Kaieteur News

Wednesday February 18, 2015

Kaieteur News

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Letters... Where your views make the news... Letters... Where your views make the news

A most worthy alliance The PPP needs to break up with Bharrat Jagdeo

DEAR EDITOR, I was one of the fiercest supporters of an AFC-led broad based alliance (BBA) as explained by AFC leader, Khemraj Ramjattan. In this regards, the terms of the recent Cummingsburg Accord have caused me some anxiety. However, after much consideration, this Accord, in its current construct, still emerges as a superior option than another term with Ramotar and Rohee. I continue to have absolute faith in Ramjattan as a principled politician whose only motivation has been the return to a path of social justice with economic empowerment for all. We all

can learn from Ramjattan. I have known him for years and he has always placed the welfare of the people before his personal ambitions. I believe he has played this innings as best as he possibly could on a very sticky wicket for the team and the people of Guyana. Going it alone is not an option at this point. It could mean five more years of the PPP corruption, crookedness and cronyism. If an APNU-led BBA can achieve the positive changes we all seek, then the choice is clear. When all the cameras are gone, every single Guyanese, like me, will have to level with our conscience in our private

space and battle our fears because come tomorrow, we have to walk out that door and embrace the future. This alliance has to work! When black South Africans made the honorable compromise and embraced white South Africans who oppressed them for years inside the Mandela cabinet they did it for the country. As an outcome of those interactions, understanding rather than racial fear won the day. Shouldn’t we in Guyana have the same dreams and ambitions? My name is Sase Singh and I endorse the decision of the AFC to join an APNU-lead broad based alliance. Sase Singh

TWO QUOTES COME READILY TO MIND DEAR EDITOR, Where there is incentive there is also treachery.’’ “Those that value position above all are like thieves in the night; without mercy”. I realised that the very quotes of this time could have been put there to foreshadow what is to come; perhaps they are signs from the past. On Saturday the AFC and APNU announced a union that is supposed to be the panacea for all of Guyana’s ills. I read somewhere that the agreement signed by the two stated that if the union was to succeed at the upcoming elections then the leader of the APNU will be the President and the leader of the AFC would hold the Prime Ministerial post. This new dispensation appears to have left another APNU coalition member out in the cold; the WPA. Rupert Roopnaraine has become the victim in the sudden fire of convenient love being described as ‘’an effort to establish a sense of national unity in Guyana”. Many would recall that

Roopnaraine was initially touted to retain the Prime Ministerial candidate spot at the upcoming elections. This was after reports surfaced that he would make way for a much younger, vibrant candidate. Recent events have however suggested that the relationship once shared within the house is headed to an end. And the question begs; why wasn’t Roopnaraine given the post as ‘promised’ before talks about coalition with the AFC? Moreover; why was it so necessary for the post to be given to Nagamootoo instead? I believe we must carefully assess the actions of both APNU leader David Granger and the AFC and thoroughly collect the evidence that stands amidst, as verily I say unto you that it is not by mistake or accident that poor Rupert was omitted from the grand ball. What is now clear is that the W.P.A has lost in its gamble. It is even safer to say

that the party was sacrificed against their will as Granger, while promising to do what it takes not for the country’s best interest appears to be more concerned with self interest. So while we all wonder what’s next for the party of the great Dr Walter Rodney we must also be concerned for Guyana’s fate should the APNU/PNC/AFC union succeed given what it has done to the WPA. My great grandmother always spoke of the importance of family; figuratively, collectively and politically under the constraints and definitive borders set out by the term coalition we see here that a member of a family has not been allowed to sit at the table. Literally, Roopnaraine does not even possess a seat at the table at which he once held a high place. After all that has existed here now and before time the two quotes continue to play in my head. All for your consideration Darion Comacho

DEAR EDITOR, I recently read of the petition, which was supposedly signed by 6,000 East Berbicians, requesting that the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) appoint former President Bharrat Jagdeo as its next Prime Ministerial candidate with utter disgust. It is nothing more than a naked attempt by the supporters of the former President, and by extension the former President himself, to perpetuate the iron grip he maintains on the party that I support. I have voted for the PPP since the 1980s and that includes in 2001 and 2006 when Bharrat Jagdeo was the Presidential candidate. However, I do believe the PPP is more than one individual. The PPP party has survived the deaths of both Cheddi and Janet Jagan, and has continued to thrive because it best represents the concerns of a wide crosssection of Guyanese. And therefore, I am certain that the PPP can do without Bharrat Jagdeo, whose lust for power has resulted in extensive damage to the party’s infrastructure and the development of countervailing voices that challenge the status quo. Anyone who dares to challenge Jagdeo within a party forum faces his wrath and the victims have been numerous – Moses Nagamootoo, Navin

Chandarpal, Ralph Ramkarran and many others. Dharamkumar Seeraj, the head of the Guyana Rice Producers’ Association (GRPA) and a well-liked member of the PPP is not Guyana’s Agriculture Minister today because he has the temerity after the 2011 elections to suggest that it was Jagdeo’s “pension and mansion” that resulted in the PPP losing its majority in the National Assembly. It is for that reason that I am refusing to attach my name to this letter. I would be ostracized within the party that I love and have supported for the past 30 years, because the petty vindictiveness of the former President and his supporters knows no bounds. Even worse for the PPP, Bharrat Jagdeo’s abusive personality has alienated the “ABC” donor countries of America, Britain and Canada. As a result, the representatives of these

countries are actively involved behind the scenes in seeking to oust the PPP Government. As such, former President Bharrat Jagdeo is no longer an asset to the PPP in an election campaign. He is a grave liability. He galvanizes the opposition to strive harder to deliver his comeuppance, and demoralizes party supporters that are aggrieved by the damage he has wrought to the party of Cheddi and Janet Jagan. It is, therefore, with this in mind that I recommend that another petition should be started, entreating the former President to retire from politics and become a “private citizen”. If Bharrat Jagdeo cares for Guyana and the PPP, he would step back from the political limelight. However, I doubt that is likely to happen. Because, it is all about Bharrat Jagdeo now, not the PPP and the people of Guyana! Anonymous PPP Supporter

SURPRISED

DEAR EDITOR, I too was surprised by Stabroek News’s attack on the Glenn Lall’s credibility following the government’s decision to withdraw tax evasion charges. At first glance, the attack seemed uncharacteristic of Stabroek News due to its unprovoked maliciousness. Then I connected the dots and the motive became crystal clear. The editor-in-chief of Stabroek News has strong connections to the PPP regime. I’m sure that Kaieteur News being an excellent investigative news paper will have no problem connecting the dots as well. Michael De Weever

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday February 18, 2015

Vice Chancellor appeals for normalcy at UG “It is a pity that the current industrial impasse is being used to point fingers,” said Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Professor Jacob Opadeyi in a statement issued to the media. The Vice Chancellor, who has had little to nothing to say to the media of recent on ongoing industrial action at the University of Guyana (UG), yesterday disseminated a lengthy statement in which he shared some of his convictions. Among these was his belief that “No one entity should be blamed for the current state of UG, but the national community as a whole, who have sat back and allowed this noble university to suffer from decades of neglect, abandonment, and political grandstanding”. The Vice Chancellor went on to share his firm belief that the problem at UG is not merely one of decades of underfunding and poor management, but chiefly, the lack of a national policy on how to fund the University. And in the absence of this policy, he has concluded that “the funding regimes are haphazard and arbitrary”. “In the absence of such a national policy,

- highlights need for Govt. support

UG Vice Chancellor, Professor Opadeyi accountability, transparency, and due diligence can hardly be demanded. Strategic plans, development goals, monitoring and evaluation and score cards will be foreign words to Council and Administration. I ask, when last was the management of UG called before the parliament to account for its revenue and expenditure? Who dares to ask UG to do such a thing when its income cannot meet its expenditure, when its budgets are unrealistic, when there is no financial discipline?” the Vice Chancellor asked. It is his hope that the national community will support the call for the development of a national

policy on how to fund the university with the required accountability, rules and regulations. “This is the root cause of UG’s problem,” Professor Opadeyi insisted. He pointed out that the University today is in a “catch 22 position” characterized by a low level of tuition fees, low level of subvention grants, low level of private sector investment coupled with inadequate facilities and inadequate service delivery. In making his daunting point of the state of the local tertiary institution, the Vice Chancellor alluded to the Chinese adage, “cheap things no good, good things no cheap”. NEED FOR FUNDS Reflecting on his entry to the tertiary institution over a year ago, the Nigeria-born Vice Chancellor said that it was a mere two weeks after taking up his appointment here that he realized the enormous task of transforming the University back to its days of glory. And those glory days, he intimated, were the ones that saw UG producing global and regional scholars, business leaders, entrepreneurs, engineers and teachers who have contributed not only to the development of Guyana but to the world at large. Moreover, he noted that

the need for transformation is dictated by the inadequate state of the University’s infrastructure including drainage, sewerage, buildings, laboratories, furniture and other facilities. “This need is also dictated by the university’s over 30-year-old system of governance, policies, examination and admission regulations, added to the fact that its staff and student welfare services lack modern day requirements,” added the Vice Chancellor, who noted that “the level of funding and the management of the available funds leave much to be desired.” “We should commend the staff and students who endure this less than desirable state of affairs: the low level of staff remunerations and the unacceptable state of office facilities and teaching materials.” As such, he amplified that the injection of large sums of money into UG is without question imperative. This need, according to him, will go towards the upgrading of infrastructure and construction of new and modern facilities and money to improve salaries and benefits. “This new money should come with demands for improvement in quality of service and quality of products. This new money

will encourage the recruitment and retention of more qualified and studentcentered staff both within Guyana and further afield,” the Vice Chancellor posited. But according to him, “the Council and Administration, understanding of these challenges, have led us to initiate a number of actions that are bearing the desired result.” “These actions include: Special audits that identified the sources of financial mismanagement; Appointment of a new Bursar; Chief Accountant, and Accountants that are working to significantly improve our financial system; decision to purchase a new accounting and human resources management software to replace the over 20-year-old software currently being used.” “Also an increase of retirement age of our lecturers from 60 to 65 years to retain our very best who are still eager and young enough to be of service to our students; upgrading the terms of employment of our maid cleaners; financial and system audits of our units that are running at a loss; audit of teaching loads in order to ensure that contractual obligations are met.” “Government investment of US$10 million to upgrade facilities of the Science and Technology Faculties;

institutionalization of research grants to improve research outputs; institutionalization of facilities fee to support the upgrading of our teaching and learning resources; minimal adjustment of tuition fee to decrease the level of deficit and introduction of online degree programs to increase access to University Education.” “We have done all of these with the financial commitment of the Government,” said Professor Opadeyi who nevertheless deemed these “baby steps.” “We have made some gains, but the road ahead is still far and rough,” said the Vice Chancellor, as he outlined other areas ranging from accreditation of all professional programmes to the increasing of enrolment even from out-of-region and foreign students. EFFECTS OF INDUSTRIALACTION But according to Professor Opadeyi, ambitious plans for the University cannot be realized in the face of protracted salary and wage negotiations. In fact he asserted that “We cannot afford to have staff who have low morale because of inadequate remunerations. We cannot afford to keep our students out of classes - they have paid an increased fee for that matter,” he added. According to the Vice (Continued on page 11)

Wednesday February 18, 2015

Kaieteur News

Twenty killed and scores injured in Haiti carnival parade PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - CMC – At least 20 people on a packed Carnival float were killed and 46 injured early yesterday when the float came in contact with a power line as it moved through the streets of the capital. According to media reports, someone on the float used a pile to move the line

so the float could pass under it. The float was sponsored by the Haitian hip-hop group Barikad Crew. The police report that some of the victims were instantly electrocuted while some managed to jump off, causing panic in the crowd. Hundreds thronged the General Hospital, where many

of the victims were taken, some carrying victims and others searching for family members brought by ambulance. “My sincerest sympathies with the victims of the grave incident this morning at the Champ de Mars celebrating Mardi Gras Carnaval,” Haitian President Michel Martelly said on Twitter.

Ambulances rushed to the scene of the accident in Port au Prince

Grenada, T&T call for release of election results in St Kitts-Nevis ST GEORGE’S, Grenada (CMC) – Caribbean government yesterday maintained pressure on the Supervisor of Elections in St Kitts-Nevis, Wingrove George, to declare the results of the elections held in the twin island Federation on Monday. “From what I understood is happening is that the supervisor stopped counting votes in certain constituencies and this is rather frightening,” Grenada Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell said. “Therefore my own position and speaking on behalf of the government and people of Grenada…is that I am calling on the supervisor of elections to declare the results of the elections as the people expect…the people have voted, let the mandate of the people prevail and that’s the way I see it,” he added. He says that Grenada does not want to interfere with the internal politics of St Kitts but he feels the pain for what the people are going through, adding that the development in St Kitts-Nevis has implications for the entire Caribbean. Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar has also

commented on the situation, noting that while her administration respects the independence of all lawful institutions in St Kitts-Nevis, “at the same time we feel that the failure of the Supervisor of Elections to declare the results in a timely manner might create the i m p r e s s i o n that there is interference in the democratic process, which we in the Caribbean Community cherish.

“I am also concerned that the region’s reputation for democracy and for free and fair elections will be under threat as long as this issue in St Kitts and Nevis remains unresolved,” she added. Prime Minister Persad Bissessar noted that in any event, the law does not generally allow the suspension of any part of the process until the respective returning officers return the writs. “It is the return of the writs that allows the public and the Governor General to know definitively what is the will of the people. “As a region we have to be very careful of the messages that we send and that which is emanating from St. Kitts and Nevis is not the kind of message we want to send to our people and to the world,” she said, adding “we await the results of the vote and would welcome whoever is the winner”. The Supervisor of Elections in St Kitts-Nevis, Wingrove George, has not yet made any public statement on the issue, but earlier, an announcer on the state-owned ZIZ radio and television said the count had come to a halt.

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday February 18, 2015

Rodney knew he had explosives – Witness tells COI - says WPA smuggled suspect out of country Before an extremely silent gathering, longstanding friend of Dr. Walter Rodney yesterday made a number of stunning statements, including that the truth about the politician’s death had been corrupted by the very party he co-founded, the Working People’s Alliance (WPA). Sixty-nine-year-old Holland Gordon Yearwood, told commissioners that despite many accusations those days, Gregory Smith was not responsible for death of Dr. Rodney. In fact, Yearwood said it was the said party that smuggled Smith to Cayenne, French Guiana. As Yearwood offered his evidence in chief, the inquiry heard that prior to his death, Rodney had shown the witness at least three detonators, asking for his technical assistance. He said too that Smith had been assisting Rodney in “putting together the device” that killed him. Yearwood, also called ‘Jomo’ and ‘The Nigerian,’ recently returned from his Cite Bon Homme, French Guiana residence to offer his version of events to the Commission. He testified that he had known Rodney when they were both young since they had attended the same church and participated in athletics at the Gymnasium. URGENT OPERATIONS Describing himself as an independent political activist, Yearwood said during the period under review (1978 - 1980) he had resided at Lot 6 Second Alley, Wismar, Linden. He said at the time he was self-employed but contracted with Guyana National Engineering Corporation (GNEC), a state-owned company. As a part-time job, Yearwood said he was a track and field coach. He recalled July 5, 1979 when he left Mackenzie, Lin-

den with a team of athletes set to participate in their first National Athletics Championship. Yearwood recalled that as they were returning to Linden he spotted his brother standing on the road at Grove, East Bank Demerara. According to Yearwood, he disembarked, but shortly after speaking to his brother he heard the tooting of a horn. When he looked he saw Dr. Rodney seated in a car across the road, beckoning him to come over. He told Commissioners that it was then that he approached the politician who asked if he was available for the evening, because there was an “urgent operation” and his presence would be highly appreciated. The Commission of Inquiry heard that Yearwood sent the waiting bus away, hopped in Rodney’s car, and together they travelled to a house on Hadfield Street, Georgetown. He said as they drove, he asked Rodney “What’s so urgent?” to which the politician responded “Brother Jomo, there are times you have to hit the enemy in their beds and their reactions will be judged.” Eventually they made their way to a house on Hadfield Street where Dr. Rodney introduced him to a male, whose name he (Yearwood) could not recall. He said after awhile, the politician sat down and unfolded a plan for the evening; detailing what he wanted to do, where and how. The witness, a qualified Technician, said that Rodney wanted the two to tamper with the equipment and plunge sections of Georgetown in blackout. He said he hadn’t joined on that mission, but instead returned to the Mining town.

Holland Gordon Yearwood testifying at the COI yesterday DEATH OF FATHER DARKE The witness recalled July 14, 1979, when he had travelled to participate in a demonstration for the release of Walter Rodney, who was the day before taken into custody for the burning of Congress Place. He said Rodney was passed through the “Little Court” and released on $5000 bail by a Magistrate. Yearwood recalled going on Croal Street in search of a place to “relieve himself” where he encountered the then Minister of Works and Communication and now city Mayor, Hamilton Green. He said face-to-face Green told him “I am going to put a stopping to you! Today today I will put a stop to you and your stupidness!” The witness confessed that he hadn’t bothered with Green and eventually he made his way back to the court and

PPP denies hiring US media expert for election campaign While word is that the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has retained the services of a highly respected and ethical American political media strategist, Pennsylvanian political guru—Joshua Morrow, the Party’s General Secretary, Clement Rohee, is claiming he knows nothing about this. According to Freedom House insiders, Morrow will bring the modern media messaging expertise necessary for a successful 2015 electoral campaign. But Rohee said yesterday that he does not know about the job being done by Morrow. He says that the PPP does not have a campaign manager. “This term ‘campaign

manger’ is being bandied around the place like if you do not have a campaign manger you cannot make it (win elections), but there is no individual out there that directs our show, we direct out show collectively,” Rohee asserted. He added, “We have our internal mechanism in place.” Rohee categorically denied that his Party has anyone from the United States of America working on the elections campaign. He said he is yet to establish who Morrow is working with. Morrow is fresh off an almost successful stint as campaign manager for Shaugnessy Naughton in the Democratic primaries against Kevin Strouse. In the poorly-funded

Naughton campaign, Morrow showed his creativity in organizing a campaign using social media primarily. With the PPP’s tremendous war chest and an exceedingly favourable media environment, Morrow’s options for creativity are therefore virtually unlimited. Sources had told Kaieteur News that for the PPP campaign, Morrow joins an elite team of roughly ten media managers spanning the Guyana Chronicle, National Communications Network (NCN), Government Information Agency (GINA) and the Office of the President. Insiders say that one of his strongest qualities is that he has a zero tolerance attitude towards dirty campaigning.

joined the demonstrators. “It was only when the men of Hamilton Green came and shout ‘He is Jomo! He is Jomo! Get him, get him! That I realised I was about to be killed.” He said that he was seriously wounded by a bayonetwielding man who had received his orders to kill him. He said this was confirmed by Michael Dawn, who when he was stabbed, kept shouting “He is Jomo get him!” He said he tried to avoid it, but was struck to his left arm, and had to run to save his life that day. He displayed the wound yesterday. Yearwood claimed that the man who injured him with the bayonet, Bilal Ato, was taken before the courts, charged and sentenced to serve time for the murder of Father Bernard Darke. “He was not the person that struck the bayonet into Father Darke. He did not kill him…He was used as the sacrificial goat,” Yearwood said. Ato, he said, was part of the House of Israel. He was not charged with wounding him, another man was. He said the incident occurred about 40 minutes after his encounter with Green. DETONATORS Yearwood testified that Dr. Rodney had come to his home around 14:30 hours one afternoon, three weeks prior to Rodney’s June 13, 1980 death. The witness recalled that he sat facing Rodney at a table and after a short while, the politician took out “some things” from his bag asking him if he could fit them into circuit. Lead by assistant Lead Counsel to the Commission, Latchmie Rahamat, the witness said Rodney took them and placed them in his hands. When he asked the late Dr. Rodney what they were, the politician responded “firing-

caps detonators.” As the conversation continued, it was about 15 minutes after that Rodney left. The witness testified that on Friday, June 13, 1980, he was then living with his brother at Grove, East Bank Demerara. He explained that the incident with Rodney and the “instrument” brought to his home, had caused his fearful wife to sever ties with him. He said he left these shores on February 24, 1981 and ventured to French Guiana for a job opportunity presented to him by one, Mr. Josiah. Yearwood recapped that the decision for him to leave came three days before when he headed down to a lake in Grove where he was confronted by a gun-toting man. The person, he recalled, said “Jomo medi!” which he explained to have meant “be on guard.” “I didn’t answer him, I had no time. He pointed the gun at my chest and I knew what was the situation. I was a man to be killed!” he said. Three months after settling in Cayenne, Yearwood said he had received word that Rodney’s killer was in Cayenne. He said he did his own investigation and told the WPA that Smith was in the same country as he was. He said Smith was known to him as Cyril Milton Johnson and call-name “Jono.” He said that after he had acquired certain information and was certain that it was Rodney’s alleged killer, a meeting was arranged for November 27, 1981, at a hotel in Central Ville, Suriname. He said there he met David Michael, Kwame Apata and Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine and told them of his findings. He said together they devised an operation to bring Smith before an International Tribunal. He said, as per arrangement, he returned to the crossing at Saint Laurent to pick up two “operators” from the WPA which never materialized. He said the plan was to extract Smith and place him before the tribunal. “That was being dealt with by Roopnaraine and Kwayana.” Yearwood stated that on March 29, 1982, he returned to Suriname and had a meeting with Michael and Apata where he was told “Jomo, that man you had identified in Cayenne is not Gregory Smith. Gregory Smith was positively seen and identified in another South American country. Leave the matter as it is.” Michael claimed that Central (WPA HQ) had passed that information. The witness said that at that point, he was sure that Gregory Smith had nothing to do with Rodney’s death. Yearwood went on to say

that he eventually made acquaintance with Smith and in 1986, he went to his house and they had a lengthy conversation where Smith detailed his life and meetings with Dr. Rodney, and how he left Guyana. Yearwood told Commissioners that the morning after the bomb blast, Smith was smuggled aboard a cargo ship that took him to Trinidad. He said that the Guyana Defence Force Sergeant was marooned in Trinidad and had no communication with WPA Georgetown Central, who had sent him there, for two weeks. The Commission heard that it was the same ship that had brought Dr. Rodney to Guyana. Yearwood recalled Smith telling him that the Headquarters of the WPA finally made contact with him and by the third week, arrangements were made for him to be shipped to Kwakwani, Berbice. According to the witness, Smith was then taken to Suriname where he was presented with a passport along with a visa which he then used to fly via Air Martinique to Cayenne, French Guiana. Rodney’s comrade said in no uncertain terms that it was the WPA that facilitated moving Smith. The same day Smith arrived in Cayenne he was reportedly taken directly from the Airport to Port Laravot and was placed on the fishing vessel. The witnesses told commissioners that he was a bit taken aback by the tale Smith was telling him, but had asked only one question. He said when Smith spoke of the detonators; he stopped him and asked “Can you give me a description of the detonators?” The Commission heard that Smith drew what it looked like and passed it to him. “My exact response to that was that ‘Gregory that was responsible for breaking up my home.’” CORRUPTION OF TRUTH He said that he recalled Smith telling him that should he attempt to pass certain information onto WPA, he was sure they would have told him to leave the matter as it is. “After I had gone through that, I knew that there was a corruption of the reality of how Walter Rodney died…there was a corruption of the truth about how he died and what was responsible for his death,” Yearwood told the Commission. At this point, the lead Commissioner asked the witness who corrupted the truth. Yearwood pointed his fingers to the executive members of the WPA, the party Dr. Rodney had co-founded. Yearwood said when he (Continued on Page 12)

Wednesday February 18, 2015

Kaieteur News

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An exception to the general rule A general rule of this column is that it does not usually respond to criticisms. It expresses a view, thereby adding to the diversity of commentaries within the society. With the objective of encouraging the free expression of viewpoints, it refuses to be drawn into counter arguments. If this column were to respond to its critics, they may be discouraged to offer alternative viewpoints. They may be fearful that their arguments can be assailed and discredited in such responses. This would defeat the objective of encouraging a variety of viewpoints. As

such, it is not the general policy of this column to respond to any criticism made of its daily commentaries. There are, of course, exceptions to this general rule. One of these exceptions is when an argument made within the Peeping Tom column is either misrepresented or misunderstood. In the instance of the response in yesterday’s edition by Ameena Gafoor, a rejoinder is necessary, since the letter by Mrs. Gafoor is reflective of either a misrepresentation or a misunderstanding of the gravamen of the Peeping Tom column of February 3, which

had urged that the Guyana Prize be disbanded. I was not at all suggesting that the awarding of a prize as a means of supporting the literary arts is bad. Indeed I support the premise that the literary arts in any society should be supported. However such arts form part of and affirm the bourgeoisie culture within the superstructure of society. The point I was making was that Guyana Prize for Literature was not serving the objectives for which it was established. Those objectives were, firstly, to give recognition to Guyanese writers and, secondly, to encourage good

Dem boys seh...

Jagdeo, Babbie tying up wid balls less Hannan Rohee does always put he foot in he mouth. He like talk and most time he don’t know wha he talking about. He pick pun de coalition between APNU and AFC, but he forget that he party did form a coalition. It was a blind party and it tek Sam Blinds fuh de Prime Minister. It was de PPP and because it blind it tun PPP-See. But Rohee never keep nutten in he head too long that is why he talk fraff and seh that APNU and AFC tie de knot Valentine Day. But according to Peeping Tom dem only engage; dem ain’t marry, If dem de marry yuh woulda done have name change Remember Jagdeo seh that he didn’t marry Varshnie? He was right because dem had no name change. That is how dem boys know that APNU and AFC only engage. Dem know the wedding date is soon and dem have to say or announce who is the bride and who is the groom…even wid same-sex union dem got to have a boy

and a gyal. What dem ain’t certain is how them gun do the name change cause one name APNU and the other name is AFC And everybody know after marriage is the last name of the husband the woman gat to carry, So the last name fuh APNU is U And the last name fuh AFC is C So if APNU is de husband Then AFC will now be AFC-U Which means Another For Cup Coalition. And if AFC is the husband then APNU will now be APNC Which means, according to dem boys, Another People’s National Congress

So there you go, A For Cup coalition and A People’s National Congress. Guyana back to square one??? Is not only APNU and AFC teaming up fuh throw out de PPP, de Big Market paper headed by Hannan trying fuh team up too. Dem looking fuh side wid de Hard Times paper to remove de Waterfalls paper from de scene. But dem boys got news fuh dem. Not a thousand like dem can even budge de Waterfalls paper. No amount of mek up stories against de Waterfalls paper can prosper or put de paper out of business. Such a thing call fuh balls, something that Hannan, Babbie and Jagdeo plus Hanna don’t have. Talk half and prepare fuh another union.

Corruption benefits the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor. Say no to it.

creative writing. The Guyana Prize for Literature has achieved neither. As such, it needs to be scrapped, and the resources devoted to the Prize should be reallocated to other means of supporting the literary arts. This was the gravamen of my article. It was not intended to argue that a Prize in itself is bad. It was intended to argue that since the Guyana Prize has not had good returns in terms of achieving its objectives, then the monies devoted to the Prize would be better utilized by allocating them towards other means of supporting the literary arts. One such means of support would be to give local writers greater access to be published. I am aware of The Arts Journal. And I have seen that journal has publicly invited local writers to contribute articles. But one journal, regardless of the breath of the genres it publishes, can never be sufficient in any society. There is a need for other journals, including perhaps, the revival of the one journal whose excellence of writing has never been matched. That journal is the Kyk-OverAl. With all due respect to

The Arts Journal, comparing it to Kyk-Over-Al is like comparing cheese to chalk. There is a need for all kinds of local journals, including academic journals. But I am aware that the cost of producing a journal in Guyana is expensive and that the market is small. I am also aware of the limited disposable income that people are prepared to dedicate towards buying literary works and journals. Thus, my suggestion was for one journal that would encompass a variety of works, including some academic pieces. I see no reason why there should not be a single or even just a few affordable journals published, covering a broad spectrum of literary genres, rather than numerous journals which people cannot afford to all buy. I appreciate the argument that some journals would not be keen on the idea of government support because the producers and editors would wish to preserve their independence. I think it is a misplaced argument, because most journals receive some support from the business

community, and no one complains that this affects the independence of these works from bourgeois influence. I was not suggesting that the government subsidize any journal, but merely that it provides support, perhaps in the form of seed capital for the start-up or revival of a journal. It is however instructive to note that the Stabroek News was established with the support of an American organization that has been consistently accused of being supportive of promoting western interests and in destabilizing certain governments. Yet no one complains that the Stabroek News’ editorial content is compromised by the hand that first nurtured it. And regardless of the criticisms made of the Caribbean Press, its numerous publications, including the republishing of previously printed works, has been a refreshing addition to the local literary landscape. But I understand where Ameena is coming from.

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday February 18, 2015

THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN

The die is cast; there will be a winner in 2015 Before last Saturday, the talk all over Guyana was there would be a minority government for the second time after May. Some people saw the PPP as getting more votes than the AFC and APNU separately, with reduced seats, but nevertheless winning the presidency. Many observers feel this time APNU will get out their voters all over Guyana and will win the presidency. All that is now dead and buried. There will be a majority government after May 11. There will be many crazy little parties contesting, but people will dismiss them. There will be a straight fight between the PPP and the APNU-AFC coalition.

Any commentator will be asked for his/her views on the outcome of an election. I could have predicted the winner in Greece. I believe Mrs. Clinton, if she runs, will be the next American President. There is only one office that the Americans vote nationally for; it is the presidency. Outside of that there are only district candidates for the House of Representatives and state races for the Senate. The American people will not elect a Republican President in 2016. My prediction is that Labour will win this year in the UK, but it will be a narrow victory. The Lib-Dems will be devastated with the Conservatives barely losing. In Trinidad, I think it is too close to predict re-election for Mrs. Persad-Bissesar. Who will win in Guyana? As an analyst, I would say long incumbency has its weaknesses.

The PPP has been in power too long, but unlike Owen Arthur in Barbados, whose incumbency was unstained yet he lost, the PPP’s sordid balance sheet is likely to be an insurmountable cliff. Voters generally do not like protracted incumbency. The Germans gave Merkel a minority government and I doubt Merkel will run again. In Guyana, it is not the extensive tenure of the PPP that may undo it, but the contents of that tenure. The twenty-two years of PPP’s rule has been punctuated by depravities, abuses and corruption that are unspeakable. These atrocities are not episodic; they are almost daily occurrences. The nation goes to bed and can expect to wake up the next morning and be greeted with another scandal deep within the bowels of the PPP Government. Can the coalition between the AFC and APNU defeat the PPP? My analytical answer is yes.

Naturally I am expected to explain why, without bringing into the equation the insanities of the long nights of the PPP. I think the coalition has very few historic parallels. There may be no parallels at all. In 1950, there was no Indian party that was the racial rival of an African party. It was a nationalist movement of anti-colonial leaders. When the PPP spilt in 1955, it was only then that an Indian formation and African organization were born. Since then there has been no phenomenal ethnic or political accommodation of the status of last Saturday’s coalition between the AFC and APNU. The 1964 joint government of the United Force and the PNC was anything but historic. No historian or analyst of the day saw it as a historic milestone. It was a marriage of convenience between two entities that had only one thing in common – the need

to remove the Jagan Government. The second event that came close to being historic was the Patriotic Coalition for Democracy that just imploded as the 1992 election drew nearer. The third development that could be given some contextual importance was the unity slate of the PNC and WPA to contest the 2011 elections. It lacked phenomenal value because it did not cement racial unity. The WPA had no substantial constituencies, in fact it may have had no constituency at all, but it brought to the PNC its symbol of integrity and nationalist politics which still runs deep in the soul of sections of African Guyanese. The PNCWPA reconciliation was a healing within the African communities, and that explains its loss at the polls in 2011. The unity platform didn’t signify ethnic embrace. This is where the coalition

Frederick Kissoon between the AFC and APNU stands out as a historic event. What the coalition means to vast sections of this country is that African and Indian leadership are prepared to abandon race competition and work within the spirit of nationalist harmony for the future of Guyana. Most African-Guyanese see the PNC as their party and see the AFC as more Indian in content than multi-racial. Most Indian-Guyanese see the PNC as an African party and the AFC as having trusted top-class Indian leadership. The coalition then symbolizes the end of racial suspicion. That may carry the coalition to victory.

Wednesday February 18, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 11

Defeat in elections is not even a consideration - Granger The newly-formed coalition of Alliance For Change (AFC) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has stricken from its mind, any thought of a possible defeat in the upcoming May 11 polls. An extremely confident Presidential Candidate of the pre-election alliance, David Granger, told reporters on Saturday last that the partnership has not contemplated losing. He was at the time responding to questions on what would be its contingency plan, if it is saddled with discouraging results after E-day and if it loses, whether it would seek a divorce from the AFC. But it was his assertive dismissal of thoughts of being crushed at the polls, which interested his attentive audience. Granger said that there is a tide in Guyana. He opined that based on his outreaches throughout the nation, Guyanese “badly” yearned such a coalition. He emphasized that the electorate does not want five more years of the People’s Progressive Party / Civic (PPP/C). “We are confident that we are going to win on May 11. As far as the PPP/C is concerned, we have closed the door on winner-takes-all politics. And what we have

Presidential Candidate, David Granger (left) and Prime Ministerial Candidate, Moses Nagamootoo done and are saying to you now is that if an alliance means we have 52 percent of the votes, we will not lock out 48 percent of the people. That is my promise to you,” Granger firmly asserted. He stressed that the same mistake of the PPP/C will not be made again. His Prime Ministerial Candidate, Moses Nagamootoo, then endorsed his new partner saying that, “We are not here to lose, and this is the winning team here.” As it relates to courting some top PPP/C officials who may be interested in joining the APNU-AFC coalition, Nagamootoo said that the party’s door is always open. He emphasized that “unsavoury characters”

would not be accepted. The Prime Ministerial candidate said that, it’s not about vendetta but it is looking for people who will bring integrity and respectability to the table. AFC Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan was also asked by Kaieteur News how he intends to now sell the idea of a coalition, given that he previously stated that his party would not enter any coalition if it was not in the leadership position. He said leading the prodemocracy coalition was of course, its maximum position, but during the process of negotiations, it was unable to attain it. However, due to the fact that there has been a tremendous climb in the

Bids tendered for Waller’s Delight Sea Defences maintenance Under the Ministry of Public Works bids were tendered for the maintenance of the Sea Defences at Waller’s Delight, West Coast Demerara, Region three. The bids were opened at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), Ministry of Finance Main Street.

For the Ministry of Local Government & Regional Development, a single bid was opened for the provision of garbage collection and disposal service for the Eccles Neighbourhood Democratic Council.

powers allocated to the Prime Ministerial post, Ramjattan asserted that it was deemed an acceptable proposal, hence they signed on, and its initial position, shifted. He added, “I am a lawyer and I start at very high standards when bargaining, and I knew it was going to be

a hard bargain. Indeed it has turned out to be this, and it is the best product we had arrived at, and it is acceptable. It is viable and it will be the vehicle which will bring the accountability and transparency we, and the supporters, want for the country.” The politicians were also faced with questions of how other members will be selected for its Cabinet, what concessions APNU and the AFC had to surrender, and how finances for their election campaigns would be approached. Granger expressed that both parties will invite nominations and recommendations, look at the list of candidates and design a list of criteria so that citizens of quality can be selected. At the end of that process, he said, the newly-joined opposition parties will have a shortlist. The politician said that both have agreed that

there will be a consensual process where it will agree on the Speaker and the representatives of the list. Granger reaffirmed that while both sides went to the bargaining table with certain expectations, he does not feel that there is any virtue in “raking over the coals” now to see who won and who lost. “Guyana has won today and that is important,” he stressed. The Opposition Leader said that this is the first time in the history of Guyana there will be a multi-party, preelection coalition that is committed to Article 13 of the Constitution, which speaks to inclusionary democracy. As far as finances are concerned, he said that the two parties will have a combined campaign finance committee and the 60/40 formula will be used. He explained that this simply means that APNU will be Continued on page 21

Vice Chancellor appeals for... (From page 6) Chancellor, “my support for improvement in salaries and benefits comes with improvement in efficiency and accountability. This support, however, comes with the understanding of the issue of how this increase can be funded without reverting to the days of huge deficit.” He has therefore proffered a number of direct and indirect investments. Among his proposals are “an increase in government subvention by 25 per cent in the first instance; reduction of part-time expenditure and ensuring that our lecturers meet their contractual teaching obligations; scholarships for 1000 students in the areas of Science and Technology; revision of UG electricity rate – we are neither an industry nor a commercial institution”. Also, “provision of dutyfree concession to all lecturers with a minimum of Masters Degree and after 3 years of satisfactory service to the

University; provision of land and housing loans at a special low interest rate to all staff after 3 years of quality service; recovery of student loans that are in default to fund University capital works; transfer of the student loan scheme to private sector as a revolving loan; cyclic offering of programs that are a drain to our resources; direct duty and VAT exemptions for University acquisitions and periodic maintenance of our roads, drains and grounds by the Ministry of Public Works”. “If our lecturers are expected to give quality instructions, publish quality papers in international journals, provide quality services to the University and National communities provide quality input in local, regional and international

debates, they deserve quality salaries and wages,” Professor Opadeyi stated. He insisted that “in investing in staff, we will have to hold them accountable through biannual student assessment, annual quality and productivity assessment and peer review.” And according to the Vice Chancellor, “for the sake of our students I humbly request a return to normalcy, negotiation in good faith, and respect for each other.” “Respect for our paying students, respect for our hard working students, respect for the staff, respect for the Council who has supported this administration, and respect for the governments’ financial regime. Let’s work together to build a better University,” Professor Opadeyi appealed.

Page 12

Kaieteur News

Wednesday February 18, 2015

Eight unremoved Health Ministry containers likely “to be auctioned” Eight Ministry of Health containers that are believed to have been at the John Fernandes Terminal Transit Shed since last August could be up for auction by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). The containers said to be holding “hospital supplies” were documented in the Official Gazette dated Saturday February 14. The items are to be auctioned off because the consignee (government) failed to remove the goods within the stipulated time. GRA’s CommissionerGeneral Khurshid Sattaur said that it is a requirement under

the law to dispose of the goods if the consignee fails to uplift it. He said that the items identified as “unentered goods” has to be gazetted for the relevant stakeholders to make any queries if necessary. This is to say that the items slated for auction may have been listed as unentered previously, but may very well have been cleared and uplifted by the consignee at a later date. In this light, to feature the items in the gazette gives the consignee a chance to clarify whether transactions to remove the goods were completed.

However, Sattaur was unable to say at the time whether the transaction between the agency and the Health Ministry was completed. He said that the records would have to be checked as to whether the transaction was completed, but for now, the focus is on giving the consignee a chance to regularize any outstanding issues. Sattaur confirmed that until the agency is contacted and told that the items have been removed from its current location and all transactions finalized, it would be safe to say that the items ordered by the Ministry are still sitting on the wharf and would be auctioned off. Sattaur suggested that the items within the container are not medical drugs supplied from now bankrupted Indian

company, Surendra Engineering, which was awarded a US multi-million dollar contract to build the country’s first Specialty Hospital. Surendra, which was fired and then sued by the government last year for failing on the Specialty Hospital project, also built the underperforming US$12.8 million Enmore Packaging Plant, and also had a US$4 million contract for the still to be completed supply of 14 drainage pumps ordered by the Ministry of Agriculture since 2009. The company also filed for liquidation late last year and this action brought uncertainty in the government’s legal action to recover over US$4million. Should the auctioning of the Ministry’s equipment occur, it will signal another

instance of wastage. Mismanagement of state resources is among the damning accusations against the current government which is also marred by claims of corruption and cronyism. There has been no talk about the continuance of the Specialty Project and the return of cash to the government, especially since the India-based company cannot be located to honour the court ruling which awarded damages to the government. The Specialty Hospital project garnered much controversy and like many other government-projects failed to earn the support of the combined opposition. In September last year the admission by Government

that they were cutting ties with Surendra Engineering Corporation Limited vindicated the opposition’s worry about the project, the Leader Brigadier (rtd) David Granger had stated. He stated at the time that A Partnership for National Unity had taken the position that contract arrangements with the Indian company were abnormal and irregular, thus, there was no support. Alliance for Change member Trevor Williams had questioned, “How could a spare-parts supplier who cannot even get that job right, get a contract to design, build and equip a specialty hospital? It is mind boggling”.

Rodney knew he had... (From page 8) contacted the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)’s Caribbean Report and told them of Gregory Smith and his willingness to speak to the International Commission, it was two days later he saw Roopnaraine announcing that the WPA knew nothing of him. A murder charge, he said, was later drawn up against Smith which would have eventually prevented him re-entering Guyana. The tribunal was supposed to be conducted in 1994. The witness testified too that Gregory Smith’s sister who wrote a book with his testimony had wanted him to corroborate her statements. “I know that Gregory Smith had assisted Dr. Rodney in putting together the device. She wanted me to deny that situation, but I couldn’t have,” he said. He told the Commission that Smith died in 1999 at his home in Cayenne. A full inquiry into Rodney’s death is exploring the probability that he may have been assassinated by his own party, the target of a State killing or a victim of his own negligence, among other things. The brother of the late politician, Donald Rodney, is slated to testify today. A date has not yet been set for Yearwood to continue offering his evidence in chief.

Wednesday February 18, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 21

Princeville residents threaten unrest if demands unmet The Princeville Primary School

Even as more protest action is being planned over the absence of teachers at the Princeville Primary School in region 8, the Regional Executive Officer (REO) has lashed out at the education committee of the Regional Democratic Council, saying the committee has only been complaining and not offering viable solutions to the region’s issues. REO Ronald Harsawack further said in a letter that steps had been taken to address the issue, but all had failed for one reason or the other. According to reports, the primary school had been severely understaffed for about five years with just one teacher, Sherlock Ruffeno, servicing eight classes from the nursery to the primary level. Last week, protests begun over the school’s situation, and parents, guardians and students turned out to vent their frustration. Amongst these protestors were members of the education committee who maintained that something needed to be done immediately. Harsawack has since said that the participation of committee members in the protest was a pretense. “The councilors have miserably failed he said people they pretend to

champion the cause of,” Harsawack accused in his letter. He also wrote, “A perusal of the minutes of the Regional Democratic meetings would show that very little or no solutions are posited to the administration for issues affecting the region. These issues are only ventilated in the press; the administration has never received a sound plan, proposal or solution to the issues that confront the residents of Region 8.” In his letter, Harsawack defended the administration and noted that the region’s location provided a difficulty in attracting teachers, particularly qualified, willing ones. He said residents had

been asked to provide names in 2013 and 2014 of possible candidates for temporary teaching posts. He said the residents had also been asked to provide possible candidates as community support officers (CSOs). However, neither the village nor the village council had ever made any submissions, he claimed. Furthermore, he said the school had “its fair share of movement of teachers”. In his letter, Harsawack noted some appointments, transfers, and dismissals. In one case, he said a teacher applied for a transfer from the Micobie Primary School to the Princeville Primary School, but the transfer was not recommended by the

Health Ministry issues... (From page 16) and other infection. In addition, all persons (adults and children over one) who have not received two doses of the Measles, Mumps and Rubella Vaccines (MMR) are being encouraged to visit the nearest health centre to be vaccinated. “Please bring your vaccination cards to the health centres,” added the statement. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) measles is a highly contagious respiratory

disease caused by a virus. It spreads through the air through coughing and sneezing and starts with a fever, runny nose, cough, red eyes, and sore throat, and is followed by a rash that spreads all over the body. About three out of 10 people who get measles will develop one or more complications including pneumonia, ear infections, or diarrhoea, the CDC has revealed. However, measles can be prevented with the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine.

Department of Education, as Micobie would have become understaffed by this move. “This chronicle of events has shown that the regional administration and the Department of Education were assiduously dealing with the situation, given the many limitations that existed. The failure of the Regional

Education Committee to offer its assistance and support on these initiatives aided in making the process more arduous,” Harsawack emphasized. However, Wayne Robinson, a member of the Education Committee, said that the committee had indeed been offering solutions, but they all had been rejected. In a telephone interview, Robinson explained that a village meeting was recently held and the matter was once more raised as a matter of concern. He maintained that the Education Committee had offered a number of solutions that had all been ignored. “I believe that these people have no interest in this matter,” he adamantly said. Robinson said the Deputy Toshao of the community sent a request for more teachers to be sent to the school. Further, he said a report was made to the Regional Education Department every single month for the past five years. Meanwhile, the situation

remains the same at the school. Robinson said to date nothing has been done, but now the education committee members were being barred access to the school. Robinson alleged a directive was passed down by the deputy REO to disallow the committee members from entering the school. Since then, he said, attempts had been made to enter the school, all of which were unsuccessful. Robinson opined that the move was an attempt to stop persons from truly becoming aware of the situation. When contacted, Education Minister Priya Manickchand said she only became aware of the situation just over a week ago and added that interior schools were run by the region. Ruffeno maintained that his problem had been ongoing for years. Robinson said parents and other stakeholders are meeting today to discuss a way forward and to determine when further protests will continue.

Defeat in elections is not even a... From page 11 bringing 60 percent of the finances. He expressed that many donors were waiting for this to happen and were not prepared to commit themselves to one party. Granger said, however, that their marriage with the AFC has convinced its hopeful donors and assured that they would now come forward. In their agreement, Granger said that the Prime Minister will be delegated certain responsibilities, such as chairing the Cabinet. But the Constitution dictates that the President is the chairman. Granger noted however, that this would not be a problem, for as the President he would be able to delegate certain responsibilities to the PM.

The Presidential Candidate for the newlyformed coalition said that prior to Saturday, APNU had on its own, decided to launch on February 20, its election campaign. But given new arrangements, he said that time will now have to be taken to review that date, as it is more appropriate to do a single launch. Regarding symbols and colour schemes to represent the new relationship, General Secretary of the AFC, David Patterson said that that is still to be decided. Both sides are yet to discuss who will hold certain top constitutional spots. Granger also noted that the reintroduction of the Vice President position is to reinforce the principle of representation and national unity.

Page 22

Kaieteur News

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Wednesday February 18, 2015

EDUCATIONAL

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Wednesday February 18, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 23

Stewartville fire leaves four homeless

Amanda Nandram’s home goes up in flames.

The aftermath of the fire.

A ferocious inferno awoke the residents of Stewartville, West Coast Demerara, yesterday morning, and was responsible for destroying the home of Amanda Nandram and her family. Neighbours were fearful that the blaze would spread to other homes as the intensity of the flames and heavy wind saw nearby residences being threatened. Fortunately for the community, members of the Guyana Fire Service managed to contain the fire and prevented further losses. Unfortunately, 20 year-old Nandram along with her husband Kwame Austin, their

two year-old son Quason Austin and her uncle, 40 yearold, James Nandram, suffered massive losses, leaving the family homeless. When the blaze started only Nandram and her two year-old were in the twostorey building. Her husband was at work. The blaze consumed her home so quickly that she was unable to save any of her belongings. “I was downstairs sweeping the yard with my son when the fire broke out,” said Nandram, also known as ‘Mandy’, “all of a sudden one of them neighbours shout ‘Mandy, Mandy! Look fire!’ then I run upstairs and see it

Letters... Where your views make the news

Something is rotten...

From page 4 The famous phrase from Act I, Scene 4, of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Marcellus states: “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” Let me unequivocally state that “Something is rotten in the Police force of Guyana”, and in order for a better smell to emanate, I am calling on the powers to be to take a clearer look at this incident. The ranks should at least be held accountable for a beating leading to death that took place on their watch. Perhaps it calls for better handcuffs if bodily injuries of a fatal nature can take place using the current handcuffs. Incidentally, on behalf of he who cannot speak for himself, I am awaiting answers as to the duration of the encounter with the assailant, documentation of the state of the deceased following the altercation. And above all how long were the handcuffs on the hands of the deceased, and the skin integrity following its eventual removal? After all dead men tell no tales. Yvonne Sam

was a big fire.” Kaieteur News understands that the dwelling had a two bedroom and hallway layout, with Nandram and her family residing in the bottom flat. The fire is believed to have originated from one of the upstairs bedrooms. The still distraught mother could not believe how fast the flames spread, lamenting that everything she owned, even her life’s savings, were all gone in less than fifteen minutes. Despite efforts by neighbours to extinguish the fire, Nandram related that it

was futile, as simple buckets were not enough to quell the flames. It wasn’t until the Fire Service arrived that residents were assured that their fortunes would change. However, extinguishing the blaze was not an easy task for firefighters, as residents related that there was a malfunction with the water pump which delayed their efforts. The breakdown was subsequently rectified allowing the ranks to operate efficiently. When this publication arrived on scene, fire officials were still conducting investigations. According to a female neighbour, she was fast asleep when the fire began. “My fan start to make noise and the power lines outside start sparking,” said the woman, who related that she heard other neighbours screaming that there was a fire. She then rushed out to see what was happening, but found the flames so intense that she was forced to watch from a distance. However, she did manage to capture a video of the fire which fire services are using to assist in investigations. Nandram expressed her grief over the incident. She said that it would be difficult for her to rebuild, since all the money she had been saving was inside the razed home. When asked what she would do next, Nandram said, “I will have to get a job and build up from there.” She further explained that she’ll be spending the night by an aunt in a nearby housing scheme. “I can spend the night by an aunt, but that won’t be long term. I’ll try to use whatever zinc they got leff back and build something from that in the meantime.” While she rebuilds her home, Nandram related that she is open to the help of publicspirited citizens.

(From page 22)

LAND FOR SALE Eccles: Commercial lots for sale at Eccles – Tel:227-2913. Cell: 683-3033 Measuring 90’X165’ facing Atlantic Ocean, approximately half mile from Sheriff Street on High Way. Contact Shiv: 600-6681 51 Acres titled farm land @ The Belle, Upper Dem, River Front - $100M Negotiable, serious enquiries only! Tel: 669-8152 House Lots in 1 of Guyana’s top luxury gated communities @ Eccles, 60X100 - $7.5M. (Special prices) - Call: 2272913; 683-3033 Parfaite Harmonie - $1.4M, $1.5M, $1.8M, Eccles - $4.5, $5M, Herstelling - $45M, $5M, Leonora -$2.5M – Tel:6757292; 689-3339 Land @ William Street Kitty; Size: 79FT wide by 116FT length, price $60M Negotiable –Tel: 664-0829 Land @ William Street Kitty; size: 38FT wide by 116FT length, reasonable price – Tel: 664-0829 1 Transported land for sale@ 2nd Avenue Diamond N/S, price -$6.5M neg – Tel:629-5300 FOR SALE/RENTAL 4 Stories concrete building, prime location for hotel, call Centre & Restaurant @ 168 Charlotte St Bourda – Call: 644-3312, 667-3701 American pool table – Tel: 277-0578

DRESSMAKING Jean is offering courses in dressmaking, curtains, floral & cake decoration. Lot 153 Barr St Kitty - Call: 670-2653, 618-1706

TO LET 1 Spacious 3 bedrooms upstairs including inside toilet and bath at Mon Repos E.C.D, Price $50,000 Monthly Tel: 629-5300 Fully furnished 2 bedroom house, short term overseas, TV, cable, Hot/Cold, AC, Washer (South) 689-5877 Two bedroom house – Contact Joy: 218-1285; 6278562 3 Storey building available for business/living quarter, parking available @ 26 Garnett Street Delph Ave Tel: 684-3998; 653-9570; 6870431 Fully Furnished vacation home with all amenities- Call during working hours – Call: 227-1218 Apartment with 2 self contained bedrooms in Kitty, wireless internet, Cable, TV, parking, rent $100,000 monthly – Tel: 6450247

PROPERTY FOR SALE Houses & house lots for sale in 1 of Guyana’s top luxury gated communities, located @ Eccles E.B.D - Tel: 2272913; 683-3033 Property with concrete bungalow, modern amenities and features in gated community at Hutsonville E.B.D -G$16M negotiable – Call: 697-4131 Lot 6 Adventure, Essequibo, land 352ftX70ft with wooden building $14M negotiableContact Anwar Essequibo 7714395, 694-4457, Georgetown Trudy: 225-4712 1-6 Bedroom house and land in Mon Repos (Martyrs’ Ville) E.C.D, price $13M neg. Tel: 629-5300 One – Two Storied wooden & concrete building at Ketley & Howes Street Charlestown – Tel: 623-9679 Front Section, Diamond, East Bank Demerara – Tel: 674-9266 or 686-9248 Transported two storied concrete property $22M, Block “8” Mon Repos E.C.D – Tel: 602-4418 20 Acres of land Business/ farming with 2 storey building owner is moving – Tel:592-220-0255; 416-951-3995

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday February 18, 2015

APNU/AFC Alliance promises comprehensive review of public sector By Zena Henry A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and Alliance for Change (AFC) are promising a new beginning for public servants and the public sector as a whole. The recently announced union is an initiative by the two sides heading to the May 11 general polls as one, and later forming a government with a 60/40 ratio of power distribution. Among several burning issues that the partnership will have to address if elected into power is the stated restoration of trust between the public service sector and political leaders which some say has been seriously damaged by the constant impositions on the sector by the incumbent People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government. Particularly hot on the list is the “continuous imposition” of wage and salary increases on public

workers which unions say has been the norm for more than a decade now. The APNU/AFC alliance has promised “a comprehensive review” of public sector workings. This includes the current taxation policy, wages and salaries increases, remuneration and union action among other areas of concern. General Secretary for the AFC, David Patterson, told Kaieteur News yesterday that the partnership is committed to reviewing the various spheres of the public sector. He noted that a discussion has already come to the fore in this regard, but nothing concrete has been established, since the issue requires a complete overview of the sector. APNU’s General Secretary, Joseph Harmon, also confirmed the Alliance’s commitment to review the

public workers sector. He noted too that the matter of appraising the functioning and policies of the sector has already been discussed. However, he said, the stance on this issue is the same, since APNU has already stated dissatisfaction with the way the public sector is currently being run. Under the Alliance, Harmon noted, work must be done to upgrade the manner in which public workers are paid, rewarded and hired, among other areas that directly deal with the well being and performance of public workers. He noted that the workers need better pay and treatment in order for them to provide professional, quality services. AFC had also registered disagreement with the handling of public workers before the coming together of the two parties. Patterson was adamant yesterday that the issue of public service rehabilitation is big on the agenda. He too charged that his party has reported its insistence that the government review the manner in which they handle the public service sector. This is so because for some 13 years, the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) said, the government has refused to respect the

Collective Bargaining Agreement which governs negotiations relating to public servants wages and salaries. They continue to impose whatever increases they desire on public workers. Annual discussions seem to bear no fruit when the GPSU and government sit to agree on suitable wage increases. The government says that GPSU continues to ask for increases that cannot be afforded. The GPSU says however that government can pay the increases requested, but refuses. The union has requested gradual wage increases reaching less than 30 percent. However, the government increases are usually single-digit figures. GPSU’s President Patrick Yarde has lamented the treatment of public workers by the government, but seems powerless in using union power to bring government in line. Public workers have endured years of imposed retroactive wages and salary increases, with the union promising action that never materialized or failed to garner much needed support. At the GPSU President’s most recent press conference addressing another five percent imposition wage and salary increase last December, Yarde promised grave action after a 48-hour ultimatum to the government. He said he was prepared

AFC’s General Secretary, David Patterson

APNU’s General Secretary, Joseph Harmon

to go past a massive 57-day countrywide strike that had occurred in 1997. Yarde was however reluctant on taking drastic measures against the government, claiming that citizens and workers stood to suffer immensely. Citizens lose vital services and are sometimes unsympathetic with the plight of public workers. Public workers on the other hand lose pay and are sometimes victimized for the roles they play. These negatives have been witnessed in the past, the GPSU head had related. Public workers have also endured the arbitrary imposition of other policies which the GPSU had highlighted in recent times. About a month ago, the High Court quashed a decision to dismiss a public worker

attached to the Agriculture Ministry after he refused to adhere to the fingerprint recognition sign-in system. The GPSU had strongly resisted the implementation of the system, since they claimed that as the workers’ representatives, the Ministry did not e n g a g e o r i n f o r m t hem about the use of the system. The arbitrary dismissal of workers was also an issue which was hinted at as the deficiency of the Public Service Commission, which is responsible for such employment matters. The new Alliance posited that the need to reform the sector is imperative for the benefit of public service provision, professionalism and the country’s development.

Wednesday February 18, 2015

Kaieteur News

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Neesa Gopaul murder trial…

Grandfather warned daughter of lover’s behaviour Mohamed Kayum, the Grandfather of murdered Queen’s College student, Neesa Gopaul told the court yesterday, that he was present when a police officer identified the headless remains of a female to be that of his granddaughter. Kayum is the fifth civilian witness to take the stand in murder trial of Jarvis Small and Bibi Shareema Gopaul. The two persons are on trial before Justice Navindra Singh and a mixed twelve -member jury at the High Court in Georgetown for the murder, which allegedly took place sometime between September 24 and October 2, 2010. Small is being represented by a team of lawyers including Glenn Hanoman, Bernard De Santos SC, Lyndon Amsterdam and Zanna Frank, while Gopaul is being represented by Attorney-at-Law, George Thomas. State Prosecutors Diana Kaulesar, Mercedes Thompson and Stacy Gooding are presenting the case On October 2, 2010, the headless remains of a female was discovered at a location along the Soesdkye/Linden Highway, tucked inside a suitcase that was partially submerged in a creek. A rope was wrapped around the suitcase and dumbbells were attached at one end, apparently in an effort to keep the body under water. In addition to the body, a passport bearing the name Neesa Lalita Gopaul was also found. The teenager was reported missing just days before the discovery was made. Following the discovery, the teen’s mother, Bibi and her then lover, Small were arrested and charged for the murder. Yesterday, 73-year- old Kayum took the stand and identified the number two accused as his daughter Bibi Shareema Gopaul. Kayum then told the court he also knew number one accused, “Barry Small,” because his daughter had introduced them to each other before. He explained that they were introduced one morning after he had visited her home at Leonora, West Coast Demerara (WCD). The elderly man told the court that he is a resident of Anna Catherina, WCD, but that he would visit his daughter and her children, who were living a few villages away, from time to time. Kayum said that on October 2, 2010, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Terrance Paul contacted him at the Leonora Police Station and related to him that the police had found the body of his granddaughter, Neesa Gopaul, and that the body

was at Lyken’s Funeral Home. The man said that he later went to the funeral home accompanied by Officer Paul, who pointed out the body to be that of his granddaughter, Neesa Gopaul. “When I get there he tell me this is Neesa Gopaul,” the witness said, noting that the body was clad in a flowered multi-coloured top and black tights. Prosecutor Kaulesar then asked the witness whether there was anything about the body which looked familiar. The man replied in the affirmative, noting that he had seen his granddaughter in the multi-coloured flowered top on at least one occasion before. Kayum said that the teen was wearing the top when she visited his home in Anna Catherina on September 17, 2010. The witness explained that it was the day after her birthday that she visited his home; she was wearing the multi-coloured flowered top and blue jeans.” I kill a duck, cook and treat them,” the witness said noting that, that was the last time he saw his granddaughter alive. Kayum was also shown a photograph in which he identified the clothing to be that which he had seen on the body at the funeral home. He said that on October 6, 2010, he went to the mortuary of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, (GPHC) to witness a post mortem examination conducted on the said body. Kayum recalled however, that the body was headless, thus he could not definitively say whether it belonged to his granddaughter Neesa Gopaul. Further question about his granddaughters, Kayum said that they - Neesa Gopaul and her younger sister, Miriam - were placed in his care by the Child Care and Protection Agency, (CPA). Gopaul said that after four weeks his daughter, (Bibi Shareema) came for her two children and he sent them with their mother. He explained that he had spoken to Ann Greene of the CPA, and she told him that she had given the mother permission to collect her children. The witness expressed his love for both his granddaughters Kayum further stated that ever since the incident; the younger granddaughter was left in his care. “That is me job now to look after Miriam. Meh does make sure she go to school, come home and everything.. Meh does look after she!” the witness said emphatically. This brought tears to the eyes of the number two accused Gopaul, who hid her

Murdered: Neesa Gopaul face in her hands as she sat listening to her father’s testimony. The elderly man also noted that he was left with the keys to his daughter’s home following her arrest. Under cross examination from Senior Counsel Bernard De Santos, the witness explained that Officers Paul and Jessemy took him to see the body at the funeral home. Kayum said that after the officer told him that the body belonged to his granddaughter, he asked them how they knew. The witness said Officer Paul responded by stating that a passport and bank card bearing the name, Neesa Gopaul, was found with the body. Kayum noted however, that he never saw any of the said documents. In response to questions by the attorney, the witness maintained that the multicoloured flowered top was the only thing he recognized on the body. He noted that he did not identify the body, but he was told it was Neesa Gopaul. Kayum also accepted that he was reluctant to give a statement, but he subsequently did so at the insistence of the police. The witness also noted that his other granddaughter submitted a statement to police officers at their Headquarters in Eve Leary. Further questioned about the evidence he had given in the Magistrates’ Court regarding the identity of the corpse, Kayum acknowledged that the only reason he accepted that Neesa Gopaul was dead was because the police told him so. “I tell the magistrate that I don’t know if it was Neesa Gopaul, because she was headless.” The defence attorney went on to ask the witness whether he knew that his granddaughter had a boyfriend, and whether the boyfriend was allowed to visit the home from time to time. “No no no, nah me house” the witness blurted in response, causing an outburst of laughter in the courtroom. Under cross examination by Defence Attorney George Thomas, Kayum disclosed

that his granddaughter had complained to him about Small being in their home, but noted that Neesa never complained about her mother. The elderly man recalled that on one occasion he had repaired a door at his daughter’s residence. “She tell me that Barry Small kick down the door,” the witness recounted. Asked whether his daughter made any attempts to get Small out of her home, the witness said “me tell Shareema Gopaul, meh ask she wha ya do with this man? This man looks like a killer, all he eye red red… but she seh she try fuh put he out, but he nah does tek leff”. Near the end of his evidence, the elderly man broke down on the stand. In tears, the man expressed gratitude that he was able to tell his part of the story to the court before he died. He noted that he took care of his granddaughters whole-heartedly. Following the cross examination, a member of the jury sought clarification into the statements made by the witness with regard to the CPA. However, this question was not allowed based on objections by the defence. Senior Counsel Bernard De Santos noted that such questions would lead to hearsay and prejudicial evidence. Ashram Tiwari also testified yesterday. He told the court that he became ac-

Murdered Accused: Jarvis Barry Small

Murder Accused: Bibi Shareema Gopaul

quainted with Small about a year prior to the incident. He told the court that he would visit Small at his home, where they would hang out. The man noted that during the period he had known the accused, he lived at two houses; with his wife and at Nari’s, whom he identified to be Bibi Shareema Gopaul. The witness recounted that while visiting the home he noticed gym equipment, dumbbells included. Tiwari told the court that in October 2010, he was also arrested in relation with the incident. He noted that he submitted a statement to the police after he was shown a pair of dumbbells which he recognized to be the ones he had seen at the home of the accused.

The witness was subsequently shown the pair of dumbbells which were admitted into the evidence earlier in the trial. He identified them to be the weights he had seen at the Police Station and at the home of the accused. Police Corporal Lancelot Whittington also took the stand. The policeman told the court that he had taken photographic exposures of the body of Neesa Gopaul, during a post mortem exercise which was conducted by Government Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh. The witness identified 10 photographs as those he had taken of the body in October 2010. The images were thereafter admitted into evidence and shown to members of the jury.

Health Ministry denies transparency concern over AIDS funding The Ministry of Health yesterday said that there is no specific recommendation on transparency with which Guyana has to comply with in order to benefit from U$9 million in funding from the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The Ministry was referring to statements by UNAIDS Country Director Dr Roberto Campos, that disbursement of the funds hinges on transparency and other benchmarks. Programme Director of the National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS), Dr Shanti Singh, said that all principal recipients of the Global Fund are guided by clear benchmarks for transparency that have been established. “During the process of applying for a country grant, countries are required to satisfy the Global Fund on issue of transparency and accountability as part of the eligibility criteria for a concept note for which Guyana complied. “If a country does not pass this first phase a grant is not approved,” the Health Ministry stated. In a statement issued at the NAPS, the Ministry of Health said “there is no specific recommenda-

tion on transparency that Guyana has to comply with for the remainder of the funds to be released. The HIV programme has always been transparent in its actions.” In an interview, Dr Campos said that Guyana programmes under the Global Fund had to re-organised to meet a new global funding model. He had said the Global Fund is “really worried” about the process of procurement of supplies in general and ARVs (Anti-Retroviral Drugs) drugs in particular. According to Campos, there needed to be clear guidelines developed by the government for the procurement and supply of drugs. He particularly mentioned the needs for a procurement manual. In relation to the procurement of Anti-retroviral drugs for HIV patients, Dr Singh said the Ministry of Health is a signatory to the Global Fund’s Voluntary Pooled Procurement (VPP), a strategy established by Global Fund to support countries. “Through this mechanism, procurement of ARVs for the Guyana programme is therefore not done by Guyana,

Rather the country receives the ARVs procured by the Global Fund through VPP,” the Ministry of Health said. In relation to the availability of ARVs, the National Programme conducts regular quantification based on sound methodology with consideration of critical information such as stock on hand, ARV regimen use and others, the Ministry stated. It added that this has resulted in a high level of accuracy in quantifying the country’s needs for ARVs and has therefore ensured consistent and uninterrupted supply of ARVs. Dr Singh said that in the last five years, only on one occasion was supplies requested on an emergency basis. In the interview, Dr Campos had said that Guyana pays much more for drugs than other countries and one of the reasons is that drugs are purchased on an emergency basis. “If you start the process one year before, you know you will need ‘X’ amount of drugs, and so you purchase those drugs in a lower prices; if you delay the purchase you need to buy in emergency way so the price will go up,” Dr Campos had stated.

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday February 18, 2015

Wednesday February 18, 2015

Kaieteur News

Opposition claims victory in St Kitts-Nevis general election

BASSETERRE, St Kitts — According to a statement issued yesterday morning by Dr Timothy Harris, leader of the opposition alliance in St Kitts and Nevis, his Team Unity has won the general election in the twin-island federation. Meanwhile, the supervisor of elections has reportedly suspended reporting the results of the returns of the constituency representatives. Nevertheless, Harris said that the returning officers have so far returned six winning Team Unity candidates, representing a majority of the 11 elected members in the St

Kitts and Nevis parliament. The successful Team Unity candidates, Harris said, are: in constituency 1, Ian ‘Patches’ Liburd; in constituency 4, Lindsay Grant; in constituency 5, Shawn Richards; in constituency 7, Dr Timothy Harris; in constituency 9, Mark Brantley; and in constituency 10, Vance Amory. The outgoing St KittsNevis Labour Party (SKNLP) has won three seats and the results in constituency 8 and constituency 11 were still pending. “At this time, we ask the people of St Kitts and Nevis to be patient and to remain calm,” Harris said.

“We call upon the supervisor of elections to continue the democratic process and to complete his job. We call upon him to immediately certify the writ of election and to send the results to the governor general. “We find his actions totally unacceptable and ask him to rectify this very important matter with a sense of urgency. The people have a right to know who is governing them. It is critical that the Supervisor of Election inform the people of the results of the election. The people have the right to know,” he added. (Caribbean News)

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday February 18, 2015

Wednesday February 18, 2015

Kaieteur News

GVF partners with PYARG, Upper... (From page 31) some One hundred and forty students will commence the sport’s training under facilitator, former national volleyball player and coach Ms. Annie Gordon at the Kwakwani Park court. Marketing Executive of the GVF, Mr. Mark Bradford who also heads the Competitions and Fund Raising committees, informed the students and teachers and other community stakeholders at the Kwakwani Secondary School on Friday last that his federation has recognized that the best of female volleyball players in Guyana over the past years were from the region 10 area which includes Kwakwani and Linden. He noted that with the grassroots programme the various coaches and students now have a short term goal in preparation for selection mainly to the female representative squad which will represent Guyana at the Inter Guianas Games, August 610th 2015. Notwithstanding or side stepping the males, Bradford noted that there are still places for selection of students of exceptional quality since the male team has been together for some period. He emphasized the need for

the resuscitation of the sport in the area and emphasized that with the grassroots programme in place others will come onboard in the community and surrounding communities and villages. The GVF executive visited facilities in the Kwakwani community and has sought to collaborate tournaments between Kwakwani and the satellite villages and community very soon. Businessman and proprietor Mr. Brian Sampson, who operates the Bush Pool Resort, has indicated his commitment to hosting tournaments of a beach volleyball nature in assistance toward promoting the sport at a high level with the guidance and assistance of the GVF. Sampson indicated that beach volleyball will now become a weekend feature in the calendar of events at his resort. Assistant Field Officer of the PYARG (MS) Ms. Alicia Roache in conducting the launching of the programme at the Kwakwani Secondary School said it was launched in the United Kingdom in 1956 as the Duke of Edinburgh Award and came to Guyana in 1998 under the late President Janet Jagan. The award, she explained to

the students comprises of three award categories in Bronze, Silver and Gold. These categories she noted have four compulsory components in Skill, Service Expedition and Physical Recreation that the students must complete to be qualified for each category. On completion of her presentation, two video presentations of the award were shown as the students got a more in depth appreciation for the programme. Registration forms were distributed to the students and with their parent/guardian approval, the event will begin. Headmistress Ms. Adrian commended the GVF executive and the PYARG AFO for their presentation and committed the student’s participation to both programmes. Former national volleyball female player now coach and sports organizer of the Kwakwani Community, Ms. Ann Gordon, received ten volleyballs and a net to commence the grassroots programme while businessman Brian Sampson of Bush Pool Resort received two volleyballs and a net for the promotion of beach volleyball at his resort from the Marketing Executive of the GVF Mr. Mark Bradford.

Wednesday February 18, 2015 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) All aspects of love and romance will go especially well today, Aries. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Your connection with others is especially strong today, Taurus. You will enjoy an important nurturing role. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You might feel especially playful today, Gemini. You can expect to feel a great deal of love and affection from others. CANCER (June 21–July 22) The bizarre nature of the day may leave you feeling a bit bewildered, Cancer. Don't sweat it. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You will be in an especially affectionate and loving mood today, Leo. Your romantic nature is heightened and your nurturing qualities are strong. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) . Annoyances of daily life may rub you the wrong way today, Virgo. Other people's strong opinions and odd quirks may be difficult to swallow and your fuse may be a bit shorter than usual.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Be open and honest about your feelings toward others today, Libra. Your receptive nature should be ready. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Your heart beats extra strong today, Scorpio, but it may not seem like anyone knows it but you. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) This is a fantastic day for you, Sagittarius. Join close friends and share a night on the town and fine meal. This is a chance to begin a new cycle of romance. CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) Your emotional energy is strongly tied to your heart, and you will find that there's a longing to be close to others. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) You will enjoy a great deal of affection from others today, Aquarius. You radiate an air of love and beauty. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) You might want to give your mother a call if you haven't spoken with her in a while. She would love to hear from you.

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New Zealand sink Scotland in Dunedin

New Zealand made it two wins out of two in Pool A with a bizarre three-wicket victory against Scotland in Dunedin. The Scots were reduced to 12-4 in the fifth over before Matt Machan (56) and Richie Berrington (50) put on 97. Four batsmen fell first ball, a World Cup first, and only the third such instance in a one-day international, as they were 142 all out in the 37th over. But New Zealand had more alarms than expected in a curious run chase, before winning with 25.1 overs to spare.

The Scots are in their third World Cup campaign and are yet to win a match in nine attempts, but came closer at the University Oval than anyone could have believed after such a destructive start. They thrashed their higher ranked fellow qualifiers Ireland by 179 runs in a recent warm-up game yet it quickly became apparent they would not be emulating the Irish team’s victory over West Indies on Monday. Facing an in-form New Zealand on their own patch was a rather different proposition to a fragmented Windies, and the co-hosts, semi-finalists six times, justified their position as one of the leading contenders for the trophy with a fine display in the field after winning the toss. Left-arm seamer Trent Boult expertly exploited the conditions, swinging the ball back into the right-handers at pace to claim wickets with his opening two deliveries in the second over. Tim Southee also struck with consecutive deliveries and there was concern the lowest World Cup total of 36 by Canada was in jeopardy.

But Sussex left-hander Machan played with calm assurance in a 79-ball innings to restore some respectability with the purposeful Berrington. However, wily spinner Daniel Vettori wrapped up the innings with successive wickets and the Kiwis had almost 40 minutes of batting before the official lunch interval. Skipper Brendon McCullum and opening partner Martin Guptill appeared to want to reach the target in the nine overs bowled before the break, with number of wickets lost not affecting a team’s overall run-rate in the group table, and both were caught behind in the mini-session. The prolific Kane Williamson top-scored with 38 but edged seamer Josh Davey in the 18th over, one of four wickets to fall for 31 in a surprisingly ragged batting display from the Kiwis, who next face England in a day-night fixture in Wellington on Friday. Scotland captain Preston Mommsen said he was “very proud” of his side after they ran the co-hosts so close. Scotland’s next match is against England, in Christchurch on Monday.

Demerara thump Berbice... (From page 30) before a spirited fight back from the Essequibians led by Ramdahin and Mahendra Dindyal gave them victroy. Ramdahin who picked up the man of the match award, bagged 5-29 off nine overs and Dindyal snared 3-28 off 8.1 overs as the President’s XI were sent packing for 107 in 28.1 overs. Anil Singh scored 31 (3x4) while Sachin Singh was the only other batsman to reach double figure with 12.

Response to Mr Lowe’s... (From page 26) great West Indian player. For those who feel that way I offer my profound apologies and as I explained my former Sports Editor at Stabroek News Donald Duff, who taught me a lot when I was a young cricket writer back in the 1990s, I was not attacking Lloyd as a player but just pointing his double standards and strange decisions as Chairman of the WICB Selectors. Sean Devers.

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Kaieteur News

Wednesday February 18, 2015

Letter to the Sports Editor

Response to Mr Lowe’s letter Dear Editor, Allow me to respond to a letter penned by Mr Ricky Lowe which appeared in Sunday’s edition of the Kaieteur News accusing me of being ‘disrespectful’ to former West Indies Captain Guyanese Clive Lloyd, who is the only man to lead the West Indies to three successive World Cup finals; winning the first two in 1975 & 1979. Mr Lloyd is a cricketing icon and I would never dream of being critical of his tremendous achievements as a one of the greatest players this Country has produced or of his work as an ICC official or West Indies team Manager. My comments about Mr Lloyd were made solely in his capacity as Chairman of the West Indies Selectors. I fully agree with Mr Lowe that ‘Lloyd’s credentials (on the field and in the dressing room) speak for themselves’ I also agree with Mr Lowe that Mr Lloyd one of the most successful Test captains ever. He captained the West Indies between 1974 and 1985 and during his captaincy West Indies registered 27 consecutive Tests without defeat, which included 11 wins in succession (Viv Richards acted as captain for one of the 27 matches, against Australia at Port of Spain in 1983–84). Lloyd was the first West Indian player to earn 100 international caps and yes I agree with you Mr Lowe, those accolades can never be tarnished. However, as a Selector Mr Lloyd is helping to destroy the rapidly declining image of West Indies Cricket by not picking the best team for the ICC showpiece event which is held once every four years. When Lloyd led a team to the Kerry Packer World series for better wages in 1978, the players who went to that series were all banned by the WICB. However, knowing that World Cup, watched by a global audience, was important to the image of West Indies cricket they rescinded the ban and picked their best team for the 1979 World Cup. The team Lloyd has picked now is not our best team and even ICC Associate team Ireland, registered their first ever victory against the West Indies on Sunday night. In my article I said when Lloyd replaced Dwayne Bravo as West Indies 50-over Skipper with 23-year-old Rookie Jason Holder for the

One-Day series in South Africa and for ICC World Cup, that selection raised eyebrows. Holder was appointed Captain because Lloyd feels he is a good leader although he never captained any team at any Regional contest before and had played just 21 ODIs without reaching 25 or claiming a five-wicket haul for the West Indies. The 31-year-old Bravo has two centuries and 10 fifties from 164 ODIs in addition to taking 199 wickets with a best of 6-43. Andre Russell has four fifties and 53 wickets from 44 ODIs but was selected ahead of the T&T pair. Michael Holding and Colin Croft, who were both part of Lloyd’s invincible team in the 1980s, both expressed the same view that Bravo should have been selected and that Holder’s appointment could destroy his career. I also told the public that Pollard is 27 and has three tons and seven fifties and 44 wickets in his 91 ODIs and Lloyd’s justification of performances does not reflect a fair picture for the two cricketers (Pollard and Bravo), as they are fourth and fifth on the list of highest run-scorers for West Indies since the 2011 World Cup. I added in my article that Lloyd maybe forgot he told the world that the West Indies is moving forward in a new direction with the emphasis on picking young players who has performed in West Indies cricket. Yet 32-year-old Jamaican left-arm spinner Nikita Miller, who turns 33 in May, has replaced Sunil Narine in the World Cup squad ahead of Guyana’s Veerasammy Permaul whose 11 wickets is just one less than Narine, who finished as the top wickettaker in the recent NAGICO Super50 competition in Trinidad & Tobago. The 25-year-old Permaul bowls the same left-arm orthodox as Miller and is also the leading bowler in the Four-Day Franchise, while Miller is ninth on the list of Most Wickets with six. He is also six places behind Permaul in the four-day version, so Lloyd is contradicting what he says with what he does by picking Miller instead of Permaul. So Mr Lowe I don’t see how I have disrespected Mr Lloyd’s contribution as a (Continued on page 25)

Wednesday February 18, 2015

Kaieteur News

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National Basketball Unchanged Barbados squad Jaguars clash Championship continues tonight -Number two, three seeds bounce into action The National Basketball Championship: The Road to Mecca II continues tonight at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall with the thirdranked Colts United being the only Georgetown-based team that will compete for a place in next week’s Super Eight. A semi-finalist last year, Colts comes up against the 13th ranked Bankers Trust Falcons from the Mining Town of Linden in the first game scheduled for 7:30pm. The second game features last year’s finalist, Retrieve Raiders against New Amsterdam Warriors. Colts with its running game will be favoured to win against Falcons. Guard, Shelroy Thomas and Dave Causway will continue to be difficult to defend with their inside-out game that usually puts the defence under pressure. While Thomas and Causway are handling the ball, Colts also have the option of going inside to experience forwards, Nicko Fraser and Dane Kendall. However united (no pun intended), Colts might appear to be a trip to the Final Four seems more difficult this year. A win tonight will pit them against Pepsi Sonics in the Super Eight.

The ease in which Colts are expected to get pass Falcons tonight will disappear against Sonics, which has become a more formidable team with the additions of Yannick December and Kevin Cumberbatch. But for now, their immediate focus is beating Falcons. The Linden-based team was a strong side at its formation, but has slipped down the rankings in Linden and nationally. So far, only Kings from Linden have qualified for the Super Eight, which ought to be enough motivation for Falcons tonight. A better case can be made for 2014 finalists, Retrieve Raiders against New Amsterdam Warriors in the second game. Louis James and Neil Marks will have to lead the Retrieve team as they did last year when Dwayne Roberts was absent in the semi-final. Roberts will be absent again tonight. While they are favourites, a National Championship remain on the line and it can come down to who wants to own the title. Maybe New Amsterdam, with all the basketball playing there, may feel it is their time, or Falcons may have similar hope. It comes down to which team produces the better basketball tonight.

East Canje Knights squander healthy lead against Rose Hall Town Jammers The once feared East Canje Knights basketball team have somehow lost most of their endurance and fighting instinct as they once again choked after enjoying a healthy lead when play continued in the second edition of the Anamayah Memorial first division basketball competition in Berbice. Their latest disappointment came in their last game against the Rose Hall Town Jammers Basketball club when they blew a healthy 225 advantage to lose 54 -49. The Knights of recent continue to show that they do not have the endurance to last the entire game and quickly needs to work on their stamina and back up support if they are to reverse the trend. The game started with the Knights dominating almost every aspect of the game and by the end of the first quarter had established a 17 points lead. By the end of the second quarter the Knights were maintaining a momentum as the Jammers were beginning to find some range with the first half ending at 34-21. The second half saw the Knights stumbling badly as the Jammers began to make inroads. By the end of the third quarter the jammers had scored 16 points to the

Action in the clash between East Canje Knights and Rose Hall Town Jammers. Knights 6 to end that segment with the scores 40 -37. The final segment saw the Jammers locking the Knights in a corner as they poured in 17 points to the Knights 9 for the come from behind 54-49 upset win. Leading the fightback for the Jammers were Kevin Deolall 11, Kevon Wiggins and Mickel Lewis with 9 each. The Knights effort were led by the consistent Kevon Emmanuel and Steve Roopnarine with 10 each, while support came from

Dameon Hunte with three shots from down town for 9 points. In their last game the Knights had blown a 15-5 first quarter lead to lose against Smythfield Rockers and East Canje Knights. The competition continues on Sunday with Hopetown Warriors travelling to Corentyne to playing the Fyrish Black Sharks on the Fyrish Court. The competition is being coordinated by Vibert Garrett. (Samuel Whyte)

Bridgetown, Barbados Barbados Pride have named an unchanged 13-man squad for the key seventh round WICB Professional Cricket League first-class match against Guyana Jaguars at Kensington Oval, beginning February 20. Guyana are leading the points table with 92 points, followed by title holders Barbados on 77, Windward Islands Volcanoes 64, Jamaica Franchise 57, Trinidad & Tobago Red Force 30 and Leeward Islands Hurricanes 14. Squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Tino Best, Carlos Brathwaite,

Shamarh Brooks, Roston Chase, Kyle Corbin, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich, Kirk Edwards, Shai Hope, Ashley Nurse, Kevin Stoute, Jomel Warrican. Management and technical staff: Henderson Springer

(Coach), Dexter Toppin (Assistant Coach), Hartley Reid (Manager), Jacqueline King (Physiotherapist), Rodney Ashby (Video Analyst), Shannon Lashley (Trainer), Nkoyo Meade (Masseur). (BCA)

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Kaieteur News

K&S back with a bang! New dates but same excitement and quality exhorted By Michael Benjamin They have combined football knowledge with business acumen to transform a fourteam village scrubby into one of the largest national football tournaments but the mercurial underpinnings within the (football) fraternity have forced the principals of the Kashif and Shanghai Entertainment group to recoil while restructuring their thoughts with a view of reinstating the tournament to its rightful number one position. The recent installation of the (FIFA) Normalization Committee (NC) has restored the sport to a semblance of normalcy and Kashif Mohamed and Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major, the brains behind the organization, is set to re-launch their ‘baby’ with much pomp and ceremony. And so it was that (sports) media operatives were summoned to Club 704, Lamaha and Albert Streets, Georgetown where the K&S principals were joined by Chairman of the NC, Clinton Urling, sponsors and other football affiliates for the grand launch of the 25th edition of the tournament. The action will kick off on Friday March 20 and conclude with the grand finals at the National Stadium Providence on Sunday April 5. Chairman of the NC, Clinton Urling, also shared the head table with the organizers and was delighted with the positivity of the tournament. ”I am always delighted with tournaments of this nature which is in keeping with the mantra of the NC to oversee the progression of the game,” exhorted Mr. Urling. He also

said that the K&S organization adds a fresh dimension to the purported (local) football menu. Further, we anticipate the inclusion of many international matches on the yearly calendar soon,” intimated Mr. Urling. Mr. Mohamed was ecstatic and promised football fans the high quality that has become synonymous with the tournament. He also expressed delight to the Chairman and other members of the NC. “Permit me to express delight (on behalf of the K&S organization) for your consideration in making this venture a success. We certainly appreciate the collected quest to ensure that a place was found for the continued staging of what is unquestionably an historic event on the national football calendar,” he said. Mr. Mohamed relived the memorable years of the tournament’s existence and further acknowledged the input of the many sponsors that have supported the tournament. He mentioned Banks DIH Ltd, one of the original companies even as he acknowledged the input of other entities that have been among the first to support the tournament. These included Mohammad’s Enterprise, Ansa McAl and Cell Phone Shack among others. Two stalwarts of the sport, Faizal Khan, Arnold Adams, the late Aubrey Henry and Frank ‘English’ Parris were also singled out for their steadfast commitment to the progression of the tournament. PRO (Ansa McAl) Darshanie Yussuf said that her company has had a five

year relationship with the K&S organizers and executives are impressed with the returns. She said that this time around they are sponsoring under the Stag Brand. ”Naturally, I’d like to wish the organizers all the best as we continue to enjoy fruitful relations,” concluded Ms Yussuf. Sixteen teams will vie for the top spot including Alpha United, Pele, Western Tigers, Rhythm Squad, GDF, GFC, Victoria Kings, Mahaica Determinators, New Amsterdam United, Slingerz FC, Den Amstel FC, Grove Hi Tec, Agricola Red Triangle, Winners’ Connection, Hi Stars and Bartica Beacon. Matches would be played at several venues around Georgetown as well as in the rural areas such as DCC, where the tournament will be officially launched with a march past, Mackenzie Sports Club Ground, Uitvlugt and Leonora with the grand finals taking place at the National Stadium, Providence on Sunday April 5. To date, several business entities have agreed to sponsorship deals including Mohammad’s Enterprise, Ansa McAl, Cell Phone Shack, DDL, HJTV, Church’s Chicken, Sonic Business Services, Club 704 and JGS Telecommunications. The winning team will cart off two million dollars with the runners up winning half that amount. The third and fourth place prizes are five hundred thousand and two hundred and fifty thousand dollars respectively. There will also be trophies which will be presented for individual and team performances.

West Indies heading for Christchurch Christchurch, New Zealand - The West Indies team, seeking to regroup following their opening round thrashing at the hands of minnows Ireland, were travelling to Christchurch yesterday for their second round clash against Pakistan in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. Jason Holder’s side, jolted by an excruciating four wicket loss to Ireland at Nelson, will be seeking to revive their campaign when they take on the Pakistanis. West Indies have been criticized in many quarters for Monday’s defeat to Ireland and must now win matches to keep alive their chances of securing a quarter final place. The Caribbean team collapsed to 87 for five before Lendl Simmons (102) and Darren Sammy (89) guided them to a total of 304 for seven against Ireland. ”The West Indies, I do not understand how they could ever think that just over 300 runs

that they would just automatically win,” insisted former fast bowler Michael Holding, a member of the West Indies side that won the 1979 World Cup final. ”They cannot take things for granted. You should be able to think for yourself, ‘OK we got a reasonable score but we still have a fight on our hands and we still have to go out there and perform”. West Indies will be resting today and will only resume training tomorrow at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. They will also train on Friday ahead of the crucial clash against Pakistan, who lost to India by 76 runs in their opening encounter at the Adelaide Oval. The match will be played on Saturday, February 21 at Hagley Oval. First ball is 11 am (6pm Sunday Eastern Caribbean Time/5pm Sunday Jamaica Time). (CMC)

Wednesday February 18, 2015

Mayor’s Cup Football Championship

Teams hunt final spots tonight in semi-finals action The four surviving teams in the Mayor’s Cup Football Championship will battle tonight for a spot in the final when the semi-finals are staged at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground, Bourda from 19:00hrs. This evening’s showdown will see Fruta Conquerors play Western Tigers at 19:00hrs, while Slingerz will tackle Pele in the feature attraction at 21:00hrs. The final is fixed for Sunday along with the third place playoff. The winner of this tournament will collect $1,000,000 donated by Banks DIH Ltd, while the runners-up receive $300,000. The 3rd and 4th place finishers will take home $200,000 and $100,000 respectively. This evening’s battles are expected to be intense with all teams eying the $1M payday. Conquerors and Western Tigers are two balanced teams and an exciting contest is anticipated to open proceedings. The Tigers are known for their big game temperament and fans can expect them to come firing. Slingerz have had the tournament favourite tag from the ‘get go’, but Pele are not a side to be taken lightly based on their record and the contest should be a humdinger. Among some of the key players on show in the games are Konata Manning, Dwain Jacobs, Vurlon Mills, Tichard Joseph and Devon Millington. Apart from the

Tichard Joseph

Dwain Jacobs

prize money there are the individual awards to contend for. The tournament highest goal scorer will take away a 3piece suite compliments of AH&L Kissoon. Several players are still in the reckoning for that accolade and prize. While Adrian Adams (NA), Rawle Haynes (Police) and Maxton Adams (Ann’s Grove) all have three and are locked at the top of the table; Vurlon Mills and Julian Wade (Slingerz), Deron Benjamin, Michael Pedro (Western Tigers), Konata Manning (Pele) and Daniel Wilson (Conquerors) all have two apiece and are still in the reckoning and can take the top scorer prize. A total of 66 goals have been scored so far. Trophies put up by Alfred King PS Ministry of Sport will go to the MVP and the DeSinco Trading Trophy will be given to the Best Goal-

keeper. Apart from Banks DIH and AH&L Kissoon, several other corporate entities have pitched in to ensure the tournament is successful including MACORP, Busta, Sterling Products, John Fernandes, GT&T, TCL, CIDI and the Vieira brothers of Houston. The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and Courtney Benn have also chipped in. Ricks and Sari and Keishars have donated hampers for the outstanding performers. Meanwhile, on the day of the final on, an exhibition game starting at 17:00hrs between Police and Monedderlust of West Berbice for the Commander Clifton Hicken trophy will be contested. This will be followed by the third place playoff and final.

GTTA sets AGM and Elections for March Guyana’s Table Tennis Association (GTTA) will hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Election of Office Bearers for the period 2015/ 2017 on Sunday March 8, 2015 from 10am at the Guyana Olympic Association Headquarters, High Street, Kingston. A release from the association yesterday indicated that “the notice of motions with regards to the general functioning and administration of the sport must be typewritten, addressed and reach the General Secretary (Linden Johnson) at the aforementioned address no later than March 2, 2015.” Each club registered with the association is entitled to send as many delegates as it may desire, however, only one (1) representative member of each club will be allowed to vote. The entities are asked to nominate

their representatives and send the necessary details to Johnson. “Clubs are also reminded to ensure that their Annual Subscription is paid by Monday March 2, 2015 in order to exercise their franchises. The affiliation fee is $2,000 per year and payments must be

made to GTTA,” the release continued. On the agenda are the President’s Address, Secretary and Treasurer’s Reports, Motions, along with the Election and Installation of Office Bearers. Godfrey Munroe is the incumbent GTTA President.

Local officials for CONCACAF qualifying for FIFA WC Russia 2018 A number of local referees have ben appointed by FIFA to officiate in the CONCACAF Preliminary qualifying competition for the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018. Mr. Sherwin Moore (Referee), Mr. Venton Mars (Assistant Referee 1), Mr. Andrew Porter (Assistant Referee 2) and Mr. Sherwin Johnson (Fourth

Official) have been appointed to officiate in the St. Kitts & Nevis vs. Turks & Caicos Islands match on 23 March 2015 at the Warner Park Sporting Complex, St. Kitts and Nevis. Mr. Trevor Johnson will serve as Fourth Official for the U.S. Virgin Islands vs. Barbados match on 29 March 2015 at the Lionel Roberts Park in the United States Virgin Islands.