Page 04
Kaieteur News
Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
WEATHERING THE STORMS IN 2016 It is said that the Ancient Roman god, Janus, after whom the month of January is named, is depicted as having two faces, one that looks back to the past and the other that looks forward to the future. Janus has presided over the beginning and the ending of conflicts, hence war and peace, which in effect symbolizes change and transition over time. The Roman god symbolises the need for people to be conscious of those events in society that have altered their reality or have transformed their lives. It should not be surprising to anyone how quickly the calendar year grows shorter the older one becomes. Looking back, it seems as though the year 2015 had just began but unfortunately for many, the passing of the last 12 months happened so quickly. Others cannot believe that eight months have gone by already since the May 11, 2015 general elections that brought change to the country with the defeat of the PPP government. And it would not be long before the nation celebrates the first anniversary of the new government. The saying that time flies is true. While there is little point in dwelling on the past twelve months, it should be instructive as a reference point for shaping the lives of many in the future or of taking stock and planning a new direction. As a nation, the citizens of Guyana should look back but at the same time, look to the future in order to grasp and understand the best and the worst times of 2015, the glory and the grief the nation has experienced, the terrible loss some have endured, the incredible gains many have achieved, the extraordinary achievements of science and technology, and most important, the breathtaking change in governance. The government should be commended for cleaning Georgetown, and surrounding areas, restoring Merriman Mall, establishing three new municipalities (Bartica, Mahdia and Lethem) and for calling Local Government Elections, which were last held twenty-one years ago. Looking back, 2015 was a year of personal loss for many. Many lost loved ones to gun violence, traffic accidents and natural causes. It was a tough year for the nation’s transition from the general negative feelings to the state of being positive, and from hopelessness and despair to joyfulness and confidence. Strange events have also occurred in 2015 such as the disappearance of the former president and several exMinisters from the limelight, the 50 percent increase in salaries for some ministers, and the election of the APNU+AFC coalition government. In 2015 there was turbulence in the society—natural and man-made disasters such as floods, extensive women and child abuse, police brutality, shortcomings in the judicial system, and intensified criminality and gang entrenchment in several communities which are becoming like parts of Georgetown. There is not a community in the country that is out of bounds to criminals. In Georgetown and certain areas of the country, crime is so rampant that residents, mostly the elderly, are being reduced to almost sub-human existence by being locked behind iron bars in their houses for fear of being robbed or murdered. Despite Operation Dragnet which is hunting down the criminals, Guyana is well on its way to becoming a criminal state. Over the years Guyana has lost some of its best and great intellectual minds due to migration to greener pastures in the Caribbean and North America. Original thinkers, of fearlessness and undying hope, who love Guyana and did much to propel it forward, but their departure, left a huge void in the public service and the public sphere of ideas and debates. Today, Guyana faces falling commodities prices, but by looking forward, the possibility exists for it to weather the storms in 2016.
Thursday December 31, 2015
Letters... Where your views make the news
I lost my job at the nation’s top selling newspaper DEAR EDITOR, Whether you laughed, cried, celebrated, mourned, embarked on new ventures and projects, you would agree that 2015 would go down as a very eventful year in Guyana’s history. It would certainly be remiss of us to allow another calendar year to close without doing some introspection of our lives and all that has happened over the year and shape better life choices for 2016. Most notable, perhaps, is the change of government that came about as a result of the May General and Regional Elections— the dawn of a new era, so to speak, resulting in a wave of confidence, expectation and joy from a wide cross- section of the Guyanese people. For the rest, there have been disenchantment and dissatisfaction about the outcome, while many to this day only bring forth negativity in their daily outpourings. Fear and fright were injected into the minds of many prior to and just after the new transition in government but as many would see; rice flour has certainly not made a comeback. Instead, it is enlightening to watch a society try various new ways of doing things. I am excited and would be keenly watching the decisions and policies that would be made in the coming year, starting with the budget in the next month. I felt disenfranchised and pretty much robbed in 2015. People you trusted and had hopes in did not keep their words. After doing much work for
the former Administration and their political party, myself and at least one New Amsterdam Television Station with whom they partnered for hosting live programmes of Government Minister’s being interviewed during election time, have still not been paid— people for whom I stood up and eventually lost my job at the nation’s top- selling newspaper; that was a very sad day. Today the McCoys and Jaffarallys, even the Hassans of a certain Stateowned media, are all silent about that meeting at the Office of the President last January about these programmes in Berbice. Several letters too were sent to the current Administration— the Ministry of the Presidency, both to the Shariffs and Harmons— to which have merited not a single acknowledgment or reply. I am surprised at the Minister’s non- acknowledgement of my letter, which enquired how me and the TV station would be paid and by whom. In 2015, I had to stop doing what I loved with all my heart to do. Even though I still write for a little newspaper in the Catholic Church, my journalistic pen has pretty much been put down for now. I feel sad as I flip the pages of my former newspaper today as memories and efforts of a time that used to be flow again in my mind. Clash of egos are destroying Guyana. Every person feels he or she is too ‘big’ for the other person. At the top of the list are our politicians, who make themselves very hard to be emulated. Let’s forget past hurts and move
bravely into the coming year. Out with the old and in with the new as they say, right? It’s never too late to start afresh. We have passed through a very tough election year, but heading into another year where there will be elections at the local level. Let there be maturity and less mud- slinging. Let there be talk about issues and not personality. Guyanese cannot afford to be further divided and polarized as they are at the moment. The current administration needs to strengthen its bonds with the section of the population that voted for the party which is in current opposition. These are my sanguine thoughts and sentiments as 2016 dawns. And before I go, please permit me, Editor, to recognize veteran nursery educator, Berbician Ingrid Warner, who gave most of her life to nurturing young minds of Manchester, Alness and other nearby villages. Her inspirational story would never be told because I was let go from the newspaper the a few days after her interview. These special persons among us bring the hope we all expect and hope would inspire each and every one of us for 2016 and beyond. Thank you. Happy New Year! Leon Suseran PUBLISHER’S NOTE Whatever Mr Suseran is seeking to project as the reason for him losing his job with this newspaper, is far from the truth. Mr Suseran was terminated because of unprofessional attitude
Running water courtesy of the APNU-AFC Govt. DEAR EDITOR, It took ten long years but at last the residents of Budhan’s Scheme in West Canje Berbice have on the 17th December 2015 been able to access running water in their taps for the first time; as such we would like to thank the Government of Guyana, moreso the President, David Granger, who promptly acted on our letter which we sent to the Office of the President requesting that he look into our plight where we were not getting running
water, although numerous attempts were made with the previous government and endless meetings with the Past and Present Regional chairmen. Kudos to Dr. Richard Van West Charles, the current CEO of GUYWA who acted swiftly and came himself to meet with us one afternoon in November and promised us that before Christmas 2015, we would get running water and true to his word we got what was promised. Budhan’s Scheme is really a street which runs one mile in
length and the road is 60% complete, we the residents are pleading with the regional chairman, Mr. David Armogan and other relevant authorities like central government to look into the situation with our road and we would like him to come and visit the scheme and see the remaining mud road and include that road in the 2016 budget. Thanks once again to everyone who played a part in us getting water in our scheme. We really appreciate it. Residents of Budhan’s Scheme
Thursday December 31, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 5
Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news
This man wants to place Disturbing occurrences me on a terror watch list in an Amerindian village
DEAR EDITOR, Reference is made to Clement Rohee’s 30th December 2015 letter “PPP complains it is threatened but issues threats too” (KN) in which my name is mentioned as being part of this alleged group. According to the Oxford dictionary an extremist is “A person who holds extreme political or religious views, especially one who advocates illegal, violent, or other extreme action.” This term is chiefly used in a derogatory sense and is today used to link one to terrorist activities or goaders of terrorist activities. As such serious objection is taken to Rohee’s statement, which is devoid of any evidence linking me to any extreme act, be it in word or deed. Even more so dangerous in the attempt to so link me, a public figure, is that such association poses a threat to my safety, free and un-harassed movement in and out of this country. This is no statement to be taken lightly, nor can comfort be
found in the proverb that the author of such statement is fittingly among, “Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad.” We live in a dangerous world today. Ever so often in the news there are reports of the horror wreaked on lives and communities from persons engaging in extremist acts. Rohee, who is a member of the National Assembly, paid by the taxpayers of this country, including me, is engaging in a reckless act to place me on a terrorist watch list, when under his watch as Minister of Home Affairs state guns were turned on unarmed peaceful demonstrators in Linden on 18thJuly 2012, killing three and injuring dozens. In 2009 Mark Benschop, Norris Witter and I were engaged in demonstrations in different parts of Georgetown calling on the PPP government to respect the Laws of Guyana. On 15th July 2009 we were thrown in the Brickdam lockups under Rohee’s watch as Minister of Home Affairs. The
charges included one, that if we were found guilty, carried prison time. It is this reckless and oppressive conduct of the PPP, Bharrat Jagdeo and Rohee that saw Mark Benschop, Leonard ‘Junior’ Wharton, Major Bruce Munroe and his wife, CarolAnn Munroe languishing in prison for years under trumped up treason charges. Rohee is called on to provide the evidence (word or deed) of the extremist conduct I am being accused of. The media is being asked, since it facilitated this unsubstantiated and dangerous attack on my character, to facilitate the process of having the evidence produced. Extremists are wreaking havoc on lives, livelihood and way of life of people around the world today, and given that Rohee has so placed me in this category it has to be followed-up with the evidence, less anything happens to me, property or loved ones, he’d be deemed an accessory. Lincoln Lewis
DEAR EDITOR, I am often astonished at life’s coincidences. I have just read the letter from S.N. Singh of Florida about the “composition of a national prayer for all school children”. Religion in schools seems to be a ‘hot topic’ in different parts of the world at the moment. A few nights ago, I was listening to a radio discussion about the teaching of religion in British schools and what form this should take, in the light of the fact that Britain is now a multi-racial, multi-cultural society. The presenter invited listeners’ views. I remembered my own primary school days in Guyana, and sent the following email to him. It crossed with an email poster, sent by a friend in Guyana, of the most beautifully-illustrated pictures and words of the “The Lord’s Prayer”, I have ever seen. I immediately forwarded a copy of this religious poster
email to the radio presenter, as an endorsement of what I had just written. For me, three coincidences close together. This is the email I sent to the UK radio chat show presenter; ”Religion in schools. I am a very senior citizen and attended a Church of England primary school in the Caribbean. We were not taught religion as such, but we were required to say prayers three times a day, before starting classes in the morning, before breaking for lunch at midday, and at the close of the school day in the afternoon. We all said the same Christian prayers (the Lord’s prayer was essential) plus others, as we progressed to the ‘big’ school. We observed that some Roman Catholic children remained silent - but never knew why. Saying prayers and ‘teaching religion’ are two
different things. I have found that young children soon get bored with ‘preaching’. In one year, out the other. Instead teach good manners and how to be fair to one another. I would love to know whether other faith schools allow Christianity to be taught in their schools. I remember that when my son was at primary school in the 1970s, all the children looked forward to the Nativity Play in December. Do they still have this play at Christmastime in the ‘normal’ British school, I often wonder?” Incidentally, my son was always given the part of ’Joseph’ in the Nativity Plays, and on the second occasion, after donning the long white kaftan, and the white headgear with the black band around the forehead, he announced that he looked rather like ”Lawrence of Arabia”. Geralda Dennison
The e-mail I sent the British radio presenter
DEAR EDITOR, Investigation into the rampant corrupt practices of the past administration is indeed a hallmark of the new coalition APNU government which must be commended. This new regime is, in reality, sending out a clear message - no more corruption, no more mismanagement. But, Mr. Editor, this investigative work must be extended to all and sundry. I mean, to hinterland communities as well, particularly where the leaders of certain communities seem to feel they are above the law, that they are untouchable. If this does not happen, then leader after leader will rule with impunity, with the presumption that they cannot be jailed. Maybe some people have failed to grasp President Granger’s statement that if they “do the crime they will serve the time.” Some leaders in Amerindian communities should better take note. It is a known fact that one of the leaders of the small Amerindian community of St. Deny’s, Tapakuma, Region 2, has forfeited all the trust and confidence of his fellow leaders. Acting and making decisions without duly consulting his colleagues seems to be his penchant. One recent of his actions was when he failed to seek justice for a single-mother during the Christmas season. This said woman was allegedly attacked and almost raped by the son of a wellknown politician in this community. Had it not been for her school-aged son, who knows what harm could have resulted. The perpetrator is also well-known in this community for his type of behavior, preying particularly on young
girls, but many a time he would have been ‘let off the hook’ because of the then lofty position of his politician mother. Now, instead of seeking justice for this poor, single, destitute, partly retarded mother of two, the man colluded with others, known and unknown, to intimidate the victim, and allegedly even undermined her movements to speak freely with other members of the local village council. It is understood that at the time of writing this letter, her access is restricted to her home as if she is under house arrest. She is not allowed to even visit her friends and relatives during this Christmas season. This is grossly in violation of a person’s freedom of movement and in violation of the woman’s human rights as a citizen of her country. This is tantamount to tampering with witness in order to evade the course of justice. How treacherous, corrupt and inhumane can authority become It is alleged, too, that this man held a meeting with the aggrieved at the residence of a former powerhouse where she (the victim) was grilled and intimidated. It was told to her that the house donated to her by “Food For The Poor” could be taken away should she not “settle the matter” with them, and that he “has the final say” in any matter. How treacherous and inhumane can a person become. This preconceived notion, sir, that there are people who can say that they have the final say, and not the community, is still being perpetuated by a few flawed and dictatorially-oriented, individuals and who are hoping that new faces will be schooled to their liking so that our com-
munity can be governed once more in ways that are corrupt, deceitful and flawed. Mr. Editor, this is not going to happen. As long as there are young, bright and educated individuals in this community, it is not going to happen. As long as the APNU government is in power it is not going to happen. Let the persons concerned know that their days are over. They no longer rule this community, hence this letter seeking justice. Finally it might be pertinent to note that it was the precognition of some that the young leaders in Amerindians are too psychologically immature to hold important and critical posts in the first place. However, we still gave one of them chance. He has indeed tried but has failed us. And failed us immensely. Editor, we call on the respective authorities to make a thorough investigation into this man’s attitude and so that the necessary action can be taken at the earliest. Our President, His Excellency President David Arthur Granger, in his manifesto, had vowed to be on the side of abused women and children and so we are confident this letter will bear fruit. Concerned Resident (name submitted)
Page 6
Kaieteur News
Thursday December 31, 2015
Incompetence or not?
Govt. roasted for inability to answer questions on $3B spending under PPP By Kiana Wilburg “Utter incompetence”— this was the phrase used by the political opposition yesterday when the Government failed to answer more than 90 percent of their questions as it relates to the Financial Paper for Supplementary Estimates totaling $3.2B from October 25, 2011 to December 31, 2014. The Financial Paper was laid in the National Assembly two weeks ago by Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, and was up for consideration yesterday. For each line item up for discussion, the majority of the questions were directed to Jordan. To each question posed, even by some members on the Government benches, the Finance
Minister said that he was not in a position to answer. He said that he would be able to provide the answers at a later date. People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Executive Member, Juan Edghill, was the first to say that he was at a loss over what was taking place before him. He noted that the regulations of the House require that the questions on the supplementary estimates for the various Ministries be asked of the relevant Ministers. If those Ministers are unable to answer, only then is the Finance Minister asked to step in and provide assistance, explained Edghill. The Parliamentarian said, too, that the relevant technical officers for the
Ministers are supposed to be present during the debate of the financial order paper so that the needed guidance can be provide. The former junior Finance Minister said that it is obvious that the Government Ministers failed to prepare for the debate and as a result, he was unable to see how one could proceed in such circumstances. Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman, was quick to oppose Edghill’s comments. Trotman argued that the debate, yesterday, was no ordinary one as Government is considering the spending of the former regime. He said that given such extraordinary circumstances, Jordan should be given adequate time to get the
responses for the questions being posed by Members of the House. But Trotman’s response, for Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, was nothing but a poor excuse for Government’s inability to be prepared. Jagdeo, in support of Edghill’s points, told the House that regardless of the change in Government, the rules need to be followed. “It is expected that the relevant Minister, under the guidance of his technical staff, would answer the questions posed. But to claim that the Ministers are not aware or are unable to answer at this time is incompetence and shows
lack of preparation. “The financial papers had to go to Cabinet before it comes here. If Jordan doesn’t have all the answers then that is ok but his other Ministers are supposed to have the answers. This reeks of incompetence,” said the Opposition Leader. Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan, rejected Jagdeo’s comments. He believed that the Opposition’s attempt to “create the impression of incompetence” on the part of the Government, is without merit, especially when one takes into consideration that Government is trying to clear the spending which occurred under the PPP.
Jagdeo did not respond to Ramjattan’s arguments, except to say to the House Speaker, Dr. Barton Scotland that he would leave it to him to determine the way forward. Scotland did not make much ado about the arguments presented. He proceeded with the debate on the Financial Paper. Edghill commented to one of his colleagues that this is the first time a Minister is before the House questioning one of their own on spending when this should have been done at a regular Cabinet meeting. Be that as it may, the Committee of Supplies approved the first Financial Paper.
Top Cop upset with delay M&CC welcomes move in Police promotions to ban Styrofoam
The Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown, M&CC applauds the move of Central Government to ban the use of Styrofoam. According to Town Clerk, Royston King the move is long overdue. “It will promote a more environmentally friendly City,” King said. Styrofoam boxes and cups are the main containers used by eating houses to package cooked foods. The Town Clerk asserted that the ban is necessary if the Council is to realize the vision of making Georgetown the cleanest, greenest, City in the Caribbean.
However, some citizens continue to indiscriminately dispose of refuse in the waterways. When Styrofoam boxes are disposed of in the water courses, they severally compromise the efficacy of the drainage system. This results in overtopping in several communities when there is a heavy downpour of rain. Also, very often the Styrofoam containers that are deposited into the waterways are dropped in the pump and cause severe damage to the impeller. Over the years, the Council had to expend
millions of dollars to repair all of its pumps because of constant damage done by Styrofoam trapped in such drainage equipment. But, with the enforcement of the ban the Council is hopeful that cleaning of drains and canals would become less cumbersome and aesthetics of the environment would be enhanced. Also, the ban on Styrofoam would result in definite reduction in cost of cleaning and desilting of drains. Also, the Council will continue to enforce the antilitter laws and provide public education on the consequences of litter.
- accuses PSC of “playing into Rohee’s hand” By Dale Andrews The Police Service Commission (PSC) might have played into the hands of former Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, and has delayed the announcement of the much anticipated police promotions. The move has upset Commissioner of Police Seelall Persaud who believes that it stems directly from concerns raised by Rohee about pending disciplinary matters against certain senior police officers. It will also seem that Rohee still exerts some amount of influence on the current PSC which was constituted under his watch as Home Affairs Minister. Speaking to members of the media yesterday at a special end-of-year press conference, Commissioner Persaud said that he is very disappointed at the move by the PSC, since it will definitely have debilitating effects on the morale of ranks. “Yesterday I received a communication saying that the promotion will be on or before February 23rd, so it played right into the former Minister ’s hands,” the Commissioner said, obviously referring to Rohee’s call for the process to be held back to facilitate a “disciplinary matter” against Assistant Commissioner David Ramnarine. The eagerly anticipated Police promotions were
Some Police Cadet Officers are still awaiting appointments. expected to be announced on January 1. The Commissioner, in defending the Force’s position on the outspoken Ramnarine, explained that there can be no pending disciplinary matter, since there was no charge laid against the Assistant Commissioner. The matter in question was the public spat between Rohee and Ramnarine over monies for police elections duties in 2011. Rohee had stated that he had lost confidence in the Assistant Commissioner and had asked then Acting Commissioner Leroy Brumell
to institute disciplinary action. Brumell had told this newspaper that he had sent the matter to the Police Service Commission, but did not get a response. “If Mr. Ramnarine was not charged and we issue him with a charge sheet, then there is no disciplinary matter. And his file at this time, there is no charge sheet in that file. I’ve contacted him personally and he has said that he never received any,” Commissioner Persaud explained. The position taken by Rohee is being seen by many (continued on page 23)
Thursday December 31, 2015
Kaieteur News
Three killed in Carifesta Avenue smash-up
The Canter truck involved in the accident
A horrific collision between a Toyota Premio motor car and a Canter truck on Carifesta Avenue claimed the lives of three people last night. Dead are the driver of the Canter truck, Linden Eastman, 62 called ‘Smallie’; Robert Pyle, a Guyana Defence Force Sergeant, who was driving the car, and his wife Stacy Pyle, 29, a nurse attached to the Woodlands Hospital. The Pyles are from the village of Paradise, East Coast Demerara. Although the victims appeared to have died on the spot, they were officially pronounced dead at the Georgetown Public Hospital minutes after they were pulled from the
two wrecks. Eyewitnesses said that the car, PRR 9118, in which the Pyles were travelling, was heading east. It was overtaking another vehicle when it ended up into the path of the oncoming Canter truck. To avoid a head on collision, the driver of the car swerved, taking the impact on the left side of his car. Since Stacy Pyle was sitting in the front passenger seat, she took the brunt of the impact, and it took the efforts of firefighters to free her from the wreck. Firefighters also had to use special equipment to free Eastman from the Canter truck.
Murder accused released from hospital, in custody The main instigator and the man suspected to be at the centre of the “Dutty Sunday” double murder and cutlass brawl outside a popular Manchester, Corentyne, nightspot, has been released from hospital. Despite being in a critical condition after he was chopped about his body, murder accused Bhiron Robertson, called “Bouse”, 31, of Liverpool Village, was on Wednesday released from the New Amsterdam Hospital and is now in custody. He is expected to be charged with murder. The other wounded persons, Samuel Fraser, called “Charlie”, 32, of Liverpool and Gary Tyndall of Courtland, Corentyne, remain hospitalized. The melee blew up over a woman which left Mark Simon, 28, of Liverpool, Corentyne, and his friend Kempton Gray, 23, of Alness, Corentyne, dead. Simon was hacked to death outside the night spot during the brawl. The fight broke between Robertson and the now dead Mark Simon who were both involved in a relationship with a woman called Ann, or “Fluffy Tail” of Alness. During the night she was
reportedly partying with Simon when Robertson turned up around 23:30 hours.A heated argument ensued and both men armed themselves, Simon with a cutlass and Robertson with a knife. They began wounding each other, forcing other persons to intervene – some to part while others joined in the fight. Mystery still remains how Gray got his injuries and died, but it is believed that he was attacked while heading home after the incident. Gray reportedly assisted in taking Simon to the Port Mourant Hospital. At the hospital, he was pointed out to the police as one of the persons involved in the fight. Gray, obviously wanting to avoid being taken into custody, hurriedly left the hospital. Investigators revealed that they got a call from an unknown caller, informing them that an injured man was in a yard at Clifton. When they went to the yard they found Gray lying on a step in the yard with injuries to his body and breathing faintly. He was rushed to the hospital by the police. The police say that Gray was involved in the melee at Manchester and was one of those inflicting wounds. Investigators are also certain
that Gray was already injured when he was first seen at the hospital. The Police believe that Gray was injured in the melee and lost a lot of blood whilst walking on his way home. They also believe that he became weak and tried to seek help in the yard. Gray’s father, Garfield, had earlier told this newspaper that he was at home when he received a call from his son, informing him about the brawl. His son never told him that he was injured. He subsequently got a call around 05:00 hrs that the ambulance had just taken his son to the hospital and that “he deh bad.” The man said that his son succumbed not long after. He stated that when he visited the mortuary he observed that his son had a stab wound to his abdomen, a cut on his hand and a blow to the back of his head. Investigators report that most of the men involved in the fracas are known to the authorities and had records. Simon was recently shot and chopped about his body. He was said to be a terror to those in the neighbourhood. Investigations are continuing.
Page 7
Page 8
Kaieteur News
Thursday December 31, 2015
Thursday December 31, 2015
Kaieteur News
Woman still seeks missing daughter 12 years later Although 12 years have elapsed and searches conducted over those years for her daughter have all been fruitless, 59-year-old Celestine Marks, still harbours the pain she felt in 2003, when her daughter, 16year-old, Nicola Marks, a/ k”Dilo” vanished mysteriously from her Jonestown, Westbury home. “Dilo” was expected to return home after attending a video s h o w, in neighboring Bounty Hall. What is however most heartening, was the fact that Marks’s 16-year-old daughter was pregnant with her second child. The teenager vanished leaving a young baby. That child is 13 years old today. “Me tell she to come back early.” Marks never knew that it would have been the last time that she would have seen and spoken to her daughter. The mother of five said that her daughter was nine months pregnant when she disappeared. Today she would have been 28 years old. Giving an account of the activities surrounding her daughter’s disappearance 12 years ago, Marks vividly recalled her daughter leaving her Jonestown, Westbury home to attend a video show in Bounty Hall, a neighbouring village.
Celestine Marks Marks said that she however became worried after her daughter failed to return home. But, while the teenager had left her home unaccompanied, it was recorded that the missing teenager was in the company of the father of her child. Marks said that some time after 4 PM, she and her family began to make inquires about her daughter. This later led to the orchestration of an intensified search in areas in the quest to find her missing child. After a prolonged search, Marks said that her family had no alternative than to admit that her daughter was missing and would never be found.
Marks said that the last twelve years have been rough but her faith in God continues to sustain her. Marks did not only have to cope with the disappearance of her missing daughter for the last twelve years but also the challenge of raising her daughter’s young child. The child is a student of the 8th of May Secondary School. Marks, who never worked, explained, said that it was duly fitting that she applied for public assistance in an effort to raise her grandchild. She has also been seeking assistance from kind hearted people. Alternatively, many Essequibians continue to cast blame on law enforcement officers with regard to their inability of finding a six-yearold, Richmond, Essequibo child who has been declared missing for almost a month. They are maintaining that the police can certainly do more to address the recent engaging matter before this too becomes another “cold case.” Residents are calling on the police not to rely on finding, limbs, or body parts of the missing child but instead to pursue continuous and intensive investigations in finding the child. (Yannason Duncan)
Dem boys seh ...
Happy Old Year’s Day Today is Old Year’s Day, de last day of de year. Dem boys row, cuss and get upset whole year over de way some of de people behave. Dem also enjoy exposing some of dem who do all de wicked and weird stuff one can imagine in a small country like Guyana. As de old year passing away, like some people, dem
boys wish everybody all de best and de good things if dem deserve it fuh de New Year, and all de nasty things if it belongs to dem. Dem boys seh it’s funny how eight glasses of water a day seems impossible, but eight glasses of wine can be done in one meal. It’s Old Year’s. Make sure you drive safely after de eight glasses of wine and live
and dine in 2016. And always remember, tomorrow, tomorrow, today, yesterday. We always work for a better tomorrow, but when tomorrow comes, instead of enjoying it, we again think of a better tomorrow. Let’s have a better day, today, de last one in 2015. Talk half and worry about de new day in 2016.
Page 9
THE YEAR THAT WENT BY FAST The year 2015 flew by like an F-16 fighter jet. You only saw its traces; that is how fast it went by. The last half of the year went faster. Indeed it went so fast that even the coalition must be wondering what was achieved over their first seven months. Things move rapidly in the world. The only thing that goes slow is governments and the current government has, as the satirists would say, been on a “slow march”. The solution is not quicker governments. Governments have a notorious reputation of going slow. Major projects, none of which have been initiated by the APNU/AFC administration, take a minimum of three years to develop. This is why APNU/AFC had to swallow its pride and agree to the original airport project that was developed by the PPP and which the APNU/AFC had promised to scrap. This is also the APNU/ AFC that has to go along with the Specialty Hospital. If they are to build any other hospital, it will take at the minimum five years from conception to the start of construction. This is why also the government has again been forced to do an independent assessment of the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project and dump its own plan for the development of the Mazaruni Basin. It knows that its own plans will take ten years and therefore it will have to go along and build the very project that it condemned the PPP for. There is nothing more in the pipeline that was not
already being developed by the PPP. There is shortage of ideas within the new government and this is handicapping the administration. Money is not the problem. Ideas and plans are the problem. Everything is being done in an ad hoc manner. There are so far no plans outlined for attracting new investment. The investment and export promotion agency has not yet been restructured. The government is flipping and flopping. Come next year they will be wining and dining. The attention will be on events leading up to May 26, 2016, Guyana’s fiftieth anniversary, and more importantly, the first anniversary of the coalition. No one has condemned the political opportunism of having the official inauguration take place on the very day that Guyana was marking its Independence. Everyone hopes for the best and looks past the dangerous signals that are emanating from the government’s camp. No one has questioned that the cost of the Commission of Inquiry into the sugar corporation. The Commission of Inquiry lasted a few months and reports indicate that the
cost of the proceedings ran into tens of millions to produce a report which has not yet been released for the public and which, from all accounts, does not aim to do anything different from what the PPP may have been planning to do. In the seventies, everyone screamed when the PNC flag was flown over the Court of Appeal and when paramountcy of the party was instituted. Yet no one is saying anything about the greening of public buildings such as the National Sports Hall and the Gymnasium. Green is the colour of APNU and if public buildings are being deliberately painted in green, then these buildings are bearing the colours of partisanship. These are dangerous developments in Guyana, but not as dangerous as the fact that a whole year has gone by so quickly and a growing economy, the fastest growing in the Caribbean, is suddenly likely to register either zero or only marginal growth. That is dreadful, but not as dreadful as the fact that there seems to be no plan in place to resurrect the economy.
Page 10
Kaieteur News
Thursday December 31, 2015
=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===
Dance tonight to the genius of Barry White What are you doing tonight? That’s a hackneyed question to ask anyone at this time of the year. Around the world people seek some pleasure in the celebratory mood that comes with the passing of the year we lived in; a year we know will never come again. It is that time when people want to forget the troubles that come with living in human society. Old Year ’s Night is different from every other occasion because the moments we lived with in that year become part of our memory bank. We feel that urge to say goodbye in the happiest of ways. One thing for sure about Old Year’s Night; you want to be with
the people you love. You want to see past as it ebbs away with those you love being around you. In each of us at this time of the year is the urge to say, “I want to have a moment of pleasure because I don’t know what tomorrow will bring.” This is what is special about the final hours of a dying year. So tonight, the peoples that populate Planet Earth will enjoy themselves. But the way this column is written, so far it is as if all of us will have the freedom tonight to taste the beauty of life as we dance. Even in our own country, many will not celebrate because they do not have any reason to. But poor as this country
is, we must be thankful for small mercies because as we move and grove and waltz tonight, small children clinging to their parents will make a dangerous journey over dangerous waters fleeing the inhumanity that comes with war. Many will not see the New Year. The water will consume the children and their parents. That has been one of the most painful tragedies of 2015, in particular the plight of the Syrian refugees. To read about drowning refugees clinging to their children as death consumed them was a most horrible experience in 2015. In many parts of the world tonight, including Guyana, there will be lavish celebrations as we say goodbye to 2015, but we must pause for just a tiny second
to remember those in poverty that will not see the fireworks. But, of course we should be careful not to let ourselves be burdened with the angst of 2015 as we dance toward the stars tonight. It is a special occasion and humans must savour what they may never see again. Despite differences in age, people will enjoy themselves tonight and it is important that they do. Tennessee Williams in his play, “The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore,” wrote that every step we take at any time becomes the past (the movie version is titled, “Boom” with husband wife team, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton; Taylor spoke those words in the film version) The past is living in the present by the logic of Williams. And he is right. The past will pass tonight and we must not let it do us so without the experience of joy.
You shouldn’t stop dancing on Old Year’s Night. I can’t dance at all but I do have memories dancing with my wife on Old Year’s Night, especially in Canada. Here is a song I think you should sway to late into the evening as 2015 comes to a close. It remains one of the greatest instrumental tunes ever composed. If I have to choose ten of the best songs that I love, this will be high up on my list. Dance to the genius of soul legend, Barry White, and his phenomenal song, “Love’s Theme” where lush orchestration and big guitars mix the genres of classical notes, rhythm and blues, funk, disco and soul all wrapped up in a phenomenal sound that is incomparable. Here are the lyrics. Please dance 2015 away with this song. Play our love’s theme tonight My love’s here, it’s no dream tonight
Frederick Kissoon It’s been so long Since we’ve danced to our love song I know the melody That made her mine will be The melody that keeps her close to me Play our love’s theme once more Make her feel, like she felt before While the lights are low Just let the music flow I know that the melody That made her mine will be The melody that keeps her close to me Play our love’s theme again Touch her heart, touch her soul and then Once we sip the wine Her lips will come to mine I know that the melody That made her mine will be The melody that keeps her close to me
Thursday December 31, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 11
Govt. files legal notice cancelling Thomas Lands lease to Ed Ahmad The Thomas Lands property in question.
Ed Ahmad
Bharrat Jagdeo
Government has started proceedings to cancel the controversial lease to Generations Complex Inc., a company owned by Edul Ahmad, a US-based, G u y a n e s e - b o r n businessman. According to a Lands and Surveys notice published in the Official Gazette on December 15, last, the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys is proposing to cancel land lease number GLL2799 in respect to 2.311 acres of Government lands, located at Plantation Thomas Lands, at the corner of Thomas Road and Vlissengen Road. The lease to Ahmad’s company would allow for the repossession of the land for reallocation. The notice also made it clear that persons with claims or who would oppose the cancellation should contact the Office of the Lands and Surveys Commission within seven days of the third publication, stating their reasons. The notice would come at a time when former President Bharrat Jagdeo, under whose
watch the lease was granted, had insisted that it was cancelled since 2009. Government had said that there was no evidence that it was cancelled and that moves are being made now. The land in question is part of the sports facilities that the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) had said that it leased. However, under Jagdeo’s administration the land was secretly leased to Ahmad with all the permits and documentation completed in just seven days. The 2008 transaction was, earlier this month, made public by Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, during a press conference. The Minister said that Government was moving to terminate the lease and to repossess the land, as the transaction smacked of corruption. Ahmad is facing jail time in the US for a US$50M real estate fraud to which he pleaded guilty. He is reportedly a close friend to Jagdeo and has several properties and businesses in Guyana. Months after the deal was signed in 2008, the PPP/C
CJIA's passenger traffic passes 500,000-mark in 2015 Passenger demand continued its positive trend in 2015 with Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) – the country's largest aviation hub - recording a six percent increase as of December 29 compared to corresponding figure last year. So far 503,717 passengers were processed compared to 477,092 last year, revealed Dursatty MangruDoodnauth, the airport's acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) said in a statement issued by the airport yesterday. “International passenger arrivals for 2015 are 249,241 or six percent higher than the previous year, due primarily to more reliable service, additional seats availability and
increase flights to existing and new routes,” the acting CEO added. In the recent past CJIA has seen increase airlift to several destinations including New York City, Miami, Aruba, St. Maarten, Suriname, Jamaica, Panama and Curacao. Meanwhile, imported cargo for the period under review amounted to 3,485,397 kilogrammes compared to 3,295,977 kilograms, which represents a six percent increase. “Twenty two percent of the cargo is industrial supplies, while 20 per cent is personal effects, 21 percent is for hatching eggs and 13 per cent represents other consolidated cargo,” Mangru-Doodnauth stated.
government battled with the Guyana Public Service Union for the lands. The union had insisted it had control on the land. The matter ended up in court with no decision to this day. All through this time, the PPP/C Government never disclosed that it had leased the lands to Ahmad, who promised to sink US$75M to develop a hotel, complete with restaurant, bar, a casino, club and trade exhibition hall. Ahmad was bound to submit a business plan a month after he signed the lease- on May 30, 2008. However, since signing the lease, Ahmad only made one payment of $500,000. It was this breac h o f t h e agreement that the new Government said it was utilizing to take back the land. The transaction was one that the administration touted as being among several questionable deals by previous Governments of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic. According to Harmon, the new administration has been taking note of the claims by Jagdeo, that no corruption existed under his reign and that ongoing forensic audits and investigations are all but a smokescreen. The lease itself along with the applications would show the high interest that Jagdeo and his government paid to the transaction and the speed in which it was processed. On May 22, 2008, Ahmad through a company called Generation Complex Inc., applied for the land– about 2.311 acres at Plantation Thomas Lands. It was approved and a cadastral survey was executed by May 29- five days later. It was registered that same day with Ahmad signing the lease on May 30, 2008 “We can call it administrative efficiency but we in Guyana know that there is no way that the sequence of events can be completed in seven days and for a lease
to be issued by May 30.” The lease allowed for Ahmad to buy the land for just about $50M once he has spent about US$30M of the US$75M investment he committed to. “In effect it is a sort of back door arrangement whereby the company was granted a lease within seven days and given option of purchasing land
without the normal processes when it comes to purchasing lands,” Harmon had said. “So when Mr. Jagdeo speaks about corruption to bring the evidence, here it is…” Harmon said that from indications, following the speed of the transaction, it appeared that Ahmad saw a piece, was able to get a lease in seven days along
with the necessary permission, in an area that is specifically set aside for recreational purposes. The sports ground deal would also call to mind the secret sale of the Sanata complex at Industrial Site, by Jagdeo, to his best friend, Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop. The deal is being investigated by the new government.
Page 12
Kaieteur News
Thursday December 31, 2015
Guyana Police Force upbeat about 2016 · To boost the force by 1200 ranks · To add new locations · To see improvement in transportation
Riding on the relative success in fighting crime this year the Guyana Police Force (GPF) through Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud, is extremely enthusiastic about dealing with the challenges of the coming year. For one, the Force will be welcoming 1200 ranks, who will be placed countrywide to tackle crime and in turn provide a safer society for citizens. Speaking to reporters yesterday at the force’s end of year press conference, the
commissioner boasted about the current downward trend in murders. He said that the addition of the 1200 ranks should lead to a further decline. However, serious crimes have risen. Already, the force has started making preparations for two major events in 2016Local Government Election and the 50th Independence anniversary celebration. Hot on the agenda is a US$5M grant that is likely to see an improvement in
Seelall Persaud yesterday along with other police officers
t r a n s p o r t a t i o n , communication and information technology for the police. For 2016, Persaud said that there will be new police locations both in the interior and coastland. He also spoke about the expansion of the street camera programme which will extend from Timehri, East Bank Demerara, to Plaisance, East Coast Demerara, with heavy concentration in the city. This will enable the police to access to live footage of
GPL’s Managers get $60,000 bonus, raise in salary It may be the end of the year today but senior staffers of the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) have a few things to light their eyes up. According to a statement from the Power Company, yesterday, the junior and senior managers will walk away with a one-off bonus of $60,000 plus a 6.56 percent increase. This was following an agreement between GPL and the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) after weeks of salary and allowances negotiations. Both parties on
Tuesday mutually entered into an agreement for the emoluments and benefits for employees represented by the GPSU for the calendar year 2015. Negotiations commenced on November 18, last which witnessed proposals and counter proposals. In the final agreement, Junior and Senior Managers of GPL will receive the following emoluments and benefits. For the year 2015, an increase of 6.56% on the existing salary level as at December 31, 2014 at each
position of employment. They will also receive a “one-off” payment of $5,000 per month or $60,000 per annum for the year 2015. There will be an increase of $40 per mile for travelling from a previous $135 per mile, commencing January 1, 2015. With regard to Overtime/ Meal Allowance, commencing January 1, 2015, there will be an increase of $100 from a previous $1,000 in 2014 to $1,100 in 2015. Normal staffers were also earlier this month granted an increase.
criminal activities. Already, the cameras in the city have solved a number of cases and caused more than 3,000 traffic cases. To make life easier for citizens in the New Year, the commissioner commented on the establishment of a command centre which will have the three emergency services-- fire, police and ambulance. “There will be one telephone line for all three services so at anytime you can call one number and have access to all three services,” Persaud revealed. Reflecting on 2015, the commissioner of police said that while the year has been one with its own unique challenges, it has been one with a lot of experiences. Kaieteur News was told that the first quarter of the year would have seen heavy concentration on planning and preparation for the general and regional election in conjunction with the joint services. He said that sufficient security by the force during this season would have allowed for smooth conduct during the campaign and election period. He said too that professionalism by the force would have also allowed for a smooth transition of the new government. The commissioner admitted
that in terms of serious crimes, the figures show that the force has recorded a seven percent increase as compared to last year. As it relates to murder, figures show that there has been a reduction by four percent as compared to 2014. Thanks to operation Dragnet, there has been a significant reduction in serious crimes this month with the figures showing a total of 157 as compared to 388 in August; 327 in October; and 307 in November. There was a peak in February and the figures started to fluctuate from there. With regards to illegal weapons, ranks managed to seize 300 illegal guns so far for the year, 186 of which were collected during the recent amnesty. This year, seven percent of all murders were executionstyle murders; 16 percent were domestic related murders. There were also disorderly murders. Disorderly type murders over the last five years have been consistently high. In 2011, a whopping 40.8 percent of the total murders were of the disorderly type. In 2012, it increased to 44.6 percent. The 2013, statistics showed a decline to 39.4 percent of all the murders. Last year the figures dropped
to 31.7 percent. “It explains the extent to which members of our society resort to violence in order to treat with conflicts. While detection can serve as a deterrent it is in prevention by developing adequate interpersonal skills in members of the society that we should focus on,” Persaud said. “While we have seen slight fluctuation in the rates of domestic related murders, we would have noticed significant reduction in reports of domestic violence,” Persaud pointed out. In 2011, there were 4979 cases of domestic violence; 3786 cases were reported the following year and in 2013, there were 3225 cases. Last year, there was significant reduction with 860 but there was a spike this year, with 1436 reported cases. This year has recorded the lowest rate of suicide as compared to the last five years with the figures standing at 86. In 2011, there were 202 cases; 95 in 2012; there were 128 reported cases in 2013, and 97 last year. “We are extremely enthusiastic about next year and we wish you (Guyana) a very peaceful, happy and productive 2016 and we ask that let us continue to work to make Guyana safe.”
Thursday December 31, 2015
Kaieteur News
FATF/CFATF applauds Guyana’s compliance Guyana continues to be applauded for its efforts in complying with the requirements of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF). Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General (AG), Basil Williams, said that at the conclusion of the CFATF’s Plenary and Working Group Meetings, held in Trinidad and Tobago from November 23 to November 27, Guyana’s overall level of compliance in accordance to the CFATF has been significantly improved. With Guyana meeting all actions and showing substantial improvement in respect of 14 other recommendations. “CFATF indicated that to demonstrate continued implementation, the authorities should continue to submit information of each report regarding the provision of training both to the competent authorities and the financial institutions,
the onsite AML/CFT inspection activity of the Bank of Guyana (BOG), the Guyana Securities Council (GSC) and the Chief Cooperatives Development Officer (CCDO) and the various statistical information required under the specific recommendation,” Williams stated. The AG said that due to the outstanding recommended actions, the CFATF recommended that Guyana stay in enhanced follow up and be required to report to the next plenary in May 2016. He also revealed that out of the 27 members, 10 members, including Guyana, are still in the CFATF follow up process under the Third Round Mutual Evaluation, and all 10 members are urged by the GFATF to quickly address their outstanding deficiencies and apply to exit the follow-up process by May next year.
US-based Guyanese brings Christmas cheer to Linden ... From page 19 encouraged to join in with her and spread cheer to various communities across Guyana. Speaking with Kaieteur News, the couple said, “We enjoy doing this, we love this, it gives us great joy to give back to less fortunate children.” “We will do this again next year and we're hoping that more overseas-based Guyanese get on board to have a bigger event.” “The idea is to come and give back to the kids. We're not done yet,” said the couple. They arrived at Queens Street, South Cummingsburg (Tiger Bay) to give away more of their treats.
Jackman said that she was inspired by the documentary “10 Cities” that featured Onica Andrews, the mother of the deceased Elijah Andrews who died after a route 45 minibus drove over him. Children once again greeted the couple and were given more treats. The turnout was not as large as in Linden, but everyone had a merry time. Jackman and her husband would like to thank the following people for their support and contributions. T.L.C Shipping, South Pole Store, Christine McCalman, Dr. Barbara Arnhem, Jennifer George, Melena Giddings, Kevon Clark, Latoya Jones, among others.
Public Utilities Commission gets two new commissioners From page 18 welcomed at the office of the PUC. The other Commissioners serving on the PUC are Badrie Persaud and Maurice Solomon. The Public Utilities Commission was established to “regulate, investigate, enforce and such other functions conferred on it by the Public Utilities Commission Act No.10 of 1999, with respect to the utilities, which come under its purview ---Telecommunications, Electricity and Water and Sewerage.” While it is vested with the power “to initiate and conduct investigations into the operations and standards of service of any public utilities
under its purview” the PUC is not involved in policy, though it could “act in an advisory capacity to the Ministers responsible for utilities on such matters concerning the utilities as are referred to it by the relevant Ministers,” according to its website. The PUC operates from its Queenstown, Georgetown office.
Page 21
Page 22
Kaieteur News
VEHICLE FOR SALE Smart Choice Auto: Premio, Allion, Bluebird, 212, IST, Fielder, Spacio- Call: 6523820/ 665-4529 SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. – CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, C a n a da & UK; Guyana Passport application. Graphics design, Advertisement. Tel: 6267040; 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 INNOVATIVEMARKETING & PUBLISHING INC –TEL: 600-4212: We create A/ works, logos, business cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. Desmond Repair Services Fridge, AC, gas stove, microwave, washer, etc on the spot repairs –Call: (592)6788683; 687-9709 We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer-Call: 231-0655; 683-8734. Omar
WANTED Damage batteries in any quantity, best price offeredCall: 696-5728, 656-2783, 6225941, 648-9395, 223-1111 Experienced Pastry Make/ Cake Decorator, Driver, Counter Server, Roti Cook. Apply Hack’s Halaal, 5 Commerce St. EXPERIENCED WRITER FOR A SHORT E-BOOK 50 TO 60 PAGES. GOOD PAY. TEXT ME ONLY: 603-0758 One live in domestic maid – Call: 675-5256/ 666-4153/ 6563241 1 Female 18-25yrs living in / around G/Town to work in Snackette 3pm-9pm @ 193 Charlotte St. G/Town-Call: 226-2320 One domestic to work at Lusignan, 2 to 3 half days a week –Call: 220-0302 Two experienced waitressesCall: 627-5607 1 General Domestic- living near Schoon-Ord, West Bank Demerara-Call: 629-2629; 6766312 One experienced domestic cook to work on E.C.D-Call: 621-8478 One live in maid-Call: 6683985; 264-2563 One live in Domestic- Must know to cook, $55,000 monthly-Call: 661-8673; 6615992 One nail technician: apply in person with written application to Zytech Building Regent Street. Call: 225-0563
One Axela Mazda -$1.550 negotiable, one Nissan Titan, one Audi A4; all vehicles in excellent condition-Call: 665-3038; 226-4356 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 New model RAV 4 4X4 $2.5M, Mazda Axela -$1.5M, good for bank purchase (both excellent condition) –Call: 220-6380; 639-2490 We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 Tacoma- Call: 680-3154 AT192, 212, Allion, unregistered Premio, Hilux Surf, BNN, RZ & Pit-bull, 7 seater super custom. Cash / terms- Call: 680-3154 2013 Mercedes C250 turbo AMG coupe, retractable glasstop, mileage 15K, alcantara leather interior, brush aluminum acc- Call: 650-5136 Tractor Massey Ferguson from Canada : MF165 -$1.7M, MF -$135M -$1.1M, MF265$2.2M, Tundra -$1.9M, Tacoma 2005-$2.3M- Call: 682-5230, 628-9596 1 New model Raum, PPP series, 1 Toyota Spacio, PPP Series –Call: 649-2354
1 Experienced diesel/ gasoline mechanic to work in the Interior- must also know to drive & weld –Call:6802702/661-4265 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 Two house & land for sale, excellent condition, one located at Tuschen & one at Goed-Fortuin. Call: 6683985; 660-3235
LAND FOR SALE Providence house lots, size 50ftX100ft -$7M –Call: 6002031; 233-5535 Transported land with fruit trees, fenced, fill high -$4.3M @ Richmond Essequibo Coast, next to School–Call: 682-5230; 628-9696 Residential house lot at Kuru Kururu (First Hill on Highway from Junction) 100X100-Call: 680-6136
CAR RENTAL DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL:CARS&SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 6560087 , EMAIL: PRO_ AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO. COM Aidan’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up, cheapest rate, low security- Call: 698-7807 Wing’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up rental- Call: 690-6494
Thursday December 31, 2015
FOR SALE
SALON
TO LET
LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754.
-Make Up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, Black Opal, Mabelline. -Nail Technician Course Call: 647-1773/660-5257
Newly constructed 2 bedrooms apartment in a healthy and safe environment –Call: 6986496; 677-6638
VACANCY
EDUCATIONAL
Full & Part time & Seasonal, local & international work available, training provided $5,000 plus daily – Call: 6221957/ 233-6517, www.jobfairworldwide.com
RISING STAR DAYCARE, KINDERGARTEN & AFTERSCHOOL CARE. Lessons for Grades 1-11: Phonics, reading, Nursery – Call: 690-9378
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 Spare for washing machine, microwaves, fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, motors, etc Call: 225-9032, 647-2943 Diving Suits-Call: 265-3449/ 613-5158 2 Mining Claims, Omai Ouratz Hill, 1 Aurora Along the 6KM Road, 1 IBM bottomside. Contact A. Thompson, telephone: 600-6057
Qualified Accounts, bond clerks, drivers @ Rosignol, Bond clerks & drivers @ Melanie- Call: 330-2399; 3302772; 623-5920
Wholesale & Retail quantity of all types of belts –Call: 670-2343
1 Security guard to work nightly, apply in person at Alabama Trading, Georgetown Ferry Stelling.
1 Complete Music Set, 2 MX 2000 QSC, 2 MX1500 QSC, 2 Gemini 1000W, guggler, mixer crossover, EQ, etc –Call: 2533070, 686-1887
Experienced and mature pharmacy assistant and general cashier/staff to work in Pharmacy. Call: 661-3124; 675-8790
One Toyota Corolla 192 Gold – Call: 694-3113
Night Security- send application to: P.O. Box 10109, Georgetown, by 8th January, 2016. Immediate vacancies exist for at least 12 workers to work @ Ice Factory, MeadowbankCall: 231-1408/ 642-9191
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 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 Two bedrooms house “A” Field Sophia, fully grilled off Road Parking, CCTV, $50,000 monthly with 2 months security-Call: 693-2237; 2190211 One exclusive three bedrooms apartment @ Lot 92 Diamond E.B.D & one – two bedrooms apartment@ Llot 128 Middle Rd. La Penitence. Call: 225-5533
Salesman with his own transportation-Call: 610-1111 Mature live in housekeeper, serious enquiries only –Call: 697-8797 One computer technicianemail application to roytechgt@gmail.com Accounts /Bond Clerk, apply at Alabama Trading, Georgetown Ferry Stelling Carpenters to work in Coverden, E.B.D apply at Alabama Trading Georgetown, Ferry Stelling. Caterpillar and Perkins mechanic, Excavator Operators. Contact 2235273 Gardener / handyman contact 223-5273-4 Welder/Fabricator, senior machinist, mechanic & cleaners- apply in person: Technical Services, 18-23 Eccles Industrial Site. DRESSMAKING Turn your flair for fashion into an exciting career or hobby. Classes starting January –Call: 626-2629; 6766312
Rooms in Albertown and apartment in Eccles–Call: 225-3234
Thursday December 31, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 23
Letters... Where your views make the news Vendors released for burglarizing I disagree, Bharrat Jagdeo was a not success with DISD systems supermarket Two vendors were each released on $75,000 bail respectively by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, yesterday, to answer charges of burglarizing a supermarket. The Magistrate released the men on bail and ordered them to return to court on January 20. Vickram Nauth, 42, a vendor, who hails from 252 Sandy Babb Street, Kitty and Wazim Bacchus, 38, of 110 Block Y
Golden Grove Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, pleaded not guilty to the charge which read that between December 26 and December 27 at Georgetown, they broke and entered Guynaz Green Grocery and Supermarket and stole 40 boxes of cheese valued at $1.2 million and 40 sacks of powdered milk—all totaling $2, 285,500 property of Mohammed Safar. The prosecution made no objections to bail.
Top Cop upset with... From page 6 as an attempt to stymie the upward movement of Assistant Commissioner Ramnarine who is tipped to take over the reins at the head of the force when the current Commissioner of Police retires in a short while. Ramnarine was recently awarded the Disciplined Services Medal, a show of recognition for his outstanding work as a police officer. Commissioner Persaud did not hold back in chiding the former Home Affairs Minister. He said that it is unfortunate that Rohee is making an issue at this time when ranks are anxiously expecting their possible promotion. “That could only have a negative impact on the morale of the members of the Guyana Police Force. He referred to the retirement speech of former Commissioner Brumell, in which it was stated that the Police Force no longer commanded the respect of members of the society, and ranks are no longer proud to wear their uniforms. He also referred to a survey which showed that the organization with the least public confidence is the Guyana Police Force. These statements and reports affected the morale of the organization. He noted, however, that the Force is working with several society partners and that situation has certainly changed. “We might still be the organization with the least public trust, but the ratings have improved,” Persaud boasted. “We were struggling to get recruits then; we have now a waiting list for applicants of 1200, so certainly things have improved. And it was under that same Minister’s (Rohee) stewardship that we were there, and the same thing he
is doing now,” Persaud added. When asked about political interference in the Force as was mentioned by the former Minister, the Commissioner replied, “That is something I may address after I retire, and that is not very long from now.” Meanwhile, 11 Cadet Officers whose promotions to Assistant Superintendents have been delayed, could see their appointments finalized once and for all. The Cadet Officers were part of an initiative of former President Bharat Jagdeo to have a one-off batch of 50 Cadets. The Cadets were drawn from ordinary Constables, who, after a two-year probationary period, satisfy the Police Service Commission that they will become good officers, and will be appointed Assistant Superintendents. If they do not meet the criteria, the procedure is to have them reverted to their previous rank. However after several years, the Cadet Officers have neither been appointed nor reverted. “What has happened is that the provisions were not made for them in our establishment for Assistant Superintendents and there was a delay (in their appointment),” the Commissioner explained. That matter was sorted out when the government agreed to temporarily expand the establishment to accommodate the Cadet Officers. The Commissioner said that he is aware that some of the 11 remaining Cadet Officers might have pending disciplinary matters and that was the reason for some of the delays. Persaud said that he cannot say why those whose performances have been exemplary were not promoted. He suggested that this matter be taken up with the Police Service Commission.
DEAR EDITOR, In a media letter of Dec. 29, writer Edward Gonsalves, expressed the view that former President Bharrat Jagdeo and now Leader of the parliamentary opposition has a deep understanding of the problems facing Guyana due to the rise in sea level and therefore the knowledge and experience he has acquired during his administration should be made available to the APNU+AFC Government to alleviate the negative impacts climate change/sea level rise will have on Guyana’s drainage, irrigation and sea defences (DISD) systems. Unfortunately Mr. Jagdeo’s contribution as PPP President to the strategic
planning and development of Guyana’s DISD systems during his tenure was one of neglect as was evident by the poor condition of the infrastructures which were passed on to APNU+AFC Government and who has since had to enlist the help of experts of one kind and another to assist them to get the systems back on track to satisfy the minimum of functional requirements. The fundamental problems hindering Guyana’s development of its DISD systems to meet the challenges of sea level rise/climate change are lack of resources (financial, technical, managerial, etc.). During the PPP Government, the European
Union financed much of the work on sea defence. The Hope Canal Project to relieve flood water from the East Demerara Conservancy was financed largely from a Petro Caribe Fund while coastal drainage pumps were purchased from a Government of India loan. Grants and loans urgently needed to finance needed improvement and development works on DISD projects will be hard to access in the foreseeable future and therefore Guyana will have to generate its own resources to fund needed repairs, upgrading and the development of DISD works. Can it, given the many competing subsidies being demanded by various sectors of its economy?
Apart from sea level rise and loss of gravity drainage time, another major problem facing the sea defence is subsidence of its earth dams which will adversely affect flood water discharges through the sluices. The sea defence will have to be built/strengthened/repaired where it is most needed and would have the greatest impact to protect the people and the country’s economy and not just to save few coconut farms and isolated settlements at the mouth of the Pomeroom River and elsewhere. After all sea defence protection does not come cheap and its construction must be economically viable. Charles Sohan
Could this be President Granger’s magnus opus? DEAR EDITOR, Allow me from my humble standpoint to add my literary voice to the many others who have so done, regarding the recent spate of Presidential pardons, especially the inquiry by M. Maxwell, Stabroek News, December 28, 2015 titled “Everyone who obtains a presidential pardon should be named. The power to grant a pardon is derived from the British system wherein the king had, as one of his royal prerogatives, the right to forgive virtually all forms of crimes against the Crown. Factually, the basis of this presidential pardon can be found in the royal Prerogative of English Kings. On the other hand Article 11, Section 2 of the U.S constitution states as follow: “The President…shall have the power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.” The underlying assumption is that acceptance of a pardon is an implicit acknowledgement of guilt. An individual cannot be pardoned unless he has committed an offence. While I have and hold nothing against the Pardoner or the Pardoned, yet I am quick to point out or should that be remind this elected official that underlying the recentlyconcluded election campaign was the need for change as its central message. Seemingly, lost in the political reverberations has been any concern for the wider social implications of imposing conditions on pardon. Granting of a pardon remains the exclusive prerogative of the President, yet his action somehow or other, despite its inherent humane intention, bears a striking resemblance to some displayed
behaviors of the previous government. In the U.S the President is not required, or under any obligation to explain or justify his actions to me or you or any other person for that matter, as the power to pardon cannot be reviewed or overturned by any of the other branches of government. Incidentally as of December 2015according to a Pro Publica analysis, outgoing President Barack Obama has handed out pardons and commutations at a lower rate than any of his recent predecessors. Viewed from whatever angle one desires there has been a blatant disregard for the feelings of the electorate, absence of accountability, overlooking of national security, and at worst succinctly displayed high handedness. Personally I feel that it is far too early or premature for the emergence of such behavior. Against this backdrop one can only hope that the Granger administration would forever be guided by the rigorous code of conduct that it has demanded from its officials in high places. Article 188(2) states in the exercise of the prerogative of mercy, the President is required to consult with “such
Minister as may from time to time be designated by him”. Who was this designated Minister, and what expertise was brought to the table regarding selection of those to be pardoned? Yes, in the U SA the names of those pardoned and the offences for which they were imprisoned become public knowledge. Nothing is shrouded in secrecy. In the hustle, bustle and shuffle of the pardon frenzy, some concerns prevail, all of which should be dealt with in a manner that provide answers to the swirling questions in the minds of the Guyanese public. In the words of President Granger, “Most of them are young, most of them are misdemeanors, which are nonviolent, and I do hope that we can reintegrate them by ensuring that we get them training programmes.” I do hope so too, although I firmly believe these training and reintegration programs should have been in place and fully operational prior to any pardon consideration, rather than being just an expressed Presidential desire. The fact that the perpetrators are young carries very little weight in this argument, as by no stretch of the hu-
man imagination are they immune from recidivism. Ultimate future success of these Presidential humanitarian acts may be gauged by a diminution in the overall crime rate rather than just misdemeanors as a whole, making Guyana the country it was formerly. The requested change will be within range and pardon may be the magnum opus of President Granger- his lasting legacy. Only Time will tell. Yvonne Sam.
Page 24
Kaieteur News
Thursday December 31, 2015
M&CC descends on illegal city construction - for breaches of city bylaws The Mayor and City Council (M&CC) has moved against city businessman Paul James, with teams from the Council removing builders waste, sand and cement blocks from the Holmes Street, South Cummingsburg construction. The four-storey property, which is only one building away from the businessman’s Fix-it depot enterprise, has been under construction for some time now. It is reported to be responsible for the Main Street drains being filled with sand and waste oil flows. At noon on Monday, Town Clerk, Royston King, M&CC Public Relations Officer, Debra Lewis, and a team of officials were reportedly carrying out city wide inspections, which led them to the Tiger Bay area. There, they noticed the situation.
“As we approached the Tiger Bay/North Cummingsburg area we realized that we had an overtopping of water,” Lewis said. “Upon closer scrutiny we realized that there was an illegal construction done by James and in addition to that, he compromised the drainage system by having his construction cover the water way.” “There was a number of concrete four and six-inch blocks that were stored on the parapet, which we took away,” she continued. “All the builders waste was deposited obliquely opposite, in contravention of the city bylaws. And according to the engineer, he does not have permission from the Municipality.” She noted that in light of all this, James will be served with notices pertaining to his
Crews, in the process of removing the blocks and sand activities. The notices will be to have him halt construction and to go through the right procedure. Should he not be available, she said, that writ will be served to his next of kin. She stated that he will
also be summoned to provide the appropriate refuse receptacle for his building works The official also stressed that in keeping with the Town Clerk’s mandate, those who are desirous of doing
GTU hoping for augmented membership in 2016 - set to continue multi-year agreement discussion with Govt. Teachers should be given the right to support the work of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) if they so desire. However, they are not always granted this privilege, at least not without a fight. And GTU is prepared to battle for the rights of its teachers. According to President of the Union, Mr. Mark Lyte, “We have had challenges for the deductions for dues. Teachers have applied several times but still can’t get things going.” He was at the time explaining the process of becoming a member of the GTU even as he highlighted the obstacle preventing teachers from doing so. The application process, according to him, entails teachers writing to their respective Regional Offices requesting that the Regional Executive Officers make the necessary Union fee deductions. “On many occasions the deductions are not made for reason(s) that we don’t know; so there is frustration on the part of the teachers who are desirous of becoming members of the Unions,” related Lyte. He is however hopeful, that this would be one of the issues faced by the GTU during the past year that will
be urgently addressed in 2016. Currently the Union represents some 7,000 teachers spread across 39 branches who teach in the public education system. And once the issue of the stalled deductions is addressed more teachers will be granted the privilege to solidify their membership with the Union. Lyte is optimistic that this matter could be addressed under his tenure. He was elected to be president in 2014 replacing Colin Bynoe. And Lyte told this publication that he is definitely vying for the presidency again this year. The GTU is slated to conduct its biennial conference next April. The results of an election will be announced determining whether Lyte will continue at the helm. The election is usually held prior to the conference which is expected to be held in Bartica. Among his projections for the New Year is the completion of a constitutional reform for the GTU. This, according to Lyte, will include improving some areas that have been identified for attention such as the mode of elections. Once he is re-elected, Lyte has plans to develop and complete a five-year strategic plan to help chart a guided
way forward for the GTU. The GTU President is hoping to be a part of continued discussions with Government regarding the multi-year agreement that will govern the remuneration package and other benefits for teachers. “We want to cross all the T’s and dot all the I’s in 2016 regarding this multi-year agreement,” said Lyte. Soon after assuming the position of President, Lyte had touted a 20 per cent across the board pay increase as suitable for public school teachers. The last multi-year agreement was inked with the previous Government – the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic – in 2011 and will expire at the end of this month. The agreement was one that catered to a five per cent pay hike for teachers at the beginning of each year during the life of the agreement. But Lyte had earlier informed this publication that continued negotiations will not only address an increase in salaries, but also other benefits that the Union believes teachers should be entitled to. “Our focus is not only on salary issues but also on nonsalary issues as well,” said the GTU President who noted that the proposed package for teachers will include duty free
concessions, allowances for head teachers and principals. Although Lyte hasn’t revealed the details of the agreement being proposed by the Union he had however earlier told this publication, “We are also looking to include incentives for the lecturers at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and the technical institutes because they are our members as well, and we intend to bring them on board in terms of the benefits we expect them to have.” He’d intimated too that “We are looking to put a complete package together that will help the Ministry focus on the welfare of our teachers.” This move is imperative, Lyte had insisted since the Union is cognisant of the fact that the teaching profession has become very stressful and that teachers should be properly compensated for their efforts. Lyte had even then revealed the GTU’s intention to not make the craft its proposal without the input of teachers. He noted, “We are allowing for the input from all levels of teachers. We are going on the ground to our various branches to hear what teachers would want us to include in their pay package.”
construction work, must forward their applications to the City Engineer’s Department. She also stressed that builders must wait to be granted the requisite approval before beginning construction. James, who owns Fix-it Hardware, had once taken Princess Casino to court. He had claimed that the popular facility breached its licence by
allowing locals to enter its premises at Providence, East Bank Demerara. James, through his lawyers, Euclin Gomes, Ganesh Hira and Manoj Narayan, had also asked the High Court to award damages in excess of $1M for assault and battery allegedly inflicted by Casino Manager, Muammer Princcioglu, on May 24, last.
Mahaica man charged with nephew’s murder
Dennis Hussein after his first court appearance A 64-year-old Mahaica man was charged and later remanded to prison after he appeared before Magistrate, Sueanna Lovell, at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court yesterday, accused of murdering his 43-year-old nephew. Unrepresented by an Attorney, Dennis Hussein, was not required to plead to the indictable charge. The facts of the matter, which was presented by
Police Prosecutor, Lance Corporal David Goodrich stated that Hussein allegedly stabbed his nephew, Sheldon Richards, following an altercation at h i s h o m e a t S u p p l y, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara on Sunday last. R i c h a r ds was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). Hussein was ordered to return to court on January 18.
Thursday December 31, 2015
Kaieteur News
Bill Cosby charged with sexual assault; posts $1M bail
Actor and comedian Bill Cosby (C) arrives with attorney Monique Pressley (R) for his arraignment on sexual assault charges at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, yesterday. (Reuters/Mark Makela) (Reuters) - Comedian Bill Cosby was charged yesterday with sexually assaulting a woman in 2004 after plying her with drugs and alcohol, marking the only criminal case against a once-beloved performer whose father-figure persona was damaged by dozens of misconduct accusations. Hours after the charge was filed, Cosby, 78 arrived with two individuals believed to be his lawyers at a courthouse in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia, at 2:30 p.m. EST for a brief hearing before a magisterial district judge. Cosby posted $1 million bail, turned over his passport and indicated in court that he understood questions that were posed to him. The judge instructed Cosby to present himself to the police station in nearby Cheltenham Township for fingerprinting and booking. The entire proceeding lasted for several minutes, and Cosby, walking with a cane, emerged from the courthouse to climb back into the black sport utility vehicle that brought him to the hearing and was driven away. “Today, after examination of all the evidence, we are able to seek justice on behalf of the victim,” Kevin Steele, the newly elected district attorney for Montgomery County, told an earlier news conference. Steele made a campaign issue of his intent to prosecute Cosby. The alleged victim in the case, Andrea Constand, a former basketball team manager at Temple University in Philadelphia, Cosby’s alma mater, is one of more than 50 women who have publicly accused the star of sexually assaulting them in incidents dating back decades. Neither Cosby nor his representatives could be reached for comment. He and his lawyers, while acknowledging marital infidelity on Cosby’s part, have consistently denied allegations of sexual misconduct. Cosby, who personified the model American family man in his long-running hit television show, was charged with aggravated indecent assault, a second-degree felony carrying a maximum penalty of 5 to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine. The charge was filed just before the statute of limitations deadline for a criminal prosecution was to expire in January. The charge stems from allegations brought by Constand, who settled a civil case against Cosby for an undisclosed sum in 2006. “VICTIM DID NOT CONSENT” According to an affidavit accompanying the charge, the victim was a guest at Cosby’s home in Cheltenham near Philadelphia one evening in January 2004, when he gave her wine and urged her to take three blue pills,
prosecutors said in a statement. “Shortly thereafter, the victim became incapacitated, and Cosby led her to a couch. The victim lay down ... and Cosby positioned himself behind her. Cosby then fondled the victim’s breasts, put his hands inside her pants, and penetrated her vagina with his fingers,” prosecutors said. “The victim did not consent to any of these acts and reported that she was unable to move or speak and felt ‘frozen’ and ‘paralyzed,’” prosecutors said. When questioned by police as to whether he had sex with Constand, Cosby, according to the charging documents, answered, “never asleep or awake.” The statement appeared to be at odds with Cosby’s sworn deposition in the civil case that they had consensual sexual contact. Steele said the case was brought after new information came to light this year, adding that the victim was willing to cooperate. Constand declined to speak to reporters gathered outside her home in Toronto. Her lawyer, Dolores Troiani, issued a statement thanking the district attorney’s office, adding, “In that this matter is now being pursued in the criminal justice system, we will not comment further.” “This is a very significant development,” Gloria Allred, a lawyer who has represented 29 of the accusers, told CNN. Some of them have brought civil suits against Cosby. The accusations have shocked Cosby’s fans and crushed his reputation as an entertainer and father figure. Many of them occurred decades ago and the statute of limitations for prosecuting them expired long ago. A portion of a sworn deposition by Cosby in 2005-2006 in the civil suit brought by Constand was made public earlier this year. In it, Cosby acknowledged under questioning that he had obtained Quaaludes, a sedative that was a popular recreational drug in the 1970s, intending to give them to young women in order to have sex with them. “EVASIVE AND CONFLICTING” About his encounter with Constand, Cosby said under oath that it was consensual and that he gave her some Benadryl, an antiallergy medication, to relax her. At one point in his deposition, Cosby said he recalled thinking, “Tell your mother about the orgasm. Tell your mother how we talked,” as he worried about what her mother might think. Prosecutors in court documents cited Cosby’s “evasive and conflicting identifications of the drug he gave the victim” as a key factor in their decision to charge him.
Page 25
Page 26
Kaieteur News
Thursday December 31, 2015
Demerara Bridge victim from New Amsterdam After identifying the suspect who fatally shot a minibus passenger on Saturday night and injured a Special Constable on the Demerara Harbour Bridge the police have now identified the victim in the incident. The man has been identified as Trevon April, 29, of High Dam, Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam. The man was identified after police were able to match his thumb print to one they have in their database. His father, Frankie April, made a positive identification at the Lyken Funeral Home. April was shot and killed around 18:00 hrs last Saturday. Reports are that April, who was shot in the head, and another man, were passengers in a minibus crossing the DHB when an argument ensued between them over rain coming in through an open window. During the shooting Special Constable, Randolph Williams was also shot. He was treated at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), and sent away. There are reports that after killing the passenger, the gunman calmly walked a short distance before entering a car. A worker at the bridge said yesterday that when the incident happened, the driver of the minibus drove to the outpost and informed the Special
Constables, who were on duty. ”He was advised to take the man to the hospital and the bridge was immediately closed off so that the police can find the person if he was still on the bridge,” a source explained. ”A car stopped and a man come out the car and attempted to walk away, so the worker at the bridge stopped him.” The person had no idea that he was the shooter. The man (suspect) then pushed the gate and run away.” As the suspect was fleeing, the passengers in the minibus were reportedly shouting for someone to stop him, but the Special Constables were unarmed at the time. Armed ranks are usually stationed at the location. 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, “smelled.” The suspect reportedly warned that (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 him. April reportedly left Guyana as a teen with his mother for Antigua where he was domiciled for about a decade before returning after being deported. Whist some were reluctant to speak, a relative told the media in Berbice that the now dead April was known to the police. The relative said that the man was in police story a couple of times. “He didn’t had no nice reputation. He and a boy had a problem and he beat up the boy and the boy come back an juck out he one eye; so is only one he had. He did, also thief he cousin clothes. “ April is a father of six from a number of relationships the eldest being 12. He also leaves to mourn his father and other siblings. The hunt continues for the shooter who has been identified after his image was caught on a CCTV camera.
Magistrate tells abuser ‘women are here to be loved’ ..after goldminer slaps, cuffs reputed wife A 22-year-old goldminer was yesterday warned by the Chief Magistrate to desist from assaulting the mother of his child, when he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Compton Higgins, of Friendship Squatting Area, East Bank Demerara dealt Bernadina O’Neil several cuffs and slaps about her face after accusing her of cheating on him with a taxi driver. The assault resulted in the woman sustaining injuries. The incident occurred on December 27 at their home. Higgins had initially denied hitting the woman but later admitted that he only slapped her once. For the charge against him, he was reprimanded and discharged after O’Neil told the court that she depends on him to maintain their family. She explained that it was the first time that the man had assaulted her. Magistrate Ann McLennan placed Higgins on a bond to keep the peace for
Compton Higgins one year. Failure to comply with the conditions of the bond will see him serving a three-month prison term. The Magistrate gave him a stern warning. She told him that he cannot be hitting and
slapping at the woman. According to the Magistrate “women are here to be loved.” She told him that if he wants no one to speak to the woman, he should put her in a “glass case”. Police Prosecutor, Corporal Deniro Jones told the court that the two parties live together and have a child. He said that on the day in question, Higgins checked the woman’s cellular phone and saw several strange phone numbers. According to the Prosecutor, Higgins became annoyed and slapped and cuffed O’Neil about her face. When given a chance to explain his side of the story, Higgins claimed that a taxi driver texted his phone informing O’Neil that “the night was good”. The man claimed that he acted out of vexation. However, O’Neil denied having any relationship with the taxi driver. She told the court that she merely uses the taxi driver’s car as a mode of transportation to and from work.
Thursday December 31, 2015
Kaieteur News
A helping hand
Ranks of the Golden Grove Police Station in collaboration with the Grove/Diamond Community Police Group (CPG) last week presented hampers to two senior citizens and three pregnant mothers. In photos, ranks and CPG members with the recipients.
Page 27
Page 28
Kaieteur News
Thursday December 31, 2015
Thursday December 31, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 29
The 27-test Legend - Colin Croft Western Tigers/ Rhythm Squad... From page 33 178 as they tried to reply to 426 – the match largely decided there itself. Then, in the next Test, he took 4-39 and 365 as West Indies took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, which would eventually be the series scoreline. This was the second of his two SDs. Bizarrely, he would play just one more Test series, in Australia, which was drawn 1-1. He took 7 wickets in 3 Tests in that series and never played for West Indies again. Whether it was his reported indiscipline that ended his career prematurely (he was barely 29) or the emergence of a certain Malcolm Marshall,
or the infamous Rebel Tour to South Africa in 1983 for which he was banned along with seventeen others, there is no doubt that Croft made an impact for an all-time great West Indian team for which he doesn’t get credit today. He was the leading bowler for Clive Lloyd’s team during those crucial early years. In fact, if we take 25 Tests as the minimum (which we never do normally because it is just not enough of a sample size), Colin Croft comes up as the highest impact West Indian bowler of all time. And no, it is not just because of his SDs. He also took the highest proportion of top/ middle-order wickets than
any West Indian bowler in Test history. In proportion to his matches, he broke the most partnerships in West Indian Test history, along with Corey Collymore (who otherwise had almost half the impact of Croft). He inflicted the most pressure on the opposition with his bowling in West Indian Test history, again in proportion to the number of Tests he played. And he was the most consistent West Indian bowler of all time, with a failure rate of 11%. The endings of some stories just do not make sense. (Jaideep Varma) (Website: http://www. impactindexcricket.com/)
Thursday December 31, 2015 ARIES (MAR. 21APRIL 20) The locks, stove, gas, or electric wires may not be secure. Don't let the cat out of the bag. If you can't get away, make plans to do something special with friends or relatives. TAURUS (APR. 21MAY 21) Clear up domestic chores that have remained undone for some time. Do not give your heart to someone who may not live up to your standards. You can make major gains professionally by completing projects on time. GEMINI (MAY 22JUNE 21) Refrain from arguing with your mate. Family get-togethers will be interesting. Spend some time with the one you love. Pleasure trips will be satisfying. CANCER (JUNE 22JULY 22) Don't make excuses. Do not borrow or lend money or belongings to friends or relatives if you wish to avoid any hassles. Selfimprovement projects will payoff in more ways than one. LEO (JULY 23-AUG 22) Do not be surprised if your partner doesn't understand your needs. Travel opportunities look positive, but be cautious while driving. Older family members may try to make demands that are impossible for you to handle. VIRGO (AUG. 23 SEPT. 23) You will have to face each issue separately and in person. Your charm will mesmerize members of the opposite sex today. You will find the excitement gratifying.
LIBRA (SEPT. 24 -OCT. 23) You can get into weight loss programs or go out and change your image with a new look in clothing, hairstyle, and attitude. Get back into the swing of things. SCORPIO (OCT. 24 NOV. 22) Don't allow your lover to take advantage of your good nature. You've been in a rut and you need to do something that will help you break the pattern you've fallen into. SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 23 -DEC. 21) Your creative ideas will be put to good use if you dig in and do things around the house that will make your family happy. You must watch your tendency to spend whatever you make. Don't let siblings put pressure on you. CAPRICORN (DEC 22.- JAN. 20) Take the time to do your job correctly or you may find yourself looking for a new one. Depression may result if you don't get to do things your own way. AQUARIUS (JAN. 21 FEB. 19) You should make sure that your personal papers are in order. You may have difficulty trying to get your mate to understand your position. You will meet new friends and enjoy a multitude of new activities. PISCES (FEB. 20-MAR. 20) Don't let your mate force you into making a decision that you aren't ready to make. Do things for them but don't allow them to make unreasonable requests. You could find yourself caught in a one sided relationship.
From page 35 players was fouled in the box. Sceyon Hope took the shot and his mighty kick zipped past the outstretched hands of the Santos custodian and the score was 1-1. Kester Joseph should have pushed his team ahead but the RS player fumbled with the ball for a fraction of a second to allow the keeper to fire a kick which sent the ball soaring into the middle of the field thus averting disaster. With no further success, the players went in at the intermission stalemated at 1 goal apiece. McLennan featured early upon resumption when he adroitly steered the ball to RS goal and unleashed a thunderous kick which
the custodian, Derwin Bennette, did well to intercept. The tussle to assume the ascendency continued and resulted in Santos striker, Orin Yarde, receiving a yellow card after an over-exuberant tackle. Travis Fitzpatrick next dribbled up to the RS defenders but just could not get past the impregnable wall. The game continued at a frenetic pace but none of the teams could have found the magic to surge ahead resulting in overtime and subsequently penalties where Rhythm Squad prevailed. Fans could now look forward to tomorrow night’s encounter which features New Amsterdam United up against Santos FC in the 3rd place playoff just before the championship battle at around 20:30hrs.
Essequibo softball team on board... From page 34 Regal. Deonarine said that the entire Demerara team would be made of Wolf Warriors and Regal players and some very good players would have been left out. “These two teams are the best in Guyana so in realty these are Demerara ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams and are both good enough to beat the combined Essequibo team and the team from Berbice and we expect that at least one of them will qualify for the final,” Deonarine added. The final will be played under lights just before the feature event, a t20 contest involving some of the best t20 players in the Caribbean commences at 19:30hrs. The winner of the softball ‘open’ final will battle for $500,000 and a trophy in the five-match softball event. Demerara will face-off with Karibee girls from Berbice in a female game, while Berbice
Masters will take-on Demerara Masters and Anil Beharry, who is now residing in the City, has confirmed that while he lives in Demerara he will play for Berbice Masters on January 30. Beharry is the President of the Berbice Cricket Board and has represented Berbice in senior Inter-County hardball 50-over cricket as a big hitting
left-hander and left-arm spinner. “Of course I will be playing for my home county and I encourage all Berbicians to come out in your numbers and support the Berbice softball teams and the Berbicians in the t20 match,” stated Beharry. Tickets will go on sale from the middle of next month.
Page 30
Kaieteur News
>>> Letter to the Sports Editor <<<
Elroy Stephney seems not to be thinking clearly DEAR EDITOR, Permit me space in your newspaper to respond to a letter penned by one, Elroy Stephney, in your Wednesday 30th December edition; under the heading “Government must intervene to restore credibility to GCB”. It appears as if Mr. Stephney conveniently left out in his letter that he was a member of the PPP/C Interim Management Committee which disrupted cricket in Guyana. He also conveniently did not mention the unprecedented success Guyana has achieved in Regional cricket over the past two years. What is even more interesting is that the same cricket administrators he rendered ‘toothless tigers’ are responsible for this success. I wish to let Mr. Stephney know that it takes a lot of toiling, dedication and strong-will to bring back Guyana’s cricket on top, especially when disgruntled and vindictive people took pleasure to go around the place chasing away sponsors and trying to suffocate cricket. This is why I find it so ironic that he is suddenly so concerned about the development of cricket. Mr. Editor, these people are only concerned about power; they want to be in control and would stop at nothing to get there. The GCB’s success is second to none over the past two years. Let me highlight some of it. The National U-15
has won back to back. Something I believe Mr. Stephney is not too pleased about since he was once the Manager of National U-15 teams that performed miserably. Many complained that it was frustrating to work with him because he was never proactive. The National U-19 team won back to back in the 50overs and also won the U-19 3-Day in 2014; it was not played this year so as to accommodate more 50-overs matches for the U-19 World Cup. The senior men reached the final of the NAGICO Super50 in 2014 and won the WICB PCL 2014/15 4-Day. And they have won all five of their matches in the first leg of the 2015/16 season. The same administration that Mr. Stephney is begging to be kicked out of office has formed an Academy of 13 young players to feed the Guyana Jaguars franchise. They are paid and are in training four days a week. Guyana is the only territory where this is done and it is one of the reasons for our success. I read with dismay that Mr. Stephney is concerned that some of GCB’s administrators never held a bat. Firstly, that is not true as they all played cricket at some point, and secondly, you don’t have to play a sport to be a successful administrator or decision maker of it. For example, the most successful West Indies Captain is by far the most horrible Cricket Se-
lector, and Mr. Shashank Manohar, who is the successful President of BCCI and Chairman of ICC is a professional lawyer not a cricketer. Mr. Stephney also questioned GCB’s Cricket Development Committee. Let me inform him that this Committee is functioning very effectively in the capable hands of our TDO, Mr. Colin Stuart. He has compiled exciting programmes for the development of cricket. Pay attention to the positives for a change Mr. Stephney and you will see them. And let me add that Mr. Stuart held both bat and ball for West Indies. The Cricket Administration Bill is a corrupted document; it’s filled with flaws. Maybe that is the reason why it is not implemented as yet. I must say I am happy that Mr. Stephney acknowledged that the Essequibo Cricket Board is legitimate. Essequibo has three representatives on the Executive Committee of the GCB and we are quite satisfied with the representation and help given by the GCB. Editor, Mr. Stephney lives in another world. There have always been issues in sports organizations and it is safe to say there will continue to be. But what is important is the product of these organizations. The GCB has done significantly well in progressing after the past government crippled it. Andy Ramnarine National U-15 Manager/ Assistant Coach
Thursday December 31, 2015
England surge to mighty 241-run victory
The England players celebrate their 241-run win, South Africa v England, 1st Test, Durban, 5th day, December 30, 2015 ©Getty Images ESPNcricinfo - Inspired by Moeen Ali it took England just 24 overs to surge to an overwhelming 241-run victory on the final morning in Durban. AB de Villiers, South Africa’s last realistic hope of salvaging something, fell in the first over of the day and there was scant resistance after that as England went 10 up in the first Test of an overseas series for only the second time since 2004. Although South Africa were four down overnight, after the late dismissal of Faf du Plessis on the fourth evening, England might have expected to be made to work reasonably hard to extract the last six wickets but it all came surprisingly swiftly for them.
In the end it was over 20 minutes before lunch when Morne Morkel was lbw to Stuart Broad with South Africa’s last seven wickets tumbling for 38 from the dismissal of du Plessis. In the field, England made a habit of setting the tone early in an innings in a bowling stint. Broad removed Stiaan van Zyl second ball of the first innings then claimed Temba Bavuma second ball of the third day and Moeen continued the theme today with his third delivery of the morning when, from round the wicket, he got one to straighten at de Villiers who was playing deep in his crease. De Villiers called for the DRS - he had to, really but the ball was pitching in line and clipping leg stump. Jonny Bairstow had a fourth day of contrasting fortunes - a key innings of 79 followed by the missed stumping offered by de Villiers - so there was a heartening moment for him when he took the opportunity presented by Bavuma when he walked past a delivery from Moeen, which slid on past the outside edge. It was a simpler stumping chance as the ball did not spin sharply like the one Bairstow missed, but he took it confidently and his team-mates were quick to congratulate him. Moeen had a third for the morning when the angle from round the wicket worked
again as Kyle Abbott was trapped on the back foot. His seven-wicket match haul was the second best of his career after the eight he claimed against India, at the Ageas Bowl, in 2014. Steven Finn continued his impressive work from the previous day, giving the nightwatchman Dale Steyn a working over before knocking back the off stump with a fuller delivery. Broad was the outstanding quick in the first innings, but Finn took that honour second time around. Before play, James Anderson bowled six high-intensity overs on the outfield and appears on track to return for the Cape Town Test. That would mean a likely omission for Chris Woakes, presuming all the pacemen pull up well from their exertions here, but he at least managed to open his wicket tally for the Test - a game where he has bowled consistently at good pace when Dane Piedt popped a catch to short leg. With just two days between Tests, the extra few hours off England earned themselves will be welcomed by the fast bowlers but, barring the lack of a century and Bairstow’s two errors, it is South Africa with all the problems heading into the New Year Test at Newlands. It has been a 2015 to forget in Test cricket for South Africa, but a year of transition for England’s five-day outfit has concluded with a significant success. Scores: England 303 (Compton 85, Taylor 70, Steyn 4-70, Morkel 4-76) and 326 (Bairstow 79, Root 73, Piedt 5-153) beat South Africa 214 (Elgar 118, Broad 4-25, Moeen 4-69) and 174 (Finn 4-42) by 241 runs.
Thursday December 31, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 31
Banned Platini could Grove Hi Tech down Victoria Kings; Mahaica face further trouble upset Ann’s Grove on penalties to reach final over Dubai event
UEFA President Michel Platini speaks to the media as he leaves after a hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland December 8, 2015. (Reuters/Denis Balibouse/Files) MIAMI (Reuters) Banned UEFA president Michel Platini could face further investigation from FIFA’s Ethics Committee after attending an awards ceremony and conference in Dubai despite being barred from “all football activity”. Platini, the head of European soccer body UEFA, was handed an eight year ban from the game by FIFA’s Ethics Committee on December 21, along with banned FIFA president Sepp Blatter. He is appealing the decision and insists he has done no wrong. The ban relates to a payment of two million Swiss francs made by Blatter’s FIFA to Platini in 2011, nine years after he finished working as a consultant to Blatter. On December 27, Platini attended the Globe Soccer Awards organised by the Dubai Sports Council in Dubai, along with soccer stars such as Argentine Lionel Messi and Italian Andrea Pirlo. Frenchman Platini was photographed at the event and also made comments regarding his ban to the Italian media while in Dubai. A spokesman for FIFA’s Ethics Committee declined to comment on the specific case but said: “In general terms: The Investigatory Chamber of the Ethics Committee of FIFA investigates any alleged breach of the Ethics Code of FIFA.” A spokesman for Platini did not immediately respond
to a request for comment. The December 21 ruling from FIFA Ethics Committee chair Hans-Joachim Eckert stated that Blatter and Platini were banned “for eight years from all football-related activities (administrative, sports or any other) on a national and international level. The bans come into force immediately.” Platini has said he will fight the ban through the appeals process, which is likely to end up with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, and has also been fiercely critical of the decision and the Ethics Committee itself. Blatter has also said he will appeal. FIFA has been thrown into crisis by investigations from the FBI and Department of Justice in the United States and Swiss authorities. The Swiss Attorney General has opened a criminal investigation into Blatter regarding the payment to Platini. The Frenchman is viewed as “somewhere between a witness and an accused person” according to the Attorney General Michael Lauber. In the United States, prosecutors have indicted 27 current or former soccer officials, including eight ex-FIFA Executive Committee members and the current heads of both the North and South American federations, over allegations they ran bribery schemes connected to the sale of TV rights for football competitions.
It was another intense night of exchanges at the Golden Grove ground on Tuesday evening last, the semi finals of the Stag Super XVI knockout competition which saw three East Demerara and one East Bank team contesting. Defending champions and the only non East Coast Demerara team, Grove Hi Tech endured a torrid test from 10-man Victoria Kings before taking it home and booking their second successive place in the final with a grinding 3-1, extra time win. The first semi final produced another grueling encounter between Mahaica Determinators and Ann’s Grove United which ended with a huge upset; Determinators prevailing 4-3 on penalty kicks following a 0-0 regulation and extra time stalemate. Many fans felt that the second semi final between Grove and Victoria was a final in many ways as the two sides battled using the preverbal term – tooth and nail. Having kept a clean slate as regards goals against, the Kings would have been under pressure to maintain that record against a side that has proven its offensive exploits. With just eight minutes into the match, the Kings conceded their first goal of the tournament when Dexter Archer scored a well put together goal as Grove Hi Tech cantered into the lead. The Kings though, have been a side to never lay back and allow any opposition to dictate to them. They went on a successful period of domination and exactly eight minutes after conceding, equalized from a cross into the box from the right side that was clinically drilled past goalkeeper Michael Matthews in the 16th minute. The game was now tied at 1-1 and well and truly on. The fans, out in their numbers to support from the villages along the East Coast corridor and East Bank among other areas, were being treated to some exciting ball play from both teams but it was the home team that were enjoying the better of the exchanges. Grove Hi Tech seemed not to be able to counter the flank plays from the Kings with crossed balls into the area posing all sorts of challenges for Grove. The Kings did not help their cause however, as on the stroke of half time, Shawn Samuels was red carded for violent conduct towards a Grove player, Alex Sinclair
whom he punched in an off the ball incident. The Referee would have none of that and after being informed by the Assistant Referee had no alternative than to issue marching orders to Samuels. As a matter of fact, the initial card was issued to the wrong player and had to be rescinded and issued to the real player at fault. The decision did not go down too well with players and fans. Grove were now enjoying the advantage in terms of players on the pitch but the ensuing second half saw the Kings playing out of their skins as they enjoyed good periods of domination; the one player advantage by Grove was not even evident. Such were their {Kings} resilience that they pushed the game into extra time as Grove could not find the go ahead goal, while looking susceptible at times. But the defending champions held their
nerves and in the dying stages of extra time were able to put the game away. Romel Matthews found the go ahead goal in the 103rd minute, the second period of extra time and the Kings’ concentration which was being severely tested, finally began to wane. Poor work by their custodian who went after the ball before realizing that he was out of his area and subsequent poor covering work by the defenders allowed Matthews to latch on to the ball and finish for the side’s second goal. It was exactly what the doctor had ordered to restore some energy to the legs of the Grove players. The pressure was turned up and in an effort to clear the ball away from another offensive maneuver from Grove, the Kings scored against themselves in the 105th minute. Reuben Morris’ attempted clearance was sliced
over the head of goalie Rawn Collins and eased into the back of the nets agonizingly sealing the fate of Victoria Kings and Grove Hi Tech’s passage into the finals on New Year’s Night, January 1st, 2016. Mahaica Determinators played the game of their lives to keep the score 0-0 against Ann’s Grove after regulation and extra time. Mahaica started their kicks disastrously before getting back on track as the experienced Ann’s Grove lost focus and subsequently, the target missing their third and fourth kicks. Mahaica prevailed 4-3 from the spot and were admirably led by their Captain Shameer Nazir who also scored from the spot to set up a date with Grove Hi Tech in tomorrow’s final set for the Golden Grove ground from 21:00hrs. Ann’s Grove and Victoria Kings will face off in the third place game from 19:00hrs.
Page 32
Kaieteur News
Thursday December 31, 2015
NAGICO Super50 practice game... Tagenarine
Chanderpaul hits unbeaten 91, Vishaul Singh scores 81
Vishaul Singh batted brilliantly for his 81.
Chris Barnwell about to be caught by Robin Bacchus as he skies Keon Joseph. By Sean Devers A well put together 100run unbroken partnership between Tagenarine Chanderpaul (91) and Royston Crandon (39) spearheaded Robin Bacchus’ X1 to a comprehensive sevenwicket win against Leon
Johnson’s X1 at Providence last night in the second of two practice matches in preparation for next month’s NAGICO Super50 tournament. Chanderpaul stroked three fours and a six from 127 balls and added a century stand for the fourth wicket with Crandon whose unde-
feated 39 lasted 60 balls with three fours to see Bacchus’ X1 to 192-3 in 45.1 overs, replying to 191-9 off 50 overs made by Johnson’s X1 despite a fluent 81 from 76 balls with five fours from the inform Vishaul Singh. Bacchus (11) was LBW to Raymon Reifer at 20-1 before Gajanand Singh (19) was stumped off Steven Jacobs and Chanderpaul Hemraj (17) was bowled by Chris Barnwell to leave the score on 92-3. It was at this stage the Chanderpaul and Crandon joined forces with Chanderpaul dumping Raun Johnson for four over mid-off to bat beau-
Captaincy could ruin Holder’s career - legends CHENNAI, India (CMC) A fast-bowling legend and a former Australia cricket captain have criticised the appointment of Jason Holder as West Indies captain, arguing that the decision could ruin his Test cricket career. Former Australia captain Ian Chappell has described the decision as a “monumental blunder” while former Windies pacer Andy Roberts has suggested Holder step down from the position to salvage his career. Holder’s elevation, first as one-day captain last December and more recently in the Test format, has drawn criticism in some quarters because of his relative inexperience. “Look, he has not settled into Test cricket. The team is failing and it will have a negative effect on him,” declared Roberts in an interview with midday.com during a visit to the Indian city of Chennai. “He is trying to be positive, but you can’t be positive when everything around you is negative.”
tifully. He reached his 50 from 83 balls with two fours. Chanderpaul, who scored 81 in his last match against Jamaica in Jamaica in the PCL tournament, played an array of classy shots before being left nine short of a masterful century when victory was achieved with 4.5 overs to spare. The right-handed Crandon played the supporting role against a much stronger side which comprised most of the senior Jaguars players. Only Shiv Chanderpaul, apart from Devendra Bishoo and Rajendra Chandrika (who are both in Australia with the West Indies team) of the PCL players missed the practice game last night under lights and Coach Crandon should be disappointed with the results with the less experienced outfit chasing down the target with relative ease. Earlier, Johnson’s X1 lost Kevin Boodie (9) at 15-1 when he edged a catch to the Keeper off Romario Sheppard who bowled with some pace on a track which surprisingly offered nice bounce for the pacers. Assad Fudadin (12) was
just beginning to look good when he was bowled by leftarm speedster Andre Stoll to leave the score on 47-2. Singh and Johnson had batted their team to victory in the first practice match two days with the Skipper making 87 but yesterday he could only reach 5 when he was taken at point off the lively Keon Joseph, the most successful bowler with 2-21 from six overs. After Johnson’s demise at 58-3, Barnwell (11) was also removed by Joseph when he tried to hit a six and was well taken by Bacchus running back from mid-off as Johnson’s XI slipped to 76-4 which soon became 83-5 when Reifer was caught behind off Clinton Pestano before the left-handed Singh retired hurt on 46 at 112-5. Anthony Bramble (22) offered some fight while Steven Jacobs (10) was LBW to Anthony Adams and at 137-8 at which stage Singh resumed his innings after batting brilliantly and picked the gaps with immaculate precision. However, on his return he
Tagenarine Chanderpaul took some time to get his innings restarted and although he added 44 with Paul Wintz who finished unbeaten on 17, Singh departed at 182-9 before Wintz and Gudakesh Motie (4) added 10 more runs. But in the end, that score proved inadequate as Johnson’s X1 slumped to defeat. The Jaguars will open their campaign in the NAGICO Super50 against the Windwards on January 7 in St Kitts.
LABA MALTA SUPREME Basketball final set for Saturday Bulls join Raiders after beating Royals 61-51
Jason Holder (WICB) Holder, 24, is leading the West Indies on a three-match tour of Australia where they suffered a 177-run defeat in the second Test on the fourth day yesterday to lose the series. “You will have to query the decision of the West Indies selectors, to give Jason Holder the captaincy. He is a guy who is trying to learn Test cricket. He is a good young cricketer but to burden him with that job is in my opinion ridiculous in the first
place,” said Chappell. “But then when you see him captain you understand that he just has not played enough cricket to really work out what’s going on. It is a monumental blunder in my book.” Barbadian Holder is the second youngest ever Windies Test captain, replacing the more experienced Denesh Ramdin who was sacked after just 15 months in charge.
The final of the Linden Amateur Basketball Association’s (LABA) Malta Supreme Christmas Open basketball championship will be played between top seed Retrieve Raiders and the number two seed Half Mile Bulls on Saturday following the win by Half Mile Bulls against Victory Valley Royals on Tuesday night. On Monday night the semifinal game between Half Mile Bulls and Victory Valley Royals was pushed to Tuesday night for completion due to rain. That game continued after the Royals were leading 11-7 but Bulls rebounded to win by ten points 61-51 after they took control at half time 33-20 and by the end of the third quarter were leading 47-39.
Terrain Welch was the top scorer for the Bulls with 16 points with the next best scorer being Dennis Niles with eight, while for Royals Harold Adams netted 14 and Marlon Pollydore supported with 11. Raiders had booked their final’s place on Monday evening after their game against the Amelia’s Ward Jets did not finish after Jets complained that they will not continue the game after 8 minutes of play in the second quarter for what they say was unfavourable playing conditions. However, the game officials disagreed and ordered play but Jets did not take to the court, which resulted with forfeiture paving the way for the Raiders to contest the final.
Thursday December 31, 2015
Kaieteur News
Page 33
100 Hidden Cricket Facts #65
The 27-test Legend - Colin Croft Wisden Impact Index Colin Croft played just 27 Tests for West Indies, all between 1977 and 1982. He played alongside Andy Roberts, Michael Holding and Joel Garner primarily - part of the fearsome foursome that set the foundation for the world domination Clive Lloyd’s West Indian team was to accomplish. Croft took 125 wickets at an average of 23.30 during this period – the most in his team. Only Garner played more Tests than him in this period (just one more), which also suggests something about Croft’s consistency. Both Garner and Holding, however, had better bowling averages while Roberts was somewhat on the decline, relatively speaking. Despite this, Croft is remembered largely as the fourth-best bowler in this lot
and more for his propensity to bowl the short ball dangerously than for being a match, and series, winner for his team. Impact Index finds that he was actually West Indies’ highest impact bowler in that period, remarkable given that a team with such a highclass attack always tends to share impact. In fact, even more significantly, he was the second-highest impact bowler in the world at that point, after Dennis Lillee who was at his peak and on his way to being the highest impact bowler in Test history at the time. Croft was the only West Indian to have two seriesdefining performances, besides Viv Richards, and was higher impact overall than even Viv (high impact bowlers tend to be the highest impact players for obvious reasons in Tests).
That marks out his contribution to West Indies’ world domination as legendary – not quite a status Croft enjoys. This is why he should. Vs Pakistan, Kingston, 1977. In his debut Test series, the series scoreline against a spirited and talented Pakistan side was 11 after four Tests. Croft had taken 8-29 in the first innings of the second Test (his second Test too), which had gone some way in keeping the series alive for the hosts. Now, at crunch-time, he was the leading bowler again, as he took 4-49 to help dismiss Pakistan for 198 and then took the first three wickets before Pakistan had touched 35, as they chased 442 in the fourth innings – a blow from which Pakistan, despite showing enormous fight, never quite recovered from. West Indies won 2-1, largely due to a fearsome
debutant amidst them, who had registered a seriesdefining performance in his first showing. Croft went on to do well in his tours of Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan and England too. And then, England came to the West Indies. Vs England, Port-ofSpain/ Barbados, 1981. West Indies won the series 20 and in both the result Tests, Croft led the way. First, his 5-40 decimated England for (Continued on page 29)
Colin Croft (exposay.com)
Page 34
Kaieteur News
Thursday December 31, 2015
Messi scores 425th goal in 500th game as Barca win
B
The incident which led to Barcelona’s controversial penalty. Betis keeper Antonio Adan was adjudged to have fouled Lionel Messi. (AFP)
BC Sport - Lionel Messi scored on his 500th Barcelona appearance as Luis Enrique’s side finished a magnificent 2015 on top of the La Liga table. Heiko Westermann’s own-goal - after Neymar’s controversial penalty had hit the bar - gave Barca the lead. Messi recovered from a knock which forced him to go off for treatment to double the lead before Luis Suarez scored twice after the interval. Barca finish 2015 with 180 goals in all competitions, a Spanish record. They are level on points with Atletico Madrid, who won 20 at Rayo Vallecano, but have a game in hand over their title rivals. Real Madrid, 3-1 winners over Real Sociedad , are two points behind in third. Betis formed a guard of honour before kick-off as Barca walked out to have a photograph with their five trophies of 2015 - the Champions League, La Liga, Copa del Rey, Uefa Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup. Barca took the lead when Messi was harshly judged to have been fouled by keeper Antonio Adan and, although Neymar slipped and hit the crossbar with his spot-kick, Westermann directed the rebound into the back of his own net. Messi slid home his 425th goal for the club after 34 minutes to add to their lead. Suarez scored twice after the break to take over from Neymar as La Liga’s leading scorer with 15. Barca were denied by the woodwork four times after the interval as they produced an attacking master-class. They start 2016 with an away game at 13th-placed Espanyol on 2 January. Betis lost Westermann and Bruno Gonzalez to injury, while boss Pep Mel was sent to the stand for arguing.
Essequibo softball team on board ‘Unity Cricket’ train Beharry confirms he will play for Berbice Masters As the Unity Cricket train gathers steam, it is moving towards its Providence Stadium destination January 30 with the Essequibo softball team coming on board, making the softball competition a truly National event. The day of fun and frolic for the entire family includes a fun park for children being organized by Legacy and 007 Promotions’ who have collaborated with corporate sponsors and received support from the Guyana Cricket Board and Guyana Floodlights Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA). Vice-President of the (GFSCA) Ricky Deonarine told Sean Devers, the Public Relation Officer (PRO) of what promises to a high intensity event in front an anticipated capacity crowd, that Essequibo had confirmed their participation in the Open 10/10 category which also includes Karibee Boyz from Berbice and city sides Wolf Warriors and (Continued on page 29)
Anil Beharry
Ricky Deonarine