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Kaieteur News
Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
The government cuts budgets too The year is ending pretty much as it began, with protests and disagreements in the hallowed halls of Parliament. There continues to be no change between the government and the parliament opposition to the extent that once the government makes a proposal it is almost a foregone conclusion that the opposition is going to adopt the opposite view. At the start of the year, when the 2013 Budget was presented in the National Assembly some of the items could not find favour with the opposition with the result that there were budget cuts. Interestingly enough, there were similar situations the year before. Some of the things being pursued by the government on the national development scene did not find favour with the opposition so they refused to support allocations for these projects. One such disagreement put paid to the construction of the Amaila Falls hydro project. The cost of the project kept mounting and the opposition claimed that the government was less than forthcoming. The result was that they refused to vote on an uncertainty. Toward the end of this year, the same thing happened when the government sought to secure the vote on the antimoney laundering Bill. This Bill had been in the National Assembly for months having been consigned to the Parliamentary Select Committee. The government wanted to avoid a blacklist which would hurt the country but the opposition said that it was important to have substance rather than form. In most democracies, the various Members of Parliament would find time to discuss the issue during the parliamentary recess. Of course, Guyana’s parliamentary system only allows for a free vote under certain conditions. But the discussions could have helped fuel a change of heart because someone could have set about influencing his colleagues to undergo a change of heart. This was not even attempted because of the rigid relationship between the parties. And so we come to the third budget to be presented during President Donald Ramotar’s presidency. Once more there is the threat of more cuts. The opposition keeps begging to be a part of the planning process and indeed, if the budget is for the national good then there is no harm in involving the opposition ahead of the budget presentation. This is not happening. If the government is reluctant to involve the opposition then there can only be two reasons. One reason is that the government is bent on managing things unilaterally. This is the order that prevails when the government insists that it has been elected to rule and it will rule without interruption. The other reason is that more often than not there may be hidden allocations that could go to fund other aspects of life within the party. For example, the Office of the President until Donald Ramotar relinquished the post of General Secretary, would have been responsible for certain works. How does one split the President from the Party General Secretary? For its part, the opposition has their constituencies but their involvement in the budget preparation would not contain anything so partisan. Even if the government puts in more money that is actually necessary for certain funding in the budget, the opposition would not make a fuss because most times, people are simply content with merely having a say. The regional democratic councils are closest to people other than the government preparing their budget. And here we see another aspect of life that defies explanation. The government objected most strenuously when the opposition cut the budget. But the very government slashed the budget that came from the regions despite the protestations. Most of the budgets from those regions not won by the government were slashed by as much as sixty per cent. This surely does not help the government cause but then again, it helps to explain the various needs as seen by one group that is dependent on the state for funds. So the government has already cut the budgets of the regional democratic councils, it must now brace itself for an examination.
Thursday December 19, 2013
Letters... Where your views make the news
Fish is more profitable than sugar DEAR EDITOR, A friend of mine on seeing my letter to the media concerning alternative agricultural operations, and especially aquaculture, asked me how growing a few fish can be a bigger industry than the massive sugar cane industry with all of the capital and other infrastructure sugar represents as an industry. How can aquaculture give us more income than sugar? There are two main reasons why it is so; Climatic condition is one. The PPP, which cannot grow sugar cane under these wet conditions, always blames the weather. But an analysis of the weather pattern over the past 100 years tells us that even though we have had wet periods and dry periods, the rainfall is not more today than it was several decades, even centuries ago. For example, I wrote a
commentary in January 2004 predicting much of what you are seeing now. In it I said, “Ladies and gentlemen the PPP have been very lucky in the 11odd years they have been in power. In none of those 11 years have they had to deal with the traditional high rainfall this country experiences, especially along the east and west coast from Abary to Uitvlugt. “And they have been complacent in the way they have maintained the existing infrastructure on the coast, since coming to power, especially in regions 4 & 5.” I then gave this example of the period 1966 to 1976, and I do not need to remind anyone that we had the sugar industry then. “Let me give you the rainfall that occurred in this country between 1966 and 1976 to establish the high levels this country can
traditionally expect. I will give you the rainfall as recorded at Houston estate during those years. In 1966 the rainfall was 118.4 inches; in 1967 it was 165.69 inches; in 1968 it was 131.20; in 1969 it was 110.71 inches; in 1970 it was 157.89 inches; in ‘71 it was 140.79 inches; in ‘72 it was 112.05 inches; in 1973 it was 125.95 inches; in 74 it was 116.93 inches; in 75 it was 129.87 inches; and in 76 it was 146.93 inches. We did not know about El Nino, but we knew that there were years of extremely high rainfall alternating with several years of low rainfall.” In no year since 2005 have we received anywhere near these rainfall numbers. Also, Guyana experiences more rainfall than 96% of the rest of the land area of the planet, making it one of the wettest places in the world,
with an average precipitation of over 80 inches a year. The PPP, illiterate as they are in this matter, have only just discovered this fact and blame the rain for all of their incompetence, but this high rainfall has been going on for most of our history, and I am talking about since the dawn of time. To make a bad situation worse, we cannot drain this high rainfall until the tide is low on the coast, and most of the time the land is soggy. Anywhere in the sugar belt in Demerara if you dig a hole in the ground 18 inches deep you will hit ground water; in Berbice it may be a little deeper, perhaps a little over 24 inches. There is then the other contention. It is not feasible to convert our cane cultivation which has a cambered bed layout with deep drains located every 36 (Continued on page 23)
I do not believe there was any intent by the Minister to subvert due process DEAR EDITOR, I would like to respond regarding the debate surrounding the Permission for Geological and Geographical Survey (PGGS) recently granted to Muri Brasil Ventures, Inc. Regardless of whether the language in the contract constituted a guarantee or not in reference to a prospecting licence (PL), I do not believe there was any i n t e n t b y M r. R o b e r t Persaud, the Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, to subvert due process and instead engage in some underhanded arrangement with the company. It must be noted that this is not the first time such a PGGS was issued with similar wording. In fact, Pharsalus, Inc. was granted a PGGS in 2007 by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, which was recorded by then GGMC Commissioner William Woolford. This permission contained similar language and included this clause: “during the duration of the permission, the Permittee shall have the right to apply to the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission for, and shall be granted, a maximum of twenty (20) Prospecting Licences for radioactive minerals and rear earth elements.” Again, in this instance, similar conditions had to be satisfied in order to
certify approval of the licences. Moreover, the conditions set out in the Muri Brazil PGGS contract, which will pave the way for the granting of a maximum of 18 PLs, are in line with the requirements of the Mining Act that spell out issuances of such a licence. In the Mining Act, Article 30, Chapter 2, sets out that a PL shall be granted if the applicant can demonstrate adequate financial and technical expertise to carry out an effective prospecting operation and can show that it has an adequate prospecting programme or operational plan. I do not envision any
issue meriting serious concern with the granting of such a PL if the company were to apply to the GGMC and to meet all the requisite criteria for such licences. The only issue that should be addressed is if the government is willing to revise its current policy of not permitting mining in the specified area. Also, the government will have to ensure that if it indeed changes its policy on mining in the area, then it should take into consideration commitments related to the GuyanaNorway agreement on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest
Degradation (REDD+) and how funding from that arrangement can be affected if mining in the specified area negatively affects control of Guyana’s total forest degradation levels. The security issue is a non-starter, I believe. The land area belongs to Guyana and we should not be too overly concerned with Suriname’s reaction, lest we think that the nation has a legitimate claim. This raises another issue for our government to consider, and that is to find a diplomatic solution in resolving the disputed territorial claim made by Suriname. Clinton Urling
This casino should be condemned DEAR EDITOR, Among the basic tenets of the Constitution are freedom of speech, the freedom to associate and the freedom to worship. These are all sacred and countries that want to portray some semblance of upholding its laws should all encourage these freedoms. It therefore goes without saying that we have all have to be tolerant of each other. Our views, our friends, our religion, our political allegiance, are all part of the democratic system that our beautiful country has been pushing to perfect. It is against this background that I want to highlight a troubling observation I made over the weekend. A number of friends are visiting and I was invited to dinner to the Princess Hotel and Casino in Providence. Later that evening, we were at the casino where a few of the party decided to try their
hands at the slot machines. Somehow my attention was drawn to one of the machines which depicted an image that was most shocking. It was what appeared to be an image of Lord Shiva. To use the word shocking would be an understatement. With a significant section of country’s population Hindus, I am sure this is a slap in the face of the many who practice. How could the casino’s management allow this? Where is the gaming authority in this? Did its inspectors not see? I condemn the casino for this and urge that the machine be removed. I am also asking that all religious organizations, including the Hindu community, which would promote tolerance and respect for each other, to condemn this. In the spirit of this season, let’s do the right thing. Cobeer Persaud
Thursday December 19, 2013
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news
Guyana is falling apart On the issue of alliance politics DEAR EDITOR, The murder rate in Guyana continues to rise, and even more so among women embroiled in domestic violence whereas of November 2013, seventeen of them have been murdered by their spouses and the Minister of Home Affairs seems to be in a quandary. For the last two years, the homicide statistics have seen peaks, and the underlying trend continues unabated as the PPP regime and the police high command have been reactive rather than proactive. The harsh truth about why the crime rate has risen over the years is because there are too many young men who are unemployed, in many instances uneducated, and are therefore unemployable and many have had a long history of criminal violence. And since no one will hire them, then they are bound to commit robberies and in the process will kill anyone one who resists them. Like all of us, these armed bandits need money to survive, but they do not have access to employment. Piecemeal interventions have been mere band aids that hide a festering sore. Pleas by the citizens for meaningful intervention to end this scourge have so far fallen on deaf ears. We have, therefore, come to the conclusion that no serious intervention to end crime will take place unless the friends and relatives of the PPP cabal are directly affected. For too long there have been two systems under this regime, one for the rich and one for the poor whose plight is ignored. This is what has influenced the poor planning and lack of a human development strategy in our beloved country. In Guyana, abject poverty is juxtaposed with opulence; a recipe for anarchy and
ultimately social upheavals which the powers that be continue to take for granted. The bottom line is that Guyana needs a major social intervention with an economic underpinning, and the sooner the better. Large scale decay is everywhere, Georgetown is stink with piles of rotten garbage, no jobs for the youths, crime is widespread, and amidst the decay there reigns much decadence and hopelessness. We are well aware, like so many other well-thinking citizens that resources are not scarce but they are recklessly spent on projects that benefit the rich. We believe that a strategic economic plan if carefully implemented in an equitable and above-board manner can make a difference. No doubt there will be calls for seminars, conferences, summits and the like. The PPP administration is famous for staging talk shops and providing various platforms for persons to rant and rave, but when the dust settles it is business as usual. Persons are being gunned down in broad daylight in front of many witnesses, yet very rarely are these killers caught and punished because of the system of justice which protects the rich and powerful thus leaving the poor and powerless to fend for themselves. The time for action is now. Guyana is falling apart, it needs help. Of course, Government alone cannot solve the crime, so it is also the duty of the business community to get involved. At present, very
few corporate giants and successful enterprises are making any meaningful and lasting inputs to solve crime. We bemoaned the fact that very little support is coming from the leaders of the Private Sector Commission and the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry by way of support. Both organizations have criticized the opposition for voting down the Amaila Falls Project and the Anti-Money Laundering Bills in Parliament but they have remained silent on the crime issue, Mr. Ramotar’s refusal to assent to the Bills passed by Parliament to establish the Procurement Commission and The Integrity Commission, and to set a date for Local Government elections. We say to those two bodies that the people expect them to be objective and fair to both the PPP and the opposition. However, this is not the case since their unwavering support for the PPP is plain for all to see. History has proven that when unemployment is low across the country, the crime rate goes down. Need we say more? And this is but one example of what can be done to change the country’s socio-economic landscape and reduce crime. There is too must selfishness among persons in the Private Sector in terms of investment in the communities and helping the poor, but they had better wake up and smell the coffee because the country is definitely falling apart. Dr. Asquith Rose and Harish S. Singh
DEAR EDITOR, I have been following with interest the exchange of views on the issue of alliance politics. There is a widely held view that Burnham, especially during the latter period of his rule, was inclined to enter into a coalition government with the PPP. His death in August 1985 put paid to any such speculation. What was quite obvious was that Desmond Hoyte who succeeded him as Executive President was not in favour of any alliance with the PPP and opted instead to seek western support for his economic recovery programme which was premised on a neoliberal development model of deregulation, privatization of state enterprises and market reforms. At the political level, Hoyte refused to engage the PPP in any meaningful political accommodation and instead rigged his way to political power a mere four months after he took over the presidency in August 1985. It is in this context that the search for a political solution, initiated by the PPP, begun in earnest. This was manifested in the formation of the Patriotic Coalition for Democracy (PCD) which was made up of the PPP, the WPA
and the DLM. Earlier attempts to form a National Front Government failed after Burnham dismissed the PPP as a “minority” party and therefore could not be treated as equals in any power equation. One difficulty that the PCD faced was who to put up as Presidential Candidate in national and regional elections which were constitutionally due in 1990. Both the WPA and the DLM objected to Dr. Jagan on two grounds, namely that he was ideologically tainted, and also because of his ethnicity. There was also lack of consensus on how to apportion Cabinet seats, with the two smaller parties demanding a disproportionate number of seats should the PCD be successful at the polls. The PPP for its part made its position clear that while it did not have any intention to dominate the alliance, at the same time it did not wish to be dominated in any political arrangement, having regard to the fact of it being the largest political party in the country and could realistically win a free and fair election on its own strength. Failure to arrive at a political consensus led to the dissolution of the PCD and
the eventual formation of the PPP-Civic alliance with Cheddi Jagan as Presidential Candidate and Samuel Hinds as the Prime Ministerial Candidate. The elections due in 1990 were delayed by an additional two years to allow for a number of sweeping reforms, the most significant of which was the counting of votes at the place of poll. By then the winds of change were sweeping throughout the hemisphere and the PPP was no longer viewed as “the lesser of the evil” by the United States and other western states. The elections vindicated the positions taken by the PPP regarding its political and popular strength. The Party won the elections of October 5, 1992, with a comfortable majority. The WPA barely managed to win a seat and the DLM failed to win parliamentary representation. As for the PPP-Civic alliance, it continued to contest and win parliamentary majorities in all subsequent elections except for the November 2011 elections when the combined opposition obtained a oneseat majority. Hydar Ally
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Thursday December 19, 2013
Security firm taken to court Police force loses for underpaying workers 200 ranks a year
Management of Strategic Action Security Service is once again in hot water, this time for violating the minimum wage order since 2012. Two others are being prosecuted for not adhering to the new minimum wages order introduced in July 1, last. This was according to Labour Minister, Dr. Nanda Gopaul, during his year-end press conference yesterday. He said that a major concern for the Ministry is that three private security firms, Strategic Action Security Service, Homesafe Security Services and Supreme Security Service are noncompliant with the minimum wage order. The Minister said that Strategic Action Security Service has been found guilty of not even paying the minimum wage that was introduced in 2012. He explained that for years Government introduced minimum wage in certain sectors while others such as
security were given a minimum wage. The firm was non-compliant with that order and owes hundreds of millions of dollars, he said. “We are pursuing prosecution…We have 19 cases filed against them…And, we intend to file cases for all the workers who have not been paid,” Dr. Gopaul said. According to Dr. Gopaul, whilst this matter is being pursued by the Ministry’s inhouse lawyer it will be soliciting assistance from the Attorney General Chambers and the Director of Public Prosecutions. If help is not forthcoming the Ministry would have to recruit a private lawyer with the skills to help prosecute the company. “Too many workers have been underpaid by this company and we are not going to let it go easily… Judging from what has taken place by Strategic Action Security Service they have a lot of money to pay workers. They have not been compliant since 2012 and hundreds of millions of dollars owe workers,” he stressed.
Four-year -old death at GPHC... The evidently distraught family members of four-yearold Jaden Mars were forced to say their final goodbyes Tuesday when he was laid to rest at Le Repentir Cemetery. But according to mother of the dead lad, Natalie Caseley, the fight for “justice for Jaden” is not remotely over. She and other family members are determined to get all their questions answered as it relates to Mars passing at the Georgetown
Earlier this year, police swooped down on Strategic Action Security Service Queenstown head office, where a number of stolen articles were found. The matters were taken to court. Commenting on the other two firms, Dr. Gopaul said there are pending cases against Homesafe Security Services and Supreme Security Service. As such, these companies are on the Ministry’s radar. The matters would be personally monitored by the Minister so that employees could receive their pay. Though the Ministry cannot determine what criteria the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board uses whilst evaluating contracts, it will be informing the board about the charges against the companies. Full-time workers outside the Public Sector should be paid no less than $35,000 monthly, $8,000 weekly, or $200 (US$1) per hour. In addition, employees should only work 40 hours per week with overtime paid for services provided beyond.
High staff turnover is plaguing the Guyana Police Force and according to Crime Chief Seelall Persaud, this is impacting significantly on the organisation’s ability to effectively carry out its mandate. Delivering the feature address at the police end of year awards ceremony yesterday, in the place of Commissioner of Police Leroy Brumell, Persaud said that although the police keep turning out new members ever year a significant number of persons are leaving the force annually. According to Persaud, the force enlisted 285 new members this year but at the same time the organization has suffered a loss of 194 ranks. “The difference here is that a lot of that 194 are men and women who are trained and experienced. That is something we need to deal with in a significant way,” he said. He did not say, however, what were the main reasons for the high rate of turnover. Many will argue that the
remuneration is one main factor, while the number of police ranks being interdicted and placed before the courts has been increasingly steadily. Deputy Commissioner Persaud disclosed that the Ministry of Home Affairs is currently engaging some consultants to deal with a number of issues, among them, are recruitment and retention of members of the force. The Crime Chief, who many believe is the commissioner of police in waiting, also touched a bit on the ongoing police reform. He said that the police has undertaken to embrace a model referred to as the results oriented planning model, which is moving the force away from the traditional public service, bureaucratictype operations to one that is more business-like, “where Commanders who command resources of the Force are expected to submit plans that will meet the goals of the Force, and then they will have to account for the performances…to the
Seelall Persaud Commissioner of Police.” He also announced that there has been a four percent increase in serious crimes, compared with last year, with murders standing at 136, compared with 131 for the same period in 2012. According to Persaud, though, the increase was significantly impacted by the high incidence of gun-related robberies where there was a 15 per cent increase. “The majority of those robberies were committed in a division, mainly Georgetown and a large majority is street robberies,” he said. In their efforts to combat this situation, the police have so far seized 92 illegal firearms.
Hospital to share findings of probe with mother tomorrow Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) last week Tuesday. And according to Chief Executive Officer of the Hospital, Michael Khan, answers about the circumstances that led to the child’s death will be forthcoming when officials of the hospital meet with Caseley tomorrow. Although unable to comment on the findings yesterday, Khan said that all details of an investigation,
which commenced even before the death of the child, will be disclosed to the grieving mother. But an official close to the operation of the hospital said, “I don’t know if the family will accept the findings...the family will have to decide what is the next move.” Mars was admitted a patient at the GPHC three Wednesdays ago after he accidentally fell and hit his chin on a five gallon bucket
injuring his tongue in the process. At the time he was at home with his maternal grandmother, Nancy Gittens, at the family’s 45 West Ruimveldt, Housing Scheme, Georgetown, residence. He was initially rushed to the East La Penitence Health Centre where efforts were made to stop the bleeding and assess the extent of the injury before referring him to the GPHC for further care. The child was administered at least two 25 milligram doses of anaesthetic drug which was intended to sedate him ahead of having the tongue sutured. The drug was however, not sufficient thereby forcing the attending doctor to refer him to theatre where the child’s condition deteriorated. He was hospitalised for close to one week before dying in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. A post mortem examination stated that Mars’ cause of death was Pulmonary Embolism. According to Caseley, who is currently pregnant with her third child, although she is trying to be strong, despite the loss of her son, she is increasingly finding it hard to come to terms with the fact that she will longer be seeing him. “He was truly a gem.” Yesterday she
Dead: Jaden Mars disclosed that the child’s father, Junior Mars, has been in a depressed state since learning of his death. While it is the belief of the child’s family that negligence played a major role in his demise, Caseley is hopeful that the unfortunate situation will pave the way for the offering of improved health care at the premier public hospital, as well as health institutions across the country.
Thursday December 19, 2013
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Port Kaituma porkknocker Oil exploration companies meet charged with brother’s killing tomorrow in US to update Guyana The Fallstop, Port Kaituma porkknocker accused of fatally stabbing to death his 20-year-old brother was ordered held without bail after during his first court appearance before Magistrate Ann McLennan yesterday. The charge which was read to 38-year-old Neville France at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court detailed that he murdered Richard France on December 12, last, at Fallstop, North West. The prosecution yesterday revealed some new details about Richard’s murder. Reading from the case docket, Police Prosecutor Deniro Jones told the court that the siblings resided with their father who actually witnessed the murder. Jones said that on that date, the brothers were ‘drinking’ over at a neighbour’s residence when an argument ensued with the said neighbour over a hammer the accused allegedly lent to neighbour. The neighbour allegedly lashed Richard who then ventured home. According to the prosecution, the 20-yearold was sitting on a bench ‘outside’ when the accused confronted him. However, their father who was reportedly cooking in the kitchen was able to witness
Companies involved in offshore oil and gas exploration in Guyana are expected to update Government on its work during a critical meeting tomorrow in the United States. Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud, and Newell Dennison, Deputy Commissioner, Guyana Geology and Mines Commission will be attending the review, the Ministry said yesterday. The meeting will be chaired by Minister Persaud. The annual meeting will be attended by both representatives of the incumbent and new
Neville France what transpired between the two. It was reported that the patriarch observed an argument occurring between the two. He said the younger sibling walked away and whilst doing so, Neville stabbed him in his back. After receiving the stabs to the upper left side of his back, Richard attempted to run but soon collapsed on the road way. Jones told the court that
their father then called the police and the accused was apprehended. He said too, that whilst under caution the accused produced a written confession. Additionally, the prosecution said that the murder weapon was recovered with aid of both the accused and his father. Neville France is expected to appear before Chief Magistrate Priya SewnarineBeharry today.
National Insurance Scheme honours centenarian
Area manager Michael Patterson presents the token to centenarian Ms. Olga Elgin. Others in picture are Office Manager Shellon Wattkins and medical personnel Nurses Florence Beaton and Goulda Semple.
The National Insurance Scheme (NIS) in Berbice on Wednesday journeyed to Fyrish, home of Corentyne of centenarian Ms. Olga Elgin, the oldest surviving pensioner, and presented her with a Christmas hamper. Ms. Briton was born on August 31, 1913. The visiting NIS team was led by its Berbice Area M a n a g e r M r. M i c h a e l Patterson. The gesture which the scheme undertakes on a yearly basis is done at each office, where a pensioner is identified and recognised by the NIS.
companies entering the potential oil and gas sector of Guyana such as Andarko Guyana Co., Repsol Exploration S.A., Ratio Oil Exploration Ltd., Esso Exploration & Production Guyana Ltd., CGX Energy Inc., Pacific Rubiales and Tullow Oil Plc. Following the completion of the offshore wells, Jaguar and Eagle in 2012, companies have moved to renew their interest in Guyana’s offshore drive by submitting new applications for seismic acquisition and marine surveys. New venture interests have been pursued and are in place for the next steps in
Guyana’s quest to develop its hydrocarbon potentials. According to the Ministry’s statement, the Government through the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment has been continuously working to establish a firm basis for putting in place the necessary legislation, regulations and other aspects of the institutional framework required for the efficient governance and development of the sector. “This includes the development of the Petroleum Advisory Board which will be the guide for further advancement of the sector in Guyana.”
ALBA-Petrocaribe Summit promises real regional integration Venezuela - The design of new mechanisms of integration stands today in the agenda of blocks such as ALBA and Petrocaribe, in order to consolidate positions between countries with common interests in favour of people. The II Extraordinary Summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) and the energy mechanism, held in Venezuela, left a toll significant progress towards the establishment of an Exclusive Economic Zone between the two initiatives. The delegations of the 20 countries participating in the meeting went beyond recommending the extension of the project to the Southern Common Market (Mercosur). For President of Ve n e z u e l a , Nicolas Maduro, a block of this type would join 23 states in Latin America and the Caribbean, with 408 million people. (Prensa Latina)
Venezuela President, Nicolas Maduro, and President Donald Ramotar at the summit
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Thursday December 19, 2013
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THE ACCESS ROAD INTO DIAMOND IS DANGEROUS The long and winding main access road into the Diamond Housing Scheme is treacherous. For such a major roadway, it is far too narrow. Amongst the traffic that uses that roadway each day are cyclists and pedestrians. Each day, they put their lives on the line because the road is not wide enough to cater for bicycles and pedestrians. Those who are interested in protecting the image of former President Bharrat Jagdeo must do something and something urgently to widen that roadway, install a footpath and a cycle lane because as things presently stand both cyclists and pedestrians are at a high risk of being run over by the motor vehicles that traverses that roadway. The creation of the Diamond Housing Scheme was one the main infrastructural projects of
President Jagdeo. It was intended to become a major population centre so much so that it was touted for secondary town status. A medical diagnostic centre was created, secondary and primary schools built and banks and business began to gravitate towards the area as buildings began to be erected. The housing scheme was supposed to represent the vision of the former President, except now that it seems as if a number of things were overlooked, one of which of course is the need for more than one access road and to ensure that these access roads were properly constructed to accommodate two- way vehicular traffic as well as cater for pedestrians and cyclists. As the 2011 election approached, the PPPC hoped that this massive housing
Dem boys seh...
De gold deh deep under Rob de Earth petticoat Nuff things talking in de grapevine. Jagdeo and Rob de Earth creating a parallel government to Donald wan. When Donald plan something and think is he alone got de idea, Jagdeo and Rob de Earth does get all de information from this Israeli man who dem bring. He sit down quiet and listening to every, conversation that Donald and everybody else mek. That is how dem know that Donald gun kick some of dem. Dem boys ain’t calling name but de Israeli man and dem boys know. But that is nah all wha dem boys know. Dem know that Brazzy, de fat crook, ain’t give dem Berbice people from Number 76, light fuh many years. One man seh that de only time de people does see light is when is full moon. Brazzy and de Rat tek millions of US dollar and seh how dem gun spend it pun de Skeldon plant that would be capable of giving de whole Corentyne light. Dem boys ain’t know wha dem do wid de money but years now, de factory ain’t done and dem still ain’t got no light. Dem boys want dem show people when dem put de money—if dem put it in dem pocket or under dem family petticoat. De deal wha Rob de Earth sign wid Muri Brasil deh under he petticoat. He got de nerve to tell this nation that he never give de people any prospecting licence. Is de same thing he seh; he never apply fuh radio licence but he got five. He alone got brains. Dem boys want fuh ask he if when dem people spend all dem millions to survey and dem find all wha deh in de area if dem gun come out and seh Rob de Earth, “Point A got gold by de ton. Rob de Earth, Point B got diamond by de carats. Rob de Earth, Point C got rare earth. Tek Jagdeo, de fat crook, de shaat crook and you family and do wha you want. We gone.” De people stupid fuh come here and spend millions just fuh survey. And Guyanese must believe this, nah Rob de Earth? Talk half and watch Kwame digging deep under Rob de Earth petticoat fuh de gold.
scheme would bring them a great many votes and allow them finally to sweep Region Four which in the previous election was narrowly won by the PNCR. Those expectations were shattered when it was discovered that the votes in the housing scheme were split almost 50-50 between the ruling party and the opposition. In other words, the creation of the housing scheme did not bring electoral rewards. The rewards that the PPPC did enjoy are going to be further reduced unless something is done and is done urgently about the state of the roads in that
community. If the poor infrastructure persists, then the government will lose more votes. The vision that the former President had about that scheme will become foggy and he will find it even more difficult to ask people to look at the big picture. Diamond Housing Scheme is the big picture and right now that picture is looking dismal. People are suffering to get out of the scheme and it is torturous for residents to navigate the roads to get back in. There was obviously poor planning in the design of this scheme but it is not too late for this to be remedied. The question that needs
to be asked however is whether there is that sense of urgency about remedying the problems in the Diamond Housing Scheme. Instead of addressing these problems, the authorities seem more concerned with increasing settlements on the East Bank. It is not wild planning that is responsible for the government wanting to pack hundreds of thousands of persons onto the East Bank. There has to be a reason why this is happening, why there is a need to increase human habitation on the East Bank to this extent and it is for the politicians and investigative journalists to ask themselves why tens of thousands of
house lots were created on the East Bank. What is the agenda at work? Could the agenda be to create a new wave of infrastructure projects to cater for the increased demands for transportation? Will Diamond benefit from any such wave or will it be left behind while emphasis is given to other housing settlements where private developers are staking their claims.
CONSTRUCTION WORK AT CIJA PROJECT MOVING AHEAD Despite criticisms from the Joint Opposition about the proposed Cheddi Jagan International Airport extension, Government has moved forward with the construction. The commencement has come despite claims by the Ministry of Works that this project was going to be hampered by cuts that were made by the opposition to its 2013 budget. Officials from the airport were doing inspection works yesterday. According to the official who did not want to be named, the contractor China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) is in the initial stage of construction. The official explained that workers have extracted the “soft soil” and started back filling with sand, which is to facilitate the runway extension. The official told Kaieteur News that this type of work has to be monitored closely since they have to ‘watch’ how the sand settles. It was noted that all of the swamp lands along with the geographic location have to be taken into consideration.
The official further stated that it could not be specified as to how long that phase would last. Kaieteur News was told that everything including the weather have to be taken into consideration. The official said that it must be noted that the airport authority is working on a “plan’ as it relates to the removal of residents who have opposed moving from the area which government had earmarked for the construction. The entire $5.6 billion allocated to the transport sector programme was slashed by the parliamentary opposition during the consideration of the 2013 national budget estimates, despite the pleas of the government about the benefits that a modern airport will bring to this country. Of the amount, $5.3 billion was budgeted for the upgrade, expansion and modernisation of the CJIA through the construction of a new terminal building, aprons, air-bridges, taxiways, and the extension of the runway by a further 3500 feet.
Benn had told a news conference back in July that US$20 million was earmarked for CHEC and work is ongoing; however, the heavy earth moving and other works have not yet started. A release by the ministry had said that Minister Benn along with other government and CJIA officials were taken on a site visit on October 31. CHEC’s Engineers are removing the soft soil (peat) and backfilling the area with sand. “I know we had some hiccups but I am happy to see
works have commenced for this transformational project,” Benn told CHEC technicians. When completed the runway will be able to accommodate BOEING 747400 aircraft, and will be extended from 7,500 feet to 10,800 feet, the release said. The release said that the Minister has instructed his Engineers to carry out tests on the soil (peat) found in the area. According to him, peat is produced as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world.
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Kaieteur News
Thursday December 19, 2013
“I will not change my style of fighting crime”- 2013 Best Cop
Inspector Mitchell Caesar receives his Best Cop Award from Deputy Chief Immigration Officer, Assistant Commissioner Carol Primo. Crime Chief Seelall Persaud (Fourth from left) poses with recipients of Best Cop Awards for the various police Divisions Most if not all the criminals in Guyana are familiar with the name Inspector Caesar; he is responsible for putting many of them behind bars. And he does not plan to change his method of doing so. In fact, he intends to intensify his work in the coming year to ensure that unless they change, the undesirables remain where
they belong, behind the cold concrete and grilled walls of prison. For his efforts, inspector Mitchell Caesar, who heads the firearm investigations department at the Criminal Investigations Department Headquarters, Eve Leary, pipped a competitive field to be adjudged the Best Cop for 2013. It was the second time in his police career, which
started in February 1992, that he has copped the award; the first being 2005. And for this to happen, the Force’s administration has obviously shown confidence in his work and is publicly acknowledging it. Speaking with this newspaper shortly after receiving the award, which came with a $250,000 cash award and a plaque, among other awards from a private sector concern, the popular Detective Inspector said that this year’s achievement was very satisfying. “The first time I felt that the competition wasn’t so tough, but this time a lot of ranks were fighting for the top spot, so this was all the more rewarding,” Caesar said. He described himself as a very straight and fair policeman; hitting out at
those who feel that he is sometimes too forceful in his approach towards criminals. “I always remember that I have a family, and what I mete out to people could be meted out to my family,” he said. Of course those critics would be the relatives of those who Caesar has had to confront on numerous occasions in the execution of his duty. He maintained that he will not be distracted by those few, since he has a duty to protect the majority law abiding citizens from the criminals who are bent on making life uncomfortable. “To criminals, yes, it might appear that I’m a bit unorthodox but I honestly believe that is the way to go,” Caesar told this newspaper, adding “I will not change my way of fighting crime.” He singled out two of his superiors, Crime Chief Seelall Persaud and his deputy Winston Cosbert, who he said shaped his career in a significant way. “You see, as a policeman,
especially a Detective, you need ( role models)…they would have been to that podium before, so following them is always a good thing,” Caesar stated. He recalled being driven by the encouragement he received from his superiors, in many instances working for days on end trying to solve cases. He referred to a piracy matter that saw him and other detectives covering all three counties in a matter of days. “We started in Georgetown and at the end of another day we were in Region One, Barima/Waini. Before the end of the week we were back in Georgetown and heading to Berbice,” Caesar explained. Although he will strive to work harder, Caesar said that he will certainly want some of his other colleagues to win the coveted Best Cop award. “I will continue working the same way but I don’t think I will enter the competition,” he said with a chuckle. Apart from the overall Best Cop award, Caesar was also adjudged the Top Cop for Police Headquarters. Several other ranks were adjudged Best Cop for their
respective Divisions. The award scheme started in 1990 with $824,000 being disbursed among ranks. However, 23 years later, a payout of $13M to ranks who performed outstandingly throughout the year both in terms of crime fighting and sports was announced. This year ’s police Sportsman of the Year is 2012 Olympian Sergeant Winston George, while the Sportswoman of the Year award went to Lance Corporal Alita Moore. Apart from police ranks, special commendation awards were given to members of several community policing groups. Businessman Cobeer Persaud also threw in his lot by donating $100,000 each to the relatives of two policemen who were killed in last month’s shootout with a deranged businessman on Middle Street. Meanwhile, despite the odds and the four percent increase in reports of serious crimes, the Force has been holding its own within recent times. Ironically, gun crimes have been a major cause of the increase in serious crimes, a problem that this year’s Best Cop will have to deal with in the coming year.
Thursday December 19, 2013
Kaieteur News
New River Triangle Debacle...
Bharrat Jagdeo pressed for mining in disputed area It was former President Bharrat Jagdeo who began the pursuit to explore and mine in the disputed New River Triangle Area, during his last term in Office, despite the fact that several of the members of the Cabinet at the time did not agree with the move. This confirmation came yesterday from Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, who was at the time being questioned by reporters following his post Cabinet press engagement at Office of the President. Dr Luncheon was asked whether the government policy on mining in that area changed. “I am uncertain as to if there was a specific policy,” but it was the 2006 term of former president Jagdeo, when he brought up the issue of mining and exploring in that location, Dr. Luncheon said. Dr. Luncheon added, “At that time, the President had a strong position that was not consistent with others in the Cabinet; but we are an advisory body as you would recall and therefore the president’s view held sway. That was 2006 to 2011.” Asked if the sitting President, Donald Ramotar, is pursuing the lines of Jagdeo, Dr. Luncheon responded, “I am not saying anything further…2006 to 2011.” Dr. Luncheon was asked about the Government not heeding the warning of former Army Chief, Joe Singh when the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) had objected to similar moves by the administration under the late President, Cheddi Jagan. He responded, “Policy making in these areas isn’t dependent on objections and refusals by the military…that is alien to our understanding of civilian, military relationship.” Dr. Luncheon also holds the position of Secretary to the Defence Board and said that under the three successive army chiefs, he is not aware of any objections to mining on Muri Mountain. He said that in the “civilian/ military dispensation that we embrace, the military has an
…Cabinet members opposed but then President held strong position
Bharrat Jagdeo
Robert Persaud
obligation to respond with respect to civilian order.” Dr. Luncheon was speaking to the civilian executive that heads up the administration. According to Dr Luncheon, “If the Commander-in-Chief were to announce to the military, announce to this nation that this is the government policy, under our understanding of civilian, military, relationship, (is that) the matter is done.” Dr. Luncheon told media operatives that “the notion that this civilian military relationship preserves some right, some influence on the actions and the policy decisions made by the civilian government needs to be examined carefully.” According to the Head of State, “This ain’t about going to war…this is not making decisions about military science and military disciplines, this is civilian authority on an issue that deals in this case here with mining.” The government spokesman told the media, “One must be very careful lest you appear to be suggesting that this civilian military relationship is so broad, is so expansive, is so amorphous that indeed their exists privileged space for the civilian administration to have to take into consideration in these matters positions by its military.” Ever since the disclosure that Minister of Natural
Resources and Environment, Robert Persaud, had given permission to Muri Brasil Ventures Inc to conduct Geological and Geophysical Surveys in the disputed New River Triangle location it has attracted significant criticism. The company was granted the Permission a few months after it was registered, to survey a whopping 2.2 million acres of land. Inherent in the permission given the company was also given the right to pursue 18 prospecting licence to mine for gold, diamonds and several other rare earth elements. The company had sought to defend this by saying, “These kinds of exploration activities cost millions of US dollars, which can only be sourced as exploration investments from outside of Guyana…No such investments would be available if the investor is given no assurance that he will be granted prospecting licences.” The Company argued that it is the investor taking a risk and if he/she is not assured of a potential return, investment capital will dry up and so will Guyana’s mining industry.
Page 11
Illegal dumping, littering attract 269 fines for 2013 - Department is currently constrained by limited human resources. A total of 269 persons have been fined for littering and illegal dumping of garbage for this year, according to Chief Constable Andrew Foo. Foo said that despite the lack of resources, the council has been actively prosecuting persons and placing them before the courts for littering and dumping. During an interview with Clean & Green Guyana/ Guyenterprise, Foo said that the fine for any magnitude of littering or dumping is $10,000 or an alternative of three months’ imprisonment, community service or any other measure that the presiding magistrate sees fit for the offender. Foo explained that arrests are made when offenders are caught in the act of littering or dumping by constables. Any citizen who witnesses dumping can also make a report. In such cases, “they are called the eyewitnesses and they would be required to issue a statement for the report they make.” He said that constables would use their judgment whether to caution or fine
persons, depending on the size of their litter. Underscoring that the issue of enforcement for solid waste management is one in which they have been addressing aggressively; Foo said their department is currently constrained due to limited human resources. In terms of authorized strengths, some 316 ranks would be adequate to efficiently carry out the constabulary’s mandate but it is currently working with some 170 ranks to monitor markets and other commercial areas. The Chief Constable explained that ranks would usually stake out common dumping sites to catch defaulters but noted that this inevitably results in the litterbugs shifting to other locations. The concern about lack of mobility for the constabulary was also raised by the Chief Constable. He noted that there is no functioning vehicle for the council to carry out its daily duties. “For us to respond to reports there is a need for ranks to be mobile, we cannot have ranks out there on the
Chief Constable Andrew Foo ground and if they are expected to arrest persons, there’s no means of transportation to get to the area where the report was made and then to arrest the person and move them to the station.” The articles that govern the institution of these fines are the Municipal and District Councils Act Chapter 28:07, section 277 4 C – which states that anybody who throws litter on the Council roads must be arrested and fined, and the Summaries Jurisdiction Offences Act Chapter 8:02, which speaks to minor offences committed and gives constables the power to arrest anyone who litters or dumps refuse improperly.
PNCR reaches out to owner of collapsed house The Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Brigadier David Granger visited with Ms. Doris Nero on Tuesday, to extend words of comfort on behalf of the leadership and members of the PNCR. Ms. Nero is the 71-yearold Beterverwagting resident whose house collapsed when high winds struck Saturday night. Before touring the site of the collapsed building, Brigadier Granger presented Ms. Nero with a television set. The North American Region (NAR) of the PNCR
also made a cash donation. The PNCR and the North American Region also promised to donate additional household items including a bed and microwave oven to the BV Senior Citizen. After touring the wreckage where Doris Nero’s house once stood, an official who accompanied Granger
said that an important part of the PNCR mission was to assist members of the community who fall on hard times and/or are victims of floods, fire and other catastrophic incidents. Brigadier Granger was accompanied by PNCR executive committee members, Mr. Joseph Harmon, MP and Mr. Larry London.
Page 12
Kaieteur News
Thursday December 19, 2013
== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ==
‘Shattering dangerous myths about the past is the historian’s social responsibility’ These are the words of the brilliant Irish academic, Cormac Ó Gráda. This has been the social obligation of all persons the past five thousands years in ancient African, Indian and Chinese civilizations. In Western thought, it is said to begin with Socrates and Plato. It was Plato, more than two thousand years ago, who broke with tradition and wrote the unthinkable. In his fantastic work, THE REPUBLC, Plato argued that women have a vital role to play in society and due recognition must be given to the importance of women. If knowledge is going to
be placed in the hands of humans so they can achieve more for civilization, then educated people, researchers and teachers have to investigate myths and explode them. If we don’t, we pass off falsities and fictions and they will eventually guide civilization into its own demise. There is a debate going on in the two independent dailies about the role of Cheddi Jagan and his treatment of the Working People’s Alliance after 1992. Those who admire and love Jagan inevitably embrace the tendency to see him in angelic terms. It is sad that prior to the early nineties,
our historiography was presented to us as Jagan the good guy versus Burnham the bad one. Guyana’s contemporary history is far more complicated than that. Very few of us, East Indians, escaped this good guy versus bad guy myth that was fed to us by our elders in the East Indian community. Speaking for myself, I only freed myself from it when I became a young political activist who then went into university. I saw Cheddi Jagan, up close and personal and what I looked at was certainly not the great man my parents and other Indians thought he was. Just a diversion to make my point. There was a Hindu pandit who was quite revered in the Hindu community. It would shock the world if his skeletons were to be made public. This was no nice man but a person who led a young girl to commit suicide. This diversion is simply to make the point that historians that know the myths have a sacred duty to history and society to dissolve them.
Cheddi Jagan was no bad, authoritarian leader; far from it. But Cheddi Jagan was certainly not the nice, broadminded, nationalist leader that his admirers continue to paint him as including the recent debate about his attitude to the WPA after he became President in 1992. The treatment of the WPA after 1992 was one of the great acts of betrayal in all 20th century history anywhere in the world. One of the myths that must be shattered is the fiction that the PPP carried the fight to the Burnham Government after Jagan lost power in 1964. The historical record does not support this polemic. From 1964 to 1968, Burnham Government was not autocratic but a democratically elected administration. Things began to fall apart after 1968. By 1970, other opposition groups had come up to fight Burnham along with the PPP and this happened from 1970 to 1992. The WPA was the main rampart against Burnham’s excesses.
In fact, from 1970 onwards, Jagan refused to cooperate with several antigovernment groups assigning various condescending labels to them. Here is Jagan in his own words; “New opposition groupings have developed and are becoming more vocal – the Ratoon, Movement Against Oppression, Guyana antiDiscrimination Movement, the Patriots. Broadly, these groups fall within two categories –petty bourgeois revolutionism and petty bourgeois nationalism. As such they represent deviationist and opportunistic trends.” (source: Cheddi Jagan, “Guyana: A New Stage,” in Thunder, July-December, 1971, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp 9-19) These were Dr. Jagan’s own words. This was the way he felt about opposition groups who took on the Burnham Government. Jagan was never happy with them because they had the potential to eclipsing the PPP and that is what the WPA did first in the form of the
Frederick Kissoon Movement Against Oppression, then Ratoon and eventually becoming the Working People’s Alliance. It is heresy to say that from 1970 when these groups emerged (and after 1970, others came upon the scene like the Guyana Human Rights Association) until 1992 when Jagan won the elections, the PPP was the main vehicle of activism against the Burnham Government. By the middle of the seventies until his death, it was Walter Rodney that weakened the power base of the then PNC Government and the WPA was far more creative and confrontationist than the PPP. After 1992, Jagan did what he always had done – hog power. We are now paying for Jagan’s inherent flaws.
Thursday December 19, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 21
AFC calls for withdrawal of New River Triangle PGGS The Alliance for Change’s (AFC) Khemraj Ramjattan, with the support of Vice Chairman Moses Nagamootoo, has called for the withdrawal of Muri Brasil’s Permission to conduct Geological and Geophysical Survey (PGGS) in the controversial New River Triangle. The AFC leader said that their contention with the PGGS is the non-transparency from Government on the development of the project, “and that is why we are so suspicious of its entire purpose.” “The Minister under scrutiny in the committee dealing with this matter under natural resources did try to hide the fact that a PGGS was granted, and the whole explanation is not forthcoming when it comes to developmental project of size.” To add insult to injury Ramjattan posited, “We are now learning that the company is closely associated with elements within the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and we are noticing the connection.” Nagamootoo said that the party now understands that Muri officials actually campaigned for the PPP in the last general elections. “I recall
that while we were delivering a protest note to the Brazilian Embassy, I was there as part of a delegation- that there were Brazilian nations who had ostensibly interference in the internal affairs of Guyana and we had mounted a picket line outside of the Brazilian Embassy and we had presented a petition. “It now looks as if it were a pay day; that they got 2.2million acres of our pristine land in an area bordering the country contiguous to a state. This occupation would compromise our ability to secure that area if it is penetrated by narco traffickers and gun traffickers... “ Ramjattan reiterated that the area should be treated with some caution and any decisions in relation to that should be taken with considerations of GDF’s position on the matter. He mentioned the effects that activities in the area could have on the Norwegian agreement; as the area is pristine forest and activities can cause degradation with huge amount of carbon emissions which will affect the measures we have to meet. “We treat it with tremendous concern as to why they were so nontransparent and why the Minister went on to be non-
AFC leader Khemraj Ramjattan
Vice Chairman Moses Nagamootoo
accountable in the context of it being ceased with military repercussions, environmental and ecological implications.” Mining activities in the New River Triangle area has always been a matter of not only national security, but also a matter of national policy. The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) has always been instrumental and the enforcement body in relation to activities occurring in that area former Chief-of-Staff Edward Collins explained in an invited comment yesterday. He said that to ensure that activities in that area was monitored and kept under control, he at one point sat on the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC)
board, while during active duty, the military was obligated to enforce policies in this “sensitive” area as a means of safeguarding the integrity of the nation’s board; “and to my knowledge, that policy has not changed.” Collins continued that the army had further developed a landing site for accessing the area to ensure that the border was not compromised when garimperos (Brazilian illegal miners) invaded the area. Collins said that given the initial stands on activities in that area and given instances where the military had to stand their ground in protecting the area, he is surprised that permission was given for any mining
affiliated activities to be conducted. He said that all countries have what is called a buffer zone- which is the separation of two or more areas;- and to consider activities within 300 yards of the border could be a recipe for trouble, he signaled. He added that further ‘classified’ measures were put in place between Guyana and Suriname and questioned whether these measures were considered from a military standpoint. GDF Chief-of-Staff Mark Phillips has stated however that the army will remain committed and adherent to
the policies of the government. He charged, “The government has a responsibility for governing the country and determining what is best, so the GDF will respect any decisions made for the country.” He reiterated that it is the army’s job to conduct its duty according to the policies of the administration. Other former military personnel have expressed the same sentiments in relation to the New River area. Former Chief of Staff Joe Singh had told this newspaper that the army had viewed the area from a national security.
Page 22
Kaieteur News
Thursday December 19, 2013
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Games PS2 $900, PSP $900, X-Box 360 $2600 & PS3 $2600- Call:672-2566
Parfaite Harmonie - $1.2M – Tel:675-7292
1- 20" Grizzly Planer 5 HoP’ 1- 62"X9" Wadkin Jointer, 1 Milwaukee mitre saw - Tel: 685-0904
Newly built house call:6986496
German Sheperd pups; 2 months old – Tel:277-01-52
1 Business Spot suitable for any business - Tel:223-9727; 673-0373
1 Nissan Canter, long tray, GFF 218, unladen WGT 4910 KGS- Tel:266-5986,256-3156 Must See! 2002 and 2003 Premio - $2.5 Million and 2001 Carina 212- $2M, Fully loaded – Tel:226-5473 1-55 Leyland DAF truck, excellent working condition. Price $2.8M, Must Go!Contact:656-8346
2- Acres cultivated, 2-1 Acres cultivated, 7 Acres cultivated, citrus, house, fish pond, storage at ParikaCall: 226-7968 Herstelling - $4M; Eccles $5M - Tel: 675-7292.
German Shepherd mix with Pit-bull - $50,000 – Tel:6876072; 615-5315; 694-1900
5 Acres, 3 lots $15M @ Canal #2- Call:227-7734
RABBITS - $2000 EACH – TEL: 642-8843
Furnished short term & long term apartments -$70,000 monthly – Tel:687-3017 Furnished two bedrooms apartment in Linden for short term, local & overseas guests - Tel: 614-4415; 444-4704
FOR SALE / FOR RENT American pool table - Tel: 277-0578 (Continued on page 23)
Thursday December 19, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 23
Letters... Where your views make the news
Fish is more profitable than sugar From page 4 ft. into something which can accommodate mechanical harvesting. All efforts to do this are failing. Sangster in GuySuCo is telling us about a system which he feels confident will work. But even if we use his high 40 tons per hour reaping and not our 25 tons an hour reaping numbers which is our information, using a machine which is capable of cutting 100/150 tonnes an hour under the right field conditions in Australia, for example, I wonder if he has even thought of the cost repercussions of doing this? During late 2005, the government called for a fast track development plan to develop aquaculture in Guyana, since our conditions were considered perfect for this sort of application. We obtained a loan of US$1 million from the IDB, and the Ministry of Agriculture. An association of private individuals which was called the National Aquaculture Association of Guyana [NAAG] was formed in 2006. But the trial which followed was seen as a small and middle sized farmer operation by the government and not a full blown industrial operation of aquaculture displacing sugar cane farming.
My own research informs me that worldwide small scale aquaculture has not proved to be very successful compared to large scale operations. The trials done for the Government and the people of Guyana for $200 million was supported with input from the University of Arizona, the Collaborative Research Support Programme, CRSP, an international multi discipline partnership to advance science, education and outreach in aquatic resources. Following a strategy to dramatically increase efficiency in production in 2006, a technology labelled super male or YY male from the University of Wales in Swansea, UK, was introduced into Guyana. These super males guarantee an all-male progeny. This allows farmers to benefit from the quick rate of growth of an all-male crop of fish. This loan also installed a 200,000 fingerling fish hatchery located at the Ministry of Agriculture at Mon Repos to supply an all-male fingerling stock to farmers. They even built a refrigeration installation at Timehri to hold the fish due for export by air. Guyana’s list of assets in this exercise is listed as very beneficial in view of access to markets, inexpensive
labour, the fertility and development of land an abundance of fresh and brackish water and in particular the layout of land in combination with these other advantages, shows that Guyana was perfectly suited to semi-intensive Aquaculture. The conclusion of the trials done here in 2007-2008 discovered that one acre of Red Tilapia yielded in one year 21,780 pounds of tilapia at a stocking density of one fish every four feet. The price for Tilapia in 2006 was used as US$1.10 a pound (whole fish of around 1 pound each). Today we have to use more like US$2 per pound since the price has gone up, but the trial yielded 21,780 pounds of tilapia per acre x US$2/pound = US$ 43,560 per acre gross income. [This is actually two crops a year of 10,890 pounds in each crop] and 1 0 , 0 0 0 pounds per acre, is well within the best practice yield of 20,000 per acre. In 2012 the sugar industry produced 218,000 tonnes and gave us a return of US$132 million that works out to around US$600 dollars per ton. Each acre of cane field produces about 2 tonnes of sugar today, therefore each acre of sugar cane returns 1200 US dollars a year.
GuySuCo currently has 48,000 hectares which is around 120,000 acres. Now we will put our little problem into perspective mathematically. If we were growing Tilapia instead of cane, our income would be US$43,560 a year per acre or nearly 400 percent greater than sugar cane. If the 120,000 acres of our sugar cultivation was growing tilapia and not sugar cane, we would be earning US$5.2 billion from it annually and not the US$132 million annually. Nothing we have ever done in this country in our history comes even close to the magnitude of this kind of income, even if the study conducted in 2008 had an error of 100 percent we would still be earning US$2.6 billion, which is more than gold, rice, bauxite and sugar combined! What we have done is establish that we have an alternative to sugar which is far superior economically, and as usual we have done nothing, just as we have done nothing with our association with Brazil to build us a hydropower dam, a deep water harbour and a road between our two countries because Jagdeo, according to sources, is saying that they will gobble us up. He prefers the Chinese to do it. Tony Vieira (From page 22)
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Hire car drivers from E.C.D @ A1 Taxi – Tel:220-1000 Writer needed. Web and article copywriting. US$1,000/month. www. capitaltyping.com/guyana writer for details. Salon station to rentContact:695-5336 Barber - Call: 683-1534; 6094983 Inventory Clerk: Send application to Lot A & B Ramsburg Providence, E.B.D. - Email: srwrdepot @gmail.com Canter Drivers from E.C.D, Male Security Guards and Factory Assistants, accommodation available. 266 4427 Full Time Civil Engineer, security, personnel, labourers, accounts clerk, skid steer operators & truck drivers Tel: 603-4001 Now Hiring male and female general workers to work shift system @ Harmony Inn - Tel: 694-7817; 668-0306
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Repairs, sales & spares air conditioning, microwaves, washer, fridges & stoves. U l t r a C o o l , call:225-9032,647-2943 Repairs to Fridge, Freezer, AC, Washers, Stoves: Call 683-1312,627-3206 (Nick) Brains Construction & Rental Services: Excavator, Bobcat, Truck, Tools – Tel:6015024/ 227-4536 (Bobcat & Excavator Operator needed) We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer call:2310655,683-8734 Omar Technicians available for appliance repairs – washers, dryers, microwaves, stoves, deep fryers, etc – Tel:6190793; 218-0050 Professional Pressure Washing: We clean homes, driveways, gutters, parking lots, business, $10.00 per square Ft.– call Kevin:592696-5424 Colour Calendars special! 50 for $8,000; 100- $10,000.. Wow! 250 1-Colour $20,000 Yippee. Alert Printing 2272679 Flyers- $800 for 400. Business cards -$2,600. Bill books. Great for Christmas sales. Call Alert Printing: 227-2679 Services and repairs to gas stoves, washing machines Call: 688-0183
CAR RENTAL Premio Vitz (NM), Spacio, Rush latest models, best rates with low deposits – Contact:692-1051; 685-5011
Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building Call:225-6496,6626045,223-8115
SALON Make Up Courses, Artist Trained & Certified in Trinidad. Call: 660-5257, 647-1773
Wings Car Rental- Call: 643-1131 Dolly’s Car Rental- Call: 2257126/226-3693- dollysauto rental@yahoo.com/ www. dolly sautorental.com Premio, Vitz call:347-9339790, 639-4452. A i d a n ’s C a r R e n t a l & Pickup - Call: 645-7981/ 698-7807
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The Gent’s Spa: Let beautiful sophisticated masseuse pamper you: New masseuse available- Call:657-5979 Professional cocktail mixer and massage expert, call now to book your appointments, Ksean @ 651-5260
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Kaieteur News
Thursday December 19, 2013
Guyanese-German team discovers legendary source of the Essequibo River
Members of the Guyanese-German team pose for a picture at the source of the Essequibo River. The mighty Essequibo River holds many secrets. But journeying into the depths of its wilderness to discover its source has been proven to be a dangerous adventure even for an experienced GuyaneseGerman team. However, after a fierce battle with the unpredictable moods of Mother Nature, their expedition was successful. This journey was captured in a one hour documentary by “Blue Paw Artists.” The Blue Paw Artists will produce a full-length documentary for German Public TV which will be broadcast in spring 2014 in Germany and France. The award-winning international company was founded by Marion Pöllmann and Rainer Bergomaz in1996. The debut of the documentary took place on Monday last at the home of the ambassador of the European Union; Mr. Robert Kopecky. The Guyanese-German team was the first modern equipped team to follow the Essequibo river right to its source. From March to May, a team consisting of Guyanese and German nationals spent six weeks in the secluded Acarai Mountains of Guyana. The Guyanese team members were; Mr. Duane Defreitas, Mr. Duane DeFreitas jnr., Mr. Orvin Felix, Mr. Richard Wilson, Ms. Belinda Francis who were all of Dadanawa Ranch. Also a part of the Guyanese line up from the village of Masakenari was Mr.
James Sozo, Mr. Eleazea Mawasha, Mr. Simeon Mawasha, Mr. Elisha Marawanaru, Mr. Nereus Chekema and Mr. Yung Sandy of Surama who went as the cameraman for Blue Paw Artists. The German Team members were Professor Martin Oczipka and for Blue Paw Artists Ms. Marion Pöllmann and Mr. Rainer Bergomaz. The documentary was not only captivating but revealed a different world which existed in the river. It started off by showing how the team started with five boats in Parabara as they set out for Essequibo and followed the river into the south. After four days, they arrived in Masakenari where the Wai Wai (an Amerindian tribe) team joined the tour. After an introduction to the village by Toshao Paul Chekema, the journey continued to the confluence of the Chodikar and Sipu rivers, which is the longest tributary. The voyage was supported by maps from Land and Survey, Guyana and satellite imagery supplied by the German Space Agency. The first half of Sipu River was without much trouble until the river split. It was here that stalks of bamboo barred their way and untamed nature showed just how challenging she can be. As the team tried to create a passage way, it was time to take a rest. But the next day, the river unexpectedly changed in size and the fight this time, was for buoyancy
which lasted for several hours. However, after pushing the boats until they could find enough water to keep them afloat, more blocked passages appeared. The further they went up the river, the more bizarre the plants and the animals got. Even their cutting edge technology faced several difficulties as they tried to find the correct route which was cloaked in every conceivable shade of green at several sections. In the end the team had to leave the boats and walk for some miles in order to find another route. After battling sudden sickness and unpredictable heavy showers, the team was back on track. But food supply was nearing its end, and now more than ever time was certainly of the essence. They eventually progressed from rough waters onto placid black waters which seemed inviting but was pregnant with evil as the steadied eyes of caimans observed their every move as they sat on the river banks. The most impressive biological findings, beside the unexpected bamboo forest, were the Dendrobates Azureus, a beautiful blue frog, and a nesting colony of Guyana´s National Bird the Hoatzin. Detailed GPS documentation was made during the expedition, and the data presented to Guyanese officials and counterparts. This, according to the team, will enrich the knowledge of the southern parts of Guyana, as there have been expeditions to the Acarai Mountains before; however, the position of the source of the Essequibo and its source valley have never before been recorded. Nevertheless the expedition team followed the southern-most creek until it disappeared. There, the youngest team member, Mr. Nereus Chekema planted the Guyanese Flag and took pictures to capture the memorable event.
Thursday December 19, 2013
Kaieteur News
Egypt sends Mursi, others, to trial for international conspiracy CAIRO (Reuters) Egypt’s public prosecutor ordered former President Mohamed Mursi and 34 other Islamists to stand trial on charges including conspiring with foreign groups to commit terrorist acts in Egypt and divulging military secrets to a foreign state. The charges levelled against Mursi and other top Muslim Brotherhood members yesterday could result in their execution. Mursi is already standing trial for inciting violence during protests outside the presidential palace a year ago when he was still in office. He was deposed in July by the army following mass protests against his rule. In a statement, the prosecutor said the Brotherhood had committed acts of violence and terrorism in Egypt and prepared a “terrorist plan” that included an alliance with the Palestinian group Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. There was no immediate comment
Mohamed Mursi from Hamas or Hezbollah. The charge sheet called it “the biggest case of conspiracy in the history of Egypt”. It accused the Brotherhood of carrying out attacks on security forces in North Sinai after he was deposed on July 3. It said the Brotherhood had hatched a plan dating back to 2005 that would send “elements” to the Gaza Strip for military training by
Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Upon their return to Egypt, they would join forces with extremist groups in the Sinai Peninsula, it said. The group exploited the chaos that followed the 2011 uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak, carrying out attacks on the security forces in North Sinai and elsewhere, the statement said. The group aimed to establish an “Islamic emirate” in North Sinai were Mursi not declared president. The statement added that Mursi’s presidential aides including Essam El-Haddad, his national security adviser, had leaked secret reports to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah as a reward for their cooperation. The Egyptian authorities have launched a fierce crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood since Mursi was removed from power, killing hundreds of his supporters during protests and arresting thousands more.
UK housebuilders to stop giving foreign buyers priority (Reuters) - Housebuilders have agreed to offer Britons new homes in London at the same time as people from outside the country, ending an occasional practice of first marketing them abroad which has worsened the capital’s housing shortage. London housing is being snapped up by Russian oligarchs, Indian tycoons and Europeans fleeing the euro zone crisis, helping fuel a rise in property prices and making it tough for local people to buy a first home. Eleven of the capital’s housebuilders, including Taylor Wimpey and Barratt Developments, said yesterday they had signed a commitment to sell homes in new developments in Britain
before or at the same time as trying to sell them outside the country. Housebuilders typically sell a percentage of new homes before they start building them to help finance the development. The Home Builders Federation, the industry group which announced the commitment, said 11 percent of new homes sold last year were marketed outside Britain before being offered within the country. “London has an acute housing crisis,” HBF’s chairman Stewart Baseley said in a statement. “The industry wants to ensure that UK buyers have every possible opportunity to buy the homes being built.” Britain said earlier in
December it would impose a capital gains tax on foreign property investors from 2015 in an attempt to allay fears that wealthy foreign buyers are inflating a London-led property bubble. Housebuilding in Britain is at its lowest in about 90 years and economists say the country needs 250,000 homes a year to keep up with population growth, with demand far exceeding supply. The problem is particularly acute in London. Foreign investors have bought about 70 percent of newly built properties across central London, according to Savills, helping fuel a 10 percent rise in the price of London homes over the last twelve months.
Saudi ready to act alone on Iran, Syria: ambassador Washington (AFP) - The West’s policies on Iran and Syria are a “dangerous gamble” and Saudi Arabia is prepared to act on its own to safeguard security in the region, a top Saudi diplomat said. “We believe that many of the West’s policies on both Iran and Syria risk the stability and security of the Middle East,” the Saudi ambassador to Britain, Prince Mohammed bin
Nawaf bin Abdulaziz, wrote in a commentary in the New York Times. “This is a dangerous gamble, about which we cannot remain silent, and will not stand idly by,” he wrote. The bluntly-worded warning was the latest in a series of public statements by senior Saudi figures expressing displeasure w i t h U S a n d We s t e r n diplomatic initiatives
towards Syria and Iran. Until recently, Saudi leaders rarely voiced public criticism of their We s t e r n a l l i e s i n a decades-long partnership. But Wa s h i n g t o n ’s decision to pull back from military actio n i n S y r i a and its backing for an interim nuclear deal with Iran has dismayed the o i l - r i c h S a udi kingdom, which views Tehran as a dangerous regional rival.
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Thursday December 19, 2013
Nigeria president loses parliament majority after 37 MPs defect Abuja (AFP) - Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan lost his majority in parliament yesterday after 37 lawmakers bolted his party for a new opposition coalition, the latest political blow to hit the embattled leader. In a letter presented to the speaker of the lower house, the lawmakers elected under Jonathan’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) declared that they had joined the All Progressives Congress, stripping the PDP of its majority in 360-seat chamber. They listed “divisions in the political party (PDP) that sponsored our election” as the reason for the move. The PDP had controlled the lower house in Africa’s most populous nation and top oil producer since the end of military rule in 1999, but was left with just 171 lawmakers after yesterday’s announcement. Jonathan has been haemorrhaging support in recent weeks, including the defection of five powerful state governors to the APC last month. Publicly, the president’s rivals have said his political troubles are tied to poor job performance, including galloping corruption and a failure to improve woeful electricity supply.
Goodluck Jonathan But analysts argue the real divisions are linked to Nigeria’s 2015 polls. Jonathan has so far refused to declare his plans but is widely expected to seek re-election, even as he has faced mounting calls to stand aside. He has been accused of breaking an unwritten rule in the PDP which calls for the presidency to rotate between Christians from the south, like Jonathan, and Muslims from the north. Jonathan, an ex-vice president, took the top job in 2010 after the sudden death of his predecessor Umar Musa Yar’Adua, a northern Muslim who served less than three years. The practical impacts of
the power shift in the house were not immediately clear as Nigeria has not had a divided federal government in decades. Lagos State University professor Dapo Thomas said the developments will hurt the PDPs image as Nigeria’s natural ruling party. “The defection will shake the root and foundation of the PDP,” the political science lecturer said. Laja Oduka, a political scientist at the University of Lagos, told AFP that the opposition will use the lower house “to torment the PDP”, including the possibility of moving forward on impeachment hearings. “We will certainly see a shift in the balance of power,” on the national stage he said. While Jonathan’s allies still hold 74 seats of 109member upper house, Thomas said a threat to the PDP majority there could force Jonathan to make major concessions. In past statements, the PDP has branded supporters who defect as “agents of distraction” and cast doubt on the credibility of the APC. Since independence in 1960, Nigeria has not had a democratic change in government, with power shifting from a ruling party to the opposition.
Abbas guards intervene in confrontation between senior Palestinians RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas’s elite guard unit surrounded parliament in the West Bank city of Ramallah yesterday to protect a legislator from being attacked by another senior official, witnesses said. The incident was one of the most public confrontations between senior members of the Fatah party led by Abbas in years, and may deepen concerns over stability as Palestinians engage in peace talks with Israel for a state. Around the same time, unknown gunmen opened fire on the offices of the Palestinian minister for Islamic endowments, said officials. It was not clear if the incidents were related. Jamal Abu al-Rab, a parliamentarian, and Jibril Rajoub, a top Fatah official and a former major general in the security forces, were among VIPs at a Ramallah hotel, welcoming Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on a visit. Abu al-Rab - a former militant leader from the Fatahaligned al-Aqsa Martyrs
Brigades in the city of Jenin, widely known by the nom de guerre “Hitler” - slapped Rajoub in the face, witnesses said. Al-Rab then fled and Rajoub summoned his armed guards to pursue him, said witnesses. Al-Rab sought refuge in the parliament building and Abbas’s forces formed a cordon around it, sources told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Both men travel with wellarmed entourages. It is not clear what provoked the blow or the armed assault on the minister’s office. A spokesman for the Palestinian security forces told Reuters it was investigating the incidents. As officials in the West Bank have largely forsworn violence against Israel in recent decades, many former militant and activist leaders have had to adjust to civilian politics. But old rivalries are often maintained in their new roles. Palestinians have lacked an elected government since Abbas’s Fatah party and the Islamist Hamas group fought a brief, bloody civil
Mahmoud Abbas war in 2007 when Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip after a surprise win in legislative polls the previous year. As prospects for a peace deal remain dim and economic hardships bite, many Palestinians have accused officials of corruption and infighting. More than half of Palestinians said their government was a “burden on the Palestinian people,” in a June poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research. In the same survey, 77 percent of respondents believed there was corruption by officials in the West Bank, where Fatah holds sway, and 61 percent in the Gaza government, run by Hamas.
Thursday December 19, 2013
Kaieteur News
Brazilian senator urges asylum for Snowden SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said yesterday she would not comment on the letter written by National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden in which he said he was willing to help Brazil investigate NSA spying on its soil but could only do so if granted political asylum. At a press conference in Brasilia, Rousseff said the government had not received any formal request “and so I give myself the right to not manifest myself on something that was not sent.” “I received nothing, I was asked nothing and it is not my mission to interpret anyone’s letters,” she said. Earlier, the president of Brazil’s Senate Foreign Relations and Defense Committee urged his country to grant political asylum to Snowden. An aide to Sen. Ricardo Ferraco said the senator wants to meet with Foreign Minister Luiz Alberto Figueiredo to “request that Snowden be given asylum.” The aide did not give further details and declined to be identified due to a lack of authorization to speak to the press. The Folha de S. Paulo newspaper yesterday quoted Ferraco as saying “Brazil has an opportunity that it cannot afford to throw away.” Ferraco is a member of the PMDB party, which is allied with the Rousseff’s Worker’s
Edward Snowden Party. However, according to David Fleischer, a political scientist at the University of Brasilia , he does not have much sway in the government. On Tuesday, the newspaper published Snowden’s “open letter to the people of Brazil” in which Snowden wrote that he’s willing to help Brazil investigate NSA spying on its soil but could only do so if granted political asylum because the U.S. “government will continue to interfere with my ability to speak.” Revelations about the NSA’s spy programs were first published in the Guardian and The Washington Post newspapers in June, based on some of the thousands of documents Snowden handed over to Barton Gellman of the Post, Brazil-based American
journalist Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras, a U.S. filmmaker. The documents revealed Brazil is the top NSA target in Latin America, with spying that has included the monitoring of Rousseff ’s cellphone and hacking into the internal network of staterun oil company Petrobras. The revelations enraged Rousseff, who canceled an official visit to Washington slated for October that was to include a state dinner. She’s also pushing the United Nations to do more to protect citizens from spying. An official at Brazil’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that in early July, Snowden had faxed a political asylum request to the Brazilian Embassy in Moscow, where he lives on a temporary one-year visa. “But we did not respond to that fax because it was not signed and there was no way to check its authenticity,” the official said, adding that such a request must be formally submitted to a Brazilian authority. The official asked not to be identified due to lack of authorization to discuss the case. If Snowden does submit a formal request, Rousseff herself will make the final decision, the official said. Another official at the presidential palace said it was “highly unlikely” Brazil would grant him asylum.
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Dredging problems in Trinidad causing gas shortage in several islands ST. JOHN’S, Antigua CMC – The Antigua-based West Indies Oil Company (WIOC) has blamed
suppliers in oil-rich Trinidad and Tobago for the shortage of cooking gas here and neighbouring
islands. In a brief statement, WIOC said that “the current shortage…is due to our suppliers in Trinidad who are currently dredging one of their docks which has caused severe problems with berth congestion at the other dock”. It said that the vessel supplying gas to the islands is due here on Saturday and if the schedule is met, workers here would be employed throughout the weekend to ensure the gas shortage is alleviated.
Thursday December 19, 2013
Legislator may resign after son arrested in United States on credit card fraud PARAMARIBO, Suriname CMC – A member of the National Assembly may quit as a legislator after his son, a former Suriname Olympic swimmer, was arrested in the United States on credit card fraud charges.
Diguan Pigot has since been released on bail, but his father, Hesdy Pigot of the National Party of Suriname (NPS) told a local newspaper that while his final decision has not yet been made “I am not glued
to the (National Assembly) seat. “I did pledge at my inauguration to uphold norms and values. We have the r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o s how people the way and the people around me should know that the steps they make also influence me,” he added. Pigot became a legislator in November less than a month before his 19year-old son was arraigned in Connecticut. Police say Diguan confessed to using a fellow University of Connecticut student’s credit card information for tens of thousands of dollars in online purchases. He has since been expelled from the University of Connecticut (UConn) and switched to the University of Florida in Miami, where his mother works at the Consulate of Suriname.
Thursday December 19, 2013
Kaieteur News
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Khan bags 5-wkt haul as Demerara... NBA roundup: Warriors whip From page 32 second over. Robin Bacchus and Shemroy Barrington took the score to 57 before Bacchus played back and was leg before to Khan for 19 with two fours. The President’s XI then lost three more wickets without addition to the score. Hetymer (00) was run out in a terrible mix up with Barrington who failed to respond to a call which resulted in both batsmen ending up at the striker’s end. Barrington after hitting Trevon Garraway and Barnwell for boundaries was
caught by Leon Johnson at first slip off Barnwell for a top score of 36 which contained three fours and two sixes, while Shaquille Williams (00) missed a full toss and was LBW to Khan. Vishal Singh and Jason Sinclair then took the score to 75 before Singh was caught off Khan for 03. Romario Shepherd (02) opted not to play at a straighter ball from Khan and was trapped in front before off spinner Zaheer Mohamed had Sinclair LBW for 26 (1x4) at 91-8. Khan then accounted for
Carmichael (04) and Steven Sankar (04) as the President’s XI were bowled out just after tea. Khan who ended the tournament with 20 wickets from 4 innings was supported by Mohamed, Knights and Barnwell with 1 each. Demerara commenced their innings in blistering fashion with Barnwell smashing pacer Shepherd for three sixes and two fours in the first over, but once he was dismissed the hope of first innings points quickly faded.
Thursday December 19, 2012 ARIES (MAR 21 - APR 19): This is a great day to shop. Join friends and hit the stores to add more beauty and pleasurable items to your life. Stay away from the cheap and shoddy. You deserve quality. *************************** TAURUS (APR 20 - MAY 20): You may feel like you're slowly plowing through mud, but things are starting to look up. A weight has been lifted and you're ready to take flight *************************** GEMINI (MAY 21 - JUN 20): Don't take anything too seriously today. People may be careless with their words and end up hurting feelings or even breaking hearts. Don't read too deeply into what's said. *************************** CANCER (JUN 21 - JUL 22): Yes, it's your turn now. Perhaps you've been waiting for something, but the timing hasn't been right. Perhaps there has been a mental or physical roadblock in the way. Wait no longer. The time is here. Step up and say your peace. Don't make excuses and don't hold back. *************************** LEO (JUL 23 - AUG 22): Don't get too bogged down in details today. If you keep trying to perfect every aspect of the package before you send it out, you'll end up missing the boat and the package won't go at all. Keep things moving quickly. Don't worry so much about insignificant matters. ************************ VIRGO (AUG 23 - SEP 22): You may be talking a lot today, but that's natural. You have a great deal to say, so why not say it? You'll have your way with very little effort. Enjoy yourself and feel free to treat yourself in the way you deserve to be treated. Respect yourself and others will respect you. Sit up straight and be proud of who you are.
LIBRA (SEP 23 - OCT 22): You may find it hard to stick to a task today. Your mind may feel fragmented. It may be hard to focus. *************************** SCORPIO (OCT 23 - NOV 21): Go out and play today. Escape your work mode and have fun. Drive someplace new and take a long walk outside with friends. You have a lot of energy, so share your enthusiasm with others. *************************** SAGITTARIUS (NOV 22 DEC 21): Get some of your thoughts on paper today. Communicate your feelings in a journal or write letters or emails to people you haven't seen in a while. Keep the tone light. *************************** CAPRICORN (DEC 22 JAN 19): You're the certified expert on many topics, so spread your knowledge around. Others will attend to your words. Use them carefully. *************************** AQUARIUS (JAN 20 FEB 18): Don't worry so much about others today. Your job is to have fun. Keep things balanced by not delving too deeply into one specific topic or project. The aspects indicate variety, so spend some time on many things. You may discover an untapped talent or a new interest. Enjoy the exploration. *************************** PISCES (FEB 19 - MAR 20): If you don't express yourself today, people might get the impression that something is wrong. The person you're talking to may think that he or she is boring you. Contribute something to the conversation. Strong opinions are flying, and yours is as valid as anyone else's. Keep it lively and witty.
Pelicans 104-93 in Iguodala’s...
From page 32 won five straight and are 12-2 on the road. Kyrie Irving’s bid for a tying 3-pointer bounced off the back of the rim at the buzzer. Irving and Dion Waiters scored 25 points apiece for Cleveland. LaMarcus Aldridge had 26 points and 15 rebounds for Portland. THUNDER 105, NUGGETS 93 DENVER — Kevin Durant scored 30 points, powering the Thunder to their seventh consecutive victory. Durant had 30 or more points in a game for the 12th time this season, most in the NBA. He is averaging a league-high 28.6 points. Russell Westbrook had 21 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists for the Thunder. Serge Ibaka added 17 points and 10 rebounds. Denver had won 10 of 13. J.J. Hickson had 20 points and 14 rebounds, but the Nuggets dropped to 0-2 this season against Oklahoma City. Ty Lawson added 17 points and 13 assists. LAKERS 96, GRIZZLIES 92 MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Kobe Bryant scored 21 points in his sixth game of the season, and the Lakers closed out a four-game road trip with a victory. Pau Gasol added 21 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, who were coming off a 114-100 loss at Atlanta on Monday night. Nick Young had 18 points, and Jodie Meeks finished with 13. Zach Randolph had 18
Chico Kashif and Shanghai Schools Football continues today Play in the Chico Kashif and Shanghai Secondary Schools Football tournament continues today at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) Ground, Bourda. Today’s double header is expected to see keen competition among the four schools involved with action commencing from 4:00pm. The opening contest will pit Queens College of the city against East Coast Demerara’s Annandale Secondary. That match up will be followed by leading side St Georges opposing Georgetown counterparts East Ruimveldt from6:00pm in what promises to be an exciting meeting.
points and a season-high 16 rebounds for Memphis. The Grizzlies played without Mike Conley, who sat out after bruising his left thigh in Sunday’s loss to Minnesota. The Grizzlies led 69-67 in the fourth quarter before the Lakers went on a 17-4 run. Bryant played 32 minutes, matching his most action since returning from his torn left Achilles’ tendon. He was 9 for 18 from the field, both season highs, despite running the offense most of the night. BOBCATS 95, KINGS 87 CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kemba Walker scored 24 points, helping Charlotte snap a three-game losing streak.
Gerald Henderson added 20 points and reserve Ramon Sessions scored 16 for the Bobcats, who went 8 for 17 from 3-point range. Walker also had five assists in his 10th game with at least 20 points. DeMarcus Cousins had 30 points and 17 rebounds for Sacramento, which shot 37.5 percent from the field. The Kings have dropped three of four. Kings forward Rudy Gay scored four points on 1-of-6 shooting in his worst game since he was acquired in a seven-player trade with Toronto on Dec. 9. He departed with 5:23 left in the third quarter due to right knee stiffness.
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Kaieteur News
Thursday December 19, 2013
RHTY&SC benefit from Centralize Horseracing, increase Meets Bridge company donation Letter to the Sports Editor
DEAR EDITOR, When the members of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority (GHRA) meet next January the agenda would be “Allocations of Race Dates” as usual, because the GHRA, as was stated earlier, is like a race dates authority. For decades it has been like that. For the longest while the GHRA has done nothing of significance to improve horseracing in this country. Instead its members, who are mostly track owners and people who are affiliated to the said tracks, try desperately to bring (the sport) horseracing down. Approximately 30-35 race dates are requested by the respective tracks each year but only 10-12 horserace meets are actually held. Track owners often cite weather conditions or clash with other sporting events as reasons for cancellations. They also state on their provisional programmes that the club has the right to cancel/ reframe any of the races, which again put horse owners at a disadvantage. Imagine horse owners will have their horses in training for over six weeks or so, enter their horses for an event, transport their horses to the track on the day of racing, only to find out that the particular race they had entered their horses for has been cancelled or the prize money for that event has been slashed by 60%. To make matters worse, sometimes horse owners don’t even get paid for prizes won at some of these tracks. Another point is the facilities at most of the racing venues in Guyana are of
really poor standard. The stands are not big enough or strong enough to accommodate spectators. Most of these spectators find themselves on or around the tracks since the clubs have little or no mechanisms to control the crowd. The lives of jockeys, horses and spectators are thus at risk. The track conditions are also poor and can be easily affected by minimum rainfall. Sometimes the headline in the newspapers reads “Over 70 horses entered for Christmas Meet” but what these track owners fail to tell the media is that they only have stalls to accommodate 35 horses. Most of these clubs have been in existence for over 35 years yet they cannot address these pertinent issues that have been around from inception. Now, they are asking the Government of Guyana to pass legislation so these substandard clubs can continue to exist. Even though the spirit of competitiveness is what horseracing is all about, the turf clubs resents that because it forces them to improve the standards of horseracing and the facilities at their clubs. Recently at a GHRA meeting held at Rising Sun West Coast Berbice, President Kennard, who is also the head of the Kennard Memorial Turf Club (KMTC), announced that his club will be holding a two day horse racing meet on 26th and 27th of December 2014, which horse owners welcomed. Why? Because we are advocating more race dates. At the said meeting,
Mr. Kennard vehemently opposed a planned Jumbo Jet December 29th 2013 mega horse racing event. His reason being, it is too close to his planned race meet which is schedule to be held on the December 26, 2013. Please Mr. Kennard, if you don’t have a problem running off race meets on two consecutive days, why do you have a problem with Jumbo Jet meet which is three days after your event? Stop the double standards and entertain some competition, it’s good for the sport. Now if we seriously want to take horseracing forward let’s move all the horseracing activities to the Port Mourant Turf club for the next 5-8 years. Use help from corporate entities and proceeds from race events to develop the infrastructure. GHRA can be housed at this venue. GHRA staff can be paid from rental of the facility for events such as live concerts pageants, grass track races and even horseracing events. Revise the proposed legislation, get the stud book going, and let’s get the ball rolling. Once GHRA is fully staffed and all stakeholders are sensitized about the rules, regulations and penalties and things start to run smoothly, then, clubs that meet all the standards and requirements can become affiliated to the GHRA. For now, stop the selfishness, stop the confusion and together let’s put horseracing back to where it belongs - ON TOP. Romell Jagroop, Owner, Trainer, Promoter
Upper Corentyne Cricket Association disassociates itself from article in Kaieteur
DEAR EDITOR, The Upper Corentyne Cricket Association wishes to inform the general public that we never spoke to one by the name of Fizul Bacchus or anyone from the Essequibo Cricket Board
with regards to article captioned ‘Mr Lumumba, the stakeholders and government should all apologise’ printed in Kaieteur News daily papers dated December 16, 2013.
As a matter of fact, we fully support the cricket bill and ask for an early passage in parliament so as to return the game to normalcy in our country. President and executives of UCCA.
Simmons shines for HPC in warm-up From page 31 Stoute was the leading wickettaker with three for 63 of ten overs. Williams picked up two for 30 overs and fellow offspinner Nurse, two for 64 off 9.2 overs. Five members of the West Indies ODI team - appointed captain Dwayne Bravo, Simmons, Holder, Miller and Johnson Charles - all played today, while fast bowler Ravi Rampaul was forced to return to his native Trinidad for the
funeral of a family member. Rampaul was, however, expected to return to Barbados on Wednesday, December 18, to join the other five as they all leave the same day for London en route to New Zealand. Summarised Scores: WI HPC 311 all out (49.2 overs) (Lendl Simmons 71 - 61 balls, 10x4, 1x6; Raymon Reifer 68 - 74 balls, 8x4; Kyle Hope 56 - 57 balls, 5x4; Shai Hope 37 - 17 balls, 3x4, 2x6; Dwayne
Bravo 19, Carlos Brathwaite 13; Kevin Stoute 3-63, Kenroy Williams 2-30, Ashley Nurse 2-54). Barbados Trials XI 250 all out (43.3 overs) (Kyle Corbin 64 - 64 balls, 7x4, 3x6; Jonathan Carter 50 - 52 balls, 3x4, 3x6; Jonathan Carter 50 - 52 balls, 3x4, 3x6; Kenroy Williams 46 50 balls, 3x4; Rashidi Boucher 34, Ashley Nurse 32; Jomel Warrican 3-60, Raymon Reifer 2-12, Jason Holder 2-34, Nikita Miller 2-43).
Following a request via letter from the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, requesting sponsorship towards the Club’s Christmas activates for the planned Children Christmas Party 2013 which caters for 800 kids, the Berbice Bridge Company Inc. (BBCI) has responded positively and donated $15,000 towards the event. The cheque was handed over on December 16, 2013 to a representative of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club. The BBCI has sponsored events in the past at the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club and is one of their official sponsors.
Mrs. Bibi F. Alli, Administrative Assistant, BBCI handing over a Cheque to a rep of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club.
Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Futsal Competition
Stevedore Housing Scheme, Queen Street of Tiger Bay reach final
For the second night in succession, Albouystown ‘B’ found themselves engaged in a nail biting penalty shootout, but in contrast to the previous encounter when they survived, Tuesday night their luck ran out against a stubborn Stevedore Housing Scheme who prevailed 5-4 to reach the final of the Georgetown Zone of the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’, at the National Cultural Centre Tarmac. They will now meet Queen Street of Tiger Bay in the final after the latter won bragging rights over fellow villagers Hope Street in a comprehensive display, easing to a comfortable 3-1
triumph. In the night’s full results: Semi-final 1 Queen Street beat Hope Street 3 -1 Queen Street Scorers Deon Alfred- 13th and 23rd Dion Fredericks-28th Hope Street Scorer Stephan Moore-27th Semi-final 2 Stevedore Housing Scheme and Albouystown ‘B’ played to a nil-all draw in regulation time, before the former won on penalty kicks. Stevedore Housing Scheme won 5-4 on sudden death kicks from the halfway line. Quarterfinal 1 Queen Street TigerBay beat
Berlin Massive 4-0 Queen Street Scorers Deon Alfred-3rd and 16th Alpha Fletchman-18th James Meredith-24th Quarterfinal 2 Hope Street Tiger Bay squeezed past West Front Road-Gold is Money 1-0 Hope Street Scorer Dwayne Dickson-32nd Quarterfinal 3 Stevedore Housing Scheme edged California Square 10 Stevedore Scorer Quason Winter-5th Quarterfinal 4 Albouystown ‘B’ defeated Island All-Stars 2-0 Albouystown-B Scorer Marlon Nedd-10 and 23rd.
Former Team Sky rider Rogers fails drugs test BBC Sport - Michael Rogers, a former Team Sky rider and three-time world time trial champion, has failed a drugs test. The 33-year-old Australian tested positive for clenbuterol at the Japan Cup in October. The International Cycling Union (UCI) says Rogers is provisionally suspended while his national federation
investigates the case. Team Sky’s Jonathan Tiernan-Locke is also being investigated after an antidoping violation. Clenbuterol, which helps build muscle and burn fat, is the substance two-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador tested positive for at the 2010 Tour. Rogers joined Contador at Team Saxo-Tinkoff last season
from Team Sky, where he rode in support of Britain’s 2012 Tour winner Bradley Wiggins. Rogers left Sky after being named in evidence in the Lance Armstrong case as working with the American’s favoured doctor Michele Ferrari. Rogers was upgraded to bronze in the time trial at the 2004 Olympics when Tyler Hamilton was disqualified for failing a drugs test.
BERLIN (Reuters) Vladimir Klitschko intends to become the first undisputed world heavyweight champion in more than a decade after setting his sights on the WBC crown left vacant by his brother Vitaly. Not since Briton Lennox Lewis in 2000
has one boxer held all the major belts with Ukraine’s Klitschko brothers opting not to fight each other. “It is obviously my aim to bring the WBC title back into the Klitschko family,” Vladimir Klitschko, who holds the WBO, WBA, IBF and IBO titles, told
Germany’s Bild newspaper. Winning the only title missing from his collection would not only make him the undisputed champion but also silence the critics who for years have claimed the brothers’ handpicked opponents that were easy pickings.
Klitschko goes after ‘undisputed’ heavyweight title
Thursday December 19, 2013
Kaieteur News
Phillip George Legacy goes back indoors this weekend
The Phillip George Legacy Basketball Competition will go back indoors this weekend after plans to host the semis and final at the Mecca of the late Colts Coach, Burnham Court, were shelved as a result of inclement weather last week, which inundated the outdoor venue. The Final Four features the best clubs in Georgetown in Division I and III playoffs and will be held at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Saturday and Sunday, according to a release from the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) yesterday. The semis in the Division III contest begins at 5pm with Trinity Grid Holdings Pacesetters taking on Pepsi Sonics and Colts challenging Plaisance Guardians in the same Division in the following game. The winners of each game will play for the title on Sunday. The semis in the First Division competition bounce off at 8pm with Colts playing Republic Bank Nets and Ravens coming up against Pepsi Sonics in the final game. The number one ranked Club
in Georgetown, Pacesetters was booted from the competition. GABA President, Michael Singh informed that the association has two novelty challenges: a Three-Point Shootout and a Skills Challenge to determine the best long-range shooter and fastest player over the court with a basketball, respectively. Singh said that the Shootout will give the winner the opportunity to be named the best three-point shooter in Georgetown. In addition, the both winners of the two novelty events will receive $20,000 and a pair of sneakers. The winner of the second edition of Phillip George Legacy, dubbed PGII, Division I competition will pocket $100,000, while the second place club gets $50,000. The Division III winner will get $35,000 with $15,000 allotted for the second place club. Phillip George’s daughter, Philemeena George will donate the MVP Trophy for the Division III and son Rashleigh George will donate a trophy to the Most Discipline team in the tournament. There will also be
a MVP trophy for the Division I competition. The sponsors of the competition include: The Original Palm Court, Banks DIH Limited, Agri Parts, The Hallmark Store, Chetsons, Lorenzo Alphonso, WR Rambaran Transport, Imon Communications, The Trophy Stall, Charles Ramson Jr., Starr Party Rentals, Ronald Thorne, Hinds and Statia Financial, Paladin Security, Giftland OfficeMax, Sanjeev Datadin and Demtoco – for cleaning the Burnham Court environs. George, who was at the time of his death, Head Coach of the Bounty Colts Club, is credited with leading several junior national teams to overseas competitions. In addition, he piloted the careers of notable Guyanese players, Lorenzo Withrite and Andrew Ifill. George, who was also known as ‘One Foot’, ‘Coach Man’ and most recently ‘Mr. Fundamental’ passed away on December 20, 2011; he was 63 years old. The renowned local Basketball Coach was one of the most consistent visitors of the Burnham Basketball Court, which was effectively his Mecca.
Simmons shines for HPC in warm-up Barbados Cricket Association -Bridgetown, Barbados - A Sagicor West Indies High Performance (HPC) XI beat a Barbados trials XI by 61 runs in a 50over practice match at Desmond Haynes Oval Tuesday. Chasing 312 to win, the Barbados XI were bowled out for 250 in 43.3 overs. Kyle Corbin sustained his fine form of late by topscoring with 64 off the same number of balls. He struck seven fours and three sixes. Left-hander Jonathan Carter made 52 off 59 balls, striking three fours and three sixes, while Kenroy Williams contributed 46 (50 balls, 3 fours), Rashidi Boucher 34 (41 balls, 4 fours) and skipper Ashley Nurse 32 (25 balls, 1 four, 3 sixes). No other batsman reached double-figures. Left-arm spinner Jomel
Lendl Simmons Warrican was the leading wicket-taker with three for 60 off ten overs. Left-arm medium-pacer Raymon Reifer took two for 12 off one over, fast bowler Jason Holder, two
for 34 off 5.3 overs and leftarm spinner Nikita Miller, two for 43 off ten overs. The HPC XI were bowled out for 311 in 49.2 overs after winning the toss. Lendl Simmons, one of six members of the West Indies One-Day International team at a one-week camp here preparing for the five-match limited overs series against New Zealand in New Zealand next month, topscored with 71 which came off 61 balls and included ten fours and one six. Reifer, an HPC student, made 68 off 74 balls with eight fours, while former HPC member Kyle Hope hit 56 off 57 deliveries with five boundaries and his younger brother Shai Hope, a current HPC player, blasted 37 off only 17 balls including three fours and two sixes. Medium-pacer Kevin (Continued on page 30)
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20th century legend honoured in London Voice Online -London, England - Late West Indies icon and race relations champion Sir Learie Constantine has been honoured with an English Heritage blue plaque at his old home in west London. The cricketer and statesman, who lived between 1901 and 1971, had his life and legacy commemorated with the famous blue sign outside his former residence at 101 Lexham Gardens in Earls Court, which he called home for five years from 1949. The Windies titan, who hailed from Trinidad and Tobago and authored the book Colour Bar, left sport for the world of politics and made history when he became the first person of African descent to sit in the House of Lords. Blue Plaques historian Howard Spencer said: “As a cricketer Constantine was celebrated for his adventurous approach to the game which he played, according to Michael Parkinson, ‘like a man walking a tightrope without a safety net’. As a politician, Constantine is remembered in Trinidad and Tobago for his significant role in securing its independence, and in Britain as a leading advocate for the interests of all black people; he was always ready to take a stand when it mattered.” The historian added: “The first person of African descent to sit in the House of Lords, Constantine died a respected and well-loved figure in both Great Britain and the West Indies; in the words of a eulogy, he had ‘walked with kings without ever losing the common touch.’ Constantine became a professional cricketer when offered a contract in 1929 by Nelson in the Lancashire League, and his ability to bowl fast and hit big soon propelled him to international acclaim. He played for Nelson for 10 seasons and his service to the club led him to being given the freedom of the town in 1963 after he and his family settled there for 20 years. While playing for Nelson, the great captained West Indies to its first Test series win against England in 1934. Constantine retired from cricket in 1939, finishing his career with Rochdale. Developing a profession in sports broadcasting and writing, the former Windies man eschewed penning a conventional sporting autobiography and in 1947
Learie Constantine (arouca tidbits)
instead wrote Cricket in the Sun, a memoir illuminating the problems of racism in the game. In 1954, he went further in Colour Bar which was a fullon challenge to authorities to change the status-quo of racial inequality in the UK, and even the Queen did not escape his wrath for failing to invite any black guests to a then recent bacquet in Bermuda. He also claimed Britain was “only a little less intolerant” than America and South Africa, and once said about black Britons: “Rather than be everlastingly sniggered at, we would almost rather be lynched”. Constantine re-trained to become a barrister in 1954 in England and soon returned to his native Trinidad and Tobago to enter the political realm, in which he quickly claimed chairmanship of then new political party the People’s National Movement. After his party’s election victory in 1956, he was handed the post of minister of Works and Transport, and five years later he was given the post of High Commissioner of Trinidad and Tobago to the UK. However, his sharp rise in politics was sadly ended when he stepped into a British
dispute affecting black people in Bristol who were barred from being employed by a bus company. Because the case involved citizens of Jamaican heritage, some political figures in Trinidad and Tobago argued he had overstepped his authority. The dispute resulted in Constantine resigning from his diplomatic role in February 1964. Nonetheless, his reputation and standing in the UK was untainted, and the exWindies captain moved permanently to Britain following the controversial end to his political career in Trinidad and Tobago. Further proof of his integration into British society was shown when he was appointed to the Sports Council in 1965, given a seat on the new Race Relations Board in 1967, and made a governor of the BBC in 1968. A year later, Constantine was made a peer and given the title of Lord Constantine of Maraval and Nelson. Heart problems effectively restricted his ability to regularly sit in the House of Lords, and health reasons made him plan a return to the Caribbean. However, he died unexpectedly on July 1, 1971, before he could make the trip.
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Kaieteur News
Guyana looking to end 8 years drought at the regional one day level
Sewnarine Chattergoon
Clive Lloyd
Roy Fredericks
Statistician Charwayne Walker turns attention on the Guyana team 8-year one day drought at the regional level, reflecting as the team try to claim their tenth title at this level. Come 2014 the Amazon Warriors will be looking for Regional one day Championship # 10. The last time the Warriors won the tournament was 2005. The hero on that occasion was Albion’s Sewnarine Chattergoon who scored a magnificent unbeaten 119 at Bourda against Barbados. The first time the land of the majestic Kaieteur Falls won the Championship was April 1980 under the leadership of Roy Federicks
who led from the front with a pugnacious 119 in the finals against the Leewards at the A.R.G in St, John’s. Three years later 1983 the legendary Clive Lloyd emulated his DCC club mate when he led Guyana to title # two against Jamaica at Bourda. The hero for the Land of many waters was Garfield Charles who rocked the Reggae boys with 5 for 18. Milton Pydanna was the man wearing the captaincy arm band when Guyana won championship # 3 in 1985 against Jamaica at Bourda. The land of the majestic Kaieteur Falls fourth title was shared with the Leewards 1993 at DCC. Roger Harper was the man
wearing the Captaincy Arm Band then. Guyana’s fifth title was also shared this time with Trinidad in 1995 with Carl Hooper was the victorious Captain. Guyana also won Championships sixth and seven (1998, 2001) under Hooper. The losing finalist were Leewards and Barbados. Guyana won Championships eight and nine under Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s captaincy in 2003 and 2005. Since, then the boys from the South America main land have failed to bring the Bacon Home. The big question will soon be answered; can they do it this time?
Thursday December 19, 2013
Rehabilitation work starts at Bermine Sports Ground in Berbice
The current state of the Bermine ground, the earth stockpiled for the development of the cricket pitch can be seen in the background. The Bermine Sports Ground at Islington, New Amsterdam, once home to former West Indies Cricket opening batsman Clayton Lambert, is being rehabilitated, with works costing in the vicinity of $3M. The rehabilitation of the venue is part of the Government efforts to resuscitate a number of grounds under the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sports ground enhancement programme, Berbice, which had been neglected over the years for one reason or the other. However, it is understood that the planned Rehabilitation of the Bermine
NBA roundup: Warriors whip Pelicans 104-93 in Iguodala’s return OAKLAND, Calif. — Stephen Curry had 28 points and 12 assists, David Lee added 21 points and 17 rebounds and the Golden State Warriors beat the shorthanded New Orleans Pelicans 104-93 on Tuesday night in Andre Iguodala’s longawaited return. Iguodala finished with two points and two assists in 17 minutes after missing the previous 12 games with a right hamstring injury. The Warriors led by 10 points in the first quarter, 18 at halftime and 26 late in the third quarter. The Pelicans played without injured starters Anthony Davis (broken left hand) and Tyreke Evans (sprained left ankle). Ryan Anderson had 21 points and six rebounds and Jason Smith scored 12 for New Orleans, which has lost its first two games of a five-game trip. The Warriors outshot the Pelicans 45.1 to 37.5 percent and outrebounded them 58 to 44 to control the game — for the most part — from start to finish. New Orleans made a brief run in the fourth quarter
Sports facilities, the Burnham Park in New Amsterdam and the Skeldon Community Centre Ground in Upper Corentyne are being done under a special project. A new concrete bridge at the entrance of the facility is being constructed. Earth for the pitch area and the filling of low spots has been stockpiled for that phase of the project. The Berbice cricket ground which sits on land leased from Guysuco and controlled by the now defunct Bauxite Company, was once one of the top venues in Berbice. But, with the demise of Bermine the venue has virtually become a jungle and a swamp with tall grass and shrubs. A few years ago efforts were made through the Allen Stanford project efforts to
rehabilitate the ground, but that fell through. There are not many sporting facilities in the New Amsterdam Municipality and the rehabilitation of this venue will be welcomed by those in Berbice especially the Town. Recently Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Dr. Frank Anthony and Permanent Secretary Alfred King, announced that more than 25 grounds in the County will be assisted, with the Area ‘H’ and the Whim Community Centre Grounds on the Corentyne getting some special attention. The Minister had also noted that an additional 13 projects would have been undertaken in East Berbice; however more details are still to be released on those projects.
GT&T, Hand-in-Hand inter county cricket
Khan bags 5-wkt haul as Demerara, President’s XI draw
New Orleans Pelicans’ Lou Amundson, left, and Golden State Warriors’ David Lee fight for a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013, in Oakland, Calif. At right is Warriors’ Draymond Green (23). (AP) against Golden State’s backups before the starters returned and restored order. The Warriors went 5-7 after Iguodala injured his hamstring Nov. 22, losing three of its last four games. TRAIL BLAZERS 119, CAVALIERS 116
CLEVELAND — Damian Lillard made a tiebreaking 3pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining, lifting Portland to the road win. Lillard had a career-high eight 3-pointers while scoring 36 points. The 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year also
had a fadeaway jumper as time expired to give Portland a 111-109 overtime victory over Detroit on Sunday. Portland (22-4) has the best record in the NBA and is 11-0 against the Eastern Conference. The Blazers have (Continued on page 29)
By Zaheer Mohamed Leg spinner Amir Khan bagged five wickets for 17 runs off 21.2 overs as the third and final round game in the Guyana Cricket Board organized Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T), Hand-in Hand senior 4 day inter county tournament between Demerara and the President’s XI ended in a tame draw at the Uitvlugt community centre ground. Khan bowled with good control and variation to help restrict the President’s XI, who batted first after winning the toss, to 102 in 55.2 overs after play began at 12:30hrs due to a soggy outfield. Demerara made a valiant effort for first innings points, but after losing the wickets of Christopher Barnwell for 26, which included three sixes and two fours, and Chris Patadin (01); both to Kellon
Amir Khan Carmichael (2-1), the captains after accepting that there is no prospect of a result, agreed to cease play with ten minutes and a minimum of 2.1 overs remaining in the last hour. The President’s XI lost their first wicket with the score on 2 when Ryan Ramdass (01) was caught off left arm seamer Randy Knights at mid on in the day’s (Continuied on page 29)
Thursday December 19, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 33
Kohli ton leads India’s battling effort ESPNcricinfo - It’s been a while since India entered a series as much of an underdog as they are on this South Africa visit - even the whitewashes in England and Australia began as a clash of equals. Bereft of the batting legends that have f o r g e d I n d i a ’s m o s t successful decade in Tests, and even of proper match practice ahead of this short series, there were widespread doubts over their ability to compete. Virat Kohli, the man who occupied the fabled No. 4 spot after S a c h i n Te n d u l k a r ’s retirement, eased some of that anxiety with a superbly crafted century and at the end of an intriguing day of Test cricket in Johannesburg, the teams were more or less on level terms. The hallmarks of Kohli’s innings were the perfectly judged leaves outside off, even as South Africa’s pacers persistently probed away, and his punishment of the wayward spinners caning 50 off 44 deliveries from them - to ensure he didn’t get bogged down. The one big mistake he committed on the d a y w a s t h e muddled
calling that led to the run-out of Cheteshwar Pujara, snapping an 89-run stand that had revived India after the openers departed early. India were 24 for 2 then and memories of previous overseas collapses came rushing back. Kohli’s first runs on a track where the bounce was more of a worry than the lateral movement was an authoritative pull for four off Jacques Kallis. He was troubled early on by South Africa’s best bowler of the day, Morne Morkel, who had Kohli topedging and then insideedging off successive deliveries. After that, though, Kohli was completely in control. In the first hour after lunch, South Africa employed a strategy that involved keeping the ball in the channel outside off and mixing it up with the odd short delivery. Neither the attempts to play on the batsmen’s patience nor the attempts to unsettle them with the rising delivery worked as Kohli and Pujara kept their calm and wore down the pacers. While the weaker
Kohli’s maiden Test century in South Africa included some severe punishment of the spinners, taking 50 off 44 deliveries © Associated Press links in the South African attack came in for the most stick, Kohli also went after Dale Steyn and
Vernon Philander when they strayed from their usual discipline.
A majority of his runs came square of the wicket, with several eye-catching pulls and drives past point and cover. The pressure was building after tea as S o u t h A f r i c a strung together a bunch of maidens with Kohli in the 90s. Perhaps influenced by the flagging over-rate, Graeme Smith turned to JP Duminy who, like Imran Tahir, struggled to land the ball and Kohli picked off the nine runs he needed to reach a landmark century. Pujara was the other b a t s m a n w h o s e t e c h n i q u e a n d temperament promised big runs, and after surviving a couple of close calls early, he settled in. For two hours, with Kohli for company, he kept South Africa at bay. South Africa had turned to the erratic Tahir for a breakthrough, and India finally thought they had some relief, only for the mixup with Kohli resulting in Pujara’s run-out. The other batsmen didn’t adjust their game to the conditions as well. M Vijay and Rohit Sharma both went for o v e r - a m b i t i ous drives away from their body, only to nick behind to undo the good work they had done in getting their eye in. The other wicket w a s a f a s t b o w l e r ’s dream. Steyn normally relies on his late and natural out swing, but sensing the surface wasn’t providing him enough, he unleashed a string of bouncers against
Shikhar Dhawan in the ninth over. Dhawan, never shy of the aggressive stroke, kept going for his shots as Steyn banged it in short four times in a row; the first went for an unconvincing boundary towards backward square leg, the next flew off the handle towards gully, the third was left down the leg side before an attempted hook landed safely in the hands of fine leg. Steyn’s chainsaw celebration showed how thrilled he was at the perfectly executed plan. It wasn’t perfect planning but a loose stroke that ended Kohli’s innings midway through the final session, as he chipped Kallis to cover on 119. Had he still been in the middle at stumps, it would have definitely been India’s day. T h e r e w e r e heartening signs for India even after his exit though, as Ajinkya Rahane and MS Dhoni played out the final hour in fading light without too many alarms. Af t e r a d i f f i c u l t debut in Delhi a g a i n s t A u s t r a l i a early this year, Rahane had a long wait to get another look-in, and he didn’t look out of place as he kept out everything South Africa threw at him in an extended final session. Mor e o f t h e s a m e tomorrow morning a n d I n d i a w i l l e nd on a score that will challenge South Africa’s mighty batting line-up. Sco r e s : I n d i a 2 5 5 f o r 5 ( K o h l i 11 9 ) v South Africa.
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Kaieteur News
Thursday December 19, 2013
Hand-in-Hand/GT&T inter county cricket
Berbice crowned Champs after final round draw with E’bo Chanderpaul among 37 invited to training Camp
By Sean Devers After Essequibo were dismissed inside a session for 156 with Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo bagging 657 on the final day of their truncated inter-county fourday cricket encounter at Everest yesterday and Berbice needed157 in at least
17 overs for first innings points, an exciting run-chase was anticipated. But the eventual champions batted out the rest of the afternoon for an anticlimactic draw in the final round clash which saw the
first three days and the opening session on fourth washed out due to rain. Berbice opted not to take any chances after Skipper Sewnarine Chattergoon (4) was LBW to Delon Heyliger at 4-1 much to the
disappointment of the handful of spectators in the stands. Berbice ended on 27-1 from six overs with Assad Fudadin (16*) and Kandasammy Surujnarine (8*) batting to the end before
play was called off with nine of the mandatory 15 overs to be bowled. Play commenced after the Lunch interval and Essequibo, who reached the 1980 final which they lost to Demerara, won the toss and elected to bat on a slow track with variable bounce in sweltering heat. They lost Kevin Boodie for a duck; bowled by Keon Joseph at 6-1 and it was soon 15-2 when Royan Fredericks (12) edged a catch to the Keeper off Raun Johnson. Mark Gonsalves, who made 22 with two fours, began slowly but his confidence increased as his innings progressed before Bishoo, the leading bowler with 25 scalps, bowled Gonsalves to break the 60-run partnership between him and the 24-year-old Heyliger, who looked the most positive batsman for Essequibo on the heavy outfield. Heyliger greeted Bishoo with a pugnacious slogsweep for six and was not afraid to dance down the track to hit the Spinners straight down the ground or rock back on the back foot when Bishoo, whom he seemed to target, pitched short. Heyliger, who reached the boundary four times and cleared it once in his topscore of 37 departed just when he seemed set for a substantial score. He edged a catch to the keeper off Bishoo and two wickets had tumbled in the space of a run to leave the score on 76-4. Kemo Paul, who dumped Royston Crandon for sixes over long-on in his cameo 36 which was also decorated with four fours, fell to Crandon just before Tea which was taken with Essequibo on 138-6. Bishoo then picked up his ninth five-wicket haul at this level by polishing off the tail and give his team a good chance of taking first innings points with some enterprising stroke play. But that was not be, with Berbice meekly surrendering without any attempt to go after the total. Bishoo took home trophies for Bowler with the most wickets and Man-ofthe-Tournament, while Crandon, who collected a prize for his outstanding performance, supported Bishoo with 2-48. President’s X1 Captain Vishal Singh (244
Devendra Bishoo runs) collected a trophy for making the most runs in the competition and $50,000 for his team finishing second to Berbice. Berbice received $100,000 for winning the four-team tournament with also included Demerara who finished third. Bishoo and Crandon were both presented with Cricket boots by TIGER SPORTS owner, former National Keeper Sheik Mohamed, who is also a national selector. Singh got a bat from TIGER SPORTS. Secretary of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Anand Sanasie thanked both Handin-Hand and GT&T for their sponsorship and noted that despite the seasonal rain the competition was completed. The National selectors, Rayon Griffith, Adrian Amsterdam and Mohamed picked a 37-man squad after yesterday’s conclusion to the tournament to go into a training camp on December 28. The players invited are: Leon Johnson, Devendra B i s h o o , Ve e r a s a m m y Permaul, Anthony Bramble, Robin Bacchus, Assad Fudadin, Zaheer Mohamed, Royston Crandon, Christopher Barnwell, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Vishal Singh, Ronsford Beaton, Rajiv Ivan, Amir Khan, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Shaquille Williams, Jonathan Foo, Narsingh Deonarine, Steven Jacobs, Keon Joseph, Raun Johnson, Jason Sinclair, Paul Wintz, Anthony Adams, Rajendra Chandrika, Gudakesh Motie Kanhai, Shimron Hetmyer, Andre Stoll, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Ryan Ramdass, Trevon Griffith, Chris Pattadin, Royan Federicks, Totaram Bishun and Collis Butts.
Thursday December 19, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 35
Pakistan hang on to clinch 11-run win ESPNcricinfo - Misbahul-Haq had implored his top order to produce an innings of substance in the approach to the series but even he may not have expected his top four to respond as emphatically as they did. Two young batsmen stroked alluring half-centuries, while Mohammad Hafeez ended his poor form with a canny 122, to set up Pakistan’s third-highest total in 115 matches at Sharjah. Misbah had also warned his side that Sri Lanka don’t stop fighting, and he perhaps hadn’t expected his side to ignore that advice so flatly either. When they had Sri Lanka at 221 for 7 in the 42th over, Pakistan allowed feeble bowling and inept fielding to creep in, and Seekkuge Prasanna and Sachithra Senanayake produced a courageous 87-run stand that drew Sri Lanka to within 15 runs of the target with eight balls remaining. In the end, the Sri Lankan tailenders could not sustain their fire. Senanayake toe-ended one
to deep cover and the chase unraveled quickly after that, handing Pakistan an 11-run victory. Hafeez had been relatively quiet in the early overs, perhaps aware that he had not passed 35 in his last eight ODI knocks. Despite his caution, his innings did not suffer from lack of intent. Sharjeel’s fluent hand at the other end had prised open spaces in the outfield after the mandatory Powerplay and Hafeez mined the gaps conscientiously, even if he had begun scoring with two sleek fours off genuinely poor balls. Finding singles and twos was to become the hallmark of Hafeez’s entire knock. Occasionally he took on the more benign elements of Sri Lanka’s attack, like when he blasted a six and a four of Tillakaratne Dilshan in the 20th over, but although he scored at a strike rate comfortably over 90 he had hit only four fours and two sixes in his first 75 runs. The death overs drew a crescendo from him as well
but even late in the innings the heavier hits often came when he turned the strike over to the man at the other end. He made an exception when he launched one into the stands behind long-on to reach triple figures for the seventh time in ODIs, and he fell attempting a big shot as well, with only two balls to go in the innings. Sharjeel Khan’s bright half-century had set Pakistan off apace when he posted a bold riposte to Lasith Malinga, who had struck him on the shoulder with the first ball of the fourth over. Sharjeel hooked the next ball into the square-leg stand and then whipped two more legside fours in the over, embellishing the promise he had shown in the Twenty20s by making an unruffled runa-ball 61. The ease with which he struck through the line, though, made the friendliness of the surface plain - and perhaps of the fast bowling as well. Sohaib Maqsood was just as free-flowing through the middle overs in his sixth
ODI, and he set about manipulating the field in step with Hafeez. He hit four sixes - all over wide long-on - but there were only two fours in his 73, which came from 68 balls. His 140-run stand with Hafeez was the biggest in the match, yet it was achieved with such laidback finesse they almost snuck by Sri Lanka, who allowed the game to meander through lack of imagination. At times, only a perfect yorker seemed immune to being worked away, so Sri L a n k a ’s q u i c k e r m e n attempted plenty of those. They had success with it in the middle overs and Malinga was instrumental in conceding only 25 in the batting Powerplay, but later in the innings they began to miss their length, and Pakistan were unforgiving. Shahid Afridi walloped two sixes in three balls to help plunder 18 from Suranga Lakmal in the 46th over, on his way to a 12-ball 34. Lakmal had only played because Sri Lanka had bafflingly omitted Nuwan Kulasekara, whose earlyovers penetration and experience at the death could not have been missed more sorely. Senanayake and Prasanna had been Sri Lanka’s most economical bowlers, and both men showed why they had been earmarked for long service in the limited-overs teams when they came together with the bat. Pakistan’s bowling flagged for sure but the pair made apt use of what remained a good batting pitch and drilled the dross to the fence, relying heavily on their leg-side scoring zones. They benefited from some appalling fielding but as victory became a real prospect towards the end of
Mohammad Hafeez’s century set up a match-winning total © Getty Images the innings, Senanayake went for a boundary that he perhaps did not need to attempt at that stage. Tillakaratne Dilshan was Sri Lanka’s key man in Mahela Jayawardene’s absence, and it did not bode well for the visitors that he was far from fluent in the early overs. Flat-footed against the fast men and uncertain against spin, Dilshan timed the ball poorly and placed it even worse. He contributed 30 from 43 to a 66-run stand that placed Sri Lanka in a moderate position, but given the firepower in that opening partnership, it was a crucial one to break. Kusal Perera had less strike early on and was also short on boundaries, but he found the gaps that eluded Dilshan and eventually started to put the balls that fell in his strike zone to the fence. He was especially severe
on short deliveries, using his short-arm pull to good effect most notably against Junaid Khan. The singles continued to flow freely and he reached his half-century off 43 balls, but slowed up a touch after that and was lbw for 64 off 68. Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews combined for 73 for the fifth wicket to inspire hope, but the top order had not made enough in the opening overs and the quest for quick runs eventually accounted for them both. Chandimal will at least be comforted that 46 is a better score than he had managed in the 14 previous ODI innings, and that during his stay he seemed to reclaim some of the chutzpah that ruled his cricket when he first played for Sri Lanka. Scores: Pakistan 322 for 5 (Hafeez 122, Maqsood 73, Sharjeel 61) beat Sri Lanka 311 (Kusal 64, Junaid 3-44) by 11 runs.
t r o Sp
Berbice crowned Champs P.34 after final round draw with E’bo Inter county cricket
Chanderpaul among 37 invited to training Camp
We are the champions! Berbice show off their Hardware after the presentation.
Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Futsal Competition
Stevedore Housing Scheme, Queen Street of Tiger Bay reach final
P.30
Stevedore Housing Scheme’s Elroy Parks seen on the offensive against Albouystown ‘B’ in their semi-final clash which they won to advance to the final.
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