Kaieteur News

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January 19, 2013 - Vol. 7 No. 03 - Price $80 kaieteurnews@yahoo.com Website:http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com Guyana’s largest selling daily & New York’s most popular weekly

Bond rental to Health Ministry …

New GPC lied about

secret $90M payments “As a supplier, the NEW GPC agreed to provide the warehousing need as a non-fee service.” - Guyana Times, June 22, 2012

Soldier collapses, dies during routine run Mother battles for life after giving

birth alone Teen files harassment complaint A first for Guyana?

In style: This mobile barber shop is now in operation at the 'Four Corners' in Dairy/La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara.

against Kwame McCoy

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Kaieteur News

Saturday January 19, 2013

Bond rental to Health Ministry …

New GPC lied about secret $90M payments New GPC, which was controversially selected to supply Government with billions of dollars in drugs, may have deliberately attempted to hide the fact that it collected almost $100M for renting storage space to the Ministry of Health.

As a matter of fact, the company which has admitted to close ties with former President Bharrat Jagdeo, last year insisted that it was providing warehousing services for free.

Last week, in shocking revelations, health officials testified before a special accounts committee of the National Assembly that between late 2007 and December 2012, New GPC was paid more than $90M to

“As a supplier, the NEW GPC agreed to provide the warehousing need as a non-fee service.”- Guyana Times, June 22, 2012 store drugs for Government.

The monies would have mainly come from USAID, a donor agency working with the Health Ministry.

This arrangement ended in mid-2012 but the government continued paying the $1.5M monthly until December.

The bond facility is in the compound of the former Sanata Textiles in Ruimveldt, now owned by Queens Atlantic.

The payments were in addition to the billions of dollars in contracts that New GPC would have had from government over the years.

Members of Parliament from the Opposition were perplexed and suspicious of the arrangements especially as there are questions now that New GPC may have also not de l i v e r e d h u n d r e d s o f millions in drugs in 2010.

L a s t y e a r, s p e a k i n g

about the storage services it was providing, New GPC in its Guyana Times newspaper of June 22, while attempting to argue that it was doing Government a favour as a good corporate citizen, said that it was incurring enormous cost to provide the free warehousing facility to government.

“Presently, the NEW GPC incurs cost of more than Gy$150 million annually to provide free warehousing for the Ministry. Proper storage of medicines is critical.

The truth is that the Health Ministry and GPHC do not and have never had the warehouse capacity to store all the medicines they have in stock,” the Guyana Times report said.

New GPC went even further to hide the payments.

“We must recall that the NEW GPC, as one of the requirements for

prequalification, demonstrated that it had the capacity to store greater than 90 per cent of the annual supply that the public sector requires.

As a supplier, the NEW GPC agreed to provide the warehousing need as a nonfee service.”

Yesterday, in his newspaper…the Guyana Times… New GPC’s principal, Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop, again said that it was free storage that his company was providing to Government.

Government has since said it built a bond in Diamond.

Government has been fighting a battle to defend how New GPC managed to become the main supplier of drugs.

In early 2010, the Cabinet under the Jagdeo administration, decided that New GPC would be the sole supplier of drugs.

New GPC boss, Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop In 2011, in controversial circumstances also, a number of companies were prequalified t o b e c o m e suppliers, including New GPC. Drug purchases have accounted for a large chunk of the Ministry of Health with New GPC in 2011 being awarded almost 80 per cent of the $13B expended.

The Opposition parties in the National Assembly have expressed alarm over the

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo developments with members of its Public Accounts Committee arm clashing last week during examinations of the 2010 Auditor General report.

Hotly debated also was how the Ministry did not follow competitive bidding processes and as such allowed $1.252B in contracts to be granted to New GPC to deliver drugs in 2010.

In recent days, there have been increasing calls for the drugs purchases to be investigated fully.

Saturday January 19, 2013

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Kaieteur News

Several stalls broken into at New Amsterdam Market - Stall owners lose millions

Y

e s t e r d a y morning angry vendors of the New Amsterdam Municipal Market blocked the entrance to the market preventing customers from going to other sections. Their action came after there was a series of break-ins sometime between Thursday night and this morning.

Market Constables and police were seen working to keep the crowd calm as the vendors waited to see the Town Clerk and Mayor. All told, 14 stalls were broken into and vandalised.

Three persons are in custody including two market constables attached to the New Amsterdam market and a known bandit following the overnight burglary.

The situation was chaotic outside the New Amsterdam Municipal Market on Friday morning as scores of residents including customers and vendors turned up at the municipal market following word of a massive break in.

Most of the vendors

stated that they secured their stalls on Thursday afternoon and left for home, only to return on Friday morning to see their livelihood disturbed.

Among the stall owners to have suffered were Jacqueline Rose who was hardest hit. She estimates her losses at $10M. Rose said that among the items taken or missing are digital cameras, video cameras, tablets, iPods, games, watches, perfume sets, flash drives, memory cards and phone receivers.

She said the bandits gained entry by removing the hinges from the door. She said not much remained .Most of the electronic devices were taken or scattered about outside the shop.

Bobby’s Jewelry Establishment was one of the stalls broken into. The bandits used an 18 inch mandrill and a casting block from that business entity to break in several of the other stores and stalls.

Shozida Abdulla stated that she got a call and when she arrived, she was in

horror. The door to her stall was ripped open, items were scattered all over. The woman said she cannot estimate her losses.

Nargis Armogan stated that her entire stall was ransacked. Priya’s Beauty Salon was also hit. Owner Priya Katabally stated that they took a lot of stuff and it would be difficult to restock her stall. Patricia Davis lost more than a dozen plates.

Jacquelyn Profit and her daughter Melanie Henry also suffered heavy losses. The women told Kaieteur News that it will take days for them to estimate their losses.

Henry stated that she had hundreds of pairs of shoes that she sells and she is not sure what was stolen and what is missing “Right now I don’t know if they gone with some odd sides or not. At least three rows on top there were cleaned out.”

Her mother Jacquelyn Profit who operates two stalls nearby said everything in her stall was scattered when she arrived. James Charles said that the side of his stall was ripped apart.

Local Government Minister Norman Whittaker and other Region Six Officials during a discussion with vendors of the New Amsterdam Market.

While some vendors said that it was too early to estimate losses some say that among the items removed were jewelry, bed sheets, equipment for the salon, clothing, women and men u n d e r w e a r, p e r f u m e s , cosmetics, hair appliances, perfume sets, phone cases, perfume oils and scented sticks.

The vendors stated that according to the damage done, it had to be a number of persons involved in the burglary. Some of the stalls had three padlocks which were wrenched open, while some of the hinges were ripped out.

One vendor said that the burglars had a lot of time to do what they did.

“It was not an easy job to break into this salon which had three padlocks on the door. They beat the locks and break them. You could see the hammer impression on the door.”

Persons in the vicinity of the market said that some time during the night they heard what sounded like (continued on page 14)

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Kaieteur News

Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana.

Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

A tangled web When a member of a commission threatens to have the subject of investigation sue another member of the commission then something must be radically wrong with commissions in Guyana. This is not a hypothetical case.

Last Monday, when the Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly met to discuss expenditures by the Ministry of Health and by the Georgetown Public Hospital there were many questions about the policy of drug procurement. At the centre of the drug procurement issue was the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation which enjoyed certain benefits, perhaps because of its size and the scope of its operations. Indeed, there are those who insist that any benefits New GPC may appear to enjoy springs from a special relationship between its owner, Dr Ranjisinghi Ramroop, and former president Bharrat Jagdeo.

Inside the Public Accounts Committee there were numerous questions because many things did not appear to be above board. Members resorted extensively to the reports by the Auditor General and to published reports about some of the drug procurement practices.

With a large bond due to the fact that New GPC is a drug manufacturer the decision was taken to have the company store the drugs it imported for the Ministry of Health and the Georgetown Public Hospital, in general, and by extension, the other health facilities. It goes without saying that any importer must rely on that which it trusts to not only deliver in a timely manner, but must also be able to store in wholesome conditions. The New GPC satisfies this criterion. However, what caught the attention of the Public Accounts Committee must have been the fact that monies for all purchases were paid up front.

Then there was the fact that some of the drugs were not delivered, giving rise to the question of whether they were indeed imported. Surely, any questioning along these lines had to be legitimate. In the first instance, the money spent was public funds and secondly, people have a right to know since they are the taxpayers whose money goes toward funding these operations. This episode exposes something that is common to governments—privacy. Governments all over the world have been known to share special arrangements with certain companies, sometimes because of lobbies. In Guyana this particular relationship appears to have come about because of the close ties the then president shared with the owner of the company.

There may have been no such consideration but any semblance of something special could be imagined if the head of state seems to be closely aligned to anyone, particularly if that person does business with the government. To prove that no one is enjoying any special privileges the entity must go the extra mile to satisfy all arrangements in a manner that could withstand public scrutiny.

The fact that there are so many questions about the arrangement between the government and the New GPC sends the signal that people are not happy with what has been prevented to them. High among the areas of dissatisfaction is the issue of drugs being paid for in full before the purchase is made. This is most unusual. It begs the question whether the government is actually funding the operations of the New GPC. This may sound almost treasonous but given Guyana and the society it is, nothing can be taken for granted. It therefore behooves the government representatives attending the Public Accounts Committee forum to answer questions as honestly as possible. Yet one gets the impression that honesty is not at a premium at this Public Accounts Committee forum. Instead, there is the threat of legal action to stop further questioning.

There are many unanswered questions. For example, there have been disclosures about the rental paid for the storage. Before the Public Accounts Committee, the officials testified that the government paid for storage. This admission came in the wake of denials from the New GPC that it charged nothing; that it was storing the government drugs for free.

The situation brings to mind the quotation, “Oh what a tangled web we weave.”

Saturday January 19, 2013

Letters... Where your views make the news

An open letter to the Clerk of the National Assembly DEAR SIR, Re: 1st Meeting of the Committee of Privileges – 21st January, 2012 Your letter dated 16th January, 2013, refers.

As you may be aware, the Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly had indicated in a letter to the Honourable Prime Minister and Leader of Government business in the House, and publicly, that the matters which are to be considered at the captioned meeting would not be dealt with by the Privileges Committee until the proceedings pending in the High Court were heard and determined.

Those legal proceedings have not yet been heard and determined. Indeed, at page 33 of the Chief Justice’s ruling, the following passage appears, “the Court allows the Motion to be proceeded with in relation to paragraphs 1 (b) and 3 (b) of the Notice of Motion.”

Additionally, the Honourable Speaker has indicated at a Press Conference that he intends to appeal the Court’s ruling. I also, intend to crossappeal. In short, from every conceivable perspective, the legal proceedings are far from conclusion and indeed are pending. No reason has been furnished by the Honourable Speaker for abnegating from his previously held aforesaid position.

Further, I have observed that the matters slated to be considered at the captioned meeting, expressly touch and concern the Honourable Clement J. Rohee, MP, Minister of Home Affairs. As you are aware, Minister Rohee is a Member of the said Committee of Privileges. In consequence thereof, I am of the considered view that the process which is scheduled to be embarked upon and indeed its eventual outcome, will be infected with the fatal virus of bias and accordingly, will be violative of the rules of natural justice, will be unlawful, null, void and of no effect.

As a result, I have advised the Honourable Member to resign from the said Committee. A copy of his resignation letter will be forwarded to you. In relation thereto, I respectfully suggest that a meeting of the Committee of Selection be summoned to consider a replacement for Minister Rohee for the Committee of Privileges in respect of the matters at hand.

Significantly, despite numerous public utterances on the issue from both the Speaker and the Parliamentary Opposition, I am yet to hear any clear and definitive statement which would tend to suggest that they are prepared to comply with the clear and u n a m b i g u o u s pronouncements of the Honourable Chief Justice in

relation to Minister Rohee’s right to speak in the National Assembly.

I set out hereunder, for clarity, a few of those pronouncements.

The Chief Justice ruled that the Constitution confers an undoubted right upon every elected member of the National Assembly to speak on any matter in the National Assembly. In his own words, the Learned Chief Justice at page 27 “it is the view of this court that Mr. Rohee’s right to speak in the National Assembly derives from his office as a member of the National Assembly and not from his office as an executive Minister. Thus, his right as an elected member of the National Assembly must be concomitant with his constitutional duty to speak for and to represent his electors in the National Assembly who, in turn, have a concomitant right to be so represented” As regards the No Confidence Motion passed by the Opposition in the Parliament, the Learned Chief Justice ruled at page 23 to 24 of the Judgement that “the issue in this matter is not at all whether the National Assembly has confidence in Mr. Rohee as Minister of Home Affairs but rather is whether the Speaker has acted (and may further act) unconstitutionally or illegally in prohibiting him from speaking or making presentations in the

National Assembly for reason of that expression of no confidence. Assuming for the purpose of analysis that Mr. Rohee was not an executive Minister but was the holder of a seat in the National Assembly (like all Opposition members of the National Assembly), would his office of Minster render him more vulnerable to a prohibition against speaking than those members of the National Assembly who had no such Ministerial office? It is indeed difficult to see how such a question can be answered in the affirmative.

It is indeed difficult to see how, in the face of the doctrine of separation of powers, the Speaker can prohibit a member (particularly an elected member) from speaking or making a presentation in that Assembly on account of the absence of confidence of the majority of the members of the Assembly in that person qua an executive Minister when he sits in the Assembly not qua Minister of the Government but qua member of the National Assembly.”

And at page 32, the Chief Justice stated “it behoves the Speaker and indeed the National Assembly as a whole to respect not only the finding of the court for reason of its finality but also the constitutional right of Mr. Rohee to represent his (Continued on page 6)

Saturday January 19, 2013

Kaieteur News

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

Ramkarran fails to acknowledge that the PPP has become the PNC it so enduringly fears DEAR EDITOR, Ralph Ramkarran wrote an outstanding opinion piece on what shapes the PPP’s mentality, posture, stance and modus operandi since the fifties (“The PPP’s enduring fears”, SN, Jan 14, 2013). But alas, it remains an opinion piece and is devoid of the kind of complete analysis that Mr. Ramkarran is eminently capable of.

Ramkarran states that fear of the PNC has predominantly shaped the PPP’s psyche. If Ramkarran asserts this is the case, it very likely is how the PPP hierarchy thinks in Freedom House. This mindset cannot be realistic and is downright unhealthy and symptomatic of a crippling disease infecting those who have hijacked the PPP leadership.

No party that lives in perpetual fear of another party, or anything for that matter, could make rational decisions, informed choices and do the right thing when necessary. That party cannot govern freely or properly. It is trapped by an unhealthy paranoia and a cultural mental illness. It is a party of weakminded individuals and feeble souls who are perpetually afraid to define and defend themselves, their constituency and their country. This impotency and

weakness leads to selfishness and this focus on self because of an impotency to act fearlessly, leads to corruption and self-aggrandizement.

Fear compels some to take immoral ways out. Instead of fixing and tackling head-on those corrupt institutions that they see as pro-PNC - like the police force - to make them better poised to fight crime, these weak-hearted individuals employ criminals like drug kingpins to fight crime.

Criminal versus criminal warfare escalates and innocent citizens increasingly lose their lives and the entire country becomes a crime safe haven while the cowards cower in fear. Roger Khan’s crime-fighting was not because of some valour from the PPP, but because of Khan seeing an opportunity where the PPP was obviously hiding, and decided to exploit it to expand his empire.

This fear of doing the right thing in the first place, fixing the police force, leaves this country a criminal safe haven and murderous and violent drug-trafficking paradise, and the Guyanese people pay the price daily for the gutlessness of the ruling party.

The PPP’s continued fear of the PNC is largely demented and race-driven.

Demented because the PNC has not turned out to be what the PPP caricaturized it as in 1992. We have had no civil war. The pro-PNC military and police have been very balanced. The last two elections have witnessed largely peaceful PNC protests. In fact, the PPP has probably seen more protests from their own supporters in the sugar belt than from PNC supporters in the past decade.

The PPP’s continued fear of the PNC is race-driven because racial-political fear is big political business as the strenuous efforts of the PPP in the last election to preach fear showed. However, what the election result showed is that there is a psychological divergence in the PPP. Many PPP supporters no longer actively fear the PNC. Some fear the PNC less. Others were not even born when the PNC ruled. Thus, we have the present PPP leadership hiding under desks at the mere mention of the PNC while many of their supporters simply do not fear the PNC. This validates the recurring perception among those supporters that the current PPP leadership is not only corrupt but extremely soft, weak and supine. In their minds, these limp figures cannot represent them because they are not like

Now all that the Minister and the CMO have to do is to act on their strong words DEAR EDITOR, Thanks for your report (KN, January 16, 2013) of the leadership from the Dr. Bheri Ramsaran, Minister of Health and Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, Chief Medical Officer.

In the last 20 years, the Ministry of Health has consistently enjoyed, topclass political leadership.

How is it that it has taken so long to have a forthright statement on the compelling need for public hospitals to provide abortion services?

After seventeen years, it is about time. And I welcome it.

I also welcome the promise of a shift from the archaic D&C to MVA. MVA is now 50 years old. It is the standard method recommended by the WHO. I hope the Ministry will also explore medication abortion on which there have

been huge advances in the last 20 years and which is already widely available in the private sector. I was delighted to hear them acknowledge that caring for complications of abortion is infinitely more expensive than providing safe services in the first place.

And, as they noted, the health consequences are sometimes horrendous.

I was even more delighted at their recognition of the logic for public institutions to provide this service. The problem of unsafe abortion affects poor women. They cannot afford private services. Their only access to safe services is through public institutions. They have already waited for too many years.

The Ministry’s leaders placed emphasis on training, reporting and counselling — all of which are required in the

law. This is all good news.

I take issue with one aspect of their interview: they seem to suggest that the way to reduce so-called teenage pregnancy is to educate the teenage girls. This sincere approach is gender-biased. It leaves the burden of pregnancy on females alone.

In fact my research shows that 75% of so-called teenage pregnancies result from relations with men 20 years and older. And 50% of those pregnancies are with men 2024 years old. That group should be an equal target of the Ministry’s focus.

Teenage pregnancy is largely a phenomenon of power.

To focus on adolescent girls is to focus on the vulnerable and the victim.

Now all that the Minister and the CMO have to do is to act on their strong words.

Fred Nunes

them. That is a growing drawback of this fear mania.

Even if there is fear and a siege mentality within the PPP, it is no justification for any party to practise dictatorship, thievery, tyranny and ignorance against its own and the entire nation. When you are doing wrong and know it, you will live in fear of the consequences of prosecution. Much of the PPP leadership’s fear of the PNC today has to do with a selfish worry about going to jail under the PNC and of losing their ill-gotten wealth.

At the end of the day, the PPP produced the PNC and played a significant hand in creating this fear of the PNC. The PPP knew the PNC was going to create a socialist dictatorship if it won power in 1964. The PPP would have created a communist dictatorship itself. But the PPP did nothing to prevent this reality. It made no approaches or sought any deals or even toned down its hard-line communist rhetoric or cut a

deal with the West.

The PNC did all those things and got power and did exactly what everyone knew it would do. During the 28 years of PNC power, the PPP went on an exaggerated campaign of paranoia, victimization and fear among Indians which, coupled with the PNC’s own fear-based agenda, psychologically devastated and trapped an entire ethnic group.Even when the PPP gained power, it continued with this fear agenda for 20 years. In those 20 years, what has the PPP done to remove that fear of the PNC? Absolutely nothing.

Proper, just, fair and equitable governance as well as initiatives such as reforming itself into a genuine multi-ethnic party, ethnic balancing of the armed forces, power-sharing agendas, constitutional reform, party reform, more inclusive wealth-sharing, conciliatory talks and the like, would have either erased the PNC from the political map by

now or driven it to intense reforms, reducing its overall fearfulness.

If the PNC could reform and become more democratic even if it fears the PPP, what is stopping the PPP from doing the same and not suspending party general congresses? Fear is no excuse for sabotaging decency, integrity, accountability and clarity. For any party to claim it is trapped in fear and does nothing about it for 20 years does not deserve to rule and deserves any fate that befalls it.

Imagine a party that has been in power for 20 years continuously and in authority for 34 out of the 62 years since the PPP was formed, is still huddled in fear of a broken and incompetent opposition entity. Forbes Burnham is truly something else. If fears are the primary building blocks of the mindset of the PPP and PNC, we are a doomed nation.

It is easy to blame others for your own shortcomings, (Continued on page 7)

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Kaieteur News

Saturday January 19, 2013

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

An open letter to the... GPL’s disrespect of Berbicians From page 4 electors and their constitutional right to be represented by him in the National Assembly.”

The aforesaid constitute clear pronouncements on matters of law by a Court of Law which, as the Chief Justice opined in his written

judgement, “only the Court can speak with finality on a legal question or issue.” The Court has done so. There seems to be a marked reluctance to respect the Court’s pronouncements.

I am therefore impelled to the view that a decision now for the Privileges Committee

to consider the issues slated for consideration is one which is designed to circumvent, ignore and disregard the pronouncements of the Honourable Chief Justice and one that is contaminated with ulterior motives.

In the circumstance and for the reasons adumbrated above, I request that the captioned meeting be either aborted permanently or adjourned indefinitely.

I solicit your most magnanimous consideration.

Yours faithfully Mohabir Anil Nandlall, MP Hon. Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs

DEAR EDITOR, I am amazed at the disrespect, and uncaring attitude of GPL towards the residents of Berbice, especially the Upper Corentyne.

After a horrific 2012, with approximately 247 blackouts as reported by Kaieteur News, residents were given a very brief respite from this living hell during the few weeks around Christmas and New Year. Sadly, it seems that we are now back to the “norm” of constant blackouts, without any explanation, and with no end in sight.

We have already had several blackouts this week on the Upper Corentyne where I live (yesterday for several hours), and GPL, as far as I am aware, has offered absolutely no explanation about what is going on.

These blackouts usually occur during the day, during working hours, and disrupt all businesses, schools, and private residents on the Upper Corentyne. They prevent businesses from functioning properly, and hinder our students, especially those taking IT classes, from receiving proper training.

Should this situation continue, this area will become depressed, businesses will close, and our students will be left behind as the rest of the world moves ahead and enjoy the latest technological innovations.

What is especially disturbing about this

situation is that GPL has shown no inclination of taking the necessary steps to improve the electricity supply in Berbice. Apparently it does not care about the suffering it is imposing on all residents, including businessmen, single parents, and young children.

This is best illustrated by comparing GPL’s response to blackouts in Berbice with those in Demerara. Whenever Demerara has a blackout, GPL’s senior management immediately issue prompt apologies, and prominent press releases in the daily newspapers. Berbicians, on the other hand, are left in the dark, literally and figuratively.

There are no apologies, no press releases, and when we attempt to contact GPL’s hotline, the number is always busy or it rings out.

This is the height of disrespect, and begs the question of whether Upper Corentyne residents are somehow less important or inferior to those in Demerara.

Shouldn’t we too be offered apologies for the nightmare that we suffer under GPL? We too are GPL’s customers, we pay our bills, and subsidize GPL with our taxes. GPL’s non-response to the blackout situation in Berbice smacks of the most blatant form of discrimination, and reveals the utter neglect of our area by this entity.

Berbicians are so sick and tired of GPL and it’s nonsense, as this entity’s incompetence is undermining

most developmental work launched by this government. Lights are currently being installed by the government along the entire Corentyne Highway, but what use will this be if GPL continues to give us blackout and sabotage this otherwise much needed development?

The government’s OLPF plan is being hindered from fully accomplishing its purpose when our laptops are unable to be charged, and our internet modems stop working during blackouts.

The list goes on and on. Isn’t GPL a company that cares about the development of this country? Or is it only interested in maintaining the status quo, and in frustrating technological and business development?

I am asking that GPL’s Berbice Manager, Ayube Bacchus, explain to us what is going on on the Upper Corentyne. Please don’t tell us about problems at GuySuCo because we don’t purchase electricity from GuySuCo - we are GPL’s customers. If Mr. Bacchus cannot adequately handle GPL’s operations in Berbice, and ensure that the constant blackouts here are eradicated, then he should do the honorable, decent thing and resign. The same goes for Mr. Bharat Dindiyal, GPL’s CEO. We don’t want any promises because GPL is good at making promises, and never delivering. Give us an improved electricity supply!

Fed-up GPL Customer

New ferries are impressive with their timing and service DEAR EDITOR, I had the time recently to travel with one of the two new ferries that currently ply the waters of the Parika to Good Hope route. In fact I was curious, but at the end of my journey I did not regret the refreshing experience, even though I was not a fan of such mode of transportation because of their apparent time consumption due to their size.

However I was indeed surprised and impressed with the service and the time that it took.

My first impression was the promptness in which the ferry had disembarked for its destination - and in this case it was exactly at 12:00pm as scheduled. Prior to this there were signals and clear instructions indicating that the ferry was about to leave, thus alerting lingering passengers to be prepared to get on board.

Once inside the ferry I began an inspection and it was first class in terms of

cleanliness, sanitized washrooms, seating accommodation and a very relaxing atmosphere. The workforce seems to be well trained and they have a professional outlook. It took the ferry approximately one and a half hour to meet its destination, which is a very improved and satisfactory time, considering that the older ferries would have laboriously taken twice the time in less hygienic conditions.

This is a significant improvement, especially for the lives of Essequibians.

Therefore, the Government must be applauded for this investment. It is indeed very costly to maintain such modern transport, and as such I would appeal to commuters to support this venture since it is safer, reliable and has the capacity to accommodate in the hundreds.

The economic spill-off will also be greater, as businesses with vehicles as

well as entrepreneurs can do business and return home within the very day. However, while I will be keen to use the ferry more often, the challenge remains that their effectiveness will rely on the tides, and therefore in some cases there is not a definitive schedule for their daily operation.

I hope that this situation can improve in the near future and that public advertisement will encourage the use of the ferries with much pleasure and satisfaction. The cost as well is quite minimal in comparison to the speed boats, which at times have to traverse very rough waters.

Given the promptness in service, less time and the alleviation of the fear factor to use smaller boats, the new ferries are a welcome and much needed service for those that depend on the water transport within the confines of the Essequibo River.

Elroy Stephney

Saturday January 19, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 7

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

Service, in whatever shape or form, is one of the distinguishing characteristics of humankind DEAR EDITOR, According to a news report, Chelsea Clinton, daughter of Bill and Hillary Clinton, has taken on the role of Honorary Chair of the 2013 National Day of Service and will headline a summit on the National Mall on Saturday to launch President Barack Obama’s second inauguration.

As is known, the Clintons Bill and Hillary- were actively involved in the campaign for the re-election of President Obama to the White House, which no doubt may have influenced the choice of Chelsea to such an important leadership role.

In her own words, “there is no more fitting way to mark a presidential inauguration than a day of service.

Coming together as a country to strengthen our communities has always been part of the American spirit. I am deeply grateful that President Obama and his administration have put service at the centre of the inauguration weekend and I am proud to be part of a nation-wide service effort, honoring the service and legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and building a brighter future for all of us.”

Ms. Chelsea Clinton herself came from a great tradition of service. Her father Bill Clinton was a former President of the United States of America and her mother Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State under the Obama administration. Mrs. Clinton was a presidential candidate but narrowly lost to Obama in the Democratic primaries. There is speculation that Chelsea Clinton could be using this opportunity to launch her own entry into politics, something that virtually runs in her blood.

I have always maintained that the greatest service one can render is to serve one’s country. Many people shy away from working with the

government because of a perception that public service salaries are low or not as competitive as that offered in the private sector. These are basically people who are motivated by financial considerations, by how much they can make rather than how much they can give to society.

Mathama Gandhi is credited for putting service ahead of material gains when he famously said “service thy duty, reward not thy business”. In similar vein, former US President John Kennedy once remarked: ‘’Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

These are indeed profound statements which highlighted the primacy of service over rewards, and if heeded, could positively impact on the way we relate to other people, more particularly those with whom we are required to interact on a daily basis by virtue of our office or position we hold in the public service.

Yet one does not necessarily have to be a public servant in order to contribute to the public good.

Indeed, there are hundreds of Guyanese who make their contribution to the communities to which they belong without any expectation of financial reward or material gain.

Service, in whatever shape or form, is one of the distinguishing characteristics of humankind.

People contribute in different ways based on their own interests and competence. Some people avoid some kinds of service based on perceptions and stereotypes. It is not uncommon to hear some people say that they don’t want to get into politics because “politics is a dirty” game. One manifestation of this perception is the negligible number of university students who opted to pursue Degrees in Political Science at the

Ramkarran fails to acknowledge...

From page 5 but this is exactly what Ramkarran is doing here. To claim that fear of the PNC is the primary posture of the PPP when the PNC has staged a mini takeover of the PPP with the steady stream of PNCites like Lumumba, Bynoe, Hamilton, Burton, etc., crossing over to the PPP is laughable.

Maybe it is the PPP’s way of overcoming their fear –

replacing PPPites with former PNCites.

How does one fear a return of tyranny and yet practice tyranny? The PPP has become the very PNC it supposedly enduringly fears.

As long as the PPP and PNC exist, they will constantly be under sieges of their own making and Guyana cannot advance.

M. Maxwell

University of Guyana.

Yet, the highest form of service that any person could offer is in the field of active political involvement, be it at the national or at the community level. Political involvement is the oldest form of activism known to man and it still remained one of the defining moments in the political evolution of societies to modern societies. The Greek City states were the first, centuries ago, to experiment

with political formations in the body politic and remained until today the cradle of democracy and the democratic evolution of societies into that we have come to know and accept.

In the final analysis, democracy is the rule of the majority. This does not mean that minority views must be disregarded in the formulation of policies and programmes.

Mechanisms must be put in place to accommodate minority

views wherever practicable, but it is views of the majority that must be the basis of rule in any democracy.

The dictatorship of the majority is at all times preferable over the dictatorship of a few. This is why the Westminster model of majoritarian rule is seen as much more advanced from a democratic standpoint, especially in the context of political and cultural pluralism.

It is the extent to which people sacrifice and subordinate

their own individual interests for the common good that sets them apart from others.

This is why names such as Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and our own Cheddi Jagan will always be revered and remembered in the corridors of time. These are people who sacrificed their entire life for the cause of humanity and for which they never looked forward to personal gains.

Hydar Ally

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Saturday January 19, 2013

Saturday January 19, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 9

Why work when there is Ma and Pa to provide?

On a very quiet morning a few years ago, a gentleman went berserk in the city and attacked workers in an automotive repair shop.

At the time of the attack, there were not many persons on the streets. Fortunately, the police were quickly on the scene and were able to neutralize the threat.

Within minutes of this incident persons began to emerge from neighbouring yards in their numbers. It was simply unbelievable to see the large numbers that emerged from homes.

The question that immediately sprang to mind was: Why were these individuals, most of whom were of working age, not gainfully employed?

It is a development that can be seen throughout Guyana. There are hundreds of persons, especially young people who are at home, not necessarily because there are no jobs but because many of them are simply not interested in finding a job.

After all, why go and work all day for a miserly $2,000 when you can wake up late, watch TV all day, enjoy three square meals, dress in the latest threads and still find time to hang out hours with friends? Is this not the good life, and all of this is compliments of ma and pa.

There are many young persons and not so young persons who are simply not interested in working. And so they stay at home all day and enjoy life without having to go and work.

Not everyone is however that fortunate. The vast majority of our adult population needs to

work. And there have been many complaints that jobs are not available.

Yet if you pick up the newspapers each day there are a number of vacancies which are advertised. While these will not satisfy the total demand of the unemployed who are seeking jobs, they do amount to a significant number of vacancies.

A discussion with employe r s a l s o r e v e a l s some disturbing trends. For one, there is a high turnover of workers. It seems that many young people do not stick around long enough, at least not long enough to compensate for the cost of the training that is borne by the employers.

Secondly, most employers complain about the quality of the workers they are finding.

Some of the applicants have excellent academic qualifications but are often found wanting in the practical aspects of their training. This means that employers have to invest more than usual in training.

There is also a serious problem faced by many employers of finding the right employees and in adequate numbers. There is a sign erected on a construction site on the East Coast of Demerara, advertising for workers.

This sign flies in the face of the complaints of a lack of jobs. It is not the lack of jobs; it is the lack of the type of jobs that many desire. There is a shortage of labour in the construction sector and this is not surprising since many school leavers prefer to work in offices rather than on construction sites.

Dem boys seh ...

Keep you eyes pun Bar Bee When Sonny of Easy Come easy Go travel to Guyana to talk bout he airline he seh that he break he pension fund, pull all he savings and use he own money. When de Feds hold him, he tell dem that he know is nuff money missing and that he tek some. He change he mouth.

De same thing happening now but is a different man talking. When dem boys start to talk bout de drugs Bar Bee tell de whole country how he doing de government a favour because he storing de drugs fuh free.

When de people in Parliament ask de question, de people in de know seh that dem pay about $90 million. Dem done let de cat out de bag and Bar Bee still talking how he doing it fuh free. Dem boys seh that fuh he, $90 million is just like free because that is no money.

And he didn’t talk bout de $1.5 million he use to collect every month from USAID. That is why dem boys always seh that dem had to keep dem eye pun any deal that Bar Bee deh in. Imagine when other people tender fuh contract dem got to lodge a performance bond. In short, dem got to lodge wid a bank ten per cent de cost of de contract. Bar Bee use to get de whole contract money up front when everybody else use to get a fraction as advance. That is wha he use to call value fuh money.

Dem boys seh that any normal person would get vex and tell de government that dem ain’t able wid de bad talk. Not Bar Bee. He rather tek all de cuss because he know wheh de money deh.

One thing dem boys know, Guyana always got to buy drugs but wid people watching like hawk all who buying got to know that whatever do in darkness got to come to light.

Talk half and keep you eyes pun Bar Bee.

During the run-up to Cricket World Cup 2007, two major hotels were being built and yet there was a problem obtaining labour to complete one of them. The company building one of the hotels was forced to increase the remuneration in order to attract skills.

Yet there are many persons within our society who indicate that they are willing to work but cannot find work. Some of them even say that they are willing to work on a construction site. And there are thousands of Guyanese who have left these shores to do construction work in the islands of the Caribbean. Why were they not being employed in Guyana?

Some large contractors are

able to fund fulltime work for a large segment of their workers. These workers know that once they get into the employ of these large contractors, there will be work year in, year out.

However, one of the problems that many unemployed persons face is obtaining information as to where the jobs are. Many of them depend on friends and associates to inform them of some construction site. Some of them also simply turn up at construction sites hoping to be employed.

What this shows is that one of the reasons why there is not full employment of those with construction skills is simply because there is no way in which all those seeking

jobs can be linked with those with vacancies.

The government has established a mechanism to address this concern through the creation of a recruitment and manpower register. But from the evidence available there may be a need to tweak the systems to ensure that they work in a way that links every potential worker with employers. This would help to find jobs for thousands who are willing to work.

There are jobs to be had in Guyana. A Chinese company needs 700 workers in Guyana. Given the number of houses that are being built and the other construction work that is taking place throughout Guyana, we

should be importing labour since there will not be enough to complete all the work that is available.

We t h e r e f o r e d o n o t need to complain about lack of capacity. We have the capacity. What we do not have is a system that allows persons to know where the jobs are. There are also many who are simply not interested in working, not as long as ma and pa are alive and well to provide for their upkeep.

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Kaieteur News

Saturday January 19, 2013

Mother battles for life Teen files harassment complaint after giving birth alone against Kwame McCoy A 28-year-old woman is now battling for her life at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC)’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

This was reportedly after she gave birth by herself Thursday night.

The incident which involved Martina (only name given), a teacher occurred at Lot 611 Conciliation Street, Tucville, Georgetown.

According to information, neighbours heard the baby crying. This was followed by loud groans. They then went over by the woman’s apartment but after a while of calling, they were forced to open the window and break the grills to get to the woman.

And they did this even as a welder in the area was preparing his cutting torch to get into the house.

“When we reach in, the sight was not good; there was blood all over and she was lying on her belly with her eyes rolled up. Her tongue was hanging out of her mouth and it was kind of blue and black,” a neighbour who witnessed everything said.

The neighbour added that while the woman was lying on the floor, the baby was under the bed with the umbilical cord attached.

“We called GPHC for an ambulance and we explained everything to them and still they come unprepared. They sent two guys who look “bassody” after they see what was going on,” the neighbour added.

She also stated that while the ambulance from GPHC was on its way, they were forced to call a private

hospital for some assistance as to what to do with the mother and the child.

“The girl who answered the phone at the private hospital tell us to put a pillow under the mother’s head and they tell us what else to do until the ambulance arrived.”

Neighbours knew very little of the woman. They claimed that she is a very private person.

Kaieteur News understands that this is in fact the woman’s third child. “She has two other children who live with her but apparently like she knows it’s near time for giving birth so she send them away,” a neighbour said.

A GPHC’s official said that the baby is “ok” but that the mother “is critical but conscious.”

Rohee resigns from Privileges Committee Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General (AG), Anil Nandlall has dispatched a letter to the Clerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Isaacs, in which he called for the meeting of the Committee of Privileges to be ‘aborted permanently’ or be ‘adjourned indefinitely’.

He said that he is “impelled to the view that a decision now for the Privileges Committee to consider the issues slated for

consideration is one which is designed to circumvent, ignore and disregard the pronouncements of the Honourable Chief Justice, and one that is contaminated with ulterior motives”, hence the call for the meeting to be aborted.

The letter states that Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee has resigned from the Parliamentary Privileges Committee, following advice from AG Nandlall.

Chief Justice (ag) Ian

Chang recently ruled that Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee has a right to speak in the National Assembly as an elected member, but the Speaker has in effect stymied this order.

The letter further states that a meeting of the Committee of Selection should be summoned to consider a replacement for Minister Rohee for the Committee of Privileges in respect of the matters at hand.

(GINA)

The mother of a 17-yearold boy who lives in Diamond, East Bank Demerara, yesterday morning filed a harassment complaint against Presidential Information Liaison Kwame McCoy.According to the woman, Denise Jones, her son is being constantly harassed by McCoy. The woman told Kaieteur News that it was an incident yesterday morning that prompted her to take her son to make the complaint to the police.

According to Jones, it was around 8:30hrs yesterday that her son was walking along the street when McCoy drove up behind him. The woman said that McCoy questioned her son about his telephone number and where he was living. The mother said that her son became somewhat boisterous towards McCoy.

It was alleged that the President’s Press Liaison Officer asked another villager about the young man’s whereabouts. Again McCoy was not given any information about the teenager.

The teen along with his parents later made the complaint to Police at the Providence Police station.

According to the young man’s father, McCoy lives in the same community and whenever he sees the young man he would drive slowly behind him asking him details about himself. The man said his son became tired of what he considered “advances” and his parents thought it best to file a police report.

A Senior Police Officer has since confirmed that the report was filed and is being looked at. Efforts to contact McCoy

Press Liaison Officer Kwame McCoy for a comment were unsuccessful. His mobile phone was not answered.

This is not the first time that McCoy has been implicated in making advances to teenage boys. Several years ago McCoy was ensnarled in a nasty scandal with another teen from Linden.

AFC proposes new Berbice River Bridge tolls

By Leon Suseran The Alliance for Change intends to push for a reduction in the tolls commuters pay for using the Berbice River Bridge.

This push could see a 50 per cent slash in toll fees and free passage for motorcycles.

The general public, particularly motorists and passengers, have lamented the unreasonably high tolls and fares being imposed on them by the Berbice River Bridge Company Inc (BRBCI) and the government.

The structure was opened in December 2008, replacing the steamer service between New Amsterdam and Rosignol. As a result of the bridge, numerous vendors and business persons on both sides of the Berbice River were put out of business.

Commerce slowed significantly and it became quite expensive for workers and school children to commute across the bridge on a daily basis.

Cries from the various stakeholders have been falling on deaf ears even though the opposition political parties have been pressing for a reduction of the high tolls for cars and minibuses. In December the AFC put forward arguments for the reduction of the bridge toll, after having done a study of how both the bridge and commuters can benefit at the same time.

AFC Parliamentarian Dr. Veerasammy Ramayyah, a Berbician, did not denounce the bridge; rather, he welcomed the initiative. “It [the bridge] is an asset to Guyana. Its intangible value has manifested itself in the reality that many Berbicians can travel from Skeldon to the Cheddi Jagan Airport in less

than three hours compared to the whole day exercise with the THD Berbice Boat.

The operative question is - at what cost does this improvement come to the toll payers and taxpayers and is it too much to pay for the improvement in public services?” he questioned.

Since its opening in December 2008, the Berbice Bridge has facilitated crossing of some 650,000 vehicles resulting in average revenue of over $1.5 billion a year for the Berbice Bridge Company Inc (BBCI).

The doctor explained that the motion is being drafted after “our deep concern with the wealth dilution for the poor and the working class as a result of this bridge with no financial support from the State”.

He added, too, that in the interest of transparency, Guyanese must recognise that without the average government revenue subvention to the Demerara Harbour Bridge, of some $600 million per year over the last five years, that bridge would not have been able to offer such a valuable service to the people of Guyana especially those from West Demerara.

“We want to be on record to state our full support for such a policy in the shortterm. Until workers can secure liveable wages, the Government is duty bound to subsidize on these tolled bridges”.

In 2010 and 2011, the Government has significantly increased its subvention to the Transport & Harbours Department (THD) as a result of the opening of the Berbice Bridge. “The facts reveal that the Government Revenue Subvention to the THD Increased from $401 million in

2009 by some $53 million in 2010, while the increase in 2011 was some $437 million.

“The PPP Government created the conditions for a deliberate loss of revenue for the THD to facilitate an increase in revenue for the BBCI resulting in the financial burden on the tollpayers increasing some 340 per cent on average,” Ramayyah added.

He dubbed the current situation as “double jeopardy” for the toll-payers and the taxpayers since they have to finance the increased losses for the THD to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars as a result of the opening of the Berbice Bridge and still pay in the case of motor cars and minibuses increased tolls. “We in the AFC have worked out the arithmetic and we have found that these measures will create a deficit of some $300 million in the book of the BBCI and we agree it must be funded. “ T h a t i s why we are recommending a $150 million subvention per year from the Government to the Berbice Bridge Company Inc. which is significantly less than the average of $600 million per year given to the Demerara Harbour Bridge with good reason (older, more maintenance, etc.)”.

“We recommend a renegotiation in the terms and conditions of the bonds with the Bankers and the review of the dividend policy to bring it closer to what other bondholders and shareholders are receiving in Guyana.

Thesavingfromtheseenhanced terms and conditions in favour of the poor and the working class will pay for the gap still making the bridge feasible and viable.”

Saturday January 19, 2013

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Kaieteur News

Managerial failings Soldier collapses, dies are reflected in during routine run staff performance A - Joseph Hamilton “If you have power and authority vested in you, you must use it...,” said Joseph Hamilton of managers, particularly those within the health sector.

Hamilton holds the position of Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Health and during an interview with this publication he emphasised that while all decisions made might not always be the very best “procrastination is worse than making a bad decision.”

Decision making on the part of managers is a crucial factor if the operations of the Ministry of Health is expected to improve, said Hamilton. He explained that a lot of things that junior staff members are blamed for often result from the failure, on the part of managers, to make decisions in a timely manner.

“A lot of people have power as managers but they are afraid to make decisions...once you are clear you are doing the right thing you shouldn't procrastinate,” said Hamilton even as he sought to highlight his conviction that “I never blame staff when things go wrong in any organisation...I blame the managers of the staff; the staff is the reflection of the type of management and I fundamentally believe that.”

According to the Parliamentary Secretary it is of utmost importance that managers seek to police the office or department under their purview to ensure that optimum efficiency is achieved.

Offering an example of inefficiency, Hamilton said that there is a need for systems to be put in place to avoid “people who work in the accounts department from believing that they can take a file or a voucher and put it in their drawer and leave it there until they see the person again.”

“You must know that the reason why these vouchers came to you in the first place is for you to process them and have them move on...but who has to ensure that happens is the supervisor of that department,” Hamilton asserted.

He pointed to the fact that once there is a failure in a department there is need to

soldier was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) early yesterday.

This was reportedly after he collapsed in the vicinity of Umana Yana, High Street during one of his annual fitness runs.

Dead is 28-year-Eon Blair of Lot 305 Number 51 Village, Corentyne, Berbice.

According to a statement from the Guyana Defence Force, the father of two was participating in the five-mile run with other members of his unit when he reportedly experienced chest pains while in the vicinity of Umana Yana.

The statement further stated that Blair was immediately placed into an ambulance and taken to the

Health Ministry Parliamentary Secretary, Joseph Hamilton look at the managers even as he noted that a lot of times it is easy to castigate and denigrate the ordinary staff member.

Hamilton insisted that there is need for managers to always seek to execute their managerial duty with fairness.

“If the procedure and the role is this...then that is it...you cannot manage with favouritism and low morale.

And there are some staff members who can tell you why they operate on a don't care basis.”

“I believe people who are assigned and delegated to lead, and I mean within the whole public sector, should do it in a way whereby they are fair and judicious...They have to exhibit care and compassion and be concerned for their staff...This will ensure that you get better results in my view,” said Hamilton.

Hamilton said that although there is likely to be some deficiencies there is always need to recognise that there are those staff members who go above and beyond the call of their daily duty.

He noted that managers have to seek to correct existing challenges by adopting a style which incorporates more collaboration and more information sharing since “being a true manager means paying attention to your remit and make sure that decisions are made.”

Force's medical Centre in Camp Ayanganna, then subsequently transferred to GPHC, where he was pronounced dead.

But according to Blair's family members, the 28year-old man's body was left right where he collapsed for several minutes and when it was finally moved, “it was dumped at the GPHC.” The dead man's uncle, Edward Reynolds, said that he was told that his nephew complained of having serious chest pains but that “the person who was in charge cursed him and forced him to run although my nephew was getting bad stomach pain.”

“I hear when he collapsed, they leave him there for a while and then take him to the hospital and again left him right there,”

Reynolds said, adding that he was on his way to G e o rg e t o w n w h e n h e received the call of his nephew's death.

“I headed to the hospital and I when I reach I was looking for Army personnel but I didn't see anyone so I went into the Accident and Emergency Unit and I ask the hospital staff if any soldier body come here and she said yes,” the uncle said.

He added that he was required to wait a while before he was permitted to view his nephew's body. By then, he said, it was already wrapped in plastic and tagged off.

“He died in his Army clothes and I saw people from Lykens come for the body so I asked them to wait until I get an answer from the Army as to what happened

Dead: Lance Corporal Eon Blair but I wait and I wait but d i d n ' t s e e a n y b o d y, ” Reynolds said.

Lance Corporal Eon Blair has served the Guyana Defence Force for the past nine years.

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Housing Ministry constructs $4.5M houses for low/middle income earners The Ministry of Housing and Water is currently processing the 2009 house lots’ applications for Region Four.

Speaking about plans for the Ministry this year, Housing Minister, Irfaan Ali, said that while applications are being processed in real time in most of the regions, in several areas, like Region Six, East Berbice, applications dating back to 2009 are being looked at.

Region Five, East Berbice and Region Two, Essequibo Coast, are being processed

real time while Region Three, West Demerara, is currently at 2010.

However, it is in Region Four, in the Demerara/Mahaica area, where the demand for housing is highest. The backlogs are also the highest.

In this case, Ali said, Year 2009 applications are being processed. The Minister used the opportunity to encourage those persons who have applications dating back beyond 2009 to visit the Ministry.

“In 2013 we are going to continue to look at

Conductor remanded on attempted robbery charge Trevor Daly, a minibus conductor of Joseph Pollydore Street, Lodge was refused bail when he faced Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry yesterday, on an attempted robbery charge.

Daly denied the allegation that he along with others attempted to rob Ravindranauth Persaud on January 7, 2013.

The complainant was walking along North Road, Lacytown Georgetown when the defendant in company of others allegedly approached the man, and one of the suspects reportedly pushed

his hands in the man’s pocket.

The v i c t i m h o w e v e r raised an alarm and the accused was apprehended with aid of members of the public but the other suspects escaped. Daly was later charged.

Pr osecutor Kerry Bostwick objected to bail due to the seriousness and nature of the crime.

During his address, the prosecutor also told the court that the defendant has been slapped with several charges for offences of a similar nature.

Daly is expected to return to court on January 25 for the next hearing.

applications and we are encouraging persons who would have applied before 2009 to visit us so that we could deal with those applications early this year,” he said in a release from his Ministry.

Meanwhile, regarding this year, Ali disclosed that there are several initiatives including a partnership with “professional groups where we target young doctors and lawyers, engineers, managers, and then we have the continuation of the core homes initiative for vulnerable persons within society.”

Minister Ali also pointed to the continuation of the hinterland pilot project.

Regarding the partnership with young people, Ali said, “This will benefit the low/middle income earners… for example, those sales persons working on Regent Street, and services sector staff.”

He noted that successful applicants in the group will see the availability of an “entire package” for persons qualifying in this category.

“One example is on East Bank Demerara where we have had tremendous success.

Demand is outstripping supply. Here we are building 620 square feet homes with the land for about $4.5M,” he said.

Saturday January 19, 2013

Immigration INFO: Immigration News For Our Community Attorney Gail S. Seeram Through this “Question & Answer” column, our goal is to answer your immigration questions. We appreciate your comments and questions. If you have a question that you would like answered in this column, please email: Gail@GailLaw.com.

Question #1: Good day.

My question is this. I married a born U.S. guy in November2011 and he filed for me and my son. When he went back to the U.S. they sent him two paperwork and he paid fees since February 2012 and he did not get anymore. Do you know how long it takes for me to get an interview?

Answer #1: It takes about 9 months to one year after filing to get an interview.

If there is a delay then your husband needs to check that he submitted all the required documents to the National Visa Center. Once the file is approved from the National Visa Center then it will be sent to the Embassy for interview scheduling.

Question #2: I was married for 21 years common law and have four kids together with my husband. I came to the U.S on March 15, 2011. I went back to Guyana

and married my husband legally on May 15, 2011. I’m a green card holder. I filled out an I- 130 form and I’m wondering how long I have to wait before my husband can come to live with us.

Answer #2: For spouse of a permanent resident, visas are being issued for petitions filed on or before October 2010. So, you have about an eight-month wait.

Question #3: My mother who is a permanent resident sponsored her son who at the time was under 21 year old.

The case was approved and completed.

In 2010 she finished paying for his visa and just waiting for the appointment date for him to go in for the visa but now he is over 21.

So my question? Is he still able to get the visa now that he is over 21?

Answer #3: Since the beneficiary is now age 21, he has moved from a 2A family preference category to a 2B family preference category.

For an unmarried child over age 21 of a permanent resident, visas being issued for petitions were filed on or before January 2005.

Also, the Child Status Protection Act may apply to recompute the child’s age to under 21 depending on the

Gail S. Seeram date the petition was received and the date the petition was approved.

Question #4: My father in law applied for us to migrate to the US, the priority date was June 2002, which falls under the F3 category. My husband is the beneficiary.

In 2008 my father in law d i e d a n d m y h u s b a n d ’s sister and her husband who migrated in the 80s are now the sponsors. Recently the USCIS send a checklist for them to submit the relevant information that was sent back to them (USCIS) via express mail approx two weeks ago.

Answer #4: I hope your sister-in-law applied for reinstatement of the I-130 filed by your father-in-law. When your father-in-law died, the petition is void.

Reinstatement has to be approved before you can substitute a sponsor. Our office has handled many reinstatements and would be happy to help.

Saturday January 19, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Saturday January 19, 2013

Deportee “Smiley “charged with attempted murder Victim discharged from hospital

T

he man who started the year by slashing another man's throat after a falling out over rum drinking and was charged with attempted murder, has been granted bail in the sum of $300,000.

Hansel Andre Lewis, called “Smiley” “Hansel” and “Andre”, 35, of 479 John Lewis Street, Angoy's Avenue, New Amsterdam, appeared on Friday in the New Amsterdam Magistrate's court before Magistrate Adela Nagamootoo.

Attorney at Law Ramesh Rajkumar appearing for the accused made an application for bail stating that his client lives at a permanent residence with his father.

Injured Chris Burrowes He stated that his client has no previous records and would return to court whenever he is required. He added that his client is not a flight risk.

The case for the

prosecution was that on New Year's Day at Republic Road New Amsterdam, Lewis wounded Chris Burrowes with intent to commit murder.

Chris Burrowes, 39, called “Bully” of Alexander Street, New Amsterdam was slashed across his throat following a dispute between the two men.

Lewis, a deportee from the USA, and who was said to be a one-time friend of the victim subsequently went home. He was later cornered at home and given a severe thrashing before being rescued by the police. He was also hospitalized.

He was later released and placed in custody.

Burrowes has since been discharged from hospital.

Several stalls broken into at ...

From page 3 hammering in the market but took it for nothing. Some bags were found on the outside of the market and they were taken to the police station for vendors to go and identify their items.

According to the vendors only two constables were working during the night, a situation which they described as “slackness.”

“How could you have only two constables working in this big market?

Somebody should be held accountable.” The vendors stated that the constables who were on duty should have heard something with all the locks that were broken. Town Clerk Sherry Alexander confirmed that only two female guards were on duty during the night.

Later in the day, Town Clerk Sharon Alexander, who met with some irate

vendors, promised them that the Council will deal with the matter in their best interest.

She later told Kaieteur News that she is waiting on a detailed police report to ascertain what transpired and will determine what will be done next.

Deputy Regional Chairman Mr. Bill Jagroo, said that he cannot comment on the issue,however, there will be a meeting with Local Government Minister Norman Whittaker after which they will decide on the way forward. Subsequently, the Minister paid a visit to the region and met with the vendors who were given a chance to voice their concerns about what they describe as poor security system.

Vendors claimed that a similar incident occurred at the market last October and only promises were made to

strengthen the security systems. To date, vendors say, nothing has been done.

The vendors also drew the Minister’s attention to a rotting door at the entrance to the market which they claim was reported.

H o w e v e r, C l e r k o f Market, Ms. Abiola Cummings, denied that such a report was made. The Minister told the vendors that the municipality would work on the security system and look into the matter of the breach. Some vendors told Kaieteur News that they don’t mind hiring their own security for their stalls but will not pay the Council a full rental if they have to do that.

The Minister advised the stallholders to discuss their losses with the Council after which a decision will be made on the issue of compensation.

One of the stalls which was broken into at the New Amsterdam Market.

Saturday January 19, 2013

Kaieteur News

Road works lead to house damage

W

hile the construction of a new road at Queenstown Sand Reef is ongoing, taxi driver Gavin Marks is peeved about cracks that have appeared in his concrete beams as a result of the constant vibration from the operation of the heavy duty machine.

Marks said that although he has brought the issue to the attention of both the contractor and a senior official of the Region Two Administration, he wasn’t given any assurance that the

damage to his beam would be taken care of by either party.

An irate Marks explained that works on the construction of the road, at Queenstown Sand Reef commenced on January 11.

Marks, who has been living there for the past 20 years, said that he was in his upper flat when he heard a loud sound. On inspection, he noticed cracks to the interior and exterior of a beam that lends support to the foundation of his house.

Marks’s next intention is to consult an attorney.

UGSS kicks of Mashramani celebrations with concert - to feature Karma Band and Shal Marshal

Ravi B and the Karma Band The University of Guyana Students’ Society (UGSS) yesterday launched its Mashramani activities. It has announced that the body has teamed up with the recently established “Team Suga Entertainment” to kick off the Mashramani celebrations with a massive concert featuring international artistes, Shal Marshal and the Karma Band.

According to the Marketing Officer of UGSS, Marvin Wray, the students’ society is working with the vision to change life on campus for the better.

He explained that part of the vision is to supply the University of Guyana students with international style entertainment.

The concert is billed for the UG Turkeyen Campus on February 16. The event is dubbed “Campus bubblin”.

The campus will be divided into a general area and the VIP area. As far as security goes, it was explained that there will be three layers of security, including the Guyana Police

Force and Campus guards.

The event’s sponsors include big names such as Banks DIH, Traveler’s Sound System, Hotel Tower, White Castle Fish Shop, Giftland Office Max, and others.

The event starts around 15:00hrs with fun and games for the family, and will continue in the night with what is hoped to be electrifying performances by Shal Marshal and the Karma Band.

UGSS believes that the university population of 6000 students and staff members is in dire need of new forms of entertainment. The body is hoping that the event will be placed on both the local and regional entertainment/ tourism calendars. Whatever the admission price will be, UG students who provide their badges will be permitted to enter at half price.

Organisers are hoping to have the event become an annual affair.

UGSS said that it will soon be releasing more details on this and other activities that are being undertaken by the UGSS.

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Saturday January 19, 2013

GHRA lambasts judge over ruling on mining on Amerindian lands The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) has lambasted Justice Diana Insanally’s ruling that allows gold miner Joan Chang to prospect in the Amerindian village of Isseneru.

In a lengthy statement yesterday, the GHRA described the judge’s decision as ‘shocking’ and said that it has opened “a Pandora’s box” for unscrupulous miners, while adding that nothing in the Amerindian’s Act supports the judge’s decision.

“The decision of Justice Insanally to the effect that miners who obtained mining permits prior to the Amerindian Act of 2006 are not bound by its provisions, is shocking.

One can only wonder whether the Judge in question has any idea of t h e P a n d o r a ’s b o x o f mischief she has opened.

Unscrupulous miners and mining companies have been handed yet another weapon to undermine Amerindians’ control of their own communities.

This judgement flies in the face of justice and decency,

to say nothing of common sense,” the GHRA said.

GHRA noted that the court found in favour of the miner, Joan Chang, against the Isseneru Village Council, which had ordered the miner to stop working, supported by a Cease Work Order (CWO) from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).

According to the h u m a n r i g h t b o d y, t h e decision has profound consequences not only for Isseneru but for all Amerindian communities.

“Reports state that Joan Chang ‘is associated’ with Platinum Mining Incorporated without clarifying the relevance of this association to the case.

In addition, the judgement is yet another step in the process of reducing the GGMC to a toothless poodle, rather than the independent watchdog urgently required in the mining industry.

“Nothing in the Amerindian Act supports the basis for the Judge’s decision. Indeed, Section 48 of the Amerindian Act on which Justice Insanally relies

states unambiguously that: “(1) A miner who wishes to carry out mining activities on Village lands or in any river, creek, stream or other source of water within the boundaries of Village lands shall (a) Obtain any necessary permission and comply with the requirements of the applicable written laws and … (e) negotiate with the Village Council on behalf of the Village in good faith all relevant issues”…

Section 14 is equally c l e a r t h a t “ A Vi l l a g e Council may, in the exercise of its functions, make rules governing….(j) the regulation of the conduct of non-residents when within Village lands.”

“The logic of the Act is t h a t a n y n o n - r e sident engaged in activities on Amerindian lands must conform with any requirements of the Village Council once those rules are themselves in conformity with the Act. Nothing in the reported versions of the court judgement suggests the Council‘s actions were improper, a fact supported by

the GGMC championing the Council’s interpretation of its rights.

“The non-application of the Act to miners whose presence pre-dates the Act is absurd. It is precisely the abuses generated by nonresidents which provoked the need for Amerindian communities to have greater powers to regulate their behaviour in the first place.

The logic of the judgement is similar to that of reckless drivers who provoked the introduction of speed limit s , c l a i m i n g exemption from observing the new limits on the grounds of their behavior prior to the law, or domestic abusers making the same argument for being allowed to continue abusing.

The judgement will no d o u b t b e w e l c o m e d by those in the mining community who view any kind of regulation as an affront to their ‘right to mine’”, GHRA said.

GHRA noted that in 2010, moves to limit the number of mining properties a miner can hold were abandoned by the Prime Minister following

industry objections. It said that in 2012 the rule requiring miners to give the Guyana Forestry Commission six months’ notice prior to starting to mine, in order to allow timber concessionaires to remove timber from the area, ”also bit the dust”.

“The move in June 2012 to suspend river mining licenses for twelve months to allow a review of river mining lasted less than a month, following howls of protest from the Guyana Gold & Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA).”

“In September 2012 the President caved into assuring miners that there would be no ban on mercury, nor would river mining be suspended.

Ta k e n t o g e t h e r t h e s e i n c i d e n t s s u g g e s t t h ere is a case to be made that having the same Minister responsible for both mining and the environment is a conflict of interest,” GHRA said.

According to the GHRA, the judgement in the Isseneru case comes at a time when a team comprising

representatives from the Natural Resources Ministry, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, and the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association is attending an international meeting in Geneva in preparation for the global ban on mercury about to be imposed on mining.

It said Natural Resources Minister Robert Persaud is reported as “believing that going forward the team could benefit from a multistakeholder discussion on the draft document of the instrument”.

“One is left to wonder, first, who would have represented environmental interests on this delegation, since the Ministry is seemingly in the pockets of mining interests; secondly, with respect to the composition of this team, why are gold and diamond miners considered a priority stake-holder to indigenous communities or environmental concerns and, finally, surely, the consultation should have occurred before the meeting rather than after it.”

Saturday January 19, 2013

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US reality show in rainforest…

Crewmembers battle malaria, snakes, but gold hard to find For some Alabamans, traveling out of the state would be leaving their comfort zone.

So for eight out-of-work construction workers there needed to be a good reason to leave their country. That reason came in the form of gold.

The History Channel show “Bamazon” is getting ready to wrap up its first season, which followed the Bama guys' trek into the Amazon in hopes of striking it rich. They traveled from central Alabama to South America, and cameras followed their time in the jungle.

Darryl Haynes, a Tallassee native, stressed that there was no TV magic o n d i s p l a y, a n d t h e i r surroundings were very real.

He added that the series doesn't show all the dangers.

“Some of the best footage didn't get captured because they were running like I was,” Haynes said.

During the eight weeks of early 2012 they spent in Guyana, South America, finding gold was a challenge.

Running into mosquitoes, snakes and jaguars was much easier.

“Down there we were about third on the food chain,” Haynes said, adding that virtually every crew member caught malaria, lost “a ton of weight” and had to kill venomous vipers on a daily basis.

The choice to come faceto-face with the deadly elements of the Amazon came about after economic

struggles caused Haynes and other construction workers to lose their jobs. Real estate mogul Tim Evans decided to use what was left of his fortune to get a crew together and go mining for gold in South America.

“We just decided to try it,” Haynes said. “We got a team together and just jumped in head-first.”

The group was a collection of people Evans had worked with over the years from cities such as Eclectic, Tallassee and Alexander City. Haynes said the cast originally was bigger, but some who were asked to try out didn't make the cut (one cast member is actually sent home during one of the episodes).

The final episode, airing at the end of the month, shows whether the group was successful. But Haynes said the entire experience gave the guys a sense of accomplishment.

“We think it was a success ... that we could go in this place where we have never been and set up a mine, something we had never done before,” Haynes said.

“That was my victory.”

While there are plenty of differences between the jungle and central Alabama, Haynes said there are actually a few similarities. “ Wo o d s a r e w o o d s wherever you go,” Haynes said. “It's the same red mud we have here, just a lot more of it.”

Haynes said they had a great time filming the first season and hope to return for

ELSA ANN MANSELL A Tribute by Sir Shridath Ramphal Elsa Ann Mansell died peacefully on the night of January 17, 2013 in Oxfordshire, England. She was 89 and had been ill for some time, cared for devotedly by her niece Susan. So ended a Guyana life that must not pass unnoticed.

Elsa seemed to have been by my side for most of my working life – in Georgetown and in London; but her civil service vintage is years older. Elsa Mansell was one of the first Guyanese young women to have made it to the top of the secretarial ladder in the British Guiana days.

Wi t h I n d e p e n d e n c e i n 1 9 6 6 a n d t h e establishment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs she was a natural for this new environment in which she flourished becoming e v e n t u a l l y, C h i e f o f Protocol. I was in charge of the Ministry as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and Elsa was by my side.

A special memory is of Elsa doing the honours for Guyana at Timehri and Umana Yana as our many distinguished guests arrived and were made welcome to the Non-Aligned Foreign Ministers Meeting of 1974 – (continued on page 18)

a second season. But that, he said, is up to the fans.

“It's all about ratings,” Haynes said. “We continue to climb but haven't reached that magic number. We want to keep the ball rolling. If it hits right, they will send us back out there.”

“Bamazon” airs at 9 p.m.

Sundays on the History Channel.

Tallassee native Darryl Haynes is a cast member on History's 'Bamazon

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Saturday January 19, 2013

Female prisoner jailed Mocha road for three more years construction nears completion

Simone Samuels, 40, of Georgetown who is serving a

three-year sentence for trafficking in narcotics and

was expected to be released in April 2013 will have to spend another three years in jail, after she was caught with a quantity of marijuana.

When she appeared in court earlier, she had pleaded guilty to possession of narcotics and begged for mercy stating that she had her children at heart.

She was sentenced on Monday by Magistrate Adela Nagamootoo at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court.

Prosecutor Corporal Orin Joseph stated that on November 28; last, while in

the prison compound, the woman was seen acting in a suspicious manner. She was challenged by prison officials and later searched.

What appeared to be leaves, seeds and stems of the marijuana plant were found concealed in a plastic bag in her skirt pocket.

She was arrested and the substance when tested and weighed was found to be nine grams of the marijuana plant.

In court she stated that she was very sorry for what she did and begged the magistrate to be lenient with her. “I have children.”

Construction of the Mocha access road, East Bank Demerara, is expected to be completed in two months. The road, 2.5 kilometers long and six meters wide, is being built in full, from sand level to an asphalt surface.

Senior Engineer from the Ministry of Housing and Wa t e r, O m a r N a r i n e , explained that construction of the road became necessary because of the magnitude of development that has been ongoing in that area.

It will facilitate access to the Remigrants’ Housing Scheme, the Providence moderate housing scheme and the existing Mocha-

Arcadia housing scheme.

The contract, which is being executed by BK International, was signed in March 2012 at the cost of $330M. The eight-month contract will be completed two months ahead of its duration.

Under this contract, the Housing Ministry will undertake to reconstruct the Mocha access bridge from a wooden structure to a concrete one.

A d d i t i o n a l l y, f i v e drainage structures will be constructed at strategic locations along the road to drain the water from Providence into the Mocha canal and eventually through the Mocha sluice. (GINA)

ELSA ANN MANSELL From page 17 perhaps the high-point of o u r c o u n t r y ' s internationalism. When Elsa retired from the Civil Service I was already .in London as Commonwealth Secretary General and facing our greatest challenge in relation to the struggle against apartheid. The Commonwealth was sending its Eminent Persons Group to South Africa – a Mission which called for the highest diplomatic skills and was to precipitate the end of apartheid.

It also called for very special talents in the Group's

support team and I looked for Elsa and her unique qualities. She came to London – and never left, taking over from another incomparable Guyanese of Elsa's vintage, Greta Cummings, as my Personal Assistant.

When I retired from the Commonwealth Secretariat in 1990, Elsa ran the Office I established in London from 1990 to 2006 –when we both retired. There is so much I could not have done without her. Elsa Mansell was a Guyana gem. I treasure her memory; and so should we all.

Saturday January 19, 2013

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Grenada PM welcomes Charges stay for now in OAS election monitoring Sept. 11 at Guantanamo

OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza greets Grenada Prime Minister Tillman Thomas.

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada — Prime Minister Tillman Thomas has welcomed the positive response from the Organisation of American States (OAS) to his invitation to monitor the upcoming general elections in Grenada.

In his January 8, 2013, letter of invitation to OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza, the prime minister requested technical assistance to “evaluate and verify the integrity of the new voter registration system and to observe and monitor the next general elections in Grenada when it is called.”

The OAS has confirmed its decision to deploy an “electoral technical

assessment mission to Grenada on or about January 21, 2013, for a two-week period to verify the integrity of the new voter system.”

The OAS complimented the prime minister for his government’s decision to implement the recommendations made by the OAS Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) for a new voter registration system.

“I am very pleased that the government of Grenada decided to act upon the recommendations made by the previous OAS Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) to implement a new registration system, considering that voter

registries are a fundamental component of a democratic electoral process,” the secretary general said.

Insulza said the necessary resources are “already available” for the OAS to carry out its technical cooperation activity. He said the OAS accepts the invitation to monitor the elections “with great honour.”

He has instructed the Department of Electoral Corporation and Observation (DECO) of the OAS to take the necessary s steps to deploy an electoral mission to Grenada for the upcoming elections.

(Caribbean News)

EU providing funds for projects in St. Lucia CASTRIES, St Lucia CMC – The European Union (EU) is providing more than Euro 1.7 million (One Euro =US$1.33 cents) for two projects here.

Newly appointed Head of the European Union’s Delegation to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Ambassador Mikael Barford and Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony signed the agreements providing for the funds.

The EU funds will facilitate the completion of the New National Hospital as well as access to safe drinking water here.

Prime Minister Anthony said the EU funds cannot be

understated, noting that they represent “the continued cooperation and support that the European Union provides to the government and people of St. Lucia.

“Indeed perhaps we should emphasize that the New National Hospital … is the largest project undertaken by the European Union in our part of the world. So for us that was a very special gesture on the part of the European Union.”

EU funding will also be provided for support to the National Housing and Development programme to provide the requisite infrastructure, roads and drainage to ensure the

progressive facilitation of the construction of housing units.

At least 30 households from the Soufriere, Fond St. Jacques community that were displaced by Hurricane Tomas will benefit from the Euro 970,000 three year project.

The EU is also providing Euro 810,000 under the “Selective Measures To Provide Sustainable Access To Safe Drinking Water In St.Lucia Project” that would result in improved access to a more consistent and sustainable supply of safe drinking water for the communities of Micoud and Desruisseaux, south of here.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The prosecution of five Guantanamo Bay prisoners accused of orchestrating the Sept. 11 attacks will go on — for now — with eight charges against each of the men, the Pentagon said yesterday.

A Department of Defense legal official declined a prosecution request to withdraw the charge of conspiracy, which faced a likely challenge because of an appeal’s court ruling in a separate case.

Convening Authority Bruce McDonald, a retired admiral and former Navy judge advocate general, said it was too soon to withdraw conspiracy because the ruling in the separate case might also ultimately be reversed.

The uncertain legal standing of the conspiracy charge will be a contested issue as the U.S. prepares to prosecute the five men before a military tribunal at the U.S. base in Cuba, a trial that is likely at least a year away.

Even if the conspiracy charge is later dropped from the case, all five could still get the death penalty.

The five prisoners face charges that include terrorism and nearly 3,000 counts of murder for their alleged roles in the planning and preparations for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The men, who have been held at Guantanamo since September 2006, include Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who has portrayed himself as the mastermind of the plot.

The chief prosecutor, Army Brig. Gen. Mark Martins, had recommended dismissal of the conspiracy charge because of an appeals court decision in October that threw out the August 2008 conviction by of Salim Ahmed Hamdan, a former driver for Osama bin Laden.Hamdan was convicted at Guantanamo of providing material support to terrorism, but the appeals court ruled that was not a war crime under international law at the time

he engaged in the activity for which he was convicted. The government is challenging the ruling, but legal experts say the same reasoning could be used to dismiss the conspiracy charge in the Sept.

11 case. Martins had said that dismissing the charge would remove a potential legal challenge.

James Connell, a lawyer for accused prisoner Ammar al-Baluchi, criticized the decision by the convening authority to allow the conspiracy charge to stand even though the chief prosecutor, Army Brig. Gen. Mark Martins, said it may not be legally viable and should be dismissed.

“The convening authority’s attempt to drive the prosecution forward shows that the military commission structure is fundamentally unfair,” he said. A weeklong pretrial hearing is scheduled to start Jan. 28 to deal largely with defense challenges to other aspects of the case.

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International credit rating agency gives Trinidad and Tobago stable outlook NEW YORK - CMC – International credit rating agency, Moody’s Investors Service, has affirmed Trinidad and Tobago’s Baa1 government bond rating, adding that the twin-island republic’s economic outlook “remains stable”.

The Wall Street-based Moody’s said the “key drivers” of the rating action are “continued resilience of the government’s balance sheet,” despite some deterioration of government debt metrics, and “significant fiscal savings in a sovereign wealth fund and a strong external position supported by persistent current account surpluses and a large foreign exchange reserve buffer”.

In addition, Moody’s said a “challenging growth outlook contingent on the resumption of activity in the energy sector following a protracted recession” contributed to the rating

action. The rating agency said Trinidad and Tobago’s Baa1 sovereign rating continues to be supported by the government’s “robust balance sheet, fiscal savings, and a strong external liquidity position that mitigate susceptibility to event risk; a solid institutional framework with a high degree of policy coherence and continuity; and relatively high income per capita”. Moody’s, however, said that the rating is ?constrained by the small size of the economy, a limited degree of diversification, concerns about medium-term growth prospects and the relative deterioration of fiscal and debt metrics.

“The government’s balance sheet continues to be a source of strength for the rating, despite some recent deterioration as debt metrics remain in line with those of its rating peers,” it said, adding the government responded to the economic

downturn with an “aggressive fiscal stimulus programme”.

In this context, Moody’s said the execution of public sector capital projects “has been weak while current expenditure has increased, driven by wages and transfers to public enterprises”.

As a result, Moody’ said the Trinidad and Tobago government debt increased to 46.9 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2012 from 23.4 per cent in 2008.

It said over half of the increase, about 13 per cent of GDP, was due to domestic debt issued to settle fiscal liabilities, “stemming from the bailout of CL Financial, a systemically important financial conglomerate that collapsed in 2009”.

Moody’s said although it expects the fiscal deficit to average around five per cent of GDP in 2013/14, compared to an average surplus of 1.3

Responding to questions from Opposition Senator Kavan Gayle in the Senate yesterday morning, Leader of Government Business AJ Nicholson said several unsolicited proposals have also been received from overseas financial institutions for the project.

Senator Nicholson said discussions are proceeding with at least two of the overseas institutions, as well as the PetroCaribe Development Fund.

He added that the Port Authority is confident that financing will be obtained for the dredging.

Senator Nicholson

stressed that the dredging of the Kingston Harbour is a critical plank of the Government’s growth strategy.

He said six dredging companies submitted pre qualification documents on December 11, 2012.

Senator Nicholson said the evaluation process commenced the next day in a bid to ensure that only qualified dredging contractors are invited to tender.

It is projected that the start-up-date for the dredging will be in the third quarter of 2013, and Nicholson said the projects is on target to be completed by the end of 2014.

PetroCaribe funds sought for Kingston Harbour dredging

AJ Nicholson Jamaica Gleaner - The PetroCaribe Development Fund has been approached by the Port Authority of Jamaica to finance dredging in the Kingston Harbour.

per cent in 2004-2008, “the rate of government debt accumulation should moderate in the coming years.

“The government benefits from low funding costs, a favourable debt maturity profile that limits rollover risk, and a broad non-energy revenue base,” it said.

Moody’s said Trinidad and Tobago’s credit resilience is supported by “significant buffers in the form of fiscal savings, a high level foreign exchange reserves, and low external debt ratios relative to peers”. It said the Heritage and Stabilization Fund (HSF), a core fiscal institution created to manage excess

fiscal revenues from the oil sector, has accumulated a balance equivalent to 19 per cent of GDP as of 2012.

Moody’s said the country’s international reserve cushion of 42 per cent of GDP is “superior to most Baa1-rated peers”. But despite “these strengths”, Moody’s said there are concerns about Trinidad and Tobago’s growth prospects.

It warned that the economy “continues to face headwinds even after GDP contracted at an average annual rate of 1.4 per cent between 2009 and 2012”.

Moody’s predicts that growth of less than one per

cent in 2012 will be followed by a “modest recovery in 2013, given a projected two per cent increase in GDP. “Risks to this forecast remain tilted to the downside, driven by an uneven performance in the energy sector, weak domestic demand, and poor regional growth prospects,” it said.

“The stable outlook balances the recent deterioration in fiscal and debt metrics and downside risks to growth, against significant fiscal savings, recurring current account surpluses, and a strong international reserve position,” it added.

Former prime minister said he is the target of a hit by criminals BELMOPAN, Belize CMC - Former prime minister Said Musa says he believes he is on a hit list after gunmen fired a number of shots at his home earlier this week.

Police are still searching for those responsible for the incident on Tuesday night, but Musa, who served as prime minister from 1998-2008, said that he had been receiving threats before the gunmen fired several shots at his home in the city.

“I must tell you my gut feeling is that those threats in December are just coincidental to what happened,” he said, adding “I don’t believe the two things are linked at all,” he said, adding that while the threats had stopped briefly, they started again on the day his house was fired upon.

“I really don’t think it was extortion. I think it was a hit,” he said on a television programme. Police Press Officer Raphael Martinez said

Said Musa that “a total of 5 nine millimetre expended shells were recovered from the scene,” and that “the front door and the glass on the rear passenger door of a vehicle in the yard” were damaged.

Musa Said is linking the shots being fired at his home to the ongoing criminal activities here and the recent murders of four men, whose bodies were found in an apartment building.

“I believe the whole climate we’re in right now, especially following what

took place…last Tuesday with the coldp-blooded slaying of these four people in their beds in their rooms.

“I believe that has sent a chilling effect on the whole political climate in this country, political, social and economic climate in this country. It has affected our culture so traumatically that we can expect this kind of reaction happening and I would not divorce that from what happened…to me at my home,” he added.

Musa, who said he has not met with Prime Minister Dean Barrow since the incident, said he believes the message being sent is that “they figure if they send it to me as the former prime minister it will get back to all of us to understand, to the whole political class if you like, in this country…you all might think you can control the situation here, but we can decide when and where and who to hit when we want”.

Saturday January 19, 2013

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Human rights group warns about delay in investigation into killings in Jamaica Michael Peart

LONDON - CMC – The London-based human rights group, Amnesty International, has warned that continued delays in the investigation into the killing of 73 people during an operation by security forces in Jamaica in 2010 could be letting people “get away with murder”.

In a letter sent to the Speaker of the Jamaica House of Representatives, Michael Peart, the human rights group questioned ongoing delays in the presentation of the report that the Office of the Public Defender was due to submit to the Parliament on January 15 after missing previous deadlines.

“It is outrageous that nearly three years since the Tivoli Gardens killings the Jamaican authorities are far from being able to answer the many questions that remain,” said Javier Zúñiga, special

Fly Jamaica prepares for January 25 take off

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller (right) with Roxanne Reece, managing director of Wings Aviation at the launch of Fly Jamaica at Devon House. (Photo: Jermaine Barnaby) Jamaica Observer - New local airline company Fly Jamaica will make its first commercial flight on January 25 — from the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston to JFK Airport in New York.

Fly Jamaica will start off operating one Boeing 757-200 aircraft, which can seat up to 200 passengers, with four flights weekly from Kingston.

Captain Lloyd Tai, the airline’s chief operating officer, told Caribbean Business Report that the airline will not operate as a low-cost carrier. Services will

include business and economy classes, two free checked bags, free meals on all flights, and service in all cabins, said Tai the company’s a launch ceremony on Wednesday at Devon House.

“We are a standard carrier,” he said.

“It’s a little bit against the tradition which is going on now, but what we have seen in particularly the Jamaican market, that is a key component of our traffic, is that they want to be able to utilise all of those facilities,” he said. Jamaica Civil

Aviation Authority (JCAA) issued an Air Operator Certificate to Fly Jamaica in September of last year.

It was the first full certification that the department has done on a large airline, according to Director General of the JCAA, Lieutenant Colonel Oscar Derby. Derby said the airline was able to be certified within a year, after passing a series of rigorous tests. In the demonstration flight, from Jamaica to Guyana, the operators demonstrated that they had a depth of experience, he noted.

“We are very proud to know that this Caribbean collaboration has worked and has worked well,” said Derby.

Fly Jamaica is a partnership between Guyanese Paul Ronald Reece, the company’s chief executive officer, and three Jamaican shareholders including Tai. Transport Minister Dr Omar Davies called it “real evidence of regional co-operation”.

Fly Jamaica will also operate between Kingston and Guyana, located on the northern coast of South America but culturally a part of the anglophone Caribbean.

Davies noted that air travel between those two destinations has always been problematic and lauded the airline for alleviating the challenge. Fly Jamaica has 80 employees.

advisor at Amnesty International.

“By failing to ensure that those responsible for the killings, disappearances and arbitrary arrests that took place in Tivoli in 2010, the Jamaican authorities are simply sending the message that human rights abuses are permitted and won’t be punished,” he added.

Zúñiga said that, when the Minister of National Security was questioned in July 2012 about the delays he said then that the Office of the Public Defender was “understaffed to undertake that scale of investigation.

“If the problem is a lack of resources available to the Office of the Public Defender, the authorities should have addressed this issue long ago,” Zúñiga said.

Peart had told local reporters that he had got the assurance from Public Defender Earl Witter that the long-delayed report would have been delivered to Parliament in time to be tabled

on January 15.

In May 2010, members of the security forces went into Tivoli Gardens in search of Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, who was wanted for extradition to the United States on gun and drugrelated charges.

But the security forces and people loyal to Coke were engaged in a shootout resulting in the death of 70 people.

The security forces also said they recovered several guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

However, residents accused the security forces of extrajudicial killings and destroying t homes and businesses.

The Office of the Public Defender said it had received more than 700 complaints of excesses by the security forces from the residents.

Amnesty International said it was joining local human rights groups that have called for a parliament to investigate the delay in producing the report.

Amnesty International said information it has received alleged that the security forces were “responsible for unlawful killings, arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances that took place during an operation by the security forces in Tivoli Gardens during the state of emergency in May 2010”.

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Algeria crisis triggers Libya, Egypt oil security review - Foreigners still caught in Sahara hostage crisis TRIPOLI/LONDON (Reuters) - Libya rushed to beef up security at its oil fields and energy firms were considering similar measures in Egypt as Islamist militants threatened to attack new installations in North Africa.

More than 20 foreigners were still being held hostage or missing inside Algeria’s In Amenas gas plant yesterday after Algerian forces stormed the desert complex near the Libyan border to free hundreds of captives taken

by Islamist militants.

Hundreds of workers were evacuated from a number of Algerian production sites on the border with Libya to safer places in the country’s centre and industry experts said that could ultimately lead to lower oil and gas production from the OPEC member state.Libya and Algeria are Africa’s third and fourth largest oil producers with Libya also the largest oil reserves holder on the continent. Together with Egypt they are important gas

suppliers to Europe and the budgets of all three countries are heavily dependent on energy revenues.

Libya’s oil protection force, affiliated with the defense ministry, said there had been no reports of incursions into its oilfields, where more guards and military personal had been deployed and security patrols intensified inside and around the sites around the clock.

“Due to events in the region, the Petroleum Faculty Guard has taken a series of actions to enhance and reinforce the protection of oilfields, facilities and employees in the western and southern regions of Libya,” it said.

A Western security adviser working in Libya said by telephone he was not sure that would immediately boost security, since the oil protection force, set up after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, was at an “embryonic stage”.

Libya’s National Oil Corporation chairman Nuri Berruien confirmed increased security measures at fields on the Algerian border.

Some Libyan oil fields such as Italy’s Eni’s Elephant are located several hundreds of kilometers (miles) across the desert from In Amenas, where the hostage tragedy unfolded this week.

The militants said they attacked the facility in retaliation for France’s intervention in neighboring Mali and warned Algerians to stay away from sites with a foreign presence.

That attack and the warning triggered a mass exodus of expatriates from Algerian oil and gas production sites and security experts have said similar evacuation could be on the way across other north African countries.

BP said on Friday hundreds of workers from international oil companies had been evacuated from

Hostages react after they were freed from a gas facility in Algeria, yesterday.

REUTERS/Algerian TV via Reuters TV

Algeria on Thursday and many more would follow.

Crispin Hawes, from Eurasia consultancy, who said he had visited the In Amenas site several times, said oil companies removed non-essential staff in such circumstances as part of their established protocols. “In other nearby countries, similar responses are also almost automatically triggered,” he said.

“Every international oil company operation in Algeria will be obliged by insurers to take certain precautions to avoid and mitigate such instances. Premiums are likely to rise and the expatriation of staff will add to operating costs”.

He said the exodus of expats might delay some projects but added that very big outages were unlikely as

the biggest fields in southern Algeria such as Hassi Mesaoud were “extremely secure”.

For a map of Algerian facilities: http://www.memalgeria.org/fr/hydrocarbures/ hydrocarbon_map.jpg Spain’s Cepsa, which is the biggest foreign player in Algeria operating the country’s No.2 oilfield Ourhoud some 300 km (186 miles) north of In Amenas, decided to evacuate staff towards the country’s centre and away from the Libyan border, an industry source said.

A source at Algeria’s state oil firm Sonatrach, who works at the country’s top oil field Hassi Messaoud, said security had been raised even though the deposit was 900 km (560 miles) away from In Amenas.

“Automatically, when you have an incident like this, security will be on alert, we prepare ourselves,” he said.

A Western risk consultant, specializing on North Africa, said the security situation in Algeria could not be beefed up as quickly as in Libya.

“Westerners have been lulled by the idea that the state will provide security.

Now they may want to increase it, but Algeria, being socialist, simply doesn’t like the idea of private security,” he said.

People who have worked at the In Amenas plant say it was heavily fortified, with security, controlled access and an army camp with hundreds of armed personnel between the accommodation and processing plant.

(Continued on page 31)

After abuse scandal, Pope appoints new head of Irish church VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict yesterday appointed the new head of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland to succeed Cardinal Sean Brady, whose tenure has been plagued by scandal over the sexual abuse of children on the predominantly Roman Catholic island.

The Vatican said Monsignor Eamon Martin, 51, had been named “coadjutor” archbishop of Armagh, meaning he will automatically succeed Brady when he retires next year.

Brady, who will remain primate until his retirement, has resisted calls by three of

the four main parties in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland’s deputy first minister to resign over the sexual abuse scandal.

The Vatican’s move was seen as an attempt to give him a soft exit. While it spared him the embarrassment of stepping down before his scheduled retirement, he will effectively be sidestepped as Martin takes over the running of the diocese.

Armagh, which is in Northern Ireland, is a particularly significant diocese because its archbishop has the title “Primate of All Ireland,” the

senior Church position on the divided island.

A BBC television documentary last year reported that Brady failed to warn parents their children were being sexually abused by a priest in 1975 after he had been given the information by one of the victims.

The abuser, Father Brendan Smyth, died in 1997, just one month into a 12-year sentence after pleading guilty to 74 charges of indecent and sexual abuse of boys and girls for more than 30 years.

Brady apologized at the time of the documentary but said it was misleading.

Saturday January 19, 2013

Kaieteur News

U.S., China in deal on U.N. North Korea rebuke; Russia to back it UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States and China have struck a tentative deal on a draft U.N. Security Council resolution condemning North Korea for its December rocket launch, U.N. diplomats said yesterday, and Russia predicted it would be approved by the council.

The resolution would not impose new sanctions, but would call for expanding existing U.N. sanctions measures against Pyongyang, the envoys said on condition of anonymity. They added that China’s support for the move would be a significant diplomatic blow to Pyongyang. The 15-nation council could adopt the compromise resolution next week, they said. Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin confirmed the diplomats’ comments in remarks quoted by the Russian state-run RIA Novosti news agency, saying that adoption was likely early next week. “I expect we will support it,” RIA quoted Churkin as saying. “I don’t expect that the U.N. Security Council members will have any serious problems (with the resolution).”

“Our position is that the North Korean rocket launch is a violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution, so the council should react,” he said.

South Korean Ambassador Kim Sook told reporters that the draft might take a few days to reach the council.

The United States had wanted to punish North

Vitaly Churkin Korea with a U.N. Security Council resolution that imposed new sanctions against Pyongyang, but Beijing rejected that option.

Beijing had wanted the council to merely issue a statement calling for the council’s North Korea sanctions committee to expand the existing U.N. blacklists, diplomats said.

The tentative deal, they said, was that Washington would forgo the idea of immediate new sanctions, while Beijing would accept the idea of a resolution instead of a statement, which makes the rebuke more forceful. Assuming the North Korea sanctions committee agrees to expand existing measures, the resolution will ultimately lead to more stringent sanctions against Pyongyang.

“It might not be much but the Chinese move is significant,” a council diplomat said. “The prospect of a (new) nuclear test might have been a game changer (for China).” After

North Korea’s April 2012 rocket launch, the council passed a so-called “presidential statement” that condemned the move and urged the North Korea sanctions committee to tighten the existing U.N. sanctions regime. The sanctions committee then blacklisted additional North Korean firms and broadened a list of items Pyongyang was banned from importing.

Washington was determined not to use the same formula as last year, so it insisted that the council adopt a resolution, not a presidential statement as China had wanted.

China is the North’s only major diplomatic ally, though it agreed to U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang in the wake of North Korea’s 2006 and 2009 nuclear tests.

North Korea is already banned under Security Council resolutions from developing nuclear and missile technology but has been working steadily on its nuclear test site, possibly in preparation for a third nuclear test, satellite images show.

December’s successful long-range rocket launch, the first to put a satellite in orbit, was a coup for North Korea’s young leader Kim Jong-un.

It raised tensions in East Asia at the same time as Japan and South Korea elected new leaders. Washington wants them to mend relations after a dispute over an island claimed by both countries.

Pakistani officer probing PM graft case found dead ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani officer investigating a corruption case against the prime minister was found dead in the country’s capital yesterday in what was likely an act of suicide, police said.

The body of Kamran Faisal was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his room at a government dorm in Islamabad, according to senior police officer Bani Yamin.

“Apparently it seems he committed suicide, but we are sending his body for autopsy to determine the cause of death,” Yamin said. Faisal’s death came days after the Supreme Court ordered the arrest of Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and 15 others

in connection with an old corruption case that the officer was investigating.

The prime minister was implicated in the case when he was minister of water and power. At the time, he oversaw the import of shortterm power stations that cost the government millions of dollars but produced little energy. Ashraf has denied the charges against him.

Faisal and another investigating officer of the National Accountability Bureau, Asghar Ali, played a main role in the graft probe until they were removed from the investigation weeks ago

by Fasih Bokhari, the bureau chairman who was allegedly

unhappy with their performance.

Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the NAB to arrest Ashraf and 15 others involved in the case. But Bokhari, refused, saying he does not have sufficient evidence to arrest the prime minister. The refusal was seen as the latest clash between the government and the country’s top court and has intensified the sense of political crisis in Pakistan.

Bokhari said he needed more time to determine whether the premier should be arrested. The top court on Thursday adjourned the hearing in the case for next Wednesday.

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UN fails in attempt to restart Iran nuke probe VIENNA (AP) — U.N experts returned from Tehran yesterday without sealing a long-sought deal that would restart a probe of suspicions that Iran worked on atomic arms, adding to doubts that upcoming separate talks between six world powers and the Islamic Republic will succeed in reducing fears about Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Herman Nackaerts, who headed the team of International Atomic Energy Agency experts, said the two sides would meet again in the Iranian capital Feb. 12. But even if those talks make progress, they will come too late for an Iran-six nation meeting tentatively scheduled for the end of this month.

Those nations — the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany — had looked to the Tehran meeting as providing a signal for Iranian readiness to compromise when they sit down with Tehran. They hope those talks will result in an agreement by the Islamic Republic to stop enriching uranium to a higher level that

could be turned relatively quickly into the fissile core of nuclear arms.

Iran says it is enriching only to make nuclear reactor fuel and for scientific and medical purposes.

This week Iran’s Foreign Ministry again cited a 2005 fatwa by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that banned nuclear weapons — a declaration the West has dismissed as a stalling tactic.

By compromising on the IAEA probe, Iran could have argued that the onus was now on the six powers to show some flexibility, temper their demands, and roll back U.S. and European sanctions that have hit Iran’s critical oil exports and blacklisted the country from international banking networks.

Although Tehran may hope that agreement to meet again next month with the IAEA shows it is interested in a deal, that may be too little for the six powers, who are growingly frustrated that their own talks with Tehran have barely progressed.

Iran denies any interest in nuclear weapons, asserting

Herman Nackaerts that all its nuclear activities are peaceful. It stopped answering questions about allegations that it secretly did research and development work on such arms more than four years ago, saying it had provided enough information to disprove the claims.

New attempts to restart the investigation have dragged on for more than a year, with Tehran insisting on

a detailed outline of what U.N. experts of the International Atomic Energy Agency may or may not do in their investigations.

Nackaerts, in brief arrival comments Friday said that “differences remain,” and no deal was reached.

Agency officials say they are willing to continue negotiations but some privately have described the

delays as a tactic to further stall the investigations. They are particularly concerned that such delays can hurt their efforts to investigate the military site known as Parchin.

The IAEA suspects that Iran has conducted live tests of conventional explosives at the site southeast of Tehran that could be used to detonate a nuclear charge and have cited satellite photos indicating a cleanup there.

But critics of the investigations contend that apparent demolition at Parchin is due to a major construction project by the Iranians and does not mean Iran is sanitizing the area.

The agency already visited Parchin twice, the last time in 2005. But back then, it did not have access to satellite imagery that it now uses to pinpoint its search.

On Friday, Nackaerts said that his team was again unable to go to the suspect site.

Two diplomats familiar with his team’s negotiations said the main sticking points were Iran’s insistence that it be allowed to look at intelligence from the United

States, Israel and other IAEA member nations that the agency is using in its probe and its demands that any investigation not be openended.

But the agency cannot share intelligence without permission from the nation that provides it and says it cannot accept limits on its probe because one piece of evidence may lead to a whole new line of questions involving new sites, documents or officials.The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss confidential information.

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the U.S. was disappointed that “once again” Iran and the IAEA failed to agree on allowing inspectors to visit Parchin.

“Iran has once again missed an opportunity to cooperate with the IAEA and to provide the international community with the transparency that we’re all seeking in order to resolve our concerns about Iran’s nuclear program,” she told reporters.

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CPCE graduates receive laptops from World Bank Smiles were on the faces of 36 teachers from Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) Johns Centre, when they received free laptops. The initiative was funded by the World Bank and took place earlier this week at the college on the Corentyne.

At the 2012 CPCE graduation ceremony, which was held at the National Cultural Centre (NCC) Mr. David Granger in delivering his charge to the graduates said, “We are working on the proposal for every teacher to have his/her own computer”.

Just after Mr. Granger’s address, the principal Mrs. Debbie Thomas, told the graduates from the 2010 batch that they will be having free laptops in a matter of days.

Students from the Johns Centre were asked to be at the

Berbice centre last Monday to uplift their free laptops.

Thirty- six eligible teachers from the 2010 Cohort, Johns Rose Hall Centre, received computers, among the 36 were two teachers, Ronaldo Eastman, a teacher from a Secondary School in New Amsterdam, and Ms. Diana Algu from Manchester Secondary who copped Best Graduating Student in the Associate Degree in Education (ADE) programme.

Mr. Eastman graduated from CPCE with a Distinction having majored in Mathematics with a Minor in English.

Ms. Khemwattie Diana Algu, the Best Graduating Student countrywide for the ADE programme, in making her comments said, “Receiving timetable a week before examinations was

A group of the teachers who were recipients of the laptops. appalling. Turkeyen really needs to work on this default.

Ms. Algu, in extending her thanks for receiving her free laptop said, “At least CPCE has done one good thing for us, so I would like to extend my gratitude to the World Bank and to CPCE for making this possible.

Muse or Amuse

Ever saw a peacock fly?

Ever saw a peacock really fly? A nice long flight? That’s the impossible spectacle I imagine every time I think of the politicians in Guyana.

Strutting, flying peacocks with nothing more than a beautiful tale.

Yep, a beaut i f u l t a l e about how everything is the next person’s fault!

Tw e n t y - e i g h t y e a r s o f P N C ’s c o c k i s h n e s s , 2 0 years of PPP cockishness.

It’s Donald’s fault. It’s Granger’s fault, oh no, it’s Ramjattan’s fault. And Anil gotta keep banging on the legal books to tell the speaker how to speak. And, the Speaker gotta keep wearing two suits to Parliament, that of the eff-cee and that of Speaker.

The Guyana Government and the Guyana Opposition parties are wasting the time of all Guyanese. Other than a pretty tale, there is nothing they offer us, no structure, no plan, no intent to develop this country.

Their sole aim is power and power and more power. So each day they whittle away at each other’s power base and work at building more and more sordid, sorry tale of NOTHING. The peacock’s tale is flashing all over Ministry of Housing with tales of house lots and woes; flashing all over Ministry of Finance with tales of contracts and tenders.

Health is failing. More t h a n 1 0 0 p e rsons have resigned from the Health

Minister’s autocratic rule while public works continue not to work.

And, in Hammy’s own words, the longest serving Mayor (to which I will add) the most inefficient and ineffective mayor is the Mayor of Georgetown.

So the Ministries are performing poorly, the infrastructure is failing, and the economy continues to be buffered by the underground economy. And we are brushed with tales from the strutting and flying peacocks.

The entire Cabinet - each member must take full responsibility for every act of corruption or poor decision that was made from cabinet’s decisions.

That includes people like Frank and Seeraj and everyone else. You’re all responsible, you cannot divorce yourself from some.

Just like Ralph.

Try as he might to distance himself from the decisions of the PPP executive, he shares equal blame as others as he was an equal member of the executive.

The wrongs of the PPP as a party and as a Government are the responsibility of the PPP and the Cabinet – every one of you guys have been flying a peacock’s tale to the entire public.

I am amused that they see the flying peacock as real and corruption as surreal.

With regards to the opposition, I am amused that

th e K a i e t e u r N e w s i s fighting the fight of the politicians. I cannot imagine how dull, unimaginative and ineffective the opposition would be without Kaieteur News.

Look at the Cabinet, look at Government, look at PPP, look at the Private Sector! It is as if they are w e e v i l - i n f e s t e d . Ta k e careful note of that word we-evil.

So long as certain persons remain in certain areas, the entire operations of Cabinet and private sector will be we-evil infested.

If we look at the private sector, we find the same thing.

The we-evil infestation is evident. Hard as the new chairman of PSC may try, the taint of the two persons will continue to depress and destroy the good work of the PSC. What has and what is the Private Sector doing to help the country?

Obviously nothing. But in the meantime, one chairman received state largesse while servicing in a board, while another will soon be rewarded with an appointment in public office. Look closely at how the positions in Trade and Industry as well as the National Strategic Unit are shaping up.

We continue to be amused at the musical chairs being played by all the politicians.

Indeed peacock flying. I am amused.

36 in custody following police raid at Stabroek Market Square A police raid carried out yesterday in the vicinity of the Stabroek Market has landed 36 men in the lockups at Brickdam Police Station.

This newspaper understands that the raid was conducted yesterday “some time after lunch.”

Police ranks that carried out the exercise were able to seize a quantity of fronto leaves along with a quantity of gold Jewellery, two welding torches and 100 cell phones.

The seized items, according to the police, are suspected to have been stolen “or unlawfully obtained.”

The 36 were initially taken into custody to assist with investigations.

Kaieteur News learnt that all 36 suspects were processed. Some were sent away while others remained in custody up to press time last night.

This newspaper was made

aware that the police intend to carry out more raids in that area and in other parts of the country.

In 2010, after an explosion in the area that left one dead, a massive demolition and “clear out” exercise was done.

Government officials had deemed the vicinity a “haven for criminal activities.”

Subsequently a police outpost had been placed on the Stabroek Market square.

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Saturday January 19, 2013

Fly Jamaica in the air from January 25, Guyana flights soon

Jamaica - Fly Jamaica, a new local airline, makes its first commercial flight on January 25, the airline’s chief operating officer Captain Lloyd Tai has said.

The airline, with 80 employees, will operate a single Boeing 757-200 aircraft.

Its first flight on January 25 will be to the JFK Airport in New York.

“We are a standard carrier.

Initially, we will fly to New York; however, plans are in the pipeline to also fly to Toronto and Guyana. Full service will also be offered, especially on

our long flights when passengers will get a full meal.

We are also competitive in terms of our prices,” Tai said.

Tai revealed plans to acquire an additional aircraft by year-end to bring its fleet to two.

The Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) issued an Air Operator Certificate to Fly Jamaica last September.

Fly Jamaica is a partnership between Guyanese Paul Ronald Reece, the company’s Chief Executive Officer, and three Jamaican shareholders,

including Tai. Transport Minister Dr. Omar Davies called it “real evidence of regional cooperation”.

Fly Jamaica will also operate between Kingston and Guyana, with Davies noting that air travel between the two Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries has always been problematic.

“This is an example of how Jamaicans can work together.

This venture will reduce the challenge of travelling between Jamaica and Guyana,” Davies said. (CMC)

Investigation into teen’s death at West Dem. Hospital still ongoing - CMO An investigation into the passing of 15-year-old Shemar Miggins at the West Demerara Regional Hospital on Saturday is still ongoing. At least this is according to Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, whose gazetted authority requires that he lead the probe.

Dr. Persaud said yesterday that he is still not in possession of the coroner’s report, which will detail the cause of death of the teenager, who reportedly succumbed after being administered oral medication intravenously.

He disclosed that in order to complete a thorough investigation, a request has been made for additional sampling and testing to be done on Miggins’s remains.

This newspaper was informed that the lad’s death resulted from asphyxiation which was caused by food in his lungs. He had reportedly eaten lunch shortly before receiving the medication which according to reports was intended to relieve symptoms of burn stomach.

He is expected to be laid to rest today.

At a press conference on Monday, Minister of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran said that the nurse under scrutiny indicated that she had given Miggins the medication in a syringe, and that he had in fact administered it himself intravenously.

This explanation, the Minister

Dead: Shemar Miggins described as “very strange”, even as he disclosed that an investigation into the incident started almost instantaneously.

According to him, it is “extremely disappointing” that something of this nature occurred at a facility which has been the recipient of significant investments over the past two years.

However, he noted that even as investigations continue into the dilemma, moves will be made to look at other aspects of the function of the hospital so that “out of this crisis we can get an opportunity for change and improvement.”

A nursing assistant who was attending to the patient at the time has since been sent on administrative leave

pending the result of the investigation, which once completed, will have to gain the attention of the Guyana Nursing Council, which is tasked with regulating the country’s nurses.

According to Dr. Persaud, the nursing assistant is a registered professional who is supervised by a nurse. At the time of the incident, he said, a nurse was reportedly supervising the ward.

“We are still trying to put the pieces together and I expect that by this weekend we will be able to provide more information to the media,” the Chief Medical Officer said yesterday.

In addition to gaining the attention of the Nursing Council, the case is expected to be brought to the attention of the entire nursing fraternity, Dr. Persaud explained, with a view to identifying where procedures, if at all, were not followed.

He said that earlier this week, a review of all documents pertaining to the patient reflected that the medical management aspect was undertaken in the correct way, as were the prescriptions which were all written up in a timely manner.

He noted that there are indications that there might have been a breach in the protocol for administering medicines “so that is where the investigation will be focused.”

Saturday January 19, 2013

Kaieteur News

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GPHC promotes early screening to reduce impact of cervical cancer The notion that early diagnosis could save lives is still being touted as a key means of helping to reduce the impact of cervical cancer.

At least this is according to a statement issued by the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation yesterday.

The institution noted that “women are encouraged to have themselves screened as early diagnosis could save lives.”

This reminder comes even as Cervical Cancer Awareness Month is observed. January of each year is designated ‘Cervical Cancer Awareness Month’.

In observance of this very important health concern, the GPHC, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, has so far conducted screening services at the Guyana Defence Force Headquarters, Ayanganna, Parliament Buildings and the Bank of Guyana, the statement said.

A total of 119 women were screened. Of these eight per cent presented with precancerous cells and were treated. The tests were conducted with the use of the Visual Inspection with Acetic

Acid (VIA) thereby allowing for immediate results and subsequent follow up.

Free screening, according to the statement, is done at the GPHC, the Dorothy Bailey, Kitty and Campbellville Health Centres.

This service is also offered at some private institutions for a minimal fee.

It was noted that Cervical Cancer Screening activities will continue during this month at the Food for the Poor Organisation and the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry for their staff members.

The Ministry of Health has for a number of years been working towards achieving a significant reduction in cervical cancer by 2015.

As at 2009 it was recognised as a major public health threat in Guyana since it was even then in the top three causes of cancer in the world. Cervical cancer is the number two cancer for women in the country.

Former Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, said that in combination with the HPV testing, which was

introduced to young girls last year, and VIA testing the Health Ministry was gearing to make cervical cancer a minor public health problem in 2015.

“So we intend to drop it out from those high profile spaces that it occupies at this time,” Dr. Ramsammy had said.

Each year, globally, approximately 500,000 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed, and 250,000 women die from the disease.

More than 80 per cent of these deaths occur in developing countries.

As a result of competing health priorities, many governments in low-resource countries may not have adequate funding to introduce, expand or improve their current programmes for cervical cancer prevention and treatment.

For this reason the former health Minister had said that “It has become increasingly important to engage the private sector in partnerships with the government to provide support for these programmes.”

Financial discrepancies at Brickdam Station Registry Following the disclosure of financial irregularities at the Brickdam Police Station Registry, for which one female rank has been placed under open arrest, the Guyana Police Force has issued a statement soliciting help from licensed firearm holders who made purchases during August and last December.

A statement issued yesterday informed that the records of firearm licences sold during the aforementioned period have not been located.

Consequently, individuals and representatives of companies, who have purchased their firearm licences at Brickdam Station during that period, are asked to report to the Police

Office of Professional Responsibility at Police Headquarters, Eve Leary, with their licences.

This information, the statement added, is needed to aid the probe that is being carried out by the Audit and Inspection Unit of the Police Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) in conjunction with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

A female Lance Corporal has been suspected to be involved in the disappearance

of a quantity of cash from the Registry. The money represents the proceeds from the sale of firearm licences.

Kaieteur News understands that the female rank was previously transferred from the Police Finance Office where she and others were implicated in another massive fraud, for which no one has been prosecuted.

In fact, the rank was recently promoted at the last police promotions announced on January 1.

A man who allegedly robbed a schoolboy of an LG cellular phone was denied bail when he f a c e d C h i e f Magistrate Priya Sewnarine Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

Marlon Fredericks told the court that he was not guilty of the allegation that he in the company of others carted off with a first form Secondary school student’s cellular phone valued at

$45,000.

The child was reportedly in the vicinity of Camp Street, clad in his school uniform when the defendant and four others rode up to him on bicycles and robbed him before escaping.

The child accompanied by his grandparent m a d e a report to the police mobile outpost outside Stabroek Market. They later returned to the scene of the crime where the schoolboy

identified the defendant as one of the persons who robbed him.

After his arrest, a memory card belonging to the said cellular phone was recovered on Frederick’s’ person.

The prosecution objected to bail based on the circumstances, and nature of the crime as well as the punishment it attracts.

Fredericks was therefore remanded to prison.

- Force solicits information from public to aid in probe

Schoolboy robbery lands man in jail

Saturday January 19, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Saturday January 19, 2013

Best villager lambastes residents for false allegation Kemol Roshan, the alleged owner of a “so called illegal workshop” situated at Lot 669 Plantation Best, West Coast Demerara says that he does not operate any workshop at his home.

Yesterday, a very upset Roshan visited this newspaper with his side of the story. He claimed that whatever he has at his property is not a workshop but it is in fact a garage.

He admitted that he has a generator in his garage but he said he only uses it whenever something needs to be done on his property.

…accuses neighbours of ‘jealousy’ Roshan said that he believes that his neighbours are after his family because of an ongoing land dispute.

“First of all, that is now a garage, and the accuser is claiming that my exhaust pipe is a dozen feet away from his grandson’s bedroom but my exhaust pipe is about 20 feet away and it is in the air.”

According to Roshan, the neighbours claimed that they have made numerous reports at the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station and nothing was

done. “I have my bail receipt to slow that my father was arrested on October 10, last, for an allegation made against him by the neighbours.”

He asked, “When there is no workshop then how can there be any noise. They are making allegations to damage our reputation.”

“How can you clean a pen with about seven yard fowls?” questioned Roshan while stating that his neighbours are joining hands to make his life miserable.

Soesdyke murder PI ...

Wife a no show at court for cross examination The wife of triple murder accused, John Blanchard, was a no show at court on Thursday when the matter was called again at the Providence Magistrates’ Court.

Onika Blanchard was scheduled to be crossed examined on Thursday but failed to show up. Hence Magistrate Leslie Sobers was forced to put the matter down for January 31.

On the last court appearance Mrs. Blanchard closed off giving evidence against her husband.

A tearful Mrs. Blanchard told the court, on that occasion, that while living with her husband and children the family was struggling to make ends meet financially.

The woman further told the court that before leaving for the interior her husband promised to take care of their three children, Joy, Belika and

Daniel.

According to her it was agreed that she would go to make a better living for her family. The woman sobbed, “I went and this is what happen”.

On October 11, 2011, Blanchard was detained for the chopping of his three young children causing the death of two of the minors.

Belika Blanchard and her f i v e - y e a r- o l d b r o t h e r, Daniel Blanchard, died instantly after reportedly being attacked by their father. Six-year-old Joy Blanchard subsequently succumbed to her injuries.

The family resided at Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara, and according to persons, at the time of the incident, the children’s mother had left for the interior where she sought a better job. It is alleged that the chopping incident stemmed from a

phone conversation Blanchard allegedly had with the woman moments before.

Blanchard who sold clothing to sustain his family had reportedly been experiencing difficulty with his companion.

The two had allegedly spilt up with the woman leaving the children behind. It was indicated that Blanchard had sought the support of his younger sister on the night of the incident. She claimed that B l a n c h a r d h ad tried to contact her but was unable to do so.

The death of the children had sparked nationwide interest and outrage.

Blanchard was attacked twice while in police custody.

The man had been beaten severely by fellow inmates who sought to teach the alleged “child murderer” a lesson.

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Ex-New Orleans mayor charged with bribery, fraud NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was indicted yesterday on charges that he used his office for personal gain, accepting payoffs, free trips and gratuities from contractors while the city was struggling to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

The charges against Nagin are the outgrowth of a City Hall corruption investigation that already has resulted in guilty pleas by two former city officials and two businessmen and a prison sentence for a former city vendor.

The federal indictment accuses Nagin of accepting more than $160,000 in bribes and truckloads of free granite for his family business in exchange for promoting the interests of a local businessman who secured millions of dollars in city contract work after the 2005 hurricane. The businessman, Frank Fradella, pleaded guilty in June to bribery conspiracy and securities-fraud charges and has been cooperating with federal authorities.

Nagin, 56, also is charged with accepting at least $60,000 in payoffs from another businessman, Rodney Williams, for his help in securing city contracts for architectural, engineering and management services work.

Williams, who was president of Three Fold Consultants LLC, pleaded guilty Dec. 5 to a conspiracy charge.

The indictment also accuses Nagin of getting free private jet and limousine services to New York from an unidentified businessman.

Nagin is accused of agreeing to wave tax penalties that the businessman owed to the city on a delinquent tax bill in 2006.

In 2010, Greg Meffert, a former technology official and deputy mayor under Nagin, pleaded guilty to charges he took bribes and kickbacks in exchange for steering city contracts to businessman Mark St. Pierre. Anthony Jones, who served as the city’s chief technology officer in Nagin’s administration, also pleaded guilty to taking payoffs. Meffert cooperated with the government in its

Ray Nagin

case against St. Pierre, who was convicted in May 2011 of charges that include conspiracy, bribery and money laundering.

Nagin, a former cable television executive, was a political novice before being elected to his first term as mayor in 2002, buoyed by strong support from white voters. He cast himself a reform-minded progressive

After abuse scandal, Pope appoints new head of Irish church VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict yesterday appointed the new head of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland to succeed Cardinal Sean Brady, whose tenure has been plagued by scandal over the sexual abuse of children on the predominantly Roman Catholic island. The Vatican said Monsignor Eamon Martin, 51, had been named “coadjutor” archbishop of Armagh, meaning he will automatically succeed Brady when he retires next year.

Brady, who will remain primate until his retirement, has resisted calls by three of the four main parties in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland’s deputy first minister to resign over the sexual abuse scandal.

The Vatican’s move was seen as an attempt to give him a soft exit. While it spared him the embarrassment of stepping down before his scheduled retirement, he will effectively be sidestepped as Martin takes over the running of the diocese. Armagh, which is in Northern Ireland, is a particularly significant diocese because its archbishop has the title “Primate of All Ireland,” the senior Church position on the divided island.

A BBC television

Pope Benedict documentary last year reported that Brady failed to warn parents their children were being sexually abused by a priest in 1975 after he had been given the information by one of the victims.

The abuser, Father Brendan Smyth, died in 1997, just one month into a 12-year sentence after pleading guilty to 74 charges of indecent and sexual abuse of boys and girls for more than 30 years.

Brady apologized at the time of the documentary but said it was misleading.

The Church in Ireland, where for centuries religion was embedded in the national psyche, has been rocked by a series of reports of child sex abuse stretching back

decades and of leaders’ complicity in covering them up.

Ireland last year closed its embassy to the Vatican, one of its oldest diplomatic missions, after relations hit an all-time low over the abuse scandals. “I am saddened that many good Catholics were let down so badly over the issue of abuse and that some have even stopped practising their faith,” Martin said in a statement about his appointment.

“As Church, we must continue in our efforts to bring healing to victims and ensure that young people are always protected, respected and nurtured,” he said.

A Vatican report last year accused the island’s religious leaders of negligence and called for more reforms there to avoid a similarly “shameful” scandal in the future.

Years of crisis over sexual abuse have included several damning government reports, the resignations of several Irish bishops and a papal letter to Irish Catholics.

As in other countries, Catholic leaders were accused of turning a blind eye to sexual abuse and shuttling clergy accused of abuse from parish to parish instead of defrocking them or turning them in to police.

who wasn’t bound by party affiliations, as he snubbed fellow Democrat Kathleen Blanco and endorsed Republican Bobby Jindal’s unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign in 2003.

Katrina elevated Nagin to the national stage, where he gained a reputation for colorful and sometimes cringe-inducing rhetoric.

During a radio interview broadcast in the storm’s early aftermath, he angrily pleaded with federal officials to “get every doggone Greyhound bus line in the country and get their asses moving to New Orleans.” In January 2006, he apologized for a Martin Luther King Day speech in which he predicted New Orleans would be a “chocolate city” and asserted that “God was mad at America.”

Strong support from black voters helped Nagin win reelection in 2006 despite widespread criticism of his post-Katrina leadership. But the glacial pace of rebuilding, a surge in violent crime and the budding City Hall corruption investigation

chipped away at Nagin’s popularity during his second term. Nagin could not seek a third consecutive term because of term limits. Mitch Landrieu, who ran against Nagin in 2006, succeeded him in 2010. Aaron Bennett, a businessman awaiting sentencing in a separate bribery case, told The TimesPicayune that he introduced Nagin to Fradella specifically to help the mayor get Home Depot granite installation work for a business that he and his sons founded.

Fradella’s company received millions of dollars in city contracts for repair work at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and in the French Quarter after Katrina, the newspaper reported.

Some of the allegations in the indictment have been the subject of state ethics complaints. In April 2010, the Louisiana Board of Ethics charged Nagin with two possible violations of state ethics law.

One charge involves

Nagin’s “use of a credit card and/or gifts” from St. Pierre and his technology firm, NetMethods, while the company was working for the city. NetMethods paid for Nagin and his family to travel to Jamaica in 2005 and to Hawaii in 2004, according to newspaper reports.

In the other charge, the Ethics Board says Stone Age LLC, the Nagin family’s business, was compensated for installation services provided to Home Depot while the home improvement retailer was negotiating tax breaks from the city.

Nagin has largely steered clear of the political arena since he left office. On his Twitter account, he describes his current occupations as author, public speaker and “green energy entrepreneur.”

He wrote a self-published memoir called “Katrina’s Secrets: Storms After the Storm.”

Nagin’s attorney, Robert Jenkins, didn’t immediately return cellphone calls seeking comment on the indictment.

Algeria crisis...

From page 22 Even in Egypt, thousands of kilometers away from In Amenas, the oil industry was feeling unnerved.

“If there is a critical situation (in Egypt) we will take measures including staff evacuation. At the moment, everything is under control,” a spokesman for Russian oil major LUKOIL said.

Royal Dutch/Shell, which has a heavy presence in Egypt, said it was looking carefully at the geopolitical situation to make appropriate security arrangements, but declined specific country-related comments.

Chief executive of global oilfield services major Schlumberger, Paal Kibsgaard, told a conference call on Friday security in the entire region was under renewed scrutiny.

“If you talk about Algeria and Libya, we are operating there with security measures and, with what has happened in the last week, we are relooking at that,” he said.

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Saturday January 19, 2013

Saturday January 19, 2013

DTV CHANNEL 8 08:55 hrs. Sign On 09:00 hrs. Power Ranger Samurai 10:00 hrs. Supah Ninjas

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15:00 hrs. Movie: Tell Me No Lies 17:00 hrs. The Baptist Hour 18:00 hrs. World News 18:30 hrs. Nightly News

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Guides are subjected to change without notice

Saturday January 19, 2013 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) The lights seem to glow brighter today, and something you couldn’t see previously is growing more visible. You’re moving into a more active social cycle and yet, at the same time, you are being cautious about what you actually put on your calendar.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Although you may be looking farther into your future now, this visionary tendency doesn’t mean you are less sensible than before.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You are open to receiving the messages that the universe sends you today. However, you might not know how to use your heightened sense of anticipation.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) This is a weird time of year because you’re inclined to dig yourself into your cave, hibernating the winter away.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) You may be a little overwhelmed now as friends and associates confront you with facts that you need to integrate into your plans over the next several weeks.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) You are entering a new phase when your behavior may be quirkier than normal — not that anyone else necessarily knows the details about your private life.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) This can be a very positive time of year for you with both the Sun and Mercury traveling through idealistic Aquarius, a fellow Air sign.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You may start the day feeling a bit on edge because it seems as if there aren’t any easy solutions for your current scheduling dilemma.

But things start to fall into place and by afternoon some of the earlier stress begins to settle down.

SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) Your phone is ringing and your inbox is full as all forms of interaction and communication intensify. You may travel more — even if only locally — because of your work or your role in the community.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) You might feel as if the spotlight isn’t following your every move any longer — and this newly found anonymity is just fine with you.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) The radiant Sun and trickster Mercury enter your friendly sign today, encouraging you to connect with others and express what’s on your mind.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Unfortunately, you may find yourself tangled up in the nets of your own imagination now.

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Saturday January 19, 2013

Lance Armstrong’s apology questioned by Wada president Lance Armstrong’s sincerity in apologising for doping offences has been questioned by the president of the World Anti-Doping Authority (Wada).

John Fahey believes Armstrong ducked key issues relating to his cheating in a TV interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Both Fahey and the United States Anti-Doping Authority (Usada) want the disgraced cyclist to explain the full extent of his doping “under oath”. “That is his way forward if he is serious,” Fahey told the BBC. “Don’t go on a show with a woman who will give benign questions, lead you to the answers and not follow up when you don’t answer properly. “But is he going to do it? Probably not. If he was prepared to do it, he probably wouldn’t go down the Oprah Winfrey route in the first place.”

Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles in 2012 after he was found guilty of doping, but had always maintained his innocence until he confessed to cheating in the first of a

two-part interview with Winfrey, recorded on Monday and broadcast at 02:00 GMT on Friday.

The American cyclist revealed he took performance-enhancing drugs in each of his Tour wins from 1999-2005 but said doping was “part of the process required to win the Tour”.

He also said he did not feel he was cheating at the time and viewed it as a “level playing field” but now admits that “all the fault and blame” should lie with him and he was a bully who “turned on” people he did not like.

Armstrong added that he would now co-operate with official inquiries into doping in cycling.

But Wada president Fahey has called on the 41year-old to name names.

“I think his credibility has suffered,” Fahey said. “If he is serious about redemption, he will go before an appropriate tribunal, give evidence under oath, subject himself to cross-examination, name names, say who in the entourage was helping him cheat, who supplied the

drugs, which officials warned him he might be tested and who in the way of riders was associated with it.

“He claims he was doing what everyone else was doing. If he wants to help cycling and redeem himself, he should expose all, and not just conveniently give a few titbits that really tell us what we already know.”

Usada chief executive Travis Tygart has also called on Armstrong to explain himself before a court. “If he’s sincere in his desire to correct past mistakes, he will testify under oath about the full extent of his doping activities,” Tygart said.

Usada was the agency that brought the charges against Armstrong after federal prosecutors in California dropped their investigation into alleged doping. The American filed a lawsuit against Usada last July, accusing them of “corrupt inducements” to other cyclists to testify against him before stating in August that he would not fight doping charges filed against him. He was subsequently stripped of his

titles since 1995 but maintained his innocence up until the interview with Winfrey. “Lance Armstrong finally acknowledged that his cycling career was built on a powerful combination of doping and deceit,” added Tygart. “His admission that he doped throughout his career is a small step in the right direction.”

Cycling’s world governing body UCI came under scrutiny in the interview. It had been alleged that Armstrong had paid UCI to keep quiet about positive drugs tests. But the president of the organisation Pat McQuaid said Armstrong’s confession revealed there was no collusion.

“Armstrong’s decision finally to confront his past is an important step forward on the long road to repairing the damage that has been caused to cycling and to restoring confidence in the sport,” he said. “Armstrong has confirmed there was no collusion or conspiracy between the UCI and Lance Armstrong. There were no positive tests which were covered up and he has

confirmed that the donations made to the UCI were to assist in the fight against doping.

“Finally, we note that Lance Armstrong expressed a wish to participate in a truth and reconciliation process, which we would welcome.”

But Fahey criticised the UCI for failing to do enough to tackle doping in the sport, and questioned McQuaid’s future. “They have got to make some moves that will change the way the sport operates, and if that involves current office bearers, so be it,” Fahey said.

Armstrong faces a series of potential legal issues in the wake of his confession, although he would be unlikely to face perjury charges, despite making sworn testimony in a 2005 court case that he had never used performance-enhancing drugs. New York defence attorney Stuart Slotnick told BBC Sport earlier this month that, under United States law, the Statute of Limitations means any prosecution must be launched within five years of the offence.

Armstrong said during his interview with Winfrey

that he had not doped since 2005. However, his former team-mate Floyd Landis - who was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title for doping has filed a federal whistleblower lawsuit accusing Armstrong of defrauding the US Postal Service, which paid more than £18.7m to sponsor the team Armstrong competed for.

In addition, the Sunday Times is already suing Armstrong for £1m over a libel payment to him in 2004 after the newspaper alleged he had cheated.

Livestrong, the non-profit organisation set up by Armstrong to help those affected by cancer, said it was disappointed the American “misled” people during his career.

The Texan, who won his own battle with testicular cancer, stepped down as chairman after Usada published its findings.

“We at the Livestrong Foundation are disappointed by the news that Lance Armstrong misled people during and after his cycling career, including us,” said the Livestrong statement.

Saturday January 19, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Lance Armstrong & Oprah Winfrey: cyclist sorry for doping From page 36 that. The important thing is that I’m beginning to understand it.

“I see the anger in people, betrayal. It’s all there. People who believed in me and supported me and they have every right to feel betrayed and it’s my fault and I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to earn back trust and apologise to people.”

On whether it was the biggest doping programme in sport he said: “I didn’t have access to anything that anybody else didn’t.

“Winning races mattered for me but to say that programme was bigger than the East German doping programme of ’70s and ’80s is wrong.”

Armstrong said his battle with cancer in the mid-1990s turned him into a “fighter”.

“Before my diagnosis I was a competitor but not a fierce competitor,” he said. “I took that ruthless win-at-allcosts attitude into cycling which was bad.”

Armstrong denied riders had to comply to a doping programme to compete for his US Postal Service/Discovery Channel team, but admitted his personality could imply that.

He said: “Yes, I was a bully. I was a bully in the sense that I tried to control the narrative and if I didn’t like what someone said I turned on them. “We felt like we had our backs against the wall and I was a fighter.”

Armstrong said he had not been afraid of getting caught. “Testing has evolved. Back then they didn’t come to your house and there was no testing out of competition and for most of my career there wasn’t that much out-of-competition testing so you’re not going to get caught because you clean up for the races.

“I didn’t fail a test.

Retrospectively, I failed one.

The hundreds of tests I took I passed them.”

However, he did admit that he received a back-dated therapeutic user exemption certificate for a cream containing steroids at the 1999 Tour to ensure he did not test positive.

Armstrong retired from cycling in 2005 but returned to the sport between 2009 and 2012.

He told Winfrey that he did not use drugs after his return to the sport. “That’s the only thing in that whole Usada report that really upset me,” he said.

Armstrong said he regretted his return, and was asked if he would have “got away with it” if he had not

come back. “Impossible to say,” he replied, but added his “chances would have been better”.

However, he conceded that when he discovered George Hincapie, who was the only man to ride in the same team as Armstrong for each of his seven Tour wins, had given evidence against him last year, he knew his “fate was sealed”.

“George is the most credible voice in all of this,” Armstrong added. “He did all seven Tours. We’re still great friends. I don’t fault George Hincapie, but George knows this story better than anybody.”

Armstrong said he would now co-operate with Usada. “ I love cycling and I say that knowing that people see me as someone who disrespected the sport, the colour yellow,” he said.

“If there was a truth and reconciliation commission and I can’t call for that - and I’m invited I’ll be first man through the door.”

He went on to say that he wished he had complied with the Usada investigation. “I’d do anything to go back to that

day,” he said. “I wouldn’t fight, I wouldn’t sue them, I’d listen. I’d do a couple of things first. “I’d say give me three days. Let me call my family, my mother, sponsors, [the Lance Armstrong Livestrong] foundation and I wish I could do that but I can’t.”

Asked if his former doctor Michele Ferrari, who was banned for life by Usada after being found guilty of numerous anti-doping violations, was the “mastermind”, Armstrong

said: “No. I’m not comfortable talking about other people. “I viewed Dr Michele Ferrari as a good man and I still do.”

He said he regretted “going on the attack” against masseuse Emma O’Reilly, who was an early whistleblower. “She is one of these people that I have to apologise to,” he said. “She’s one of these people who got run over, got bullied.”

He denied making a $100,000 donation in 2005 to the UCI, to cover up a failed drugs test. “It was not in

exchange for help,” he said.

“They called. They didn’t have a lot of money. I did.

They asked if I would make a donation so I did. “That story [of a cover up] isn’t true.

There was no positive test.

There was no paying off of the lab. There was no secret meeting with the lab director.

I’m no fan of the UCI. That did not happen.”

However, Armstrong refused to answer questions regarding allegations made by former team-mate Frankie Andreu and his wife Betsy.

Frankie Andreu had admitted in 2006 to taking EPO before the 1999 Tour - Armstrong’s first victory.

The Andreus testified in 2006 that they heard Armstrong tell a cancer doctor that he had doped with EPO in 1996. Armstrong swore, under oath, that it did not happen.

He told Winfrey that he had a 40-minute telephone conversation with the Andreus but he was not prepared to reveal what was said.

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Saturday January 19, 2013

Lance Armstrong & Oprah Winfrey: cyclist sorry for doping The BBC Sport website will have a special live text commentary during the second Oprah Winfrey broadcast at 02:00 GMT on Saturday.

Lance Armstrong has ended years of denials by admitting he used performance-enhancing drugs during all seven of his Tour de France wins. The 41year-old confessed during his interview with chat show host Oprah Winfrey in front of a worldwide television audience.

“I view this situation as one big lie I repeated a lot of times,” he said. “I made those decisions, they were my mistake and I’m here to say sorry.”

However the American denied it was “sport’s biggest doping programme”, saying “it was smart, but it was conservative, risk averse”.

The interview with Winfrey, 58, was broadcast on prime time television on her OWN network in America, and was streamed worldwide through her website.

THE TENS OF MILLIONS

WATCHING SAW ARMSTRONG REVEAL: he took performanceenhancing drugs in each of his Tour wins from 19992005 doping was “part of the process required to win the Tour” he did not feel he was cheating at the time and viewed it as a “level playing field” he did not fear getting caught “all the fault and blame” should lie with him he was a bully who “turned on” people he did not like his cancer fight in the mid-1990s gave him a “win-at-all costs” attitude he would now co-operate with official inquiries into doping in cycling In response the US AntiDoping Agency (Usada) called for Armstrong to detail “under oath” the full extent of his doping.

Cycling’s governing body the UCI welcomed Armstrong’s decision “to come clean and confess”, and said the interview had

Lance Armstrong admitted doping in an interview with Oprah Winfrey (OWNTV) confirmed it was not part of a “collusion or conspiracy”.

Last year Armstrong was stripped of his Tour de France titles after being labelled a “serial cheat” by Usada. In a detailed report, the body said he led “the most s o p h i s t i c a t e d , professionalised and successful doping programme sport has ever seen”.

The Texan decided not to contest the charges, saying

last year he was tired of fighting the allegations. He had always strongly denied doping.

That all changed within seconds of an explosive opening to the interview when Winfrey, one of America’s top chat show hosts, demanded yes or no answers.

“Did you ever take banned substances to enhance cycling performance?”

“Yes.” “Was one of those substances EPO?” “Yes.” “Did you use any other banned substances?”

“Yes.” In the interview, broadcast on the Discovery Channel in the UK, Armstrong then admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs Erythropoietin (EPO), testosterone, cortisone and

human growth hormone as well as having blood transfusions. He continued: “All the fault and blame is on me and a lot of that is momentum and I lost myself in all that. I couldn’t handle it. The story is so bad and toxic and a lot of it is true.”

Asked if doping was part of the process required to win the Tour, he said: “That’s like saying we have to have air in our tyres or water in our bottles. It was part of the job. “I don’t want to make any excuses, but that was my view and I made those decisions.”

In a key exchange Winfrey asked: “Did it feel wrong?

Armstrong replied: “No. Scary.”

“Did you feel bad?”

“No. Even scarier.”

“Did you feel that you were cheating?”

“No. The scariest.”

Armstrong continued: “The definition of a cheat is to gain an advantage on a rival or foe. I didn’t view it that way. I viewed it as a level playing field. I didn’t understand the magnitude of (Continued on page 35)

Saturday January 19, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Djokovic, Sharapova stay hot as Melbourne cools Sharapova will be among the favorites for the title as the tournament enters the second week (EPA)

Novak Djokovic hits a return to Radek Stepanek during their match at the Australian Open. REUTERS MELBOURNE (Reuters) A welcome wind blew away the stifling heat at Melbourne Park on Friday but there was no diverting Novak Djokovic or Maria Sharapova from their paths to the last 16 of the Australian Open on day five of the tournament.

Djokovic remained on course for his third straight title as he marched into the fourth round without giving up a set after successfully negotiating a tricky tie against Radek Stepanek with a 6-4 63 7-5 win.

Sharapova was even more impressive and, although denied a third successive 6-0 6-0 win of the week, looked every inch the title contender in her 6-1 6-3 demolition of seven-times grand slam champion Venus Williams.

Fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska also continued her red-hot start to the year, notching up win number 12 with a 6-3 6-1 victory over Britain’s Heather Watson in their third round tie.

Playing with the roof closed on Rod Laver Arena because of a few drops of rain that accompanied the cooler

weather, Djokovic had to work for every point against Stepanek, who charged the net 67 times.

It was little more than a good workout for the world number one, however, and before launching a broadside at disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong, he complimented the 34-year-old Czech on his contribution to the match.

“He loves the big stage,” the Serbian said. “You saw how much fun he had. I also had a lot of fun playing. It was a very entertaining match. He’s very skilful, comes to the net, never gives you the same ball twice.”

Sharapova’s flurry of fist pumps after she wound up her match against Williams showed how much the victory meant to the second seed, who has been in ruthless form this week despite missing her one warm-up tournament with a collar-bone injury.

“I think the reason I started so well in this tournament is because I knew that I had to,” said the Russian 2008 champion. “I knew I was coming in without any match play. It’s tough. I hadn’t played

a professional match, a real match, in over two months.”

The absence of the injured world number four Rafa Nadal has left a gaping hole in the top half of the draw and fourth seed David Ferrer eased further into it with a 6-4 6-2 6-3 win over another entertainer, 2006 finalist Marcos Baghdatis.

The Spanish baseliner showed more than a few decent touches of his own most notably a sumptuous backhand lob - as he set up a fourth-round contest against Japan’s Kei Nishikori.

Big-serving Tomas Berdych was a 6-3 6-2 6-2 winner over Jurgen Melzer and will face Kevin Anderson in the next round with a likely quarter-final meeting with Djokovic on the line.

“Kevin Anderson has a huge serve so it could be like playing against myself,” the Czech fifth seed said of the South African, who upset 22nd seed Fernando Verdasco 4-6 6-3 4-6 7-6 6-2.

Djokovic must first get past Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka, who ended the 2013 challenge of the

American men at Melbourne Park when he beat Sam Querrey 7-6 7-5 6-4.

Eighth seed Janko Tipsarevic outlasted Frenchman Julien Benneteau 3-6 6-4 2-6 6-4 6-3 in a second successive five-set match but Melbourne’s changeable weather seemed to trouble him as much as the length of his contests.

“The weather in Australia, I have to say it’s crazy,” he said. “Today was beautiful,

but it was really, really windy.

Who knows what’s going to happen tomorrow? Probably we’ll have rain and we’re going to end up playing indoors.” The Serbian will next face Spanish 10th seed Nicolas Almagro, who ended Jerzy Janowicz’s maiden Australian Open with a 7-6 76 6-1 win in a match that was free of the histrionics that accompanied the Pole’s second round victory. Janowicz’s compatriot Radwanska claims

she is not superstitious, which might be a good thing as she will face 13th seed Ana Ivanovic in the fourth round as he looks to extend her winning streak to 13 matches.

“I just hope I keep going,” last year’s Wimbledon finalist said. “Of course now it is going to be harder and harder playing against seeded players.”

Ivanovic won the battle of the Serbian former world number ones against Jelena Jankovic 7-5 6-3 and was later joined in the fourth round by another former French Open champion, Li Na. China’s Li, who beat Sorana Cirstea 6-4 6-1, reached the final in 2011 and will fancy her chances of going deep again this year, especially as Kim Clijsters, who beat her in both the last two years, has now retired again.

American teenager Madison Keys was knocked out

by German fifth seed Angelique Kerber in the opening match on Rod Laver Arena.

“I’m taking away some positives. But right now, it kind of sucks,” the 17-yearold said after her 6-2 7-5 defeat.

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Kaieteur News

Saturday January 19, 2013

Epic basketball battle in Linden tonight

- GT’s Ravens takes on Linden’s Jets

Ryan Stephney

Akeem Kanhai

A

n epic basketball battle looms in Linden tonight when Georgetown’s Ravens takes on Linden’s Jets in an ‘Exchange Basketball Classic’ at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) Court in a feature game following a Kings versus Victory Valley Royals matchup.

The much-anticipated showdown between the two top clubs in the country will give

enthusiasts a good impression as to who rules the roost in basketball in Guyana.

Any clash of titans from those two towns, Georgetown and Linden, has always produced intense contests. Peed of Ryan ‘Cocaine’ Stephney, Stephon ‘Penny’ Henry, Rodwell ‘Kobe’ Fortune, and Akeem ‘The Dream’ Kanhai will torment Jets in their hometown. Kanhai is familiar with playing at the MSC against Jets and should bring those experiences into the game.

Ryan Gullen and Jermaine Slater must be defended well too

Ryan Gullen because of their abilities to shoot the ball or take it inside if the shot is not there; the players are among the best forwards around in the game locally and will be a handful for Jets front court defence.

Ravens know that the easiest way to get the better of Jets is to play an up-tempo, fast-paced game with its speedy guards, which Royals employed in a recent tournament and got the better of Jets.

The two teams are very similar when it comes to speed, however, with Jets’ Leonard Caleb and Kevin ‘Two Feet’ Joseph spearheading the backcourt. National forward,

Shane Webster Shane Webster has his work cut out against his national counterparts as well. Jets support cast includes, Ivor Blair, Javon Nelson, Allistair Webster and Joel Webster. A good contest is expected in the Mining Town with Jets having home-court advantage and Ravens there since the 2012 Brusche’s Classic.

Ravens won two titles in two weeks when they lifted the Phillip George Legacy tournament title late in December last year then returned a week later to take the Albert Bentick Championships.

Ravens have established itself as the team to beat in Georgetown.

Kevin Joseph For Jets, they were forced to settle for second place as the young Royals unit took home the justconcluded Banks Malta Supreme Championship.

But notwithstanding that result, it was revealed that Jets topped the Linden ranking with their performance. The Trophy Stall joined Ansa McAl under their Stag Beer Brand and Major Sports Centre as the main sponsors of the game. Parliamentary Secretary within the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sports, Steve Ninvalle has sponsored the Most Valuable Player (MVP) Trophy.

Saturday January 18, 2013

Kaieteur News

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Guyana squeeze by Windwards in last ball thriller in Caribbean T20, face Jamaica today

G

Steven Jacobs (centre) and Derwim Christian (left) stood out for Guyana. (WICB).

uyana made heavy work chasing 118 after a good start to squeeze past the Windward Islands in the Caribbean T20 match in St Lucia yesterday and earned a spot against Jamaica, whom they will play tonight for a chance to meet Trinidad and Tobago in tomorrow’s final.

Guyana won the toss and sent the Windwards in and they started badly, losing early wickets to man-of-the-match Steven Jacobs being 2-2 in the second over. They eventually reached 117 for 7 off their 20 overs with Keddy Lesporis run out 26, Darren Sammy 18, Liam Sebastien 15 and Shane Shillingford 17 at the end propelling them to a reasonable total. Jacobs 2-12, Devendra Bishoo 2-26 and Ronsford Beaton 2-25 were the wicket takers for Guyana.

Guyana were given a good start by the openers with Shivnarine Chanderpaul retiring hurt on 8, Derwin Christian, who top scored with 39, pushing them to 50. Ramnaresh Sarwan again fell cheaply and Guyana lost their way somewhat. Leon Johnson 23and Chris Barnwell 17 brought them back within range and it took some nervy moments involving Jacobs, Royston Crandon and skipper Veersammy Permaul at the end to see them win off the last ball of the match. Gary Maturin 2-20 was the pick of the Windwards bowlers.

So its onto Jamaica tomorrow and with Chris Gayle back, Guyana will need a far better showing if they are to have any chance of overcoming the fired up Jamaicans for a spot against champs T&T on Sunday.

Scores: Windwards 117/7 (Sebastien 15* Shillingford 17* Lesporis 26, Wkts: Jacobs 2, Bishoo 2 Beaton 2) Guyana 118/6 20.0ovrs (Barnwell 17 Johnson 23, .Chanderpaul retired hurt 7*, Sarwan 7, Christian 39, Wkts: Mathurin 2).

Result: Guyana win by 4 wickets.

Page 40

Kaieteur News

Saturday January 18, 2013

Guyanese cricket Kulasekara sparks officials meet WICB Sri Lanka ODI victory counterparts

Guyanese delegation with WICB VP - WICB Media photo.

Guyanese cricket officials met with West Indies Cricket Board Vice President Dave Cameron at the joint WICB meeting of the Board of Directors and representatives of Territorial Boards being held yesterday, January 17 in St Lucia.

Guyana Cricket Board Secretary Anand Sanasie, GCB Assistant Secretary th

Dru Bahadur, GCB Treasurer Anand Kalladeen and GCB Vice President Alfred Mentore attended the meeting when many issues were discussed including the progress of the regional game and Guyana cricket situation among others.

In photo (from left) – Guyana Cricket Board Secretary Anand Sanasie,

GCB Assistant Secretary Dru Bahadur, WICB Vice President Dave Cameron, GCB Treasurer Anand Kalladeen and GCB Vice President Alfred Mentore at the Joint WICB meeting of Board of Directors and representatives of Territorial Boards at the Coco Palm Hotel in Gros Islet St Lucia.

(WICB Media photo)

(Reuters) - Sri Lanka laboured to a fourwicket victory after right-arm pacer Nuwan Kulasekara destroyed Australia with a fine display of swing bowling in the third one-day international in Brisbane on Friday.

Australia’s top and middle order batsmen capitulated before Kulasekara’s inswing while Lasith Malinga (3-22) polished off the tail to bowl out the hosts for 74 in 26.4 overs.

The win, though not as convincing as it should have been, puts Sri Lanka 2-1 up in the five-match series. Sydney hosts the fourth one-dayer on Sunday.

For Australia, only Mitchell Starc (22 not out) and Xavier Doherty (15) managed double digits, adding 34 runs for the last wicket to take the home side past their lowest ODI total ever. On a day when ball dominated bat and not a single six was hit, the Sri Lankan batsmen had their problems too and wobbled early on in their chase.

Mitchell Johnson (3-11) blew away their top order, while Starc claimed a couple as Sri Lanka lost six wickets before scrambling over the line in 20 overs.

Kushal Perera was unbeaten on 22, while Tillakaratne Dishan also contributed as many runs. It was a brave effort by the Australian bowlers after they were let down by their batting colleagues earlier in the day.

Angelo Mathews drew first blood with his seventh delivery when he removed opener David Warner and Australia captain Michael

Clarke was soon left to rue his decision to bat first as the batting lineup came unstuck.

Right-arm pacer Kulasekara tasted his first success when skipper Mahela Jayawardene took a sharp, low catch in the second slip to dismiss the other opener Phil Hughes.

Kulasekara was on a hat-trick in his next over when he removed Hussey and followed it with a delivery that swung a long way to trap the scoreless George Bailey leg before.

Matthew Wade denied him a hat-trick but that was hardly solace for the hosts as Kulasekara returned to peg back Clarke’s middle stump and push one through Moises Henriques’s gate for his first five-wicket haul, also earning him the man of the match award. After Kulasekara had exposed Australia’s lower order, Malinga ran through the tail, removing Johnson, Wade and Clint McKay. Starc and Doherty added 34 runs for the last wicket before Shaminda Eranga dismissed Doherty to end the Australian innings in the 27th over. Number nine batsman Starc took a couple of blows on his helmet but hung on to take Australia past their previous lowest total of 70 that came on two occasions, against England in Birmingham in 1977 and New Zealand at Adelaide in 1986.

Scores: Sri Lanka 6 for 75 (K Perera 22*, Johnson 3-11) beat Australia 74 (Starc 22*, Kulasekara 5-22, Malinga 3-14) by 4 wickets.

Saturday January 18, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 41

Jumbo Jet Auto Sales West Berbice Under-23, 2-Day match...

Brilliant Jawahir leads Upper West Berbice to five wickets victory over Lower West Berbice

T

he Berbice Cricket Board as part of its efforts to improve the standard of cricket in the area, last weekend organised a two days cricket match for Under-23 players from there at the Blairmont Community Centre. Upper West Berbice defeated their Lower West Berbice counterparts by five wickets to clinch the Jumbo Jets Auto Sales Trophy.

Batting first after winning the toss, Lower West Berbice were bowled out for 132 with Keon Gravesande topscoring with an attractive 42 (5x4) and received support from Keon Fraser 34 (3x4) and R. Gossai 12.

Bowling for Upper West Berbice, promising leg spinner Kevon Jawahir claimed 6 wickets for 43 runs from 17 overs, while left arm spinner Wagar Hassan took 2 for 32 from 8 overs.

In response, the host made 169 all out in 56 overs with skipper Deveshwari Prashad topscoring with 45 (2x4), Derick Narine Lalsa Jnr 17 and Abdool Subhan 21. Medium pacer Keyron Fraser was impressive claiming 5 wickets for 43 runs from 13 overs and Kris Ramnarine 3 for 40.

Batting a second time with a first innings deficit of 37, the visitors were bowled out for 120 in their second innings with only Ravi Gossai 39 (3x4), Azib Khan 26 and Quacy McPherson 24 offering resistance to the bowling of Jawahir who took 3 for 39 to end with match figures of 9 for 82.

Wagar Hussain supported with 4 for 40 from 14 overs.

Needing to score 83 runs for victory in a maximum of 15 overs to claim an outright victory, Upper West Berbice reached 85 for 5 with five balls remaining. Aviskar

The winning Upper West Berbice team Sewkarran was unbeaten on 30, while Nick Ramsaroop supported with 20. Keyron Fraser took 2 wickets for 16 for the Lower West Berbice Team.

Public Relations Officer of the Berbice Cricket Board and Special Events Committee Chairman, Hilbert Foster, at the

presentation ceremony, expressed gratitude to the Management of Jumbo Jet Auto Sales for sponsoring the match at the cost of

$50,000. The two-day match was organised by the Berbice Cricket Board as part of its countywide effort to get young cricketers to play the longer version of the game and Foster praised the young cricketers for their commitment, passion and discipline.

He committed the Berbice Cricket Board to invest even more in West Berbice Cricket and urged the players to work hard at developing their personal game as 2013 promises to be an exciting one in Berbice Cricket.

The Berbice Cricket Board would like to express its disappointment that five cricketers selected from the Young Achievers Club to play in the Lower West Berbice Team, did not turn up for the match while no excuses were submitted.

Disciplinary actions would be taken against the players very shortly.

Page 42

Kaieteur News

Saturday January 18, 2013

Semifinalist decided in Banks DIH Classic Inter Club Basketball competition

P

lay in the inaugural Banks DIH Classic Inter club Basketball competition for teams in Berbice has reached the semifinal stage with Central New Amsterdam, Smythfield Rockefeller and Rose Hall Town joining Fyrish Black Sharks to advance, at the expense of

Corentyne Jammers.

Two games were played on Sunday with the two New Amsterdam teams, Central New Amsterdam and Smythfield making sure that their travels away from home were fruitful with contrasting victories.

At the Rose Hall Town basketball court, Smythfield Rockefeller took some time

to settle down before overcoming a rocky first half t o t a k i n g c h a rg e a n d overhauling an eight points deficit (27-19) against Corentyne Jammers before recording a close come from behind three points 50-47 victory that jammed the Jammers out of the competition.

Pouring in the points for

Smythfield were Michael Bowen with 27 points and Neil Wills with 12. Troy Paul dunked 16 for The Jammers.

In the second game, the boys from Central New Amsterdam held their nerves to eke out a close one point 49-48 victory against Rose Hall Town in the game which was played at the Fyrish Basketball court.

Top scoring for The Central NA combination was Randy Richardson with 15 points, while Eman Wiggins had 11 points for the losers.

Semifinal action will get on the way tomorrow at the New Amsterdam basketball court with one game which will see the two New Amsterdam teams in action.

Arch rivals and neighbours Central New Amsterdam and Smythfield Rockefeller will both be looking to make full use of the home surface when they collide from 16:00 hrs in the lone game.

The second semi final will be contested on Sunday 27 also at the New Amsterdam basketball court with Rose Hall Town and t h

Randy Richardson Fyrish Black Sharks trying to outdo each other for a place in the finals from 16:00 hrs. A date is to be announced for the final which is to be played at the New Amsterdam court. The final was originally slated for tomorrow Sunday 20 January. Vibert Garrett is the coordinator.

(Samuel Whyte) th

CONCACAF Statement - Guyana Football Bodies Resolution

M

anager of Public Affairs of CONCACAF Melissa Rincon yesterday dispatched a statement via e-mail to Kaieteur Sport on behalf of the Organisation pertaining to the current state of affairs following the visit of FIFA and CONCACAF officials to Guyana to mediate in the row that involved the Guyana Football Federation and the Georgetown Football Association over the restoration of voting rights and full membership.

The contents of the e-mail are as follows: A week after the visit of a FIFA and CONCACAF delegation to Guyana aimed at reconciling differences within the football fraternity in Guyana, we are pleased to confirm that the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) has withdrawn permanently the two injunctions filed in the civil court against the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and that the GFF has reinstated all membership rights to the GFA, effective January 16, 2013.

“The Guyana football fraternity has shown great commitment to creating dialogue among all stakeholders. We are very pleased with the pledge to revitalize and better organize the sport in the country. We are here to assist the GFF and its members with setting a clear roadmap to achieving this goal,” expressed FIFA Vice President and CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb on a statement.

“On the verge of the GFA’s elections, we trust your football community will exercise their voting privileges with great responsibility and integrity, with the ultimate goal of creating a greater future for football in Guyana. This should mark an auspicious start to a new era of reform.

“The Guyana football community will soon have to decide for themselves who are the best suited officials to lead their federation. Every member association’s elected representative will have the opportunity to exercise his/her voting privilege in due time. In the spirit of progressing football in Guyana and under principles of equality, responsibility and respect, we are gladly assisting in the fruition of this fundamental process. CONCACAF will welcome the newly elected officials to our regional football family in the hope that their contribution will further expand the development of football in the region.”

Saturday January 18, 2013

Kaieteur News

Page 43

Robert Williams Memorial Dominoes...

Jamaica beat CCC by Pressure Point seven wickets in CT20 are zone 1 champs Gayle blasts 85 of Jamaica’s 151 for 3

Chris Gayle goes deep and into the seats in his brutal destruction of the CCC bowling. (WICB) GROS ISLET, St Lucia – Chris Gayle right away announced his presence as he blasted an entertaining 85 as Jamaica defeated Combined Campuses and

Colleges by seven wickets in the penultimate preliminary round game of the Caribbean Twenty20 at the Beausejour Cricket Stadium yesterday.

Nkrumah Bonner

chipped in with 28 not out and Dave Bernard made 24 as J amaica w on eas y reaching 151 for 3 as they chased 150 for 5 made by CCC.

Gayle’s entry to this edition brings a great victory to Jamaica and boosts the morale of the team. He took the Man of the match for his impressive display which included 9 sixes and 4 fours.

Kevin McClean was the pick of the CCC bowlers with 223.

Earlier, Kyle Corbin 47, Raymon Reifer 37 and Chadwick Walton 23 led the students to a competitive total. Nikita Miller led the bowling with 2-26 for Jamaica. The win assures Jamaica a spot in the semifinals, joining Trinidad and Tobago who have already advanced.

Scores: CCC 150 for five off 20 overs (Kyle Corbin 47, Raymon Reifer 37, Chadwick Walton 23; Nikita Miller 2-26) JAMAICA 151 for three off 16.4 overs (Chris Gayle 85, Nkrumah Bonner 28 not out, Dave Bernard 24; Kevin McClean 2-23).

P

ressure Point scored 83 points to win zone one of the Robert Williams Memorial Dominoes competition which was contested on Wednesday evening at Transport Sports Club.

Clifford Griffith 17, Darwin Chase 16 and Erwin Chapman 15 were their leading players. TNT placed second with 65, Kaham Samaroo chalked a maximum of 18 games, while Trevor Smith 13 and Ravin Persaud 11 supported.

KTS came third with 64 games; Rasheed Williams made 17, Harrichand Persaud 12 and Ryan Rambalack 11.

Meanwhile, Impressors and Lions won the latest round of matches in zone 2 which was played last M o n d a y a t D y n a s t y.

Impressors marked 94 games ahead of C7 77 and

Robert Williams Providence 63. Maibert Hale was Impressors leading player with 17 games.

Lions with 87 games also defeated Blue Bird 72 and Mix Up 54. Kevin Boston and Jillian Hyman made 17 each for Lions and Blue Bird respectively.

t r o Sp D-Day for the GFA

Burnett pleads Fraser-Thomas could for another term create history today Stories by Rawle Welch President of the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) Vernon Burnett speaking with Kaieteur Sport just ahead of today’s Electoral Congress of the entity is pleading with the constituents to give him another term in office to finish off the work started two years ago. Burnett, a Lieutenant Commander in the Guyana Defence Force and someone who holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural Science is one of two candidates vying for the position of President of the Association with the other being Lavern Fraser-Thomas.

According to Burnett, he like his opponent is bringing a lot of administrative experience to the table, having had a responsible rank in the Army for the past 18 years serving as President of the football club and Manager of the team.

Burnett told this newspaper that one of his primary reasons for seeking re-election is to continue the work of the GFA, adding that what was achieved last Thursday during the visit of the FIFA / CONCACAF Team would have allowed a breath of fresh air to permeate within the football fraternity and that in itself signal hope for a brighter future for the sport.

“What was being fought for, for almost 15 years got settled with a few hours and even though it was a collective effort, it was still a good example of my commitment to see improvement in the game at both the administrative and technical levels,” Burnett stated.

He spoke of them being against the odds when they started two years ago, but their aim was always to deliver to the members, supporters and all those who were concerned about the path the sport had taken.

The career Army Officer said if re-elected it is his intention along with the support of his executive to give their unselfish and unreserved commitment to developing the sport.

Quizzed of what form that will take, he revealed that among the top priorites will be to be more inclusive as mandated by the visiting team that had urged all parties to put aside partisan postures for the good of the

Incumbent President of the GFA Vernon Burnett and opposition candidate Lavern Fraser-Thomas share a light moment recently. game, to embark on a robust programme that will cater for youths, the continued training of referees and coaches and assisting in strengthening the administrative arms of all clubs affilaited to the GFA. He reckoned transparency and accountability will also be integral components to their existence should he regain office and that will be intimated to all clubs and sponsors.

Burnett said he is looking forward to consolidating the gains made over the period, adding that for that reason mainly, he should be given another chance.

The incumbent President closed by thanking his fellow members who served with him, clubs, sponsors, well wishers, supporters, Attorney-at-Law Roysdale Forde, National Sports Commission and the FIFA / CONCACAF Team for their support.

He then wished the GFF well, while informing that if he returns to office he will engage them hopefully in an environment that could lead to the development of the game.

W

ith her nomination confirmed to vie for the Presidency of the Georgetown Football Association today, University of Guyana Sports Co-ordinator Lavern Fraser-Thomas could create history in this country by becoming the first female to head the Association.

Fraser-Thomas, who has been involved in sport both at the participatory and administrative levels, brings a wealth of experience to the office if elected and many feel that it is this decisive edge in addition to her willingness to serve the sport to the best of her ability that could influence enough support for her to win the Presidency.

The mother of five, who became a single parent after her husband passed away, has sport in her blood, having represented this country as an athlete and also held administrative and managerial positions on national teams as well.

She has the distinction of being the Manager of the national female football and

netball teams.

A holder of a Degree and Diploma with distinctions in Public Management to go with numerous certificates in Sports Administration and Coaching, FraserThomas is also the recipient of two national awards after being named Coach of the Year and Sports Personality of the Year on previous occasions.

Fraser-Thomas also held the position of Secretary of the Fruta Conquerors Football Club, a position she maintained for nearly seven years and was known as someone who dealt with the club’s business in a forthright and non-discriminatory manner and was respected by many of her peers and players.

Such is the administrative prowess of the diminutive Fraser-Thomas, she has been able revamp and revitalize interest in sports at the University in a very short time and has been credited for even introducing many students and staff to recreational activities on Campus.

Additionally, Fraser-Thomas served the National Sports Commission with merit for over 20 years as a Sports Officer and was chiefly responsible for sustaining the sport of Netball through the introduction of the game in schools.

Speaking with Kaieteur Sport merely 24 hours before the GFA holds its Electoral Congress at the Sleep In Hotel, FraserThomas said that even though she is willing to serve in any capacity that will allow her to assist in the further development of the sport, she believes that because the sport is at a critical juncture following the FIFA / CONCACAF ruling which restored all rights to the GFA, the Association needs strong leadership to ensure that what was signed on to is honoured and she is willing to place her integrity and reputation on the line for that reason.

A very affable individual, Fraser-Thomas is also competent in developing life skills among those she interacts with and that too could serve as pivotal for a solid relationship with her executive and the clubs should she win. Kaieteur Sport wishes her the best of luck.

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