfriend, she made one such check and discovered a man behind the snackette packing boxes of goods on a bicycle. Upon seeing the man, the boyfriend, Ronald Cappell said he held the thief at gunpoint while Pereira went for the police. Cappell said that upon inspection of the stall, it was clear that the thief ate a quantity of sweet biscuits and drank a few expensive energy drinks before packing up another set of goodies to take away. This newspaper spoke with the bandit who identified himself as Sitaram Singh of Broad Street, Montrose.
Monday December 09, 2013
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Cheddi and power sharing after 1992 On his deathbed, Cheddi Jagan had an epiphany. He signed a note saying that he would like his wife to take over from him. It was so unlike Cheddi. He, after all, had once said at a political walkabout in Lethem that he was not bothered about what would happen after he left politics. He stated that there were others capable of leading the party and pointed to a party leader who was with him at the time as an example of someone who could take over. He did not, as has been so mischievously and opportunistically suggested, identify that particular individual as his successor. He merely pointed to that individual as an example of the individuals within the party who were capable of succeeding him. On his deathbed he made his final choice. Cheddi was always interested in internal democracy within the party. But he had tremendous influence over the party because of who he was: the man who led the Independence struggle in
Guyana after the end of the Second World War. The party did not have to agree with Cheddi’s choice but they were all outfoxed by a skilful maneuver by Mrs. Janet Jagan who inveigled the party to pick her as Cheddi’s successor. With the wishes of Cheddi on pen and paper who would dare oppose? Why did Cheddi on his deathbed hand over the party to his wife? Human nature is not always rational or logical. She had been a loyal partner and ally in the political struggle. She was definitely the most senior party leader. She had founded the PPP and was the longest serving member within the leadership. She was always therefore going to be a front runner to take over from Cheddi. There were other reasons why Cheddi would have wanted her to succeed him. He would have had close to four years to observe the other leaders within the party. He did not like some of the things he saw, including rank opportunism. It must also be recalled that Cheddi never had the crème of the crop when it
came to his party’s leaders. When he was in opposition he was abandoned by many people. The middle class in particular had not joined ranks with him in opposing the brutal PNC regime. As such Cheddi had to be content with those who were within the leadership. The fact that so many of these leaders stayed with him while more able and qualified persons disassociated themselves from the PPP had a stirring effect on the PPP’s decision to go it alone after it comprehensively defeated the PNC in the 1992 elections. Hoyte, the defeated PNC candidate, was a grouchy old man. He was never going to enter into any power sharing talks with Cheddi. He had publicly expressed his dislike with Cheddi and had gone to the extent of saying that he was dedicating his life towards ensuring that Cheddi never regained power. During a television interview in the run up to the 1992 elections, he kept beating an old Cold war drum by demanding to know whether Cheddi was still a communist. Cheddi turned to
Dem boys seh
Who gun talk good bout our leaders?
When de world hear that Nelson Mandela dead nuff people cry. When dem open dem paper dem see people of all races hugging up and sharing dem grief. Then somebody ask dem boys if Guyana could ever be united. Of course Guyana ain’t so divided and dem boys does see it when dem go to de market but in daily life dem same people who can be friendly does demonstrate suh much hate. Wha cause that? Some of de leaders we got in this country. Dem boys seh that Mandela was de greatest thing forgiving but de leaders in Guyana does bear malice. Dem is de people who does smile wid you and as soon as you slip you want to know if is de same people who show you a nice face. Yet dem got some leaders who does forgive. Jagdeo use to forgive. He forgive Rekha; he forgive nuff people who do cock wuk and thief state funds. He even forgive people who tell lie to de parliament once de people who ask de question was de opposition. Jagdeo forgive dem who rape while dem was Minister and even dem who attempt
rape and dem boys know why. Donald slightly different but he forgive people too. He forgive all of dem who thief GINA money because to this day he ain’t tell dem nutten. He even help dem get wuk. He tun he face like Jagdeo when people talk bout Brazzy and how he shifting around NICIL money. Then he promote Brazzy. O n e o f t h e w o r l d ’s
l e a d e r, t a l k i n g a b o u t Mandela, seh, ”Mandela’s remarkable life is an inspiring example of how much history still turns on the actions of a few men.” Dem boys know that nobody gun ever seh de same bout a Guyanese leader. Talk half and tek steps to see that our leaders do something to mek people talk good bout dem.
him and asked him whether he beat his wife. It was Cheddi’s way of saying, “I do not enquire into your personal business so why are you peeping into mine.” Given the long years of loyalty to Cheddi by the leaders of the party at the time of the 1992 elections, it would have been difficult for Cheddi not to have rewarded them with Cabinet positions. His wife Mrs. Jagan was also believed to be viciously opposed to him sharing power with too many others outside of the party. The issue of the WPA needs clarification because it is being misrepresented. There was a falling out between the PPP and the WPA after the mischief that was weaved in the PCD during the WPA’s attempt to
deny the PPP the presidential candidate of the PCD. But Cheddi was a man who harbored no bitterness. He was definitely keen on having Clive Thomas as a Minister of Planning and Development. He was already committed to having the then top official in the Jamaica Central Bank, Mr. Asgar Ally as his Minister of Finance. This was part of an arrangement to appease the business class in the country who wanted a noncommunist as Minister of Finance. Cheddi however wanted to have the expertise of Clive Thomas within the government. He wanted him as his Minister of Planning. A major difference arose with the WPA over this issue. The
WPA did not want Cheddi to decide who he wanted. They wanted him to negotiate with them on their involvement and they would decide who would participate. Having only won one seat, the WPA seemed to have been adopting a too inflexible position. With time being of the essence in naming the Cabinet, Cheddi had to abandon the idea of having Thomas as a Minister of Planning and Development. The WPA felt miffed. After this there was never again any possibility of the WPA being involved in the post 1992 PPP government.
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Kaieteur News
Monday December 09, 2013
Abandon existing Anti-Money laundering law and adopt Barbados’ With the window of opportunity rapidly closing for Guyana to comply with the recommendations set out by the Caribbean Financial Action Taskforce (CFATF) before it attracts greater sanctions, Financial Analyst, Christopher Ram, is suggesting that the nation scrap its existing legislation and adopt the one existing in Barbados. According to Ram, there are deficiencies and c o n s t i t u t i o n a l inconsistencies in Guyana’s existing Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act. Ram made the call through his chrisram.net
media outlet and said that the Barbados 2011 legislation fully complies with all the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force. “That Act also avoids the several fundamental objections to Guyana’s 2009 Act and proposed 2013 amendments. Of course, the Barbados Act would require certain amendments in respect to other legislations that are to be amended.” Ram suggested also that there should be three substantive amendments: the first dealing with the appointment and removal of the Executive Head, bringing these under the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) or the Public Service
Commission; bringing the National Procurement and Tender Administration under the Anti-Money laundering Authority referred to in the next paragraph; and third, requiring reporting to the National Assembly direct as in the case of the Auditor General’s Report. According to Ram, the Barbados legislation establishes an institutional mechanism, whereby the responsibility for maintaining oversight of the national Anti-Money Laundering/ Counter-Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) framework, lies not with a single individual but with an Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA).
Under that arrangement, the AMLA is made up of eleven members, drawn mainly from the key public sector agencies that relate directly to anti-money laundering activity. “The executive functions of the Authority are carried out by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) which is headed by the Director and comprises of other public officers.” Ram suggested that Guyana should also seek technical help from Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados to assist in formulating and executing a strategy to exit its present CFATF status. “I had suggested several months ago to seek assistance from Trinidad and Tobago which was in a similar predicament some years ago.” According to Ram, the President, the Government and the National Assembly must agree on an unambiguous timeline to operationalize key institutions such as the Public Procurement Commission, the Integrity Commission, the Ombudsman, the Local Government Commission, the Ethnic Relations Commission and the naming of a date for Local Government elections. He said too, that as it relates to the insistence by the Government to have a noobjection condition inserted in the Procurement Act would be a violation of Article 212 FF of the Constitution of Guyana. “This requires that political interference be eschewed in relation to Commissions and to minimise the influence of the executive
- Chris Ram and maximize public perception of impartiality in the operation of the commission.” Ram said that for those uncomfortable with the adoption of a Barbadosmodel legislation, “I would remind them that the Barbados Companies Act 1982 was a principal influence on the Companies Act 1991 of Guyana and that the Barbados Act was itself modelled after the Canadian Business Corp o r a t i o n s Act.” Ram, in his analysis of the predicament Guyana is placed in, reminded that the decision by the CFATF is a direct consequence of the failure by the National Assembly of Guyana to pass the amendments to the AntiMoney Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2013. He said that making the case for the Government, its spokespersons simply state that the amendments are what the CFATF has called for. Opposition parties and civil society have expressed concern not only about the proposed amendments, but about some of the provisions in the principal Act. Among the objections raised are provisions that are claimed to be in violation of the Constitution, the absence of a strong executing authority and the role of political operatives in the administration of the Act. In his argument for the adoption of the Barbados model, Ram said that “having
Financial Analyst, Christopher Ram reviewed a sample of the regional statutory framework, I am satisfied that there is no single model which the CFATF prescribes for meeting the requirements of the Forty Recommendations and Nine Special Recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force…I am also satisfied about the validity of many, if not all of the concerns expressed by civil society a n d t h e p a r l i a m e n tary opposition and about the call by the AFC for a key constitutional body to regulate public procurement to be established forthwith.” According to Ram, there is a real possibility that even if the amendments were to be passed with the support of one or both of the parliamentary opposition parties, the constitutionality of a number of provisions in the Act could be challenged in the courts. “I do not think it sensible or advisable to rake such unnecessary risks.”
$5000 note is released today Guyana’s first $5000 note hits the streets today as circulation commences. The higher denomination note is intended to reduce the demand for other notes. The bill is expected to enhance the efficiency in payment systems and reduce the amount of cash being kept on a person. At the bill’s launch, Deputy Governor, Bank of Guyana Dr. Gobind Ganga asserted that the Bank will undoubtedly meet the seasonal increase and reduce the number of notes it would be required to process. Finance Minister Ashni Singh pointed out that there is no need in today’s world, to be handling and retaining large volumes of cash. The $5000 note
Backside of the new $5000 bill measures 156mm x 65mm with the main colors on the back and front being magenta and green. The face side of the note carries the map of Guyana with its natural resources, while the reverse side depicts the National Bird; the Canje Pheasant and the Rainforest. The note also bears several security features that are easily identifiable. When
tilted, the color of the value shifts from magenta to green and the rolling bar moves up and down. The bill bears the watermark of a macaw seen when held up to the light. The note also carries a two track thread with optically variable & metallic print properties among other features. It is now the highest note over the 1996 introduced $1000 bill.
Monday December 09, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 11
Top Cop plays Santa to Rosemary Lane Youths Santa Claus came early to the children of Rosemary Lane in the form of a jolly Commissioner of Police Leroy Brumell, who doled out gifts and words of encouragement yesterday as the Rosemary Lane Youth Club held its Annual Christmas party. The Rosemary Lane Youth Club, which has been in existence for the past 22 years, is a police initiative geared towards the personal growth and development of children who particularly reside in the community popularly referred to as ‘Tiger Bay’. Yesterday, as the Commissioner spoke on behalf of the Force at the event that was held at the Police Sports Club, Eve Leary, he was able to initiate broad smiles on the faces of the anxious children and other guests. He praised the ranks for continuously playing an integral role in the children’s lives by not only providing them with good role models, but for constantly participating and organizing the activities which seek to make a difference in their lives. Brummell expressed the hope that the children who the Force has been nurturing will one day stand in the shoes of the officers who serve this country. Brummell stated that the children have been exposed to a number of learning areas for the past year. After complimenting the parents, the assisting body and even the kids for what he described as a very successful year, Commissioner Brummell stunned the crowd as he was only short of a suit and a sack for the generous offerings he made. The Commissioner lauded group members Shontel Menezes and Alpha Daniels, the two young ladies whose duet managed to woo the crowd and which he
Commissioner Brumell crowded by the happy children
noted “even received noticeable approval from choir members”. He promised them $20,000 each for their talent. The Commissioner also commended Daniel Smith, one of the youths, and awarded him $10,000 for what he cited as “boldness and bravery” exhibited throughout the event. Brumell further revealed at the gathering that he was amazed at the progress of the club and the strides that the children have been making and managed to back his remarks with a donation of $200,000 much to the excitement of the club. A monetary award of $150,000 was also given to the Police Band and the outstanding Chairperson of the event, Ms. Tamika Henry. Through songs, dances, poems, and a skit, the youths proved that they are making use of the lessons taught. The youngsters entertained the audience, which comprised Senior Officers and other ranks. While there were vocal performances, the youths managed to leave a resonating message in the minds of the audience as they performed a skit which made evident, their perception of teenage pregnancy. At the end of their impressive performance they chorused “Teenage pregnancy occurs when you make wrong decisions so we urge you to make right decisions.” While the Police Commissioner and Crime Chief presented a few of the outstanding performers with monetary rewards, all those who participated received Christmas gifts. An overview of this year’s activity was presented by Cadet Officer Ali, who mentioned that the children were involved in spiritual lessons and teachings, lectures on the social ills such as child, drug and domestic abuse and human trafficking.
The children of Rosemary Lane
Amazing dance performance on peace She stated that they were involved in a summer training programme, which included photography, English and Mathematics and noted too that during Mashramani 2013 they participated in a table tennis competition. Ali, who quoted the late International Leader Nelson Mandela said that “There is no keener revolution of society’s soul than the way we treat our children,” and stated that the Youth Group is looking to expand its membership with the ultimate goal of these children joining the force. Crime Chief Seelall
Persaud, who was introduced as the driving force behind the group, related that despite the highs and lows the group has experienced, he is dedicated to allowing ranks to access the youths so as to further their growth and development.
He conveyed that throughout their teachings, emphasis has continuously been given to the children on ‘choice and consequences,’ since this in his opinion “is the way they will refrain from making negative choices.” At the end of the event,
recognition was given to those who have supported the group. Ms. Kellisha Hackett, who delivered the vote of thanks, left the crowd with an interesting thought as she said “Please enjoy, don’t destroy.”
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Kaieteur News
Monday December 09, 2013
GBTI commissions new Port Mourant branch
The new GBTI Port Mourant branch L to R: Mr. Ally; Mr. Stoby; Dr. Singh; Mr. Mahadeo and CEO Mr. Tracey
After- hour banking, Saturday openings, and topnotch security drive-thru are among the services being boasted by the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry Limited (GBTI), as it opened its spanking new $40M Port Mourant, Berbice branch on Saturday. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr. John Tracey stated that nine new branches of the bank were aimed to be
opened during the bank’s Strategic Plan 2012-2016. This new branch follows the establishment of the GBTI Port Kaituma branch in Region One in February. The bank’s loan portfolio grew from $13.1B in 2009 to $35.3B in 2012. The total assets of the bank grew from $53.9B in 2009 to $87.6B in 2012m, while the total deposits grew from $45.8B in 2009 to $77.2B in 2012and profits after tax grew
from $991M in 2009 to $1.8B in 2012, almost doubling of profits in a space of just a few years. Mr. Tracey added that the new branch boasts improved security as well, “so if you are doing deposits, you can drive in and the gates [are] locked behind you and you can drive out through the back on a private road, so it has all the features that we want to provide security which is
important in this day and age.” Throughout the branch network, he noted, that “we have opened on days when other banks are not opening, so we will be opening on Saturdays and on some Wednesdays when some businesses are closed…so we hope that this brings a difference to you…” GBTI, he noted, is a technology- driven bank, “and we wanted to bring the latest technological products and services to you…we still have products and services that will allow you to not come to the bank at all.” This means that customers can conduct mobile banking. The company has reached a point, he added, when “we have to look to rental if we are going to continue the strategy of branching.” This is based on solid research being conducted by the company which studies the locations before actually setting up shop there, “and it’s fortunate that we got this place to rent, because inasmuch we are spending as much as $40M to renovate, it is still much cheaper if we had to build our own buildings, which would
cost no less than $300M.” Chairman of the Board of Directors of GBTI, Mr. Robin Stoby, S.C, said that the bank has played a key role in “its already well- established network of eleven branches.” Stoby said that this twelfth location will bring immense value and opportunities to Berbice. The key strategy of the bank in Guyana over the years has been to ensure that micro- enterprises and the family- owned businesses, “traditional in Guyana and so much a central part of the lives of the communities,” receive the full support and guidance of GBTI. Apart from the financing that the bank has made available, numerous business workshops have been conducted at all locations, where baking and financial issues were discussed, as well as requirements for banking finances. This is an annual activity, “and we intend to do so at this location in the very near future.” Additionally, there is a strong focus on the provision of financing on housing development through the bank’s LowIncome Housing Loan Plan,
“an essential part of the community’s right that people be given their own place in which to live and call their home.” Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, apologized for the absence of His Excellency President Donald Ramotar, who has left Guyana for South African to attend the Memorial Services of Late Nelson Mandela. Dr. Singh praised GBTI’s “fine example of the health and strengths of the financial sector in Guyana.” He commended the bank’s increased in profits, deposits and such figures from 2009-2012. Prior to the cutting of the ribbon to the new facility by Dr. Singh and students of the Port Mourant Primary School, appreciations and presentations were made to Mr. Ghoeblall Mahadeo, Branch Manager of the new branch, as well as to members of the Port Mourant community. Remarks were also made by Deputy Regional Executive Officer (DREO) of Region 6, Mr. Imran Ally as well as Mr. Seon Noel, Manager- Administration GBTI.
Cops stake out planned robbery... (From page 3) only the other day we had a tragedy here where a tree fell on our house and we trying to repair the house right now.” Mustapha’s relatives also said that they did not know Paul Bascom, the other slain man. only the other day we had a tragedy here where a tree fell on our house and we try-
ing to repair the house right now.” Mustapha’s relatives also said that they did not know Paul Bascom, the other slain man. Bascom, who is in his twenties, was remanded last year in connection with the September 17, 2012 shooting of Diamond, East Bank Demerara businesswoman Bibi Samaroo. She was shot
in her right shoulder and pelvis and relieved of $25,000. He was accused of discharging a loaded firearm at Samaroo with intent to maim, disfigure and cause grievous bodily harm. But in March, 2013, despite strong objections by prosecution, Bascom was released on $1.8 M bail in connection with the same attack on Bibi Samaroo.
Monday December 09, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 13
APNU launches Local Govt. Election campaign in Berbice In a fiery election rally with speaker after speaker accusing the PPP government of inept governance, the main opposition party A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) on Friday intensified its election campaigned for the impending local government election with a rally in New Amsterdam. The rally was organised by the PNC/R’s youth arm, the Guyana Youth and Student Movement (GYSM) and was addressed by Party Leader and Majority Leader in Parliament, David Granger and a number of other speakers, including youth leaders and members of Parliament James Bond, Annette Ferguson, Christopher Jones and Regional Councilors Kerwin Crawford and Hasrat Hussein. New Amsterdam Mayor Claude Henry made the welcome and the opening remarks and introduced the chairman of the night’s proceedings, Regional Councilor Jeauvhan Stephen. Mr. Granger, in his short address, mentioned the many
Opposition Leader David Granger
MP James Bond
alleged atrocities committed by the ruling party. He told the audience that the APNU is destined to win and make a clean sweep in the upcoming elections. He urged party members to work hard and not to make the mistake like in 2011 when a number of them did not vote. Mr. Granger in his address highlighted the party’s symbol which he says is a good one. He accused the PPP of sowing division among Guyanese. “Robbery, murder, suicide, crime and piracy are
dominating the country and Berbice, it must stop,” the opposition leader said. Granger called on residents to put race aside and vote on issues. He also appealed to youths and women to step forward and take charge. “We are winners and we will win this Local Government election, but we have to be prepared to work. We must visit all the houses, every street corner and make sure that this time around you all make sure that every eligible voter goes out and
Regional Councillor Kerwin Crawford casts that ballot in favour of the APNU”. Members of Parliament James Bond, Annette Ferguson and Christopher Jones and Councilors
Crawford and Hussein all weighed in on blasting the government for bad stewardship and a dictatorship style governance. Mention was made of the President’s refusal to sign one of the bills passed in Parliament. The government’s imposition of its customary 5 percent pay hike on public sector workers- including teachers, nurses and the military and the neglect of the East Bank Berbice road, the high cost to cross the Berbice River bridge also came in for examination at the rally. The neglect of the municipalities and the Neigbourhood Democratic Councils, which are integral parts of the local government system, were hot topics and were touched on by all of the
speakers, as well as the appointment of City Hall Town Clerk, Carol Soba. Parliamentarian James Bond stated that even decisions that are made at parliament when the Government Ministers are involved are ignored by the regime. And Christopher Jones likened Guyana’s situation to that of a plantation. He called it Plantation Ramoutar where everything is imposed on the Guyanese people and one cannot say much. He told the gathering that braved the inclement weather to vote resoundingly to “release ourselves from the clutches of impending slavery which is being imposed by the PPP dictatorship and Plantation Ramoutar.”
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Kaieteur News
DTV-8 celebrating 20 years of broadcasting
Monday December 09, 2013
GPSU advises members to spend wisely this season - warns against unsupportive private sector
DTV-8 which recently attained company status, is managed by its Directors, the Rambarrans Dave’s Television Channel 8 in New Amsterdam is marking its 20th Anniversary with a monthlong of observances and activities. The TV station, founded by the late David ‘Dave’ Rambarran, emerged out of the now 65- year- old Dave’s Portrait Studio. He was considered to be the pioneer of still photography in the Ancient County, having started business since 1947. Today, the station is being managed by his children and grandchildren. The Video Productions section was started in 1985 and the most recent addition, Dave’s Television Channel 8 (DTV-8), was started on 22nd December 1993. DTV-8 is a community oriented TV committed to informing, educating and entertaining the Berbice community. DTV-8 also promotes sports, cultural, religious and social activities of the people in the community. As part of its celebrations for the special anniversary, the station will be airing programmes and excerpts of footage through the past twenty years. DTV-
8 also pioneered locallyproduced features in Berbice including ‘Know your County’, ‘Teen Rap’, the satirical year- end series Berbice Lampoon’, ‘Here in Berbice’, among others. This was in the early 90’s, a time when television broadcasting in Guyana was a ‘new’ thing. Additionally, it was the first TV station in Berbice and one of the first few in Guyana to have aired a TV Newscast ‘DTV- News Digest’ hosted by a husband and wife team. The first live newscast, ‘Prime News’ was also aired in the 1990’s. The TV station further broke new ground by airing the first birthday greetings and popularized the ‘Death Announcement’ segment on local TV, something which has been adopted by many other TV stations in Guyana. DTV-8 was also the first TV station in Berbice and indeed among the first in Guyana, too, to air a live outdoor broadcast. This took place a few years ago from the N/A Town Hall. Other regular live outdoor broadcasts through the years included the Courts Christmas Lightup on Main Street, New
Amsterdam; N/A Town Day Opening at State House Lawns, Good Friday Service at the Roman Catholic Church of the Ascension; A. Ally & Sons Christmas Bonanza Drawing on Main Street, etc. The TV station is also familiar for its quality familyoriented programmes with the TV station popular slogan ‘Television for the Entire Family and Berbice Super station’. It is a widelyreached media house which embraces religious faiths of all denominations and caters for all ages and viewers of different tastes. There will be an exhibition on December 20 and 21 in front of the TV station. On display will be photographs of DTV- 8 through the past 20 years as well as equipment such as camera and such like that were used over the years during production. The Rambarran family also plans to visit the Children of Promise Orphanage. There will also be a Live TV call- in programme where viewers can win twenty prizes and a cake- cutting ceremony on December 21, the day prior to the 20TH Anniversary date.
Livan and other GPSU executives, members protesting the 5 percent increase Public workers are being advised to be mindful of their spending this season in light of the “arbitrary five percentage wage imposition” by the government. The head of the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) Patrick Yarde has noted that it would be very unwise for public servants to engage in lavish spending; enriching the private sector that has so far been silent to their cause. Yarde said that he would be disappointed in the workers if they should engage in excess spending and forget the meager five percent increase that the government has imposed on them. He warned against the unsupportive private sector as they have not expressed concerns over the actions
against the public workers - a significant percentage of the sector’s supporters. GPSU’s Senior Industrial Officer Dennis English urged union members in a press interview that they should not get carried away with the fanfare of Christmas given the struggle that is before them. He said, “We have not seen anyone from the private sector coming out in support, but they are waiting to grab the public servants with advertisements and other offers for Christmas.” “But they (workers) should not get caught up in the season; next the season ends and its back to punishment and it is even worst, because come January, February, they (workers) have a whole year ahead of them to make do with that meager and inadequate five percent increase.” “We are saying to them that it is in their best interest, we are standing on the proverbial shoulders of many, some fought for order and previously for us and died. The point is that they have passed on a legacy to us therefore we have a duty to endure that we don’t lose what we already have.” “Many persons are
enjoying great benefits and I hope they don’t think it was as a result of this decent government that woke up one morning and decided that they love public servants; it was the struggle of the union, nurses and other persons shot with pellets and so on and therefore we are viewing it very closely. We have good reason to stand up because the only time that workers get something significant is when they fight up. The government only understands a crisis situation; they lack the decency to sit down and negotiate” First Vice President Mortimer Livan has questioned the whereabouts of the remaining $3B designated for public workers. He said that when the wages were passed at $35,000 for public workers, the private sector was upset and spoke out against it, “here we have an illegality where over $4B was budgeted for wage increase; the president signed off the appropriation bill for the purposes that the money was designated for. But only some $1B was used, they need to tell us where the rest of the money is.”
Monday December 09, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 21
Fiat justitia or just a slow coach? When I was a young man, the Merrymen of Barbados, led by Emile Straker, was the hit band of the Caribbean. If you went to a “house” party you started the night with the Merrymen and ended it with Los Indios Tabajaras. First came “Big Big Bamboo” with its suggestive lyrics, then you hustled the girls, “The More The Merrier” actually, drank your rum until you were “Sweet For Days” and having found one that you could truly tell “You Sweeten Me Girl, Yes You Sweeten Me” you moved on to Los Indios. If by that time she had not yet promised to give you “Some Ting, Ting, Ting” or it turned out to be an aerated grapefruit juice, you settled into the body contact and slow grind of “Maria Elena” and “Always In My Heart.” By then dancing had indeed become the vertical expression of a horizontal desire. The Merrymen came out one year with “Archie Bruck Them Up” and it staggered Trinidad like an over-proof Mount Gay Eclipse Black. Of course it did not remain intact for more than a split second as without a second thought, or even a second’s thought, the name became something that Trinidadians were more
comfortable with. Unfortunately, the word which replaced it was one frowned upon by decent society as offensive and, even when misspelled by uneducated and ignorant youth with an “O” instead of a “U”, was deemed obscene and its use in the presence or hearing of an unenlightened policeman was subject to arrest, a subsequent fine and/ or imprisonment. Such was the case with the young lady our leader “Rabbi” had nicknamed “The Mud”. In those days, despite becoming an Independent nation, Trinidad was still colour-structured. My neighbor whose nickname was “Ban” was light or “red” skinned. Unfortunately, just as romance started shyly stirring, blooming and became manifest between Ban and a dark-skinned young lady from a nearby village, an award-winning documentary entitled “The Sky Above: The Mud Below”, shot in Dutch New Guinea featuring cannibals, headhunters and pygmies, hit the cinema of our little town. Needless to say we all went to the movie because there was nothing else to see and the cinema was the only weekend recreation apart from
men beating their wives or girlfriends or both. Ban’s girlfriend’s features were similar to the New Guinea native ladies and so, noticing the resemblance, Rabbi dubbed her “The Mud” and the name stuck like cheap panty-hose on a hot day. Jour Ouvert (pronounced Joo Vay) is the start of the two-day Carnival, first in Trinidad and then exported to the rest of the region. It is also called “fore-day-morning” mas since it starts just before dawn and continues until midmorning. It was while we were enjoying our Joo-Vay chipping in slow, tired and increasingly drunken steps behind our neighbourhood steelband, Deltones, that the talk went through the band like a whiff of marijuana. “Dey lock up Mud”. “Police hold The Mud”. “Mud in de cell.” Now if you see an old acquaintance handcuffed and waiting for his moment in court to begin and you ask, “What happen boy? Why they lock you up?” he would reply, “Dey say ah thief a cow” or “Dey say I beat ah man”. It is never “I did this” or “I did that” it is always, “Dey say…” It turned out that “dey say” The Mud was fined for the use of obscene language for shouting out at
the top of her voice, drowning even the steelband, her version of what Archie did to “dem”. In Trinidad, another Archie, the Chief Justice, has made the headlines recently. While he did not “bruck” up anyone or, in fact, inflict upon them any other version, pronunciation or variation of the word, what “dey say” he did is that he has kept people waiting for judgement and they are so bruck up about it that one, convicted of multiple murders, has initiated legal proceedings against the Chief Justice. Since lawyers and other educated folk are nothing if not original, this has led to the frequent repetition of the cliché “Justice delayed is justice denied” and even suggestions that the salaries of judges who did not deliver their judgements in reasonable time should be withheld. According to a newspaper report, “convicted killer Lester Pitman initiated legal action against the continued failure of the Court of Appeal to deliver judgement in his appeal, which has been pending for four years. Pitman argued he has had to suffer breaches of his rights at the hands of the Supreme Court which was
vested under the Constitution with the responsibility of the protection of those said rights.” Pitman argued, “Such a situation can only be but a rare event, at least one would hope so. Where, as in this case, the protector of our human rights has been responsible for their wanton disregard there could be no more blatant evidence that such actions amount to a breakdown of the rule of law and the fundamental pillars of our democracy.” Chief Justice Ivor Archie and Justices Paula Mae Weeks and Alice Yorke Soo-Hon presided over Pitman’s appeal and reserved judgment on March 4, 2010. One Judge has recommended to the National Constitution Reform Commission (NCRC) that judges who take too long to deliver their judgements should be punished. She did not advocate removal of those laggards maybe because we might immediately experience a rash of vacancies on the Bench. In this case, a rush of judgements might be the equivalent of a rush to
judgement. A former Chief Justice has revealed that judges failing to deliver judgements in a timely fashion have “always been a problem.” A correspondent to the “Letters to the Editor” section of the same newspaper wrote, “Imagine the plight of the young taxi driver who was shot by a police officer whilst plying his taxi. He waited for over a decade (13 years to be exact) for his case to be completed. I’m certain that he could have done with the extra money to help take care of his family and medical bills. It is time to make our judges “feel the pinch”. People never learn or change their errant ways until you hit them where it hurts the most — in their pocket.” Hitting them in their pockets might be a good idea but if I had to do it, especially to a Chief Justice, I would probably aim a bit higher. *Tony Deyal was last seen repeating what the lady told the Judge when he asked her why she hit her husband with a chair. “It would have taken me too long to lift the table,” she said.
GCC makes second attempt at AGM Facing the possibility of a takeover by a local corporate entity, the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) will today try again to hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) to discuss key club issues, and - more than likelythe recent $US30M offer to change the face of the club as it has been known for more than 150 years. Last week’s AGM adjourned prematurely when it failed to attract a quorum of 50 members to make it legal. While the proposal by New GPC’s Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop has been withdrawn, antennae are still high about the possible intervention. The executives of the cricket club have stated that it is not for sale, and have informed that they did not approach Ramroop over the proposal, nor did they meet with New GPC directors or intended to make any decision without the consultation of the membership. Questions are expected to be raised over Ramroop’s multi-million dollar proposal. Several club members are doubtful that the attempt to acquire the facility is over. Nonetheless, they say that at the end of it, decisions to be made would only be
viable once it is in the best interest of the longstanding, world- renowned GCC ground. The Cricket ground was opened in the late 1800s and staged its first test match some 93 years ago. It is also known for the world class cricket that was played there by arguably the best. Executive member Leslie Ramalho says that the proposal seemed probable and legal advice was sought on the matter. He said however that the club never met with Ramroop and therefore could not hold discussions over the optimum benefits for the club. He added further that the GCC, in any discussions, would not have done so arbitrarily, but moves would have been made to assemble a strong negotiating team; of more experienced and senior members to comb through what Ramroop was offering. Ramalho reiterated that he had no problem with Ramroop’s proposal, “as long as the club stood to enjoy maximum benefits.” But another club member, Khemraj Ramjattan told Kaieteur News that he was unwilling to support Ramroop’s multi-million dollar offer to upgrade the
Bourda cricket ground
GCC. Ramjattan said he would not support a monopoly ownership of the internationally known cricket ground and opined that the developers, for example; the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), stallholders and other cricketrelated outfits affiliated to the ground’s development should have first preference in any handing over and
subsequent ownership of the facilities, while recognizing that the ground and the pavilion need rehabilitation. Ramroop renounced his offer to the cricket club citing among other things a leak of the “confidential” proposal. New GPC had proposed to raise the level of the grounds and improve drainage; extend the playing areas in keeping
with new regulations to accommodate cricket, football, athletics and other sports; construct a world
class restaurant, entertainment and reception facilities and to a build a bigger parking area.
Page 22
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Kaieteur News
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FOR SALE
FOR SALE
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Monday December 09, 2013
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Sears 42" riding mower excellent condition. Kholer engine $240,000, 1- double door refrigerator (large) – Call: 261-2988 Happy acres- $66 million; Ogle- $65M; Hotel on prime commercial spot- $2M USD -Contact:223-8479/647-3768, www.spaceseek.gy 1 farm @ Yaracabra Linden Highway- Contact:265-3586 5 acre fruit bearing organic farm with small cottage to lease or purchase. Leases $90,000; purchase US$125,000 – Call 261-2988 Houses & house lots, MonRepos -$23 million; East Ruimveldt-$10 million; Diamond-$ 34 millionContact:223-8479/647-3768, www.spaceseek.gy Almost new Honda 6500 watts generator on wheels only 18 hours $ 430,000 - Call: 261-2988 1 smoothie machine, 2 ice machine - Contact: 231-0655 ,683-8734 (Continued on page 23)
Monday December 09, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 23
Letters... Where your views make the news
We must put an end to our own ‘apartheid’ DEAR EDITOR, The gloom of Nelson Mandela’s death certainly reverberated throughout the world on the 5th of December, with a magnitude outrivaling the earthquake in Haiti. Distant relatives in philosophy stood still that day to grieve the sad passing of their fellow. Esteemed world leaders such as Barrack Obama, David Cameron, Ban Ki Moon, et al were no different in their affirmation that the world has truly lost a beloved icon of the fight against racial segregation. Tributes from various Caribbean leaders were also noted. As far as racial segregation goes-with the exception of Guyana and Dominican Republic-the Caribbean is Nelson Mandela’s ‘promise land’. It is against this background I have taken umbrage to the message propagated by our own president -His Excellency Donald Ramotar-
and will reveal it for what it is really worth. In his tribute he declared that the former South African President and Freedom Fighter “was a giant in [the] defence of human rights and for free and just society…” I find this statement to be very superficial if not hypocritical given the record of this administration’s stance on human rights. Needless to mention that an alarming number of Guyanese human rights have repeatedly been infringed under the same president, who is now suddenly mouthing about “social and economic justice”. The same leader’s administration has been riddled with accusations of social and economic injustices that he refuses to speak about. A suitable case in point is the weeks of struggle resulting from a peaceful protest of Lindeners in the summer of 2012. It took a very
long time for the ‘President of all the people’ to visit the depraved town after a concert of shrilling cries, urging him to visit the depressed town was heeded. This widely acknowledged inaction was further smacked when an isolated event forced an expeditious venture of the peoples’ president to personally visit the home of a young detective, who has reportedly been making huge inroads in the prosecution of narcotics-related cases, to extend his heartfelt condolences after he was found murdered. I would rather to be puzzled than to assume that racial preponderance crept in later when several other lawmen lost their lives in the line of duty and the President’s visit to their homes were not a logical option. Now I am appealing to the entire Guyana to understand
that the objective of my critique of the highest office of the land is certainly not unwarranted. Moreso, my missive is clearly one of a defeatist intention. In essence this letter must not be construed as offensive or dismissed as the mere egotism of some lowly griped individual who perhaps wants to steal the show from the President. Rather, the purpose of this missive is to point out to the President that he missed the mark. He has certainly missed an importunate time to be exponential if not philosophical in his message to emulate the late “giant for a free and just society” by echoing to all Guyanese whether ‘black or coolie’ to put an end to our own apartheid so that maybe one day he will not be remembered as a dwarf “in the defence of human rights and for a free and just society.” Paul Akeem Marshall
WHO IS SPEAKING THE TRUTH – Minister... From page 5 would a solid waste facility, designed to meet similar needs like what was proposed for Guyana, cost G$6 billion. So we want the Minister of Local Government to tell the nation who would have benefited from all these extra billions if Kaieteur News did not catch this determined attempt to defraud the people of hundreds of millions of dollars? Minister Webster has all right to be “visibly upset” and to blame Kaieteur News for making the information public, but the fact is, she has only herself and her daughter to blame for not speaking the truth. It is now a public fact that only under a weak and corrupt Ramotar administration, will people of such flawed character remain in cabinet. Mr. Ramotar should have fired the Minister because as the old adage says, “you made your bed and you have to lie on it.” Ms.
Webster is responsible for her own problems so she should stop blaming Kaieteur News and others for them. But more importantly, how can the people have faith and confidence in Minister Webster to clean up the rotten Pension System? From the inception of her term in 2011, the Auditor General has been calling for this Minister and her Team to: 1. Update the Pensions Register to remove all those who have died. What has Minister Webster done? Nothing! 2. Enter the numbers of the pension book in the Pensions Register as a means of tracking fraudulent acts of mis-allocation of pension books to crooks. What has Minister Webster done? Nothing! 3. Enter the month the books were dispatched to establish the total expected charge on the Treasury per pension book. What has
Where is the tape... From page 5 greed, extra-judicial killings and disrespect for the security forces and the people for all to gaze upon in awe. In panic, the nation was desperately in search for solutions to combat the crime wave. Not that the Police Force was unable to do it, it could have, but it was hampered by political interference, whereby Commanders were told who to prosecute and who not to prosecute. Well, not much has changed since and today we have a Force that is not only short of vehicles and qualified personnel but one that is unprofessional, corrupt and demands bribes from the citizens. Today, we have a Police Force that is incompetent to find the killers of the many unsolved murders. The families as well as the nation would like to know who killed Monica Reece, the former Minister of Agriculture Satyadeow Sawh, Alicia Foster, Seema Mangar and the more than four hundred extra judicial murders that occurred during Jagdeo’s horrible reign as the worst president of Guyana. Dr. Asquith Rose and Chandra Deollal, Esq.
Minister Webster done? Nothing! So in essence, there is a do-nothing minister in one of the most important ministries—Social Services where very little has been done to help abusive children and mothers who face danger every day from their spouses. All the minister does is to react when a woman is murdered in domestic violence disputes. Is this the kind of Minister the people want in charge of this G$10 billion portfolio? There are clear loop holes like “the dead and the under-aged” collecting pension, but under Minister We b s t e r ’s leadership, anything allegedly goes. But Guyana would have never been in this mess if we had a President who understood his role and is not willing to be a second fiddle to Jagdeo. In fact, we have a president who is very slow to act but is quick to blame the opposition for his failures, including corruption, crime, unemployment and the recent floods, to name a few. This is total insanity by this regime? President Truman’s famous words that “the buck stops with the president” are totally irrelevant to Mr. Ramotar and his elitist PPP cabal. It appears in Guyana that the buck stops with Jagdeo but he is famous for cussing down the media and his critics and for never taking any responsibility of his actions, thus Guyana continues to sink and we
have no one to hold responsible. The goodwill President Ramotar gained in his first year from the people has now vanished into thin air; because of his gross incompetence and inability to deal with the corrupt Ministers in his Team. The time is long overdue for serious surgery on the Ramotar cabinet but we are advised that is an exclusive decision for Jagdeo. Poor Ramotar! We remain convinced that someone like Dr Vindya Persaud would be a more capable Minister of Human Services than this MoU specialist currently in the position. We call on all Guyanese regardless of their ethnicity to stand-up and defend their dignity and that of the country against this corrupt, uncaring, anti-working class and wicked regime. People, wake up! rise up and take back our beautiful Guyana. Dr. Asquith Rose and Harish Singh
(From page 22)
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FOR RENT Executive houses and apartments- Contact: 2238479/ 647-3768, www. spaceseek.gy
Computer legal clerk – Call:226-4283; 624-7087; 2580213
Rental of wedding dresses & clothing for sale Phone:6160505 One bottom flat 3 bedrooms house located at Land-Of- Canaan opposite Gafoors Contact: 266-5469; 680-9252 Yard Space for rent - Tel: 6546394 LEARN TO DRIVE Soman & Sons Driving School , First Federation Building Call 225-4858, 6445166,622-2872,615-0964
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Page 24
Kaieteur News
Monday December 09, 2013
Human Services Ministry to investigate C’tyne orphanage - As allegations of maltreatment surface The Ministry of Human services plans to investigate the details surrounding the arrest of three orphaned teenagers, who were living at a children’s home in Corentyne, East Berbice. Allegations of maltreatment of children at the orphanage have surfaced as three teenage girls from the home are being held in the lock-ups at the Albion Police Station. Human Services Minister, Jennifer Webster in an invited comment explained that a full investigation will be launched into the reports. Minister Webster says that complaints of such nature regarding the orphanage were never brought to the attention of the Ministry. “I will be writing to the person in charge of the orphanage to let them know that a committee will be sent to conduct a detailed
investigation regarding the allegations into this incident.” The girls, 12, 14 and 15years- old (names given) were arrested on November 20, 2013 for “wandering” away from the home. They were placed before the courts and sentenced to be institutionalized at the New Opportunity Corps (NOC) in Essequibo by Magistrate Ravindra Singh earlier last week. The girls are expected to be deployed to NOC soon. However, residents and concerned citizens have been highly critical of the actions of the law enforcement authorities. Residents at Albion have suggested that constant illtreatment of the children may have been the reason for the three girls leaving the home. The girls are originally from Skeldon and have been at the home for over four
years now. Two of them are sisters. They are orphans and do not have any close relatives. Residents of the area have accused the administration of the Orphanage of misusing the finances and clothing and other resources available to institution. “The lady does sell out all them children thing. Like she ain’t really fit to run that home anymore, because she get old and she put responsibility on her daughter-in-law,” claimed the resident. “There was a time when she grandson and son used to live with all the big girls— as soon as they become mature, they lived with these children them! Let them go and investigate!” the person stated. “Three girls were going to commit suicide and they had to call the police—and these children break down! But they
DTV CHANNEL 8 08:55 hrs. Sign On 09:00 hrs. GMA 10:00 hrs. Family Matters 12:00 hrs. The View 13:00 hrs. The Young and the Restless 14:00 hrs. World News 14:30 hrs. Steve Harvey Show 15:00 hrs. The Bold and the Beautiful 16:00 hrs. The Talk 17:00 hrs. Gilmore Girls 18:00 hrs. World News 18:30 hrs. Family Feud 19:00 hrs. Greetings and Announcements 20:00 hrs. Channel 8 News 21:00 hrs. DTV’s Christmas Spectacular 23:00 hrs. The Mentalist (New Episode) 00:00 hrs. Hostages (New Episode) NCN CHANNEL 11 05:00hrs – Inspiration 05:30hrs – Newtown Gospel 06:30hrs – BBC 07:00hrs _ Guyana Today 08:00hrs _ Political Scope (r/ b) 09:00hrs – Stop the Suffering 09:30hrs _ Cartoon 10:00hrs _ Food Networks 11:00hrs _ History 12:00hrs _ CNN 12:30hrs _ NCN Newsbreak 13:00hrs _ Beauty of Christmas 14:00hrs _ NCN Newsbreak 14:05hrs _ Movie 16:00hrs _ NCN Newsbreak 16:05hrs _ Disney XD 17:00hrs _ NCN Live with Wanita 18:00hrs – NCN News Magazine – Live 18:30hrs – Political Scope 19:00hrs _ GGMC Science & Technology Quiz 19:30hrs _ Shopping Time
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don’t talk— is ill treatment!” These were some of the assertions made by residents. While Director of Child Care Protection Agency, (CCPA) Ann Greene declined to comment on the matter involving the three teenagers, she explained that the agency is concentrating on providing more options of alternative care for children. “We are working towards extending our foster care and kinship programme to reduce the number of children in residential institutions and also looking for more community responses for children in need of alternative care and protection. We see the need for having specialized centers to meet the needs of a number of children in the formal care system needs within a range that includes mental health
issues, substance abuse and intellectual deficiencies,” Greene said in a statement issued to this newspaper yesterday. Greene further stated that the practice of children being committed for status offences should be abolished. “It is felt in the child welfare field that status offences should be abolished…- status offences if committed by an adult are not sanctioned….The Childcare and Protection Agency provides care and protection for children with inadequate parental care and also works with parents to assist them to provide better care and supervision of their children. Parents are also placed before the courts when there are repeated failures in their child care and protection efforts.”
However, Ms Greene pointed out that the reality is many children wandering are beyond parental control and are involved in anti-social activities that are serious breaches of the law and are even parts of criminal gangs. “Sometimes all efforts by social services to correct the behavior or find safe places and adequate care are often times rejected by the juveniles. Magistrates’ only action to prevent further destruction of youth is to commit to the training institution.” In this regard, Greene says that the NOC is a rehabilitation and training centre for young offenders with a number of programmes, some supported by international organizations that are being executed for the benefits of its students.
Monday December 09, 2013 ARIES (March 21 - April 19): Something ugly goes down early in the day that could turn into a real problem -- so face it head-on and make sure that you've got everyone on your side. ******************* TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): Think big today -- especially when it comes to your social life. You may not need to reach out to every last friend you have, but you should make an effort to say hello to most of them. ****************** GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): A small misunderstanding turns into a major flare-up if you don't suppress it in time. Make sure you're paying attention to what others are saying and try to reflect it back to them to see if you're right. ******************** CANCER (June 21 - July 22): You are feeling helpful today, and there are plenty of folks who need what you have to give! Earn a year's worth of good karma quickly by jumping from one crisis to the next. It's not that hard! ********************* LEO (July 23 - Aug. 22): Use your creative energy to find your way out of today's difficult situation. Things may get a little better on their own, but it's really up to you and your active imagination. ******************* VIRGO (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22): Everything is changing today, and you may find that your energy isn't quite enough to cope with it all. ********************* LIBRA (Sept. 23 - Oct.
22): Just one small interruption is all it takes to turn your day into a train wreck. The good news is that you've got the flexibility to cope with this -- so keep your eyes open and find ways to help yourself. ********************* SCORPIO (Oct. 23 Nov. 21): Your creative side shows itself today, and you may bust out with one hot idea or a million little tweaks that make your life that much sweeter. ******************** SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 Dec. 21): Sometimes all you need is a good story to tide you over between high points. For now, you've got some spiritual work to do (whether you know it or not), so adopt a heroic figure and try to emulate them. .********************* CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 Jan. 19): Your intuitive side is making life a little more mysterious -- and a lot easier to deal with! Your mental energy is terrific for getting others to see things in a more positive light. ******************** AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 Feb. 18): Don't expect to be able to stick rigidly to a schedule today -- things are pretty crazy, and at least half the interruptions you receive are actually pretty important. ********************* PISCE S ( F e b . 1 9 March 20): If your good karma feels a bit light today, there's something you can do about it. Quite a lot, actually - you should see all sorts of possibilities for good deeds.
Monday December 09, 2013
Kaieteur News
Caribbean American congresswoman calls on Obama to stop deportations NEW YORK - CMC – Caribbean/American Congresswoman Yvette D Clarke has called on President Barack Obama to stop the deportation of Caribbean and other immigrants who lack legal status in the United States. Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who represents the largely Caribbean 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, New York, said her appeal would help to “prevent the continued dislocation of families and children. “There are thousands and thousands of family in the community I represent who are threatened with deportation,” said Clarke, who the Ranking Member of the US House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies. “These are real families – mothers and fathers, sons and daughters – who are
Yvette D. Clarke living with the risk of separation, in some instances, permanent separation,” she said. “Until we have comprehensive reform of a failed system of immigration, we cannot in good faith allow the often irrevocable harm of deportation to continue,” she continued. “With each day, we deport more than one thousand people who could potentially become citizens.” Clarke noted that, in July,
the US Senate passed an immigration reform bill that would allow most of the victims of “our failed system of immigration to obtain status as legal permanent residents and, eventually, to become citizens.” She said Republican leaders in the House of Representatives have “refused, however, to allow a vote on the bill. “The people we represent have a right to expect that Congress will enact comprehensive immigration reform based on our values, particularly the belief that families should be protected from dislocation,” Clarke said. “In the meantime, we should prevent the unnecessary separation of family members,” she added. According to estimates by the Washington-based Pew Research Centre’s Hispanic Trends Project, about 11.7 million undocumented immigrants were in the US last year, up from 11.5 million in 2011.
Five days of official mourning for Mandela Jamaica Gleaner – Starting yesterday, Jamaicans from all walks of life engaged in a period of mourning to mark the passing of the late great South African leader Nelson Mandela. The Government has given instructions that the Jamaican flag is to be flown at half mast at state offices and public buildings. For five days, ending Wednesday, a mixture of sombre and celebratory focus will be on Mandela, who was 95 at the time of his death. In life, Mandela commanded monumental attention, and in death, he elicited superlative acknowledgements of his greatness. Richly worded tributes continued to flow in countries around the world, with Jamaica being no exception. Influential personalities in and out of the political domain eulogised the man lauded as “the icon of icons”. Jamaica House signalled that the nation’s legislative body, comprising the Senate and the House of Representatives, will devote a special session next Friday to formally pay their respects. The South African High Commission Saturday opened a condolence book, which will be available for
signing until Friday, December 13, between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. In her customary outgoing fashion, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller led her team from the two-day Cabinet retreat to sign the condolence book. Declaring that Mandela was no ordinary friend of Jamaica, Simpson Miller said: “He valued the solidarity of the Jamaican people in the struggle for freedom and justice, and the dignity of the human person, to which Mr Mandela devoted his life.” So extensive was he revered that the vast majority of nations, notwithstanding political beliefs and religious persuasions, have named a street, building, park or other significant objects in his honour. Even Jamaica has the more-known Nelson Mandela Park in Half-Way Tree, St Andrew, the Mandela Highway that links St Andrew and St Catherine, and the Mandela community in the Waltham Park area. His name continues to flourish all over the globe,
especially in the land in which he fought for freedom but was imprisoned; where he was unceremoniously grounded but soared gloriously and graciously to the sociopolitical pinnacle. Locally, the tributes from the political arms were not confined to the leaders. “Team PNP joins the nation and indeed the globe in mourning the passing of the great Nelson Mandela,” revealed the People’s National Party (PNP). “This iconic leader is unmatched in his selflessness and in his advocacy for human rights and the freedom of all peoples, especially in his native South Africa,” Team PNP added. Chairman of Jampro, Milton Samuda, described Mandela as an exceptional human being who led an extraordinary life of example. “With Jamaica and the rest of the world, we at Jampro celebrate that life, lived for 95 years by one of humanity’s most outstanding sons,” said Samuda.
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Jamaica Govt. urged to hold T&T accountable RJR - Former President of the Jamaica Manufacturers Association (JMA), Omar Azan, has urged the Portia Simpson Miller led administration to hold Trinidad and Tobago to commitments made to the region as outlined in the Treaty of Chaguramus. According to Azan, Trinidad’s National Security Minister, Gary Griffith, has sent a disjointed message about the stance being taken by the twin island republic as it relates to immigration procedures. Griffith’s declaration came despite a promise by his parliamentary colleague, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Dookeran, of free travel between Jamaica and Trinidad when he met with his Jamaican counterpart for bilateral talks on immigration issues. “I find it quite strange and it is obvious that the Trinidadian government doesn’t seem to know what the left hand is doing from the right hand. What I find is that
Omar Azan it’s a little upsetting in what has been said. Trinidad has signed onto the treaty just like the other CARICOM countries and they must adhere to the laws of the CARICOM treat of Chaguaramus.” Azan said he found the statement from Griffith to be strange since a team was dispatched from Trinidad’s Ministry of National Security for the bi-lateral talks. He said the utterances from the National Security Minister
show an obvious political immaturity and that he should be reigned in by Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissesar. He indicated that if the impasse continues, Jamaica could be forced to “hit the Trinidadians where it hurts”. “The Jamaican people are not fools and the Jamaican people realize what’s happening …the Jamaican people are the most powerful set of people in the Caribbean. The Jamaican people understand what is going on and I’m sure that they will act and do what is necessary to prove how important we are to the CARICOM market.” Last week, Dookeran embarked on a diplomatic mission to Jamaica at the orders p r i m e m i n i s t e r, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, after local sentiments ran high and Jamaicans threatened to boycott Trinidadian products after 13 Jamaicans were denied entry into the twin island republic last month.
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Monday December 09, 2013
Venezuela local vote tests President Maduro’s strength CARACAS (Reuters) Venezuelans voted in municipal elections yesterday that are the biggest political test yet for President Nicolas Maduro as he tries to halt an economic slide and preserve the socialist legacy of his late mentor, Hugo Chavez. The outcome of ballots to choose 337 mayors and around 2,500 councillors will be seen as a sign of Maduro’s strength, nine months after Chavez died from cancer and he narrowly beat opposition leader Henrique Capriles to win the presidency. “All patriots must vote so we can give a victory to our commander (Chavez) and guarantee peace and future for the fatherland,” Maduro, 51, Tweeted in exhortation to supporters. In Caracas shantytowns and elsewhere, pro-Maduro activists woke up supporters before dawn with bugle calls and trumpets in an election mobilization tactic begun under Chavez. Opponents portray Maduro as a buffoonish autocrat with none of his predecessor’s political savvy,
and say his continuation of statist economic policies including a new crackdown on businesses for alleged price-gouging are disastrous. “It’s important to vote though I don’t think it will bring the changes I want,” said graphic designer Antonella Gutierrez, 45, on her way to vote at a primary school in a pro-opposition upscale suburb of Caracas nestled under the Avila mountain. “I want changes from the presidency down. This government is tearing the country into bits, destroying my Venezuela.” Unlike the presidential votes that Maduro won in April and Chavez last year, queues appeared thin at poll stations. A healthy turnout of 60 percent or more was forecast however. Though local issues such as roads, street lights and utility services were bound to affect individual mayoral races, both sides in the polarized OPEC nation also see the overall results as a crucial show of their standing at national level.
The ruling Socialist Party was likely to win a majority of municipalities thanks to its popularity in rural areas where most of the mayorships are located, while the opposition wants to keep control of big cities such as Caracas and Maracaibo. Both sides were desperate to win the total popular vote, though most pollsters predict that would again be broadly split down the middle, like the April presidential poll. Investors are watching the ballot to see if Maduro will have the strength for unpopular moves, such as a currency devaluation that would help state coffers but also spur inflation. Should the opposition perform well, its leader Capriles has vowed to “go for Maduro,” but has not specified how. The opposition’s next opportunities to gain political ground are 2015 parliamentary elections and a signature drive for a recall referendum on Maduro in 2016. Some anti-government activists are pressing for more, like street protests. Since taking office, Maduro, a burly 51-year-old
Nicolas Maduro former bus driver, has maintained core support among “Chavistas” by keeping his popular welfare programs and repeating his rhetoric and politics. But Venezuela’s economic problems have worsened. Inflation has hit 54 percent, scarcities of basic products from flour to milk have spawned queues and annoyance around the country, power cuts are frequent, and the bolivar currency has tanked against the dollar on the black market. The economic problems had been weighing on Maduro’s ratings, but his recent aggressive drive to inspect shops and businesses suspected of
price-gouging - and arrests of several dozen retailers - has proved popular among core supporters. One poll by local company Datanalisis, leaked by Wall Street analysts, showed Maduro had received a 10-point bounce from last month to 50.4 percent popularity just before yesterday’s vote. Maduro says U.S.-backed and opposition-linked businessmen are behind an “economic war” intended to topple him. In moves echoing Chavez’s many clashes with the private sector, he has ordered companies to slash prices - delighting millions of consumers - and even sent troops to occupy a large electronics retailer he accused of price-gouging. “The father of the revolution has gone, but he left the son who continued helping the poor,” said pensioner Freddy Navarro, 62, who voted for a government candidate in downtown Caracas. Opponents, and some private economists, say Maduro’s price-cutting measures smack of short-term populism that do nothing to fix what they consider the roots of Venezuela’s economic mess: persecution
of the private sector, inefficiency and corruption in state businesses, an overvalued bolivar, and excessive controls. “The idea is to stay in power, not the development of the country or people’s welfare,” said Asdrubal Oliveros of local consultancy Ecoanalitica, often critical of the government. Spicing up the elections, the government included several local celebrities on its mayoral roster, such as former baseball player-turned-rap singer Antonio “El Potro” (The Colt) Alvarez who was fighting for a Caracas district. Results were expected to start coming in yesterday evening. Maduro, who has repeatedly accused opponents of planning trouble around yesterday’s vote, warned there would be zero tolerance of any violent protests like the unrest that rocked Venezuela after his election as president in April. “I’ve taken measures to avoid any craziness by those who are always conspiring,” he said when he cast his vote. Voting appeared to be largely peaceful, though one local newspaper reported a woman was shot dead in a queue in western Trujillo state.
Colombia’s FARC says to declare 30-day ceasefire from December 15 HAVANA (Reuters) Colombia’s main leftist guerrilla group, the FARC, said yesterday it would implement a 30-day ceasefire from December 15 while the government said it would keep pursuing the rebels after they attacked a police station a day earlier, killing eight. The Colombian government and the FARC are holding peace talks in Cuba aimed at ending a fivedecade guerrilla war the FARC, and its smaller counterpart, the ELN, have led against the government. The conflict has killed more than 200,000 people. “We proceed to order of our guerrilla units and militias a cessation of fire and hostilities for 30 days from 00:00 hours of December 15,” said Pablo Catatumbo, a FARC negotiator for the
peace talks taking place in Havana. He said the group declared the ceasefire in response to strong public demand, without specifying what he meant. The FARC claimed responsibility for an attack with explosives on a remote police station in the south of the country on Saturday that killed eight people and reduced the building to rubble. The assault on the police station has caught the public’s attention more than the guerrillas’ regular attacks on military patrols in rural areas because it was carried out in the middle of a small town with two civilians among the dead. President Juan Manuel Santos, speaking late on Saturday from Inza, the town
where the attack took place, said the government would not consider suspending its military pursuit of the FARC. “If the FARC believe that with acts like this they are going to lead us to a ceasefire, which is also what they are saying, they are totally mistaken,” he said, adding that the government would consider a ceasefire only when a peace deal has been reached.”We will continue attacking them. The offensive will continue,” said Santos who has announced he will run for re-election in a presidential ballot next May, the campaigns for which are likely to focus on how to deal with the FARC. Though the government is in talks with the FARC, it has never agreed to a ceasefire to maintain military pressure on the group while they negotiate. The FARC is still carrying out attacks against the military and on oil pipelines. Though it is still a formidable fighting force, the FARC’s numbers have been roughly halved in the last decade by a U.S.-backed military offensive.
Monday December 09, 2013
Kaieteur News
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ANOTHER BULLET MACHINE
Jamaica Observer - There is another ammunition reloading machine in Jamaica, but security authorities are not fully aware of it, the Jamaica Observer can report. Interest in the machine rose two weeks ago, following the seizure of one by police at Port Bustamante, which was dubbed by law enforcers as the first of its kind to enter Jamaica. But it is not the first. Over a decade ago, another reloading machine entered Jamaica under unclear circumstances and was, up to the Port Bustamante find two weeks ago, stored at premises in St Andrew. The machine has since been removed to a more secure location, which Sunday Observer sources said was on the same premises. Initial reports are that the item entered Jamaica without the requisite import documents. This could not be immediately verified by the Sunday Observer, but the haste with which it was removed from its original place of rest has aroused suspicion that something is amiss. Personnel connected to the facility were not willing to
- Ammo maker was lying idle, in the open, at St. Andrew premises for over a decade
Some of the items seized by the police at Port Bustamante two weeks ago, as part of a shipment from Florida. The items include a machine that makes bullets, material used in the process, and ammunition primarily used in highpowered weapons. (PHOTO: CCN) speak publicly on the matter, and the Sunday Observer was denied access to he facility. Initial reports are that the operators of the facility had been storing the item illegally, but this was not confirmed by officials there, or by national security personnel. The machine has the capability to make over 1,000
rounds of ammunition per hour, according to persons equipped with that level of expertise, which readily raises questions regarding the frequency with which it was being used and the controls established in the process of distributing bullets. Only last Wednesday, the police force’s information arm, the Constabulary
Shields casts doubt on effectiveness of new anti-gang law Jamaica Gleaner - Former deputy commissioner of police in charge of crime, Mark Shields, has criticised the country’s efforts to implement anti-gang laws without first having the necessary DNA database in place. Writing in edition of The Sunday Gleaner, the former Scotland yard sleuth who joined the Jamaica Constabulary Force in 2005, stated that DNA legislation should be the main priority of Government if it intends to improve the detection of crime and cleared-up the high crime rate. According to Shields, to introduce the controversial anti-gang legislation before the necessary DNA laws are implemented is a case of “placing the cart before the horse”. He argues that the DNA legislation, which would establish a national DNA database for the country, would create the foundation for the effective implementation of the antigang legislation. Shields notes, for instance, that where a person is arrested under the anti-
Mark Shields gang legislation, he or she could be required to provide a DNA sample for comparison with DNA traces left behind at crime scenes. He says these samples would be stored at the Government Forensic Laboratory. His comments were in response to statements, which he said were made in the media by current head of crime, DCP Carl Williams, who declined to divulge details about police strategies to improve the cleared-up rate. Shields argues that there is compelling evidence in many jurisdictions across the
world that proper DNA analysis can help to improve the cleared-up rate for crimes, especially burglary. Citing the UK Police Foundation Report, he says the normal detection rate for burglary in the UK is 17 per cent, but that the rate increases to 40 per cent with DNA analysis. He argues further that the DNA legislation, which would establish a national DNA database for the country, would create the foundation for the effective implementation of the antigang legislation. However, in addition to DNA legislation, Shields says th e G o v e r n m e n t should look at improving resources to the Criminal Investigation Branch and improving leadership as well as the management and supervision of investigating officers. Shields says the police should also look at planting more major investigation taskforces in areas where murder and gun crimes are highest and also look at reinforcing the crime review policy to ensure unsolved crimes are revisited regularly.
Communication Network, sought to remind Jamaicans that sleuths from the Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) headquarters were continuing their probe into the ammunition seizure at the port on Thursday, November 28, “where a machine used to make and reload ammunition, along with several components and 3,300 war
heads/projectiles were seized”. The CCN disclosed that local police, aided by those from overseas, had traced the origin of the shipment of the items to Florida in the southern United States. The law enforcers said that collaboration between themselves and their overseas colleagues on the matter was continuing. The police also said that they had still not nabbed a named suspect, whom they believe could assist them with their investigations. They reassured the public that the investigation has been, and will continue to be conducted in a professional and timely manner, and urged anyone with information regarding t h e w h ereabouts of the suspect, whom they said was from Mandeville, Manchester, to contact the police immediately. The ammunition reloading machine had been lying at a spot at the venue for several
years, with many of those who went there and saw it apparently not knowing what it was and its purpose. “Even people from the Firearms Licensing Authority (FLA) have been to the location, leaned against it and didn’t even know what it was,” said a Sunday Observer source. “The thing was just thrown down there and a majority of the people who came and went were unaware of its function. It was left in the open, unsupervised and unprotected. It has now been secured. “It therefore begs the question about the kind of people that they put to work at the FLA. Several of them do not know about weapons,” the source said. Senior police personnel contacted by the Sunday Observer said that while they had heard rumours about the existence of the ammunition recharge machine, they had nothing official to tell the public about its location.
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Monday December 09, 2013
Thai crisis deepens as opposition quits Parliament BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s main opposition party resigned from Parliament yesterday to protest what it called “the illegitimacy” of an elected government with which it can no longer work. The move deepens the country’s latest political crisis one day before new street demonstrations that many fear could turn violent. Democrat Party spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut told The Associated Press that his party could not participate in the legislature anymore because the body is “no longer accepted by the people.” The minority Democrats are closely aligned with antigovernment protesters who have staged the country’s biggest rallies in years. The demonstrations are aimed at ousting Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, whose government came to power in a landslide vote in 2011 that observers said was free and fair. The Democrats have not won an election since 1992, and some of their leaders
appear to have given up on electoral politics because they cannot win. The protesters are demanding a non-elected people’s council lead the country instead. Thailand has been plagued by political turmoil since Yingluck’s brother Thaksin Shinawatra, a former premier, was toppled in a 2006 military coup. In broad terms, the confrontation pits the Thai elite and the educated middle-class against Thaksin’s power base in the countryside, which benefited from populist policies designed to win over the rural poor. Since the latest unrest began, at least five people have been killed and at least 289 injured. Several days of violence ended suddenly last week as both sides paused to celebrate the birthday of the nation’s revered king, who turned 86 on Thursday. But protesters have vowed a final showdown Monday in Bangkok and will march en masse from nine locations in the city, eventually converging on Yingluck’s office at Government House. “We will rise up. We will walk on every street in the
country. We will not be going home again,” said protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, whose supporters occupy the Finance Ministry and part of a vast government complex. “The people who will be going home emptyhanded are those in the Thaksin regime.” Suthep called on supporters to keep the protests peaceful, but dozens of Thai and international schools in Bangkok announced they would be closed today as tensions rose over the march. Late yesterday, a group of hooded and masked men crept in the dark toward a police post at Government House and attacked it with slingshots loaded with nails and sharp metal projectiles, according to Police Maj. Gen. Piya Uthayo. Police did not respond, and the assailants retreated, he said. There were no injuries. Democrat leader and former premier Abhisit Vejjajiva said Yingluck’s government has been “illegitimate” ever since her ruling Pheu Thai party tried to ram through an amnesty bill
Abhisit Vejjajiva that critics allege was mainly designed to bring back Thaksin from exile, Abhisit said. Thaksin lives in Dubai to avoid a jail sentence for a corruption conviction he says was politically motivated. “The solution to our current problems needs to start with the showing of responsibility,” Abhisit said. “The prime minister has never
showed any responsibility or conscience.” Abhisit, who said he would also join the protests, said his party colleagues’ resignations from Parliament were effective immediately. He also criticized Yingluck’s party for trying to amend a clause in the constitution that would have transformed the Senate into a fully elected body. Currently about half of its members are selected by a panel of judges and heads of independent state agencies. The Constitutional Court sharply scolded Yingluck’s party for the move. The Democrats held 153 of the 500 seats in the lower house, according to the latest figures on their website. In a speech yesterday, Yingluck said again that she was not trying to cling to power and would be “happy to resign” and dissolve Parliament if that could ease the crisis. But she said those
things could only happen if new elections are organized within 60 days and all parties accept the outcome. Suthep, who had resigned from the Democrat party to lead the protests, has repeatedly rejected those initiatives and refused to negotiate. Yingluck also reiterated an offer to set up a national forum to find a way out of the crisis. She said if there was still no resolution, a national referendum could be held, but she did not specify on what. Any “government that comes to power without elections would significantly affect our image and confidence in the country,” Yingluck said, referring to Suthep’s demand for a specially appointed “People’s Council” to rule. Whatever happens, Yingluck added, “it must be asked whether this is the wish of the majority of the people or not.”
India’s ruling party stumbles as opponent Modi marches on (Reuters) - India’s ruling Congress party has a very big problem, and his name is Narendra Modi. With no more than five months to go before nearly 800 million people choose their next leader, the prime ministerial candidate for the main opposition party has seized the initiative through rabble-rousing speeches at huge rallies across the country. Results from local elections in four states, announced on Sunday, suggest Modi, chief minister of economic powerhouse Gujarat in the west of the country since 2001, has helped galvanise his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). With most votes counted, the BJP retained Madhya Pradesh and ousted Congress in Rajasthan, while the state of Chhattisgarh was on a knife-edge. In Delhi, the BJP is set to be the biggest party, with Congress pushed from first to third place by an impressive debut from the anticorruption Aam Aadmi Party. The outcome fell short of the BJP’s most bullish predictions, and represented a vote of no-confidence in Congress as much as one of confidence in Modi, but it was a humiliating blow that the opposition candidate will ruthlessly exploit. Congress has floundered in the face of the Modi phenomenon. It is unsure
how seriously to take him, undecided on what to do next and hampered by a presumptive leader who has lacked his challenger ’s charisma, leaving the party drifting at a crucial juncture. Senior figures within Congress - in power for the last nine years, and historically the dominant force in Indian politics - have long dismissed Modi as irrelevant. “Modi has come in a flash and will go in a flash,” said one influential party member in a recent interview. “Congress has been here for 128 years and will survive god knows how many hundreds of years more,” he added, in a now-familiar refrain from the party’s top brass. That argument is becoming harder to sustain. But as Congress fumbles for a response, one name dominates debate at the party’s slightly shabby headquarters in the leafy centre of the capital: Rahul Gandhi. Vice president of Congress and scion of a dynasty that has towered over Indian politics since independence, the 43-yearold is the obvious choice to rally his party and unite voters by playing up its secularist agenda and social welfare schemes. Rahul’s mother, Sonia, Congress president and the power behind Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, will also play a key role in the party’s
Narendra Modi election strategy and campaigning, although younger leaders see Rahul as their figurehead. If only it was that simple. Congress insiders familiar with Rahul’s thinking have expressed concern over his preoccupation with longterm reform of the party, something they say is important and necessary but could prove costly given the more pressing matter of elections. “My frustration is that he is too forwardlooking,” said Jairam Ramesh, minister of rural development and one of the most outspoken figures in the Congress leadership. “He’s talking of structure, systems; he’s talking of building up Congress in the long term, whereas we are now faced with fighting an election in the short term,” he told Reuters last month.
Monday December 09, 2013
Kaieteur News
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South Africans united in Iran’s Rouhani wants foreign grief but anxious of future forces out of Afghanistan
Soweto (South Africa) (AFP) - In death, as in life, Nelson Mandela has united a nation. But his legacy of tolerance and racial harmony is sorely tested by the tough realities of life in today’s South Africa. Across the Rainbow Nation, from towns on the shimmering Indian Ocean to cities on the sprawling Highveld, South Africans of all creeds and colours prayed in memory of their hero yesterday Amid the pangs of sorrow, Mandela’s death has rekindled that same spirit of unity that two decades before allowed South Africa to avert bloody racial violence and all out civil war. But his death has also opened a new, less assured, chapter in South African history. Nearly two decades after the collapse of apartheid, South Africans say they are yet to enjoy the full fruits of freedom. Income inequality between black and white citizens is stark, and by some measures is worse than it was at the end of apartheid. One in three workers is without a job or has given up looking. Labour strikes and violent protests over services are an almost daily occurrence, attacks on migrants from elsewhere in Africa all too common. Today South Africans grumble at crime and
Nelson Mandela government corruption. “After he spent 27 years in prison, we thought the country by now would be somewhere, but we are still where we were,” said a visibly angry Lele Phillip Modikoane, 65, whose father was Mandela’s jail mate on Robben Island. Mandela’s wish was “to have one rainbow nation, and... for everybody to live peacefully and affordably,” said Modikoane standing in front of the late leader’s former house in Soweto. Instead, “we are all in a pool of confusion,” he said. In many ways South Africa’s democratic innocence was already lost 17 months earlier, when on scrubland at Marikana police shot down 34 striking miners in a single day of carnage. But with Mandela gone,
the country will now have to navigate these challenges without a trusted leader. His successors, Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma, have tried to channel his memory. “We should pray for us not to forget some of the values that Madiba stood for, that he fought for, that he sacrificed his life for,” Zuma told a remembrance service yesterday But they hold nothing like the same gravitas. Marketing executive Jameel Vally also wants government to uphold Mandela’s “legacy of and struggle,” but is not so optimistic. “Bribery and corruption is rife,” he said after paying respects at Mandela’s old house in Soweto. “We hope to have a better South Africa but I don’t think things will get better.” “The young generation is growing up in an environment of corruption, and background plays a role in shaping an individual.” Against this malaise the ANC and Zuma face elections next year. Some South Africans hold the hope that Mandela’s death could be an opportunity for a shakeup. “I hope now that he has passed on people will remember and make their decisions and cast their votes for people who represent his values and dreams,” said Pretoria school teacher Liska Leslie.
Tehran (AFP) - Iran wants all foreign forces to leave Afghanistan, President Hassan Rouhani told his visiting Afghan counterpart yesterday amid a row between Kabul and Washington over a longdelayed security pact. Iran “is opposed to the presence of any foreign force in the region, the Middle East, the Persian Gulf and particularly the Islamic country of Afghanistan,” Rouhani told Hamid Karzai, who was in Tehran for a oneday visit. “Iran is concerned about tensions caused by the presence of foreign forces in the region,” Rouhani added in remarks reported by the state broadcaster on its website, iribnews.ir. Washington and its allies have urged Karzai to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA), which would establish the legal conditions for US and other NATO troops to remain in Afghanistan past 2014 to train local security forces and fight Al-Qaeda. Karzai initially endorsed the BSA, but has since refused to sign it and issued fresh demands. Karzai’s trip to Iran came a day after an awkward visit to Kabul by US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel, who did not meet with Karzai as is customary, saying the Afghan
Hamid Karzai
Hassan Rouhani
leader was well aware of the US position on the pact. Tehran — which has long been wary of the tens of thousands of US troops based in Afghanistan and in large military bases in the Gulf — has strongly backed Karzai’s position on the pact. “They should all leave and leave the security of Afghanistan to its own people,” said Rouhani. Iran is meanwhile hoping to sign a security pact of its own with Kabul. Rouhani and Karzai agreed to begin negotiations over a “Comprehensive Friendship and Cooperation Agreement” which would also involve political, economic and cultural affairs, according to the official IRNA news agency.
Details of the deal were not immediately available to the media. In Kabul, the two sides signed a separate border and security agreement, an Iranian deputy interior minister said. That agreement establishes “a joint committee on terrorism, security related organised-crimes as well as controlling the borders to fight human trafficking, (illegal) immigration and drug smuggling,” Ali Abdollahi told IRNA. Iran shares a 936kilometre (582-mile) border with Afghanistan and hosts some 2.4 million Afghans — refugees and illegal immigrants — who were driven across the border by war, oppression and poverty over the past three decades.
SOUTH KOREA EXPANDS AIR DEFENSE ZONE TO PARTIALLY OVERLAP CHINA’S
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea said yesterday it has extended its air defense zone to partially overlap with a similar zone declared by China two weeks ago that has sharply raised regional tensions. Beijing’s unilateral declaration of an air defense identification zone in an area that includes islands at the heart of a territorial dispute with Japan has triggered protests from the United States and its close allies Japan and South Korea. Announcing the expansion of its own zone to include two territorial islands to the south and a submerged rock also claimed by China, South Korea’s Defence Ministry said the move would not infringe on neighboring countries’ sovereignty. “We believe this will not significantly impact our relationships with China and with Japan as we try to work for peace and cooperation in Northeast Asia,” defence ministry head of policy Jang Hyuk told a briefing. “We have explained our
position to related countries and overall they are in agreement that this move complies with international regulations and is not an excessive measure,” he said, adding that the ministry’s top priority was to work with neighboring countries to prevent military confrontation. South Korea objected to China’s November 23 move as unacceptable because its new zone includes a maritime rock named Ieodo, which Seoul controls, with a research station platform built atop it. China also claims the submerged rock. Still, South Korea’s reaction to Beijing has been more measured than the sharp rebukes d e l i v e r e d f r o m To k y o a n d Wa s h i n g t o n , r e f l e c t i n g a s e n s i t i v i t y t o w a r d s S e o u l ’s largest trading partner. South Korea’s air defence zone was originally established by the U.S. Air Force in 1951 during the Korean War. The extension of the zone will not apply any restrictions to the
operation of commercial flights, the defence ministry said separately in a statement. The move will take effect on December 15, it said. It will also result in an overlap with Japan’s air defence zone, Jang said. There was no immediate reaction from China, although Beijing’s response to news last week that South Korea was reviewing its options on the air defence zone was relatively low key. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Friday that any move by South Korea must “accord with international law and norms”, but added: “China is willing to maintain communications with South Korea on the basis of equality and mutual respect.” The decision by China that kicked off the latest spat was the subject of a tense disagreement as U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visited China last week, stressing Washington’s objections to the move that he said caused “significant apprehension” in the
region. In an implicit criticism of the way China expanded its air defence identification zone, the United States praised South Korea for its having consulted its neighbors - including China and Japan - before going ahead. “We also appreciate the (Republic of Korea’s) commitment to implement this adjustment to its (Air Defence Identification Zone) in a manner consistent with international practice and respect for the freedom of overflight and other internationally lawful uses of international airspace,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement. “This approach avoids confusion for, or threats to, civilian airlines.” “The United States has been and will remain in close consultation with our allies and partners in the region to ensure their actions contribute to greater stability, predictability, and consistency with international practices,” she added. Ties between China and Japan, always fraught due to regional
rivalry and lingering bitterness from World War Two, have been strained for months by the dispute over the islands in the East China Sea, called the Diaoyu by China and the Senkaku by Japan. Washington takes no position on the sovereignty of the islands, but recognizes Tokyo’s administrative control and says a U.S.-Japan security pact applies to them. Beijing says its zone is in accordance with international law and Washington and others should respect it. Under the Chinese zone’s rules, all aircraft have to report flight plans to Chinese authorities, maintain radio contact and reply promptly to identification inquiries. U.S., Japanese and South Korean military aircraft have breached the zone without informing Beijing since it was announced. South Korean and Japanese commercial planes have also been advised by their governments not to follow the rules.
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Kaieteur News
Monday December 09, 2013
North Korea says Kim’s uncle France to start disarming Central dismissed for ‘criminal acts’ African Republic fighters today (Reuters) - North Korea announced today the dismissal of Jang Song Thaek, the once powerful uncle of leader Kim Jong Un, for what it described as a string of criminal acts including corruption, womanising and drug-taking. South Korea’s spy agency last week said it believed Jang, long regarded as the second most powerful man in the secretive state, had been relieved of his posts in November. The sacking means Pyongyang is undergoing its biggest leadership upheaval since the death in 2011 of former leader Kim Jong Il, the younger Kim’s father. “Jang and his followers committed criminal acts baffling imagination and they did tremendous harm to our party and revolution,” the North’s KCNA news agency said in a report following a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party politburo yesterday. The meeting decided to dismiss Jang from all his posts and expel him from the Workers’ Party, KCNA said. Kim Jong Un attended and “guided” the meeting, it said. KCNA listed a series of acts committed by Jang that
Jang Song Thaek it said led to the decision to remove him, including mismanagement of the country’s financial system, corruption, womanising and abusing alcohol and drugs. “Jang pretended to uphold the party and leader but was engrossed in such factional acts (such) as dreaming different dreams and involving himself in double-dealing behind the scene,” KCNA said. “Affected by the capitalist way of living, Jang committed irregularities and corruption and led a dissolute and depraved life.” Jang is married to Kim’s
aunt, the daughter of the North’s founding leader Kim Il Sung, and was widely considered to be working to ensure his nephew firmly established his grip on power in the past two years. Last week a South Korean official said Jang was likely alive and in no immediate physical danger, as was his wife, Kim Kyong Hui. Experts say Jang’s removal will help the younger Kim consolidate his power base with a group of younger aides. Jang had been a prominent fixture in many of the reports and photographs of Kim Jong Un’s public activities, but his appearances have tapered off sharply this year and he has not been since in official media since early November. South Korean media said on Friday that a man who managed funds for Jang had fled and sought asylum in South Korea. The aide, who has not been not named, was being protected by South Korean officials in a secret location in China, cable news network YTN and the Kyunghyang Shinmun newspaper said, citing sources familiar with the matter.
BANGUI (Reuters) France said it will start disarming fighters in the Central African Republic by force if necessary today, as relative calm returned to the capital Bangui following three days of heavy fighting between Christians and Muslims. Residents reported sporadic gunfire from some Bangui neighbourhoods yesterday after the violence in which the Red Cross said at least 394 people had died. Despite a government order for gunmen to return to their barracks, a Reuters reporter saw soldiers in camouflage fatigues driving around in pickup trucks near the presidential palace and in clear view of French troops, deployed to the country under United Nations authorisation. Central African Republic has slid into chaos as interim president Michel Djotodia struggled to control his loose band of Seleka fighters, who have attacked members of the Christian majority and prompted them to organise militias. Djotodia seized power in March with the help of Seleka, a mainly Muslim rebel group that has been fighting the militias. French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said fighters had to hand over their weapons. “It’s from tomorrow that the disarmament will start. First we’ll ask nicely and if they don’t react, we’ll do it by force,” he said in an interview on French television station LCI on Sunday.
France is deploying 1,600 troops to its former colony after the U.N. Security Council authorised it on Thursday to use force to help African peacekeepers struggling to restore order. The African Union force is also due to be increased to 6,000 from 3,500.Yesterday the morgue at Bangui’s Hopital Communautaire was full, with bodies piled up there and in the hospital’s corridors, another Reuters correspondent saw. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the death toll would have been much higher without the deployment. “Calm has returned in Bangui, even if acts of violence are still being committed,” he told the France 3 TV channel. “Had we not intervened, the 394 deaths would have been 5,000 or 10,000.” One campaigner said Seleka remained active in Bangui. “Even as the mourning begins, Seleka has not been confined. They are still operating in the city,” said Joseph Bindoumi, president of the Central African League for the Defence of Human Rights. The country, rich in gold, diamonds and uranium, has seen little but conflict and political instability since independence from France in 1960. The Red Cross said it was working to recover more bodies on Sunday. Pastor Antoine Mbao Bogo, who is Red Cross president in the country, told Reuters that his group planned to prepare two grave
Michel Djotodia sites - one for Christians and one for Muslims. Residents of both faiths have huddled in churches for protection from the armed groups. Thousands attended a Sunday morning service at St. Paul’s church in Bangui. Makeshift beds inside the church were removed temporarily to allow space for prayer benches, but still people spilled into the courtyard. “We need today to promote inter-religious dialogue to transform the dynamic of violence and war into a dynamic of peace and solidarity,” Dieudonne Nzapalainga, Archbishop of Bangui, said at the service. The church is struggling to provide funerals for its congregation, said Bishop Nestor Aziagba, who assisted at Sunday’s service. “Men can’t leave their homes and women are taking the risk of taking the bodies and digging their own holes to bury them,” he told Reuters.
Spain PM urges greater European integration
(Reuters) - Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy urged more unity for Europe and said a banking union for the region should be finalised this month, El Pais reported in an interview published on its website late yesterday. Spanish politicians are not impervious to the consequences of corruption, Rajoy told El Pais, and he denied any parallel accounting in his party in relation to a slush fund scandal that has dogged the centre-right People’s Party this year. The country recently tumbled 10 places to rank 40th in a global index of perceived official corruption following a spate of scandals in the ruling People’s Party and the royal family.
Mariano Rajoy Spain was at the heart of the euro zone debt crisis last year, but emerged from recession in the third quarter and is funding itself comfortably on the money
markets once more following a European Central Bank pledge to defend the euro at all costs. Rajoy said the worst was over for Europe and member states must now work towards greater growth and integration. “What concerns me most is that all European governments, especially that of Germany, ...have a clear view of where we are headed.” The remaining details regarding the supervisory banking union for the monetary union must be sewn up in December, he said. “It’s very important that all the decisions about the design of the banking union are finalised in December,” he said. “The priority for Spain is that the matter is closed.”
Monday December 09, 2013
NBA roundup: The Associated Press SAN ANTONIO — Paul George scored 28 points and the Indiana Pacers beat San Antonio 111-100 Saturday night, snapping an 11-game skid against the Spurs. David West had 20 points and Lance Stephenson scored 15 for the Pacers, who enjoyed a 41-34 rebounding edge. Roy Hibbert and Luis Scola each had 12 points and 10 boards. Kawhi Leonard scored 18 points for San Antonio, which has dropped three of five. Manu Ginobili added 16 points, Tony Parker had 13 and Tim Duncan finished with 10. Indiana had lost 12 straight in San Antonio and appeared headed for a baker’s dozen early on, but the Pacers closed the first half on a 3018 run and opened the second half with a 12-2 spree. The Pacers had seven players score in double figures and shot 54 per cent from the field. HEAT 103, TIMBERWOLVES 82 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — LeBron James had 21 points, eight assists and 14 boards for his first double-digit rebounding game of the season, helping Miami bounce back after consecutive losses. Dwyane Wade had 19 points and five rebounds in his return from a two-game absence and the Heat controlled the glass until garbage time after getting hammered on the boards by Detroit and Chicago. Kevin Martin scored 19 points for the Timberwolves. But they sorely missed Kevin Love, who was with his family following the death of his
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Pacers snap 11-game skid against Spurs grandmother on Wednesday night. The Wolves shot a season-low 29.3 per cent while the Heat made 55 per cent of their shots to overcome 20 turnovers. CAVALIERS 88, CLIPPERS 82 CLEVELAND (AP) — Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson scored 20 points apiece to lead Cleveland to the victory. Irving, coming off the first scoreless game of his career, was 6 for 15 from the field and 7 for 8 at the free-throw line. Thompson also had 13 rebounds, and Andrew Bynum added 18 points. Jamal Crawford scored 19 points for the Clippers, who have lost three of four. Chris Paul scored 13 points while DeAndre Jordan added 12. Clippers forward Blake Griffin and Cavaliers centre Anderson Varejao got into a scuffle with 2:21 to play. Varejao bumped his shoulder into Griffin, who responded by shoving Varejao to the floor. Griffin continued toward Varejao, who was on his back under the Clippers’ basket. Players and coaches from both teams surrounded the two players. Varejao was given a personal foul while Griffin and Cleveland’s Jarrett Jack were hit with technicals. WARRIORS 108, GRIZZLIES 82 MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Klay Thompson scored 30 points and David Lee had 23 to power Golden State to the road win. Stephen Curry scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half as the Warriors ended an 11-game skid against the Grizzlies. Curry also had 15
San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan shoots as Indiana Pacers’ Luis Scola, left, and Orlando Johnson are near during the first half of a game Saturday in San Antonio. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS) assists, two more Memphis had as a team. Mike Miller led the Grizzlies with 16 points, while Jon Leuer and Zach Randolph added 15 points apiece. Kosta Koufos had 10 points and 16 rebounds. The Grizzlies shot 37 per cent from the field. Their injury woes continued in the second quarter when Quincy Pondexter left with a sprained right foot. Golden State outrebounded Memphis 4740, while shooting 50 per cent. PISTONS 92, BULLS 75 CHICAGO (AP) — Brandon Jennings scored 33 points to lead Detroit to its fourth consecutive victory. Andre Drummond (14 rebounds), Greg Monroe (12) and Josh Smith (10) helped Detroit to a 51-44 rebounding edge as the Pistons (10-10) stretched their road winning streak to four games dating to Nov. 24.(backslash)
PAKISTAN PREVAIL IN... From page 34 Shehzad and Sharjeel Khan had added 49 in 7.4 overs before Shehzad was caught at deep midwicket off Samiullah Shenwari. Shehzad dominated the stand with six fours. Sharjeel, on debut, made a steady 18 before he was caught at point off the off spin of Mohammad Nabi. Afghanistan tightened things up conceding only 15 off the next three overs and no boundaries. Hafeez broke the drought when he launched Shenwari over longon in the 14th over, leaving Pakistan 49 to get off the last six. Two more sixes, by Umar Akmal, brought the equation down to 27 off 23, comfortably in Pakistan’s favour. However, immediately after launching Dawlat over long-
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on, Akmal dragged the next ball onto his stumps to give Afghanistan relief. However, Hafeez’s presence meant that Pakistan still held the edge, despite Afghanistan’s comeback. The pressure began to mount with 21 required off 14, but a four to deep midwicket by Hafeez released the pressure and the captain took it upon himself to stay till the end and avoid a repeat of their shocking collapse against South Africa in an ODI at the same venue recently. Earlier, a combined performance by Pakistan’s bowlers restricted Afghanistan to a middling total. Afghanistan struggled to get going at the start, the score reading a sorry 8 for 2 after five overs. Asghar
Stanikzai broke the shackles with two sixes in one over off Zulfiqar Babar but he fell soon after, bowled by Bilawal Bhatti. The middle order, led by Najibullah Zadran, made starts but regular strikes kept them in check. Afghanistan had recovered well to score 92 in an eight-over period, ending in the 15th over. However, Pakistan clawed back by dismissing Najibullah for 38 and Afghanistan managed only 37 off the last five overs. In the final analysis, a few more could have made the difference. Scores: Pakistan 138 for 4 (Hafeez 42*, Shehzad 35) beat Afghanistan 137 for 8 (Najibullah 38, Junaid 324) by six wickets.
It was Detroit’s first regular-season win in Chicago since Feb. 24, 2006. The Pistons’ previous victory at the United Center occurred during the 2007 playoffs. The Bulls (8-10) shot 33 per cent from the floor while playing without leading scorer Luol Deng, who was sidelined by tightness in his left calf. Taj Gibson led Chicago with 21 points and 10 rebounds. The Pistons outscored the Bulls 24-9 in the third quarter. NETS 90, BUCKS 82 MILWAUKEE (AP) — Brook Lopez scored 32 points, Joe Johnson had 15 and Brooklyn beat Milwaukee. Lopez dominated inside, making 11 of 13 shots from the field. He also had seven rebounds and four assists as the Nets bounced back from Thursday night’s embarrassing 113-83 loss to New York. Alan Anderson added 13 points for Brooklyn. O.J. Mayo led the Bucks with 22 points and John Henson added 18 points and seven rebounds. Milwaukee has the worst record in the
Eastern Conference at 4-16. NUGGETS 103, 76ERS 92 PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jordan Hamilton hit three straight 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter to help Denver overcome a slow start. The Nuggets led by four with 4:28 to go before Hamilton, who finished with 13 points, made three 3s in a span of 67 seconds. Nate Robinson led the way with 20 points for the Nuggets (128), who were playing their fourth game in five nights and had dropped their previous two. Tony Wroten finished with 20 points for the Sixers (7-14), who held a four-point lead at the half. Philadelphia has dropped 10 of 12. Both teams played without their starting point guards. Ty Lawson, who left Denver ’s 106-98 loss to Boston on Friday, was sidelined with a left hamstring strain. Sixers rookie Michael Carter-Williams spent his third night in the hospital while recovering from an infection on his right knee and missed his second straight game. KINGS 112, JAZZ 102, OT
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — DeMarcus Cousins had 28 points and Isaiah Thomas scored 23 of his 26 points after halftime to help Sacramento snap a six-game skid with a victory over Utah. Trey Burke gave the Jazz their final lead at 102-101 with a 3-pointer, but the Kings scored the final 11 points of overtime. Burke finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Thomas clinched it when he stole the ball from Alec Burks and got a return pass from Cousins for a layup to give the Kings a 110-102 lead with 57 seconds left. Kings guard Ben McLemore made a 3-pointer with 3.2 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 97-97. Gordon Hayward had 22 points for Utah, but didn’t score in overtime. The Jazz were missing injured starters Derrick Favours and Marvin Williams. MAVERICKS 108, TRAIL BLAZERS 106 PORTLAND, Ore. — Monta Ellis hit a 21-foot jumper at the buzzer and the Dallas Mavericks snapped the Portland Trail Blazers’ four-game winning streak with a 108-106 victory on Saturday night. Ellis finished with 22 points and Dirk Nowitzki had 28 for the Mavericks’ third straight win. Damian Lillard had 32 points for the Blazers, including a 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds left that tied it at 106. It was just the second loss at home this season for the red-hot Blazers (17-4), who lead the Western Conference and are off to their best start since the 1990-91 season. Nicolas Batum finished with 22 points for the Blazers, who were coming off a 13098 rout of the Utah Jazz on Friday night. LaMarcus Aldridge added 19 points and 13 rebounds for his 11th double-double this season.
Crandon, Singh hit final day tons... From page 36 Keeper Anthony Bramble who was ill. At 252-7 the result was no longer in question and the focus had shifted to Singh reaching a three-figure score before the overs for the day expired. Singh staked an early claim for a recall to the National team with levelheaded exhibition of sound shot selection even as most of his team mates gave their wickets away with impetuous shots on a pitch which made playing
through the line virtually impossible. With five needed for his century in the last over, Singh was aided by unimaginative field placing by Sewnarine Chattergoon and good improvisation from the Captain. A reverse sweep for two saw him to his ton with two balls to spare and his 100 came from 188 balls and was decorated with four boundaries. Earlier, Berbice resumed on 265-6 and shortly after Crandon completed his century the declaration was
made. Kelon Carmichael (2-74) removed Eugene LaFleur (3) and Bishoo (11) leaving Crandon undefeated on his third century at this level. Keon Joseph was with him not out on five. Off-Spinner Collis Butts (3-64 from 35 overs) was the most successful bowler for the President’s X1. Tomorrow Demerara face Berbice at Enmore, while the President’s X1 will fancy their chances against bottom of the table Essequibo at Bourda.
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OLYMPICS: India agree to board changes after threat to participation
Indian Olympic Association has amended its constitution after a threat to its participation in the Olympics. (Getty Images) BBC Sport - The Indian Olympic Association has amended its constitution after a threat to its participation in the Olympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended India last year because of alleged government interference in the IOA’s election process. The IOC also insisted India had to maintain ethics rules and bar officials charged with a criminal offence. They were given a deadline of Tuesday but have agreed to make the changes, with new elections planned in February. “We’ve amended the constitution. Once the
amendment is accepted [by the IOC], they’d revoke the suspension so that we can conduct a fresh election,” senior IOA official S. Reghunathan, who chaired Sunday’s meeting, told reporters. Lalit Bhanot and Abhay Singh Chautala, elected as secretary general and president respectively in last year’s controversial election, will leave their posts. “We are stepping down in the interest of the Indian athletes, and also under pressure from the IOC,” Chautala said. IOC president Thomas Bach said on Saturday that
India would face expulsion from the Olympic movement unless they complied. “The [Olympic] charter is clear,” Bach told Associated Press. “If the suspension leads to no solution, then further steps could be withdrawal of recognition.” No country has been banned from the Olympics since South Africa were expelled between 1968 and 1988 during the apartheid era. “We need to be strict and to make sure the rules of good governance are being applied,” Bach added. India won two silver and four bronze medals at the London Olympics last year.
Monday December 09, 2013
Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Futsal Competition
COSTELLO HOUSING SCHEME WIN AGAIN
Costello Housing Scheme fresh off their upset win over defending champions Leopold Street bolstered their chances of reaching the next phase of this year’s Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Futsal Competition after securing a 1-0 win over Laing Avenue on Saturday evening, at California Square in East Ruimveldt. Once again it was Sherman Anthony, the goalscorer in the clash against Leopold Street, who led them to victory after he netted in the third minute of play. In another major upset, the highly touted North East La Penitence suffered a 2-0 loss to North Sophia that produced an impressive performance. Island All Star then beat Cross Street 20 thanks to goals off the boots of Alpha McPhoy and Paul Porter, before national champions Back Circle and West Front Road Gold is Money rebounded from previous losses to secure wins. Full Results: Match # 1 Sophia 1 vs Queen Street Tiger Bay 0 Scorer Sophia Ryan O’Selmo 1st min Match # 2 Castello Housing Scheme 1 vs Laing Avenue 0 Scorer Castello Housing Scheme Sherman Anthony 3rd min Match # 3 East La-Penitence vs DurbanStreet East La-Penitence won by walk over Match # 4 North Sophia 2 vs North East LaPenitence 0 Scorers North Sophia Gregory Jones 7th min Akeem Frank 16th min
Match # 5 Cross Street 0 vs Island All Star 2 Scorers Island All Star Alpha McPhoy 4th min Paul Porter 17th min Match # 6 South Ruimveldt 0 vs California Square 0 South Ruimveldt won on penalty 3-2 Match # 7 Back Circle 2 vs Festival City 0 Scorers Back Circle WayneWilson 3rd min Andy Duke 9th min Match # 8 West Front Road Gold Is Money 2 vs East Front Road 0 Scorers West Front Road Michael Oie 6th min Randolph Wagner 17th min Action continues tonight at Demerara Park, Ruimveldt. The fixtures are seen below: 19:00 hrs Berlin Massive versus Norton Street West 19:30 hrs North - Last Entrance vs. Stevedore Housing Scheme 20:00 hrs Hope Street- Tiger Bay vs. South Ruimveldt 20:30 hrs Tucville vs. Globe Yard Break Break 21:00 hrs Durban Street 21:30 hrs Albouystown B 22:00 hrs Street Tiger Bay 22:30 hrs Broad Street B
Break
Break
Albouystown A vs. River View vs. Sophia South vs. Queen Leopold Street
vs.
POLICE LAUNCH SECOND UK MATCH-FIXING PROBE LONDON - (Reuters) The National Crime Agency has launched a second probe into alleged match-fixing in English soccer after a Sunday newspaper claimed a player told an undercover reporter he could guarantee certain events in a Championship (second division) match. “The NCA can confirm that the Sun on Sunday has passed material from its own investigation to the National Crime Agency,” it said in a statement. “An active NCA investigation is now underway and we are working closely with the Football Association and the Gambling Commission. Six people are in custody and are being questioned by NCA officers. We cannot comment further at this stage.” The newspaper said it had evidence of a player saying he arranged a booking in a recent Championship match in which
another received a 30,000 pounds ($49,100) payment for getting a yellow card. The same player allegedly boasted he could also “rig” Premier League games. The Football League said it treated “any allegations of criminal activity in our competitions with the utmost seriousness”. “Given that there is an ongoing police investigation into this matter, we cannot comment further at this time. Although we would encourage anyone with any evidence to report it to the police,” chief executive Shaun Harvey said in a statement. “We will be giving our full assistance to the police during their investigation.” In a separate match-fixing investigation, four people have been charged, including two players from an English sixth tier semi-professional team, in connection with an alleged international illegal betting syndicate.
Michael Boateng and Hakeem Adelakun, both 22 and from Whitehawk FC in Brighton, along with Chann Sankaran, a 33-year-old Singapore national, and Krishna Sanjey Ganeshan, a 43-year-old with dual UK and Singapore nationality, were charged with conspiracy to defraud contrary to common law. Earlier this year, an inquiry by European police forces uncovered a global betting scam run from Singapore. About 680 suspicious matches, including in the European Champions League and qualifying for the World Cup and European Championships, were identified in the investigation - although pundits said many of the games were already known about. The last major matchfixing scandal in England occurred in the mid-1960s when 10 players were found guilty.
Monday December 09, 2013
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Chico Kashif & Shanghai schools football tourney commences East Ruimveldt overcome Wisburg on penalties, Ann’s Grove trounce Christ Church 9-1
Kevin Peters (left) and Jamal Blair By Zaheer Mohamed East Ruimveldt defeated Wisburg Secondary 3-2 on penalties and Ann’s Grove hammered Christ Church 9-1 when the inaugural Chico Kashif and Shanghai schools football tournament commenced yesterday at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground, Bourda. Following the opening ceremony East Ruimveldt and Wisburg went head to head in the first of a double header, which the former prevailed after they were locked 3-3 at the end of regulation time. Wisburg dominated the opening exchanges and Tshekedi Whitehead gave them the lead in the 9th minute before Jermine Moore doubled the advantage in the 25th. Romel Legall pulled one back just before half time for the city side. East Ruimveldt looked more purposeful after the break, but it was Wisburg who went ahead when Shaquille
Frank netted in the 52nd. Shemar Beaton slotted home for East Ruimveldt in the 74th minute before Nicholas Hunte equalized in the injury time. Shawn Kirton, Legall and Joshua Fiffee converted for the winners, while Raquel Hughes and Jevon Maynard scored for Wisburg. In the second game Ann’s Grove dominated possession from the onset and Kevin Peters opened their account in the 25 minute before Darren Pelew found the back of the net in 44th and Shane Simpson gave them a 3-0 lead just before half time half time. Ann’s Grove continued to push forward after the interval and Jamal Blair netted in the 48th, Blair slotted home in the 63rd, while Peters scored his second in the 65th. Jovanty Best pulled once back for Christ Church in the 75th before Ocemie Griffith netted one minute later. A blunder by Christ Church defence in the 77th minute resulted in an
own goal and Daniel Francis completed the scoring in injury time giving Christ Church goalkeeper Shemar Carrington an unforgettable night. Meanwhile, speaking at the opening ceremony earlier, Minister of Culture Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony commended the organisers for such a tournament, adding that it is the launching of a new era in Guyana’s football. He spoke about the importance of sports in schools stating his ministry is hoping to start a grassroots programme in the schools. Anthony informed that the Ministry will continue to support the Kashif and Shanghai organisation and stressed of the importance of discipline. Chief Education Officer Olato Sam stated that this tournament is a wonderful opportunity for the youngsters to develop and lauded the K&S organisation, while Public Relations Officer of Ansa McAl Darshanie Yusuf said they are pleased to be associated with the tournament. K&S Director Kashif Muhammad indicated that K&S, which is the longest tournament in Guyana, were instrumental in having 55 local players trade their skills in semi professional league overseas. He stated that they are happy to partner with the Ministry of Education and urged the parents to support their children. Muhammad said that they have also targeted the intellectual development of the youths and informed that an all star team will be selected at the end of the tournament to play schools from Suriname and St.Lucia in a three way competition.
East Ruimveldt on the attack against Wisburg yesterday.
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EVERTON HOLD LEADERS ARSENAL
The ball goes past Wojciech Szczesny (left) and hits the side netting after Deulofeu’s shot. (AFP Getty Images) BBC Sport - Substitute Gerard Deulofeu’s late strike earned Everton a draw and denied Arsenal a seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League. The 19-year-old smashed past Wojciech Szczesny from inside the box to cancel out Mesut Ozil’s close-range finish. Everton’s Tim Howard had earlier denied Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud, before Szczesny thwarted Kevin Mirallas. Giroud hit the bar in injury-time, but the point moves Arsenal five clear of Liverpool at the top of the table. Everton manager Roberto Martinez, who was relegated with Wigan on his last visit to the Emirates, praised his side’s “lack of fear” in recent matches and Deulofeu’s late strike spoke volumes for the Blues’ character as they remain the only side with one loss in the Premier League. Arsenal, who have now led in 13 of their 15 league matches, will be frustrated to have squandered the advantage having battled to break down their visitors with Ozil’s fourth league goal of the campaign. Their manager, Arsene Wenger described the visitors’ midweek win over Manchester United as a “warning” for his side, but with the two best defences in the league on show, early chances were sparse despite spells of crisp passing. Everton, who last won at Arsenal in 1996, enjoyed large bouts of possession and drew protestations from Wenger for the intensity of their pressing without the
ball. Sylvain Distin swiped a volley wide for the visitors, before Ross Barkley, operating behind Romelu Lukaku, fed Mirallas on a breakaway but the Belgian’s effort was wasteful. Martinez described Arsenal’s attacking-play as “as good as it gets” in the run up to the fixture and late on in the opening period, Wenger’s side began to showcase the guile which had earned them four consecutive wins. Howard, seeking a fourth successive clean sheet, dived at the feet of Giroud to block after a neat Ramsey pass, before the Arsenal charges reversed roles. This time Giroud dummied to release the Welshman, but Howard was again swift and brave to block at his feet. The Gunners started the second period with the intensity their opponents had the first and Carzola headed tamely at Howard after a delightful interchange with Wilshere. The intricate play was not lost on Martinez’s side and Steven Pienaar collected Barkley’s confident flick to warm the hands of Szczesny in Arsenal’s goal. Ramsey, whose eight Position Team 1 Arsenal 2 Liverpool 3 Chelsea 4 Man City 5 Everton 6 Tottenham 7 Newcastle 8 Southampton 9 Man Utd 10 Aston Villa
goals make him the Premier League’s most potent midfielder, was denied by Howard before the influential Barkley blasted straight at Szczesny at the other end. After making four changes from the midweek win against Hull, Wenger highlighted the strength of his bench ahead of the match and the introduction of Theo Walcott, Tomas Rosicky and Mathieu Flamini backed up his confidence. Flamini instantly shot wide, before Rosicky and Walcott combined to present Ozil with the opener. The German, who now has four goals and six assists in his last 12 Premier League matches, volleyed high past Howard from six-yards, sparking relief amongst home supporters. Their emotion was soon swung by Deulofeu, who had been on the field just five minutes when he collected a pass inside the area to unleash a shot past Szczesny. Giroud’s volley from 30 yards at the death almost offered a dramatic end to a pulsating final 10 minutes of play, but the ball cannoned back of the angle of post and crossbar to ensure the points were shared.
Played 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
GD Points 19 35 16 30 13 30 26 29 9 28 -1 27 -1 26 5 23 3 22 -2 19
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Kaieteur News
Afghanistan v Pakistan, only T20, Sharjah
PAKISTAN PREVAIL IN LAST-OVER FINISH Asghar Stanikzai was bowled by Bilawal Bhatti. (Getty Images)
ESPNcricinfo - A score of 137 wouldn’t have appeared a match-winning one at the halfway stage of the match, but Afghanistan’s bowlers made Pakistan fight till the final ball. Pakistan preserved wickets through their chase and though they lost only four, they were made to sweat against a side brimming with confidence having recently sealed their berth in the upcoming World T20. Mohammad Hafeez kept Pakistan afloat with an unbeaten 42 to give Pakistan a six-wicket win in the first ever T20 between the two countries.
At the start of the penultimate over, bowled by Hamid Hassan, Pakistan were still comfortably placed needing 16 with a set Hafeez on 32. Sohaib Maqsood’s run out off the fourth ball gave Afghanistan hope but Hafeez calmed the nerves in the Pakistan camp with a streaky, under-edged boundary past the keeper off the last ball to bring the equation down to six from six. Shahid Afridi pushed the first ball by the seamer Dawlat Zadran to midwicket for a single but Hafeez left the next, expecting it to be called a wide. Afghanistan had a
chance to run out Hafeez off the third when he took a risky single to cover and nearly gave up. Zadran then employed the bouncer against Afridi but it backfired with the umpire penalising him for height. Afridi slogged and missed the next ball and stole a bye. Hafeez pinched a single to point, leveling the scores before the last ball. Zadran banged in another bouncer but it cost Afghanistan dear as it was signaled a no ball. The finish was an anticlimax from the way Pakistan started. The openers Ahmed Continued on page 31
West Indies U-19s withdrawn from Bangladesh tour ESPNcricinfo - The West Indies Cricket Board has withdrawn its Under-19 team from the ongoing tour of Bangladesh, following an explosion near the team hotel in Chittagong on Saturday. The WICB tweeted confirmation of the same on Sunday evening, saying: “Acting in interest of safety & security of WI U19 team WICB has decided to withdraw the team from tour of Bangladesh.” The board also tweeted that the team was still at the hotel with “added security”, while travel arrangements were being made for them to fly out. Earlier in the day, following the assurance of “reinforced” security from the Bangladesh
Cricket Board, the WICB had said the team was “not targeted and was not in any immediate danger”, but it was working with the Bangladesh board, contacting the players’ parents, and would provide an update on the situation if necessary. The second match of the ODI series, scheduled to take place on Sunday, was postponed to today, following the incident near the hotel. West Indies had lost the first game, but were scheduled to play seven matches in all in the series. The incident could have deeper implications for Bangladesh, as they prepare to host the World Twenty20 in February 2014.
Monday December 09, 2013
2nd ODI: South Africa Crush India By 134 Runs India Times - NEW DELHI: South Africa took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series as they inflicted a 134-run defeat on India in the second one-day international at Kingsmead in Durban yesterday. Reeling under the South African pacers’ assault, India were bundled out for 146 runs in 35.1 overs, with Lonwabe Tsotsobe castling the stumps of Mohammed Shami to register victory for the hosts. Dale Steyn clean bowled Umesh Yadav to pin India down at 146/9 in 34.4 overs. South African captain AB de Villiers took an amazing catch at long-on to dismiss Ravindra Jadeja off Lonwabe Tsotsobe. Steyn had R Ashwin caught behind by Quinton de Kock to reduce India to 133/ 7 in 30.5 overs. David Miller took a fine catch at short extra cover to dismiss Suresh Raina off Morne Morkel. De Kock took a superb diving catch to dismiss Indian captain MS Dhoni off Vernon Philander. Ajinkya Rahane was unlucky to be given out as there didn’t seem to be an inside edge off his bat but he was given out caught behind by De Kock off Morkel. Hashim Amla took a brilliant catch at short midwicket to dismiss Rohit Sharma off Lonwabe Tsotsobe. India got off to a bad start in their run chase as Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli fell in successive overs. Lonwabe Tsotsobe gave South Africa the second breakthrough when he had Kohli caught behind by De Kock for a fifth-ball duck in the fourth over. Steyn had Dhawan caught by JP Duminy at backward point for a second-ball duck in the third over. Earlier, South African middle order failed to capitalise on centuries by openers Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla to be restricted to 280/6. South Africa got to the 280-run mark only because Ryan McLaren and Vernon Philander carted Umesh Yadav for 20 runs in the last over of their innings. Mohammed Shami took his third wicket when he clean bowled Jacques Kallis in the penultimate over. South Africa lost their fifth wicket when JP Duminy was run out by a good throw from deep mid-wicket by Umesh Yadav into the hands of captain MS Dhoni who ripped off the bails in a flash.
Shami dismissed Amla and David Miller in one over to reduce South Africa to 234/4. Shami was lucky to get Miller dismissed leg before wicket as there was a clear inside edge onto the batsman’s pads. Shami had centurion Hashim Amla caught behind by captain MS Dhoni as South Africa lost their third wicket. Amla tried to pull a short delivery from the outside of off-stump but the ball edged the toe end of the bat as Dhoni took a simple catch. Amla’s 12th ODI century came off 116 balls and this was his third century against India. When he reached 59 in his 100-run knock, Amla became the fastest batsman to complete 4000 ODI runs. Amla took 81 innings to get to the milestone beating Sir Vivian Richards who got to the landmark in 88 innings. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja dismissed Quinton de
Kock and AB de Villiers respectively. De Kock smashed a 118ball 106 before Ashwin had him caught by Rohit Sharma at square leg and in the next over Jadeja had De Villiers stumped by MS Dhoni. De Kock hit his second successive century off 112 balls and added 194 runs with Hashim Amla for the first wicket. De Kock and Amla once again laid a solid platform for their team that is already 1-0 up in this three-match series. Both De Kock and Amla slammed their fifties off 57 balls bringing up South Africa’s 50 in the tenth over, 100 in the 19th over and 150 in the 27th over. The solid start came after Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and decided to field first. Scores: South Africa 280 for 6 (De Kock 106, Amla 100, Shami 3-48) v India 146 (Tsotsobe 4-25, Steyn 3-17) by 134 runs.
Quinton de Kock notched his second consecutive ODI century. Hashim Amla (background) also scored a hundred for South Africa. (AFP)
Monday December 09, 2013
Kaieteur News
England face heavy defeat in Adelaide
Brad Haddin dives forward to take Joe Root’s edge. (Getty Images) BBC Sport - England’s last four batsmen must survive the entire final day of the second Test to snatch an improbable draw as Australia close in on a 2-0 series lead. The battered tourists will resume on 247-6, 284 runs adrift of what would be an unparalleled and utterly unrealistic win, without a single specialist batsman left. Captain Alastair Cook, Michael Carberry and Ian Bell were all guilty of bad misjudgements as only Joe Root (87) and Kevin Pietersen (53) delayed what feels like an inevitable Australia win. Matt Prior’s unbeaten 31 and Stuart Broad’s 22 not out at least ensured England did not suffer the embarrassment of defeat within four days. But with the new ball just 10 overs old and the weather forecast favourable, they are likely to travel to Perth for Friday’s third Test facing their biggest Ashes deficit in seven years. Requiring a nominal 531 to win after Australia declared overnight, or to bat out two days for an unlikely draw, England got off to the most dispiriting of starts when Cook top-edged a reckless hook in Mitchell Johnson’s first over of the day to be caught by Ryan Harris at long leg for just one. It gave the captain his lowest match aggregate since the Sabina Park Test of 2009 and set the tone for too much of the batting that was to follow. Carberry had looked comfortable for his 14 but then swatted a pull shot off
Peter Siddle straight to Nathan Lyon on the deep square leg boundary. Root and Pietersen then quietly compiled England’s biggest partnership of the series as the pitch revealed its true, docile nature. Root went to his fourth Test 50 with a two clipped through mid-wicket off Johnson, and Pietersen then tucked into a succession of full tosses and long hops from the occasional leg-spin of Steve Smith to go to his own half century midway through the afternoon session. The partnership was up to 111 when Siddle brought one back in a fraction from the Cathedral End and Pietersen, caught between playing and leaving, instead deflected the ball onto his off bail. The wicket meant Siddle tucked in the shadows of Johnson and Harris for much of this series - has now dismissed Pietersen nine times in Test cricket, more than any other man. With tea due, Bell then went in the worst possible manner, advancing to another full toss but smearing it into the hands of the diving Johnson at mid-on. It left England 143-4, still 388 runs adrift and four sessions from safety. And while the skies above the Adelaide Oval were grey for much of the day, the showers that were around in south Australia bypassed the state capital. Only in Root’s patient, disciplined innings could anything be salvaged from the wreckage. The 22-year-old played
Johnson in admirable fashion, dropping his gloves to the short stuff and leaving well, and he was only 13 runs shy of his first Ashes century down under when an inside edge off Lyon rolled up his thigh pad and down into the reaching glove of Brad Haddin. It was Haddin’s 200th Test catch, and while Root will consider it an unfortunate end to an excellent innings, it surely guarantees he stays at number three for the next Test in Perth. Ben Stokes had also stuck around doggedly despite several near-misses. But when his 90-ball stretch ended in Harris’s second over with the new ball, edging to Michael Clarke at second slip for 28, it opened the door for Australia to polish the match off before Monday’s fifth day. Broad survived a dramatic working-over from Johnson and then clouted two fours before Prior did the same. But to expect the England tail to keep this Australian attack at bay for 90 overs is to ignore both logic and precedent. With England having lost their past six Tests at the Waca, the possibility of the Ashes returning to Australia within the next 10 days is now a very real one. Scores: England 172 and 6 for 247 (Root 87, Pietersen 53, Prior 31*, Broad 22*) need another 284 runs to beat Australia 9 for 570 dec and 3 for 132 dec.
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Fletcher hits century as Grenada win CMC - ST GEORGE’S, Grenada - West Indies batsman Andre Fletcher hit a century to guide Grenada to a 14-run win over St Vincent and the Grenadines in the Windward Islands Twenty20 cricket tournament here on Saturday. Fletcher blasted 112 off 61 balls which included seven fours and seven sixes to lift his side to 177 for five and restricted St Vincent to 163 for four. Fletcher was in a nononsense mood, punishing the Vincentian bowlers to all corners of the National Stadium. He destroyed the bowling including five sixes in one over from Rodney Lawrence. However, Lawrence had the last laugh when he caught Fletcher off the bowling of Kenroy Peters. Tade Carmichael (21) and Devon Smith (17) added to Grenada’s total. Wi n d w a r d Islands players Miles Bascombe and Romel Currency gave St Vi n c e n t a n d t h e Grenadines the ideal start
Andre Fletcher
with 103 runs for the first wicket after 13 overs. Bascombe went for 43 and Currency laboured on for a well deserved 86 but was stumped by Fletcher with the last ball of the innings. It was Grenada’s third straight win in the four-team tournament and sets up a championship match between both teams on Sunday at the
National Stadium. St Lucia and Dominica will contest the third-place playoff. Scores: Grenada 177-5 (20 ov) Andre Fletcher 112, Tade Carmichael 21; Kenroy Peters 2-27 and St Vincent 163-4 (20 ov) Romel Currency 86, Miles Bascombe 43, Akim Alexis 230.
German President Gauck will not attend Sochi Games Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (front) visits the ‘’RusSki Gorki’’ Jumping Center at the Krasnaya Polyana resort near the Black Sea city of Sochi November 27, 2013. REUTERS/Aleksey Nikolskyi/RIA Novosti/ Kremlin BERLIN (Reuters) German President Joachim Gauck will not attend the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia’s Sochi in February, his office said on Sunday, with the government’s human rights commissioner calling it a “wonderful gesture.” Presidential officials confirmed he would snub Russia’s first ever winter Games but did not comment on media reports suggesting he was skipping them over the country’s human rights record, saying there was “nothing unusual” about not going. Gauck, who attended the 2012 London Olympics, has
not visited Russia since taking office in 2012. His decision was welcomed by the German government’s human rights commissioner Markus Loening. “It is important that the world watches and realizes the things that are happening in Russia and what a great disappointment to democracy and human rights Russia is,” Loening told Reuters. Russian President Vladimir Putin has staked his personal political prestige on staging a successful Olympics and the Games are expected to cost about $50 billion. Preparations, though,
have been overshadowed by international criticism over Russia’s human rights record as well as a recent anti-gay propaganda law that critics claim discriminates against homosexuals. Putin has said several times that gay athletes are welcome in Russia and that no discrimination will be tolerated. He has said the law is needed to protect young people. Russia also faces security challenges as Sochi is next to its restive North Caucasus region, which is disrupted by almost daily violence from an Islamist insurgency rooted into two Chechen wars.