Friday February 26, 2016
Kaieteur News
Russia, Syrian army pound rebels ahead of fighting halt Reuters - Russian warplanes bombed Syrian rebel-held areas in northwestern Syria and government forces pounded a suburb of the capital yesterday, ahead of a planned halt to fighting which rebels predicted Damascus and Moscow would ignore. The “cessation of hostilities” agreed by the United States and Russia is due to take hold tomorrow morning from midnight. But opponents of President Bashar al-Assad say they expect the government to press on with its advance, by branding opposition fighters al Qaeda militants unprotected by the truce. Damascus has agreed to the deal, as has the main opposition alliance, though it is only ready to commit for two weeks given its deep reservations. But the government and its allies will be permitted to forge on with strikes against jihadist militants of Islamic State and an al Qaeda-linked group, the Nusra Front. The government also says the agreement could fail if foreign states supply rebels with weapons or insurgents use the truce to rearm. Fighting in the final days before the truce has focussed on Daraya, a besieged suburb of the capital held by fighters the government describes as Nusra
Bashar al-Assad militants but rebels say are from other groups, and on the northwest near the Turkish frontier. Four months of Russian air strikes turned momentum Assad’s way in a 5-year-old war that has killed more than 250,000 people, created the world’s worst refugee crisis and seen Islamic State fighters declare a “caliphate” in Syria and Iraq. The multi-sided civil war has drawn in most regional and global powers, with Western countries, Arab states and Turkey forming a coalition against Islamic State while also backing rebels fighting to overthrow Assad. Russia and Iran support him. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britishbased group that monitors the conflict, said army helicopters dropped at least 30 “barrel bombs” on Daraya
yesterday. Assad’s opponents say the army drops oil drums filled with explosives and shrapnel to cause indiscriminate harm in rebel areas. The government blamed groups linked to Nusra for firing mortars into residential areas of Damascus, killing at least one person. A spokesman for rebels in southern Syria predicted Daraya would be the first place where the truce would collapse. “They want to exploit the ceasefire and focus their fire on Daraya to take it. This will be the first breach. We won’t accept it,” said Abu Ghiath alShami, spokesman for the Alwiyat Seif al-Sham group, part of a rebel alliance in the south. A Syrian military source also signalled that Damascus would not cease fighting in Daraya.
Iran votes in contest likely to shape post-sanctions era Reuters - Iranians go to the polls today to vote for the first time since last year’s nuclear deal in elections that could determine whether the Islamic Republic continues to emerge from diplomatic and economic isolation after years of sanctions. The contest will pit supporters of pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani, who championed the nuclear deal and is likely to seek a second presidential term next year, against conservatives deeply opposed to detente with Western powers. Both sides have called for a strong turnout. Most reformist candidates have been barred by a hardline clerical vetting body, along with many moderates, but their supporters have called on voters to back Rouhani’s allies and keep the conservatives out. At stake is control of the
290-seat parliament and the 88-member Assembly of Experts, a body that chooses the Islamic Republic’s most powerful figure, the Supreme Leader. During its eight year term it could name the successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is 76 and has been in power since 1989. Both bodies are currently in the hands of hardliners. Results are hard to predict, with conservatives traditionally doing well in rural areas and young urbanites favouring more reformist candidates. In Tehran’s grand bazaar, opinion among the influential merchant class was mixed. “I will vote for the reformists... if the conservatives win it will be bad news for me and other businesses because they are against economic liberalisation,” said Adel Jahangiri, 61, who owns a shirt shop in the bazaar. But retailer Sadegh
Salehakhoundi, 40, said he would vote for conservatives because of their adherence to Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution and resistance to foreign powers. “We don’t want any opening to the outside world,” he said. Mistrust of the West runs deep, and hardliners have sought to undermine Rouhani’s allies by accusing them of links to Western powers. If the Assembly of Experts is called upon to choose a successor to Khamenei, its decision could set the Islamic Republic’s course for years or even decades to come. A more supportive parliament would allow Rouhani to continue his economic reforms at home and diplomatic engagement abroad, and perhaps begin to chip away at social restrictions that irk a large segment of Iran’s young, educated population.
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Kaieteur News
Bandit shoots accomplice dead during robbery A robbery at Arif’s Service Station at Onderneeming, West Coast Berbice went badly wrong for the perpetrators last night when a gun-toting bandit shot his partner dead, while trying to shoot the fuel station supervisor. The bandit, who is still to be identified, was shot in the centre of the forehead by his accomplice, who reportedly fled the scene in a car that belonged to a customer who was there to refuel. The vehicle was recovered at Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice, some three villages away from the scene of the robbery. The robber is believed to have escaped with about $100,000. Police reportedly recovered a knife, a mobile phone, and a pair of sunshades from the slain man. At press time, the hunt was still on for his accomplice. The entire episode is believed to have been recorded by security cameras at the Guyoil outlet. The drama began at around 19.15 hrs when two men, one armed with a knife and the other with a gun, entered the service station and headed for a female pump at-
tendant. The attendant told Kaieteur News that one of the men went over to her and ‘calmly’ ordered her to hand over ‘the money.’ She thought the ‘customer’ was joking, when she saw he was pointing a handgun at her, she immediately gave him all the money and fled to a nearby shop. The robbers then headed to the service station mart, where the supervisor and other staff were on duty. Kaieteur News understands that the supervisor was about to resist, and the robber with the knife rushed towards him. It was at that same instant that the bandit with the gun tried to shoot the supervisor, but shot his partner instead. Leaving his mortally wounded accomplice, the gunman reportedly forced a customer out of a car and drove away. The owner of the car reportedly told police that the bandit would not have gotten far since the vehicle was low on fuel. The slain bandit’s body lay at the scene for over an hour before being taken to a hospital mortuary. Back in September 2014,
two masked robbers escaped with an undisclosed sum of money, two cellular phones, and two bags containing workers’ dinner after storming the same fuel station. The incident was captured on the eight surveillance cameras placed around the premises. An employee had stated that the gunmen, with faces covered with stockings, arrived in a heavily-tinted car just after a rush-hour of customers. One of the robbers was carrying a gun, while the other had a knife. One of the robbers saw two bags nearby, which he thought were full of money, and picked them up. The bags actually contained the employees’ dinner and two cell phones. The station is operated by Ms. Fareha Hanif. She recalled that the gunmen went straight for the alarm system and destroyed it just after arriving on the premises. The alarm would have been equipped with a switch that the employees could press to activate a siren placed around the gas station. Hanif added that the gas station was targeted numerous times.
Friday February 26, 2016
Jamaican opposition wins photo-finish general election Reuters - Provisional results showed Jamaica’s opposition party narrowly winning a general election yesterday, with promises of jobs and hefty tax cuts that appealed to voters weary of the current government’s IMF-mandated austerity measures. The Jamaican Labour Party won or was ahead in 34 of 63 parliamentary seats with almost all the votes counted, the electoral commission website showed. Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller’s People’s
New Prime Minister Andrew Holness
National Party had been predicted to win, but polls had tightened in the last week.
The PNP took 29 parliamentary seats, the provisional results showed.
Community Policing should not... (From page 6) they see Community Policing as a group which is separate and distinct from the regular police. The president said that one Divisional Commander accused Community Policing Groups of losing focus, and invited them to examine their role and legal status to determine whether or not their mandate was relevant to today’s society. The President said that if after nearly four decades, the
reliability of Community Policing is still questionable, something must have gone wrong. He said the basic question to be answered by the Police Officers of today is: ‘Is Community Policing intended to be a part of a parallel Force under the control of someone else, maybe an elected official at Brickdam or part of the professional Force trained under the command of the commissioner at Eve Leary?’” According to President Granger, over the years, the
concept of Community Policing has been battered. He noted that several groups h a v e c o l l a p s e d , while some remained inactive for long periods of time, despite the establishment of a Community Policing Secretariat and a Community Policing Executive body He assured that his government will implement the long standing plan to reform the security sector. The President blamed Guyana’s rate of robberies, murder, rape arson and other crimes on decades of deliberate disregard for the essential needs of human safety. The President noted that the rejection of the United Kingdom’s finance of the Security Sector Reform Action Plan, the neglect of the National D r u g S t r a t e g y Master Plan and the shelving of several reports including the Disciplined Services Commiss i on and a dozen other consultancies and studies, were not accidental.
Friday February 26, 2016
Kaieteur News
The police must not be pressured into finding a scapegoat
The Guyana Police Force is under a great deal of public pressure to solve the murder of Mr. Courtney Crum-Ewing. There is anticipation that with a new government in place a great many crimes, including those believed to political in nature, are going to be solved. Courtney Crum-Ewing was gunned down in Diamond. He reportedly was at the time using a bullhorn and calling on persons not to vote for the People’s Progressive Party, the party in government at the time. There is an assumption in the minds of many people that the killing of Crum-Ewing was a political act. Some people want to believe that so that they can blame the PPP for his murder. Others believe that because of the fact that his death occurred during the course of his one-man political activities against the PPP, including not long after a oneman picketing exercise outside of the office of the then Attorney General of Guyana. His death converted Courtney Crum-Ewing into a political activist. It is not known which political party he belonged to or was sup-
porting. But the AFC claimed he was in their colours. Coincidentally, the Brazilian football team wears the same colours. It does not necessarily follow, of course, that CrumEwing’s death was a political assassination. He was oneman show. He was a loose cannon. He had no known constituency. He was no Walter Rodney. He was hardly a political threat to anyone and therefore his death need not at all have been a political killing. But in a country in which people tend to put their own meaning to things, the political angle could not at all have been foreclosed on investigators. The obvious thing for the police to do was to first look for a political angle to the killing. The police did eventually find a gun which they claimed was linked to his killing. They charged a known character with his murder and for the illegal possession of the gun which they said was linked to the killing. The gun charge was discharged. This has put a different complexion on the murder charge, because if the posses-
sion charge was dismissed, then how will the murder charge stand up. The police have reportedly begun to question persons connected to the PPP about the murder of CrumEwing. Well how come they charged someone else with
the crime? How come they are now questioning other people? The police must be careful that they are not pressured into charging innocent persons. They are under a lot of pressure to solve this murder, but in the end they must find the right persons. They must
Television cameraman and former reporter, Andre Hetsberger, was yesterday jailed for 25 years by Justice Navendra Singh, on a charge of having sex with a minor female relative – a 13-year-old who he and his wife had cared for. The offence was committed in 2014 and came to light after the girl had alleged that Hetsberger had sexually molested her. When the matter first surfaced, people close to the 39year-old Hetsberger and even his friends doubted his guilt. In fact, after he managed to secure bail, his employers re-employed him. He continued to work until yesterday
when he was sentenced. The matter was heard in camera after the jury was empanelled on Wednesday. Yesterday, sentencing was imposed in open court. Immediately there was commotion in the courtroom. Hetsberger burst into tears. Those members of the judiciary who were in the court left immediately. The prosecution said that it relied on serious circumstantial evidence. The victim insisted that she was molested and penetrated one day in 2014. Because she was under the age of consent the charge was statutory rape.
not try to make political scapegoats. The police must also examine some of their premises. The police have competent investigators. They know how to approach murder investigations. You do not rule out any motive. You do not
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rule out any angle. The police should not be only considering the political angle to this case. They should also consider other angles. They should ask themselves whether the killing could be non-political.
TV Cameraman gets 25 years for raping family relative
Andre Hetsberger
The victim testified that she was molested repeatedly and convinced the jury that Hetsberger was the perpetrator. He was represented by
attorneys Lawrence Harris and Hewley Griffith. The prosecutors were Siand Dhurjon, Michael Shahoud, and Narissa Leander.
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Kaieteur News
Friday February 26, 2016
=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===
The President should tell the police force to behave There is a road that runs north to south across the Railway Embankment, one block east of the Conversation Tree Road. That is the street Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo has to take to get to Georgetown, because he lives about six houses off that very pathway. I rang the PM’s wife to get the name of that street, but she said smilingly that for all the years she lived there she didn’t know its name. My editor, Adam Harris didn’t know. The police at Sparendaam didn’t know.
This is the road I take to get to my mechanic when I leave home. It starts at the Texaco or Rubis gas station and ends in Bel Air Village. I rang, H. Doodnauth, called Smallie, my mechanic (who happens to be Adam Harris’s mechanic too). Smallie’s workshop is behind this street in Bel Air Village. Smallie said he knows that people refer to the roadway as Sophia Road. Actually, people list the PM’s residence for all the decades he has lived there as Liliendaal. But the legal name of the area the PM lives is Sophia. I was
confused when the PM told me about fifteen years ago that he lives in Sophia. Most Guyanese see Sophia as the entire landscape behind the University of Guyana and bordering Lamaha Gardens and Prashad Nagar. For the decades and decades I have known Moses Nagamootoo, I believed his district of residence was Liliendaal. But right at the corner where the PM resides is a huge sign with the word, Sophia. On Wednesday afternoon at 5pm, I was travelling west on the Railway Embankment when as I approached Sophia Road, I saw four ranks conducting random stops of vehicles. Three were dressed in normal police uniform, while one donned the traffic garb. I went up to the female rank to complain about the random stopping. A rank with the name tag, Budhram, said he was in charge of operation west of Sophia Road, but told me,
Inspector Burnett was supervising another crew east of Sophia Road. I indicated to Mr. Budhram that he was in violation of police SOP (standard operating procedure) by stopping drivers without reasonable suspicion. He said that what I consider reasonable suspicion he would not. He ignored me. I then told the traffic rank, with the name tag, Henry, that he cannot halt motorists through the routine method. Henry laughed out loudly, said he does know anything about that, and continued his routine thing. Budhram stopped a car at random. It had two women and a baby. I asked the lady to bear testimony with me, but she said she was on an emergency trip to the hospital. I crossed over Sophia Road and went to dialogue with Inspector Burnett. I lodged a complaint against Henry and Budhram. In front of Inspector Burnett, I demonstrated for Mr. Budhram that if a car is just moving on the roadway then by what logic can you invoke reasonable suspicion. Henry denied to Inspector Burnett
that he laughed at me. And I called him a liar. Mr. Burnett was professional and courteous to me. But I got the distinct impression that he didn’t want to speak to Budhram and Henry in front of me, so I departed. The police cannot search without reasonable suspicion. Why would they search without reasonable suspicion? The decisions people make must be backed by logical explanation. Sigmund Freud said that when motive and action are separated then mental breakdown has occurred. There must be some basis, however thin, as to the reason for the search. But to pull a car travelling with all the normal features of movement on the roadway and stop that car and carry out a search on it, seems to me to be a choice and decision without logic. The police cannot conduct random traffic stops. The Police Commissioner announced this in March last year. The police force repeated that announcement this year. Traffic Chief Moore gave me his assurance that he
Frederick Kissoon would inform all divisional commanders in the entire 83,000 square miles of Guyana (see my column of January 23, 2016, “The Traffic Chief gave his word: I will hold him to it.”) Can’t someone with legal authority over the police force advise and warn them that the police have to follow standard procedures? Surely, President Granger cannot be that short-sighted to not know that recalcitrant police behaviour will stain his Government’s credibility. It was President Granger who publicly said that he prefers to see bandits subdued rather than shot. Since the police hierarchy will not do it, then either the Minister of Public Security has to or the President himself. Will they?
Dem boys seh...
There is nothing like a perfect crime SOCU is de new kid on de block who playing police, running in people place lef, right and centre. Normally, dem woulda never do that but a white man come and tell dem fuh run here and run there like a headless fowl cock. De white man gone. Dem boys hear dem running after de wrong set of people –people wid li’l millions and not going after de real big boys. And dem boys did hear that last week a certain politician give instructions to release one man after he tek a $10 million. Dem boys nah certain whether is bribe or is party contribution. Dem boys keeping a close watch pun de situation and dem gun report to Soulja Bai when dem get de full findings. Dem boys also keeping a close eye pun some other state institutions like de GEA. De information dem boys got at hand show that more than half of de fuel used in Guyana is
smuggle fuel. Dem boys know that most of de people who smuggling in de fuel close to Jagdeo. Dem is either close friends or relatives. SOCU and de DEA got to realize that this is bigger than cocaine, and gold. Is millions of Uncle Sam dollars flinging around de place. That is why Rohee and Jagdeo vex because SOCU conducting raids pun dem family and friends. Times change, government change so things have to change, even de language. There was a time when pussy was a cat, when sex was gender, when bitch was a female dog, when dick was a name, when BJ was a nickname, bang was a sound, rubber was nothing but an eraser, ass was an animal, screw was just a fixing tool, balls meant a round toy, nut meant dried fruit, 69 was just a number. Then we meet all dem politicians in Guyana who change all de meaning. Talk half and hope SOCU don’t get another meaning like Suck You.
Friday February 26, 2016
Kaieteur News
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Smuggled fuel accounts for more than half of local consumption Massive corruption unearthed...
GEA’s head, Mahender Sharma
Whistleblowers are talking about massive corruption and mismanagement in the country’s multi-billion-dollar fuel importation. Guyana has to depend heavily on oil imports to meet its energy and transportation needs. Regulating the oil imports for the country is the Guyana Energy Authority (GEA). The authority has been playing a key role in negotiating the purchases and ensuring that petroleum products are imported legally. GEA’s annual report in 2014 shows that it spent US$561.6M on petroleum
products imports - a little more than half was purchased from Venezuela under the PetroCaribe arrangement. On every gallon of gas and diesel Government has been charging up to 50 percent tax, an indication of how much revenues Guyana has been raking in. Revenues from both gas and diesel, especially, have been one of the biggest earners for Government over the
years. So much so that the new administration has been reluctant to drop the fuel tax after world oil prices fell by two-thirds over the past year. Government insisted that it needs the windfall to fund a number of critical projects and to carry out its programmes. However, there is a massive corruption network in the fuel sector which is poorly managed at almost every level--from purchasing to dis-
tribution. The unbelievable scale of corruption and mismanagement in the fuel industry trickles down to even the fishing, timber and mining sectors. It also involves key entities such as the Guyana Oil Company and Guyana Power and Light Inc. However, half the amount of fuel that is being consumed locally is unaccounted for both at the level of the treasury or Guyana Revenue Au-
thority. Guyana is not getting a single cent for more than half of the fuel that is imported. As a result, the country has been losing tons of money annually in revenue. Fuel smuggling is rampant. GEA reported that for last year alone, there were 25 joint operations with members of the Task Force on Fuel Smuggling and Contraband. In addition to this, the Fuel Marking Programme re-
corded a mere nine convictions in 2015. Five new charges were filed. Two matters were dismissed of which one was appealed. So what is wrong with this picture? According to Government officials and ex-GEA inspectors who are familiar with the fuel import business, it is one of the most lucrative in the country along with gold and cocaine. “We can find (Continued on page 12)
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Kaieteur News
Friday February 26, 2016
AG appeals Chang’s ruling on Technocrat Ministers The government has made good on its promise to appeal the decision handed down by Chief Justice (ag) Ian Chang, which bars the Ministers Winston Felix and Keith
Scott from sitting in the National Assembly as Technocrats. On Wednesday last, Attorney General (AG) Basil Williams filed a Notice of Appeal against the whole deci-
Rayan Hoppie and not Ryan In yesterday’s issue it was reported that Ryan Hoppie was busted with a quantity of marijuana. The story described Hoppie as 34 years old and driving a BMW. However, the person arrested was Rayan Hoppie. We apologise for any confusion that may have arisen.
sion. The appeal against the judgment was made on six grounds. The AG is contending that the decision cannot be supported in law. He said too that Justice Chang “fell into grave error of law and misdirected himself in law when he found that persons who are on the successful list of candidates are elected and therefore cannot qualify under Article 105 to be ‘non-elected’ members of parliament and who have not been chosen or selected from the list of candidates to be Members of Parliament are excluded from being selected by the President as persons who
are qualified to be elected as members of the National Assembly”. Further, Williams is contending that the CJ’s decision is fundamentally bad in law in that “the learned Chief Justice failed to take in to consideration the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, Chapter 1:03 and the National Assembly (Validity of Elections Act), Chapter 1:04”. Williams said that Chang also misdirected himself in law when he “failed to take into account that Article 163 (4) (a) of the Constitution of Guyana empowered Parliament to make provisions with respect to the circumstances and manner in which and the conditions upon which proceed-
ings for the determination of any question under this article may be instituted in the High Court which Parliament did by enacting the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Act, Cap. 1:04”. Another ground upon which the appeal is being filed is that Justice Chang, at the time of delivery of the decision, was functus officio. Williams is saying as well that Chang’s decision is in breach of the rules of natural justice because he failed to give a hearing to the Attorney General before delivering his decision. Yesterday the Ministry of Legal Affairs indicated that “An application for a stay of execution against the order of the former Chief Justice (ag) Mr. Ian Chang
comes up for hearing February 26, 2016 (today) at 9:00am before Chancellor of the Judiciary Justice Carl Singh in the Court of Appeal.” The PPP had objected to the appointment of Scott and Felix as Technocrat (expert or skilled in their field) Members of the National Assembly following last year’s General and Regional Elections. The party, via a statement, had contended that “Articles 103 (3) and 105 of the Constitution and Laws pronouncing on the eligibility of appointment of Technocratic Ministers, do not confer Technocratic status on these persons already sworn in by President David Granger as Ministers”. The matter was filed by PPP member, Desmond Morian.
Smuggled fuel accounts for... From page 11 two cases of illegalities every day. If Guyana brings in US$600M in fuel annually and legally, then from what is taking place on the ground, it is widely believed that fuel brought in illegally is in excess of US$600M,” an exFuel Marking inspector insisted. Largely, the legal fuel for GuyOil comes from Trinidad - Petroleum Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (PetroTrin), Curacao and Venezuela. The illegal fuel is coming from Venezuela and Trinidad. Knowledgeable officials confirmed that GEA has been turning a blind eye to illegal fuel scheme for a number of reasons. One reason is that the previous Government created what is known as the Border Trade Area. Officials explained that boats bring illegal fuel into the country, fuel is picked up, and transported to various areas in the mining community in the hinterland. “The reasons may be good to allow fuel in the Border Trade Area as it is logistically difficult to transport legally imported fuel to those outlying areas,” explained one of the ex-GEA inspectors. He explained that the fuel being used in the Border Trade Area does not attract any tax. “But the problem we have is that the fuel that is supposed to be used only in that area is being brought and sold in the city and along the coast. The smugglers escape paying taxes to the authorities and the fuel is leaked into the system. Can you guess how much monies Guyana is losing?” According to one former GEA staffer, they have been facing difficulties in going after known smugglers. “We would raid a location and find illegal fuel, but these cases would go nowhere. When
you look at the number of cases that go before the courts and knowing the reality on the ground, you know people are being protected.” Kaieteur News was also told that a significant amount of fuel is being brought in under the guise that it will be used for the fishing industry. Fuel for the fishing industry is duty free. Boatloads of fuel drums have been coming down the Demerara River, stopping off at the various points and dropping off their loads. With no central point for the fishing industry where GEA would monitor, the situation has allowed for a free-for-all. “Again, the fuel here ends up all over the place.” But while smuggling would account for a large part of the illegal fuel, it appears that rackets were also being run using the legal supplies. “We have persons who have import licences but have no vessels or storage areas for fuel. How did they get them? GEA is in charge of licensing vessels bringing fuel. Some of the fuel being brought in legally are not declared and are ending up in gas stations. Everyone is involved and they are getting a nice kickback,” a Government official said yesterday. Revelations of how bad the situation with fuel smuggling and corruption is would mirror concerns by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) which said recently that leakages of revenues remains a major concern. GRA is working to revamp its systems with a new Board of Directors, headed by Rawle Lucas now in place. Last month, Government installed a new board of GEA with private sector executive Lance Hinds as the new Chairman. The other members are Nadia Sagar; Mark Bender; Dr. Mahender Sharma and Dr. Vincent Adams. Sharma is also the current Chief Executive Officer of GEA.
Friday February 26, 2016
Kaieteur News
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East Bank road expansion works to recommence shortly Residents of the East Bank of Demerara will soon breathe a sigh of relief with the disclosure that Lot 1 of the East Bank road expansion project, from Providence to Covent Garden, is scheduled to recommence this week. This was revealed by Geoffrey Vaughn, the Coordinator of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure’s Work Services Group, when he was contacted recently. Vaughn said that the contract was awarded to BK International Inc. and Gaico Construction. He also stated that there are still some details to be ironed out with regards to Gaico. However, BK has already been given the green light to commence works. Vaughn continued that the construction, once unhindered, will be “wrapped up” by July or August of this year. The contract to complete that section – Providence to Covent Garden, with a length of 2.65km – was initially awarded to Dipcon Engineering Services at a price of US$8M. According to the Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson, recently, the cwontractor had only completed 59 percent of the contract when all works were
“effectively ceased” in May 2015 – two years after the project was scheduled for a completion date of April, 30, 2013. Following discussions with the contractor and the ministry, an “agreeable settlement” was reached and on August 16, 2015, and the contract was terminated, Patterson was cited as saying. In recent reports, the company allegedly stated that it was faced with a series of issues which it said, derived from the rising cost of materials and delays in the removal of utilities from the area. Meanwhile, Lot 2 – from Vreed-en-Rust to Prospect – with a length of 1.55km, was awarded to GEM Ltd. & Gaico Construction to the amount of approximately US$5.8 M. The contract was completed in May 2015 and is in its defects liability period which concludes in May 2017. Meanwhile, Lot 3, Prospect to Great Diamond, with a length of 1.20km, was completed in June 2015 by BK International Inc. to the amount of US$3.5M. All three contracts were signed on October 3, 2011 with a commencement date of November 1, 2011 and completion date of April 30, 2013. The project still stands incomplete.
An incomplete bridge which links the villages of Providence and Herstelling.
An unfinished section of the road in Herstelling.
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Kaieteur News
Friday February 26, 2016
Specially-trained prosecutors, cash dogs recommended for SOCU improvements A number of recommendations have been made to the administrative arm of the Special Organized Crime Unit, (SOCU) to strengthen and improve investigations expected to counter money laundering and other financial crimes in Guyana. Among them is the need for specialized prosecutors and cash dogs in the area of combating these types of criminal activities. SOCU, a local specialised unit probing financial crimes currently handles 285 investigations for which firms, companies and businesses suspected of financial crimes. The Unit has been operating with assistance from the government, the UK, USA and other overseas counterpart agencies. Following a five-week stint in Guyana, UK-based financial fraud expert Dr. Sam Sittlington granted a number
of recommendations towards improving the work. Sittlington also drafted and conducted a number of training sessions with the anti-money laundering crime unit. His work with SOCU encompassed closely monitoring its investigators and conducting workshops with officials from key financial agencies including the Bank of Guyana the Director of Public Prosecution, (DPP) and SOCU. At the end of the programme, he made ten key recommendations for best practices on monitoring financial crime and conducting investigations. In his proposal last Wednesday, Dr. Sittlington asserted that since investigating white collar crime is a new frontier for local crime fighters there is need for increased staff and financial resources, continuous training for SOCU and other
- UK fraud expert stakeholders as well as expertise is in tackling financial crime and carrying out adequate investigations. According to Dr Sittlington a specially trained group of prosecutors should be allocated to deal with matters of financial intelligence, asset seizure and other aspects of money laundering investigations to prevent the ad hoc approach to prosecuting crimes under the AML/CFTLegislation. This, he said, would result in an increase in the number of successful prosecutions in the areas of money laundering. At present SOCU is said to be operating with a head, a secretary, four investigators and three CID detectives who were seconded to work on a NICIL investigation.
Dr Sittlington called for the more administrative staff, analysts, a legal advisor and additional investigators, which he said is needed to adequately handle the investigations, set to unfold in the coming months. The expert also spoke of a need for clearer funding and administrative direction for the department that the Unit may be more certain of its chain of command which will assist in definitiveness and effectiveness of SOCU’s investigations. Among the other recommendations made by Dr Sittlington is the need for specially trained cash dogs that can sniff out cash in the same manner which dogs are trained to detect drugs and explosives at key ports of entry, a free flow of sharing
of intelligence information between Financial Intelligence Unit, (FIU) Customs Anti- Narcotics Unit (CANU) the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU), the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Police and a future review of SOCU’s progress at the time limit of 68 months. He outlined that follow up and evaluation on the impact of the project as well as the implementation of these recommendations can have huge effect on SOCU and the nation as a whole. The specialized unit was established under the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) administration. While under the PPPC, SOCU was without the essential protocols needed to operate as a specialised unit probing financial crimes. However, the Unit granted powers under the Antimoney Laundering and
Dr. Sam Sittlington Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act AML/CFT (2015) currently operations under the purview of the Ministry of Presidency. During consultations over the recently announced 2016 Budget, Minister of State Joseph Harmon noted that provisions are being made for the organization to be placed under within the Guyana Police Force.
Friday February 26, 2016
Kaieteur News
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Guyanese community in Kenya observes Mashramani and the First Family. The Guyanese and their friends assembled at the Sugarcane Restaurant at 7 p.m. Kenya time, (which was noon in Guyana). A large Guyanese flag was on display. The guests were treated to a cocktail of cassava puffs, salt fish cakes and pholourie, to the background of calypso music. Ms Creavalle explained that as a member of the Guyanese Diaspora who has lived outside of Guyana for more than 30 year, “Opening this restaurant has connected me to all my Guyanese roots, the culture and the food.” Mr Kenneth McLean, who has been in Kenya for two years working for AMREF Health Africa, introduced the Guyanese menu, more so to their non-Guyanese friends
Celebrating Guyana: (From right) Mr Bob Collymore, Mrs Amina Miller, Mr. Cecil G. Miller, Ms Kathleen Creavalle, and Ms Creavalle’s Kenyan friend Ms Wanja Gikonya help cut the cake. Looking on in the background is Mr Kenneth McLean. They might be few in number, but members of the Guyanese community in Nairobi, the capital city of this East African country - Kenya - assembled at the Sugarcane Restaurant, a Caribbean food restaurant, incidentally owned and operated by a Guyanese, to partake in an indigenous Guyanese dinner in celebration of Mashramani Day on Tuesday. Led by the Guyanese Community’s matriarch in Kenya, Mrs Yvonne Muli, who first came to Kenya in the Year of the Floods (1961), there were the consummate
Chief Executive Officer of arguably Africa’s most successful mobile phone company - Safaricom, Mr Bob Collymore; and first generation GuyaneseKenyans, Court of Appeal Judge the Hon Justice Agnes Murgor, and topflight lawyer Mr Cecil G. Miller. The star of the evening, and the person who made it happen, was Ms Kathleen Creavalle a Guyanese who first went to Kenya as a UN worker in 2002, fell in love with the country and in 2007 married one of its sons, Mr Chris Getonga. For the
Mashramani evening she was draped in a shawl top that displayed Guyanese flag colours. As the director of Sugarcane Caribbean Food, she attributes most of her success to her Kenyan husband. The restaurant is situated in the upscale Garden City Mall on Exit 7 off Thika Road Superhighway in Nairobi. It has been open two months now, and among those who would have patronised it in the short time it has been in existence is the country’s president, Uhuru Kenyatta
who had come to support them. The guests were then led to dinner by Mrs Muli and Ms Creavalle as they swayed to the beat of Guyanese folk music for the buffet dinner of mixed vegetable salad, cookup rice, metem, chicken curry and roti and puri, pepper pot, and plantains. Story telling is very much part of the Guyanese culture. Living on Mother Continent was no exception by the Guyanese. Opening the bat was Guyanese Community’s matriarch in Kenya, Mrs Yvonne Muli who explained that Guyana was a country made up three counties, terming it the land of sugarcane and many waters. “We are not very many and when you see a
Guyanese anywhere, you feel very good; you want to make yourself known to them,” said Mrs Muli, whose Kenyan husband, the late Matthew Guy Muli, was a Judge and later Kenya’s Attorney General. She was at one time a Director of the country’s national carrier, Kenya Airways - The Pride of Africa. Mrs Muli was accompanied by her daughter, Justice Agnes Murgor, who is a judge of the Court of Appeal in Kenya, and son-in-law and prominent Kenyan lawyer, Phillip Murgor. In a separate interview she explained that her husband was instrumental in bringing a Guyanese lawyer, the late Cecil Miller who became Kenya’s Chief Justice.
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Kaieteur News
Friday February 26, 2016
Friday February 26, 2016
Kaieteur News
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Late referrals linked to high rate of maternal mortality Addressing the challenge of maternal mortality is not a task that can be done without some strategic measures being put in place. And some of these measures must include the strategic implementation of standard operating procedures and specific protocols. This approach was amplified by President of the Guyana-Jamaica Friendship Association, Dr. Frank Denbow. During an interview with this publication recently, he emphasised the need for the establishment of protocols to help tackle the maternal mortality challenge. “We need to have established protocols so that everybody is on the same page. What we have going on is everybody is doing what they think is the right thing and that’s not working,” Dr. Denbow insisted. The Association was the key player behind the organising of a symposium held during the past weekend in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health. At that forum it was
Dr. Frank Denbow recognised that the setting up of protocols, particularly in remote health centres, would be an imperative. Of course this would be dependent on the level of service available there, Dr. Denbow asserted. During the recent forum the maternal mortality situations in both Guyana and Jamaica were compared by Professor Horace Fletcher, Dean of the University of the West Indies Medical School, an Obstetrician and Gynecologist. Dr. Denbow, alluding to the presentation by
GPF to boost strength with... From page 3 and traffic control. “CID (Criminal Investigations Department) in the latter half of last year, coupled with our crime prevention programme, in particular, served to reduce the fear of crime in Guyana,” Persaud asserted. Additionally, he noted that the position government has taken on professional behaviour in the public service, and on corruption within the society, has enhanced public confidence, making the police's work more effective. In the area of recruitment and retention, the Force has established a group health insurance where ranks can now recover all health treatment costs - this includes benefits from the National Insurance Scheme. Also, the Force has introduced an annual fitness assessment for all members aged 45 and below. The project is facilitated by trained and certified physical training instructors and medical responders within the force. In the area of accountability, an office for audit and inspection was created. The Commissioner said that this would not take away the responsibility of the divisional commanders in conducting their own investigations, but instead, adds to the effectiveness.
Professor Fletcher, pointed out that as in Jamaica, Guyana is often faced with the challenge of transferring women very late to referral facilities which is sometimes too late for intervening measures to be effective. This often results in a situation where there is a high prevalence rate of maternal mortality in the main referral centres. And Dr. Denbow underscored that “most of those patients were not indigenous to that place. They came from somewhere else and they sometimes came 12 or even 24 hours before they died. In other words they were referred when they were at deaths door...” For last year Guyana recorded a total of 17 maternal deaths. A total of 18 deaths were recorded during the two previous years. While the referral situation is one of the biggest similarities between the two territories, Dr. Denbow noted that a greater challenge that is faced here is the issue of transportation. “Jamaica is much smaller. We have situations of people living in areas where there is no access to transportation or where the only transportation is by boat, and it takes several hours to get to referral centres,” considered Dr. Denbow. “The time taken for somebody in some areas in the Pomeroon to get to Georgetown is a long period
– to get a plane and all that kind of stuff. So we have a lot of challenges and the only way around that is to be able to identify problems early,” asserted Dr. Denbow. He pointed out that with protocols in place, health workers can focus on identifying early pregnancy that is likely to be problematic and thereby help to “significantly reduce the prevalence of women dying in child birth which is a disastrous end to something that is supposed to be joyous.” And identifying problematic cases could be
easily recognised since, according to Dr. Denbow, “if you have a woman who comes to the antenatal clinic at four months and her blood pressure is 220 over 140, you know that in a place where you don’t have a doctor or there is a midwife or Community Health aid, that person is likely to be in a situation that you can’t handle the labour and delivery.” And once the problems are identified, patients must be transferred to a facility that has the capabilities to effectively monitor and manage them.
Plans to set up protocols to tackle the maternal mortality issue come at a time when Guyana and Jamaica, like a number of other countries, are still struggling to deal with its impact and simultaneously strive for measures which confirm to the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5. MDG 5 speaks to efforts at improving maternal health with a view of reducing the mortality ratio. There are eight MDGs which were set at the 2000 Millennium Summit of the United Nations to accelerate global progress in development.
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Kaieteur News
WANTED 1 Security Guard at Eccles Industrial Site, with a valid police clearance. Call: 2332473 General worker/labourer (male) - Call: 265-3586 Immediate cash for lands in Eccles, Herstelling, Farm, La Parfaite Harmonie, Uitvlugt, Zeelugt & East Coast – Call: 604-2207; 611-7223 One salon assistant at Nalline’s Beauty Salon: Vreed-en-Hoop JunctionCall: 625-3899 or 264-0034 One live in domestic maid – Call: 675-5256/ 666-4153 1 Female domestic/cook (3045yrs) preferably from E.C.D & male to assist in snackette. (Reference & Police Clearance)- Call: 692-7698, 687-3640 Sales assistant with Maths, English & Computer knowledge , multi- task worker, apply @ Key Food Trading Mc Doom Village. Female domestic to work in Trinidad, must be educated and know to cook. Between 25-35 years. Call: 1868-683 1528 We are offering a brand new reconditioned Premio car for land in Eccles or Herstelling. Call: 604-2207; 611-7223
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Friday February 26, 2016
SALON
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PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620
Hairdressers, nail technician, barbers, also hair & nail stations available for rental location: New Market StreetCall: 638-1106
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PROPERTY FOR SALE Transported property @ Tuschen Housing Scheme $7M negotiable. Call: 2641050; 683-7045/669-3553 Transport property located @ Rosignol W.B.B: 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, fully furnished. Call: 679-3496; 602-6333; 330-2576; 699-4689 (motivated settler) 4 Bedrooms with washroom & bath @ 138 Uitvlugt, Ocean View, W.C.D -$7.5M – Call: 664-9998; 609-0514 Two bedrooms concrete house, fully furnished, recently built, in Werk-enRust -$35M negotiable. Call: 645-6498 Joint Venture- commercially developed City Park/ excellent facility with swimming pool, snackette. Call: 602-1473; 680-0405 Newly built 3 bedrooms flat concrete property 22ftX48ft, land 50X90ft @ Vision Garden Versailles, W.B.D -$11M. Call: 616-0111 Transported property @ 19 Good Hope Gardens, size: 24X61, concrete building- all convenience, price -$33M. Serious inquiries only- Call: 234-0046; 656-3525 Church and 2 storey building Lot 180 Charlotte Street BourdaCall: 227-6817; 624-7341 Transported property @ Grove $16M negotiable. Call: 625-5461 TOURS SURINAME EASTER WEEKEND TOUR TRIP: SHOPPING, FUN, TOURS & SIGHTSEEING DOLPHINS MARCH 23RD -28TH, 2016. CALL: 692-7270; 6655171; 639-2663; 223-0056
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Two bedrooms apartment$42,000 monthly. Call: 6873017
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Two bedrooms apartment, semi-furnished & self contained at 97 5th Street Industry E.C.D – Call: 6847853; 619-2388
Hairdressers, nail technician, barbers, also hair & nail stations available for rental location: New Market StreetCall: 638-1106
2 Bedrooms apartment, upper flat, located at D5 Waller’s Delight W.C.D. Call: 662-0187
Security officers wanted by security company-Contact: 672-1920, between 8:00am5:00pm
One 2 bedrooms bottom flat, fully grilled, self contained, A/C, parking for 1 car. Call: 650-2708 House in Bel-Air Park: 3 bedrooms upstairs/ downstairs, all modern conveniences - $1600US monthly-Call: 231-7839 during working hours
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VEHICLE FOR SALE Oswin J’s Auto Imports; New arrivals: Allion 2006; Premio: 2004, 2006 & 2008, Fielder 2007 & Suzuki Escudo. Call: 592-609-2815 New model 4X4, RAV4, excellent condition- $2.2M – Call: 618-1395; 220-6380 1-RZ mini-bus BKK series, in excellent condition -$750,000 negotiable- Call: 604-6016 Reduced prices on unregistered cars, Allion, Mazda, Fielder, BlueBird. Call City Motors:626-7478; 6163413 First Class Auto: Rush, IST, Runx, Sienta, Bluebird, 06 Premio, 06 Allion, Fielder, Spacio, Noah. Call: 627-8383; 638-3045 AT192, 212, Allion, unregistered Premio, Hilux Surf, BNN, RZ & Pit-bull, 7 seater super custom. Cash / terms- Call: 680-3154 We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 TacomaCall: 680-3154 2005 Mazda RX8, Mileage, 72,000 KM -$1.9M negotiable, first owner driven, excellent condition. Call: 6018612; 276-0006 Toyota Ipsum, fully loaded, music system – 5,800 watt, 7 seater, excellent condition – Call: 653-1003 One Toyota 2003 Fielder Wagon, AC, CD, 17" rims, PMM, never work heir, in excellent condition -$1.4M. Call: 619-1047 Carsmart Auto Sale: Premio (08) -$2,895,000; C-light Premio (05) -$2,450,000; Premio (02) $2,295,000 & Spacio $2,095,000. Call: 639-4295; 6500402 Carsmart Auto Sale: Fielder -$2,095,000; I S T$2,095,000, Audi A4 $3,895,000; BMW 318i $2,795,000- Call: 615-3075; 639-4295; 650-0402
CAT Skid Steer 236B -$4.5M; CAT 928F Loader -$7.3MCall: 650-0402; 261-4121; 2614018 Fully furnished 1 bedroom, 1 Honda CRV, year 2001, PLL air-condition $90,000 monthly, series, price $1.8M. Call: 624$6,000 daily. Call: 668-0306; 6099 694-7817; 218-1400 Toyota AT212, in good Modernized 2 bedroom condition -$1.2M negotiableapartments in safe and Call: 690-3352; 267-1308; 626healthy environment- Call: 2841 698-6496 House to rent @ East La 4X4 PFF 6163 (Green) 4 door Penitence, Morocut Street: 2 LHD,3 liter 3VZ engine, good bedrooms -$65,000. Call: 693- condition – G$1.6M- Call 6576063 9179; 604-60898 3 Bedrooms apartment in 2001 Toyota Allex, Mileage Diamond Housing Scheme. 77,000km, $1.6M negotiable, first owner (female), in excellent Call: 216-2972 condition. Call: 687-1263 One bedroom self contained apartment, E.B.D. Call: 693-1480 Continued on page 31
Friday February 26, 2016
Kaieteur News
Page 31
FAO hosts consultation for four-year country programming framework From page 30
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A section of the persons in attendance at the Consultation Brief yesterday. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) hosted a stakeholder’s consultation forum, yesterday, to bring sensitization to their country programme framework for Guyana. The venue was the Regency Hotel, Georgetown. The four-year (2016- 2019) programme framework, was signed between the Government of Guyana and the FAO on December 17, 2015. It sets out to further develop some Government priority areas. These areas include Food and Nutrition; sustainable management and utilization of natural resources: Climate Change and Resilience of Livelihoods to Disasters and Agriculture; forestry, fisheries, hinterland and rural development. These developments will see the FAO bringing together innovative international best practices and global standards with national and regional expertise. Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, said that the document remains a critical one aimed at sensitizing all development partners with
regards to the priority areas. It would allow for wider collaboration and partnerships. “I believe that the document takes a resultsbased approach that builds on FAO’s comparative strengths,” Minister Holder stated. The Agriculture Minister added that there will be continued advocacy for global and inter-regional dialogue and collaboration as Guyana and the FAO move forward toward ensuring not only a stronger agriculture sector in Guyana, but the Region as well. Taking into account the area of food and nutrition security, the FAO framework will see them contributing to the reduction of hunger, food insecurity, malnutrition and poverty in Guyana by supporting the strengthening of the National Food and Nutrition Security Council. Emphasis will also be placed on the implementation of a National Strategic Plan for the Integrated Prevention and Control of Chronic NonCommunicable Diseases and their Risk Factors; focusing on the national school
feeding initiative specifically targeting nutrition education and linking local farmers produce to public institution requirements through public purchasing. The Country Programming Framework describes the types of interventions and outputs needed to achieve the desired outcomes, focusing on FAO’s Core Functions as the critical means of actions to be employed by FAO to achieve results, embodying the organization’s mandate and comparative advantages. The CPF also includes prioritizing sustainable management and utilization of natural resources like land, forestry and fisheries, climate change and resilience of livelihoods to disasters in addition to continued support for Hinterland and Rural Development. In this respect, the FAO will focus on interventions to systematically improve
uptake of modern production technologies, increase market access through value chain approaches, reduce food losses and strengthen pest and disease management strategies in livestock and crop production systems. Also speaking at the event was United Nations Resident Coordinator, Khadija Musa. She expounded on the need for greater coordination among UN agencies during the planning stages to avoid duplication of projects. The United Nations is currently working with other Caribbean Countries to develop multi-country frameworks, indicating that they are currently in the final stages of developing a Multicountry Sustainable Development Framework to be completed in March of this year. The full document, once completed, will be launched in April.
One female cook. Should know to prepare nutritious diets. Hours of wqork 9:00am to 1:00pm. Wage $20,000 per week One maid. Attractive salary. Call 697-5221
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. Play station 4 system $90,000, XBOX one -$85,000, XBOX 360 -$40,000, PS 3$35,000. Call: 621-7497; 6038643; 649-3277 Single & Bunk Beds; freezers, commercial stove, deep fryer, microwave, excellent condition. To inspect Call: 602-1473; 680-0405 Great Deals on video games & all gaming consoles. PC, phone games & applications. Delivery also – Call: 672-2566; 265-3231 2006 Nissan Bluebird, imported, newly registered, in excellent condition -$2.2M. Call: 613-1946 Nissan Titan- Call: 696-5135 Brand new Samsung Smart 32" TV, wall painting, candle holder & baby clothes. Call: 669-0828 One-6 Cylinder Perkins generator set 55KWs – 110/ 220v, single phase, 60HzCall: 695-3444/674-7400 FOR SALE/FOR RENT American pool table – Call: 277-0578
LAND FOR SALE Parfaite Harmonie; deal land with foundation, light & water, sand filled, front part$2.6M &1.6M- Call: 604-2207; 611-7223 1 House lot in gated community -$4.5M negotiable. Call: 694-7817; 668-0306 One house lot at Mon Repos (Martyrsville) E.C.D, price $3.9M negotiable. Call: 2200538; 645-2395( Joel) or 629-5300 Providence Scheme (115ftX81ft) located on a Cul de Sac close to Bai Shan Lin $8.2M negotiable. Call: 6014163 or 223-0719 Eccles New Scheme (prime land) 100ftX50ft -$5.5M, Dairy (fenced 100ftX50ft) $3M, Zeelugt (100ftX50ft) $2M. Call: 611-7223; 604-2207
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Kaieteur News
Friday February 26, 2016
Friday February 26, 2016
Kaieteur News
‘F’ Division to get two more stations - Top Cop In an effort to combat criminal activities and further strengthen the Guyana Police Force (GPF)’s ‘F’ Division, Commissioner Seelall Persaud yesterday said that the Division will benefit from two additional police stations. He said that the Division, which is headed by Commander Ravindradat Budhram, is one of the Force’s main targets for the year. In addition to the police stations, the Division will see an increase of land and water transportation, an increase in human resources, and a floated base deployed to the area. “Strengthening of “F” Division is one of our targets,” the Commissioner emphasized at the Opening Ceremony of the Police Officers’ Annual Conference held at the Officers’ Mess, Eve Leary yesterday. This newspaper was also informed that with support from the United States of
America Embassy here, the Force is likely to see the deployment of bicycle patrols this year in various parts of the country. Persaud said too that a Gender-Based Violence Unit will be established at Sub-divisional headquarters. “We do this because our approach to gender-based violence; that is, sexual offences and domestic violence as well as juvenile offenders, is a multi-agency one, through which the police force collects evidence to prosecute and our partners provide the support.” Meanwhile, the Force was able to graduate 10,677 persons in the field of Information Technology for free last year. This was done with the help of the Zara group which is based in New York. “The Zara Group, which is a Diaspora group supporting us, donated three computer labs last year. From that we have graduated the persons.
Forty percent graduated from a foundation course, 30 percent from summer classes designed for students in schools, one percent teachers we trained, one percent engineering and last year, we did computer repairs and engineering course,” Persaud stated. He explained that 26 students who participated in the training programme wrote the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) exam in January and are awaiting results. To further support the force in its duties to serve and protect, the Zara group has also assisted with cyber security training and is currently working on a project to computerize the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters. The overseas group is currently assisting the CID with getting investigative software which will be used in enhancing its daily operations.
Lindener accused of stealing truck axles granted bail A Lindener was yesterday released on $50,000 bail after it was alleged he stole items to the value of $300,000. Appearing before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts was 27-year-old Albert Nurse of 683 South Amelia’s Ward, Linden. It is alleged that between February 15 and 16 at Central Amelia’s Ward, Linden, Nurse stole four Bedford truck axles valued at $300,000. The items belong to Bert Cumberbatch. Nurse pleaded not guilty to the allegation and was ordered to return to court on March 8, at the Linden Magistrate’s Court. An attorney for the court petitioned for his client to be released on reasonable bail. He told the court that Nurse
Albert Nurse was arrested Monday morning and taken to the McKenzie Police Station after Cumberbatch reported the matter. The lawyer said that his client has an unblemished criminal record. Meanwhile, in another
case, a Prashad Nagar taxi driver was also ordered to post $50,000 bail after it was alleged he fraudulently converted a laptop computer. Stephan Birkett, 22, pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that on January 19, at Prashad N a g a r, b e i n g s o l e l y entrusted with the laptop valued at $150,000 to pawn a n d r e t u r n p r o c e eds to Joshua Williams, he converted same to his own use and benefit. The court was told that the computer is the property of Williams. Prosecutor Jones said that the two parties are known to each other and that the item was not recovered. Jones had no objection to bail and told the court that the defendant has no antecedents.
No bail for alleged drug trafficker Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan remanded a mason from Linden to prison, after he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer to a drug trafficking charge. Justin Percival, 34, of 394 Moraballi Street, Retrieve, Linden, is accused of having 463 grams of cannabis sativa (marijuana) in his possession for the purpose of trafficking at Oronoque Drive, McKenzie, Linden. Percival, who had no legal representation, pleaded not guilty to the charge, but implored the Magistrate to grant him bail. He claimed that he was not found with the illicit substance. Instead, he alleged that the police picked him up and took him to the
station. However, the Magistrate explained to the defendant that she would be unable to admit him to bail because of the amount of drug he was allegedly found with. Percival did not react agreeably after hearing this and loudly
“sucked his teeth” while he was being escorted out of the courtroom. Police Prosecutor Deniro Jones did not relate any facts about what transpired on the day in question to the court. This matter will continue on March 8, at the Linden Magistrate’s Court.
Page 33
President Granger to Co-chair CARICOM -security of small states, disaster preparedness and response among priority issues President David Granger will be serving as the CoChairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) when the Heads of Government Summit is held here in July. “Well the most important aspect of CARICOM is that we are a collection of small states and my main concern is the security of small states … particularly, in terms of climate change; the danger of rising sea levels because although Guyana is not an island, we have a low coastland and we are susceptible to rising sea levels,” President Granger said. The President made this disclosure during a brief exchange with media operatives, earlier today, after the Opening Ceremony of the Annual Police Officers’ Conference at Eve Leary. President Granger will be sharing chairmanship with current CARICOM Chairman, Prime Minister of Belize, Dean Barrow, since Dominica,
which was next in line to assume chairmanship via the rotating chairmanship mechanism among Member States, cannot, at this time, assume those responsibilities. The island suffered massive losses after Tropical Storm Erika battered it for five hours last August. Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit had declared a disaster and appealed for international aid after noting the loss of 20 lives and physical damage to the island that he estimated “could set the country’s development back two decades.” President Granger said while the safety and security of small states has always been a central focus, environmental security and disaster management will also come under the microscope. “The Americans, as you know, are heavily involved in the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative and I too, am concerned because the reason why we have to have
the CARICOM Summit here in Guyana in July is largely because of the damage done to Dominica last year. We c a n ’t p r e v e n t t h e storm, but we can respond m o re quickly and more efficiently. “We want to see the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency empowered to respond more quickly to those disasters in the island states, so those are my main concerns. So small states, envir o n m e n t a l s e c u r i t y, food security and also the ability to respond to environmental threats will be my focus,” President Granger said. The President recently returned from the Twentyseventh Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, which was held in Placencia, Belize, where he lobbied for the security of small states and for the Caribbean to remain a zone of peace.
Mason gets $70,000 bail for alleged generator theft A 20-year-old mason from Timehri Base Road was ordered to post $70,000 bail when he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts yesterday, accused of stealing two generators. It is alleged that between Febr u a r y 2 3 a n d 2 4 , a t Kuruni, Linden, Lloyd F r a s e r s t o l e a Ya m a h a generator valued at $75,000—property of Vi n c e n t Wa l t o n . A n d further, Fraser was accused
of stealing another generator. This item belongs to Kurt Garraway and is valued at $28,000. He was also accused of breaking into the shop of Euline Michael and stealing a variety of confectionery valued at $10,000. Fraser pleaded not guilty to the charges after they were read to him by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan. Police Prosecutor,
Corporal Deniro Jones told the court that the generators were not recovered. But he informed the court that some of the confectionery was found. The prosecutor asked that the defendant be placed on substantial bail to secure his return for trial. This matter was transferred to the Linden M a g i s trate’s Court for March 8.
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Friday February 26, 2016
Kaieteur News
U.S. proposes sharp ramping up of North Korea sanctions at UN Reuters - The United States presented a draft U.N. Security Council resolution yesterday that would dramatically tighten existing restrictions on North Korea after its Jan. 6 nuclear test and create the toughest U.N. sanctions regime in over two decades. The draft, seen by Reuters, would require U.N. member states to conduct mandatory inspections of all cargo passing through their territory to or from North Korea to look for illicit goods. Previously states were only required to do this if they had reasonable grounds to believe there was illicit cargo. It would close a gap in the U.N. arms embargo on Pyongyang by banning all weapons imports and exports. There would also be an unprecedented ban on the transfer to North Korea of any item that could directly contribute to the operational capabilities of the North Korean armed forces, such as trucks that could be modified for military purposes. Other proposed measures include a ban on all supplies of aviation and rocket fuel to North Korea, a requirement for states to expel North Ko-
Samantha Power rean diplomats engaging in illicit activities, and blacklisting 17 North Korean individuals and 12 entities, including the National Aerospace Development Agency or ‘NADA’, the body responsible for February’s rocket launch. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power told reporters the new measures, if approved, would
be “the strongest set of sanctions imposed by the Security Council in more than two decades.” Several council diplomats told Reuters they hoped to put the resolution to a vote as early as Saturday. The draft was the result of seven weeks of tough negotiations between the United States and China, North Korea’s neighbour and main ally.
Europe’s free travel will end unless Turkey halts migrant flow, officials say Reuters - Europe’s cherished free-travel zone will shut down unless Turkey acts to cut the number of migrants heading north through Greece by March 7, European Union officials said yesterday. Their declaration came as confrontations grow increasingly rancorous among European countries trying to cope with the influx of refugees. Those recriminations culminated in Greece’s recalling its ambassador to Austria yesterday. “In the next ten days, we need tangible and clear results on the ground,” the top EU migration official, Dimitris Avramopoulos, said after EU justice and home affairs ministers met in Brussels yesterday. “Otherwise there is a danger, there is a risk that the whole system will completely break down.” EU leaders are now pinning their hopes on talks with Turkey on March 7 and their own migration summit on March 18-19. The two meetings look like their final chance to revive a flailing joint response to the crisis before warmer weather en-
Dimitris Avramopoulos courages more arrivals across the Mediterranean. Seven European states have already restored border controls within the creaking Schengen passport-free zone. More said they would unilaterally tighten border controls unless a deal with Turkey shows results before the two March summits. That deal promises Turkey 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) in aid to help it shelter refugees from the Syrian war, in return for preventing their travelling on to Europe. “By March 7, we want a
significant reduction in the number of refugees at the border between Turkey and Greece,” German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said. “Otherwise, there will have to be other joint, coordinated European measures.” Germany has been pushing the Turkey plan hard. Many other EU states are increasingly frustrated and sceptical, though. Another 110,000 people have arrived on the continent so far this year, mostly from Turkey via Greece, after more than a million arrived last year.
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CONCACAF Member Associations... (From page 35) CONCACAF Executive Committee will be transformed into the CONCACAF Council. The CONCACAF Council, led by CONCACAF’s President, will assume responsibility for setting and achieving the Confederation’s strategic objectives and for footballrelated decision making. The General Secretariat will manage the day-to-day business operations of the Confederation with strategic direction and oversight from the Council and independent committees. Independence: Independent committees will be created to oversee Compensation, Governance, Audit and Compliance, and Finance. The Audit and Compliance Committee will be comprised entirely of independent members. The Compensation, Governance, and Finance Committees will be chaired by and comprised of a majority of independent members. Additionally, the CONCACAF Council will include up to three indepen-
dent, non-voting members, who will be elected by CONCACAF’s Member Associations at the Ordinary Congress on May 12, 2016. Ethics: All candidates for the CONCACAF Council, CONCACAF President, standing committee members, members of judicial bodies, and senior Confederation officials will undergo eligibility checks to be conducted by the independent Ethics Committee. Until the independent Ethics Committee is formed, the CONCACAF Council will engage a third-party vendor to conduct the eligibility checks. Term Limits: Term limits of twelve years (consecutive or non-consecutive) will be applied to CONCACAF Council members and members of independent committees. Should existing members of the Executive Committee be elected to the CONCACAF Council, they may complete their current term plus one additional term so long as the member is in the last two years of his or her current term. Transparency: The CONCACAF Congress will have the authority to review
and approve on an annual basis, upon the recommendation of the Compensation Committee, the remuneration and other compensation of CONCACAF Council members, CONCACAF representatives before FIFA, the chairpersons of the Audit and Compliance Committee, Finance Committee, Compensation Committee and the Governance Committee, and senior officials including the General Secretary, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Legal and Compliance Officer. Accountability: CONCACAF has the right to audit any Member Association or Union receiving CONCACAF funds for a specific purpose to ensure that such funds are being used for said purpose. The revised statutes will be available on CONCACAF’s website in the coming days.
Venezuelan fighters venture into... (From page 34) Kishawn ‘Special K’ Simon in a return bout; the former pugilist had prevailed when the two last met on Boxing Day 2013. The card opener will see Mandessa Moses, back in the ring after a prolonged hiatus, matching gloves with Ansilla Norville over 4 rounds. The professional fights will be preceded by several amateur bouts and fans will be glad to know that their favourite warrior, Republican, Nankumar Singh, will be matching punches with Jason Phillips (FYF) in a highly anticipated slugfest. Dennis Thomas and Clairmonte Gibson will also show off their skills in a three rounds exhibition affair. These two boxers are currently preparing for the Olympic qualifiers in Argentina and the impending bout is meant to sharpen their skills. The amateur segment concludes with Courtney Gibson (GDF) tackling Diwani Lampkin (FYF) in another potential thriller. The fighters are scheduled to attend the weigh in ceremony at the Giftland Office Max Mall tonight. The organisers have also planned a press conference immediately after the weigh in ceremony. Admission is $5000 for a ringside seat while general seating costs $2000. Fans are also advised to retain their ticket stubs for a special draw where the lucky patron will win a 50" Smart Led TV.
Friday February 26, 2016
The pride of Rose Hall Town receives... (From page 39) named Guyana Cricket Club of the Year in 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2010 and has over the years produced six males’ senior Guyana cricketers, eight females national cricketers, five for the West Indies at different levels and a total of 40 junior national cricketers at all levels. The Club has also produced ninety eight players for the Ancient country and is the home of Guyana’s only female cricket team. Off the cricket field, the club’s achievements are too numerous to mention but Foster, who received the National Sports Personality in 2010 stated that several clearly stand out. These include the restoration of the Lower Corentyne Secondary School in 1991/92 at the cost of $4M,
the transformation of the Area ‘H’ Ground from a swampland into a sports Centre, the hosting of a multimillion award Ceremony every year for members and the distribution of over $200M worth of food items, educational Kits, footwear and hygiene kits to less fortunate families and distribution of $10M worth of school bags to students. Other achievements that stand out are the hosting of the Ansa McAl Award of Excellence, Berbice Sports Awards, assisting over 200 youth and sports organisation with over $15M worth of gear and equipment, producing an annual youth magazine, construction of a Charity Kitchen, Youth Information booklet and the remarkable success of the Say No to Drugs, Suicide and
Crime and Say Yes to Education/Sports programme. The Management of the Club is currently headed by President Keith Foster while the others are his younger brother Hilbert who serves as Secretary/CEO, Franklyn Ross – Assistant Secretary/ CEO, Shemaine Campbell – Treasurer, Keith Hicks – Organising Secretary, Ravindranauth Kissoonlall – Assistant Organising Secretary, Shawn Perriera – Club Captain and Committee Members – Sohan Harry, Mark Papaunah, Terry Pike, Neville Beaton and Erva Giddings. President David Granger serves as the Club’s Honorary Patron while the Over 35 group performs the duties of experienced advisors to the Club Secretary/ CEO and Management Committee.
Friday February 26, 2016 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Try to accommodate them without infringing on your own responsibilities. You'll be an emotional basket case today. Don't take any comments too seriously. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Get busy. You will have the getup and go to contribute a great deal to groups of interest. If they're really interested, they'll wait. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Plan to get out and do a bit of travel. Your high energy will enable you to take the role of leader in group functions. Deep discussions may only lead to friction. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Limitations on the home front can be expected if you have been restricting your mate's freedom. You will be extremely sensual; take precautions and don't take any risks. Sign up for tours or courses that will enlighten you. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You may find that relationships are not going as well as you'd like. You can win points if you present your ideas today. You are best to work behind the scenes on projects that require detail or precision. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Pleasure trips will be favorable and bring about romance. Put something away in case of an emergency. You must refrain from overspending on entertainment.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Your intellectual charm will win hearts and bring opportunities that you least expect. Unexpected visitors are likely. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Try to do your job and then leave. You will upset your partner if you have spent money on things that aren't necessary. Your changing philosophies may lead you into new circles and open doors that will give you a unique outlook on life. SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) Disruptions may set you back, but you're strong, and in the end the choices you make will be favorable. Give everyone in the house a physical chore that will help burn off some of the excess energy. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) You can make money if you concentrate on producing services that will make domestic chores easier. You are best to work behind the scenes on projects that require detail or precision. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) Your best efforts will come through making changes in your home. You can make a big difference to children if you are understanding of the difficulties they are experiencing. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Do your own research and be prepared. Underhandedness regarding legal matters or contracts must be counteracted.
Friday February 26, 2016
Kaieteur News
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Stag Elite League
Ruthless Slingerz demolish GDF; Fruta Conquerors overcome Buxton to clear the ball resulted in an own goal in the 86th minute, but it came too late to give
Action in the game between Fruta Conquerors and Buxton FC. By Zaheer Mohamed Slingerz proved ruthless in front of goal as they handed the Guyana Defense Force (GDF) a 7-1 drubbing while Fruta Conquerors defeated Buxton FC 2-1 when the second round of the Guyana Football Federation Stag Elite League Finale continued on Wednesday night at Tucville. Slingerz dominated the opening exchanges and forward Vurlon Mills put them ahead when his volley found the back of the net in the 23rd minute before Clive De Nobrega doubled the lead in the 32nd with a thunderous strike from 25 yards out. GDF hardly threatened in the first half while Slingerz continued to attack, creating several chances as Trayon Bobb’s solo effort extended the advantage in the 40th to give his team a 3-0 lead at half time. GDF showed purpose in the second half, but Slingerz began pushing forward again and Julian Wade tapped in a cross from the left corner within the 18-yard box. Tishard Joseph’s powerful shot from 30 yards out gave GDF goalkeeper Oswald Cornette no chance as Slingerz grabbed 5-0 lead by the 60th minute before Olvis Mitchell pulled one back for GDF in the 67th. Domini Garnett who had a fine game netted two minutes later; Garnett evaded his marker before firing from inside the area after collecting a cross from the right side of the box. Unlike the GDF, Slingerz defence stood firm as they thwarted their opponents on
several occasions. Slingerz were not done yet as Devon Millington was not to be denied, his shot caught Cornette off his line in the 87th. In the feature match, Fruta Conquerors made a steady start and went ahead in the 18th minute-Trevon Lythcott’s free kick was headed out of the area only to find Jahaal Greaves who acrobatically found the back of net. Fruta Conquerors could have extended their lead, but Shaquille Agard sent his shot straight into the hands of Buxton custodian Darren Marks four minutes later. Buxton pushed for an equaliser and almost had one, however Conquerors goalkeeper Derrick Carter tipped Denver Dennis’ free kick over the crossbar in the 30th minute. Dennis forced a save from Carter once again just before the interval as Conquerors enjoyed a 1-0 lead at the break. Dennis proved the most outstanding player for Buxton; his pace and control gave his opponents a torrid time forcing another save from Carter eight minutes into the second half. Dennis Edwards wasted an opportunity to extend Conquerors lead sending his shot wide of goal. Buxton failed to make use of a few lapses by Conquerors defence, however Shaquille Agard doubled Conquerors lead when he beat Marks to his left from inside the box after collecting a cross from the left corner in the 67th minute. Raphael Edwards attempt
Buxton any hopes of an equaliser. Matches continue today
at the GFC ground with Pele taking on Monedderlust in the opening match at 18:00hrs
with the main attraction between Alpha United and Georgetown Football Club.
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Friday February 26, 2016
Venezuelan fighters venture into ‘Hostile Territory,’ against Guyanese opponents tomorrow night By Michael Benjamin Venezuela’s, former International Boxing Federation World super/flyweight champion, Felix Machado and Freddy Baleno arrived in Guyana two days ago to keep their ring date with WBC Caribbean Boxing Federation flyweight champion Dexter Marques and International Boxing Federation (IBF) InterContinental Bantamweight champion Elton Dharry respectively, and would be venturing into ‘Hostile Territory,’ as the card has been dubbed, at the Giftland Office Max Mall, Liliendaal ECD, tomorrow night. Dharry will get the perfect opportunity to endorse the sobriquet, ‘The Bully’ while Marques will be anxious to prove that he is no longer ‘The Kid’ and ready to take on all comers when the action gets
underway at 20:00hrs and fans are assured of a night of fistic fury. Dharry flew into Guyana just under a week ago and, under keen supervision of former Commonwealth Champion, Lennox Blackmore, opened camp at the Andrew Lewis Boxing Gym, Independence Boulevard. Having completed most of his work at the Gleason’s Gym, Brooklyn, New York, Dharry opted for speed and coordination exercises while oozing confidence of clinching the bout. Indeed, his phenomenal 19-5-1 record (5 KOs) certainly supports his ambition. Dharry’s last loss seems a distant memory; a points verdict against Isander Beauchamp way back in September 2009 where all three judges’ gave the bout to his opponent (36-40, 37-39, 3739). It was Dharry’s 5th loss
and he had then vowed to pick up the pieces of his career. True to his vow, he went on to win his next fight, against his countryman, Wilmut Hutson, at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall six months later and since then, the slimly built bantamweight has chalked up 15 victories on the trot. His most recent bout was against Miguel Robles in June last year at the Amazura Concert Hall, Queens, New York where he continued his winning ways with a 3rd round stoppage in the scheduled 8 rounds duel. Now, eight months later, Dharry is set to add the scalp of Machado to his ‘death list.’ Dharry sports a sound resume and in what could be considered his best performance of his pro career, he scored an upset victory over the favored Jose Rivera by
decision in New York City in 2010. His other accomplishments include IBF Inter-Continental Bantamweight champion (2014), while he registered sixteen consecutive wins in 2015. Dharry is by no means a strong puncher but what he failed to achieve through brutal power, he has accomplished through perseverance and consistency. This view is firmly endorsed when one observes that he has managed to compile a 48% knockout ratio. He is currently the IBF Inter-Continental bantamweight champion, a title he clinched in December 2014 after defeating Jose Rios. He also won his last outing against Miguel Robles in New York and is set to continue his winning ways. In November 1999, Machado improved his world standing with a decisive technical knockout victory over Antonio Jaramillo for the vacant IBF World super flyweight title. He successfully defended against Panamanian, William De Sousa, Columbian, Mauricio Pastrana, Panamanian, Martin Castillo and Julio Gamboa before losing that accolade to Nicaraguan, Luis Alberto Perez. Like Dharry, the Venezu-
elan is by no means a knockout artist, having chalked up a 30% knockout ratio but he knows how to get the job done. His last outing was a success when he scored a points decision over his countryman, Jose Larreal. Machado fights out of a southpaw stance and carries the famed sobriquet, ‘El Macho,’ after the late world champion, Hector ‘Macho’ Camacho. Time will tell whether he can match the ability and skills attributed to this tab. Spanish fighters are known for their aggression and much is expected of the Marques/ Baleno shindig. These two will square off in a 10 rounds flyweight fight and the Venezuelan sports a 26-100 record with a 42% knockout ratio. He last fought in November last year and lost to his countryman, Alexis Diaz. Obviously, Baleno will be on the redemptive trail and would be out to dominate Marques who is slouch and has had more than his fair share of fistic warfare. A former local bantamweight champion, Marques also won the WBC Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE) flyweight title after defeating Jamaican, Rudolph Hedge, in
April 2014. He has not fought since after several planned fights were aborted for varying reasons. Obviously, he will have to shake off some ring rust if he is to defeat the Venezuelan. With a 14-2-0 record Marques has a decent 31% knockout ratio, but is a highly skilled fighter. His last defeat was to Dharry in May 2011 but he has rebounded with six victories and would want to extend his winning streak to seven. Dharry and Marques have been given added incentives for winning as, once successful in the impending fights, they will challenge for Commonwealth titles against English fighters, tentatively set for May 21. Otherwise, fans have been assured of competitive action when the other fighters take to the ring. Imran Khan and Quincy Gomes battle it out in a 6 rounds lightweight affair while Barbadian, Miguel Antoine will oppose Barbados based Guyanese, Revlon Lake, in a return welterweight fight over 8 rounds. Antoine had prevailed when the two last met in Trinidad and Tobago and Lake has since vowed to avenge the loss. Veteran boxer, Cassius Matthew will fight (Continued on page 32)
Friday February 26, 2016
Kaieteur News
CONCACAF Member Associations Unanimously Pass Landmark Statutes Reforms Zurich, Switzerland - The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) today announced that its Member Associations voted unanimously to approve a comprehensive package of reforms, which were first outlined in the CONCACAF Reform Framework and later drafted by CONCACAF’s Statutes Reform Committee, at the Confederation’s XXII Extraordinary Congress. CONCACAF’s revised statutes will become effective immediately as the Confederation and its Member Associations begin implementing the reforms. The reforms to CONCACAF’s statutes fundamentally change the governance structure of football in the region and set new standards for accountability and transparency within international sports organizations. Once fully implemented, CONCACAF’s new structure will ensure that decisions regarding the Confederation’s operations are made in the best interest of CONCACAF Member Associations, confirm that
there is strong external oversight of the CONCACAF Council and General Secretariat, and affirm that CONCACAF’s resources are being utilized t o a c h i e v e t h e Confederation’s mission of developing and promoting football in the region. In a statement, CONCACAF said: “The reforms passed today go further than ever before to incorporate essential principles of good governance and compliance into CONCACAF’s statutes. However, it is only the beginning of the equally important process of changing the culture of how football is governed and administered by implementing these reforms in a meaningful and sustainable way. CONCACAF will pursue implementation and enforcement of the reforms with the same determination that led to this important day for football in the region.” Details on the implementation of key reforms include: Governance: Sixty days after the Extraordinary Congress, the current (Continued on page 32)
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Guyana to observe FIFA’s Elections The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has been selected as an Observer of the FIFA electoral process scheduled for 26th February, 2016 in Zurich, Switzerland according to a GFF release. Guyana is among three (3) member associations to observe same and it is the first for the South American country. Guyana is represented at the Congress by President, Mr. Wayne Forde; First Vice President, Mr. Julian Bruce Lovell and General Secretary, Ms. Diedre Davis. Slated as one of the most important Congresses in the history of global football, this is FIFA’s second attempt in
one year to elect a new President. After much turmoil, it provides an opportunity for the Member Associations to send a strong message to the global community of the seriousness of good governance, transparency and a higher level of accountability. The FIFA Congress will feature the presentation of the Reforms to FIFA’s Constitution and thereafter the election of a new FIFA President. Among the reforms to be voted on are term limits for top officials and discloser of earnings. According to the GFF, its President had advanced strong
arguments in support of term limits for the CONCACAF President and Executive Committee. Additionally, he proposed amendments to the reforms that would ensure that the position of CONCACAF president is never left vacant again regardless of the circumstances. These amendments were adopted unanimously. The President it said believes that the reforms emphasize the need for good governance, accountability, transparency and fairness. These timeless principles, he said, align well to the spirit and will of the Guyana football fraternity and the people of Guyana.
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PCL Four-day cricket By Sean Devers in St. Lucia in association with Trophy Stall and Tower S u i t e s The Beausejour Stadium in St. Lucia will host the eighth round PCL four-day FirstClass match between the Guyana Jaguars and the Windwards Volcanoes from today and the visitors will aim to extend their unbeaten streak to 15. The Jaguars are the defending Champions and tournament leaders with 107 points, 17 more than second placed Barbados Pride and 66 ahead of fifth placed Volcanoes. The Jaguars have won 16 and lost seven of their 37 First-Class matches against the Windwards while 14 have been drawn since their first game in 1983 when Guyana won by 108 runs in Dominica. Lockhart Sebastian, the Windwards Manager today, made 88 in a losing cause as
Friday February 26, 2016
Jaguars aim to extend unbeaten streak to 15
five-wicket hauls from Roger Harper and Clyde Butts and 143 from Faoud Bacchus powered Guyana to victory. The Jaguars arrived in St Lucia on Tuesday and could make one change to the team which drew with the Bajans in the last round. The Windwards were held to a draw in their last game against the Leewards in St. Thomas with Dominican Kavem Hodge scoring a maiden century and the experienced Devon Smith continuing his dominance at this level with 89. Bajan pacer Kyle Mayers had 5-83 after making 58 for the Windwards. The last time these teams met last year at Providence, Guyana won by 104 runs with Rajendra Chandrika making his first hundred in Guyana’s 362 although Shane Shillingford captured two five-wicket hauls.
Guyana Jaguars celebrate on the third day of their 7th round match against Barbados Pride on February 21, 2016 at Kensington Oval. Photo by WICB Media/Randy Brooks of Brooks Latouche Photography Left-arm pacer Raymon Refier had four second innings wickets while offspinner Steven Jacobs took four wickets in the first innings and dismissed Smith twice.
The track here should offer some bounce but not much turn for the spinners and Jacobs is unavailable due to injury. The left-handed Smith, who has the most centuries at Regional level with 24, would be confident of another good performance. Guyana will want Chandrika and Taignarine Chanderpaul, who added 92 for the first wicket in Barbados, to continue their good form. They will also hope that Assad Fudadin could reproduce his first half form while Skipper Leon Johnson has 499 runs and ViceCaptain Vishaul Singh is 66 runs ahead of Shamarh Brooks’ 511 runs and the only other batsman with 500 runs. Singh has three tons for the season and would expect
support from Anthony Bramble, Reifer, Veerasammy Permaul and Devendra Bishoo. “Every batsman here has been batting well, even Fudadin who has been a bit unlucky in his last few innings but are not going on to get three-figures. I think shot selection has been the main reason for this” Head Coach Esaun Crandon said yesterday from the team’s hotel. “Leon (Johnson) has been timing the ball really well since the season and is among the top three batsmen in the aggregate. I believe he is one century away from getting back into West Indies team while Vishaul (Singh) has the most runs and most centuries”. Crandon added. ”The pitch looked green but that might not be the case
tomorrow (today). While the batting line-up should remain the same there is the possibility of (Gudakesh) Motie coming in for (Ronsford) Beaton but that will depend on the type of pitch we get for this game” Crandon concluded. Beaton looked below his best in Barbados while leftarm-spinner Motie is Guyana’s leading wicket taker (36) and second overall behind Jamaica’s Nikita Miller’s 41. Keon Joseph has bowled with pacer and could share the new ball with Reifer and would hope for an early break through before Permaul (30 wkts from 5 matches), Bishoo and Motie comes on. No batsman from the Windwards has managed 300 runs but Smith. Hodge, Mayers and Sunil Ambris had half-centuries in the last round when they registered their highest total of the season. Support could come from Tyrone Theophile, Keddy Lesporis, Liam Sebastien, Shillingford and Dominican Jelomie Robinson with the bat. The Islanders’ bowling is fairly strong with their Bajan new ball pair of Kevin McClean and Mayers leading the pace attack. Spinners Shillingford, Sebastien and Alston Bobb could be expected to do a lot of bowling in this match which is scheduled to commence at 10:00hrs today and will have ball-by-ball Radio commentary and live s t r e a m i n g o n windiescricket.com website.
Friday February 26, 2016
Kaieteur News
Page 41
GCB/COCA COLA/DIGICEL/NSSCL
Chase Academy oppose Uitvlugt Secondary in today’s final A start studded Chase Academy is set to play the team oriented Uitvlugt Secondary School in the final of the Inter-School phase of the Coco Cola/Rainforest Water/Digicel sponsored Guyana Cricket Board National Secondary School Cricket League at GCC today from 11:00hrs. The League which commenced on 15 November, 2015, attracted over 150 Secondary Schools across the country in Zonal and District league formats. The two dimensional cricket league structure – the Inter School phase and the Combine Elite (of Zones and Districts) phase, comprised two main country districts, that of Upper Demerara to Essequibo Coast and G e o rg e t o w n t o U p p e r Corentyne (Skeldon), with Uitvlugt Secondary School emerging winners for the former and Chase Academy
for the latter. Both Uitvlugt and Chase Academy played undefeated all the way to the final with Uitvlugt convincingly defeating Linden Foundation Secondary in the nationwide semi-final. It must be noted that an Upper Demerara team was able to reach the semi-finals of this inaugural tournament a feat that must be commended since it is felt that the Upper Demerara schools were less exposed to actual cricket competitions. Nevertheless, they fiercely competed with those schools and players that are believed to possess more experience than them, and for this, acclamations are in order for Linden Foundation Secondary for progressing to the semi-final stage. From the country district of Georgetown to Corentyne, Chase Academy handsomely defeated Lower Corentyne Secondary in the
other nationwide semi-final setting up a potentially classic final between the team oriented Uitvlugt Secondary. Uitvlugt is likely to field players the likes of Captain and all-rounder Dodi Oslemo, who is a middle order batsman, but has also done well opening the batting, middle order batsman Chandrapaul Mohabir, fast bowler Reyaz Khan, off spinner Troy Drakes and all-rounder Reddell Reedy who generally bats at #3 and bowls right arm leg spin. These players will combine with other talented teammates to lead the Uitvlugt’s charge against the formidable Chase Academy which is expected to produce a powerful side featuring Captain and all-rounder Ashmead Nedd, who has performed exceptionally throughout the league, scoring 4 fifties with a top
Orealla/Siparuta dominates as BVA hosts female and U19 outreach at Skeldon
Participants of the BVA U19 outreach. The Berbice Volleyball Association (BVA) on Sunday last staged another successful outreach programme for females and Under-19 players at Skeldon where the villages of Orealla/Siparuta dominated. The main purpose of the activity focused on talent spotting with the aim of selecting female players at the Under-19 and senior levels as well as junior males to represent the Ancient County. Following the training sessions, a female and an Under-19 competition was contested. Four female teams inclusive of three from the hinterland communities of Orealla/Siparuta participated. They were Flamingo, Sun Flower and Young Strikers (made up of U19 girls) and Black Birds from the Coast. Among the U19 males
were Young Warriors of Orealla/Siparuta, No. 53 Survivals and Line Path Jets. Both competitions were played on a round robin basis with the top two teams emerging to contest the finals. In the female competition Flamingo defeated Sun Flower 2-1. After losing the first set 1416, Flamingo bounced back to win 15-9 and 15-13 in the decider. In the U-19 category Orealla/ Siparuta’s Young Warriors took top honours ahead of No. 53 Survivals 2-1 in another close contest, the scores read 18-16, 7-15, 15-9. Trophies were presented to the Flamingo and Sun Flower teams by Vishnu Super Store of No. 78 Corriverton. The MVP prize went to Rhonda Adams of Flamingo and she was rewarded by Movie Parts of No. 78 Corriverton.
A number of other players were also recognised for their outstanding play; Raquel Mc Intosh of Flamingo, Carmen Vanderburgh of Sun Flower and Alicia Welcome of Young Strikers all received medals compliments of Jerry’s Store of No. 72 Village. Young Warriors’ trophy came compliments of Jermaine’s Boutique; No. 53 Survivors collected the Jerry’s trophy. Cleon France of Young Warriors was adjudged MVP. Shawn Peneu of Young Warriors and Andy Rohoman of No. 53 Survivors were both rewarded by Jerry’s for being outstanding in the competition. Resource persons included BVA President Levi Nedd and former President Gregory Rambarran among others.
score of 96 against Lower Corentyne Secondary in the semi-finals while also grabbing two 5 wicket hauls. Wicketkeeper batsman Joshua Persaud is expected
to build on his useful starts with the bat, to lend valuable support to his team. Kirk Lovell who generally bats at number 4, is expected to continue his brilliant form
with the bat to add to his three 50s in the league; allrounder Dwayne Dick is expected to continue his amazing form with the ball.
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Kaieteur News
Friday February 26, 2016
Payne’s five-for hands Demerara easy win, Berbice beat E’bo Led by a five-wicket haul from pacer Jason Payne, Demerara romped to a ninewicket victory over the GCB President’s XI while Berbice secured a threewicket win over Essequibo when the Guyana Cricket Board/Dave West Indian Exports Guy-NY InterCounty Under-15 50-over tournament continued yesterday. Payne removed Daniel Dharamdat (00) and Devon Allen (06) while Daniel Paul sent back Brandon Jaikarran (05) to leave the President’s XI in trouble at 10-3 after they decided to bat at Wales. Payne who got lateral movement and maintained a tidy line then destroyed the middle order to finish with 519 while Paul claimed 3-14
as the President’s XI were skittled for 36 in 12 overs; Orin Gibson top scored with eight in an otherwise dismal batting display. In response, Yeudistir Persaud and Andrew Samaroo added 27 for the opening stand before Samaroo was lbw to Abdul Ramsammy (1-4) for three. Persaud timed the ball well, hitting four fours in an unbeaten 25 while Shoaib Shaw made five; Demerara finished on 37-1 in eight overs. At Enterprise, Essequibo scored 112 all out in 43.3 overs, taking first strike. Berbice encountered some hiccups before they won the game in 17.2 overs, ending on 116-7. Essequibo’s decision to bat backfired as they lost five
Daniel Paul
Yeudistir Persaud
wickets for four runs before Lance Roberts and Mark Fredericks featured in sixthwicket stand of 49 to add respectability. After Roberts who was named man-of-the-match went for 34 and Fredericks for 13, only Ameer Singh with 23 offered any resistance; Nigel Deodat snared 3-20, Gevon Shultz
had 2-4 and Aaron Beharry 2-26. In reply, Jerron France and Fawaz Gafoor added 43 for the first wicket, but when both were dismissed for 10 and 16 respectively, Berbice lost their way somewhat. Off-spinner Amos Sarwan bowled with variation and control as he removed Marvan Prasad (03), Seon
Jason Payne Collects his man-of-the-match prize from Match referee Grantley Culbard. Glasgow (11) and Chanderpaul Govindan (00) leaving Berbice at 73-5. But Shultz propped up the total, hitting 17 valuable runs and when he was caught off
Sarwan, Berbice only needed six to win; they achieved victory in 32.4 overs. Sarwan grabbed 439. (Zaheer Mohamed)
DCB/RSI Over40 T20 bowls off today The Demerara Cricket Board (DCB)/Raj Singh Insurance Brokers Over40 T20 tournament is set to bowl off today. Lower East Bank Lions will clash with Lower East Coast Bulls at the Lusignan ground, Georgetown Bears oppose West Coast Seals at
DCC, Upper East Coast Tigers face Georgetown Buffaloes at Enterprise ground while West Bank Demerara Mavericks battle Upper East Bank Colts at Farm ground. This eight team competition has drawn two teams from each Association
in Demerara. Each will play each other in the preliminary rounds for a total of 28 matches to be contested every Friday afternoon. The top four teams will qualify for the semis. Teams can earn bonus points for winning their games by large margins of
runs or for very few wickets. Other exciting rules mandate that each team must bowl a minimum of seven bowlers with no bowler delivering more than three overs per game. These games will not have the usual T20 fielding restrictions but standard cricket rules and conditions
will apply. Each team was given a box of balls for the Competition and the manof-the-match of each match will be awarded a trophy. The Winner and Runnerup will also be awarded with trophies. Each match will commence at 13:00hrs.
Friday February 26, 2016
Kaieteur News
Page 43
The pride of Rose Hall Town receives Medal of Service award The outstanding contribution of Guyana’s leading youth and sports organisation, the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC) was on Tuesday last recognised by the Government of Guyana at the International Convention Centre. Long Serving Secretary/CEO and founder member of the Club, Hilbert Foster received a Medal of
Service on behalf of the Club from its Honorary Patron and Executive President of Guyana, H.E David Granger. A humble Foster described the occasion as the greatest moment in the history of the club and stated that all of the members were proud of its historic achievement. In the history o f G u y a n a ’s N a t i o n a l Awards, few of any sporting or youth organisations have
received awards and the RHTYSC is the first cricket club in the nation’s history to be honoured. Foster stated that the RHTYSC was founded in September, 1990 by threetime Guyana and C o m m o n w e a l t h Yo u t h Service Awardee, St. Francis Community Developers and over the last twenty six years has successfully completed o v e r 6 0 0 0
GMR&SC ‘National Race of Champions’ Meet
Battle for spots on CMRC Team for Jamaica takes place March 20; Mark Vieira set to make return
Mahendra Boodhoo By Rawle Welch Following the successful staging of the Endurance Meet a few weeks ago, motor racing fans can now turn their attention to the ‘National Race of Champions’ Meet which is scheduled to be staged on March 20, at the South Dakota Circuit. Hosted by the Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club (GMR&SC), the upcoming Meet marks the opening of traditional racing for 2016 and immediately fans will get to see most if not all of the country’s best racers on show as they battle for supremacy and more importantly places on the Guyana contingent set to compete in the opening leg of the Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC) scheduled for May in Jamaica. Speaking with newlyelected President of the Club Raj Boodhoo at his spanking new Salt & Pepper Restaurant on Robb Street yesterday, the top race official said that he expects keen rivalry among the competitors as they battle for spots on the Guyana team for Jamaica. ”This Meet will see the
Flashback! Mark Vieira with chequered flag following one of his victories at the South Dakota Circuit. re-emergence of former champion Mark Vieira, who no doubt will be vying for a place on the team, while Irfaan Kalamadeen, Kevin Jeffrey, Andrew King, Danny Persaud and others are anticipated to take to the grid in what I expect to be a riveting showdown for top honours,” Boodhoo told this newspaper. He said with the emphasis being placed on sending the strongest team to open the defence of the Caribbean crown which Guyana retained last year, he envisages that most of the competitors both in the cars and Superbikes categories will be aiming to produce outstanding performances to gain the nod on the team to compete in the Caribbean Series. Boodhoo, who is serving his second stint as President, disclosed that the expectation of a similar kind of rivalry in the Superbike segment is real with the likes of reigning local champion Matthew Vieira, former champion Stephen ‘Valentino Rossi’ Vieira and another cousin, the reigning Caribbean champion Elliott Vieira, all signaling their intentions to be on the starting grid on race day.
They, however, could face stiff competition from Joel Neblett, Kevin Persaud and a host of upcoming riders. Boodhoo informed this newspaper that the Club is currently pulling out all the stops to get reigning Guyana and Caribbean champion driver Kristian Jeffrey, who currently resides in Canada, to be present to participate in the Meet. The motor racing Head, a former racer himself when questioned about his vision for the sport responded by saying that his wish is to make it the biggest sport locally and urged all stakeholders to come together and help it remain on the high platform it is on right now. He added that all the categories are expected to be fully subscribed and competitive. Motor racing is responsible for a sizeable chunk of the sports tourism pie and according to the Boss for motorsport here, there is where he wants it to stay. Among the sponsors on board to date are GTT and Fly Jamaica. Meanwhile, admission to the races is $1000 for adults and $500 for children under the age of 12 years. Starting time is 09:30hrs.
projects/activities. The club has made a major difference in lives of countless youths, the elderly and less fortunate. The club currently undertakes 300 programmes/activities on an annual bases under the sub – headings of sports, education, culture, youth development, awards, community development, coaching, anti – crime, youth employment and antisuicide, among others. Their cricket teams are among the top in Guyana and have together won over 40
Hilbert Foster receives the Medal of Service from H.E. President David Granger. major Berbice cricket championships and three national titles (two males
and females). The RHTYSC was also (Continued on page 32)
GTTA receives Stag Equipment Grant The Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) was the recipient of an equipment grant from the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) as a part of ITTF’s global programme to assist with the development of the sport in Guyana. The grant includes: Six Stag 1000 DX Competition Tables; Six Clip on Table Tennis Nets; Six Score Cards; 80 STAG Elite Beginners Racquets; 4.5 Gross of STAG One Star Plastic Training Balls and Two Gross of STAG and Three Star Plastic Competition Balls. “The grant will significantly impact the development efforts of the GTTA, allowing us to expand our programmes,” the association said in a release yesterday, adding that it will positively impact their national teams training programmes. “We will be able to have multi-ball training for our national team members with the new plastic balls being used; in addition to accommodating more players,” the release continued. This fits in with our strategic plan, which is to have coordinated national team training programmes for all levels of players throughout the year. The association believes that the grant also improves their capacity to host more domestic and international competitions. “The grant positively impacts the decentralisation efforts of the association given our
The Table Tennis equipment leaving the wharf plan is to host and take national competitions and training camps to the rural areas,” the document noted. According to the GTTA, there is a long-term plan to provide competition tables to Regions such as Berbice, Linden and Bartica with a vision of gradually building capacity in the regions so as to allow the Steering Committees in these areas to become efficient. “It is our aim to lobby ITTF for the support in that regard through the Development of a National S p o r t S tr u ctu r e G r an t through XIOM, which is an equipment manufacturer,” the GTTA informed in the release. The association said that the tables came at an opportune time. The grant equipment will be used to conduct a table tennis for schools programme for 30 secondary schools in Georgetown, which is a collaborative effort between the GTTA, Ministry of Education Department of Sports and the National Sports Commission. “The central aim of the
programme was to orient students and teach them the fundamentals of the sport of table tennis. The long-term benefit of this is participation at the junior championships slated for March 4-7 at the National Gymnasium,” the release continued. G T TA P r e s i d e n t , Godfrey Munroe stated that the Executive Committee appreciates the efforts of ITTF Latin American Development Officer, Mr. Ramon Ortega Montes for lobbying for Guyana to benefit from the grant based on the GTTA advocacy. “His assessment of our potential when he visited Guyana in 2015 to conduct an ITTF level one and level two coach’s certification courses, assisted in helping us secure this grant,” Munroe said in the document. He thanked Minister within the Ministry of Education, Nicolette Henry for facilitating the tax waivers and the staff of the Guyana Revenue Authority and Mr. Gavin Lowe for expediting and assisting with the clearance of the table tennis equipment.
t r o Sp
Ruthless Slingerz demolish GDF; Fruta Conquerors overcome Buxton P.33
Slingerz goal scorers from left, Devon Millington, Trayon Bobb, Julian Wade, Vurlon Mills, Domini Garnett, Tishard Joseph and Clive Nobrega.
Venezuelan fighters venture into ‘Hostile Territory,’ against Guyanese opponents tomorrow night P.34
Freddy Baleno
Elton Dharry
Dexter Marques
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