Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

A new system of community management There is a movement afoot to include the widest possible section of the various communities to manage their affairs. At last the laws governing Local Government Elections have been modified to include even an independent candidate. Up until recently, voting was done along party lines. For the last Local Government Elections, the then Opposition Leader Desmond Hoyte had asked President Cheddi Jagan to let the people determine their fate by allowing them to manage their affairs. Hoyte contended that this should be the case in the various local authority areas. The parties could field slates to contest the elections in the city. Jagan did not concede. Indeed, in many areas the people wish to have their residents manage the affairs of the city. The only reason they failed in many cases was because they were not allowed to dictate their own affairs. For example, knowing that rates and taxes represent the lifeblood of the Neighbourhood Democratic Council, the people were inclined to raise them to meaningful levels. The government would not allow any such increases. Even in the towns, the management was not free. No Municipality could claim to be independent. The government had to approve the budgets, determine whether changes were possible and planned the interventions. Georgetown was a classic case of a Municipality being held under the thumb of the government. The government would move into the city and simply undertake road repairs without notifying the Municipality. On the one occasion when City Hall objected, the objection proved to be an exercise in futility. The Mayor had ordered the arrest of the contractor and the seizure of the equipment as was within his powers. The government merely moved in and ordered the release of everyone and everything since the Minister had the final say in the operations of the Municipality. City Hall could not institute its own parking lots and charge fees as it is allowed to do today; it could not demand a portion of the Environmental Tax; and for certain, it was not allowed to charge the one per cent container tax on containers passing through the city and damaging the roads. There have been amendments to the legislations giving the NDCs greater autonomy. Things are also at the stage where the Municipal Police, who are really the authorities in the city, can now function as an independent unit. It is the same in the areas away from the city and the towns. People have come together to establish their own management teams. In fact, in four local government areas there will be no elections because there is no competing team. Those nominated would be considered duly elected. This move to have people manage their own affairs can only redound to the good. The people know what they want; in cases where the support of the central government is needed the people are in the best position to make the recommendations. Failing to heed the need of the people saw many of the NDCs collapsing and being replaced with Interim Management Committees. However, there is a new development. The presence of independents would make for a remarkable team of councillors. There are some who are targeting specific positions. Immediately, one can see tempers flaring at the first meetings to elect key officers. But this new system would be a test of our maturity. There is one thing missing and that is the urgency on the part of the people to vote. Unlike General Elections, Local Government Elections are often low-keyed. It is as if the very voter has little interest in his community welfare but is more interested in the national business. With the elections just about a month away there are no campaign meetings. Most people do not know their candidates unless they live in very small communities. There are also no posters of candidates. Perhaps funding is a crucial issue. Will innovation come to the fore? Will candidates parade in the area that they are contesting shaking hands with the potential voter as is the case in those larger societies where candidates clash?

Tuesday February 09, 2016

Letters... Where your views make the news

FORMER PPP MINISTER PLAYS POLITICS WITH THE TRUTH DEAR EDITOR, I must commend former Minister Irfaan Ali for a vociferous and energetic presentation in the 2016 Budget Debate. As the opening batsman, he did well for his party. However, it would be irresponsible for me not to point out that he was stingy with the truth on the non-performing loans held by the licensed financial institutions. He chooses to ignore the critical fact that one cannot assess the level of nonperforming loans without comparing it to the total debt portfolio. When one measures the asset quality in the banking system one reverts to the ratio of total non-performing loans to total loans. The statistics below, sources from the Bank of Guyana reports, will show that the asset quality of the local banking sector started to deteriorate in 2014. In 2014, the level of nonperforming loans deteriorated by 2.3 percent points to close with BAD DEBT worth G$18.1 billion

compared to G$11.3 billion in 2013. If my memory serves me well, the President of Guyana in 2014 was none other than the minority President Donald Ramotar from the PPP. What cannot be disputed is that under the

remains - the deterioration in the banking system started in the last days of the minority Ramotar administration and was exacerbated during the first six months of the majority Granger Coalition administration.

global standard setter for banking supervision. What is very clear, the BoG has done its job by effectively monitoring the system for any violation of the Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) and notified the political

term of former majority President Bharat Jagdeo, between the years 2007 to 2011, the state of the banking sector was rock solid. But this deterioration in the loan portfolio in the banking system did not start under the majority President David Granger. The truth

The Bank of Guyana (BoG) for years now had a robust compliance tracking system of the licensed financial institutions. They use a menu of solid financial soundness indicators that adheres to the international standards established by the BASLE Committee, the

directorate accordingly. With such information, the political directorate ought to have used 2014, 2015 and 2016 Budgets to roll out measures to enhance business confidence and to stimulate a more progressive investment climate. Sase Singh,

Terrible accusations against Linden Mayor and Town Council DEAR EDITOR, This letter was penned to gain the attention of those who are responsible for the payment of the retired employees, who were employed with the Mayor and Town Council Linden. It has been three years and over,e the employees who have retired have not been paid a cent of our gratuity and arrears pension up to the time of writing this letter.Monthly pensions are not being paid on the schedule date of the month, not until the following month with varying dates, e.g, 15th, or even the

10th for the previous month. In that way we are always being robbed of a month’s salary. It has been three years and over,e the employees who have retired have not been paid a cent of our gratuity and arrears pension up to the time of writing this letter.Monthly pensions are not being paid on the schedule date of the month, not until the following month with varying dates, e.g, 15th, or even the 10th for the previous month. In that way we are always being robbed of a month’s salary. What

aroused our anger more which led to the publication of this letter, to our surprise, the Council has made a decision to pay ten (10) Councillors Seventy Thousand Dollars (G70,0130) each for long service. The service that we, the retired employees gave was so much more longer with years of tiring in sun and rain and long hours of overtime without pay. Some of us served twenty, twentyfive, and thirty years and not even a simple letter of thank you; and even what is due to us was not given. On (Continued on page 23)

Minister David Patterson does not have police power DEAR EDITOR, I disagree with the conclusion in your editorial of Monday 8th, that the Minister responsible for GPL is to blame for a suspect in a major fraud investigation leaving the country. I think your editorial reinforces the notion common among Guyanese that ministers of government are omnipotent and have the power in law to ‘order’ arrests, detentions, and otherwise restrict the movement of ordinary citizens. In the case you highlight, even if the Minister had direct involvement in the affairs of GPL (an autonomous corporation with a board of directors) he would have had to lodge a credible

complaint with the police authorities whom I believe have jurisdiction for immigration and travel out of the country. They in turn would have had to detain the suspect and promptly bring him before a magistrate to effect the restriction on his travel. Minister Patterson, as far as I know, is not an officer of GPL. And even though he like every other citizen knew of the allegations in this case, I am wondering how a man with so much on his plate in terms of stabilizing a decidedly shaky infrastructure, would find the time much, less the authority, to be monitoring and restricting the movement of a suspected miscreant.

Some would argue that ministers of the government are not administrative officers but policy formulators; others expect Ministers to involve themselves personally in correcting every hitch in the system, including fixing leaking kokers or preventing individual murders. Ministers themselves make public statements or address citizens in a way that imply that they are all-seeing, allknowing overseers of public rectitude. The reality in Guyana is that suspicion of criminal wrongdoing at high levels can only be proven or disproven by evidence collected and presented by Police and DPP (Continued on page 23)

Tuesday February 09, 2016

Kaieteur News

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

Former PPP executive Diaspora lawyer wants against Wales closure racial unity DEAR EDITOR, I have been following with keen interest arguments for and against the closure of the Wales sugar factory. It is my humble view that the decision taken by the current administration to close the factory is somewhat hasty if not precipitate. Moreover ,it failed to take into consideration the socioeconomic and cultural impact such a decision will have on the lives of the thousands who depended on the estate for their living. I think the administration failed to adequately weigh the options available to turn the estate and by extension the entire sugar industry around to one of financial viability. Some useful suggestions were floated by former Chairman of Guysuco Mr. Vic Ouditt and others which I think are worthy of further examination. As a former employee of Guysuco, I am aware of the numerous challenges faced by the industry but I do believe that with some creativity and new out of the box

thinking on the part of policy makers, the situation can be salvaged. I recall during the early 1990’s when I joined the sugar industry as Personnel Manager at LBI estate, the industry was in dire financial straits. The then Desmond Hoyte administration was on the verge of preparing the industry for privatisation and a management contract was entered into with Booker Tate to examine ways of returning the industry to profitability. Sugar in 1990 had recorded its lowest production target of just about 127 000 tons. In fact sugar had to be imported at one time from Guatemala for domestic consumption in order to satisfy the EU quota and avoiding the risk of losing our share of the EU preferential market. With the new management contract in place and the possibility of losing the EU market looming, ways had to be found to save the industry from calamity. And Booker Tate rose to the challenge and immediately put in place measures to revitalise the industry. Among

Is this a bogus audit of City Council? DEAR EDITOR, I see a newspaper report two days ago in which the City Council’s Public Relations Officer is boasting that ‘The AG’s office is to help the M&CC to audit its Treasurer’s Department.’ If indeed true, this would be exhilarating news. But then again one has to wonder why the M&CC is attempting to direct the Auditor General’s office, which department and where they should audit? The entire Council needs auditing. She alludes to what she refers to as the commencement of human resource auditing, which sounds nice and transparent, but such an exercise would be a complete waste of time if this audit does reveal the enormous amount of nepotism, cronyism and favoritism that exists there. A huge chunk of staff particularly the more recent appointments consists of relatives and friends of Councillors and senior officers of the municipality. An audit should reveal that and have those persons removed and replaced by competent non aligned persons as this undermines the

common good of the Council. However, what really needs to be audited as well is the tax waivers given by one Councillor to tardy taxpayers last year under the guise of an amnesty. It was irresponsible to give one Councillor discretionary authority to grant commercial and corporate property owners a 50% to 75% amnesty, dependent on special circumstances as they put it. It turns out that this person even gave 100% amnesty in contradiction to the guidelines to some persons. What needs to be audited are the cleaning contracts that were given out to some Councillors and or their children and to friends of senior officers. What needs to be audited is the wanton expenditure embarked upon such as buying several new vehicles, refurbishing of offices, etc, etc and the list goes on. The announcement by the Council’s PRO of an audit taking place at Council is merely window dressing. I hope that when the new Council comes into place they would demand a real audit. Mark Roopan

the measures taken was a steep increase in wages and salary which led to improved workers’ morale and a steady return of workers back to the industry, in particular field and factory workers. Other measures included the planting of new canes as opposed to the then practice of recycling ratoon canes. One consequence of that practice was extremely low ton canes per acre and unacceptably high TC/TS (tonnes canes to tonnes sugar ratio). The factories which were operating at low levels of technical efficiency were rehabilitated and greater emphasis was put on research and development and marketing. The net result of all those interventions was an almost doubling of production levels and a return to financial viability and profitability in just a matter of a few years of the management contract. With the election of the PPP/C to office in 1992, the management contract was retained and privatisation of t h e industry was permanently shelved. I thought of highlighting these facts in order to make the point that this is not the first time the sugar industry experienced crisis situations and managed to overcome challenges with an injection of new and creative ideas. I think the current situation demands the setting up of a broad based think tank on how to turn the entire industry around rather than to focus only on the weakest production link as is the case currently. There is need to view the industry in a holistically and not in a fragmented and disjointed manner. Linkages, both backward and forward needed to be closely examined including upstream operations such as the establishment of a sugar refinery, power generation and ethanol production among others. I do not think it is too late for the administration to reconsider its decision to close the Wales factory and in so doing save an entire community from an impending catastrophe. Hydar Ally

DEAR EDITOR, For decades I have been advocating racial harmony in the country of my birth, but my pleas are being ignored both by the PPP and PNC administrations and it seems as if the new APNU/AFC might not be different. It is like six for one and half a dozen for the other. I wonder what can be done to change this sad and worrying situation which is the bugbear of the nation. Growing up we were told that the British sowed the “divide and rule” seed and when Forbes Burnham broke away from the PPP and formed his own party in 1955. The racial divide was intensified despite a few window dressings in both parties. In the 1960s Sydney King was deemed a racist and his call for partition between the Blacks and the Indians was laughable and completely ignored. Several years later I met him after he changed his name to Eusi Kwayana. I must say that he is an honest, fair-minded human being and he is concerned about the well being of all especially the poor. He is far from being a racist. It is the perception of some afro Guyanese that all Indos are PPP supporters and some Indos feel that all Afros are PNC diehards. Professor David Hinds a few years ago in one of his columns penned I was a strong PPP supporter being paid to propagate the Jagdeo administration. Maybe Dr. Hinds does not know I write pro-bona for several media houses in the Caribbean. Moreover, it is known that I was always anti PPP and a supporter to the PNC having worked for GBS Radio from the inception in October 1968 and Burnham’s law firm, Clarke Martin from the time it opened its doors. I remember three decades ago an Antigua journalist accused Ricky Singh of being a racist and went so far to say that he( Ricky) would refuse to shake hand with a black woman. I responded stating that Ricky’s wife was AfroGuyanese. President David Granger speaks of racial harmony, but we are still to see concrete evidence that his

coalition government is moving in this direction. Most of the diplomats and important positions are being filled by afros - this regime is doing the same that the PPP did - two wrongs cannot make a right. Efforts must be made to stop this party/race politics and choose qualified and unbiased persons to hold important positions. One would have thought since it is a coalition government, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo would have a say in trying to curb the imbalance which is so evident. A large number of influential Indos who fought to remove the PPPC from office because of corruption, now have second thoughts because they feel that only Afros are offered top positions in the administration. Even in the diaspora there is disunity in Guyana Associations in several states and territories .A few years ago I was asked to intervene in the British Virgin Islands where

the division between Indos and Afros was visible. Over in the United States where President Barak Obama wants legislation for better immigration policies, a dialogue has started about immigrants who landed on Ellis Island in the early 1900s deserve better than the new immigrant for the hard work and sacrifice in raising future generations to create a land that has become a beacon for those legally searching for better life. The early immigrants did not see themselves as Irish/ American, Italian/American, or German/American, but as Americans who stirred the melting pot into one red, white and blue bowl. Using a cricket analogy - I am batting my last over and before my innings comes to a close I would like to see fair play and a harmonious relation between the two major races in Guyana. I am prepared to spend the rest of my life to work towards this goal, but some friends and acquaintances feel I am dreaming. Oscar Ramjeet

City Council as part of the bourgeoisie DEAR EDITOR, Is the report ‘Gated community for M&CC staff’ that was carried in the Guyana Chronicle of January 20, 2016 for real? Are Royston King and his people really even entertaining the thought of commandeering reserve lands in Guyhoc Gardens, South Ruimveldt and Bel Air Park for their own uses? I believe the residents of all three areas should pursue legal and other remedies to prevent this land grabbing exercise by the Council. It is wrong, it is shameful and it is an act of greed. Why does the Council believe that it has the power to take over state lands, change its intended use and then benefit from this real estate? If the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown wishes to acquire housing for its staff, then it should purchase suitable and available land and then find a way of recovering the cost from its employees. The report indicates that several designs

have been created. By whom? The very staff that will have to approve these designs? And are the citizens paying for that? And why gated communities? Are the officers of Council part of a bourgeoisie class? The land in Bel Air Park that the Council is seeking to confiscate is that empty tract of land bordered by Eping Avenue, Potaro Road and Kamarang Road. A designated open space. Why must the residents and bona fide owners of property in Bel Air Park should allow this? I ask the government, the Minister of Housing, the Chairman of the Central Housing and Planning Authority who incidentally happens to be the Mayor, to step in and put a stop to this madness. Debra Gibson

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday February 09, 2016

Wales Estate gets stakeholders’ attention - formation of a public company proposed

Some sugar workers during recent protest action outside the Wales Estate

Yields from cane grown at the Wales, West Bank Demerara, Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) Estate dropped from 68 tonnes cane per hectare (TCH) to 51 TCH between 2008 and 2015. During that same period, private farmers increased their supply from 7,700 to 10, 200 tonnes, that is, from 31 per cent to 51 per cent of the total supply. This state of affairs was highlighted Friday evening during an informative and stimulating panel discussion spearheaded by Moray House Trust. At that forum it was disclosed that approximately 800 private cane farmers are engaged in farming activities at the Wales Estate which faces imminent closure. These farmers account for over 50 per cent of the estate’s cane supply.

The event was graced by speakers including former Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) manager with 35 years of service, Jai Petam; a cane farmer with 35 years of experience, Derrick Venture; a plant foreman who has worked at the Wales Estate for 30 years, Mark Khan; and a former GuySuCo Chairman, Vic Odit. During the forum, which was moderated by Mr Ralph Ramkarran, Mr. Derrick Venture of La Retraite/Stanleytown Cane Farmers Association, the largest cane farming unit in the area, expressed concern on behalf of his fellow farmers about the proposed plans to move canes to Uitvlugt for processing. Major obstacles, he identified, include the proposed route, the double handling of the cut cane and the loss of sucrose content in the cane as a result. He said that when news of GuySuCo’s plans was first revealed last month, he wrote a letter to President David Granger outlining the

farmers’ concerns. Venture claimed that he has not yet received a response. The cane farmers have indicated that it is within their ability to take over the entire production of cane at Wales in time. Mark Khan, a plant foreman at Wales Factory, challenged some of the information being circulated, to residents of the area in leaflets emanating from various ministries, and in the press. He explained, for example, that the allegation that the plant machinery at the factory is ‘old’ is misleading as all estates, with the exception of Skeldon, have machines which are over half a century old. He asserted, too, that sugar factories are built to run for hundreds of years. Khan, said that a recent ‘steam’ test, conducted by himself and his colleagues, showed the plant to be in good working order though there are parts that are needed. He moreover invited anyone to visit the factory for a demonstration. Khan added that there are 32 bridges on the estate all of which are in good condition. Eleven of them, he said, are made of concrete. This can also be verified by touring the estate, added Khan. He informed the audience Friday that closing the estate will be a devastating blow. This is in light of the fact he noted that he and many of his fellow workers

have mortgages and other financial commitments that cannot simply be suspended indefinitely. Whatever transition is planned, there are likely to be significant costs associated with it, he considered. Jai Petam, a former GuySuCo Manager, raised the question of who would fund the development of cane lands into other crops or any other diversification ventures. A conservative estimate of the cost of severance (based on 1500 workers receiving an average of $ 15,000 per week and with a service of average 15 years) would be $675 million. The forum also saw a presentation from Mr Christopher Ram. He pointed out that all sugar industries across the world are subsidized so that the world market price is not a ‘true comparison’ for what it costs to produce sugar anywhere. He also noted that while a Commission of Inquiry report included a financial assessment and projections, no-one appeared to have undertaken an economic assessment. Several speakers at the event agreed that this was a vital element for any plan involving such significant numbers of workers and their dependants. There are about 1800 workers employed at Wales Sugar Estate in addition to the 800 private cane farmers in the area. In considering the way

forward, Mr. Vickram Oditt, a former GuySuCo Chairman, proposed the formation of a public company, Wales Sugar Estate Inc [WSEI], with shareholders including the sugar workers, the cane farmers, the Guyanese public, pension funds, the workers’ unions and others. He speculated that if one million shares were sold at a cost of G$ 5000 each, this would raise $5 billion in capital for the venture. Oditt proposed that WSEI would lease the estate, factory, lands and equipment from the Government of Guyana/GuySuCo for $1 per year for a 25-year period with an option to renew for a further 25 years. WSEI would not own any of the lands and therefore could not dispose of them, he added. And according to him, the company would continue the cultivation and production of sugar and by-products at Wales and invest in the field and factory equipment necessary to produce three or four times the 2015 production. Oditt stressed that whatever the outcome of this proposal it was vital to continue field operations at Wales throughout 2016 including: tilling, replanting and other husbandry to ensure that Wales remains a functional estate at the end of the year. He also pointed out that at present hundreds of workers are turning up to work out with nothing to do.

But Oditt asserted that there is an “11-month variety of cane that could be planted and harvested at year end to keep workers occupied and the factory productive.” There were many other comments and even more questions from the audience at the end of the presentations on Friday. However, the most poignant were those in which several workers from Wales expressed their anguish and uncertainty. In the interests of offering a plurality of views, Moray House Trust invited a number of stakeholders including representatives of GuySuCo’s management, its Board, several ministers and the private sector to attend the event. Moray House Trust has noted its disappointment that “there was an apparent lack of willingness to engage, particularly on the part of those who hold public office or who are paid by the public purse.” Moray House Trust was founded on the ethos that “a culture thrives and develops where ideas circulate and are robustly debated and interrogated.” “On occasions such as these, the Trust hopes to provide a forum for the civil exchange of ideas and opinions. On Friday evening, thanks to all those who participated and attended, we took another small step towards that goal,” outlined a statement.

Tuesday February 09, 2016

Kaieteur News

Russian firepower helps Syrian forces edge toward Turkey border

Internally displaced people covered in mud, wait at the town of Khirbet Al-Joz to get permission to cross into Turkey, near the Syrian-Turkish border, in the Latakia countryside, Syria, Sunday. (Reuters/Ammar Abdullah) (Reuters) - The Syrian army advanced toward the Turkish border yesterday in a major offensive backed by Russia and Iran that rebels say now threatens the future of their nearly five-year-old insurrection against President Bashar al-Assad. Iranian backed-militias played a key role on the ground as Russian jets intensified what rebels call a scorched earth policy that has allowed the military back into the strategic northern area for the first time in more than two years. “Our whole existence is now threatened, not just losing more ground,” said Abdul Rahim al-Najdawi from Liwa al-Tawheed, an insurgent group. “They are advancing and we are pulling back because in the face of such heavy aerial bombing we must minimize our losses.” The Russian-backed Syrian government advance over recent days amounts to one of the biggest shifts in momentum of the war, helping to torpedo the first peace talks for two years, which collapsed last week before they had begun in earnest. The Syrian military and its allies were almost five km (3 miles) from the rebelheld town of Tal Rafaat, which has brought them to around 25 km (16 miles) from the Turkish border, the rebels, residents and a conflict monitor said. The assault around the city of Aleppo in northern Syria has prompted tens of thousands to flee toward Tur-

key, which is already sheltering more than 2.5 million Syrians, the world’s largest refugee population. In the last two days escalating Russian bombardment of towns north west of Aleppo, Anadan and Haritan, brought several thousand more, according to a resident in the town of Azaz. Aleppo, Syria’s largest city before the war with 2 million people, has been divided for years into rebel and government-held sections. The government says it wants to take back full control of the city, which would make it the biggest prize yet in a war that has already killed at least 250,000 people and driven 11 million from their homes. Rebel-held areas in and around Aleppo are still home to 350,000 people, and aid workers have said they could soon fall to the government. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was quoted at the weekend as saying Turkey was under threat and Ankara has so far kept the border crossing there closed to most refugees. After around a week of heavy Russian air strikes, Syrian government troops and their allies broke through rebel defences to reach two Shi’ite towns in northern Aleppo province on Wednesday, choking opposition supply lines from Turkey. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was “appalled” by the suffering of Aleppo, blaming bomb attacks primarily from the Rus-

sian side and suggesting they violated a U.N. Security Council resolution Moscow signed in December. SUPPLY LINE The Syrian army’s success in opening a route to the Shi’ite towns of Nubul and Zahraa enabled it to cut a main highway that linked rebel held areas in the northern countryside with the eastern part of Aleppo held by insurgents since 2012. The latest gains by the Syrian government brings it to the closest point to the Turkish border area since August 2013, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The capture of the towns of Mayer and then Kafin, just north of Nubul and Zahraa, in the past 24 hrs have opened the road toward Tal Rifaat, the next focus of the army assault. The capture of that would leave only the town of Azaz before the Turkish border itself. The prospect of the loss of Azaz, just a few miles from the Bab al Salama border crossing, would virtually wipe out the insurgents from their main stronghold in northwest Syria. Russian bombing has for weeks targeted rebel routes to the main border crossing that was once a major gateway from Europe and Turkey to the Gulf and Iraq. Since it fell to insurgents, the crossing has been both a major commercial lifeline and arms supply route for rebel-held areas in Idlib and Aleppo provinces.

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Kaieteur News

Obama seeks funds to fight Zika; sees no cause for panic

Colombian women listen as a health worker distributes information how to prevent the spread of the Zika virus, at the transport terminal in Bogota, Colombia (Reuters/John Vizcaino) (Reuters) - Barack Obama will ask the U.S. Congress for more than $1.8 billion in emergency funds to fight Zika at home and abroad and pursue a vaccine, the White House said yesterday, but the president also said there is no reason to panic over the mosquito-borne virus. Zika, spreading rapidly in South and Central America and the Caribbean, has been linked to severe birth defects in Brazil and public health officials’ concern is focused on pregnant women and woman who may become pregnant. Obama’s request to Congress includes $200 million for research, development and commercialization of new vaccines and diagnostic tests for the virus. In addition, the Londonbased European Medicines Agency (EMA), Europe’s drugs regulator, said it has formed an expert task force on Zika to advise companies working on vaccines and medicines against the virus. There are no vaccines or treatment for Zika and none even undergoing clinical studies, as the disease had previously been viewed as relatively benign. Most infected people develop either no symptoms or mild ones like a fever and skin rashes. “The good news is this is not like Ebola, people don’t die of Zika. A lot of people get it and don’t even know that they have it,” Obama told CBS News in an interview aired on Monday. “But there shouldn’t be panic on this, this is not something where people are going to die from it. It is something we have to take seriously.” Scientists are working to find out if there is a causal link between Zika and babies born with microcephaly, meaning they have abnormally small heads and can suffer developmental problems. The research began af-

ter a huge rise in such birth defects last year in Brazil at the same time the virus took hold there. Most of the money sought by Obama, who faces pressure from Republicans and some fellow Democrats to act decisively on Zika, would be spent in the United States on testing, surveillance and response in affected areas. “As spring and summer approach, bringing with them larger and more active mosquito populations, we must be fully prepared to mitigate and quickly address local transmission within the continental U.S., particularly in the Southern United States,” the White House said in a statement. Obama’s funding request to Congress also includes $335 million for the U.S. Agency for International Development to support mosquito-control, maternal health and other Zika-related public health efforts in affected countries in the Americas. There have been 50 confirmed cases of Zika in the continental United States among people who had traveled to affected areas, according to federal health officials. The White House said it would ask for $250 million for Puerto Rico, the fiscally struggling Caribbean U.S. territory. Zika is actively being transmitted in Puerto Rico and other warmer territories. MICROCEPHALY CONCERNS Brazil, the country hardest hit by Zika, estimates that up to 1.5 million people have been infected in the country. Brazil is investigating more than 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly. The World Health Organization has said a causal link between Zika and microcephaly is strongly suspected. Word that Zika can be spread by sexual transmission and blood transfusions

and its discovery in saliva and urine of infected people have added to concern over the virus. Several biotech and pharmaceutical companies are racing to develop a Zika vaccine, including France’s Sanofi, which already has vaccine for the similar condition of dengue. But scientists know relatively little about Zika and the road to developing a preventative shot is strewn with hurdles. Brazil is grappling with the virus even as it prepares to host the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August, with tens of thousands of athletes and tourists anticipated. The U.S. Olympic Committee has told U.S. sports federations that athletes and staff concerned about their health due to Zika should consider not going to the Olympics. The message was delivered in a conference call involving USOC officials and leaders of U.S. sports federations in late January. The federations were told that no one should go to Brazil “if they don’t feel comfortable going,” said Donald Anthony, president and board chairman of USA Fencing. “One of the things that they immediately said was, especially for women that may be pregnant or even thinking of getting pregnant, that whether you are scheduled to go to Rio or no, that you shouldn’t go,” said Anthony, a former Olympian. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised pregnant women to avoid travel to areas with an active outbreak of Zika. The WHO last week declared an international emergency over the disease, estimating that up to 4 million people may become infected in the Americas.

Tuesday February 09, 2016

North Korea rocket launch may spur U.S. missile defence buildup in Asia (Reuters) - North Korea’s latest rocket launch might kick off a buildup of U.S. missile defence systems in Asia, U.S. officials and missile defence experts said, something that could further strain U.S.China ties and also hurt relations between Beijing and Seoul. North Korea says it put a satellite into orbit on Sunday, but the United States and its allies see the launch as cover for Pyongyang’s development of ballistic missile technology that could be used to deliver a nuclear weapon. Washington sought to reassure its allies South Korea and Japan of its commitment to their defence after the launch, which followed a North Korean nuclear test on Jan. 6. The United States and South Korea said they would begin formal talks about deploying the sophisticated Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system, or THAAD, to the Korean peninsula “at the earliest possible date.” South Korea had been reluctant to publicly discuss the possibility due to worries about upsetting China, its biggest trading partner. Beijing, at odds with the United States over Washington’s reaction to its building of artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea, quickly expressed “deep concern” about a system whose radar could penetrate Chinese territory. China had made its position clear to Seoul and Washington, the Foreign Ministry said. “When pursuing its own security, one country should not impair others’ security interests,” spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement. TIPPING POINT But the North Korean rocket launch, on top of last month’s nuclear test, could be a “tipping point” for South Korea and win over parts of Seoul’s political establishment that remain wary of such a move, a U.S. official said. South Korea and the United States said that if THAAD was deployed to South Korea, it would be focused only on North Korea. An editorial in the Global Times, an influential tabloid published by the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s official People’s Daily newspaper, called that assurance “feeble”. “It is widely believed by military experts that once THAAD is installed, Chinese missiles will be included as its target of surveillance, which will jeopardize Chinese na-

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) watches a long range rocket launch into the air in North Korea, in this photo released by Kyodo on Sunday (Reuters/Kyodo) tional security,” it said. Japan, long concerned about North Korea’s ballistic missile program, has previously said it was considering THAAD to beef up its defences. The North Korean rocket on Sunday flew over Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture. Chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters yesterday the Defence Ministry had no concrete plan to introduce THAAD, but added the ministry believed new military assets would strengthen the country’s capabilities. Riki Ellison, founder of the Missile Defence Advocacy Alliance, said the launch would give Japan momentum to deploy THAAD. Washington moved one of its five THAAD systems to Guam in 2013 following North Korean threats, and is now studying the possibility of converting a Hawaii test site for a land-based version of the shipboard Aegis missile defence system into a combat-ready facility. EFFECTIVENESS QUESTIONED Some experts questioned how effective THAAD would be against the type of longrange rocket launched by North Korea and the Pentagon concedes it has yet to be tested against such a device. THAAD is designed to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles inside or just outside the atmosphere during their final, or terminal, phase of flight. It has so far proven effective against short- and medium-range ballistic missiles. John Schilling, a contributor to the Washington-based 38 North project that monitors North Korea, said THAAD’s advanced AN/TPY-2 tracking radar built by Raytheon Co could provide an early, pre-

cise track on any such missile. David Wright, co-director of the Global Security Program at the U.S.-based Union of Concerned Scientists, said that while THAAD could not shoot down the type of rocket launched on Sunday its deployment could reassure the South Korean public. “Much of what missile defence programs are about is reassuring allies and the public,” he said. SUITABLE SITE IDENTIFIED One U.S. official said the North Korean launch added urgency to longstanding informal discussions about a possible THAAD deployment to South Korea. “Speed is the priority,” said the official, who asked not to be named ahead of a formal decision. Renewed missile-defence discussions with the United States could also send a message to Be i j i n g t h a t i t needs to do more to rein in North Korea’s ballist i c m i s s i l e and nuclear weapons programs, another U.S. official said. South Korean officials have already identified a suitable site for the system, but it could also be placed at a U.S. base on the Korean peninsula, Ellison said. THAAD is a system built by Lockheed Martin Corp that can be transported by air, sea or land. The Pentagon has ordered two more batteries from Lockheed. One of the four THAAD batteries based at Fort Bliss, Texas, is always ready for deployment overseas, and could be sent to Japan or South Korea within weeks, Ellison said. Lockheed referred all questions about a possible THAAD deployment to the U.S. military.

Tuesday February 09, 2016

Kaieteur News

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CORRUPTION WILL INCREASE! The purpose for each person having a tax identification number (TIN) was to allow the tax department to have a record of every taxpayer or potential taxpayer in the country. If you wanted to do any form of business with the government you require a TIN. In this way, the Guyana Revenue Authority is able to have almost all adults register for tax purposes in the country. Now with such an extensive database which allows the GRA to check its records to see who has paid taxes and who has not paid taxes, can someone explain to

me the logic behind the decision of the government to demand that before anyone renews his or her driver’s license that persons has to produce a tax clearance certificate. This measure is seemingly being implemented as a means of ensuring that people pay their taxes. But why demand a tax clearance certificate when the GRA already has in its possession the TIN numbers of every taxpayer and can simply check its system to see who has paid their taxes and who has not? All the GRA has to do is to run its system and deter-

mine whose taxes are outstanding. This was the purpose of the TIN. The GRA is also effectively placing the burden of determining whether someone has paid his or her taxes on the person. But why do this when under the common law that burden already rests with the taxpayers? I have said it before: tax policies that are based on flawed analysis will lead to flawed results. The government wants to collect more taxes and so it feels that by forcing people to have to put their taxes in order will yield

more taxes. This is not a valid argument because simply having people submit their income tax returns does not necessarily mean that it will produce any more taxes. But even if more taxes can be obtained, why ask for a tax compliance certificate when the same effect can be had by GRA simply checking its system to see who has paid and who has not paid and sending those persons demand notice. The tax collectors have to do their job. They have to find those who are not paying their taxes and go after them. It takes weeks to obtain a tax

Walter Rodney COI final report further postponed

clearance certificate. With the massive number of persons who are now going to apply for such certificates it will take months. Is the Ministry of Finance so divorced from reality that it could not foresee this? The law has to be changed to allow for this demand for a tax clearance certificate before the renewal of licenses. This is measure which cannot be implemented with a mere notice in the papers. Unless the law is changed to demand a tax clearance certificate before a license is issued, then someone needs to challenge the new rule. Unless it is sanctioned by the law, it should not be allowed to stand. Desmond Hoyte had the foresight to remove the need for tax clearance certificates before persons left the coun-

try. He knew the corruption that this system bred. Persons paid money to get their travel clearance certificates. The need for travel clearance certificates led to a lot of corruption within the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) If you knew people within the IRD you could have your tax clearance without so much as a sneeze. The PNC administration lacks imagination. Instead of coming up with new and modern policies to boost revenue collection, the government is returning to the old days and the same old measures of a discredited system.

Dem boys seh...

- AG notes frustration at constant delays De court waiting From left Attorney General Basil Williams, Queen’s fuh Rohee Counsel Jacqueline Samuels-Brown, Senior Counsel Seenath Jairam and Sir Richard Cheltenham.

After almost $500 million over a period of two years being expended on the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry, Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mr. Basil Williams, said he is disappointed about the delay in the handing over of the report. The report should have been provided today but the excuse was that there was a “lack of ink” to compile photocopied documents. “This is unfair to the President and people of Guyana.” The Report, which was supposed to be presented to President David Granger at noon today, was not submitted because the Chairman of that Commission, Sir Richard Cheltenham, informed the Attorney General that he had run out of ink while printing the document. This call was made even though President Granger had already arrived at the Ministry of the Presidency to

facilitate the handing over of the report. The Attorney General said that he found this totally unacceptable for any sitting President, especially given the fact that President Granger has been more than accommodating in the past months, in granting time extensions. “I am deeply concerned. I am even more concerned that this is a Presidential Inquiry and that the President has been asked for extensions of time and every time, the President agreed. “It is not an appropriate way to deal with the President of a country. I think the time has come for us to put a definitive end to this entire Commission of Inquiry…The President has bent over backwards on many occasions. “It is unfair to the President and the people of Guyana to continue it… I am fed up of the entire situation,” the Attorney General said in a statement yesterday.

Minister Williams added that he found the handling of the matter by the Commissioner surprising and unfair to the Guyanese people since he had put all arrangements in place to ensure the completion of the work of the Commission, which had been set up under the previous administration. “I didn’t understand what he meant [when he said that] because when they arrived I sought to ensure that they were properly ensconced and that they had all the relevant facilities. “I had handed over the arrangements to Mr. [Hugh] Denbow, [the Administrator] for him to work with them so I was actually surprised that Sir Richard was saying that,” he said. Sir Richard had requested that the handing over be rescheduled to a time later in the day but Minister Williams indicated that this arrangement seemed uncertain.

“Sir Richard was asking for any time between 16:00hrs and 18:00hrs this evening, which again sounded very iffy. And I had to come to Parliament,” he said. With regard to outstanding payments to the Commissioners, Minister of Finance, Mr. Winston Jordan, had sought to receive copies of the contracts that had been entered into by the previous administration. However, it was revealed that those contracts were never signed. “The cost of this Commission is almost half a billion dollars…The things that we wanted from Sir Richard included a copy of the contract that he had entered into. I understand from Sir Richard that they hadn’t any signed contract,” he said. While the Minister expressed his exasperation at the constant delays of the Report, he noted the handing over of the report is in the hands of Sir Cheltenham.

Old people does always seh that moon does run till day ketch am. Brassington does always tell he wife that parable and she does laugh. She does tun round and tell him de same parable gun ketch up wid you one day. That day did come quick because he wanted by de police in Guyana. Rohee is de other one See-all and he boys looking for. Every time he open he mouth he does put he foot inside, especially when he nah get to sleep good de night before. Night before last he didn’t get to sleep good because he wife cell phone beep. Rohee hear it, check de phone and get vex- really vex. He lie down whole night and he can’t sleep after seeing de text message. Is day clean, when he couldn’t tek it no more he wake she up and demand that she tell ee who is de person that text she and tell she how she beautiful. De wife get surprise and check de cell phone. Then she get more mad than ee. “Hey, hey Rohee, Use you blasted spectacles. It is not beautiful. It is battery full.” He shame. He go to wuk and talk some real stupidness at a press conference. He now got de police looking for him. He claim how somebody try to kill Balram, de deputy to See-All. He also claim how de police hiding de evidence, suggesting that some foul play happen. Talk half and watch when he go in front of de magistrate.

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Tuesday February 09, 2016

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

Carvil Duncan, man-made laws and moral laws The Prime Minister told this newspaper that he knows of no law that could result in the removal of a person (from a Board or their workplace) if they are charged by the police. But it is not as complicated as the PM thinks. He may be right. The person has not been found guilty and if you remove him he could say that you are prejudging him. The PM was responding to questions about Carvil Duncan. Let’s look at a related dimension. The Minister of Finance told this newspaper that under the law, he has to assign the Auditor-General to

audit NICIL. The question was asked because the Auditor General did that before so this newspaper questioned the wisdom of a re-examination by the AG. The Minister cited the law. But it is not as complicated as that. The paper asked me for a comment and while I agreed with the Minister, my knowledge of the law told me there was no statute preventing the Minister from asking a firm in Barbados or New York to audit NICIL. After the publication of the item in the KN, I sought the advice of three lawyers. Much to my confusion, all

three asked not to be named. This aspect of life in Guyana continues to irritate me. A motorist stopped me at the junction of Quamina and Camp Streets and requested my help in getting a letter published in KN. H e said that when roads are being repaired or trenches are being cleaned drivers are at a disadvantage when they reach the spot only to be told they must divert. He wants to see the sign two streets away before you come to the site. Then he said, “Freddie ah doan waan meh name publish.” I was angry. For a commonsensical comment for

which he will get universal praise, he was afraid to use his name. How long are we going to continue with this cowardice? Anyway three lawyers told me with unambiguous grammar that there is no legislation that prevents the Finance Minister from employing an auditing firm to work with the AG office to audit NICIL. Let’s leave it at that. Back to PM Nagamootoo. Is he right? And if he is, then, how about this question. Do the Police Service Commission and the Judicial Service Commission (Duncan is a member of both) have the legal authority to suspend a sitting member? In other words, is there a legislation under which Duncan can be asked to withdraw temporarily? I don’t know the answer to that question. But as someone a little bit familiar with the law, I would think that any Commission could suspend a

member if the suspension is not arbitrary or irrational. I think it is best to give an example. Suppose the member is wanted in another country for murder and his extradition is being sought. Obviously, he has not been found guilty. But can’t the Commission suspend him until the outcome of the extradition hearing given the nature of the accusation? Now if I am wrong and a member of these two Commissions cannot be removed even for valid reasons, then there needs to be a re-examination of the particular law that restricts the Commissions from so doing. The Bar Association found time to ask the President if he followed legal procedures in his pardon of over forty young convicts. I hope it finds the time to enlighten us, lay people on these important legal issues Is there a moral obligation

Frederick Kissoon here? If the law does not allow for Duncan’s removal, is it not the morally proper thing for him to do and withdraw from these Commissions? Does it look bad in the eyes that a person is before the court but he sits as a member of the Judicial Service Commission? That is the body that deals with Judges and Magistrates, in other words, the law itself. In any discussion on the question of Duncan’s removal from these Service Commissions, moral laws come into question. A society is not governed only by legislation made by its parliament. All societies rest on priceless moral guidelines. A first year philosophy student learns that from his/her textbook. We all would not have been alive today if civilization as a matter of instinct had put laws as the only standard for judging behavior and did away with moral values. Which law prevents a Judge from trying a case involving his cousin? Which law prevents the Head of a company from tendering for contracts from a bank that he heads? But what about moral conduct? Can civilization survive without moral guidelines?

Tuesday February 09, 2016

Kaieteur News

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New Chairman, Robert Badal, vows to stamp out corruption in GPL

New Chairman of the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL), Robert Badal, has vowed to stamp out corruption within that state-owned company. Badal, a prominent businessman who owns Pegasus Hotel and the Guyana Stockfeeds Limited, said that among some of the top issues to be tackled will be that of efficiency. On Friday, Badal and private sector official, Komal Ramnauth, were both given instruments along with charges to carry out their mandate to turn GPL around. The meeting took place at the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Kingston, with Ministers David Patterson and Annette Ferguson present. Badal emphasised that stringent steps must be taken to increase the company’s efficiency. These steps, he

From left, Robert Badal, Minister David Patterson, Komal Ramnauth and Minister within the Ministry Annette Ferguson. said, must include the stamping out of corruption from within. “With a new vision and culture, everyone will fall in line,” he said. Both men were urged to deal with the

pressing matters facing GPL as quickly as possible. During the simple ceremony, Minister Patterson expressed hope for an early Board meeting. He further indicated that

important matters, including procurement and loss reduction, must be at the top of the agenda. He added that loss reduction is one of the complaints the company faces

Gov’t slow on outstanding Public Service & Education COI - PPP - delays release of outstanding forensic audit reports

PPP General Secretary, Clement Rohee The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is accusing the Government of dragging out the release of outstanding forensic audit reports, the Public Service Commission of Inquiry (COI) report and the COI into the education system. According to PPP General Secretary, Clement Rohee, the release of the Public Service COI, specifically, had been promised in October 2015. He noted that the delay is hampering increases to public servants. From the Ministry of the Presidency, “We heard that there was a COI established to look into the public service,” Rohee said. “They were to publish their report in October. Nothing has come forward as yet.” “This is a Government speaking. And we must hold them accountable. They said

that the report would be finished in October. We are waiting on the report because it is said that public servants cannot get an increase until the report is public.” Expressing worry about the uncertainty emanating from the Ministry of the Presidency, he also pointed to the commission of inquiry into the education system, which had been announced in August last. “We had also heard that Cabinet had approved a commission of inquiry into the (Public) education system. Four months after, we (are) hearing that the commission has not been set up as yet. What is going on?” On the Pyle accident, Rohee expressed disappointment that the matter is being treated as an accident and that the Traffic Chief has been

asked to investigate the matter. He said that there is some uncertainty about whether President David Granger had assented to the Bill. “Ramjattan said that he is waiting on a report and the Coroner’s inquest to be established in respect to (Pyle). We just passed a Bill in parliament in respect to setting up coroners’ inquest. We don’t know as yet if the President has assented to that bill, so it can become law and the inquest be set up speedily.” He went back to statements made by Attorney General, Basil Williams, that there was a shortage of coroners. He noted that the Bill will allow for more coroners to be recruited. “We don’t know whether we will have to wait until that Bill is assented by the President so we can get additional coroners or whether we can use some of the magistrates now, who are already complaining that they have a huge backlog.” “I think they are intentionally dragging this thing out because it brings them political capital to keep the pot boiling.” The COI into public service had been ordered in 2015 by President Granger, to determine measures to improve the efficiency of the public service, as well as a review of the methodology used to classify and recruit these workers. At its conclusion last month, the commission was expected to report on and

make recommendations on the role, functions, recruitment process, remuneration and other matters of the public service. Along with the COI, Granger had promised to introduce a Public Service staff college. The COI into public education, on the other hand, was announced in August of 2015. It was mandated to investigate the delivery of public education in order to provide strategic guidelines after conducting hearings across the country.

most. Minister Patterson further said that the new Board must guard against emergencies and must focus on better planning and execution of tasks. Ramnauth added that the Board will work on fostering better relationships from the top down. Meanwhile, Minister Ferguson urged the Board to look into electricity theft. “Come up with innovative ideas; come up with a plan,” Minister Ferguson stressed. “Internally, we must do better.” She further emphasised that “at the end of the day, not only GPL must win; both customers and GPL must benefit.” Additionally, both Ministers urged the men to create policies to tackle un-served areas and expand GPL’s reach. The Ministers added that GPL must focus on bearing the cost of these expansions since it had a responsibility to the people of Guyana. They stressed that, in this modern age, persons should not be living without electricity. “We must have an expansion programme; GPL has a

national responsibility to the people,” Minister Patterson stressed. Late last month, the new Board was installed and for the first time in a while, it will include women – there are four of them. With over 170,000 households scattered on the coasts, there has been growing pressure for the entity to up its game. The Board’s first set of tasks will be looking into a report detailing an investigation that the current Chief Executive Officer (Ag), Colin Welch, last year allegedly attempted to tamper with a multimillion-dollar contract for prepaid meters. The new Board will also be looking to a possible deal with Guyana Windfarm Inc., a company that is planning to sink over US$50M into a 26-megawatts project at Hope Beach, East Coast Demerara. With regard to the windfarm project, Patterson explained that GPL will have to iron out a power purchase agreement and work out the technical details that will see the 26-megawatts being accommodated in the interconnected system of that stateowned company, and in accordance with the regulatory framework. When it comes on stream, the wind-farm will be about 15 percent of the country’s current power and will be from renewable energy. The members of the Board are Badal – Chairman; Denise Simmonds; Leslie Ramalho; Abiola Wong-Inniss; Morsha Johnson-Francis; Tara Singh; Chief Executive Office of Guyana Energy Inc., Ramnauth and representatives from the Guyana Public Service Union, the Private Sector and possibly the Parliamentary Opposition.

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Tuesday February 09, 2016

Robbery/home invasion on land court judge…

Suspected getaway driver grilled over his role

Anthony David, one of the five men charged with the home invasion and robbery committed on Land Court Judge Nicola Pierre, and her husband Mohamed Chand, was said to be the driver of the getaway car. This is according to the testimony of Detective Assistant Superintendent, Mitchell Caesar—Head of the Major Crime Units Criminal Investigation Department,

Headquarters, Eve Leary. Premnauth Samaroo; Damien Millington, 22 of Lot 118 Caesar Street, Agricola; Nicholas Narine, 18, also of Caesar Street, Agricola; Anthony David, 28 of 63 Hadfield Street, Stabroek and Warren Mc Kenzie, 22, of Lot 18 Brutus Street, Agricola, are jointly facing three charges two for robbery under-arms committed on Pierre and her husband and another for the

offence of discharging a loaded firearm at security guard, Ron Peters. They have all pleaded not guilty to the charges and are currently on remand. The police witness testified yesterday, as the trial of the five men accused of robbing and terrorizing the judge and her husband continued in the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Zamilla Ally-

Irrigation water becomes scarce in Essequibo With little or no water remaining in the conservancy, the Region Two (Pomeroon/ Supenaam) Administration is doing its best to facilitate farmers in the Region with whatever irrigation water is left in the system. Regional Vice Chairman, Nandranie Coonjah, said that while water is being obtained from the Tapakuma Irrigation project scheme (DAWA) to assist farmers who would have already cultivated their crops, the irrigation water continues to become gradually depleted. Very soon the Region would have to stop pumping water from DAWA. Coonjah said the current situation is also affecting some residents in the Pomeroon River. She said that when water is been pumped from DAWA, Pomeroon residents would receive water which has a high level of

salinity (salt water) in it which would further pose a threat to their farms. In some areas in the Region the water levels have dropped significantly raising concerns but experiencing a prolonged episode of dry spell, there is not much that can be done by the Region. Rice cultivation in the Region in some areas is at an advanced state of cultivation. In a month’s time, rice would begin to flower. Farmers and other Essequibians grasped at the “Public Day meeting”, which was observed recently to highlight their concerns to government officials. Rice farmer, Ishu Dyal of Dunkel, Essequibo said that his 17 acres of rice field has been affected by “salt water.” (Yannason Duncan)

Seepaul. The court is at present housed in the Better Hope Community Centre. Caesar told the court that he held several interviews with David at CID headquarters. He recalled that the meetings were held on July 16, 2015. He said, “During the interview, Anthony David said that he wanted to tell me what happen. I immediately stopped him and administered a caution to him”. Caesar testified that David told him that on July 8, 2015 he was at home when he received a call from a friend. He stated that David told him that the friend informed him that they were on a “work” on the East Coast and persons opened fire on them. According to the witness, David said that the men asked him to come and pick them up and carry them to Agricola. Caesar recalled that the accused told him that he was not paid for the trips because the men told him they ran and left everything behind after the robbery. Although David refused to provide the police with a statement, the Detective said that he made entries of the conversation in his personal diary. During the cross examination, Attorney Adrian Thompson suggested to Caesar that he had fabricated the story. The police witness refuted the suggestion and told the court that he had no reason to lie.

Warren McKenzie

Earlier on in his testimony, Caesar recounted that on July 15, 2015 he and a party of police went to a house at Craig, East Bank Demerara where they met Narine, Millington and five other men. “I told Millington and Narine that it is alleged that he on July 9, acting in consort with others, while armed with guns at Montrose, robbed Nicola Pierre and Mohamed Chand.” He added that after the men were cautioned they were arrested and taken into police custody. The matter has been adjourned to today when Detective Inspector Suraj Singh will take the stand. He is the final witness for

the prosecution being led by Attorney Nigel Hughes. At the conclusion of his testimony the court will commence on a Voir Dire (trial within a trial) to ascertain the admissibility of caution statements and oral confessions given by the number three and four defendants (Millington and David). Pierre, Chand and Peters have completed giving their testimonies. They have so far, positively identified four of the defendants (Samaroo, Millington, Narine and McKenzie) as the ones who were part of the robbery/ home invasion that occurred on July 9, last in the gated community of Felicity, East Coast Demerara.

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Kaieteur News

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Alleged visa Cops detain suspect in restaurant owner’s murder scammer in custody Police have detained a suspect as they continue to hunt for the bandits that shot and killed restaurant owner, Xiu Di Yang at No. 57 Village, Corentyne on Sunday. The 49-year-old owner of the Gin LI Lai Restaurant was shot around 19.50 hrs, allegedly by one of two unmasked men who had gained entry to the restaurant via an open back door. The attack reportedly occurred shortly after the woman, her husband Xu Hue Su, 51, and sons Zhuo Xing Su, 24, and a 14-year-old sibling, Zhuo Su, had finished dinner. Xiu Di Yang was found at the front of the yard with a bullet wound to her forehead. Police said that Xiu Di Yang, her husband and two sons were having dinner in their restaurant which was closed for business at the time, when two men, one of whom had a firearm, entered through an open door in an apparent robbery attempt. The husband and the two children fled and raised an alarm. At this stage the armed man discharged a round that struck Xiu Di Yang to her head. The intruders then escaped. Xiu Di Yang was taken to the Skeldon Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival. A police official said that the detained suspect fits the description that the slain woman’s husband gave of one of the intruders. Police believe that the gunman panicked and discharged his firearm after the victims made an alarm. It is believed that they entered the restaurant via an unlocked back door. Zhuo Su, one of the victim’s sons, said that the family had closed the business around 19:50 hrs, since it was the eve of the Chinese New Year. He said that the family had just finished dinner when they heard a noise in the kitchen. He was sitting facing the kitchen when he saw someone standing by the doorway that separates the restaurant from the kitchen. According to the son, the intruder signaled to him to be quiet. But the young man said he made a gesture and his family members turned and saw the stranger and another accomplice. The bandits were unmasked; one carried a small handgun and the other a cutlass. He said that his mother began screaming. He said that his father was holding a chair trying to protect his mother, but as she continued to scream, the gunman shot her in the centre

- believe gunman panicked after victim screamed

Xiu Di Yang

of her forehead. The son said that his father was able to open the front door and flee with his sons from the restaurant. They then scaled the fence, before reaching the roadway, where they began to scream for help. The incident occurred just four doors from the residence of Special Assistant to Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Mr. Gobin Harbhajan. Mr. Harbhajan and members of a ‘B’ Division Community Policing Group (CPG) were there at the time. Radica Ramanandan, Liaison Officer within the Ministry of Public Security, told Kaieteur News that she was standing outside Mr. Harbhagan’s house at around 20.00 hrs, when she heard the screams. She immediately alerted her colleagues, and they hurried over to the restaurant by vehicle. She observed that the restaurant gate was

padlocked and the owner of the restaurant was screaming. “He was screaming ‘bandits…bandits shoot my wife,’” Mrs. Ramanandan recalled. On entering the yard, they saw the proprietor’s wife lying on the ground outside the restaurant entrance. She appeared to have been shot in the nose. Mrs. Ramanandan said that the woman, who was still alive, was picked up and rushed to the Skeldon Hospital where she was pronounced dead. The bandits reportedly made good their escape through the back door. They took a box which contained cigarettes, pens, books and other items of little value. The police were informed and responded quickly, but by that time the bandits had escaped. Cigarettes and some other contents of the box were found scattered in the back of the yard.

Dhanraj Raghubir, who was wanted by the police in relation to scams whereby he allegedly obtained $1M from several persons by claiming he could get them United States of America Visas was yesterday, taken to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Eve Leary to assist with investigations. He was taken there moments after his court hearing ended yesterday, in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Dhanraj Raghubir, was charged earlier this month with fraud. Raghubir is currently facing Magistrate Judy Latchman on a forgery charge. He was charged with forging a US Embassy appointment letter and also with uttering a document that he purported to be issued by the US Embassy, knowing same to be false. He was released on $50,000 bail after denying the allegations. When this matter was called, Police Prosecutor, Kerry Bostwick, told the court that the police file is still incomplete. He said that investigations are underway after 20 persons made complaints at CID about Raghubir con-

ning them. According to the Prosecutor, other charges of a similar nature will be instituted against him. Bostwick requested a date for reports and informed the court that Raghubir will be taken to CID to assist with investigations. This matter was adjourned until February 22. Persons have all alleged that Raghubir had scammed them and collected a total of $1M from them on the pretext that he would be able to acquire a US visa, either a visitor’s or permanent, for them. Police had searched his business place; Creative Concepts located at Garnett Street, Newtown, Kitty where three passports belonging to the alleged victims were found. The police had issued

CHARGED: Dhanraj Raghubir a wanted bulletin for Raghubir and Michael Persaud of Lot 15 Public Road Herstelling, East Bank Demerara pertaining to an investigation into several counts of obtaining money by false pretence.

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Kaieteur News

SALON - Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals and Black Opal - Cosmetology Courses - Nail Technician Course Call: 647-1773/660-5257 SERVICES

WANTED

PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. – CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Guyana passport application. Graphics design, advertisement. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535.

Rider for 3 wheel motorcycle to deliver water- Call: 6869296; 655-1534

Repairs at low cost: Fridges, air- conditioners, washing machines, TVs, microwaves, freezersCall:629-4946 or 225-4822

Urgently! Garbage company needs experienced drivers must have police clearances, two reference one picture. Call: 223-7012/670-7920 Drivers- paid salary; dispatcher for taxi service and contract cars- Call: 231-0316 Live in home aid needed in Peters Hall: 1 week on, 1week off, must be 45plus- $13,000Call: 667-2535

Desmond Repair Services Fridge, AC, gas stove, microwave, washer, etc on the spot repairs –Call: (592)678-8683; 613-9181

Experienced cake decorator, roti/puri cooks, counter servers. Apply at Hack’s Halaal, 5 Commerce St.

Building Construction: house plans & estimates, floor sanding, lacquering & painting, boat for Santa Mission –Call: 650-4362 Guytec Speacialised in air condition unit, washing machine, dryer, pizza oven, convection oven, pressure pump- Call: 684-2119; 6802377 Guytec Specialised in stove range, water heater, dish washer, deep fryer, treadmills refrigerator etc. Call: 6842119; 680-2377

1 Mechanic welder to work in the interior, interested persons can call 625-5136 on Mon-Fri between 8am-4pm.

Repairs & spare, fridge, freezer, A/C, washers, stoves – Contact Nick: 683-1312, 627-3206 We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer-Call: 231-0655; 683-8734. Omar Cleaners’ R’ us: janitorial cleaning including: window cleaning, office cleaning, pressure washing, etc. Call: 6609478; 672-0865 or 223-6544 Tax Services: custom brokerages, individual income tax, property tax, value added tax, compliances certificates, etc. Call: 660-9478 INNOVATIVEMARKETING & PUBLISHING INC –TEL: 600-4212: We create A/ works, logos, business cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included.

MASSAGE Happy Touch Day Spa: come & experienced heavens touch with new attendants: Kala & Lisa. Visit us today! –Call: 690-6079

Salesgirls, porters and security guard. Apply with written application at Lot 1E Dennis & Middleton Street, Campbellville. Live in general domestic 2535yrs salary - $60,000$70,000 monthly – Call: 6103974 Experienced dispatcher and hire car taxi drivers @ Princess Hotel-Call: 265-7076, 265-7075; 616-5419

Tuesday February 09, 2016

FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. Original slate pools table $350,000 –Call: 694-7266

WANTED Supervisor with experience for Fish Processing Plant; attractivesalary msg / whatsapp: 670-4623 / 6975221 1 experienced computer literate Office Assistant &1 Accountant;attractive salary ; msg /whatsapp: 697-5221 / 225-8645 1 Chief Security Officer to manage a Security Service; attractive salary ; msg/ whatsapp: 670-4623 / 6975221 Dispatcher- Call: 661-2824; 223-1377

TAXI SERVICES GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 225-7878 (24HRS)

ADORABLE PUPPIES FOR SALE. CALL: 6004212 Crazy Deals: Dell/HP desktop & laptop computers from $49,000, free games & educational programs @ FutureTech: 231-2206 Lots @ Blankenburg behind the gas station- $3.9M- Call Us Today: 650-0402 One slate pool table, price $300,000- Call: 228-2098; 6285796 Toyota Hilux 2.5LTD 2010 carry boy tray, Goodrich, immaculate condition, silver, UK import, price -$5.2M- Call: 629-2200 Pure bred pit bull pups, 8 weeks, fully vaccinated and de-wormed. Call: 661-1715; 669-2434

Sales person and canter drivers wanted for a food distributing comp. application & police clearance. Call: 231-8529 Live in or live out, babysitter/ domestic –Call: 223-7500 Monday-Saturday, between 8:15-4:15pm 4 Attractive waitresses $16,000 weekly; one cook to prepare cutters, free accommodation & meals on E.B.D- Call/Whatsapp: 6618802 1 General live in domestic, age 30-45yrs - $60,000 monthly- Call: 659-2708; 6885409 Maid to work at Contienental Park between 8am-4pm, attractive salary. Call: 6851403

VACANCY STAR CARS AUTO SALE: Cook/baker and truck driver 30-06 PREMIO, 03-07 for the Interior location, FIELDER, NEW RAUM, IST, applicants must be BLUEBIRD, AXELA, PIT- experienced. Call: 618-2020 BULL. CALL: 679-3140; 1 Driver- apply at Technical 268-3509 Services; 18-23 Industrial Toyota Ipsum, fully loaded, Site, Eccles. music system – 5,800 watt, 7 seater, excellent condition – One 1 driver/purchaser; must have experience in the Call: 653-1003 said area, must be between RAV4 2001, 91000km, crash ages 35-48yrs. Call: 226-9768; bar & roof rack -$3M 625-1413 negotiable- Call: 216-1893 Experienced bartender, Black Toyota Celica 2002; 2 waitresses, cooks and door sports car, immaculate bouncers needed. Call for condition- Call: 614-8870; appointment @ Eden’s Bar & Lounge, Tel: 652-0074 222-2431 To y o t a R a u m , S p a c i o , Security Officers; apply in AT192, Allion, L-Touring person. Massey Security Wagon, EP71-starlet, IST, (Guyana) Inc, Lot 0 Nissan March & Pickup Ruimveldt, Georgetown. Call: 4X4 (4door). Call: 644- 225-5773-6 5096; 697-1453 Hairdressers, nail technician, Honda CRV (RD5), PNN barbers, also hair & nail series, stick gear -$2,350,000 stations available for rental negotiable, Toyota IST, PSS location: New Market Streetseries, candy pink - Call: 638-1106 $1,650,000. Call: 691-1198 Popular East Coast Gas 1AT 212 PRR, 1 Allion PRR Station: day/night: pump Series, 1 Premio PPP, owner attendants, sales clerk & leaving country. Call: 642- office assistant. Contact: 6694755; 695-9880, Non-Pareil 2645

One D8K Caterpillar Bulldozer, in e x c e l l e n t c o n d i t i o n , ready to work, price $14M. Call: 611-4775; 220-5192

1 Toyota Landcruiser Prado, PMM series. Call: 219-5354, Monday-Friday 8:15-4:15pm & Saturday 8:15-1:15pm.

1-6" Dredge complete with Lavador -$6M- Call: 6190898

Allion 2010, PTT series. Call: 626-7464

Fridge, water bottle, carpets, fan, kettle, plastic barrel, blender, wares, baby cradle, cap hair dryer. Call: 618-2116 Nissan Titan- Call: 696-5135

Cleaners: persons living in the areas of Soedyke E.B.D to Timehri. Call: 223-6544; between 9:00am-5:00pm 1 experienced Fish Processing Plant Supervisor and Fish Processing Plant Workers, attractive salary. Tel: 697-5221/ 225-8645

VEHICLE FOR SALE

1 Toyota 4X4 Hilux Surf, 3Y engine, excellent condition$1M negotiable. Call: 6619447 1 Super Custom RZ minibus (Diesel) very good condition, price $1M negotiable. Call: 613-7798 1-TM 4-wheel drive truck with crane -$3M, 1-TL 500 truck crane -$2M- Call: 619-0898

CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: CARS& SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 6560087 , EMAIL: PRO_ AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO. COM DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM Vehicles for rental: cars, SUV, pickups etc, long term only @ Ray’s Motor Spares and Auto Sales. Call: 231-7839 Wing’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up rental- Call: 690-6494 Aidan’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up, cheapest rate, low security- Call: 698-7807 FOR SALE/FOR RENT American pool table – Call: 277-0578

TO LET Apartments for rent @ Nandy Park, 2 bedrooms, recently renovated, free WiFi, $80,000-$90,000 negotiable. Call: 227-5194 One upper flat to rent at lot 580 Golden Grove, East Bank Demerara- Call: 625-4195; 624-8120 Prime business place in Lethem, storage bond & living quarters included. Call: 692-3573 Four storey business place located on Robb Street, next to Bourda Market- Call: 6237731; 629-0636 VEHICLE FOR SALE Reduced prices on unregistered cars, Allion, Mazda, Fielder, BlueBird. Call City Motors:626-7478; 6163413

1-Volvo Crane & dump truck -$3M- Call: 619-0898 Toyota AT212, in good condition -$1.2M negotiableCall: 690-3352; 267-1308; 6262841 1- Toyota Surf with 3RZ engine -$2.9, 1-double cab pick-up -$1M. Call: 619-0898 We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 Tacoma- Call: 680-3154 1-2009 Mercedes Benz, Kompressor, 1-Spacio- Call: 661-3657 AT192, 212, Allion, unregistered Premio, Hilux Surf, BNN, RZ & Pit-bull, 7 seater super custom. Cash / terms- Call: 680-3154 Manual and automatic super GL pit-bull buses & VVTI buses, extra cab Hilux with 1 RZ engine-Call: 616-7635

Female clerk. Call: 265-3586 Local & International e m p l o y m e n t : www.jobfairworldwide.com. Call: 233-6517/622-1957/6380595 between the hours of 9am-5pm Mon –Sat. CARPENTERS AND LABOURERS. 676 6700 M A R K E T I N G ASSISTANTS, DRIVERS and WELDER/FABRICATOR. 676 6700 Western Union CSR, evening shift cashiers, computer literate, 5 CXC subjects. Apply: Survival, 173 Sheriff Street, C/Ville G/Town. Tel: 227-5286-90 Sales person/Accounts clerk. Apply in person at Alabama Trading, Georgetown, Ferry Stelling. Porters. Apply at Alabama Trading Georgetown Ferry Stelling. LAND FOR SALE Double lot 9950 Sq. Ft @ Republic Gardens, price -$25M (negotiable). Call: 624-7686 Gold & Diamond blocks for sale or rent in the Ekereku, Puruni & Siparuni area. Call: 615-8810 Land @ Providence -$5M, La Parfaite Harmonie: $1.8M, $1.6M, $1.3M, 11 St. Tuschen - $3M, Phase2- $1.4M, Parika -$65M, termsavailable.Call:604-6724 Land @ La Grange Public Road to sea dam, 4 acre, could use for housing development-Call: 625-1514 Continued on page 23

Tuesday February 09, 2016

Kaieteur News

Page 23

Letters... Where your views make the news

Surely, not Oscar Clark and Patricia Chase-Green DEAR EDITOR, The List is out for the Local Government elections and I am glad to see the number of young people that are contesting to serve on the various NDCs and municipalities across Guyana. However, I wish specifically to look at the candidates for the Georgetown Municipality and look at the APNU list of candidates for both the proportional representation and First Past the Post. I am not sure that there is a true representation of youths within the APNU, for example almost all of the current councilors are contesting either as Party representative or constituency candidates. This is very disturbing. When I look at the Lodge area Martin Gaul AFC candidate did not get support from the coalition and so the young man decided to be part of an independent group. APNU decided through the PNC to put up one Monica Thomas who was a former citizen of Lodge and serves on the present council. According to my research, Ms. Thomas now resides in the Cummings Lodge area which I think falls under constituency 6 in the Municipality but she is going to rep-

resent Lodge. I want to encourage the people of Lodge to think wisely and make the right choice. Martin Gaul has lived all of his life in Lodge, he is young and can make a meaningful contribution to the citizens of Lodge and the council on a whole, so I would urge my young people especially to vote for Martin Gaul come 18 March, 2016. I am not campaigning for Mr. Gaul but I want people to be wise as a former resident of Lodge, I urge others to do so. Mr. Editor there is need for new ideas, new energy and strategic thinking in the new council and while I believe that the past councilors might still have ideas and plans, I strongly believe that it is time for a new set of persons to serve. Another case is Mr. Oscar Clarke who would have served this country in various capacity even at the diplomatic level and is in the age group of the present Mayor Hamilton Green and had the opportunity to get into government at a very young age. He should not have been selected as a candidate but from the grapevine I understand the party is proposing him to be the next Mayor of Georgetown.

As I reflect on the present councilors who are seeking another term after being there for over twenty years, my attention is drawn to Ms. Patricia Chase- Green, a woman who I believe has done some work; this cannot be denied. However she has fortified herself to the extent that one of her close connections is one of the major contractors of the M&CC since he was given a contract worth over 20 Million dollars for the cleaning of the burial ground. In addition Ms. ChaseGreen is very unhelpful in her attitude towards workers and sometimes forget she is a policy maker and not an administrator and I am convinced that her wanting to get back on the council is not for community or town development rather is for self-development. Mr. Editor the electors must speak come 18 March, 2016. I know that they will come on the campaign trail with promises but they must tell people what have they done for citizens over the last twenty years as councilors, they must tell people why most of them ensure that their friends and families benefited through employment, contracts and other benefits. I do believe just like how they needs to be a reshuffle

in the administration of the council especially in the accounting section, there is need for new blood within the City Council of Georgetown. It is only in third world countries politician believes that they should hold on to office until they died or are removed by force or the ballot. This is a new dispensation and a time for new faces in the City Council. I am making sure that within my constituency that myself and family vote for young people who can have the opportunity to share their ideas and vision and have a chance in playing an integral role in the governing of our town. If I had the will power and means of spreading this message I would say to my voters it is time for a change please ensure we send out the old and bring in new blood. I will be using the media and social network to let people understand that these folks after serving for twenty years should take a rest and I admire councilor Bourne who has decided that enough is enough, Oscar Clarke, ChaseGreen, Randwell Jordan, and Mr. Garrett and others it is time for you to give a chance to fresh blood, you all had to learn so give other people a chance to learn. Garfield Boston

Minister David Patterson does... Govt. will attack gold From page 4 investigators to the Courts. The GPL suspect in this case, slipped through the huge cracks in the justice system. Perhaps KN should zero in on the Cabinet’s (and Parliament’s) responsibility to urgently address the real weaknesses in the lawful pro-

cess, for example the woeful inadequacies of the Guyana Police Force which all and sundry know to be long overdue for systemic reform. In the meantime let us refrain from suggesting and assigning powers to Ministers that they do not have. Maxwell Hinds

Terrible accusations against Linden Mayor... From page 4 checking we found out that our NIS contributions are not up to date. No payments were made for a number of years. Some persons who have worked for ten years, no contributions were posted to NIS for them. We are concerned about what will happen to us when we attain the age of 60 years when we are eligible to receive NIS pension. We had already been robbed. Will we be robbed again due to the negligence of the council. We were denied increases while other government workers enjoyed their fruits of their labour. We were always told by the Council that they do

not have the ‘ability to pay’. We feel that this is utterly unfair to us. All that we are asking, that the Council pay us what is due to us and pay up all our outstanding arrears to NIS. We need someone to answer us. Where is the concern and love for us who have given our youth ,talent, skill and health as we laboured in the sun and rain for the council and now we are left like neglected children. We are pleading for someone to see this complaint and give us a hearing. Frustrated Retired Employees, Linden Mayor and Town Council.

smuggling, reckless... From page 19 unable to benefit directly from more than half of the gold produced. “That, surely, is unacceptable. We must retain our resources for the development of our country and our people. This administration must set its face against corrupt practices; we must close the loopholes; we must ensure that we work towards redirecting that which we have been losing over time.” Nevertheless, Broomes pointed out that despite the 13.4 per cent downturn in bauxite production and a 0.3 per cent downturn in quarrying, the mining sector as a whole grew by nine percent. It was gold with its 16.4 percent production increase that propped up the sector. The Minister said that she is particularly proud, that local miners, through their hard work in the face of many challenges, made their own important contribution to that production increase. “Our own Guyanese miners accounted for more than 90 percent of the 451,490 ounces declared

at the end of last year.” Broomes said that the increase in declaration was due to the change in the working environment as well as the incentives granted to the sector by the APNU/AFC administration. “This Budget points the way for our natural resources sector it signals is the turning of a corner. When we marry the developments set out in the budget with the fact that three new foreign companies are now part of our mining sector, there can be no doubt that gold has a shining future for Guyana,” said Broomes. “The task ahead of this administration does not allow for political confrontations over the past. The APNU-AFC administration is looking ahead…so that those who anticipate long, sterile and pointless discourses will be disappointed. “We shall, of course, be accommodating constructive discourse and it is my personal wish that such discourse starts right here in this House during the course of this debate.”

From page 22

FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Vreed-en-Hoop Junction: lessons places, st o r a g e bond or church -$25,000 per month.Call: 603-6400/264-2123 Two bedrooms house “A” Field Sophia, $40,000 monthly with 2 months security, must provide job letter & earnings & IDCall: 693-2237; 219-0211 One bedroom bottom flat: fully grilled, self contained bedroom, A/C room, parking for one. Call: 650-2708 4 Bedrooms house in Bel-Air Gardens; all modern conveniences; no agents!Call: 231-7839 during working hours House in Bel-Air Park: 3 bedrooms upstairs/ do w n s t a i r s , a l l m o dern conveniences - $1600US monthly-Call: 231-7 8 3 9 during working hours Two bedrooms apartment @ Middle Rd La Penitence $47,000 monthly- Call: 6669534; 226-6374 1- Two bedroom apartment in Barmita Street, South Ruimveldt Gardens. Call: 698-3644; 622-6272

PROPERTY FOR SALE Church and 2 storey building Lot 180 Charlotte Street Bourda-Call: 2276817; 624-7341 One family house at Kuru Kururu. Call: 664-2576 Property for sale, Grove $20M / Rent: $50,000 per month. Tel: 625-5461. Transported property @ Tuschen Housing Scheme $7M negotiable. Call: 2641050; 683-7045/669-3553 1 Acre land (37X1200) with flat house, chicken pen & fruit trees -$11M negotiableCall: 642-7898 Brand new 2 storey concrete building in 5th Avenue, Diamond, E.B.D, all modern amenities –Call: 662-9335; 612-3244 FOR SALE BY OWNER: FLORIDA DESIGN, WATER FRONT PROPERTY LOCATEDAT MADEWINI RESORT COMMUNITY. CALL: 6245048; 624-5042 One two bedroom storey 6 bedroom house for sale at Guyhoc Park. Call: 618-8498; 626-0709 Property at lot 19 Good Hope Gardens. Call: 6523525 or 234-0046 Lot 1884, 20 Ave, First corner, Diamond H/Scheme, 3 bedrooms, flat house- Call: 662-4676, 602-9403

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Kaieteur News

Tuesday February 09, 2016

Budget 2016, false hope for the poor GUYSUCO but will benefit a “select few” - Ali has betrayed us - GAWU By Abena Rockcliffe

Opposition frontbencher, Irfaan Ali, yesterday sought to thwart what he referred to as efforts to paint a “rosy picture of the economy” to give false hope to the poor and lower middle class of Guyana. Ali said that those efforts were made by Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, when he presented the 2016 Budget last week. The former Housing Minister said that Jordan created the illusion by citing some of the traditional macro economic indicators, such as GDP, inflation, balance of payments and fiscal balances. “In his speech the honourable Minister reported GDP growth of 3.0 percent and deflation of 1.8 percent. Based on these figures we are expected to believe the fairy tale story that the average Guyanese enjoyed the ‘good life’ as promised last year. But that was not the case.” According to Ali, the truth is that the “good life” remains an ‘elusive dream’ to most and a reality for a “select few.” “The increased income, the wonderful 3.0 percent economic growth was supposed to create, never enhanced the real spending power of the average man. “Moreover the lower prices hardly did very little to stimulate greater spending by consumers. The bottom line is that the utility of the average man never improved and the ‘good life’ was simply a mirage.” The Opposition Member of Parliament told the House that the question lingering in the mind of the ordinary Guyanese is “Where is the good life?” He questioned, “How it is possible for the average Guyanese to enjoy the ‘good life’ when consumer spending is contracting, bankruptcy is occurring at an alarming rate, and at-risk or vulnerable Guyanese are now enjoying less than under the PPP/C administration?” Ali also asked how Jordan can perpetuate the “lie” of a

Opposition MP, Irfaan Ali good life with a straight face when each pensioner was deprived of the electricity and water subsidy amounting to $50,000 annually and $500 M collectively. Ali said also that more than 100,000 poor families were deprived of the $10,000 cash grant by the scrapping of the ‘Because We Care’ initiative. He said, too, that Jordan should be ashamed to talk about the good life when consumers of gasoline/diesel were literally squeezed at the pumps by paying in excess of $2.6B because the government refused to pass on the benefits of the falling oil prices. Ali said, “Despite initial denial and some PR gimmicks, it is public knowledge that Ministers were granted substantial increases in salaries and benefits without any consultations. “Our Prime Minister is now benefitting from an annual salary of $20,580,000 and perks totaling $500,000, while the Vice Presidents, Cabinet Ministers and Junior Ministers $11,135,064, $10,439,124 and $8,346,492 respectively with perks more than the annual increases granted to the public servants.” The former Minister said, too, that contract workers were also fattened by handsome pay packages with $3.6B billion set aside for them. Restoring Confidence and Effective Macro eco-

nomic Management Ali noted Jordan’s indication that confidence was restored and more investments were made last year. He said that the Minister noted that Go-invest facilitated numerous projects and highlighted the potential value of the investments. “I admire the skillfulness of the Minister to highlight the ‘potential value of investments’ facilitated by Go-Invest and the ‘potential jobs likely to be created” rather than state the actual investments and actual number of new employment opportunities that originated from these investments.” The Opposition MP said that the because of the slowdown in the economy fewer jobs were created last year by the private sector. “For a government which campaigned on the slogan of creating jobs, it is quite bothersome the lengthy budget speech hardly focused on the issue of ‘job creation’; in the entire speech, the word ‘jobs’ was mentioned three times.” Ali said that the harsh truth is that jobs were not created last year. Instead, there was a reduction in employment opportunities, especially in the private sector. Ali quoted the Bank of Guyana half year report for 2015 which said “Preliminary estimates indicated a deceleration in private sector employment due to the reduction in activities primarily in

Two motorcyclists collide

Two young Essequibo bike enthusiasts are battling for their lives at a City hospital after they collided during a fun expedition,

Sunday, at Mainstay. The accident came days after an Essequibo Technical Institute lecturer died, after he was struck down on the Suddie Public road on Saturday. According to reports, the two young men were racing on a stretch of loam road at Mainstay, when they lost control of their motorcycles and collided, severely injuring themselves. Reports indicated that because of the desolate location, the individuals received help late. They were both taken to the Suddie Public Hospital before being transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

the construction and mining industries.” Ali told the House that an examination of the statistics on the fiscal performance shows very little to celebrate for macro economic performance. According to him, the improved performance was due mainly to lower spending by Government caused by its inability to implement the public investment programme. “This is an old accounting trick. The academics and practitioners refer to this as expenditure or consumption smoothing”. It is a trick where you postpone spending to give the false impression of a good bottom line. “Had the government implemented the public investment programme, the fiscal balance would have been substantially larger and the overall deficit as a percentage of GDP would have been around 2 to 3 percent. Is this bad? The answer is no!” Ali said that a responsible government would have ensured the successful implementation of public sector investment programme, as a counter cyclical measure to halt the decline in the economy and stimulate spending. He said that instead, the government played it safe “and we now have lower growth, contraction in spending, and less employment opportunities…Our government induced a slowdown in the economy by cutting back on capital spending when the economy was on the decline.” Ali said that there is nothing in the budget for the poor. “This budget take away more from the poor.” He said that the benefits for the poor are “a few $100s more to the pensioners, a few $20s for the vehicle owners who will now benefit from a $20 reduction per litre of gasoline and $9 reduction per litre of dieseline. “Poor households will also benefit from a $30 reduction per litre of kerosene.” He continued, “Apart from the obvious disregard for the working class, this budget makes no provision for key sectors such as sugar and rice. “These two sectors which contributed over $14.9 billion to our Gross Domestic Product earned over $300 million in foreign currency and supported the livelihood of poor rural communities last year, are treated flippantly by the government… “The only groups outside of the Ministers who will gain from Budget 2016 are Contract workers who will benefit from an allocation of over $9 billion compared with $3.7 billion in 2015.

- claims workers being fired

GAWU head Komal Chand The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) has alleged that it has been betrayed. The union is claiming that Wales Estate workers have either been fired or threatened with summary dismissal late last week and yesterday. GAWU, in a missive yesterday, took aim at a February 6, 2016 edition of a daily newspaper which had quoted Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, as saying that workers of the Wales Estate should not be worried, since their jobs are not on the line. “He is quoted as saying “As it stands now, we don’t think any worker will be retrenched at all. In terms of field operations, there is a total of about eleven hundred and something field operators and it’s only about 13 people who are probably threatened” “GAWU, in view of the Minister’s comments, wishes to inform the public that as at (Friday) February 05, 2016, no less than 60 workers undertaking various tasks in the fields and the factory were given, by officials of the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (GuySuCo), marching orders.” According to GAWU, the workers were told that they were no longer employed with the Estate on the grounds that they were temporary workers. “These workers worked previous crops at the Estate. A few of them, including young females, we understand, were told they could be further employed to cut and load canes, if they wished.” GAWU went on to state that yesterday, more than 50 planters were reportedly told by GuySuCo officials that if they did not take up employment at Uitvlugt

Estate and agree to accept severance pay within the three days, it would be regarded by GuySuCo that they had decided to leave the Estate’s employ. GAWU is also contending that contrary to what is being said about the openness of the interviews that the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO) conducted with workers, the interviews are behind the representatives’ backs. “GAWU condemns the so-called interviews at the instance of GuySuCo with the workers and the highhandedness adopted. The Union also wishes to point out that the interviews are being conducted behind the backs of the workers’ Unions – GAWU and NAACIE.” This is just the latest in the Wales closure saga. The Ministry of Agriculture has alleged that since the announcement of the decision by GuySuCo to integrate the sugar estates of Wales and Uitvlugt, GAWU has been misrepresenting the situation to create doubts in the minds of the workers On Friday the Ministry had stated that the union has been less than truthful by stating that all workers will be severed. The Ministry had stressed that the Wales Factory will be closed at the end of the second crop for 2016, after both farmers’ and the estate canes have been harvested and processed by the factory. “The Ministry also wishes to make clear that a “significant number” of workers from Wales will be absorbed at the Uitvlugt estate,” the Ministry said. “The GuySuCo-owned cultivation at Wales will be prepared for a “diversification program” as the canes are harvested in 2016.”

Tuesday February 09, 2016

Kaieteur News

Page 25

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Kaieteur News

Jamaica’s crime stats among highest worldwide, despite reduction (Jamaica Observer) Although all the categories of serious and violent crimes have been on a decline locally, Jamaica still records some of the highest crime stats worldwide. Minister of National Security Peter Bunting made the revelation while speaking recently at the launch of the Next GENDERation toolkit — an initiative led by the World Bank to support efforts to stem Jamaica’s epidemic of violent crimes. Bunting said that despite efforts to curb these numbers, the Caribbean and Central America continue to top the charts in violent crimes, adding that the problem isn’t only one of law enforcement. “Violent crime is largely a youth-based phenomenon in terms of the perpetrators and in terms of the victims. If I were to look at one of the primary indicators of genderbased violence, which is rape, and I were to go back five years, we have seen rapes in year to date January at about a third of what they were five years ago,” Bunting said. “But, [though] all the categories of serious and violent crimes have been on a decline — a long-term trend — the challenge is we started from such a high level that even when we have cut it in half, it still leaves us with the highest categories worldwide. “Our region unfortunately, the Caribbean and Central America, is the region with the highest level of violent crimes in the world. It is really a development imperative not just for Jamaica, but for the entire region.”

The national security minister said one contributing factor that needs to be addressed in the “most urgent and profound way” is the impact of ‘fatherlessness’ on our children. Bunting, who was quoting statistics he said he received from Dr Michael Coombs, founder of the National Association of the Family, said that based on research done in the United States, United Kingdom and the Caribbean, fatherless children may be the reason for the crime epidemic. “It indicates that fatherless boys, for example, that’s 50 per cent of our boys in Jamaica, are 11 times more likely to display violent behaviour, nine times more likely to run away from home and become victims or perpetrators of crime, twice as likely to drop out of school, nine times more likely to become gang members, and six times more likely to end up in prison,” he said. Added Bunting: “Fatherless girls are more than twice as likely to experience teenage pregnancies and nine times more likely to be victims of sexual abuse.”

(Trinidad Guardian) Pregnant women in T&T who are experiencing flu-like symptoms and numbness in the legs are being advised to consult their respective gynaecologists urgently to have Zika and Guillain-Barrê syndrome testing done immediately. Guillain-Barrê syndrome causes paralysis and can be fatal. This syndrome is said to be currently a growing health concern amidst Zika. The warning yesterday came from gynaecologist Dr Tim Gopeesingh, who officially returned to his practice last month. Gopeesingh throughout the years have been heavily involved in politics and at one time held the post of Minister of Education

in T&T under the People’s Partnership government. In an interview yesterday, Gopeesingh said he has been bombarded with calls from women, who are pregnant, expressing their concerns over Zika. “No pregnant woman wants to be the first Zika case so that is why I suggest that anyone experiencing mild symptoms, maybe just a slight fever or any flu-like symptoms please go to your doctors and have a laboratory testing done,” Gopeesingh said. “First and second trimester are very critical, especially the second, seek to have ultra-sounds done so that the foetal head size can be measured and monitored,” he

Minister of National Security Peter Bunting Subsequently, he said making this one adjustment and getting fathers involved in the lives of their children could significantly create a shift in the existing social paradigm, leading to a phenomenal change. Additionally, Bunting said he has recognised the influence that gender dynamics has on violence, and his ministry has engaged a gender specialist in phase three of their Citizens Security and Justice Programme to ensure gender sensitivity and equity in all its intervention activities. “We want to ensure that we have a better understanding of how the risk of violence affects young men and young women differently and to implement that in our various outreach programmes,” he said. Bunting maintained that he, along with the Ministry of National Security, is commited to working with its partners — the world bank, other international and multilateral partners, private sector and civil society — to change the negative social norms that have so deeply scarred many of our young men and young women.

Tuesday February 09, 2016

- Study finds almost one of every 10 undecided voters would accept cash or kind to cast their ballot (Jamaica Gleaner) With every indication that almost half of the just over 1.8 million electors on the latest voters’ list are not planning to vote in the February 25 general election, and with a close race expected, there are indications that money could be the deciding factor. And that money is not the millions expected to be spent on campaign advertising and mobilisation by the two major political parties. It is instead money used to directly buy votes from persons who are willing to sell. Social anthropologist Dr Herbert Gayle has found that while 48 per cent of the persons on the latest voters’ list say they plan to stay away from the voting booths on election day, almost one in 10 says he or she would be willing to sell their vote. “Three per cent of respondents (who are undecided) stated explicitly that they would vote for any candidate who was willing to purchase their vote with cash or kind,” Gayle found in a study on why Jamaicans vote and the implications for which party will win the 2016 general election. According to Gayle, the study was designed to probe the thinking of the undecided. “This was done by asking each of them to say what might motivate them to vote. These results were triangulated by their assessment of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People’s National Party (PNP). “The results ... show that about two-fifths (40 per cent)

are likely to vote for the PNP, a third (33 per cent) for the JLP; while one-seventh (15 per cent) could not say the direction they might go, and almost one-tenth (10 per cent) by ‘thinking out loud’ - declared that they are most likely not going to vote in the upcoming election,” said Gayle. The study by the university lecturer and his team, which was conducted between November 15, 2015 and January 10, 2016, represents a single snapshot of the 63 constituencies across Jamaica, and utilises integrated methodology as the main approach, with the assistance of qualitative and historical material. The study consisted of 1,248 respondents - 661 men and 587 women. According to Gayle, in addition to selling their votes, persons who have not yet decided which party to vote for will make a late decision based on several issues including a dislike of either party, family tradition, and not wanting to be excluded from the political process. Under the Representation of the People Act, which governs Jamaica’s electoral system, the buying and selling of votes is illegal and can be punished with a fine of up to $80,000 and imprisonment with a provision to bar people from public office or voting thereafter. Last year, the corruption watchdog, National Integrity Action (NIA), launched a campaign to discourage vote buying, which its executive

director, Professor Trevor Munroe, charged was widespread in Jamaica. “As we come into the electoral season, we are going to be very visual on building public awareness against the scourge of vote buying and selling, which, anecdotally, has been very rampant,” charged Munroe. He has the backing of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ), which has repeatedly declared that it wants to stamp out this practice through campaign-finance reform. The Code of Political Conduct agreed to by both parties also binds candidates to a rejection of vote buying. “Candidates or others acting on behalf of candidates must not use funds derived from any source, public or private, to improperly influence electoral choices,” reads a key clause in the document expected to be signed by all candidates who are nominated tomorrow to contest the election.

A medical doctor, who wished not to be identified, from the North West Regional Health Authority said that he has also been approached by women in the Antenatal Clinic. “From what I gather these women are worried and are concerned but what must be on top of our minds is that T&T have no Zika,” the doctor said. Neonatologist Dr Petronella Manning-Alleyne yesterday gave the assurance to pregnant women and women, who think they might be pregnant to not worry and to just “keep the faith.” “We have no identified case of the Zika virus here and I don’t know why the widespread discontent. Watch, wait and do not be worried,”

Manning-Alleyne said. She, however, believes that the panic and growing concerns may be as a result of the announcement made by the Health Minister, Terrence Deyalsingh on February 5 that there is now a national public health emergency. Following Deyalsingh’s declaration, on February 8, the World Health Organization declared a global public health emergency. “All we have to do is clear all breeding sites, keep our surroundings clean and ensure that we all follow the health advisories and keep the faith,” Manning-Alleyne said. According to an issued statement by the T&T IVF Fertility Centre last week, being pregnant does not make

Dr Herbert Gayle

Zika alert: Gynaecologist tells pregnant women with flu-like symptoms, ‘Get tested now’

Dr. Tim Gopeesingh added. Zika Virus is a mosquitoborne infection spread by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito. It is of the belief that pregnant women who contract the virus during pregnancy, at any trimester, may have an increased risk of giving birth to

a baby with microcephaly, which is a birth defect, where the head is abnormally small and the brain can be underdeveloped. T&T Guardian was told that over the past few weeks, although there are no reported cases of the Zika virus in T&T, several pregnant women throughout the country are raising concerns and are putting forward questions to their respective nurses and doctors as to what they can do. On the Guillain-Barrê syndrome, Gopeesingh said that the muscular disease correlates to Zika, “So, pregnant women need to look out for any unusual symptoms and go get themselves checked.”

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Oil falls with glut in focus after hopes for producer deal fade (Reuters) - Oil prices were down 2 percent yesterday as supply overhang concerns grew after a Saudi-Venezuela meeting at the weekend showed few signs of coordination to boost prices. No tangible signs emerged from a meeting on Sunday between Saudi Arabia’s oil minister Ali alNaimi and his Venezuelan counterpart that OPEC and non-OPEC suppliers were ready to meet to discuss the price slump. After a flurry of diplomacy over the last two weeks about a possible production cut roiled oil markets, Sunday’s meeting between cashstrapped Venezuela and the kingpin of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries was seen as “make or break” for a possible deal to boost prices that have slumped 70 percent since mid2014. Venezuela’s oil minister Eulogio Del Pino, who was on a tour of oil producers to lobby for action to prop up

prices, said his meeting with Naimi was “productive.” “But does ‘productive’ mean less production? The market thinks not, at least right now,” said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago. By noon (1800 GMT), Brent crude was down 53 cents, or 1.6 percent, at $33.53 a barrel, paring a fall of more than 3 percent earlier in the session. U.S. crude slid 62 cents, or 2 percent, to $30.27 a barrel, also trimming losses after a drop of more than 4 percent earlier. “With the possibility of a production cutting deal quickly fading into the sunset, market participants are once again left to focus on the reality of the oversupplied global market,” Energy Management Institute analyst Dominick Chirichella wrote in a note. Morgan Stanley warned the global supply overhang was unlikely to start clearing before 2017.

“We see limited upside for Brent (and range-bound) pricing over the next 12 months as the supply overhang is worked off,” the bank said. However, investors in Brent crude now hold more futures and options contracts that bet on the price rising than at any time since the InterContinental Exchange’s records began in 2011, data from the exchange showed. Money managers raised their net long position in Brent crude futures and options by 31,346 contracts to 292,300 lots in the week to Feb. 2. France’s Total has, meanwhile, agreed to buy 160,000 barrels per day of Iranian crude for delivery in Europe, official news agency SHANA quoted Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh as saying, showing Tehran’s determination to claw back lost market share after the lifting of nuclear sanctions against the OPEC producer.

Canada to end bombing missions in Iraq and Syria (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday Canada would pull out six jets that have been bombing targets in Iraq and Syria, ending Canada’s controversial combat role in the effort against Islamic State. Trudeau’s Liberals won an election last October promising to pull the jets out but had been under pressure from allies unhappy with the decision. Bombing had begun in April 2015 under the previous Conservative government. “In any mission, you need to make choices. We can’t do everything. In our decision, we were guided by our desire to do what we could do best to help in the region and to do it in the right way,” Trudeau said during a news conference. “The people terrorized by ISIL (Islamic State) every day don’t need our vengeance, they need our help.” Canada will end its bombing missions by Feb. 22 but keep two surveillance planes in the region as well as refueling aircraft, and triple the number of soldiers training Kurdish troops in northern Iraq to about 200, from about 70 currently, the government said. Canada’s decision came as the Syrian army advanced toward the Turkish border on Monday in a major offensive

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes part in a news conference in Ottawa, Canada, yesterday. (Reuters/Chris Wattie) backed by Russia and Iran in one of the biggest shifts in momentum of the war, helping torpedo the first peace talks for two years, which collapsed last week before they had begun in earnest. Trudeau said the new military mission would be engaged for at least two years, after which it would be reevaluated. He said Canada’s experience in Afghanistan showed that the best way to promote long-term stability is to help local people fight to get their territory back. Canadians’ appetite for foreign military missions has dropped after 10 years of involvement in Afghanistan

that ended in 2011, during which 158 soldiers were killed. Last March, one Canadian soldier was killed and three others were injured in a friendly fire incident in Iraq. Public opinion polls show Canadians are sharply divided over the role of the country’s military in the fight against Islamic State. A source with direct knowledge of the d i p l o m a t i c t a l k s told Reuters last week that the United States, Britain and France were impatient with Ottawa over how long it has taken Trudeau to clarify Canada’s combat role.

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Finch dumped as Australia Mark Cavendish wins opening stage in Tour of Qatar T20 skipper - report SYDNEY (Reuters) Aaron Finch is to be dumped as Australia’s captain in the shortest form of the game and replaced by test skipper Steve Smith just a month before the start of the World Twenty20, The Age newspaper reported on Monday. Opener Finch, who has been struggling with a hamstring injury, was named captain in Sept. 2014 but only skippered the side on six occasions as Australia concentrated on other forms of the game. Cricket Australia will not discuss details of the makeup of the squad for the tournament, which takes place in India from March 8-April 3, until it is announced in New Zealand on Tuesday. Austra-

Australia’s Aaron Finch batting against India during their T20 cricket match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia January 29, 2016. (Reuters/Hamish Blair) ish coming in West Indies in 2010 when they lost to England in the final.

lia have never won the World Twenty20 title in five previous attempts, their best fin-

Tuesday Feb 09, 2016 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Don't be too quick to judge. Don't let those close to you get under your skin. Consider the source before you believe what you hear. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Make sure to arrange in advance to spend quality time together. Try not to make waves. Passion is about the best way for you to relieve tension. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Pleasure trips will induce exciting and passionate encounters with those of foreign extraction. Family outings will make you feel secure and happy. You may want to invest in something that will grow in value.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Your best gains will come through helping others emotionally. Don't lend to people who have given you negative vibes. Read some books on self awareness. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Your irritability will lead to family squabbles. You may get some opposition. Personal changes will be to your benefit. This could be the cause of a dispute that may result in estrangement. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) You will accomplish the most in the work environment today. Changes in your home will be positive. You can make career moves that will bring you a much higher income.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Try to iron out any friction over money with your mate or conflicts could prevail. New projects may lead you into a dead end.

CAPRI (Dec.22–Jan.19) Those you work with may have little consideration for the underdog. You'll be prone to tears if your mate is harsh with you today. It is time to clear your decks.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Be discreet and don't present your ideas until you're certain that they're foolproof. A change is as good as a rest. Don't go looking for change. Cultural activities open your eyes to new ways of doing things.

AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) You may find that romance will unfold through business connections. You need to be inspired and have your spirits lifted. Try to be tolerant of the moods of those around you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) You will do well with clients today. You should visit a friend or relative who hasn't been feeling up to par. It will be important that you have your priorities straight.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Recognition can be yours if you present your ideas and stand behind your beliefs. Someone important may be watching you from afar. You may find out that someone is trying to undermine you.

BBC Sport - Britain’s Mark Cavendish claimed his first win of 2016 on a fast opening stage of the Tour of Qatar. The 30-year-old, riding for Team Dimension Data, won stage one to Al Khor Corniche in a sprint finish from Sacha Modolo (Lampre) and Andrea Guardini (Astana). Cavendish, who won the race in 2013, averaged close to 52km/h on this stage. He plans to decide during the race whether he will compete at next month’s track World Championships in London. A winner of 26 Tour de

Cavendish is considering competing on the track in the omnium at the Olympic Games. (Getty Images) France stages, Cavendish faces a packed schedule in 2016 with August’s Olympic

Games in Rio also a target. The five-stage race finishes on Friday.

McCullum heads into ODI... (From page 29) Smith said. “The right decision was made no doubt about that... I don’t want to take anything away from the Blackcaps, they deserved to win.” Once Marsh was dis-

Denver defence kryptonite to... (From page 30) by a rampaging Von Miller who forced Newton into two fumbles that were both converted into touchdowns earning the linebacker Super Bowl most valuable player honours. “What our guys did, the way they played, they will be in the conversation,” said Broncos general manager John Elway, when asked if Denver’s defence is one of the best of all-time. “He (Miller) has just gotten better and better. He has been unbelievable these playoffs. “He has got something with Cam. He likes to get after Cam.” That something can be traced back to the two players’ college careers. Miller was the number two overall choice in the 2011 NFL draft out of Texas A&M, while Newton was taken first overall after winning a national college championship with Auburn. “I thought at that time I could be number one, but (Carolina) didn’t see it that way. They took Cam Newton,” Miller said in the runup to the National Football League’s title game. Now Miller has something Newton does not — a Super Bowl championship.

missed, however, the Australians fell apart with Corey Anderson grabbing two victims as their last five wickets fell for 27 runs. Earlier, McCullum and Martin Guptill had again got New Zealand off to a rollicking start, racing to 84 in 9.3 overs before the captain became the first of Marsh’s three

wickets when he was dismissed for 47. New Zealand’s batsmen, again all got starts, but for the third time in the series were dismissed just when they needed to push on. Guptill scored 59 and Grant Elliott added 50 for the hosts, who lost their last five wickets for nine runs.

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CFU sweats over CONCACAF US$500,000 grant to get new home up and running Jamaica Observer - The body that governs football in the Caribbean says it is committed to consolidating its move to make Jamaica the base of its substantive operations by upgrading a building it owns in the throbbing financial district of New Kingston. President of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), Gordon Derrick, hinted that if everything had gone to plan, the operations of the secretariat would have long been moved to the new location, abandoning eventually its rented space on the 10th floor of the Towers located just a stone’s throw from the proposed new home. The property is located at 29 Tobago Avenue. The CFU boss said the renovation of the building should have been done with a US$500,000 grant from CONCACAF, but the corruption blaze that engulfed the confederation starting in May last year brought the process to a screeching halt. “We have a building and

we are to renovate it, but that was supposed to come from a grant from CONCACAF, and then all hell broke loose,” Derrick told the Jamaica Observer in a recent interview at the current offices. “That (process of grant) has been on pause, but it was an agreement. But once we can re-regularise that, then we can pursue it again,” said the Antiguan, who is vying for the presidency of CONCACAF. The New Kingston property was purchased with a FIFA grant of about US$500,000. The new location, Derrick shared, is to be the hub of the CFU’s operations and is earmarked to house every department set up to effectively run football across the region and to serve its 31 member associations. “We really wanted a building to accommodate all the departments,” he said. With ownership of the new piece of real estate in New Kingston, the costs of running the present offices at

Gordon Derrick... we have a building and we are to renovate it from a grant from CONCACAF. the Towers, plus maintaining a small office for the president located in his homeland of Antigua, Derrick deemed the undertakings as “a necessary expense”. Even though the CFU is headquartered in Jamaica, Derrick said with the help of technology he is able to effectively execute his office of president from his home base in St John’s.

“With technology it’s easy… we (president and staff) communicate every day using different means, including video conferences, but, of course we occasionally meet face to face like what we are doing here today,” said Derrick, who was in Jamaica 12 days ago where he met with Kingston-based staff. The engineer and banker by trade said he is pleased

with the direction of the CFU, considering the state it was in when he got elected to the post of president in 2012, after the long-serving Austin ‘Jack’ Warner was forced to leave under a cloud of corruption allegations. “When I got there, there was no money, no bank account. We had to start operating from zero, and if you look at the work we have done in four years, it’s just phenomenal,” noted the CONCACAF Gold Cup Committee member. Derrick hopes going forward the CFU can broaden its scope for income generation, and he sees broadcast rights as a big potential money spinner. “There is the potential to earn from TV rights — and that’s where we want to get — where our tournaments can generate money to run everything else in just the same way the Gold Cup is used to run everything else in CONCACAF,” he said. For the time being, the CFU is said to generate most of its income through corpo-

rate sponsorship and a subvention from CONCACAF, which is US$45,000 per month. “But when we have our tournaments, which many of them are qualifiers for CONCACAF tournaments, we get another small subvention for each tournament,” Derrick noted. But whenever there is a shortfall in a budget, Derrick said the CFU would not go to a financial agency to borrow, but would go to its parent bodies for help. “But if we have to, we borrow money from CONCACAF so we don’t go to any financial institution to borrow money. We are a member of FIFA and CONCACAF is a confederation of FIFA, and if we need money in a worst case scenario, we would go to FIFA and tell them we need money. “And the last time I checked, I understand that FIFA has US$1.6 billion in reserves, so I don’t see why we have to go to any bank when we are the members,” Derrick stated.

Exclusive: U.S. athletes should consider not attending Olympics if fear Zika - officials NEW YORK (Reuters) The United States Olympic Committee told U.S. sports federations that athletes and staff concerned for their health over the Zika virus should consider not going to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in August. The message was delivered in a conference call involving USOC officials and leaders of U.S. sport federations in late January, according to two people who participated in the call. Federations were told that no one should go to Brazil “if they don’t feel comfortable going. Bottom line,” said Donald Anthony, president and board chairman of USA Fencing. The USOC’s briefing to sport federations is the latest sign that Olympics officials are taking the Zika threat to the games in Rio de Janeiro seriously, and acknowledging that at least some athletes and support staff could face a tough decision over whether to attend. The United States won most medals at the last Olympics in London in 2012, so any disruption to its presence would be important for the Rio games. Global health authorities suspect the mosquito-borne Zika virus has caused a spike in Brazil of microcephaly, a birth defect marked by an ab-

normally small head. As a result, the World Health Organization declared an international health emergency Feb. 1, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is advising pregnant women or those considering becoming pregnant to avoid travel to places with Zika outbreaks. The USOC’s Alan Ashley, its chief of sport performance, and other USOC officials, briefed the leaders of the federations. Ashley did not respond to email or phone calls requesting comment. USOC spokesman Mark Jones confirmed by email that Ashley had “briefed federation leaders on the CDC’s recommendations and we will continue to ensure that athletes and officials affiliated with Team USA receive any updates from the CDC.” The USOC has not issued its own set of recommendations for athletes and staff beyond what the CDC and WHO have issued. Jones declined to comment further. EXPRESSED OPTIMISM Recalling the conference call, Anthony, a former Olympian, said: “One of the things that they immediately said

was, especially for women that may be pregnant or even thinking of getting pregnant, that whether you are scheduled to go to Rio or no, that you shouldn’t go.” “And no one should go if they feel at all as though that that threat could impact them,” said Anthony, who praised the USOC’s handling of the outbreak so far. Zika outbreaks have been reported in 33 countries, most of them in the Americas. Symptoms of infection often are mild or imperceptible. But the outbreak in Brazil that began last year has been accompanied by more than 4,000 cases of suspected microcephaly; investigators have confirmed more than 400. The link to Zika is unproven but strongly suspected. In El Salvador, which is experiencing outbreaks of the virus, women are being advised to put off pregnancy until 2018. Will Connell, Director of Sport at the U.S. Equestrian Federation, said the USOC was leaving the decision up to individual athletes and staff members. “They said no one who has reasons to be concerned should feel obliged to go,” Connell said. “If an athlete

feels that way, of course they may decide not to go.” During the call, the USOC did not indicate they were concerned that large numbers of athletes would avoid Rio or that Zika could derail the Games, the two federation leaders said. Instead, officials expressed optimism that risk would be minimized by close cooperation among health agencies, mosquito control efforts and the Games’ timing during Brazil’s winter when mosquito-borne illnesses are less common. The USOC officials on the call said the organization would adhere to the recommendations of health agencies including the CDC, the sport federation leaders said. “As we get closer to the Olympics the guidance could

get updated,” Connell said. In a Jan. 29 letter from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to national committees, the IOC’s chief doctors said they were monitoring the situation closely. They passed along mosquito avoidance advice, but remained confident the games would go ahead as planned. Both Connell and U.S. Fencing’s Anthony said the USOC’s message was focused primarily on the potential risks for women who are pregnant or are thinking about trying to become pregnant. Since the call, the CDC has issued more guidance in light of increasing suspicion that Zika can be transmitted sexually. The CDC said Friday that men who reside in or have traveled to Zika-affected areas may want to abstain from sexual activity or use

condoms. The Olympics have long promised to be a triumphant showcase for Latin America, which is playing host to the global sports spectacle for the first time. Rio has also been expecting more than 380,000 tourists for the Games, which come as Brazil’s economy is mired in recession and its government reels from a corruption scandal at state oil company Petrobras. An ongoing Zika epidemic could prompt some athletes, staff, sponsors and highspending tourists to steer clear of the Games. Even if the risk of infection to any given visitor is very low – as health experts expect – uncertainties persist. There is no Zika vaccine, and currently available blood tests cannot always detect the virus. Olympics officials “are taking the right approach from a standpoint of, let’s be cautious, do not do anything that is going to put anybody, our staff or our athletes in danger,” Anthony said. Anthony said no U.S. fencers had spoken to him about Zika. “I think our athletes are aware,” he said. “But it has not become a mission critical issue yet. Not yet.”

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CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying – Texas 2016

Lady Jags upbeat and passionate ahead of Thursday’s clash with Canada By Franklin Wilson in New York compliments of: Fazia’s Collection, Crown Mining Supply, Anglin Enterprises USA, Stag Beer, Germans Restaurant, Queensway Security Service They defeated the mighty Reggae Girls in Trinidad and Tobago last November 2-1 to book the final CFU spot to the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying competition and they are now mere hours away from living another dream of competing at the pinnacle of the sport in CONCACAF. The head to head meeting with the Jamaica side saw the Lady Jags; the lesser experienced and decorated of the two, cutting down the girls from Reggae Town. What they achieved then can be replicated now but this will be a different hurdle to climb with the best teams from CONCACAF now vying for a place to represent the Confederation at the Summer Olympic Games in Rio. The Guyana team will feature a number of players who competed at the 2010 CONCACAF Qualifying in Mexico but this time around they are much more matured and ready for the challenge of representing their nation. A training camp in Canada in early January was used by Head Coach Mark Rodrigues and GFF Technical Director Claude Bolton to assess the players before the final selection was made weeks later. The side Rodrigues reported from their Texas base was involved in a practice

match on Sunday and were recovering well yesterday, noting that based on what was displayed, the players were far behind the level that was displayed in Trinidad and Tobago when the Lady Jags qualified for this stage. He cited that there is a lot of work to be done leading up to Thursday’s opening match but despite, the players are very upbeat and passionate. “Their fitness levels are better but the long layoff for most of them that have not played is very evident. The focus right now is trying to get them back to a comfortable level tactically to give us an opportunity to compete in some way. We are conscious that we are playing against some of the best players in the world, most of them playing professionally all year round at the highest level against other world class players. We will rely heavily on our tactical game plan combined with our pride, passion and support vocally and physically of each other on the field to help us be competitive.” Canada and Trinidad and Tobago have opted to mix seasoned players with some youths for their respective rosters and have been working together as a unit for some time. Canada will be aiming to qualify for their third straight Olympic Games having ended with bronze in London four years ago. The #11 ranked team in the world will have to first get past the Guyanese who are ranked 89th in the world, Trinidad and Tobago who are at # 48 and Guatemala the team in Group B at #

Lady Jags take a photo at a recent training session. 76 in the world. Group A consists of the USA the #1 team in the world, Mexico (#26), Costa Rica (#34) and Puerto Rico at # 108. Group A matches kick off tomorrow with the top two from each group advancing to the semifinals but only the two finalists will qualify for the Olympics. Guyana’s Final 20-Player R o s t e r : GK (3) – Derienne Busby (University of Evansville/USA); Ruth George (Lil Diva’s FC/ GUY); Chante Sandiford (UMF Selfoss/ISL); DF (8) – Briana DeSouza (Durham United FC/CAN); Kayla DeSouza (Durham United FC/CAN); Julia Gonsalves (University of Toronto/CAN); Kailey Leila (Unattached); Kelly Pelz-Butler (Unattached);Lea h-Marie Ramalho (Toronto Rangers SC/CAN); Justine Rodrigues (Unattached); Bria Williams (Vaughan SC/CAN);

Sarwan to lead E’bo in Inter-County U15 tourney Amos Sarwan had been chosen to lead Essequibo in the upcoming Guyana Cricket Board Inter-County U15 tournament. Bumeshwar Ramkissoon of Wakenaam will serve as his deputy. The full squad reads; Amos Sarwan (Capt.), Bumeshwar Ramkissoon, Sheldon Charles, Romario Stephan. Lance Roberts, Lallbachan Seeram, Saeed Hack, Mahase Ramnarine, Badesh Parsotam, Hamel Lam, Sylvian Williams, Ameer Singh, Mark Anthony Fredericks and Azeem Mohamed. The stand bys are

Bumeshwar Ramkissoon Devendra Ramdahin, Orin Gibson, Elton Benn and Sarwan Mangal. The coach is

Forbes Daniels and manager is Vi c k r a m Ramnarine. Meanwhile, Sarwan XI defeated Ramkissoon XI by five wickets in the final trial match played at Imam Bacchus ground. Batting first, Ramkissoon XI managed 126 all out in 36 overs with the skipper scoring 24 and Saeed Hack 20; Wakenaam off-spinner Mahase Ramnarine grabbed 4-7 and Badesh Parsotam 2-12. Sarwan XI responded with 127-5 in 36 overs. Lallbachan Seeram got 32 and Lance Robertsd 19; Ramdahin took 2-12.

MF (7) – Dana Marie Bally (York University /CAN); Mariam El-Masri (GS United/ CAN); Olivia Gonsalves (University of Toronto/CAN); Alison Heydorn (Ann Arbor United SC/USA); Brittany Persaud (Unattached); Ashley Rodrigues (Tampa Bay Hellenic/USA); Ashlee Savona (Unattached); FW (2) – Otesha Charles (Unattached); Calaigh Copland (Woodbridge Strikers SC/ C A N ) ; The schedule Wednesday, February 10 – Toyota Stadium 6 pm (5 pm)

Puerto Rico vs. Mexico 8:30pm (7:30pm) USA vs. Costa Rica Thursday, February 11 – BBVA Compass Stadium 6 pm (5 pm) Guatemala vs. Trinidad & Tobago 8:30pm (7:30pm) Canada vs. Guyana Saturday, February 13 – Toyota Stadium 1:30pm (12:30pm) Costa Rica vs. Puerto Rico 4 pm (3 pm) Mexico vs. USA Sunday, February 14 – BBVA Compass Stadium 1:30pm (12:30pm) Guyana vs. Guatemala 4 pm (3 pm) Trinidad & Tobago vs.

Canada Monday, February 15 – Toyota Stadium 6 pm (5 pm) Mexico vs. Costa Rica 8:30pm (7:30pm) USA vs. Puerto Rico Tuesday, February 16 – BBVA Compass Stadium 6 pm (5 pm) Trinidad & Tobago vs. Guyana 8:30pm (7:30pm) Canada vs. Guatemala Friday, February 19 – BBVA Compass Stadium 5:30pm (4:30pm) 1B vs. 2A 8:30pm (7:30pm) 1A vs. 2B Sunday, February 21 – BBVA Compass Stadium 5 pm (4 pm) Winner SF1 vs. Winner SF2

Qatar considering special courts for World Cup offenders DOHA (Reuters) Qatar may create special courts during the 2022 soccer World Cup to deal quickly and “very gently” with alcohol-consuming fans who break the law in a conservative Muslim state where public drunkenness is prohibited, a Qatari official said on Monday. Qatari officials have said that the 500,000 football fans expected to descend on their country during the World Cup will be allowed to consume alcohol in designated zones, but how to best balance the country’s cultural values with FIFA’s requirements for the tournament remains contentious. “I know in South Africa there where specific courts established during the World Cup for this kind of thing, and that is something we were discussing with FIFA,” the Gulf state’s 2022 Committee chief Hassan Al Thawadi told journalists on the sidelines of a sports conference in Doha. During its 2010 World

Cup, South Africa set up 56 special courts to accelerate cases involving foreign fans so they could be dealt with before either suspects or witnesses left the country. In South Africa, most court proceedings ended with fines for those found guilty. The same might apply in Qatar, though drug offences often carry jail terms. Although not “dry” like neighbouring countries such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, alcohol is served only at elite hotels in the Gulf state. Public drunkenness is prohibited, as is bringing alcohol to Qatar from abroad. “In relation to drunk fans it will be as it is anywhere else, anyone who is rowdy, anyone who breaches the law, will be very gently - depending on how they react - taken care of in a manner to make sure that people are not disrupting the public order,” said Thawadi. “Everyone will be able to have fun and be exposed to Qatari

culture.” Consumption of alcohol is likely to be largely ignored by Qatar’s predominantly young population, as it is swept away with the euphoria of hosting the competition, Thawadi said. “We welcome everyone in the world. We’ve hosted many people, from many places and that (drinking) was never an issue. This will be a fun world cup. It will be one of the best cups out there.” FIFA has said it will defend the commercial rights of its sponsors, including Anheuser-Busch InBev, which will sponsor the 2022 tournament. Brazil initially refused to sell alcohol during the matches of the 2014 World Cup, but eventually relented after pressure from FIFA.

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Tuesday February 09, 2016

Under-19 World Cup 2016

Imlach, Hetmeyer steer West Indies into semi-finals Zimbabwe and Scotland also win ESPNcricinfo - Shimron Hetmyer, the West Indies captain, had contributed all of 23 runs in four innings going into the quarterfinals o f t h e U n d e r- 1 9 Wo r l d Cup. When the heat was on, he led the way with a sparkling half-century that helped West Indies chase down Pakistan’s 227 for 6 by five wickets in Fatullah to set up a semifinal date with hosts Bangladesh. That meant Umair Masood’s fighting 113 and his 164-run stand for the sixth wicket with Salman Fayyaz that helped Pakistan stage a remarkable recovery from 57 for 5 went in vain as West Indies chased down the target with 10 overs to spare. Chemar Holder, the pacer who flew into Dhaka only two days ago as a replacement for the injured Obed McCoy, did the early damage by dismissing Zeeshan Malik, the Pakistan captain, and Shadab Khan inside six overs. Things continued to slide as Alzarri Joseph, the pacer who clocked the fastest ball of the tournament at 147 clicks, dismissed Mohammad Umar to leave Pakistan’s top

three back in the hut inside nine overs. When Saif Badar and Hasan Mohsin were dismissed, Pakistan were in danger of folding inside 100. As the pitch eased out considerably, Masood opened up to play freely and was complemented well by the pugnacious Fayyaz, who rotated strike efficiently in the middle overs. Masood cut loose towards the end as Pakistan smashed 82 runs off the last 10 overs. Gidron Pope smashed two fours and two sixes in his 25 as West Indies wiped out 45 in the first six overs, before he was caught at point to give Ahmad Shafiq a breakthrough. But the momentum was carried forward by Hetmyer, who used his feet admirably against the spinners to pinch boundaries at will to eat into the target. Hetmyer’s dismissal for 52 that broke a 77-run stand allowed Pakistan to claw back as the spinners choked the runs for a brief while. West Indies didn’t help their cause with two runs out that left the game on an even

keel, until Shamar Springer’s run-a-ball 37 brought the target to inside 40, which was wiped ou by Jyd Goolie and Keemo Paul as West Indies cruised home with plenty to spare. Meanwhile, A four-wicket haul from Richard Ngarava gave Zimbabwe Under-19s a thumping win over South Africa Under-19s in the ninthplace playoff semi-final in Cox’s Bazar. Ngarava finished with figures of 4 for 10 as Zimbabwe sent South Africa in to bat and bowled them out for 91. A 46-ball 32 from Rivaldo Moonsamy, batting at No. 6, was the only innings of any real magnitude as South Africa folded inside the 40th over. Zimbabwe completed their chase in 22 overs, with no real hiccups as Ry a n Murray (26*) and Jeremy Ives (34*) saw them through with an unbroken partnership of 52 for the third wicket. Scores: Zimbabwe Under-19s 94 for 2 (Ives 34*) beat South Africa Under-19s 91 (Moonsamy 32, Ngarava 4-10) by eight wickets. And an all-round display from Finlay McCreath propelled Scotland Under-19s to a 76-run win over Fiji Under-

19s in the 13th place playoff semi-final. Fiji sent Scotland in to bat and made regular inroads particularly via Cakacaka Tikoisuva, who finished with figures of 4 for 46 - but McCreath’s 82-ball 60 (4x4, 1x6) steered them to a total of 225. Fiji’s chase floundered right from the start, and they were in danger of folding for under 100 for the fourth time in the tournament when they lost their seventh wicket with only 64 on the board. But Peni Vuniwaqa, Fiji’s highest rungetter in the tournament, made their first half-century of the tournament, and added 47 for the eighth wicket with Josaia Baleicikoibia (27) to ensure they did not suffer that fate. Eventually, Fiji were bowled out for 149 in the 43rd over, with Vuniwaqa the last man out for a 123-ball 80, containing eight fours and two sixes. Seamers McCreath and Cameron Sloman finished with three wickets apiece. Scores: Scotland Under19s 225 (McCreath 60, Shah 39, Tikoisuva 4-46) beat Fiji Under-19s 149 (Vuniwaqa 80, Sloman 3-30, McCreath 3-48) by 76 runs.

Match details Toss - Pakistan Under-19s, who chose to bat Series - West Indies Under-19s advanced Youth ODI debut - CK Holder (West Indies Under-19s) Player of the match - Umair Masood (Pakistan Under-19s) Result -West Indies Under-19s won by 5 wickets (with 60 balls remaining) Umpires - RT Robinson (England) and C Shamshuddin (India) TV umpire - RSA Palliyaguruge (Sri Lanka) Match referee - GF Labrooy (Sri Lanka) Reserve umpire - RJ Bailey (England)

Bennett says there’s still a chance to catch Jaguars Jamaica Observer - Jamaica Scorpions Head Coach Junior Bennett says there is still an outside chance of catching up to runaway leaders Guyana Jaguars in the Professional Cricket League (PCL) four-day tournament. The Jaguars, the defending regional four-day champions, lead the six-team table with 85 points from five matches. The Scorpions, third in the standing with 53 points,

are scheduled to leave the island today to face last-placed Leeward Islands Hurricanes (13) in an away fixture. That round of matches, the first since the PCL took a break in December to facilitate the staging of the Regional Super50 competition, is set to begin Friday. “Well it’s going to come straight down to how we execute in the second half of the competition,” Bennett told the Jamaica Observer.

“It’s possible to catch them, it’s possible, but they had a very good first round, so we have to also have a very good second round,” he added. Bennett said the team has to capitalise on the bonus points, especially while batting. “We haven’t been getting a lot of batting bonus points. The batting unit has to step up to score some runs,” he said.

The Scorpions had practice sessions on Saturday, as well as yesterday as they finetuned for the resumption of regional four-day cricket. Previously they had a practice match which saw a number of batsmen making significant scores. “The training sessions have gone well so far and that practice game was a high-scoring game. Kirk Edwards made a century, as well as Devon Thomas, and Shacoya Thomas. John Campbell scored half-century, so too did Trevon Griffith. “Though so many runs were scored the bowlers didn’t bowl badly. It was a matter of the batsmen applying themselves, so it was good practice ahead of the start of the second phase. I just want them to transfer that into the tournament,” said the veteran cricket coach. Barbados Pride are second in the table with 63 points, while Trinidad & Tobago Red Force (37) are fourth, and Windward Islands Volcanoes

Junior Bennett... it’s possible to catch them (29 points) are fifth. Jamaica squad — Paul Palmer (captain), John Campbell (vice captain), Kirk Edwards, Andre McCarthy, Shacoya Thomas, Jermaine Blackwood, Devon Thomas, Carlton Baugh, David Ber-

nard, Nikita Miller, Damion Jacobs, Marquino Mindley, Sheldon Cottrell. Junior Bennett — coach David Bernard (Snr) — fitness trainer Dialo Brown — physiotherapist

Tuesday February 09, 2016

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4th Annual Milo U-20 Schools Football Competition

N/Ruimveldt, N/ Georgetown, QC register wins North Ruimveldt, North Georgetown and Queen’s College were the teams registering full points when the 4th Annual Milo Under20 Schools Football Competition continued Sunday at the Ministry of Education ground on Carifesta Avenue. In the opening encounter, North Ruimveldt cruised past a game, but clearly outclassed Houston 4-1 with Matthew Harrison registering a brace in the 15th and 37th minutes, while Ashaish Alleyne and Tyrese Rowley supported with solitary strikes in the 13th and 48th minutes respectively. Denzil Heywood 25th minute effort was the lone response for Houston. North Georgetown then inflicted an 8-1 drubbing on Brickdam through a fourgoal performance from Nehemiah Gomes, who netted in the 18th, 27th, 29th and 58th minutes. He received admirable

support from Rayon Bailey, Daniel Nedd, Osafa Matheson and Rueben Miller who recorded their efforts in the 15th, 34th, 38th and 50th minutes respectively. On target for the losers was Rawl Williams in the 70th minute. Queen’s College then benefitted from a walkover following the nonappearance of Morgan Learning Centre who it was later revealed had withdrawn from the tournament. In the other game, St. Joseph’s and Lodge fought to a 1-1 draw with Stephan Isaacs’ 25th minute strike giving St. Joseph’s the lead, before Shamar Smith responded for Lodge in the 39th minute. Action in the competition resumes this Saturday with four more matches, at the same venue. The winning team will take home $500,000 which is to go towards a project that will benefit the school and

Action in the clash between North Ruimveldt and Houston on Sunday, at the Ministry of Education ground, Carifesta Avenue. the championship trophy. The second, third and fourth placed finishers will collect $300,000, $200,000 and $100,000 respectively for projects selected by the schools and trophies. Meanwhile in the day’s full results: Game-1 Houston Secondary-1 vs

North Ruimveldt-4 North Ruimveldt Scorers Ashaish Alleyne-13th Matthew Harrison-15th and 37th Tyrese Rowley-48th Houston Scorers Denzil Heywood-25th Game-2 Brickdam Secondary-1 vs North Georgetown-8

North Georgetown Scorers Nehemiah Gomes-18th, 27th, 29th and 58th Rayon Bailey-15th Daniel Nedd-34th Osafa Mattheson-38th Rueben Miller-50th Brickdam Scorer Rawl Williams-70th Game-3

Lodge Secondary-1 vs St. Joseph’s High-1 St. Joseph’s Scorer Stephan Isaacs-25th Lodge Scorer Shamar Smith-39th Game-4 Morgan Learning Centre vs Queen’s College Queen’s College won via walkover

McCullum heads into ODI retirement with NZ win

New Zealand pose with the series trophies, New Zealand v Australia, 3rd ODI, Hamilton, February 8, 2016 ©Getty Images (Reuters) New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum ended his one-day international career with a series victory over Australia on Monday with his side sealing a 55-run win in the deciding third match at Seddon Park in Hamilton. New Zealand, who were all out for 246 in 45.3 overs, managed to dismiss Australia for 191 in 43.4 overs to give them a 2-1 series win that helped them retain the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, which is played for between the two countries in

one-dayers. The 34-year-old McCullum is retiring from all international cricket at the conclusion of the two-test series against the same opponents. “I feel incredibly lucky to play for 14 years, meet some great blokes and make some great friends,” McCullum said in a televised interview. “I want to thank everyone for supporting me and making it possible.” The win, however, was marred by a surreal period of play when the crowd appeared to influence a

decision on the field. Allrounder Mitchell Marsh, who took 3-34 in New Zealand’s innings, appeared well-set on 41 with his side 164-5 in the 34th over and back in control of the match before he hit a delivery back to bowler Matt Henry. Henry half-heartedly appealed for a caught and bowled but it was turned down. The giant television screen at the ground then showed a replay that created a huge uproar from the crowd who thought it had cannoned into Marsh’s boot

before popping back to the bowler. Umpires Ian Gould and Derek Walker then asked third umpire Sundaram Ravi for a review after they also saw the replay and heard the crowd reaction.

Slow-motion cameras showed the ball had not hit the ground before Henry took the catch and Ravi told Gould to give the Australian out, which caused an angry outburst from Marsh and his batting partner Matthew

Wade. “A bit of controversy there, I don’t think there was much of an appeal... and they went upstairs after the replay, a bit disappointing,” Australia captain Steve (Continued on page 25)

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Foster continues form at AAG Development Meet -Samuels win sprint double Andrea Foster continued her early form on Sunday when The Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) held its second Developmental Meet at the Police Sports Club Ground, Eve Leary after comfortably winning her 800m race. Foster ran 2:24.8 secs ahead of Mercury Fast Laners’ Sasha James, who was second in 2:40.7. Avon Samuels set up another showdown with Natricia Hooper in the 400m. Samuels clocked 57:00 seconds ahead of Hooper’s 58.7 seconds. Tirana Mitchell (1:05.0s) was third. Samuels also won

the 200m ahead of Natricia’s sister, Natrena Hooper. She ran 25:00 ahead of Natrena’s 25.4 seconds. Police’s Kezia Bess was third in 26.8 seconds. Natrena won Open 100m in 12.3 seconds ahead of Defence Force’s, Aniquah Powley, who had a time of 12.6 seconds. Bess was third again in 12.8 seconds. Police’s Linton Mentis emerged the fastest in the male final-by-time 100m with a time of 10.5 seconds. Mentis led a Police sweep with Stephon Boodie second in 10.9 and Dwight Smith third 11:00 seconds. Eon Rodney won the

Andrea Foster 400m in a time of 49.7 seconds, while Kareem Purch finished second with 50.2 secs. Cleveland Thomas won the Men’s Open 5000m ahead of Winston Messenger

(17:54.5) in 16:31. Matthew McKenzie ran 4:20.2 seconds to win the men’s Open 1500m. In the field events, Leslain Baird threw 55.85m to take the Men’s Javelin, while The University of Guyana’s multi-talented athlete, Emanuel Archibald won the long jump after leaping 6.75m. Natrena leaped 12.53m to win the triple jump ahead o f N a t r i c i a ( 11 . 6 9 m ) . Chantoba Bright, who placed third in the triple jump with 11.55m, won the long jump with 5.61m ahead of UG’s Feona Mentis (4.13m).

Phantom claim Roy Davis Memorial Dominoes title

The triumphant Phantom team and officials following their win. Phantom chalked up 79 games to win the final of the Roy Davis Memorial Dominoes competition which was contested on Sunday night at Gaulding Place, South Ruimveldt. Rage placed second with 78 and TNT third on 74.

Hugh Gordon and Orin Favourite made 15 each for the winners, while Ron Callendar got 17 and Cargail De Freitas 16 for Rage. Sonia Goodluck and Shawn Morgan were TNT leading players with 15 and 14 games respectively.

Rage won the semi final encounter with 77 games ahead of Phantom 73 and Delta Force 70. Ronald Beharry marked 16 and De Freitas 15 for Rage, Gordon and Leroy Edwards got 16 and 15 in that order for Phantom while William Sargeant

made 15 for Delta Force. Phantom pocketed a trophy an d $ 1 3 0 , 0 0 0 , Rage took home a trophy and $60,000 and TNT a trophy and $30,000. Callendar was given the player of the final award.

Tuesday February 09, 2016

Denver defence kryptonite to Panthers Superman Newton

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning holds up the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the game against the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium. (Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports) SANTA CLARA, Calif. (Reuters) The Denver Broncos shocked the Carolina Panthers 24-10 as the Super Bowl closed out its first half-century on Sunday with an upset and a cliffhanger as Peyton Manning left everyone guessing about his future. As a glittering shower of golden confetti fell on Levi’s Stadium, Manning appeared to have penned the fairytale ending to a Hall of Fame career ready to ride off into the sunset holding the Vince Lombardi trophy, the oldest quarterback to win a Super Bowl and the first to win championships for two franchises. But a coy Manning refused to reveal his hand leaving open the possibility that the 39-year-old could remain part of the NFL next season even as the Super Bowl turns the corner and steams toward its centennial and a new era that includes a team back in Los Angeles. “It’s certainly been an emotional week for everybody,” said Manning, amid the post-game celebrations. “I got some good advice from (former Indianapolis Colts coach) Tony Dungy. He said don’t make an emotional decision. “I think that was good advice to kind of let this sink in. “This has been a very emotional week, an emotional night and it is just beginning, I look forward to celebrating with my friends and family and I think I will take some time after that.” The golden Super Bowl was much hyped as a passing of the baton with Manning the aging super star giving way to Panthers’ flashy quarterback Cam Newton, who did not live up to his Superman nickname against a top ranked Denver defense that proved to be his kryptonite. Having claimed NFL most valuable player honors on Saturday and his 17-1 Panthers favoured by nearly a touchdown, Newton’s coronation seemed almost certain. But Manning was not quite ready to drop the torch, adding a couple of more lines to the quarterbacking record book including becoming the first to win 200 games (regular season and playoffs). “They just played better than us,” grumbled Newton. “I don’t know what you want me to say. “They made more plays than us and that’s what it came down to. “We turned the ball over, gave up sacks, threw errant passes. That’s it.” A five-time league most valuable player, Manning’s performance will not be remembered as one of his best as the Denver offence managed just 194 yards, the fewest for a winning team in the Super Bowl. Instead it was a relentless Denver defense that can claim credit for the victory holding the Panthers’ number one ranked offence — that averaged over 31 points a game during the regular season — to a single touchdown and field goal. The Denver defence, which recorded seven sacks, was led (Continued on page 25)

Tuesday February 09, 2016

Kaieteur News

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Sarjoo leads North Soesdyke to EBDCA Executive T20 crown

The runner up side Bayrock with EBDCA president Anand Kalladeen (left). By Zaheer Mohamed A fine all-round performance by Sunil Sarjoo handed North Soesdyke a comfortable 84-run victory over Bayrock of Linden when the final of the East Bank Demerara Cricket Association (EBDCA) Executive Cup T20 tournament was contested on Sunday at Farm. North Soesdyke recovered from 30-4 to post 145-8 after they decided to bat in front of a fair-sized crowd. Fast bowlers Julian Fortune and Dellon Williams impressed with their pace and put

North Soesdyke on the back foot early on. Fortune had Neil Richardson caught for 10, while Williams had Sahadeo Hardaiow (02) taken at fine leg and uprooted the stumps of Hemraj Garbarran (06) before Eon Reynolds accounted for Stephon Black (02). However, Sarjoo and skipper Leroy Primo repaired the early damage with a fifth wicket stand of 70 with level-headed batting on a pitch that offered much assistance to the faster bowlers. Primo struck four fours and one six before he fell for 39, while Sarjoo, who started

Members of the victorious North Soesdyke team with members of the EBDCA. shakily but gained momentum as his innings progressed, thumped three fours and a similar number of sixes in scoring 37. Te r r e n c e L i v e r p o o l chipped in with 17 not out as Williams claimed 3-19, Reynolds 2-33; Fortune, Stephan Brown and Jermaine Gibbons one each. Stephan Browne and Leonard Caleb gave Bayrock a fine start with an opening stand of 39 before Caleb, who hit two fours and one six, was lbw to Richardson for 17. Richardson then sent back Reynolds for two before Sarjoo disturbed the

stumps of Andrew Murray and trapped Lawrence Browne lbw, both without scoring to leave the score at 47-4. Medium pacer Sarjoo who bowled with variation then destroyed the rest of the batting as Bayrock were sent packing for 69 in 12.2 overs. Browne was the last man out for a top score of 21 (3x4) as man-of-thematch Sarjoo finished with 5-15 from four overs, Richardson had 2-26, while Rakesh Gangaram and Ronald Jaisingh had one apiece. Both teams received trophies and cash prizes. The EBDCA presented a quantity of bats and

Man of the Match Sunil Sarjoo (right) accepts his prize from Rajesh Singh. stumps to all their affiliated clubs at the presentation ceremony. President of the Association Anand Kalladeen congratulated the teams while vice

president Rohan Sarjoo said they will continue to work for the development of the game in the area and thanked Trophy Stall for their support.

McCullum pleased with ‘fitting’ farewell ESPNcricinfo - New Zealand’s now former ODI captain Brendon McCullum has praised his team for the way they responded to a batting collapse in the first innings and staged a 55-run win to retain the ChappellHadlee Trophy. McCullum, playing his final ODI innings, smoked a 27-ball 47 to set New Zealand up nicely, but the hosts lost their way towards the end of the innings, losing six wickets for just 23 runs to muster a below-par 246. If New Zealand were feeling low immediately after that slide, they certainly did not show their disappointment when they took to the field, as McCullum revealed that he had urged his players during the break to not get bogged

down. “The team performance today, especially after losing six for not many, I think lesser teams would have folded,” McCullum said. “And one thing we pride ourselves on is making sure that if we are going to get beaten, we’re going to make it hard for the opposition to do so. “That was the mentality we try to take out to fielding and bowling and also just stress to the guys, it doesn’t matter what we get, it’s a matter of what they get. If we were capable of losing six for not many, it was a wicket that was tough to start on, so that was the message that was stressed at halftime.” M c C u l l u m ’s w o r d s clearly lifted the team, as excellent spells from Doug

Brendon McCullum poses with the series trophies, New Zealand v Australia, 3rd ODI, Hamilton, February 8, 2016 ©Getty Images

Bracewell, Ish Sodhi, Corey Anderson and Matt Henry suffocated the Australia batsmen on a slow pitch, and New Zealand bundled their opponents out for 191 inside 44 overs. McCullum, who

now has just two more Tests left in him before he quits internationals all together, could not think of a better way of signing off from limited-overs internationals. “To beat the world

champions in the ChappellHadlee series, which means so much to us, is a fitting way to step away from the game. For us to be able to still step out and beat the best team in the world is testament to the

depth that we’ve been able to create over a period of time. “That was a pleasing aspect of it and I thought the way the guys responded was phenomenal. Doug Bracewell, he was on the the sidelines for the last little while, and the way he came in and seized that key moment, kept it tight, started building some pressure. “And that allowed Ish, another wonderful story of a guy who’s come back in after a long time out of the side, and he bowled with confidence and he bowled beautifully. He was able to apply some pressure and get wickets. It’s great when you can see guys come in and perform in pressure situations.”

t r o Sp Under-19 World Cup 2016

Imlach, Hetmeyer steer West Indies into semi-finals

Zimbabwe and Scotland also win

Shimron Hetmyer’s first half-century of the tournament helped West Indies eat into the target of 227 as they won with 10 overs to spare © International Cricket Council

CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying – Texas 2016

Lady Jags upbeat and passionate ahead of Thursday’s clash with Canada

Lady Jags preparing for a trainig session

Lady Jags take a photo at a training session on Sunday in Texas. Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Limited, 24 Saffon St.Charlestown, Georgetown.Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/ 226-8210