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KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8491, 225-8458, 225-8465 Fax: 225-8473 or 226-8210
Editorial TROUBLE BREWING! Already reeling from the accusations surrounding the cost of the President’s inauguration, it seems that the government has been plunged into another scandal. This time the issue relates to messages purportedly made by the acting head of GPL in regard to the purchasing of 28,000 meters. As a State agency, GPL has been criticized for its failure to reduce transmission losses, theft of electricity, its inability to complete projects on time and mismanagement of public funds. Its CEO has been under attack ever since being appointed to the position in late August. It is now emerging that the attack against Mr Colin Welch is because he appears to be breaking up the nest of corruption that existed. This latest incident would be one of the toughest tests yet for this government which prides itself on stamping out corruption. For one, the sole-sourcing of meters is no longer possible. Losing such a lucrative deal would be bound to cause attacks from all sources. Guyana’s survival depends on having an efficient, corrupt-free and clean government, which means that all financial transactions utilizing state funds must be transparent before the government can be clean. Under the PPP government, political corruption had a seismic impact on the country. It was unchecked and had metamorphosed into an almost incurable sore, decline in morals and the death knell of the PPP. It was perverse, evil and even intergenerational. The impact of corruption by commonsense deduction is deleterious on small economies like Guyana. Today, Guyana is still perceived as being corrupt by many of those with the capital to make its economy grow. Its business climate is not yet ripe for sustainable investment; manufacturing has declined and long-term investorconfidence is like a fleeting illusion. Corruption is still rampant at just about every level and in every sphere of society, from the politicians to the police to those in business. And it is not just foreigners who believe that Guyana is overly corrupt, about 80 per cent of Guyanese feel the same way. Naturally and unfortunately, the people who suffer the most from corruption are the poor. As a consequence, the country is in dire straits and continues to depend mostly on rice and the sugar-cane plantation type economy. The PPP which has been in power for 23 years is primarily responsible for corruption, as the then leaders watched it descended to an almost incurable state. It is now uppermost in the minds of local and foreign investors. Where are the principals who presided over corruption and mega losses of the taxpayers’ money? These funds could have been used to help put food on the table for the poor who suffered from themeager five percent annual salary increase. The PPP was obsessed with power and its objective was acquiring and retaining power at all costs. Today, no significant arrest or prosecution has been made despite the billions of dollars which appear to have been cannot be accounted for at NICIL and other government departments as reported in the audits. If Guyana is to progress, it must also seek help from qualified Guyanese overseas. But some insist that these are Guyanese who fled the country rather than stand up and fight for their deliverance. To want to come in now and be accepted as liberators would be difficult for many to swallow The government has to put its resources, financial and human, where its mouth is and stop paying lip service to the people or making halfhearted attempts. Otherwise, the country will continue to stagnate both economically and socially.
Kaieteur News
Sunday December 27, 2015
Kaieteur M@ilbox Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com
Lincoln Lewis says the APNU-AFC must be held accountable DEAR EDITOR, Many question the wisdom for holding this new administration accountable not taking into consideration that when the previous administration came to power in 1992, many said “give them a chance.” In granting this chance what happened from day one were moves to remove career diplomats and replace them with political appointments, which were not without racial overtones. In the Customs and Excise, the entire top brass was removed. And the transgressions continued, growing bolder and bolder with each passing day. When Bharrat Jagdeo ascended to
the presidency this society was told by prominent citizens, including Eusi Kwayana, to give the young man chance, being the youngest president, and the notion that he did not bring with him the baggage of the 1960s. This nation lived to see that under his administration over 400 young men were denied the right to life in a gruesome killing orgy that had elements of his government involvement. Under his stewardship Guyana was ranked by Transparency International as the most corrupt English speaking Caribbean country. Roger Luncheon in a court of law said there was no qualified African to head any foreign
mission when evidence is known to contrary. Groups were marginalised and acts were conducted to deny freedom of expression and silence the voice of dissent or alternative opinion through economic strangulation, as seen committed against some private media, Critchlow Labour College and the Guyana Trades Union Congress. This is just a tip of the iceberg of the dastardly acts that were committed against the citizens of this country. Having lived through the PNC and PPP governments there are some who today demand that Forbes Burnham and Desmond Hoyte be held accountable for (Continued on page 06)
Sunday December 27, 2015
Kaieteur News
Kaieteur M@ilbox He ain’t heavy; he’s my brother DEAR EDITOR, I am in full concurrence with Freddie’s view of the present day situation in Guyana particularly as it pertains to the song, “He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother”. Confessedly, I am a lover of this music ballad, the amorous roots of which germinated while residing in England in the mid 1960’s. There are still various versions surrounding the origin of this song which came out during the Vietnam War. Television reports stated that the song was written by a Vietnam veteran who while walking with his troop, came upon a little boy carrying his brother from a burning village that had just been bombed. The little boy was asked if the body was heavy, to which the response came “he’s not heavy, he’s my brother”. There is also a film titled “Bells of St. Mary’s”, where actor Spencer Tracy portrays a priest at a home for troubled boys, and he is carrying a man, when someone asks him, “ Isn’t he too heavy for you to carry Father,” to which Spencer replies,” No son, he’s not heavy , he’s my brother”. It is said that Bobby Russell wrote the song in 1970 while dying of cancer in Los Angeles, and it has been covered by a plethora of artists in subsequent years. Nowadays one hears this song
at funerals, but in my opinion it is one of the most uplifting messages to humans that were ever recorded. Freddie dedicates the song to the Guyanese people while making an impassioned plea during this season of goodwill to be both human and humane. It is innately clear that the lyrics do not refer to our biological brothers, but instead to the family of Man. Taking into full account the present day struggle in Guyana even to survive the message then takes on a more serious nature. Philippians 2:4 states thus: “None of you should look out just for your own good. You should also look out for the good of others.” Will this message have any takers? Are we not our brothers’ keepers? My fellow citizens as we sit on the cusp of an approaching New Year we cannot allow the feelings invoked by this song, along with Freddie’s dedication and invocation to fall on deaf ears or hard hearts. Let us all be encouraged by the words of our Father, “For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land’.” (Deuteronomy 15:11).) Yvonne Sam
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Mr. Veecock would like Kaieteur News to apologize DEAR EDITOR, Reference is made to your article “”Sex work is work; end violence against such service providers” in your publication of December 25th 2015. Really Dear Editor, Christmas Day is not a suitable day for you to carry such a report. What a disservice to your readers wanting to hear and read of tidings of good joy. Definitely not about sex workers. You do owe an apology to your readers. I have no sympathy with any of the representations the presenters made. It is the modern day concept and style to stretch matters to justify some miniscule area and embellish it to press for changes for what they consider to be better. Looking at this quote from the reported discussion; “Every citizen has the right to be rewarded according to the
nature, quality and quantity of his or her work, equal pay for equal work, or work of equal value, under just conditions of work”; one would say fine and dandy. Nothing wrong with that quote. Artfully however, the discussion enfolds minute concepts and moves into another direction with “”SEX WORK IS WORK AND WORK IS WORK”. What balderdash! These apparently knowledgeable presenters felt that they could gloss over evil and wicked behavior as being work and that work is work. Sex in any form is not work. It primarily for pleasure and satisfaction, and the principal part of procreation. It has various asides and one of them is for monetary reward, that is, if you want it, then pay up. That situation arises because there is no bond or affection present.
It is purely for gratification from whomsoever. Physicality is an ingrained activity of sex but that is not work under any circumstance whatsoever. Presenter “Dodson revealed that sex work – that is exchange of sexual relations for money and other benefits “, has reclassified and redefined sex work as being an exchange. Work seems according to him (sic) to be “exchange”. and appears to be out of sinc with the other platitudes of the other presenters. Very comical in my opinion. Sex is not work. Sex for money is an abomination and should be punished. Hope that the new Guyana Government does not waste time giving this group any attention. There are more pressing matters of state. Carl Veecock
DEAR EDITOR Being around family and friends is always of utmost importance at Chrismas time. Also a priority is being at home or close to home. Home and family go hand in hand as the two main ingredients for a happy and joyful Christmas. We are always at home wherever we make home. For many of us, home for the holidays means being away from our ‘home- country’. There will be many messages at this Christmastime; of hope, joy, peace, love, kindness, mercy and togetherness. All of these coincide with the significance and true meanings of that first Christmas. Today, the celebration of Christmas has become a universal practice among countless cultures and billions worldwide. Many have found the fundamental principles of Christmas acceptable, meriting its celebration and observance, especially among Non- Christians. Guyana is a typical example when you drive around at nights to see numerous homes in almost every village, lit and decorated, bathed in lights. Families surround their dinner (or breakfast) tables; pepperpot, ginger beer, black cake, bread, egg nog, turkey,
ham, chicken, mashed potatoes - the works! After all the major preparations, shopping around the chaotic commercial hotspots, it’s time to sit, relax, savour the moment, open presents and enjoy the company of friends and family. The religious aspect of the holiday is very much alive today too, with Catholics leading the way in its celebrations that start a month before the actual day— with the beginning of the season of Advent. Novenas, caroling, concerts, parties, outings, and midnight Masses— the hallmarks of a good Catholic celebration of Christmas. The birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem still exists today— a Church altar is built over that area. Often unsung and unheard of are the many works of mercy being carried out by the Roman Catholic Church throughout Guyana today, including those performed by the Society of St
Vincent de Paul, St Martin de Porres Society, and Missionaries of Charity Sisters of Mother Teresa. Various parishes of churches have numerous outreach missions and works, including tending to the poor and hungry; the forgotten and those marginalized by society. The works of Mercy continue well beyond Christmas and are often done silently without much fanfare and recognition hardly making the Six ‘o clock News story or media grind. In the midst of the busy shopping and preparations, the Church always looks after and remembers the pooras it has always done throughout the year. In New Amsterdam, my parish church performs little yet significant acts of mercy all year round, whether it is giving a daily meal to dozens of outcasts on a daily basis; feeding hungry school (Continued on page 6)
Medical Welfare Fund Journalist sees sweeping is urgently required changes across Guyana
DEAR EDITOR, Kaieteur News (Dec. 7, 2015) carried an article that dealt with the abuse of public funds allocated as medical aid, for cosmetic purposes rather than bona fide medical emergencies, etc. In one case, a former minister had used up $2.1M to fix her teeth. This would have occurred even while many persons, particularly children, continued to suffer from life-threatening conditions. Some died awaiting that helping hand that never came. In a country like ours, with so much wastefulness and disparity in wealth, there must be something that can be done to make such heart-rending situations something of the past. Surely we can find the money to put aside for helping those who are the most-needy amongst us. There are three things that we, as private consumers, spend a fair deal of money on: alcohol, cigarettes and legalized gambling / lottery, and which we cannot say for sure, brings any benefit to society. The fact that many can complain so bitterly about a 2AM curfew on the sale of alcohol, suggests that we have a lot money to splurge. Each of these “vices” in our society represents a significant opportunity cost at the individual, household
and national level. The monies spent on these items means that many other things of value had to be forgone. In many poor households, the opportunity cost of these expenditures is very glaring, with what is actually forgone often being the sustenance and healthcare of family members. There has been a government-administered “Lotto Fund” since the lottery company was established here in 1997. There are taxes applied to the sale of tobacco and alcohol, which I am sure amounts to a sizeable share of public revenues. Whether or not the tax rates applied to these items are justified is debatable, but as a bystander they do not seem to have forced demand downward, which is one of the purposes of such taxes. These three streams of revenues all now go into the big barrel we call the Consolidated Fund (CF), a victory for public accounting that was well-fought for. However, we know what happens with how the CF operates. Tax administration is meant to redistribute inflows to where they are (most?) needed and not necessarily in support of development related to their sources / sector. Like how the environmental tax is used! Using the argument of a
collective opportunity cost to society, I am suggesting that we take these three revenue streams – alcohol and tobacco taxes, and the Lotto Fund – and commit these monies to starting a special Medical Welfare Fund for helping the most-needy with their healthcare. With our current capacity for providing effective medical care still being below the desired level, there will be some net outflows from the economy, particularly where medical treatment must be sought overseas. However, with ongoing improvements in technology and capacity in the existing hospitals, and with the Turkeyen Specialty Hospital coming on stream sometime in the near future, many healthcare issues that could only be dealt with abroad will soon be taken care of right here in Guyana. Even when that happens, the cost of effective healthcare will still be prohibitive for our most-needy and as such public support funding will still have to be sought. Welfare expenditure in this area will mean that a larger share of the money will actually re-circulate within (Continued on page 6)
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Kaieteur M@ilbox
Sunday December 27, 2015
Kaieteur M@ilbox
GGMC is in corrupt collusion Lincoln Lewis says the... with the rich and powerful DEAR EDITOR, Pursuant to the anti-corruption slogan that has gained traction in recent months I’ve decided that it is most apposite at this time to make known my frustration or perhaps, even better, to expose what I believe to be a corrupt collusion between one of the most powerful state agencies and an equally powerful individual, to tussle from my arms what should have been a legitimately and easily attainable mining claims. The state sponsored goliath that I have referred to above is the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (hereinafter GGMC) and for the moment, the individual of insatiable appetite I shall treat as Person A. Without further ado, I have set forth the matter as I understand it to be below. In February 2015, I had set about prospecting by licenses and had located several land claims for mining on one of the many forgotten and uninhabited islands in the Essequibo region. Pursuant to the guidelines set out in Part 1&2 of the mining regulations and the inaccessibility of the area, I had expended substantial monies in the hope that faithful and strict compliance therewith would attract efficient and reliable procedural execution. In this connection, I had the same claims verified by an officer of GGMC and I got about the other preparatory business, patiently awaiting the expiry of a maximum ninety (90) day period for the grant to mining licenses. However, since then more than 293 days have elapsed and I am still awaiting the grant, and in fact, a pebble of
reward for my naivety and belief that there exists any justice in adherence to Guyanese law and order. Instead, not only am I not convinced that this delay is as a result of a procedural glitch, but further I am now led to believe that it has been occasioned by a corrupt scheme between the agents and by extension the agency of GGMC, and ‘person A’, to wrestle from my grips these hard-found claims. Mostly recently, upon an inquiry into the status of my application, I was told by the chief surveyor of GGMC, Mr. McKenzie, that the granting of my license had been placed on hold because Person A’, who holds the licenses to mine in the surrounding river, had made an objection, on the grounds that the grant of licenses to mine in the river had impliedly given him a grant of licenses for land mining on the said island. This sort of manifest nonsense was exacerbated even further when I learnt upon inquiry that the agency treats the water and land mining regimes separately, and the licenses of each contain terms that are very different in their obligations, so that it seems ludicrous that a license for water mining could have impliedly contained terms for land mining! Thereafter, my inquisitive nature led me to learn that an ‘objection’ can only be made procedurally after the claims have to been published in the national gazette, and as I have already said, the license is yet to be granted much less published in the national gazette, so that this ‘objection’ must be legally misconceived. Once more, no more than a superficial check revealed
that even if this was the case, the island claims would have been made null and void pursuant to its violation of Part II, 8 and 10 of GGMC’s mining regulations. A letter was addressed to my representative attorney by ‘Person A’ which adduced documents to show that he had held licenses, as I had believed, to the riverbed alone. There was not a single supporting document, neither licenses, receipt nor gazetted publication, which show that he had possessed the land claims. Therefore, as I had suspected, the purported ‘objection’ to the grant of licenses was wholly misconceived. Egregiously and much to my astonishment, on the 28th of November, 2015, I purchased a copy of the official gazette and voila! Therein, I noticed that there was an advertisement with intention to grant the said land claims to ‘Person A’. Additionally, the purported grant sought to confer a licenses for an area in excess of over 300 acres, which is more than ten times greater than the 25.7 maximum permissible acreage for a land claim and as I understand legally null and void. As a result, I am only left to reasonably conclude that this plot is but a small event in what appears to be an extensive web of corrupt practices, as recently unearthed, employed by the GGMC in collusion with the affluent. Therefore, in accordance with basic notions of fairness and the re-creation of a metaphorically ‘levelled playing field’, I call upon the newly appointed commissioner to look into this matter. Owen Caesar
From page 4 their stewardship. In principle there is no problem with such a call. What is disturbing however, is that the Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar who are alive and the former with a stewardship tantamount to brutality previously unknown in this country is not being asked or held to account. Conscious of the path this nation has travelled the current managers of our business must be held to higher standards, from day one. They have campaigned for the job, fully aware of what it entails, even more so that they were in the opposition and shadowed the PPP government. The people have granted them the privilege to manage their affairs. While one can accept that there will be teething problems in understanding the nuances of day-to-day executive responsibilities, what we must not accept, from day one, is the violating of timehonoured principles, constitution and laws and the transgressing of rights. These tenets need no ex-
perience, what they need is making the time to understand them and where in doubt, consult. The reference to time here does not mean days, it means pausing to think and confirm before acting. Government is about the people and the people’s development. In our representative democracy we are not ruled. Our affairs are entrusted in the hands of our representatives who will ensure its proper management. Having fought against being ruled during slavery, indenture-ship and colonialism, the right for political self-determination won with Independence, means that we no longer ruled by any group, but our affairs are managed by those we elected to do. This nation and its leaders must disabuse itself that we are still being ruled. When one is being ruled, he/she no longer enjoys the right to participate and self-determine. The Guyana Constitution expressly states how we ought to be treated, how government ought to manage the affairs of State which is inclu-
sive of our well-being, and our role in ensuring that such is done consistent with our hope, dreams and aspirations. Nowhere, in this supreme instrument are the people placed as subjects and their leaders rulers. A people get the government they deserve. The people have elected the APNU+AFC to do better than the previous government and they must. The power lies in the hands of the people who entrust it to their elected leaders. Without the people leaders have no power. The accusation by some that holding this government to account will make them one term couldn’t be further from the truth. The truth is not holding them to account and ensuring they stay on course would more than likely make them a one term. Every error in judgement and action made by the APNU+AFC and their failure to avoid and correct it, they make the case for the PPP to return to office. Lincoln Lewis
From page 5 Guyana’s economy. Removing the three revenue streams from the CF may suggest undoing what was fought for, in the case of the Lotto Fund. However, there can be special provisions for channelling these revenues to the Medical Welfare Fund on an “as-needed” basis, or to keep the fund at a certain replenishment level that matches our needs in the described healthcare areas. Whatever needs to be done, can be done: the technicalities of
fund management can be worked out later. With an increasing number of children requiring corrective surgeries, and with chronic non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease being on the rise, there will be increased demand for healthcare-related welfare support. Part of the welfare fund can also be used to push education about the harm associated with alcohol and tobacco abuse. There are many possibilities of what can be done,
when what is seen as wasteful spending can be taxed and brought back to benefit society. And certainly, spending tax-payers’ money on fixing cleft palates in 2 or 3 poor children, or helping a breadwinner stay alive to see his children grow up is going to be more “palatable” than brightening the smile of one mature woman who can well afford to do so, on her own. Let us make 2016 a year when no one has to beg to save their own life, or that of a child in Guyana. Khemraj Tulsie
From page 5 children; spreading cheer by singing carols; or promoting wholesome family events— all connecting truly to the Year of Mercy that was called
for by Pope Francis I earlier this year. That’s the message of Christmas. Anyone can say anything. Words are cheap, but actions speak volumes. I am proud to be a part of the
effort the Church has been undertaking over the past years.Ordinary people doing extraordinary things. As Guyana continues to transition under a new political administration, the sweeping changes across the country seen over the past months remind us that life is not always constant. There is finally hope for our beloved Guyana in these more uplifting times. The message of Christmas bemoans us to stop looking in the past and shedding our Grinch-like selves and embracing a more positive outlook on life, both for ourselves and for our country. And when Christmas is over and gone, remember the peace, joy, love and goodwill must continue. Leon Suseran
Medical Welfare Fund is...
Journalist sees sweeping...
Sunday December 27, 2015
Kaieteur News
Rating agency lowers Trinidad and Tobago’s credit rating Daily Observer - International credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s has revised to negative it’s outlook on the economy of Trinidad and Tobago. The agency has affirmed its ‘A/A-1’ long-and shortterm sovereign credit ratings on the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T). “At the same time, we revised the outlook on the longterm ratings to negative from stable. Our ‘AA’ transfer and convertibility assessment for T&T is unchanged,” S&P said. In a report issued on Thursday, S&P said the change in outlook to negative from stable “reflects an at least one-in-three chance that prolonged low energy prices and potentially poor GDP (gross domestic product) growth prospects could result in a steadily rising debt burden, leading to a downgrade in the next two years.” According to S&P, the public finances of the twin island republic are vulnerable to a prolonged and substantial drop in energy revenues. “The energy sector contributed around half of total government revenues during the recent boom years, but may contribute less than 20 per cent of total government revenues in fiscal year 20152016”. The report added that fiscal revenues from the energy sector fell to 10.9 per cent of GDP last year from 16.2 per cent in the previous year and were only partially offset by a rise in non-energy revenues. “They are set to decline again this year as a share of GDP.” S&P says falling energy prices also sharply reduced the country’s typically large trade and current account surpluses. “T&T’s long-term prosperity is tied to the fate of the energy sector. Rapid growth led by the energy sector more than doubled T&T’s per capita GDP over the last decade to over $20,000 in 2015. GDP likely contracted up to 2 per cent in 2015, mainly because of the spillover of lower energy prices, and could fall by up to 1 per cent in 2016.” The lending agency said the non-energy sector, which may have fallen into recession in 2015, is likely to perform poorly in 2016. “We project that the country’s average per capita GDP growth rate, which has been less than 1 per cent in the past five years, to be just over 1 per cent over the next three years, assuming a
Colm Imbert
gradual recovery in energy prices and continued investment in the sector.” Concerning the exchange rate, S&P said “The country’s exchange rate, adjusted for different inflation rates among its trading partners, has appreciated nearly 30 per cent since 2010, potentially affecting negatively T&T’s long-term external competitiveness.” It also noted that economic policy is expected to remain pragmatic after the change in government earlier this year. “The People’s National Movement government, elected in September, has
taken initial steps to address the fiscal problem, including raising some taxes and administered prices, reducing some spending, and plans to take further measures in its midyear fiscal review in March 2016.” In response to the report, Finance Minister Colm Imbert says it is neither “unexpected nor surprising” given the fact that oil and natural gas prices have collapsed and therefore a negative outlook based on current and projected oil prices is “not unfair.” Imbert said the Government is continuing to work on a package of measures to restore growth to the economy.
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New Year’s Day ban on Styrofoam…
Restaurants can be fined more than $100,000
Some of the bio-degradable alternatives to Styrofoam. In a few days, on January 1, a ban on expanded polystyrene, commonly called Styrofoam, is to become effective. The ban is expected to affect several importers and food establishments which have been depending on the boxes and containers as a cheap alternative to food containers. The ban has been in the making for a number of years now with the deadline
pushed back time and again. C o n s e c u t i v e Governments have complained that Styrofoam has been a major solid waste problem, with canals and waterways backing up because of illegal dumping by citizens. To compound matters, Styrofoam is not biodegradable, proving a headache for administrative bodies across the country struggling with severe
garbage issues. Government has gazetted subsidiary legislation-: The Environmental Protection (Expanded Polystyrene Ban) Regulations. The legislations explained that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be the entity to implement the ban with Syrofoam-made food
containers, plates, hot and cold beverage cups, meat and vegetable trays and egg cartons to be prohibited from being imported, manufactured or distributed locally. The legislations when it comes into effect will apply to all food service establishments operating in Guyana. The legislations make it clear that any person or entity found to be in contravention (importation or manufacturing) could face fines of no less than $50,000. The minister, in charge, will have powers to make amendments in the public interests, for the importation, manufacturing and sale of expanded polystyrene products. Of course, if an establishment has food for sale that is filled and sealed from elsewhere in Styrofoam containers, it will be allowed.
Guilty food establishments found possessing and selling food in the Styrofoam containers will be served warning them and could face fines from a summary conviction upwards of $100,000. EPA or authorized persons from the Director of Public Prosecutions can bring prosecutions in a court of summary jurisdiction, the gazetted legislations said. EPA is expected to work with stakeholders to promote use of recyclable, biodegradable and other environmentally friendly products, it was recommended. In recent months, Government has been pushing for especially biodegradable containers as an alternative for Styrofoam. Earlier this month, at the Square of the Revolution, Georgetown, there was a public awareness session
Dem boys seh...
Holiday season suh bad that Rum Jattan extend drunkeness Christmas come and gone. This year wasn’t as nice as de previous years and it ain’t got nutten to do wid de new coalition govt. Is just that everything bad was happening to Guyana and now everything crash land on Guyana. Venezuela shut down rice and Jagdeo never tell anybody. Gold wha use to keep people nose above water drop tremendously. Sugar ain’t doing nutten but draining de treasury. De Marriott wha gun bring home money tekking money from all round. De GTT shares wha use to bring in US$3 million a year, Jagdeo and Brassington sell it out and de people still owe this country. De main thing, drugs, and dem boys ain’t talking bout wha Babbie does bring in—that gone pun de backburner. De new Hambassadah put a clamp pun all of dem and locking dem up since dem step out of Guyana. Drug money stop coming in like how it use to come in durra durra. Things fall so hard that even Kwame loss he house in Diamond. De bank fall down pun him. This is only some of de things that fall. Christmas dry up this year. Then Soulja Bai screw up de Joint Services. Dem accustom getting a month salary. Soulja Bai change it to a flat $50,000 across de board. Some of dem use to get $100,000 and some get up to $300,000. Dem tek home $50,000. Dem boys hear plenty Joint Services people really vex. Dem wives more vex. That money wha dem get can barely do dem hair. Dem had to lef out dem toe nail and finger nail. But dem other public servants was more than happy because dem always use to get 3% and 5%. Dem use to get less. If dem wukking fuh $100,000 and dem get 5% dem would get $5,000 a month. And if it retroactive dem use $60,000 but dem had to pay tax suh dem use to end up wid $40,000. And if you salary was $50,000 and you get that same 5% you would end up wid $30,000 and when de tax come out you end up, according to Brassington Maths, wid $1,000. Even Rum Jattan see that things suh bad that rum shop use to close up at 9:00 o’clock when dem suppose to close at 2;00 am. Night club use to close at 2:00. He extend de night life. He really extend drunkenness, lawlessness and sexiness. He seh dem can close whenever dem want and dem can put on whatever clothes dem want. Dem boys watching de budget to see wha coming up. Talk half and tell Brassington to give back y’all money.
One of the many problems caused by Styrofoam.
ahead of the January 1st ban. The EPA will collaborate with the Ministries of Legal Affairs and Finance, via the Guyana Revenue Authority, to implement the Styrofoam ban. EPA’s Executive Director, Dr. Indarjit Ramdass, had noted that there will be panel discussions, presentations, radio ads and TV programmes among other activities in order to bring more awareness. With respect to alternative products, Dr. Ramdass said that the agency is promoting 100 percent bio-degradable and ‘compostable’ plant fibrebased products that meet ASTM D6868 standards. This specification covers biodegradable plastics and products (including packaging), where plastic film or sheet is attached (either through lamination or Continued on page 11
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‘Baby Face’ arrested for Christmas Day murder A man was stabbed to death on Christmas Day during an altercation with an acquaintance at James Street, Albouystown. The incident occurred around 15:00 hrs and resulted in the death of Owen Frederick, also called “Fluffie”. Frederick was stabbed to the neck and chest. He was pronounced dead at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). His attacker, 54-year-old Mark Trevor, also called “Baby Face” of Curtis Street,
Albouystown, has been arrested and is assisting with the investigation. The suspect and victim were “junkies” in the area and did odd jobs for a living. Residents in James Street knew very little of the duo and their family history. Kaieteur News was told that the two men had an argument somewhere in James Street and it later led to a scuffle. Frederick, who is from Berbice, was seen running away while the suspect was
chasing him with a knife. An eyewitness to the stabbing told this newspaper yesterday that she saw a bloody Frederick running for his life. His attacker caught up with him when he reportedly collapsed in front of a shop. “De man come and stab him straight to the neck and then he (Trevor) walk away like a hero,” the eyewitness said. Frederick was rushed to the hospital and Mark Trevor was subsequently arrested.
Ex-prisoner still seeking justice after reported beating by prison officials More than a month has passed and ex-prisoner Selwyn Atwell is yet to receive justice after he was allegedly beaten by a group of prison officials and an orderly. Atwell has alleged that he was brutally abused at the hands of some prison officials while he was incarcerated at the Georgetown Prisons for six months. The Laing Avenue, West Ruimveldt resident stated that he has not received word from the prison pertaining to the beating and is looking to take legal action against his alleged perpetrators. Atwell was released from the prison after his case of domestic violence was
dismissed against him. “More than a month passed and I still haven’t heard anything from the prison. But I’m not prepared to let the matter go. I need justice because I was wrongfully beaten,” he said. He claimed that he was beaten to his head and about his body with cutlasses fashioned from bed rails. He said the incident occurred after a Matron accused him of causing trouble with another prisoner, who was cussing him out at his bedside. However, Director of Prisons, Carl Graham, has denied Atwell’s allegation, indicating that the man had told officials that he was
beaten by fellow prisoners and not prison officers. He stressed that Atwell’s case may very well be one of retaliation since Atwell was fingered in the beating of another prisoner. Graham said the prisoners might have retaliated. “It is very unlikely that officers would beat a prisoner in such a manner,” he had said. Nevertheless, he stated that the orderly who was accused of being the ring leader of the beating was placed in confinement, pending adjudication. Three-quarter of the tissues in one of Atwell’s eyes is damaged, rendering him partially impaired.
Restaurants can be fined... From page 9 extrusion directly onto the paper) and the entire product or package is designed to be composted in municipal and industrial aerobic composting facilities. The alternative must also be certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI), Dr. Ramdass said. The containers to be allowed by the EPA include aluminium, glass and recyclable plastic and paper. Speaking on behalf of the private sector at the event, Chairman of the Trade and Investment Sub-Committee, Ramesh Dookoo, had noted that the private sector is a friend of the environment. “You can do nothing in today’s business world without considering the environment and factor in the cost of protecting the environment in your business plan,” he said. He added that the private sector welcomes the initiative and hopes that the success of the exhibition will bring some ease and confidence to the next phase for importers and small businesses that have depended heavily on Styrofoam importation and its
use and distribution. Dookoo also warned against not putting measures to stop illegal importation of Styrofoam. “Let us not be caught in a dilemma like our Caricom sister, Haiti, who has banned Styrofoam for two consecutive years and yet it is still one of the worst environmental issues in the country. “We have to put mechanisms in place to deter illegal importation, and ensure all stakeholders in the industry are aware of the proposed national standards
for Styrofoam,” he advised. Styrofoam accounts for two percent of municipal garbage in Georgetown. It takes some 500 years to decompose. At least one major manufacturing company, Caribbean Containers Inc. (CCI) has started introducing bio-degradable containers, ahead of the ban. But its popularity is still to take a firmer footing. CCI’s sales are expected to make a dramatic change, for the better, in the coming days.
Miner stabbed, assailant arrested A Supenaam miner is nursing several stab wounds about his body after he and another man from that area were involved in an argument on Christmas night. The miner, according to reports, is being treated at the Suddie Public Hospital. Reports are indicating, that the miner who is in his late forties, was involved in an argument with the suspect whom police have since arrested. (Yannason Duncan)
A mini health check is the first step to donating blood.
The spot where Frederick was stabbed to death.
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Sea defence breach occurs on Corentyne The Sea and River Defence Department (SRDD), under the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, is currently responding to a sea defence breach at Bush Lot/Maida, Corentyne. The breach was reported shortly after 19:00hrs on Thursday, in a critical section of sea defence. The stretch, spanning 800 metres, is currently having permanent works conducted on it by Toolsie Persaud Quarry Inc., which was awarded the contract in September. Though work has begun, there is a section spanning 100 feet that is still to be addressed. This section was the area that was breached. On Christmas Day the Sea and River Defence was expect to begin temporary works to secure the breached area. Additionally, drainage works, including the clearing of channels, are being conducted to create some diversion for the inundated waters. SRDD is also currently determining the extent of the effect of the breach on residents and existing structures. This breach occurred during the present spring tide period which is expected to last until December 29, 2015. The predicted tide indicates above normal levels for this period. The highest tides were expected on Christmas Day and yesterday. The Ministry of Public Infrastructure is now reminding all persons residing along the banks of rivers and low lying coastal areas to take all necessary precautions against possible flooding. Precaution should also be taken by all mariners, including those operating fishing vessels and larger vessels. Use of beaches and foreshore areas for recreational purposes during this period is not advised.
Kaieteur News
Sunday December 27, 2015
Money changer murder suspect calls mother “I am innocent; I am coming home” Despite telling his mother that he is innocent and would turn himself in, the 19-yearold suspect in the murder of money-changer Mohamed Fizal Mahmood Baksh was still at large yesterday. The prime suspect in Baksh’s murder is Phileman Boodhoo, also called Kevin Boodoo, who has not been seen since Monday, the same day that the 56-year-old money-changer was lured to his death. The suspect has been in phone contact with relatives. Shamyela Boodhoo, his mother, told Kaieteur News that her son contacted her from an unknown number around 08.00 hrs yesterday. “He said ‘Hi Mom, I innocent (and) I coming,’ and I say, ‘Where are you?’ and the phone cut off.” Mrs. Boodhoo said that she
informed the police about the call. “If he calls again I would say ‘surrender to the police or come home and we would take you to the station’. Mrs. Boodhoo revealed that she had known the victim for many years. “I don’t know if (her son) do it but if he do it, let the law deal with him. That uncle (the slain money-changer) was a good man.” Mrs. Boodhoo confirmed that police had detained her and two other relatives on Christmas Eve, but eventually released them after talking statements. Mohamed Fizal Mahmood Baksh’s battered body was found around 07:00hrs on Thursday in a bushy section of the No. 63 Village, Corentyne, foreshore, three days after he was reported missing. He was fully clothed, and the back of his skull had been fractured in two places. There was also a wound on one of his legs. Police found his wristwatch and phone at the scene. The corpse was beginning to decompose, and this indicated that Baksh, 56, known as ‘Sugar Cake,’ had been dead for at least 48 hrs. He is believed to have been clubbed to death with a piece of wood, which detectives found nearby. A post mortem by Pathologist Dr. Vivekanand Brijmohan indicated that the cause of death was haemorrhage and shock, due to a fractured skull. The slain man’s daughter, Safina Baksh, told Kaieteur News that a woman found her father’s body while going to
Mohamed Fizal Mahmood Baksh
SUSPECT: Phileman Boodhoo, called “Kevin’
the area to graze a horse. The woman then contacted a relative of her father, who then informed other family members. Ms. Baksh, who was among relatives who saw the body, said that her father appeared to have been badly beaten. Detectives are said to be going through the slain man’s phone, particularly in the wake of reports that the prime suspect had called Baksh a few hours before Baksh disappeared. The suspect, identified as Phileman Boodhoo, also called Kevin Boodhoo, 19, resides at Number 63 Village, Corentyne, two villages away from where the body was found. He remains at large. Investigators are working on the theory that the killer lured Baksh to his death by telling the 56-year-old moneychanger that two elderly individuals needed to change some foreign currency. Baksh was reportedly last seen alive heading to the suspect’s home. Kaieteur News understands that the victim may have had at least $1M in his possession when he left home. Seeta Boodhoo, an aunt of
the suspect, said that he had contacted her by phone on Wednesday afternoon. She said she asked him about a bank loan that he had taken in October. She said that the nephew told her, “Don’t stress, the loan would pay,” before terminating the call. The aunt said that she believes that her nephew may be in Suriname. “He must face the law; let them hold him until he could prove he is not guilty.” Mohamed Baksh was last seen alive around 08:00 hrs on Monday. He reportedly left home to meet with the suspect, who had informed him that there were two elderly people who wanted to change some foreign currency. A taxi driver confirmed that Baksh was seen walking into the street where ‘Kevin’ lived. Seeta Boodhoo, the man’s aunt, said that ‘Kevin’ moved in with her in June after his father passed away. She said that he had been selling household items in her yard to financially support himself. She said that she last saw him around noon last Monday, which was the same day that Baksh was last seen alive.
Sunday December 27, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Tackling mental health - an ongoing Ministry of Public Health initiative By Sharmain Grainger Like so many diseases, mental disorders do not target people of a particular race, gender, creed or even age - everyone is vulnerable. A recent visit to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC)’s Psychiatric Clinic proved this notion to be very true. The waiting area was packed to capacity; some patients were mumbling incoherently, some were reading newspapers, others were chatting about issues of concern to them while a few just sat quietly awaiting their names to be called. What they all had in common was that they had some mental ailment and were seeking help to get better – a laudable move on their part. But oftentimes it is the move to get help that is the hardest for people with mental disorders. This may simply be because some people are not aware that there is help available to them. And immense efforts are being made to arrest this challenge by the Ministry of Public Health. According to information released to this publication by Chief Psychiatrist within the public health sector, Dr. Bhiro Harry, the most common cases of mental disorders seen are depression, anxiety disorders and acute stress, alcohol- and drug-induced psychosis, other psychosis and schizophrenia. These, according to Dr. Harry, have been identified as the five main contributors to the disease burden in Guyana. Without treatment, mental disorders can have
devastating outcomes. A well-known result that many of us know all too well is suicide. Suicide – which is the act of taking one’s own life – has over the years become much too frequent; a genuine source for concern. In fact the Public Health Ministry has recognized this situation as a “serious social problem” and has assured that it is not being taken lightly, especially since Guyana has earned the reputation of being the suicide capital of the world – recording the highest number of suicides per capita worldwide. This was a few years ago. But although the data for 2015 are not yet available, it is believed that Guyana has retained this unflattering “title” within South America and the Caribbean. BUILDING CAPACITY Guyana currently has an estimated population of 750,000 and the Mental Health Unit of the Public Health Ministry has predicted that an estimated number of 75,000 to 112,500 Guyanese suffer from mental disorders and require some level of mental health care services. While facilities to aid treatment are available and sustained efforts are being made to expand services throughout the country, there are limited specialists trained in the field of psychiatry to help tackle mental disorders. This state of affairs was acknowledged by Dr. Harry, who related that there are currently a total of five trained psychiatrists in the country. Three of these trained specialists, including Dr. Harry, are based at the public hospital’s Psychiatric
Department, while the other two are attached to the National Psychiatric Hospital – the Ministry’s rehabilitation centre for persons with severe mental disorders located in Berbice. Care provided at the mental hospital is primarily custodial and heavily reliant on pharmacologic intervention, and more recently include the introduction of psychotherapy treatment and Electro-Convulsive Treatment (ECT). According to informed reports, ECT is a procedure done under general anesthesia in which small electric currents are passed through the brain, intentionally triggering a brief seizure. ECT seems to cause changes in brain chemistry that can quickly reverse symptoms of certain mental illnesses. It is said to be an efficient method when all other treatments fail. Even as he emphasized the important role of psychiatrists, Dr. Harry shared his conviction that “anybody else who claims they are trained psychiatrists should be jailed and lots of people are claiming that they are psychiatrists, but they are not.” But the number of trained psychiatrists in the system is not nearly enough, and is in fact below the world reference average of 4.2 per 100, 000 population, according to the World Health Organisation standards, says Consultant Psychiatrist at the GPHC, Dr. Jorge Tomas Balseiro Estevez. The Cuban national has for the past year been rendering his expertise to the GPHC. He disclosed that in order
Dr. Jorge Tomas Balseiro Estevez (L) and Dr Bhiro Harry.
to complement the efforts of the trained psychiatrists in the system, the public health sector has within its employ five General Medical Officers (GMOs) trained in psychiatry. These GMOs are based at the Psychiatry Department of the GPHC along with two psychologists. One other psychologist and an occupational therapist are based at the National Psychiatric Hospital. In addition to this, Dr. Estevez related that there have been training sessions for specialized mental health professionals and even some non professionals. And training, he noted, is continuing with support from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. “Mental health staffers have received various levels of training and share experiences with some professional mental health specialist overseas,” he
The Baccoo Speaks So far things have been quiet, except for the deadly road accident. On the crime side things were also quiet, thanks to the effort of the government to put a clamp on the situation. But there are going to be the attempts east of the city. A dry holiday will push some youngster to attempt a break-in. This too would end in disaster. ** A domestic dispute will cause a community to react with anguish. A man would accuse his wife of infidelity, largely because he was not the good provider. The woman would deny, but in a fit of rage the man would attack her violently with a
weapon. A member of the community would try to apprehend him, but that is another story. ** A fire would threaten a home in the city, but neighbours can be a blessing. Never turn your back on the fire when cooking.
The Psychiatric Clinic at the GPHC
intimated. ADVANCING STRIDES But in order to fully understand the state of mental health and the care required, a number of researches were conducted by staff of the public hospital, Dr. Estevez said. The most important one done thus far being the “Profile of suicidal behaviour in Guyana: A retrospective study from 2010 to 2012.” The research was in fact a complete review of the characteristics and style of suicide and suicide attempts in the country. It was presented at the 60th Caribbean Public Health Agency Conference held in Grenada, while similar studies were presented at the second Caribbean Suicide prevention symposium held in the Cayman Islands earlier this year. Based on the strides that
have been made, a report from the Ministry’s Public Health Unit has been able to conclude that “Guyana is improving step by step, and has been integrating care for the mentally ill more and more into the general health-care system.” This therefore means that mental health services are increasing in number, with a view of reaching more communities across the country, Dr. Estevez asserted. As part of the expansion efforts, the Ministry has been doing monthly psychiatric clinics at Parika, Linden and Suddie, even as plans are apace to incorporate similar services at Bartica, Baramita and other areas by early next year. Available treatment, according to a report out of the Ministry, currently sees at least one medication from each class of psychotropic (continued on page 22)
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By Michael Jordan The gunmen wanted Mohamed Baksh dead and they didn’t seem to care where the job was done and who saw them do it. They didn’t care that he was sitting in an enclosed place; didn’t care that two women and an ex-cop from the feared ‘black-clothes’ squad were at Baksh’s side. It was Saturday, June 16, 2012; the time was 10 p.m., and Baksh, owner of Pest Control Plus, the ex-cop, and two women were sitting in a Thomas Street restaurant named Flava’s Grill, when a car stopped nearby. It is said that two men entered the restaurant, and one of them, with gun in hand, walked over to Baksh. And though the 43-year-old businessman was also carrying a handgun, he never got to touch it. The gunman fired. Baksh slumped to the ground, with two bullets in his head, while the shooter and his accomplice fled in the waiting car, described as a burgundycoloured Mitsubishi Lancer. Police reportedly pursued the car along Mandela Avenue but lost sight of it. Baksh died a few hours later.
Kaieteur News
Police would later recover a 9mm shell at the scene, but failed to find the gun from which it was fired. Baksh’s friends all claimed that they were unable to describe the killer, since they had all dived for cover when the shooting started. The police also got nothing from the staff at the Thomas Street restaurant. But investigators knew that someone had wanted the pest control expert dead for a long time. On Thursday, August 7, 2008, Baksh had just exited his vehicle in the vicinity of Camp and Lamaha Streets, North Cummingsburg, when a man emerged from a vehicle and shot him. Bleeding from five gunshot wounds, Baksh managed to seek refuge in his property, which was located nearby. From there, he called his wife. Baksh implicated a former business partner in the attempt on his life. This led police to Paul James, 41, of Barrack Street, Kingston, and Dexter Lynch, 36, of West La Penitence Housing Scheme. They were charged with attempted murder. In court, Baksh had stated that James was his business partner and that James owed
The former business partner denied any involvement in Baksh’s slaying and reportedly gave detectives an alibi for his movements at the time of the attack. Some of the man’s associates also reportedly told investigators that he was with them at the time Baksh
was slain. Detectives impounded a burgundy car that fit the description that eyewitnesses gave of the gunmen’s getaway vehicle, but that turned out to be a false lead. The vehicle belonged to a police rank and was handed back to the owner. Investigators were given a 9mm warhead and a bullet fragment that were extracted from the slain man’s skull. They failed to match it to any firearm. But though Mohamed Baksh was dead, someone apparently still wanted to hurt his family. Just a few days after his death, someone doused the slain man’s Lot 322 Rohinital Street, Prashad Nagar office and storage bond with petrol and set the building alight. According to the slain businessman’s insurance agent, over $50M worth of products was destroyed. “This clearly shows that this is a serious vendetta against this man. It is clear that his death and this fire are linked,” the agent said. Almost similar views were expressed by former Magistrate Fazil Azeez, a cousin of the slain businessman.
From page 21 drug (relating to or denoting drugs that affect a person’s mental state) being available at all mental health facilities as well as most primary and secondary care facilities in Guyana. It was also pointed out that there are guidelines or protocols in process for the use of psychotropic drugs, and some mental health workers have received training in the rational use of these medications, Dr. Estevez pointed out. In essence, the Ministry
of Public Health in its quest to arrest a daunting mental health situation has been implementing all necessary and possible measures that have thus far been yielding favourable results. This has particularly been possible not only through strategic collaborations, but by ensuring that mental health services are incorporated at the primary health care level which the Ministry has been increasingly embracing. More on the state of mental health in next Sunday’s Edition.
Mohamed Baksh
him $31 million. That matter was still before the courts when Baksh was executed. Two days after Baksh’s death, police detained the same former business partner. But aside from the fact that the businessman and Baksh had a financial dispute, police reportedly had nothing else to connect him to the murder.
Sunday December 27, 2015
Tackling mental health ...
Azeez said that they believed that whoever had wanted Baksh dead, would stop at nothing to wipe out his legacy. At the time, Azeez stated that the family had provided the police with all the necessary information about the case, and felt that investigators should have very strong leads. But he expressed dissatisfaction at the manner in which the matter was being investigated. Azeez said that the venue where Baksh was shot was not a place he visited often. He believed that the killers must have known where he was going and followed him. Also expressing dissatisfaction with the legal system, Azeez said that the Preliminary Inquiry into the attempt on Baksh’s life was postponed more than 40 times, despite pleas to have the case concluded. Baksh had been the foundation of his family and his murder had left his relatives in a state of fear. Because of these security concerns, relatives temporarily took the slain man’s nine-year-old son out of school. Baksh’s son is now 13 and his daughter is four, his pest control business has now closed, and there appear to be no new leads about his murder. “It will remain like that,” a close relative said a few weeks ago. “Nobody will pick it up.” If you have any information about any other unusual case, please contact Kaieteur News by letter or telephone at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown office. Our numbers are 2258458, 22-58465, 22-58482 and 22-58491. You need not disclose your identity. You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email a d d r e s s : mjdragon@hotmail.com
Sunday December 27, 2015
Kaieteur News
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== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ==
Evil has descended upon this nation For 2015, the particular incident that has really brutalized my psyche was the shooting to death of a minibus driver by a bandit, as a passenger closed the door of the vehicle sensing that a boarding passenger was a robber. There wasn’t even a confrontation. There was absolutely no circumstance of confrontational anger that would have infuriated the criminal. The robber was left on the road and he just fired a shot at the driver. Is this criminal, a man born to a mother? Is this man human? More importantly, how can a small, non-industrial society like Guyana produce such bestial forms of violent sadism? We may revolt at how hitmen behave, but the sociologist would point to a rational cluster of motives. Take the Robb Street granny murder. It was gruesome. Four underprivileged young men took money to kill a poor woman who made her living as a nanny to a Caricom employee. But the sociologist would say the lure of money to buy luxury items would have been a strong inducement. You may throw up when you hear the details of any such story, but the fact remains, money was the motive. But how do you explain the situation where the minibus driver drove away yet the gunman wanted to kill him. Is this what Hannah Arendt referred to as the “banality of evil?” I have no doubt that others would find more horrible homicides of more analytical importance to focus on. The dismemberment of a woman in Buxton by the handyman comes to mind. But no doubt whichever murder you select, evil has descended upon this land.
How can a country with our kind of tiny population manifest such murderous instincts? The ghoulish violence used in criminal acts defies logic. This is not large industrial America or Europe where alienation and psychosis lead people to commit psychotic barbarity. Almost one hundred percent of Guyana’s homicidal perpetrators are under thirty-five and are quite sane. We are dealing with the banality of evil. This was the term the German philosopher Hannah Arendt used to describe German officials, bureaucrats and public servants who were ordinary, sane people, but with invisible streaks of evil in them. For any scholar in or out of Guyana to say they anticipated this violent syndrome after the new government came into being early this year is not being honest. The military dimension of rulership was a hopeful sign. Untold numbers believed that with the former soldiers and former Commissioner of Police in the top echelons of government it would send a dreadful signal to criminals that their marauding, murderous ways would be confronted with a no-nonsense fist. It was not to be. Violent bandits have defied the soldiers. They are robbing people in the presence of hundreds of onlookers at anytime of the day or night on any street throughout the length and
breadth of Guyana. What are the explanations? They would not fit in a column, but are here are some brief notes. First there is the Chato’s Land theory. About five years ago I did a column captioned Chato’s Land (title of the Charles Bronson movie). It was about the Wild West in the gold mining areas in the interior. No law, no morality, no stability, no mercy, no values. This is the gold mining areas of Guyana, where life is dependent on Darwinian principles. You kill
who you want to and you too can be killed at anytime. Policemen take money and watch as you kill or as you are being killed. Chato’s Land in Guyana is a horror chamber of violence. When you live in Chato’s Land and you leave it and come to dwell in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six, you bring your violent mentality to these places. If you rob someone you will be bestial in your attack. If you get into a normal fight, you will be savage in your attack. I think many of the
robberies being committed with such callous coldness in the use of violence are done by young men who had a taste of Chato’s Land. A second theory is that the male species in Guyana who live in depressed areas have come to hate the society for what it is. These young men believe that the legal and the judicial system are unfair and brutal, and they resent the fact that they are helpless to change it. They cannot confront the forces of authority, so they take out their anger on the
Frederick Kissoon person they rob or they murder the person that they have a quarrel with. I will explore other theories in a forthcoming column.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday December 27, 2015
Sunday December 27, 2015
Kaieteur News
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My column
Too much of a hurry can be a bad thing The year is fast drawing to a close. In fact, this is my last column for the year. I would have preferred it to be light, but I could not help revisiting this issue of trying to jail all those who participated in activities that might not have been in the best interest of the country. Before the elections there was a lot of talk about corruption. There were people who were far from being affluent before they got into Government, and who suddenly became so affluent that they could own countless properties. There were also those who shipped money overseas into foreign accounts, money that they did not truly earn. After the elections there was talk of jailing many of those suspected of conducting illegal acts. And so began the audits that uncovered numerous things that caused more than raised eyebrows. One of the audits had to do with the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited. Undoubtedly, Winston Brassington had to take the spotlight, because he was the man who was spending
billions of dollars and caring not to tell the nation why. He was the architect of confidentiality, so there were numerous confidentiality clauses. In the end, the audit appeared to be damning, but Brassington said that there was an explanation for everything that the auditors found to be out of the way. Then he offered another reason—that he was taking instructions from the board of directors and from the Cabinet of Ministers. The fact that one takes an unlawful instruction makes one complicit in the illegality. Four men took an order to kill the Robb Street granny. Everyone would argue that they killed, but the fact remains that they executed an unlawful instruction. Brassington could find himself in this situation. But there is this fact that has to be considered. Is there anything that the police could find to charge Brassington with a crime? Did he gain from the execution of these orders that he executed? And did these orders deliberately defraud the government and the state?
I know that there were those who thought that there was nothing that they could do to ensure that Brassington be placed before the courts. Instead, there was the belief that they could work with Brassington and get him to help them in the execution of their duties. The fact that Brassington has been sent on immediate leave has angered many. They feel that the state has wasted an asset. But the wider society believes otherwise. They voted to put an end to corruption and they expect to see action. That is why many feel that the government has been tardy. When the federal authorities go after someone, sometimes they spend two or three years gathering information, so that when they move they have an airtight case. That is the case everywhere. However, Guyana is an impatient country trying to get where people believe that it should be. Things actually reached the stage where there were people who had joined the ranks of the corrupt. But for all the expectations, there
have been positive developments. It is indeed unfortunate that the government came into office at a time of falling commodity prices. Gold is not making the money it did during the heyday; rice prices are also down although production has climbed higher than last year’s. Oil prices remain low, so that has helped to cushion the impact of the lower prices in the other areas. We are not spending as much on oil imports. The claim by the opposition that business has slowed might be true, but when one looks at the achievements, one cannot help but applaud the government. I have seen the transformation in sections of the city. Merriman Mall is now a recreation park, at a time when people were so scared to venture there after dark. In eight months the government has done what
the previous government failed to do in 23 years. It has taken the people into its confidence. But does this mean much? The ordinary man is never satisfied with his station, and this is the challenge that any government would have to confront. Anyhow, the holidays have been among the best that many enjoyed. The $50,000 that the government gave to public servants ensured a spending spree that was unprecedented. What people did not know was that they also provided some impetus to the economy. This should only continue during the coming year. What can I expect in the New Year? For sure I know that there would be efforts to further reduce unemployment. There is going to be a continuation of the infrastructure development in the mould of the cleaning exercise. Many of the people working in the cleaning gangs actually
Adam Harris boasted of a merry Christmas. They had money in their pockets. There will be people development efforts. Training institutions would be enhanced. I can see greater inputs into institutions like the Cyril Potter College of Education, the University of Guyana and the Government Technical Institutes. I expect better qualified people to join the labour force in the coming days and above all, I expect more from the people who know that they are needed to further contribute to development.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday December 27, 2015
SUNDAY SPECIAL TOP HOUSING OFFICIAL DISAPPEARS AS SCRAP METAL PROBE DEEPENS A top housing official has apparently quit his job and is nowhere to be found despite being wanted by the police for questioning in connection with a state-sanctioned probe of the scrap metal trade. According to Government officials, the police have gone to the Leonora home of Taslim Baksh, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) but could not locate him. CH&PA is the operational arm of the Ministry of Housing. Baksh was a top housing man under the previous administration, reporting to Housing Minister, Irfaan Ali. He was in charge of overseeing the construction of hundreds of Government-built homes on the East Bank of Demerara, from Eccles to Providence, including some of the low-cost ones. There have been questions about procurement of materials for those homes. Baksh was also charged with overseeing the operations of the Scrap Metal Unit, which was tasked with regulating the scrap metal trade. Upon entering office in May, the David Granger-led administration announced that it found almost $200M sitting in an account at a private commercial bank, in the name of the Scrap Metal Unit. After noticing a number of suspicious activities, the account was frozen and the matter handed over by Minister Keith Scott to the State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU). Baksh was blacklisted from leaving Guyana pending the outcome of the investigations. According to one Government official, Baksh between July and August had requested leave but was refused by the Ministry of Housing. His four-year contract expires in 2017. He was written to by CH&PA asking him to explain why he was paying Ministry of Housing staffers from the bank account of the Scrap Metal Unit. However, from September, Baksh started sending in a number of medical certificates, having reported sick. SARU, in its investigations, found a number of other transactions it wanted the CFO to explain. Police reportedly said that they visited the Seafield, Leonora home on West Coast Demerara, and another property he owns in Lamaha Gardens, in the city, but could not locate him. SPAIN CROWNED MISS WORLD …BUT GUYANA’S LISA PUNCH WAS UNFORGETTABLE “Thank you very much for the overwhelming love and support that you have shown me throughout my Miss World Guyana journey and I do hope that you continue to support us as we continue to represent Guyana as ambassadors on the world stage. I love you guys. ”Oh my God; Top ten.” That is the video message that Miss Guyana World Lisa Punch posted following the conclusion of the Miss World Pageant in Sanya, China. Miss Spain ultimately won the Miss World crown but the name of Guyanese Lisa Punch is now on the lips of at least one billion the world over in a celebrated, positive light. The Guyanese beauty, aged just 23, is the first Guyanese to win the talent segment of the pageant. She also placed among the top
ten of the Miss World finalists and also in the top ten of the Beauty with a Purpose project from a field of more than 100 world beauties. However, the one-time Charlotte Streetbased beauty will ultimately be remembered for wowing billions on live television with her vocal abilities. The Miss Guyana and Miss World Top 10 Finalist and Talent winner, Lisa Punch, sang at the Miss World pageant during the live broadcast performing twice during the live television broadcast. She sang her original song “ One last time” in the first part of the show then belted out an Alicia Keys hit “If I ain’t got you” in the second segment as part of the Miss World finals. GPL BOSS, MANAGEMENT CLASH OVER SACKING OF EMPLOYEE
Despite being suspended, Bacchus was reported to have become embroiled in further controversy. In late September, Bacchus was said to have “straight connected” the post-paid meter of a personal friend, Ajadha Harrichand, upon request. After the transaction was revealed, the friend is said to have tried to cover for Bacchus. Harrichand, under interrogation, changed his story several times. After being requested several times to visit the Loss Prevention office, Harrichand finally refused. In the fallout, GPL’s senior management removed Harrichand’s line and meter, had him backbilled over $166,000 and hit him with a reconnection and investigation fee of $13,000. He was also required to lodge a six-month security deposit before reconnection. MONDAY EDITION
Chief Executive Officer (Ag) of Guyana Power and Light (GPL), Colin Welch, has clashed with the corporation’s Loss Reduction Division over the misconduct of a technician and an investigator. According to documents seen by Kaieteur News, the division sought to institute disciplinary proceedings against the employees, who allegedly engaged in corrupt transactions while on duty. This was after the division would have conducted their own extensive investigations into the wrongdoing. It is understood that the technician was fired from GPL a few years ago for multiple cases of similar wrongdoing. However, Welch has recommended that the two implicated employees be reinstated. Welch has based his defence on the findings of GPL’s Human Resources (HR) Department, who had recommended that the technician be reinstated. However, Loss Reduction has pointed out that HR’s report was flawed. It is understood that the technician, Adrian Bacchus, and a Loss Reduction investigator, Donald Downer, were under investigation for collecting some $100,000 from customer, Ramlochan Narine on September 1, last. It is alleged that Bacchus and Downer visited the man’s residence and solicited the money after accusing him of tampering with his post-paid meter. The man reportedly then paid the money to Downer, in the presence of Bacchus. The matter was uncovered after police got wind of the transaction and questioned the customer. He was interrogated by police at the Timehri Police station and he subsequently reported the bribe to Loss Reduction’s office on September 3. In the fallout Bacchus was suspended.
COALITION GOVT. CONDONING PATTERN OF ILLEGALITY – FINANCIAL ANALYST It appears that former Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh who was found by the courts to have illegally spent $4.5B from the Treasury, may escape any sanction from the Granger-led administration. According to a financial analyst, the matter was taken to the High Court when the Government served in the opposition and it was found that the money was unlawfully spent. Yet the matter is not being pursued since the APNU+AFC took office. ”Everything seems cool now between Government and Ashni. Absolutely no action is being taken,” the financial expert told Kaieteur News. “They just dropped the ball. One has to question what is really going on at the Chambers of Attorney General, Basil Williams, and the Offices of the Finance Minister and the Minister of Public Security.” ”When the President pursued this matter, it was Williams who represented him. So what is going on now? The matter is dead? Ashni spends billions and he just gets off? It would be just a disgrace against this government which has promised us transparency and accountability. ”Does government realize its obligations in protecting the state and ensuring that charges are instituted when the laws of the land are broken? The sloth in ensuring this is done reflects the administration’s negligence, incompetence and lack of being proactive. They started hot and sweaty with being the champion of anti-corruption and we are yet to see affirmative action.” The official also pointed to the fact that NICIL’s Chief Executive Officer, Winston Brassington, is yet to face charges for the
revelations of corruption under his watch. The Financial analyst said that these two cases and more give “the distinct impression that government has developed a pattern of condoning illegality as opposed to aggressively fighting it as it had promised during the elections campaign.” CABINET TOP BRASS WANTS BRASSINGTON PROSECUTED If you do the crime, you do the time, and the top brass of Cabinet is in favour of Government pursuing a case for criminal charges against National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) Chief Executive Officer, Winston Brassington. They indicated that his “acts of corruption against the nation just can’t be pardoned.” ”As such, we support Government taking the relevant steps towards ensuring that he does the time for the crime committed.” These comments from the top Cabinet officials come just days before they are expected to meet to discuss the findings of the forensic audit report on NICIL. The report which was done by Chartered Accountant, Anand Goolsarran, says that Brassington bypassed internationally recognized and credible companies only to engage criminal entities for the construction of the Marriott Hotel. It stated that he failed to justify how millions of dollars were spent in the Linden Mining Enterprise and to properly account for their assets. Goolsarran, with credible evidence in hand, also exposed how Brassington, on behalf of NICIL hid $1B in a secret account which was intended to aid in the construction of the Marriott Hotel, then he paved the way for NICIL to illegally fund the preparation of the Pradoville Two scheme, misappropriated billions of dollars, and kept $26B from the Consolidated Fund. Some of the senior government ministers made it clear, Sunday, that they are not supposed to make pronouncements before the discussion at tomorrow’s Cabinet meeting. One Government Minister said, “I am astonished at the findings of the NICIL report. Brassington needs to face the full extent of the law.” TUESDAY EDITION US$5M IN “HIDDEN” ACCOUNT…NICIL DOESN’T HAVE TO EXPLAIN WHERE MONEY COMES FROM –BRASSINGTON Prior to the findings of a damning (Continued on page 27)
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(From page 26) forensic audit report, neither the media nor the public was aware of where NICIL collected monies from to invest in the construction of the controversial Marriott Hotel. The said report revealed that NICIL collected some $1.7B from the Guyana Water Authority, the Guyana Forestry Commission and the Guyana National Cooperative Bank (GNCB). On Monday NICIL’s Chief Executive Officer, Winston Brassington was asked about the absence of such an explanation prior to the press conference. Brassington said, “NICIL doesn’t have to explain where it got its monies from for the Marriott Hotel.” The press conference was held at NICIL’s Kingston office. His press briefing came just one day before Cabinet was expected to discuss the findings of the NICIL report. The said report also recommends that the government pursue criminal charges based on the extent of financial lawlessness found within NICIL. In his defence, Brassington claimed that the forensic audit report was nothing but “opinions”. He said that there was no evidence to support the accusations being levelled against him in the report by Chartered Accountant, Anand Goolsarran. He then circulated a press release which highlighted most of the newspaper articles carried by the private media on the forensic report. Reading from the said statement, Brassington noted that one of the headlines by Kaieteur News, “Construction of Marriott Hotel…Brassington hid US$5m in a secret account” distorts the truth. He said the report does not specifically say that the account was a “secret” or “private” account. However, this publication made it known to Brassington that the headline was indeed accurate based on interviews conducted. He was then cornered twice to explain why the money collected, particularly the US$5m from GNCB, was not revealed to the public before. GOVT. SEEKS LEGALADVICE ON BAISHANLIN’S OPERATIONS – TROTMAN -COMPANY’S OPERATIONS ALMOST AT STANDSTILL Government is not rushing in to deal with what has widely been seen as breaches by Chinese-owned logging company, BaiShanLin Forest Development Inc. Rather, any action would have to be guided by legal advice, which the new Government has requested. The statements were made Monday by Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman, when he appeared before Parliament’s Sectoral Committee on Natural Resources to talk about work under his watch. BaiShanLin’s operations have been facing Government scrutiny, with local businesses complaining that the company is muscling in on their territory, wrongfully using equipment granted under concessions. The problem is that the concessions were granted for logging, and local analysts are arguing that the company is breaching its agreement when it competes with equipment, which includes scores of trucks, excavators, skidders, barges and road-making equipment. On Monday, Chairman of the Committee, Odinga Lumumba, who is from the Opposition, questioned Minister Trotman whether it is the plan of the government to specifically “isolate” BaiShanLin and look
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at its activities. The coalition government, which took office in May following early General Elections, had vowed to look at the arrangements that Government has with the company. Trotman, who was accompanied by Department Heads under his supervision, stressed that the Memorandum of Agreement was signed by former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, “so strictly speaking it is not a Natural Resources issue.” Rather, the arrangements appear to be a “bilateral one” between Singh and that company. Trotman disclosed, however, that the agreement suggests that BaiShanLin came here to do wood processing. ”As to whether or not there was a restriction that they must enter or not into any other activity, I can’t say, because I have not seen that, as that would require a legal opinion.” Trotman said that he was aware of media reports that the company is competing in hauling stones using its barge. Also present at the proceedings was Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan. WEDNESDAY EDITION GPL’S CONTRACT TAMPERING…TRANSPARENCY INSTITUTE BLASTS GOVT. OVER APPARENT COVER-UP – DEMANDS WELCH BE SENT ON LEAVE Corruption watchdog body, Transparency Institute Guyana Inc., has attacked the new administration over its handling of allegations of wrongdoing by Colin Welch, the head of the state-owned Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL). Welch, who was appointed as Chief Executive Officer (ag) of the company in August, following the sudden, stormy departure of long-serving Bharat Dindyal, found himself in hot water earlier this month after a series of text messages implicated him in attempts to swing a multi-million purchase of prepaid meters. Welch categorically denied the purported texts, saying they were falsely created and that he had been framed. He said that the people who created the chat site spelt his name incorrectly; they used a com-
puter that was not connected to him in any way. The texts, which were denied by Welch, suggested that he asked the supplier to lie to authorities in Guyana about the specifications. The leaked messages were sent to a number of top Government officials, including Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson and GPL management. A review would reveal that the IP address of the computer used would not have been connected to him. He uses a laptop, only. Further, Mr Welch said that he had no way of contacting the people whom they said he contacted. He said that he was made aware of the brouhaha when the supplier called him. He said that the supplier was convinced that he could not have been the person chatting, since the telephone conversation between Welch and the supplier revealed a party setting that could not have facilitated any Skype chat. Minister Patterson said last week that he has ordered a report on the alleged tampering of the contract and of the texts. He will have GPL’s new Board of Directors, when it is appointed, handle the matter. The tender was aborted and will be done over. However, Transparency Institute, which has been scolding consecutive governments on issues of transparency and perceived corruption, was harsh in its criticisms of the new David Granger-led administration. MARRIOTT’S FINANCIAL REPORT CONFIRMS BRASSINGTON’S DECEPTION Head of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), Winston Brassington misled the media about Marriott’s rate of occupancy. He gave the impression that the hotel’s occupancy over the past few months matches what was projected in the feasibility studies. Brassington hosted a press conference at NICIL on Monday last. At that forum, he was asked numerous questions on Marriott, some of which he answered and some of which he refused to give any response. However, it seems like even the few answers he offered were falsehoods. When asked for a report on Marriott’s occupancy rate, Brassington related that the
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occupancy of the hotel is in line with what was projected. ”Let me say that from my general knowledge, the hotel’s occupancy is as projected.” The feasibility study had projected a 48-60 per cent occupancy rate. Brassington told the media, “As far as we understand, they are achieving what was projected. In any new hotel there is a period of ramp up, but I learnt that they (Marriott) are doing well. Take for example last month, they had 67 percent occupancy, so occupancy is getting better, things are picking up, and this is how it will work.” However, an audit report on Marriott which has been leaked to this newspaper strikes out Brassington’s statements and exposes his deception. That report indicated that Marriott is at risk of going under. The report said that “there is a serious risk of default in the repayment of principal and interest on the Republic Bank loan should the hotel continue to make losses due to the less-than-desirable occupancy rate.” The auditor went on to state, “In the circumstances, it would be necessary for the loan to be paid off at the earliest opportunity. This is especially so, since the Republic Bank has a lien on the hotel and surrounding area via debentures and mortgages.” When asked about Marriott’s losses, Brassington refused to answer. He initially tried to dodge the questions, but soon came out plain and said that he wishes not to answer. He told Kaieteur News, “I wouldn’t want to comment on that.’ He chose however, to stress that Marriott is footing all its operating expenses, “The government is not chipping in here at all.” The hotel is projected to earn a rate of return of 8.9 per cent on the US$27M on the Syndicated Loan sourced through Republic Bank Trinidad and Tobago that has to be repaid as a priority. THURSDAY EDITION BRASSINGTON, DEPUTY SENT ON LEAVE PENDING SARU, POLICE PROBE - CABINET ORDERS After deliberating on the forensic audit report on the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), (Continued on page 28)
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(From page 28) Cabinet finally instructed that the report be forwarded to the Guyana Police Force and the State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU). While this is being done, Cabinet also gave clear instructions for NICIL’s Chief Executive Officer, Winston Brassington, and his Deputy, Marcia Nadir-Sharma, to be sent immediately on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigations. Making this statement Wednesday was Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, during a press conference at the Ministry of the Presidency. Harmon said that the Cabinet meeting which was held on Tuesday could be described as an “historic one.” He said that Cabinet discussed critical matters which could have far-reaching effects. The Government Minister noted one of those topics to be the damning NICIL report which was conducted by Chartered Accountant, Anand Goolsarran. In the company of Junior Finance Minister, Jaipaul Sharma, Harmon explained that Cabinet deliberated on various issues relating to the NICIL report and took into account the recommendations submitted by Goolsarran. He noted that recommendations were also submitted by Minister Sharma and those were also up for consideration. Harmon said, too, that Cabinet was advised that the NICIL Board of Directors had not yet deliberated on the report. Be that as it may, Cabinet instructed that the reports and accompanying notes of Goolsarran and Sharma, be handed over to the Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud and SARU for investigations. He said that the probe is intended to determine whether any acts of criminality were committed and to take the process forward. The Minister of State also informed the media that Cabinet gave instructions for the said report to be submitted to Auditor General, Deodat Sharma, for a more precise audit of the issues highlighted in the report. Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, is also expected to give instructions for a transaction audit to be conducted on NICIL. Harmon was reminded that Brassington during a press conference on Monday to defend his actions, made it clear that his decisions were approved by the former Cabinet. Should the police find areas of criminality regarding the involvement of the former Cabinet in Brassington’s actions, Harmon was asked what the next step would be? “Well I don’t want to second guess what the police will find or what the precise forensic audit will find from the AG’s office. But what I can say is in Cabinet’s view, there is sufficient information provided in the re-
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port for the agencies, which the report was sent to use as a basis for further action. Cabinet is not saying anybody should be charged. “Cabinet said that based on the reports, it should be sent to the relevant bodies for them to explore further and dig deeper, so as to determine whether criminality occurred and if they do find criminality, then they should take whatever action they deem necessary.” Harmon said that with such a serious matter, the administration cannot act on impulse. Should Brassington ponder fleeing the jurisdiction, the Government Minister said that if the police feel that based on their investigations someone is likely to be charged, then they have adequate methods at their disposal to retain that person in Guyana. The forensic report on NICIL exposes how Brassington bypassed internationally recognized and credible companies only to engage criminal entities for the construction of the Marriott Hotel. He failed to justify how millions of dollars were spent in the Linden Mining Enterprise and to properly account for their assets. He also paved the way for NICIL to illegally fund the preparation of the Pradoville Two scheme, misappropriated billions of dollars, and kept $26B from the Consolidated Fund. Based on that and more, Goolsarran made several recommendations on the way forward regarding the entity. Most of these were followed by Cabinet, given their announcements. He also recommended that moves be made to institute criminal and/or disciplinary actions for the interception of State revenues totalling $26.858 billion in violation of Articles 216 of the Constitution and the related sections of the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act (FMA). FRIDAY EDITION FEAR SPARKS DIVISION IN CABINET – OFFICIALS The tone of Cabinet meetings has changed. In the beginning there was great freedom; freedom to criticize those on the outside, and more importantly, freedom to deliver constructive criticisms on those members within Cabinet. However, now, some Cabinet members have to “think twice” before trying to criticize their colleagues lest they be reprimanded or made to feel like outcasts. This situation was related to Kaieteur News recently by several Government officials.
The officials are of the impression that “fear” has made its way into Cabinet to the point where it has sparked division. One official explained, “Based on the proceedings over the last few weeks, one gets the distinct impression that Cabinet members are not encouraged to criticize their colleagues, whether in or out of Cabinet. An environment is not being encouraged to facilitate that. “Some colleagues, because of the nature of some of the disagreements in there, do not feel as though they can speak freely without people throwing tantrums, making them feel ostracized.” Another government official supported this contention. “Indeed certain persons feel that they don’t enjoy the freedom to speak about their colleague’s sloppiness. You find yourself between a rock and a hard place, especially when you expose something and no action is taken of your concerns. That has happened several times. There have been instances where members walked out of meetings because of this situation.” Kaieteur News understands that this situation seemed to get worse since the completion of the forensic audit report on the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL). BATTERED BODY OF MONEYCHANGER FOUND ON FORESHORE The battered body of money-changer Mohamed Fizal Mahmood Baksh was found at around 07:00hrs Thursday in a bushy section of the No. 63 Village, Corentyne, foreshore, three days after he was reported missing. The victim was fully clothed, and the back of his skull had been fractured in two places. There was also a wound on one of his legs. Police found his wristwatch and phone at the scene. Kaieteur News understands that the corpse was beginning to decompose, and this indicated that Baksh, 56, known as ‘Sugar Cake,’ had been dead for at least 48 hrs. He is believed to have been clubbed to death with a piece of wood, which detectives found nearby. A post mortem by Pathologist Dr. Vivekanand Brijmohan indicated that the cause of death was haemorrhage and shock, due to a fractured skull. The slain man’s daughter, Safina Baksh, told Kaieteur News that a woman found her father’s body while going to the area to graze a horse. The woman then contacted a relative of her father, who then informed other family members. Ms. Baksh, who was among relatives
Sunday December 27, 2015
who saw the body, said that her father appeared to have been badly beaten. Detectives were said to be going through the slain man’s phone, particularly in the wake of reports that a young man who is the prime suspect, had called Baksh a few hours before Baksh disappeared. The suspect, identified as Phileman Boodhoo, also called Kevin Boodhoo, 19, resides at Number 63 Village, Corentyne, which is two villages away from where the body was found. Police were still trying to locate him up to late Thursday. Investigators are working on the theory that the killer lured Baksh to his death by telling the 56-year-old money-changer that two elderly individuals needed to change some foreign currency. Baksh was reportedly last seen alive heading to the suspect’s home. Kaieteur News understands that the victim may have had at least $1M in his possession when he left home. VERY UNLIKELY BRASSINGTON WILL HAVE FUTURE CAREER IN PUBLIC SECTOR SAYS FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, said that it is very unlikely that Chief Executive Officer of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), Winston Brassington, will have a future career in the public sector. The Minister’s comment was based on his assessment of a NICIL forensic audit report. The document was prepared by Chartered Accountant, Anand Goolsarran. “What is clear is that the report is part of a process to ensure that justice is had in the right way. And a number of agencies will be involved in this process, namely the Ministries of Finance, Legal Affairs and Public Security,” Greenidge asserted. “A lot of what was said in the report is in conformity with most of our findings even when we were in opposition. Goolsarran’s report however hammers home the point that Brassington has compromised his integrity. The report shows, too, how he threw ethics, corporate responsibility, and professionalism and even respect for the citizenry out of the window only to enrich his cohorts.” “Given the blatant disregard Brassington has shown for this country, his office and the laws, it is very unlikely that under this administration, he would have a future career in the public sector. It is going to be difficult for him to return. People have been fired for a lot less and there was no chance of them being rehired.”
Sunday December 27, 2015
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Giving Power To the People After almost two decades Guyanese will get an opportunity to elect new councillors to the six old municipalities, the four new ones; and sixty-five neighbourhood democratic councils. These elections will be extremely important, for after all they are a democratic constitutional right. Most councils that were elected at the last local government elections in 1994 have been replaced by government– appointed members, and several are currently dysfunctional. Local government is a vital level of public administration, because it deals with people’s daily lives, in their communities. Elections should be held every three years to allow people to democratically elect their representatives to govern their communities. Unfortunately, for several local elections cycles, this vital cornerstone of our democracy has not been in
place. Elections are essential because the entire local government system is rotten, and must be rehabilitated and made fully functional once again. At the heart of the urban and rural development crisis is the question of who wields power in the municipal and neighbourhood councils. There must be change at the local level if Guyana is to become a more equal and inclusive society and a less unbalanced and undemocratic state. The Peoples Progressive Party Civic – PPPC – administration, for over two decades, demonstrated its reluctance to introduce the type of root–and–branch local government reforms that would have led to greater inclusionary democracy. Six months after taking office, the Coalition A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) administration has announced a date for local government elections
and embraced the reforming of the system. Reforms are essential to give effect to the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana which states, at Article 12: “Local Government by freely elected representatives of the people is an integral part of the democratic organisation of the state.” It states further, at Article 13, “The principal objective of the political system of the state is to establish an inclusionary democracy by providing increasing opportunities for the participation of citizens and their organisations in the management and decisionmaking that directly affect their well-being.” While in power, the PPPC showed little interest in empowering the people to enable them to exercise greater control over their daily lives. The PPPC was more concerned with concentrating power in the hands of its appointed
Ministers of Local Government and Regional Development. They purposely undermined democratically-elected local councils and underdeveloped communities by impeding the provision of public-services to residents. The neighbourhood and municipal councils, starved of funding, were unable to meet their statutory needs, thereby making them ineffectual. This led to the total breakdown of the system of local governance in Guyana. A Partnership for National Unity’s struggles for local government reform while in opposition are well documented. For many weeks, led by the then Leader of the Opposition Brigadier David Granger, APNU picketed the Office of the President, demanding a date for the holding of local government elections. On several occasions, Granger wrote President Ramotar reminding him that
local government elections, like general and regional elections, are a constitutional right and not favours to be bestowed by political parties whenever they choose. Ramotar was reminded that holding local elections was an obligation and not an option, anything else was acting counter to the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. APNU believes in giving people the power to design the systems and determine the services that affect their everyday lives. To achieve this, the relationship between the central and local government must be altered. Our partnership has visited all of the local government areas and we have seen first-hand the problems at the community level. Broken bridges, clogged canals, culverts, drains, gutters and trenches; flooding; overgrown cemeteries, playfields and
parapets; potholed roads; stray dogs and roaming cattle; lack of adequate street lighting; lack of public space for entertainment, leisure, sport and recreation; lack of efficient solid waste disposal and lack of enforcement of building and zoning codes all combine to make many neighbourhoods unsanitary, unpleasant and unsafe. In his address to Parliament on June 10, 2015, His Excellency the President Granger proclaimed; “Your government will adhere to an empowerment policy that regularly renews local democracy by ensuring that local government elections are held - as is stipulated in our constitution. We shall fortify grassroots democracy by ensuring that local residents are allowed to play a greater role in managing their own towns and villages.” Local government elections will be held for the first time since 1994, on March 18, 2016.
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Sunday December 27, 2015
Helping your overweight child By Dr. Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine We tend to have a culture of thinking that a fat/chubby child is healthy and our kids should eat as much as they want. I am beginning to see a worrying trend as more and more children are presenting for medical conditions and are overweight. It’s a factor we need to address before it becomes a major public health dilemma. Knowing about your child’s weight and helping to address overweight will contribute to a more productive life for your child. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR MY CHILD TO HAVEA HEALTHYWEIGHT? It’s important to have a healthy weight, because children who are very overweight can have: * Liver problems * Asthma – This is a lung condition that can make it hard to breathe.
* High blood pressure * Knee or back pain * Sleep apnea – This is a condition that makes people stop breathing for short periods during sleep. It’s also important that your child has a healthy weight so that he or she will have a healthy weight as an adult. Being overweight as an adult can lead to medical problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes (high blood sugar), heart attacks, and some types of cancer. WHAT CAUSES CHILDREN TO BE OVERWEIGHT? Children can be overweight for different reasons. Some children simply gain weight more easily than other children. These children can become overweight by eating too much, eating unhealthy foods, or not getting enough exercise. When children gain weight very easily, they have to work extra hard to get to and stay at a healthy weight. Although uncommon,
some medicines and medical conditions can also make children gain weight more easily. WILL MY CHILD NEED TESTS IF HE OR SHE IS OVERWEIGHT? Your doctor will talk with you and your child, and do an exam. He or she might do blood tests to check for: * A condition that could be causing your child to gain weight easily * Health problems that can happen when children are overweight HOW CAN I HELP MY CHILD GETTOAHEALTHY WEIGHT? To help your child get to a healthy weight, you need to help him or her eat healthy foods and be more active. Making these lifestyle changes can be hard, especially at first. To help you and your child start making lifestyle changes, think of the numbers 5-2-1-0. Each of these numbers stands for a goal you can try to reach every day to help your child be
healthier. * 5 – Have your child eat 5 servings of fruits or vegetables each day. Frozen fruits and vegetables count towards the goal, but fruit juice does not. A serving is usually 1 whole fruit (such as an apple or banana) or ½ cup of vegetables. If your child does not like vegetables or fruit, start slowly. Eat these foods yourself to set a good example, and have your child keep trying them. * 2 – Limit your child’s “screen time” to 2 hours or less each day. Screen time includes watching TV, playing video games, or using the computer for things other than homework. * 1 – Have your child do physical activity for 1 hour or more each day. This can include doing a sport, or playing outside. * 0 – Your child should have 0 sugary drinks each day. Sugary drinks include soda, sports drinks, and all juices. You and your child might
not be able to meet all of these goals at first, but that’s okay. Choose 1 or 2 goals to try first. Later on, you can try to meet all of these goals. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I CAN DO TO HELP MY CHILD? You can: * Avoid bringing unhealthy food into your home. If you have unhealthy food in the home, your child is likely to eat it even if you tell him or her not to. * Make sure your child gets enough sleep. Some studies suggest that children who do not sleep enough are more likely to gain too much weight. Children younger than 6 years old should get 10 to 12 hours of sleep each night. Older children should get 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. To encourage sleep, it helps to have a set bedtime and wake-up time every day—even non-school days. * Involve the whole family. Have everyone in the family eat healthier and be more active, even those who have
Dr. Zulfikar Bux a normal weight. * Tell your child that the goal is for him or her to be healthy and strong. Let him or her know that the way to be healthy and strong is to eat healthy food and be active. * Get help if being overweight is causing your child to be sad, worried, or have a hard time in school. Ask your doctor for ways to get help for your child. A new year is upon us. Make the resolution of ensuring your child has a normal weight. It may turn out to be the best investment you’ve made for his or her life.
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Healthy Foods for your Teeth and Gums By Dr. Neromini Fagu Our dental health is very important and what we eat play a big role in this. It has been suggested that people with twenty-five or more teeth tend to eat healthier than those with less teeth. Our teeth and gums are part of our body and need good nutrition to function properly. Growing up, we’ve all been told, “Drink lots of milk for strong teeth and bones”.
We are all aware of the importance that milk and other dairy products play in having healthy teeth. They contain calcium and phosphorous which are the building blocks of enamel. Milk is one of the best drinks when it comes to our teeth. It is rich in calcium and other important elements. It also lowers the acid levels in our mouth, which helps in fighting tooth decay. Cheese is rich in calcium and it can
also neutralize the acids in our mouth that are produced by the bacteria in plaque. Also, chewing on hard cheeses increases saliva production, which washes off some of the bacteria in our mouth. When choosing cheese, the hard, aged cheeses are the best options. Leafy, green vegetables and other high-fiber foods promote good digestion and healthy cholesterol levels, and they also do wonders for
our teeth mostly because they require a lot of chewing. Eating a bowl of spinach or beans is a bit like running your teeth through a car wash. All that chewing generates saliva, and the food itself physically scrubs our teeth as it’s mashed up into little pieces. Vitamins are also very important. Vitamin D is needed for our overall health and our teeth as it helps our body to absorb calcium better.
‘Christmas donations come from pocket’- President Granger President David Granger’s announcements of millions of dollars being given to charities and other organizations during his first Christmas in office have been many. On the most recent ‘Public Interest’ television programme, President Granger said that while he is happy to have distributed and announced monies amounting to millions of dollars, he is resolute that he does not believe that his issuing of monies was too much during the festive season. “It’s far too little, I wish I had more to give. I have been fulfilling my mandate as President and my obligation, particularly to children, during this season to support them. My wife (the First Lady) has joined me in this and a lot of what we have been giving is really not entertainment, it’s educational. And I will continue doing that.” One of his main goals as Head of State, President Granger said is to make sure that children get the opportunity to go to school.
To realize this objective, on December 23, President Granger and a team visited areas such as Akawini and Friendship in the Pomeroon, and Charity, distributing tangible items while spreading Christmas cheer. On that occasion millions of dollars were promised. “We got another boat in Charity which will enable more children to get to school. If people think it’s too much (for me to be giving) it costs $6,000 for one child to travel one way from Akawini to Charity in a boat. If I can provide a boat to help children to get to school I will. I don’t think that that is too much.” President Granger when asked where the monies that he has been doling out are coming from the President said the monies are coming from “Government, public money. I have some discretion on the application of applying public funds for compassionate and other public purposes.” He said this move is not new as every President has enjoyed such privileges which are properly accounted
President David Granger for and “it’s not coming out of my pocket but out of the government’s coffers which I consider in the national interest.” PRESIDENTIAL PARDONING OF WOMEN Addressing his move to pardon women for the festive season the President said he was driven most of all by “compassion.” “I want the women to be home for Christmas. I signed the instrument allowing them to be released on December 21, and I gave them certain criteria.” The criteria included the
fact that there were mothers incarcerated for non-violent offences and sentencing involving trafficking in persons, trafficking in cocaine and they were all women. “I didn’t release any male. Some people tend to confuse it with the prerogative of mercy. The constitution has permitted me to act and everything I have done so far has been in accordance with the constitution. I was driven by the fact that I do not believe that mothers should be separated for their children especially during this season.” When asked why women were the only ones selected for pardoning at this time the President said, “Christmas is different.” He added that in May he released men who were mainly young and it was done for Independence. “Maybe in May 2016 when the Independence Anniversary comes again maybe I will release some more young men and other women who are not mothers might be considered.” (Mondale Smith)
The best source of Vitamin D is from sunlight. However, we also know that too much sunlight can also lead to skin cancer so we need to balance our exposure and also wear sun protection. You can also get your needed dosage of vitamin D from fish, egg yolks and cod liver oil. Vitamin C helps to strengthen blood vessels and reduce inflammation, which may help our gums stay healthier. Vitamin C is also needed for the production of collagen, which is an important protein that helps us to fight periodontal disease. Without Vitamin C, our gums would become sensitive and more at risk for the bacteria that cause periodontal disease. The best sources are from bell peppers, citrus, and broccoli. Some other foods that contribute to good dental health include: Water: It is another good drink option when it comes to our teeth. It helps to wash away food particles and keeps our saliva levels high. Saliva is actually our mouth’s best defense against tooth decay because it contains proteins and minerals that naturally fight plaque and if you stay hydrated, you will have an unlimited supply of it. Spinach, pok choy, and broccoli: These leafy greens are rich in calcium, folic acid and lots of vitamins and minerals that are important to healthy teeth and gums. Black and Green Tea: They contain polyphenols which have been known to reduce bacteria and toxic products of bacteria in our m o u t h b y r e d u cing the ability of some bacteria to clump together. Tea also tends to be rich in fluoride,
Dr. Neromini Fagu which is a well known necessity for healthy teeth. It’s best if you drink your tea unsweetened. Nuts: They are full of health benefits for your teeth and are packed with calcium and phosphorus. Especially beneficial are almonds, Brazil nuts and cashews, which help to fight bacteria that lead to tooth decay. Oranges: Most citrus fruits are really acidic, which is not good for our teeth, but oranges are the least acidic of all, and have all the health benefits that you can expect from fruits. Yogurt: It has numerous benefits, and is packed with calcium and probiotics that protect us against cavities, gum disease and even bad breath. Garlic: It contains allicin which has strong antimicrobial properties so it helps to fight tooth decay and especially periodontal disease. Ginger: Ginger is amazing in many ways. When it comes to oral health it might freshen your breath and inhibit bacterial growth. Fish: They are a crucial part of any teeth-friendly diet as they contain minerals and important vitamins like Vitamin D. For more information contact OMNI DENTAL at 295 Quamina Street, Georgetown Tel: 227-0025, Parika Tel: 260-3133 or send emails to nerominifagu@hotmail.com.
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VEHICLE FOR SALE 1 New model Raum: A/C, TV, Mags, PMM series, excellent condition never work hire $1.350M- Call: 619-1047 SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. – CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Guyana Passport application. Graphics design, Advertisement. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535. Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezerCall: 610-5846 or 661-8158 Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building. visadocumentsgy@ y a h o o . c o m . Call: 2256496, 662-6045 REPAIRS & SPARE, FRIDGE, FREEZER, A/C, WASHERS, STOVES – CONTACT NICK: 6831312, 627-3206
WANTED Damage batteries in any quantity, best price offeredCall: 696-5728, 656-2783, 6225941, 648-9395, 223-1111 Experienced cashier at American Variety Store, Lot 140 Regent & Light Streets. Call: 225-1864 Experienced Pastry Make/ Cake Decorator, Driver, Counter Server, Roti Cook. Apply Hack’s Halaal, 5 Commerce St. We buy land in Eccles, Herstelling, Farm, Parfaite Harmonie, Uitlugt, East Coast area –Call: 611-7223; 604-2207 Truck Driver to work in G/ town –Call: 218-1156 EXPERIENCED WRITER FOR A SHORT E-BOOK 50 TO 60 PAGES. GOOD PAY. TEXT ME ONLY: 603-0758 Attractive live in waitressCall: 228-5129; 604-8277
INNOVATIVE MARKETING & PUBLISHING INC –TEL: 600-4212: We create A/ works, logos, business cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. AT Investments: immigration & documentation (US, Canada, UK, BVI, etc) flyers, business cards –Call: 6155633/ 641-5195/ amri_rivas@yahoo.com
ACCOMMODATION Inner Retreat Hotel Restaurant & Bar, Retreat Road Parika. Indoor / Outdoor bar in Picturesque setting – Phone: 260-4504; 685-6934 Saturdays & Sundays after lunch @ Inner Retreat Hotel Parika: Bar-B-Que & games: pools, darts, table tennis etc – Phone: 260-4504.
DRESSMAKING Working suits/uniforms professionally done – starting $3,000 up –Call Sharmie: 626-2629; 676-6312
Smart Choice Auto: Premio, Allion, Bluebird, 212, IST, Fielder, Spacio- Call: 6523820/ 665-4529 One Axela Mazda -$1.550 negotiable, one Nissan Titan, one Audi A4; all vehicles in excellent condition-Call: 665-3038; 226-4356 Original Set of size 15 Hilux rims, set of Size 16 used pick up tyres- Call: 685-0942, 6450240 Mitsubishi Canter for sale; GTT series, next to new –Call: 611-5354; 615-4728, price reasonable Toyota Raum, L-Touring Wagon, AT192, EP71 Starlet, Nissan 4 Door pickup, Yamaha R1 & R6, Honda 600RR-Call: 644-5096; 6971453 Noah & Voxy in ‘G’ series, fully loaded, never registered -$1.7M –Call: 617-2891 Holiday Discounts!! Get a gift with the purchase of unregistered: Allion, Bluebird, Axela Fielder, Etc @ City Motors-Call: 6267478 Toyota Fortuner 2012 yearCall: 624-6702
FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 2 Storey @ Robb Street Building, top flat furnished, 3 bedrooms apartment for living/office/storage, bottom flat for business-Call: 227-2454 One 3 bedrooms apartment, one master room, two bathrooms, kitchen, dining, laundry rooms. Call: 671-1474 Apartments @ Nandy Park, free WiFi, fully tiled & renovated -$90,000 negotiable – Call: 227-5194 1 Two bedrooms apartment next to UG, young couple, UG students or foreigners, no children-Call: 222-3896; 6606416 Spacious 2 bedrooms apartment in Festival CityAsking $80,000- Call: 619-2141 LAND FOR SALE Providence house lots, size 50ftX100ft -$7M –Call: 6002031; 233-5535 Parfaite Harmonie -$1M, $1.5M, Dairy – (100ftX50ft fenced)-$2.8M, Zeelugt (High Income) -$1.8M –Call: 604-2207; 611-7223
Unregistered Toyota Premio 2007, push start, reverse camera -$3.1M negotiable, Honda Ridgeline, 4 door extra cab-Call: 655-3400 Unregistered Fielder Wagon, fully loaded, rims, camera, bodykit, HID, dark interiorCall: 617-5536
CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL:CARS&SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 6560087 , EMAIL: PRO_ AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO. COM DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM Aidan’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up, cheapest rate, low security- Call: 698-7807 Wing’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up rental- Call: 6906494
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. PS3 -$35,000, XBOX360 $25,000, XBOX one-$100,000, plastic barrel -$4,000-Call: 621-7497; 603-8643 CAT 930- Front End Loader, CAT D4H bulldozer, 9wheeled Pneumatic, Roller – Call: 275-0538; 683-7225 Leyland DAF 55 Dump Truck, CAT 320 BL excavator. Call: 275-0538; 683-7225
Sunday December 27, 2015
PROPERTY FOR SALE Property for sale, Grove $20M / Rent: $50,000 per month. Tel: 625-5461. 2 storied transported concrete property- upstairs: 2 bedrooms apartment, downstairs: 2 bedroom apartment, block ‘8’ MonRepos, E.C.D -$19M neg. Call: 625-1514; 231-7255 Brand new 2 storey concrete building in 5th Avenue, Diamond, E.B.D, all modern amenities –Call: 662-9335; 612-3244
Spare for washing machine, microwaves, fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, motors, etc Call: 225-9032, 647-2943
2 Storey house @ Tuschen New Scheme, with kitchen bathroom & toilet, (2) 3 bedrooms apartment near Public Road & Call CentreCall: 650-2982
AMERICAN BULLY DOGS, REMYLINE & GOTTILINECONTACT HARRY: 6100068/220-7933, WHATSAPP: 667-4845
Transported land, 2 storey building; four bedrooms fully grilled @ Tuschen, New Housing Scheme-Call: 6953983; 685-5747
Pure bred pit-bull pups for sale –Contact Lisa: 697-8867
Lot 67 First Street Garden of Eden E.B.D – 7 (seven) acres of land with two buildings. Call: 639-8376
Siberian Huskies, German Shepherds, Tibetan Terriers & Dachshund – Call: 6806426 Music Set: 2 speaker boxes, Gemini & Peavey Amp, Gemini Preamp, Peavey Crossover, Sound Barrier equalizer- Call:685-0942; 6450240 New Electric Grinder, English Made Drill Press, 5GL Buckets with cover –Call: 685-0942, 645-0240
Lot 236 Buzz –A-Bee Dam Craig Village E.B.D, Size 6X120 rods with house and chicken pens. Call: 6398376 House and land - $3M @ Lot 13 La- Bagatelle, Leguan – Call Rita: 6565734, 664-1134
Tw o p r e s s u r e w a s h e r s , American Made, Briggs & Stratton Engine-Call: 6984143 1 Complete Music Set, 2 MX 2000 QSC, 2 MX1500 QSC, 2 Gemini 1000W, guggler, mixer crossover, EQ, etc –Call: 2533070, 686-1887
EDUCATIONAL Registered for Phonics, Reading, Spelling etc, classes for all ages, private tutoring also offered –Call: 675-4379 RISING STAR DAY CARE & KINDERGARTEN – Phonics, Reading, Numeracy, monthly fees @ 28 Cummings St, Close to Middle Street. Call: 690-9378 International Language Institute Classes for adults & Children, Spanish, English as Second Language, Portuguese, Dutch –Call: 223-3556 TO LET One two bedrooms house, water tank, parking space – Call Joy: 218-1285; 649-9059
VACANCY Porters and salesgirls, apply @ D. Singh & Sons – Call: 226-1316; 691-0230 Full & Part time & Seasonal, local & international work available, training provided $5,000 plus daily – Call: 6221957/ 233-6517, www.jobfairworldwide.com Qualified Accounts, bond clerks, drivers @ Rosignol, Bond clerks & drivers @ Melanie- Call: 330-2399; 3302772; 623-5920 1 Security guard to work nightly, apply in person a t A l a b a m a Tr a d i n g , Georgetown Ferry Stelling. Experienced and mature pharmacy assistant and general cashier/staff to work in Pharmacy. Call: 661-3124; 675-8790 Night Security- send application to: P.O. Box 10109, Georgetown, by 8th January, 2016.
ECG machine believed stolen from Suddie Hospital APNU/ AFC Regional Councillor, Hardat Narine, aka “Sham” has critized doctors at the Suddie Public Hospital for not initiating firm action against the people who have stolen one of the two Electro Cardiograph machines which is used by medical practitioners to examine patients who suffer from heart condition. The ECG machine went missing some time in the latter part of October. Narine is contending that while such an important machine has been stolen from the Suddie Public Hospital, what is most alarming is that no senior official from the hospital operated as though the issue deserved vigorous investigation. The angry Councillor said it’s a shame to know that there are people who are operating in a civilised world and their mentality has not yet been refined. Narine said he would not sit idle and allow people who have wicked intentions to destroy Government property and equipment. And Narine is calling on Public Health Minister, Dr. George Norton, to personally intervene. He has further lamented that the Suddie Public Hospital needs a complete overhaul. Narine stressed that unless this happens soon, people would continue to operate like when the People’s Progressive Party (PPP/C) were in office. Meanwhile, the Councillor said that it was also brought to his attention that the hospital is suffering from a drug shortage. Narine said that the hospital received its last shipment of drugs since October 16. He said that a request for a new shipment of drugs was made by senior officials on October 29, last. (Yannason Duncan) TO LET Eccles apartment; fully furnished, includes: A/C, Cable, internet, studio, etc, (short term) –Call: 233-2770 SALON - Make Up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, Black Opal, Mabelline. - Nail Technician Course Call: 647-1773/660-5257 Earn a certificate in cosmetology. Enroll now at Artee’s School of Cosmetology and Beauty Salon-Call: 680-0156; 2750267
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Former murder accused shot Passenger shot dead in suspected execution attempt over bus window row Ex-soldier and former murder accused Keron Herbert was shot three times at around 19.00 hrs yesterday in what appears to be an execution attempt. Herbert, 29, a father of four, who resides at Lot 31 f 31 ‘A’ Morocut Square, East La Penitence, is reported to have been shot by a lone gunman. Kaieteur News understands that Herbert was shot in the stomach, back, buttocks and thigh. He has been admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. A friend of the wounded man said that after Herbert fell, the gunman then turned his friend over and shot him twice before making good his escape on foot. “Keron is not a bad person, he does not get involved with anybody, I don’t understand who can do this to him”, said his reputed wife. This newspaper understands that this is the second attempt made on Herbert’s life. In October, 2010, the former member of the Guyana Defence Force was charged with murdering two gold miners at Bartica. The allegation is that Herbert, between September 4 and 5, murdered Jainarine Raghubar and Ramdeo Deonarine. The victims were found murdered in a house at Bartica. A quantity of gold and money was also stolen from the house. The booty is said to have included $25 million stashed in a suitcase, some 100 ounces of raw gold, a quantity of jewellery, a large diamond worth at least $15 million and two firearms. Police had also arrested Rawle Newton who
Keron Herbert
was also charged with the murders. Soon after, a wanted bulletin was issued for Herbert and he was arrested.
What is being described as a “stupid row”, that led to a mini bus passenger being shot dead and another narrowly escaping serious injury, yesterday marred what was turning out to be a relatively peaceful holiday weekend. The slain man, who is still unidentified, was shot in the head by another passenger, during an argument over the closing of one of the windows. The incident occurred on the eastern end of the Demerara Harbor Bridge. The wounded man collapsed in the bus, and was later pronounced dead on arrival at the East Bank Demerara Regional Hospital. A second bullet grazed Special Constable Randolph Williams, 27, who was sitting two seats in front of the gunman. He was treated at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. The killer, described as being about five feet eight inches in height, and sporting dreadlocks and carrying a blue haversack, calmly left the scene. Crime Chief Wendell
Blanhum last night confirmed that the incident took place around 18:00 hours. At the time, the vehicle was heading from the West Coast of Demerara to Georgetown. Williams, who was in the seat behind the driver, recalled that the row between the two men began when the suspect asked the other to shut a window, since it was raining. However, the man refused to close the window, since he claimed that the suspect, who was sitting behind him, “was smelling.” The suspect reportedly warned the other man that he (the victim) didn’t know who he (the suspect) was, and reportedly mentioned the nickname ‘Gangster.’ The row reportedly continued as the bus was heading to the eastern end of the Harbour Bridge, and the driver eventually stopped and told the two men to disembark. However, after exiting the bus into the rain, both men immediately rejoined the bus. According to Williams, the victim opened the
window, while the suspect slammed it shut. Shortly after, Williams heard a gunshot. This was followed by a second shot, which grazed the Special Constable, who resides at Blankenburg, West Coast Demerara. While the shot passenger collapsed in the bus, which had stopped, the gunman exited and headed on foot towards Georgetown. Williams said that as the gunman was crossing the bridge, he shouted to some special constables manning the bridge to stop the shooter. Kaieteur News was told that because the SCs were unarmed, all they could do was watch as the gunman walked calmly away. Meanwhile, the unidentified man, who was shot in his head, was rushed to the East Bank Demerara Regional Hospital, (Diamond Diagnostic Hospital), where he was pronounced dead. Crime Chief Blanhum said that his detectives are currently reviewing CCTV footage at the Harbour Bridge with a view of identifying the shooter.
has become something generic, used to describe brown sugar. “You’ll find Demerara sugar produced by Mauritius, (and also) in South Africa. So I think we have lost that opportunity,” he said. “So the Enmore crystals are the product now being used to get in there.” He noted that the corporation had only started production of the ‘Enmore crystals’ in 2015, but stated that come next year the focus will be to increase production. Hanoman also reported that sales of value-added sugar have increased when measured against the 2014 levels. He stated that Guyana’s presence was advanced as a result in most
of the CARICOM countries. Sugar production for 2015 has been pegged at 229,215 tonnes. Holder projected that for 2016 sugar production is likely to reach 242,287 tonnes; a five per cent increase over the 2015 production. Meanwhile, grinding operations for the first crop is expected to commence at the end of January, 2016. It is understood that the GUYSUCO COI report into the sugar industry, complete with recommendations on the way forward for the industry, is in possession of Cabinet and was considered. The report, when laid in parliament, will be considered by the Economic Services Committee.
GUYSUCO debt now at $78.6B
With the Commission of Inquiry (COI) report into the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO) expected to be laid in parliament on Wednesday, the corporation’s Chief Executive Officer, Errol Hanoman, has revealed that it has succeeded in reducing and restructuring its debt. According to Hanoman, recently, while the corporation debt stood at $82B at one time, it has been reduced to $78.6B as of this week. He acknowledged that the debt was still quite huge, but expressed assurance that a solution for paying off the debt will be found. For this year, the corporation received a $12B subsidy from the government, provided for in this year’s Budget. Though this cash injection would have helped with the debt, Hanoman revealed that all of GUYSUCO’s revenues went to wages and salaries. However, as the money has been coming in, he stated that the corporation has been paying off the creditors. In one case, Hanoman stated that the $3B (US$15M) loan which GUYSUCO took in 2014 from the National Commercial Bank of Jamaica has been restructured. It is understood that at the time of borrowing, the loan was taken
…all 2015 revenues used for wages & salaries - says GUYSUCO CEO
GUYSUCO CEO, Errol Hanoman
Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder
to finance the GuySuCo operations. According to Hanoman, that loan was essentially a working capital facility. He revealed that this has actually now been converted to a three-year facility, an increase from the original one-year. GUYSUCO has been in severe financial straits over the past few years, but has nevertheless been receiving billions of dollars in bailouts from the executive government. Along with the bailouts, it has incurred billions of dollars in debt.
The Skeldon sugar factory, commissioned in 2009, has accounted for much of those debts in its own right. The beleaguered factory, which only reached its production target in 2015, has incurred debts to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and to regional and international banks and funding agencies. Among some of the initiatives that GUYSUCO has been pushing to make money is the Enmore crystals, a form of upgraded
sugar that has been marketed in Canada, the United States of America and Britain. These markets were closed off to Guyana, after Government lost its claim to the ‘Demerara Gold” because of a legal case brought by Bedessee Imports Ltd. a foreign sugar manufacturing company. “As you recall, the Demerara Gold, a brand that we made famous, could not be put on the North American market as a result of the litigation,” Hanoman recalled. The official also observed that the term ‘Demerara gold’
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Sunday December 27, 2015
Kaieteur News
COP, UNC cry foul...
In defence of Rambarran Trinidad Guardian - Congress of the People (COP) political leader Prakash Ramadhar says the Cabinet acted as judge, jury and executioner in the decision made to dismiss Jwala Rambarran as Central Bank governor. Ramadhar said the Cabinet acted simply on the basis of legal advice without any clarity as to allegations and questioned whether Rambarran was given the appropriate opportunity to be heard. On Wednesday, Cabinet recommended to the President that the employment of Rambarran as Central Bank governor be terminated. Alvin Hilaire was appointed as the new governor. In a news release Friday, Ramadhar said the secrecy of cabinet’s decision was compounded by the fact that it did not even form part of an announcement at the customary post-cabinet media briefing. “The fact that this was actioned while His Excellency (Anthony Carmona) is out of the country and so swiftly by
the PNM’s Senate President (Christine Kangaloo) acting for him, also adds to the appearance of kangaroo court action,” said Ramadhar. “Despite the allegations of criminal wrongdoing against the Central Bank governor, there is not a word of any criminal conviction, far less charges involving him in government’s reasons for dismissing him summarily,” he said. “This action by the present regime, the Cabinet and Acting President was conducted in a manner which smacks of being surreptitious and in defiance of the rule of natural justice and all norms of governance in dealing with the holders of such independent offices.” The United National Congress (UNC), in a separate statement, also criticised Rambarran’s dismissal. In a release issued by UNC chairman David Lee, the party described Rambarran’s removal as undemocratic. “In addition to interfering with the independence of the Central Bank, the
government’s actions through the Acting President has now dragged the independent presidency into the political arena. “This is not just about whether such action is legal. It is about perception of what is just, right and above all ethically correct,” Lee said. He noted that the action followed the firing of Indar Maharaj, president of the National Gas Company; sending Housing Development Corporation senior managers on administrative leave; the dismissal of hundreds of Unemployment Relief Programme and Community-based Enhancement Protection and Enhancement Programme personnel; as well as the refusal to renew contracts of hundreds of workers in the public sector. Lee compared Rambarran’s dismissal to moves against former House Speaker Occah Seapaul who was placed under house arrest and the attempted impeachment of then chief justice Satnarine Sharma.
Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay flooding displaces 150,000
Some 130,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in Paraguay alone. BBC News - More than 150,000 people in Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil have been driven from their homes by some of the worst flooding in years. Heavy summer rains have caused rivers to swell across a vast area. In Paraguay, the most affected country, President Horacio Cartes declared a state of emergency, freeing up $3.5m (£2.3m) in relief funds. The Paraguay river in the capital, Asuncion, is just 30cm (12in) away from overtopping its banks. That could lead to widespread flooding in the
Asuncion area. And it could affect thousands of other people who live by the Paraguay - the country’s main river - the authorities said. Nearly 200 electricity pylons have been damaged or destroyed by strong winds. Four people were killed in the country by fallen trees. In northern Argentina, some 20,000 people have been evacuated. At least two people have died in the floods, which have mostly affected the provinces of Entre Rios, Corrientes and Chaco. In the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do
Sul, nearly 1,800 families in dozens of towns had been forced to leave their homes. Heavy rain began to fall in the region on 18 December, swelling the Uruguay and Quarai rivers. South of the Brazilian border, in Uruguay, thousands of people have been made homeless in the past few days. But most of them have now returned home. Dry weather is forecast for the Brazilian-Uruguayan border region in the next few days, but in Paraguay and Argentina water levels are still expected to rise.
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British publication says US$600-m road ‘just the start of China’s investments in C’bean’
KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC) – A major British publication says a US$600-million road that is being constructed in Jamaica is “just the start of China’s investments in the Caribbean”. The Guardian said the road, connecting north and south Jamaica, will be lined with luxury hotels, “and is China’s largest investment in the Caribbean” to date. Stretching some 67 km (41.6 miles) north to south across Jamaica, the four-
lane highway skirts around a mountain and will eventually be lined with luxury hotels, restaurants and bars. Nicknamed the “Beijing highway” – after the Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt reportedly turned down a chance for the road to carry his name, “the state-of-the-art tolled carriageway is the most striking sign that the Chinese treasure ship has arrived in the Caribbean”, the Guardian said.
Anti-Corruption Group Warns Against Celebrating Latest Democracy Ranking The Gleaner - Head of the local anti-corruption group National Integrity Action (NIA) Professor Trevor Munroe is warning against any celebration of the country’s latest democracy ranking. Munroe acknowledged that Jamaica’s democracy remains what he described as relatively robust as it relates to political rights, freedom of the press, freedom of religion and other civil liberties. He says initiatives by civil society groups like the NIA and the private sector and action taken by the political leadership has led to some improvement in the important indicator control of corruption. However, the NIA head says the issue of increasing inequality now constitutes a most serious impediment to raising the level of human development in Jamaica and enhanced observance of the rule of law.
Trevor Munroe
Meeting in Mexico looks for solution to Cubans stranded in Costa Rica HAVANA, Cuba (ACN) — Representatives of Central American nations, plus Ecuador, Cuba, Colombia and the US, addressed at a meeting in Mexico the situation of thousands of Cuban stranded in Costa Rica in their effort to make it to US territory. In the meeting, Mexico agreed to let the Cubans keep on their way to the US once they arrived at Mexican border, said Costa Rican foreign
minister Manuel Gonzalez and he also added that US authorities would accept the Cubans who make it to their borders in line with their dry-feet, wetfeet policy. Cuba on its part reiterated its willingness to receive all those citizens who decide to return and urged the US administration to change their migration policy towards Cuba as a major contribution to the solution of the case.
The Costa Rican foreign minister said that a resolution to the situation could take place in an upcoming meeting to be held December 28 in Guatemala or in Mexico. The Mexico meeting noted that the Cuban migrants’ situation is a result of the preferential treatment given by the US to Cuban nationals who make it to its territory, disregarding the means they use to get there.
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UN concerned over political uncertainty in Haiti NEW YORK, USA — United Nations SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon has expressed concern over growing political uncertainty in Haiti and urged the two candidates in the presidential runoff there to help the electoral process move forward while preserving the country’s democratic gains. “The secretary-general is concerned over the growing political uncertainty in Haiti, following the publication of the results of the 25 October elections,” which included the first round of presidential polls, read a statement issued through his spokesperson. While taking note of the efforts by all stakeholders, including the establishment of an electoral evaluation commission on 16 December to address the concerns of opposition parties and ensure the successful and timely conclusion of the presidential elections, Ban in his statement stressed “the responsibility of all political actors to discourage violence and encourage a spirit of unity throughout the country.”
Haitians voted in the second round of the senatorial and parliamentary elections and the first round for their new president, in Haiti’s capital Port au Prince on 25 October. Photo: UN/MINUSTAH/Logan Abassi According to the statement, the UN chief “calls for the urgent intensification of dialogue to ensure the transfer of power through elec-
tions, within the constitutional timeframe, maintain stability and preserve the country’s democratic gains.” “The secretary-general
urges the two candidates in the presidential run-off to engage in good faith with the relevant institutions to identify and implement measures
to help the process move forward,” the statement said. According to press reports, the run-off had been set for 27 December between
Jovenel Moise from the governing party and former government executive Jude Celestin, but the election has been postponed until further notice. In his statement, Ban reaffirmed the commitment of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and the entire UN system to continue supporting the Haitian people in the fulfilment of their democratic aspirations. In a statement to the press, the members of the UN Security Council trusted that, with the support of the international community, the Haitian people will build upon the first two rounds of Haitian elections and be able to bring the electoral process to a successful conclusion in the upcoming final round. “The members of the Security Council expressed their strong commitment to supporting free and fair elections and called on all political forces to work through the electoral process to ensure that the will of the people is reflected in the outcome of the election,” the statement added.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday December 27, 2015
Laker Bryant leads early Sri Lanka’s Perera faces voting for All-Star game four-year doping ban
Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) during the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Staples Center. (Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports) (Reuters) Kobe Bryant, in his swan song season for the Los Angeles Lakers, is the early leader in voting for the
2016 NBA All-Star game, the NBA announced on Friday. Despite his mediocre form this season, Bryant has
logged 719,235 votes, more than 200,000 ahead of Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (510,202). LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers leads the Eastern Conference with 357,937 votes, followed by Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (300,595). The 65th NBA All-Star game will be played in Toronto on Feb. 14. Voting runs until Jan. 19. Fans will select three frontcourt players and two guards from each conference. Bryant, 37, is listed as a frontcourt player. Bryant, who announced last month that the 2015-16 campaign will be his final season, is the all-time highest NBA All-Star scorer with 280 points. His 17 All-Star selections is second behind the 19 appearances by Kareem AbdulJabbar, the legendary Lakers center.
Sunday December 27, 2015 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Don't ignore any emotional issues that could be causing problems. Problems with your partner are apparent. Someone left a real mess for you to sift through.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You will have to put those you live with in their place if they try to interfere with your work. Work hard on improving your living quarters.
TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Get together with friends for some competitive physical activities. You're best not to get involved in joint financial ventures.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Take care of the needs or responsibilities of elders. You may have been too agreeable to someone who just wanted to use you.
GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Take special care in any home improvement project you work on today, you'll be glad you did. Strengthen your position among your peers. Don't overspend to impress someone who interests you.
SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Someone you care about may not be too pleased with you. Involvement in fitness clubs will be conducive to engaging romantic connections.
CANCER (June 21–July 22) False information from someone trying to start problems is likely. You may find travel to be most rewarding. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You can bet that someone in a higher position is watching to see how busy you are. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Double-check before you go out. A need to express yourself may come out in creative ways. You may find yourself in the limelight for the wrong reasons.
CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Don't rely on others to handle the workload. Look into the cost factor, but don't try to get backing yet. Be sure to keep communication open with those you live with. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) You may have difficulties with in-laws or family members. If you're already in a relationship, use this added energy passionately. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Communication will be your strong point and you should be able to persuade others to see things your way.
COLOMBO (Reuters) Sri Lanka’s Kusal Perera faces a four-year ban after the country’s sports minister said the wicketkeeper-batsman’s ‘B’ sample has also tested positive for a prohibited substance. The International Cricket Council (ICC) provisionally suspended the 25-year-old after he failed an out-of-competition anti-doping test in October. Sri Lanka Cricket sent back Perera from their tour of New Zealand earlier this month while also promising to provide support for the dashing left-handed batsman to get back on the field as soon as possible. “The ICC has informed that his B sample also has been tested positive for a banned drug,” Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s Kusal Perera (Reuters/Dinuka Liyanawatte/Files) sports minister Dayasiri Jayasekera told reporters on Friday. “We are appealing against this because he was never found like this in the last four instances. “We will back him with le-
gal representation while doing every possible effort to help him to get out of this issue.” The cricketer faces a maximum ban of four years according to the ICC’s anti-doing code.
England fight back... (From page 58) overs, struck an early blow to remove Cook for a duck before lunch and Hales in the first over of an extended second session. Joe Root played some fluent attacking stokes before a quick knock of 24 was abruptly halted by the first ball of spinner Dane Piedt’s opening over. Root played right back on his stumps and was trapped lbw, a decision upheld after a review. As the sun finally began to emerge, however, South African-born Compton, making his return to the England team at number three, showed a steely determination and was ably assisted by a more aggressive Taylor as they saw off the seamers and picked up the run rate. Several rain delays took some momentum out of the game but clear skies and seasonally hot and humid conditions were predicted for the remaining days. After winning the toss, South Africa got the perfect start to the four-match series by claiming the key wicket of Cook in the third over as the left-hander was tempted by a delivery just outside offstump from Steyn and edged to Dean Elgar at second slip. Just 6.1 overs were possible before the threat of lightning forced the players off the field and a heavy downpour followed, causing lunch to be taken early. Five balls into the second session, Steyn struck again as Hales chased a ball that was
not the right length to drive and wicketkeeper AB de Villiers pouched the catch, setting off an exuberant cel-
ebration. Scores: England 179 for 4 (Taylor 70, Compton 63*, Steyn 3-29) v South Africa.
Sunday December 27, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Barclays Premier League Boxing Day results
Stoke condemn Man United to fourth straight loss
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal (C) and assistant manager Ryan Giggs (R) look dejected during the game. (Action Images via Reuters / Carl RecineLivepic)
Marko Arnautovic scores the second goal for Stoke. (Reuters / Darren StaplesLivepic) Stoke City condemned Manchester United to a fourth straight defeat to increase the pressure on manager Louis van Gaal. Bojan Krkic (19’) broke the deadlock after a poor header back to David de Gea from Memphis Depay allowed Glen Johnson to play it back to the Spanish forward. Stoke went 2-0 ahead through Marko Arnautovic’s (26’) 25-yard finish after Bojan’s free-kick had hit the wall. Van Gaal dropped Captain Wayne Rooney, who came on as a half-time substitute, and United struggled to create chances. Stoke were superior throughout and could have won by more. Arnautovic missed a great chance to add to United’s misery when clean through, while Potters keeper Jack Butland denied Marouane Fellaini, Anthony Martial and Juan Mata. Chelsea held 2-2 by Watford Diego Costa (32’, 65’) scored twice as Guus
Hiddink’s second spell as Chelsea boss started with a draw against Watford. It could have been more for Hiddink, in charge after Jose Mourinho’s sacking, had Oscar not missed a late penalty. Spaniard Costa hooked in the opener for the Blues before Nemanja Matic’s handball allowed Troy Deeney (42’) to level from the penalty spot. Odion Ighalo’s (56’) deflected shot gave the visitors the lead, only for Costa to fire in and earn Chelsea a point. Man City thrash Sunderland 4-1 Manchester City thrashed relegation-threatened Sunderland but home substitute Vincent Kompany limped off soon after his return from injury. Raheem Sterling (12’) opened the scoring by heading in Kevin de Bruyne’s cross. The lead was doubled through Yaya Toure’s (17’) low 20-yard drive before Wilfried Bony (22’) headed in another de Bruyne delivery.
The brilliant Belgian De Bruyne (54’) calmly scored before Fabio Borini’s (59’) consolation, as Bony skied a penalty later on. Cellar-dwellers Villa earn draw against West Ham A Jordan Ayew (62’) penalty helped bottom-of-thetable Aston Villa come from behind to earn a draw against a West Ham team which has not won since 24 October. In an evenly contested game, Villa twice went close in the first half through Rudy Gestede before Aaron Cresswell (45’) scored with a low strike. The spirited hosts levelled through Ayew after Gestede was clumsily felled by Angelo Ogbonna. As Villa searched for the winner, Alan Hutton went close with a header. But the right-back’s effort was cleared by James Collins as West Ham held on for their fifth successive draw to remain ninth in the league. Tottenham beat Norwich 3-0 Tottenham recorded a
convincing win over Norwich thanks to two goals from Harry Kane (26’, 42’) and one from Tom Carroll (80’). Norwich had the better chances early on, but faded away after conceding a penalty that Kane scored. The England striker doubled Spurs’ lead before the break after being set up by the impressive Dele Alli. The hosts were rarely troubled in the second half and sealed the win when substitute Carroll drove the ball home with 10 minutes left. Cleverley late heroics secure Everton win Tom Cleverley (90’) scored at the death at Newcastle as Everton secured a first Premier League win in five games. He headed home his first goal for the club after goalkeeper Rob Elliot raced off his line to punch a corner, but sent it straight to the midfielder. Georginio Wijnaldum went closest for Newcastle, but his powerful header was saved by Tim Howard. The win moves Everton up to ninth while Newcastle drop into the relegation zone. Benteke’s second-half winner halts Leicester ninematch unbeaten run Leaders Leicester saw their nine-match unbeaten Premier League run ended by Liverpool substitute Christian Benteke’s (63’) secondhalf winner. The Reds dominated the first half at Anfield, but failed
to fully test Foxes keeper Kasper Schmeichel. They were rewarded when Roberto Firmino’s pull-back from the left was steered in by a stretching Benteke. Leicester offered little threat, Nathan Dyer going closest as they failed to score for the first time this season. Crystal Palace end Bournemouth’s three-match winning streak In-form Crystal Palace ended Bournemouth’s threematch winning streak with a battling goalless draw at the Vitality Stadium. Alan Pardew’s side started brightly and Simon Francis cleared Damien Delaney’s goalbound volley off the line. But Bournemouth recovered well and Matt Ritchie headed wide before Eunan O’Kane’s shot was tipped over. However, they could not break through as Palace extended their unbeaten away run to four matches. A draw was a fair result in a match in which both teams enjoyed spells of superiority, but in truth this was a disappointing encounter as two of the division’s form teams struggled to carve out clearcut chances. A point nevertheless sees Crystal Palace climb one place to fifth, while Bournemouth remain 14th. Swansea secure first win in more than two months Swansea overcame West Brom to secure their first win in more than two months and
climb out of the relegation zone. Ki Sung-yueng (9’) stabbed in the only goal of the game after goalkeeper Boaz Myhill failed to hold a loose ball from Angel Rangel’s shot. West Brom rarely threatened in the first half, but pressed forward more after the interval. However, headers from Craig Dawson and Rickie Lambert were as close as the visitors came. Swansea are up to 16th, a point and two places above the crowded Premier League drop zone. Southampton thrash Arsenal 4-0 Arsenal missed the chance to go top of the Premier League after being thrashed by Southampton at St Mary’s. Saints full-back Cuco Martina (19’) marked his first league start with a stunning goal, curling in from 30 yards out. Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott missed free headers, before Shane Long (55’, 90’) slotted from close range and Jose Fonte (69’) headed in the third. Striker Long struck the post with three minutes remaining, but managed to add a fourth through the legs of Petr Cech. It could have been even worse for the visitors. Virgil van Dijk had a header ruled out for offside, while Dusan Tadic’s dipping strike was pushed away by Cech.
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Sunday December 27, 2015
“Looking for many happier returns for West Indies cricket in New Year 2016!” Colin E. H. Croft
West Indies Cricket Board and its President Wycliffe “Dave” Cameron closed 2015 with two very positive, momentous announcements for which not only WICB, but everyone else in WI cricket, should be very pleased indeed, given the caustic atmospheres of WI’s cricket existence for 2015. Alas, there is no hiding it. 2015 has been one hell of a very tough year for WI cricket, especially off-field, but there were some pretty good parts too, regionally on-field, with Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana dominating regional fifty-overs and four-day tournaments respectively. Both teams have controlled the regional cricket scene for 2014/15, even if, strangely, that does not seem to translate to becoming incumbents in present WI teams. Indeed, Guyana is again dominating the Caribbean’s four-day tournament going into 2015/16, looking to repeat its success. 2015 started with WI losing a 3-Test series to South Africa 2-0 and corresponding ODI series 4-1, but in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, WI did not fare that badly, eliminated at quarter-final stage. WI then earned a good 11 Test series draw with En-
gland at home, before losing the subsequent Test series, also at home, to Australia 2-0, and later, losing to Sri Lanka away, by the same tally. As 2016 opens, WI will be battling in Australia to start the new year right, but potentially, 2016 could be a quite good year for WICB, cricket fans and aficionados, hopefully with great upward mobility for our cricket, on-field and off, since, overall, 2015 has been such a very difficult year! Having been involved in Caribbean cricket since 1970 when I first represented Guyana at Under 19 Youth level, no year from then to now could have been more fractious, seriously tiring, debilitating, suspicious, just downright confusing for WI’s cricket constituents as has 2015. It was as if the great entity that has been our international cricket since 1928 was trying to eat itself, piece by political piece, out of its very existence, even, eventually, allowing interference and judgements from several outside elements, including, unprecedentedly, Caribbean governments. Fortunately, but with caveats, that did not happen, so 2016 must be a much better, brighter year. Firstly, though, highlighting the most positive contri-
Stefanie Taylor bution to WI in 2015, that ever producing, absolutely tremendous lady cricketer, Stefanie Roxann Taylor, current captain of WI’s women’s team, has again featured in ICC’s list of accolades for 2015. The lady is really an absolute star! But her efforts confirm that either because of, or despite, what is happening around, excellence can still be produced if you are prepared to do long yards and commit to positive production. It should also always be remembered that WI teams in 1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s played under somewhat similar environments and circumstances, with fracas after stu-
pid fracas, upheavals and situations, with players and representatives at continuous loggerheads with WICB. Yet, for over twenty-five of those years, WI cricket was at the very apex of its purpose, passion, cohesion and especially production on the field of play. All that any player still has to do as 2016 begins is to always try his or her very best. Great determination usually brings breakthroughs! But for the Jamaican young lady in her 25th year of life, Stefanie Taylor’s continuous production have been phenomenal, astounding even, a true Caribbean
sporting ambassador absolutely worthy of that nomination. One hopes that she continues to produce for at least the next decade. A batting average of 45.62 from 88 ODI’s, producing 3376 runs with five centuries, also taking 108 wickets costing 18.74 runs each in those games, with five five-wicket hauls, augmented by an average of 36.03 from 65 T-20I’s with 1874 runs, and 56 wickets costing 16.37 runs each, all obviously high-lighting the lady as the ultimate all-rounder. Stefanie Roxann Taylor has been ICC’s Cricketer of the Year 2011, ICC’s ODI Cricketer of the Year 2012, now recently vaunted again by that erstwhile body as T20 Cricketer of the Year 2015. Simply, she has been stunning, almost a one-woman crusade to keep all of WI’s cricket in the upper stratosphere on-field despite all that has been taking place off the field. Like another superlative WI cricketer from Jamaica; George Alphonso Headley; Stefanie Roxann Taylor is already the “West Indies cricketer of the twenty-teens decade” and is the present “Atlas” of all WI cricket, male or female. Secondly, the situation with WI hastily ending of that tour of India in late 2014, which caused so much con-
sternation around the Caribbean, reverberating around international cricket circles, has been somewhat resolved and apparently restored, so all have heaved a massive sigh of relief. Confirmation that India will tour West Indies in 2016 comes with great anticipation for cricket lovers everywhere, and should be the biggest fillip for WICB’s financial situation for the next decade even, especially if reverse fixtures can also be organized without additional agro. West Indies cricket in 2016 must take on different hues and values, with hopeful positive catalysts coming mostly from on-field players themselves. However, administration, leadership, management, participation and suitable knowledge must contribute fully for that hoped-for evolution into newness and eventual continuous successes. Happy New Year 2016! Enjoy! E-mail address c.e.h.croft@gmail.com
England fight back after Steyn strikes early
England’s Nick Compton dives to avoid being run out as South Africa’s Kyle Abbott looks on during their first cricket test match in Durban, South Africa, December 26, 2015. (Reuters/Rogan Ward) DURBAN, (Reuters) South Africa’s Dale Steyn marked his return to the international arena with a fiery dis-
play to dismiss England’s openers but the tourists fought back to 121 for three at tea on a rain-hit first day of
the opening test at Kingsmead on Saturday. Pace bowler Steyn quickly rediscovered his usual venom
South Africa’s Dale Steyn celebrates the wicket of England’s Alistair Cook (L) during their first cricket test match in Durban, South Africa, December 26, 2015. (Reuters/Rogan Ward) and aggression to grab the Nick Compton (40 not out) touring side a foothold in the wickets of England captain and James Taylor (41 not out) match. Alastair Cook and debutant shared a 71-run partnership to Steyn, with 2-21 off nine Alex Hales. revive England and give the (Continued on page 56)
Sunday December 27, 2015
Kaieteur News
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Bravo defends Taylor in Run machine Guptill guides NZ past Sri Lanka commitment controversy
Jerome Taylor …came under fire from Australian media for his lack of commitment.
Martin Guptill plays a cut shot, New Zealand v Sri Lanka, 1st ODI, Christchurch, December 26, 2015 ©Getty Images (Reuters) Martin Guptill became the highest run scorer in one-day international cricket this year as he guided New Zealand to a comprehensive sevenwicket victory over Sri Lanka in the first game of their five match series on Saturday. Guptill, who scored 237 not out in the World Cup quarter-final against West Indies in March and was the highest run-scorer at the tournament, was dismissed for 79 within sight of the 189 needed for victory at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. Ross Taylor was on five with debutant Henry Nicholls hitting the winning runs to move to 23 as New Zealand raced to 191 for three in 21 overs. Captain Brendon McCullum scored 55 from 25 balls in an 108-run opening partnership with Guptill, who moved to 1,366 runs from 30 matches in 2015. Compatriot Kane Williamson, who has a knee injury and missed the match, has scored 1,317 runs this
year, with South Africa’s AB de Villiers third on 1,193. While Guptill and McCullum made light work of the run chase, victory had been set up in Sri Lanka’s innings when opening bowlers Adam Milne and Matt Henry reduced the visitors to 27-5 inside the first 10 overs with the latter taking four wickets. “I thought the wicket was outstanding so for us to take five for 30 up front was a truly outstanding bowling performance,” McCullum said in a televised interview. “I guess that was the winning of the game.” Both Henry and Milne, who started in place of the rested regular new-ball pair of Trent Boult and Tim Southee, were consistently faster than 140 km per hour in their opening spells with the fiery Milne exceeding 150 kph on several deliveries. The pair also produced a disciplined line and length on a pitch that Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews described as “a belter” when he won the toss and elected to bat. “It was good to have
Adam bowling well at the other end and creating pressure,” said Henry, who finished with 4-49. “We are pretty pleased with the way things went and as a bowling group we were fairly happy.” Milinda Siriwardana (66), who was dropped at deep midwicket by Nicholls on 10, and Nuwan Kulasekara (58), however, combined for a 98run seventh-wicket partnership to give Sri Lanka some credibility. “We just had to bat and put runs on the board to put pressure on the Kiwis but unfortunately we kept losing wickets in the first 10 overs (and) that was really tough going,” said Mathews. “They just bowled well and we couldn’t handle it.” The second match is at the same venue on Monday. Scores: New Zealand 191 for 3 (Guptill 79, McCullum 55) beat Sri Lanka 188 (Siriwardana 66, Kulasekara 58, Henry 4-49, Bracewell 3-37) by seven wickets.
MELBOURNE, Australia (CMC) — All-rounder Dwayne Bravo has thrown his support behind West Indies teammate Jerome Taylor, whose perceived lack of commitment has come under fire following the two-day tour match against Victoria XI last week. While fielding on the second day of the tour game in Geelong, Taylor missed a catch after he had his back turned to the action while he appeared to be leaning over the boundary fence. He subsequently came under fire from Australian media for his lack of commitment, but Bravo was quick to leap to the player’s defence.
“I don’t think any player would go on a cricket field and … not care. All of us go out there to try our best. This is our job, this is what we do,” said Bravo, who is currently campaigning for Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League. The 31-year-old Taylor is the spearhead of the West Indies pace attack, but went wicket-less in the opening Test in Hobart which the Caribbean side lost by an innings and 212 runs inside three days. He has taken 128 wickets in 44 Tests at an average of 33, and Bravo said the Jamaican had proven his worth in the past for West Indies in varying conditions.
“It’s easy to say the players aren’t interested or the players don’t care, but it’s far from the truth. Jerome Taylor is someone who bowls his heart out for the West Indies, whether the wicket is seaming or whether the wicket is flat,” Bravo contended. “Sometimes as players we all go through it, where you play your heart out, but the scorecard doesn’t reflect your effort. “Definitely Jerome Taylor is someone who gives 100 per cent all the time. As a former captain, he’s a bowler you want behind you.” West Indies are preparing to face Australia in the second Test in Melbourne which bowls off Boxing Day.
Fifa scandal: Former vice-president extradited to Uruguay BBC Sport - A former Fifa vice-president, Eugenio Figueredo, has arrived in his native Uruguay to answer charges related to a massive corruption scandal. Mr Figueredo, 83, was one of seven officials arrested in Switzerland in May at the request of US prosecutors. But while he has been fighting extradition to the US he agreed to face charges in Uruguay. The former footballer was
also once a vice-president of the South American Football Confederation (Conmebol). Mr Figuer e d o w a s among 14 Fifa executives and associates accused of corruption by the US earlier this year. He is accused of receiving bribes worth millions of dollars connected to Copa America tournaments. A local prosecutor, Juan Gomez, has told AFP agency he will face charges of rack-
eteering and money laundering when he makes an initial court appearance. The Swiss authorities approved requests from both the US and Uruguay for his extradition. This week saw Fifa president Sepp Blatter and the man once tipped to succeed him, Uefa boss Michel Platini, both banned from footballrelated activities for eight years following an ethics investigation.
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Sunday December 27, 2015
Stag Super XVI
Grove Hi Tech and Mahaica Determinators into semifinals
Action in the Mahaica Determinators (yellow) and Den Amstel quarter final match on Christmas night at the Farm ground, EBD. Following intense Christmas Night exchanges at the Farm Community Centre ground, East Bank Demerara, defending champions Grove Hi Tech downed Pouderoyen 2-0, while Mahaica Determinators edged Den Amstel 1-0 to book respective semifinal spots in the second edition Stag Super XVI knock-out tournament. While Grove sealed the fate of Pouderoyen in the first half and could have easily won by a larger margin but for poor finishing, Mahaica were pushed to the hilt and only sealed the fate of Den Amstel in the closing moments of their pulsating shindig. Playing flood light football at the Farm ground for the
first time, Grove did not take much time to get into their stride as they sought to sort out the opposition early. Pouderoyen came into the match as one of the leading sides on the West Side taking on the pride of the East Bank. The defending champs did not allow their opposition to settle and went on the offensive from the first whistle. It did not take long for Grove to ease into the lead, compliments of a bullet like free kick from Lloyd ‘Badai’ Matthews in the 10th minute. A free kick was awarded to Grove just outside the Pouderoyen 18 yard area and it was defender and Grove most energized player who
was given the task of taking the free kick and he did not disappoint as the shot was not only powerful, but well directed as Poudeoyen’s custodian Sherwin Bernard did not stand a sniffer of a chance in stopping Grove from going one up. Urged on by their vociferous supporters, Grove continued on the offensive even as Pouderoyen also had a few good runs but were not able to be punchy and effective in the attacking third. Grove doubled the advantage 30 minutes on; again the attacking mood of the home team brought the rewards they sought when Akeem James was successful in hitting past Bernard for his side’s
second goal which saw the Grove fans celebrating as if they were ushering Christmas Day. The second period of play saw Grove dominating their counterparts whilst creating chances but poor work in the final third saw simple headers that should have been put away sailing way over the cross bar as the game ended 2-0. Grove will now play the winner of the quarter final match-up that was contested last night at Golden Grove between Uitvlugt and Victoria Kings in the second semifinal on Tuesday night also at the Golden Grove ground, East Coast Demerara. Mahaica Determinators bet-
Eion Abel - Mahaica Determinators
Lloyd Matthews Grove Hi Tech
tered last year’s showing having exited at the quarter final stage by qualifying for a semifinal date with the winner of last evening’s match-up between Ann’s Grove and Beavers of West Demerara. Determined they were as they made sure the momentum they had against Den Amstel for most of Christmas night’s first quarter final, translated into a beautiful goal from a free kick off the boot of Eion Abel in the penultimate minute of a grueling battle. When it seemed as if the match was destined for extra time, Mahaica’s constant pressuring of Den Amstel brought
them a free kick in ideal range, just outside the area. The resulting play saw the nippy Abel packing a well-directed left foot bullet that flew past goalkeeper Kevaughn Ward in the V to his right to seal a deserved win for the Mahaica boys and a final four date on Tuesday night at Golden Grove. The winner of the competition will walk away with 1.5 million dollars on New Year’s Night, January 1st, 2016 while the losing finalist will collect $500,000. Third place will receive $300,000, while the fourth placed team will get $200,000 all compliments of Stag.
Burns, Khawaja pummel Windies on Boxing Day MELBOURNE (Reuters) Usman Khawaja and Joe Burns rewarded the Australian selectors’ faith with a pair of sparkling centuries as the hosts dominated a limp West Indies attack on the opening day of the second test on Saturday. Having recovered from a hamstring strain, Khawaja celebrated his recall with a glittering 144, with Queensland team mate Burns making 128 in front of a festive Melbourne Cricket Ground crowd to drive Australia to 345-3 at stumps. The pair’s 258-run stand remained unbroken until well into the final session, with captain Steve Smith (32 not out) and Adam Voges (10)
untested during the final overs. After a run of modest scores, Burns was widely tipped to make way for the returning Khawaja but it was middle order batter Shaun Marsh making way for the stylish left-hander. “It was just a nice feeling to make a 100 for Australia on Boxing Day,” Burns told reporters. “Certainly something to savour ... Hopefully we can go on and win the test match and win the series.” Australia won the opener emphatically in Hobart and took a big stride toward sealing the three-match series with a game in hand after being sent in to bat by West Indies captain Jason Holder. Holder’s decision was a poor one in hindsight, with the green-tinged MCG pitch flattening out in bright sunshine after rain held up play for an hour.
His players again failed to rally, however, with the bowling tepid at best and fielding at times abysmal. Khawaja was dropped on 23 shortly after lunch after nicking a half-chance to the gully and spooned the simplest of chances to Marlon Samuels at cover to again be reprieved on 142. He and Burns came together early after opener David Warner was dismissed for a quickfire 23 and they erased any lingering confidence the Caribbeans nursed after their innings and 212-run thrashing in Hobart. Unbeaten at tea, Burns and Khawaja ramped up their attack in the final session and raced to reach their centuries. Burns made his ton and second test century first with a punch for three through point. Khawaja followed two balls later, scrambling for a single presented by a
misfield. The pair ploughed on steadily to guide Australia past 250, with their opponents’ hopes seemingly fixed on the batsmen suffering a lapse in concentration rather than succumbing to any sustained pressure. As it happened, Burns duly delivered after the drinks break, getting stumped after charging down the wicket at part-time spinner Kraigg Brathwaite. Khawaja appeared to succumb to fatigue rather than the bowler’s guile as he tickled Taylor down the legside to be caught behind. Kraigg Brathwaite said it was a “decent day” for the tourists. “Obviously (have to) try to be build some pressure to not let them score so freely,” said the spinner. Scores: Australia 3 for 345 (Khawaja 144, Burns 128) v West Indies.
Jerome Taylor had Usman Khawaja caught behind for 144, Australia v West Indies, 2nd Test, 1st day, Melbourne, December 26, 2015 ©Getty Images
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Lights to be installed at Bourda Drainage system being upgraded
This could be a thing of the past for Bourda. GCC President Lionel Jaikarran with Leon Johnson & GCC Coach Monty Lynch. By Sean Devers “Another year has gone and the GCC continues to stand tall in spite of their financial struggles. The dedicated staff remains committed and continue to do an excellent job under the direction of Club Manager Mr Rudolf Singh,” these were the words of newly reelected President of the Georgetown Cricket Club, Lionel Jaikarran. The world famous Bourda hosted the first Test win by the West Indies in 1930 but 96 years later the once magnificent venue which hosted 32 Test matches and was the only Test venue in the world below Sea level, has been allowed to go into disrepair. While the ground is in very good condition, the main pavilion, the former ladies pavilion, the Lance Gibbs and School Boys stand and the Rohan Kanai stand are in poor structural condition and need urgent carpentry work in addition to painting. The removal of International cricket from Bourda when the Providence Stadium was contracted for the 2007 World Cup, significantly contributed to the present state of a venue that hosted its last Test in 2005, when Shiv Chanderpaul, then a GCC player, made his captaincy debut with a double century against South Africa. Jaikarrian said he had initiated contact with Minister of Sport Dr Roopnarine and was very hopeful that he will provide
some financial aid to the club. “In addition to this, very early in the New Year we will be sending a proposal with our five-year vision plan to various local and international corporations inviting them to come on board as corporate sponsors. In January we will be proceedings with a dream that we have had for many years. We will finally be installing lighting at Bourda,” the GCC top man informed. The project will be implemented in three stages, with the final stage see the lights are up to the International Cricket Council’s standard for night cricket. Jaikarrian disclosed that the lights are being designed and installed by Canadian engineers and are environmentally friendly since green technology is being utilized. “Solar powered security lights are being installed to illuminate the parking area which is presently vulnerable to ‘trunkers’ and vagrants. By installing Flood lights we are virtually assured of activities every evening” Jaikarrian continued. Activities such as softball, baseball, T-20 cricket, Cycling, track and field, Fairs, BBQ’S and other social events will be placed on the agenda. These activities would generate funds which a Club needs to survive. “At last year’s AGM I informed the membership that drainage would be our
priority for 2015. Since then we have dug new drains in and around the ground. The koker outside of the pavilion was severely clogged resulting in extremely slow drainage of the ground. We have since solved this problem and flooding of the ground has been reduced by more than 80 %. Gone are the days when a couple hours of rainfall resulted in the ground being under water. GCC member Minister David Patterson gave unwavering support with this project. “There continues to be an economic downturn in the local economy and this has affected the clubs as our financial report indicates. We have had to work extra hard at securing donations and holding fundraisers to remain financially viable,” Jaikarran. “I also have in my possession a proposal from a Potential investor to establish a cricket themed international cuisine restaurant on the upper level of our pavilion. “The Committee will be holding discussions with this individual at our next meeting and hopefully we can arrive at a mutual decision that will benefit our Club,” Jaikarran disclosed. “To implement these projects we will be doing extensive fundraising and to a greater extent relying on donations from our members and friends of the Club. It’s has never been an easy task to ask for financial donations but for love of our historic club I ask this of all present. I will start the pledges with a
personal donation of $200,000,” Jaikarran said. “I thank Mr Ramsay Alli of Sterling Products Ltd, Mr Les Ramalho and Mr Richard Jodah of Noble House Seafoods and Mr Surendra Etwaroo aka Papo for their continued financial support of our Club cricket and acknowledge the unflinching support that the John Fernandes group of companies has provided to GCC over the years.” Club members Mrs. Bramdeo Persaud and Navindra Persaud donated 14 LED fluorescent lamps and bulbs to our lower pavilion area to help our club save on our energy bill. But all is not gloom and doom at Bourda, with Club cricket continuing to flourish under Coach Monty Lynch, a level 3 Coach. “Many of our cricketers have done exceeding well
this year. Leon Johnson and Vishual Singh continue to play inspiring cricket representing Guyana and if Vishual continues to score centuries we may well see the capping of another GCC cricketer for the West Indies team. Robin Bacchus and Raj Nanan are both playing in the GCB professional cricket league,” the proud GCC Boss reminded. He disclosed that the c l u b ’s h o c k e y t e a m s continue to dominate locally under the supervision of hockey captain Devin Hooper, while the ladies team created a historic first by competing in the Trinidad and Tobago national hockey league and placing fourth out of eight teams. “The men’s team which is in a rebuilding process, showed great success by winning the GT&T indoor
hockey championship recently in addition to seven members of the team representing Guyana at the PA F T C h a l l e n g e championship held in Peru earlier this year. Meanwhile, the GCC executive was returned unopposed except for the Secretary Stuart Hughes who declined reelection and was replaced by Jameel Baksh. GCC Executive: President: Lionel Jaikarran, Vice-President: Ramsay Ali, Honorary Secretary: Jameel Baksh, Club Captain: Graeme Ali, Treasurer: Satyanand Gopie Committee Members: Philip Fernandes, Stuart Hughes, Timothy Tucker. Cricket Captain: Leon Johnson, Hockey Captain: Devon Hooper, Tennis Captain, Jainarine Singh (Don), Squash Captain: Robin Low
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Kaieteur News
Sunday December 27, 2015
Boxing Day traditional cards, the Hall of Fame and the lost art of the sport Former Continental of Americas Champion, Michael Benjamin regurgitates the memories Yesterday was Boxing Day and though historically the name had nothing to do with boxing matches, that day had always been specially selected by promoters to stage cards that showcased the crème de la crème. Yes, local boxing pundits have always trudged to the National Park, GCC Ground Bourda or the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall to witness some of those scorchers that have characterized the glory days of the sport and though years have passed, are still the center of discussion among pundits. In days of yore it would have been a travesty for Boxing Day to slip by devoid of an action packed thriller. Those days were characterized by raging slugfests that instigated heated debates long after the final bell had sounded. That was up until around the early nineties. Sadly, the succeeding generation has failed to efficiently carry the baton and the cards, which should have been a replication of the great bouts of yesteryear, have now been replaced with bouts of nostalgia. I am not one to blow my own trumpet, but with no one in the orchestra displaying the will to play the tunes and reminisce on my days in the square jungle, I am forced to be conductor, player and even dancer. My first controversial experience in the sport occurred after my first title fight, a 12 rounder against Jeff Roberts for the local lightweight title in November 1987. One judge had scored the bout as a draw (114-114), while the other two felt that I had won the match (114113 and 116-114 respectively. Weeks after I was declared ‘winner and new champion ’ t h e r e w e r e heated debates as pundits weighed in on the judges’ decision, some for and others against. Somehow, I managed to weather that storm. I remember the Rawle Frank fights, the first in July, and the second on Boxing
The crème de la crème of the local boxing fraternity displayed at the Andrew Lewis Hall of Fame.
Day of 1992. This bout was long overdue after I had signed for the much anticipated meeting just over a year prior where Tony CJ was making his debut as a promoter. Less than two weeks before the bout, Frank, who had chalked up an impeccable record, secretly acce p t e d a n o t h e r i n French Guiana, maybe hoping to enhance his reputation. T h i s w a s i n contravention of the rules, yet executives of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) displayed bias by turning a blind eye and allowing Frank to travel to the French country. As luck would have it, Frank suffered a knockout loss and was unable to keep our ring date. Despite being bombarded by the promoter and even officials of the GBBC, I refused to acquiesce to a postponement and was equally adamant (after receiving legal advice) that the $25,000 should be forfeited. The promoter sought redress in the High Court but Justice Desiree Bernard subsequently dismissed the matter in chambers. The Barrington Cambridge duels in May and
D e c e m b e r 1 9 9 0 r e s p e c t i v e l y, w e r e humdingers and certainly not devoid of the controversy that characterized most of my bouts; some people were just not comfortable with a ghetto youth blessed with the gift of gab and punches to match. Then there was the Anthony ‘The Pearl’ Andrews shindig in January 1992 where I won the National welterweight title and catapulted me in the European ratings for a shot at the Commonwealth title. It was around this time that Odinga Lumumba entered my life as my manager. I will not elaborate on our union right now because I plan to do a special piece on the managerial sector soon. The aforementioned bouts provide nostalgic moments and, to my mind, have strengthened my claim to be among the elite in the inaugural Hall of Fame. Luckily, this view was not unilaterally garnered but was after consultations with the sports’ knowledgeable and elites. I’ve mixed with the best of that era. Saoul Mamby was no slouch nor was Ernesto Espana—these were two
warriors that had etched the names in the historical annuls of the sport after winning world titles, yet I prevailed over them both; Espana in 1988 for the Continental of Americas title and Mamby in 1992 in a non-title w elterw eight contest. I remember fighting Eamonn Loughran in February 1993 in Cardiff Wales and Steve Larrimore in the Bahamas in defence of the Continental of Americas title, fights that I lost even before I threw a punch. That episode is too lengthy for this forum but I’ll document it at another time. Notwithstanding, I still think our contemporary boxers are waddling in ignorance in regards to preceding punchers. One of these fighters even questioned my inclusion in the HOF. Where was he when I was engaging Vi c t o r i a B e l c h e r i n Belleville Ontario Canada in August 1987, Steve Larrimore in the Bahamas in 1989 along with historic battles in London, South Africa, French Guiana and a host of other countries that give me the right to claim myself among local top notch pugilists? I am now out of the ring
but boxing remains in my blood. I do not kid myself that any thought of reentering the square jungle is a myth but when I see the standard of our present day fighters I wish that my tenure had now begun. As my former manager, Keith Bazilio exhorted in true Guyanese parlance, “Benjie you could beat all of them with one hand tied behind your back.” I have no apologies when I say that some of these (present day) fighters cannot even wear the jack straps of former (local) greats the likes of Lennox Blackmore Patrick Forde, Brian Muller, Reginald Forde and a host of other veterans. Yet these (current) boxers are all talking up as though they are present day Muhammad Alis or Joe Fraziers. Boxing is not just war; it is disciplined war, fought under strict rules and regulations yet there are those who attempt to paint the sport as medieval and undeserving of its rightful place at the top of the (local) ladder. Sadly, even our present day pugilists are uninformed of the exploits of their predecessors and this, to my mind, strips them of the
ability to truly advance their careers. My honest contention is that unless these fighters seriously delve into the historical aspect of the sport, they would just be wasting time in attaining lofty accolades. This brings me to the issue of the recently inaugurated Hall of Fame. I believe that every boxer has a right to claim greatness but there must be some guide as to what solidifies those claims, especially when one is discussing installation into an institution as sacred as the Hall of Fame. Let me state up front that I am totally disappointed that many of our former pugilists could not even be bothered to attend the inauguration. Yet, there are a host of complaints and contention concerning the omission of some boxers that believe they should have made the cut. Some of these boxers have merely won a local title, some have only just learned to shadow box, while some cannot even differentiate left hook from a fish hook yet they are staking a claim to be among the all-time (local) greats. For the record, several guidelines were used to ascertain the viability for inclusion in this prestigious unit, not omitting the availability of the requisite funding. Among those that should have been mounted but had to be temporarily deferred until the availability of funds are former (woman) world champion, Pamela London, former world raters, Patrick Forde and Lennox Blackmore, while multiple world champion, Gwendolyn O’Neil’s was taken down at the last minute to facilitate her latest world title achievement. The point is, the Hall of Fame is a work in progress but the paucity of adequate finance precludes the inclusion of everyone at the first induction. Finally, we observed another Boxing Day, well minus the boxing card which means it is just another day.
Sunday December 27, 2015
Kaieteur News
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UDFA GT Beer quarter finals on tonight at MSC Milerock and Rockers collide, Winners look to get past Ward Panthers Tonight the defending champions Winners Connection are eyeing their third straight Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA) GT Beer football championship, but they will find in their way the Amelia’s Ward Panthers, while in the first game of a double header the recent Petra Organisation champions Milerock are to battle Net Rockers in what would be a grudge match at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground. In keeping with the yearend extravaganza that football brings to this town of Linden, fans will in traditional style make their way to see the possible outcome of the matches, starting with the first game at 6.30pm when Milerock are to meet Net Rockers. Milerock at present are in good form and their forward
line will see the young guns in Clarence ‘Shark’ Huggins and Kester Randolph and the steadying midfield being led out together by Ron Fiedtkou, while they have a sturdy line at the back. The Rockers will see how best they can to get past this Milerock. Like the Milerock squad, the Rockers have placed emphasis on youth development and the skill level of the players in this game will be tested to the hilt. The strike line for the Rockers will be laced with young Shane Luckie, who has dominated at the youth level, Colrick Beckles and with Denzil Pryce will be the players to watch. Scheming for the Rockers will be Orande Wills, while Jermain Fordyce and Omeion Wills are the principal defenders. In the night cap encounter, once again the
team to watch will be the defending champions Winners Connection who seems to have a hold of what it takes to be winners. This Winners Connection team has up front their leading scorer over the years Rawle ‘Boney’ Gittens and
pulled one back after twenty-five minutes as Rosignol United trailed 1-2 at the break. Coming out after the resumption, the Berbicians went immediately on the offensive and got the equaliser two minutes after the restart through Winston Benjamin to set up the contest on a knife’s edge. Dominating most of the possession, Rosignol United failed to capitalise and paid the penalty when in the dying moments of the game, Santos got the go-ahead goal off the boots of Travis Fitzpatrick, one minute from full time to secure a deserved victory and a place in the last
In the other encounter, New Amsterdam United (NA United) resisted arrest to get away with a narrow 21 triumph over the GPF in extra time. Delroy Ferdinand had given New Amsterdam United the early ascendancy after netting in the 12th minute, but the Lawmen responded in the 32nd through Jonathan Fredericks to level the proceedings. Both teams battled for the lead as the game took a see-saw scenario with missed opportunities the order of the second period until the final whistle signaled extra time for a possible outcome. Ferdinand, who had scored in the opening period and was a constant tormentor to the opposing backline, returned to grab his second of the night in the 111th minute and in the process hand his team the win. Two million dollars and the championship trophy will be awarded to the winning team, while the second, third and fourth place finishers will receive $ 1 million, $500,000 and $250,000 respectively along with trophies.
Colrick Beckles
Ron Fiedtkou the impressive Marmalaque Davidson, just out of being a champion school level scorer. They will be joined by Carlos Blackman who has also been in good scoring form and with the dependable Wayne Bethune
Clarence Huggins
Kester Randolph
holding the defence together they can fancy themselves being victorious against the Panthers. However, the Panthers have been impressive so far and after cruising into the quarter finals and look eligible to reach the
semifinals. The Panthers will count on their form players like Jevon Babb and Ray Bobbsemple on the striking line, while their back line has Kevin Plowell and Marlon Simon among the key players.
NA United resist arrest to send SS Jaguars, Maria’s Pleasure/ GPF crashing out of tournament Zeelandia collide in Prasad -Santos into last four Memorial T20 final today four.
Santos FC and New Amsterdam United booked their places in the semifinals of the 5th Annual GFA/Banks Beer Knockout Cup after securing similar hard fought victories against Rosignol United and Guyana Police Force (GPF) respectively on Friday night, at the No.5 ground in West Berbice. Georgetown-based Santos FC squeezed past Rosignol United 3-2 thanks to goals from Josh Parvatan, who opened the scoring in the 15th minute, before Tyrese Forde added a second three minutes onward which gave them a handy 2-0 lead. However, Mark Wronge
Ricardo Adams
Zameer Zaman
Navishaul Pooran
Sans Souci Jaguars and Maria’s Pleasure/ Zeelandia will clash in what is expected to be an exciting final of the Badri Prasad Memorial T20 competition today at the Wakenaam Community Centre ground in Good Success. Z e e l a n d i a / M a r i a ’s Pleasure will be led by exciting all-rounder Ricardo Adams, while fast bowler Siddiq Mohamed will spearhead the Jaguars hunt. Experienced middle order batsman Navishaul Pooran, national U17 wicketkeeper batsman Ryan Adams, pacer Bernard Lewis, opener Ajay Ghansam and off-spinner Kennard Lewis are expected to lend valuable support to
Ricardo Adams. SS Jaguars batting will be centered on Zameer Zaman, Rashaad Rasheed and Safraz Mohamed while Nokta Moses, Beesham Moses and Siddiq Mohamed will lead the bowling attack. Both teams recorded victories in their respective semi final games played on S u n d a y l a s t . Zeelandia/Maria’s Pleasure overcame Noitgedacht SC by 51 runs. Batting first, Zeelandia/Maria’s Pleasure managed 163-5 with Ryan Adams scoring 62. Noitgedacht responded with 112. Neil Ramalho got 20. SS Jaguars beat Good Success by 12 runs. SS Jaguars posted 140, taking first strike. Zameer Zaman
made 48 and Kevon Hendricks 32. Good Success responded with 132. Nazeer Mohamed scored 35; Siddiq Mohamed took 2-23. Teams for the final; SS Jaguars; Siddiq Mohamed (Capt.), Safraz Mohamed, Nokta Moses, Imran Mohamed, Beesham Moses, Gladwyn Henry, Prem Persaud, Sanjay Jairam, Dellon Osbourne, Derwin Daniels, Kevon Hendricks, Zameer Zaman and Rashaad Rasheed. Z e e l a n d i a / M a r i a ’s Pleasure; Ricardo Adams ( C a p t . ) , Ry a n A d a m s , Navishaul Pooran, Kennard Lewis, Bernard Lewis, Leonard Lewis, Ajay Ghansam, Leorayan Ramlakhan, Ryan Gordon, Eric Gobin and Mark Lewis.
t r o Sp Burns, Khawaja pummel Windies on Boxing Day
Usman Khawaja and Joe Burns complete a run during their partnership, Australia v West Indies, 2nd Test, 1st day, Melbourne, December 26, 2015 ©Associated Press
Jason Holder was short of answers for Australia’s batsmen, Australia v West Indies, 2nd Test, 1st day, Melbourne, December 26, 2015 ©Associated Press
Stag Super XVI
Grove Hi Tech and Mahaica Determinators into semifinals
Grove Hi Tech’s Lloyd Matthews (#5) in control against Pouderoyen at the Farm ground, EBD on Christmas night. Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Limited, 24 Saffon St.Charlestown, Georgetown.Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/ 226-8210