Monday January 04, 2016
Kaieteur News
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Letters... Where your views make the news...Letters... Where your views make the news
Former Prime Minister Hinds, bats for his political party DEAR EDITOR, I write to make the case that (Privatization Unit/NICIL has been good for people and country. I would be failing in my duty if I were not to. I put myself on record also, that I have known and worked closely with CEO Winston Brassington and DCEO Marcia Nadir-Sharma, weekly and often daily throughout the years and have found
them to be knowledgeable, able, diligent, hardworking and earnestly committed to advancing people and country. It is said that every person is liable to some moment(s) of failure; nonetheless I put myself on record as standing at the side of colleagues who earned my greatest respect and appreciation for their work. And I am not doing so
recklessly, flying in the face of evidence. What evidence is there? In all that I have seen and heard I have not sensed any criminal act: there is no indication of any money flowing to any of their pockets. The CEO’s crime (and that of PU/NICIL as an institution along with all its employees) seems to have been that he did his able best to carry out
Should the President discipline Minister Patterson? DEAR EDITOR, It has been reported in the media that the Cabinet has given clear instructions to the Minister of Finance to send Mr. Winston Brassington on administrative leave pending the outcome of a probe into the affairs of NICIL. The same was done to Mr. Sattaur at the GRA. Cabinet did the right thing in accordance with the principles of “Due Process of Law” and to preserve their constitutional rights by sending them on administrative leave with full pay. This is the normal practice and procedure for any government and Guyana is no exception to take such actions against the heads of departments who are allegedly accused of corrupt practices. But it appears what is good for the goose is not good for the gander in Guyana under the APNU+AFC government? It has been reported in the private media that the Minister of Infrastructure, Mr. David Patterson has refused to send the acting CEO of GPL on administrative leave pending a probe into his alleged tampering with the procurement process. According to the Minister, there is no reason to send
GPL’s CEO on administrative leave pending the outcome of the probe, it is up to the board of directors of GPL to act but at the moment, there is no board of Directors. It is a blatant cover-up for one of their own. Others who were not aligned to the government were sent home for the same reason. It is clear that the Minister and by extension the government is pulling wool over the eyes of the people. Where are the voices of reason and fairness in the Cabinet? Where is the accountability and transparency promised by this government? The CEO has been under a cloud of suspicion since his appointment last August. We are yet to see a reply from him elaborating on his qualifications. It is clear that the Minister’s actions will cause irreparable damage to the government and could result in its demise. There can be no proper investigation of Mr. Welch who is the custodian of all the records and who may influence the outcome. Isn’t there some level of selfinterest and self-preservation here? The English Philosopher and Political Theorist John
Locke has clearly stated in one of his essays that human motivation is principally driven by the essential selfinterested nature of human beings. Therefore, it was found that the fundamental laws of nature necessitate the following: 1) a duty to preserve one’s self-interest; 2) a duty to preserve others when self-preservation does not conflict. Are we witnessing favouritism in public office again as was the case with the last government? Should President Granger allow this attitude by the Minister, it will destroy image and morality of his administration which could result in huge loss of confidence in the government by the people. There has to be an independent investigation and let the chips fall where they may be. If not, how can the government justify sending other heads of departments on administrative leave pending investigations and not the acting CEO of GPL. The integrity of the government is at stake and it will pay a heavy price for this injustice. The people will be the judge and the jury. Dr. Asquith Rose and Harish Singh
the policies and programmes of our PPP/C administration, accepting them and pursuing them rather than taking his cue from the then opposition. Just recall the complaints related to Amaila, the Berbice Bridge, the Marriot Hotel, particularly the Mariott: what have they been other than means to discredit those projects and deny our PPP/C Administration opportunities to bring good to people and country and win favourable consideration? Those projects made manifest our policies, outlook, worldview, our ideas of our stage of development and the next steps that we should take. Those were essentially political choices and the attacks should be launched against us the political leaders of the PPP/C, not the administrators. Let me acknowledge that in the competitive and perhaps inevitably adversarial politics in democracies, even more so in our historical demographics, and especially so after our 2011 elections when on the basis of provisions in our Constitution we set up as a minority Government, an Opposition is likely to doubt, question and disparage all that the Government says and does and see deception and corruption in every place but this should only go so far. We of the PPP/C then in opposition were not ourselves free from such inclinations in the run up to the 1992 elections – but we have always been a responsible group even though we had real reason to be bitter. Yes,we criticized the Barama, CRL/CLICO and Omai agreements, earnestly and responsibly, arguing mostly that the PNC had no mandate then to enter into those agreements. Thus,
when we came into office Dr. Jagan could have had the agreements reviewed by persons in whom he had great trust (amongst which was a Dr. Maurice Odle, then with an international agency). We could and did accept that the Agreements were fundamentally standard international agreements. We laid them in Parliament and with a few adjustments they have been our standard documents throughout our years in office. The APNU/AFC went so far in demonizing us of the PPP/C that more than six months after our elections they cannot start pulling back, expending valuable money and time, and delaying the reestablishment of some degree of political accord. PU/NICIL has been at the centre of APNU/AFC demonizing because it was able to complete the Mariott Hotel, despite their efforts to stop it midway. The PU which we set up formally, NICIL set up by the PNC after they retreated from State ownership of more than 80% of the economic activity in Guyana and the later merged PU/NICIL have been important elements in our integrated approach to the overall growth and development of people and country, and we grew noticeably. This is not the forum but now may well be the time to
talk extensively about the bringing of people and country from where we were in October 1992 to where we were in May 2015. Managing the ongoing refashioning of the bauxite sector and communities within the commitments of the outgoing PNC to the international bodies, gave rise unto about 2006, to a large part of the work of PU, NICIL and later PU/NICIL as we sought to turn people and assets no longer required by the core, to new activities and to attract new international bauxite and other companies to those communities. Other sectors for which I was responsible – other mining, electricity, energy, telecommunications – also gave rise to much work for PU/ NICIL. So, I was much involved with PU/NICIL. In time I urged the merger of PU and NICIL. I was Chairman of the Board of PU/NICIL for a period: thus, I am obliged to and I can speak up for PU/ NICIL and shoulder what we the politicians, not the Officers, should. What should the Guyanese public make of the claimed unearthing of billions of dollars in the accounts of PU/NICIL and its subsidiaries, and of other autonomous and semiautonomous bodies and now being sent to the Continued on page 23
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Monday January 04, 2016
NICIL sold out State assets to finance Marriott - Audit An audit into the state of affairs of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) has revealed that the entity went on a selling spree in order to get cash to finance the construction of the Marriott Hotel. NICIL’s audit report stated that decisions were made to sell government assets with haste. It was noted that NICIL, under the leadership of the embattled Winston Brassington, decided to sell government’s share in the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) company and almost all the money received from that sale— US$20M—went into the construction of the Marriott. But that was not all. According to the audit report, evidence indicates that in addition to the disposal of GT&T shares, “there was an acceleration of the disposal of State properties/assets in order to secure financing for the construction of the Marriott Hotel.” A total of $9.7B was raked in from the sale of State assets/properties during the period 2002-2014. However, between 20112012 alone, during the time financing for the hotel was being hastily sought, NICIL sold off a whopping $7.142B or 73 percent of the total sale of assets from 2002 -2014. It has been revealed too that NICIL’s financing of the construction of the hotel during the period 2010-2013 was $5.371B, comprising $800 million share capital, $3.316B in interest-free loan and $1.255B in advances. As at 7 July 2015, NICIL’s advances increased to $4.521 billion, giving a total funding of $8.637 billion.” Auditors have also
The Marriott hotel
On leave: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NICIL, Winston Brassington noted—in the Marriott audit report—that the hotel is operating at a loss. It also stated that the government should proceed “with haste” to advertise for the sale of the hotel, bearing in mind that the Management Agreement with Marriott International is for 30 years, renewable for another 10 years. Auditors noted that the Agreement does provide for the sale of the hotel to a reputable individual or firm so that it can roll over to the new owners. “The vendor must have sufficient financial resources and liquidity to fulfill the obligations under the Agreement; be of good moral character with no criminal record; and does not have ownership interest in a branded hotel.” Currently managing the construction shares of the company is Atlantic Hotel Incorporate (AHI), a subsidiary of the National Industrial Commercial and Investments Limited (NICIL) which falls under the Government. “Once the hotel is sold, AHI should be liquidated. Alternatively, the Government could retain majority interest in the hotel and offer 49% of shares to
the public and institutional investors, such as banks and insurance companies. However, the risks still remain in terms of the financial viability of the operations of the hotel,” the audit report suggested. The US$60M Marriot Hotel was met with much contention by the then Opposition bloc A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC), during its construction under the previous regime.
The project had been criticized for lacking transparency. The Marriott was also given “extravagant incentives and benefits”, which left other local hotel operators screaming over the unleveled playing field. Despite the controversy, the hotel officially opened its doors last April 16 to begin its phase one operations while other sections of the Marriot are still under construction.
Three months later, the 197-room facility was already showing signs that it was not going to be the overnight success the PPP claimed it would be. In fact, Marriott racked up a $60M loss up to the end of June, according to Government officials. The state-owned hotel’s biggest expense is its electricity consumption. Its monthly bill to Guyana Power and Light (GPL) is in excess of $25M. This has been a major
factor why construction of a critical component of the hotelthe adjoining entertainment complex- has not started. Marriott’s electricity tab would contrast starkly with that of its nearby competitor, the Pegasus Hotel, whose electricity consumption averages $15M monthly. Marriott also has a fivemegawatt generator with the capacity to power the Kingston area. It has been using this from time to time.
Body in Demerara River…
Escaped murder suspect died of head injuries The mystery surrounding the demise of escapee Robin Maxwell Thomas has deepened with a post mortem indicating that he was murdered. The post mortem revealed that Thomas, whose corpse was found in the Demerara River, sustained blunt trauma to the head and that his skull was fractured. Thomas, 22, along with alleged accomplice Stafrei Alexander, had broken out of the Mackenzie Police Station on December 8, 2015. The escape occurred hours before they were scheduled to appear in court for the murder of businesswoman Shevon Gordon, who was shot near her One Mile, Linden premises. Her son was also wounded in the attack. Aiden Bowen, of Blueberry Hill, Wismar, and Anthony Primo, 29, of 153 Laing Avenue, were also charged in connection with the same murder.
A few days after his escape, Thomas’ badly decomposed corpse was found in the Demerara River, in the vicinity of West Watooka. But his body was only positively identified in late December, after detectives matched the victim’s thumbprint to prints of Thomas they have on record. Relatives further confirmed his identity after viewing the body. Yesterday, a female relative said that the family is convinced that Thomas was murdered. The relatives have also expressed suspicion about Thomas’ ‘escape.’ Thomas was said to have provided police with information about the murder for which he and three others were charged. The police Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) had taken statements from police ranks and prisoners to ascertain how Thomas and Stafrei Alexander had broken out of the
Dead: Robin Maxwell Thomas
Wanted: Stafrei Alexander
Mackenzie Police Station lockups. Assistant Police Commissioner David Ramnarine, who was acting as Crime Chief at the time, had said that according to information, the ranks were in the Enquiries Office at around 02.00 hrs and when they checked the lockups, they observed a hole in the concrete wall. “For anyone to dig a hole
in a concrete wall, is that they went in there with some instrument, and it sends a message that they were not searched, and that their cell was not searched,” he said. “It is clear that there was a supervision problem and that enough vigilance was not exercised. I know that there will be an investigation.” Police have issued a wanted bulletin for Alexander, who remains at large.
Monday January 04, 2016
Kaieteur News
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Refugee crisis could shake up Mexican mayor German political landscape in 2016 killed hours into job
Reuters - For the past decade, German politics has been a relatively dull affair, with Angela Merkel dominating at the national level and the major parties in agreement on all the big issues, from euro zone bailouts and refugees to the phase-out of nuclear energy. But that may change in 2016, when five of Germany’s 16 states hold elections in the build-up to the next federal vote a year later. Not only is Chancellor Merkel looking more vulnerable than ever before because of her welcoming stance toward the hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing war in the Middle East, but the rise of the antiimmigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has injected a new element of surprise into the political landscape. Add to that an unprecedented splintering of the electorate, which means that six parties have a legitimate shot of entering most state parliaments, and Germany’s normally cozy, consensual politics begins to look a bit less predictable, and potentially more divisive, than it has in a long time. The wild card is the threat of an attack by Islamist
Angela Merkel extremists on German soil, a risk highlighted on New Year’s Eve when authorities received a tip that Iraqi and Syrian nationals were planning suicide bombings at train stations in Munich. It could be fatal for Merkel, officials in Berlin acknowledge in private, if such an attack were carried out successfully by people who entered Europe with the flood of migrants, as was the case with two of the men involved in the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris. Even if Germany is spared such a horror, the refugee crisis will continue to
dominate the political debate this year, polarizing voters and emboldening Merkel’s opponents on the right and left. So far the most damaging attacks have come from her conservative sister party, the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU). “If we don’t see success in limiting the tide of refugees, we could have a grassroots political tremor in Germany,” said one senior government official, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue. “If Merkel doesn’t deliver you could see the AfD approaching 20 percent in the polls,” the official predicted. Currently the AfD is polling between 8-10 percent, roughly double the 4.7 percent the party won in the last federal election in 2013, when it narrowly failed to clear the 5 percent mark needed to enter the Bundestag. That seems relatively harmless if you compare it to other like-minded parties across Europe, like the National Front in France, the Freedom Party in Austria or the Danish People’s Party, which enjoy more than twice as much support. But the AfD’s rise looks
more significant when one considers that it has occurred against a backdrop of infighting and financial trouble within the party that might have crushed it. In the past half year, the party has weathered the departure of its founder, embarrassing slurs about African reproductive habits from one of its leading politicians, and a party financing law from the government that threatened to strip bare its coffers.In response to the new law, the AfD asked its supporters for donations and raised roughly 2 million euros in just three weeks, a testament to its drawing power. In three state elections that are due to be held in March, the AfD’s newfound strength will be on stark display. It is on track to win 7 percent in the western states of Baden-Wuerttemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate and roughly twice that in SaxonyAnhalt in the east. “In every one of these elections, the performance of the AfD will be key in determining what constellations are possible,” Torsten Krauel wrote in a front-page editorial in German daily Die Welt last week.
Gisela Mota BBC News - A newlyelected Mexican mayor has been shot dead on her second day in office. Gisela Mota was killed at
her home in the city of Temixco, 85km (52 miles) south of the capital Mexico City, hours after taking her oath of office on Friday, police said. Reports said she was attacked by four gunmen. Police shot two of the attackers dead and arrested the others. A motive for the killing is unclear. Several Mexican mayors were killed last year by alleged drug traffickers. The left-of-centre former federal congresswoman, who was in her early 30s, had promised to try to clean up Temixco, an industrial city where problems associated with drugs and organised crime are rife.
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Kaieteur News
Monday January 04, 2016
Monday January 04, 2016
Kaieteur News
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THE DEMERARA HARBOUR BRIDGE AND CRIME-FIGHTING Human intelligence is becoming more important in solving crimes than any of the other traditional factors. As societies become more complex and increasingly impersonal, however, the building of intelligence will depend on more formal system rather than having to rely on informants for information. Guyana’s database to fight crime is limited. The police do not even have access to the fingerprint database of the Guyana Elections Commission to track down criminals using prints obtained from the scenes of crimes. The police have been undertaking highly invasive, controversial and possibly illegal methods of obtaining information from suspects. So far no lawyer has taken the Guyana Police Force to court
for seizing and perusing the cellular phones of suspects. The information on a person’s cell phone is private; this includes both the numbers that person would have dialed and the text messages stored. No authority should be able to invade a person’s cellular phone and obtain information without a court order. The police had at one stage used stranger methods to develop a database of criminals. They would arrest persons, take these persons down to the station and insist that they be photographed and have mug shots taken. The legality of these actions is also open to question. There are cameras located at various junctions which are supposed to be used to help the police detect crime. The police have reported that
these cameras are used to charge traffic offenders. This in itself is suspect because the law only provides for persons to be charged not for owners of vehicles involved in crime. How then does the police determine who is the driver of a vehicle which is seen on camera breaching the traffic law. Surely, those cameras that they have installed at major junctions are not powerful enough for personal identification. The cameras at the Demerara Harbour Bridge have been very helpful in detecting crime. If you commit a crime in West Demerara and you are escaping out of the jurisdiction, then the cameras at the Harbour Bridge can help the police to know the registration number of the escape vehicle.
Visiting British teen vanishes in Guyana
It has been over two months since British born, Dominic Bernard landed in Guyana via the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) on his second solo trip out of England. But since then he has not been seen or heard from. On October 14, 2015 Bernard departed London, England on Caribbean Airlines (CAL) Flight BW 903 destined for Port of Spain, Trinidad. From the TwinIsland Republic, the18-yearold then boarded CAL BW 483 which arrived in Georgetown at 21:50hrs the same day. This was his maiden trip to Guyana and he was supposed to be picked from the airport by his God Brother, Aaron Hing. However, this arrangement never materialized since Hing was unaware that Bernard was travelling to Guyana. According to the missing teen’s father, Andrew Bernard, his son told him that he was coming to Guyana to spend some time with Hing. He said that his son was scheduled to return home on November 5, 2015, but failed to do so. The father stated that after his son did not return home, he contacted Hing, who told him that he did not see his son and did not even know he had travelled to Guyana. He explained, “Because he (Hing) is family we just assumed that Dominic was having a good time.”
MISSING: Dominic Bernard The older Bernard said that local Immigration Authorities have confirmed that his son landed in Guyana. He stated that CAL also verified that his son did not use his return ticket to England. The father related that prior to his son’s arrival in this country, he was very active on his social media profiles. The distraught man added that Dominic has not posted anything on his Facebook (FB), YouTube or Whatsapp since. When Kaieteur News checked Dominic Bernard’s FB page, it showed that he last posted a photo on September 17, 2015. Several of his friends have shared posts about him being missing. Bernard said that his son is a photographer/film maker of reputable character. Bernard said that it is unusual for his son to go anywhere without informing loved
ones. He recalled that Dominic travelled to Atlanta Georgia, USA earlier last year and made contact with his family as soon as he touched down there. Dominic is the eldest of three siblings and was encountering no problems back at home, according to his father. Dominic Bernard is six feet tall with brown eyes and he speaks with a deep British accent Local and British law enforcement officials are now investigating the matter. But the teenager’s family is offering a reward to anyone with credible information that could lead them to finding him. Persons with any information are kindly being asked to contact Dominic’s father on 695-9065/ 07968006170 or via email at andrew@andlin.co.uk or the nearest police station.
It can also provide crime sleuths with the registration numbers of the vehicles that cross the bridge. This is useful information to investigators when investigating crimes with very little leads. The system needs, however, to be developed further. It is known, for example, that a number of vehicles are stolen and those that steal them can re-spray the vehicles to make them unrecognizable to the owners. The GRA has a database with all the legally registered vehicles in the country. This database should be integrated with the system at the Harbour Bridge so that for every vehicle that crosses the bridge there is a detailed
description available. This can be a powerful crime fighting tool. If per chance a vehicle, which is supposed to be white in colour crosses the bridge but it is yellow in colour, this can trigger an alert and the vehicle can be held at the other end of the bridge for investigation. If the description or model of a vehicle, as registered by the GRA, is not the same as the physical description and model of a vehicle bearing the same registration number, the same things can happen. The recording systems at the bridge therefore should be upgraded so as to help track vehicles. The system should be fully computerized so that any authorized person can simply
type in the number of a vehicle and have available a comprehensive record of all the trips that vehicle would have made across the bridge, the times when those crossings took place and a full description of the vehicle, supported by camera footage of the occupants of the vehicles. These are the sort of initiatives which the Ministry of Public Security should be engaged in at the moment. There is need for greater information to be made available to the police. Informants have their roles to play but the system has to be able to use information in order to solve cases and identify suspects.
Monday January 04, 2016
Kaieteur News
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Full computerization among 2016 plan for GPOC By Jarryl Bryan The Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) is moving to make its services on par with other postage companies such as FEDEX and DHL, for 2016. This will include fully computerizing counter operations, providing motorcycles for postage deliverers and other equipment. This is according to Karen Brown, Postmistress General of the GPOC. She also noted that through the Caribbean Postal Union, a training school was opened in Barbados in 2015 and GPOC has already benefitted from three training programs. She stated that areas of security and domestic operations were covered in the training. “We have to come to par with FEDEX, DHL and our other competitors,” she pointed out, during the Ministry of Public Infrastructure’s end of year press conference. She stated that this will come about, partly, through a Regional
effort. She also spoke of improving the corporation’s express mail capabilities. “We’ll be looking to push our express mail service, since we have Fly Jamaica (airlines). We have to look for another carrier for Europe. We’re also looking to capitalize on training. And in terms of ICT, we are looking to computerize most of our operations.” “(Currently) 41 of our offices have computers and by February our counter operations at GPO will be fully computerized,” she said. “We already have ten computers (waiting) to roll out.” She also spoke of two projects funded through the Quality Service Fund (QSF). Those projects were the insulation of cluster boxes and the supply of motorcycles to Postmen. Brown projected that for 2016, postal service is likely to get a revamp through this initiative. “At the close of the (cluster box) project, we had
additional funds to draw down. So we intend to utilize it to buy some more motorcycles to increase our efficiency in our mail delivery.” In addition, Brown stated that more objectives for the first quarter of 2016 would include acquiring a scanner and two more vehicles, with funding from the QSF. 2015 PERFORMANCE In her presentation, Brown revealed that for the year 2015, the Corporation had to move to other areas of making revenue as use of postal services reduced. “We all know post is dying,” Brown stated, “With the advent of email and Whatsapp. So the other services that we were involved in are bill payments from GT&T (Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company), GPL (Guyana Power and Light), GWI (Guyana Water Incorporated), Courts and domestic money order
remittances.” She stated that this was offered throughout the country at the Corporation’s 64 locations. She also listed the domestic parceling and packaging service as another source of revenue. In addition, she gave credit to domestic and express mail service, postage and revenue stamp sales. Brown noted that at November 2015, total mail handled was 6,979,021 pieces, compared to 7,389,194 pieces in 2014, a reduction of 31 percent. According to the Head of the Corporation, this was inclusive of AIR-mail and domestic mail. Brown noted that government agencies, which have generally been moving towards providing electronic billing and other services on
their websites to customers, have contributed to this decrease. “(However) we are trying to push our money order service,” she said. “You can be in Port Kaituma and send money for your relative in Georgetown or any part of the country where we have a presence.” “And also we have the Postal Money Order in the form of a cheque,” Brown continued. “So if you have a landlord and you do not want to interface with (him or her), you come to the Post Office, take out your money order
and post it to the landlord.” She noted that movement of mail was another challenge for the Corporation. She stated that in November 2015, they were able to rearrange the agreement with Copa Airlines to move mail to Cuba. Brown observed that this surmounted a challenge that they were facing in this regard. “Previously it was transited through Jamaica to Cuba, but Jamaica had a problem. They kept the mail for a couple months, and then returned it to Guyana. So we met with Copa and they are moving mail for us to Cuba.”
Corruption benefits the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor. Say no to it.
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Monday January 04, 2016
GuySuCo’s privatization would be a strategic mistake - PPP - Country’s GDP, drainage and irrigation at stake
Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo has warned that his party will oppose any moves to privatize the sugar industry. On Wednesday last, the Commission of Inquiry (COI) report into the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) was laid in Parliament. One of the report’s recommendations was to have GuySuCo sold to private buyers, even indicating that such buyers were already identified. But, during a recent press conference, Jagdeo, a former President of Guyana, referenced the fact that, should the industry come to a halt, it would have a systematic impact on the entire country. “We will vigorously oppose any plans to dismantle GuySuCo,” he said. “This is a sector that has a major systematic impact. There are few sectors
in the country that have (such) a system wide impact.” According to Jagdeo, this impact encompasses not just the thousands of people who are involved in the sector and the country’s employment figures, but also Guyana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and foreign currency earnings. He stated that too much, including the country’s drainage system was at stake for GuySuCo to be entrusted into private hands. “If GuySuCo was not there, the entire drainage system along the East Coast (of Demerara) and the country (would be compromised). The maintenance costs will have to come to the Government to drain those lands.” GuySuCo has been a major facilitator of drainage and irrigation services for its own crops. But, by extension,
The much awaited GuySuCo report has recommended privatization of the sugar industry the corporation’s services benefit other agriculture enterprises and residential communities. Last year, Dr. Clive Thomas, who is the Chairman of GuySuCo, had posited that
commercialization of GuySuCo’s drainage and irrigation facilities could provide much needed revenue for the deeply indebted corporation. As of December 23rd, 2015,
GuySuCo’s debt stood at some $78.6B. “It would be a huge (fiscal) bill to do that,” Jagdeo continued. “GuySuCo provides a service to the villages sometimes that is not
quantified. So (what) if we transfer GuySuCo to private hands, (and) after one year, they don’t make money and they shut down?” The former Head of State (Continued on page 21)
Monday January 04, 2016
Kaieteur News
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FIRE IN WE WIRE Three men – an Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman had joined the French Foreign Legion and after a few months of the intolerable Saharan desert heat, attempted to desert. They were caught and tried by the authorities who felt that they should get their just desserts - death by firing squad. The Englishman went first. He was put to stand in front of a wall, blindfolded, and heard the Commander say the dreaded “Ready” followed by “Aim.” At that point, the Englishman had an idea. He yelled “Earthquake” and the soldiers panicked, dropped their guns and ran off. The Englishman took his chance, climbed over the wall and deserted for the second time. The irate Commander berated his squad and then called for the Scotsman to be brought out. When he heard “Aim” the canny Scotsman shouted “Flood” and when the firing squad members panicked and ran off to the safety of the fort’s lookout tower, the Scotsman escaped over the wall. It was the
Irishman’s turn. He was ready and had gone over his plans several times, deeming it foolproof. He had chosen another natural disaster to scare the soldiers. He heard the “Ready” and the “Aim” and then with all the confidence in the world that he, too, would cause the troops to drop their guns and run off in fear, he shouted, “Fire!” The essayist and novelist, E.B. White wrote a satirical piece about the way we were increasingly becoming super saturated with information and yet needed to feel we had a handle on things. His solution was condensing all the facts and events into one word, the “word of the day”, which would satisfy our insatiable need to know. Given the avalanche of information in today’s world, I have taken the idea further and am now postulating a word for the year. Think of it. First, we look at the trends of the present year, especially the final four months or so, talk to the futurists to find out what they believe will happen in the year to come and put
all the ideas, advice and predictions together and come up with a word for the year. I went through all this and more and have, like the Irishman in the story, come up with the word “Fire”. I grew up in the midst of cane fields so that “fire” was among the first words I learnt. In those days, the wages of sugar workers were linked directly to how much cane reached the factory. A cane fire was not just a threat to the lives and property of the villagers but also to their livelihoods. The whole village got involved. I also heard, many times from my uncles and father, the expression “Fire one.” “Leh we go and fire one,” my Uncle would say and he and my father would head over to the rum-shop and call for a “petit quart” (one eighth of a bottle) of rum, or even a “nip” (half of a flask or a quarter of a bottle). Sometimes they stopped at one drink each and after tossing back the puncheon or over-proof rum and chasing it with water would head off for work or whatever, but most of the time, firing one led
to an entire conflagration of alcoholic consumption as more and more of their friends arrived at the rum-shop on the same mission. Trinidad has become very much a drinking society. Perhaps it is because of the fires that rage internally and externally in a society on edge. It is an inferno of road race and rage, murders, assassinations of character and characters, drivers in a hurry rushing God-knowswhere, breaking red lights with impunity but then, paradoxically, reaching late for work, and people hot under and over the collar and colour. The crowded bars, the roadside drinkers, the intoxicated drivers, all fired up and raring to go and wreak havoc are all part of the need to fire one, two, three and beyond. It is getting worse. The country’s economy is in recession. The present Government does not accept this diagnosis yet fired (that word again) the Governor of the Central Bank for claiming this is so and yet by its behavior is confirming that things are going to get worse. There is no question that in
GuySuCo’s privatization... (From page 12) expressed his worry that any potential private owners of GuySuCo would do just that, “as in private enterprise, sustaining an investment is determined by profits and not philanthropy.” Over the years, GuySuCo has been under fire for producing sugar at double the cost it was being sold for. One specific area of expense has been the significant amount of cane, at one time over 20 tonnes, needed to be grinded before one tonne of sugar can be produced. The COI report had found that the best thing for the government to do, now that GuySuCo is at a “point of no return”, is to sell. It was even reported that there have already been expressions of interest. “Based on both the financial and economic analyses, the only rational conclusion which can be drawn is that which the COI had arrived at by consensus. The Government needs to decide urgently whether it can afford to continue, repeatedly, funding GuySuCo from the National Budget (via bailouts) in order to remain as a producer of raw bulk sugar for export.” The report had also said that “to repeat such bailouts and expect different vastly improved results from GuySuCo would be irrational.”
According to the COI, in light of this, GuySuCo remaining state-run in its present form/structure is “strategically unacceptable”. Further, it was stated that it would be an inefficient financial and economic decision if the government chooses to hold on to GuySuCo. “A decisive shift to private ownership and control of the assets now employed in sugar production has to be an essential element of any long-term resolution of the present paradoxical situation.”
By consensus, it has been recommended that GuySuCo be sold as soon as possible. The report stated, “The process should start as early as practicable and aim to be completed within three years.” The COI recommended that the State should divest itself of all assets, activities and operations currently associated with GuySuCo. Nevertheless, it did recommend another bailout. “Financial support in the short term will be needed and this should be provided by the government in a timely
basis.” “In the interval, as the privatization process is awaited, the new management of GuySuCo must focus on basic essentials to rehabilitate the fields, factories and infrastructure of GuySuCo. There should be no accommodation for any projects which will demand limited funds.” “This,” the report had said, “is aimed at making the estates more saleable and attractive to investors, local and foreign. A few expressions of interest both formal and informal have been received.”
the midst of circumstances beyond their control people turn to alcohol, extremist religions, illogical behavior, gambling and conspiracy theories for solace and solutions. This is already happening. What is even more interesting is that the term “Fire One” has become the name of a fireworks or incendiary-vending company and that the company, its presence and its products are indeed appropriate to the kind of place Trinidad is, has become and will degenerate further into. The first resort in today’s TNT is fireworks, both verbal and physical, for every occasion. Noisy squibs, rockets, stars and strikes abound. One of our dogs, Missy, becomes frantic, hyperventilates, loses bladder and bowel control, and runs away trying vainly to escape the inescapable. It is extremely likely that her affliction or malady is catching and will fire more than one. In the meantime, the gun fire and murder by firearms show no sign of cessation. As
we head towards the end of 2015, there are already 409 murders and we are all certain that there will be more gunfire as we end the year and start the New Year with a bang, if not a vengeance. The fire seems reserved for people suspected or known to have been hired by, or supporting, the previous government. The only fire that will inevitably cool is the enthusiasm with which this Government was greeted. One of the facts of political life is that people prefer to change their Government than their lifestyles. In the country where the movie “Fire Down Below” with Robert Mitchum and Rita Hayworth was shot, more shooting is expected and the fire will not be confined to the hold but will consume the engine room and the engine itself. As Soca artiste Bunji Garlin sang, “Coming to bun dem, down dey.” *Tony Deyal was last seen saying that when tempted to fight fire with fire remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.
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Kaieteur News
VEHICLE FOR SALE Smart Choice Auto: Premio, Allion, Bluebird, 212, IST, Fielder, Spacio- Call: 6523820/ 665-4529
SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. – CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, C a n a da & UK; Guyana Passport application. Graphics design, Advertisement. Tel: 6267040; 265-4535. Permanent & Visitors Visa Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building. visadocumentsgy@ y a h o o . c o m . Call: 2256496, 662-6045 REPAIRS & SPARE, FRIDGE, FREEZER, A/C, WASHERS, STOVES – CONTACT NICK: 6831312, 627-3206 INNOVATIVE MARKETING & PUBLISHING INC –TEL: 600-4212: We create A/ works, logos, business cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer-Call: 231-0655; 683-8734. Omar Repairs at low cost: Fridges, air- conditioners, washing machines, TVs, microwaves, freezers- Call:629-4946 or 225-4822
WANTED Damage batteries in any quantity, best price offeredCall: 696-5728, 656-2783, 6225941, 648-9395, 223-1111 EXPERIENCED WRITER FOR A SHORT E-BOOK 50 TO 60 PAGES- GOOD PAY. TEXT ME ONLY: 603-0758 One live in domestic maid – Call: 675-5256/ 666-4153/ 6563241 1 Female 18-25yrs living in / around G/Town to work in Snackette 3pm-9pm @ 193 Charlotte St. G/Town-Call: 226-2320 One domestic to work at Lusignan, 2 to 3 half days a week –Call: 220-0302 Two experienced waitressesCall: 627-5607 One Carburetor for Toyota Crown, 6 cylinders 2200 cc 2M engine- Call: 218-1806; 619-0757 One experienced domestic cook to work on E.C.D-Call: 621-8478 One live in maid-Call: 6683985; 264-2563 One live in Domestic- Must know to cook, $55,000 monthly-Call: 661-8673; 6615992 One nail technician: apply in person with written application to Zytech Building Regent Street. Call: 225-0563
FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Spacious 2 bedrooms apartment in Festival CityAsking $80,000- Call: 619-2141 Two bedrooms house “A” Field Sophia, fully grilled off Road Parking, CCTV, $50,000 monthly with 2 months security-Call:693-2237;219-0211
DRESSMAKING Turn your flair for fashion into an exciting career or hobby. Classes starting January –Call: 626-2629; 676-6312
1 Experienced diesel/ gasoline mechanic to work in the Interior- must also know to drive & weld –Call:6802702/661-4265 1- Handyman to work half day per week- Call: 226-3736
One Axela Mazda -$1.550 negotiable, one Nissan Titan, one Audi A4; all vehicles in excellent condition-Call: 665-3038; 226-4356 Noah & Voxy in ‘G’ series, fully loaded, never registered -$1.7M –Call: 617-2891 Toyota Fortuner 2012 yearCall: 624-6702 New model RAV 4 4X4 $2.5M, Mazda Axela -$1.5M, good for bank purchase (both excellent condition) –Call: 220-6380; 639-2490 We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 Tacoma- Call: 680-3154 AT192, 212, Allion, unregistered Premio, Hilux Surf, BNN, RZ & Pit-bull, 7 seater super custom. Cash / terms- Call: 680-3154 2013 Mercedes C250 turbo AMG coupe, retractable glasstop, mileage 15K, alcantara leather interior, brush aluminum acc- Call: 650-5136 Tractor Massey Ferguson from Canada : MF165 -$1.7M, MF -$135M -$1.1M, MF265$2.2M, Tundra -$1.9M, Tacoma 2005-$2.3M- Call: 682-5230, 628-9596 1 New model Raum, PPP series, 1 Toyota Spacio, PPP Series –Call: 649-2354
SALON -Make Up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, Black Opal, Mabelline. -Nail Technician Course Call: 647-1773/660-5257
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. 3 Storey business property on South Road, near the High Court. Call: 691-8420serious buyers One 400 Cubic Ft. 10Ft. long freezer- Call: 218-1806; 6190757 Stalls 64-72: 47 feet long & 7 feet wide, section 1 LaPenitence Market, Albouystown-Call: 663-1597; 218-4837 Diving Suits-Call: 265-3449/ 613-5158 2 Mining Claims, Omai Ouratz Hill, 1 Aurora Along the 6KM Road, 1 IBM bottomside. Contact A. Thompson, telephone: 600-6057 Wholesale & Retail quantity of all types of belts –Call: 670-2343 Crazy Deals: Dell/HP desktop & laptop computers from -$49,000, free games & educational programs @ FutureTech: 231-2206 CAT 930- Front End Loader, CAT D4H bulldozer, 9wheeled Pneumatic, Roller – Call: 275-0538; 683-7225 Dachshund puppies mix with Pekingese for sale-Call: 592677-2476 Leyland DAF 55 Dump Truck, CAT 320 BL excavator. Call: 275-0538; 683-7225
Selling Cheap: 2003 white Fielder, fully loaded, pioneer deck, AC, alarm, VVTI engine, PRR -$1.3M –Call: 672-0470 2-Unregistered new model Toyota Tacoma: step, alarm, crash bar, bed covering, dark & light blue colour. Call: 6956461; 639-7758 1 Jailing Motorcycle 70HP $40,000 –Call: 648-2356
Female housekeeper/cook, must be between 40-55, valid police clearance/ reference –Call: 656-3429 Live in domestic, must know to cook Indian dishes & also baking. Salary $80,000 monthly-Call: 610-3974
Monday January 04, 2016
TO LET Newly constructed 2 bedrooms apartment in a healthy and safe environment –Call: 6986496; 677-6638 Two bedroom apartment $47,000 monthly @ Middle Road, La- Penitence-Call: 6669534; 226-6374 LAND FOR SALE Transported land with fruit trees, fenced, fill high -$4.3M @ Richmond Essequibo Coast, next to School–Call: 682-5230; 628-9696
VACANCY Night Security- send application to: P.O. Box 10109, Georgetown, by 8th January, 2016. Immediate vacancies exist for at least 12 workers to work @ Ice Factory, MeadowbankCall: 231-1408/ 642-9191 Salesman with his own transportation-Call: 610-1111 Mature live in housekeeper, serious enquiries only –Call: 697-8797 Accounts /Bond Clerk, apply at Alabama Trading, Georgetown Ferry Stelling
Caterpillar and Perkins mechanic, Excavator Operators. Contact 2235273 Gardener / handyman contact 223-5273-4 Welder/Fabricator, senior machinist, mechanic & cleaners- apply in person: Technical Services, 18-23 Eccles Industrial Site. 1 Experienced barman & chief cook –Contact Sheik on: 6219759 or Donald: 673-4628 Experienced cook, waitress, bartenders & bouncers needed @ Eden’s Bar, East Bank-Call for appointment: 652-0074 Experienced Bar/Shop worker for Ekeruku Bottom (Interior), ages 17-30yrs. Call: 231-0363
Male security, male desk staff, 25-45 years- Lot 233 South Road LacytownCall: 225-0198 1 Security guard to work nightly, apply in person at Alabama Trading, Georgetown Ferry Stelling.
PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL:CARS&SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 6560087 , EMAIL: PRO_ AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO. COM
Full & Part time & Seasonal, local & international work available, training provided $5,000 plus daily – Call: 6221957/ 233-6517, www.jobfairworldwide.com
Aidan’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up, cheapest rate, low security- Call: 698-7807
Qualified Accounts, bond clerks, drivers @ Rosignol, Bond clerks & drivers @ Melanie- Call: 330-2399; 3302772; 623-5920
Wing’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up rental- Call: 690-6494 EDUCATIONAL Private customs brokerage, training certificate course from 2nd Feb 2016, register now & save –Call: 6948322; 223-1506
Brand new 2 storey concrete building in 5th Avenue, Diamond, E.B.D, all modern amenities –Call: 662-9335; 612-3244 Two house & land for sale, excellent condition, one located at Tuschen & one at Goed-Fortuin. Call: 668-3985; 660-3235 2 storied transported concrete property- upstairs: 2 bedrooms apartment, downstairs: 2 bedroom apartment, block ‘8’ MonRepos, E.C.D -$19M neg. Call: 625-1514; 231-7255
Carpenters to work in Coverden, E.B.D apply at Alabama Trading Georgetown, Ferry Stelling.
Able bodied male to work in a Hardware store-Call: 2194533; 231-2029; 616-5954
CAR RENTAL DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM
PROPERTY FOR SALE Property for sale, Grove $20M / Rent: $50,000 per month. Tel: 625-5461.
EDUCATIONAL Lessons Classes: Phonics, Reading, Composition & Mathematics- ages 4-12 years old @ Roxanne Burnham Gardens –Call: 218-2076; 6194355
EDUCATIONAL RISING STAR DAYCARE, KINDERGARTEN & AFTERSCHOOL CARE. Lessons for Grades 1-11: Phonics, reading, Nursery – Call: 690-9378 LEGAL NOTICE Application for Music and Dancing Licence (Pursuant to Section 4 of the Music and Dancing Licensing Act23:23). I, Leeuwen Adaker of Lot 1 Garden of Eden, East Bank Demerara, Guyana, hereby give notice that I have applied to the Magistrate of the Georgetown Magisterial District for a new Licence under the Music and Dancing Act authorizing the granting to me a Music and Dancing Licence to Carry on the , Business of Eden Bar and Lounge at Lot 1 Garden of Eden, East Bank Demerara, Guyana. Notice of any objections to this application should be sent forthwith to the Clerk of Court of the Georgetown Magisterial District and a copy of any such Notice should be sent to the subscriber Leeuwen Adaker. Dated at Georgetown, Demerara this 30th December,2015.
Monday January 04, 2016
Kaieteur News
Page 23
Letters... Where your views make the news...Letters... Where your views make the news
GECOM says Guyana can look forward to fair LGE DEAR EDITOR, It is imperative that a response be made to the very disingenuous remarks attributed to Mr. Vishnu Bandhu, Leader of the United Republican Party (URP) in an article which was published in one of the dailies. In that article, Mr. Bandhu is recorded as having made several statements which we will address as follows:-He accused the Commission of cheating the electoral process in May, stating that there were fake Statements of Polls, but provides no evidence to substantiate this position. According to the, Mr. Bandhu then took the quantum leap by mouthing
that there was “stuffing of ballot boxes” He provides nothing to substantiate this position, but makes this damning allegation nevertheless. We challenge Mr. Bandhu to provide evidence of any case of “stuffing” of ballot boxes or publicly withdraw this statement. As the Leader of a Political Party that contested the last General and Regional Elections, Mr. Bandhu ought to know that he could have challenged the results of the elections if he is convinced that “several voters had sworn they had voted for URP. Reportedly Mr. Bandhu posited that “Last May, prior
to the General Elections, we made a list of requests to GECOM that promised to honour them. But the election body broke its commitment, failing to deliver on most of the simple requests, including to grant accreditation to our polling agents to be present at the polling stations to guarantee a free and fair election. GECOM is totally unaware of any such letter from Mr. Bandhu. In fact, in the run up to Nomination Day for the 2015 General and Regional Elections, GECOM Staff literally assisted Mr. Bandhu, as we did for other Political Parties, to meet the List
INTERESTING ELECTORAL REFORM SUGGESTIONS DEAR EDITOR, I have a few suggestions with regards to needed electoral reforms: 1. Integrate LGEs with National/Regional Elections. To be fair to the past administrations, and assuming that there were genuine desires and intentions of having LGEs, we need to examine what prevented the holding of such elections when due. One of the perpetual problems we have as a poor country is that of finding the money to finance separate local government, and regional/ national elections. Another closely linked problem is that of logistics. We are a country with a fairly dispersed population in the rural and remote areas. For this reason, we have had 65 neighbourhood councils and 76 Amerindian village councils administering the affairs of these communities. Mobilisation and conducting separate elections with this kind of arrangement can pull a lot of resources. I suggest we work to integrate LGEs with the national / regional elections so that the overall costs and logistical difficulties are reduced significantly. 2. Consolidate Constituencies and LG Councils. The number of LGOs we have to work with is huge. We may not be able to reduce the number of Amerindian village councils, because of their villages’ remoteness, but certainly in the coastal and riverain areas we should attempt some amount of consolidation of constituencies and their NDCs, to bring the number down to a maximum of 40 constituencies/NDCs, corporatizing them as has been done in Trinidad and
elsewhere. The boundaries of existing NDCs should be redrawn to reflect changes in the population relative to the geographic area (a balance between population and area size). Improvements in transport and telecommunications infrastructure have made it possible to effectively govern larger areas, so this should not be a big problem in the future. This approach will also reduce overhead costs, allow for better resource utilization and in some ways improve cohesiveness. 3. Review the Mix of Constituency-Based and Proportional Representation Systems The most effective demonstration of democracy is to have a constituencybased electoral and administrative system, where elected representatives are persons from the constituency who the local electorate know and can relate to. This approach would also reduce the likelihood of party “bosses” foisting their friends and relatives on the electorate, but rather allow for the ordinary villagers to select their leaders and groom them for progression in the political field. I suggest we retain the 65seat parliament but revisit how parliamentary representatives are elected. Each party can submit up to 15 names of persons on their national list to represent the executive branch of the government – Prime Minister and other Ministers. The other 50 will come from the constituencies, with 10 of these being the elected regional chairpersons (whose future roles can become more like those of provincial governors’). This will still
allow for constituency-based MPs to be made ministers if the need arises, only that they have to work harder. Contesting parties “field” lists of constituency/NDC candidates and run “primaries” to determine who will represent the party at the constituency level, with eligible persons being nominated by residents. This means that elections at the local level ensure parliamentary representation, and influence the final composition of parliament. It also means that the responsibility for “primaries” are transferred to contesting parties, with some amount of logistical support provided by the Elections Commission. This again tests the seriousness and capacity of political parties to “walk the talk”. In the elections, the person with the highest number of votes at the constituency level goes to parliament while the first runner-up becomes the chairperson, and second runner-up becomes the vice chairperson, and so forth. This approach means that an individual must work hard to win his/her support and eventual position. It also means that a lot more effort has to be put into voter education. These and other suggested reforms must be thoroughly discussed with stakeholders, right down to the village level, and with the principal objectives being to encourage greater involvement at the local government level; having familiar and accessible p a r l i a m e n t a r y representatives; and to reduce the cost and tension associated with our normally contentious elections. Khemraj Tulsie
Requirements thereby ensuring that they qualified to contest the elections. We were most helpful, in a very cordial manner, to Mr. Bandhu and others from his Party. We therefore find it extremely amazing and disturbing that Mr. Bandhu would accuse us of failing to deliver on his requests. We at the GECOM Secretariat have no knowledge of any list of issues to which Mr. Bandhu is making reference. We have no record of having received any such list and none of our staff who was integrally involved with the management of the elections has any knowledge of any such list. Then Mr. Bandhu is reported to have said in a press release that “what followed was a very controversial election that cannot be deemed to be free and fair and/or accurate representation of the will of the people”. This, again, is a very damning statement from Mr.
Bandhu without an iota of evidence provided to substantiate such a charge. Mr. Bandhu claims that his Party had requested to view the SoPs, but was denied. The Chief Election Officer never received any such request from Mr. Bandhu or any of his representatives. The Returning Officer of District (Region) No. 3 maintains that the URP was kept informed every step of the way about the activities undertaken by him and the need for the URP to be present. However, according to the Returning Officer, on such occasions he was informed that the Party did not have the capacity to be represented. However, the URP did have a female representative who witnessed the count at the Office of the Returning Officer but refused to sign the document delineating the results of the elections for District 3. Mr. Bandhu posited in the article that (i) if the Elections Commission could not
honour his Party’s simple requests in the General Elections, “what confidence is there that this local election will be free and fair? and (ii) nothing has changed since May to bolster confidence in GECOM presiding over a clean election. We maintain that we received no list of request from the URP. Further, we guarantee that all of the activities associated with preparations for and the conduct of Local Government Elections are being implemented with the strictest compliance with the legal provisions and the policy decisions of the Commission. Accordingly, all concerned can look forward to elections that will be conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner. The URP’s statement that it will not contest the Local Government Elections as a party is noted. Vishnu Persaud Deputy Chief Election Officer
Biting the bullet over David Ramnarine DEAR EDITOR, The new government appears indecisive at times. Some may label it flexible, or maintaining fluidity in its options, and lacking the official dogmatism hitherto the order of the day. Sometimes the gauntlet has to be thrown down, and there must follow the consequential eyeball-toeyeball close-up. I believe that this should have been the case in the (now delayed) police promotion affair. What is the issue here contributing at the midnight hour to this believed unprecedented delay? What is the real issue? Is it the belated discovery that some people have been left out? Or is it that the entire list is now noticed to be riddled with problem children? Who among those in line for elevation-vetted, screened, and scrubbed-taints the pool? What and who is a source of controversy, of hesitation, and of provoking second thoughts? I ask: is it Mr. Ramnarine? If it any of these, or otherwise, the Government should bite the bullet and still move ahead one way or another, and not hide under the calendar. It must show strength, decisiveness, and courage. It has to demonstrate leadership before a group reeling and trying to find its footing, any footing. As the police chief said “it is not good for morale.”
Further, I do not think that it is good for public confidence and trust, and hangs an unnecessary cloud over the heads of those tipped to be on the list, and none more so than the very senior officers. If this delaying action is the result of opposition mewling, then that is even worse. The thoughts and words of the opposition, as uttered through its two faces of mischief and dissonance, should be ignored and dismissed out of hand. After an eternity of major unparalleled mishandling of the force, of reducing it to its current weak and near disreputable state, this opposition party has no (repeat no) credibility or standing to comment on, or criticize, certain areas. The GPF, corruption, narcotics
and money laundering come to mind. The people of this society, however, must be listened to carefully and consistently. The government’s antenna ought to be so finely tuned as to discern early any gathering ripples of anxiety. These must not be allowed to grow from ripples to the lashing ruckus of surging disagreements. Thus, I suggest to the government and its captains: listen to citizens; take a stand; and move forward. The people can absorb some level of mistakes once there are dealt with in an open and straightforward manner. This must be the standard. Alas, it is now too late for the government to retreat from the announced delay. GHK Lall
Former Prime Minister... From page 5 Consolidated Fund (CF)? First, those accounts were not unknown, not hidden, not secret, not unlawful. Second, the fact that there are billions in these accounts should raise questions about whether there was any stealing at all. Third, it is an achievement of note that there are surplus funds in bodies which before drew from the CF. Fourth, the records would show that without fanfare, billions of dollars had been transferred steadily, from time to time over the years to the CF from these accounts including the accounts of PU/ NICIL. Samuel A. A. Hinds Former Prime Minister and Former President
A mini health check is the first step to donating blood
Monday January 04, 2016
Kaieteur News
Page 25
Saudi Arabia cuts ties with Iran as Seeking momentum on gun control, Obama to take case to public row over cleric’s death escalates
Protesters holding pictures of Shi’ite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr are pushed back by Iranian riot police during a demonstration against the execution of Nimr in Saudi Arabia, outside the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Tehran yesterday. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA Reuters - Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iran yesterday, responding to the storming of its embassy in Tehran in an escalating row between the rival Middle East powers over Riyadh’s execution of a Shi’ite Muslim cleric. Foreign Minister Adel alJubeir told a news conference in Riyadh that the envoy of Shi’ite Iran had been asked to quit Saudi Arabia within 48 hours. The kingdom, he said, would not allow the Islamic republic to undermine its security. Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran early yesterday and Shi’ite Iran’s top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, predicted “divine vengeance” for the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, an outspoken opponent of the ruling Al Saudi family. Jubeir said the attack in Tehran was in line with what he said were earlier Iranian assaults on foreign embassies there and with Iranian policies of destabilising the region by creating “terrorist cells” in Saudi Arabia. “The kingdom, in light of these realities, announces the cutting of diplomatic relations with Iran and requests the departure of delegates of diplomatic missions of the embassy and consulate and offices related to it within 48 hours. The ambassador has been summoned to notify them,” he said. Speaking on Iranian state television, Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein AmirAbdollahian said in Tehran’s first response that by cutting
diplomatic ties, Riyadh could not cover up “its major mistake of executing Sheikh Nimr”. The United States, Saudi Arabia’s biggest backer in the West, responded by encouraging diplomatic engagement and calling for leaders in the region to take “affirmative steps” to reduce tensions. “We believe that diplomatic engagement and direct conversations remain essential in working through differences and we will continue to urge leaders across the region to take affirmative steps to calm tensions,” an official of President Barack Obama’s administration said. Tensions between revolutionary, mainly Shi’ite Iran and Saudi Arabia’s conservative Sunni monarchy have run high for years as they backed opposing forces in wars and political conflicts across the Middle East, usually along sectarian lines. However, Saturday’s execution of a cleric whose death Iran had warned would “cost Saudi Arabia dearly”, and the storming of the kingdom’s Tehran embassy, raised the pitch of the rivalry. Strong rhetoric from Tehran was matched by Iran’s Shi’ite allies across the region, with Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Lebanese militia Hezbollah, describing the execution as “a message of blood”. Moqtada al-Sadr, an Iraqi Shi’ite cleric, called for angry protests. Demonstrators protesting
against the execution of the cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, broke into the embassy building, smashed furniture and started fires before being ejected by police. Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani condemned the execution as “inhuman”, but also urged the prosecution of “extremist individuals” for attacking the embassy and the Saudi consulate in the northeastern city of Mashhad, state media reported. Tehran’s police chief said an unspecified number of “unruly elements” were arrested for attacking the embassy with petrol bombs and rocks. A prosecutor said 40 people were held. “The unjustly spilled blood of this oppressed martyr will no doubt soon show its effect and divine vengeance will befall Saudi politicians,” Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted as saying by Iran’s state television. Nimr, the most vocal critic of the dynasty among the Shi’ite minority, had come to be seen as a leader of the sect’s younger activists, who had tired of the failure of older, more measured, leaders to achieve equality with Sunnis. His execution, along with three other Shi’ites and 43 members of Al Qaeda, sparked angry protests in the Qatif region in eastern Saudi Arabia, where demonstrators denounced the ruling Al Saud dynasty, and in the nearby Gulf kingdom of Bahrain.
Reuters - President Barack Obama will take his case for new gun control measures directly to the American people this week while proposing new executive actions in a final big effort to reduce gun violence during his last year in office. Obama meets with Attorney General Loretta Lynch today to discuss his administration’s options for tightening gun rules without going through the Republican-controlled Congress, which does not support the wide-ranging legislative changes that the Democratic president prefers. Although the White House has not spelled out his plans specifically, they are expected to include measures that would require more gun sellers to become licensed dealers and conduct background checks on buyers. Guns are a potent issue in U.S. politics. The right to bear arms is protected by the U.S. Constitution, and the National Rifle Association, the top U.S. gun rights group, is feared and respected in Washington for its ability to mobilize gun owners. Congress has not approved major gun-control
President Barack Obama legislation since the 1990s. Republicans have roundly criticized the president’s plans, calling them an overreach of his executive authority. “This president wants to act as if he’s a king, as if he’s a dictator,” New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican presidential candidate, said on “Fox News Sunday.” “This is going to be another illegal executive action, which I’m sure will be rejected by the courts.” Obama will take part in a
one-hour town hall-style question-and-answer session on gun control broadcast on CNN at 8 p.m. EST on Thursday, the White House said. The event, moderated by anchor Anderson Cooper, will give Obama a chance to respond to criticism and raise public support for the measures before his State of the Union address on Jan. 12. Obama launched a push to tighten U.S. gun laws after the Newtown, Connecticut, school shooting massacre in 2012. But the push stalled in Congress. Last month’s fatal shootings in San Bernardino, California, by a couple who authorities suspect were inspired by Islamic State, gave further impetus to the White House to try again through executive actions. “It would be better for our security if it was harder for terrorists to purchase very powerful weapons,” White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters on Saturday in Hawaii, where Obama was concluding a two-week vacation. The president returned to Washington yesterday.
Explosions, gunshots at Indian consulate in Afghan city Mazar Reuters - Gunfire and explosions rocked the area around the Indian consulate in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif last night as security forces battled gunmen who tried to enter the compound, officials said. Two loud blasts and shots were heard earlier as the gunmen launched an attack from a nearby house after darkness fell, Muneer Ahmad Farhad, a spokesman for the Balkh province governor said. They were repelled after an attempt to enter
the consulate and took refuge in a house across the street, he said. “Right now our security forces are fighting them,” he said. At least one civilian was wounded. But no details were immediately available on any other casualties or damage, or on the number of attackers involved. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. All members of the consulate staff were safe, according to a tweet from Indian ambassador Amar Sinha.
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Proportion of big UK companies backing EU membership falls – Deloitte LONDON (Reuters) The majority of big British businesses that favour Britain remaining in the European Union has dwindled over the last six months, according to a quarterly survey of chief financial officers published yesterday. Accountancy firm Deloitte said 62 percent of CFOs from FTSE 350 and other large private companies backed Britain’s continued membership of the EU, down from 74 percent in the second quarter of 2015. The survey also showed business confidence fell to its lowest level since 2012, with companies putting more emphasis on cost cutting rather than expanding through acquisitions or raising capital expenditure. Prime Minister David Cameron has promised a referendum by the end of 2017 on whether Britain should stay in the EU but last month gave a strong hint he hopes to hold the
David Cameron vote in 2016. “A clear majority of CFOs continue to favour the UK remaining in the EU, but the proportion of those expressing unqualified support has fallen. This mirrors what we have seen from the broader public in opinion polls in the last six months,” David Sproul, Deloitte’s chief executive
said. A poll of Britons published last month showed nearly half are leaning towards voting to leave the EU. Just over half of CFOs expect to see revenue growth in 2016, the lowest proportion in two-and-a-half years and down from around two-thirds in the third quarter of last year, Deloitte said. Still, 68 percent said they were optimistic about British economic growth in 2016. A separate survey from the Confederation of British Industry showed Britain’s economy finished 2015 strongly, although it warned there were significant risks from the global economy. Hurt by slow demand for exports from a flagging global economy, gross domestic product grew 0.4 percent in the third quarter, matching its lowest rate since late 2012 when Britain was struggling to recover from the financial crisis.
Americans seek swap in U.S. reporter case, says Iranian official DUBAI (Reuters) Unnamed Americans have contacted Iran for a deal to swap Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, convicted and jailed in Iran on spying charges, for other unspecified detainees, according to a senior Iranian official quoted yesterday. “Some Americans contact us sometimes, asking us to exchange him with other detainees, but the sentence has not been announced yet,” said judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, quoted by Iran’s Fars news agency. Ejei did not specify which detainees could be under consideration nor give any other details of what the Americans could have in mind for a swap with Rezaian. But Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani has hinted at the possibility that Rezaian could be freed in exchange for Iranian prisoners in the United States. Other Iranian officials have played down the possibility of such a swap. In Washington, a senior White House official, asked for comment, said: “We’re not
Jason Rezaian going to comment on every public remark by Iranian officials concerning our detained and missing citizens. We continue to make all efforts to bring our citizens home.” Iranian officials have repeatedly said that Rezaian, a California-born IranianAmerican, has been convicted but they have declined to announce the sentence. Rezaian was arrested in July 2014 and accused of espionage. The case has been a
sensitive issue for Washington and Iran, and Ejei’s statement yesterday did little to resolve it. Iran has accused Rezaian, 39, of collecting confidential information and giving it to hostile governments, writing a letter to U.S. President Barack Obama and acting against national security. The Post has dismissed the charges as absurd. The final hearing in his trial was on Aug. 10. Washington Post foreign editor Douglas Jehl has said the vague nature of an earlier announcement by Iran showed that Rezaian’s case was not just about espionage but that the reporter was a bargaining chip in a “larger game.” Four other U.S. citizens Christian pastor Saeed Abedini, Amir Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine Corps sergeant, AmericanLebanese IT expert Nizar Zakka and U.S.-Iranian businessman Siamak Namazi - are also believed to be held in Iran. Robert Levinson, a private investigator, disappeared there in 2007. Some of these cases have been raised in subsequent talks, including those between Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry when they met during the U.N. General Assembly in New York last month. No progress was announced.
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Businesses brace Hong Kong bookseller’s disappearance sparks protests at Beijing office for falling oil prices Trinidad Express - President of the Penal/Debe Chamber of Commerce Shiva Roopnarine says economic belt tightening has begun in the country. He said the Chamber believes the seven per cent cutback in spending by Government Ministries and State enterprises will not be good news for the construction sector. Roopnarine was responding to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s address to the nation on the state of the economy last week. Roopnarine said the business community has been bracing for the full impact of falling oil and gas prices. He said it is the hope of the Chamber that the 2016 budget will be revised to support the expected loss in oil and gas revenue. “Over the past few weeks businesses have been cutting back on expenditure, on wages and some employees are now only getting three days’ work for the week. Contractors are complaining about the slowdown in their sector and this led to job cuts just before Christmas,” said Roopnarine. Roopnarine said the Chamber hoped the money the Government is proposing to take from the “rainy day Fund” (a split Heritage and Stabilisation Fund) will be utilised wisely. He said there have been international reports which indicate that oil prices can slip to US$20 per barrel in 2016. He said, “The Chamber hopes that some of the money from the rainy day fund can be utilised to diversify the economy and generate alternative income.”
Lee Bo (above left), a police officer at Causeway Bay Books in Lockhart Road, and the office of the store’s owner, Mighty Current. Reuters - Hong Kong opposition lawmakers protested yesterday outside Beijing’s representative office in the Chinese-ruled city over the disappearance of a bookseller who specializes in publications critical of the Communist Party government. Lee Bo, 65, a major shareholder of Causeway Bay Books, “vanished” on
Wednesday after he went to fetch books from his warehouse in the city, Lee’s wife told Hong Kong media. She said her husband had called her from a mainland Chinese number to tell her he was safe but would not reveal his location, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported yesterday. She said Lee spoke to her in Mandarin even though the pair usually
communicated in Cantonese. Lee is the fifth person linked to the bookstore to have gone missing in the past two months. Others include Gui Minhai, owner of Mighty Current, the publishing house that owns the bookstore, the SCMP reported. Missing person reports were filed for three others, it said. The disappearances have
stoked fears of mainland Chinese authorities using shadowy tactics that erode the one country, two systems formula under which Hong Kong has been governed since its return to Chinese rule from Britain in 1997. The city’s constitution guarantees wide-ranging personal freedoms and independent law enforcement.
Monday January 04, 2016
Kaieteur News
T&T’S ATM Threat …High-tech skimming hard to detect
Trinidad Guardian - A security expert at a local commercial bank says skimming attacks like the one which occurred on December 28 will happen again because ATMs are increasingly being targeted by cybercriminals who are using increasingly sophisticated high-tech methods to empty the accounts of bank customers. “It is not a maA security expert at a local commercial bank says skimming attacks like the one which occurred on December 28 will happen again because ATMs are increasingly being targeted by cybercriminals who are using increasingly sophisticated high-tech methods to empty the accounts of bank customers. “It is not a matter of if but when skimming attacks will happen again,” said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of his job, “ATMs are under siege more than ever from skimming. Skimming, where ATM thieves steal PIN and account numbers using remote devices, is increasing dramatically and is becoming a high-tech art that’s hard to detect.” The expert said one of the commercial banks targeted in the recent skimming attack has already stepped up its security drive by identifying high-risk ATMs and deploying additional security to monitor those locations. He told the Sunday Guardian skimming isn’t new and had been around for at least ten years but the technology involved was getting better every year While the recent skim attack was initially reported to have affected customers at RBC, customers at Scotiabank and Republic Bank Limited also reported that their accounts were emptied of funds. Skimming is the act of obtaining information from a debit or credit card with a card reader device. The PIN is often obtained separately, usually by someone who is watching or by hidden cameras or sophisticated devices that may be attached to the ATM. Once the magnetic strip data and PIN are obtained, a counterfeit card is produced and then used to get funds from an unsuspecting bank customer’s account. The expert said ATM thieves typically use two devices to capture victims’ PIN and card data. One device is placed near where the victim swiped a bank card and reads the magnetic strip on the card with the account number.
Technology had evolved to the point where moulded plastic can be fitted into ATM slots. These devices are available over the Internet for as little as US$300. A camera hidden from view captures the victim’s PIN and the cybercriminal gets that data in real time using a laptop to remotely access the skimming device. The criminals then burn the data onto a blank card to access the customer’s accounts. The expert said banks have been upgrading security systems to prevent online attacks, as well as ATM fraud, phishing and skimming. To reduce the risk of skimming, swipe ATMs have been installed by some commercial banks. At these machines customers swipe their cards rather than insert them into a slot. These have been proven to reduce the occurrences of skimming as it is more difficult for a criminal to add a skimming device onto these machines. “Cameras have also been added, not only to the ATM but inside and outside the ATMs,” the expert said. “However, offsite ATMs which are not directly linked to any banks remain very vulnerable.” At most banks, he said, there were strong policies and systems for protecting customers’ privacy and safeguarding personal, business, and financial information entrusted to the bank. In addition to stringent privacy practices, banks employed a diverse range of technologies and security mechanisms to ensure the safety, confidentiality and integrity of customer information and transactions, the expert said.
Panama Canal expansion to be complete ‘around May’: president Panama City (AFP) Panama’s expansion of its century-old canal, which has suffered costly overruns and major delays, is now to be complete “around the month of May,” President Juan Carlos Varela said Saturday. The leader, speaking in an address to the nation, also urged the Spanish-led consortium behind the project to leave legal disputes to the “competent authorities” and focus on completing its work on the waterway. The appeal came after a Dispute Adjudication Board hearing a budget overrun row ordered the state’s Panama Canal Authority to pay the consortium $17 million for
extra labor costs and for a strike called by workers. “With respect, I am calling on the contractors for the expansion project to hold dialogue with the Panama Canal Authority, to allow work to be completed, to leave legal disputes in the hands of the competent authorities and to avoid mediatized differences that in no way help the image of the contractors, the Canal Authority and the Republic of Panama,” Varela said. The consortium, Grupo Unidos por el Canal de Panama, started the expansion work on the canal in 2007. The project is well behind schedule.
The extensions were originally meant to have been completed in October 2014 but were then pushed back to an April 2016 deadline. Varela’s announcement indicated that that may have slipped again, to May this year. The work on the centuryold canal aims to triple its capacity. The cost of the work was projected at $5.3 billion, but that has been greatly exceeded. Varela also said it was “imperative” to start a study on developing a river basin to guarantee water supplies for human use and for the functioning of the canal.
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OAS chief says justice and ethics needed for govt.-opposition relations in the Caribbean WASHINGTON - CMC – The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, says justice and ethics are essential in the relationship between governments and the opposition in the hemisphere, including the Caribbean. Stating that no one can speak for the people, because the people speak for themselves, the OAS chief said “we cannot be neutral to the controversy, because democracy gives us the freedom and the responsibility to speak with courage to represent indispensable values and principles.””Justice and ethics must be the rules that guide the coexistence between countries and, within each country, they should be the basis for the relationship between government and opposition,” said Almagro in his New Year’s message, adding: “Let’s ensure that, during 2016, peace and justice are coherent with each other and with the meaning of life of the peoples of the Americas.” He applauded all the elections held in the Americas in 2015, pointing out that “all have meant much to the strengthening of democracy.”
Luis Almagro Almagro “especially” congratulated Venezuela, asking that “no one distort the voice of the people and its most genuine expression – which is the election results – with schemes of dubious legality, or claiming biased decisions to bodies reconstituted ad hoc.” At the same time, he said arrogance should also not be used, stating that peace and dialogue “should be the guiding forces.” Additionally, Almagro said the right to denounce irregularities “does not rely on the partiality of entities with new members of recognized political party affiliation,” calling for the
redoubling of “the fight against impunity to protect democracy and human rights. “And we must ensure the honesty of the governments and the rights of the governed,” he said. “We must defend all human rights without specific beliefs or ideologies, because human rights violations and repression are made from the right and from the left, and are manifested in each journalist or human rights activist killed, in each student imprisoned or tortured, in each citizen abused by corruption or violence from organized crime.” But he said the biggest fight of all, however, is “the struggle for the well-being of all, for equality and for the elimination of all forms of discrimination. “It is also the cruelest, because the reality and the present still hit hard at those who live the anxiety and anguish of poverty and violence,” Almagro said. “For them, 2016 is already late”. “Friends, let’s work so that that our intentions for 2016 don’t take the place of our ability to work and our continuous effort, inspired by the core values of peace, democracy, human rights, security and development,” he added.
STALKING GIRLS LEAVE THWAITES ‘SHOCKED’ The Gleaner - The usually vocal Education Minister Ronald Thwaites was left with mouth agape at news that some schoolgirls are sending explicit photographs of themselves to male teachers in a bid to enter into sexual relationships with the men. “I am shocked! It’s the first I am hearing about this situation. It is a great pity that the advantages of technology are being undermined and taken to this level,” Thwaites told The Sunday Gleaner. “But having the permission of parents for these messaging groups is a safeguard that I am encouraging teachers to take,” added Thwaites, in reference to the fact that
many of the girls are contacting the male teachers through online study groups created on WhatsApp Messenger and other socialmedia platforms. According to Thwaites, he is also concerned over news that some dedicated male teachers are leaving the classrooms because of the actions of the girls, when the system so badly needs positive male role models. The education minister said it was a pity that the male teachers did not seek the intervention of his ministry before resigning. “Wherever a teacher feels that he is vulnerable, I urge them to get in touch with us. It would not be considered an admission of anything, but
The Quest for Knowledge refreshes the mind, recreates the spirit, and motivates the body. It creates enthusiasm and desire to live an exciting and full day in spite of the routine.
Monday January 04, 2016
No ISIS refugees in T&T
Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been fleeing violence and conflict in their country and seeking refuge, mainly in Europe and America. Trinidad Guardian Reports that scores of refugees fleeing the crisis in Syria have entered T&T are not true. Former Arima Mayor Ghassan Youseph said only “a few, young Christian Syrian men” have sought refuge in this country. “If they stay in Syria, they will be drafted into the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and that is a certain death sentence. I know the national Syrian army, it is compulsory service for two years. Youseph, a national of Syria, said it was extremely difficult to even travel out of Syria. He would like to bring some of his relatives to Trinidad for his son’s wedding this year, but is facing too many challenges. Before the refugee crisis, he said, it was possible to get a direct flight from Lebanon with an overnight stop in London, then to Trinidad. However, to get to T&T from Syria now involves a more circuitous route through the United Arab Emirates, then Brazil and Panama before arriving in T&T. According to Youseph,
any recent Syrian arrivals were likely being sponsored by members of the local Syrian community who would be responsible for them while they were in T&T Rochelle Nakhid, programme coordinator of the Living Water Community’s Ministry For Refugees and Asylum Seekers, said there were just 200 refugees and asylum seekers, including children, currently in T&T. They are from Cuba, Syria, Colombia, Bangladesh and Nigeria. Nakhid said the number of refugees arriving in T&T varied each year. Her organisation resettled approximately 20 people to third countries this year, mainly the United States. There are also spontaneous departures or onward secondary movements. Nakhid said there was no law governing refugees in T&T, although there was a policy that was approved by Cabinet which has already facilitated the training of local immigration officials by their US counterparts in the adjudication of asylum claims.
Nakhid said T&T was a leader in the region with regard to refugee protection. Living Water Community founder and director Rhonda Maingot said the organisation represents the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in T&T and works with refugees that come to the country seeking asylum because their lives are in danger in their own countries. Maingot said when refugees arrived in T&T, the organisation first tried to establish whether the person was really a refugee seeking international protection. The group also works with the Immigration Department and helps refugees find accommodation. Honorary Consul for the Syrian Arab Republic in T&T and the Caribbean, Marwan Yousef, brother of Ghassan Youseph, denied that any of the Syrian asylum seekers in T&T were running away from ISIS or the war. He said there were less than 11 of them in the country up to last year and those who chose to stay had applied for work permits.
Dominicans urged to take serious precautions against Zika Virus
Ronald Thwaites rather a caution for the benefit of the students,” argued Thwaites. He said he still believed that “sunlight is the best disinfectant”, and urged the affected teachers to report such matters to the schools’ administrations as well as the ministry.
ROSEAU, Dominica CMC – Dominicans have been warned to take series precautions against the mosquito borne Zika virus. The warning has come from Environmental Health Officer, Morrison McPherson who pointed out that the virus is getting closer to Dominica as the neighbouring island of Martinique has become the latest country in the region to report confirmed cases. “Let us not wait until we are affected by these diseases, it might be too costly to take care of it,” McPherson said during recent radio interview. “The pain that you experience and sometimes in
rare cases, God forbid it, can lead to death. That is what we do not want to happen.” The virus is spread by the Aedis Egypti mosquito and McPherson noted that measures must be taken to prevent breeding of the insect. “Let us take in front and prevent these animals responsible from getting the right content that they need in order to breed and increase their population.” McPherson explained that when the population of the mosquito increases it also increases the risk of the spread of diseases. Another warning came from Chief Environmental Officer, Anthony Scotland
who said the disease could have a serious effect on pregnant women. “Zika is almost mild but in terms of women, that is the other complication because it is mild, you can have the disease and do not know, but it can affect your fetus ….” he explained. “These vectors are deadly, dangerous and we need to continue to manage our containers around Dominica.” Zika is usually mild with symptoms lasting from several days to a week. Severe illness requiring hospitalisation is uncommon. Symptoms of the Zika virus include fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes.
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Lloyd calls on international Spurs ground Rockets to stay support for Windies cricket unbeaten in San Antonio
West Indies legend Clive Lloyd (right) speaks to Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Turnbull (second left) and his wife Lucy Turnbull during a visit to the prime minister’s residence at Kirribilli House on Friday. Sharing in the occasion are team manager Richie Richardson (third left) and Captain Jason Holder. (Photo: WICB/MEDIA) SYDNEY, Australia (CMC) – West Indies legend Clive Lloyd has made a passionate plea for the international powers to offer more assistance to West Indies cricket. Lloyd, the captain of the all-conquering team of the 1970s and ’80s, is chairman of selectors and is with the team in Australia for the ongoing Frank Worrell trophy series. Speaking on a wide range of topics, he argued that the game in the Caribbean was in need of resources to aid with development and progression, and called on the world governing body, the International Cricket Council, to act on its behalf. “To run cricket you have to have quite a lot of money. We’re not as wealthy as the other countries. We did well in the ’70s and ’80s because we were coming as champions and if you’re coming as champions you can demand something,” the 71-year-old Lloyd told reporters here Friday. “So now if you’re not champions you don’t get things thrown at you and unfortunately we need things thrown our way so we’re able to compete with the bigger countries.” He continued: “People must realise where West
Indies is concerned, we have a plethora of islands … we can’t drive anywhere … we have to fly everywhere. To fly from Guyana to Jamaica takes four to five hours. And each island has different cultures. “So we need to have more money to help us because, don’t forget, when we play our cricket it is high season and hotel rates are very exorbitant. We’re not as wealthy as the other countries.” Lloyd has been hailed as the architect of one of the greatest periods of sporting dominance when West Indies dominated world cricket. That era stemmed from a defeat to Australia in 1975-76, after which the regional side ruled the cricket world for 20 years. During that period, they won the World Cup in 1975 and 1979 under Loyd’s captaincy. Also a former team manager, Lloyd said the present side in Australia had the potential to become a match-winning outfit but needed to gain more experience in foreign conditions. “If a team comes to any country, they should be able to play enough warm-up games to get accustomed to the conditions. We’ve travelled 12,000 miles and it’s different here,” Lloyd pointed
out. “We had jetlag, there’s the heat, the hardness of the grounds, it’s just getting accustomed to a lot of things and two four-day games would probably have put us in good stead. “It showed in the last game at the MCG we batted fairly well on a pretty good Test pitch, so I’m sure the guys will give a good account of themselves in the long run. But it will take some time to build a Test team. “We have to try to look to build a team that’s going to stand us in good stead for the future.” Lloyd was also quick to hail the work of newly appointed Test captain Jason Holder. He said the 24-yearold had shown great character in handling the pressure of the tour. “Jason continues to do a great job both on and off the field. He knew what it would be like before he took the job and he has handled himself very well on this tour,” Lloyd said. “There has been a lot of pressure on him, but we saw how he bowled and especially the way he batted in the last match. That demonstrated his mettle. He’s mature beyond his years and will continue to do well for us.”
Sensei Paul Clery is Instructor of the Year-2015 Sensei Paul Clery -4th Dan (Shito-Ryu Karate) is Bassai Karate Dojo-International (BKD-I) 2015 Instructor of the year. He is BKD-I representative for St. Lucia and is also that country director for the World United Karate Organization (WUKO). Shito-Ryu karate, an official Japanese system, saw massive growth and development under the guidance of Sensei Clery in St. Lucia. As one the top instructors in the country, he has put his country on the World stage as a very important karate country in the Caribbean. Later this year St. Lucia is expected to host the 4th Caribbean Cup Karate Championships.
Paul Clery
Reuters (The Sports Xchange) - LaMarcus Aldridge had 24 points and nine rebounds, and Danny Green broke out of a shooting slump with six three-pointers as the San Antonio Spurs rolled past the Houston Rockets 121-103 to stay unbeaten at home on Saturday. The Spurs (29-6) avenged one of their rare losses, a Christmas Day defeat in Houston, with the dominating win over their Texas rival, turning a close game in the third quarter into a rout with a 26-5 run. Forward Kawhi Leonard added 23 points and played lockdown defense on Houston guard James Harden, holding one of the NBA’s top scorers to one point in the second half. The victory was the 20th straight at home this season for San Antonio, allowing the Spurs to expand their best home start ever and extend their win streak in AT&T Center
to 29 games dating to the final nine home games of 2014-15. San Antonio is just the third Western Conference team in history to open a season 20-0 at home, joining Portland (which won its first 26 games in 1977-78) and Houston (20 in 1985-86). Reserve forward Boris Diaw added 20 points for the Spurs and reserve forward David West scored 10 points for San Antonio, which hit a season-high 13 threepointers. Forward Tim Duncan was held scoreless in almost 14 minutes, the first time in his 1,598-game regular-season and playoff career that he failed to score. Houston (16-19), who lost for the fourth consecutive time, were led by Dwight Howard with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Harden had 17 points, 16 of which came in the first half, and reserve forward Corey Brewer added 11 points and forward Trevor Ariza and
guard Patrick Beverley had 10 apiece. Green scored 12 of the Spurs’ first 14 points — and assisted on the other basket — as San Antonio responded to Houston’s early flurry and tied the score 14-14. Aldridge added eight points in the quarter to offset Harden’s nine points for the Rockets as San Antonio, thanks to 57 percent shooting from the field, led 29-27 after 12 minutes. Leonard scored 12 points in the second quarter as the Spurs pushed their lead to 6055 at halftime. Harden led all scorers with 16 points in the half but also picked up his third foul with 53 seconds remaining. Aldridge spent almost all of his time in the third quarter close to the basket and the move allowed him to have one of his most dominating games of the season. San Antonio pulled out to a 96-72 lead after three quarters and were never threatened in the fourth.
San Antonio Spurs power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) dunks the ball against the Houston Rockets during the second half at AT&T Center. (Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports)
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Australia’s spinners peg West Premier League milestone as Indies back in Sydney rain Rooney ends goal drought
Marlon Samuels was run-out just before rain brought play to a halt, Australia v West Indies, 3rd Test, Sydney, 1st day, January 3, 2016. (AFP) SYDNEY (Reuters) Australia’s spinners Nathan Lyon and Stephen O’Keefe took key wickets between rain showers to peg West Indies back to 207 for six at the end of a weather-disrupted opening day of the dead rubber third test on Sunday. More than two hours and 45 minutes of play were lost to rain in a stop-start day at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), where the tourists fell away in the early evening gloom after winning the toss and making a solid start. Denesh Ramdin, unbeaten on 23, and Carlos Brathwaite (35 not out) will resume on day two, weather permitting. The hosts had rolled the dice on the twin spin attack at the SCG for the first time in a decade and got their reward when Lyon and O’Keefe got plenty of turn off a strawcoloured wicket. Off-spinner Lyon (2-68) produced a stunning delivery that pitched wide and turned in to take the bail off Jermaine Blackwood’s off stump for 10 and returned after the second
rain break to remove dangerman Kraigg Brathwaite for 85. Left-arm orthodox spinner O’Keefe (1-42) then pitched in to have West Indies captain Jason Holder caught superbly at short leg by Joe Burns and claim his first test wicket on Australian soil. Trailing 2-0 in the threematch series after thumping defeats in Hobart and Melbourne, West Indies had started the day by building on their improved batting performance in the second test. After the early loss of opener Shai Hope (nine), Kraigg Brathwaite and Darren Bravo (33) looked in fine nick as they ushered the tourists to lunch at 92 for one. Australia’s bowlers emerged from the break reenergised, however, and James Pattinson got the breakthrough when Bravo’s miscued pull sent the ball flying to Usman Khawaja running in from the deep. That broke a 91-run partnership and brought Marlon Samuels to the crease looking to break his run of
eight test innings without getting to the 20-run mark. He failed in farcical fashion looking for a quick single that always looked like a gamble, left stranded when Brathwaite scuttled back to his crease as Peter Nevill broke the stumps. After a long glare at his partner, Samuels headed back to the pavilion with four runs to his name and the rest of the players and umpires followed in his wake as heavy rain came down on the ground. Kraigg Brathwaite had brought up his eighth test half-century just before lunch by clipping all-rounder Mitchell Marsh past long leg for two runs off the 78th ball he faced. He fell 15 runs shy off his fifth test century when Lyon got a little bit of extra bounce to a delivery which caught the opener ’s glove and was snaffled up by Steve Smith at slip. Scores: West Indies 6 for 207 (K Brathwaite 85, C Brathwaite 35*, Ramdin 23*) v Australia.
GFF President ready for ‘uphill’... From page 37 Despite its many challenges, Forde believes “the year (2015) ended very well for football”. Looking ahead, Forde is of the opinion that “2016 will see a more consistent trend once the technical director gets his programme rolled out. “I think the emphasis needs to be on football from every youth level mainly the focus on the U-15 because there is where the identification and the talent and the potential of the players are zoned in on.” INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN Both Guyana’s senior male and female national
teams were actively involved in international campaigns in 2015, with the men participating in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and the women vying for a spot at this year’s Olympic Games in Brazil. Of the two, only the women saw some amount of success. Guyana’s World Cup hopes were ended by St Vincent and the Grenadines, but Coach Mark Rodrigues was able to lead his ‘Lady Jags’ to the final stage of qualification that will determine who will be C O N C A C A F ’ s representatives at the event in Rio de Janeiro. “Our international
campaign didn’t went as well as I trust, all involved could’ve planned, but hopefully in 2016, with some of the work we’re going to be focusing on, we’re hoping to change some of that.” Nonetheless, Forde added, that in 2016, “I want to see a more vibrant senior men’s and female programmes, we want to see a consistent league arrangement throughout the country, continued emphasis on coaches and managers education. We also want to see emphasis being placed on building capacity a mong the functioning managers within the sport of football.”
LONDON (Reuters) Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney rose to second place on the all-time Premier League scoring list with a clever winner against Swansea City on Saturday. The England captain ended a run of 553 minutes without a goal for his club by deftly flicking in Anthony Martial’s cross 13 minutes from time to secure a 2-1 triumph that ended a run of six league games without a victory for Louis van Gaal’s side. Rooney climbed above former United forward Andy Cole with 188 goals following his instinctive finish, behind only Alan Shearer who netted 260 times for Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United. He also eclipsed Denis Law’s record of 237 United goals to move within 11 of Bobby Charlton’s all-time mark for the Old Trafford club. “Special congrats to @WayneRooney for becoming the second highest scorer in @premierleague history. What a record,” United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger said on Twitter. Rooney, 30, scored his 50th goal for England last year to surpass Charlton’s international record. United’s under-fire manager Van Gaal, however, was more focussed on the importance of a result that lifted United to fifth in the table after a dismal run in December.
Wayne Rooney celebrates after scoring the second goal for Manchester United. (Reuters / Andrew YatesLivepic) “I am very happy for the players because they had to play under big pressure and now we have won,” he told reporters. “We are still near the top of the league and the gap is less. So that’s football. “A season takes eight months or something like that and not one month.” Van Gaal lost his previous three league games against Swansea, all 2-1, and when Gylfi Sigurdsson headed an equaliser for the visitors following Martial’s opener for
United, a fourth defeat in a row by the Welsh side looked on the cards. “I think we played a very risky system against Swansea because they had a shape with four midfielders in a diamond,” Van Gaal said. United host Sheffield United in the FA Cup third round next Saturday. “I hope this is a fantastic starting point for us in the New Year and we can continue against Sheffield United,” the Dutch manager added.
SL sports ministry wants alleged fixing approach investigated ESPNcricinfo - Sri Lanka’s sports ministry has reported an alleged fixing approach made to Kusal Perera and one other Sri Lanka player to the country’s Financial Crimes Investigation Department (FCID). Perera and the other player had allegedly been approached by a net bowler during West Indies tour of Sri Lanka, in October. SLC officials have said both players immediately reported this approach to the ICC’s AntiCorruption and Security Unit (ACSU), but the sports ministry has now moved to put a domestic investigation in motion, in light of Perera testing positive for a banned substance in an ICC doping test. “There is some suspicion of a net bowler, who was around for that West Indies series, so the sports ministry has passed the information on to the FCID,” sports ministry official KDS Ruwanchandra said. Sports minister Dayasiri Jayasekara has also previously suggested that a “conspiracy” may be to blame for Perera testing positive for a banned substance. The fixing approach had allegedly been made in the approach to the Galle Test, which Sri Lanka comprehensively won. It is understood to have been a “soft” preliminary
Kusal Perera recently tested positive for a banned substance in an ICC doping test. (Associated Press) approach, meaning no specific fixes were requested, nor sums offered. Perera has recently opted to have his B sample tested, and is awaiting full details from that test.
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Bulls raid Raiders to win LABA England bludgeon South Africa Malta Supreme Open title bowlers on day of records
By Edison Jefford Half Mile Bulls raided Retrieve Raiders off of the Mackenzie Sports Club Hard Court Saturday night, after trampling the number one ranked unbeaten team in the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) Malta Supreme Christmas Open Final. Bulls’ small forward, Michael Turner poured in 17 points, most of which came in a decisive third quarter, and seven rebounds to ensure the youthful Bulls flatten the experienced Raiders 64-47 in what eventually became a lopsided triumph. National forward, Terron Welch scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds along with his four assists while forward, Travin Dryden scored 11 points and grabbed a mammoth 15 ‘boards’, and five assists to help Bulls stampede Raiders late in the game. The Retrieve, Mackenziebased team, with all the former
senior national talent could not stop the Bulls rampage in the third and fourth quarters. Forward, Dwayne Roberts finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds while guard, Keon Cameron had 10 points. Bulls trotted to an early 51 lead in the game, but Roberts equalised with a midrange jumper half way through the first quarter, before ‘turnovers’ entered the game like a sixth man for both teams guaranteeing an offensive slump. The period ended 10-7 for Raiders. Turner finished an easy put-back in the paint to return the lead to Bulls 11-10 early in the second period. Guard, Kevin Easton’s baseline jumper capped a 10-2 run for Bulls, midway through the quarter. However, Cameron nailed a huge three-point jumper that equalised at 17-17 before the offensive exchanges that saw Welch completing a floater in the lane to level the game
again 24-24. Raiders led 25-24 at the half-time break. Raiders seemed as though they would have ambushed the western half of Demerara River-based Bulls in the penultimate period when Neil Marks scored a baseline jumper to push Raiders ahead 35-28 in the middle of the quarter. However, in five minutes, Dryden finished an up-andunder lay-up, Turner a fingerroll to go up 36-35, Welch a put-back and Turner six straight points to chase Raiders out of the venue with an 18-2 run that ensured Bulls a 46-37 lead at the end of the third quarter. Bulls continued their rampage in the final quarter with the youthful brand of uptempo basketball that Raiders could not answer. The performance set Bulls on a path of upward mobility after they had reached the national Forbes Burnham Memorial Final last August.
Basketball exceeded expectations... From page 35 prophesied of a decent showing at the Caribbean Championships. While the GABF was managing its national programme with excellence, and little support from the corporate community, basketball was thriving under new leadership in Berbice following the timely injections it received from the national federation. Apart from Berbice, Georgetown was in the midst of its ‘King of the Street’ Playoffs for second division clubs and Under-23 players and Linden was hosting its Pre-Independence tournament. It is also worth mentioning that the National Schools Basketball Festival (NSBF) was bouncing off in several conferences across Guyana. The national programme did not compromise the domestic efforts. Guyana departed for the BVI wellprepared and exposed, but their performances told another story. Guyana was beaten to the point of embarrassment in each of their games, finishing tenth overall for last place. The sojourn prompted an outcry in the media and on social media. The issue had everything to do with the fact that the Guyanese men showed no remorse for their performance, but instead posted photos on social media of them gleefully enjoying the sun,
sea and sand of the British Virgin Island. Upon their return to Guyana, a report was submitted to the federation, which concluded that a combination of local and foreign players is what is required for Guyana to have some improved performances at the Caribbean Championships. Guyana’s women’s team also went to CBC 2015, but after some spirited performances, they also came up empty handed. However, credit must be given to the federation for sending both female and male teams to the Caribbean Championships in consecutive years, which can be referenced as a major success. Later in June, the LABA unveiled its novel Schools’ Development Programme under the theme: ‘Fan-Out Exercise’, with the aim of developing the sport through education. The exercise was to assist both primary and secondary schools in Region 10 along with existing basketball clubs and youth groups, to completely develop the game of basketball. In that same month, Ravens turned the tables on National Champions, Pacesetters to win GABA Hard Court title. Kwakwani also won three NSBF titles in June making yet another claim for the effervescent Coach, Ann Gordon and her programme to be elevated nation-wide. GABA hosted an Open
and Under-23 Knockout competition in August before the federation had held its inaugural Forbes Burnham Memorial To u r n a m e n t . Colts prevailed at the MSC Court in a hostile environment to win the GABF Forbes Burnham title. Embattled p l a y e r, Dwayne ‘Sugar’ Roberts got a new lease on his career in September when the GABF decided to lift a ban imposed in 2014, after an infraction over returning national uniforms. Roberts was one of the players, who refused to return the national uniforms handed to him ahead of the Caribbean Championships in 2014, as the team’s management had mandated. Also in September, the GABA made a structural move to reform clubs through encouraging the teams to create profiles for their database. This led to the Georgetown subassociation launching its official website aimed at marketing players and programmes. The Brusche’s Classic continued in Linden while the LABA finished the year with its Malta Supreme Division I basketball competition. The federation also ended the year on a high note, hosting an Antigua and Barbuda All-Star team that Guyana swept 3-0 to give GABF a very good performance in 2015.
Ben Stokes jumps for joy on completing his hundred, South Africa v England, 2nd Test, Cape Town, 2nd day, January 3, 2016. (AFP) CAPE TOWN (Reuters) Brutal batting from Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow broke a host of records as England declared on 629 for six before South Africa replied with 141 for two at the close of play on the second day of the second test at Newlands on Sunday. Stokes bludgeoned the fastest 250 in test cricket in a 399-run world-record partnership for the sixth wicket with Bairstow, who was 150 not out after scoring a maiden test century. Hashim Amla (64 not out) and AB de Villiers (25 not out) were defiant at the close as South Africa cut back the deficit to 488 runs. On a day like few others
in test history, England set about the home bowling with abandon, approaching the first session as if it was a Twenty20 game with relentless attacking that never waned. England resumed on 3175 but raced to 513-5 at lunch in a morning session of 196 runs before declaring some 30 minutes before tea after amassing the highest firstinnings total in a test at the picturesque Cape Town ground at a rate of some eight runs per over. Stokes, who was 74 not out overnight, scored the second fastest double century in test history, his 200 coming off 163 balls, 10 more than record holder Nathan Astle of New Zealand.
England’s previous fastest was by Ian Botham who took 220 balls. The 24-year-old Stokes reached his 250 off 196 balls, beating Virender Sehwag’s former record for India (207), and was eventually run out for 258 after facing 198 deliveries, a knock which included 30 fours and an England-record 11 sixes. Stokes also set the highest score by a test batsman at number six, passing a 39-year-old mark held by Australian Doug Walters. HORROR DAY He was eventually out in something of an anti-climax as he skied a shot to De Villiers, who dropped a simplelooking catch only to sweep up the ball and hit the stumps to run out Stokes as he ambled back to the crease. South Africa’s horror day did not end after the declaration, which came when Bairstow got to 150. Stiaan van Zyl was run out for four in the third over of their first innings, setting off for a quick run but being sent back by opening partner Dean Elgar. Stokes then reminded the hosts of his allrounder ability with a rising ball which removed Elgar for 44 after a thick outside edge found the diving hands of Nick Compton at backward point. De Villiers was dropped on five by Joe Root at second slip, while Amla’s half-century was his first in exactly a year as he battles with poor form and continuing questions around his captaincy. England lead 1-0 in the four test series after a 241-run victory in Durban last week. Scores: Close South Africa 141 for 2 (Amla 64*) trail England 629 for 6 dec (Stokes 258, Bairstow 150*, Hales 60, Root 50) by 488 runs.
England’s Jonny Bairstow plays a shot during the second cricket test match against South Africa in Cape Town, South Africa, January 3, 2016. (Reuters/Mike Hutchings)
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Curry’s return cut short CHELSEA EARN FIRST after knock on bruised shin WIN UNDER HIDDINK BBC Sport - Chelsea secured their first victory in Guus Hiddink’s second spell as boss to move six points clear of relegation with a deserved win at Crystal Palace. Oscar put the Blues ahead against the run of play, tapping home after being put through by Diego Costa. Once they scored Chelsea dominated, deservedly doubling their advantage with a spectacular Willian strike. Costa sealed the win with a tap-in for a goal his performance deserved after Palace failed to clear Willian’s
player in that mould, driving his team forward at Selhurst Park and playing a part in all three goals. Like the rest of the Blues squad during this season’s dreadful title defence, the Spaniard - who had missed the goalless draw at Manchester United because of suspension - has been below par, but he gave one of his best displays of the campaign. Injury worry for Blues The one disappointment for Hiddink was the injury to Eden Hazard, which ended the Belgian’s match after just 15
win or a goal in their past three games, with Bolasie and Wickham not having played since the goalless Boxing Day draw against Bournemouth. However, Pardew’s side had their chances with Wilfried Zaha - making his 200th appearance for the club - shooting wide with the score goalless and scuffing another opportunity just before Willian scored. What the managers said Chelsea interim boss Guus Hiddink: “Do not go over the top, it is the first win after a worrying period with
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts during the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Nuggets 111-108 in overtime. (Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports) Reuters - Stephen Curry’s return from injury was cut short on Saturday with a knock to his bruised left shin and his early exit showed how vulnerable the Golden State
Warriors could be without their MVP. Curry re-inured his left shin during the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets after missing the two
previous games with the same injury. He finished with five points and four assists in 14 minutes. Champions Warriors eked out a 111-108 overtime win against the Nuggets but displayed how limited they are without Curry. With the return of their leader Golden State roared to a 37-13 advantage after the first quarter. But the game changed when Curry went to the bench, and ultimately left, and Golden State were outscored by 13 points in the fourth quarter where they lost their lead. Curry, the league’s leading scorer and deadliest shooter, has continued to prove his value to the Warriors even in his absence. Since the start of the 201314 season, Golden State are just 2-6 in games that Curry does not play in. And though the Warriors (31-2) are off to a record start this campaign they could easily fall back down to earth if their leader continues to sit.
Narine retained by KKR despite ICC ban
Willian scores for Chelsea as they beat Crystal Palace 3-0. (AP) shot. Interim boss Hiddink, who guided Chelsea to third in the Premier League, a Champions League semi-final and the FA Cup in his first spell at the club, remains unbeaten since taking over from Jose Mourinho last month. The Blues’ four-match run without defeat is their longest this season and moves last year’s champions to 14th in the league, still 13 points adrift of a Champions League spot. Costa leads by example Chelsea’s away form in the first half of the season has been dire, with just six points collected on their travels. Only bottom two clubs Aston Villa and Sunderland have fared worse. In beating seventh-placed Palace for their first away win since August, the Blues made a convincing case that the second half of the season might be more fruitful. Hiddink said he needed leaders to pull the club out of relegation trouble and in Costa the Dutchman had a
minutes. Before the match Hiddink had said last year’s player of the season was “back in shape” after suffering a hip injury against Leicester and sustaining a knock in Monday’s draw at Manchester United. Ultimately, Chelsea did not need Hazard against Palace with the impressive forward trio of Costa, Willian and Oscar creating plenty in his absence. Palace struggling in front of goal It was Palace’s first defeat in seven matches and they clearly missed key players, although Eagles boss Alan Pardew admitted that even with the likes of suspended Yohan Cabaye in the team his men would have struggled against Chelsea in such form. The hosts, though, are a far less formidable side without the creativity of top scorer Cabaye in midfield, the pace of Yannick Bolasie on the flanks and Connor Wickham up front. Palace are now without a
two draws so the team desperately needed the win and it was convincing. “Everyone knows we have a lot of quality in our team, but sometimes champions have a tendency to be complacent and it can be difficult to get back and then wonder why we were champions. “There is a long way to go, mathematically the possibility of Champions League is still there. The league is so strong but as long as we play like we did today I will be happy.” Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew: “We were not at our strongest, we were missing key players and could not play our natural game. “We will be looking at the market in case something comes through. It is important we kick into gear in the second half of the season. Things did not go our way and we have to respond and I have every confidence in this group that we will be in and around the top 10.”
Surnil Narine
MUMBAI, India (CMC) – Under-fire West Indies offspinner Sunil Narine has been retained by Kolkata Knight Riders for the upcoming Indian Premier League season, despite currently being banned from bowling in international cricket. The 27-year-old Narine, a key member of KKR’s squad over the last several seasons, was banned by the
International Cricket Council last November after his action was found to be illegal. He had been reported by umpires following the third One-Day International against Sri Lanka in Pallekele earlier that month. Despite this, KKR have opted to retain the Trinidadian ahead of the new IPL season, which runs from April 9 to May 23.
This is against the backdrop of a move by the West Indies Cricket Board to bar Narine from playing in the domestic One-Day championship set to bowl off Thursday. In announcing Narine’s suspension last November, the ICC said the player would be banned from bowling in all domestic tournaments internationally but would be allowed to play in Caribbean events, with permission from the WICB. Narine is one of five West Indies players to be retained by their franchises for the new season. He is joined by all-rounder Andre Russell who will again suit up for KKR, while champions Mumbai Indians have also retained the pair of Kieron Pollard and Lendl Simmons. Big-hitting opener Chris Gayle has been retained by Royal Challengers Bangalore, but West Indies Twenty20 captain Darren Sammy had no such luck as he was dumped by the franchise. Meanwhile, all-rounder Dwayne Bravo will turn out for Rajkot, one of two new franchises debuting in the new season. Rajkot, along with Pune, replace the suspended Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals.