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Kaieteur News

KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8491, 225-8458, 225-8465 Fax: 225-8473 or 226-8210

Editorial

Paving the way for foreign drug lords It really should come as no surprise that Brazilian bandits are operating in the Lethem area. What is not known is if they have engaged in similar activities in other parts of the country. We recall the murders of two serving members of the police force allegedly by non-nationals in the interior about two years ago. Therefore it is worth examining the likely challenges these portend for law enforcement. The fact that policing in Guyana is fraught with myriad difficulties not to mention resource constraints demands that a careful study be undertaken of this emergent phenomenon. Additionally, our porous borders tend to facilitate the influx of undocumented migrants from Guyana’s neighbours. This in and of itself is an untenable situation in which we find ourselves, and where we expect much from our under-endowed law enforcement officers. It is incumbent upon the administration to revisit its approach to several issues, not least of which is the urgent recapitalisation of the disciplined services in consonance with the vibrant enforcement of an immigration policy that is relevant. It is not hard to imagine who might have been blamed for the attempted robbery if the Lethem three had not been caught especially in our stagnant yet volatile political environment. Maybe the relevant ministry can tell us how many non-nationals have been documented in the past year. This question is important in view of the fact that large numbers of Brazilians and Chinese can be seen in almost all areas of this country. The proliferation of non-nationals in this country should occasion some degree of unease since among them are likely to be those seen as undesirables even in their country of origin. Of course the more recent revelations that Guyana is home to a Mexican cartel operating in concert with the Italian Mafia, is sufficient to raise our apprehensions that not enough is being done to monitor inward migration trends. The fact that we welcome foreign investors does not preclude the exercise of due diligence in view of the possibility that this country could be vulnerable to the influence of gangs including the Chinese triads. More to the point is that right next door is Brazil which has been particularly impacted by gangs and transnational organized crime which pose serious national security problems for the Brazilian authorities with the illegal trafficking of narcotics. The issue that arises is whether Guyana has the appropriate coping mechanisms in place to deal with the potential presence of Brazilian gangs whose very existence poses a threat to the country’s effective sovereignty. The unimpeded flow of persons across national borders make countries like Guyana susceptible to transnational organized crime which also tend to undermine a state’s sovereignty, authority, and capacity to confront the perpetratorsofcertain crimes against the state. Non-state actors in the form of violent criminal enterprises compromise a government’s ability to perform its legitimizing functions. This is evident in the scale of execution-type murder, kidnapping, intimidation, corruption, and other means of coercion that are brought to bear upon public officials. All of this means that where these are allowed to go unchecked transnational gangs eventually appropriate to themselves portions of a nation’s territory, assuming and directly performing the tasks of government effectively operating as states within a state. As a matter of extreme urgency the government must take all necessary steps to ensure that we do not become a satellite of Brazilian gangs like the Red Command, Friends of Friends, and the First Capital Command. This brings another troubling aspect of transnational criminal enterprise into focus, and that is the will and willingness to come into conflict with the influence of unlimited funds. The current toing and froing with the anti-money laundering legislation is showing to the world a seeming inclination to facilitate the beneficiaries of the illegal drug trade, and ultimately the sponsors of terrorism. From the man in the street’s perspective nothing will be lost to Guyana if we were to have a strong piece of enforceable legislation free of legal loopholes. So why the dilly dallying?

Sunday February 16, 2014

Kaieteur M@ilbox Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com

A bout of constitutional heresy DEAR EDITOR, I do not usually engage in exchanges in the press, with non-lawyers on matters of law. I extend this rule to some lawyers as well, when the content of what they espouse is devoid of legal scholarship. However, many persons have requested that I reply to a letter penned by elderly “political scientist” Mr. Eusi Kwayana, published in the Stabroek News, dated 1st February , 2014, under the caption “It is now open for us to conclude that the Committee

of Supply process is high farce.” I choose to respond because the mistake of which Kwayana is guilty, has infected many of the opinions expressed, publicly, in respect of the Chief Justice’s ruling. Mr. Kwayana makes out a case for supremacy of the Standing Orders, apparently, over the Constitution. He invokes Article 9 of the Constitution, which provides “Sovereignty belongs to the people and they exercise it through t h e i r re p re s e n t a t i v e s a n d t h e

democratic organs established by or under the Constitution”, in his attempt to argue, by implication, that the Opposition has a right to cut the National Estimates, presented by the Minister of Finance in the Committee of Supply. Mr. Kwayana’s argument is predicated upon a fundamental constitutional misconception. He overlooks the cardinal legal truth that the constitution, born out of a (Continued on page 6)

Sunday February 16, 2014

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Kaieteur M@ilbox Kaieteur M@ilbox PNCR does not Police cricket and Fun Day were superb The subscribe to public

DEAR EDITOR, I ashamedly must admit that it is the first time I attended the Police Cricket 10/ 0 and Fun day, titled: “Leroy Brumell 10/10 Cricket Finals and Fun Day at Eve Leary on Sunday, 9th February. I am not a sports fan, and decided to attend because of the courtesy of an invitation by the Commissioner. I always respect invitations from the Commissioner. My late father had also instructed me to always respect the invitations of Commissioners and Ministers and Presidents. However, on arriving, the energy of the cricketers, male and female, the marathon runners, and others, along with the guests and attendees, was (were) awesome and moving. The enthusiasm of the cricketers

and athletes was (were) inspiring, and I got into the games, so much that it was difficult to contain myself, and like the others, soon I was screaming and yelling for every good hit, catch. It was difficult to leave for a few hours to attend another pre-arranged engagement. Notwithstanding, I hurried back. The action was so intense, the dynamo so overpowering, that on behalf of RK’s Security and Dragnet Satellite Tracking, I pledged $25,000 to the Man of the (M)match, and the champion truly deserved every dollar. It was a great feeling to reward and award that young man. In future , I pledge to reward/ award Man and Woman of the match,. I am not one to discriminate between the sexes. I have a right to, and

always love to support the opposite sex. The youths of the Felix Austin Training College were super, and it was a love to see the ‘babes giving bad bad licks to the elders and more experienced.’ But more amazing were the joys of the more experienced of the elders and more experienced to see the students win. While we shall always have some bad policeman and women, we will also have the bulk who will be professionals; those that will bring good repute and uplift to the Guyana Police Service. There are indeed certain cliques who use various Police Stations in districts as cash cows to enrich themselves and their seniors. They can be caught easily and examples made of them,

These individuals have failed to represent the teachers they were elected to serve DEAR EDITOR, With respect to a not so recent publication in last Sunday’s edition of your dailies, 9th February 2014. I pen these words to bring attention to the “Notice” which read Guyana Teachers’ Union Biennial Election 2014. What was most interesting, however, were some of the names of the candidates contesting for certain electoral posts. Several of the names in particular caught my attention and I was spellbound and flabbergasted by some of the individuals for having the audacity to still contest for the various post at the GTU. These individuals have failed consecutive terms as GTU executives to bring about note worthy representation and change for the teachers they were elected to serve. The membership of the Guyana Teachers Union

deserves a Union that is rid of these individuals. I believe the time has come and that time is now, for us members of the Guyana Teachers Union to vote for change. We need a new breed of people at the leadership of the GTU. There is no need to recycle, yes recycle those

individuals who have become complacent and their lackluster approach to unionism is self evident, that there is a greater desire now for change than ever before. Our learned members of the union it is now compulsory of us to vote for change and newness. Denise Hamilton

especially in the traffic. But definitely in the traffic section I have seen most professional and dynamic men and women interested in their job descriptions and to perform to the zenith. The corrupt and dishonest should watch themselves. Congratulations to the Men and Women who participated in the Fun Day and Leroy Brummel 10/10 cricket match. I always have an appreciation for the Police, maybe because my father retired as a Most Senior Police Officer and served with zeal, even nicknamed as the James Bond of Berbice. I studied Police Technology in the early 70’s in Canada, and always involved in Military and Police work. Is it to say that there is something called a Police Gene? (hahaha). Regards, and let us always support our Police for law and order, peace and harmony and capture of criminals. Roshan Khan CEO/Founder RK’s Guyana Security Services Dragnet GPS – Satellite Tracking.

brawls via the media

DEAR EDITOR, Please permit me the opportunity to respond to a letter penned by Mr. Bevon Curry dated Thursday 13th February 2014 under the caption ‘An unequivocal apology must be demanded forthwith’. To the statement ” the deafening silence of the National Chairman of the GYSM” I take this opportunity to inform or to remind Mr. Curry that the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) has several forums for members and arms of the party like the Guyana Youth and Student Movement (GYSM) to vent disappointments and

or dissatisfactions with decisions made by the party, forums like the party’s General Council and/or its Central Executive Committee; on the latter the GYSM has six members. We (the PNCR) do not subscribe to public brawls via the media to vent or pontificate but, rather ours is a more disciplined and mature approach using the mechanisms and forums that the party’s constitution provides. Christopher Anderson Jones M.P Chairman Guyana Youth and Student Movement

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Kaieteur M@ilbox A bout of constitutional... From page 4 referendum, is the supreme voice of the people. It is the document in which the people have agreed to define and delimit even the powers of the members of the National Assembly who are their representatives. As representatives of the people, elected members of the National Assembly cannot act in contravention of the voice of the people i.e. the Constitution. To the extent that the constitution, the voice of the people, expressly or by implication, inhibits these representatives, they are restrained from acting. This is precisely why the Constitution is supreme and not the National Assembly. It is in this context, that Article 9 of the Constitution must be read and understood. Significantly, Mr. Kwayana abysmally fails to appreciate that the Committee of Supply is a creation and handmaiden of the National Assembly via Standing Orders. It is not of constitutional or statutory creation. Nevertheless, it ought not to be a farce. In fact, if it has

become farcical, it is the elected members who have made it so. The fault must lie in the Members of the Assembly themselves and not in any other person or place. The political truth may be that, Members of the standing committee, including the Committee of Supply, worship at the altar of political interest, rather than the altar of national interest. The result from such a political misfocus is obvious. According to the decision of the Chief Justice in the “Budget cut” case, the purported exercise of a power to cut the Estimates of Expenditure is a flagrant stultification of the power to approve or to withhold approval of those estimates expressly conferred byArticle 218 of the Constitution. This express power, conferred by Article 218, renders a power to cut by implication, a constitutional impossibility. So from whence is this power to cut derived? The flawed argument advanced, is that it flows from the Standing Orders. This is nothing short of constitutional heresy. It flies

in the face of the express language of Article 8 of the Constitution, which declares the Constitution to be supreme and strikes at the very heart of constitutional supremacy, the foundation upon which the edifice of our constitutional democracy is constructed. Since Section 9 of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana Act 1980, mandates that the Standing Orders must be construed to conform to the Constitution, it is the Constitution which is supreme over the Standing Orders. Therefore, if there is inconsistency between the exercise of powers under the Standing Order and the exercise of power under Article 218 of the Constitution, then the power under the Standing Order cannot be exercised. It would be an unconstitutional exercise of power. This position would obtain even if the Standing Orders are law. Article 8 of the Constitution so prescribes. Therefore, it rationally follows that if the exercise of power to cut the Estimate of Expenditures of the Minister of Finance under the Standing Order is in direct conflict with the exercise of the power to approve or to withhold approval of the said Estimate under Article 218of the Constitution, the power to cut under the Standing Order cannot be exercised. Or if exercised, will be unconstitutional. No amount of critical statements from those who regard themselves as belonging to the “intelligentsia” of Guyana can assail the clear rationality which underlies the Chief Justice’s decision;or, maybe, “judgment has fled to brutish beasts and men have lost their reason.” Mohabir Anil Nandlall, Honourable Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs

Sunday February 16, 2014

Govt. commissions $349M Hope Bridge

President Donald Ramotar unveils the plaque on the bridge Almost three years after construction started on the Hope Bridge located at Hope/ Dochfour East Coast Demerara the government commissioned the structure and ended one phase of the Hope canal project. Present at the commissioning ceremony yesterday was Head of State Donald Ramotar; Minister of Agriculture Dr. Leslie Ramsammy; Junior Finance Minister Bishop Juan Edghill; Public Works Minister Robeson Benn; and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority, Lionel Wordsworth. President Donald Ramotar told residents that Government had recognized the need for the canal leading to the construction of the bridge because of several recent floods. According to the President it was always “painful” to watch how farmers would lose crops and livestock. Ramotar asserted that the project was not only a humanitarian one but also one of economics. He said that there is the constant need to improve the lives of the residents in the areas. “ We were faced with the choice of releasing water into the Mahaica, Mahaicony, knowing that it would destroy farms,….or the alternative was having the pressure of walls break and flood the coastal

area” the President said. He said that the choices may have seemed simple, but when you know it will hurt people it’s not easy. Ramotar noted that he was very confident that the other phases of the project would be constructed in a timely fashion. The President added that the new bridge would help with the traffic situation, since there is a transportation boom. Ramotar also stressed that if the country wants to have rapid economic growth government must invest in infrastructure to facilitate and encourage this. Minister of Agriculture Leslie Ramsammy dubbed the project a Guyanese achievement. He explained that every aspect of the project was done by Guyanese. The project was conceptualized out of necessity, he added. Immediately after the commissioning, the bridge was opened to traffic and the diversion road which vehicles were using to traverse the East Coast Demerara Highway in the vicinity of Hope will now be closed to facilitate remaining works. NDIA has urged all road users to comply with traffic signs and road rules and to make use of the completed Hope Canal Bridge. At the same time, motorists are reminded to be vigilant and to travel at a safe speed at all times since the bridge is in close proximity to the Hope Secondary School. “The closure of the bypass road which was used as a diversion route will enable work to continue towards bringing the other

components of the project to fruition.” The bridge which was constructed at a cost of approximately $349M has a length of 74.4m and a 47m sloped approach on both sides. It has the capacity to accommodate two lane traffic and sidewalks on both sides. It was constructed by DIPCON Engineering. The project has four components- the Northern Relief Channel and Associated Drainage Structures, the Conservancy Head Regulator, the Public Road Bridge and the High Level Outfall Sluice. Construction work on the EDWC Northern Relief Channel began in 2011, however, due to several constraints the projects have had to be extended. Thus far, works are ongoing at a pace to ensure that the project is completed. The US$15M East Demerara Water Conservancy- Hope Canal project which is funded entirely by the people of Guyana; when completed will significantly reduce the vulnerability of flooding in Guyana’s low-lying coastal areas which are currently threatened by sea level rise as a result of Climate Change. In the past, residents of Hope, Mahaica/ Mahaicony/ Abary and surrounding communities suffered tremendously as a result of flood, hence the need for such a critical project. It is anticipated that with the completion of Hope Canal the frequent opening of the Lama and Maduni Sluices during the rainy season would not be necessary.

Sunday February 16, 2014

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Sunday February 16, 2014

Bandits rob parfait Harmonie store - Escape with couple’s car, cash and jewellery Police were last night hunting for four bandits who made off with a motorcar, cash, jewellery and other valuables following a brazen robbery at Charles and Janice Cheap Store, located at Recht-DoorZee; Parfait Harmonie, West Bank Demerara. According to reports, Charles James and his wife, Janice Mc lean, were tending to customers in their store at around 20:30 hrs, when four men entered the premises. Kaieteur News understands that one of the bandits went

to the upper flat, where he tied up the couple’s two daughters. Meanwhile, the other robbers, who had a firearm, ordered the couple and their customers to lie on the ground. They then forced the victims to hand over an undisclosed sum of cash, jewellery and other valuables, as well as their mobile phones. Kaieteur News was told that after disabling several security cameras, the men loaded their booty into Mr. James’ blue Toyota Allion,

PFF 1361. They reportedly then forced the businessman to accompany them in the vehicle, before ordering him out of the car when they were some distance away from the scene of the robbery. A source said that the robbery was recorded on one of the remaining security cameras at the premises that the bandits failed to disable. Ranks at La Grange Station were notified about the robbery and were still trying to locate the robbers and the stolen car at press time.

OAS corruption commission to visit Grenada WASHINGTON - CMC – A commission from the Organisation of American States (OAS) is to visit Grenada in April as part of the follow-up process of the Inter American Convention against Corruption. The Commission from the OAS Mechanism for Follow-Up on the Implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (MESICIC) says it will conduct an on-site visit to the Caribbean island from April 22-24. The Commission will meet with

representatives from the main oversight bodies of Grenada. “The purpose of the visit is to collect information in the field about how these organs perform their functions, which serve as inputs for the preparation of the report to be drawn up by the MESICIC on Grenada in its September 2014 meeting,” the Commission said in a statement. “It is anticipated that the Commission will meet with Grenadian civil society organisations, private sector representatives, professional associations and academics, in order to address topics related to the issues being analysed in the Fourth Round of the MESICIC.

Sunday February 16, 2014

Kaieteur News

AG says Harmon is ‘misinformed’ about FATF extended deadline In the wake of the revelation that the Financial Action Taskforce (FATF) did not review Guyana at its recent plenary meeting a controversy of sorts has ensued between the opposition and government over the deadline. FATF will be reviewing Guyana come May 2014 However, the opposition has accused the government of knowing that Guyana was meeting FATF in May instead of February to assess whether Guyana has put legislation and steps in place to become compliant with its Anti-money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLCFT) policies. As such it has misled the nation. The government, however, is insisting that it had no knowledge of the review by CFATF being done in May and is thankful that Guyana was not identified by FATF for any review during its February meeting in Paris. According to the Attorney General, “Our obligations to enact the Bill has not dissipated but has shifted by about two weeks only. We are required now, to submit a report by February 28, along with the Bill, to CFATF to consider at its plenary meeting in May 2014. Nothing else has changed.” Government said that the FATF plenary members

GTUC shares Harmon’s position

APNU’s Executive Member Joseph Harmon accepted the (Caribbean Financial Action Task Force) CFATF recommendation that Guyana be reviewed subsequent to its next plenary decision in May and that it was advised that neither the FATF nor the CFATF will be issuing any Statements emanating from the Paris meeting on Guyana and that the decisions of the 2013 November CFATF meeting and plan of action remain unchanged. In reaction to how the Anti Money Laundering events have played out, A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU), Joseph Harmon, said that the government “should now

Masked bandits rob Regional Chairman Around 13:00 hours on Friday, three masked bandits, one armed with a shotgun and the other two with cutlasses, descended on the business place owned by Region Six Chairman David Armogan at the Sheet Anchor/ Fort Ordnance Junction, East Canje under the Canje Bridge. There he sells sand and stone and has a lorry workshop. The bandit with the gun held up the cashier, before gun butting him and relieving him of the day’s sales. The other bandits held the other workers at bay. After taking the cash the bandits then made good their escape, but not before firing shots in the air to thwart residents. The police were informed

A mini health check is the first step to donating blood

and arrived on the scene, but the men escaped in the thick jungle nearby. Up to press time the police were still on the hunt for the bandits whom they believe escaped by river.

Attorney General Anil Nandlall hang their heads in shame and apologise to this nation.” According to Harmon, Governance Advisor, Gail Teixeira; Attorney General, Anil Nandlall and Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh all knew very well that it was a bogus deadline but instead deliberately sought to mislead the nation and institutions such as the Private Sector Commission to create panic. He questioned why should APNU believe anything the government says in the future and stressed that they will try to meet face to face with CFATF

instead. The Attorney General, responding to Harmon’s assertion of Government purporting a “bogus deadline” for the passage of the AMLCFT before Guyana is further blacklisted said that he is shocked about Harmon’s statement. According to Nandlall it is either that Mr. Harmon “orbits in another planet or he is uninformed and deliberately chooses to remain so about the issues. “The press carried detailed articles of the FATF meeting. Many countries were reviewed. Guyana could easily have been one of them. Fortunately, we were not.” The Attorney General said that APNU is disappointed that Guyana is not reviewed and blacklisted. “As I said on a number of occasions, I do not rule out the possibility that they want that to happen so that the economy would be adversely affected, people will then blame and hold the Government responsible while the APNU can extract some cheap political mileage and benefit, therefrom. “Maybe that is their grand plan. If it is, they should say so, candidly, and stop engaging in shenaniganism and political artifice, creating a facade that they want the Bill passed.”

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Dem boys seh

Nursing and police wuk really change Shame does mek people do nuff thing. At one time when dem calypsonian sing certain song bout de opposition de government use to play it pun de radio. Then de time come when dem same calypsonian start fuh sing bout de government dem had to hear de song first before dem play it. And was nice because in dem days all dem government Ministers use to go to de calypso competition. Well times change. De Ministers stop going and dem stop playing de tunes pun de radio because all dem calypsonians singing bout de truth and de government don’t want hear de truth. Dem boys seh that is one song dem wouldn’t play anyhow because de singer praise de boss man of de Waterfalls paper. Now that is only de tip of de iceberg because people talking bout other things. Fuh prove to Jagdeo that he know what he doing, Dr Leslie decide fuh crowd up de nursing college. He believe that de more people he train is de more people gun graduate. He forget that de more people you crowd in a class room is de less de people gun learn. He put 1000 students in a classroom. He had de same number of teachers and he know that de classroom can hold 50. Well dem boys did want to see how de things gun play out. De first year of de experiment people laugh. Dem train more than one hundred people and a less than twenty graduate. That was de first year. Doctor Leslie see how things gun change de next year. Dem had no change because de results was worse. This year is de worse of de lot because only 19 pass but more than 100 write de exam. People believe that dem who pass was dem who decide to tek nursing serious. All of dem who fail was people who want to look fancy fuh Doctor Leslie at first and Doctor Bheri. But old people always say that fancy gallop don’t win race. And fuh de records. Long time police use to rely pun de baton. Then young boys get fuh like guns suh every police want guns. De other day dem had career guidance and all dem school children who visit de police booth lef everything and visit de booth wid de baton. Talk half just study how times change.

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Security guard’s execution...

Prime suspects remain in custody Police are working on a number of leads and are said to have some prime suspects in custody. They are working to crack the case in which a key witness in an impending murder trial was shot dead execution style on Thursday morning at his workplace. Security guard Kenneth Kanhai called “Puri”, 56, of Gangaram Settlement, East Canje, Berbice was employed by Home Safe Security Service. He was found dead on Thursday morning at Canefield Nursery School East Canje where he works as a security guard. He was lying in a pool of blood on a desk with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the forehead and another to the body. Kanhai was expected to testify in the murder trial of American citizen Ramdhanie Persaud called ‘Prackash’ or ‘Prack’ who is indicted on the charge of murdering his wife, Bibi Shameena Deen. Kanhai was previously before the court on a number of charges including one of knowing that Persaud was accused of murdering his wife, he received, comforted, harbored, assisted and mentored the said Persaud. The police, acting on information, had arrested Khanai at a farm at Bess Cut, New Forest, East Canje Berbice where they found one .38 Special Revolver, 23 -16 gauge cartridges and seven live 12 gauge cartridges. A later test of the weapon showed that it was used to kill Deen. Kanhai had told investigators that his cousin, Persaud, had hidden the weapon there. He was also charged with possession of arms without licence and possession of ammunition without licence and with being an accessory after the fact in that he assisted a murder accused after he had committed the capital offence.

Killed: Kenneth Kanhai

Wife: Jagwantie Jidayal

Kanhai’s Supervisor had visited the school around 10:00 hrs and had reported that all was well when he left the location. The school has no guard hut so the guards would usually go inside the building since they were given a key to the building. According to Kanhai’s brother who reportedly also works at the school as a guard, they would open the padlock and go inside the building and then open the back door and come around and lock the padlock and go back inside from the back and stay inside. Within the building an undisturbed mattress was discovered. Kanhai reportedly sustained two gunshots. Two spent shells were found. Neighbours had stated that some time between 02:00hrs and 02:30 hrs on Thursday morning, gunshots were heard in the vicinity of the school, but no one bothered to venture outside. According to Rohan Kanhai, who is also a security guard with the same company, his brother was killed by someone he knew well. They received specific instruction on how to answer calls and it had to be someone with whom he was familiar. The lights are usually off. He figured out that after his brother got the call and knowing the person he put on

the light and went to the window where he was shot at close range to his forehead. He turned to escape and was shot again in his back. The school wasn’t broken into and nothing was lost or disturbed. Kanhai would usually leave home around 17:00 hrs on his 125 scrambler motorcycle and head for work about three miles away. The relative stated that he would usually work two nights on and two nights off. He would usually reach home just after 06:00 hours. Meanwhile the four men and a lone female including a close associate of murder accused Ramdhanie Persaud and his spouse and their associates remain in custody. The accused persons are giving various statements of their movements on the night in question. The police say that the statements are conflicting. Kanhai’s wife Jagwantie Jidayal, called “Mini”, a weeder at the Rose Hall Estate and others have also given statements to the police. Kanhai previously worked with the Regional Administration as a security guard at a pump station at New Forest further up the East Canje District. He began working at the school in October 2013 after he was released from prison.

Sunday February 16, 2014

Less than 15% of nurses pass exams The worrying results of nursing students of the Georgetown School of Nursing, who participated in the finals of the Professional Nursing examination during the latter part of last year, have left a wide cross section of the nursing fraternity in utter dismay. This publication was reliably informed that more than 100 nursing students were eligible to write the examination but a mere fraction was successful. Reports reaching this publication suggest that the successful students amounted to 19. “It is of great concern to, not only me, but also to a number of other seniors in the system,” one long-standing health official said of the results last evening. According to the official it is her understanding that while a similar situation was obtained at the New Amsterdam School of Nursing, the Georgetown School produced the most distressing results. Reports are that a total of 255 nursing students entered the programme in April 2010 but an amount of just over 120 persevered to the end to sit the final examinations in October last year.

From the inception the massive intake of nursing students was seen as “preposterous” by lecturers at the nursing school since it was recognised as a near impossible pedagogic task. “When you have large classes there is a problem meeting the students at their levels; there is no way that you can pay close attention to each of them,” said the official. The official said that nurses in training should be exposed to at least four sessions of practicum on a particular subject before they are required to practice themselves. But given the large size of classes there is no guarantee that students would have grasped all of the necessary details being taught, this publication was told. “The school was simply not prepared for this,” the official said, even as she pointed out that concerns in this regard were on several occasions brought to the attention of the Ministry of Health. Although there was “minimal” intervention from the Health Ministry, the official said that it was not enough to address the concerns, hence the outcome

Police ranks, students graduate from IT training course in Essequibo A number of police officers, students of the New Opportunity Corps at Onderneeming and adults from various communities on the Essequibo Coast received certificates in recognition of their participation in a recent Information Technology programme. They undertook the programme hosted by Zara Computer College at the Richard Fikhal College at Suddie. The graduation took place yesterday at the Richard Fikhal College. It attracted Assistant Commissioner, Balram Persaud; Force

Training Officer, Paul Williams, and Commander of “G” Division, Dale Alves. Assistant Commissioner Persaud reminded the participants that the Guyana Police Force has a five year plan with the primary initiative of fostering better partnership with communities and to ensure that police officers receive advance training, especially in Tertiary Education. Persaud is also of the view that while Information Technology is a critical component to aid in crime fighting, it also bridges the relationship between

Babysitter gets 60 months for assaulting one-yr-old A 19-year old babysitter was sent to prison for 60 months by Magistrate Sueanna Lovell for assaulting a one year- old child who was left in her care. Fatima Martin, who hails

from Lethem in the deep south of Guyana was charged with assault causing grievious bodily harm. It is alleged that she assaulted the child she was hired to take care of, at the child’s home in Atlantic Ville

on the East Coast of Demerara. The court was told that Martin was hired by the child’s parents who both happen to be attorneys at law (one a serving Magistrate) to take care of her while they were busy at work. On Tuesday the child’s parents went out, leaving her in Martin’s care and upon their return they noticed visible signs of injury to her face.

was inevitable. This publication was informed that while it is recommended that those individuals applying for the nursing programme should have a science background, a number of those who were accepted were not so qualified. The failing nursing students will be able to pursue successful pass marks at the final examinations on two further occasions after which they will forfeit their eligibility for the nursing programme. “Speaking as a Guyanese, the situation is not good at all; it means that taxpayers’ dollars will have to be used for remedial sessions to train these people because three years of prior sessions, funded by taxpayers’ dollars too, did not give the desired results,” said the official. However, the official is optimistic that the most recent results will ensure that the Health Ministry take the necessary actions to avert such outcomes in the future. When contacted last evening to comment on the daunting failing rate, Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shamdeo Persaud, claimed that he was unaware that there was such a development.

The child had a bloodshot eye while the other showed black and blue marks. When questioned by the child’s parents, the babysitter gave conflicting stories of how the injuries occurred. First she claimed that the child fell from her bed; then she changed her story, claiming that the child fell in the bathroom while she was bathing her. But the parents did not

buy her defence, since a medical examination of the child debunked her explanations. Under intense questioning, the babysitter admitted that she had struck the child. The matter was reported to the police and Martin was arrested on Wednesday. In court, she also admitted to assaulting the child and was promptly sentenced to 60 months imprisonment.

communities and police in the interest of fighting crime effectively. Persaud called on the graduates, especially his police ranks, to continue to be proficient and to keep working on IT. He reminded graduates that this is only the first phase in life and that they should continue on the road to greatness. “Map the road ahead; know where you are going and don’t be sidetrack. Keep your eyes on the goal.” Force Training Officer, Paul Williams, said that while the Guyana Police Force still faces serious challenges in recruiting the right set of persons for the force with the best of knowledge they exhibit, it is reliant on the assistance of the public. He said that the Zara Group established a Computer Training College at the Richard Fikhal College last year to afford Information Technology training for police ranks. That training has since been extended to students and adults on the Coast. Some 140 persons graduated at the end of both theoretical and practical training. (Yannason Duncan).

Sunday February 16, 2014

Kaieteur News

36-year-old woman seeks help for surgery Jacques Blackman, who was diagnosed with a heart disease during her early childhood years, is now seeking financial assistance from members of the public to facilitate a much needed surgical intervention. The 36-year-old New Market Street, Georgetown resident told this newspaper that because of her condition, she has never been able to “live the life of a normal person.” The woman explained that she has never worked, and is unable to start a family of her own. “I can’t do certain things. I does have to try and keep myself calm, because I can’t even laugh too hard and get worked up and so. It ain’t easy, because when you see other people living a life that you want to live, but can’t, it hurtful.” The woman lamented that while growing up, she spent most of her days indoors wishing that she could run around with her friends. She also wanted to take up a career but life had other plans, and at present, Blackman needs to undergo

Jacques Blackman a surgery, which, if successful, will contribute to her longevity. She is pleading to the Guyanese public to come to her aid. “I have been living and trying my best to cope all these years, but now I deh at a stage where I really need help…so I begging for some assistance.” Those desirable of providing Blackman with the needed financial assistance can make contact with her via telephone number 592- 6669075. She also has a Republic Bank account – 256-608-1.

Blood bank machine out of order A least three persons were sent away after they visited the Suddie Public Hospital with the intent of donating blood to an ailing patient. Those persons were reportedly told that the machine that was instrumental for maintaining the temperature of the blood bank was ineffective. According to information, a prominent businessman and a Manager attached to the Guyana Water Authority is urgently in need of units of blood prior to a heart surgery. It was also reported that the sick Manager has suffered a recent heart attack and has four blockages to his heart. His condition has been described as critical and an operation is pending for the following week. Prospective donors, including family members and friends, were told that the machine is currently not working and that the Hospital would be facilitating a technician from Georgetown to repair the machine, some time in the new week. But reports are that the ailing Manager has already gotten a date to undergo surgery in Georgetown sometime in the new week. Meanwhile, Regional councillors have expressed their disgust with the unbecoming attitudinal behavior of some Doctors and Nurses at the Hospital. Councillors are imploring

medical practitioners to conduct themselves in a more sympathetic and mannerly way towards patients who visit the Hospital for treatment. The word now is that by Monday the machine should be back in operation once a report is filtered to a technician at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

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Chief Justice, Govt. cannot solely approve expenditure from coffers - Greenidge Government cannot approve expenditure and expend amounts from the Consolidated Fund on its own. As such A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU), Chief Financial Spokesperson, Carl Greenidge, is adamant that action will be taken against Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh, for what he deems unlawful expenditure. He was speaking of amounts expended by Government without approval. These included the US$8M utilized by the government last year, to fund the expansion project of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and for which there has been a repeated rejection in the House. Greenidge said, yesterday, that notwithstanding what Chief Justice (Ag) Ian Chang, has ruled, he nor the government by itself, cannot approve expenditure. According to Greenidge, the constitution is clear that it is the National Assembly that has to approve expenditure. He noted that the ruling by the Chief Justice will be challenged, as the opposition is not in agreement. “What the Chief Justice is saying is that Government can write any expenditure it wants and spend it…it (the expenditure) cannot be by default,” argued Greenidge. Greenidge said that he is hopeful that the Chief Justice, upon reflection realizes how ridiculous his ruling is, given the implications. Meanwhile, Greenidge commenting on this year’s

Chief Justice (Ag), Ian Chang

APNU’s Carl Greenidge

Budget which is constitutionally due by the end of next month, said that APNU’s modus operandi remains the same. He said that as long as proper explanations and details for projects and other expenditure are not provided and for which the opposition are not in agreement, these will be voted down. Greenidge’s comments came on the heels of similar statements made by the Opposition Leader, Brigadier (rtd) David Granger, who said that the Chief Justice’s ruling is flawed and that the 2014

Estimates will be cut where necessary. Granger at a recent press engagement, told media operatives that “we do not feel the ruling is applicable to internal workings of the National Assembly, we have Standing Orders which have the force of law and we feel that we will continue to behave as we have behaved in the past.” He is of the view that “if a matter is brought before the National Assembly and we are asked whether we disagree or we agree, whether we approve or disapprove, the

members of the National Assembly will vote in accordance with the interest of the country. If we disapprove we will say we disapprove.” According to Granger, “I would like to see which court would convert a disapproval by National Assembly into approval…I would like to see which court will convert 33 votes into 32 votes.” Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman is the only person who can appeal the ruling by the Chief Justice, as Granger was struck out as a defendant. Trotman at the beginning of the last sitting of the National Assembly had indicated to the House that the ruling by the Chief Justice was contrary to one that he had made. Trotman said that while the appeal rests in his hands, he would be looking to consult with the leaders of the Government and Opposition sides of the House in order to make a decision. This, he said, is because the approval of the amended budget was essentially done by the two sides in the House.

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Kaieteur News

Auto dealer execution attempt…

Gunman’s alleged accomplice still in custody Police were up to yesterday still questioning the alleged accomplice of the gunman who shot auto spares dealer Deokaran Sanasie in Alberttown on Friday night, but have so far failed to locate the alleged trigger-man, or come up with a concrete motive for the execution attempt. Kaieteur News understands that the detained man is from Albouystown and that the CG motorcycle that police seized allegedly belongs to another Albouystown resident that police want to question. Both men are said to have lengthy criminal records. A senior police official also confirmed that Sanasie’s wife, Patricia Sanasie, gave investigators a statement, but refuted some media reports which claimed that she was in custody. Kaieteur News understands that police have also taken a statement from the wounded man, who has been admitted to the

Deokaran Sanasie Intensive Care Unit of a private hospital. Mrs. Sanasie also told Kaieteur News yesterday that she had no idea why anyone would have wanted to harm her husband, whom she described as a “quiet person” who had no problems with anyone. Sanasie, the owner of Ram’s Auto Spares, was shot in the abdomen and thigh at around 18:30 hrs on Friday

near his Fourth and Light Street business place. Kaieteur News understands that the 58-yearold businessman, of Lot 129 Atlantic Gardens, East Coast Demerara, was sitting outside a hardware store near his premises when two men on a CG motorcycle suddenly stopped at the Light and Fourth Street intersection. One of the men then approached Sanasie and shot him twice. A security guard told Kaieteur News that he heard two gunshots and then saw Sanasie clutching at his chest. He said that persons in the area took the wounded man to a private hospital. Sanasie’s wife had told Kaieteur News on Friday that she was driving at around 18:30 hrs when she received a call from her husband, who informed her that he had been shot and was in the hospital. She recalled that her husband was in a stable condition and was able to speak.

New CPG executives elected for “A” Division Following the split of the “A” Division Community Policing Group, Division Two which runs from Eccles, East Bank Demerara to Long Creek, Soesdyke/Linden Highway held its Annual General Meeting which saw to the installation of six new executive members. The group met on February 9 at the Diamond Secondary School under the stewardship of Deputy Commander “A” Division,

Mr. Ian Amsterdam as Returning Officer and Mr. Norman McLean as observer. There were other senior police officers in attendance. Mr. Shirab Sears was chosen as the man who will steer Division Two. He is also the Chairman of the Brickery, Supply and Land of Canaan Community Policing Group (CPG). Mr. Kristopher Roberts of the Grove CPG was elected as the Vice Chairman while Mr.

Paul McTurk of the Herstelling CPG and Mr. Sean Richman of Eccles CPG were voted as the Secretary and Treasurer respectively. The Assistant Secretary/ Treasurer is Mr. Ronald Reece of Hararuni CPG. Mr. Allan Plass of the Grove/ Diamond CPG was elected as the Public Relations Officer. At the end of the meeting, the new executive body was installed.

Sunday February 16, 2014

Despite billions spent, GPL’s losses only dropped 2.3% - former Chairman

Despite expending billions of dollars to upgrade operations to reduce technical and commercial losses, the state-owned Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL), continues to operate at a loss. From 2007 to 2011 the company had capital investments totaling $33B, says GPL’s 2011 annual report. The company’s annual reports for 2012 and 2013 were not laid in the National Assembly. In 2007, GPL recorded 33.9 percent in technical and commercial losses and 31.6 percent in 2011. After four years and the injection of billions of dollars, the company was only able to secure a mere 2.3 percent loss reduction. With loans being granted by international financial institutions for upgrades, the undesirable performance of the company would essentially burden this and future generations. Yet, without a comprehensive study, Government continues to derive figures that would supposedly rectify the company. This is according to Ramon Gaskin, Financial Analyst and former Chairman of GPL’s Board. His sentiments are echoed by several technical personnel attached to GPL, who are displeased with management’s incapability of finding sound solutions and execution of projects relevant to Guyana’s situation. In October 2008, Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the EXIM Bank of China for US$39.6M to implement GPL’s transmission programme. And, the company was expected to benefit from an IDB/GOG US$5.5M facility in 2012 to assist in its loss reduction, GPL’s 2011 annual report said. However, Winston Brassington, Chairman of GPL in the company’s 2011 Annual Report, said losses increased from 31.3 percent in 2010 to 31.6 percent in 2011. Technical losses increased from 14.3 percent in 2010 to 14.5 percent in 2011. This was largely on account of the transmission and distribution network, reflecting its aged and limited capacity relative to demand. Therefore, the reduction of technical losses requires significant capital investment. It is hoped that the US$39M infrastructure development project currently ongoing would greatly assist in improving the network and reduce the level of losses, Brassington said. GPL is currently building a US$26M Wartsila power plant at Vreed-en-Hoop. It also added another power plant at Kingston,

Financial Analyst Ramon Gaskin

NICIL Head Winston Brassington

Georgetown. According to Gaskin, the execution of the transmission upgrade programme should have already been implemented since the MOU was inked in 2008. In addition, the loss reduction should have been 12 or 15 percent. Gaskin pointed out that in 1999 when the Guyana Electricity Corporation was sold to CDC/ESBI (Electricity State Board of Ireland), an agreement was made with Government to reduce total losses by 12 percent over a five-year period. But, because of CDC/ ESBI’s failure to achieve the 12 percent loss reduction in 2005 it gave up its shares, making the Government of Guyana and by extension taxpayers, the owners of GPL. Gaskin stressed that 14 years later technical and commercial losses of GPL are 31.6 percent and this is unacceptable. With GPL Transmission Upgrade programme nearly completed Prime Minister Samuel Hinds said, “For the first time, sub-stations…at points in the network, will about halve the load on feeders, with consequential improvements in technical loss-reduction, greater conformity with the standard voltage levels, and reduced trips.” But similar considerations apply to the secondary distribution circuits and feeders, and GPL Inc. is working at this, the Prime Minister assured. As a matter of fact, the official warned, it could cost twice as much as the transmission upgrade – about US$100M. The Prime Minister said that the US$100M figure mentioned is simply a ‘rough estimate’ and not based on any definitive study. Such a study would require several million dollars and a number of years, according to Hinds, depending on the level of specificity required. This reasoning by Hinds was rejected by Gaskin, who

stressed that Government should invest in a comprehensive study because GPL continues to experience losses. For instance, in 2011 the company experienced an after tax loss of $3.3B. The company blamed its 2011 loss largely on rising fuel costs. The 2011 annual report said that in 2011 the fuel cost was $22.5B, a $5.9B increase over the 2010 figures. But, according to Gaskin, 32 percent of the fuel used to generate electricity is wasted on producing electricity that is not sold to anyone. Therefore, if the company halves its technical and commercial losses it would break even. While the company continues to generate a loss, managers have been rewarded with hefty salaries. In 2006, the remuneration paid to 15 key management personnel totaled $165.9M. This amount was increased to $244.7M in 2007. And, in 2011 remuneration paid to 32 key management personnel totaled $318M. According to technical personnel of GPL, while the number of key management personnel of the company has doubled, it is questionable how many of them are capable of running a technical company. He said that a study should be conducted to see the qualification and experience of the management staff. He believes that GPL is equipped with technical qualified staff at the lower level, who would be able to contribute to effective decision making of the company. However, this would require the depoliticizing of the company, he added. The staff related that GPL lacks a think tank group to study solutions relevant to Guyana. GPL should be looking at solutions relevant to Guyana rather than at solutions that work for other countries.

Sunday February 16, 2014

Kaieteur News

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Sunday February 16, 2014

The kidnapping of Roy Bell - A brutal unsolved case from the crime wave era The victim’s face and upper body were covered with a suitcase.

By Michael Jordan On Saturday, April 12, 2003, 16-year-old School of the Nations student Roy Bell and a brother entered a car outside the family’s Lot 178, Sunflower Circle, South Ruimveldt home. They then headed to a city school, where they picked up Roy’s girlfriend. Afterwards, the brother dropped off Roy and his friend at a fast food outlet on Vlissengen Road. At around 13:30 hrs, Roy Bell and the female friend caught a Route 40 bus and headed to the East Bank Demerara bus park, where the girl joined another bus. Roy reportedly told his girlfriend that he was heading home. He never turned up. Later that day, the phone rang in the Bells’ South Ruimveldt home. When a family member picked up the phone, the unknown caller stated that he had kidnapped Roy Bell, and demanded $10M for his release. The ‘kidnapper’ gave the family 48 hours to deliver the ransom.

The family also received detailed instructions as to how the cash was to be delivered. It is believed that Roy Bell had identified himself to his kidnappers as Roy Joseph, since the kidnappers had reportedly asked to speak with the boy’s mother, whose maiden name was Joseph. Roy’s uncle, the then Region Eight Chairman Senor Bell, said that the lad’s father, who ran a mining concession, came out of the interior shortly after learning of his son’s abduction. Meanwhile, the Regional Chairman notified Home Affairs Minister Ronald Gajraj and a senior member of the Opposition of his nephew’s abduction. Approached by the press, Bell’s relatives declined comment, saying that they feared that newspaper reports of the abduction would further endanger the teen. By Monday, April 14, the Bells had accumulated the ransom money. That night, a family friend, who was

chosen to deliver the money, left home in a white Toyota Corolla. Persons purporting to be the kidnappers kept in telephone contact with the family friend. The kidnappers instructed the man to first drive around the city. The friend claimed that someone drove behind him constantly. He was then ordered to leave his car, with keys in the ignition, in Craig Street, Campbellville. On Tuesday, April 15, Senor Bell came to the Kaieteur News Saffon Street office and spoke with me. Just as the interview ended, I got a call that a body had been found on the northern parapet of the Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara public road. There was nothing unusual about that call. It was the period of the ‘crime wave’, as we still call it, when seldom a day went by without an execution or a mass killing. I went to the scene and saw a slightly-built figure in short pants on the parapet. The face and upper body were covered with a suitcase. I

took the photograph and went home. It was not until the following day that I learnt that the victim was Roy Bell. I was shaken by that revelation. I had never dreamed that the kidnappers would kill a schoolboy, and in such a cruel fashion. They had gagged him with a piece of cloth, believed to have been torn from his jersey. There were bruises on his body that suggested that he had been beaten. His shoulder blades had been broken. His neck also appeared to have been broken. An autopsy would later show that he died from suffocation. Detectives recovered the white Toyota Corolla that was used to drop of the ransom in Prashad Nagar. The vehicle was checked for fingerprints and other clues. They found nothing to indicate who the kidnappers were. In hindsight, Senor Bell felt that an effort should have been made to trap the kidnappers when the ransom was being dropped off. No attempt was reportedly made to trail the kidnappers, because the family had feared that this would have further

Berbice will be in the news again. A determined police division will be making life tough for the criminals who until recently had a field day. They are going to stage a raid and nab a group of men who would have in their possession weapons. The men will turn out to be men who all had brushes with the law. As can be expected, two of them will be teenagers. **** Accidents are the norm these days. There will be another horrific crash along

Roy Bell endangered the abducted teen. Mr. Bell suggested that his nephew was killed because he could have identified his kidnappers. “They felt that they had to kill him because they had kidnapped him in the day and he saw their faces.” He ruled out any suggestion that his nephew had been slain by someone with a grievance against the family. He described the Bells as law-abiding individuals. “We don’t do or carry drugs; my nephew didn’t drink or smoke or do drugs. We handed over the ransom in good faith. Those people have no heart.” At the time, Mr. Bell repeatedly vowed that the deed would not go

a major carriageway because a speeding driver who should not be driving would overtake at the wrong time. The Georgetown Public Hospital would be hard pressed to cope with the spate of trauma victims.

unpunished. God…how time flies. That was almost eleven years ago, and still we don’t have a clue who killed 16-year-old Roy Bell, and why they did that pitiless deed, in that period of unprecedented cruelty. If you have any information about this or any other unusual case, please contact Kaieteur News at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown location. We can be reached on telephone numbers 2258458, 225-8465, 225-8491 or 225-8473. You need not disclose your identity. You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email address: mjdragon @hotmail.com

**** The authorities are going to make another drug bust at the major airport. It would seem that people are not prepared to back off, but the reality is that they have a surfeit of illegal drugs and desperately need the money to cover the cost. The supplier is calling and there is nervousness. To compound the issue is the presence of a group of narco-agents from a foreign country, who recognize that Guyana is now a major transshipment point.

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Kaieteur News

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== THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN ==

I had a heart attack and almost died in Austin’s Bookstore A sempiternal wish I have is to meet all my readers and ask them what days, weeks and months are like in their individual lives in Guyana. This is an intriguing, bewildering, unpredictable country. One of the most curious, learning weeks in my life in Guyana was the week that just went by. It began with the great heart attack. You see, I am a founding member of an organization named “1823 Coalition for the Monument at Parade Ground.” The purpose of this body is to secure the erection of a monument at the Parade Ground in honour of the great humans in our history who staged a fantastic slave rebellion in 1823. Many of them were tortured and executed at Parade Ground. If you are going to speak on behalf of the “1823 Coalition for the Monument at Parade Ground,” then moral obligation dictates that you digest the literature on the uprising. There is only one book on the 1823 slave rebellion. I went into Austin’s Bookstore to buy, “Crowns of Glory, Tears of Blood: The Demerara Slave Rebellion of 1823,” by Brazilian historian, Emilia Viotti da Costa. As I looked at the front cover, I suffered a heart attack. I fell

bodily on the concrete floor but my head was spared because it landed on a pile of books spread out on the ground. Austin’s staff took me to the Caribbean Heart Institute where the great doctor, Mahendra Carpen, supervised me. The diagnosis revealed I didn’t suffer a heart attack but a rare head problem called psychological apoplexy. This is the shock of seeing something, the nature of which you cannot believe. Do you know how much for that book? Your guess will never come close. This is a soft cover edition with 328 pages. The price is $13,500. Of course I am joking about the heart attack, but how are we ever going to educate ourselves on our country’s history when with our level of wages and salaries, we will not be able buy books like the one on the 1823 slave rebellion? Of course the price has absolutely nothing to do with Mr. Austin. His mark-up is always modest. This is just what the book cost, whether sold at Austin’s or elsewhere. Only two more copies are at Austin’s. But no point in telling you to hurry down; the price will daunt you. I believe strongly in copyright laws, so if you borrow my copy please

do not Xerox it. Of course it is none of my business what you do with it, once you return it to me within three days. Now let’s move to Republic Bank. On Thursday, Lincoln Lewis invited me to a lecture at 10:30 hours at the TUC. The speaker was the Speaker of the House. I told Lincoln I would be there to fire off some questions before I go to a picket outside the Ministry of Health in support of Colwyn Harding, the youth who was sodomized with a police baton. I had not a cent on me, so I went to the ATM on New Market Street next to the head office of Republic Bank. I punched in the figure I wanted. The machine registered my withdrawal and my card came out. But the money didn’t. When I checked my slip, it showed the withdrawal was made. Not to worry, the bank is right next door, but I was in for a shock. The receptionist told me that I have to go to Water Street to make an inquiry. I tempestuously refused to do so and demanded to see a

supervisor. I was not going to use gas to drive into the heart of the city, get a nervous breakdown to find parking, and it was Republic Bank that was at fault. I refused to move until I saw someone. I saw Ms. Sammy. She was delightfully competent and elegantly pleasing. She said after investigation that the money would be credited the next day, but I demanded it be done the very day. I spent

half an hour in the bank, so I missed Lincoln’s lecture. Last week, I bought a purple top for my daughter only to find it was too small. I returned it to the Regent Street store owned by a Guyanese. I was informed that I have to pay ten percent of the cost to select another size. I don’t have to describe what happened after. You know what happened. I went home with the right size

Frederick Kissoon without paying that illegal ten percent. The week ended with me winning a forty-inch television from a sales promotion of the Budget Supermarket on Sheriff Street.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday February 16, 2014

Book review… A showcase of talent, grit and politics Book: Great Jamaican Athletes by Mark A. Jones Dr Glenville Ashby, Contributor Mark A. Jones’ Great Jamaican Athletes is an abbreviated encyclopedia on the enthralling world of Track and Field. Short biographies of runners, hurdlers and even a dynamic swimmer are testament to the overarching energy of the human will that mold the body to machine-like capabilities. This is an offering more about mental toughness than physical prowess. It captures the uncanny determination to resurrect bodies wrecked by potentially career-ending injuries. It is about mentorship, coaching, and on rare occasions, the luck of the draw. It details the agony of defeat and the ecstasy of victory. Over the last four years, Jamaican sprinters have dominated the Olympics, the World Championships and the Commonwealth Games, trumping the best that the US and Europe have thrown at them. The record-breaking

accomplishments and charisma of Usain Bolt have stirred the curiosity of many, hitherto, disinterested in that genre of sports. Arguably, he has raised the profile of an island of no more than three million people. But Jones’ work is hardly provincial. It covers multiple grounds. For sure, Jamaican athleticism transcends Bolt. It harks back to the days of the unparalleled endurance and work ethic of Donald Quarrie and the excellence of the late George Kerr, Lennox Miller, and others. Unquestionably, there is a mystique to the Jamaican athlete that Jones fails to cover. Not that his work aims at probing the psyche of greatness. Jones is no psychologist or geneticist. He is a veritable sports journalist with an opinion that is subtly loud. His work speaks volumes about the incredulous power of faith and self assurance. It touches

on turf wars that mar the professionalism of the sport, and the embedded superiority complexes that are slow to award credit where it is due. It reveals the frailty, if not the ugly side of the human personality. “Jamaican Athletes” can also be viewed as a tribute to gender parity, for Jamaica’s female athletes have dazzled the world, no less than their male counterparts. The feats of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Brigitte Foster-Hylton and Merlene Ottey have enlivened sports aficionados. But there is a socio-political dimension to Jones’ undertaking. This is a compilation that oozes with hope and expectation. There is that inherent desire that those who control the levers of power will forego posturing and ensure that their promises bear fruit; an expectation that an athletic bar that has been set so high will never be lowered. In a land of disaffected youths, a paucity of training facilities and poor

infrastructure, the global dominance of Jamaicans can only be described as stupendous, almost otherworldly. But Jones rightly veers from merely chronicling the great athletic achievements and forays into the murky world of politics. He demands answers, questioning the promise of successive governments to help develop the full fruition of Jamaican athletic talent. Alia Atkinson’s success in the field of swimming speaks of much needed diversity in sports. Of this prodigy, he writes: “Her exploits have instilled in Jamaican young and upcoming swimmers, a sense of self belief. Sadly this has been stymied by a lack of swimming pools throughout the island. The only Olympic size pool which is situated in the old capital of Spanish town is still in disuse, in spite of political posturing many moons ago...” Conversely, he lauds the private sector that has risen to the occasion with its support of budding talent. Of youth development, he counsels, offering a worn but ever poignant proposal. He writes: “If Jamaica is to unearth more talent, the government needs to build a sporting centre in every parish.” Jones’ advocacy for diversity in sporting is lucid and unswerving. Of lawn tennis, he adds: “This sport can be a major sport...if it is coat-tailed on to soccer which is very popular sport. It has been proven time and again that it is always people who are fighting their way out of a poor society that excel in sport.” Surely, Jones well

understands what’s at stake. His book, his thesis is bigger than any single athlete in that island’s Hall of Fame. Something much larger looms. The future of Jamaica is rooted in its human resource. And no small nation can afford to squander or slight its value. Despite lip service by national leaders, the accomplishments of that nation’s athletes have paradoxically served as a political band aid, offering a respite from jarring political recriminations and polarisation. It has created, only for a moment, a surreal state of unbridled nationalism.

Jones’ oeuvre is concise and written with candour. Blazoned with black and white, and colour pictures of athletes in full flight, or decked in fashionable raiment at award ceremonies, Great Jamaican Athletes is a pageturner - a compelling book that captivates the imagination of readers, no more than the very star power it covers. Feedback: glenvilleashby@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter@glenvilleashby Great Jamaican Athletes by Mark A. Jones Copyright 2013 ISBN: 978-976-95603-0-7 Available: amazon.com

Sunday February 16, 2014

Kaieteur News

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MY COLUMN

I HAD A SCARY WEEK

Every child is scared of the dark, of death and of the unknown. As we grow older we hear that there is really nothing to be afraid of, but fear itself. Yet many of us, perhaps because of the indoctrination and the belief that adults know about such things, continue to fear those things as the dark and of course, the tomb. This past week I suddenly woke up to death. It was all around me and there was nothing that I could do except convince myself that I still have some time before it touches me. A week ago I got the round of e-mail from my schoolmates informing me of the death of one of ours—Courtney Griffith, known to us as Blackett. I had not seen him in decades but his memory was always there. The word is that he lived in Florida and had travelled to Canada to be with some friends. While there he suffered a heart attack and died. Immediately I tallied up the number of my friends and schoolmates who died of a heart attack. Perhaps it is the food or it could be the sedentary life we adopt when

we reach a certain age. Whatever the case, we seem to succumb to this curse. And then there was Albertha King, a woman I happened to have met nearly five deacdes ago when I travelled to Bartica to seek my fortunes and to fashion my future. She too succumbed to a heart attack two Fridays ago. She was an interesting woman who was famous as a pacifier Back then in Bartica I was there when she met the man who was to become her husband—Charles King. He had just graduated from the Multilateral Training College and was posted to Bartica. I was there for her wedding. When I left Bartica her husband replaced me as the Information Officer. He was later posted to Venezuela where he died in a freak accident. I got the message that Bertha was coming home with the body and I met her at the then Timehri International Airport. She brought with her a baby daughter whom she promptly pushed into my hands so that I could get a baptism of urine. Our lives continued to be close. We worked together at

VCT 28 and later, Prime News. We shared many moments talking about things that were. I watched her, as a single parent, put her daughters through University. One of them is now a Doctor, and no ordinary one at that. She majored in science. Her two other children have done equally well. When people lament that they are single parents, I would point them to Albertha King. She died a week after Trevor Rose, the father of her daughter’s child, was killed. That was the last time we spoke. She was not yet buried when word came that another close friend was dying. Laurence Clarke died in a Maputo hospital of cancer of the pancreas. This was a young man who came from the same background as me. He was poor like me, but he used his brain to good effect. He was the youngest Deputy General Manager of the Guyana National Cooperative Bank. He later left to work with the World Bank, almost reaching the pinnacle. We remained close to the point that whenever he came to Guyana, I would get a call and

we would meet. His prominence on the international scene did not prevent Joy Reid from trying to rob him. She sold him a house then sold the house to someone else. The ensuing court case caused him to travel to Guyana a lot. He researched and compiled a history of his alma mater, Queen’s College. Facts that were unknown he managed to unearth, like Dr Cheddi Jagan scoring a century playing for the third eleven. People close to me were falling like nine pins. I had already heard of a villager Sydney Waldron dying in New York and whose body was returning. I grew up with him, but he was closer to my younger siblings’ age. Coming so close on the heels of each other, bad news like the kinds I have been getting makes me recognize my own mortality. For example, on Thursday I walked out of the gym and suddenly had a

dizzy spell. I was worried because I had pushed myself too hard. I have lost weight and my friends who are accustomed to seeing Adam with a paunch now tell me that I look bad. They do not realize that I have been able to lower my blood pressure by some thirty points. But for my friends, looking rotund is the way to go. Anyhow, the dizzy spell continued through Friday and into Saturday. Now I am worrying, because I was not known to be a diabetic. But with my friends hurrying to the Great Beyond, I am going to hurry to a doctor for a complete examination. I hope that he does not find anything really bad with me. But before I head to the doctor, I must tell one more story. My neighbour, Peter Lashley, shared the same birthday with me. On November 1, either of us would shout over to the other, “Happy Birthday.” I took his

Adam Harris wife to church when they got married. We did so many things and we spoke a lot. On Valentine’s Day he left home for work. What got into his head to cross the road ahead of approaching vehicles is a mystery. A truck crushed him and I became even more ill. To lose five friends and a close associate in a week is not a joke. But then again, I console myself that I am going nowhere except to a doctor to check out the aberration in my life. Perhaps I am getting scared.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday February 16, 2014

“This is a dark time, my love” By Sheba Thomas Youth For Change member “This is the dark time, my love; it is the season of oppression, dark metal, and tears. It is the festival of guns, the carnival of misery”. These

words of one of our beloved poets, Martin Carter, seem immortal as they so aptly describe the current situation of our country. The first month of 2014 has come to an end and the second is half gone, with an ever-growing record of

concerns and issues of robberies, murders, suicides and allegations against our police force. These issues reveal the true character of our present leaders and their inability to act and provide safety and security for the citizens of

this country. One is left to wonder if Mr. Clement Rohee is waiting on a great epiphany before he can awaken from his selfimposed denial that under his tenure, crimes of all sorts and characterizations have multiplied both in frequency

and intensity. His inability to assume control over the increase in criminal activity and daily complaints of gross misconduct by members of the Guyana Police Force, and his mind-boggling suggestions for solving the myriad of problems in that institution, clearly shows poor leadership Instead of reshuffling those perceived to be ineffective officers, for instance, perhaps the Minister should do some house cleaning and sweep out all the corrupt officials closest to him, starting from the top, and then he should follow the recent example of a fellow minister and resign for failure to fill his mandate. But then, what can one expect from a Minister who has acknowledged that he is no expert in the field he oversees. It is now up to his boss to hear the plea of his Home Affairs Minister and make the necessary changes. With the recent upsurge of crimes involving youths, one would think that the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport would be concerned about the welfare of young people, but his prolonged silence on such a matter proves his disinterest in this regard. Not once has he even uttered a word on the Colwyn Harding case or the murder of costume designer Trevor Rose. As a Guyanese youth, I would expect the said minster to pay keen interest in this matter. It is also shocking to me that with such an increase in violence among youths, that Minister has not even moved to collaborate with the Guyana Police Force to establish a programme to combat this issue, or even one that seeks to identify the varying reasons for the increase of aggression in youths that leads to violence. Even with the alarming increase of youth suicide from last December to now, nothing was said, no

Sheba Thomas investigation carried out as why youths would make this ultimate decision; take this fatal action. What about the Minister of Health? Not even he has addressed the increasing suicide rate in Guyana and established a programme to combat this. Perhaps the citizens of Guyana have had enough with the depressing state of their country. Many youths see no future here, many have lost hope that Guyana can change. So who should be held accountable for the oppression and destruction of Guyana? The very people we elect to govern our affairs. They are the ones who are watching us not being able to achieve our dreams because of their ineptitude. Those are the real criminals we should be afraid of. The ones in suit and tie, who look into your face and pretend to be a hero, when in actuality they have robbed us blindly. They are the ones who took an oath to protect the people of this country and instead took merciless advantage and left us with nothing but distress. To overcome this, Guyanese will have to plunge themselves into massive rebuilding of morals and ethics, nationalism and sound politics. Why not let us all say a prayer for Guyana and hope that when we awaken our country will once again be beautiful.

Sunday February 16, 2014

SUNDAY SPECIAL AML LEGISLATION…‘SOME OUTRAGEOUS POWERS RECOMMENDED WERE REDUCED’ - NANDLALL Attorney General (AG) Anil Nandlall in a telephone interview with Kaieteur News has stated that the “outrageous powers” which the leader of A Partnership For National Unity (APNU) said is given to Ministers, are the same powers that all other Ministers throughout the Caribbean have. The “powers” were handed down by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF). APNU’s Leader David Granger stated recently that proposals put forward by Government in the current Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill (AMLCFT), are dangerous in that they place enormous enforcement powers on the Ministers of Finance and Legal Affairs; responsibilities which should be with institutions such as the Guyana Police Force. Granger said, “The Minister can have you arrested, the Minister can have your house searched.” But Nandlall said that no member of the executive could have those powers. He said that he Minister of Finance can appoint the head of the Financial Intelligence Unit and other officers, but he has no power to act or intervene. GOVT. MULLS US$40M WIND FARM AT HOPE BEACH - 25 MW PROJECT COULD BE OPERATIONAL IN 18 MONTHS Government is seriously considering the approval of a 25-megawatt wind farm at Hope Beach, East Coast Demerara. A feasibility study has been completed and the environmental hurdles have all been crossed for the US$40M project, says local businessman/investor, Lloyd Singh. Government and the principals of the project have been meeting in recent months with the aim of signing a power purchase agreement that will see the state-owned Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL)

Kaieteur News

purchasing electricity at a cheaper rate, Singh confirmed last week. Two weeks ago, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, who has responsibility for power, told a Parliamentary committee with oversight on natural resources, that “rapid progress” has been made on a project for a wind farm at Hope Beach. Noting that a renewable energy project at Hope Beach was one that has been a “20-year aspiration”, Hinds disclosed that “studies” have been done and “records kept”. Guyana wants additional, cheaper power as several new housing schemes and a number of new industries continue to spring up, spurring an increased demand for power. The administration has been pinning its hopes on a 165megawatt (MW) hydro electric project at Amaila Falls, Region Eight, to meet demands. MONDAY EDITION CFATF DENIES DICTATINGANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING AMENDMENT The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) legislation was not dictated by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) as is being touted by Government. This was confirmed by Roger Hernandez, Financial Advisor of CFATF, last Sunday, when he was asked to clarify whether CFATF dictated the legislation that is currently with a Parliamentary Special Select Committee. In October 2013, prior to Guyana being blacklisted by CFATF, Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon said, “CFATF has dictated and will continue to dictate the AntiMoney Laundering Bills of the world of States that are specifically treaty-bound under the FATF, so let’s put to rest that perspective.” He had made it clear that the AntiMoney Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism amendment Bill does not have to satisfy A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) but rather the CFATF. According to Dr. Luncheon, the Bill arose from a multilateral evaluation report done by CFATF as it

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examined Guyana’s compliance with its treaty obligations. AIRPORT OFFICIALS ON HIGHALERTAFTER ‘TERROR THREAT’TO CARIBBEAN AIRLINES The United States Embassy here in Georgetown issued an emergency travel advisory for US citizens travelling from Guyana to America during February 10 through Wednesday, February 12, 2014. The advisory was issued in the wake of a threat received by Caribbean Airlines, which triggered an emergency meeting with security and officials at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport. A top police official indicated to Kaieteur News that the threat seemed to indicate “possible sabotage to an airline”, and reassured that security measures had been put in place. According to a statement from the CJIA, “the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) and the Ministry of Public Works were advised of a ‘threat’ received by Caribbean Airlines and immediately convened a high level security meeting with relevant security agencies and stakeholders of the airport. “The officials assessed the threat and put in place a number of measures to p r e v e n t any untoward occurrence. The Ministry and CJIA have since adopted the highest security posture to protect passengers, crew, aircraft and airport employees and to ensure the continued smooth and safe operations at the airport,” it added. TUESDAY EDITION INTERNATIONAL BLACKLISTING LOOMS AS GUYANA MISSES FATF DEADLINE The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Tuesday concluded its International Co-operation Review Group (ICRG) in Paris, France but Guyana failed to debate or vote for the Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill. While many expected the Bill to be returned to the House from the Special Select Committee, this did not

Gail Teixeira

AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan

APNU Shadow Finance Minister Carl Greenidge

Law enforcement officers escort one of the seven members of the Gambino and Bonanno Families arrested

obtain. Chairperson of the Committee, Gail Teixeira, told members of the media that the political opposition was adamant that it would not return the Bill to the House until their amendments to the Principal Act are included. She said that there was consensus in the Committee, on the amendments recommended by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) but the other amendments to the Principal Act were stalling the process. The Committee met on Monday and according to Teixeira, Government by way of a motion, proposed that the Bill be tabled in the House with just the CFATF recommendations, but this was roundly rejected. Teixeira suggested that because the amendments brought by the Opposition on Sunday evening were quite complex and would have a lot of implications, the draftsmen could not complete the draft by Monday morning. The Government is of the opinion that the Opposition

amendments can be brought subsequently in another Bill, but the Opposition is adamant that all those recommended by CFATF and those amendments to the principal Act be taken to the House at one time. OPPOSITION CALLS PRESIDENT’S “BLUFF” OVER POSSIBLE POLLS Opposition parties are not convinced that the bitter spat over this year’s budget will spur on general elections. In fact, Alliance for Change (AFC) Leader Khemraj Ramjattan is calling President Donald Ramotar’s “bluff” amidst any suspected move to call General Elections. The AFC head was responding to questions over the likelihood of general elections, given the further divide between the opposition and the government in Parliament following the ‘budget cuts ruling’ of Chief Justice Ian Chang a few weeks ago. Ramjattan charged that in his opinion, “the President will never call General Elections.” He said, “I don’t

think the President would want to deny himself two years out of his presidency. The People’s Progressive Party does not want Mr. Ramotar to be the next presidential candidate,” Ramjattan went on to say. “So for the President to call elections, I think it is out of the question.” After explaining that the Administration can call elections at anytime it deems, Ramjattan said, “I believe that Mr. Ramotar will be trying to bluff the opposition over any call for elections. Jagdeo (former President Bharrat Jagdeo) has told him (President Ramotar) that he is a ‘lame duck president’ and he would only want to bluff the opposition.” “I am calling his bluff,” Ramjattan continued, “If I am wrong let him call elections.” WEDNESDAY EDITION GUYANALINKED TO MAJOR COKESMUGGLING MAFIA RING - TWO DOZEN SUSPECTS ARRESTED New York, USA – Two (Continued on page 45)

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Kaieteur News

Sunday February 16, 2014

Guyana is sleepwalking into narco-statehood Revelations in the international media of a Guyana-Italy cocaine conspiracy are ominous. Evidence that Guyanese narco-traffickers are working hand-in-hand with Italian Mafiosi confirms fears that Guyana is sleepwalking, step by step, into narco-statehood. This time, two dozen suspected narco-traffickers linked to the Gambino and Bonanno crime families and the Italian crime syndicate known as Ndrangheta were arrested last week in New York and Italy during the coordinated American-Italian Operation New Bridge. The clans were in the advanced stages of plans to smuggle some 500 kg (1,102 pounds) of pure cocaine from Guyana in South America to the port of Gioia Tauro in Calabria. Italian investigators

estimated the street value of the shipment to be US$1 billion. Guyanese recall that the Malaysian news agency Bernama reported that a container from Guyana was intercepted with cocaine in coconut milk in November 2012. Two men who managed the New Sococo Enterprise on the East Coast were convicted and given light sentences for their roles. Narcotics-trafficking has been increasing over the past twenty years. The first signal of Guyana’s involvement in ‘industrial scale’ narcoticstrafficking was the October 1998 apprehension of 3,148 kg (about 6,940 pounds) of cocaine valued at US$288M on the MV Danielsen in Port Georgetown. Another notorious event was the December 2007 ‘discovery’ of the impressive 1,100 m-long illegal airstrip

with a burnt-out Let 410 UVPE turboprop aeroplane with a payload of 1,615 kg “ near Wanatoba, 130 km up the Corentyne River. Guyana’s counter-narcotics enforcement agencies have been strangely incapable of identifying the criminal cocaine cartels which have been constructing illegal airstrips and coordinating the air traffic enabling the largescale importation of illegal narcotics into the country. Narco-trafficking has been driving this country’s high rates of money-laundering, gun-running, executionmurders and armed robberies. Violent crime is scaring foreign investors, driving away the educated élite, undermining economic growth and impeding social development. A former Crime Chief warned that ‘execution-type killings’

– many of which are suspected to be related to the narcotics-trafficking - account for about one-third of all murders. The lucrative narco-trade is said to earn the equivalent of 20 per cent or more of Guyana’s reported GDP. The trade, however, also spawns armed gangs which use their wealth to purchase political influence and suborn the security forces in order to protect their interests. Moneylaunderers associated with narcotics-traffickers also distort the domestic economy by pricing their goods and services below market rates which undermine legitimate businesses. The annual US Department of State’s International Narcotics Control Strategy Report – INCSR – has been a useful guide to the local trade. The INCSR, for the first time in 2004, cited the Guyana Government’s “lack of political will” as a contributory factor to the continuing ineffectiveness of the national counternarcotics programme. Reports, since then, have focused unerringly on the remarkable relationship between the inactivity of Government’s counter-

narcotics agencies on the one hand and the vitality of the narco-trafficking and moneylaundering cartels on the other. INCSRs suggest that, throughout Bharrat Jagdeo’s presidency, there were not any large domestic seizures of cocaine nor has any important member of a narco-trafficking cartel been punished by a court of law. Last year’s INCSR noted: “Guyana is a transit country for cocaine destined for the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe and West Africa. Cocaine originating in Colombia is smuggled to Venezuela and onward to Guyana by sea or air. Smugglers also transit land borders with Brazil, Venezuela, and Suriname. Cocaine is often concealed in legitimate commodities and smuggled via commercial maritime vessels, air transport, human couriers, or the postal services…” The People’s Progressive Party Civic administration has not seriously confronted the challenge of narcoticstrafficking. It did launch a National Drug Strategy Master Plan nine years ago, but allowed it to peter out without being fully implemented. The Plan’s main

components – the National Anti-Narcotics Co-ordinating Secretariat; National AntiNarcotics Commission; Joint Intelligence Co-ordination Centre; Joint Anti-Narcotics Committee and Regional AntiDrugs Units - never functioned fully. The PPPC administration over the last decade also contrived to evade the establishment of a permanent US Drug Enforcement Administration office in Georgetown. Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon once announced that a DEA office in Guyana would be welcome, suggesting that “certain details” had to be discussed before-hand. Then, former Minister of Home Affairs Ms Gail Teixeira kept up the jape by saying that “talks are ongoing” to establish the DEA office. When Mr Clement Rohee took over the Ministry, he could say only that he “could not pronounce definitively” on the matter. Former Ambassador Roland Bullen who saw through the PPPC charade, told this administration frankly several years ago: “… it is demoralising to see drug shipments originating in Guyana, seized abroad, while narco-criminals roam freely here.” The current Guyana-Italy cocaine conspiracy confirms the validity of ‘Bullen’s law.’ Guyana seems to be sleepwalking into narcostatehood.

Sunday February 16, 2014

Kaieteur News

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Anti Money Laundering legislation...

Govt. credibility eroded in face of “…desist from politics of hysteria blacklisting deception by manufacturing crises”- GTUC Following the non-review of Guyana by the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) is cautioning the administration to “desist from its politics of hysteria by manufacturing crises and creating unnecessary tensions in the society.” The GTUC reminded that for the past month the administration was engaged in a relentless hype to make the nation feel “we face international financial ostracizing (blacklisting) if we did not meet the manufactured 13th February deadline to pass the AntiMoney Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill (AML/CFT).” GTUC notes that following the plenary held in Paris, France, by FATF, it has become evident that the supposed ‘doomsday’ came and went with no sanction being imposed. The union further charged that if there is any credibility in the administration’s statement of having to file a report to the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF), “an honest report will make known the AML/CFT is engaging parliamentary attention, which is an improvement on November 2013 when it was felt the Bill was dead.” GTUC said that the administration’s hysteria is

not only confined to the state and politically-aligned media, but has sought to ensnare independent and mainstream media. “The mainstream and independent media are now being targeted to make a propaganda machinery on a matter of national import that requires level-headedness, which the administration has unfortunately seized upon as opportunity to manufacture a political crisis and divide the society.” It was noted that in a partnership of regional and international governance, preference is given to position and recommendation that emerges from the regional body, and in this case where Guyana is given until May 2014 by the CFATF to report on its compliance, the FATF would have never sought to sanction Guyana. “Further, if Guyana was not slated for review by FATF, ipso facto the body cannot waive immediate sanction against Guyana at its plenary held in Paris during 9th – 14th February.” GTUC said that Guyanese are warned not to be fooled by the administration’s exploitation of the media in its gate-keeping role in furtherance of a divisive political agenda which will hinder good governance and a peaceful co-existence. “The nation is presenting to onlookers a picture of headless chickens fluttering

around on or reacting to a number of inconsistencies articulated by the administration and its allies, and this must forcibly cause us to examine their credibility.” GTUC recalled that in October 2013 Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon said “CFATF has dictated and will continue to dictate the Anti-Money Laundering Bills of the world of states that are specifically treaty bound under the FATF, so let’s put to rest that perspective.” In February 2014 when Kaieteur News approached CFATF, the papers was advised by Roger Hernandez, Financial Advisor of CFATF that, “The legislation has not been dictated by the CFATF, draft versions of the legislation were submitted for review by the CFATF to assess compliance with outstanding recommendations and a response was sent to the authorities.” GTUC noted also that in January 2014, Chair of the AML/CFT Parliamentary Select Committee, Gail Teixeira, warned that Guyana could be automatically reviewed by FATF in February and risk international blacklisting if the bill was not passed. “The FATF meeting concluded and Guyana is not blacklisted.” GTUC also reminded that in February 2014, Attorney General Anil Nandlall told

Stabroek News that the Bill has to be passed by February 11 for dispatch to FATF in order to avoid further blacklisting. “The administration also said two countries were identified for review and when asked if Guyana was one, the response was it could not be confirmed because the FATF meeting was closed-door.” According to GTUC, the opposition’s proposal for the adoption of the Barbados oversight model is rejected by the AG who said “The United Nations Security Council has produced a book in which they have examined all the FIUs around the globe. They have recommended the executive model to be used, as it has proven to be the most effective.” It was noted by the GTUC that Barbados is not on the

watch list of non-compliant countries. According to the union, the trading of accusations as to who is responsible for the non-passage of the AML/ CFT Bill has taken precedence over the responsibility of public officials to educate the citizens about a proposed law that has far-reaching impact on their day to day lives. “It is clear political upmanship is taking precedence over the interest of the people.” According to GTUC, the absence of engaging the opposition and arriving at consensual positions that satisfy constitutional requirements in a holistic arrangement, including the establishment of constitutional bodies such as the Public Procurement

Commission (PPC), assenting to outstanding bills and other pressing governance issues, convey the impression the administration has no intention to realise the passage of a bill, but is using the opportunity to deceive and blame the opposition and those questioning the Bill in its current form. The GTUC called on citizens to be enjoined in this discourse and call on the administration to stop its deception and buckle down to acceptable standards of governance.

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Kaieteur News

Standardisation should be integrated in national educational curricula

IMMIGRATION INFO: Immigration News For Our Community Attorney Gail S. Seeram, Gail@GailLaw.com Through this “Question & Answer” column, our goal is to answer your immigration questions. We appreciate your comments and questions. If you have a question that you would like answered in this column, please email: Gail@GailLaw.com. Question #1: I’m ¹ permanent resident in the USA. I want my sister and my brother in law to come visit me here! Is there anything I can do to help them in terms of paper work? Or should they just go into the Embassy? They have never traveled to any foreign country before. Answer #1: They just need to apply at the Embassy. Besides showing the reason for the trip, they have to show strong family, financial, property and job ties in Guyana. More important, they will need to demonstrate an intent to return to Guyana.

Question #2: Someone from outside of the U.S.A with a visitor’s visa went to the U.S.A and got married to a U.S citizen. Can she stay in the U.S.A until her permanent comes through or will she have to return to her country? Also, while the papers are in process can she travel to and from with her visitor’s visa? Answer #2: She can stay in the U.S. while paperwork is processed if she is the immediate relative of a U.S. citizen, such as a spouse of a U.S. citizen or a parent of a U.S. citizen child over age 21. But, she should not leave the U.S. while the paperwork is pending. So, no, she cannot travel to and from with visitor visa while paperwork pending in the U.S. Question #3: M y parents have their green card since 2005. They are both in their 70s and live in Guyana. In order to upkeep the green card, they have to enter the U.S. every six months. At their age traveling becomes difficult. Could they attempt to give up the green card and apply for a ten-year multiply visa through the Embassy. Answer #3: Y e s , eventually the green card will be taken away from them by U.S. immigration authorities if they are not living in the U.S. So, they can surrender the

Sunday February 16, 2014

- GNBS Gail S. Seeram green card to the U.S. Embassy and apply for a visitor visa. In reality, it sounds like they are just visiting the U.S. every six months rather than living in the U.S. – the visitor visa may be the best option for them. Question #4: If a mom who is a US citizen petitioned for her child over 21 and that child came to the US with a non-immigrant visa and stayed before the petition comes through; when the petition eventually comes through, will this affect the child from becoming a permanent resident? Answer #4: Yes. If the petition was filed after April 30, 2001, the child was over age 21 (considered a F-1 preference) and the child overstayed in the U.S., then the child would not be eligible for adjustment of status in the U.S. and not eligible for green card in the U.S. through the mother’s petition. Child can obtain green card through marriage to a U.S. citizen.

Many public and private enterprises are also taking the necessary steps to implement standards to build stakeholder confidence and reap all the added benefits. However, finding employees with the requisite or even minimal knowledge in the area of standardisation continues to be a challenge, according to Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) Public Relations Officer, Lloyd David. To this end, he explained that there is consensus and the belief of many that the subject of standardisation should be integrated in the national educational curricula, as it is done in many developed and developing countries. Standards have become the most important subject among members of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), which include Standards bodies, such as the Guyana National Bureau of Standards. David underscored that this approach aims to develop a culture of recognising the benefits of standards to different sectors of society. ISO alone has developed in excess of 19,500 standards from food to management to IT and much more. He added that the GNBS has in its possession over 500

standards. The experts in standardisation are of the view that if standards are taught at the university level, it will equip graduates with the tools necessary to promote the use and implementation of standards in businesses. This will enhance the competitiveness of businesses through their adoption of a quality culture which ultimately can facilitate access of goods and services to lucrative markets. David explained that ISO is organising a series of regional events aimed at supporting developing countries in defining programmes targeting universities and at developing or strengthening courses on education about standardisation in their countries. The final outcome of this process will be an ISO publication highlighting guidelines and good practices for introducing/supporting educational programmes on standardisation in universities. Recently, the GNBS participated in a regional workshop under the theme ‘Enhancing collaboration between NSBs and Academia’ sponsored by ISO in Brazil which focused on the sharing of experiences as it relates to the implementation of the subject of standardisation in the educational curricula.

Countries like Korea, Brazil and Argentina have successfully integrated standards in the curricula at the University level and Korea from the Nursery level. “If standards are implemented in academia, the following benefits will be realized; at the nursery and primary levels, the child will know that standards exist for basic things they play with or use on a daily basis. For example there are standards for toys, traffic lights, television, shoes, clothes, safety signs, etc. The child will know what happens if there are no standards,” he noted. He further emphasised that integrating of standards in the educational curricula will also increase the demand for quality goods and services, compliance to regulations, and reduce customer complaints. The Guyana National Bureau of Standards participated in the University of Guyana Career Fair 2014 which was held on Friday, last, under the theme ‘Honouring the Past, Moulding the Present, Transforming the Future’. The GNBS views its participation in this event as another opportunity to impart information relating to Standardisation to visiting students and teachers of Schools and the University.

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Kaieteur News

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Ambitious small businessman optimistic about local youths Although reports suggest that there is a growing number of youths finding themselves in situations of a criminal nature, there is one young man who is of the firm belief that there is yet hope. This is in spite of the fact that he ‘wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth’. However, his names definitely give meaning to his conviction. Born Kahero Hope 30 years ago, the young man who hails from the East Coast of Demerara is convinced that young people could in fact capitalise on the business evolution of an area miles away from his domicile. While the word ‘hope’ suggests the presence of optimism, which is certainly not lacking in this young man, the African name Kahero, according to some theorists, speaks to an individual who tends to be orderly and dedicated to building their lives on a solid foundation of order and service. And there is no denying Hope has embraced this notion completely, as his optimism is not merely nestled on words but his actions have materialised quite loudly too.

Not only has he taken advantage of the evolving business hub in the Diamond/ Grove, East Bank Demerara area, but he is certain that the evolution has only just begun, and could see young people in the forefront. Already the locale is bordering on township status complete with banking facilities, supermarkets and fast-food outlets among other commercially-driven establishments. Although his visionary stance had seen him first opening a small ‘kids’ store in Central Georgetown some time ago, that move was rather short-lived. Hope disclosed that for him as a ‘small’ businessman, Georgetown was certainly not an ideal location for him, since competition was too much to allow for his business’s survival. Intent on establishing a thriving business, Hope disclosed that his next move was to ardently explore areas that had a need for what he offered. He found that not only was the East Bank area in need of a kids store, but he even saw the potential of

catering to women’s beauty needs. And this is exactly what he did. Last August, Hope became the proud owner of ‘House of Braids’, which caters to both children and women’s needs, and which stands conspicuously in the heart of the evolving business hub. Realising this dream, however, was done without a single loan from a bank or any other loan agency, Hope intimated. Though it was not an easy task, the young man disclosed that his vision was fuelled by “dedicated and discipline” which he believes could help just about anyone realise their dreams too. It was a long time ago, Hope said, that he became aware that a young person securing finances is a “major issue.” “For a young person to start a business they have to get the capital and if you go to a bank you need assets, but young people don’t usually have assets, so that is a major hindrance right there,” Hope said. And although there are

some other lending institutions, he noted that youths can be faced with a situation where they are not afforded the requisite funds needed to get them started. In recognition of the existing state of affairs, Hope decided that he was going to remain focused and “raise” his own capital, which he was able to do by working other jobs. Interesting to note, the young man was able to stay focused, although he had his own family to care for. Although his young wife is gainfully employed and certainly was a wealth of support, they also had two young mouths to feed as well. Hope is confident that his family is now poised to reap the benefits of his commitment. He noted that while many young people may not be able to “channel their inner commitment” as he did, there should be some element of proper guidance in place for them. “A lot of young persons, I know, venture out to do business, but what they don’t know is that discipline is the key...if you are not

Kahero Hope attending to one of his customers

disciplined you could lose track of your specific goal. You need the right persons around backing you, not necessarily financially, but morally, and at times in a physical way,” Hope underscored. Success, according to him, is inevitable, once persons are cognizant of the fact that it could at times be long in coming. “Once you have the resources and the right plan,

of course, you must come up with a plan on what you want to do, things can happen,” said Hope, who is even more hopeful that an institution will emerge in the near future to not only mentor but take a financial chance on young people, so that they can become gainfully engaged in a positive way. “A lot of young people have great ideas, but they have nowhere to go,” Hope lamented.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday February 16, 2014

C’bean Airlines lauds Guyanese loyalty, seeks to improve customer service By Zena Henry Despite recently reported unconfirmed threats against Trinidad-based regional Caribbean Airlines Limited (CAL), Guyanese passengers nonetheless packed the New York-bound aircraft earlier this week, with less than a dozen persons cancelling their flight. For that, CAL officials say they are forever grateful for the loyalty Guyanese continue to show, especially since it is a key market for the sky operator. The assertion came from a Trinidad-based CAL team during a company’s Customer Appreciation Ceremony which was held at the Gravity Lounge on Wednesday.

Airline officials also took the opportunity to express an earnest attempt to significantly improve customer service so as to better accommodate

Guyanese travelers. ”We have great respect for the loyalty we have received from the Guyanese public,” Chairman for CAL’s Board of Directors Phillip

Marshall said. “CAL is very impressed and deeply grateful for the level of loyalty shown by Guyanese passengers during one of CAL’s most challenging periods in recent months;” referring to last week’s unconfirmed terror threat to flights out of Guyana. “The past few days have reminded us what the true meaning of loyalty is,” Marshall said, highlighting also that “flights left Guyana with almost full loads.” There were fewer than a dozen cancellations, he said before reiterating that the regional carrier remains grateful to Guyanese for their patronage in the wake of the security threat to CAL’s mostly Boeing 737-800 planes. Marshall said further that CAL has a focused approach to improving customer

service. “Our future is inextricably linked to our customers from Guyana. It is a key market,” he charged. He continued that CAL has kept its promise to improve service and reduce some of the reasons for complaints by Guyanese passengers, by in recent months, offering both non-stop and direct flights to New York; easing the intransit woes of Guyanese in the past; “but there is always room for improvement,” he opined. Marshall urged Guyanese passengers not to be shy about complaining about the level of service the airline offers to Guyana, as feedback is critical to improve operations regardless of how negative. He said “Guyana is one of our core markets,” before expressing how pivotal is the business received from

Guyana. Local CAL boss Carl Stuart also expressed gratitude for the service Guyanese continue to give. He noted that the Guyana end will continue to work in favour of local passengers, while working also, to improve service and the whole CAL experience. Also present at CAL’s special customer ceremony was Minister of Public Works Robeson Benn who touched a bit on the terrorist threat and steady service CAL continues to provide. Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce (ag) Irfaan Ali was also present to receive the high praise the airline was serving. Ali, however, expressed the need for improved treatment of Guyanese passengers before pointing out the level of business CAL receives from this country and the service which Guyanese depend on. He said that there is little difference between the two ports and urged for a consistently better relationship. While CAL has also indicated their willingness to providing affordable market prices, Minister Ali commended the airline, before taking them up on their word. Several persons were on the receiving end when CAL gave away free trips and tokens of appreciation.

Sunday February 16, 2014

Kaieteur News

Page 41

Colwyn Harding case...

System making little strides in handling abuse cases - AFC

23-year-old Colwyn Harding while at the GPHC By Zena Henry The Alliance for Change (AFC) is of the view that systems put in place to handle abuse cases are not as effective as they ought to be. This was expressed by party member Cathy Hughes when she followed up on the recent revelations that independent doctors who examined 23year-old Colwyn Harding found that a foreign object was indeed used in the manner that the young man had related – being forcefully inserted into his rectum. Hughes explained to media operatives during a press briefing on Thursday that the results of Harding’s examination shows, “a sad state of affairs.” She said that what comes across from the finding is that, “we have not learnt anything about these abuses.” The AFC member likened the Harding case to the 2009 incident where a teenage boy was burnt on his genitals and when taken to the hospital, a bag was placed over his head. She charged that the system has still not found a way to deal with these cases, where regardless of whom the patient may be, the doctor or medical personnel perform their duty in the best way possible. She questioned the standard patient-doctor relationship where the two parties communicate and based on what is said, the doctor determines the way forward or necessary treatment. Based on the findings from Harding’s examination, Hughes said that it is, “obvious that certain tests were not conducted on the patient.” “The fact that the medical professionals have not put some basic parameters in place to protect their own integrity and to make sure that they are able to look after patients, regardless of whether they are perceived to be a criminal or not... The fact that we haven’t put anything in place and

AFC parliamentarian Cathy Hughes these abuses continue to happen is very worrying,” Hughes stressed. “It means that this time around, the doctors did not even feel the need to do a complete examination; to even consult with the patient to ask privately/

confidentially, what took place or asked how he sustained his injures.” Hughes said she had already recommended that medical professionals put in place systems to see their patients privately, so that important and necessary questions could be asked as it relates to what the patient is visiting about. It is the doctors’ duty, she said, to find out what is the matter with the patient and to get them to speak about their ailment so as to best determine treatment. She added that if a police officer or any security personnel takes someone for medical treatment that person still have the right to speak to their doctor in private and doctors can demand that they speak to their patients in private. Instead, she said, “doctors believe that once a police officer takes a person to the hospital they assume they have to go along with everything is said. They think they don’t have the right to say ‘I’d like to speak to my patient privately or independently.’” That doctor, she said, could ask to see the patient without any police officer or any representative from a penal institution. “The doctor must speak to the patient and ask about what the patient alleges has happened, therefore he can then make a reasonable and informed decision as it relates to what his course of medical treatment would be.” Hughes’ statement came

after Harding’s lawyer and representatives of the Colwyn Harding support group stated earlier in the week that a local independent doctor and doctors in Jamaica found that Harding was abused. The report found that tests were not conducted on the man’s anus/rectum to ascertain the extent of his

injures. The independent doctors reportedly found that almost two months after the teen was abused he was still bleeding internally among other things. Medical officials, including senior functionaries at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and

Health Minister Bheri Ramsarran had however stated that they found no medical evidence to say that Harding was abused. Police Complaints Authority head Cecil Kennard stated also that there was no evidence to charge any of the ranks for the alleged baton assault committed on Harding.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday February 16, 2014

Agriculture Ministry to pursue contract farming “…it will ensure steady markets for farmers” - Ramsammy The local agroprocessing industry has been the one with the most success, and to this end, the Agriculture Ministry is looking to implement a ‘contract farming’ system. Subject Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy explained that this will see farmers being paired with agro-processors so as to facilitate them with an adequate supply of the produce needed to make their packaged goods. The Minister told Kaieteur News during an interview that the aim of contract farming is to guarantee markets for farmers, while ensuring that agroprocessors have a sufficient and steady supply of raw materials.

Dr. Ramsammy pointed out that during last year (2013) there was a significant reduction in the exportation of peppers. However, this was not because production had been low, but because most of the peppers were purchased and utilized locally. “The local agroprocessors were the ones to buy out most of the pepper on the market…most likely to make their products like perhaps pepper sauce, achar and so on,” the Minister said. He added that this is “still a good thing” and that Guyana’s agro-processing industry has great potential to develop and expand, significantly benefiting the economy, by way of exports. It is to this end,

Ramsammy said, that the Agriculture Ministry, and by extension the Guyana Government, is looking to phase out bottom-house agro-processing. “A major problem is that not many of the agroprocessors are licenced, and to be licenced, these producers have to ensure that their facilities are on par with that is required by international buyers.” In order to further motivate and persuade agroprocessors to upgrade their working area, and become licenced, Dr. Ramsammy said also that the Guyana Shop will not be purchasing from unlicenced operators. At present, local agroprocessors are afforded the opportunity to showcase their produce during one of the monthly exhibitions held on the lawns of the Guyana Shop, which falls under the purview of the Guyana

Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy Marketing Corporation. The entity sells strictly locally produced items, and also provides the platform to extensively promote local agro-processors. The Agriculture Minister added that in addition to promoting local produce, its many fascinating byproducts, and the makers of them, the exhibitions are

held to show members of the public how much the local quality and standards of the packaging and labeling industry have improved over time. The most recent activity was a pineapple exhibition. Meanwhile, Dr. Ramsammy acknowledged that while the quality and taste of locally-made products are on par and in some cases better than those from other countries, the not-soadvanced packaging and labeling of these are hindrances on the international market. “People would look at the package that is more attractive, and buy that, so this is where Guyana is at a disadvantage,” Dr. Ramsammy said, stressing that “our products itself are as good as anything you will get anywhere else.” Speaking with this publication on the sanitary conditions of bottom-house agro-processing, representative of the InterAmerican Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) Wilmot Garnett said that IICA works with ‘Agriculture Health and Food Safety’ to ensure that the local products are “exportready.” Earlier this year, Dr. Maxine Parris-Aaron, Agricultural Health and Food Safety Specialist of IICA, had stressed that packaging and labeling - sometimes the major attractions for a product remain a challenge for local agro-processors, who have to compete with similar products produced overseas

that are on the local shelves. The specialist emphasized the need for Guyanese to buy local in order to boost the agro-processing industry. She pointed out that for instance, in Jamaica, there are overseas products on the local market but Jamaicans support their own. Dr. Parris-Aaron noted too that in addition to packaging and labeling, agroprocessing facilities in Guyana’s rural areas need upgrading. She believes continuous training and providing relevant material of what is happening, regionally and internationally, to agroprocessors in far-flung communities, could improve their standards and products. Nonetheless, Wilmot Garnett reiterated that his entity remains committed to the Ministry of Agriculture and its partners in development, to continue modernization of the agriculture sector in Guyana. Garnett said that next year will see IICA concentrating on addressing the issue of production cost with focus on the ground level. “We will work with the farmers, being very clear and letting them know the details that they can consider so as to make a profit,” he said. Dr. Ramsammy stressed that during this year, specific emphasis will be placed on agro-processing and developing policies, which will enable the industry to advance.

Sunday February 16, 2014

Kaieteur News

Love web sees housewives, another woman face court Two Enmore housewives were on Friday brought before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court to answer to assault charges which stemmed from an altercation with another woman over a young man who is said to be the husband of neither of the accused. The housewives, Shaline Hemraj and Soorajdai Jordan, both of Enmore Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara were both charged for assaulting 21-year-old Sherry Ramsaroop on February 10 at Station Street, Kitty. Hemraj was indicted for common assault and pleaded not guilty to the charge. When questioned whether it was her husband who was the source of the conflict, she responded that it was not her spouse. Jordan, arrived shortly after a summons had already been issued for her and pleaded not guilty to the

charge of assault causing actual bodily harm when it was read to her. They were both placed on their own recognizance (selfbail) and bonded to keep the peace for two years by the Chief Magistrate. She informed the two housewives that if they are charged before any court again, they will be imprisoned. Their matter was subsequently transferred to Magistrate Geeta ChandanEdmond for trial. However, when the three women appeared before Magistrate ChandanEdmond, the victim (Ramsaroop) decided that she did not want to proceed with the matter. Under oath she indicated that she would not provide evidence against the two accused and the matter was thereby dismissed. Magistrate Chandan-Edmond sternly reminded the women of the peace bond.

Bus driver accused of biting cop, trial commences The trial of a bus driver accused of biting a police officer in his efforts to resist being arrested, on Friday commenced before Magistrate Geeta ChandanEdmond at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court. Mark Hopkinson of North Ruimveldt, Georgetown, pleaded not guilty to the assault and resisting arrest charges which were first read to him by the Chief Magistrate. The charges laid against Hopkinson detailed that on February 12, at Water and Croal Streets (the bus park), he unlawfully assaulted and resisted arrest by Police Constable 19833 Phillip Chapman, a peace officer, who was at the time acting in the execution of his duties. Hopkinson told the Chief Magistrate that on the day in question the police ranks approached him while he was in the driver’s seat

and trapped him in a chokehold in an effort to remove him from his bus. He said that Constable Chapman did that without giving him a reason for arresting him, so he bit the policeman on his hand. In response, the Chief Magistrate bonded them to keep the peace and transferred the matter to Magistrate ChandanEdmond for her to conduct the trial into the matter. When the trial commenced, the officer was the first witness whom Police Prosecutor Lance Corporal Jomo Nichols called to the stand. He said, however, that the driver had his hands on the steering wheel when he bit him. The matter is set for continuation tomorrow. The prosecution claims that it will be calling on three more witnesses to support its case.

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Childhood epic, religious drama vie for Berlin film prize Films ranging from a coming-of-age docudrama using the same actors over a 12-year span, a feature about radical Catholics and an unflinching look at Northern Ireland’s troubles stand out as possible winners at the annual Berlin film festival. Twenty titles will compete for the Golden Bear award on Saturday night at the 2014 Berlinale although some critics have called the lineup a letdown despite the screening of more than 400 films from around the globe. “It’s been a disappointing Berlinale and there isn’t all that much I think for the jury to ultimately really consider,” said Jay Weissberg, Europebased critic for trade publication Variety. His picks as frontrunners were Richard Linklater’s docudrama “Boyhood”, the harrowing “Kreuzweg” (Stations of the Cross), which depicts a young girl’s collapse under the pressures

of growing up in a strict Catholic family, and a drama about a British soldier in Belfast in the movie “71”. Gory thriller “Black Coal, Thin Ice”, one of three Chinese films in competition, also earned positive reviews this week. Weissberg thought the Texas-born Linklater’s film, which follows siblings Mason and Samantha, played by actors Ellar Coltrane and Linklater’s daughter Lorelei, as they grow from early childhood to university age, would find particular favor with the jury’s president, American producer James Schamus. He also thought Linklater’s opus, despite containing a host of peculiarly American cultural references, including a black Pontiac GTO muscle car driven by the kids’ divorced father and Coltrane’s character Mason receiving a U.S. savings bond for his graduation, would not

alienate viewers or a festival jury that has a reputation for spurning American cinema. “WONDERFUL IDEA” “It works its charms and it’s a wonderful idea,” Weissberg said. “There’s enough there that anybody can identify with it.” His praise was strongly echoed in the European press. “No film in sight can match “Boyhood” in staking a claim to the Golden Bear,” German daily Die Welt said on Friday, though it also noted the festival’s tendency to favor films from eastern Europe or countries such as Turkey or Iran. Last year, Romania’s “Child’s Pose” took the top prize. No U.S. movie has won in Berlin since Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Magnolia” in 2000. There was some grumbling among festival followers that the Berlinale, renowned for offering up politically controversial films, had instead this year

apparently kowtowed to Hollywood, screening Wes Anderson’s Ruritanian romp “Grand Budapest Hotel” as the festival opener and also providing the international premiere of George Clooney’s “Monuments Men”. Friday saw the screening of the last two films in the main competition - veteran Japanese director Yoji Yamada’s “The Little House”, a romance set in Tokyo before and during World War Two, and “Macondo” about Chechen refugees in Austria. “Macondo” uses non-actors to tell the story of Ramasan, an 11-year-old Chechen boy living with his widowed mother and two sisters in a refugee settlement on the outskirts of Vienna. Iranianborn Austrian director Sudabeh Mortezai explores the themes of identity, masculinity and the difficulty of cultural and ethnic integration in her documentary-like film.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday February 16, 2014

Rotary Club of Demerara observes World Understanding Month The head table at the World Understanding Dinner

Unlike most people, February is not just a month for the hundreds of thousands of Rotarians found in every corner of the earth. This month, Rotarians

around the world celebrate ‘World Understanding Month’. It is the time, when these volunteers put their heads together and remember not

only their founders but also the reason they embarked on journey to maintain and exemplify the mandates of Rotary International (RI). Rotary, accredited as one

of the largest and most influential international humanitarian service organisations worldwide, is essentially a network of mature professionals who come together to volunteer in their communities. It was founded in Chicago

on February 23, 1905, and today over 1.2 million members belong to 33,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas. Rotary members, as volunteers, conduct projects to address today’s humanitarian challenges, including illiteracy, disease, hunger, poverty, lack of clean water, and environmental concerns while encouraging high standards in all vocations. Rotarians strive to build goodwill and peace, and provide humanitarian service not only in their communities but throughout the world. As part of the celebrations of RI’s 109th anniversary, The Rotary C l u b o f D e merara, on

Tuesday last, hosted a World Understanding Dinner at Duke Lodge, Duke Street, Kingston, Georgetown. The evening was one of fine dining and interaction between its members and special invitees. The United States Ambassador to Guyana D. Brent Hardt was the keynote speaker of the evening. He highlighted the importance of World Understanding and his country’s involvement in fostering understanding around the World. The Ambassador in his insightful delivery, expounded upon US policies around the world which promoted World Understanding, and specifically in Guyana, as he also focused on the Leadership and Democracy (LEAD) project. He spoke too about cultural exchanges which promote youth understanding. The Ambassador made mention of the One World Youth Project (OWYP) which is US-funded and is being executed primarily by University of Guyana students who volunteer their time to educate students in earlier stages of the education system. Hardt also addressed cultural integration, highlighting that there is a US Alternative Rock Band “Filligar” which is performing over the weekend at the Rupununi Music and Arts Festival. In addition, Rotary Demerara also invited a member of their youth arm who also addressed the gathering on the work on the OWYP. Rotary clubs have often celebrated the day by participating in service projects, including conducting free dental clinics for senior and low-income individuals, mentoring youth, and raising funds for polio eradication efforts. As they continue the anniversary celebrations, the club has several projects planned which will be executed in and around Georgetown.

Sunday February 16, 2014

From page 27 dozen suspected drug traffickers linked to the Gambino and Bonanno crime families and the Italian crime syndicate known as ‘Ndrangheta were arrested Tuesday in New York and Italy during a coordinated American-Italian operation that authorities said disrupted a multi-continent drug pipeline. The raids targeted a network of drug smuggling that stretched from Guyana to Italy to Malaysia to the United States. There were seven arrests in New York and 17 arrests near the southern Italian port of Gioia Tauro, a notorious hub of organized crime. An undercover agent recorded alleged Gambino associate Franco Lupoi and others plotting to transport 500 kilograms of cocaine hidden in shipments of frozen fish or pineapples, according to court documents. Prosecutors found $7 million worth of cocaine hidden in crates of pineapples and coconut milk. “American and Italian law enforcement determined that the ‘Ndrangheta aimed to move deadly narcotics across international boundaries, attempting to build a bridge of criminality and corruption to stretch from South America to Italy and back to New York,” said Marshall Miller, a prosecutor in the Eastern District of New York. ARMYAPOLOGISES TO CAMP GROOMES SURVIVORS FOR UNPAID BENEFITS …PROMISES TO IMMEDIATELYADDRESS THE ISSUE In a bold move to address what appears to be a tarnishing blot in the face of military brotherhood, recently-appointed Chief of Staff Brigadier (COS) Mark Phillips has apologised to survivors of the Camp Groomes explosion, in 2000, for the hardships they faced due to injuries sustained and for the delay that has caused the men not to receive their financial benefits. He has promised to immediately address the issue which for over 13 years now, has seen some of the survivors coping the best way they can because injuries have rendered them physically weakened. Brigadier Phillips told Kaieteur News Tuesday that he is aware of the soldiers injured during the Camp Groomes explosion and understands that efforts are being made for them. He said that he also understands that the men would have had medical examinations and they should be having their

Kaieteur News

pension and gratuity sorted out. The Army chief said he is also aware that the soldiers’ matter was placed before the Force’s Defence Board, and approval was given for their financial benefits. The COS stated that he, “will certainly look into the matter,” after learning that the soldiers have not received their pension, gratuity and not even the salaries due to them as “medically unfit” members of the army. “I must first apologise for them not receiving their salaries, pension and gratuity as yet, but certainly I will look at it immediately!” the Chief of Staff said emphatically. THURSDAY EDITION ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING LEGISLATION…NANDLALL OBJECTS TO $2M LIMIT IN PERSONAL CASH APNU is now proposing that police and customs officers be given the power to stop and search persons, and if such persons are found with $2 million worth of currency or more, that currency can be seized and the persons arrested if the police or customs officer has reasonable suspicion that it is the proceeds of some serious offence or the subject of money laundering. This observation came from Attorney General Anil Nandall. Currency is defined in the Act to include jewellery and precious metal, he said. The victim then must get an order from a judge to release his currency. This is susceptible to abuse and Government is concerned with the granting of such power to mere police and customs officers. Guyana is a cash-based economy. In the ordinary course of business, it is not unusual for Guyanese to have in their possession over $2 million in cash. For example the rice farmer after he reaps his paddy is paid in cash; a person who is building his house will go with cash exceeding $2M to buy his hardware items. A police officer or customs officer can seize those monies, he said. INTERNATIONALDRUG ARRESTS…RAMOTAR INSTRUCTS ROHEE TO REQUEST INFO FROM THE US President Donald Ramotar Wednesday insisted that Guyana must not and will not become a safe haven for criminals. The President made the statement in light of the recent news which surfaced that more than 20 gangsters were busted in New York for drug trafficking and other offences, with some of the

Attorney General Anil Nandall shipments passing through Guyana. The New York Mafia reportedly conspired with the Italian syndicate to traffic cocaine and heroin stashed in shipments of pineapples, frozen fish and other food. President Ramotar was at the time speaking at the Commissioning Parade for the Standard Officers’ Course #46, held at Camp Ayanganna. According to the Head of State, he has instructed the Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee, to write to the United States and request information that they probably have. “We have also extended to them our full cooperation with dealing on the matter. This country will not become a safe haven for criminals,” President Ramotar stressed. Opposition Leader David Granger, along with Members of Parliament Joe Harmon and Winston Felix immediately met with Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Brigadier Mark Phillips, following the revelations. FRIDAY EDITION KEY MURDER WITNESS EXECUTED In what appears to be a hit, security guard Kenneth Kanhai called ‘Puri’ 56, of Gangaram Settlement, East Canje, Berbice, and formerly of Betsy Ground was found dead Thursday morning at Canefield Nursery School, East Canje, where he works as a security guard. He was lying in a pool of blood on a desk with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the forehead and another to the body. The school wasn’t broken into and nothing was missing or noticeably disturbed. Kanhai was attached to the Home Safe Security Service. According to residents, sometime between 02:00 and 02:30hrs, they heard what sounded like gunshots. The residents said that the lights

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Dead: Kenneth Kanhai in the school would be usually off, but this was not the case. It is understood that Kanhai would usually leave home around 17:00 hrs on his motorcycle and head for work about three miles away. The relative stated that he “would usually work two nights on and two nights off. He reached home just after six in the morning. But after he didn’t come around minutes to seven we start to inquire”. Relatives in the area were contacted, but when they went to the school they found the gate locked. In the meantime, persons were turning up at the school with their children. The lock on the gate was broken, while some neighbours jumped the fence and peeped into the school where they made the gruesome discovery at about 07:10hrs. The police were contacted and responded promptly. Other relevant officials were also contacted. Two spent shells were found at the scene. GUYANA’S LINK TO MAFIA RING…US

AMBASSADOR STRESSES NEED FOR LOCAL DEA OFFICE - EMPHASIZES GREATER NEED FOR INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION US Ambassador D. Brent Hardt has emphasized a greater need for inter-agency collaboration for the fight against narco-trafficking, and has expressed continuing talks with the government to establish a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in Guyana. The Ambassador said in an invited comment Thursday that since last December, he has been engaging the government over the need for a DEA office; a federal agency which aims to significantly counteract illicit drug activities. The Ambassador also asserted that given the porous nature of the country’s borders, it is not difficult that drug cartels would find easy access into the country. These comments came in the wake of Guyana being implicated as a drug port for players in a major drug smuggling ring which was earlier this week infiltrated by anti-drug units in the United States and Italy. “We have been speaking as recently as last December. There is no reason why we haven’t set anything up, but it is a matter of getting approval, because we have had a bit of budgetary constraints. We have the presence here in Guyana where we are covered by the DEA in Trinidad, and that’s been the situation for some time, and they work very closely with Guyanese police and other law enforcement authorities. But even though we don’t have an office, we have officers that are in the country from time to time and they are trying to build cases.

SATURDAY EDITION AUTO DEALER SHOT IN EXECUTIONATTEMPT - COPS DETAIN BIKER Popular auto dealer Deokaran Sanasie, called ‘Ram’, was shot in the chest at around 18:30 hrs Friday in the vicinity of Light and Fourth Streets, Alberttown, by a gunman who escaped with an accomplice on a CG motorcycle. He was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of a private hospital, and a close relative described his condition as stable. The 58year-old Sanasie owns Ram’s Auto Sales, which is located a short distance from the area where the shooting occurred. A senior police official told Kaieteur News that a suspect was detained and a CG motorcycle impounded. Investigators were Friday night hunting for another suspect. Kaieteur News understands that Sanasie, of 129 Atlantic Gardens, East Coast Demerara, was sitting outside a hardware store when two men on a CG motorcycle suddenly stopped at the intersection of Light and Fourth Streets. One of the men then approached Sanasie and shot him. A security guard told Kaieteur News that he heard two gunshots and then saw Sanasie clutching at his chest. He said that persons in the area took the wounded man to a private hospital. Sanasie’s wife, Patsy Sanasie, told Kaieteur News that she was driving at around 18:30 hrs when she received a call from her husband. “He said that he had been shot and was in the hospital,” she said that her husband was in a stable condition and was able to speak.

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Kaieteur News

Simon Cowell’s girlfriend gives birth to boy in New York

British TV and music mogul Simon Cowell, who had long said fatherhood was not in his plans, welcomed a son on Friday, his representative AnnMarie Thomson said. The former “American Idol” judge’s girlfriend,

Lauren Silverman, gave birth to the 6 pound, 7 ounce (2.9 kilograms) boy in New York. It is her second child and Cowell’s first. Cowell, 54, who gained fame as an acid-tongued judge on television singing contests in the United States

and his native Britain, has never married. “I’m not brilliant with babies,” Cowell told U.S. magazine Parade last October. “I never know what to do. But (once he’s older) I think I’ll be a good dad in terms of advice.” Silverman’s pregnancy first came to light last year when her ex-husband filed for divorce in New York and naming Cowell as a corespondent. C o w e l l ’s “ T h e X Factor” contest was canceled last week by U.S. broadcaster Fox, and he said that he would return to the judges panel on its UK counterpart amid sagging ratings.

Sunday February 16, 2014

‘Juno’ actress Ellen Page comes out as gay

Actress Ellen Page, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role in “Juno,” came out as a lesbian on Friday at a Las Vegas conference for gay teens. “I am tired of hiding and I am tired of lying by omission,” the 26-year-old actress said in a speech that drew roaring support from an audience at the Time to Thrive conference sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign. “I’m here today because I am gay. And because ... maybe I can make a difference,”

she said. “To help others have an easier and more hopeful time. Regardless, for me, I feel a personal obligation and a social responsibility.” Page, who in 2007 played a pregnant teen in “Juno,” has also starred in “Inception”, “To Rome with Love” and “X-Men: The Last Stand.” Page is also working on “Freeheld,” a drama about a terminally ill police detective fighting to assign her retirement benefits to a lesbian lover. Page said in her speech that she suffered for years because she was scared to be public about her sexuality. “My spirit suffered, my mental health suffered and my relationships suffered,” she said. “And I’m standing here today, with all of you, on the other side of all that pain.” The Human Rights Campaign, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy group that posted her speech on its website, congratulated Page for completing the “deeply personal and arduous journey” of coming out. Page in her speech also praised others who have taken similar steps, such as athlete Michael Sam, who announced he was gay this month and could become the National Football League’s first openly homosexual player.

Sunday February 16, 2014

Kaieteur News

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Matchmakers can get Accepting that you are a happiness boost, too What you need to know...

diagnosed with diabetes Dr. Kumar Sukhraj BSC, MBBS I must congratulate my fellow Guyanese on their eagerness to know about their health. Based on feedback from the readers, I am motivated to carry on writing in order to continue to educate my fellow citizens on their health. For those of you who were diagnosed with diabetes recently or many years ago, it was not easy to face the facts, however acceptance is the first step toward controlling your diabetes, feeling better and living a longer and a healthier life. Below are tips to get started on the path toward improved health and wellbeing after you are diagnosed with diabetes. There is good news and bad news for diabetics. The good news is that controlling your diabetes, which means keeping your blood sugar at healthy levels and reducing your chances of diabetes complications ranging from heart disease to foot damage, is something that you can do. However the bad news is that keeping your diabetes under control is up to you, and it’s not always easy. Many people with diabetes have found out that after having a major complication such as a heart attack, stroke, or diabetic coma, etc. Or you could have experienced symptoms such as blurry vision or excessive thirst, or just happened to find out from a routine blood test during a check-up. In whatever way you are diagnosed, it’s difficult to make sudden lifestyle changes. Most people need to gather their wits, talk to the experts and get up to speed on a confusing array of medical terms. However there are a few things you need to do right way. Please don’t let the past haunt you. Type two diabetes is partly genetic and many people may have childhood memories of grandparents or other relatives with diabetes who died after amputations, blindness, heart attacks, or strokes. In recent years a lot have changed due to the advances in technology. Our fore parents had no way to test their blood sugar at home, little or no medication options, and limited knowledge about the benefits of diet and exercise. We can count our blessings and

Dr. Kumar Sukhraj BSC, MBBS acknowledge that there are lots of options/tools to control diabetes. Understanding what is meant by the term moderation and consistency. These are important words for diabetic patients to understand. You need to learn how to eat at consistent times, limit your total calories, and space your carbohydrate intake throughout the day. Even exercise needs to be done on a routine, because it can help to lower blood glucose. People who do not take control of their diet and does not exercise have a lot of difficulties in controlling their blood glucose. Don’t beat yourself up because you are diagnosed with diabetes. Many people may ask the question -”What did I do?” What you need to do is to move past this. You could feel bad or guilty, but the more quickly you move on to “What can I do about this?” the better it is for you. Please do not panic. Many people are horrified when they hear the word diabetes. It could be the idea of using

insulin needles, pricking their finger to test blood sugar, or never eating a piece of cake again. There are a lot of myths floating around about type diabetes (such as you can never eat cake). Seek professional help from a diabetes educator or other people living with diabetes and enquire what you can eat, whether insulin hurts, or how difficult it is to prick your own finger. You may find that these aren’t as bad as you expected. Don’t be too rigid about treatment options. Many diabetics may feel that they never want to take oral medication or insulin. Or they may think they could never control diabetes with diet and exercise. According to the American Diabetes Association patients can initially treat type 2 diabetes with lifestyle changes (improved diet, more exercise, and weight loss) and the oral medication metformin. What works best will depend on your individual circumstances. Once you take control over your blood sugar levels then you are on the way of lowering your risk for diabetic complications. These are words of encouragement to help people accept their illness and make an effort to control it. The management of diabetes will be further discussed in the next publication. Please feel free to send an email to kumarsukhraj @yahoo.com or call 622-8032 for further enquiry and discussion on the topic. Patient education plays an important in the diagnosis and management of diabetes and any other illness. Please look forward for a continuation of the discussion on diabetes in the next publication.

Fixing up your single friends this Valentine’s Day might pay off for them, and it could make you happier too, according to a new group of studies. “We are all matchmakers in some sense, and even if we don’t self-define as one, we know at least one chronic matchmaker who can’t resist but introduce people to each other,” said Lalin Anik, from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business in Durham, North Carolina. She and coauthor Michael Norton from Harvard Business School in Boston investigated how and why making matches makes the matcher feel good. According to their results, people who match a lot tend to have higher well-being and the least likely matches are the most rewarding. Matchmaking in this case includes romantic links as well as professional and social ones. People who make matches regularly may come from larger social networks, which have been linked with higher well-being, the authors write in Social Psychological and Personality Science. For the first study, they used an online survey to

poll 300 people on how frequently and successfully they matched. Regardless of social network size and personality traits, making frequent and successful matches were both linked to higher happiness scores. Based on the second and third studies, which involved in-person and computerbased scenarios, the researchers determined they were not just sensing the satisfaction that comes from accomplishing a task. Participants found matching people they thought would get along more rewarding than matching people who would not get along or people who just looked similar, Anik and Norton found. For the final study, the researchers hypothesized that one reason making matches is rewarding is because it strengthens people’s social groups. If that was true, making more unlikely matches would be more rewarding because matchmakers aren’t just joining people who would have met anyway. The researchers gave 132 participants “match cards” with a target who was either a white male or a white female and three potential matches varying in gender and ethnicity.

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Drugs, terrorists, press freedom and the $1.2M man By Ralph Seeram It has been a tough week for Guyana’s International image this week, and it has been all negative publicity. What makes it worse, it would seem that the Guyana Government or its law enforcement agencies had no clue what was going in their own backyard. Many in the Diaspora were very concerned when the warning came out earlier this week about the terror threat to Caribbean Airlines flights from Guyana and the rest of the Caribbean. While the threat was limited to specific days earlier this week, the concern was real for many folks in Florida, especially the Orlando area, because Caribbean Airlines has the only flight from Orlando to Guyana. Many people contacted me to get my views on the situation. Well I had just made a reservation two days earlier

for a relative to travel to Guyana, so my position was threats will not stop me from travelling to Guyana on CAL. Speaking of CAL, things must have improved at their ticket counter at International Airport where I had a pleasant experience with the staff there. I was looking forward to spending an hour or two to complete a transaction. To my surprise I was “in and out” in 20 minutes. Back to our main conversation, the arrest of Mafia officials and other persons by US Law Enforcements Agencies this week really placed Guyana on the map as a drug transshipment point. If there were any doubts, it has been confirmed now. Part of the report said, “At least two dozen suspected drug traffickers linked to the Gambino and Bonano crime families, and the Italian crime syndicate known as ‘Ndrangheta’.

Members were arrested in New York and Italy on Tuesday following an American-Italian operation that authorities said “disrupted a multi-continent drug pipeline.” Guyana was highlighted as one of the drug ports. The court document stated that on September 12, 2012 Lupoi, one of those arrested and charged, had explained to an undercover agent that he had contacts in Guyana, “who could arrange the shipment to his contacts…” At a recorded meeting with the undercover agent, Lupoi stated that he had “a great connect” who would “pack it (cocaine) into fish” and then “freeze it in a block.” The shipment of cocaine in fish is nothing new to Guyana. I recall a few years ago I went to purchase some items at a Guyanese owned grocery in Orlando. As I entered the place was

swarming with Federal Agents. They were empting the freezers looking for drugs in the frozen fishes. The owner of the store was a relative of a suspected drug dealer from Crabwood Creek. I can tell you this, drug barons in Guyana should have cause to worry. I am sure those involved will not venture beyond the shores of Guyana. You can bet the DEA knows who the principals in Guyana are. The Feds do not make arrests unless they are sure they have got an airtight case. They will take months or years to develop their case; they literally give you ‘a long rope” before drawing the noose. They have the resources to do it.

Whether it’s corrupt politicians or criminals, that’s how they operate, they have patience. So as I said, there are quite a few worried people in Guyana worrying when their time will come, like Roger Khan. The fact that the DEA does not have an office in Guyana does not necessarily mean their agents are not in Guyana. It’s funny if not downright comical when local law enforcement officers feign surprise. You mean CANU, the GPF and that new intelligence unit knows nothing about it. What a joke. The blog site Propaganda Press as libelous as it is sometimes often carries the

names of the suspected drug barons in Guyana. I am sure the DEA pays attention to the names they mention including those in CANU and the business community. So don’t be surprised if you see certain prominent persons stop travelling, not leaving Guyana’s shores. On top of all the negative publicity, comes the report of Reporter without Borders World Press Freedom Index showing Guyana dropping to 67th in the rankings. In fact Guyana dropped two places from last year. Considering the US is ranked 46th some may have questioning the criteria used by this organization. I have (Continued on page 64)

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Kaieteur News

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

LARGE QUANTITIES O F H IGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICKSILVER) 99.99995% PURITY $19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754.

3 (8) weeks old: White Brown & Cream Fluffy Puppies – Contact:699-6006

Earth delivery on spot also rental of Bobcat & excavator - Tel: 626-7127 Spare for washing machine, microwaves,fridges, stoves, timers, gearbox, pumps, etc call: 225-9032, 647-2943 Live/pluck chicken call: 6504421, 220-9203 1- 500 Ton Cargo ship - Tel: 676-6933 Large Plucked Chickens $280lb retail, Pork $380lb retail @ George & Hadfield Streets. Sears Riding mower $280,000, Honda Generator - $430,000 New, Brand new 18" Chain Saw 38,500 - Call: 261-2988 Dell computers complete with 20" LCD $65,000, 6 months warranty @ Futuretech- Call:231-2206 1 Honda Twister – Contact # 671-3533 Pure bred Rottweiler & German Sheperd- Tel:6108627/686-3072/618-2903 Fishing Boat: Length - 30ft, Width - 6½ft, Depth - 3½ft. Engine 15HP Tohatsu - Tel: 697-0648; 667-9662 1 20 KVA enclosed generators - call: 675-7838 Master craft Tools For Sale: Call:689-0486 PVC Ceiling Panels, PVC Mouldings, Medallions. Royal Quality! – Tel:6148564; 629-0372 Toyota Verossa (White) Excellent Condition - $2.7M Negotiable – Contact: 6668492. One Toyota Starlet (Turbo) EP-71 recently registered and upgraded - Tel: Ms Singh 266-5013; 681-8333 One Singer Multi - purpose sewing machine hardly ever used - Tel – Ms Singh 2665013; 681-8333 Toyota Tacoma 4X4 Extra Cab 2002, Nissan Frontier 4X4 Extra Cab 2002, DJ System – Tel:695-9807 Chicken Hatchery (Robbins), 28,000 eggs capacity fully ready, $ 5.5 million or credit available Tel: 227-3939 621-4000 Generac Generator 15,000 watts portable, $450,000 cash Tel 227-3939, 621-4000 Clarke forklifts 3pcs 2000, 3000, 4000 Lb, lifting capacity $300,000 and up Tel: 2273939, 621-4000

270 Amps Portable Honda Welders and 1-2002 Tundra Tel: 611-5114 All Types of Power tools, Hand Tools, Silicones, from spray, bicycle & spares, nails, etc -Tel:614-8564; 6800862 4 Cylinder Perkins Engine bedded for Brazilian pump – Tel: 646-4501 Games PS2 $900, PSP $900, X-Box 360 $2600 & PS3 $2600- Call:672-2566 Diesel Perkins generator 12,500 watts - $495,000, wheel alignment machine hunter P611 - $2800US – Tel:6018276; 619-6863 1 precision built 14-16" bore, rice field, trailer, pump, 1 -4 wheel box trailer - Tel:227-1830 Original Games - Call:6722566 1 smoothie machine, 2 ice machine- Contact:231-0655, 683-8734 Rotweiler pups Tel: 6196086/ 699-7077

VEHICLE FOR SALE Toyota Premio- Dark interior with TV, mags, spacio – Tel:697-0294 Tractor Massey Ferguson ( Canada) MF135 – 1.3M, MF165 -$1.9M, MF265 $2.2M, MF285 -$2.5M, Ranger Pickup - $1.7M – Tel:682-5230; 628-9596

Greenheart Piles – Tel:6393450 Pure Rottweiler pups - Tel: 650-8496 Food Warmer - Tel:696-9999 One electrical pressure washer, hardly ever used - Tel - Ms Singh: 266-5013; 6818333 Playstation one - $8,000, PS2 $20,000, PS3 $45,000 Nintendo 64 - $10,000, Slushie Machine – Tel: 2642732; 670-2732 Blowout sale for slightly damaged zinc sheets - Tel: 657-4072 Blowout sales on steel rods on 5/8”, ½” and smooth steel -Tel:657-4072 Pekingese, Tibetan Terrier, Rabbit ( Peter Plat) @ VreedEn- Hoop Pet Shop – Tel:6816284; 643-5451 Young pig at 7 months old & piglets at 7 weeks - Call: 617-2682 1 Jailing Scooter - JL 125T 10B good condition - Tel: 617-2682 Diesel Generator, 3 cylinder Lister pitter (England) key start, 15,000 watts $550,000 cash - Tel:227-3939, 621-4000

Madza RX7 - Silver Sunroof, 18" staggered racing rims 3" competition, HID lights, leather interior. Financing Available - Call: 602-3774 1- Toyota Hilux Surf, 3Y engine, AC, CD player, etc, Price:$2M negotiable – Call: 671-1748; 656-9449 Mitsubishi Galant $900,000Call:645-3605

Toyota extra cab pick-up (22 R engine) manual, (EFI) 4×4, (GPP series) price $2.5MContact Rocky 621-5902/2251400 1 Toyota RZ bus - $1.6M. Immaculate condition [Hardly Use] – Contact Rocky: 621-5902/ 225-1400

Toyota Carina 170 – Tel:6804718

Toyota G-Touring, automatic fully powered - $1.4M Contact Rocky: 621-5902/ 225-1400 Toyota Extra Cab [V6] pickup manaul $2.5M -Contact Rocky: 621-5902/ 225-1400

Mercury - $900,000 negotiable , $16,000 per lb loose, also gold detectors $180,000 brand new – Tel:601-9712 Farm at Yarrowkabra - 20.1 Acres - Call:265-3586

VEHICLE FOR SALE

1 Bedford TM 4 Wheel truck with winch – Call:233-3974

1 Suzuki R1 wagon (Jeep) Automatic, Fully Powered with A/C, hardly used – Price:$1.3M Contact Rocky: 621-5902/ 225-1400

FOR SALE Diesel Generator silent 28,000 watts SDMO John Deere engine, missing Fuel Pump, Panel, Avr $800,000 Tel: 2273939, 621-4000 60FT Antenna (Mass) for Radio, TV, Cellular, with cables, brackets, sky light $375,000 Tel:227-3939, 621-4000 1-40ft drift sheen boat, 1round head 40 Yamaha , 3,000 ice box – Contact:275-0955; 663-1879 or 663-8755 Generators Two John Deere, 63 KVA 50KW 3M. 135KW – 168KVA – $4.5M, 440 Volts, 240 Volts – Tel: 644-9084 Exclusive Designed Saris made in India. Price $5,000$6,000. Also Shalwars & Ghararas - Tel:216-1210; 6488961 (In Berbice) 336-6223

Sunday February 16, 2014

One Honda CRV fully equipped with running bars & other accessories, PNN Series. Excellent Condition! Price Negotiable - Tel: 6606763 Unregistered Toyota Premio $2.550M - Tel: 678-8534;6939246

VEHICLE FOR SALE 1 Toyota AT212, AT192, AT170, EP71 Starlet, LTouring Wagon, Hilux Pickup 4x4, 1 Nissan Caravan E24 - Tel: 644-5096; 697-1453 One Toyota Prado and Tundra for sale: - Priced to sell – Tel:600-5759 or 225-0683-5 1 Toyota R4 2004 model – $2.6M cash – Tel:686-5083 One Toyota Tacoma 2006, 12ft Aluminum Boat, Tacoma : rims & tyres – Call:6858282; 220-1981; 222-5671

VEHICLE FOR SALE New 2014 Isuzu: D-Max single & double cabsCall:691-0234 1 -1RZ, 15 seater, automatic mini-bus, BNN 3760 - $1.7M Negotiable. Good condition, never used for public transportation – Tel:628-0310 ; 672-5429 Suzuki 750 GSX-R, registered, price:$1,100,000 negotiable – Tel:672-0697; 684-5918; 685-5323 Smart Choice Auto: Unregistered: Premio, Runx, IST, Spacio, Fielder - Call: 652-38201; 665-4529

Toyota Raum, price: $950,000 Tel: 613-0419; 600-0688

One 2005 Toyota Avensis. Owner leaving country! $3.4M – Tel:628-6160

One 19 Seater pitbul minibus for sale – Contact:226-0041; 621-5407 for prices

2008 Fielder: Bodykit, spoiler, rims. Unregistered $2.95MCall:617-2891

Rav4 PLL Series LHD standard, sun roof, one owner, asking $1.75 Million Tel: 226-0011 or 663-2079

Leroy Trident Car 250 CC, 4 doors, power window, keyless entry $295,000 cash or credit Tel 227-3939, 6214000

1 AE100 Corolla $550,000 & 1 AE100 Corolla Wagon $950,000 – Tel:611-6634; 6643488

Passo, Fielder, Raum, Premio - Call: 661-9651; 6818474

2 Ton open back canter with power gate, unregisteredCall:617-2891

Unregistered Toyota Sienta (2004) 1500cc & 7 seater - Tel: 617-5536

RX-8 – Tel:602-6024

2007 Axio $2.85M, Spacio $2.250M, fully loaded unregistered- Call:617-2891

Nissan Maxima, fully powered need repairs sold as is $275,000 cash 227-3939, 621-4000 Stretch limousine, Lincoln Town car, fully powered $6 million or credit available Tel 227-3939, 621-4000 5Pcs Trike Can-Am style Motorcycle, 200cc new, unregistered $275,000 neg or credit, Wholesale Tel 2273939, 621-4000 Mitsubishi 3000GT sports car, 18" rims, leather seats, excellent condition $1.8 million- Tel 621-4000, 2273939 Mercedes Benz S 300 bullet proof, leather seats, automatic, 19" rims $2.3 million cash Tel 621-4000 Driven Auto Blowout Sale!!! – Unregistered Mazda Axela - $2,295,000 – Pioneer CD, crystal lights, remote start alarm -Tel:643-6565; 226-9931

400lbs 3" nylon seine & 100lbs 2½” colour greenTel:649-0045;259-3170

Driven Auto Blowout Sale!!! – Unregistered Toyota IST $2,195,000 – Bodykit, TV, Camera, spoiler, fogs, HID, Alarm – Tel:643-6565; 2269931

Clean Garden Earth and builders waste also Bobcat rental, excavating, clearing and leveling down- Call:6160617 or 663-3285 Cheap earth delivery to spot E.C.D and W.B.D- Call:6279977, 698-0182 Pools. Table. Cloth. Balls. Pocket. Cuestick. Coinshute. Rubber. Chalk. – Tel:669-9927

CHEAPEST: - Pitbull, manual buses, CRV, Allion – Tel:616-7635 1 Toyota extra cab pick-up automatic (3RZ) 4x4 $3.7M – Contact Rocky: 621-5902/ 225-1400 Cheap deals on Japanese vehicles Contact MRR Auto Imports on Tel:691-7475 or 626-9590

1 Black Titan 4 wheel drive, fully loaded - $3M negotiable- Tel: 699-2322 or 678-2814 One Fuso Mitsubishi Crane Truck & 3 Ton Crane GPP Series - $5.5M - Call: 622-6746 One Ford Crane Truck & 10 Ton Crane (new) - $8M – Call:622-6746 New ATVs: Introductory price $1,875,000 (Duty Paid)Call:691-0234 Toyota Allion, Premio, Spacio, Alex, Runx, Contact Classic Auto Sales - Tel: 6237684; 665-3131 White Allion PNN Series, Milleage 70,000, reverse camera, TV, CD, Deck. Price $2.2M Negotiable – Contact: 675-2690 One Honda XR 125 Scrambler motorcycle $320,000 negotiable - Tel: 6997697 Mitsubishi Lancer PHH Series fully loaded. Driven by Lady. Owner leaving country. Price negotiable. Telephone:611-5426 or 2206368 Car for sale PKK Services 100 Corolla - $850,000 Contact: 623-0016 1 Leyland DAF 4x4 Bush Truck. 1 Toyota Hilux 4x4 bush ready – Contact Kim: 658-5193

2008 Honda CRV imported from England 17" Rim, fog lamps Surround Sound System, unregistered $6.8M neg. Tel: 642-7295; 220-2345 3 Ton Toyota Toyoace, excellent Condition with power gate GPP Series - $2.7M negotiable-Tel:685-0889 Toyota Passo, PNN Series – Tel: 642-6664 AT212 - $1.2M, Spacio $1.9M, Voxy GSS - $2.1M, Sienta Seven Seats - $1.6M, Madza Tribute PSS – Call:661—9651; 681-8474 1 Mitsubishi Galant Car; 1 Toyota Corolla AE100 Car, 1 Honda CBR motorcycle – Call: 227-7544; 612-2542; 614-6011 One Toyota Cresta Mark two, automatic, fully powered - Price $775,000 negotiable. Tel: 623-7684; 665-3131 AT192, 212, Allion, Premio, Hilux Surf, BNN & RZ & Pitbull buses, 7 seater super custom. Cash / terms- Call: 680-3154 We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 Tacoma- Call: 680-3154 (Continued on page 63)

Sunday February 16, 2014

Kaieteur News

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VACANCY

PROPERTY FOR SALE

LAND FOR SALE

FOR RENT

24 Hour East Coast Guyoil needs night pump attendants, salesgirl & office assistant Call: 670-8893/684-2838

One Land (100ftX50ft) and small house @ Tuschen E.B.E $5,000,000 - Tel: 6846245; 611-3802

1 Transported large lot @ Tuschen EBE - $2.5M – Tel: 617-4439

Vacancy for security. Apply in person @ Alabama Trading Georgetown Ferry Stelling Stabroek.

One 2 Storey property for sale at Covent Garden Island Call: 265-3586

PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. – CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620

Pump Attendant @ Shell Service Station Providence EBD. Must be able to work shift (5am-3pm & 3pm-12pm) Tel: 265-7305 Security Guard: Requirements: Police Clearance must have NIS, & ID Cards, 2 recommendations, Age: 3545. Call: 642-8140; 642-8650 Cashiers @ Shell Service Station Providence EBD. Must be able to work shift (5am-3pm & 3pm-12pm) – Tel: 265-7305 Concierge/Security. Apply in person to B.M. Hotels Inc. 123 Kanuku Street, Section ‘M’ Campbellville. Hire Car drivers from ECD @ A-1 Taxi – Tel:220-1000

At Eccles, East Bank Demerara Price -$38M . Please Contact -780-381-6147 or email:irgopaul@gmail.com One three storey business property @ Middle street, Georgetown, 2 business Property on Whim Public Road Berbice – Tel:619-7134; 225-6481 Painted 2 storey concrete building 53x26, transported property at 69 Jackson street, Daniels Town, Essequibo Coast- Call:644-8610 Lot 9 Jones Port Mourant, Berbice, 12 rooms , house with 16 acres land, price negotiable call:337-1500 Must Go! 1 – 3 bedrooms house on 5.5 Acres of land @ No.2 Canal – Call:642-0231

Two Joiners to work in Prime commercial property @ Workshop - Tel:610-7005; Albertown, 3 lots with 219-1342 business, (Nut Centre) best 1 Housekeeper must know to offer. Tel 621-4000, 227-3939 cook @ 223 Camp Street. (3 1 House & Land with Storey building next to Shell business potential for sale at Gas Station) - Call: 644-7724 La Parfaite Harmonie – Call:686-5083 2 Stroey Transported property with 2 kitchens, 6 bedrooms, 2 toilet & bath @ Tuschen East Bank Essequibo – Tel:650-2982

WANTED Experienced cook for snackette. Must have food handler’s certificate – Contact: 660-6446; 644-6030 (Winston)

Income Generating! 2 Storey concrete & wooden. 4 Apartments, concrete yard & fence, garage by SOL, Shell Road EBD – Tel:658-5452

Two security guards. Call 225-8645

FOR SALE / RENT For Sale/ Rent: One Taxi Service with complete base station radio, frequency, lighted sign board etc. Call: 619-2800. American Pool Table – Tel:277-0578; 635-9714 (Continued on page 64)

2- Acres cultivated, 2-1 Acres cultivated, 7 Acres cultivated, citrus, house, fish pond, storage at ParikaCall:226-7968 Parafaite Harmonie (100ftX50ft) - $1.8M - Call: 675-7292 Parafaite Harmonie - $1.3M Call: 675-7292 House lots for sale on the West Bank of Demerara Harbour Bridge in Harbourville SchoonordContact:650-0402 ½ Acres residential land at Yarrowkabra 5 minutes of the Linden Highway –Tel: 6111018. Price negotiable

Dolly’s Car Rental- Call: 2257126/226-3693- dollysauto rental@yahoo.com/ www. dolly sautorental.com Premio, Vitz call:347-9339790, 639-4452. Wings Car Rental- Call: 643-1131 Untouchable, low rates, low deposits - Call:226-9668; 677-4613. Aidan’s Car Rental & Pickup Call: 645-7981/ 698-7807

One Semi furnished apartment to rent at Industry ECD – Tel:222-6001 GT TOOLS RENTAL: TEL: 675-0767; 627-5098 Two bedroom apartment fully grilled , Preferably couple with no children – Call from 12pm Sat– Sun, all day – Tel:654-9807 2 Business Stall @ Port Kaituma Market – Tel:6187983; 684-6428 Newly Constructed apartment - WCD - Call: 6986496 1 Newly renovated house @ Eccles Front. 3 Bedrooms upstairs - $90,000 & 2 bedrooms downstairs $80,000, separate entrance & parking – Tel:268-2121

Diamond residential – 3rd Avenue, size: 120’X60’ for quick sale – $10M negotiable – Tel:652-5601

5 Acre Land with house to lease $95,000 for month – Call:261-2988

Herstelling (110ftX60ft) high income area - $3.2M – Tel:675-7292 Parafaite Harmonie $850,000 Tel: 675-7292

Property for rent located at 32 Old Road Vreed- En- Hoop WCD. For further information contact:6610162 Business Space to rent: 26"x38" On Durban Street Lodge – Call:648-7868 Rooms to rent: Responsible single working female, water and light included. Contact: 618-3815

EDUCATIONAL Princeton College Forms 1-5 CXC adults classes, Phonics, Sat, Lessons & Mathematics for slow learners - Tel: 2237906; 690-5008 Learn to decorate with Balloons. Classes on March 1st – Call: 2253133; 613-7513 for more information.

CAR RENTAL

CAMP STREET, Prime Business Space Call: 6394499

20 Acres poultry Farm @ Yarrowkabra, 120-Acres @ ,Mahaicony, 82 Acres @ Hogg Island, 11 lots @ Wakwnaam – Tel:686-4994; 225-3070

2 Storey business premises: 94 Campbell Avenue, C/VilleCall:680-8857/647-300-4294

One Waitress within West Near Regent Street - $46M, Coast Demerara to Parika – Republic Gardens - $35M, Call:660-1248 Happy Acres -$45M, Mc 1 Cook for the interior - Doom - $19M – Diana 2272256; 626-9382 Tel:681-3801

Experienced Sewing machine operators – Tel:220-4337 Restaurant cooks, bartenders, cleaners to cook in kitty – contact: 223-6284/ 225-9211 One cook to work in interior – Contact:681-6044

Gold and Diamond mining lands already Prospected – Tel: 646-4501

Makeup Classes @ J’ adore Makeup by Natalie. Come register and be apart, its life changing! Call:676-3916; 615-5028

Spacious 1 large bedroom apartment located @ Great Diamond security camera, burglar bars security lights & washing machine – Tel:6608174;697-9479 1 Top flat 3 bedrooms apartment located at Peter’s Hall – Price $50,000 per month – contact:629-7552/646-6831 Bulldozer, bobcat and excavator for hire best rates. Please contact:261-6664; 2616607 or 629-5414 ADOPTION Kittens for Call:628-1486

Adoption

IAE @ Camp Street – Register Now for January / June 2015 Classes: Mathematics, English A, Business & Science . – Tel: 683-5742; 223-0604 FOR HIRE

SERVICE

Dump Trucks for hire to transport sand, aggregate, etc and bobcat for rental Tel: 694-1657; 261-6664

Brian Moe @642-3543: Computer Technician: FB/ Brian.Moe.165: Home and Office visits at your comfort!!

(From page 62)

SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION, WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. – CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Repairs, sales & spares air conditioning, microwaves, washer, fridges & stoves. Ultra Cool, call: 225-9032,647-2943 Repairs to Fridge, Freezer, AC, Washers, Stoves: Call 683-1312,627-3206 (Nick) HOUSE PLAN DRAFTING FOR ONLY $10,000CALL:694-9843/227-2766 We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer call:2310655,683-8734 Omar COOL TECH: Repairs Services & Installation of all types of home appliances: Air Condition & Refrigeration units – Tel: 2332008; 675-4959

WANTED Sales helpers for supermarket, responsibilities included weighing etc. Apply in person at Nirva Supermarket Tel: 227-5771 Live in domestic must know to cook Indian Dishes. Starting Salary -$50,000, boarding & lodging free. Tel: 610-5043 1 Land to buy in Linden Preferably Amelia’s Ward– Tel:686-2201 1 Maid to cook & clean, call between 7:30am to 4pm – Tel:225-6272 & 227-5273 Manager / Supervisor at Xenon Hotel Charity / Ebo. Accommodation provided, attractive salary is offered Contact: 771-4989; 7714180; 670-6559 Salesgirl with Secondary Education @ Christine’s Fashion – Tel:227-8529; 6091535

House plan drafting from$10,000 surveying and estimates services available Tel: 667-2189

Driver, salesman and porters to work on beverage canter truck – Call:222-4650;2223927;649-9876;616-3802

Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building Call:225-6496,662-6045, 223-8115

Babysitter/ Housekeeper. To work in Campbellville, Monday – Friday, ages 3040, reference needed. Apply to PO.BOX 101302

Transportation services available in and out of Georgetown – Tel:646-4501 Masons seeking job work – Tel:678-9043 Technicians available for appliance repairs – washers, dryers, microwaves, stoves, deep fryers, etc – Tel:6190793; 218-0050 Electrical Repairs & Servicing Done to generators, water pump, washer, dryers, fans, blenders, stabilizers & Transformers (Johnny 6193194) WE FILL PASSPORT & VISA FORMS: U.S.A, U.K & CANADA. ALSO ONLINE CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS TEL: 225-9030 USA, Canada & UK Visa application forms filed electronically @ Mohamed’s Internet Café – Enmore Call:256-4001 or 2563464 Specialized in all classes of industrial and domestic work, motor rewind and fixing of generators – Tel:644-9084 Computer Repairs low price $2,500 – Tel:661-0515; 6227036

Attractive live in waitress Tel: 228-5129; 604-8277 We pay $1M for land in Parafaite Harmonie- Tel:6757292 General Live in maid, with experienced age 30-50 – Contact: 609-1535; 227-8529 Land to buy @ Parafaite Harmonie , Tuschen, Herstelling – Tel:675-7292 Urgently needed live-in waitress to work in bar, reasonable salary offer – Tel:259-0574 Live in male & female domestic – Tel: 613-6613 One Dragline operator – 613-6613 Live in , live out babysitter – Tel:225-6070 Cashiers , Handyman at Impact Frenzy - Tel:223-4778 1 Welder to work in interior Tel: 664-5199 Sawmill workers – Tel:6539752. Labourers for wood concession accommodation provided - $5,000 per day Call: 618-0487

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Berbice Health Authority under review (From page 63)

TO LET Fully furnished short term apartments, Eccles call: 347933-9790, 639-4452. Fully furnished Vacation home with all amenities- Call during working hours - 2271218 Furnished Apartments for Overseas Visitors – Contact: 668-5198

LEARN TO DRIVE Shalom Driving School @ 2 Croal street. Fee $16,000Call:227-3869 Ultravoilet Driving School – Contact:231-2372;6022583;658-4015 Soman & Sons Driving School , First Federation Building Call 689-5997, 6445166,622-2872,615-0964

1 Complete Lumber Factory to rent/ lease with all sawmilling equipment situated @ Eccles, Industrial Site. Call Richard: 609-7675. One bottom flat apartment @ Enmore -$35,000 monthly – Call:677-1495 Guyana Variety Store & Nut Centre 2 floors located @ Albertown, equipped, glass cases, fully air condition, office, Tel 621-4000, 2273939 Section K –US$1200, Campbellville-US$1200, Lamaha Gardens – US$1,000, Bel- Air US$1800 Diana 2272256; 626-9382

FOR SALE Massey, Yanmar Ford 5000 Logging/ Agriculture Tractors, parts, Loader & Ford Truck- Call:615-1578/ 694-3595: Tools & Chainsaw-668-2831 Flat House 80x30 3 bedroom 4 bathroom 80 percent finish, @ Republic Gardens $35,000.000 negotiable – 6398182 Wedding dresses ( off white ) 1 Brand new double door fridge – 23Cu.Ft – Call:2333974 Used laptops -$30,000 to $60,000, Used TVs - $15,000 to $20,000 – Tel:227-0095

For the BEST RATES, call us on telephones numbers: 2258458, 225-8465. SALON Make Up Courses, Artist Trained & Certified in Trinidad. Call: 660-5257, 647-1773

PEN PAL Overseas Male is seeking female 29yrs & up – Call:6613299

DRESSMAKING Sewing classes at Schoon’ ord W.B.D. Monthly Fees. Call:676-2629, 676-6312

The performance of the Berbice Regional Health Authority (BRHA) which is the only such entity in the country came under stark review by councilors from both sides of the divide when the Region Six Democratic Council held their statutory meeting on Thursday in the RDC Boardroom in New Amsterdam.

Apart from the shortage of drugs, the unprofessional behaviour of some medical personnel, the uncleanliness and smelly state of the New Amsterdam Hospital and the excessive use of cell phones while working were some of the troubling issues raised. It was also revealed that staffs members are usually seen decorating their nails while at work.

Defective buildings gaining...

Aracari Hotel. West Bank Demerara Rates from US$30 Tel: 264-2946-8 Fully Furnished 2 bedrooms apartment in South - 6895877 (Overseas or Visitors)

APNU Councilor Kerwin Crawford making his point, AFC councilor Donna Mathoo is next to him.

(From page 13) is confident that a number of persons could in fact save themselves a great deal of expense and even prevent the endangerment of themselves and others. Added to this, King said that the Building Inspectorate at City Hall is working assiduously within the city to address the existing buildings challenge. However, its efficacy in this regard might be deemed rather limited as according to King, “we are very underresourced and we lack manpower; we lack the technological and human competencies to really police all the areas of the city and to enforce compliance to our building laws.” He explained further that although there are instances when inspections are carried out on defective buildings and the appropriate notice is served, the under-resourced nature of the municipality of-

ten results in the illegal continuation of these buildings. “They will probably get away with continuing the building so by the time the inspector does his rounds and go back to that area, what he finds is that the building is already up,” disclosed King. However, because of the prevailing inadequacies on some of these erected structures, some would soon after manifest signs of defects. Despite City Hall having the lawful authority to stop such works from the initial stages, King said that such orders are sometimes disregarded which could lead to the activation of various processes to address the particular concerns. These could however be rather lengthy processes, King noted, which could appear to be a “ticket” to continue to contractors. Dwindling Professional Pride The distressing defective situation, King said, is therefore linked to limited professionalism on the part of the executing tradesmen. “There seems to be a lack of professional pride on the part of some trades men...,” said the PRO, even as he pointed out that “what is happening in Georgetown today, we have noticed, is that some tradesmen they just build buildings without taking pride in their work.” This is demonstrated, King observed, by the substandard and inadequate materials used to construct some buildings. “There is no ‘rule of thumb’ in the whole way that some buildings are constructed and this is a very serious concern to us,” disclosed the municipal PRO, who noted that in years gone by tradesmen were known to take pride in the way they designed and constructed buildings. “That is not happening

anymore and this is another reason that some buildings are now unsafe for human occupation...and so we are calling on, not only the tradesmen, but we are calling on those organisations and agencies that are concerned with training, qualifying and certifying these tradesmen to help us, help our city,” asserted King. Added to his, he noted that the evident ‘building boom’ has resulted in contractors employing persons

who are in some cases not even qualified tradesmen. “What we have discovered is that in some cases where you should have skilled men, you have labourers doing it with minimum supervision,” King disclosed. He is convinced that true tradesmen will not only take personal pride in the work that they do but they would want to admire and be satisfied that they have done a good job when they complete a building.

“DE PROFESSOR” RETAINS... From page 14 unfortunately not the audience. By the time he was done, it was clear that the audience was hyped up for the reigning monarch and his expected fireworks. They were certainly not disappointed. Using an intro that put him in a courtroom under oath, De Professor swore to speak the truth and nothing but the truth. For the audience, he did just that. And maybe the judges thought so too. Friday night’s competition was a clear indication that the calypso art form was alive and kicking in Guyana. And to think that the music is not being given the support by the national media is being seen as a major blow by many. “To think that calypso is being killed on radio is a tragedy. This year the standard was high. If they were to kill this all together would be a tragedy,” one supporter told this newspaper after the show.

Drugs, terrorists... (From page 61) argued that the press is relatively free in Guyana, but I guess the Transparency and good Governance issues affected Guyana’s rankings. Earlier in the week we were told in Parliament that Guyana has a $1.2M man. Given the economic circumstances of Guyana I am surprised that Guyanese taxpayers can afford to pay someone $1.2M for doing practically nothing. Can anybody tell me what the function of a Commissioner of Information is? Some will argue that this made up title is another way for the PPP to reward friends.

Really I would like Charles Ramson to tell Guyanese taxpayers what he has done so far to justify US$6,000.00 per month. Do you know how many more people can be employed for that sum? How many play grounds for youths can be built for that sum? How many bathroom facilities for schools can be improved for that amount? And the list can go on. If there is need for a Commissioner of Information, it certainly should not be a PPP crony. Ralph Seeram can be reached at email; ralph365@hotmail.com

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UN envoy ‘very sorry’ as Syria talks break off in failure Geneva (AFP) - The UN’s Syria envoy said he was “very, very sorry” Saturday as peace talks in Geneva broke off with no progress made and no date set for a third round. Just weeks after the warring parties sat down for the first time to seek a political settlement to the three-year conflict, a second round ended in acrimony. “I’m very, very sorry,” UN mediator Lakhdar Brahimi told reporters in Geneva as he announced the break-off in talks. “I think it is better that every side goes back and reflects, and takes their responsibility: do they want this process to continue or not?” With no guarantee the parties will return to the negotiating table, the death toll continued to mount in Syria where more than 136,000 have died and millions have been driven from their homes. A monitoring group said this week more than 5,000 people had been killed since the talks began on January 22. And the UN raised the alarm over Syrian air raids in the Qalamun mountains near the Lebanese border, as thousands fled the opposition-held town of Yabrud amid fears of a ground assault. In Geneva, the rivals have seemed to agree on only one thing this week: that the negotiations were stalled. “The regime is not serious... I’m very sorry to say there is nothing positive we can take from this,” opposition spokesman Louay Safi told reporters after the talks. The head of the regime’s negotiating team Bashar Jaafari described the other

Lakhdar Brahimi side as “amateurs”, blaming the opposition’s backer the United States for “trying its best to undermine the whole process.” ‘I very much hope there will be a third round’ Brahimi noted that the two sides at least had agreed on an agenda for future talks - if they take place - something they failed to do throughout the week. “I very much hope there will be a third round,” Brahimi said. The opposition says the focus must be on creating a transitional government, without President Bashar alAssad. The regime representatives have insisted Assad’s position is nonnegotiable and refused to discuss anything beyond the “terrorism” it blames on its opponents and their foreign backers. Brahimi said if the sides returned, they would discuss violence and terrorism first, then the transitional governing body (TGB), followed by national institutions and finally national reconciliation and national debate. However, he said the

regime side baulked at his suggestion they spend one day on violence and the next on political transition “which raises the suspicion of the opposition that the government doesn’t want to discuss TGB at all.” Safi of the opposition confirmed that suspicion, stressing that “a third round without talking about transition would be a waste of time.” Jaafari denied his delegation had blocked the process, accusing the opposition of “misleading public opinion” and insisting that the regime “will be back.” “We don’t have an impasse,” he said. Brahimi said a break in the talks was needed, calling on “the government side in particular to reassure the other side” that the issue of political transition will be discussed seriously. “At least we have agreed on an agenda. But we also have to agree on how we tackle that agenda,” he said, to avoid falling into “the same traps that we have been struggling with this week and most of the first round.”

Pakistan’s Bhutto lashes out at the ‘stone-age’ Taliban Karachi (AFP) - Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of Pakistan’s assassinated premier Benazir Bhutto, yesterday slammed the Taliban for trying to drag the country back to the “stone-age.” Addressing a gathering during the closing ceremony of a two-week cultural festival in his home province of Sindh, Bhutto also urged the country to rise up against the threats. “The Taliban want to impose the law of terror in the country, but I want to tell them, if you have to live in Pakistan you will have to follow its constitution,” he said. “We don’t accept the law of terrorists” he added. “Some people are trying to bring back the stone-age era in the country in the name of Islam.” The start of 2014 has seen a surge in militant violence with more than 130 people killed. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ’s government has been under fire from political opponents for failing to mount a strong

response to the upsurge in attacks. The government has for months said it favoured talks with the Taliban but 25-yearold Zardari has spoken in favour of military action against them. Former premier Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in December 2007 by the Pakistani Taliban after leaving a campaign rally of her Pakistan People’s Party. Her husband and Bilawal’s father Asif Ali Zardari was president from 2008-2013. The Taliban’s demands include the nationwide imposition of sharia law and an end to US drone strikes, conditions the government and army are unlikely to be able to meet. “The terrorists should think of the time when the whole nation will stand against them,” Zardari added yesterday in Makli, around 100 kilometres (60 miles) to the north of Karachi. “We are Muslims and the terrorist groups should not try to teach us Islam.”

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Bahrain protest attracts Thai opposition protesters vow no surrender tens of thousands, no clashes Bangkok (AFP) - Thai opposition protesters yesterday refused to end their rallies in Bangkok despite a vow by police to clear more demonstration sites, following an operation to reclaim the besieged government headquarters. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s government is attempting to seize back key state buildings after more than three months of mass protests seeking to curb the political domination of her billionaire family. On Friday police with shields and riot helmets, some carrying rifles, met little resistance as they cleared areas around Government House, which Yingluck had been unable to use for about two months. But there were no arrests or serious clashes, and demonstrators were later seen rebuilding their makeshift barricades. The security operation is focused on government offices rather than major intersections in the commercial centre that have become the main focus of the rallies in recent weeks as part of what protesters have described as the “Bangkok shutdown”. So far the authorities have not announced any plan to clear those intersections, where several thousand protesters gather each evening to hear free concerts and speeches. “We will continue fighting. We will not be shaken by the police operation,” a spokesman for the anti-government movement, Akanat Promphan, said yesterday. “No matter whether police

succeed in reclaiming the rally sites or not, we will keep on protesting,” he added. Yesterday about 1,200 police were mobilised to try to reclaim a government complex in Chaeng Wattana in the north of the capital on Saturday, National Security Council chief Paradorn Pattanatabut told AFP. But they later appeared to have retreated, after the two sides agreed to hold talks about re-opening the complex, which has been occupied by demonstrators led by a saffron-robed monk who has emerged as a key figure in the anti-government movement. An aide to the monkturned-protest leader Luang Pu Buddha Issara — who faces an arrest warrant for his role in the rallies — said the protesters “will not give up”, but later confirmed that negotiations would take place today. The government has so far appeared reluctant to use force against the protesters, despite declaring a state of emergency last month that gives authorities the power to ban public gatherings of more than five people. Attendance at the rallies has fallen sharply compared with December and January, when at the peak of the demonstrations tens, or even hundreds, of thousands of people took to the streets. Thailand has been periodically rocked by mass demonstrations by rival protest groups since a controversial military coup in 2006 that ousted then-premier Thaksin Shinawatra — Yingluck’s brother. At least 10 people have been killed and hundreds

injured in violence linked to the latest round of protests. The deployment of security forces has revived memories of a bloody crackdown on mass proThaksin “Red Shirt” rallies in 2010 under the previous government, using armed troops backed by armoured vehicles. Yingluck’s opponents say her government is controlled by Thaksin, who fled overseas in 2008 to avoid jail for a corruption conviction and now lives in Dubai. Pro-Thaksin parties have won every election for more than a decade, most recently in 2011 under Yingluck, helped by strong support in the northern half of the kingdom. The tycoon-turnedpolitician is hated by many southerners, middle class Thais and members of the Bangkok elite who accuse him of rampant corruption. Anti-government protesters disrupted a general election held earlier this month that was boycotted by the main opposition Democrat Party. Demonstrators prevented 10,000 polling stations from opening in the election, affecting several million people. The protesters want Yingluck to stand down to make way for an unelected “People’s Council” to enact reforms to tackle corruption and alleged vote-buying before new polls are held.

MANAMA (Reuters) Tens of thousands of Bahrainis joined a peaceful demonstration yesterday to mark the third anniversary of an abortive pro-democracy uprising led by majority Shi’ite Muslims. The rally organized by the kingdom’s main opposition al-Wefaq movement was one of the biggest staged since 2011. Vast crowds of men, women and children took to the streets of the small Gulf Arab nation calling for democracy, political reform and the release of political prisoners, witnesses said. “We will not stop until we achieve our demands,” protesters shouted. “Shi’ites and Sunnis, we all love this country.” Police could not be seen at the rally on Budaiya Highway, which links the capital Manama to the northwestern town of Budaiya, witnesses said. No clashes were reported. The Interior Ministry said a policeman had died after being wounded by a “terrorist” blast on Friday. Three other policemen were wounded the same day, while 26 people had been arrested. “Some villages saw rioting, vandalism and the targeting of policemen,” the ministry said, referring to Friday’s unrest. Bahrain, with Saudi help, crushed the demonstrations that began on February 14,

2011 inspired by Arab uprisings elsewhere, but has yet to resolve the conflict between majority Shi’ites and the Sunni-led monarchy they accuse of oppressing them. The ruling family has launched a third round of dialogue with its opponents, but no political agreement is in sight. The Bahraini authorities, along with their Saudi backers, view Shi’ite demands for political reform as Iranian-inspired subversion. Their handling of the unrest has embarrassed the United States, which has had to balance its support for an ally that hosts its Fifth Fleet against human rights concerns. “Three years since the start of the protests, we have seen no peace,” said a 34year-old clerk in Saar village who gave his name only as Abu Ali. “Every day...youngsters go out and burn tires on the roads and the police attack them with teargas.” U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was concerned about reports of clashes between demonstrators and security forces on Friday, and urged the authorities to act in strict accordance with their international human rights obligations. In response, the Interior Ministry said the constitution guaranteed the right to peaceful protest and

assembly and that numerous peaceful rallies and protests had taken place in the past week without police interference, but added: “Over the past two days there have been a series of unprovoked attacks on police by groups who use urban guerrilla warfare tactics. This includes the use of deadly homemade weapons and the detonation of two bombs... When they use force it is done in a proportionate and necessary manner.” Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, a relative moderate in the Sunni al-Khalifa family that has ruled Bahrain for more than 200 years, stepped in last month to try to revive a dialogue that the opposition had boycotted for four months. Royal Court Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed alKhalifa has since met opposition leaders and other figures, but formal talks have yet to resume and the two sides still seem far apart. The opposition had boycotted the talks after the government investigated at least two of its leaders on incitement charges. Concern is rising that young Shi’ites will resort more and more to violent militancy if mainstream opposition leaders fail to advance a political settlement that would give Shi’ites a bigger say in government and improve living conditions.

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Kartel’s defence wants Govt. paying $37m to cross-examine expert rent for empty building

Jamaica Gleaner - Justice Lennox Campbell has directed lead prosecutor Jeremy Taylor in the Vybz Kartel murder trial to make available to the court the handwriting expert William Smiley, who had looked at certain documents, one of which is a letter that defence lawyers are contending was written by the prosecution’s main witness to Public Defender Earl Witter. Defence lawyer Tom Tavares-Finson, in making the request, said his intelligence revealed that it was a Mr Smiley who had examined the documents. He said he had earlier asked for a copy of the report, but the prosecution failed to give it to him. Taylor said he had discussions with Tavares-Finson and had told him that there was no report. He said he had given TavaresFinson the name of the expert before the Christmas break for him to utilise the expert. He said Smiley did not write a report because the prosecution did not pursue it. “The prosecution told this court that Smiley examined the document, spent half an hour, and abandoned it,” Tavares-Finson responded. He said he wanted a statement from Smiley as to the reason for abandoning the examination. Justice Campbell then ordered Taylor to get a statement from Smiley as to his involvement with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in relation to the matter. Retired Senior Superintendent of Police

Carl Major, who is a handwriting expert, was cross-examined Friday by Taylor and will be further cross-examined tomorrow. Major, who was called by the defence, had testified that the letter that was sent to the public defender was written and signed by the prosecution’s main witness. The witness has denied writing or signing the letter. Major said he made his comparisons with the photocopy statements bearing some 33 signatures of the witness and the writings and signature on the letter. Major was asked to outline the variations in the signatures and he referred to some outstanding similarities. Taylor, in questioning Major about the ‘h’ in the documents, said some of them were fat, while those on the letter seemed to be suffering from some famine. The judge, in explaining the question to the witness, remarked: “Counsel is saying one is overweight and one meagre.” Major said he agreed with Taylor, but went on to explain that was called natural variations, but it was the same person who wrote them. The Crown is alleging that Kartel, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, entertainer Shawn Campbell, popularly known as Shawn Storm, Kahira Jones, Shane Williams and Andre St John murdered Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams on August 16, 2011. He was allegedly beaten to death over two missing guns.

Trinidad Express Government has been paying tens of millions—somewhere between over $28 million to $37 million—for an unoccupied building. Since 2010, Government has been paying the hefty sum of $8.2 million annually for renting a building located at 1 Alexandra Street, which it has never occupied. In addition to this, Government has been paying $927,360 per year for security. Local Government Minister Marlene Coudray in the House of Representatives Friday stated Government pays a monthly rent of $690,000, which adds up to $8.2 million a year for the building. This has been paid since October 2010. “This sum was paid for the financial years ended September 2011, September 2012 and September 2013,” she said. The minister stressed the rental started on this building in 2009. If one includes rental payment and security for the year 2009, it means the taxpayer has paid around $37 million in total. The rent has been paid to NJ Nahous while the security fees have been paid to Professional Protection Training Services, Coudray said. Coudray was responding to the question filed by Arouca/Maloney MP Alicia Hospedales which asked her to state whether any buildings were being rented by the Ministry of Local Government which were not being utilised and the money paid in relation to such building since 2010 to the present. Coudray gave figures which she said were from October 2010 but she

Marlene Coudray pointed out that the rental “started on this building in the year 2009”. Asked by Hospedales why the facility has not been utilised for the last four years, Coudray said: “Mr Speaker, this question is a new one and I would need to check the records to determine.” The building was originally earmarked for the Ministry of Local Government at the time when Hazel Manning was the minister. The rental contract was signed under the People’s National Movement government which lost the 2010 election shortly afterward. Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley Friday described the issue as “ a big scandal”, saying the key issue was why has the Government left this building empty for four years. “So because the PNM rented the building, whether they liked the rate or not, they refused to occupy the building and has been paying for an empty building,” he said. Rowley said the issue which this Government had was not the building, but the outfitting of it. The tenant has

to outfit the building to suit itself, he said. Rowley claimed Government wanted to give the contract to outfit the building to a preferred bidder. “And when the public servants would not agree to it, they refused to outfit the building,” Rowley said. “So here it is, a building that the Government is renting at a humongous price is left under-utilised because the outfitting did not go to a favoured person and they decide to leave it unoccupied,” the Opposition Leader said. “The building is being paid for and is lying empty, collecting spiders and all because they could not award the contract to their selected contractor,” he claimed. Former minister, Jack Warner, during a debate had said Nidco in 2009 had wanted to move into the building and had paid a 10 per cent downpayment in March 2009 of $334,000 to Faris Al-Rawi (in his capacity as a attorney for the owner). However, the money was returned because the Ministry of Local Government was to be allotted the building, Warner said.

Regional governments urged to honour commitment to free movement

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - CMC Household domestics and artisans from five Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries will today engage in their latest efforts to get regional governments to honour their rights to freedom of movement, granted them more than five years ago. The domestics and artisans from Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, St Kitts and Nevis, and Barbados will participate in a region-wide town hall meeting, to be broadcast on the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) international channel, Caribvision. Organisations representing these workers will join with the regional civil society umbrella, the Caribbean Policy Development Centre (CPDC), in telling of their struggle to move freely and legally under the CARICOM Single Market (CSME), one week before CARICOM leaders meet for their midterm summit in St Vincent. The CPDC said it is concerned that since the respective decisions of CARICOM leaders

in 2007 and 2009 to allow for the free movement of artisans and household domestics within the region, member states have not succeeded in implementing the necessary procedures to give effect to their rights. CPDC Executive Coordinator Shantal Munro-Knight said the town hall meeting is expected to capture the growing frustration of many artisans and domestics that no one can say for certain when the necessary processes will be in place to give effect to their rights. “It’s time CARICOM governments act now with concrete steps towards fulfilling the fiveyear-old commitment to allow artisans and domestic workers to join artistes, graduates, intellectuals, media workers, musicians, sportspersons, holders of associate degrees, teachers and nurses in moving for employment purposes without the need to obtain a work permits in under the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME),” she said.

Sunday February 16, 2014

Kaieteur News

US-based rating agency downgrades Suriname economic outlook NEW YORK, United States -CMC – The US-based international credit rating agency, Moody’s Investors Service, has changed the outlook on Suriname’s Ba3 government bond rating from positive to stable. The Wall Street-based agency attributed the change to deterioration in the government’s fiscal performance and rising debt levels, despite rapid economic growth”. Moody’s also said the change resulted from the “impact of lower anticipated reference level prices for key commodities on Suriname’s fiscal performance” and “the implementation of a planned sovereign wealth fund, which would have ?limited benefits to creditworthiness in the short term”. The rating agency said even though Suriname’s real gross domestic product (GDP) growth has averaged 4.1 per cent since 2009 and medium-term prospects remain favourable, “the country’s fiscal performance has weakened substantially”. Moody’s estimated that the deficit increased substantially in 2013 from 2.1 per cent in 2009. It said increases in wage expenditures and capital spending have contributed to widening the fiscal imbalance. But Moody’s said Suriname’s government debt has been on “an upward trend” over the past five years, reaching an estimated 25.9 per cent of GDP at the end of 2013 from 15.6 per cent in 2009. Moody’s said it expects the authorities’ plans to finance the acquisition of equity stakes in two mining concessions to exacerbate the increase in debt levels. It forecasts that the government debt will increase to about 28 per cent of GDP in 2014, “even as the authorities seek to rein in the

fiscal deficit”. In light of lower gold and commodity prices, Moody’s said government revenues have “underperformed the authorities’ estimates and contributed to fiscal slippage in 2013". Moody’s believes that fiscal slippage risks remain moderate for 2014. “Despite a lower probability of another large drop in gold prices, spending pressures remain high ahead of elections in 2015. Government revenues derived from extractive industries add an element of uncertainty to fiscal performance.” As a result, Moody’s said the implementation of a planned sovereign wealth fund (SWF) will have “limited benefits to creditworthiness in the short term”. Over the medium term, it said the two large mining projects and the expansion of the operations of the stateowned oil company are likely to lead to higher deposits into the SWF, “but their impact on deficit reduction will be muted”. Moody’s said it would consider upgrading the rating “if a sustainable narrowing of the fiscal deficit supports a reversal of the upwards trend in government debt metrics, or if substantial fiscal savings accumulate in the sovereign wealth fund”. It also said a strengthening of the budgetary and fiscal framework, through institutional enhancements that decrease fiscal volatility, would also lead to upward pressure on the government’s rating. Moody’s said Suriname’s sovereign rating could be downgraded “in the event of material fiscal slippage that leads to a continued increased of government debt ratios or a material weakening of economic growth prospects”.

Jamaican dancehall deejay arrested in lottery scam KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — A Jamaican dancehall deejay has been charged in a multimillion-dollar lottery scam. An attorney for Tommy Lee Sparta said Friday that the musician and four others have been charged and that no court date has been set. Police said they found lists of names and addresses of U.S. citizens at a house where the men were arrested.

The musician’s real name is Leroy Russell and he lives in Montego Bay, which police say is the headquarters for the lottery scam. Jamaican swindlers target mostly elderly Americans and inform them they’ve won millions in an international lottery but that they first need to send money to cover taxes. Victims who send money usually are repeatedly harassed.

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Lebanon forms government Turkish PM tightens grip on judiciary in parliament vote after 10-month deadlock

Tammam Salam

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon announced a new government on Saturday, breaking a 10-month political deadlock during which spillover violence from neighboring Syria worsened internal instability. A caretaker government has run the country since former Prime Minister Najib Mikati resigned in March as parties aligned with the Shi’ite Hezbollah movement and a Sunni-led rival bloc pursued a power struggle exacerbated by their support for opposing sides in Syria’s almost three-year-old civil war. “A government in the national interest was formed in a spirit of inclusivity,” new Prime Minister Tammam Salam declared on live television. He said he hoped the new government would allow Lebanon to hold presidential elections before President Michel Suleiman’s mandate expires in May and finally conduct parliamentary polls that were postponed last year due to the political impasse. “I extend my hand to all the leaders and I am relying on their wisdom to reach these goals and I call on all of them together to make concessions in the interest of our national project,” he said. Parliament designated the Sunni lawmaker as prime minister in April 2013, but he had been unable to form a cabinet for months due to rivalries between the Hezbollah-dominated March 8 bloc and the March 14 alliance, led by the Sunni Future Party. Former Energy Minister Gebran Bassil, from the March 8 bloc, becomes foreign minister. Former Health Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, also from March 8, takes the finance portfolio. Nouhad Machnouk, a March 14 legislator, was named interior minister. Salam said his “national interest government” had a mandate to fight mounting security problems, which he linked to Syria. “We must also deal with our complicated economic and social issues, the most important of which is the growing number of refugees from our Syrian brothers and the burdens this has placed on Lebanon,” he said. Sectarian violence has erupted sporadically in the past year, particularly in the north, and car bombings targeting both security and political targets have increased dramatically, with Hezbollah-dominated areas being the most frequent target. “We want this new government to open the doors for a complete settlement and to get the country back on the train to stability,” Finance Minister Khalil told Reuters by telephone. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry welcomed the formation of the government as “an important first step” towards

addressing Lebanon’s recent political uncertainty. “Amidst growing terrorism and sectarian violence, we look to the new cabinet, if approved by parliament, to address Lebanon’s urgent security, political and economic needs,” Kerry added. Salam had tried again to form a government last month, but was thwarted by a row over who would hold the energy portfolio, a ministry given extra weight by the discovery of potential gas and oil reserves off Lebanon’s Mediterranean coast. The Christian Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), a Hezbollah ally, had insisted former Energy Minister Bassil keep his post. The dispute was finally resolved with the appointment of Arthur Nazarian, from the FPM-aligned Tashnag, a small Armenian party. “The top priority of this government will be stability and security, and also to improve people’s daily life, and I think one of the essential things that is important to all Lebanese is the petroleum issue,” Bassil told a news conference. Salam had earlier made a deal with political parties that requires all cabinet roles to be rotated among different religious groups in each new government, so that no sect can indefinitely dominate a particular ministry. Lebanon, still struggling to recover from its own 1975-1990 civil war, has found its internal rifts aggravated by the conflict in Syria, whose sectarian divisions mirror its own. Hezbollah, a militant and political movement supported by Shi’ite Iran, is one of the most powerful groups in Lebanon and fought an inconclusive war with Israel in 2006. It has sent fighters to Syria to support President Bashar al-Assad, whose minority Alawite sect is a Shi’ite offshoot. The Future party supports the anti-Assad uprising led largely by the Syria’s Sunni majority. Syria’s war has stoked a region-wide struggle for influence involving Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-ruled states against Iran and its Shi’ite allies in Lebanon and Iraq. The Lebanese cabinet deal could signal that those powers want to stem the sectarian violence convulsing Syria and rippling across Lebanon, Iraq and other countries. In a televised speech on Friday, Future party head Saad Hariri, a former prime minister who threw his weight behind a unity government with March 8 last month, vowed to tackle sectarian radicalism within his own Sunni sect. He also called on Hezbollah to pull its forces out Syria to prevent a “sectarian holocaust” in Lebanon.

Members of parliament from the ruling AK Party (AKP) and the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) scuffle during a debate on a draft law which will give the government tighter control over the appointment of judges and prosecutors, at a parliamentary session in Ankara early yesterday. REUTERS/Stringer ANKARA (Reuters) Turkey’s parliament approved a law boosting government control over the appointment of judges and prosecutors yesterday, after a heated debate and a brawl that left one opposition lawmaker hospitalized. Dozens of MPs broke into fights during the tense 20hour debate and insults flew across party lines. When an opposition deputy called Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan a dictator, deputies from the leader’s party shouted back “are you drunk?” The battle for control of the Higher Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK), which appoints senior members of the judiciary, lies at the heart of a feud between Erdogan and influential U.S.based cleric Fethullah Gulen. Gulen, whose followers say they number in the millions, is believed to have built up influence in the police and judiciary over decades and leads a powerful worldwide Islamic movement from a forested compound in the United States. Erdogan, head of the ruling AK Party, blames him for unleashing a corruption investigation he sees as an attempted “judicial coup” designed to undermine him in the run-up to local and presidential elections this year. Opposition parties said the HSYK bill aimed to stifle a graft investigation launched on December 17 in which dozens of prominent business people, the sons of

three cabinet ministers, and state officials were questioned. “The government is in a great hurry, this shows how deep the corruption and bribe allegations are,” Oktay Vural MP for the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) said. “They are trying to pass a law which will increase the grip of the execution on judges and prosecutors in such a hurry and with unlawful means,” he added. Government supporters say the HSYK is dominated by Gulen sympathizers and the bill will strengthen, not weaken, judicial independence. Gulen has denied orchestrating the corruption investigation. The decision to approve the HSYK law came after a night of fierce debate and a brawl which left one opposition member of parliament with a bloody broken nose requiring hospitalization and an AKP deputy with broken fingers, local media reported. The bill had been frozen since early January, when the last debate on it resulted in fist fights in parliament and mass protests outside [ID:nL6N0KL0B9]. Erdogan vowed to push on, denying he was trampling on the constitution as the government faces one of the biggest challenges of his 11year rule. Since the graft scandal erupted late last year, the government has reassigned or dismissed thousands of police officers and hundreds of judges and prosecutors in

what was widely seen as retaliation and a bid to impede investigations. Details of the corruption allegations have not been made public, but are believed to relate to construction and real estate deals and Turkey’s gold trade with Iran, according to Turkish newspaper reports that cite prosecutors’ documents. The HSYK debate lasted from 1400 (1200 GMT / 7:00 AM EST) on Friday and finished at 1000 on Saturday, with 210 members voting in support of the bill and 28 voting against. Many MPs slept through parts of the debate. CHP had said on Thursday it would appeal the bill in the Constitutional Court if it was approved in parliament. “If you accept this law, soon you will be repealing the constitution,” CHP MP Akif Hamzacebi said during the debate. “This cover-up of the allegations of corruption and bribery today has dealt a big blow to democracy and freedom.” The Erdogan-Gulen power struggle has highlighted fractures in the religiously conservative support base underpinning Erdogan’s decade in power. The feud has shaken markets, helping drive the lira to new lows, and prompted expressions of alarm from Washington and Brussels about threats to the credibility of the legal system.

Sunday February 16, 2014

Kaieteur News

Page 71

“Barbados v Trinidad & Tobago – Finally, Crab & Callaloo met Flying Fish & Cookoo!” So Guyana, expected finalists, but collectively sick as a dog with flu, could not conjure magical Metagee or Pepper-Pot to outplay Barbados, but we still had a good NAGICO 50-overs final, a Caribbean smorgasbord of cricket and traditional delicacies to enhance all cricket connoisseurs and hungry pallets; Trinidad & Tobago v Barbados – Crab & Callaloo v Flying Fish & Cookoo! Mind you, if some attending yesterday’s final came over to Trinidad from Tobago, they would tell you: “But look at dem Bajan nah man. Dem duhs tek we flyin’ fish and dat is why dem playin so damn good!” Claims to fishing rights in those very lucrative waters between Tobago and Barbados has been the cause of many a Caricom diplomatic incident and imprisonments, false or otherwise, in the past! Oldsters would also remind of that great calypso classic by Aldwyn Roberts – Lord Kitchener – about a Bajan and a Trini, dying with starvation, deciding on a cook-up with the Barbadian getting the rice and Trinidadian acquiring the meat, while trying to outsmart each other as the pot neared completion: “Trini, I’s a born Barbadian, I doan like to fight, but when it comes to de occasion, man, I gun die for muh right! Yuh put in a six-cent meatbone, yuh Trinidadian lice.

Before I crush yuh like ice, tek yuh meat out muh rice!” Sweet kaiso apart, some of the most dynamic cricketers presently in the region participated in Saturday’s final, both teams presenting and representing themselves and respective countries wonderfully well. Barbados’ original squad contained seven Test players – Sulieman Benn, Tino Best, Kraigg Brathwaite, Fidel Edwards, Kirk Edwards, Jason Holder and Dwayne Smith, before Kirk Edwards was sent home. Trinidad & Tobago’s international players included Dwayne Bravo, Adrian Barrath, Lendl Simmons, Darren Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Rayad Emrit, Sunil Narine, Ravi Rampaul and Shannon Gabriel. Considering these squads, WI Test, ODI and T20-I teams could be selected from these alone! In this 2014 competition, Barbados had already beaten T&T in game 4, by 28 runs, so yesterday was a chance for T&T to extract face-saving revenge, or Barbados to ensure continued superiority. Batsman Jonathan Carter and batting all-rounder Dwayne Smith, on present form, should be selected for every WI ODI in the near future; Smith for T-20’s too; as should bowling all-rounder Dwayne Bravo and batsman Simmons, while Shane Dowrich could pressure veteran wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin.

How especially Carter could not get into any West Indies squad selected to play Ireland is still a mystery. What more does this guy have to do, fail? Or is it that we will wait until he has no form at all, as has been the norm, then pick him, as pointed out by former West Indies fast bowler Andy Roberts ages ago, when he became a selector: “Crofty, we select our cricketers two years after they should be selected. By that time, they may have matured, or, more likely, have become so frustrated that they could not care less. We must select them when they are ready, not when we are ready to select them!” That deserves no more comment, but Andy selected Shiv Chanderpaul, out of the blue, in 1994v England! Jason Holder has such tremendous talent, but would it not have been wonderful to have that young, raw, untried, but magnificent fast bowling find, Guyana’s Ronsford Beaton, as his partner v Ireland? How could Miguel Cummins feature in a West Indies team when he has not played any real competitive cricket for more than six months, his last real outing being a West Indies “A” team tour six months ago? How do our selectors know that he is up to the levels required, if he has not played in the NAGICO Super 50? Also, if he could not make Barbados’ team, how the hell did he manage to make West

Mitchell Johnson leads...

From page 77 his record is as good as any fast bowler I have ever played with.” Johnson’s figures were also a record for any bowler in Tests at Centurion. Australia declared after 3.2 overs of day four having added only two runs to their overnight 288-3 second innings total. Chasing an unlikely 482 to win the hosts - number one in the world Test rankings slumped to 12-2 as Johnson accounted for openers Alviro Petersen and captain Graeme Smith. Johnson added the wicket of JP Duminy before tea and continued his assault after the interval with the dismissals of Ryan McLaren and AB de Villiers, who followed up his 91 in the first innings by top-scoring with 48 in the second. The fast bowler was ably supported by Peter Siddle, who claimed the wickets of

Faf du Plessis and Robin Peterson, and Ryan Harris, who chipped in with the dismissals of Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn. South Africa captain Graeme Smith admitted: “We were outplayed from the word go. It is one of the most disappointing four days we’ve had for a long time.”

The second Test of the three-match series starts in Port Elizabeth on Thursday. Scores: Australia 397 (Marsh 148, Smith 100, Steyn 4-78) and 290 for 4 dec (Warner 115, Doolan 89) beat South Africa 206 (de Villiers 91, Johnson 7-68) and 200 (de Villiers 48, Johnson 5-59) by 281 runs.

Colin E. H. Croft says:

Jonathan Carter (BCCI)

Indies’ team? That Fidel Edwards, returning from injury, finally fired against Guyana in the semi-final was a real positive, since West Indies’ fast bowling has been quite soft

on recent tours. The three games against Ireland, with no disrespect, was a great opportunity for West Indies to start budding new cricketers for the future, as many of those selected are

now extremely long in the tooth! Does anyone think that those actually selected, the old guard, to face Ireland, those who, except Chris Gayle, failed us so miserably in India and New Zealand last year, could learn anything at all from the experiences of playing against Ireland? I do not think so! Overall, up to the semifinals, the average of team totals was about 175 runs, so while there was enjoyment for all, reality suggests that batsmen have been way below that par required for real international battle. Only one innings, Guyana v Ireland, was over 300! Could playing against Ireland really help the old guard? Nah! The team that won yesterday has started 2014 well. With much cricket to come v Ireland, England, Bangladesh, and others, South Africa at year’s end; new ICC and Big Three allowing; that winning start could conjure up further sumptuous cricket and Caribbean meals too! Enjoy!

All roads lead to Rotary Club 20/20 cricket Fiesta and Car and Bike show today The Cumberland Play field in East Canje is expected to be a buzz when the Rotary Club of New Amsterdam is expected to stage their grand one day 20/20 cricket extravaganza and Car and Bike show beginning at 09:00 hrs. The cricket competition, which will feature four of the top cricket teams in Berbice, will be followed by the Car and Bike show in the evening. Top teams Albion Cricket Club, Rose Hall Town Gizmos and Gadgets, Young Warriors Cricket Club and De Edward Cricket Club of West Berbice will be battling for the top prizes including cash incentives and trophies which are up for grabs. The day’s events are expected to be fun filled and will see various added attractions featuring performers from the Children

Mashramani competition among others. The e v e n t i s a f u n d raising charity activity to raise money for the club’s 2014 activities which includes a number of community related projects. Rotary has always been on the forefront of community activities and have done a number of projects over the years all in the interest

of benefiting humanity. The Tournament has so far attracted a number of sponsors including Ansa McAl, Trophy Stall, J’S Printery, Universal DVD, Ainlim, Nand Persaud and Company, A. Ally and Sons, Danzie’s Auto Sales, RHTYSC, St Francis Community Developers (SFCD) and Sukhpaul’s Business Enterprise amongst others.

ECB expresses condolences to Sankar family The Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB) has expressed condolences to the family of the late Kayman Sankar who passed away recently after suffering from illness. Sankar was the first president of the board and current president Fizul Bacchus said that he has done a lot for the game locally. He said that Sankar was as ardent supporter of cricket and was always willing to assist in its development even after he exited office.

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Sunday February 16, 2014

Guyanese boxers dominate on opening night of Four Nation Caribbean boxing tourney By Michael Benjamin Boxing buffs were treated to several action packed encounters that regurgitated the days of yore, when local boxers ruled the roost when the curtains went up on the Guyana Boxing Association Four Nation Caribbean boxing extravaganza at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH), Friday evening last. On a night when those memories flooded back for boxing buffs, local boxers secured 6 wins from their seven fights to dominate the proceedings and stay on track to reclaiming the enviable tab of ‘Caribbean King of the Ring.’ However, the night was not without disappointments as local welterweight contender, Ron Smith, managed to break the sequence and after turning in a wet performance and dropped a points decision to Trinidadian, Akiel Outram, to break the sequence for the local lads and hand the foreigners their lone win for the night. Local southpaw boxer, Junior Henry (52kgs), opened Guyana’s account with a convincing points victory over Akmal Stroude of Trinidad and Tobago. The latter boxer is a classy customer and commenced the bout dancing on his toes while scoring with an occasional flurry. Not to be outdone, Henry shuffled forward and matched the Trinidadian blow for blow. The Guyanese was the clear aggressor in the first stanza and easily took the honours. He solidified his position further in the second stanza when he attacked Stroude who, in his efforts to evade the blows, ducked a mite below the belt and received a warning from the referee.

He repeated the infringement later in the round and this time the referee ordered the deduction of a point from his score. Henry turned up the heat in the final round and had his man on the retreat after several onslaughts and delivered a wicked straight right that sent the Trinidadian to the canvass for the mandatory eight count. He rose and resumed combat but a resurged Henry attacked and a one two combination had Stroude ‘kissing’ canvas for the second time. The game Trinidadian rose and continued punching but just could not overwhelm Henry. However, where he lacked in skill and aggression, Stroude made up in courage and despite the pummelling received in the final round, ended the bout on his feet to lose by unanimous decision. Local bantamweight pugilist, Imran Khan, next faced Jamaican Patrick Sahadeo and stamped his authority very early with several flurries that had his man seeking refuge behind high guards. Sahadeo did respond with a few punches of his own but it was clear that Khan, who had benefitted from several overseas outings, including an IABA training course in Cardiff Wales, was the more experienced boxer. The lanky Khan stepped up the pressure and pushed his opponent back with several telling salvoes but Sahadeo refused to say die, lashing out with a few offerings of his own. Khan upped the pressure in the final round pushing his opponent on the back foot with several right crosses. Sahadeo, appeared spent and

Ron Smith (right) in his bout against Trinidadian Akeil Outram hurt after one such attack and when Khan attacked his body with a well-timed combination, even the uninitiated saw the writing on the wall. It came at 1:29secs of the final round after Khan struck with a vicious right cross and Sahadeo slid to his knees where the referee counted him out. With their adrenaline flowing, the Guyanese looked set to continue their dominance when Ron Smith opposed Trinidadian, Akeil Outram, in the 69kgs division. The latter boxer utilized the entire ring, punching and slipping while Smith plodded behind him searching for the sucker punch. Outram remained unperturbed and rocked Smith with several salvoes that pushed the Guyanese backwards. Smith attempted to raise the ante in the third stanza but by then Outram confidently met his

GMR&SC to stage Dexterity/ Race Challenge on March 1 The Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club (GMR&SC) will be staging a Dexterity/Race Challenge event on March 1, at the National Park, starting from 16:00 hrs. According to a source close to the club, the Dexterity/Race Challenge will see drivers permitted to use there normal road going vehicles and have some amount of racing fun under a controlled environment. The official added that this form of racing was absent for the last 8 yrs and

the whole aim of the event is to provide family entertainment and racing in Georgetown. When questioned on how the activity is done he said it will be an elimination bout where a course will be set with pylons and the driver will be given directions on how to drive through it. “One car will be allowed at a time and you will be racing against the clock and your time will be taken to see who does it the fastest. The first 20 vehicles move on to the other round to another elimination where a

new course will be implemented,” he outlined. According to him, the event will test maximum skill of acceleration, braking and turning and the driver and car should become one and be able to maneuver the course as quickly as possible. He added that to participate in the event, a driver do not need a specially built race car just the requisite skills. Drivers willing to be part of the action can contact the GMR&SC on Albert Street, Thomas Lands before February 25.

advances with stiff right crosses leaving the Guyanese befuddled and unable to find a counteracting strategy. The seconds were ticking away and Smith still could not uncover his opponent’s Achilles heel and the Trinidadian laced him right up to the bell to break the monotony and claim the spoils for his country. Bert Braithwaite is a seasoned contender but he was not having his own way when he faced Trinidadian Jean Paul Cooper. Both boxers started the 64kgs affair in a business-like fashion with even exchanges. Braithwaite attempted to assert his dominance but the wily Cooper stood his ground and the two were engaged in several delightful exchanges that brought the audience to life right up to the bell. A charged up Braithwaite started the second round aggressively with several wild swings but a composed Cooper matched him blow for blow sending the small crowd into a frenzied state. Midway into the second stanza, Braithwaite found his rhythm and lashed out with a wicked right cross but the Trinidadian took the blows like a man and responded with several salvoes that had Braithwaite retreating. Cooper was met with a vicious right cross as the final round commenced but he demonstrated a big heart when he weathered the storm and responded with right crosses. A full-fledged war erupted in the third round as Cooper attempted to regain lost points. His efforts were

thwarted by an advancing Braithwaite who delivered several delightful right crosses but Cooper was not yet done; he took the punches and gamely retaliated with vicious crosses and swings. It was a close fight to call but eventually the judges decided that Braithwaite had done enough to earn the nod by a close split decision. Much was expected from Eon Bancroft and the chubby welterweight did not disappoint. He employed a two fisted attack, supported by superb defensive tactics and mixed with spurts of aggression to prevail over St Lucian Ron Bastien. Bancroft, who would have had some international exposure, representing Guyana at the 41st Giraldo Cordova Cardin International Boxing tournament in Havana Cuba last year, unleashed several volleys to his opponents head and body and might have just been able to earn a stoppage if he had paid some attention to accuracy. H o w e v e r, d e s p i t e t h i s apparent lapse, the Guyanese managed to prevail by a unanimous verdict. Dennis Thomas was also in winners’ row and he employed his vast experience to outbox and outpunch Arthur Langelier (St Lucia) to convincingly win their 75kgs encounter. However, it was not a one sided affair and Thomas was made to work hard for every point accrued. The St Lucian put up a game fight but was outdone by Thomas’ vast experienced procured from several international outings

over the years. Otherwise, Guyanese, Clairmont Gibson could count himself lucky after being gifted the decision in his 60kgs bout against Michael Alexander (T&T). The Trinidadian presented all kinds of problems for Gibson and staggered him early in the first round. Alexander looked confident and relaxed as he built up his points with crisp jabs and occasional right crosses. A wicked left hook slammed into Gibson’s temple and sent him to the ropes where the referee instituted the mandatory 8 count. Upon resumption, Alexander continued to dominate the situation with several telling blows while Gibson plodded behind him searching for the sucker punch. The latter boxer finally managed to score a looping right to his opponent’s head but a dancing Alexander softened the blow by dancing out of range. Apparently acting on instructions from his handlers, Gibson came out slugging in the final round forcing the Trinidadian to use evasive tactics. It resulted in him losing the first of two points for ducking below the belt. Gibson continued to advance and once again lashed out, forcing Alexander to once again duck out of range and once again he lost a point for going too low. The Trinidadian was somewhat unfortunate to suffer from a recent rule that forced the referee to disqualify any boxer that blatantly breached the same rule thrice. Anthony Clarke (Jamaica) and Lyndin Marcelin (St Lucia) then clashed in the 64kgs division and the St Lucian prevailed on points in a dull 64kgs affair. Earlier in the night, several pinweight boxers entertained the crowd with pleasing performances and Jamie Kellman prevailed over Malrick Walcott, while Leon Moore took care of Kevin Mulling. Shaquille Wright won from Shaquille Simon just before Jamal Eastman earned a points decision over Odeni Moore. In the 75kgs class, Glenroy Smith triumphed over Steven Chan. The action resumed last evening with the semi finals, while the finals will be staged at the same venue tonight. Once again former Continental of Americas boxing champion, Michael Benjamin, will join journalist, Allan LaRose, to provide blow by blow action on NCN Radio. Admission is $500.

Sunday February 16, 2014

Kaieteur News

Local swimmers continue to prepare for IGG, Goodwill games Local swimmers have continued to prepare for the upcoming Inter Guiana and Goodwill games which will be held in May and August respectively. The swimmers were taken through their paces on Friday afternoon at the National Aquatic Centre, Liliendaal, East Coast, Demerara under the guidance of coach, Cuban based Isabel Maria Cuso Fals with assistance from Shawn Baksh and Stephanie Fraser.

In an invited comment, level 3 Coach Baksh from the Orca Speed Swim club, said that the swimmers are adopting well. He said that they will be competing in the Mash meet in March which will be used as a yard stick to select the national team for the games. The coach expressed confidence that the Guyanese can do well. “These competitions will be keenly contested, but I think our

athletes will do well. The Goodwill games which will be held in Suriname is usually a tougher competition and our main aim at the moment is to field a full squad of 40, something which we were unable to do in the past”, he added. Among the swimmers currently preparing for the games are Britany van Lange, Nial Roberts, Leon Seaton, Nathan Hackett and Accalia Khan.

Guyana to host WICCBVI tourney Guyana will host this year’s West Indies Cricket Council for the Blind and Visually Impaired (WICCBVI) 7th Regional Cricket tournament from March 30. Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Windward Islands are the other competing countries. Guyana has selected a squad

of 20 from regions 2, 4, 6 and 10 to prepare for the tournament. The teams will be participating in a 40-over and a t20 format over eight days. Guyana has participated in four tournaments since it started in 2006 and the WICCBVI has took part in one World Cup and a t20 championship in Pakistan and

India respectively along with a number of bi-lateral tournaments. The local players will be involved in a number of Walk-a-Tons through out Guyana and the members of the Guyana Blind Cricket Association are calling on corporate Guyana to assist in the their fund raising efforts.

GSCL Inc Republic Cup Wolf’s Warriors battle Trophy Stall in Open, Regal, Floodlight clash for Masters titles Narine, Ali hit centuries, Latiff grabs 5-wkt haul By Zaheer Mohamed Wolf’s Warriors will battle with Trophy Stall, while Regal will take on Floodlight in the Open and Masters categories respectively when the inaugural Georgetown Softball Cricket League Inc (GSCL Inc) Republic Cup culminates tonight at the Everest Cricket Club. In the Open category, Wolf’s Warriors made light work of Memorex in their semifinal encounter at Demerara Cricket Club ground yesterday. Wolf’s Warriors batted first and scored 185 all out in 19.3 overs. Amrit Rai led with 70, while Safraz Kharim supported with 43. David Lukenauth took four wickets for Memorex who were bowled out for 93 in 15.5 overs in reply. Keon Sinclair was the only batsman that reached double figures with 16; Mark Harold and Ameer

Nizamuddeen grabbed three wickets each while Diaram Singh and Narine Bailey claimed two apiece. Regal went down to Trophy Stall by four wickets in the next semi final at Everest. Regal took first strike and posted 145 before they were bowled out in 19.5 overs. Khalid Haslim scored 29 and Richard Latiff made 27. Sewchan Budhu captured 3-21 and Fazal Rafiek 2-26. Trophy Stall replied with 146-6 in 16.4 overs. Sachin Singh top scored with 56 and Wasim Haslim made 47. Tyrone Sanasie picked up 316 for Regal who put down several catches which aided in their demise. In the Masters semis, Regal defeated Wellman by 58 runs. Regal rattled up 216-8 in 20 overs, batting first. Eric Thomas led with 89 while Clyde Butts supported with

26 and Raymond Harper 24. N. Samlall and Motilall (only name given) took two wickets each. Wellman were bowled out for 158 in 19.5 overs in reply. Lloyd Rooplall scored 69 as Mahendra Arjune snared 4-19, Satro Seeraj 2-21 and Mahendra Hardyal 230. Floodlight overcame Frontline Rangers by 38 runs. Floodlight took first strike and managed 123-6 in 20 overs. Wayne Jones and R. Kellawan were their leading batsman with 36 and 31 respectively; Gary McKoy took 2-11. Frontline were skittled for 85 in 17.5 overs. Fazal Ali made 27 and Eon Abel 21; E. Canterbury and Jones claimed three wickets each. In the final preliminary round games at DCC, Frontline Rangers got the better of

Mitchell Johnson leads Australia to victory over South Africa BBC Sport - Mitchell Johnson secured his best Test figures as Australia wrapped up a crushing 281run victory over South Africa on day four of the first Test. The 32-year-old left-arm paceman, man of the series as Australia whitewashed

England in the Ashes, took match figures of 12 for 127 at Centurion. Johnson followed his first-innings 7-68 with 5-59 as the Proteas were dismissed for 200 in their second innings. “You never play a perfect game but it felt really

good out there,” he said. Australia captain Michael Clarke added: “Mitchell is on top of his game. He has amazing pace, is fit and strong, and executes his plans perfectly. “Statistics don’t lie and (Continued on page 65)

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Results of WICUA 2013 Oral and Practical exams Guyanese Rampaul among top five successful candidates Following are the results of the West Indies Cricket Umpires Association (WICUA) 2013 Oral and Practical examination. Forty candidates took the exam and 98% were successful. The highest mark of 98%

was attained by Sunda Subramaniam of the United States of America closely followed by Anu Patel also of the USA and Moses Rampaul with 96.5% from Guyana. Chairman of the

Training and Examination committee Clyde Cumberbatch expressed gratitude to the Training Committee members and others who assisted in the training of the candidates. The full results are as follows;

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Kaieteur News

Sunday February 16, 2014

NAGICO Regional Super50 cricket

Bajans beat T&T by 17 runs to take title & Clive Lloyd Trophy By Sean Devers in Trinidad In Association with Digicel, Carib Beer, Giftland Office Max, Payless Varity Store & Leisure Inn & Car Rentals Friday was Valentine’s Day but yesterday was designated ‘National Red Day’ in Trinidad as the Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) asked the Nation to wear Red in support of the National cricket team called the Red Force. The capacity crowd of over 15, 000 at the Queens Park Oval readily obliged and the created a sea of red in the stands, producing a Carnival-like atmosphere, but Barbados showed their 28 runs victory in the zone stage was no fluke with a 17-run win in the Final of the NAGICO Regional Super50 tournament. The Tassa drums rolled, horns were blown, the flags waved and the fans danced nonstop in the Trini Posse stand, passionately urging T&T to a win, which was not to be despite a thrilling last minute fight back by the home team. In the 27th clash between the arch rivals at this level, the Bajans achieved their 17th win to capture their sixth title and the coveted Clive Lloyd Trophy. The Bajans put together 252 in 48.4 overs with the 30-yearold Dwayne Smith hitting a thunderous 83 with 10 fours and two sixes. The 21-year-old Kraigg Braithwaite supported with an intelligent 63-ball 37 and shared in a record century opening stand with Smith, while Jonathon Carter (49 from 51 balls) also contributed to the Bajan cause.

Kevon Cooper (4-62), Sunil Narine (2-18) and Lendl Simmons (2-23) had good bowling performances to bring T&T back in game. Trinidad & Tobago in reply reached 235 from 45.5 overs with 28-year-old Denesh Ramdin offering spirited resistance with a fighting 68 from 78 balls and a rearguard unbeaten 27 from Rayed Emrit on the lightening fast outfield. But good bowling from Carlos Braithwaite (4-41), Jason Holder (2-30) and Suleiman Benn (2-29) got their side over the line. Barbados won the toss and elected to bat in glorious sunshine and the partisan crowd watched the pugnacious Smith and the watchful Braithwaite put on 127 on a good cricket track. Smith scored the first boundary with a mistimed drive off Dwayne Bravo but corrected that with a majestic cover-driven boundary next ball before swiveling and pulling Rampaul into the crowd. In the same over Evin Lewis, on the square-leg boundary put down a sitter when Smith (22) repeated the shot and the massive crowd knew a contest was on hand. Braithwaite got going with a firm push to the cover boundary off Rampaul, while Smith greeted Rayed Emrit with a thumping four and cut him magnificently for consecutive boundaries to post the 50 in nine overs and silence the crowd. Sunil Narine was introduced and Smith counterattacked him, while Braithwaite sensibly defended. Smith, holder of the record for fastest Regional limited overs 50, waded into

Cooper and smashed him for two murderous boundaries to bring up his 13th 50-over fifty for Barbados off 47 balls with seven fours and a six. Smith, oozing confidence, reversed swept Narine for four and then clobbered Bravo for a four and a six to take the score to 102, equaling the highest opening partnership against T&T set by Dale Richards and Patrick Browne in 2007. Brathwaite, who reached the boundary three times, then touched one to the Keeper off Simmons as the breakthrough was finally made at 127-1 in the 23rd over. Carter, which a hundred under his belt in the tournament, joined Smith who was soon removed by Simmons when 17 short of his maiden ton as Barbados slipped to 132-2. Smith’s demise sparked a bacchanal at the Oval and the Fire Service was forced to deny ticket holders’ entry due to packed stands. Kevin Stoute and Carter brought up the 150 in the 29th over with Carter striking Emrit for successive fours to post the 50 partnership from 50 balls. The 26-year-old Carter was removed by Narine at 195-3 although the ‘doosra’ would have missed the leg stump according to TV replays. The Bajans lost another wicket at 206-4 when Stoute (15) had his middle stump plucked out by Cooper who soon trapped Carlos Braithwaite (9) LBW before Cooper, whose action raised eyebrows, removed Shane Dowrich for one. When Kenroy Williams (1) fell to Yannick Ottley and Narine

removed Jason Holder (5) Barbados had lost six wickets for 23runs to slump to 218-8. Benn (22*) pushed Cooper for six but Ashley Nurse (11) missed a wild swipe at Ravi Rampaul and was bowled at 2419, while Fidel Edwards (1) was cleaned up by Cooper. When T&T began their chase Simmons fended at Holder and was dropped by Williams at second slip on two, while Lewis went after the bowling from the onset and two majestic covers drives from the left-hander off Edwards brought a resounding roar from the raucous crowd. The atmosphere was charged and when the Bajans’ appealed for a caught behind off Holder and Simmons were given not out, loud boos echoed round the ground. Simmons responded

with a riveting pull of Holder that reached the boundary like a bullet and there was pandemonium at the Oval. Holder eventually removed Lewis (27) caught at third man after edging just over the head of Williams at slip as the breakthrough came at 51-1, while Ottley (0) played an impetuous pull and was taken off Holder at 62-2. Simmons and Darren Bravo revived the position with entering stoke-play and a stupendous cover drive from Bravo was out of the top drawer but Simmons was bowled by Braithwaite at 57-3 and pendulum had swung again. The Bravos joined forces but Dwayne (6) did not last long and soon gave his wicket away with a pull that was never on, and

spooned a catch to short mid wicket with score on 75-4 as Braithwaite struck again. Bravo hooked the pumped up Edwards for six and the bowler retaliated with a wicked bouncer as Bravo and Jason Mohammed took the score to 94 before Benn got rid of Bravo (17). The run rate dipped as Benn and Nurse operated in tandem but Mohammed and Denesh Ramdin took the score to 142 before Mohammed (26) fell to Benn and when Narine (0) lofted Smith to long-off and Mohammed (26) went to Benn, it was all over bar the shouting for the hosts despite Ramdin’s fourth Regional 50 overs fifty which he brought up with a six off Edwards and a few lusty blows from the tailenders.

Slingerz FC Stag West Side Champions Cup shifted to February 21 The unavailability of the Uitvlugt Community Centre Ground, has forced organizers of the Slingerz Football Club, Stag Beer sponsored ‘West Side’ Mashramani Champions Cup to now shift the start of the tournament to Friday February 21. Initially, the event was set to kick off tonight, but ongoing rehabilitation at Uitvlugt ground, coupled with the hosting of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Premier League being hosted at the Den Amstel Community Centre Ground, had a the final

say. Seven other clubs will be looking to wrestle the title away from Slingerz FC, who had defeated Den Amstel 3–0 to win last year’s competition. Just like 2013, the winner will pocket $500,000, second $300,000, third $200,000 and fourth place $100,000. “The only thing that has changed is the dates,” said the Club’s General Manager Collin ‘BL’ Aaron, while further noting, “So now we would play the 21st at Den Amstel, while February 24th, March 1st, and the grand finals

March 8th will be played at Uitvlugt. I know that persons have been looking forward to the start of the tournament on Sunday, but I’m sure they understand that the change is something we had nothing over.” The tournament is being held as the club’s one year anniversary celebration and according to Aaron, “Slingerz will be doing some give-a-ways during the tournament, just to show our appreciation to the people on the West Side who have been supporting us from day one and for those who only recently came on board.”

8th RBC/George Cumberbatch Memorial Cycle Meet on today

Stephney conducting cricket coaching - seven races carded for Seawall Bandstand sessions for youths in North E’bo Level 11 WICB accredited coach, Elroy Stephney, has commenced an extensive coaching programme at the Anna Regina Community Centre ground for youths between the ages of 12-15 residing within North Essequibo. They have been preparing for an under-15 tournament that has been organised by the South Essequibo Cricket Committee which has already commenced with North Essequibo winning their first match. Meanwhile, Stephney’s sessions include batting, bowling, fielding and wicketkeeping drills. He told Kaieteur Sport on Friday that the attendance has been quite heartening. Stephney

further lamented that despite the limited resources and since an under-15 competition was not held for many years in the county, he decided to voluntarily make himself available to assist in improving the cricketing skills and career of the younger players. He pointed out that there is an abundance of talent that exist in Essequibo and that the sessions which are being held daily from 16:00-18:30 hrs also serves to instill discipline, team building and good work ethics that will contribute towards enhancing their success individually and as a unit. Stephney has also expressed his admiration for the support that the parents

have been giving. “This it is a positive sign since it meant that they are interested in their children’s career, a collaboration that has not worked in the past, hence many promising young cricketers were denied the opportunity to progress,” he added. He is appealing to the ECB and the other area committees to provide a suitable environment for the youngsters by organising more youth tournaments and coaching clinics on a regular basis. His coaching programme will continue indefinitely and he is encouraging other young cricketers who are willing to learn and play the game to attend the sessions.

The eight annual George Cumberbatch Memorial Cycle Meet is once again set for the Seawall Bandstand today commencing at 09:00hrs. Held to commemorate the memory of former National cyclist, George ‘Boy Blue’ C u m b e r b a t c h , t o d a y ’s event will attract the best riders in the land who’ve so

far been very active since the new season commenced. Sponsors of the event, Clifford ‘Toto’ Johnson and George Humphrey of Humphrey’s Bakery & Farm Products, presented a cheque to the organisers, Roraima Bikers Club to offset expenses related with the staging of a successful Meet today. Johnson, who is based in

London, stated his pleasure once again for being a part of an event that seeks to keep the memory of his former friend and colleague alive. Marlon Humphrey on behalf of his family also expressed delight in being on board with the event for another year. A total of six races will be contested today:

Apart from the feature race, which will see the top six riders being rewarded with cash, the other races will see the top three receiving prizes.

Sunday February 16, 2014

Kaieteur News

NSC/GTTA Mashramani Competition Ninvalle, Bissu win titles National cadets, Kaysan Ninvalle and Niron Bissu were the first to win titles when the National Sports Commission (NSC)/Guyana Table Tennis Association ( G T TA ) M a s h r a m a n i Competition got underway yesterday at the National Gymnasium. Ninvalle defeated Shemar Husbands 11-4, 11-7 and 11-3 and Cieara Sukhu 11-6, 11-3 and 11-2 to win the Nine-Years-and-Under Open title. Ninvalle returned in the Under-11 Boys final where he lost 9-11, 7-11 and 12-14 to title winner, Niron

D’Andrade, Johnson to compete in Wartsila 20km Classic - Two athletes to beat in familiar road race format

Kaysan Ninvalle Bissu. The Annual Mash Competition officially opened yesterday at the Gymnasium with GTTA Head, Godfrey Munroe and

Niron Bissu Director of Sport, Neil Kumar, ushering in yet another edition. The contest will continue today at the same venue with more agegroup competition.

Queen’s Baton arrives in Guyana in March -Fortune replaces Morgan for SA Games

President of GOA, K.A Juman Yassin addresses the media yesterday in the presence of other GOA Officials at Olympic House. The Queen’s Baton will arrive in Guyana on March 2, according to Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) President, K.A Juman Yassin, as a part of its world tour, to the Commonwealth Countries that usually c o m p e t e i n t h e Commonwealth Games. The Commonwealth Games are expected to be held on July 23. Yassin told the media yesterday at a press conference that the Baton will be making its way through the streets of Georgetown, following its arrival in Guyana. “We have asked several schools to participate, and they have accepted. The Baton will touch the places of significance in Guyana that will have a chance to showcase its beauty,” Yassin said. Vice-President at GOA, Dr. Karen Pilgrim, described the baton, stating that it will

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carry the Queen’s messaged encased in a lattice frame covered by a puzzle mechanism and a granite gem stone at its base with a wooden handle. Pilgrim pointed out that the Baton will embody Glasgow and Scotland’s culture, history and innovation in its design and construction. The Baton is currently in South Africa with its next stop scheduled for the Caribbean. Meanwhile, Yassin took the opportunity to also inform the media about Guyana’s participation at the South American (SA) Games in Chile, which begins on March 7. Guyana will be represented in Boxing and Athletics as the two disciplines represents the country’s best chances of winning medals. Imran Khan (52kg), Taressa London (75kg),

Dennis Thomas (75kg) and Eon Bancroft (69kg), along with Coach, Terrence Poole, will represent boxing. Winston George (200m, 400m), Cleveland Forde (1500m, 5000m), Cleveland Thomas (800m, 1500m), Wayne Harlequin (400m, 800m) and Alisha Fortune (100, 200) with Coach, Ly n d o n Wi l s o n w i l l represent athletics. Fortune was reportedly asked to replace distance athlete, Alika Morgan, who reportedly declined an invitation to compete at the Games owed to inadequate preparations and a short notice from the GOA. But despite those claims, Morgan seemed to be in top form early this year, winning a couple of 10km road races in Suriname and would have had to be aware of her selection for the Games since last year because the team was shortlisted in 2013.

Arguably Guyana’s most recognised names in distancerunning in the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago-based, Lionel D’Andrade and Kelvin Johnson will be competing in the upcoming m e g a Wa r t s i l a 2 0 t h Anniversary 20km Road Race Classic. The gruelling showdown, which will certainly be a challenge on the road with some international athletes also being invited, is set for March 2, beginning at Paradise, East Coast Demerara at 6am and finishing outside Wartsila Head Office in Kingston, Georgetown. Speaking to Kaieteur S p o r t f r o m Tr i n i d a d y e s t e r d a y, D ’ A n d r a d e confirmed his participation and that of Johnson, stating that they will be arriving in Guyana around February 28 to compete in the race they both hope to win, albeit, there can only be one winner. “I am doing some rough training right now and I am working on my speed. I am pretty confident as you know, this is my format. I love half marathons and marathons,” D’Andrade said, adding that his competitors will have to be at their best to beat him. The distance-running ace informed that he “prefer the longer distances” and believes it will be a relatively “flat” course, which should encourage a fast-paced race. D’Andrade stated that his endurance is “good” and his speed will be better in time. Asked what his intentions are in terms of time in the race, D’Andrade said that he wants to turn in around 1:07 and 1:08, which should give him the win; he said that his training-partner Johnson should be a handful in the race, having beaten him in Trinidad. Johnson won the Trinidad and Tobago International Half Marathon last month with D’Andrade finishing second. Johnson won that race in 1:15.17 ahead of D’Andrade, who had won last year and the year before. They are very familiar with the 20km format. While there has been a spate of 10km road races in Guyana, athletes have not been exposed to the longer and more tactical 20km road race. D’Andrade and Johnson

have had great success in the distance in the Caribbean, making them two to beat in the event. The overall winner in the Open Male category will pocket $300,000 while second through sixth takes home $240,000, $200,000,

$140,000, $100,000 and $50,000 respectively. The same prizes will be awarded in the Open Female category of the race. Wartsila logo and photos of Lionel D’Andrade and Kelvin Johnson running in claude

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Kaieteur News

Sunday February 16, 2014

Milo/Petra Organisation Schools Football Tournament Dolphin, Tucville and Charlestown were in winners’ row as play in the Milo/Petra Organisation Under-20 Schools Football Competition commenced yesterday, at the Ministry of Education ground, Carifesta Avenue. In the first game, Dolphin led by a brace from Samuel Hunte, who netted in the 7th and 9th minutes along with solitary strikes off the boots of Shawn Mohamed in the 30th and Job Caesar on the stroke of full time, eased past Cummings Lodge 4-0. In the game that followed, Bishop’s High came from behind to earn a draw against St. Mary’s who had taken the lead through Sean Turney’s 25th minute effort, before Nathanael King’s 69th minute goal cancelled out their advantage. In the third game, Tucville cruised to a comfortable 2-0 triumph over Freeburg with Keifer Brandt netting in the 17th minute and Jamal Trim doubling the scoreline in the 41st minute of play. Charlestown then received a walkover from St. Joseph’s High that failed to

show up. The competition resumes today with four matches scheduled for the same venue. Meanwhile, the teams participated in a March Past before the start of play and tournament officials took the Salute. Among those who gave comments were Petra CoDirector Troy Mendonca, who in his remarks spoke of the genesis of the tournament which according to him was to raise the standard of the game in Georgetown. Milo Representative Treion D’ Anjou told the players to exhibit discipline, play fair and enjoy the competition. Ministry of Health official Joy Gravesande spoke of the importance of imparting knowledge to the players about gender-based violence in order that the scourge could be eradicated. In the fixtures: 11:00 hrs Central High School versus Lodge Secondary School 12:30 hrs Queen’s College vs. St Winifride

Dolphin, Tucville, Charlestown win

Milo MThe participating teams March Past Tournament officials shortly before the start of competition yesterday.

Secondary 14:00 hrs North Georgetown Secondary vs. North Riumveldt

GUMDAC Annual Open Badminton tournament underway The GUMDAC Annual Open Badminton Tournament started on Friday last at the Queens College Badminton Court. The Events played were Men and Ladies Doubles and the Guyana Badminton Association was happy to see such a large turnout of players and spectators for the first tournament of the year. In results from the matches played: Ladies Doubles Semifinals: Althea McDavid & Abosaide Cadogan defeated Angelica DaSilva & Krystal Peters: 21-10, 21-4 Men’s Doubles Quarterfinals: Narayan Ramdhani & Nicholas Ali defeated Ronald ChangYuen & William Holder: 21-10,2110 Raymond Khalil & Jason-Ray Khalil defeated Jonathan Mangra & Avinash Odit: 21-17, 21-19 Christopher Persaud & Noel Shewjattan defeated Joshua Singh & Hemraj Beharry: 21-4, 21-8 Gokarn Ramdhani & Darrell Carpenay defeated

Secondary School 15:30 hrs New Campbellville Secondary School vs. St George’s Secondary Meanwhile, the results of yesterday’s matches are as follows: Match # 1 Dolphin Secondary 4 vs Cummings Lodge Secondary 0 Scorers

Dolphin Secondary Samuel Hunte 7th& 9th min Shawn Mohamed 30th min Job Caesar 70th min Match # 2 Bishop’s High School 1 vs St Mary’s High School 1 Scorers Bishop’s High Nathanael King 69th min St. Mary’s High School Sean Turney 25th

min Match # 3 Tucville Secondary 2 vs Freeburg Secondary 0 Scorers Tucville Secondary Keifer Brandt 17th min Jamal Trim 41st min Match # 4 Charlestown Secondary vs St Jposeph High School Charlestown Secondary won by Walk Over

Injured Windies trio makes return for Ireland series

Narayan Ramdhani (left) and Nicholas Ali were impressive. Marcellos Bhagwandin & Amil Alli: 21-11,21-8 Men’s Doubles Semi-finals: Narayan Ramdhani & Nicholas Ali defeated Raymond Khalil and JasonRay Khalil: 21-6. 21-9 Christopher Persaud & Noel

Shewjattan defeated Gokarn Ramdhani & Darrell Carpenay: 21-16, 21-18. The tournament continued yesterday with several finals including Men and Ladies Doubles.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) — Three of the l e a d i n g We s t I n d i e s cricketers — Chris Gayle, Darren Sammy and Marlon Samuels — have been recalled to the side for the limited-overs matches against Ireland starting next week. Gayle returns to the regional side after missing the New Zealand tour due to a hamstring injury. Sammy and Samuels also made comebacks to both squads after recovering from injuries which made them miss the limited-overs leg during the New Zealand tour. Uncapped 23-year-old fast bowler Miguel Cummins was named in the ODI squad, while Ravi Rampaul was only included in the T20 squad. Rampaul

returned home from the New Zealand tour after sustaining a thumb injury and missing the last two ODIs and both T20s. Tino Best, Johnson Charles, Narsingh Deonarine and Chadwick Walton were dropped from both squads on the heels of poor form in New Zealand. All-rounder Kieron Pollard was not considered due to the knee injury he sustained last year and continues to be under rehabilitation. Krishmar Santokie and Dwayne Smith were recalled to the T20 squad, in place of Nikita Miller and Kieran Powell. Medium pacer Santokie returns to the regional side after nearly two years, while all-rounder Smith also made a comeback since his last

T20 for West Indies in December 2012. West Indies will host Ireland for two T20s and one ODI with the first T20 on February 19 in Kingston. West Indies ODI squad — Dwayne Bravo (capt), Darren Bravo, Miguel Cummins, Kirk Edwards, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Nikita Miller, Sunil Narine, Kieron Powell, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Marlon Samuels, Darren Sammy, Lendl Simmons. West Indies T20 squad — Darren Sammy (capt), Samuel Badree, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Krishmar Santokie, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith.

Sunday February 16, 2014

Kaieteur News

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Aspiring Pediatrician Amy Natalya Grant - talented swimmer, singer, guitarist and pianist

By Franklin Wilson There’s an ongoing debate when it comes to young people being involved in sports and at the same time seriously focusing on their academic pursuits and of course there are persons who are supportive of the former having positive effects whilst there are others who are against same. Today’s Youth in Focus however, is of someone who has been able to achieve that balance academically and at the same time focus on a budding career in swimming whilst also being a singer, guitarist and pianist; that person is 12-year-old Amy Natalya Grant, a first form student of St. Rose’s High School and a member of the Silver Sharks Aquatic Speed Swim Club. Let me from the outset state that Grant’s consistent rise all-round is as a result of the constant support she receives from her parent’s, and by the way her dad is the man of ‘Mash in Guyana’ fame, Rudy Grant. Her uncle is Guyana’s lone International Superstar Eddy

Grant. In conducting this interview, Amy exuded confidence, calm and assuredness as she responded appropriately to the questions posed to her. Growing up as youngster, Amy was always fascinated by water and around the age of eight she ventured into competitive swimming and has been improving admirably ever since pointing out that both of her parents are solid rocks in her setting a solid foundation on which she will stand in the coming years and life for that matter. Her exploits in the pool in a young career have been well documented and among her notable performances to date was when she broke the 50m backstroke record at the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) Mashramani Meet in 2011. She has been a consistent participant at GASA events and turning in outstanding performances. While the talented Grant has never been able to represent Guyana to date,

Amy Grant

even though she was selected but has always, from some reason fell ill; her immediate aim is to qualify and represent Guyana at the Junior Carifta competition. While the young Grant does not make it to the pool every morning due to school, she ensures that some quality time is spent there in the afternoons. “I will go to swimming in the afternoons and I come home like after 8 O’clock when I would eat and take care of me before I

All set for Port Mourant Turf Club, Jumbo Jet horserace meet Preparations have been completed and all is set for the Port Mourant Turf Club (PMTC) one day horserace meet in collaboration with the Jumbo Jet Business entity and racing stables set for today at the clubs’ entity Port Mourant, Corentyne Berbice. The event, which is dubbed the New Year’s “Sweet Stakes” horserace meet, will see the animals competing in seven keenly anticipated races as they thrown down the gauntlet against each other for cash and trophies totaling close to $10M. Over 80 horses have entered to participate in the day’s meet. The PMTC track, which is known for its resilience, is in excellent shape and all the major stables with the best horses have entered to

participate in what is expected to be a riveting day of racing. The feature event is for horses classified D1 and Lower for a hefty first prize taking of $1 million and trophy over 1500M. The race for Three-YearOld Guyana and West Indies bred horses has a winning pocket of $600,000 over 1200M. There is a race for Four-Year-old animals bred and born in Guyana and the West Indies also over 1500M for a top prize of $500,000 and trophy. The horses classified E1 and lower will also be racing for a first prize of $500,000 and trophy also over 1200M. The animals classified G1 and Lower has at stake a top prize of $400,000 and trophy to aim for in another 1200M event.

The ‘I’ and Lower race goes over 1000meters for a winning take of $250,000. The final event is for animals classified J and Lower over 1200 M for a $200,000 first prize and trophy. The race is being conducted under the rules of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority (GHRA). Race time is 12:30hrs. Last minute queries can be directed to Persons with queries can make contact with –Rajendra ‘Jin-Jo’ Jagdeo on 618-7278, C. Ramnauth on telephone numbers 337-5311 or 6971979, Campton Sancho 6900569, or Romell Jagroop on 624-1798 or the Jumbo Jet office on numbers 2329711, 232-0633 for further clarification. (Samuel Whyte)

do some guitar and piano practice. Before I go to bed I have to do my homework because I really don’t like to go to bed with assignments and homework on my mind. I like to clear my thoughts so I could have a peaceful sleep.” Amy informed that her day normally starts around 06:00hrs when she would go do land training with her mother before getting ready for school which she states is challenging but exciting. Of course it sounds like packed days for Amy Grant and it is, but the athlete says that this routine is something that is adhered to Monday through Friday. She finds some time to relax by watching TV when she can during the week but noted that the weekends are for her to do things her way. Giving some insight into her musical background and career, Amy said that she started play the guitar at Church around 2 ½ years ago, while her piano career commenced about 1 ½ year ago. “Music is very much a part of me, actually, my mom said when I was born I could have sang before I started talking so I guess that is special. I love

singing.” To date, the talented singer who indicated that International singer Taylor Swift is her role model has done one song that can be seen on You Tube titled ‘Christmas must be something more’. The song was also written by Taylor Swift and Grant sang it like a professional at the B r i c k d a m C a t h e d r a l ’s Festival of Carols in 2011. She has said that writing her own music is something that she would think about in later years and that she feels no pressure at all being the daughter of Rudy Grant, noting that she has her own desire to become a Pediatrician. Amy says she is very aware of the many challenges that young people today are faced with and is urging youths to be positive, ensuring that education is priority. This is her advice to young people. “I would say to all the youths, younger and older than me that they should always make education a priority while doing whatever sporting activities it is they love to do. Parents should also encourage them to do what they would like to do. If Saturday and Sunday is free they should take up lawn tennis, swimming or table tennis.” Parental support Amy emphasized was very important, sharing her thoughts on the involvement of her parents in her life. “They encourage me a lot, saying if you want to do this it’s alright, you have to make your choices and we will be there to guide and support you.” A n d w h i l e A m y ’s parents are special to her, she also mentioned the other instrumental persons that have and continues to make positive contributions

to her development. Among those persons are her swimming coaches Mr. Rawle Collins, Mr. Sean Baksh, Ms. Isabelle Fals and Mr. Jaime Skeete. In the musical line Ms. Marilyn Dewar, Ms. Jane De Freitas and Ms. Grace Lee as well as all her teachers at St. Rose’s High and those that also thought her whilst she was attending Mae’s Primary school. S o m e n o t a b l e achievements of Amy Grant in the pool 2012 Mash Meet Broke Girls 9 -10 50m Long Course Freestyle Record which was held by Ashanti Nichols for 17 years. Amy also won the 100m Freestyle Long Course in Record time. 2012 National Schools Swimming Championships Short Course - 12 & Under Girls category: Amy won Gold in the 50m Backstroke and took Silver in the 50m Freestyle winning the 12 & Under Champion Girl accolade in the process. December 2012 GASA National Swim Meet Short Course - Amy set a record in the 400m Freestyle Girls 9 10 category. She swam 16 lengths of the 25m Pool and this was never done before by a 9 -10 Girl. 2013 Independence Meet Long Course - Won the 100m 11-12 Backstroke, 50m Freestyle, 50m Backstroke and the 400m Freestyle. 2013 July Sprint Meet Short Course - Won the 100m Backstroke, 200m Freestyle, 200m IM, 100M Freestyle and 50m Freestyle . 2013 GASA Nationals Short Course Won the 11-12 50 m F r e e s t y l e , 5 0 m Backstroke, 100m Freestyle, 50m Butterfly and 200m Freestyle. 2013 National Schools Swimming Championships Short Course - 14 and Under Girls Category: Won the 50m Freestyle and 50m Backstroke to win the Champion Girl prize in this category.

Flying Stars Cycle Club AGM confirmed for March 1 The Flying Stars Cycle Club (FSCC) has scheduled its Annual General Meeting (AGM) for Saturday March 1, 2014 commencing at 15:00hrs at the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) headquarters building, High Street, Kingston. Apart from the election of office bearers, the secretary and treasurer’s reports will be presented.

t r o Sp

Bajans beat T&T by 17 runs to take title & Clive Lloyd Trophy

Dwayne Smith goes after the T&T attack in his explosive 83

Simmons is bowled by Carlos Braithwaite

Local swimmers continue to prepare for IGG, Goodwill games

Swimmers being taken through their paces on Friday afternoon last at the National Aquatic Centre.

Cuban coach Isabel Maria Cuso Fals (left) makes a point to some of the swimmers. Next to her is Shawn Baksh.

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